Chapter 70 The Truth
When Li San Niang followed the constables to the entrance of the Ministry of Justice, she unexpectedly encountered Xu Jingzhen, who was still wearing the same indigo Taoist robe and a white jade hairpin.
"Mrs. Li, are you well?"
Since the handsome young man had already greeted her, Li Sanniang naturally had to return the greeting. After bowing, Li Sanniang said with a smile, "Greetings, Mr. Xu. Mr. Xu, were you also summoned for questioning?"
"Yes. Together?"
Thus, Li Sanniang and Xu Jingzhen followed the constables into the Ministry of Justice side by side.
Upon entering the house, Li Sanniang felt that she was probably benefiting from the presence of Xu Sanlang from the Duke of Ying's mansion next door. Not only was she given a seat, but she was also offered tea and a plate of pastries.
After waiting a short while, Minister Zheng, whom I had met before, and a man wearing a black, narrow-sleeved brocade robe with a round collar and intricate embroidery, and a hat, walked in together.
Upon closer inspection, it's clear that Minister Zheng, a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, was actually half a body length behind the man in black robes.
As someone with keen senses, Li Sanniang could smell a faint scent of blood on the man as soon as he entered.
Li Sanniang thought to herself, "Good heavens, this is a great killing god."
How many people must one have killed to accumulate such a dense and persistent stench of blood?
Under the introduction of Vice Minister Zheng, the three exchanged names. This was Xue Yao, the top commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard by Emperor Wu's side.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was created by Emperor Wu himself after he ascended the throne. It was directly under Emperor Wu's command and was responsible only to him. Even its salary came from Emperor Wu's private treasury, making it arguably the most loyal of the guards.
The duties of the Embroidered Uniform Guard ranged from reconnaissance, arrest, and interrogation to cooperating with the Imperial Guard in collecting military intelligence and turning enemy generals to defect. Li San Niang felt that this responsibility was somewhat similar to that of modern special forces.
On the surface, they were still doing what Emperor Wu valued most, avoiding dirty deeds and following the right path.
After all, there are bad people who do dirty things.
Xue Yao sat at the head of the table and said coldly, "Today I have come by imperial decree to question you two. I have read your testimonies, but there are some details that I would like to confirm carefully."
"When asked by superiors, I will answer without reservation."
Once Xu Jingzhen spoke, Li Sanniang didn't say anything more, only nodding.
In this cold, bureaucratic atmosphere, Vice Minister Zheng acted as the censor, recording the questions and answers between the three.
After more than half an hour of questioning, when Li Sanniang and Xu Jingzhen were brought out of the house, Li Sanniang herself had a layer of fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
In late August, the weather was still a bit hot, but cool, so the beads of sweat were really from Xue Yao's persistent and sharp questioning.
Li San Niang thought that if she were ever arrested and imprisoned in the Jinyiwei's special prison for some reason in the future, she would definitely reveal everything about how she lived in her previous life without being tortured.
As Li San Niang was leaving, she glanced back at Xue Yao and felt a chill run down her spine. She thought to herself, "This is truly a capable person by Emperor Wu's side. He is completely different from when he was questioned by Minister Di and Minister Zheng at the Duke of Liang's mansion."
Xue Yao gives off the feeling of a cold sword hanging over your head. His questions are sharp and terrifying, just like the interrogation of a criminal.
But Li San Niang is a law-abiding citizen!
It was just out of curiosity that I coincidentally got involved in this case.
As she walked out of the Ministry of Justice, Li Sanniang warned herself once again that she absolutely must not be curious about anything again!
Curiosity killed the cat; you don't have nine lives!
Standing outside the Ministry of Justice, Li San Niang was about to exchange a few polite words with Xu Jingzhen before they parted, but before she could speak, Xu Jingzhen bowed and said, "Mrs. Li, I have heard about your heroic act of saving people, and I admire you greatly."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Xu. It was just luck, nothing more than luck."
Li San Niang wondered, what's going on? Did they go back to investigate me? Did they investigate my rise to fame thoroughly?
"To be honest, I have a close friend who has been ill since childhood. He has seen many doctors but his condition has not improved. Hearing that Li San Niangzi's medical skills are extraordinary, he thought of asking Li San Niangzi to take a look. Would that be convenient?"
Seeing Li San Niang's puzzled look, Xu Jingzhen continued earnestly, "Li San Niangzi is currently in that teahouse not far away. Thank you for your kindness as a doctor."
At this moment, Li San Niang dared not approach any nobles or high-ranking officials; she only wanted to go home.
She then declined, saying, "Mr. Xu, you flatter me. I am merely a young woman with some medical knowledge who has not yet been recognized. How could I possibly treat others? Mr. Xu, you should seek out a more skilled physician."
Seeing that Li San Niang really didn't want to go, Xu Jingzhen moved a little closer and whispered, "Isn't San Niang curious about the truth of the Wu Si Lang case? When we get to the teahouse, I can explain it to you in detail."
Having said all that, Li San Niang was also a little curious, so she nodded and followed Xu Jingzhen to the teahouse not far away.
Upon arriving at the location, Li Sanniang noticed the signboard of the two-story teahouse, which read "Qingjinglou" (meaning "Quiet Pavilion"). She found it quite interesting.
Standing at the door, Li Sanniang felt a little annoyed. She had just said at the gate of the Ministry of Justice that she must not be curious, but she was still curious about the truth and followed Xu Jingzhen to this teahouse.
As soon as I entered, a servant led me up to the second floor.
Upon entering a private room, Li San Niang was introduced to Fang Cheng Xian by Xu Jingzhen.
Although Li San Niang wasn't obsessed with looks, who doesn't enjoy looking at beautiful women?
Xu Jingzhen was already a rare handsome young man, but unexpectedly, his best friend was also a refined and noble gentleman. However, the dark circles under his eyes diminished his handsome appearance somewhat.
After exchanging names, and listening to the sickly young man introduce himself while coughing lightly, Li San Niang had some guesses about his illness.
As soon as she sat down, a servant came up and brought her some tea and snacks. Li San Niang also faintly heard the sound of a zither, thinking that it must have been played in a nearby private room.
Li San Niang came to this teahouse to hear the truth. After taking another sip of tea, she looked at Xu Jingzhen without saying a word, signaling him to speak quickly.
Whether Xu Jingzhen was teasing Li Sanniang or genuinely thirsty, he finished a whole cup of tea before pushing the snacks on the table in front of her, saying with a beaming smile, "Sanniang, please try these. The snacks here are quite famous."
Fang Chengxian, watching from the side, knew perfectly well that he had tricked Li Sanniang into coming.
Seeing that he hadn't gotten to the point yet, Li San Niang was about to ask when Xu Jingzhen said with a smile, "San Niangzi, please be patient and let me explain slowly."
While enjoying tea and snacks, Li San Niang listened as Xu Jingzhen slowly recounted the truth behind Wu Si Lang's murder.
Wu Silang was the illegitimate son of Emperor Wu's second elder brother. He was already married with children. Although he was not a bully or tyrant, he was very lecherous and had a particular fondness for young, tender women.
Rou Niang's real name was Zhao Rou Die, and she was Zhao Dan Die's half-sister.
Li San Niang did indeed know Zhao Dan Die. She was the woman with the golden hairpin who commanded the female guards to assist Li San Niang when Li San Niang rescued Qi Bi Ya Tong from the Liang Guo Gong Mansion by the Yu River. In other words, Qi Bi Ya Tong was Qi Bi Ya Tong's maternal cousin.
It was because of this relationship that Zhao Roudie was able to attend the banquet of the Duke of Liang's mansion; otherwise, how could a concubine's daughter have the right to participate in a banquet for noble ladies?
Zhao Roudie was also a capable person. Not only did she have an affair with Wu Silang, but she also had a relationship with the heir of the Duke of Liang's mansion.
Zhao Roudie, knowing she was born out of wedlock, knew she could never be associated with royalty, much less give up her life as Wu Silang's mistress at the Duke of Liang's mansion.
So she seduced the heir of the Duke of Liang's mansion, thinking that becoming a concubine in the Duke of Liang's mansion would be a good option.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Duke of Liang's mansion, also known as the First Madam, disliked such alluring young women the most. Even if the eldest daughter-in-law begged, she would not agree to let such a woman into the family.
Because the Duke of Liang had passed down the throne to this generation, although he outwardly gave his first wife the respect due to her, he actually favored one concubine the most in the household. Since the first wife had a son, he had not entered her room again.
He would come every day, even on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, and stay in that concubine's room every day.
However, even so, over all these years, there has only been one illegitimate son in this household.
The First Madam didn't agree to let Rou Niang become a concubine, so the Heir Apparent went to the Old Madam for help. The Old Madam and the First Madam were already at odds, so they started a fight over this matter. The Old Madam was willing to agree to let Zhao Rou Die become a concubine.
So the First Madam had someone investigate Zhao Roudie, and they actually found out that she had an affair with Wu Silang.
Therefore, the First Madam wanted to use the flower-viewing banquet, where many noble young men and women from high-ranking families in Chang'an were gathered, to lure people to catch Zhao Roudie and Wu Silang in adultery and get rid of the marriage.
The First Madam's people bought some aphrodisiacs from someone in Pingkangfang. These were the grayish-white powders that Li Sanniang found in Wu Silang's waistband. The night before, they bribed a woman in Pingkangfang who was a regular customer of Wu Silang to put the powder on him.
Who would have thought that Wu Silang not only spent the whole night in Pingkangfang, but also drank alcohol and then came to Zhao Roudie to seek pleasure with her? With such a deficit, he had an accident and died.
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