Life-threatening
After seeing Baili Hongyuan off, Qin Yousi returned to the house, sat down next to Xiwei, and asked in a low voice, "Master, when did you and Baili Hongyuan meet?"
Xiwei is a person from outside the world. Although she is Qin Yousi's master, she never shows up in public. Qin Yousi's parents don't know Xiwei's existence, let alone other people.
Xiwei raised the corner of her mouth slightly, looking like she was smiling but not laughing, which made Qin Yousi very uncomfortable.
"What's the matter, Master? Please tell me."
Xiwei said, "The first time I saw him was on the day of your engagement. He sneaked into the Duke of Ji's mansion and lingered outside your courtyard all night. I thought he was some scoundrel, so I fought with him, only to realize he was a man you had hurt."
Qin Yousi was extremely embarrassed and murmured, "There is such a thing... Master, why didn't you tell me..."
Xiwei said, "You are already engaged and are about to marry someone else. Why should I tell you what to do?"
She continued, "Later, when he was about to leave Beijing to join the army, he came to look for me once. He said that the Qin family had entrusted their trust to the wrong person and was worried that you would be wronged if you married into the Xichang Marquis's Mansion. He asked me to send a message to him if anything happened to you."
"The last time I saw him was after you fell into the glacier. I wanted to take you back to Liuquan Mountain for burial, but he insisted on taking you to Niu Shou Mountain."
Qin Yousi lowered his head and said, "I don't know any of this."
Xiwei saw through people very clearly and said, "If he didn't want to teach you, you wouldn't have seen these things. Although I know very little about him, from what I saw today, he seems much more understanding than before. He must have let go of his worries after experiencing life and death."
Heart knot... Qin Yousi suddenly wanted to know what Baili Hongyuan's heart knot was...
The Yangcheng prefect's office was brightly lit, and a city defense map was hung on the wall, now marked with special marks indicating the locations of several mansions and factories of the Sang family.
The prefect, Lord Zhou, the deputy chief, Lord Wei, and several trusted officials gathered together with solemn expressions and discussed the affairs of the Sang family for a whole day.
For local officials like them, confiscating the property of a wealthy family like the Sang family was too difficult for them.
The Sang family's crimes were not limited to crimes committed in Yangcheng, but also included many crimes committed in other places. A case like this should have been handled by the Dali Temple and jointly handled by multiple prefectures and counties. It was impossible for the Yangcheng prefect to take the lead.
But the fact that Yan Boren invited the governor of Dongzhou to come and supervise the case meant that the Yan family had persuaded his superior, the governor of Dongzhou, to take over the case. As the lowest-level officials, they dared not disobey.
He can still think of a way to deal with the intensity of the investigation.
Seeing that Lord Zhou was dragging his feet and refusing to make a decision, Deputy Commander Wei said anxiously, "Although we don't have the Dali Temple's documents, the Jiedushi is here in person. We can't go wrong if we follow the orders of our superiors. Lord Zhou, please stop hesitating and get rid of us as soon as possible."
If the Sang family falls, they are afraid of being implicated, and making amends for their mistakes is their best option.
Lord Zhou said, "The Governor of Dongzhou is Lord Yan's student. Lord Yan and the Marquis of Xichang are relatives. If we obey his orders, we will be siding with the Marquis of Xichang. Even if the Sang family falls, will Prince Bao let us go? This matter is like a fight between gods, and we will suffer the consequences."
For them, if they want to survive, they have to weigh the pros and cons and be hesitant.
Wei Tixia said, "Should we then become enemies with the Marquis of Xichang? If we don't mention the Marquis of Xichang, the Jiedushi will immediately depose us."
Lord Zhou beckoned him and said, "When we take action tonight, we will only arrest the few people listed in these documents. The others will be temporarily detained in the Sang Mansion. Once the case is submitted to the Dali Temple, we will investigate according to the documents. Also, how is the person you sent to inform the Sang family?"
Wei Tixia said, "We've already delivered the message. The Sang family sent several groups of troops out of the city to ask for help, but our people quietly released them."
"Okay, we've informed them in advance, which is considered to be the utmost kindness. If the Sang family can get through this, we'll also have a way out."
This night was just an ordinary night for the people of Yangcheng, but many people who got up early to go to work noticed something unusual.
For example, the house of the richest man, the Sang family, was surrounded by soldiers and officials. There were bloody traces of fighting on the small road outside the city. There were also many more soldiers and officials from other places outside the government prison.
Sang Qichang, the second master of the Sang family, sat steadily in prison. In the next cell were his eldest brother and third brother. The three pillars of the family were arrested neatly.
The three brothers gathered together, and Sang Qichang comforted them, saying, "The people who asked for help and those key items have been sent out of the city. With them here, the Marquis of Xichang won't dare to kill us. So no matter who interrogates us, you must not confess. If we just hold out for a few days, Prince Bao will definitely intervene and rescue us."
Uncle Sang narrowed his eyes and said thoughtfully, "This doesn't seem like the Marquis of Xichang's method. Why would he mobilize the Dongzhou Prefecture troops? Isn't he afraid that we might reveal something and get it to the court?"
Sang Qichang said, "It's better if it wasn't him. If it was someone else who was blind, the Marquis of Xichang would have saved us to protect himself! Even Your Majesty would have to think twice about offending both the Marquis of Xichang and Prince Bao at the same time."
The three brothers were whispering to each other when the sound of a lock opening suddenly came from the dark and damp entrance of the cell. Soon, a jailer shouted, "Sang family, someone is here to visit the prison."
Sang Qichang raised his eyebrows and said to his brother, "You can still visit the prison. It seems that arresting us is just a pretense."
The three of them looked towards the passage. The light was dim and they couldn't see the person coming. They could only make out that it was a thin woman wearing a linen dress and a mourning hat walking slowly towards them.
Their hearts sank. Why was he wearing mourning clothes?
Qin Yousi walked out of the shadows and stood in the dim light coming through the iron window. His pair of black eyes scanned the three people coldly.
Uncle Sang and Uncle Sang didn't recognize Qin Yousi. They looked at him again and again, then asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
Only Sang Qichang, though not entirely sure, but relying on his similar appearance to Qin Erniang, he tentatively asked, "Sixth Mother?"
Qin Yousi shook his head and said, "Youzhi is dead. I am Qin Erniang, the third aunt's husband."
Sang Qichang felt something was wrong and asked nervously, "Impossible! How could you possibly be alive?!"
Qin Yousi said quietly, "How can I die when those of you who harmed the Qin family are still alive?"
Sang Qichang was momentarily confused as to whether he was a human or a ghost, and hurriedly defended himself, "The Qin family's misfortune has nothing to do with my Sang family! If you want to find someone, look for Marquis Xichang. He's the one who harmed you!"
Qin Yousi sneered, "Oh? Then let me first tell you about the Sang family. Tang Shi poisoned Third Aunt and Cousin Youzhi with withering blood, and you kept it a secret, didn't you? When the Qin family was in trouble, you killed the wet nurse who came home for help and abandoned your cousin, didn't you? After Third Aunt returned home, you divorced her, concealed her whereabouts, and left her wandering around searching for her daughter for five years, didn't you?"
The series of questions left Sang Qichang unable to answer.
"It's not that I'm cruel, it's just that the Qin family has committed a serious crime. I can't protect them, mother and daughter! I need to put my family first. You don't understand the stakes."
"Heh," Qin Yousi smiled, "Do you still think you are innocent?"
Qin Yousi said coldly, "Five years ago, the border troops fought a long and unsuccessful battle with Xizhu. To curry favor with the Marquis of Xichang, you offered him advice and informed him that the Qin family possessed poisonous smoke that could decisively win a battle a thousand miles away. The Marquis of Xichang, eager for glory and success, tricked Mr. Qin into joining the army and threatened the lives of his entire family to force him to develop the poisonous smoke, intending to poison the people of the five cities at the Xizhu border! Mr. Qin refused to commit such a dehumanizing act, so he was beheaded on the battlefield for treason. Have I wronged you in this matter?"
Sang Qichang's eyes widened.
Only he and Marquis Xichang knew about this confidential matter. Even his brothers did not know what evidence he had on Marquis Xichang.
When Qin Yousi explained the matter one by one, everyone gasped.
Sang Qichang refused to admit it, saying, "You...don't be so gullible and make false accusations. There's no such thing!"
Qin Yousi thought it was ridiculous: "I'm not here to collect evidence. It doesn't matter whether you admit it or not."
She took out a firecracker-like cylinder from her bosom, took out a tinderbox, and lit it.
"Don't you want this kind of thing? Today, I will grant you your wish."
Watching the white smoke coming out of the cylinder, Sang Qichang felt a chill down his spine and shouted hoarsely, "No, no! Take it away quickly, someone come..."
Qin Yousi said: "This poisonous smoke is just a toy I made. Third Aunt accidentally told you about this, right? You used this to torture her, making her think that she was the one who harmed the Qin family and dared not tell the truth, right?"
When Aunt Qin San saw Qin Yousi, she admitted her mistake, not only because she donated blood for Qin Yousi, but also because she had told her husband about this matter.
She felt guilty about it for the rest of her life!
Sang Qichang collapsed and shouted, "What's wrong with the Qin family having this poison and using it to kill enemies and destroy nations during war? I'm not wrong!"
"The use of military force is to eliminate violence and protect the good. The good are resolute and do not dare to use force. If you are resolute, do not be proud. If you are resolute, do not brag. If you are resolute, do not be arrogant. If you are resolute, do not force it! (Note)" Qin Yousi shouted: "You don't understand the principles of being a human being. You don't deserve to be a human being!"
As the white smoke spread, Qin Yousi turned and left, no longer listening to the screams of fear behind him.
"Wait until you reach Hell, and then you can slowly learn the principles of being a human being!"
She walked out of the cell. The summer sun was so scorching outside that she couldn't open her eyes, but she felt cold all over.
Baili Hongyuan was waiting for her outside. When he saw her come out, he asked, "Is everything done inside?"
Qin Yousi forced a smile and was about to answer her, but suddenly he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining Baili Hongyuan's chest.
Baili Hongyuan's expression changed drastically. He reached out to catch the girl who was vomiting blood and fainting, and said in a serious tone, "Where is Taoist Xiwei? Please come quickly!"
Qin Yousi was unconscious, but her heart was in great pain and she couldn't stop crying.
Her grandfather and father punished her many times for developing unorthodox things, but she refused to listen, thinking that as long as she didn't do evil, nothing would happen to her.
Ke Boren died because of her.
My father’s death and the demise of the Qin family were actually caused by her!
"Daddy... I was wrong... I shouldn't have made the poisonous smoke... Si'er really knows her mistake..."
Qin Yousi cried so hard that she didn't even dare to ask for forgiveness in her dream.
Baili Hongyuan carried Qin Yousi to find Taoist Xiwei for help. When he heard the girl in his arms crying, his heart broke.
Taoist Priest Xiwei brought down some emergency elixirs from Liuquan Temple. After giving Qin Yousi emergency treatment, he said sternly, "The withering blood poison has already penetrated deep into her bones and blood, constantly devouring her life. Now that she's so consumed by revenge, even a god can't save her!"
Baili Hongyuan was furious and shouted at his subordinates, "Who leaked the poisonous smoke to her?"
The incident of the Sang family and the Marquis of Xichang forcing the Qin family to produce poisonous smoke was recorded in the correspondence between the Sang family and the Marquis of Xichang. It was the handle used by the Sang family to threaten the Marquis of Xichang. They were about to be sent out of the city for transfer early this morning, but were just intercepted by the Supervisory Office.
Xin Chen's face turned pale as he replied, "After intercepting the evidence early this morning, I submitted it directly to the Inspector General. No one else handled it."
He personally brought Qin Yousi to the cell. Baili Hongyuan calculated the time and found that she had no chance to talk to other people in the Supervisory Office.
In other words, Qin Yousi already knew about this matter! She was just seeking final confirmation.
Baili Hongyuan felt even more pain in her heart. It turned out that she had been carrying the self-blame and guilt in her revenge. With such a heavy heart, how could her body not suffer?
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