Chapter 400: Obtaining Evidence
has quite the skill for it.Although she played the zither and painted, Lady Sun did not have a female teacher to instruct her. Therefore, she was unfamiliar with musical theory and could only listen...As night fell and all was quiet, Yu Chuan once again snuck into Lord Wei's study at night.
The result was as he expected, there was indeed a secret room. The lockhole was the mechanism, and the key worn around Lord Wei's neck was the key to unlocking it. The identical replica he had made also worked just as well.
In the dark room, Yu Chuan found three ledgers and some letters. After confirming that they were what his master was looking for, he took them away. As for the gold, silver treasures, and banknotes in the darkroom, he did not touch them.
After returning to Gu's mansion, Yu Chuan went to find his master, but was stopped by Qing Qiu.
Yu Chuan said: "Qing Qiu, I have an urgent matter to see the Marquis. Would you please go and tell him"
Qingqiu replied in a soft voice, "Yu Chuan, the Marquis said that even if the sky fell, don't bother him. If the sky really did fall, you should just bear it yourself first and wait until tomorrow for the Marquis to handle it.
Yu Chuan: ""
What does this mean
Wasn't the Lord usually not concerned with matters related to cases How come he seems so indifferent now For such a big matter, he doesn't even personally keep track of it at all times, just trusts him to handle it
Seeing him silent and lost in thought, Qing Qiu asked, "Is something the matter Although the Marquis doesn't want to be disturbed tonight, he also said that if it's a matter you can't handle, go to him immediately. He will deal with it right away."
Yu Chuan replied, "It's not a big deal, just a small matter. We can handle it tomorrow."
"Then please return, and come again tomorrow morning to see the Marquis."
Yu Chuan could only go back first. Although he successfully got what he wanted when he went to Wei's Mansion tonight, something small happened along the way. But now, even if he told the Marquis, it wouldn't solve the problem, so he still had to deal with it tomorrow.
After seeing Qingqiu send the servant away, she returned to the entrance of the main house and waited for her master's summons. Listening to the sounds coming from inside that made her cheeks flush, she could guess why the Marquis forbade others from interrupting him. This morning, the Marquis’s gloomy face probably meant something good had been interrupted, and he was in a bad mood.
Inside.
Meng Jinyao looked pitifully at the man and softly suggested, "Husband, one shouldn't overdo things. It's not worth harming your body. I heard that people who injure their bodies have to take medicine to make up for it. You wouldn't want to take tonics later on, would you"
Gu Jingxi heard this, feeling as if thunder had struck. He immediately became even more domineering towards the person in his arms, bullying him while asking, "Aiyao, do you think your husband is useless"
Meng Jin Yao hurriedly shook her head: "No, no, my husband likes it very much."
After that, Meng Jingyao didn't know how long he had been tossing and turning. At some point, he was drowsy and fell asleep.
-
The next morning, sunlight streamed down, bathing the world in light.
Gu Jingxi had already woken up. He gently moved, slowly releasing the person still asleep in his arms. Then, he dressed himself properly and went to the clean room to wash up, so as not to disturb Ayao's sleep.
He had just finished washing up and stepped out of his room when Qing Qiu stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and then said: "My Lord Hou, Yu Chuan came last night. He said he had a minor issue, but it wasn't anything serious, so I let him go back first."
Gu Jingxi nodded and went to the front yard to find Yu Chuan.
Yuchuan got up early this morning upon hearing that his master was looking for him. He immediately took the ledger and letters he had found in Lord Wei's secret room last night to the study. After bowing, he presented the items and said: "My lord, I have fulfilled my duty. In Lord Wei's study, I found these three ledgers, as well as some letters."
After receiving it, Gu Jingxi first took a look at what was written in the letter. After reading it, he frowned and his expression became serious.
When they came to Huzhou, they encountered the pitiful girl's plea for help. Although they didn't stay with her, they later learned that the girl and the couple were acting, but they were unsure which faction sent them. They eventually stopped worrying about which faction it was.
After reading the letter, I've finally confirmed it.
Oh, it's the Han family.
Lord Wei might have dirty hands, but Governor Han of Zhejiang is also not clean. Even the Han family's ancestral home, the Duke of Zhen Guo's Mansion in Beijing, is no different. Back then, it was the Han family who wanted to place their own people as informants, but they failed.
When the Han family is involved, it's just a small case, but it unravels into a major one.
Zhejiang is a wealthy province, and such places are prone to producing corrupt officials. As the governor of a region, the prefect holds power and influence. He is unlikely to be an absolutely incorruptible official. It depends on how far he goes and whether he reaches the standard that the emperor wants to eliminate. Once a certain level is reached, he will certainly be removed.
Then, Gu Jingxi flipped through the ledger again. He hadn't flipped it before, but after doing so, he discovered that Wei Da's wealth exceeded his imagination. There were several large incoming entries in the accounts, which were Wei Da's personal private accounts, all money obtained through corruption and bribery.
And the other two ledgers were the genuine accounts of Huzhou Prefecture. They contained real figures for tax collection, expenditure on local governance and construction projects, etc. The perfect false accounts displayed in the yamen were just a facade.
These accounts and letters presented before the emperor, the Wei family will surely suffer. As for the Han family, it depends on the emperor's will. After all, they are the Duke of Zhen Guo's family.
Gu Jingxi closed the ledger and asked, "Yu Chuan, what happened last night"
Yu Chuan stammered, “I opened the secret room easily and retrieved both the ledger and letters. However, after leaving the study, I ran into a young servant as I was about to leave. He looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old and dressed like an ordinary low-ranking servant.”
Then what
Yu Chuan said truthfully: “Then I took advantage of his lack of reaction and knocked him unconscious with lightning speed. I put him in a pavilion, making him sit on a stone bench leaning against a stone table to sleep. Perhaps when he wakes up, he will think it was just a dream. My lord, rest assured, last night I wore a mask and night clothes. Even if he remembers what happened last night, he wouldn't know who I am.”
Gu Jingxi, upon hearing this, didn't get angry. Yu Chuan didn't kill to silence the mouth, that was right. Investigating the case was very important, but killing innocents was unacceptable. Lord Wei deserved to die, but this teenage servant didn't. Besides, he was just a lowly servant, doing chores and cleaning. If they were to be killed just for seeing Yu Chuan, then they weren't justice; they were no different from executioners.
Yu Chuan asked nervously, "My lord, what should we do now Last night the subordinate wanted to tell you about this, but you ordered us not to disturb you."
Gu Jingxi replied in a soft voice, "Even if you had told me last night, it could only be handled today. Last night so late, the city gate was already closed. Anyway, the things that should have been obtained are already in hand. The other details are not important, but it's still necessary to prepare for the worst. You go and call Fang Xuan over first."
Seeing his master so composed, Yu Chuan also let out a sigh of relief and immediately went to find Fang Xuan.
After Fang Xuan arrived, Gu Jingxi handed him the ledger and letters, asking him to disguise himself and immediately take the evidence back to the capital, taking advantage of the fact that Wei DaRen had not yet discovered it.
The twin brothers Fang Xuan and Fang Ce didn't arrive in Huzhou with the others. Fang Xuan and his group arrived earlier but kept a low profile, so Lord Wei wouldn't have noticed them.
As for letting only Fang Xuan return to Beijing with the ledger and letters first, it was because Fang Xuan was more mature and steady than Fang Ce, and he handled things more prudently. Fang Ce stayed behind to return to Beijing with them tomorrow.s ashen.Wu Anbo didn't give him another chance to waste words, his voice laced with anger: "Let's go. This trip is unavoidable. Otherwise, do you want our entire family to suffer the consequences with...