Chapter 99

Prince Zhao Xiaojun was also considered a capable person. A case that should have been reviewed long ago was dragged out for ** days by him, with all sorts of excuses. At first, it was a cold, then a sprained ankle, and recently, he even claimed he had diarrhea and couldn't leave the toilet. The latest and most complete novels.

The people were so angry with Prince Zhao Xiaojun that they gnashed their teeth, but Cai Jing, Liang Shicheng, and others were overjoyed. The longer the case was delayed, the better. They hoped Prince Zhao Xiaojun could drag it on for decades, dragging Xie Kuang straight to hell. However, Zhao Yougong, that good-for-nothing, probably didn't have that much ability.

At Liang's residence, Liang Shicheng walked back and forth with his hands behind his back. He was always a bit uneasy. Although Gao Qiu had already warned Xie Kuang and controlled his family, could anything unexpected happen? What if Xie Kuang, in a moment of confusion, risked his entire family to reveal the truth? That would be disastrous.

After thinking for a while, Liang Shicheng called a servant and whispered a few words in his ear.

In November, it was already very cold. Zhao Yougong was hiding in his room by the fire, while Lady Zhu glared at him, but it had no effect.

"Your Highness, how can you keep delaying like this?"

"Then what do you want me to do? What if that Xie Kuang starts barking like a mad dog and implicates Chancellor Cai, Grand Marshal Gao, and others? What should I do then? At that point, not only will I not be able to arrest anyone, I might lose my position as Prefect!"

"You..." Lady Zhu was very angry. She couldn't understand what Zhao Yougong was up to. Was he really afraid of implicating Cai Jing and others?

At Cai's residence, Cai Jing was leisurely drinking tea, watching several young dancers perform. A knock on the door, and the steward Cai Fu whispered, "Chancellor, Liang Taidian has sent someone!"

Cai Jing frowned slightly, raised his hand, and the dancers bowed and left. "Bring him in!"

Soon, a gray-robed eunuch bowed in. Seeing no one else around, he took out a letter from his sleeve. "Chancellor, this is the letter Liang Taidian asked me to bring!"

"Hmm, hand it over!"

After reading the letter, Cai Jing chuckled. "Liang Shoudao is too worried. Alright, you can go back and tell him I have everything under control, there won't be any problems!"

"Alright, I'll take my leave!"

As soon as the eunuch left, Cai Jing asked, "How is the situation at the Prefecture?"

"Chancellor, there's no movement at the Prefecture. Prince Yongning hasn't gone to the court to review the case yet. I heard he's had some stomach issues recently!"

"Stomach issues? Ha, it's quite a challenge for our little prince to come up with this reason! Cai Fu, you go to Prince Chu's residence tomorrow and bring him some medicine. Sigh, Xie Kuang is indeed a problem!"

"I understand!" How could Cai Fu not understand? Saying he was bringing medicine was just a cover. It seemed Liang Shicheng was a bit worried.

The next day, Zhao Yougong was still thinking of reasons to delay when he heard the steward from the Chancellor's residence had arrived. This gave Prince Zhao Xiaojun a shock. Could it be that Cai Jing couldn't hold back and was forcing him to kill someone?

As expected, the steward Cai Fu arrived, left a bottle of **, and left. Holding the bottle, Zhao Yougong felt a mix of emotions. How could Cai Jing's thoughts be the same as his? Both were using drugs, one to save a life, the other to take one. While he was studying the bottle, Lady Zhu came out from behind the door, snatched the bottle, and pouted, "Your Highness, are you really going to poison Xie Kuang?"

"What else can I do? If I don't poison him, Chancellor Cai will poison me. Stop making a fuss and give me the bottle back!"

"No, we must interrogate him first!" Lady Zhu knew she couldn't save Xie Kuang, but she had to know the truth. Otherwise, his death would be meaningless.

"Lady, why are you so persistent? Does it really matter whether we interrogate Xie Kuang or not? It's clear this case involves many people!"

"That's not acceptable. I won't let Xie Kuang die in vain!"

"Fine, do as you wish. If you want to interrogate him, go ahead!"

In fact, Zhao Yougong also wanted to know the truth. Letting Lady Zhu handle it might buy more time.

Seeing Zhao Yougong's tone, Lady Zhu narrowed her eyes, put the bottle on the table, and whispered, "Your Highness, I will stay at the Prefecture for a few days. No matter what, Xie Kuang cannot die without the truth!"

"Don't tell me, I'm deaf, I didn't hear anything!" Prince Zhao Xiaojun took the bottle and grumbled as he went into the inner room. Lady Zhu's lips curved into a meaningful smile. This prince was really good at pretending.

At the Prefecture's prison, Xie Kuang had been detained for ten days. He had food and drink, so he was relatively comfortable. What surprised him was that no one had interrogated him. He guessed the little prince was too timid to review the case. After all, no one knew how deep this case went, and one misstep could drown him.

The prison door opened, and a guard shouted. In the dim light, he saw Lady Zhu.

This time, Lady Zhu dismissed everyone and sat in front of the cell. She looked calmly at the silent Xie Kuang.

"Xie Doutu, I won't lie to you. Just now, the prince received a bottle of **. You know who it's for, right?"

"Of course. When I came to the Prefecture, I expected this. Since you follow the prince, you should know this. Why do you keep coming to see me?"

Xie Kuang was very calm, or perhaps he had already put life and death out of his mind. Death was inevitable for him; it was just a matter of how he would die.

"Xie Doutu, I know you're not afraid of death, or perhaps you have your reasons. But I want the truth. You can rest assured, whatever you say, it will end with me."

"Don't say more. You mean well, but some things can't be stopped!"

The prison was cold, and when Xie Kuang stopped talking, Lady Zhu felt a chill, a chill that came from within. What could make Xie Kuang so cold?

With her hands on her knees, Lady Zhu's face was calm, her eyes full of sorrow.

"Xie Doutu, you're afraid, and I'm afraid too. But some things must leave a trace. If Sima Qian hadn't bled in prison, how could the 'Records of the Grand Historian' have been passed down? Maybe some things can't be changed now, but what about ten years, or twenty years from now?"

Her voice was soft, and Xie Kuang closed his eyes in pain. Could Lady Zhu be trusted?

He had a burden, a burden that weighed heavily on him. If he could shed this burden before he died, wouldn't that be a relief?

Lady Zhu left the prison again. She wasn't in a hurry. As long as Xie Kuang hesitated, she still had a chance.

The first day passed quickly, and the second day was no different...

On the fourth day, Lady Zhu returned to the prison. This time, she brought some paper and ink. In the dim light, Xie Kuang was kneeling on the ground, writing something.

No one knew what was written on those few sheets of paper.

After leaving the Prefecture, Lady Zhu found a secluded spot and quietly read Xie Kuang's manuscript. The paper was filled with hundreds of words, each one piercing.

In the third year of Zhenghe, Xue Qingxun bribed Gao Qiu and was responsible for selling the artifacts made by the Imperial Guard. In the fifth year of Zhenghe, for personal gain, Liang Shicheng handed over the military rations to Xue's business. They used their positions to provide inferior grain. In the same year, Xue Qingxun supplied medicine, and Xue's business monopolized the military's medicine supply. That year, many soldiers died from illness. The medicine Xue's business provided was mixed with fake and real drugs. Because of this, Xie Kuang and other righteous soldiers petitioned the Grand Marshal's office, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea.

In the seventh year of Zhenghe, more and more soldiers died, while the officials in the Grand Marshal's office grew richer. At this point, Xie Kuang, who led the petition, could no longer bear it. One day, he gathered some like-minded people and formed the "Yun Society." The main goal of the Yun Society was to disrupt the existing official-business system, and Xue Qingxun became their primary target.

In the eighth year of Zhenghe, after much planning, the assassination was carried out. They switched the coffin and buried it with the dead, thinking they could deceive everyone. However, they encountered the clever Lady Zhu.

After reading the manuscript, Lady Zhu felt some regret. Because of her, how many righteous people would die? Now, even Xie Kuang couldn't be saved.

While Lady Zhu was blaming herself, the steward who hadn't been to the Prefecture for half a month suddenly arrived at the prison. Faced with the bottle of **, Xie Kuang hesitated not at all.

A cup of wine, full of **, the setting sun like blood, the cold winter wind like a knife.

As life drained away, when death came, Xie Kuang was afraid, and he cried.

"Great Song... Heaven... Use my blood to cleanse the court... Great Song..."

A cry, painful and desperate, Xie Kuang knelt on the ground, facing north.

A loyal and brave man died tragically, while in the northern palace, the music and dancing continued, light and carefree!

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