Chapter 25, Page Twenty-Five: Abandonment
The Censorate was so tightly controlled that not even a fly could get in, and Lu Huantang couldn't get any information at all. He gritted his teeth and went to the Ministry of Personnel to report for duty first. As expected, the official position was very high, a fifth-rank cavalry captain in the border city, with some real power, but basically it was a death sentence, and they could be replaced three or four times a year, so not many people wanted to do it.
However, this position is of no benefit to Jiang Linzhi's current situation. Moreover, the officials in the Ministry of Personnel have already been taken care of by the Regent's people. Lu Huantang is leaving the capital to take up his post today, and even someone as clever as him has no way to deal with it.
unless……
Lu Huantang's eyes sharpened, and he quickly spurred his horse away from the capital.
All the servants in the Forbidden City were driven out, and soon after, a muffled sound came from inside the palace.
It looked like something had fallen to the ground but hadn't broken.
The eunuchs stood trembling with their hands at their sides. Xue Mu's expression was solemn. He whispered to one of the eunuchs, "Take our invitation and go find Mr. Qi. Follow his orders, quickly!"
After the young eunuch left, Xue Mu saw one of the young eunuchs serving tea so hard that he spilled the tea all over the floor.
Xue Mu glanced at him lightly and said, "Xiao Luzi, this is disrespectful in front of the palace. What kind of behavior is this? Go and pour some fresh tea before you come back."
Once Xiao Luzi left, Xue Mu smiled secretly and continued to guard the palace gate.
Inside the hall, Jiang Yan and Jiang Jinyi fought fiercely, like two cats battling each other. Logically, since they were the same age, the fight should have been fair. However, Jiang Jinyi had been in the military and was strong and robust. In a one-on-one fight, Jiang Yan was no match for him.
Of course, they negotiated for a long time without success before deciding to fight.
On the ground were the blood of the two men and a tattered, blood-stained garment. Of course, most of the blood was Jiang Yan's, and a small portion had seeped from the wound on Jiang Jinyi's hand. The blood-stained garment belonged to Jiang Linzhi.
Jiang Yan was being beaten to the ground by Jiang Jinyi, but he still managed to kick Jiang Jinyi once, angrily saying, "You repay kindness with enmity! You're still harping on that little personal matter, aren't you? Fine! I'll tell you about your personal matter! Back then, she was worried about you and followed you to the border! Did you really think she was just doing business? She kept me in the palace! With the powerful Wu Kingdom in front and wolves-like ministers behind! I know to repay kindness, but you, you wolf in sheep's clothing, are getting too arrogant!"
That kick was cunning, specifically aimed at Jiang Jinyi's injured leg. Jiang Jinyi cried out in pain, took a few steps back, and leaned against the dragon pillar to steady himself. He glanced at the disheveled Jiang Yan and replied, "She killed my mother. That's because she felt guilty! She was afraid! She was afraid that I would seek revenge on her in the future, so she left herself a way out!"
"She did nothing wrong to you!" Jiang Yan roared.
"Did she kill my mother?" Jiang Jinyi roared back.
Silence speaks volumes. Jiang Yan avoided Jiang Jinyi's burning gaze and got up from the ground. "...She killed..."
“But she didn’t want to kill, she…” Jiang Yan’s expression was pained, his brows furrowed deeply.
“Killing is killing, there’s no way to wash it off,” Jiang Jinyi leaned against a pillar, trying to ease the pain in his legs and hands. “I just want to know the truth, is that so hard?”
"That's the truth! She just made a mistake!"
"Then where is my mother's body?"
"None of us know!"
The problem had reached an awkward crossroads; neither way seemed to lead anywhere, and neither explanation made sense. Jiang Jinyi was utterly exhausted. He slid down against a pillar and sat on the ground without uttering a word.
When Jiang Jinyi came out of the Forbidden City, the Empress's people had already caused a ruckus in the Censorate and kidnapped Jiang Linzhi.
Jiang Jinyi did not agree to release Jiang Linzhi at all. Seeing this, he rushed to the Jiang residence on horseback, only to find it deserted except for Lu Huantang.
Jiang Jinyi drew his twin swords and held them in front of Chen. "She is only a suspect in court now. What you are doing is confirming her crimes. Moreover..." He patted the official hat that Lu Huantang had just put on today with his sword, "Your rank is not enough."
Lu Huantang's kung fu has improved by leaps and bounds; a head-on clash between the two would only result in mutual destruction.
Lu Huantang, however, exuded no murderous intent. He calmly said, "Your Highness, you always try to kill her but never actually kill her. I suspect it's just to vent your personal anger, and you don't really want her dead. Why make such a fuss?"
Having his thoughts read, Jiang Jinyi remained calm and asked, "From what you're saying, you've come to talk to me."
"This humble servant knows his status is insufficient, but I met Huo Zhuo a few days ago and know that Your Highness has lost some money this year. This business can be left to those who specialize in it. Why condescend to do such trivial matters?"
"Speak plainly." Jiang Jinyi didn't want to listen to his nonsense.
"The snuff bottle business is no different from usual this year. Where did all that money that the Prince took from the Jiang residence come from? It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, could it?" Although Lu Huantang didn't know about these things, he inquired about Huo Zhuo's matter afterward and could guess most of the details by piecing them together.
"You think you can give me her path to wealth?" Jiang Jinyi asked, disbelieving.
“This humble servant cannot make the decision, but Your Highness has the ability to seize it.”
The implication couldn't be clearer, but Lu Huantang put on airs and said, "But even if you're rich enough to send this person and that person to avoid trouble every day, you'll eventually run out of money. Besides, Miss is just a merchant. Your Highness should at least give us, the poor folks, some kind of guarantee."
"What makes you think I'm going to guarantee anything to you? What you want to offer me as tribute, I can get myself."
Lu Huantang had no leverage over him, and he couldn't possibly use his newly acquired position to fight back. He could only take a gamble: "Your mother's corpse."
In the blink of an eye, one attacked and the other defended, the sword energy forcing the people around them back several steps.
Suddenly, a person appeared between the two and caught both swords with his bare hands.
A middle-aged man, with a benevolent smile, broke the tense atmosphere, asking, "Are you two so angry?"
Neither sword moved an inch. Although Lu Huantang didn't recognize the newcomer, he sensed no hostility and sheathed his sword first. Jiang Jinyi, his neck veins bulging, suppressed his anger, slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and reluctantly sheathed his sword.
This middle-aged man was utterly unremarkable in appearance, neither handsome nor ugly, the kind of person you wouldn't recognize if you threw him on the street. He held up a black token covered in intricate and bizarre patterns, like a thousand snakes entwined, which gave the person goosebumps.
The man's tone was extremely calm: "Since the host is not here, I dare to make a decision. The two of you have already made a scene, so you should know that with her dead, none of us will have a good life."
This warning was perfectly timed, without offending anyone.
The man gave a slight curtsy, his hands tucked into his wide, coarse cloth sleeves, and said kindly, "Alright, everyone, keep to your duties. You two must have a lot of official business to attend to."
Despite his resentment, Jiang Jinyi turned and left. The Wanxiang Restaurant was the balance of power in the Sui Kingdom, with unfathomable manpower and financial resources, maintaining the stability of the kingdom. Who knew who would be oppressed by the strong and who would be supported by the weak? If he really didn't let Jiang Linzhi go today, the short sword in that man's sleeve might just cut off his head.
Before leaving, Jiang Jinyi looked at him with a wolfish gaze and coldly threatened, "I promise I will not take action again until you return, but if you return and cannot hand over my mother's body, then you can use the coffin I prepared."
"Let's go take a look around the outskirts of Beijing."
After Jiang Jinyi left, Lu Huantang nodded slightly to the man before going to the palace to fetch Jiang Linzhi.
Upon entering the mansion, Qi Lingjun thanked the man and then took Jiang Linzhi back to the house. A short while later, Qi Lingjun came out again and expressionlessly called Lu Huantang inside.
As Lu Huantang passed by Qi Lingjun, he clearly sensed Qi Lingjun's panic, but he remained calm and composed.
Lu Huantang walked in and saw tattered, blood-stained clothes on the floor. Jiang Linzhi's back was a bloody mess as he lay face down on the bed. Except for his face, there wasn't a single unscathed spot on Jiang Linzhi's body.
The medicine lay aside, unattended, indicating that Qi Lingjun had only cleaned her wound. He was slightly alarmed and was about to call the doctor when Jiang Linzhi said softly, "It's a superficial wound. Come and help me apply the medicine."
If it weren't for her current half-dead state, Lu Huantang would have truly believed that Jiang Linzhi was doing this to seduce him. He hurriedly stepped forward, opened the medicine pot, and a familiar fishy smell wafted out. Lu Huantang hesitated for a moment; this smell really didn't seem like medicine.
The medicine in the jar was already more than half gone, indicating that he often applied it even when he wasn't around. Lu Huantang carefully applied the bright red ointment to Jiang Linzhi's wound and asked worriedly, "Miss, are you really not going to call a doctor?"
"No need." Jiang Linzhi's voice was so weak from the pain that it seemed as if it might be blown away by a gust of wind at any moment.
The back was merely bleeding, but the fine, dense wounds on the fingertips and waist were truly horrifying to look at.
There was only a tiny silver dot on his fingertip. Lu Huantang used tweezers to hold the small piece of metal and carefully pulled it out. The more he pulled, the more alarmed Lu Huantang became, even holding his breath. When the long needle was finally pulled out of his finger, it was a foot long.
Jiang Linzhi was trembling all over from the pain, and cold sweat slid into his clothes.
Lu Huantang suddenly couldn't understand what Jiang Linzhi was after. Her life wasn't as extravagant and dissolute as the rumors suggested. She only wore fancy clothes when she went out, and her daily meals consisted of one meat and one vegetable dish. She had no gold or silver.
It's impossible that it was for personal gain, and it would be even stranger if it were for the sake of the royal family. The emperor's birth mother and Jiang's eldest sister were merely close family friends; no matter how good their relationship was, there was no need to push their own family into this precarious situation.
Suddenly, Lu Huantang thought of the portion of the gold mine's accounts that had been returned to the national treasury, as well as the portion of the money that had been kept in the government office over the years from selling Baiyao. Had this money really been saved?
Lu Huantang was somewhat lost in thought, and his hand unconsciously touched Jiang Linzhi's neck. It was a blow that was almost fatal, but the scar on the neck was already very shallow. It seems that this medicine is indeed very effective.
After Lu Huantang finished applying the medicine to Jiang Linzhi, Jiang Linzhi had already fallen asleep from the pain. Only then did Lu Huantang realize that he had forgotten to ask about the Regent's mother's corpse.
Jiang Linzhi was already exhausted. Lu Huantang sighed and gently covered Jiang Linzhi with the blanket, only to find that Jiang Linzhi was still clutching his clothes. Like a blade of grass seeking shelter from the rain by a tree, he clung to it cautiously.
He didn't say anything, just sat there and watched.
After a long while, Jiang Linzhi suddenly whispered, "Sister, it hurts..."
The tearful voice pounded in Lu Huantang's ears, leaving him speechless—"It hurts, please kill me!"
"Kill me..."
This statement made Lu Huantang even more convinced that there were other hidden reasons behind the chaos in the Jiang family back then. He needed to know the truth and extract the corpse to ensure that there would be no unnecessary obstacles in his career.
He gently stroked Jiang Linzhi's hair until her emotions gradually calmed down before letting go.
Jiang Linzhi finally let go. This was indeed a good opportunity to spend time with her, but Lu Huantang didn't plan to linger. He knew that such companionship was pointless. Besides, if the Regent was quick enough, the gold mine would have already been found. It would be more useful to make her some soup.
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