Chapter 713 Bait
The deputy stepped forward to examine Gao Hengzhong's body, checking his breathing and pulse. He then cautiously said to Xu Jingzhen, who was sitting upright in the main hall of the Gao family, "Assistant Manager, he's dead."
Xu Jingzhen nodded, and his deputy added, "He must have taken poison earlier, and it only just took effect. The poison attacked his heart, and he vomited blood and died."
"Behave yourself; after all, he was a loyal minister who served the country wholeheartedly."
"yes."
Xu Jingzhen got up and walked to the door. Looking at the rain outside, which had subsided, she felt that although the rain had stopped, the wind was about to pick up.
In the courtyard outside the main hall, the Black Scale Guards were still holding the Gao family members at knifepoint. Xu Jingzhen saw the woman holding the three-year-old child and turned to his deputy, instructing, "Seal all of the Gao family's belongings and take them back. Keep the bodies of the dead in the courtyard safe. As for the living, especially the women and children, have the soldiers treat them with respect. The Ministry of Justice will inevitably interrogate them later."
"Yes, Assistant Manager."
The Black Scale Guards acted swiftly; in just two hours, before noon, it seemed as if nothing had happened here except for the seal on the Gao family's main gate.
Only a few households living close to the Gao family could still faintly smell the blood emanating from the Gao family's residence in their own courtyards.
It is common knowledge that the Black Scale Guards are Emperor Wu's private army. This time, the Black Scale Guards surrounded the Gao family in the middle of the night, rushed into the Gao family near dawn, and carried out more than a dozen corpses covered with white cloths after dawn. This is really frightening.
It should be noted that the last time the Black Scale Guards appeared, dozens of people were beheaded on the high platform of Zhuque Street in Chang'an City.
People who have lived in Chang'an for a long time are intelligent and know what can and cannot be said.
Let everyone discuss the romantic escapades of the nobles in Chang'an; they know them all by heart.
But when it comes to such a private matter, even with the facts laid bare, very few people would dare to speak of it.
The fact that the Black Scale Guards surrounded the Gao family in the middle of the night was only revealed five days later at the grand court assembly when Xu Jingzhen submitted his memorial, and everyone in the court pretended to only just learn about it.
Of course, the high-ranking officials in red robes already knew about it, since Emperor Wu had spoken with them privately during a small court assembly earlier.
"...That is so. I believe that such traitors should be severely punished according to the law to uphold the law of the country."
Xu Jingzhen solemnly summarized it this way. This cold and aloof demeanor caused many officials to whisper among themselves in their seats.
However, the people discussing this in court were all officials in red robes. How could these officials not know that Emperor Wu was putting on an act with Xu Jingzhen?
Sure enough, seeing that the discussions in the court had fermented enough, a court official who had previously disagreed with Gao Hengzhong's political views stepped forward and bowed.
The long, eloquent speech, so ornate it could be used as a model essay for people to memorize, essentially boiled down to this: "Treason is an unforgivable crime, but considering Gao Hengzhong's service to two dynasties and his past as a loyal subject, let's spare his bloodline."
Finally, Emperor Wu issued an edict affirming Gao Hengzhong's heinous crime of treason, but also agreed to allow one of the Gao family's bloodlines to be preserved.
The Ministry of Justice, the Bad People and the Imperial Guards interrogated the Gao family members in the prison. They were facing women and children who clearly knew nothing. They were only asked a few symbolic questions and were only fed thin porridge once a day.
However, the two legitimate sons and one illegitimate son of the Gao family suffered severe torture. The Bad Guys had more methods and actually managed to extract some information from them.
As for the two legitimate daughters and one illegitimate daughter of the Gao family who have already married, except for the illegitimate daughter who married into Jiangnan East Circuit, the other two legitimate daughters married into Chang'an.
After the Ministry of Justice sent an official to conduct a routine inquiry, they leniently released the two married daughters.
However, one of the two legitimate daughters was quite determined and spent a lot of money to pull strings in order to visit her family in prison.
According to the law and regulations, it is not allowed for people to visit prisoners. However, due to the deliberate leniency of the corrupt officials and the Ministry of Justice, they wanted to use this as bait to see if they could lure out someone.
Therefore, Gao Huizhen, the eldest daughter of the Gao family, actually entered the women's prison where the women of the Gao family were imprisoned under the cover of night, dressed in a completely black cloak.
Having spent a considerable amount of her dowry to secure this opportunity, Gao Huizhen concealed herself under her hood and followed behind the female jailer, taking quick, small steps towards the depths of the dungeon.
Upon arriving at the destination, Gao Huizhen looked at Madam Gao, who was half-lying inside the iron bars, and felt a pang of heartache.
"Mother!"
"It would be best if you spoke more softly, Your Excellency. Please remember that you only have a quarter of an hour."
After leaving behind a dim oil lamp, the female jailer left the prison in the dark, giving Gao Huizhen her time.
Madam Gao lay half-reclined on the haystack. Having spent several days in this dimly lit prison, she felt as if she were hallucinating, hearing the voice of her married eldest daughter.
"Mother!
Mother, Mother, Mother, are you alright?
"My son is here, my son..."
The first to react was Gao's eldest daughter-in-law. She huddled in a corner, looked up, and by the moonlight streaming through the small window of the cell, saw Gao Huizhen's face, which had been covered by her hood.
"Huizhen!"
With a "whoosh," Gao's eldest daughter-in-law darted out from the corner and grabbed Gao Huizhen's hand as it reached through the fence. "Huizhen!"
"Hye-jeong, save me, save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
Feeling that what she said might not be quite right, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gao family quickly changed her words and said, "No, save us, save us!"
What do we women know about the things my father-in-law did?
Huizhen, Huizhen, you…
Before Gao's eldest daughter-in-law could finish speaking, she was stopped by Madam Gao, who had just realized what was happening. Even in prison, Gao's eldest daughter-in-law was still afraid of her mother-in-law's authority.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Gao family, who had been shrinking back, shut her mouth and even let go of Gao Huizhen's hand that she had grabbed in her haste.
Instead, Madam Gao grasped Gao Huizhen's hand, "Huizhen!"
What brings you here?
What brings you here?
"Hurry up and leave!"
"Mother, Mother!" Gao Huizhen was heartbroken. She had only called out "Mother" twice before tears streamed down her face. The usually dignified Madam Gao was now disheveled and her hair was askew. How could she be the same Madam Gao who was once admired by everyone?
Madam Gao, who usually cares most about her appearance and demeanor, was completely oblivious to her appearance and demeanor at this moment.
"The sage is magnanimous and has spared the life of Sanlang's child. That child is your own nephew. From now on, we will take him in and raise him. That would be the best thing."
"Leaving one bloodline for the Gao family is enough."
Before Gao Huizhen could refute, Madam Gao urged her to leave. Just then, the footsteps of the female jailer came from afar.
Finally, urged on by the jailer, Gao Huizhen took one last look at Madam Gao, knelt down and kowtowed to her, then, with tears streaming down her face, put on her hood and left with the female jailer.
Meanwhile, the undercover agents hidden in the prison followed Gao Huizhen and the female prison guard out, but they took a secret passage.
The undercover agent, with his sharp eyes, noticed that when Gao Huizhen and Madam Gao were holding hands tightly through the iron bars, Madam Gao had slipped something through their fingers.
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