Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Covering the back of her hand.
After returning home, Xu Qing'an told Xun Yang about what he had agreed to do in the palace about writing the prescription. Xun Yang nodded and agreed directly.
Xu Qing'an smiled: "As expected, it's you. You are always decisive about these things."
Xun Yang knew that Xu Qing'an was referring to the fact that he generously taught his medical skills to others.
Xun Yang: "As a doctor, saving lives comes first; everything else is trivial." He then added proudly, "Besides, medicine still relies on rational application. There are only so many methods, and even if I don't explain them, they can find them in medical books. However, knowing the methods and being able to apply them are two different things. My medical skills are really about applying them, and that's not something others can learn just because they want to."
Xu Qing'an shook his head and laughed, agreeing, "Alright, there's not only Divine Doctor Xu on Wuyan Mountain, but also Divine Doctor Xun."
Xun Yang said without any modesty: "Yeah, that's right, that's the way to put it, it sounds good."
Zhang Fan also came to the Xu residence. After Xu Qing'an finished talking with Xun Yang, he went to the study to find him.
"Mr. Zhang."
The young man's voice was clear and pleasant to the ears. Zhang Fan quickly stood up from his seat and wanted to salute him.
Xu Qing'an stepped forward quickly and raised his hand to stop him.
"Mr. Zhang, please don't be so polite."
Zhang Fan stopped and swallowed what he was about to say, then turned his gaze to the glaring scar.
He said, "I just learned today during court that my husband had been assassinated. Seeing the wound on his face, I was really scared. Is there anything else seriously wrong with him?"
Xu Qing'an smiled and said reassuringly, "It's nothing serious." He tapped the scar with his fingertips and said, "I lost my focus in this one spot, and it just happened to be on my face, which made Mr. Zhang worried."
Zhang Fan just breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, he had seen even more serious situations. When Zhou Jingzhi, covered in blood, was helped onto his carriage, he was extremely weak. He could not even be called unconscious, but just like a person about to die. His eyes were empty, and there was little air coming in from his mouth. Only the sounds of breathing in and out alternated. In just a moment, the carriage, which was originally scented with sandalwood, was covered with the smell of blood.
Zhang Fan remembered that if he hadn't been talking about the queen all the time and the palace's safety was uncertain, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold his breath.
It was precisely because he had seen such a scene that Zhang Fan was so frightened after hearing about the assassination yesterday, fearing that what happened four years ago would happen again.
Zhang Fan said slowly, "Sir, do you have any idea about the identity of the assassin?"
"Yeah." Xu Qing'an nodded, "Actually, I've already got him under control."
He was not on guard against Zhang Fan. "It was those Jiangnan ship merchants. Although they were the ones behind this, the one who really inspired them to do this was probably Su Wang."
"Su Wang again..." Zhang Fan gritted his teeth and asked, "What is your plan for detaining this person, sir?"
Xu Qing'an said, "I originally wanted to use the Jiangnan incident to take action against Su Xingzheng, but those ship merchants just happened to come to me, so I naturally had to take advantage of them."
"I will first spread the news that someone in the capital is attempting to assassinate an imperial official, escalating the situation and denying them any chance to maneuver. Then, I will dig up as much evidence as possible from the ship merchants that will help bring down Su Xingzheng. Otherwise, once this person enters Jingzhao Prefecture, I'm not sure how much they'll reveal."
Zhang Fan nodded. "This way, we can guarantee that Su Ran will be hit with one strike. I wonder how the interrogation went, my dear?"
Xu Qing'an lowered his eyes: "Almost, it's enough to bring down Su Xingzheng."
Zhang Fan: "It seems that everything is going well. All we have to do next is to make a plan and hand them over to Jingzhao Prefecture."
Xu Qing'an was quiet for a moment. He refilled the cup with tea, picked it up and took a sip.
"No hurry yet... The Queen Mother asked me to help her investigate something."
Zhang Fan raised his eyes, thinking there was something wrong with his ears during his trance. He whispered to confirm, "Empress Dowager?"
"Yeah." Xu Qing'an continued to sip his tea with his eyes lowered. "She wants me to help her investigate the background of her maid, A Zheng. That maid might have been involved with Su Wang in the past, so I want to see if I can dig out something from that."
Zhang Fan was puzzled. "But why did she ask you to investigate? After all, investigating someone's background is not something that can be accomplished through interrogation alone."
Xu Qing'an: "Because A Zheng's background has been exposed to Su Wang, if her people take action, Su Wang might find out."
Zhang Fan worriedly said, "But if that happens, won't she also know about my husband's power?"
Xu Qing'an pondered, "She should have noticed something, otherwise she wouldn't have asked me for help. But she has already said that if I need anything in the investigation of A Zheng's life story, I can ask her for it. That way, I can find a way to cover it up."
Finally, he put down his teacup and gave Zhang Fan a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. I've already thought of a plan to deal with it. I also want to know what dirty deeds Su Wang has done behind the scenes. Maybe there's evidence among them that can convict him of a crime."
Zhang Fan heard this and knew that he had already made up his mind. He also understood that it was useless to say more. "As long as you have a plan, it's good."
Is it really just to find evidence against Su Wang?
Xu Qing'an saw Zhang Fan out. As the evening breeze blew by, he suddenly sighed, shook his head, and laughed at himself.
——
Su Shang returned to the Su Mansion and entered the courtyard where his bedroom was. He saw Su Ran sitting on the stone bench under the pavilion waiting for him.
"Fifth brother." Su Shang called out as he approached.
Su Ran turned around and waved to him, "Qilang is back, come and try the seasonal fruits that have just been delivered."
Su Shang walked over, lifted his robe and sat down next to Su Ran: "Fifth brother, are you waiting for me? Do you have something to tell me?"
Su Ran smiled: "As expected, nothing can be hidden from you. But it's not me who wants to tell you anything, it's my uncle who asked me to convey it and ask for your opinion."
Su Shang: "Another marriage?"
Su Ran fell silent for a moment, then laughed again: "It seems I didn't keep this secret well enough."
Su Shang didn't joke around as usual. He just kept a serious face and smiled as he responded, "In recent years, whenever he came to urge me, he always sent Fifth Brother. And Fifth Brother always brought seasonal fruits and used the same rhetoric. With this routine, I'm afraid that next time, even if Fifth Brother doesn't say anything, I can guess why he came."
Seeing his unhappy expression, Su Ran asked gently, "What's wrong? Did you encounter any unpleasantness during your visit to the palace?"
"No." Su Shang said calmly, "She's fine. The doctor she called was only for the maidservant beside her."
Su Ran smiled and said, "You are always so concerned about her affairs. It is more important for you to pay more attention to your own life events."
Su Shang: "Fifth brother hasn't gotten married yet, why are you so anxious about me?"
Su Ran raised an eyebrow, showing no sign of displeasure at being challenged, and continued with a gentle voice, "How can it be the same? You will be the head of the Su family in the future, so of course your affairs are more important." He sighed, "After all, it's my fault for not setting a good example for you, and these delicate words should still be spoken by your elder sister. However, she's now married to the Shangguan family and doesn't come home often, so she can't take care of you anymore."
"The Shangguan family," Su Shang murmured. "If my father had considered my marriage when discussing my sister's marriage, my fifth brother wouldn't have to go through all the trouble of persuading me. And if she became my wife, the relationship between my sister and I would be even closer. Wouldn't that be better than the current situation?"
Su Ran knew Su Shang's regret and could only comfort him: "No matter how good it was, it's impossible now. She has already been someone else's wife."
Su Shang's eyes showed paranoia: "Yes! It's impossible, but her husband is dead."
Su Ran was finally surprised by his current madness: "You, you still don't understand, what stands between you two is not these things, but her current identity... You'd better not think about it."
"My father can lay hands on the emperor, so what's wrong with me wanting the empress dowager?"
"Ashan!"
Su Ran's expression suddenly changed.
Su Shang stared at him for a few breaths, then finally lowered his eyes, hiding his resentment and said, "I was too careless at home for a while and was not thoughtful enough. I made a mistake."
But he didn't believe it. If he couldn't defeat that man back then, could he be defeated by a villain now?
Since you were able to get out of it, why was it him and not me?
——
The next night, the small door on the side of Xu's mansion was opened, and Shangguan Xu came in wearing a cloak and hiding the cold night air.
She was brought into the study room of the Xu Mansion by Xu Qing'an.
"What is it that requires me to come here to talk about this?" Shangguan Xu took off his hood after entering the room, turned around and asked him directly.
Xu Qing'an stared at her seriously and asked, "Is the old friend of Madam A Zheng that Her Majesty mentioned really among those people?"
Shangguan Xu confirmed: "Of course, this is what A Zheng told me herself."
Xu Qing'an: "Then did your Majesty see those people who were arrested with your own eyes?"
"No." Shangguan Xu said truthfully.
That day, she learned about the news that those people had been arrested when she left Shangguan Mansion. As soon as she knew it, she changed her route and went directly to Xu Mansion. She did not go anywhere else during that period. Besides, she had no need to meet those people at that time.
Xu Qing'an said, "It seems that Her Majesty doesn't know how many people she has arrested."
Shangguan Xu remained silent, because at that time she only confirmed whether all the people had been arrested, and she never asked how many people there were.
She said, "I only heard that there were two people in the lead."
Xu Qing'an: "Yes, but that's the problem. Originally, the Jiangnan water transport system was a three-way balance of power, but that day, only the heads of two of these families came to kill me."
Shangguan Xu pondered, "Could it be that the old friend A Zheng was talking about is the one who didn't participate?"
"If Ah Zheng didn't admit her mistake, then this would be the outcome. But why wasn't that person involved?" Xu Qing'an asked himself, answering, "I've interrogated the other two. They said they looked for that person before they tried to kill me, but he had already disappeared."
"My Lady, is there a possibility that the man intended to kill Ah Zheng, but because he knew Ah Zheng, he brought disaster upon himself?"
A tragic case of annihilation...
Shangguan Xu suddenly came to his senses: "This matter can't be delayed any longer. Aren't you going to deal with Su Xingzheng? Since the interrogation of those people is almost complete, send them to Jingzhao Prefecture tomorrow!"
Xu Qing listened quietly and replied softly, "Okay."
"And, Your Majesty, I asked you to come to your house this time because I have something I want to give you personally, but I cannot bring it into the palace."
He pulled a dagger from his sleeve and handed it over.
"Look, Madam, do you recognize the pattern of this dagger?"
Shangguan Xu lowered his eyes and reached out to take it.
The scabbard of the dagger is made of hardwood with a finely polished surface, but the pattern is not complicated. A layer of cowhide is attached to the outside, and a circle of metal scabbard head and scabbard tail are embedded at both ends. Such a simple and practical design must be a military item.
Shangguan Xu looked back and forth at the scabbard, then suddenly grabbed the handle and pulled out the blade.
"It's the Zhao army's weapon!"
Judging from the totem on the blade, it was the weapon of King Zhao's personal guards.
Xu Qing'an hummed lightly: "I found this in the bedroom of the missing person."
"Logically speaking, he's from Jiangnan and has been doing business there. He also doesn't have any military background. What's more, the King of Zhao is a relative and his fiefdom is in the north, making it even harder for them to establish a relationship."
Shangguan Xu took another closer look at the dagger and said, "Although the blade of this dagger is intact and looks brand new, judging by the dust between the cracks on the outside, it must be quite old."
"Furthermore, since Your Majesty adopted him four years ago, King Zhao has been childless, and his title of king has been sealed. Therefore, this dagger is at least four years old."
Shangguan Xu raised his eyes: "That means that four years ago, that person had established a relationship with someone in the Zhao army."
Xu Qing'an stepped forward, placed his hand on the back of hers, and sheathed the blade. "This might be related to A Zheng. A Zheng is skilled in martial arts, and he's acquainted with A Zheng's family. His future investigation into A Zheng's background might lead him to the direction of the Zhao army."
Shangguan Xu's eyes fell on his covered hands. She pushed the dagger forward as if nothing had happened. After putting the dagger in his hand, she pulled her hand back and took it out.
Xu Qing'an's hand was empty for a moment, and when she reacted and looked down, her hand had been retracted in front of her.
He simply held the dagger vertically at his side.
Shangguan Xu turned around and said, "Your idea makes sense. Let's do as you say. Anyway, I've already entrusted you with the investigation of A Zheng's background."
Xu Qing'an lowered his eyes and smiled, a smile that was hard to tell whether it was self-deprecating or something else: "Okay, then I'll arrange for someone to do it tomorrow."
——
The next day, all the culprits who assassinated the court officials were arrested by Jingzhao Prefecture. Xu Qing'an also obtained a lot of evidence of these people's crimes during his cooperation in the investigation over the past few days, and handed it over to Jingzhao Prefecture.
Therefore, the assassination case progressed particularly smoothly, but what was surprising was not the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes, but the people and things involved behind this group of people.
There is always a reason for killing someone. The reason given by this group of people was that Xu Qing'an blocked their way to make money. However, Xu Qing'an was an official in the capital, and their business was in Jiangnan. How could they stop him?
According to their admission, someone told them that their trade routes were blocked because of Xu Qing'an, so they couldn't swallow this anger and committed the evil act.
The person who told them that was the current Chief Censor, Su Ran.
In addition, they also confessed that they had transactions with Su Ran in recent years. In other words, the previous Jiangnan stockpiling incident was not unrelated to them as Su clarified. On the contrary, Su was very likely one of the manipulators of that matter.
As soon as the incident happened, it caused a stir not only in the court but also among the people.
Su Ran was summoned to Jingzhao Prefecture for questioning, and of course he denied the accusations made by the two ship merchants.
Su Ran said, "It's just their one-sided statement. How can they convict a Censor-in-Chief?" Moreover, the evidence they provided was just their family account books. There was not a single item in the account books that showed the money flowing directly to him or the Su family.
Furthermore, the Jiangnan water transportation market was originally shared by three shipping companies. The previous incident was also caused by the three companies together, and they should have pointed the finger at each other together. Why are there only two companies coming forward now?
Su Ran even filed a counterclaim, saying that the two companies suddenly attacked him because they were instructed by others to slander him.
Sure enough, what Shangguan Xu worried about happened.
Ever since she heard that the ship merchant that A Zheng knew had disappeared, she began to guess what Su Wang was planning. He used the ship merchant to kill Xu Qing'an, and used another old friend of A Zheng to get away with it. Killing him would mean there would be no evidence, and it would be a two-pronged approach.
There was another argument about this matter at the inner court meeting. However, due to the lack of actual evidence, Shangguan Xu had to give in and ordered the Jingzhao Prefecture not to detain Su Ran after questioning.
The inner court dispersed, and Xu Qing'an walked at the front of the team when leaving.
"You are harming her, you are only doing it for your ambition."
Suddenly, a cold and suppressed voice came from behind him. Xu Qing'an stopped, turned sideways and looked back.
Su Shang walked up to him and continued, "Whatever you want, my Su family can give you, but you must stay away from her."
Xu Qing'an chuckled. "Why do you say I'm harming her? Why do you say it's just my ambition? Does Lord Su really know what she wants?"
Su Shang stared at him for a few moments, then slowly walked behind him.
She stood sideways beside the high seat in the hall, her eyes also directed at him.
Xu Qing'an also looked back slowly.
At the palace gate, the wind stopped as soon as it passed, leaving only the human figure moving slightly.
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