Chapter 52 Answer 4 "You are finished, you are finished."
There were so many people that Xiao Shaoxian searched for a whole day but couldn't find out who lost the money to him. Zhu Song was not in a hurry and waited slowly.
In the afternoon, he returned to the Dali Temple and his men reported on the situation of Zhang Chunming that they had investigated.
According to Zhang Chunming, his father died when he was young, and he grew up with his mother. He had no connections and no skills, so he could only do some work as a泔水 (swill dumping) in various shops on Changning Street. Although life was difficult, he could still get by.
In recent years, he was taken to underground casinos by his friends. He had been timid all his life, but finally found fun at the gambling table. However, because he remembered his mother's difficulties, he did not become addicted. He only gambled once or twice a month, and his wins and losses were not big.
This year his mother fell seriously ill and was in urgent need of money, but he simply couldn't come up with that much money, so he set his sights on an underground casino. However, he spent a whole day in the casino and kept losing. Not only did he lose all his capital, he also owed a lot of debts.
Zhang Chunming couldn't come up with the money and nearly had his hands chopped off in front of Jiuji Pawnshop to pay off his debt. Zhang Chunming cried and begged, but the man who could open a casino was not a kind-hearted person and was completely unmoved.
They had seen enough and were about to take action when they were suddenly stopped by someone.
The person who came was very delicate-looking, and although he had a big beard, Zhang Chunming had come into contact with so many people that he could still tell that it was a woman.
The woman rescued Zhang Chunming, heard his story, and then told the people in the underground casino that she wanted to gamble with Zhang Chunming again.
When someone offers money, people in underground casinos will naturally be willing to accept it.
After three rounds of gambling, Zhang Chunming won a total of five hundred taels.
Five hundred taels was enough for him to pay off his debt and pay for his mother's medical treatment. Unfortunately, Zhang Chunming was so happy about the five hundred taels that he lost his mind. He felt that after so much bad luck, his luck had finally come.
Two days later, Zhang Chunming lost all the five hundred taels, but fortunately, there was no debt this time, so Zhang Chunming left the underground casino in a daze.
But because he stayed in the underground casino for too long, his mother was left unattended and died.
It was hot in the summer and the smell was overwhelming. Zhang Chunming sensed something was wrong as soon as he entered the house. He walked into the house and saw his mother lying on the bed, but he still had a glimmer of hope.
He walked over and slapped his mother. The meat was rotten. The meat was stuck to the bamboo mat and would tear apart if he moved.
Zhang Chunming collapsed. If he hadn't gone gambling, his mother wouldn't have died. If he had won five hundred taels and left, his mother wouldn't have died either. It was the underground casino that ruined him, it was the people who gambled with him that ruined him. He wanted revenge for his mother.
Then he went to the underground casino again with a hidden knife.
Security in underground casinos is not so strict in the second half of the night, so Zhang Chunming chose to take action at that time.
After listening to his subordinates' report, Zhu Song frowned slightly, "A woman disguised as a man went into the casino and lost 500 yuan to him?"
The subordinate nodded, "Yes."
Zhu Song said: "Let Painter Zhang draw the person."
The subordinate asked, "Is there something wrong with that person?"
Zhu Song didn't answer, "Go ahead and do it."
"yes."
This seemed too much of a coincidence. Zhu Song couldn't help but think of Qu Zhoubai's words. Could someone really be helping him behind the scenes? But was this really helping him? Or was it trying to trip up Prince Su?
Zhu Song went to see Zhang Chunming, a tall man, curled up in a corner, looking pitiful. It was hard to imagine that he was still killing people on Changning Street this morning.
Zhu Song knocked on the door, "Zhang Chunming."
Zhang Chunming raised his head and looked at Zhu Song. In the dim firelight, he could see tears on his face. Seeing Zhu Song, Zhang Chunming rushed over and grabbed Zhu Song's trouser legs. "Sir, I know I was wrong. I will accept any punishment, but my mother has not been buried yet. Can you let me go back and bury her? Sir, I beg you, sir."
Zhu Song's face was gloomy. "It's too late to know you're wrong now."
Zhang Chunming was stunned for a moment after being scolded, and then he burst into laughter, looking like a madman.
"It's too late, too late, everything is too late." After saying that, he suddenly rushed towards the wall. Seeing this, Zhu Song frowned and shouted loudly, "I promise you."
Zhang Chunming suddenly stopped again, but he couldn't stop in time and hit his head, causing bleeding immediately.
Zhu Song called a doctor to bandage his wound and then took him home personally.
It was dark at night, and Zhu Song did not help. He just watched him hold his mother's body, go to the mountain and dig a hole to bury her.
Zhang Chunming knelt in front of the grave all night, and only got up at dawn the next day to return to the Dali Temple with Zhu Song.
After returning to the Dali Temple, Zhu Song called the painter Zhang and asked him to draw the man.
While waiting, Zhu Song asked him, "Have you seen this woman before?"
Zhang Chunming shook his head. "Never. I only saw her once."
Zhu Song nodded and said nothing.
Painter Zhang came, and Zhu Song said to him, "As soon as possible."
Painter Zhang nodded in agreement.
Zhu Song went to catch up on his sleep, and just as he got up in the afternoon, Painter Zhang came with the portrait.
Zhu Song took it and looked at it. It was not obvious that it was a woman disguised as a man, but it was still possible to tell that it was a woman. She was indeed very pretty. More importantly, Zhu Song actually felt that she looked a little familiar. He should have seen her somewhere, but he couldn't remember it for a while.
Zhu Song took the portrait to the prison and asked the fat shopkeeper, "Do you know this person?"
The fat shopkeeper was so weak after being hung for two days that he opened his eyes after hearing Zhu Song's words. He cried out for justice, "Master Zhu, I am also a victim. You can't do this to me."
Zhu Song looked at him coldly, "Just based on the crime of running an underground casino, your entire clan should be executed."
The fat shopkeeper's eyes widened with fear. "I...this...how is this possible?"
Zhu Song said, "I know there's someone behind you. His Majesty has already ordered a thorough investigation. Think about whether the person behind you will go against His Majesty on your behalf."
The fat shopkeeper's eyes drifted away, and Zhu Song continued, "Once you come to the Dali Temple, there are many ways to make you want to live but cannot, and want to die but cannot. You can also come and try the punishment of the Dali Temple without saying anything."
The fat shopkeeper quickly said, "No, no, no, isn't it just recognizing someone? I recognize him, I recognize him."
Zhu Song brought the portrait to the fat shopkeeper, who squinted his eyes and looked at it for a while. "I know this person. He lost five hundred taels to that son of a bitch Zhang Chunming."
Zhu Song asked, "You only saw it that once?"
The fat shopkeeper replied, "He only came once, and he was so generous that I thought he was some young master who had sneaked out to play. Has he also committed a crime?"
"Should I ask you or are you asking me?" Zhu Song said in a bad tone.
The fat shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, "Ask, ask, ask."
Zhu Song continued, "A month ago, Zhang Chunming won two ingots of government silver in an underground casino. Who lost them to him?"
"Official silver?" The fat shopkeeper was shocked.
Zhu Song's face turned cold. "Don't pretend. I know exactly what you've been up to. If you want to suffer more, just keep your arrogance."
"No," the fat shopkeeper defended himself, "I'm not pretending. I may be a bitch, but I'm not bold enough to touch the government silver. Whether you, Master Zhu, believe it or not, government silver will never appear on my territory."
Zhu Song frowned, "Are you sure? If someone used it privately, would you know about it?"
"Then I can't do anything about it if it's used privately." The fat shopkeeper answered readily.
nonsense.
Zhu Song looked at him and asked again, "Aren't you the one in charge? How come you don't know?"
The fat shopkeeper replied, "I am in charge. Even though the place is so big, I can't manage everything."
Zhu Song asked, "Who is behind you?"
The fat shopkeeper paused and didn't speak for a while. Zhu Song looked at him and smiled. Seeing Zhu Song smile, he also smiled with him, "Master Zhu, there is no one behind me."
Zhu Song nodded and ordered the bailiff, "Execute the punishment."
"Hey, Mr. Zhu, Mr. Zhu." The fat shopkeeper was anxious and kept calling him, but Zhu Song seemed not to hear and walked out of the prison directly. In fact, he didn't need to say anything. Jingzhao Prefecture could find the person behind the scenes based on the flow of money. It would just take a longer time.
However, Zhu Song had made the fat shopkeeper stubborn. Before an hour had passed, the yamen runner came to report, "Sir, he has confessed."
Zhu Song was reading the file and was a little surprised when he heard his words, "Huh?"
The yamen runner lowered his voice and said, "It's from the Song Mansion."
Zhu Song knew this would happen, but since he had confessed, he had to do it and could not wait for Jingzhao Prefecture.
To be on the safe side, Zhu Song went to see the fat shopkeeper in person. The fat shopkeeper was tied to the rack with his head drooping and his body covered in blood. He looked like dead.
Zhu Song asked, "Dead?"
The bailiff quickly explained, "No, no, sir, we just whipped him, he just howled too much and had no strength left."
Zhu Song frowned. This guy is too delicate. He surrendered after just one whip?
The fat shopkeeper opened his eyes quickly when he heard Zhu Song's voice, "Master Zhu, I confess everything. Please stop hitting me."
Zhu Song ordered the yamen runners, "Put it down and write a statement."
The bailiff let the fat shopkeeper down. He fell to the ground, trembling, and kept wailing, "Ouch, it hurts...it hurts so much."
Zhu Song looked at him coldly, then ordered the yamen runner, "Bring paper and pen."
The testimony was written amid the fat shopkeeper's wailing.
Zhu Song took the testimony to Qu Zhoubai, who was even more gloomy than before. As soon as he saw Zhu Song, he kept sighing, "I'm done, I'm done."
Zhu Song produced his testimony and said, "I figured it out. He confessed."
After hearing his words, Qu Zhoubai didn't feel any better. He sighed and said, "You're done, you're done."
Zhu Song said, "I plan to go to the palace now."
After all, Song Shunran is an important official in the court, and arresting him must have the emperor's approval.
Qu Zhoubai took the testimony from Zhu Song and read it, quite surprised. "Song Shunran?"
Zhu Song didn't understand what he was surprised about. "Don't tell me you don't know. The casino's account books are all in Jingzhao Prefecture. You can trace them back to the source."
Qu Zhoubai handed the testimony to Zhu Song with a look of despair, "You are not done yet, I am done."
"Hmm?" Zhu Song sensed something was wrong and frowned slightly. "Where did you trace it back to?"
Qu Zhoubai became increasingly hopeless, "The Song family's backer."
Zhu Song frowned. Prince Su was so careless that he found out so easily?
Qu Zhoubai knew he understood from his expression, "Let's go, let's go to the palace and report together."
"Walk."
Qinzheng Hall.
Emperor Liang sat at the head of the table, listening to their reports with a sullen expression. He angrily cursed, "Song Shunran is causing trouble again." He then looked at the two men and asked, "Is it only the money that flowed into Prince Su's mansion? Is there any other evidence?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Song knew that the emperor was going to protect Prince Su again. Qu Zhoubai paused, then bowed and replied, "Not yet."
Emperor Liang said, "This case has been handed over to the Imperial Clan Court for review. Don't get involved."
The two men responded in a deep voice and retreated.
Walking on the solemn palace road, Zhu Song looked at the red sun in the sky, his heart so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
"Can Prince Su really become emperor?"
Qu Zhoubai didn't confront him directly but said, "Let's drink together tonight."
"OK."
Qu Zhoubai said: "Call Gu Er."
"Um."
In the evening, the three of them drank at Zhu's residence and talked about what happened in the Qinzheng Palace today. Zhu Song's face was full of anger. "Prince Su has become so rotten, and the emperor still favors him. This matter will definitely end with Song Shunran, and Prince Su will be unharmed."
Gu Huaiyu's expression was not good either. "I felt something was wrong with what happened in Jizhou last time."
Qu Zhoubai sighed, "He's the prince and we're his subjects. What's the point of complaining?"
Zhu Song drank a glass of wine and looked at the two of them. "Actually, I have an idea."
Gu Huaiyu met his gaze and asked, "Do you want to use Prince Jin?"
Zhu Song corrected him, "This isn't exploitation. I just accidentally leaked the information to him."
Gu Huaiyu shook his head. "I don't think it's very useful. No matter who I tell or what method I use, it will all have to pass the Emperor's test in the end. If the Emperor doesn't let go, there's no point in telling anyone."
Gu Huaiyu's words made a lot of sense. Zhu Song fell silent, feeling annoyed. He took another swig of wine and said, "Is there nothing we can do?"
Gu Huaiyu said, "The only one who can rival Prince Su in the imperial court is Prince Jin, but he is not good enough in front of the emperor."
Zhu Song scratched his hair in frustration. Qu Zhoubai suddenly said, "What do you mean by those words Yi Kangning left behind?"
Zhu Song shook his head, "I have no idea yet."
Gu Huaiyu also shook his head. Without any clues, it was impossible to figure it out by imagination alone.
After three rounds of drinks, Qu Zhoubai asked Zhu Song, "So that's it?"
Zhu Song said, "The matter of the official silver has not yet been finalized. Let's wait and see."
Qu Zhoubai asked, "Didn't the emperor say that this matter should be handed over to the Imperial Clan Bureau? Are you going to disobey the emperor's order?"
Zhu Song said: "It's not the same case."
Qu Zhoubai gave a thumbs up and said, "I admire you for being able to argue."
Gu Huaiyu said: "Actually, I have a weird idea."
As soon as the words fell, both of them looked over. Gu Huaiyu drank the wine in his glass. "This matter has become so serious, Prince Jin will definitely know about it. He also knows that the emperor favors Prince Su. He has been trying to compromise, but his influence in the court is still not as great as Prince Su's. If we tell him about this, it would be equivalent to surrendering to him. With our three families, his influence in the court will exceed Prince Su's. He will have the confidence and will definitely not let this matter go unnoticed."
Zhu Song followed his line of thought and analyzed, "In that case, we don't even need to go to Prince Jin. Prince Jin will come to us. He doesn't want to miss this opportunity."
Gu Huaiyu shook his head slightly. "I don't think the chances of Prince Jin coming to us are very high. Prince Jin has offered us an olive branch before, but we didn't accept it. He's such a cautious person, he wouldn't do such a thing without certainty."
Zhu Song frowned slightly, "When did he ever extend an olive branch to us?"
Gu Huaiyu said, "Five years ago, at the Spring Banquet, Prince Jin came to drink with us, but you said you couldn't drink, so we didn't go."
Zhu Song thought about it carefully and frowned as he explained, "There were so many people there that day, I was afraid of getting drunk and making a fool of myself, so I refused."
Gu Huaiyu said, "But then the virtuous king came looking for you, and you went with him."
Zhu Song said, "The wise king said he had obtained a precious sword. I was really interested in it. Later he said he wanted to give it to me, but I refused."
Qu Zhoubai also chimed in, "We were so young back then, I would have chosen the sword too."
Speaking of the virtuous king, Zhu Song said, "The virtuous king has not returned from his diplomatic mission to Liuli Country yet?"
Gu Huaiyu said: "I haven't heard about it. He left before the New Year. I don't know when he will be back."
Qu Zhoubai said: "I heard that the virtuous king is going to learn the technology of glass making. I don't think he will be back for a while."
Zhu Song sighed, "If the virtuous king were here, he would definitely speak up for justice and not be so timid as the Jin king."
Gu Huaiyu asked, "Otherwise, why is it that even though the Xian King has the weakest power, he still causes the Three Kings to fight for supremacy?"
The three of them drank until midnight and were all drunk, so they all stayed at Zhu's house.
They both had rooms in the Zhu Mansion. When Gu Huaiyu was young, he would often play at the Zhu Mansion until late at night and would not go home. The Marquis' wife would joke and say that Gu Huaiyu would be raised well by the Zhu family. Because of this, Gu Huaiyu, the only son of the Marquis, was nicknamed "Gu Er".
In the middle of the night, there was a sudden commotion in the mansion. Zhu Song got up, holding his aching temple and asked, "What happened?"
The servant replied, "I heard earlier that the princess seemed to have had a nightmare and came to ask for the lady."
Zhu Song was puzzled, "Can my mother cure nightmares?"
The servant didn't know and shook his head to indicate that he didn't know.
"I'll go take a look."
However, when Zhu Song walked to the front yard, the carriage had already left without him asking the reason.
Although Zhu Song was a little worried, he had no other ideas and went back to his room to sleep.
I slept until noon the next day, but it’s no big deal. It’s a day off today and I don’t have to be on duty.
"Is the Madam back?"
"I'm back. I came back just after dawn." The servant replied.
Zhu Song nodded and called Gu Huaiyu and Qu Zhoubai to have breakfast together.
While eating, Gu Huaiyu asked, "Did anyone come last night?"
Qu Zhoubai was confused, "Is anyone here?" He fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow last night and slept until dawn without hearing any sound at all.
Zhu Song said, "They said the princess had a nightmare and called my mother."
Gu Huaiyu and Qu Zhoubai asked the same question as Zhu Song, "Can Aunt Meng cure nightmares?"
"I could hear you talking about me from so far away." Meng Xiaohe's voice rang out from the doorway. The three of them looked over and said, "We were all worried about you."
Meng Xiaohe smiled and said, "Why are you worried about me? I'm such a grown-up, how can I get lost?"
Zhu Song asked curiously, "So why did I call you over last night?"
Meng Xiaohe explained, "The princess had a nightmare and couldn't wake up, so her personal maid asked me to sing for her."
Zhu Song became even more curious, "You woke up after hearing the song?"
Meng Xiaohe nodded, "I woke up after hearing it."
Gu Huaiyu and Qu Zhoubai both knew about this. Gu Huaiyu was a little puzzled. "Didn't the princess grow up in Ganzhou? Why does she want to listen to ballads from the capital?"
Meng Xiaohe disagreed with his statement, "The princess was only nine years old when she came to the capital. She was still a child."
Although this statement is a bit biased, it does make sense.
Zhu Song asked, "Princess, are you still having the same nightmare?"
Meng Xiaohe shook her head. "This time it's different. There will be a follow-up."
The three of them stared at her, waiting for her next words. Meng Xiaohe lowered her voice and said, "The sun was very bright. She stood in the sun and committed suicide. Then she opened her eyes and saw the moon."
Zhu Song and the other two were all stunned and looked at each other, "What is this?"
Meng Xiaohe didn't know what this meant. She said, "The princess is very uneasy. Even after waking up, she is very scared and shivering in the cold weather."
Gu Huaiyu asked, "Is she sick? Didn't she go to Xiangguo Temple to pray for a child? Is she pregnant?"
Meng Xiaohe shook her head. "It's fear, not morning sickness. And the imperial physician came last night, and there's nothing wrong with the princess's health."
Qu Zhoubai also found it strange. "Why do you have the same nightmare every day without any abnormality? There must be something wrong."
Meng Xiaohe said, "The princess is planning to go to Xiangguo Temple to burn incense today, and I want to go with her. Have fun, I'm going out now."
"mother."
Meng Xiaohe looked at him, "What?"
Zhu Song worriedly warned her, "This is a time of uncertainty, so be careful."
Meng Xiaohe smiled, "I know, don't worry. Your mother is not a simple girl anymore, she knows what she is doing."
Gu Huaiyu also said: "It's always better to be careful."
"I know, I know." Meng Xiaohe agreed with a smile, "I'll buy you some champion cakes when I get back."
Qu Zhoubai smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I like eating Zhuangyuan Cake the most."
"OK."
Meng Xiaohe left. The three of them continued to eat breakfast and talked about this matter again. Qu Zhoubai boldly speculated, "Could it be that someone wants to deal with Prince Jin?"
It is known to everyone in the capital that Prince Jin regards Princess Jin as his life.
However, Zhu Song and Gu Huaiyu both felt that it was unlikely. The only ones who would deal with Prince Jin were Prince Su and Prince Xian, but Prince Su had no need to deal with him, and Prince Xian was not in the capital, so it was even more impossible.
Imagination without any clues was just a waste of energy. After chatting for a while, the three of them let the matter go.
The day off passed quickly, and the next day Zhu Song went to the Dali Temple as usual to continue investigating the case of official silver, but with what Emperor Liang had said before, Zhu Song did not pursue the case too closely.
Two days later, the results of the underground casino case came out.
Zhang Chunming was sentenced to death. The boss behind the underground casino was Song Shunran. Song Shunran was dismissed from his post and sentenced to ten years in prison. He was first imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, and then somehow transferred to the Dali Temple.
Although he had expected this result, Zhu Song couldn't help but feel disappointed when he actually heard it. Emperor Liang actually lightly covered up the matter and protected Prince Su.
On the day Song Shunran was transferred to the Dali Temple, Zhu Song went to the door on purpose to see him. He saw Song Shunran wearing the gorgeous clothes that he had found in the Jizhou Governor's Mansion, and his face immediately darkened.
Song Shunran looked at Zhu Song's gloomy face and laughed heartily. He even brushed his sleeves and said provocatively, "Master Zhu, things will change. I am waiting to see what happens to you."
The gorgeous gems sparkled in the sunlight, stinging Zhu Song's eyes. "Come here, strip him of his clothes and change him into prison clothes."
The guards from the Ministry of Justice who were escorting Song Shunran whispered to Zhu Song, "Master Zhu, Prince Su has ordered that Master Song be treated well."
Zhu Song narrowed his eyes. Favorable treatment?
"Take him in."
"yes."
Regardless of different people's opinions, this matter is now over.
Zhu Song began to seriously investigate the Guan Yin case again, but it was still stuck with Xiao Shaoxian and there was still no progress. At the same time, Meng Xiaohe and Zhu Song talked about Princess Jin again.
"The princess's dream has a new content. In the dream, someone shouted at her to leave quickly. It was a woman she had never seen before, but she felt familiar. However, she couldn't see the face clearly yet. When she sees the face clearly, she will draw it down. You can check it out for her."
Zhu Song felt a little strange, "Why don't you ask Prince Jin to investigate?"
Meng Xiaohe whispered, "The princess said that the prince has been acting strangely lately. She hasn't told him about it, so you can help her investigate it secretly."
Although Zhu Song felt that something was a little wrong, he finally agreed after seeing the dark circles under Meng Xiaohe's eyes.
"Let's get this over with quickly."
"I miss it too." Meng Xiaohe yawned while she was still talking, her voice sounding sleepy. She hadn't had a full night's sleep since this incident happened.
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