57 Chapter 057
◎Quick victory◎
The chaos at the Lou family had not yet subsided. As a guest, Xie Mingzhuo was not in a position to interfere in the host's private affairs, so he led his people back to the room.
Xie Mingzhuo sat down at the table and called a meeting of five people.
"She's coming for us."
Yang Yunkai nodded. "The timing of her arrival is too coincidental. I think she's not just an ordinary prostitute. She has the air of a gangster."
No amount of perfume can cover up this smell.
Xie Mingzhuo's eyes darkened slightly: "Things are more complicated than I thought before."
She originally thought that the problem in Fuliang County was that the local pottery supervisor and the county officials were in collusion with each other, acting tyrannically and harming the people.
But the appearance of Li Ping'er and the abnormal behavior of Lou Kun before and after indicate that this matter is not that simple.
"Qing Lang, why did your father work so hard for the Lang family?"
Most people would have preconceived notions. Since the government has already determined that the crime was committed by robbers, they would not think too much about it and would just think that the Lang family was unlucky and was targeted by the robbers.
Xu Qinglang recollected the situation carefully for a moment and said, "After my father and the neighbors came back from identifying the body, he started talking in a trance and even dug up a pulse case from a long time ago. The next day, he went to the county government office and said there was something wrong with the case."
"What's the problem?"
"He didn't say, so I don't know."
Xie Mingzhuo: "It seems we can only wait for the results of Magistrate Yu's trial."
"Sir, has Lou Kun been planning to use us from the very beginning?" Feng Caiyu asked.
Xie Mingzhuo said with relief: "How did you tell that?"
"He acted frivolously the moment he saw you. A normal person would just avoid the Jinyiwei. Why would he, the son of a businessman, take the risk of getting close to them? He doesn't seem to be a fool."
"continue."
"After arriving in Fuliang County, he continued to entertain you graciously and took you to the Lou family shop to buy porcelain. However, since we moved into the Lou family's house, he has not been as flattering as before. Yesterday, after drinking, he even invited you to visit the kiln in person. I think he has other motives, but I can't think of them at the moment."
Xie Mingzhuo smiled and said, "It's great that you can think of this."
"So there really is something wrong with him?" Jiang Qing suddenly realized, "That divorce offer just now wasn't just an act, was it? I almost got tricked by him."
Xie Mingzhuo nodded: "Everyone might as well guess what his purpose is."
"I want to use the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to help the Lou family escape the hidden threats." Yang Yunkai spoke first.
Xu Qinglang followed up, "I remember Lou Kun's wedding three years ago. It was grand and spectacular, and they attached great importance to the ceremony. A year after their marriage, the story of Lou Kun and Madam Xu's harmonious marriage spread throughout the city."
"But his personality changed drastically two years ago," Feng Caiyu analyzed. "Could it be that the Lou family was in crisis at that time, and he had to disguise himself in order to protect the Lou family?"
Jiang Qing smacked her lips. "Then what is he afraid of? The Imperial Pottery Factory's Supervisor?"
There were footsteps outside the yard. Xie Mingzhuo raised his index finger as a reminder, and several people fell silent.
As they reached the door, the visitor said respectfully, "Master Meng, something happened at home today. The master said that the hospitality was not good enough and asked me to come and apologize. The kitchen prepared dinner, and I took the initiative to bring it over."
They were servants sent by the Lou family to serve them after they moved in.
Xie Mingzhuo asked, "How is Boss Lou?"
"The master has woken up, but needs to stay in bed to recuperate. I cannot accompany you for dinner. I hope you will forgive me."
"Got it, please bring the food in."
The butler opened the door and ordered the other servants to serve the dishes.
Although the Lou family was in chaos, they did not neglect their distinguished guests. The dishes were still rich and delicious, filling the square table in the house.
"My lords, please enjoy your meal. I will take my leave."
The butler led a group of servants out of the yard.
Inside the house, Xu Qinglang scooped a spoonful of chicken soup. The chicken soup was very fragrant, with golden oil floating on the surface and green chopped green onions dotted in it. It was full of color, aroma and taste.
She brought it to her nose, sniffed it, and said, "No drugs."
The same goes for other delicacies.
The Lou family certainly didn't have the courage to poison anyone, but with the addition of Li Ping'er in the Lou house, there might be other spies lurking, so it couldn't be too cautious.
"Lou Kun invited us into the kiln, perhaps hoping to use the Jinyiwei to confront the forces behind Li Ping'er." After careful consideration, Xie Mingzhuo instructed, "Old Yang, there's no need to let him lead you by the nose. Let's fight quickly and decisively."
"yes."
The moon was at its zenith when Lou Kun, in a disheveled state, returned home, but Xu Zhixiu was no longer by his side.
He went to the main courtyard to visit Lou He, but Lou He had someone block him outside the door and didn't even want to see him.
Lou Kun stood there silently for a long time before returning to his yard.
As soon as you enter the door, you will be greeted by a fragrant breeze.
The veins on his forehead twitched slightly, but he didn't dodge and caught Li Ping'er who was rushing towards him. He smiled, which moved the scars on his face, and then he smiled again.
"Why are you here?" He sat down at the table and poured a cup of tea.
Li Ping'er snuggled up to his side and said coquettishly, "Why can't I be here?"
"I thought Pingniang wouldn't like a room that someone else has lived in." Lou Kun sipped his tea and said slowly, "Xu Zhixiu's preferences are different from yours. You probably don't like it."
Li Ping'er said, "How could that be? She's the daughter of a scholar, and I'm just a floating duckweed in this world, how could I not like her?"
"what ever."
"Lou Lang, you can't bear to leave, can you?" Li Ping'er whispered in his ear, "Have you bought a house outside to hide your beautiful mistress?"
The air blowing on his skin was clearly hot, but it made him feel cold for no reason. The chill ran from the soles of his feet all the way up his back, and he got goose bumps all over his body.
Lou Kun put down his teacup, met her gaze, and said with a frivolous smile, "If you don't believe me, go check it out."
"I was just joking with you," Li Ping'er said with a sweet smile. "As long as you don't mention her again, I'll be satisfied."
"It's late, I'm going to the study." Lou Kun stood up.
Li Ping'er pulled his sleeve and asked, "You're not staying?"
"I don't want to piss off my dad to death," Lou Kun said condescendingly, "Ping Niang, you don't want to piss off your elders as soon as you walk in, do you?"
Li Ping'er stroked her hair with her fingertips, her eyes full of light as she said, "Lou Lang, I have always known your feelings and I love your loyalty and loyalty. I understand your love for Xu Zhixiu and your filial piety towards Mr. Lou."
Lou Kun waited for her next words.
"But you've only known Mr. Meng for a few days, so you shouldn't be reluctant to let him go, right?"
Lou Kun didn't say anything.
"Tell me when to take her to the kiln."
"Three days later, when the porcelain comes out of the kiln, I will invite her to come."
Li Ping'er's smile deepened: "Thank you, Lou Lang."
Midnight, county prison.
Because of the visit of the Jinyiwei during the day, the jailers were all on high alert, fearing that something unexpected would happen before the case was concluded.
The jailer was not on duty tonight, but he stayed behind and led his brothers in patrolling in shifts.
A team of jailers arrived for their shifts. One of them carried a bamboo basket and placed it on the table at the prison door. He whispered, "Boss, my cousin's family has a new baby today, so he gave me a basket of eggs. You know, I'm the only one in the family, so I can't finish all of them. I'm sharing these with the brothers. It's late at night, you must be hungry, right?"
The jailer waved his hand and said, "This is a good thing. Even if you can feed your whole family, don't be so generous. Isn't it better to save some money and marry a wife?"
"Oh, I really can't finish it all by myself. I'm afraid it will go bad." The jailer said helplessly, "Boss, can you take the brothers and finish it for me?"
The other jailers came over upon hearing the noise, their eyes shining.
Eggs are good things. It's rare that someone treats you to a meal, and you would feel sorry for your empty stomach if you don't eat them.
"Yeah, it went bad after just a few days. What a shame."
"Ma Qiang, thank you. I'll invite you to my home for dinner someday."
Seeing that his brothers were in high spirits, the jailer decided not to stop them. However, he wanted to set an example and did not participate in dividing the eggs.
The jailers gathered around the table peeling eggs. It was just an egg, which could be finished in two bites without delaying their patrol.
The jailer said to everyone, "Eat quickly, and do what you need to do after you finish eating. I'll go take a look around first."
He turned and walked inside. Just as he turned the corner, he heard the sound of something heavy falling behind him. His heart skipped a beat. Just as he put his hand on the iron bar at his waist, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. His vision went black and he fell to the ground in an instant.
There's an assassin!
Ma Qiang didn't stop for long. He stepped over the jailer's body and ran straight into the depths of the dark prison until he reached the door of a cell.
The key I took from the prison boss's waist came in handy.
He quickly opened the cell door, walked into the cell in the dark, and according to the direction he remembered, he took out his dagger and stabbed it straight in.
He had observed Xu Sanleng's sleeping habits clearly. This knife would directly penetrate the neck, and Xu Sanleng would definitely die!
The tip of the knife has been sent out, just waiting -
A ray of light suddenly penetrated the cell, illuminating the cruel smile on Ma Qiang's face. Caught off guard, he was completely stunned.
The man who was originally lying on the hay suddenly stood up, kicked the dagger away, tied his hands behind his back, and pressed him to the ground.
Before he could react, his jaws were removed to prevent him from biting himself with poison.
Ma Qiang's eyes widened: "Uh uh uh!"
Isn't this Xu Sanleng's cell? Why are there Jinyiwei?!
Outside the cell, Yu Hong held a torch, glanced at Ma Qiang coldly, and then sincerely thanked the Jinyiwei strongman.
Li Shi: "You are too polite, Magistrate Yu. I am only following orders. I will take this man back to the government office."
"please."
He had asked Xu Sanleng during the day, and he knew that this case was beyond the jurisdiction of the county government, so it would be most appropriate to hand it over to the Jinyiwei.
The Jinyiwei secretly took their men away.
Yu Hong called in Xu Sanleng to examine the prison boss and the others. Fortunately, Ma Qiang had drugged the prison boss, and the wound on the back of his head was not fatal, so a simple bandage and medication would suffice.
Not long after, the jailer woke up in a daze, his head felt dizzy as if it was filled with paste, and he kept wanting to vomit.
He spat fiercely: "This conscienceless bastard!"
The next morning, Xie Mingzhuo took over the information presented by Yang Yunkai.
Yesterday, Yu Hong re-examined the case of the death in Xu's medical clinic and asked Xu Sanleng in detail about the whole process of the incident.
Xu Sanleng was previously imprisoned for reporting the crime to the authorities. Although he did not completely trust the authorities now, since this person was personally recognized by his daughter's savior, he no longer hid it and told everything.
That day, after he and his neighbors went to Lang's house to identify the body, he vaguely felt that the wounds on Lang's body looked familiar.
He is a doctor and has treated countless patients, and he is accustomed to seeing all kinds of scars.
But he had only seen this kind of scar once.
Two years ago, he went to the mountains to collect herbs and met a man covered in wounds. Seeing that the man could still be saved, he quietly took him back to the clinic for treatment.
The wounds on the man's body were very strange, not caused by ordinary swords or knives. He found it curious, so he recorded them in the pulse record, intending to ask about them after the man woke up.
But when I woke up, the person was gone.
He was very curious and felt uncomfortable if he didn't find out the truth, so he drew a picture of a strange weapon based on the wound marks, and then took the weapon pattern to a familiar blacksmith shop to inquire.
Unexpectedly, the blacksmith brothers were shocked when they saw it, and hurriedly pulled him to a deserted place and asked him where the picture came from.
Xu Sanleng was still confused at the time and asked, "What's the problem?"
The blacksmith brothers were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat and whispered to him, "This is the Sun-Moon Halberd."
"What is the Sun-Moon Halberd?"
"Doctor Xu, have you become stupid from treating people? You don't know about the Sun-Moon Halberd, but have you never heard of the Sun-Moon Cult?"
Doctor Xu was stunned at the time.
As everyone knows, the Sun and Moon Sect is an evil cult that is strictly prohibited by the imperial court. This sect was born in the previous dynasty and once occupied half of the country and almost destroyed the previous dynasty.
If it weren't for the famous generals of the previous dynasty who turned the tide, the world would probably have been ruled by the Sun and Moon Sect by now.
Under the previous dynasty's vigorous suppression, the Sun and Moon Sect disappeared for a long time. Later, it revived several times, but was suppressed every time.
After the establishment of this dynasty, the Sun and Moon Sect did not remain dormant, but instead emerged with great force. The imperial court suppressed and encircled it many times, but still failed to completely eliminate it.
The last time they attacked the Sun Moon Sect's lair was fifteen years ago. At that time, the main force of the Sun Moon Sect was defeated and severely damaged, with only a few remnants escaping.
And today, the Moon Halberd has reappeared, how can we not be alarmed?
Xu Sanleng was just a doctor, how could he dare to ask about such matters? The person he saved was stabbed by the Sun Moon Halberd and must be a hostile person to the Sun Moon Sect.
As long as the people he rescued weren't members of a cult, he wouldn't investigate further.
After two years of such peace, something happened to the Lang family, and the wound was no different from that man's.
Xu Sanleng then realized that if he didn't care, the problem wouldn't be blamed on him.
This kind of evil cult that kills innocent people indiscriminately should not exist in the world!
He mustered up the courage to report to the authorities, but due to his hidden concerns, he did not directly mention the Sun and Moon Sect, but only said that there was something wrong with the Lang family's case.
However, he did not expect that such vague words would almost lead to his death.
After hearing the cause and effect, Yu Hong immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. Just as he was about to secretly inform the Jinyiwei, someone secretly slipped a note into his hand.
This is why the "stealing and replacing the pillars" and "luring the snake out of its hole" happened.
The secret order was issued by Yang Yunkai.
The Lang family case and the Xu family case were full of strangeness. The robbers killed entire families in the city, but the government turned a blind eye and closed the case perfunctorily.
Even the most incompetent government offices knew how to put on a show. Even if they couldn't find the robber, they would still put on a show by posting wanted notices and conducting a city-wide search.
There is only one reason why the county government acted this way: someone was in cahoots with the "robbers".
By analogy, there must be a "robber" inside the yamen.
"Sir, if Ma Qiang was the accomplice, why didn't he kill Xu Sanleng right after he was imprisoned?" Jiang Qing was puzzled. "Why did he choose last night?"
Xie Mingzhuo looked at Feng Caiyu with a smile: "Ayu, you go ahead and speak."
"Yes. It's not easy to cultivate an insider within the government. Xu Sanleng didn't mention the Sun Moon Sect at the time. The county government, feeling guilty, deliberately framed him for killing someone, hoping to silence him through legal means. This is a cost-effective and highly profitable approach. There's no need to use an insider to avoid complications."
Jiang Qing suddenly understood. "I understand. According to normal procedures, Doctor Xu would have been sentenced to death and escorted to the capital. But they didn't expect Yu Hong to refuse to close the case, which is why it dragged on for two months. When we arrived in Fuliang County, they discovered that the Jinyiwei were intervening and panicked."
When Yu Hong was interrogating Xu Sanleng, he dismissed those who had ulterior motives in the yamen, and the other party did not know what Xu Sanleng said.
They didn't dare to gamble and could only take risks.
"Is Ma Qiang available?" Xie Mingzhuo asked.
"He confessed." Yang Yunkai paused, "But he said he was ordered by Yan Dong and didn't know anything about the Sun Moon Sect."
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