The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 118: close the case
Chapter 118 Case Closed
Suddenly he heard footsteps stopping in front of his cell door. Qin Dezhao tightened his grip, opened his eyes and looked towards the door, only to see a man in a cloak standing behind the jailer.
Qin Dezhao’s heart tightened, and he stood up pretending to be calm, straightened his weed-stained shirt, and asked, “May I ask who you are, sir?”
“Sir, please take your time chatting!” The jailer bowed respectfully to the man and turned to leave.
The man took off his cloak and hood, and Qin Dezhao saw that it was Gao Sheng who was beside King Liang. He felt the coldest murderous intent in Gao Sheng’s eyes, and his heart beat faster.
Qin Dezhao calmed down, stood with his hands behind his back, and said with composure, “Master Gao, please tell His Royal Highness Prince Liang that Bai Qingyan already knows the names of the people who took action on the grain and grass, and I’m afraid he will take the opportunity to cause trouble. Please make preparations early.”
Gao Sheng glanced at the untouched water and food at the door. “My Lord, do you know that Young Master Qin has already taken the list you gave him, along with the loyal servants of the Qin family, to beat the drum in front of the Dali Temple? He moved so quickly… Could it be that he got instructions from my Lord?”
Qin Dezhao’s face turned pale, he had already guessed that Qin Lang had been deceived by Bai Qingyan.
“Master Gao, please don’t talk nonsense. I didn’t give that list to Miss Bai. Miss Bai came here today and just sat here and copied a list. She left without saying anything or asking any questions. I’m afraid the Bai family has already got hold of the list. With Miss Bai’s intelligence… Your Highness should be careful!” Qin Dezhao expressed his loyalty. “As for that rebellious son, I will not say a word even if I am brought to trial! This matter has nothing to do with me. When I handed over the military rations, they were all fine!”
“So, the Marquis is very loyal to Your Highness?” Gao Sheng’s voice was cold and without any fluctuations.
“It’s not only to be loyal to His Highness, but also to save my life! If I admit it… I will inevitably die! If I don’t admit it, I can still be considered alive as I am lingering on.” Qin Dezhao looked at Gaosheng steadily. At this moment, it would be hypocritical to show his loyalty blindly. Only by trying to save his life would he be sincere.
Gao Sheng drew the short knife from his waist. Qin Dezhao was so shocked that he took two steps back and hit his body against the wall: “Master Gao!”
“His Highness once told the Marquis that only the dead can keep secrets in this world!”
After saying that, Gao Sheng moved in front of Qin Dezhao almost instantly, and pierced Qin Dezhao’s abdomen with the sharp dagger that could cut hair. Qin Dezhao opened his mouth but could not make a sound. All he could see in front of him was the flickering candlelight on the prison wall.
Gao Sheng put his arms around Qin Dezhao’s neck and very slowly helped Qin Dezhao to kneel down, his calm eyes showing no emotion at all.
Gao Sheng didn’t let go of Qin Dezhao until Qin Dezhao loosened his grip on his sleeve. He then hid the jewel-studded sheath of the dagger at his waist into Qin Dezhao’s deerskin boots.
The knife was a good one. It pierced Qin Dezhao’s flesh easily. The handle of the knife blocked the wound, and not a drop of blood was shed.
Gao Sheng put on his cloak and turned to leave. The jailer came to lock the door and left as if he had not seen anything.
·
Ever since news of the battle situation in southern Xinjiang came back on New Year’s Eve, one thing after another has happened in the capital city, leaving no one a chance to breathe.
Qin Lang, who had just asked to abdicate his throne years ago, was escorted by the soldiers guarding the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. He and his loyal servants were kneeling in front of the Dali Temple, holding a brocade list in their hands, shouting that they were presenting evidence for the Southern Xinjiang Grain Draft.
The emperor was particularly concerned about this case. The Dali Temple Minister Lu Jin ordered people to invite Qin Lang and the loyal servants of the Qin family brought by Qin Lang to the Dali Temple for detailed questioning.
After seeing the list, the loyal servants of the Qin family believed that Qin Dezhao wanted to sacrifice one person to let Qin Lang, the eldest son, guard the honor of the loyal and brave mansion. Now that they have regarded Qin Lang as the new master of the Qin family, they naturally unify their words according to what Qin Lang had just discussed with them in the study.
Qin Dezhao’s staff claimed that Qin Dezhao became greedy because he saw that others were making profits by transporting grain and fodder.
However, because he felt guilty and it was his first time to embezzle money, he revealed many flaws and was caught by the people below. He originally thought that everyone was content and everything was fine, but he did not expect that wherever the food and grass arrived, the people there would find Qin Dezhao’s handle and withhold it. The officials behind him became bolder and gradually replaced the best military rations with wheat bran.
Finally, these people were so daring that they even exchanged all the wheat bran for silver before transporting it to Fengcheng. Seeing that the matter had gotten out of hand, Marquis Zhongyong was afraid that he would be implicated, so he became murderous again.
The aide explained in detail what ideas he had given to Qin Dezhao and how the guards of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery had silenced these people. He confessed everything in one go.
Dali Temple Minister Lu Jin took the confession of the loyal servant of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, put the man in prison, and prepared to go to the palace to meet the emperor.
Qin Lang was not on good terms with the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. This was already known to everyone when Qin Lang moved out of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. Moreover, Qin Lang was a role model of aristocratic children praised by both the Emperor and the Empress. In addition, the Bai family asked him to protect Qin Lang. The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple could not neglect Qin Lang, so he placed Qin Lang in a side hall and asked Qin Lang to wait in the Dali Temple for the time being.
Qin Lang obeyed, knelt down and said he was ashamed of the emperor’s grace, and asked the Dali Temple Minister to tell the emperor that he was willing to hand over all the property of the Loyal and Brave Marquis’s Mansion to the national treasury to atone for his father’s sins.
Dali Temple Minister Lu Jin looked at Qin Lang’s ashamed face, and thought of what the steward of the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion had said to him, and nodded: “Don’t worry, Mr. Qin!”
The Dali Temple Minister originally thought that this case would be a particularly difficult one, but he did not expect that before the trial even started, the son of Marquis Zhongyong brought the evidence to the case.
The Dali Temple Minister was somewhat grateful to Qin Lang, so when reporting back to the emperor, he subtly said a few good words for Qin Lang.
The emperor did not read the testimony submitted by the Dali Temple Minister. He closed his eyes and listened to the Dali Temple Minister’s explanation of the whole story, and immediately became furious.
“Marquis Zhongyong is so brave!” The emperor gritted his teeth, burning with anger. Just as he was about to curse Qin Dezhao, he seemed to suddenly understand something and stood up abruptly.
“Liu Huanzhang deceived Prince Xin with military rations, but Liu Huanzhang is at the front line… How did he know that the rations could not reach Fengcheng?!” The emperor frowned.
The Dali Temple official bowed respectfully and said, “According to the servant of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, the names on this list are all the officials who have been killed accidentally! There is still one person who is still alive… that is Sun Yiming, the brother of Liu Huanzhang’s wife. On the first day of the twelfth lunar month last year, the people sent by Qin Dezhao failed to kill Sun Yiming, but left traces, and two guards died! Coincidentally… Jingzhao Yin An Jingguo once mentioned this case with his ministers, saying that they checked all the people who had made enemies with Sun Yiming, but could not find out the reason! Now it seems… the case in Jingzhao Yin’s hands can be closed.”
Liu Huanzhang’s brother-in-law? !
Bald Author: I’ll add another chapter for the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is said that the monthly votes have doubled… It’s the end of the month, so vote quickly!