Tiger Owl

Chapter 193 Seeking the Truth
The following morning, Lu Su found Gan Ning again, and Jiang Wan was also there this time.

“A major incident has occurred in Jiangdong. The Wuhou Palace has been embroiled in a witchcraft scandal. Bu Lianshi was banished to the cold palace and committed suicide that very night out of fear of punishment. Bu Zhi was also implicated and demoted to the position of county magistrate of Lingyang County.”

Gan Ning felt a real sense of regret. He had met Bu Lianshi, and it was such a pity that such a beautiful woman had died.

Jiang Wan said calmly, "I'm afraid things aren't that simple!"

Lu Su nodded. "It is indeed not simple, but it is not complicated either. It can be explained in one sentence: Sun Quan is eliminating Sun Ben's cronies."

Gan Ning laughed and said, "Just as I expected, let's talk about the details!"

"Bu Zhi was ranked first on Sun Ben's list of henchmen, but he had a high reputation in Jiangdong and was not easy to take down directly. So Sun Quan used a roundabout method to target Bu Lianshi, which led to the witchcraft incident. Bu Lianshi was accused of committing suicide out of fear of punishment, and Bu Zhi was unable to recover."

Sun Quan also wanted Bu Zhi to die in an accident, but Bu Zhi, unwilling to be persecuted, escaped from Jiangdong. This is all Bu Zhi's own account, which I believe to be highly credible. Of course, I will still have the officials stationed in Jiangdong verify this matter.

"What is Bu Zhi's attitude? Is Chaisang his midway point or his final destination?" Gan Ning pointed out the key point.

"He is willing to serve the general!"

Gan Ning nodded. “Last night I was thinking about how to arrange Bu Zhi. Then I thought about the difference between political affairs and practical affairs. One is to formulate rules, and the other is to implement rules. I think we should set up six departments under the Chief Secretary to be responsible for formulating systems and rules, and set up various offices under the Sima to be responsible for implementing rules and handling various practical affairs. This way we can separate the real from the virtual.”

Lu Su smiled and said, "So, General, you want Bu Zhi to take on the position of Sima?"

Gan Ning smiled at Jiang Wan and said, "Gongyan, you should choose first! Do you want to be the Chief Clerk or the Military Advisor?"

Jiang Wan smiled slightly and said, "I'll remain the Chief Secretary!"

Gan Ning nodded and said to Lu Su, "I'll have a good talk with Bu Zhi this afternoon!"

In the afternoon, Gan Ning met with Bu Zhi, and the two had a very pleasant conversation. Gan Ning immediately appointed Bu Zhi as the Sima of the General's Office.

Bu Zhi then proposed that he wanted to conduct on-site investigations in the field for two months before officially taking office.

Gan Ning could understand Bu Zhi's predicament. Taking office in Chaisang right after leaving Jiangdong would attract a lot of criticism. Taking office after a two-month cooling-off period would avoid so much trouble.

Gan Ning readily agreed and immediately appointed Bu Zhi as the inspector to conduct on-site investigations in various places.

.........

As night fell, Gan Ning paced back and forth in his study, contemplating the matter of Bu Zhi.

At this moment, the door opened, and Da Qiao came in carrying a cup of tea. During this period, Xu Wei had been serving Gan Ning, but Da Qiao would occasionally come to Gan Ning's study.

Da Qiao's pregnancy was already showing; her belly was slightly protruding. However, she was in good spirits and her face was radiant. But she was also very careful, fearing that any mishap might affect the fetus.

Although Gan Ning still shared a room with Da Qiao, the two no longer slept in the same bed. Gan Ning was also worried that he might accidentally press on the child in Da Qiao's womb, so he put a soft couch in the room and slept on the soft couch at night.

Da Qiao placed the ginseng tea on the table and said with a smile, "I was thinking that my husband can sleep in the study now. It's too unfair for him to sleep on the floor."

Gan Ning thought about it and agreed. His wife needed to get up at night and needed someone to take care of her. He slept in the room and the maid couldn't come in. He was a heavy sleeper, so his wife had to get up by herself. The room was dark at night, and what if she fell?
Gan Ning nodded. "Let your two personal maids sleep in your room! Let them take care of you, with one of them keeping watch for half the night. I will double their treatment."

Da Qiao quickly explained, "My husband, I didn't mean to look down on you."

Before she could finish speaking, Gan Ning gently put his arm around her and said with a smile, "I'm relieved that someone will take care of you when you get up at night. You don't need to worry about me. I even sleep on the grass when I'm on the march!"

Da Qiao had her reasons for letting her husband sleep in the study; she wanted to create opportunities for Xu Wei.

At this moment, Da Qiao saw the words "Bu Zhi appointed as Sima" written on the desk. She was a little curious and asked, "Is this Bu Zhi Bu Lianshi's uncle?"

"Yes, he was persecuted by Lord Wu and came to seek refuge with me."

"What about Bu Lianshi?" Da Qiao asked anxiously.

She and Bu Lianshi had a long heart-to-heart talk, and the two women liked each other very much, sharing a mutual appreciation.

Gan Ning sighed softly, "Bu Lianshi was framed and has passed away with resentment." "Ah!" Da Qiao covered her mouth, her eyes filled with grief, "How could Bu Lianshi..."

Gan Ning quickly comforted her, saying, "Don't be too sad. It will hurt your health and affect the baby. Everyone has their own destiny. Heaven arranges everything. Don't be too sad."

“Bu Lianshi is so kind, who would have the heart to harm her? It must be Xu Fen, there can be no one else but her.”

Gan Ning also knew that Xu Fen was Sun Quan's legal wife, and that she was said to be a jealous woman who had bullied Xu Wei since childhood, taking all the good things away from him, leaving Xu Wei with only the things she didn't want.

Why Xu Fen?

“Bu Lianshi once told me that if she were ever framed, it would definitely be by Xu Fen, because she knew the truth perfectly.”

Gan Ning pondered for a long time, then opened the door and said to Sang Zhi, who was hiding in the darkness, "Go and invite Miss Xu here!"

Sangzhi disappeared in a flash, and soon Xu Wei rushed over. She thought Gan Lang wanted to brew tea himself, but she was surprised to find her elder sister there as well.

Da Qiao laughed and said, "Yun Qing, you're still awake!"

"No! I'm still reading."

Gan Ning went straight to the point: "You're familiar with Bu Lianshi, aren't you?"

Xu Wei thought for a moment and said, "I've met her, but we're not very familiar. She's a few years older than me. Every time I go to Wuhou Palace, I look for Shangxiang."

"She passed away. Are you very sad?"

"It's such a pity that Sister Bu is dead!"

Judging from Xu Wei's expression, she felt some regret, but not grief, indicating that their relationship was indeed just so-so.

"Has Xu Fen ever been exposed to witchcraft?" Gan Ning asked again.

Xu Wei was taken aback. "Gan Lang, why are you asking this question?"

Gan Ning thought for a moment, then frankly told her, "Bu Lianshi was framed for using witchcraft, and I want to know the truth."

Xu Wei lowered his head and recalled for a moment, then said, "My grandmother was a big believer in witchcraft. Our family often held various witchcraft activities, and we were all exposed to them, but I didn't like them. I preferred Taoist arts."

Gan Ning then asked, "Did your grandmother know any powerful sorcerers?"

"Of course there is. There is a witch named Zhuang Xiaoshi who often comes to see my grandmother."

"Zhuang Xiaoshi?"

“Yes! She is a witch from Taihu Lake in Wu County. She is about the same age as my grandmother. She was a frequent visitor to the Xu family when I was very young, and we didn’t even need to announce ourselves.”

Gan Ning roughly understood who the real mastermind behind the witchcraft incident was; Sun Quan had merely used it as a pretext.

"I understand, you can go and get some rest!"

Xu Wei bowed to Gan Ning and Da Qiao and then withdrew. As he reached the door, Da Qiao smiled and said, "Yun Qing, don't forget to fetch hot water for your husband to wash his feet!"

Xu Wei blushed, "I understand!"

She left in a hurry, and Gan Ning asked with a smile, "What do you mean by having her wash my feet?"

“I know that many women in this mansion want to wash your feet, so I cannot give them any chance.”

After saying that, Da Qiao smiled sweetly at her husband and went back to her room.

(End of this chapter)