Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 694: Tricks and Tricks
A light carriage with four horses and more than a hundred cavalrymen arrived at the foot of Dingjun Mountain.

Relying on this garrison, the small town at the foot of the mountain is very prosperous.

Merchants, soldiers, wanderers, backpackers, porters, and horse dealers were everywhere.

However, commercially, the development here is rather distorted.

There were no places like money houses, banks, hair salons, or rouge shops.

However, restaurants, teahouses, brothels, and even gambling houses that would never be seen openly in Lin'an City all hung banners blatantly.

The shouting of gamblers and the flirtatious glances of prostitutes along the street presented a deformed prosperity woven from desire and barbarism.

At the foot of Dingjun Mountain, the garrison had already sent people to welcome the imperial envoy to the mountain.

However, the generals did not come to greet him from afar, which was in sharp contrast to Yang Zheng's lowering of ranks to greet him, and also revealed the subtle mentality of the generals stationed in Dingjun Mountain.

When Chen Zhuoguang saw this, he felt unhappy.

So what even if Qiu Pi'er was really killed by General Yang?

You are all General Yang's soldiers. Who are you trying to show your disrespect to?
It seems that these arrogant and brave generals have long been disrespectful to the general.

From this perspective, it is understandable that the general wants to deal with them.

However, he did not think that in the eyes of the Song Dynasty court, the three commanders of the Western Army were as arrogant as the generals of Dingjun Mountain.

Chen Zhuoguang glanced at Yang Yuan secretly, thinking that Yang Yuan would be furious.

After all, Yang Yuan, who had become a high-ranking official at such a young age, should have been proud and arrogant and would not tolerate being looked down upon.

But at first glance, Yang Yuan seemed calm and composed.

Chen Zhuoguang was slightly surprised, and then he secretly admired him. No wonder this man became an official in a purple robe at such a young age. His character is truly unmatched.

Yang Yuan really didn't care whether the generals at Dingjun Mountain came to welcome him in person or performed the ceremony with great respect.

It was just a trivial matter. What he really cared about was the military and national affairs and long-term strategies of the Song Dynasty.

He came here not to continue his role in Lin'an, acting as a great official who could solve cases like a god, but to make good use of Qiu Pi'er's death to destroy Yang Zheng's plan to get close to the Lixi Wu family.

How could he take the slight cold treatment from the generals at Dingjun Mountain to heart?

It was not until we passed through the military gates guarded by officers and soldiers and arrived at the garrison camp that we saw the generals standing solemnly outside the gates.

Yang Yuan and Chen Zhuoguang got out of the car one after another. Yang Shou, wearing a helmet and armor, followed closely beside Yang Yuan, looking left and right with a sharp gaze.

Because of his low IQ, and the fact that Yang Zheng loved and doted on his grandson, he was never willing to ask him to do anything.

Little did people know that although Yang Shou had a limited IQ, he could still sense other people's attitudes towards him.

He knew that people thought he was stupid and didn't want him to do anything, also because he was stupid.

Yang Shou was particularly happy that Yang Yuan made him the captain of his personal guards. He felt that he was also useful.

Therefore, he must do a good job as the captain of the guards and must not mess up the job, otherwise it will really prove that he is stupid.

As soon as Yang Yuan and Chen Zhuoguang got off the car, the generals stationed at Dingjun Mountain came forward.

Among the generals, there was a beautiful woman.

The beautiful woman was wearing a plain green jacket and a mourning sash tied around her slender waist.

A long white jade hairpin was inserted in her shiny black peony bun, and a mourning belt was tied on her forehead.

Because she was in mourning, she did not wear any jewelry or flowers, nor did she put on any makeup.

Her fair face was rosy and white, and although she was already a woman in her thirties and her skin was not as tight as that of a young girl, she had a kind of relaxed and charming grace.

Chen Zhuoguang took a step forward and whispered hurriedly, "She is Qiu Pi'er's widow, Madam Xu."

Yang Yuan listened but did not say anything. He took two more steps forward. Madam Xu looked at Yang Yuan with a sad face and then bowed down.

"Widow Xu greets General Yang."

"Madam, please get up quickly."

Yang Yuan gave him a hand and said softly, "General Qiu has unfortunately passed away. This is also a great misfortune for the country. Madam, please accept my condolences."

Xu's eyes moistened, and she said quietly, "My husband has met with misfortune. I hope the commander-in-chief will do justice for our Qiu family."

"Mom, my father is dead. He is forgotten. They are protecting each other. How can they be willing to do justice for my father? Why are you worshipping him?"

Following the sound, a young man in full mourning clothes came over angrily.

He glared at Yang Yuan with hatred and shouted, "Mother, this imperial envoy is the cousin of Commandant Yang. How can you expect him to uphold justice?"

Chen Zhuoguang's face darkened, and he said grimly, "Qiu Dingjun, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to say that General Qiu's death has something to do with the Grand Commandant?"

Qiu Dingjun, the eldest son of Qiu Pier, sneered and said, "I don't know, but rumors are spreading everywhere, and as a son, I can't just pretend not to hear them, right?

Why did the court send someone? It's because they don't trust the Taiwei to investigate. The person sent by the court is Taiwei Yang's cousin. How can I trust him to do justice for my father? "

"You are so brave! Take him down for me."

"Take it, take it. Isn't killing me just what you want?"

The generals of Dingjun Mountain rushed forward quickly. One of them stopped in front of Qiu Dingjun and said to Yang Yuan with a smile: "General Qiu died suddenly and strangely. Mr. Qiu was sad about his father's death and was a little emotional. Please don't blame me, General."

Several other generals also stopped in front and spoke in unison to explain for Qiu Dingjun, the eldest son of the Qiu family.

But it was obvious that the conflict was between Chen Zhuoguang and Qiu Dingjun, but they did not mention Chen Zhuoguang at all, as if they did not even see him.

Yang Yuan snorted in his heart. Madam Xu played the pitiful role, Master Qiu played the ignorant role, and the other generals were responsible for controlling the heat...

Because of Qiu Dingjun's bizarre death, the generals in Dingjun Mountain indeed lost their trust in General Yang.

Yang Yuan cleared his throat and said sternly, "Mr. Qiu, I am indeed the cousin of General Yang, but I am also a minister of the Song Dynasty.

Today, Yang has come here on the orders of the emperor to investigate the case of General Qiu. Naturally, I must make a fair judgment! The truth of the matter must be proven with solid evidence, and the case can only be closed after people are convinced. You don't need to worry about it."

Qiu Dingjun was a 19-year-old young man, but Xu must have given birth to him at a very young age. She was only in her early thirties at this time. With good maintenance, she looked like Qiu Dingjun's older sister.

After hearing what Yang Yuan said, Xu wiped the tears from her cheek with her sleeves, and bowed again: "I beg you, Marshal, to do justice for my general."

This time, she knelt down on both knees and bowed deeply.

The generals all knelt on one knee, clasped their fists in a military salute, and said in unison: "Please ask General Yang to do justice for our general."

Only Qiu Dingjun, who was responsible for playing the villain, was still standing there straight, with a look of grief and indignation on his face.

Yang Yuan and Chen Zhuoguang exchanged glances quickly, took two steps forward, held their hands together, and said loudly: "Yang will investigate this case thoroughly, and will never cover up anyone no matter who is involved. Everyone, please stand up quickly."

After the incident at the camp gate, the general who had first stopped him said hurriedly, "Marshal Yang, please come in. Let's talk in the camp."

This man has a fair complexion and looks like a Confucian general. He is dressed in a military uniform and exudes a bit of toughness. He is He Jinxun, the commander of the army in Dingjun Mountain, Qiu Pier's right-hand man and sworn brother.

Chen Zhuoguang was completely ignored, but he could do nothing about it. He followed Yang Yuan into the camp and arrived at Qiu Pi'er's mansion.

His mansion also has the model of front office and back house. The front is where Qiu Pier is in charge of military affairs, and the back house is where his family lives.

The generals welcomed Yang Yuan into the mansion, and the two chairs at the top were divided into host and guest seats. Madam Xu asked Yang Yuan to sit in the guest seat, and she sat in the host seat to accompany him.

A group of generals sat on the left and right chairs. Madam Xu said in a quiet voice, "Because my general's death was strange, it has been nearly two months since the incident, and the coffin has not been buried yet.

"General Fu has come here from a long and arduous journey, and we should treat him with great hospitality. However, since the general's funeral has not yet been arranged, it is not appropriate to have a big celebration. I will only prepare a little wine in the second hall to entertain him. I hope you will not mind."

"Yang and Secretary Chen came here to investigate the case and make it known to the world. There was no need to do this. I just wonder if the place where the general was born is still preserved?"

Madam Xu nodded faintly: "The place where the incident occurred was immediately sealed after the incident, and no one has opened it since then."

"Very good!"

Yang Yuan was delighted when he heard this. Although he wanted to make use of this incident, he still had to investigate the case.

If there is nothing to check, it will be difficult for him to write an article.

Yang Yuan then said, "In that case, could you please take me to see what's going on?"

Upon hearing this, He Jinxun hurriedly said, "General Fu has come from afar, and it is already time for dinner. How can we not prepare simple food? The case must be investigated, but there is no time to waste. General Fu should have his meal first, and then ask my sister-in-law to explain what happened."

"This...is fine."

Yang Yuan agreed, and Mrs. Xu stood up and led Yang Yuan to the second hall.

There were indeed wine and dishes prepared in the second hall. Although it was simple, it was actually very rich. It was just that everyone was reluctant to clink glasses and urge each other to drink, so the process was a little deserted.

Since Mrs. Xu was the first to discover Qiu Pi'er's death, she did not avoid it and had lunch with Yang Yuan. During the meal, she told Yang Yuan how she discovered her husband's death.

Mrs. Xu said that when she saw her husband had not returned home for a long time, she went to the study to check on him. When she got there, she found her husband slumped over the desk, seemingly overworked and already asleep. She went forward to wake him up and asked him to go to the bedroom to rest.

As a result, with a push, Qiu Pier fell to the ground, and she realized that he had already died. She was so panicked that she shouted and called Han Jinxun and other generals.

Han Jinxun added solemnly, "My eldest brother had no injuries and his face looked normal, as if he had died of a sudden illness. However, after our careful examination..."

Commander Han raised his hand and touched the back of his head, and said in a deep voice: "Brother Qiu was hit hard on the back of his head with a crane beak technique, causing him to die on the spot. The bones on the back of Brother Qiu's head have been broken."

Chen Zhuoguang was horrified when he heard this and said angrily, "Didn't the news you reported to the Taiwei say that he had no injuries, no poison in his body, and died suddenly, with an unknown cause of death?"

Han Jinxun said calmly: "Brother Qiu was murdered without anyone noticing, and he did not put up any resistance. He was able to allow someone to walk up behind him without arousing suspicion. It must have been someone he knew.

How can we dare to disclose the real cause of his death before the imperial court sends a commissioner to investigate the case?"

Chen Zhuoguang said coldly: "Qiu Pi'er was killed in his own study in the backyard. If it was someone he knew, it should be someone close to him. Why would the commander suspect him?"

Madam Xu said quietly, "The reason why the general did not return home that night was because he suddenly received a secret letter sent by the Grand Commandant."

Yang Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Where is the secret letter?"

Madam Xu's eyes flickered slightly, and she said in a sad voice, "The strange thing is that the general died suddenly on the spot, but the secret letter disappeared without a trace."

When Chen Zhuoguang heard this, his face looked extremely ugly.

As Yang Zheng's confidant, he certainly knew that the commander had indeed written a secret letter to Qiu Pi'er, and that letter was written by him.

The letter was to persuade Qiu Pi'er to accept the arrangement and surrender to Wu's army.

Therefore, this letter should not be seen by Yang Yuan, the imperial envoy, even though Yang Yuan became the cousin of General Yang.

However, the letter disappeared, and although he was relieved, he also felt it was even more difficult to justify himself.

Yang Yuan had already eaten and drunk his fill, so he asked to go and see the scene.

So, Mrs. Xu took Yang Yuan and Chen Zhuoguang to the back house accompanied by the generals.

The study room where the accident happened had its doors and windows sealed with wooden boards after the incident. At this time, the wooden boards nailed to the door were removed in front of Yang Yuan and the door was opened.

Everything in the study remains the same as it was back then, except that there is now a thin layer of dust on the tables and chairs.

The flowers in the vase have withered, the opened teacup on the table has dried up into a layer of tea stains, and next to the table, there is an overturned chair.

Presumably, Qiu Pi'er was sitting on this seat at the beginning, and was pushed by Mrs. Xu and fell to the ground.

Yang Yuan silently observed the scene in the study, then slowly walked in.

Witnessing this scene, Mrs. Xu seemed to recall the moment when her husband died. She couldn't help but well up in tears and hesitated to step in.

Han Jinxun called out "Sister-in-law" in a low voice, and she cheered up, took a deep breath, and slowly walked into the door.

Chen Zhuoguang was still ignored and excluded, but he didn't get angry. When he followed everyone into the study, he raised his hand and adjusted his sleeve.

With just such an unintentional movement, a letter in his sleeve quickly slipped into a large floor-standing vase.

(End of this chapter)