bullyxtreme Chapter 225 Sorrow
Chapter 225 Sorrow
Lang Si slammed his fist on the table. "An Yue said these robbers are different from the previous ones. I was wondering if they were hiring robbers. Why did they choose to go after the banknotes?"
Tu Yizhou analyzed, "The people in the escort agency are also quite skilled in martial arts. Perhaps they're targeting silver bills because silver ingots are hard to get away. A 100,000 tael dart must be something fearless enough to take a risk."
"Then let's just call it a robbery for hire," Lang Si said.
"If it was just a robbery, they could have just taken the banknotes. There should have been 20,000 taels missing from the box, or even more. Why didn't they leave the same amount and then go through the trouble of leaving fake banknotes inside? Are all robbers this cautious these days?"
Tu Yizhou suddenly realized, "Really? Someone is deliberately framing me?"
"Two possibilities," Lang Si said. "Either the banknotes in the box were already fake before the escort was dispatched, or the robbers deliberately set it up and were targeting An Yue."
"But..." Tu Yizhou was puzzled. "Miss An's personality and character are straightforward. She doesn't seem like someone who has any grudges against anyone. Who would hire people from underworld and make such a big fuss just to frame her? This... is a bit unbelievable."
Lang Si thought for a moment, "The only way to answer this question is to investigate. Starting tomorrow, we will strictly interrogate everyone in the escort agency."
Tu Yizhou nodded silently. "We definitely need to investigate internally, but this happened in Anci County, so far away from Beijing, it's probably impossible to investigate in a short time. The identities of those robbers are unknown."
He frowned and glanced at Lang Si, "If we find nothing here, then... well, forget it. Let's leave it at that for tonight. We'll see tomorrow after we investigate."
Lang Si stood at the table without responding. Tu Yizhou patted his shoulder and walked out. After a few steps, he stopped and looked at him sideways.
"Miss An, I'll have someone take care of her, don't worry."
Lang Si didn't turn around, just nodded silently, "Thank you."
It drizzled for another three days in Jin'an City. Emperor Shengzhi sat in his study, looking through a pile of memorials with a sad face. He closed the memorial in his hand and slammed the table.
Gao Jian heard the noise outside the door and asked Feng Qi to make tea quickly. He walked in holding the teacup.
"Your Majesty has been looking at it for a long time. You should rest for a while and drink some tea to moisten your throat."
Emperor Shengzhi was holding back his anger and pointed at the memorial on the table.
"Look at all this, one after another. This is a den of corruption. There are so many overturned cases submitted by the Ministry of Justice that I can't even read them all. The Meizhou flood case has not been concluded yet, and the people who report it are one after another. It can even involve other provinces. It's really good. There is still Huaichang that has not been investigated. If you count it carefully, my Great Ning Dynasty has been riddled with holes."
As he got excited, his liver began to ache again. He leaned on the dragon throne and gasped for breath. Gao Jian went over to him and touched his chest to comfort him.
"Your Majesty, Judge Xu has already said that you cannot lose your temper right now. You must calm down and rest. You must take care of your health first. There is no need to rush these matters."
Emperor Shengzhi covered his lips and coughed twice to calm himself down. Gao Jian brought him some tea.
"The bad debts must be settled, the treacherous ministers must be eliminated, how easy is it to remain calm?" After a short rest, Emperor Shengzhi ordered, "Send Judge Xu over to take a look."
"President Xu is on leave today and is not here," said Gao Jian.
Emperor Shengzhi breathed lightly, "Then let Court Judge Lu come over."
"This..." Gao Jian hesitated, "President Lu has been on leave for three days and is not in the hospital. I heard he is sick."
"What's going on?" Emperor Shengzhi sat up straight, clutching his chest. "Are you sick? What kind of illness can keep you out of office for three days? Is it worse than mine?"
"I don't know either," Gao Jian said. "I heard from some of the doctors in the academy that when Court Judge Lu was still in the academy a while ago, he was already listless and often fell. Court Judge Xu had to let him go home to rest. He hasn't come back yet. Perhaps he has some serious illness."
Emperor Shengzhi suddenly remembered the resignation letter submitted by Lu Ziqing before, and the reason was that he had a terminal illness. Could it be true?
He thought briefly and instructed Gao Jian, "Ask Judge Xu to go and see Lu Ziqing when he's free. Lu Ziqing must be safe. Also, bring a gift and visit him."
A small carriage stopped in front of Yan's house on the street. Yan Qian walked into the house. Yan Mengjiang was throwing fish food into the pond in the pavilion in the back garden, and a group of koi suddenly jumped out to grab it.
He saw Yan Qian approaching and said, "Dad, Lu Ziqing hasn't been to the Imperial Hospital for three days. It seems he's dying. At this rate of progress, Taoist Qiu said he might not have to wait until the 27th. Lu Ziqing will die."
Yan Mengjiang looked at the koi fish vying for food in the pond. "It's only been a little over ten days and it's already gone? Qiu Zhenlin's method is truly undetectable and very effective. Without him here, there's one less threat. It just saved Fang Zhaobo's life."
Yan Qian smiled, "Mr. Fang Zhaobo is already over eighty years old. Even if he survived, he wouldn't be able to hold on to the court for long. The cabinet position should have been replaced long ago. It's just a matter of time."
Yan Mengjiang showed no joy and said calmly, "These things have happened one after another. Fang Zhaobo and Lu Ziqing have been dismissed, and Huaichang has risen again. In the past few days, people have successively submitted reports to the court, saying that many provinces in Jiangdu and Ji'an have embezzled taxes and autumn grain. Once Cao Yunchong brought it up, the Xiao Party took advantage of the situation and pressed it."
Yan Qian was worried. "The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Cai Renfei, the Doctor Miao Fuqing, and several other prefects and counties are all connected to Pei Gengwen. This is all the work of the Xiao family."
Yan Mengjiang stared at the water, his eyes cold. "Sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight, and kicking them from time to time, the Xiao family is making people feel uneasy. That means no one can have an easy life."
Zhang Tong returned to the Shangshu's residence, took off his cloak and asked the servant to take it. The maid brought a copper basin to him, but he didn't even bother to wash his hands and went straight to the side courtyard.
The sound of the piano in the side courtyard was sad. Xi Yunling leaned against the door frame and looked at the drizzle outside the courtyard. When the piano music ended, she lowered her eyes and looked at Lu Lanzhi who was sitting on the ground. She put down the piano, stood up and said to her.
"Are you still sad about Qing'er's death?"
Xi Yunling tilted her head to look outside again. "Qing'er is still young. She's been with us for less than two years. Her best years are still ahead of her. I feel sorry for that."
Lu Lanzhi also looked outside. "People in this world come and go, and once you've embarked on this bloody road, there are bound to be separations. Qing'er, like you, escaped the traffickers and joined the Huanyin Sect without regrets. Not only you, but also many of our disciples, should know what to put first. Too many emotional entanglements will affect yourself. It's been six years, and you should have let it go long ago. If I were the same as you, I wouldn't be here today."
"Master is right." Xi Yunling frowned and lowered her eyes. "After all these years, I don't seem to have changed much. Seeing my sisters die like that is really hard."
Lu Lanzhi sighed softly, "Who isn't? It's just that we have to go with the flow. Only by adapting can we go far. We have to learn to be ruthless in many people and things."
"Master, are you really that cruel to Ziqing?" Xi Yunling asked. "He still won't forgive you. What are you going to do next?"
"Ziqing?" Lu Lanzhi's eyes dimmed, and she was silent for a moment. "In the end, I was wrong to him, and it's only natural that he hates me. The love and warmth you and your father have given me over the years, I'm very grateful. Now, as long as I see him alive and well and safe, I have no more worries. I can focus on dealing with my enemies. This is the only thing I want to do after joining the Huanyin Sect."
She looked at Xi Yunling and said slowly, "Yunling, you are just like me. Once you step into this place, there is no turning back. We can only do our best in the things we have now and live for human lives for the rest of our lives."
Xi Yunling was puzzled, "Why did Master say that?