Chapter 115 "Of course I want to ask you—"
As the night deepened and the stars became sparse, the already quiet Tongzhi Courtyard was even quieter with the chirping of insects and the rustling of wind, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
In the inner room, there was no one at the top. Song Linsheng and Jia Ren were standing on either side. Mu Jingli, who had arrived at some unknown time, stood with his hands hanging down, standing right in the empty space between the two of them, but he didn't say a word.
A hint of coolness climbed up Song Linsheng's arms along the armrest. When he turned his palm over and habitually reached for the teacup on the table, he found nothing.
Recalling the first time he came to Lord Jia's Tongzhiyuan, Song Linsheng's eyelashes were lowered, and his eyes moved slightly——
At that time, the crabapple trees in the courtyard were in full bloom, and the inner room was filled with warm tea and fragrant mist, giving off an atmosphere of spring breeze.
Today, the seats are cold and there is not even anyone to serve tea.
Yes, since Yang Sheng is not by Lord Jia’s side today, naturally there is no one to take care of these matters.
Song Linsheng's eyebrows twitched. According to the rules, Yang Sheng should have turned back long ago after leaving the Song residence. He should have returned to the Jiangyang government office by now. He left early, so there was no reason for him to fall behind him and Madam Wen.
I don’t know where they are now...
Song Linsheng's face remained motionless, and he casually adjusted his sleeves with his hands. As he did so, his eyes glanced at the ink stain on the ground and then at Lord Jia's face.
"Linsheng remembers that it was at this very spot that Lord Jia received the letter addressed to 'Brother Jia Ren'."
Song Linsheng paused, but no longer looked at Lord Jia. He tilted his head slightly and tapped his temples with two fingers, moving them intermittently, as if he was concentrating on recalling the situation of that day.
"At that time, Lord Jia was 'completely unaware' of what was written in the letter," Song Linsheng kept moving his hands, as if this matter was not a groundbreaking problem. "But today, you and I have all witnessed the scene. Based on that person's familiarity with Lord Jia, it seems that—"
"What Lord Jia said is untrue."
At least, it's not a lie.
After Song Linsheng finished speaking, his voice seemed to bounce up and down for a few moments, causing the tail sound to tremble and linger between the three of them.
These words were heard by Mu Jingli who was standing by. He still stood there calmly, not taking sides with either Song Linsheng or Jia Ren.
However, he had been working in Jiangyang for over a year, and the Lord Jia he knew did not seem like someone who would do what he did today.
Thinking of this, Mu Tong couldn't help but roll his eyelashes and cast his gaze towards Lord Jia on the right.
Jia Ren no longer had the spirit he once had. He now looked dejected and it was hard to ignore him. Fortunately, he was sitting upright and his body was still very straight.
"Oh--"
A chuckle escaped from Lord Jia's lips, as if he could no longer hold it in. After a moment's pause, he simply pulled the corners of his mouth apart and laughed.
"Master Song has a good memory."
"Since you have a good memory, I believe Lord Song still remembers that day when he said that Madam Wen had caught a cold and was recuperating at home."
After saying this, Lord Jia looked at Song Linsheng in front of him with a playful look. Even though the words of the prefect Song were as sharp as a knife, he would not be at a disadvantage.
Song Linsheng's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was moved.
That day, in order to clear Madam Baowen's name, he did not tell the truth, and it was true.
But today, Lady Wen appeared on the riverbank...
Song Linsheng also laughed, his smile even wider than Lord Jia's. The two of them looked relaxed, as if they were just having an ordinary chat, without any intention of confronting each other at all.
Mu Tong just stood in the middle, his eyes wandering between the two of them. This round seemed to be evenly matched.
Just as the stalemate was about to begin, Song Linsheng pulled out an official document from his sleeve and flipped through it calmly. He didn't seem to intend to respond, let alone explain.
Mu Tong couldn't help but be amazed at the leisurely and relaxed look on his face. If Lord Song were to change to a recliner, he would probably start to shake.
Just as he was thinking this, Lord Jia's voice rang in his ears.
"Your Excellency must have thought that Jia was playing hard to get, taking an unconventional approach. He appeared to be asking for punishment, but in reality he was evading responsibility."
Jia Ren stared at the document in Song Linsheng's hand with a calm expression and steady eyes. He could tell without even having to identify it that it was the resignation document he had just written.
It was so close that it seemed as if the freshly written ink on the paper still had a lingering fragrance.
"Rinsheng, I didn't mean that."
"That's exactly what I meant, your humble servant."
Song Linsheng stopped what he was doing and looked up to meet Jia Ren's unpredictable eyes.
"What do you mean, Master Jia?"
"I, the humble official, uninvestigated the facts and used lynching to punish the innocent, resulting in the death of an important witness." Jia Ren's tone was light, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. "It is not too much to ask me to pay with my life, let alone resign my position as Tongzhi."
"If Your Excellency agrees, it will be a great favor to me."
"Then Lord Jia, do you think Linsheng will agree to this?"
Song Linsheng didn't know whether it was possible or not, so he didn't directly explain what happened during the day to him, but threw the subject back.
"Whether you allow it or not is not important at all."
"Since I wrote this document, I have no intention of defending myself." Jia Ren spoke frankly and without hesitation, as if he had made up his mind. "Whether it's dismissal and exile, or paying with my life, I have nothing to say."
With no desire to survive and no intention to defend himself, Jia Ren let Song Linsheng manipulate him, which made Mu Tong beside him a little confused.
He seemed... afraid that Lord Song would agree, and he tried his best to anger Lord Song with his words, hoping that Lord Song would be furious... execute him?
This shouldn't be the case. Everyone witnessed what happened today. Even if Lord Jia handled the situation improperly, it was understandable that he shot the arrow at such a critical moment.
If I had argued for myself from this perspective, I would not have ended up losing my head.
Behind Mr. Jia's determination to die, there may be a truth that is difficult for people to face.
"Master Jia, why are you so anxious?" Song Linsheng closed the document and placed it on the table beside him.
Outside the house, the cold moon was silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects embellishing the night, sometimes quick, sometimes slow, making people feel annoyed.
Song Linsheng tilted his head to take a look, and his gaze was immersed in the endless dark blue.
"The night is still long, and sitting around is boring." Song Linsheng shifted his gaze to Mu Tong, who was standing tall. "How about asking Mu Tong to tell us a story? It can just help kill time."
"I'm afraid there will be a public trial tomorrow, yet Lord Song has the leisure to joke around here with this humble official." Jia Ren's eyes flickered slightly, finally no longer as lifeless as before. "Lord, you should go home and rest, and think about how to deal with this humble official tomorrow!"
Somehow, he seemed to have a sense of the story that Mu Tong was going to tell next, and he was reluctant to let him open his mouth. He just hoped that Song Linsheng would punish him directly and let him get the punishment he deserved.
"Master Jia, don't be nervous. We can discuss tomorrow's affairs tomorrow. How about listening to Master Mu's story today?"
Song Linsheng stopped talking and just nodded towards Mu Tong, "Master Mu, please?"
"Yes, I will obey your command." Mu Tong responded. His body, which was originally standing upright and impartial, moved slightly as he spoke. He faced Lord Jia and took two steps sideways in the direction of Song Linsheng.
"Recently, I have been entrusted by the prefect to compile a new collection of historical notes from the prefectural office. However, I discovered something interesting among the files from earlier years."
Mu Tong had a smile on his face, as if he really had something interesting to say.
Jia Ren's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes fixed on Mu Tong without blinking. Mu Tong had never been one to show off, so why would he start talking about books for no reason today?
Speaking of which, he used to stay at home and rarely go out except for official duties, but since Mr. Song took office, Mu Tong seems to have become more high-profile in his work...
I don’t know what he and Lord Song are up to.
"It's written in the case file that a few years ago, a horrific murder occurred in the Jiangyang government office."
Mu Tong paused, his words sounding somewhat mysterious.
"The depth of his involvement and the breadth of his implications make it difficult to discuss in detail."
Although Jiangyang Prefecture was wealthy, it was thousands of miles away from the capital. As the saying goes, the emperor is far away, and the jurisdiction in the early years was not sound, with many omissions, which led to Jiangyang Prefecture being deeply invaded by bandits. This case also happened at that time.
"According to the records, this case is extremely complicated and serious. If it is not handled properly, the impact it will have on Jiangyang Prefecture will be irreversible."
"However, this case also made the government office at that time famous, and it can be said to be the starting point of his life's achievements."
"What is Mu Jingli talking about without any coherence?" Jia Ren suddenly spoke up and changed the subject.
"Master Jia, please be patient and listen to me, okay?"
"Mu Tong!"
"Master Jia, Linsheng would really like to hear the rest of the story. Would you mind waiting for a moment?" Song Linsheng was neither anxious nor impatient. He interrupted Jia Ren with a few words, and then signaled Mu Tong to continue.
Mu Tong understood and coughed lightly, "At that time, Jiangyang Prefecture was plagued by banditry. This experienced man acted decisively and personally led his men to suppress the bandits. Although there were heavy casualties, the outcome was a good one, which can be considered a meritorious deed."
Mu Tong paused, then glanced at Lord Jia vaguely, "So this experienced lord was directly promoted to the position of Tongzhi."
"It's not surprising to reward people based on their merits." Song Linsheng smiled faintly, not caring about whether he liked it or not.
"Yes, strangely enough, I was deeply impressed by this person's skill. Just when I wanted to take a closer look, I couldn't find any specific scrolls or records."
Mu Tong sighed, as if feeling very sorry, "These few words are surely not enough to describe his magnificent life."
"It doesn't matter if there is no scroll." Song Linsheng pointed out.
"Of course, even the most detailed scrolls were written by humans. If someone with knowledge can ask a few questions, what else would we need?"
"Mu Tong!" Jia Ren shouted softly, as if his patience had been worn out.
"Hey! Lord Jia!" Mu Tong was neither embarrassed nor annoyed. Instead, he seemed to have found a breakthrough and happily bowed to Song Linsheng, "How could I forget Lord Jia!"
"Sir Song, Sir Jia has served in Jiangyang for over ten years. Over the years, even the moonlit nights in Jiangyang and the pickled mandarin fish he eats are far better than you and me."
"Why not ask Lord Jia for advice? Perhaps I can find out some inside information. I hope you will agree." Lord Jia is a Tongzhi, which is half a rank higher than him. Naturally, he cannot ask directly.
Mu Tong was polite and behaved appropriately, so Song Linsheng naturally had no reason to stop him, not to mention that this was exactly what he wanted.
But Lord Jia, who was standing by, was not willing to discuss the matter. "Mu Tong, go to wherever you saw this strange story. Why are you asking me?"
"Of course I want to ask you—" A clear and beautiful voice penetrated the door and came straight into the inner room.
Song Linsheng turned sideways upon hearing this. Although he had not yet seen the person, he recognized the voice - it was Madam Wen.
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