Chapter 072 Where are the people?
The bright red blood could not see through the black linen, as if it were just another stain.
Jiang Mingyuan lowered his head and stared at the dagger stuck in his chest.
The pain hit my heart, but it couldn't overcome the absurd emotions in my mind.
Am I going to die...what's going on?
She is not a pedantic person and can endure humiliation in order to investigate the truth about her father's death.
The reason why she used such a straightforward and naive way to get to the bottom of things was that she had a plan in mind. She believed that the third-rank Xuanji Guard was right beside her!
No, where are the Xuanji Guards? Where are the third-rank experts? Where are they?!
"Oh……"
The corners of Jiang Mingyuan's mouth curved up noticeably, and then he started laughing wildly.
Crystal tears flowed from the corners of her eyes. She didn't understand why she was laughing so wildly, but she just couldn't control it.
I'm going to die... just die inexplicably like this?
The laughter gradually died down, and before he could leave any last words, his consciousness fell into an endless abyss.
Zhou Yanqing's face was as gloomy as water. He let go of the dagger and closed his eyes as if he was reminiscing about something.
If Jiang Mingyuan had not been sent to his house, if this stupid woman had not been so stubborn, he could have continued to play dumb and pretend that he knew nothing.
Hadn't he hinted clearly enough? Couldn't he have been more tactful and not risked his life?
"idiot!"
He clenched and unclenched his fists back and forth. When Zhou Yanqing opened his eyes again, there was only calmness in his eyes.
When I opened the door, the old housekeeper was waiting in the corridor three steps away.
"It's dealt with."
"yes."
Zhou Yanqing strode away. He didn't want to stay in the bedroom tonight.
The old butler walked in, not showing any panic on his face.
He came to Jiang Mingyuan, reached out to feel her pulse around her neck, and only after confirming that she was dead did he pick her up by the waist.
He carefully kept a distance of a fist, as if afraid that his clothes would be stained with blood.
Half an incense stick later, a carriage left the mansion and headed straight for the mass grave in the eastern suburbs.
——————
The official's boots stepped on the rain-soaked ground, but were not stained with mud at all.
Yinzhe held a torch in his hand and stepped into the mass grave in a few flashes.
She gently stroked the surface with her bare hands, removing the freshly buried soil and revealing the "corpse" wrapped in a straw mat.
He leaned over, pointed his fingers at her Ghost Palace acupoint, then pried her jaw open and stuffed a pill into her mouth, then used his innate Qi to help her swallow it.
After a dozen breaths, Jiang Mingyuan's chest suddenly heaved and his eyes suddenly opened.
The low, turbid waves from the mass grave and the smell of corpse acid mixed with the smell of rust rushed into her nose, causing her to cough violently.
After finally catching her breath, she struggled to sit up, her face full of confusion.
"I... I'm not dead?"
Jiang Mingyuan reached out and touched his chest, his brows immediately furrowed.
The wound was real, but it was deflected and did not hit any vital part.
This was naturally the result of Yinzhe's covert action, including the old butler's cover-up when he took the pulse.
Confirming that Zhou Yanqing was involved was within expectations and nothing surprising.
But a mere county magistrate would not dare to lead the illegal mining of iron ore, and it may have lasted for at least seven or eight years.
Yinzhe looked down at him and said coldly, "The informant you mentioned earlier."
Jiang Mingyuan came back to her senses, looked up at the pair of eyes that seemed to be without a trace of emotion, and tears flowed down her face mixed with the rain.
"Couldn't you tell me in advance?"
He only dared to shout these words in his heart, but when he opened his mouth, he directly said the man's name: "Zhao Hengjiang, a miner who was exiled to the mine three years ago."
"Zhao Hengjiang, the former deputy commander of the Zhao family army?"
"Yes, that's him."
Jiang Mingyuan found that his strength had returned. He covered his chest and climbed out of the pit, letting the rain wash away the mud on his body.
"Zhao Hengjiang was convicted of embezzling military funds, his property confiscated, and he was exiled.
Although his cultivation was abolished, his physical foundation was still there, and he had gained considerable reputation in the mine over the past three years.
A month ago, he contacted me secretly, hoping to use evidence to exchange for a chance to atone for his crime.
But he was very careful and didn't tell me too much, only vaguely revealing one piece of information: the invisible tunnel."
Yinzhe pondered in silence, knowing in his heart that he had probably taken the wrong path.
When it comes to iron ore corruption, she thinks of problems with the account books and actual output, and has sent her men to follow up on this clue.
But if the "invisible tunnel" really exists, it is not just tampering with the account books.
"Where is Zhao Hengjiang?"
Since he intends to use his achievements to clear his name, it means he has enough evidence.
It's just that Jiang Mingyuan, a detective, has little influence and cannot be trusted, and he has no other connections, so it took some time.
When mentioning this, a look of regret flashed across Jiang Mingyuan's face.
"He was working in the mines when the flood hit. I searched for half a month but couldn't find him...
But he also has a son named Zhao Qingshan, who is currently among the laborers digging the canal."
Yinzhe did not show any disappointment. Investigating such a case was not easy at all, and she had been mentally prepared for it.
He raised his hand to cover the traces again and said, "Take me to find him."
——————
Near the slag mountain, the miners who had just finished their shift were dragging their heavy feet back to the village.
The overseer struck the gong three times at the village entrance and shouted:
"As per the old rules, no one is allowed to visit anyone else and must stay at home.
If I find anyone causing trouble, everyone in the house will be punished!"
It was a cliché, and no one was able to respond, and everyone walked towards their homes.
Zhao Qingshan's face was pale and his arms were shaking from working for a long time.
He gritted his teeth and moved forward, "Uncle Chen, the imperial relief team has arrived. Perhaps they can go down to the mine to provide assistance..."
"shut up!"
The supervisor shouted, and the hammer almost touched Zhao Qingshan's nose.
"Once or twice would be fine, but now the imperial envoy is here to oversee flood control and disaster relief. If you dare to offend the princess, everyone will die!"
Zhao Qingshan looked behind him helplessly, "Aunt Chu, Brother Feng... everyone! There's hope, there's hope they're still alive..."
Those whose names were called all had family members drowned in the mine, but some avoided looking, some turned a deaf ear, and some even glared at them.
"More than twenty days have passed. How could he still be alive..."
"Just shut up! It's all because of you that we all have to move rocks as punishment!"
"That's right, the mines are flooded and we finally have a few days to rest..."
They were sinners, but not slaves. What good could there be in going to work and moving stones?
Like many people, Zhao Qingshan's father was buried in a mine during the flood.
After that, the water level slowed down a little, and everyone organized people to go down to the mine to search.
But they were all flooded, and even the best swimmers, even those who used pig bladders to store air, could not find any survivors.
Gradually, everyone gave up and just hoped that they could collect the bodies of their loved ones after the flood receded.
Only Zhao Qingshan encouraged people to go down into the mine to rescue people all day long.
At first, everyone sympathized with them and offered them comfort, until the supervisor of the metallurgy became so annoyed that he recruited all of them as laborers to build the retaining wall.
The supervisor was too lazy to scold him, and instead looked directly at the middle-aged man next to him.
"Old Qi, keep an eye on them. If they cause any trouble, everyone will be forced to work for two hours every day!"
The crowd immediately became agitated. They had been moving stones without a break for four hours and were so exhausted that their backs could no longer stand up.
Add another two hours... wouldn't that be torturing him to death?
Everyone's eyes looking at Zhao Qingshan immediately became even more wrong.
"Qingshan, everyone is saddened that your father is trapped. Many of us have family members down there, but it's been over 20 days, and there's no hope."
"Why say so much to him? He has harmed so many of us."
"I'm warning you, if you dare to talk nonsense again, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"
…
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