The governor of Beizhou committed suicide
Jiang Jin and Wei Shu rode away from the capital, followed by a large group of cavalry, and the group set off in a grand procession towards Beizhou.
"Your Majesty, do you truly want us to capture the governor of Beizhou?" Jiang Jin asked Wei Shu beside him from his horse.
"Of course, otherwise why would I send you forward just to make a show of it?" Sometimes Wei Shu really wanted to open Jiang Jin's head and see what was inside.
"After all, he was someone His Majesty personally promoted. Wouldn't this be like cutting off one's own arm?" Jiang Jin sometimes felt that Emperor Wende was ruthless, and sometimes she felt that he was somewhat soft-hearted.
“Can he really be considered His Majesty’s right-hand man? His Majesty’s right-hand man would not be so corrupt as to embezzle, accept bribes, and oppress the people.” Wei Shu pulled the reins and slowly approached Jiang Jin. “Someone like your husband, me, is His Majesty’s right-hand man.”
"Wei Shu, behave yourself, there are still quite a few people behind you!" Seeing Wei Shu's behavior, Jiang Jin silently spurred his horse away a little.
"Are your bodyguards still with you?" Wei Shu surveyed the surrounding trees but found no trace of them.
"Of course, if you find out, they can just kill themselves." Jiang Jin rolled her eyes at Wei Shu. The two of them led the group back to Bo City. This time, the large group made no attempt to conceal themselves and entered the city directly, staying at an inn.
"Madam, let me lead your horse for you." Zhou Liao took the reins from Jiang Jin. There were many curious people outside the inn, but seeing the menacing soldiers, they didn't dare linger and hurriedly left.
"Wei Shu, this is the first time I've ever used someone else's influence to bully others!" Jiang Jin stood on the second floor looking down at the people below. "Do you think the governor of Beizhou will kneel down and beg for mercy when he sees us?"
"Maybe!" Wei Shu couldn't resist pinching Jiang Jin's cheek as he looked at her. "You went out of the city yesterday?"
"What's wrong? Do you want to interrogate me?" Jiang Jin hooked her arm around Wei Shu's neck. "I told you that we shouldn't ask each other about each other's affairs."
"Ah Jin, isn't that a bit too heartless?" Wei Shu didn't continue asking questions but simply looked at Jiang Jin quietly. She was as beautiful as a fairy; to be honest, anyone who saw her for the first time would be attracted by her face. But the stubbornness in her eyes instantly gave her a unique charm.
"It's alright, as long as I have feelings for my husband, that's enough." Jiang Jin didn't know what Wei Shu was thinking, but she knew he wouldn't harm her.
"Is it true affection or feigned?" Wei Shu bent down and looked directly into Jiang Jin's alluring eyes.
"How come you can't even tell the difference between feigned affection and genuine feelings?" Wei Shu reached out and covered Jiang Jin's eyes. "Ah Jin is such a good actress, it's making me a little scared. And those eyes seem to be able to see into my heart."
"Is it that you dare not let me spy, or that you don't want me to spy?" Jiang Jin's eyelashes slowly brushed against Wei Shu's palm.
"When have you ever listened to me?" Wei Shu released Jiang Jin's touch on her hair. "Although the governor of Beizhou is His Majesty's confidant, we cannot be careless."
"I know you can rest assured. Anyone who can rise to the position of governor in the imperial court is bound to be a formidable figure." Jiang Jin nodded, looking at the men he had brought. "Have you thoroughly checked the Imperial Guards this time?"
"Yes, we've caught a few people, but it's not a big problem. Everyone we've brought here has been checked and is fine." Wei Shu knew that Jiang Jin also suspected why those unarmed people in Jiufang City were able to bypass the guards and reach the secret passage.
"That's good. I'm not willing to risk my life on someone I doubt." Jiang Jin nodded in satisfaction. "It seems you're not just a figurehead to be a general!"
"I suppose Madam hasn't witnessed my methods, so she's not afraid of me at all?" Wei Shu pinched Jiang Jin's fingers. "If Madam really saw my methods, wouldn't she have nightmares?"
“Wei Shu, I know your methods, so there’s no need to test me with this.” Jiang Jin patted Wei Shu’s shoulder helplessly. “I’m too tired from traveling, I need to rest.”
Jiang Jin lowered the bed curtains and turned to face Wei Shu. Wei Shu took off his outer robe and gently embraced Jiang Jin. "Sleep."
That night, the group from Bocheng Taiping awoke and immediately set off. They traveled safely without encountering any spies or assassins. When they checked into the Songzhou Inn late at night, Jiang Jin was visibly nervous. This was her first time handling a case as an official, and she was afraid of messing it up and losing face.
"Don't be afraid. We just need to find out if Governor Qu is corrupt and oppresses the people. As for the rest, we just need to escort him back to the capital to await His Majesty's judgment." Wei Shu comforted Jiang Jin, and the two embraced and fell asleep.
But something different happened at the governor's mansion in Beizhou. A torrential downpour had sent the people of Beizhou home early, but the governor's mansion remained brightly lit, surrounded by men dressed in black, fearing someone might escape.
In Governor Qu's study, only his lonely figure remained. The rain outside continued to fall, and the blood inside flowed ceaselessly. It was only when the maidservant entered with food that she witnessed this horrifying scene.
Without delay, the crowd summoned the coroner to examine the body, and the scouts quickly sent a message by carrier pigeon to Wei Shu, informing him of everything that had happened.
The group traveled day and night, finally arriving at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion of Beizhou on the morning of the third day. Jiang Jin told the Imperial Guards to rest first, while he and Wei Shu went to the morgue of the prefectural government office.
The coroner and Sima were waiting for the two men; seeing them was like seeing saviors.
"You two have finally arrived. This Prefect of Qu committed suicide out of fear of punishment, so we have no choice but to leave him here. Fortunately, it's not too hot now, otherwise he would definitely stink!" Sima wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, afraid that the two would blame him.
"Did the coroner find anything?" Jiang Jin glanced at Governor Qu's body; there were no obvious external injuries, only a deep wound on his wrist.
"From what we can see, the death was caused by excessive blood loss. There were no fatal external injuries, and we haven't found anything else yet." Jiang Jin was also at a loss. Although she had learned a lot, solving cases was really not within her scope of study.
"Where did you find Governor Qu's body?" Wei Shu was calmer than Jiang Jin. After all, their main task here was to thoroughly investigate the corruption case; Governor Qu's death wasn't their primary objective.
"It was a maid from the Qu household who discovered it when she delivered meals to Governor Qu. It was raining heavily at the time, so no one heard the noise from the study." Sima handed the maid's statement to Wei Shu.
"I'll get to the bottom of this with Registrar Jiang. Please have Sima bring over the account books for the last ten years." After everyone left the morgue, Jiang Jin rubbed his nose uncomfortably, smelling the damp air.
"The Imperial Guards have already searched the governor's mansion; they should find some clues." Jiang Jin looked at the confession but didn't find anything suspicious.
"By the way, send someone to check out the docks, don't miss any useful clues." Jiang Jin put away the confession and looked at Wei Shu. "I'll go check the ledgers first, you and the Imperial Guards will search."
"Alright, I'll have Zhou Cong accompany you." Jiang Jin nodded, and the two went their separate ways. Jiang Jin kept flipping through the account books in the government office, which made her realize that she didn't need to come out.
"Madam, would you like some food?" Zhou Cong looked at Jiang Jin, afraid she might faint. He didn't want to see the general looking at him with a cold expression.
"No need, just give me something to eat." Jiang Jin had no appetite at the moment.
"Yes." Zhou Cong placed a few easy-to-eat pastries and some tea from the kitchen on the table next to Jiang Jin. "Madam, the general has found some things so far, but the key items have not yet been found."
"I understand." Jiang Jin casually picked up a piece of pastry, put it in her mouth, and then went back to checking the ledgers.
Two hours passed, and Jiang Jin glanced at the account books from the past few years and found a few suspicious points, but he suppressed them and did not pursue the matter further. "Zhou Cong, lock up these account books and find two more people to watch over them so that nothing goes wrong."
"Yes, Madam." Zhou Cong watched Jiang Jin prepare to leave, unsure whether he should follow.
"You don't need to come with me. You can stay at the government office. I have some business to attend to." Jiang Jin said, glancing at Zhou Cong's hesitant expression. "Your general won't blame you."
"Yes." Zhou Cong, having considered Jiang Jin's abilities, no longer hesitated and stayed at the government office alone. Jiang Jin left the government office and headed straight for the clothing shop. The shopkeeper, seeing Jiang Jin, quickly led her into the back room.
"What would you like, madam?" The shopkeeper closed the door, locked it, and carefully poured Jiang Jin a cup of hot water.
"I need the account books from the past few years, and was there anything strange about the night Governor Qu died?" Jiang Jin still hadn't forgotten the case of Governor Qu's death.
"That night, it rained heavily, and everyone stayed indoors. Because of my wife's upcoming visit to Beizhou, I paid more attention to the governor's mansion. It seemed that there were quite a few men in black surrounding the governor's mansion that night, but they just stood guard and did not make a move."
The shopkeeper took out an account book from a box by the bedside. "The governor should have no problem paying taxes year after year. What he collects should be the additional river tax and the taxes for entering and leaving the city."
"Do you have anyone there who can solve cases? To be honest, I still have some doubts about Governor Qu's death." The past few days of travel had left Jiang Jin somewhat exhausted, but the urgency of Beizhou prevented her from relaxing.
"My lady, you're putting me in a difficult position." The shopkeeper also looked helpless.
"Alright, I'll take these ledgers with me. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious these next few days." Jiang Jin took the clothes and left the clothing shop, then walked to the dock, where she happened to see Wei Shu.
"I've reviewed all the government office's ledgers, so I'd like to see if you have any other clues?" Wei Shu glanced at the people at the dock who had led Jiang Jin back to the governor's mansion.
“We’ve been staying at the governor’s mansion in Beizhou for the past few days. Based on the examination of the scene and the coroner’s assessment, we can basically conclude that Governor Qu committed suicide.” Wei Shu led Jiang Jin to a courtyard.
"But our whereabouts have been leaked?" Jiang Jin asked Wei Shu, putting the clothes inside the room.
"It wasn't us. It's possible that someone in the court informed Governor Qu beforehand. But at least we can confirm it was suicide. Whether it was out of fear or coercion, at least we have a clue." Wei Shu felt that the capital was definitely involved.
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