Chapter 43: The Chi family is down, I really want to arrest you...
It turned out that he was injured so badly that day.
It was just one sword strike, and Jiang Cichen had been practicing martial arts for many years, so he shouldn't have been injured so badly. There was only one reason: the sword was poisoned.
But he never mentioned it.
Yes, they were not at the point of being able to confide in each other.
"The Imperial City Division is investigating the case!" Chen Beizhe entered with two teams of black-armored guards, and in an instant they surrounded the court like an iron barrel.
A cold sweat broke out on the Temple Secretary's forehead. The Imperial City Division, directly under the Emperor, had always investigated only serious crimes. Now, this secret case in the harem had first been the work of the Prince's faction, and now it had also alarmed the Imperial City Division.
It would be fine if both parties were aiming for the same result, but if one was on the left and the other on the right, he really wouldn't know what to do.
Temple Secretary asked, "What case does the young general want to investigate?"
Chen Beizhe said, "The details of the infant spirit sacrifice case match those of the smuggling case currently under investigation by the Imperial City Division. We will investigate them together." He waved his hand and said, "Take them all away!"
Feng Yuyun's pearl hairpin fell to the ground during the struggle. Xu Xuan's face was ashen, but only Platycodon stood straight. Zhang Du was about to intervene, but Jiang Cichen glanced at him, and he froze in his tracks.
Chen Beizhe said, "If Master Zhang has any objections, please have your master come and ask for the person personally."
Zhang Du said, "How will the Major General handle the issue of Chi Wanwan's identity? Will this case also be tried together?"
Chen Beizhe said, "This matter concerns the assassination of Master Shen, so it will naturally fall under the jurisdiction of the Imperial City Department."
Zhang Dudao said, "What if Chi Wanwan is not Chi Wanwan?"
Jiang Cichen said calmly, "I won't let you off easily."
These four short words were clearly a cold and stern judgment, but because of the almost imperceptible softness in his last tone, the harshness was transformed into a protectiveness, and anyone with discerning ears could hear it.
Zhang Du chuckled, bowed, and retreated. As he passed by Jiang Cichen, he whispered, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is right."
Seeing Zhang Du leave and Jiang Cichen not leaving yet, the Temple Secretary politely asked, "Young General, would you like to take a seat?"
It was originally just a polite remark, but unexpectedly Jiang Cichen nodded. Si Cheng could only bite the bullet and say, "Young General, please."
After the crowd dispersed, Tang Li whispered, "Will the Imperial City Bureau handle this impartially?"
Luo Wan said: "The Imperial City Division will not let go of anything that can strike a blow to the Prince's party."
During the Kantang County visit, Luo Wan had seen Chen Nanyuan search out a strange golden statue from the county magistrate's residence, so he thought of the Chi family ancestral hall. The mummified child was found in the hall, which showed that this was a huge underground organization.
And this organization is the Prince's Gang. Since the Imperial City Division wants to investigate the Prince's Gang, they naturally have to unravel it and not let go of any trace. So before coming to the Dali Temple, Luo Wan secretly released the news in order to use the Imperial City Division.
Tangli said, "Miss, let's go too."
Just as the two of them stepped out of the Dali Temple, they suddenly saw Chen Beizhe returning: "Miss Chi, the young general wants to see you."
Luo Wan followed Chen Beizhe through the corridor and stepped into the side hall. Jiang Cichen was half leaning on the armchair, and the wound on his left shoulder seemed to be bleeding again.
Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his eyes. His eyes, which were always as sharp as a knife, were now covered with a layer of mist. It was obvious that he was trying hard to stay awake.
Chen Beizhe asked worriedly, "Sir, why don't you go back home first?"
Jiang Cichen said, "Go out and wait for me."
Chen Beizhe retreated in response.
Luo Wan's eyes fell on the blood on his shoulder: "Why did you come here in person when you were injured like this?"
Jiang Cichen said, "If I don't come, how can I watch you kill someone with my own eyes?"
Luo Wan took out a small celadon bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table, saying, "This is the best wound medicine, it has a miraculous effect in stopping bleeding."
Jiang Cichen stared at the porcelain bottle for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Guilt?"
Luo Wan said calmly, "It's just a matter of reciprocity. After all, that sword should have been mine."
Jiang Cichen picked up the medicine bottle and said, "You were originally going to give this to Shen Zhiyan, but he didn't see you, so you gave it to me."
Luo Wan remained silent. The hall fell silent for a moment, and only his heavy breathing due to his severe injuries could be heard. After a moment, he said, "I'll take it."
Jiang Cichen said, "Shen Zhiyan's reluctance to see you may not be what you think."
That's what she thought, that's what she thought. She wanted Shen Zhiyan to see through her true face, hate her, and stay away from her.
It's just human nature. When something full of expectations is shattered, people will naturally spurn and stay away from her. She is no longer the little A'luo, so it's reasonable for her to part ways with Shen Zhiyan.
Luo Wan simply said, "I respect his choice."
Jiang Cichen said, "But you don't understand his choice. I felt it was strange from the beginning. How could someone like Shen Zhiyan not see your flaws? Later, I discovered that he was deliberately helping you hide your identity. He brought you to the palace banquet simply so that everyone would know you were Chi Wanwan. He was helping you so much, and yet you revealed your identity in the capital, in front of all the powerful forces. Of course, he was disappointed."
Luo Wan was stunned.
No wonder she felt that things were going too smoothly from the beginning. She became Shen Zhiyan's student without much effort, got the opportunity to get close to him, and became the only staff member who could attend banquets with him.
Now it seems that it was not that her plan was so brilliant, but that Shen Zhiyan wanted her to get close to him, because from the very beginning Shen Zhiyan had thought about how to pave the way for her.
Although he didn't know why A Luo turned into Chi Wanwan, he chose to believe the little girl in the past, so he brought her to the palace banquet, making the whole capital believe that she was Chi Wanwan.
Jiang Cichen continued, "Shen Zhiyan's status in the capital is superficial. He secretly wants to kill us because we are in his way. There are countless people who want to kill us, lining up from the capital to Liangding."
The so-called Liangding is the capital of Xiliang where Shen Zhiyan stayed as a hostage for ten years.
"If you were just an ordinary young lady from an official family, he would naturally protect you. But once you have another identity and others realize that you, like Shen Zhiyan, are blocking their way, they will definitely use you as a warning to others. It's not easy to kill the son of a prime minister, so why not the daughter of a fourth-rank official?"
After hearing his words, Luo Wan understood. It turned out that Shen Zhiyan was not angry because he had misjudged her, but because she had exposed her identity. However, Shen Zhiyan didn't know that she would not stay in the capital for long, so it didn't matter to her whether her identity was exposed or not.
For her, what is important is that Shen Zhiyan is alive.
Feng Yuyun was now imprisoned, and given Jiang Cichen's entanglement with the prince's faction, this case was bound to end badly. Having avenged Chi Wanwan, she would soon leave the capital and return to Tingyu Tower with the medical book.
Luo Wan raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Cichen for a moment. When he was injured, he was not as annoying as usual, and his temper was even better.
Luo Wan said: "Why are you telling me this?"
Jiang Cichen pondered and said, "Perhaps I am naturally kind and warm-hearted."
As he spoke, he reached out for the teacup, but his fingertips trembled uncontrollably. The teacup fell onto the table with a "clang". Chen Bezhe rushed in upon hearing the noise.
He paused, then picked up the teacup as if nothing had happened and said to Chen Beizhe, "I'm fine."
Chen Beizhe advised: "Sir, the doctor said that you are not suitable to stay outside for too long."
Luo Wan said, "It's getting late. Master Jiang should go back home and recuperate. I should go back too."
After saying that, he turned and was about to leave.
"Wait." Jiang Cichen stood up and walked over to her side, standing a foot away from her. "If Feng is imprisoned, Chi Jingan will inevitably be implicated. All the things he secretly did for the Gu family will also be exposed, and their children will be implicated as well. Chi Wanwan, what are you going to do?"
Jiang Cichen used to call her Miss Chi, but after she was obviously exposed, he stopped calling her that.
Now, he calmly said the name Chi Wanwan, referring to this identity, meaning that you are still replacing Chi Wanwan's identity.
Luo Wan said: "You know, they can't catch me."
After all, he had been suspicious of Luo Wan's identity since he entered the capital, fearing that she would assassinate Shen Zhiyan. From that moment on, he sent people to keep an eye on Luo Wan and knew her every move. So he must also know Luo Wan's skills in the Temple of the God of War.
"Or, do you want to arrest me?" Luo Wan asked.
Jiang Cichen laughed briefly and said, "Do you think I will catch you?"
Luo Wan hesitated for a moment, then said frankly, "I can't guess."
She couldn't figure out what this man was thinking, nor what he would do next, but she was sure of one thing: Jiang Cichen was definitely not a soft-hearted person.
A soft-hearted person cannot unify the world.
Although Luo Wan did not appear to have done anything to harm his interests, Luo Wan was not sure what Jiang Cichen's attitude was towards the assassins of Tingyu Tower. He did not know whether he would choose to eliminate the trouble just because she was a potential hidden danger.
After a while, she heard Jiang Cichen say sincerely: "I really want to arrest you."
When he said this, his tone was one of relief, like a sigh, or perhaps self-consolation. It was very unlike his usual style, lacking that arrogance and rebelliousness. The deepest meaning of this sentence was as elusive as the feeling Jiang Cichen gave Luo Wan.
Jiang Cichen added, "I'll let Shen Zhiyan go for a favor."
Luo Wan said, "Thank you, Master Jiang, for your generosity."
Jiang Cichen asked, "One last question. I've tried you so many times, but you refused to reveal yourself. As soon as Shen Zhiyan encountered danger, you attacked him without hesitation. What is your relationship with Shen Zhiyan?"
Luo Wan turned to look at him: "Shen Zhiyan has been unsettled for ten years, and people like me have always been nomadic, so it shouldn't be surprising to say we're old friends."
Jiang Cichen stopped for a moment, didn't ask any more questions, and walked out of the hall. His figure was blurred by the rain, like an ink painting of misty Jiangnan.
*
In just a few days, all the dirty deeds of the Chi family that could not be seen in public were exposed.
Feng Yuyun, driven by jealousy and hatred, bribed Xu Xuan and Madam Li to poison Ye, resulting in two deaths. To Luo Wan's surprise, Feng was also convicted of hiring someone to kill Madam Li.
She suddenly remembered the time in Kantang County when Jiang Cichen insisted on taking away Li Ma's body. Whether it was a coincidence or a long-planned plan, perhaps only the thoughtful major general himself knew.
When the Imperial City Bureau raided Chi's house, they found boxes of gold and silver in the cellar, as well as secret letters colluding with the Prince's faction. However, Chi Jing'an suffered a more tragic fate. He became a discarded pawn, with numerous false charges slammed against him, without even a chance to defend himself. This was the result of the Prince's faction choosing to sacrifice the rook to save the king.
On the day of execution, Chi Jing'an and his wife were sentenced to beheading, and all their property was confiscated. The men in the mansion were exiled, and the women were forced into prostitution. Platycodon, having sold herself earlier, escaped death, but Xu Xuan was confined to prison for life.
On the same day, a strange news happened in the capital. The eldest daughter of the Chi family, Chi Wanwan, and her personal maid disappeared in the capital out of thin air.
A prison van slowly rolled down the long street. Luo Wan caught one last glimpse of Chi Mingli. The young man, shackled, stood with his head bowed amidst the insults and spitting. Luo Wan, standing in the crowd, met his gaze. The young man's eyes held no hatred or resentment, a deathly calm.
At the age of fifteen, he was exiled three thousand miles away, a long and difficult journey.
Since she had done it, she accepted all the hatred and resentment.
When Tangli was packing her bags, she said she wanted to go guard Chi Wanwan's grave: "Miss, you'll be lonely if you're too far away from home."
Luo Wan lowered his eyes and stroked the black fox cloak with his fingertips. After all, what Jiang Cichen dropped on the day of the wild hunt was his thing, so he had to return it to him.
It was also on this day that Luo Wan felt that he should say goodbye to him.
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The author has something to say: Xie Yan: Six hundred and sixty-six, my brother treats women like dogs and doesn’t call me:)
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