Sizhou Seventeen
The corridors of the Sizhou prison resounded with shrill screams, each one emanating from the heart and chilling the very core of the being. The stench of blood emanated from the corridors, and the flickering fires on the walls seemed to be shrouded in a layer of red gauze.
In the interrogation room at the end, a man in dark red official uniform sat on the only chair, looking at the prisoner in front of him leisurely.
The prison uniform was soaked with blood and sweat, and its original color could no longer be seen. His hands and feet were nailed to the wooden frame with a thin knife. His face was in a mess under his messy long hair, and his cloudy eyes had no trace of clarity, only despair and panic.
"Sir Su, this man's face has likely been retouched. His jawline shows signs of being shaved, and even his nose seems to have been reconstructed after severe trauma," Captain Li reported to the man, bowing respectfully. His face didn't show the changes, but he was secretly surprised. Disguise was common, but this was the first time he'd encountered someone who had completely altered their appearance to resemble another person.
"Bone cutting and reshaping, for the Fang family's wealth, this is quite a lot of money." Su Zirui hummed with interest, looking at the dying man indifferently, "There are not many people in the martial arts world who can do this. I wonder who the master you hid in the secret room is."
The man who had his head lowered suddenly looked up when he heard this, staring in disbelief at the man who had not changed his sitting posture. His throat made a hoarse sound, but he could not form a single word.
"Fang Shouren has been very generous and kind over the past two years. I never thought he was an imposter." Su Zirui's fingertips brushed the blade of the dagger he was playing with. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were filled with sarcasm. "It seems your master is the real philanthropist."
Footsteps were heard, and Beili, dressed in a dark blue official uniform, walked up to Su Zirui and whispered a few words. Su Zirui nodded, walked up to the prisoner, lifted his chin with the tip of his knife, and smiled slightly. His handsome face had a kind of incongruous evil aura, which matched his deep and dark eyes, making him particularly charming.
Su Zirui leaned forward slightly, his voice soft and gentle, with a hint of provocation, "After losing two of his capable subordinates in a row, do you think... can that guy still smile?"
The prisoner suddenly trembled and struggled with all his limbs, ignoring the bloody flesh on his palms. His bulging eyes stared fiercely at the man in front of him who rarely smiled and had a gentle temperament.
Blood flowed down the blade, staining Su Zirui's fingertips. He didn't care, watching the struggling man with interest. "Did you know? The Ministry of Justice has a punishment called Ling Chi, where a long metal whip is used, accompanied by boiling water, to cut the flesh piece by piece... Tell me, is it your stubborn mouth, or your flesh... or is it the family of four at the foot of Wuling Mountain?"
His eyes suddenly opened wide, and there was no more anger in the prisoner's eyes, only boundless fear.
"Tsk, what a bad temper." Su Zirui smiled, not looking at the red blood gushing from his lips. He turned and left, "Continue the interrogation. I want to know who else is involved in these things besides the person behind the scenes... and his ultimate goal."
"yes!"
As he stepped into the inner hall of the government office, he saw the figure wearing a black hat and kneeling on the ground. Su Zirui sneered unconsciously and walked in.
"Sir Su," Zhu Jiazhen knelt down upon seeing him, "Sir Su, please save me."
Zhu Jiazhen, now devoid of any arrogance, remained perfectly bent even as he crouched on the ground. He clearly understood the situation by now, fearing that his actions had been clearly observed from the outset by this towering figure before him. The irony was that he had imagined himself adept at maneuvering between these various factions, when in reality he was nothing more than an actor in their eyes, performing a less-than-stellar performance.
Su Zirui sat in his chair, tapping the armrest with his fingertips. "Why do you say that, Lord Zhu? Could it be that there are still arrogant criminals in Sizhou who are trying to harm an official of the imperial court?"
"I admit my guilt!" Zhu Jiazhen prostrated himself on the ground, sweat beads oozing from his forehead, unable to guess what the person in front of him was thinking.
Zhiyi glanced at him lazily, and Su Zirui found it a bit boring. Zhu Jiazhen's drama was even worse than the scholar's wife trying to transform into a ghost on stage. If it weren't for his father's urgent letter asking him to protect Zhu Jiazhen, he wouldn't bother to meet this person.
Sarcasm spread in his eyes, but his voice was soft and indifferent. "Colluding with the gentry, attempting to embezzle the disaster relief funds, framing the innocent, and killing to silence them... Lord Zhu, which one do you think this official should investigate first?"
Drops of cold sweat trickled down, leaving faint traces of water on the floor. Zhu Jiazhen's eyes flushed with emotion, his face agitated. "This humble official is innocent. I truly had no idea that Fang Shouren was a fraud and had embezzled the imperial levy. I had just been trusted by the Emperor and appointed prefect, so how could I have embezzled the levy? As for framing an innocent person, it was truly due to my impatience in solving the case and my inconsiderateness. Fortunately, your Excellency's insight prevented any further calamity."
Su Zirui's eyebrows raised, his eyes suddenly darkened, and he lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts. He actually admired Zhu Jiazhen's ability to lie so easily. Could it be that all the children his father brought up were of this type?
"So all of Lord Zhu's accusations are nothing but slander?"
"Although I am not very knowledgeable, I have studied the laws. Our dynasty's laws require evidence for sentencing. I believe I have no regrets. Lord Su has served in the Ministry of Justice for many years and is a master at solving cases. I beg you to clear my name."
Su Zirui suddenly smiled, stepped forward to help the man up, and said gently, "Since Lord Zhu has a clear conscience, I will conduct a thorough investigation and live up to Lord Zhu's trust."
"Your humble servant..." Before he could finish his compliments, Zhu Jiazhen looked up and met the pair of eyes without any emotion. His heart sank and the back of his hand was patted by the other party.
"During this time, Beili accidentally saved someone while investigating a case. That person had no way of repaying him, so he stuffed all these things into his pocket." Su Zirui handed over a brocade box. "But one should always repay a favor. I will kindly return the person to his rightful owner. Sir Zhu, do you think this makes sense?"
Zhu Jiazhen's heart trembled as he opened the brocade box. Inside, a dagger lay quietly, its blade inlaid with dazzling rubies. His legs softened, and he collapsed to his knees, exhausted.
"Come to think of it, Daddy also specifically told me to say hello to Lord Zhu. You two haven't seen each other for a while, right? The less you meet, the weaker your relationship will be. It seems that you still have to keep in touch." Su Zirui didn't help him and closed the brocade box.
"Sir, I was indeed set up..." Zhu Jiazhen straightened his eyes and said hurriedly.
"Master Zhu, there's no need to dwell on the past." Su Zirui gestured to silence her, his lips curled into a smile. If it weren't for his cold gaze, he'd have seemed as gentle as a gentleman. "I understand. Your Excellency was simply anxious, so you rushed to seek help from all sorts of sources, leading to Xia Qiao's demise. Don't you agree, Master Zhu?"
Some people are safer when they're not smiling than when they are. Zhu Jiazhen lowered his head weakly. He knew that perhaps the other person... understood this matter better than he did.
After a moment, Kitazato walked out of the dark room and looked at the man sitting in the chair in deep thought.
"Sir, why did Elder Su protect Zhu Jiazhen?" Someone had clearly held him hostage, and keeping such a person around was inconsistent with Su Qing's meticulous nature. Furthermore, Bei Li knew that the elder had just had murderous intent, but had later changed his mind.
"Why not?" Su Zirui said as a matter of course, "Apart from his rage and the fact that he nearly framed an innocent person for his beloved, what evidence is there to prove his involvement in this case? Don't forget, he was involved in recovering the stolen disaster relief funds."
During the brawl that day, Zhu Jiazhen also rushed to the scene of the crime with his personal guards and constables. No one knew what he originally planned to do, but he ultimately assisted the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple in capturing the fake Fang Shouren and his gang and recovering the stolen official silver.
"But, this Lord Zhu..." Beili changed the address tactfully.
"He is a smart man." Su Zirui said calmly.
Zhu Jiazhen's leverage over him was nothing, but his weakness was more fatal. Thaksin believed Zhu Jiazhen had no interest in embezzling government funds, so he was truly forced to help hide the funds from the beginning, using the murder case to entangle him, and then using Yanhong's faked death to disrupt his and the White Flame Gang's plans... all of this is quite intriguing.
But in the end, he took Yanhong away, deliberately provoking her into action, creating a breakthrough in the previously stalled case. Furthermore, he was so thorough as to attempt to stealthily kill the subordinates who knew of his involvement in the official banking scandal. Had Beili not been keeping an eye on him, he would likely have succeeded. Despite this, Zhu Jiazhen managed to extricate himself from this chaotic situation through his own planning.
This person can survive in such a complex and ever-changing situation and respond to emergencies so smoothly. He is a talent. Now that he can be used by others, why not keep him?
What's more, this is the person his father specifically asked to stay.
"I have sent people to erase his previous deeds. Now... this person is still useful." Su Zirui said softly with a curl of his lips.
The evidence against Zhu Jiazhen was merely minor, a common quirk among officials assigned to other posts, though few would bring it up publicly. If Zhu Jiazhen hadn't been caught in a rigorous court investigation, he wouldn't have been ensnared. However, it also suggests that he didn't have much negative material, making it easier to use in the future.
Beili nodded, not understanding the situation. As long as his master knew the truth, it was all right. "What secrets does the fake Fang Shouren have? Would your master not hesitate to snatch him from the Dali Temple?"
Su Zirui put down his teacup and said nonchalantly, "Maybe... he just wanted to see Lin Ziyan jump up and down."
Kitasato blinked in confusion, not quite understanding what his master was saying. But seeing that he didn't want to discuss it further, Kitasato tactfully changed the subject.
The case was settled, the official silver recovered, and Beili felt relieved. "Sir, when shall we return to the capital? Wait for the imperial edict?" The emperor would surely reward him handsomely for recovering the official silver. Because this matter involved the court's reputation, promotion was unlikely, but the reward would certainly be substantial.
After a brief thought, Su Zirui took a leisurely sip of tea and said, "No rush. Sizhou's famous Sky Lantern Festival will be held in a few days. Since it's coming, and it's such a grand event, I should definitely go and see it."
Huh? A grand event? This workaholic also pays attention to local festivals?
Bei Li blinked and said cheerfully, "This is the first time I've seen you so elegant."
He had followed Su Zirui from the northwest. This lazy yet moody man, when had he ever felt like this? As if remembering something, a devilish idea flashed through his mind, and Beili said with a smile, "Aruo and Xiao Caixin are looking forward to this festival. I think it will be very lively."
Su Zirui glanced at him when he heard that. Beili forced himself to maintain a smile, but his whole body was cold.
His master smiled faintly, his whole body was as gentle as jade, with a cool and noble air, "More people will definitely make it more lively."
You taste it, you taste it carefully, Beili lowered his head silently.
"The master behind Fang Shouren went to such great lengths to infiltrate Sizhou for over a year. Surely he wouldn't have known in advance that the imperial court would provide disaster relief this year? And what about Yanhong's motives in infiltrating the opera troupe? It's a pity Yanhong died so suddenly that we can't have a trial. Take advantage of these days to check the Sizhou files for this year and see if there are any clues." Su Zirui couldn't figure out Yanhong's motives, and... why was he always so inadvertently connected to her? Could she really be so unlucky?
As for the fake Fang Shouren… there was a hint of malice in his eyes. Perhaps some people were so anxious that he could use them again. Thinking of the confidential information sent by Su Qing, Su Zirui secretly calculated.
Bei Li was stunned. He had never thought that he would stay in this way. He felt ashamed for a moment. He shouldn't have guessed the master's intentions. "I obey your orders!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com