Chapter 57: Entering the Game
For a moment, Qian Deng even felt a little regretful, thinking that maybe she shouldn't have continued to investigate. Now that the situation had come to this, she didn't know what to do.
Cui Fufeng looked at her, his eyes as confused as hers, and muttered, "Impossible, how could Ling Tianshui be like this? He is... With his status, he can't possibly be involved."
Hearing the hidden meaning in his words, Qian Deng, who had been restraining herself from exploring Ling Tianshui's identity, finally couldn't help but ask, "Who is he with the Shuofang Army?"
Cui Fufeng looked at her deeply, thinking about the mud print she left on Ling Tian's water clothes at that moment, thinking about the moment when they looked at each other avoiding everyone's gaze. For a moment, because of the throbbing in his heart, those three words almost burst out.
But in the end, he restrained his impulse and replaced it with five vague words: "A very important person."
Qian Deng naturally knew that with Ling Tianshui's abilities, the background vaguely revealed in his past, and his domineering aura, which had even made her think of Prince Linhuai countless times, he could not be an ordinary person.
"No matter what, no matter who he is or for what reason, he shouldn't do this." Qian Deng recalled the details of the case and felt a dull pain in his chest. The amount of trust that once occupied his heart was now transformed into resentment.
He had been the person she trusted the most, the person she desperately wanted to entrust everything to.
So when he collapsed, she was the most sad and heartbroken person in the world.
Cui Fufeng wanted to comfort her, but his words fell silent after he opened them several times.
In the end, he simply said, "No matter how you plan to respond, I will stand by you. But, County Master, if you forcefully disclose some things, it might be too difficult. It would be better to find another solution."
She naturally understood what he meant, forced herself to calm down, and slowly replied: "Okay... I will think about it and try to resolve it privately."
She took a deep breath and through the window lattice, she could see Ling Tianshui walking towards her after he had arranged his defenses.
He raised his eyes and saw her through the window.
Then, those sharp eyes like a black leopard unconsciously softened, and the cold aura around him gradually disappeared.
Even though he didn't reveal his smile, Qiandeng was already looking forward to the deep dimples on his cheeks.
For a moment, she was in a trance, as if she saw the scene when Ling Tianshui entered the mansion that day.
The sunlight was dim in late autumn, and he came down from under the dark red clouds, like a sharp wind pressing towards us.
Like a sharp knife, it cut deeply into her heart and her life.
But whether it is a scar or a brand that is left behind is unknown.
Cui Fufeng looked at her with some concern, wondering whether he should help her cover up.
She had already put away all her dazed expression and stood up with a normal expression to greet Ling Tianshui. "Ling Dianjun, I just remembered something I want to entrust to you."
"how?"
"It's still about the Huangsha Valley incident. I think Ji Linyou has been stubborn and refusing to confess. He probably believes that the battle in Huangsha Valley was caused by the Jin family." Qian Deng showed just the right amount of worry. "Now that you are the commander of the army in my palace, and the prince has received the permission from the Ministry of War, you should investigate the incident as soon as possible. It must be done quickly."
Ling Tianshui naturally agreed to this matter: "Okay, I'll go there tomorrow. However, that war involved too many people and the volume of documents is so voluminous, I'm afraid it will take some time to thoroughly investigate."
"I don't care. I'll give you seven days... five days. Spend these few days at the Ministry of War and investigate everything before returning." Qian Deng refused to allow him to object and said, "Now that you are the commander of my army, you must do this for me. Otherwise, wouldn't I have deployed you for nothing?"
This almost overbearing order made Ling Tianshui frown slightly. But in the end, he didn't refuse, and simply said, "Then I'll try my best."
"It won't hurt to take another three or five days to investigate. You must devote your full strength to this matter. How about this? Simply select the most capable guards in the palace, and I'll assign them to you. You can do the work as you please." Qian Deng wouldn't tolerate his refusal. He looked at him intently and said, "Ling Dianjun, this is your first priority since taking up your post at the palace. I hope you will do your best to ensure it is carried out properly. Don't let me down."
She stared at him and entrusted him with the task. Ling Tianshui was now the military commander of the royal palace, so he couldn't refuse. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay."
As the saying goes, money makes things easier. The Jin family was very quick and within a few days they had chosen a date for Jin Tang's burial.
Monks and Taoists gathered for a ceremony, and a long tent was set up near the Jin family's ancestral tomb. They distributed porridge every day and prayed for blessings and merits for the deceased. The scene was grand.
Naturally, there were also curious people in Beijing who went to watch, and they all sighed when they came back. Even though Jin Tang was very wealthy, he was killed at a young age and could not be buried in the ancestral tomb, so he could only be placed on a nearby hill.
"That's not right," someone nearby questioned, "I've also been over there to see the excitement. Construction is clearly underway on the ancestral grave site."
"That's not his. I heard that his seventh uncle's grave is being moved back here."
"Oh, is that the one the Jin family arranged a ghost marriage for after his death and adopted a child?"
"That's right. He's already a married man with children. The Jin family decided to take advantage of Jintang's move to move him back, so that would be a good thing."
Everyone was gathered under a tea stall on the outskirts of the city. Originally, they were just talking casually and didn't take the matter seriously. However, a young man with an ordinary face sitting nearby paid special attention to it. Especially when he heard that Jin Jingting's tomb was to be moved back, an expression of unconcealable surprise and fear flashed across his face.
He stood up and was about to leave when he heard an old man beside him say mysteriously, "You only know one side of the story. I heard that the woman buried with Jin Jingting wasn't his wife, but the widow he'd tried to marry back then!"
"What? A widow?" Hearing that there was another story behind this, everyone immediately became interested and hurriedly poured him tea, asking him to tell the details.
The young man's expression changed slightly. He sat down again and picked up the cold tea.
"Everyone, you may not know this, but ten years ago, there was quite a stir with the story of the seventh son of the Jin family. The son of Chang'an's richest man fell in love with a widow. After much trouble, he finally got his family's permission. But in his joy, he got drunk and rode his horse to his death under a bridge. He lost his life for no reason, and the Jin family regretted it deeply. I heard that the widow is gone now." The old man spoke eloquently, with the style of a storyteller. "Also, do you know why the girl from the Lan family who was arranged to marry someone in the afterlife suddenly fell into the water and died? It turns out that she had an old lover who had become a bandit. After they reunited, they became so passionate that they eloped with their belongings. Would the Jin family allow such a person to be buried in the ancestral tomb?"
"It would be better to fulfill Jin Qilang's long-cherished wish." Everyone agreed, but after thinking about it, they asked, "But would the widow's family be willing to rebury her?"
"It's not about willingness or unwillingness. I heard that the widow was originally from a branch of the outsider family. She came to seek refuge with the main family but was rejected. After her death, she was buried alone in the desolate mountains. As long as the Jin family promises some benefits, why would she not want to do it?"
Hearing him say this, everyone actually thought it was a good thing: "That's a happy ending for everyone. Even if they can't sleep together in life, at least they can study together in death. It's rare to find lovers like that."
Amidst all the applause, only the young man had a very unhappy expression. He hurriedly paid for the tea and left immediately.
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