Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 745 Dead Man
After delivering the message, the eunuch Huang left with two junior eunuchs, and Sangzhi immediately stepped forward to offer him some silver.

The eunuch Huang bowed to Wang Yan with a broad smile.

Once the group had gone some distance, Wang Yan mounted his horse again, pondering Huang's words. He had requested the Emperor to grant him and Ayan a marriage, but the Emperor had refused. To make amends, he had offered other rewards...

But aside from marriage, he didn't want anything else.

Thinking of Ayan, Wang Yan looked up at the sky again, wondering what they were doing.
"Imperial Attendant," Xu En returned, his face unusually gloomy, "Should we go to the Court of Judicial Review?"

Wang Yan nodded.

Xu En sighed: "Two of the prisoners we escorted to the capital committed suicide as soon as they were imprisoned."

Wang Yan frowned: "Didn't the judge and the jailers keep a close eye on the person?"

Xu En said coldly, "The jailer said that the two men were holding shards of porcelain and slit their own throats when they weren't looking. He even asked us when those two men got their hands on such a weapon?"

Wang Yan's gaze immediately sharpened.

Before Wang Yan could speak, Xu En continued, "We check on those prisoners every day. How could we possibly let them get their hands on those things?"

Wang Yan said, "If they wanted to commit suicide, they would have done so on the way. Why wait until they entered the capital?"

Xu En took a deep breath: "The people I sent were stopped outside the prison because they cannot enter the prison at will without official credentials. I was in a hurry to do this, but I didn't expect... that something would go wrong in the short time it took to meet the emperor."

"They're really quick." But it's easy to understand; if they wanted to make a move, they had to do it now, which shows how decisive the person secretly instructing them was.

The two talked and made their way to Dali Temple without delay.

Xu En was furious, his face turning ashen. He had finally managed to capture the man and had carefully guarded him all the way back to the capital. But in the blink of an eye, the Dali Temple had disappeared and was trying to shift the blame onto them.

As a military man by birth, he had a short temper and immediately berated the officials of the Court of Judicial Review. He didn't care that someone would impeach him for being arrogant and domineering the next day, but he was determined not to let it go.

Who died?

Upon hearing Wang Yan's question, Xu En suddenly remembered that he hadn't revealed the identities of the two men in his haste: "A deputy general and a subordinate general under Yang Jun didn't leave any statements when they were in Fujian, and they weren't Yang Jun's confidants. The two of them behaved very well along the way and didn't do anything unusual."

Those who went to the Dali Temple first had to keep an eye on the most wanted criminals, then on the criminals who were not behaving properly on the way, and then on the officials from unusual backgrounds, such as several generals like deputy generals and subordinate generals, who were not particularly noticeable.

But unexpectedly, it was precisely them who got into trouble.

Xu En said, "This is my fault." It was his duty to escort prisoners to the Dali Temple, so he would naturally take responsibility if something went wrong. He was not afraid of being held accountable, but he felt sorry for Wang Yan because Wang Yan had finally achieved the result and it was ruined by him.

"Now it seems that these two must have known some secrets. With their deaths... some things may not be clear, and some people may escape punishment."

Whether it's murder to silence witnesses or persuading someone to commit suicide, it's inevitably orchestrated by someone whose crimes haven't yet been exposed. By eliminating the criminals who might reveal his guilt, he can rest easy.

“Not necessarily,” Wang Yan said. “As long as he takes action, he will leave traces. If it can be found out, he will have another crime of murder to cover it up.”

Xu En looked at Wang Yan: "You mean..."

Wang Yan said, "It is not something an ordinary person can do to arrange these things in such a short time."

Xu En frowned: "What if someone is willing to take the blame... and refuses to say anything? After all, at most it's just a mistake, and a demotion."

He won't tell the truth unless he can bear the worst possible outcome.

Wang Yan said, "First, we need to investigate those two people who committed suicide thoroughly. We need to know where they held positions, who promoted them, how they got to Fujian, and what they did."

"When a person dies, the things they did remain there."

“Taking down the people around them will definitely uncover some clues.” Xu En nodded.

Wang Yan continued, "These two people who know each other should be detained separately. We can't let these people cause any more problems."

The two men dismounted at the Dali Temple and were about to walk inside when they heard the sound of hooves behind them. Xu En turned around and saw Xu Huaiyi.

"Xu Si Cheng."

Xu En called out, making Wang Yan turn around as well.

Xu Huaiyi strode forward, looking travel-worn.

Xu En asked, "Where have you been?"

Xu Huaiyi said, "Outside the city, at the Xie family's estate." He went to investigate, hoping to find some evidence and useful confessions.

Xu En sighed: "It just so happens that we had to leave the city at this time... If you were here today, this might have been averted."

Xu Huaiyi was taken aback: "What's wrong?"

Xu En said with a stern face, "Two of the prisoners who were finally brought back committed suicide in the cell just now."

Xu Huaiyi looked into the government office, his brows furrowed. Having served in the Dali Temple for many years, he immediately guessed the general situation from Xu En's words.

“There’s no time to lose,” Xu Huaiyi said. “We should interrogate the remaining prisoners immediately.”

Perhaps there are others who want to get rid of more than just these two.

Wang Yan nodded in agreement.

“We also need to thoroughly investigate the family affairs and past experiences of these two men,” Xu Huaiyi said to Wang Yan. “The judge and jailer on duty today should also be interrogated, and we should find out as soon as possible all the officials who have had contact with those two men.”

Xu En said, "Thank you for your hard work, Vice Minister Xu."

Xu Huaiyi was about to leave when Wang Yan stopped him: "Is there any progress in the Xie family's case?"

Xu Huaiyi nodded: "The case is not yet closed, and some details should not be disclosed, but we found a man-made wound on the old prime minister's body. The old prime minister was murdered."

Xu En was astonished, never expecting that Xie Yizhi had actually killed her father.

Xu Huaiyi said, "Please trouble the Imperial Attendant to tell Lady Xie that we are also investigating the death of Old Madam Xie."

Wang Yan nodded.

“Having committed patricide, murdered his younger brother’s family, and colluded with the demonic sect to smuggle goods, Xie Yizhi is definitely not going to escape death,” Xu En said. “Therefore, the person who killed the two generals could not have been him.”

"Perhaps you should reconsider," Wang Yan said, heading straight for the prison.

Xu En hurriedly chased after him: "What do you mean?"

Wang Yan did not respond until they reached a secluded spot, where Xu Encai heard Wang Yan's voice.

"Xie Yizhi is doomed. He won't drag anyone else down with him, so he won't say anything. And those two military officers aren't the ringleaders. If they report others, they might be able to lessen their own punishment."

Xu En understood.

Therefore, that person's official position must be quite high, and only in this way can the purpose of reducing the sentence be achieved.

(End of this chapter)