bestfiction Chapters 218 and 219
Chapters 218 and 219
"Are you sure it's Madam He?" Chen Tongyu frowned, his sharp gaze sweeping straight at the trembling maid like a sword.
The maid trembled at his gaze, and hurriedly nodded, "Yes...it is Madam He! I saw it clearly, I have no mistake!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Tongyu's already gloomy face became even more unsightly, as if it could drip water.
Just then, the Chen family's steward hurried forward and whispered a few words in Chen Tongyu's ear.
Chen Tongyu's expression changed drastically in an instant, first with shock, then with barely suppressed rage. He gritted his teeth and forced out a few words: "Bring them here!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than several more guards and maids were brought in. Upon seeing Chen Tongyu, their legs went weak, and they all knelt down with a thud, bursting into tears and begging for mercy, crying, "My lord, spare our lives! My lord, spare our lives!"
These men were the servants who were responsible for guarding the young master's courtyard at the time. When the young master had his accident, none of them were present; they had all disappeared.
Chen Tongyu's eyes widened in anger as he pointed at the kneeling men and shouted, "Where were you when the young master had his accident? Why did you abandon your posts? Speak!"
One of the guards trembled in fright and immediately said, "Sir, we were all originally guarding the young master's courtyard. It was Xiao Lan who brought over some pastries and told us that they were leftovers from the kitchen. She told us to eat them without worry and that we could share in the festive atmosphere of the banquet, so there wouldn't be any problems."
"We saw that she sounded sincere, and the pastries did look very tempting. Plus, we were familiar with Xiaolan, so we figured she wouldn't harm us. We didn't think much of it and just took the pastries and started eating."
"I never expected that I would feel unwell soon after. We were supposed to take turns, but my stomach kept bothering me. I was thinking of waiting for someone else to relieve me, but no one came for a long time. I couldn't hold it in any longer, so I went to take care of my urgent need to pee. And then... I thought that it was just a short walk and it shouldn't be a big deal!"
"The result...the result...we didn't expect that something would happen as soon as we returned to the young master's courtyard. We don't know either, sir. It was Xiao Lan! It must be Xiao Lan! There was something wrong with the pastries that Xiao Lan brought. It was her, she deliberately sent us away, which led to this!" The guard became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice unconsciously rising a few decibels, as if he wanted to prove his innocence and purity.
"You keep saying there's something wrong with the pastries Xiaolan sent, but where is Xiaolan?" Chen Tongyu frowned, staring intently at the guard in front of him, and continued to press for answers.
"Xiao Lan... Xiao Lan..." The guard was somewhat flustered. He raised his hand and glanced around nervously, his eyes darting around, and a layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he still couldn't find Xiao Lan. He stammered, "Sir, Xiao Lan... she's not here."
“Now everyone in the manor has been summoned here. Where else could she go if she’s not here? Could she just disappear into thin air?” Chen Tongyu’s face grew increasingly gloomy, and his tone became increasingly stern.
Just then, the steward, who had been standing to the side, suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Excellency, Xiao Lan has indeed disappeared! I have already sent people to search everywhere, but we have not found any trace of her."
Upon hearing this, Chen Tongyu narrowed his eyes slightly, falling into a brief moment of contemplation. After a while, he asked again, "Have you searched it? Have you thoroughly searched every corner?"
"Reporting to you, sir, we have searched the entire mansion, including the garden, storeroom, woodshed, and even the outhouse, but we still haven't found any trace of Xiaolan," the steward hurriedly and respectfully replied.
Hearing this, Chen Tongyu frowned, pondering to himself: The mansion was immediately sealed off after the incident, and the time between the banquet and the incident, and then the guards saying the pastries were problematic, wasn't long. How could Xiaolan have vanished without a trace in such a short time? There must be something fishy going on. Either she's still hiding in the mansion, or she's already been silenced!
Thinking of this, Chen Tongyu decisively ordered, "Keep searching! Leave no room unsearched, search every corner, even dig three feet into the ground to find Xiaolan! She must still be in the manor!"
"Yes!" The steward immediately accepted the order and led some people down to search for the person.
While everyone waited, Zheng Luoqi, standing to the side, subtly swept his gaze over everyone present. When his eyes landed on Lin Zifeng, Pei Wenyu, and the others, he couldn't help but ponder the ins and outs of the whole affair.
The time between this full moon celebration and now is not long. Pei Wenxuan's death, as Zheng Luoqi predicted, was perfectly timed.
Consort Jiang in the palace had already spread the news that Chen Xianlin would kill her brother at the full moon banquet. Her intention was to make her brother disappear quietly, since it was not uncommon for newborns to die if they were not raised properly. Chen Xianlin had a well-thought-out plan.
But how could Zheng Luoqi let go of such a good opportunity to frame someone? Zheng Luoqi just planned to use this opportunity to frame the Pei family for the death of Young Master Chen, and wanted to directly throw the blame on the Pei family. Pei Wenxuan was the best scapegoat.
If Pei Wenxuan is the first person to discover that Young Master Chen is dead, then she will definitely be implicated. When Pei Wenxuan wants to explain, just kill Pei Wenxuan too, then there will be no way to prove anything.
When Pei Wenyu follows the clues to find out who killed Pei Wenxuan, it won't be hard to discover that Chen Xianlin was involved. How will Pei Wenyu view Chen Xianlin after that? Zheng Luoqi is really looking forward to it.
News has come from the border that General Pei is dying. Quan Yuyuan recently learned of this, but in order to maintain morale, General Pei's subordinates have been on high alert, keeping the news from the soldiers and Pei's family. So far, the only people who know that General Pei is dying are Zheng Luoqi, Quan Yuyuan, Xue Huaiyu, the military doctor, and a few of General Pei's trusted subordinates.
Given the current situation, it's only a matter of time before the Pei family is replaced by the Prince of Huainan. In the end, the Pei and Chen families will become enemies because of Pei Wenxuan, which is the scene Zheng Luoqi likes to see the most.
Besides these two families, there's also the Lin family. Zheng Luoqi discovered that the Lin family was behind the recent targeting of the Yu family.
Thinking of this, Zheng Luoqi couldn't help but sigh. Another fool who didn't know his own death had come knocking on their door. Since the Lin family wanted to die sooner, Zheng Luoqi didn't mind sending them on their way sooner.
Since they've all come to us, let's take them all down at once. Since Chen Xianlin wants her brother to die quietly, Zheng Luoqi will have someone discover it. Zheng Luoqi guesses that Lin Zifeng will definitely make his move on the day of the banquet, so Lin Zifeng is the perfect person to deliver the knife.
So on the day of the banquet, Zheng Luoqi sent someone to keep an eye on Lin Zifeng and found that Lin Zifeng had indeed made a move. The Lin family wanted to bring down the Yu family, starting with Yu Yifei. However, although Yu Yifei usually seemed carefree, he was quite vigilant when it came to serious matters. Knowing that there were some things he didn't understand, he went to inform Zheng Luoqi.
Just as the banquet began, Chen Xianlin's men went to the backyard and started to make a move on the young master Chen. Coincidentally, Lin Zifeng's men discovered the clues.
After learning about the murder of Young Master Chen, Lin Zifeng thought about it and decided to use this incident to shift the blame to Yu Yifei. Yu Yifei was usually very attentive to Lin Qianning, so Lin Zifeng planned to use Lin Qianning's name to invite Yu Yifei out.
Yu Yifei was overjoyed when Lin Qianning asked him out, but upon closer inspection, something seemed off. Lin Qianning usually ignored him, so why would she suddenly ask him out? In addition, he had encountered a lot of unpleasant things recently, which made Yu Yifei very wary. He hurriedly told Zheng Luoqi about it.
Zheng Luoqi turned the tables on Lin Zifeng. Since Lin Zifeng wanted Yu Yifei to be the first person to discover Young Master Chen's death, Zheng Luoqi replaced him with a member of the Pei family.
Even if they investigate who lured Pei Wenxuan there, they'll only find out it was Lin Zifeng.
More importantly, when Pei Wenxuan discovered that Young Master Chen was dead, it alarmed the Chen family, and the Chen family would definitely not let go of the person who first discovered the young master's death.
If Pei Wenxuan were to suddenly die and suffer this injustice in silence, there would be no way to verify the truth.
Now that Pei Wenxuan is dead, it has also caught Pei Wenyu's attention, prompting him to investigate the matter himself. He then discovers that Chen Xianlin was behind his sister's death, and Pei Wenyu may become enemies with Chen Xianlin because of Pei Wenxuan's situation.
With a little manipulation, Pei Wenyu could discover that the person who killed Young Master Chen was Chen Xianlin's man, and that Pei Wenxuan was lured into taking the blame by someone else. The person who lured Pei Wenxuan into taking the blame was Lin Zifeng's man.
Lin Zifeng was completely bewildered, not understanding why things had turned out this way.
This plan, which kills three birds with one stone, is flawless! Just as Zheng Luoqi was observing discreetly from the shadows, the people who went to look for Xiaolan finally returned.
A series of hurried footsteps were heard, and a guard rushed forward to report: "Sir, Xiao Lan has been found, but... she has already committed suicide by jumping into the well!"
Upon hearing this news, Chen Tongyu's expression instantly became even more gloomy and unpredictable, like the oppressive and suffocating sky before a storm.
Chen Tongyu frowned deeply, thinking to himself: Now all the clues have been cut off! He knew that someone was deliberately sabotaging this, but he had no idea who it was.
This feeling of being kept in the dark made Chen Tongyu increasingly anxious. Just as Chen Tongyu was about to make his next move, Zheng Yuxiang arrived with the emperor's edict.
While Chen Tongyu's grief over the loss of his son is understandable, it was truly inappropriate for him to imprison so many ministers in the Chen residence for so long.
Anyway, Zheng Yuxiang didn't like anyone daring to detain his people, especially Zheng Luoqi, who was his daughter. They didn't even know who he was to detain someone so casually. So when he learned that Zheng Luoqi was being held in the Chen residence, Zheng Yuxiang immediately guessed that Zheng Luoqi must have been involved in the death of the young master Chen. He immediately got up to bail her out, because the longer she stayed there, the worse it would be for Zheng Luoqi.
Zheng Yuxiang did not doubt his daughter Zheng Luoqi's abilities. With his understanding and trust in his daughter, he naturally knew that the scheme she had set up was not something that ordinary people could easily see through.
What truly angered and infuriated him at that moment were those who dared to imprison his daughter. In Zheng Yuxiang's view, this was undoubtedly a blatant provocation against his authority as the prime minister, and how could he not feel indignant?
A guard quietly approached Chen Tongyu and whispered a few words in his ear. Upon hearing this, Chen Tongyu was about to instruct the guard to lead the Prime Minister inside when, before he could speak, he heard Zheng Yuxiang's disdainful and contemptuous voice from outside the door: "Lord Chen, what an air of authority you have!"
Hearing the sound, everyone turned to look, and saw Zheng Yuxiang, dressed in an official robe, striding in with his head held high.
Although the years have left their mark on Zheng Yuxiang's face, making him look slightly older, the aura he exudes has become increasingly calm and dignified.
His unwavering stride, upright posture, and sharp, authoritative gaze seemed to proclaim to everyone present his formidable status and power. This powerful aura was oppressive, as if even the surrounding air had become heavy.
Among the many younger generation present, many had never seen Zheng Yuxiang in person. This was because Zheng Yuxiang rarely went out to handle affairs except when attending court. Therefore, those who had seen him were mostly officials serving in the same court and some people working for the Prime Minister's office.
Now, upon suddenly seeing the Prime Minister, who has long held a high position, personally present, many people immediately felt an invisible pressure bearing down on them, making it difficult to breathe, and involuntarily giving rise to fear in their hearts.
Zheng Yuxiang appears in public less often than Zheng Luoqi, and he attends almost all banquets, except for certain royal banquets that he is required to attend.
Zheng Yuxiang frowned slightly, first glancing at Zheng Luoqi standing to the side. After looking her up and down and seeing that she was unharmed, he relaxed a little. Then, he looked at Chen Tongyu with disdain and slowly questioned, "What has my son done?"
Chen Tongyu's expression was solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "My son died mysteriously at home. Everyone present may be connected to this case, so I'm keeping them here for questioning for now. Once the truth is found, I will let you all leave!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yuxiang's expression turned cold, and he pressed on, "If that's the case, can you find out who exactly committed this heinous act?"
Chen Tongyu shook his head and replied, "Nothing has been found yet."
"The murderer has not yet been found, which means the real culprit has not been found yet? Then may I ask, Lord Chen, how long do you intend to keep my son imprisoned?" Zheng Yuxiang's tone became increasingly sharp, pressing him relentlessly.
Chen Tongyu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and replied, "I have already made it clear that once the truth of the case is revealed, I will release the person immediately!"
Zheng Yuxiang sneered and mocked, "So much time has passed, and we haven't even seen a trace of the murderer. In my opinion, Lord Chen would be better off handing this matter over to the Imperial Guard. They are always more adept at handling these kinds of cases. Besides, His Majesty just issued an imperial edict ordering the Imperial Guard to take over the investigation. Lord Chen should be relieved now. Alright, everyone, you may all leave!" With that, Zheng Yuxiang flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
Upon hearing Zheng Yuxiang's words, everyone bowed and took their leave. Just then, Zhang Zhiyuan, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, hurried in, his figure appearing hastily before them. After seeing Chen Tongyu, Zhang Zhiyuan bowed, then, without the slightest delay, immediately turned to carry out his mission.
Throughout, Chen Tongyu's face remained ashen, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged, as if he were about to crush the wooden armrests.
Zheng Luoqi had already left the Chen residence with Zheng Yuxiang, leaving behind Chen Tongyu, whose face was ashen and who sat there stiffly like a statue.
Meanwhile, Pei Wenxuan's body was carried away by the Imperial Guards. Watching their sister's cold body recede into the distance, Pei Wenyu and Pei Wenzhao were heartbroken, but they still suppressed their grief and followed closely behind the Imperial Guards as they left.