Chapter 71 The Truth About the Poisoning
The battle at Yumen Pass has temporarily come to an end, and casualty statistics and compensation matters are being carried out intensively.
Ye Xunjin presented a preliminary list of the fallen to Lou Jin's command tent with a solemn expression.
Lou Jin took the list and flipped through it with Ye Xunyang.
Ye Xunyang's fingers paused when he saw a familiar name.
“Zhao Kun?” He looked up at Ye Xunjin. “Brother, isn’t this Cousin Yunying’s husband? He’s here…”
Ye Xunjin sighed and pointed to a note on the list: "According to the on-site records and confessions, Zhao Kun was killed in the melee during the rebellion on the western side of the pass."
Lou Jin's brows furrowed slightly.
He had some impression of Zhao Kun. He was a mid-level officer in the Ye family army. He was mediocre and only got to that position because of his connections with the Ye family. He did not have any outstanding performance on a regular basis.
"Are you sure he died in the chaos of battle, and not from some other cause?" Lou Jin asked in a deep voice, keenly sensing that there might be more to the story.
Ye Xunjin shook his head: "The scene was chaotic. When the body was discovered, it was mixed with several Shadow Serpent assassins and our fallen soldiers, making it difficult to identify the specific source of the fatal wound. The preliminary judgment is that it was caused by stray arrows or random slashes."
This explanation is reasonable, but considering Zhao Kun's usual character and his awkward position in Ye's army, it still seems a bit suspicious.
Lou Jin noted down the name and instructed Ye Xunjin to continue the detailed investigation. At the same time, he sent a copy of the list back to the Ministry of War in the capital for filing in the form of a military report.
Several days later, in the capital city.
Since neither King Jin nor his palace were in the capital, the Prefect of the Capital thought that he might be able to get in touch with King Jin through this matter after King Jin returned. As a result, Aunt Liu was still imprisoned, awaiting her fate.
Liu learned from Liu Yunxu that her son-in-law had died in the Northwest. Already disturbed by the poisoning incident, her mental defenses completely collapsed.
She finally couldn't take it anymore and cried out for a meeting with the person in charge, claiming she had important information to report.
Shanlan went to see her in person.
In the closed interrogation room, Liu, with tears streaming down her face, could no longer care about protecting her daughter and told everything she knew.
"It was Yunying, that girl Yunying forced me to do this." Madam Liu pounded her chest. "She resented the Ye family for being so powerful, blamed Xunyang for not marrying Yunxu, and hated her brother-in-law for not promoting Zhao Kun!"
"Before the expedition, someone suddenly approached Zhao Kun and said... that as long as his brother-in-law fell, the Ye family would lose its pillar, and the new commander would be one of their own, so they would naturally give him an important position. At that time, it would be no problem for Zhao Kun to be ennobled and appointed as prime minister. That good-for-nothing Zhao Kun was blinded by this nonsense."
“They…they got their hands on the poison, and under the pretext of my visit to my sister, they had me slip in the poisoned pastries…I…I was just confused! I was afraid Yunying wouldn’t be able to stay in the Zhao family, and I wanted to have a good life too…”
Shan Lan calmly pressed further: "Who contacted Zhao Kun? Do you know their identity?"
Liu shook her head blankly: "N-no, I don't know. Zhao Kun only said that the other party has a very powerful background and that everything would be foolproof... I was only responsible for delivering the things in..."
"Then why did Zhao Kun die in an internal rebellion?" Shan Lan asked the crucial question.
"I...I don't know. I only know that he told me to poison him, and that's all I know..."
Northwest, Yumen Pass.
When Lou Jin and Ye Xunyang received the confession that Shan Lan had urgently delivered through special channels, a brief silence fell over the tent.
Ye Xunyang held the thin piece of paper and stared blankly for a moment.
"So... the cause of my father's poisoning was actually this ridiculous?"
He shook his head, feeling a tightness in his chest.
They've overcome countless obstacles, both overt and covert, yet they almost fell victim to this sordid and foolish scheme.
Lou Jin walked to his side, gently patted his shoulder, and said in a low voice, "The selfishness of people's hearts can sometimes hurt more than the swords on the battlefield, and is more incomprehensible. Fortunately, the truth is clear, Liu has confessed, and Zhao Kun is dead. This matter can finally be put to rest."
"At least, General Ye is innocent, and the Ye family's reputation remains undamaged."
Ye Xunyang took a deep breath and looked at Lou Jin, "Your Highness is right. It's not worth getting angry over this kind of person. I just didn't expect Zhao Kun to die like this. He tried to take advantage of the situation and ended up reaping what he sowed. It's... a kind of retribution."
At night, Ye Xunyang changed Lou Jin's dressing, and looked at the still hideous wound on his shoulder blade with exceptional gentleness.
He seemed to have been pondering for a long time before finally unable to resist leaning closer to Lou Jin and asking in a low voice.
"Your Highness, isn't Mr. Yu a little too attentive to the First Prince? The way he looks at my elder brother, could it be... that he's doing the same thing as us?"
After he finished speaking, he felt a little embarrassed.
In his mind, since he and the prince could be mutually in love, others could too, especially the subtle connection between Mr. Yu and the eldest prince, which made him think in that direction.
Lou Jin was taken aback when he heard this, then looked at Ye Xunyang's curious yet somewhat shy expression with a smile in his eyes.
He reached out and gently stroked Ye Xunyang's nose with his knuckles, his tone tinged with a helpless indulgence: "You certainly have a keen eye for detail."
He did not deny it directly, but pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "My brother and Mr. Yu have known each other since they were young, and their relationship is indeed one that is difficult for others to match. The entanglement between them is probably not something that can be simply summarized."
He pulled Ye Xunyang to sit down and briefly told him about their past.
"So... there are so many things between them..." Ye Xunyang murmured, his gossipy thoughts fading away, replaced by understanding and a sigh.
He leaned on Lou Jin's shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "Then...aren't they having a much harder time than us?"
Lou Jin put his arm around his shoulder and patted him gently: "The human heart is a mystery, especially the knots that have been tied up over the years. It's not something outsiders can easily judge. Perhaps that's why Mr. Yu chose to stay this time. Some knots, in the end, need to be untied by the people involved themselves."
He looked down at Ye Xunyang, his gaze gentle: "Our success is each other's good fortune." His words were filled with appreciation.
Ye Xunyang nodded vigorously and hugged Lou Jin's waist tightly: "Yes! As long as we're alright!"
He buried his face in Lou Jin's neck and rubbed it against him.
Just then, Wushan's voice came from outside the tent: "Master, Eunuch Feng has woken up."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
