Chapter 174 The Arrest (1)
The grandfather and grandson boarded a carriage and left the Yuan residence, remaining silent the entire way.
As they approached the capital, Minister Meng finally spoke: "Now that Zheng Jingwen's identity has been confirmed, are you ready to proceed with your next steps?"
Meng Guanqi had calmed down. He raised his head and said expressionlessly, "Now that it has been confirmed that Zheng Jingwen was Zheng Chuyang's page back then, the next step is naturally to arrest Zheng Mian."
Minister Meng said, "The other party is a second-rank official, and he is in charge of Shanxi. This matter concerns the lives of the entire clan. I'm afraid he is well-prepared. You won't be able to take him down easily."
Meng Guanqi asked softly, "Does Grandfather have any objections?"
Minister Meng said, “Now that you have found out Zheng Jingwen’s identity, you can report to the Crown Prince. If you can be ruthless, you can ask him to appoint you as an imperial envoy to arrest Zheng Mian in Shanxi. If you can’t be ruthless, you can tell the Crown Prince the results and let him find someone to arrest Zheng Mian himself. If you don’t listen or look, you won’t feel so bad.”
Meng Guanqi lowered his head.
Minister Meng patted him on the shoulder: "Whether you go in person or the Crown Prince sends someone else, your contribution will be indispensable. However, as a politician, you must distinguish right from wrong and never let emotions cloud your judgment. This is extremely dangerous. A moment of weakness could, at best, ruin your career, and at worst, implicate your family. This case is the first in your career. There are no absolutely bad people, and there are even those who have stirred your compassion and swayed your judgment. You must learn to control your emotions, not let them overwhelm your reason, and certainly not let them supersede the law..."
This was the first time that Minister Meng had spoken to him so formally, and the first time he had sincerely taught him the ways of being an official. This was unprecedented and something Meng Guanqi could never have imagined.
Seeing the surprise in his eyes, Minister Meng smiled rather sarcastically: "Your two cousins are not of strong character, and they will undoubtedly fail the imperial examination this autumn. For the next few decades, our Meng family will have to rely on your branch to maintain the glory of the Meng family..."
Meng Guanqi is already favored by the emperor, but the key is that he has a wife who is even more favored than him. Moreover, Li Xiaoxiao is not only favored by the crown prince and crown princess, but her relationship with Aze is also as close as that of siblings. In other words, she has already won over the next two emperors. Who can compare to her?
Minister Meng recalled his reaction when he heard about Li Xiaoxiao's identity and couldn't help but laugh at himself. He hadn't even seen things as clearly as that纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled brat) Meng Mao.
Now that his attitude has changed, he will naturally take the opportunity to teach Meng Guanqi his official experience, since the Meng family will need him to support them in the future.
The first major case he encountered upon entering officialdom was the case of the extermination of nine generations of a family. Minister Meng was naturally worried that Meng Guanqi would not be able to handle it. Although he would inevitably have to go through these things in the future, it involved nearly a thousand lives right off the bat, which would be unbearable for most people. Therefore, he let Meng Guanqi choose for himself.
The credit is already in his hands, but if he can't bear to do it, he doesn't need to personally go through the process of arresting the criminals.
Meng Guanqi said, "I need to go back and discuss with Xiaoxiao what to do next."
Minister Meng was very uncomfortable with the situation where he had to go home to discuss important matters with his wife.
He and Madam Meng had been a devoted couple for life, and he could entrust all matters within the household to Madam Meng. However, she was not allowed to utter a single word about the important affairs of the men outside.
But he held back.
Li Xiaoxiao was not the same as the other women in the inner quarters; she was a first-class guard whom the Crown Prince had exceptionally selected, so her status was different.
Minister Meng said, "Can she even offer advice on such a matter?"
Meng Guanqi said, "Xiaoxiao is not only good at fighting, but she is also very meticulous, has a lot of ideas, and dares to do things. The Crown Prince originally wanted to entrust this case to her to investigate, but it was she who recommended me to the Crown Prince."
Seeing his matter-of-fact expression, Minister Meng sighed inwardly.
This grandson eats his granddaughter-in-law's food, lives in her house, and even gets jobs from her. He's clearly used to being a kept man, no wonder he has to go back to his granddaughter-in-law to discuss things when he has something to do.
He thought for a moment and said tactfully, "Would you be uncomfortable living in the Li residence? The house in the east of the city is indeed not very convenient. How about your grandfather sends you a house in Wuhefang? It also has three courtyards, and there are not many people in your family, so it will be enough for you."
Meng Guanqi refused without hesitation: "We are living very comfortably now, and it's close to the yamen. General Pang's house is next door, and the young master often comes to stay. There's no safety issue. There's no need to go to such lengths to live in Wuhefang. Thank you for your kindness, grandfather."
Minister Meng seemed exhausted; it appeared he had become so accustomed to this job that he hadn't even considered that possibility.
He thought for a moment and decided it would be better to give the house to Meng Ying. He figured Meng Ying would find a way to be transferred back to the capital in two years, and with his wife and children, he couldn't very well live in the Li residence again, could he? If he gave him the house in Wuhefang, Meng Ying and his wife could move in, but Meng Guanqi and his wife couldn't very well be separated from their parents, could they? They would have to move there eventually anyway, and then Meng Guanqi wouldn't be criticized for relying on his wife for everything…
Meng Guanqi didn't even consider that possibility. After sending Minister Meng back, he hurriedly went home and found Li Xiaoxiao: "Zheng Jingwen really is Zheng Chuyang's page."
Now Zheng Mian can't escape suspicion.
The couple looked very serious. Their guesses had all come true; the Crown Prince could now send men to Shanxi to arrest Zheng Mian.
The Prince Xin, who escaped, is likely heading towards Shanxi, which would be a good opportunity to capture him as well.
Li Xiaoxiao looked at him: "Are we going to the palace now? Do you want me to come with you?"
Meng Guanqi looked at her and asked, "What if the Crown Prince appoints me as an imperial envoy? Do you think I should accept or not?"
Li Xiaoxiao knew that he couldn't get over the fact that the Zheng family wanted to exterminate their entire clan. After thinking for a moment, she resolutely said, "Yes, Your Highness. If the Crown Prince appoints someone else, the Zheng family will surely die."
Meng Guanqi's heart skipped a beat. How could he have forgotten this?! If it had been any other imperial envoy, they wouldn't even have had a chance to rescue them.
Li Xiaoxiao said, "And have you forgotten? Only a few of us know about Zheng Mian and Li Chengyao's plot to murder the Crown Prince. The late Emperor cleared Li Chengyao of all charges. If the Crown Prince sends other imperial envoys, this matter will be made public, and we won't have a chance to save the Zheng family."
Meng Guanqi clapped his hands and said, "How could I have forgotten about that? Luckily you reminded me!"
He was excited, clenching his fists: "You're right. As long as we can persuade the Crown Prince to suppress this matter and not make it public, then the Zheng family will still have a chance to survive. Let's go to the palace immediately."
Li Xiaoxiao called Aze and accompanied Meng Guanqi to the palace to see the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's coronation ceremony is in three days, it's time to send Aze back.
The Crown Prince was extremely busy, but when he heard that Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao had come to see him, he still took the time to meet them: "What's wrong? Has there been any progress in the case you're investigating?"
Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance and nodded to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's expression hardened: "Sit down, what have you found out?"
Meng Guanqi said, "Your Highness, I have ascertained the true identity of the hunchbacked eunuch Zheng Futian."
The prince asked, "Who is he?"
Meng Guanqi said, "His original name was Zheng Jingwen. He was the page of Zheng Chuyang, who was known as the number one scholar in the country in the early years of Jian'an. In the second year of Jian'an, Zheng Chuyang froze to death in the examination hall due to a cold wave. The following year, Zheng Jingwen changed his name to Zheng Futian, was castrated, and entered the palace."
The Crown Prince was stunned. So this explained why he had entered the palace to find an opportunity to get close to Emperor Jian'an: he wanted to avenge the tragic death of Zheng Chuyang.
The Crown Prince immediately understood: "So the person behind Zheng Jingwen is the Zheng family, and the person who turned Li Chengyao against him is Zheng Mian, right?"
Meng Guanqi said solemnly, "I'm afraid that's indeed the case."
The Crown Prince gave a bitter laugh: "No wonder, he has the Zheng family behind him, no wonder he has the means to raise so many assassins and always overpower me! And Shanxi has many mineral resources, only Zheng Mian has the ability to find that kind of poisonous stone to harm me and my child, Zheng Mian! So all the suffering I have endured over the years is thanks to him!"
The Crown Prince's eyes turned red, and he slammed his hand on the desk: "Prince Xin, Li Chengyao, must have defected to him. We must capture him and send him to Shanxi. Immediately send men to Shanxi to arrest these two traitors and bring them to justice. I want to use Zheng Mian's head to appease my three innocent children!"
He was trembling with rage and immediately looked around for the person who had gone to Shanxi to arrest Zheng Mian. He was about to call for Pang Shi when he suddenly remembered that he was to ascend the throne in three days. Pang Shi, as his closest bodyguard commander and soon to be the commander of the Imperial Guard, was of course more important to stay by his side. Pang Shi was not suitable, so he immediately turned his attention to Li Xiaoxiao. With her on the case, Zheng Mian and Li Chengyao would surely be captured easily. But when he thought that Li Ke could not do without her now, and with so many people coming and going at the enthronement ceremony, he was afraid that something might go wrong. Li Xiaoxiao could not go either. So who else could he send?
He quickly thought of a suitable candidate: He Xiang, the commander of the Qilin Army. Zheng Mian and Li Chengyao certainly wouldn't surrender willingly, so it would be perfect to have He Xiang lead the Qilin Army to capture them. However, He Xiang was a military general, so he needed an imperial envoy to accompany him. The Crown Prince turned his attention to Meng Guanqi: "Meng Guanqi, I intend to have you go to Shanxi with the Qilin Army to capture Zheng Mian and Li Chengyao. Are you willing to go?"
This is an immense honor and a ready-made achievement. All he needs to do is go with the Qilin Army to arrest Zheng Mian and Li Chengyao. By the time he returns, he will have already ascended the throne and will naturally receive all the rewards he deserves.
Meng Guanqi cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is willing to grant your wish and personally go to Shanxi to capture Zheng Mian and Li Chengyao."
The Crown Prince was satisfied and was about to tell him to go and make preparations when Meng Guanqi said, "Your Highness, I have one more request before I depart."
The Crown Prince asked, "What is it you wish to say?"
Meng Guanqi said, "I believe that Zheng Jingwen, who entered the palace without hesitation in the third year of Jian'an to avenge Zheng Chuyang, has remained steadfast for nearly thirty years. The Zheng family will certainly not treat him as an ordinary servant. I implore Your Highness to have Eunuch Wan spread the word in the inner palace that Zheng Jingwen's body will be thrown into a mass grave to feed the dogs tomorrow. If the Zheng family still has accomplices in the palace and the capital, they will definitely find a way to retrieve his body. We can then catch him like a turtle in a jar and also capture his accomplices in the capital."
That's a good idea. The Crown Prince thought for a moment and said, "Why not just say we'll throw it out tonight and wait until tomorrow?"
Meng Guanqi said, "We have to give them some time to send a message. It's getting late. If the news doesn't get out by then, the body will have been wasted."
The Crown Prince said, "That's just speculation, isn't it? Do you really think the Zheng family will come and take Zheng Jingwen's body away?"
Meng Guanqi lowered his eyelashes: "I dare not be sure either, I am just taking a gamble on people's hearts."
The Crown Prince sighed, "Alright, I grant your request. I'll give you one more day. If you can't catch them, you'll go to Shanxi with He Xiang the day after tomorrow."
Of course, Meng Guanqi couldn't be relied upon for things like surveillance, ambushes, and arrests. Li Xiaoxiao handed Aze over to Wan Quan and went to the mass grave to keep watch on people herself.
Meng Guanqi was worried that she would be scared and wanted to go with her, but she firmly refused: "You don't know martial arts. What if you are discovered by accident? Let Zhao Jian come with me. If we are discovered, he can come back and report."
Zhao Jian is quite skilled; it wouldn't be a mistake for him to accompany us in keeping watch.
So when Zheng Jingwen's body was wrapped in a tattered mat and driven by two eunuchs in a donkey cart to the mass grave, no one noticed that two people had been lying in ambush nearby.
Two eunuchs chatted as they drove the carriage: "Brother Yi, the stuff we threw away today is stinking. Has it been dead for days?"
Brother Yi said, "Shut your stinking mouth. Even a corpse doesn't stink as much as you."
The eunuch said aggrievedly, "It really does stink, can't you smell it?"
Yi Ge said, "That old eunuch who died was originally the one who emptied the chamber pots. Do you think he could smell anything?"
The eunuch said disappointedly, "The eunuch, no wonder he smells so bad. But this eunuch is too unhygienic. Doesn't he have any money on him? Before he died, he didn't even tell his companions to at least buy him a simple coffin for burial. Why did he just throw out a tattered mat?"
Brother Yi said, "You're asking me? Who should I ask? Hurry up, we've arrived at the mass grave. We don't know how many wandering souls are here. Let's throw them away and return to the palace to report."
The two stopped the donkey cart, one lifting his head and the other his feet, and threw the tattered mat and the corpse into a random pit before driving off.
The mat rolled into the pit, but luckily the knots tied to it were strong enough that it wasn't thrown apart by the two rough-handed men.
After the donkey cart left, an eerie calm returned to the scene, with only the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the occasional hooting of owls in the forest. Zhao Jian dared not move, but a chill ran down his spine.
This is a mass grave, where countless unknown corpses have been thrown. We don't know if there are wandering ghosts in this world, or if they might come after the two living people who are lying in ambush here.
It must be said that the young mistress is really brave. Even Zhao Jian, a grown man, is afraid of this kind of place, but she is as calm as if nothing is wrong. She lies quietly under the hay, her breathing is extremely steady, without the slightest fear or panic.
I don't know how she developed such courage, how could she be so bold?
An incense stick's time passed, then half an hour, then an hour. Zhao Jian's legs were already numb. He really wanted to move around or quietly say a few words to Li Xiaoxiao. It was almost midnight, and apart from the sound of the wind and birdsong, there wasn't a soul in sight. When could they leave?
He finally couldn't help but speak softly, "Young Madam..."
Li Xiaoxiao suddenly whispered, "Silence! Someone's coming!"
Zhao Jian's eyes widened in surprise. Someone had actually come?!
He immediately froze.
Their ambush position was relatively high, and through the gaps in the grass, in the moonlight, they could just see two men dressed in black pulling a cart with a coffin on it.
Someone actually came to collect Zheng Jingwen's body!
Zhao Jian's heart pounded. He dared not move and had to obey the young mistress's orders in everything.
The two men in black parked the cart under a large tree, lay down and listened quietly for a while. Finding nothing amiss, they then quietly jumped into the pit in the mass grave and lifted up the body wrapped in a tattered mat.
The two men were very nimble and skilled, and Zhao Jian could tell immediately from their movements, so he dared not move.
The coffin on the cart was opened, and Zheng Jingwen's body was respectfully placed inside. The lid was closed, and the two men jumped onto the cart and drove into the depths of the woods.
Once the flames from the vehicle had faded into the distance, Li Xiaoxiao and Zhao Jian emerged from the grass: "Chase them!"
They dared not follow too closely, fearing that the two martial arts experts would discover them. After following for almost an hour, the coffin-carrying carriage twisted and turned before finally stopping in the courtyard of a farm not far from the capital.
The farm was secluded, with mountains behind it and water in front. The neighbors were far away, and a single lamp lit the house, casting indistinct shadows of several people inside.
This was where they were staying. Li Xiaoxiao told Zhao Jian to hurry back and report the news, while she carefully slipped outside the courtyard wall of the farmhouse and listened intently to what was being said inside.
The coffin was carried down and placed in the middle of the courtyard. A person staggered and collapsed onto the coffin, letting out a heart-wrenching wail.
Li Xiaoxiao had never heard such a painful cry before. It contained unspeakable sorrow. The person crying should have been shouting loudly and crying like rain, but the person seemed afraid of being heard, and did not even dare to cry loudly.
"Uncle Jingwen~" the weeping man called out, and someone immediately stepped forward to comfort him: "Lord Zheng, please accept my condolences. This is not the place to cry."
The voice sounded so familiar! Li Xiaoxiao risked peeking inside, then immediately pulled her head back in. Minister Wang! What was he doing here?!
She suddenly remembered, right, Vice Minister Wang was also Li Chengyao's accomplice. It was perfectly reasonable for him to retrieve Zheng Jingwen's body; they were in cahoots...
But who did he just call? Lord Zheng?
Li Xiaoxiao's face was filled with surprise and uncertainty. Lord Zheng? Which Lord Zheng? Could it be Zheng Mian himself?
In the courtyard, Vice Minister Wang helped Zheng Mian up: "Lord Zheng, the dead cannot be brought back to life. I will give Zheng Jingwen's body a proper burial. You should hurry back to Shanxi."
Hurry back to Shanxi? Li Xiaoxiao finally confirmed that this was Zheng Mian himself.
He returned in person for Zheng Jingwen's sake.
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