Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 28 Case closed
In an open area two miles away from the swamp, two hundred armored soldiers were guarding a man riding a tall and handsome horse. He was the ceremonial guard of Wei Xie, the third prince of Rui State.

The current Emperor Rui is determined to unify Zhongzhou. He once said, "How can we worry about future affairs when the great cause has not yet been established?" He has never appointed a crown prince. Therefore, the princes are willing to serve the country, keep retainers, make friends with civil and military officials, and are privately addressed as "Your Highness".

Among all the princes, Wei Xie was taken care of by Lu Yanning's mother, Princess Kangning, when he was a child. He had the closest relationship with Lu Yanning and they could be considered to have grown up together.

Lu Yanning told Wei Xie the results of the search in detail, and then came out of the escort team, only to see Gu Jingnian sitting in a daze in the distance.

"You've come just in time. The Third Prince just said he wanted to meet you." Lu Yanning said, "He is my cousin and you are my brother-in-law. There's no need to be restrained."

Gu Jingnian said: "Please tell my brother-in-law that I was frightened and disappeared."

Lu Yanning was helpless. He knew that his wife's brother had a secret and didn't like to see outsiders, so he stopped trying to persuade him.

"Okay, I told the Third Prince that I discovered the incident at Wanchun Palace when I was on guard, so I came to inquire about it. You and Pei Nian came to find me." Lu Yanning smiled and said, "Anyway, I took the credit for you. Can you blame me?"

"Thank you, brother-in-law."

Gu Jingnian wished to have as little involvement with these things as possible.

He looked up at the sky, but saw no birds. He whispered, "That body is fake. The dead person is a scapegoat. I'm not sure if the man in white is Liu Heng, but he must be alive."

Lu Yanning frowned, but was not surprised. He patted Gu Jingnian's shoulder with his big hand and sighed.

"So, you don't want to close the case?"

"My concern is that this person is dangerous."

"That's a later story. Since he's alive, I'll kill him." Lu Yanning said, "But the most important thing right now is that we have to close the case."

Gu Jingnian already understood what this meant. What he wanted was for Lu Yanning to point it out in person so that he could use this sentence to test the waters.

"Does my brother-in-law think that my father is in cahoots with him?"

Hearing this, Lu Yanning was silent for a long time before saying, "I don't know."

The fact that he did not deny it immediately showed a certain attitude.

Gu Jingnian asked, "Does my brother-in-law have any doubts?"

"Your Majesty, in line with the will of the previous emperor, banned all alien species to ensure the safety of the people. Therefore, there are no alien species among the people of Dayui. The Shi people and Fei people seen this time are unique to the army of Marquis Wuding. The Yu people can only come from the captives of the State of Yue back then, and the Kui and Fu Wei are from the State of Yong. If it is said that there was no help from my father-in-law, I really don't know how Liu Heng could have done this. In addition, Cui Hao and my father-in-law were once under the command of Marquis Wuding, and they had a good relationship."

"So, did my brother-in-law ever doubt Marquis Wu Ding?"

Lu Yanning shook his head and said, "Marquis Wu Ding has long since retired to recuperate. He has not been concerned with worldly affairs, and has never fought against the Yong Kingdom. After the Western Suburbs Incident, some censors also questioned him, and Your Majesty personally vouched for him in front of all the officials."

"That would prove his innocence?"

"Your Majesty never misses."

Gu Jingnian didn't quite accept this reason, but he didn't dwell on it. Wu Dinghou and Gu Beiming had a close personal relationship, and if Wu Dinghou was involved, then Gu Beiming would be more suspicious.

Lu Yanning frowned, looking very tired. He spoke again in a relaxed tone, "Let's close the case. You and I want to protect the Gu family. This is the best outcome."

"it is good."

"Go back, your sister is worried about you."

--------

A night passed and the morning light shone through the shade of the trees.

The mountain stream gurgled, and suddenly there were a few bird calls.

Master Ma, who was hiding in the cave and peeking out, was startled and shrank back instantly.

After a long while, when the sound of birdsong gradually faded away, he dared to stick his head out again, only to see a team of officers searching this side, getting closer and closer.

Master Ma was feeling worried when he suddenly heard someone shouting in the distance.

"You guys, come here!"

That was Huang Hu's voice, rude yet a bit domineering.

"I have already searched that place. Come with me to Wanchun Palace again!"

"Yes."

After the officers left, Master Ma breathed a sigh of relief and went back into the depths of the cave.

Under the soft light of the night pearl, Yingyao's little face looked paler and weaker, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

After sitting for a while, the girl's eyelashes moved slightly and she opened her eyes.

"Awake?" Master Ma said, "The root of your illness has been cured. Just rest for a while and you will be better. From now on, you can fly kites, play football, and go boating."

"gentlemen."

Although Yingyao only called out two words, they were full of gratitude and closeness.

Master Ma heard this and felt happy in his heart. He felt that all the hard work was worth it and replied with a smile: "I'm here."

"Where is the benefactor?"

Ying Yao looked around the small stone chamber, but didn't see Gu Jingnian. Her eyes then fell on the small entrance and refused to move away.

Master Ma said: "He has returned home. He has his own home too."

Ying Yao's eyes immediately showed anxiety and loss.

She lay there for a long time, and suddenly murmured something in a dazed tone.

"I really want to see my benefactor. I feel so sad when I can't see him."

Master Ma was stunned for a moment before he figured out what was going on. He said helplessly, "Don't worry, when you recover, we will go see our benefactor."

"Really?"

Surprise blossomed in those lost eyes.

"Of course it's true." Master Ma groaned in his heart, but he still kept a stiff smile on his face. Faintly, the sound of birds chirping could be heard again outside.

Master Ma stood up, moved a small stool, stepped on it and covered the night pearl.

After curing the little girl, his long-cherished wish was fulfilled, but he also had new worries. This time he had stolen the snake's heart, and he was afraid that he would not stop until she died. He had committed a great sin, and it was unlikely that he would be able to protect her for the rest of her life.

Then, thinking of what Gu Jingnian had asked him to do before he left, he thought about it and decided that he should go back to Jing to get it done and create a good relationship with the little girl.

--------

Beijing.

The setting sun shines on the Gu sculpture carved on the eaves, as if it is about to swoop down at any time.

Inside the investigation court, Huang Hu stood lazily leaning against a pillar under the corridor, holding a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth, bragging to his colleagues in his usual arrogant tone.

"A puff of smoke came out, making me dizzy. When I woke up, I forcibly pulled the cage open with my hands, letting Jishi and Lao You escape first. I covered their way and rolled down the mountain. I can't tell you what happened next, it's all confidential... Were you injured? Of course I was injured, but that guy, Dr. Su cured him. His medical skills are amazing!"

As he spoke, Huang Hu glanced towards the government office several times, seemingly inadvertently.

Pei Nian had taken Gu Jingnian in for an entire afternoon, saying that he was there to record his confession and complete the case file, but somehow it took so long.

Huang Hu was getting a little anxious waiting. He always felt uneasy until he saw Gu Jingnian and made sure that he was safe and sound. This concern came from his inner instinct, and he could do nothing about it.

Inside the government office, Pei Nian and Gu Jingnian sat opposite each other, listening to him talk about his later experiences.

In the past, when faced with such a major case, Pei Nian would ask her most trusted bookkeeper Ge Qingzhi to record the files, but this time she did not even use Ge Qingzhi, but wrote it herself.

Although she was focused on her future and treated cases without regard for her relatives, she was actually not pedantic. She knew that some things could not be put on paper. For example, the story that the six-headed viper was raised from a yellow tiger's body was changed by her to that the viper was raised from a giant.

Gu Jingnian concealed the relationship between him and Huang Hu, only saying that the two were working together.

"We chased them to the edge of the swamp, but the feathered people had already arrived and recruited Liu Heng and his followers. Huang Hu was no match for them, so he took me and fled. We fled all the way back to the mountains and forests, where we rested for a night, and then you came."

Pei Nian asked, "So Liu Heng cut open the snake's heart?"

"I don't know." Gu Jingnian said, "I didn't see it with my own eyes."

"is it?"

Pei Nian put down the brush in his hand and tapped the file with his fingertips, making a slight "tapping" sound.

She looked at Gu Jingnian with a scrutinizing gaze and suddenly asked, "Why did you hide this for Huang Hu?"

"what?"

Pei Nian asked back: "Huang Hu has told me everything, but you are still playing dumb?"

Gu Jingnian was a little impatient and said, "I don't know what you mean."

"Huang Hu admitted that he ate the heart of a snake." Pei Nian said, "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Really?" Gu Jingnian was very confused and said to himself, "So that's the case... But how could he have a chance? You can arrest him and interrogate him, why ask me?"

Pei Nian was just testing him, but after seeing his reaction, he began to waver in his originally firm guess.

The body of the six-headed viper has been fished out and its heart has been cut out. There are only two possibilities for Liu Heng's death: either there is a mastermind who got the viper's heart and killed him to silence him; or Gu Jingnian and Huang Hu kept it away secretly. Among them, Huang Hu, who has recovered from his serious injuries, is more suspicious.

But although Huang Hu is strong in martial arts, he is not good at this kind of thing, so it is difficult to hide it from Gu Jingnian.

"Huh? Are you cheating me?"

Gu Jingnian saw Pei Nian's eyes and reacted, saying, "Do you suspect that Huang Hu and I secretly hid the Viper Heart? Pei Jishi, do you remember who said that we should 'trust each other'?"

"I'm keeping your secret for you, and you shouldn't hide anything from me."

"Okay, I'll tell you everything I know."

"By the way, where's Master Ma?"

"I never saw him again. Maybe he was burned to death in the valley."

After asking a few more details, Pei Nian still couldn't find any flaws in Gu Jingnian, so he rolled up the file and put it in his arms.

"I will report this to the governor, and I believe this case will be closed soon. Gu Jingnian, you have cleared General Gu of all charges."

Gu Jingnian stood up and said, "Thank you, Pei Jishi as well."

Pei Nian asked, "You didn't seem happy about saving the Gu family?"

"The teacher at the academy taught me not to be surprised by honor or disgrace." Gu Jingnian said, "Can I leave now?"

"See you later."

"It's better that we don't meet again. Just go about your business."

Gu Jingnian pushed the door open and walked out of the office, and immediately saw Huang Hu's eager eyes.

He pretended not to see it and quickly looked away, only to see a handsome young man sitting on a stone bench in the yard, reading a book in his hand.

Wang Qinghe heard the sound of the door being pushed open, turned around and nodded politely.

"Mr. Gu, are you leaving now?"

"Yes."

"I'm just about to go to Gu's house." Wang Qinghe put away the book and stood up, "I'm waiting for Master Gu to go with me."

"No need, so as not to delay Wang Ji's work."

"Why be so polite?" Wang Qinghe said, "I have sent someone to inform your family that it was you who turned the tide, cleared my father's name, and saved my family from collapse. I'm sure they are ready to celebrate your achievement."

Gu Jingnian stopped and asked, "What does Wang Jishi mean?"

"No hurry, let's talk in the car." Wang Qinghe looked friendly, but he didn't give Gu Jingnian any room to refuse, and raised his hand and said, "Please."

(End of this chapter)