Discuss with you

Chapter 273 Hesitating
Once outside the back room, Yan Daoxin immediately put on his usual aloof demeanor and took the lead.

When the guards at the door saw them come out, they hurriedly looked into the house out of curiosity. They saw Jia Jun lying stiffly on the wooden bed, motionless, with no rise or fall in his chest.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like something a living person would look like.

He shrank back, not daring to utter a sound, and silently closed the door again.

The three of them returned to the courtyard, and everyone in the courtyard looked over at them, their faces showing curiosity, anticipation, nervousness, and trepidation.

"Miracle doctor, Jia Jun...?" Zhu Cheng looked behind the three people to make sure he didn't see anyone following them. He thought about it and realized he was overthinking it. Even if Jia Jun could be saved, it was impossible for him to wander back with them in such a short time.

"I have done my best, but unfortunately, it is beyond my control." Yan Daoxin said with a straight face and a very calm expression, as if he himself was not the one who had previously vowed that he could decide whether a person lived or died.

Zhu Cheng was taken aback, but felt that this was somewhat expected. He nodded and said nothing.

Jia Jun's wife was eagerly awaiting good news from Yan Daoxin, but when she heard that the man was truly dead and beyond saving, she let out a wail, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Fortunately, the two children beside her caught her in time, preventing her from falling too badly.

Zhu Yu only noticed now that the Left Chief Secretary had been brought over and was kneeling in the middle of the courtyard, his face deathly pale, looking extremely nervous.

After asking Yan Daoxin, Zhu Cheng looked at Zhu Yu and Lu Qing. He felt that the three of them must have done something that was inconvenient to talk about in front of outsiders, which was related to the coroner's conclusion.

But with so many people around, it's not appropriate to ask, so I can only hold back for now.

Then he looked at the Left Chief Secretary kneeling on the ground: "So you also admit that you did come to the Prefect's house today and met with him?"

"Your Highness, I did visit the official's residence, but I did not meet with him!"
He sent someone to deliver a message to me, saying he had something important to discuss, so I came, but I really didn't see him!

"He invited you here, but you didn't show up?" Zhu Cheng felt that Zuo Changshi's words were rather untenable. "Then let me ask you, did you go into that study just now?"

Chief Secretary Zuo nodded: "Your Highness, I have indeed entered the study of the Supervisor."

Zhu Cheng sneered: "So, you mean that Jia Jun didn't say why he sent someone to invite you over?"

You came here without even asking why, and then you went to the study but didn't see Jia Jun anywhere?"

“That’s right, Your Highness. I’m not lying! I sat in the study for a long time, but no one came. Later, I was too busy with other matters to stay here, so I went back.”

When I went out, I ran into Jia Jun's wife. I told her I had other things to do, and if Jia Jun really had something to do, he should come find me. I didn't have time to waste with him here, and I told him not to play games with me anymore. I didn't have that much time to waste on him!

Jia Jun's wife cried and said, "Your Highness, you must do justice for our family!"

When I returned, I did see Lord Wen, the Left Chief Secretary, rushing out and indeed he said those words to me. But then I went into the study and saw that my husband was already dead!
Lord Wen clearly killed my husband before rushing out!
When they saw me, they said those things just because they thought I was an easy woman to fool and wanted to deceive me!

"You, you, you—how could you be so vicious, you woman! Talking nonsense and framing an innocent person!" Wen Qiming stammered anxiously, his face pale and covered in cold sweat. "Let me ask you, which servant in your household went to deliver Jia Jun's message today to invite the Left Chief Secretary over?" Zhu Cheng asked.

The Jia family servants, who had all been gathered in the courtyard, looked at each other, and not one of them stepped forward to admit what had happened.

"Reporting to Your Highness..." the steward of the Jia family said tremblingly, "I have not seen my master today, nor have I sent anyone to invite the Chief Secretary Zuo to our home."

"Are all the servants here?" Zhu Cheng asked.

The manager quickly agreed.

"Lord Wen, come and see if the person who invited you here today is in here?" Zhu Cheng said to Wen Qiming.

Wen Qiming hurriedly turned his neck, which was stiff from panic, and anxiously began to carefully search among the group of servants.

The Director of the Armory was not a particularly high-ranking official, and he didn't have that many servants at home. Including men, women, and children, there were only about ten or eight people at most, so it didn't take that long to see them all clearly.

Wen Qiming looked the servants over and over again, but still couldn't find the person who was looking for him. He was so anxious that beads of sweat streamed down his temples and stuck his collar to his neck.

"I...I...did the person I went looking for just go out?" he muttered to himself, somewhat lost and flustered. Judging from his tone, he didn't even believe it himself.

Jia Jun's younger brother knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily: "Please, Your Highness, do justice for my brother!"

Lord Wen and my brother have never had any relationship. Why would my brother invite Lord Wen over for no reason?

No one in our household knew who my brother had asked to invite Lord Wen. All we knew was that Lord Wen had come unexpectedly, and upon learning that my brother was in his study, he went straight there, saying that none of us should follow, nor should we send any servants to bring him tea!

"Is this true?" Zhu Cheng looked coldly at Wen Qiming.

“Yes…yes, that’s true…” Wen Qiming trembled as if he had a seizure. “But, I really was invited here by Jia Jun!”
I did tell the servants not to follow, but...but...but that was because...because..."

Wen Qiming stammered for a long time, but refused to say why.

Zhu Yu listened intently for a long time, but still couldn't hear the answer, so she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

It seems that Wen Qiming had his own ulterior motives for coming to the Jia family, whether uninvited or invited.

It was this little secret, which he couldn't tell anyone else, that made him stammer and find it hard to speak.

It's likely that if these words were spoken to Zhu Cheng's face, even if he didn't die, he would be severely punished.