Chapter 35 Screaming "You won't have a chance to overturn the verdict!"...
After leaving the palace, Censor Lai began to ask people about Zhou Tinglan's whereabouts.
A teahouse in Shangjing City.
Inside the wing, a teacup was slammed heavily onto the table. The man, with gloomy eyes, snorted coldly, "You said His Majesty asked Censor Lai to find a woman from the mountain village and bring her to him?"
"Yes, my lord."
The person who responded was the man's capable follower Fu Chang.
The man stood up and walked to the window of the wing room, revealing his face. He looked to be about fifty years old, wearing a purple official robe, with a faint smile on his face.
If Zhou Yiming were present, he would definitely call out the man's identity directly - Minister of War Yao Ningde.
"Have you heard what Censor Lai said to His Majesty?"
Fu Chang shook his head. "I don't know, but according to the eunuch we bribed, Censor Lai brought several kitchen knives with him when he entered the palace today."
Kitchen knives? Yao Ningde's doubts grew even stronger. He suddenly turned around and asked, "Have you found out where those kitchen knives came from?"
It's no secret that His Majesty likes to collect all kinds of knives. If it were an ordinary kitchen knife, it would certainly not catch His Majesty's eye.
Yao Ningde was not stupid enough to want to blame the censor. He would not do such a thankless task. He must have some differences between those kitchen knives.
"Some time ago, when Censor Lai was on patrol, he submitted a memorial to Your Majesty impeaching a local official. I have investigated this matter, and one point in the memorial has perplexed me."
"Speak!" Yao Ningde gestured.
"We previously targeted bandits to assassinate them on their way. They lived in the mountains near the town, and it was on these mountains that Miss Zhou and General Xie fell off a cliff and disappeared."
Hearing the coincidences mentioned by Fuchang, Yao Ningde's eyes became deep.
"Any unusual activity at Duke Xie's Mansion?"
"No, everything is normal. After hearing the news, Old Madam Xie claimed to be ill and stopped seeing guests. Currently, the Xie Mansion is mainly run by Madam Xie, and today is the day for the burial and funeral."
Yao Ningde's eyes narrowed slightly as he instructed Fuchang, "Immediately send someone to the town to gather information secretly. Be careful not to reveal your identity."
Fuchang turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by Yao Ningde.
He leaned his hand against the window sill. "If Zhou Yiming's old, immortal daughter and Xie Zechuan were still alive, they would definitely try their best to return to Shangjing City. I heard that his precious daughter is very good at forging swords."
Yao Ningde took his right hand off the windowsill, hooked his fingers, and placed them on his chin. "Go ask Si Yao and see if any knife sellers have come into town recently. Come back and report back immediately after you've checked."
He gnashed his teeth and continued, "If you find them, bring them back to me and torture them thoroughly to find out their whereabouts!"
Fuchang took the order and left the room.
Suddenly, the sound of wood breaking was heard in the room, and faint cracks appeared at the bottom edge of the window. Yao Ningde's hands grabbed the bottom edge of the wood with force.
He looked at the gray sky in the distance, thinking of the name Fu Chang told him, and thought fiercely, Zhou Tinglan, is it? You are so stubborn, I sent people to Beijiang City again and again, but I couldn't trap you there!
Want to return to the capital to avenge your useless, pathetic father? You won't get that chance!
Sitting back in the chair, the tea in the cup had already gone cold. Yao Ningde picked up the cup and took a sip, then he looked at the tea leaves in the cup.
The tea leaves were broken into pieces and had no shape. They sank into the green, cold tea water and floated around.
He stretched out his hand, tilted it slightly, and the tea flowed to the ground like a stream of water.
A sinister face was reflected in the tea column.
After a while, Yao Ningde poured another cup of hot tea and waited quietly for Fuchang to report.
A low laugh was heard in the compartment.
"You won't have a chance to overturn the verdict!"
When the tea in the teapot was finished, Fu Chang brought a man into the room and pushed him directly to Yao Ningde's feet.
"Sir, I have brought you the person you requested."
Yao Ningde looked at the person who was pushed to the ground as if he were a dead person.
"The register of outsiders says no knife merchants have entered the city recently. I happened to see this guy selling kitchen knives at the blacksmith shop in the city when I came back."
Fu Chang pointed at the man on the ground and said, "The most coincidental thing is his identity. He is the clerk in the knife shop in that town."
Yao Ningde smiled playfully. He reached out and lifted the chin of the man on the ground. "Is what my followers said true? What's your name?"
"My...my name is Xiao Ruo."
Xiao Ruohe had seen this scene before. It was his first time in Shangjing City, and he was amazed by the prosperity of Shangjing City.
He wanted to go to the street and find out the price of kitchen knives in Beijing before Miss Zhou woke up.
Miss Zhou said that she could lead him to a good life, so Xiao Ruo naturally had to work hard as well.
"Xiao Ruo, what a nice name!" Yao Ningde looked at Xiao Ruo and narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you must answer them truthfully."
"What...what's the problem?" The sharp gaze like a venomous snake made Xiao Ruo feel cold in his heart.
Yao Ningde released his hand, sat back in his chair, and gestured to Fuchang: "Fuchang, pull him up and interrogate him properly!"
Fu Chang responded and picked up Xiao Ruo who was lying on the ground.
Xiao Ruo's legs were very weak and his body was trembling slightly.
"What are you doing in the capital? Just selling knives?"
Xiao Ruo wanted to say that he came to the capital with Master Xie, and because Miss Zhou was suddenly kidnapped, he felt guilty and asked to come along.
But then he remembered that Master Xie had told him not to mention the two of them in public.
He asked the reason, but Master Xie just smiled and said that the less he knew, the better.
Xiao Ruo moved his lips to conceal the truth.
"I've lived in this town since I was little, and I've only vaguely heard of Shangjingcheng from my elders. Just recently, I happened to be selling knives in a nearby town, so I snuck over to Shangjingcheng to take a look. I only stopped by the blacksmith shop, but this place really doesn't feel like a town at all. It's so huge! So prosperous! And the food is super delicious!"
"Yeah?"
Sweat beads trickled down Xiao Ruo's forehead. He straightened his back, looked directly at Yao Ningde, and answered Fu Chang's question: "Yes."
When Yao Ningde heard Xiao Ruo's answer, the smile on his face grew wider.
"One last question. Have you seen a man and a woman? Or did you come here with them?"
Xiao Ruo's mind exploded, and he immediately understood why he was kidnapped.
"I don't know who you are talking about, sir. Do you have anything else to ask me besides these questions?"
Fu Chang looked at Xiao Ruo steadily. He moved closer to Xiao Ruo and said firmly, "How dare you lie in front of an adult!"
"No! Sir, every word I said is true!"
"Really?" Yao Ningde chuckled, his tone lighter: "But why do I feel that you are not telling the truth?"
His tone suddenly became more serious: "Fuchang, bring the torture instruments!"
Xiao Ruo's face showed a look of horror: "No! Sir, I really didn't hide anything!"
He was tied to a pillar in the wing room by Fu Chang, and Xiao Ruo struggled constantly but to no avail.
"Let me see how hard your mouth is!"
Fu Chang held a red-hot iron against Xiao Ruo.
The iron made a sizzling sound when it touched the flesh, and an unpleasant smell of burnt meat filled the room.
"Are you going to confess or not?" Fu Chang shouted sternly.
The Lord has done him a favor, and anyone who hinders the Lord from doing his work will be beheaded!
Xiao Ruo let out a shrill scream.
"I...I really don't have any..."
Looking at the painful expression on Xiao Ruo's face, Yao Ningde showed an expression of enjoyment.
"Fuchang, it's time to change the way we play." Yao Ningde called Fuchang to continue interrogating him.
Fu Chang held the long whip soaked in salt water in his hand. A fierce look flashed in Fu Chang's eyes, and he swung the whip in his hand.
Those who cannot provide useful information to the adults must withstand my interrogation and don’t die too quickly!
Yao Ningde always had a smile on his face. He brewed some tea again and looked at the bloody man screaming across from him.
**
“Ah, it hurts!”
In a wing on the other side of the capital, Xie Zechuan sat on the ground, covering his lower abdomen and screaming in pain.
"Lan'er, was it because I failed to satisfy you yesterday that you actually want to destroy him?"
He looked at the woman sitting on the bed with resentment.
Zhou Tinglan was embarrassed and annoyed: "What are you talking about in broad daylight!"
Why is this man talking so much dirty talk after having sex?
She just woke up and wanted to go to the bathroom urgently, but he hugged her tightly and refused to get him off her. She was so angry that she kicked him.
Who knows where it will end up.
Xie Zechuan climbed back onto the bed from the ground. He said pitifully, "Lan'er, I feel a little pain. Did you kick him and hurt him?"
Zhou Tinglan was suspicious. No way, is that place so fragile?
Why didn't he look vulnerable when he bumped into her last night?
"What do you want?"
Xie Zechuan said shamelessly: "Lan'er, just kiss him."
"Go away!"
Not long after, the two men walked out of the brothel, and a red handprint was faintly visible on Xie Zechuan's face.
He walked beside Zhou Tinglan with a smile: "Lan'er, don't be angry, okay?"
Zhou Tinglan glanced at him and pulled the corner of his lips. He felt a burning pain at the corner of his lips, and some of the skin was broken.
"Let's go first..."
Before she finished speaking, her attention was drawn to the white funeral procession in the distance.
White paper money was scattered all over the sky. The person in the lead was holding a tablet, and the people behind him were carrying a fine nanmu coffin.
She felt the man beside her pause.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Xie Zechuan lowered his voice and leaned close to Zhou Tinglan's ear: "That's the funeral procession my family arranged for me."
Zhou Tinglan exclaimed in confusion and looked at the name on the tablet.
Sure enough, the tablet read "The spirit of our late father, Xie Gong, whose name was Zechuan."
Zhou Tinglan: “…”
What a weird scene, I was standing by and watching my own funeral.
She pinched the soft flesh on Xie Zechuan's waist and said, "Look at what you've done. How are you going to explain this to your mother when you come back to life?"
"I will personally plead guilty to my grandmother and mother."
The two men stopped looking at the funeral procession and prepared to go to the capital to search for evidence of Yao Ningde's crime.
"Father said Yao Ningde is very good at disguising himself, but there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. We will go to the Ministry of War later tonight and secretly look through the case files."
Xie Zechuan agreed immediately, and the two decided to take action today.
Zhou Tinglan then suggested that she wanted to go and check on Yunniang's condition. If she hadn't protected her and delayed time, she might have been whipped and her life or death would have been unknown.
Maybe Hu Yanlin is a pervert and wants to fight bloody battles after he finishes beating her.
Zhou Tinglan felt a little scared when he thought about it.
Along the way, the two also saw people from Shangjing City spontaneously praying for Xie Zechuan.
The most outrageous thing was that Zhou Tinglan saw some people set up a small shed with white curtains, and placed all kinds of knives inside.
The common people beckoned the two men to come and see: "Come and see! This is the sword once wielded by the brave general of Northern Frontier City. Give it to you once, and the brave general will ensure your life in battle, and promotion and honor are just around the corner!"
Zhou Tinglan waved her hand and said no, but Xie Zechuan beside her had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot.
It's true that he's dead to the outside world, but... who would be like this after death?
Zhou Tinglan tried to hold back his laughter all the way as he followed Xie Zechuan to a dark spot.
The dark spot is not big, it is a grain and oil shop.
After Zhou Tinglan visited Yunniang and saw that she was in good condition, he stopped disturbing her rest.
"You didn't come with Xiao Ruo, where is he?" Zhou Tinglan asked in the dark when he didn't see Xiao Ruo.
Xie Zechuan looked at the spy next to him.
The spy stepped forward and said, "Mr. Xiao said he was going to the city to find a way to sell kitchen knives. I asked me to follow him secretly."
At this moment, the voice of another spy was heard outside the shop.
"Oh no! Oh no!"
It was the secret agent who followed Xiao Ruo.
"What happened?" Zhou Tinglan asked.
"Mr. Xiao...Mr. Xiao...has been captured!"
Xie Zechuan scolded: "How do you do things? Who are you?"
"It's Lord Yao Ningde, the Minister of War."
Hearing that it was Yao Ningde, Zhou Tinglan clenched his fists: "He's coming for me, I have to go meet him!"
Xie Zechuan stopped him: "Lan'er, we don't know where they took Xiao Ruo right now."
He sent spies to search the city, and finally at dusk, the spy reported that Xiao Ruo had been transferred from a teahouse to the residence of the Minister of War.
In the evening, Xie Zechuan carried Zhou Tinglan and lightly climbed into the backyard of the Minister of War's residence.
As soon as he landed, Zhou Tinglan smelled a strong smell of blood in the yard.
"There's such a strong smell of blood. Does Yao Ningde kill pigs in the yard every day?" Zhou Tinglan complained in a low voice.
The two men moved towards where the smell of blood was strongest.
With the help of moonlight, Zhou Tinglan poked her head out from behind the bushes, and then she saw a horrifying scene.
She quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming out loud.
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