Chapter 40 The Mystery of the Western Hills (The End)
Zhao Ying had been urged to ride her horse at breakneck speed, and a surge of anger was burning within her.
The magistrate, Shen, broke into the camp in the middle of the night without explaining the reason. He simply revealed the "Chen" token and coldly ordered her to immediately muster her troops and rush to the aid of Xitou Village.
It was true that he was a prince's side minister, but he was a man and could not speak... But with the words "as if I were personally present" pressing down on her, she dared not utter a single question. She could only hurriedly mobilize troops while thinking to herself: This fifth princess is quite troublesome, running off to investigate a case in the middle of the night.
Does she really think that the Western Hills are the back garden of her royal palace in the capital, where she can stroll around at will?
However, as the distance closed, the faint sounds of shouts and explosions carried on the wind nearly scared Zhao Ying out of her wits.
That's a princess! If anything were to happen to her within her Fuling County territory, right under her nose...
At this moment, Zhao Ying had no other thoughts; her only thought was to whip the horse into the air and make it go even faster!
Thankfully, the horse was alright—oops, I mean, the Fifth Princess was alright, and they even captured the bandit leader alive.
When she saw the figure slowly lowering the bow and arrow, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and the cold sweat from lingering fear soaked through her inner shirt.
Zhao Ying was a seasoned veteran of local officialdom. He was able to maintain his position as the garrison commander in the murky waters of Xishan not because of his bravery and diligence, but because of his "safety." He did not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes, and especially to avoid getting involved in trouble that he could not cover up.
She vaguely sensed that Sun Man and his men were up to something in Xishan, but she had no evidence and dared not investigate further. The tentacles of the Cai faction and the deeply entrenched interests in the local area were not something that she, a mere county garrison commander, could easily shake.
However, she was unwilling to get involved. During several bandit suppression campaigns, she noticed that some of the bandits' tactics resembled those of the government troops, and even the weapons they used alarmed her.
She could only outwardly comply while inwardly resisting. Each "bandit suppression" campaign was carried out with great fanfare, but she always "couldn't catch up" at crucial moments. She both fulfilled her orders and avoided truly offending either side, carefully maintaining a balance while waiting for someone who could withstand the pressure to lift the lid.
Right now, it seems this person has arrived.
Zhao Ying scrambled off his horse, almost kneeling before Ling Wei: "This humble general, Zhao Ying, has arrived too late to save Your Majesty! I deserve to die! Please punish me, Your Highness!"
She kept her head down, but her eyes quickly scanned the scene. The Minister of the Imperial Guard was hurriedly dismounting and trying to get closer to Ling Wei, reaching out as if to help her.
However, Ling Wei slightly turned her body to the side, avoiding the outstretched hand, without even glancing at him.
Shen Zhilan's hand froze in mid-air, her fingertips trembled slightly, and she slowly curled up and withdrew it.
Ling Wei's gaze fell on Zhao Ying, who was still kneeling.
"Commander Zhao."
"Your subordinate is here!" Zhao Ying's heart tightened, and she straightened her back even more.
"Arrest them." Ling Wei's voice was devoid of emotion, sounding somewhat indifferent.
Zhao Ying cautiously raised her head and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, this humble general is foolish... Who are you asking about?" She looked at the scattered bandits who were being surrounded and captured by government soldiers.
Ling Wei raised her eyes and looked towards the horizon. After a night of tossing and turning, the deep darkness of the sky was fading, and the pale golden morning light was about to pierce through the clouds.
“The rotten roots of Xishan have been buried for more than a day or two, and every single thing points to a single vine.”
“Now, let’s start pulling from the section where the vine is visible.”
Then she turned her gaze back to Zhao Ying, and as if looking through her at the still-sleeping city of Fuling: "What I caught was naturally the thickest section."
Zhao Ying instantly understood, her heart trembling, but then she felt a sense of relief, as if "it's finally here." She clasped her hands tightly and said, "This humble general obeys the order."
This time, with the imperial envoy personally giving the order, the suspect was caught red-handed, and the evidence pointed directly to the suspect. She could finally truly wield her "knife."
Zhao Ying suddenly stood up, mustered a team of elite personal guards, and headed straight for the prefect's mansion with a murderous aura.
......
Some men were left behind to clean up the battlefield and take prisoners, while a group of guards went deep into the cave to rescue the trapped disabled miners.
Ling Wei walked to an old tree, leaned against its rough trunk, and exhaled a long breath of stale air, the exhaustion from the fierce battle and the complex emotions surging in her heart all at once.
Shen Zhilan silently walked a few steps away from her and stopped, with Xuan Ying following beside him.
Xuan Ying knelt on one knee, bowed his head and clasped his hands, his voice steady: "Your subordinate Xuan Ying greets the Fifth Prince."
Ling Wei didn't look at her, her gaze still fixed on the gradually brightening sky in the distance. She simply raised her chin slightly in her direction and said, "Get up and talk."
Xuan Ying stood up, knowing that this was an opportunity for her and Shen Zhilan to explain. She did not hide anything and began to talk about the Crown Princess Ling Hua's critical illness and deathbed.
“When His Highness was seriously ill, his guards and I were all by his side. His Highness mentioned that he had entrusted an unfinished matter to Lord Shen and left a personal seal, saying that if Lord Shen came with the seal, we must cooperate with him in full.”
Xuan Ying's voice was low and heavy with the weight of the past: "His Highness also said... if Lord Shen is unwilling or unable to continue this matter, then let it go. We can disperse on our own, or go north to find you with the letter His Highness left behind, and find a job under your command to protect you."
Hearing this, Ling Wei's fingers dug into her palms as they hung at her sides, but her face remained expressionless.
Xuan Ying continued, "When Her Highness the Crown Princess went south to inspect the border years ago, she passed through Xishan and noticed something suspicious about the mining taxes there. However, due to the urgency of official business, she was unable to investigate further. Before leaving, Her Highness wrote a letter to Shen Langjun, mentioning this matter, and left behind several trustworthy people, instructing him to keep a close eye on things secretly. She originally intended to deal with it after Her Highness returned to the capital, but who knew..." Xuan Ying's voice lowered, filled with sorrow.
"After His Highness passed away, Lord Shen did not forget his instructions and was determined to investigate the matter thoroughly. My subordinates and a few former subordinates who were unwilling to leave followed Lord Shen to Fuling County."
“Sun Man is extremely vigilant. At the slightest sign of trouble, he retreats into his shell and cuts off all leads. We can only lie in wait in the outer villages and piece together information from the refugees. We gradually deduce that the black mine is related to the disabled man, but we still can’t get to the core of the matter.”
"Later, by chance, we rescued several miners who had miraculously floated out of the underground river, and learned more about the inside story. But this also aroused Sun Man's vigilance, and it seems that even the capital city has taken notice of this place."
"For some reason, the Second Prince suddenly developed feelings for the young master, but the young master is unwilling. If he marries into such a household, it will be impossible for him to investigate the matters the prince entrusted to him. But if he refuses firmly, it will lead to deeper suspicion and suppression, and we will be completely exposed."
At this point, Xuan Ying turned her head and glanced at Shen Zhilan with a complex expression, her eyes filled with admiration as well as heaviness.
"It was Shen Langjun himself who took the medicine that caused him to lose his voice."
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