Chapter 158 Could it be that he is the Prime Minister’s man?

At He Hongzhi's command, the government officials blocked the door.

"My Lord Prime Minister, I know that this criminal woman is your sister-in-law. It is understandable that you are trying to help her get away with it, but it is unjust to accuse me of this and drag me into this. I really cannot accept this slander that is made out of nothing."

He An looked at the dozen or so officers outside and asked, "In your opinion, Lord He, what should we do about this?"

Ji Lingchuan sat on a chair, crossing his legs and watching the show. This He Hongzhi seemed to be very cunning on the surface, but he was nothing more than that.

We haven't done anything yet, but we're already in a state of disarray.

No energy.

Ho Hung-chi sighed: "In the final analysis, it was me who failed to find out the whereabouts of the traitor Pei Chong, and was framed and slandered by this woman. Although I feel aggrieved, it is ultimately my incompetence."

"Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is slander..."

"Sir, Sir He not only robbed my money, but also... and..." Ruan Xiaoyue's face turned red, but she couldn't say the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She turned around and looked at the man.

There was a hint of amusement in his eyes, and he raised his eyebrows evilly.

But Lord He insisted that he was innocent. If the stalemate continued, the Prime Minister would become passive. She bit her lip in nervousness.

Ji Lingchuan saw that she was so excited and it didn't seem like she was pretending. Apart from the money, could there be something else?

He An: "What do you want to say?"

The smell of blood spread in her mouth, and Ruan Xiaoyue looked determined. It had come to this point already, so what if it was a little worse?

"I want to sue Lord He for destroying my innocence." In despair, she suddenly knelt up and pointed at another follower beside He Hongzhi: "Lord He ordered this person to destroy my innocence."

"Puff..." Ji Lingchuan spat out a mouthful of water and angrily slammed the table: "He Hongzhi, is this true?"

The attendant panicked after hearing this, and said with a look of grievance: "I am innocent. This matter has nothing to do with me. The one who was in her room last night was clearly Jiang Er..."

He Hongzhi: "..."

Ji Lingchuan: "Jiang... Er?"

Ji Lingchuan had a complicated expression, coughed twice, and stared at Jiang Er with a strange look.

Ruan Xiaoyue shook her head desperately: "No, he lied, it was him. Lord He used all means to force me to hand over the silver. If I hadn't wanted justice, I would have been ashamed to live in this world."

Ho Hung-chih: "This is nonsense. Come on, let's send the two adults to rest first. We will resume the trial tomorrow."

The matter was confusing, but Ji Lingchuan could figure it out. Ruan Xiaoyue was obviously protecting Jiang... Second, did she know that he was He An's man?

He An: "Mr. He is the father and mother of the government. Do you think you want to overstep your authority and overrule me?"

He Hongzhi said with a smile: "You are joking, my Lord. You two have come a long way and should have a good rest. As for this case, it is not difficult to handle. It will not be too late to wait until the court opens tomorrow to try it."

"The truth will be judged today."

"Mr. Prime Minister, please listen to my advice..."

"What if I don't listen?"

The atmosphere in the room was tense. He Hongzhi's forced smile froze on his face. He was now in a difficult situation.

If He'an gives him some leeway, he will find a way to deal with it.

But judging by his attitude today, this matter may not be resolved easily.

Ji Lingchuan watched the show for a long time, then stood up and pulled Ruan Xiaoyue to his side. At this moment, he couldn't give anyone a chance to kill someone and silence them: "Lord He has such great authority, he wants to detain me and the Prime Minister?"

"I dare not, but it is my duty to entertain the two gentlemen."

"He Hongzhi, you are indeed a smart person, but what happened today was a big mistake. Besieging the superiors and preventing the investigation of the case is not as simple as dereliction of duty. The people and money involved in the conspiracy are all in the prefectural government. How do you think you can cover this matter?"

He Hongzhi was already in a difficult situation: "You two gentlemen are deliberately making things difficult for me. I have no choice but to do this."

"What a helpless situation." Ji Lingchuan turned around, and He An said calmly: "Look at him, does he show any fear?"

He Hongzhi: "..."

Now that He'an and Ji Lingchuan are in the yamen, as long as they can't get out, they won't be able to cause any trouble.

But despite being trapped, He An did not show any sign of anxiety or anger, he just sat back in his chair calmly...

Ho Hung-chi reacted and thought, is he stalling for time?

Thinking of this, he was startled: "Is the Prime Minister coming here just for me today?"

"So what?" He An did not deny it: "Not only you, but the He family officials in the surrounding cities are probably under control at this moment, but if they are really innocent, they will be fine."

"What you should be worried about right now is that Jiangnan is openly short of food, but is secretly storing food, and privately opening up iron mines and secretly forging weapons. Do you have any impression of what I have mentioned, Lord He?"

Hearing this, He Hongzhi, who had been looking dignified, was finally moved a little, but he quickly recovered and said, "I don't understand what the Prime Minister said."

"It's okay if you don't understand. Just check and you'll know."

Ho Hung-chih: "If you want to accuse someone of something, you can always find a pretext for it."

He wanted to order his servants to call for reinforcements, but he heard Ji Lingchuan behind him say in disdain: "It's too late to make arrangements now. I guess the Jiangnan garrison has already taken over the defense of the city. Your people should have been taken to the barracks by now."

"Also, you can go out and take a look at the current situation in the government office. I'm afraid not even a fly can fly out."

He Hongzhi's face turned pale when he heard this.

The guard at the gate came hurriedly to report: "Sir, a group of soldiers came outside and surrounded the government office."

He Hongzhi: "..."

**

Ruan Xiaoyue was taken back to Zhou's house. When she saw Ruan Qinghuan at the door, she bowed and said, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

Ruan Qinghuan couldn't laugh, she had heard everything that happened in the government office. She felt very uncomfortable at the moment. She pulled Ruan Xiaoyue and went back to the room.

"Is that true?" Ruan Qinghuan's eyes were red. When she heard that Ruan Xiaoyue accused He Hongzhi in front of He An and ordered his servants to insult her, she was immediately confused and couldn't believe it was true.

She had discussed the matter of Ruan Xiaoyue entering the government office with He'an in her letter. He said he would arrange for someone to protect Xiaoyue. How could such a thing happen?

She was really afraid that she would be depressed because of this.

"Don't worry, sister. This is not true."

"Then how could you make up such a lie? Do you know what this means to you?" Ruan Qinghuan was really angry. Innocence is so important to a woman.

It was hard to explain this matter at once, so Ruan Xiaoyue changed the subject: "Sister, what happened to the two million taels of silver? The adults were trying to get the silver involved, so I subconsciously made up a lie and said that the silver was taken by He Hongzhi."

"But if we really can't find out, how will you explain it, sir?"

"Of course he can find out. When you decided to take the risk, he had already prepared everything..."

Ruan Xiaoyue: “…”

So, the thing about the silver is true?

Thinking back to that night, the follower seemed to want to bully him, but when the front of his clothes opened wide, he stopped. At first she was just scared and didn't think much about it. Now thinking back, it seemed like a strip of cloth was exposed from his clothes.

Could it be that he is the Prime Minister's man?