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The Truth Not Surfacing (2)
Gong Jiu slightly lowered his head, lightly pursing his lips. Compared to his usual indifference, his expression right now was particularly solemn. Just, since Li Hong Yuan didn’t open his mouth to inquire, he also didn’t explain anything either.
This matter, although wasn’t done by him, but the drug coming from his hand, this for the most part can be certain. Thus, he just had unavoidable blame. But, he had his own personal courtyard for researching and studying various things, other people easily won’t set foot in. The everyday cleaning and organizing were all personally handled by him too. Moreover, for the sake of preventing unrelated people from entering, he’d arranged quite a few poisons in the courtyard. Looking at it from the surface, one can’t discover anything wrong, but if someone were to sneak in, then perhaps will just have their life thrown in.
Li Hong Yuan had his gaze shifted away from Gong Jiu, landing on Qing Yi, “Take him down and interrogate again.”
Qing Yi got dragged away. The interrogation this time perhaps won’t be that simple.
It goes without saying, based on the current situation, it was very likely that Qing Yi’s gu wasn’t obtained from someone outside, but rather from someone inside Jin Qinwang Manor, and this person perhaps was the key. Judging from the current situation, whether or not there will be results from the interrogation, it was very hard to say. And prior to the truth of this matter surfacing, everyone all had suspicion.
Li Hong Yuan held Jing Wan’s hand, his gaze calmly landing on her face. Unknown as to what he thought of, the corner of his mouth suddenly hooked into a smile, dark, sinister, cold, and ruthless, interweaving together, incomparably terrifying.
Who was Li Hong Yuan, the living Enma, controlling the entirety of Qi Yuan. He rather want to see who this rat behind the scenes was. If unable to drag out, then even if wrongly killing tens of thousands, he still won’t let off that one. Especially since they chose to target Wan Wan, then will need to have the resolution to be hacked into pieces. For Li Hong Yuan, if they’d targeted him, and even succeeded, then he perhaps would even admire this person behind the scenes.
But to target Jin Wangfei, while inherently still aimed at Jin Qinwang……Since it wasn’t directly targeting him, then can only mean that the other party was quite fearful towards him, knowing that directly clashing with him, the odds of success was too small.
Since they already cowered first, then would Li Hong Yuan be scared if this kind of opponent?
Li Hong Yuan’s posture maintained for as long as a quarter of an hour. Waving his hand, he let them all withdraw. Casting a glance at Qing Ju who was kneeling to the side, like as if having nothing left to live for, “Take down and lock up, wait for wangfei to deal with.”
She was Jing Wan’s servant after all, having served by Jing Wan’s side for many years. Li Hong Yuan won’t rashly punish. This was his respect and love towards Jing Wan, even if knowing that when time comes, Jing Wan most likely won’t do anything to Qing Ju.
Probably also understanding this bit, Hei Mei and the others all slightly relaxed a breath. If wangye were to deal with, Qing Ju nine times out of ten will die. ‘Not knowing’ wasn’t enough to excuse her of her crimes.
Qing Ju however didn’t have any positive reaction. At this very moment, she was submerged in deep remorse and self-blame. In her view, it was her, it was all her fault that wangfei was harmed. Wangfei right now was even pregnant with a child, if by chance the child was also affected……….If not for harboring hope that wangfei can definitely wake, Qing Ju perhaps would’ve already killed herself to atone for her sins.
And towards Qing Yi, how sweet that sprouting maiden’s love was, this while, was just how much she detested him.
What she hated the most wasn’t that he used her, but rather the fact that he used her to harm wangfei. If it was just wanting to obtain some benefits from her, then in the end, she perhaps would just be a bit hurt.
Jing Wan, for Li Hong Yuan, was a reverse scale[1], but for certain others, how was she not necessarily just as important.
Qing Yi got interrogated again. This time, he really lost all human appearance, appearing like a pile of rotting flesh that still had a breath left, forcibly maintaining a human form.
TN: All
“Master, this performer most likely was also affected by the drug, so unable to get answers.”
Perhaps because he was already mentally prepared, Li Hong Yuan didn’t flare up, “Make preparations, tomorrow morning, head to White Dragon Temple.”
“Yes.”
The next day, when the city gates just opened, Li Hong Yuan just grandly left the capital with his people.
And upon the morning court, Li Hong Yuan naturally once again got accused of misconduct. Setting aside how Le Cheng Emperor will handle in the end, just with him injuring the city gate guard and spurring the horse in the city, it already can’t be ignored.
Le Cheng Emperor also headached. That bastard clearly hadn’t caused trouble in a very long time, so how come just caused such a disturbance at this time?
Regardless of how much he favors this son, with the memorandums of accusation piling up, he can’t just ignore. At least, on the surface, he needed to go through the motions. Just, when he sent someone to Jin Qinwang Manor after morning court ended, he was instead told that Jin Qinwang had left the capital, taking quite a few people with him from the manor. From the looks of it, it won’t just be going out for a stroll and returning.
Speaking of which, in the past, when leaving the capital, he for better or worse would still inform him in advance, yet this time, he actually just left without a word. Le Cheng Emperor nearly overturned the table in anger, endlessly cursing, that unfilial bastard, unfilial bastard, unfilial bastard.
And those brothers of Li Hong Yuan’s, even if possibly getting disliked by Le Cheng Emperor, this while, still spared no effort in adding fuel to the fire in front of Le Cheng Emperor. After all, aside from Li Hong Yuan, this greatest hinderance, the others’ opportunity were all ‘equal’. That’s why, words such as ‘not having imperial father taken seriously’, ‘letting down imperial father’s sincere love for him’, ‘having no regards for the law’, ‘if it continues like this, perhaps it will bring about resentment among the people’, and so on just poured out.
These words perhaps really can add fuel to the fire, but when Li Hong Yuan wasn’t present, the ones out of luck of course would just be them.
Le Cheng Emperor’s anger was hard to quell, but he also knew, that son of his, won’t just leave the capital for no reason. Even yesterday’s matter, perhaps all had a reason. As such, he first let someone go investigate clearly before deciding.
Just, even if sending someone to Jin Qinwang Manor to ask, he still didn’t get any answers, because all the people that were in the know all got taken away by Li Hong Yuan. Regardless of who, to be able to get their hands on Gong Jiu’s drug, able to wreck havoc in the manor, it was impossible for them to just be an ordinary servant. Even if having Qing Yi, this lesson from their past mistake, this kind of situation was rare after all. One has to know, even if in the manor, to be able to know the guards’ shift, it was also just a small minority of people. That’s why, this person certainly won’t be that invisible. As such, Li Hong Yuan was a hundred percent certain that this person must be among the people he took away.
Right now, at this time, to have this person left in the manor, don’t know what other troubles they might cause, so it was better to have them placed under his eyelid. With him not taking a step away from Jing Wan, if something still were to occur, then he all don’t need to bother anymore, can just directly slit his throat. But, under the heavens, was there really someone that can achieve this?
Li Hong Yuan also didn’t need to send someone to White Dragon Temple in advance to inquire Grandmaster Liao Chen’s whereabouts. Last time when Grandmaster Liao Chen entered the capital, after letting the Imperial Noble Consort appear, the living Enma just clearly expressed that he hopes Grandmaster Liao Chen won’t go traveling again for the time being.
Speaking of which, Grandmaster Liao Chen, an enlightened sage, precisely because of caring for the people of the world, just getting grasped by Li Hong Yuan, it was also quite a helpless matter.
When Grandmaster Liao Chen learned of the living Enma’s visit, he just muttered a prayer, seemingly not at all surprised, or perhaps, towards everything, he was all able to calmly face.
[1] It’s been awhile since they phrase came up so I’ll just define it again. In chinese mythology, there’s a scale on a dragon that grows in reverse, usually located above the heart. This is a scale that absolutely mustn’t be touched or it will anger the dragon.
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