Chapter 282 The victim is not dead, the murderer is.
at the same time.
The other end of Guangdaofang.
Gong Taoguang hurried in from the back door of Gong's mansion and came to the garden.
While waiting, he walked around, his brows furrowed, and his anxiety was palpable.
It wasn't until a figure approached that Gong Taoguang immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Third brother!"
Compared to the casual way he addressed Gong Siguang, his greeting to Gong Siye was extremely respectful, with a hint of fear mixed in.
Gong Siye did not come over, his body was half-hidden in the night, and his voice was cold: "Did you fail to come here at this time? Didn't you put the medicinal powder into Madam Zheng?"
Gong Taoguang said anxiously: "It's not just that the powder was not put in, it didn't get to that point at all. Zheng Wenming was not dead. Then Li Yuanfang came to Yan Duzhi's yard and when he was toasting, he actually noticed that Zheng Wenming was poisoned and directly took action to let him go.
He spat out the poison!"
Gong Siye was stunned: "Li Yuanfang? Didn't he just arrive in Luoyang today? How could he appear there?"
Gong Taoguang narrated the story in general, and Gong Siye couldn't help but fell silent. After a moment, he sighed: "I didn't expect such a coincidence. It's really bad luck... Now that things have come to this, you shouldn't come over. Go back to Zheng Mansion as soon as possible."
!”
Gong Taoguang's voice was bitter: "Third brother, I don't want to come over either, but that Li Yuanfang is too powerful!"
"He seems to have figured it out. The poisoning was intended for Zheng Rentong, and he asked me to deliver a letter to Zheng Mansion!"
"In the prison of Zheng Mansion, I was really frightened and felt like I was on pins and needles. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I came to you under the pretext of an excuse to ask for your advice."
Gong Siye said coldly: "Why are you panicking? If Li Yuanfang really sees through the truth, will he let you go? Besides, without evidence, who can accuse you of poisoning the son of Governor Zheng!"
Gong Taoguang gritted his teeth: "There is still evidence..."
Gong Siye's pupils suddenly shrank: "What evidence?"
Gong Taoguang said: "The poisonous powder you gave me! I was afraid of being searched at the time, so I could only throw it under the cabinet in the chaos. Now it is still in the courtyard, and I don't want to leave, but Li Yuanfang asked me to go.
That bag of poisonous powder was discovered. Let’s trace the origin. Nothing will happen, right?”
After Gong Siye was silent for a moment, he obviously breathed a sigh of relief: "As long as it's not found on your body, it doesn't matter. They can't prove who lost it."
Gong Taoguang also felt like he had been granted amnesty: "Great! Then I will go to the Zheng Mansion first. If Governor Zheng continues to pursue the matter of the fields..."
Gong Siye interrupted directly: "There is no need to say more about those things. You don't want to go to the Zheng Mansion now. If you bump into Li Yuanfang, it will be even harder to explain. Go back to your own mansion first. When asked afterwards, just say that you were intimidated by Governor Zheng."
Wei Yi, after all, I dare not tell him such a thing, this is human nature!"
Gong Taoguang's expression softened a little. He wanted to poison Zheng Hui and then go to Zheng's mansion to face Zheng Rentong and Li Yuanfang who might arrive at any time. He really didn't dare. Returning to his home was certainly an escape, but it was a kind of psychological comfort after all:
"Third brother, then I will go back..."
"Go for it!"
Gong Siye watched this side branch brother leave, took a step forward, and walked out of the half-hidden darkness.
The moonlight shone down and fell on his ferocious face, revealing full murderous intent: "Is it possible to make him commit suicide out of fear of crime?"
There was no movement around.
Gong Siye frowned and said word by word: "I allowed them to occupy fertile land just to cooperate with your plan to rebel against Baiqi. If you dare to stand by and watch, you will die together!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a fruit tree beside him suddenly shook, and its leaves rustled down.
Gong Siye sneered: "What? You want to silence me? It's useless. I have been prepared for it! If I die, your shameful deeds will spread throughout the streets of Luoyang on the day of my funeral.
lane!"
It was quiet all around.
After a while, a cold snort sounded, and then disappeared.
Gong Siye was also sweating behind his back. Regret appeared on his brows at first, and then he became firm: "The matter has come to this, there is no chance of anything left. We must suppress this matter before Li Yuanfang and Zheng Rentong join forces!"
…
On the other side, in front of the Zhumen of Zheng Mansion.
Zheng Rentong did not draw it.
Because he heard that the matter involved his son and daughter, the Luozhou governor immediately stopped it and brought Li Yan and Gong Siguan into the mansion.
Zheng Rentong knows very well what kind of virtue Zheng Hui is, not to mention that his daughter is not a fuel-efficient lamp.
Arriving at the main hall, the guest of honor took his seat. Zheng Rentong waved his servants away, and Li Yan took out the letter: "Please Governor Zheng to read it."
Zheng Rentong took it with his own hands and unfolded it. When he saw that the writing was indeed written by Zheng Hui, his heart sank, and he had a premonition that something bad was going to happen.
But after actually reading it, his body still swayed, and the world was spinning for a while.
Fortunately, words are not as impactful as words, and with preparation, Zheng Rentong did not lose his temper too much, but his hands were shaking like Parkinson's, and he asked tremblingly: "Wen Wenming, how is he doing now?"
Li Yan said: "Don't worry, after Doctor Chen's diagnosis, you only need to take the decoction for half a month and you will be back to your original state."
Hearing that his son was okay, Zheng Rentong's hands finally stopped trembling, his lips pursed, and he couldn't help but stand up and salute: "Fortunately, Li Jiyi came forward to save my son's life and protect the reputation of our clan!"
Li Yan returned the gift: "It's due to fate. Mr. Zheng doesn't have to be like this."
Zheng Rentong stood there blankly and sighed deeply, his face deeply wrinkled and full of age: "I don't know how to teach my son, I don't know how to teach my son!"
Poor parents in the world, there are many heroes, children's education is a big problem, Liu Yu is the example of the example.
And based on Zheng Rentong's current age, Zheng Hui should have been over thirty when he was born.
In ancient times, it was quite late to have a child in your thirties, and since you were an only child, you would definitely be lying if you said you didn't love your child.
Zheng Rentong did not dote on Zheng Hui blindly. Zheng Hui was not an ignorant playboy. In the past, he did not want to hurt his friends or slander the servants in the courtyard. It can be seen that the tutor's character is still good, but once he becomes stubborn, no one can stop him.
He cannot help but do what others are not allowed to do, the more he must do it.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Li Yan enjoyed watching the excitement, but he did not comment much on other people's household affairs and changed the subject: "Mr. Zheng might as well read the letter again.
"
Hearing this, Zheng Rentong read the letter from beginning to end again, and his eyes became extremely sharp: "Thieves are vicious and must be punished severely, and the punishment must be given!"
He was previously focused on the fact that his son was going to marry a famous lady and almost died from poisoning. Now he was focused on the process of the poisoning, and he was filled with deep fear.
After the fear, there is overwhelming anger.
If Zheng Hui was really poisoned to death like that, Mrs. Zheng would probably have no face to live on, and her son and daughter would both die. Can his wife withstand that blow?
This is to kill his whole family. Such a deep hatred is not just a matter of official business. Even if he is no longer the governor of Luozhou, he must avenge him!
Li Yandao: "Gong Wulang, the biggest suspect in this case is Gong Taoguang. What do you think?"
Since Gong Siguang entered the hall, he has not said a word, but his eyes are rolling.
Just as he was imagining how Zheng Hui would be hung up and beaten after returning home, Li Yan's voice stirred him up, and he reflexively said: "I will destroy my relatives for justice!"
Don't ask, asking means destroying relatives for the sake of justice.
Zheng Rentong frowned and looked at the dude, then turned to Li Yan: "Li Jiyi, is this really what we have to do?"
Li Yan said seriously: "Prince Zheng, it is still unclear whether this case concerns the entire Gong family, or whether it is just a few thieves causing trouble."
"His Royal Highness the Prince and hundreds of officials are about to arrive in Luoyang. The crimes of the thieves must be investigated, and Luoyang must maintain stability. The disaster in the pass is not over, and rice and grain need to be transported by water. There is no delay!"
"We might as well give Mr. Gong a chance to prove himself and then see how things develop!"
From the compliments paid to Gong Siguang by the officials at the Beishi Pier, Li Yan could tell that the Gong family's foundation in the middle and lower classes was probably quite solid.
After all, it has been decades of operation, and local forces are intertwined. Many seemingly unrelated people may have secretly received favors from this clan and can be useful at critical moments.
In comparison, Zheng Rentong, who has been the governor for less than seven years, has a much shallower foundation. He is usually respectful and respectful, but when it comes to core interests, he is also good at overt and covert violations.
After all, any government decree must be implemented by people. If the Gong family is uprooted, let alone whether it can be successful in a short time, even if it is successful, the operation of Luoyang's various tasks will probably be paralyzed by half, and Guanzhong is still waiting for rice and grain relief.
, it is the common people who are injured in the end.
To attack local wealthy families, we must proceed step by step, unlike Cui Shouye who prepared to arrest tens of thousands of people from the Wuwei Jia family and bring them to Beijing. Li Yan's plan is to first investigate the most critical crime of land embezzlement. As for the Gong family, there are other crimes involved.
What kind of guilt will come later?
He did not want the turmoil in Luoyang to affect the disaster in Guanzhong. After Zheng Rentong calmed down a little, he nodded and said: "Li Jiyi has the overall situation in mind and acts steadily. I am also willing to believe in the Gong family. I hope Gong Wulang can really kill his relatives with justice!"
Gong Siguang was anxious: "Prince Zheng, I am telling the truth. If you don't believe me, I will go right now and arrest Gong Taoguang with my own hands!"
Zheng Rentong had a rigid personality and looked down on Gong Siguang, so he gave a perfunctory hum, but Li Yan said: "That's right, let's arrest him now!"
The two of them were startled when they saw Li Yan getting up: "Be steady when you need to be steady, be ruthless when you need to be ruthless, now is the time to attack decisively!"
"Gong Taoguang is extremely suspicious. Although there is no evidence yet, in order to prevent variables, we still have him under control. After he is imprisoned, it is not too late to look for evidence!"
"Gong Taoguang should have arrived at Zheng's Mansion long ago, but he has not been seen yet. Let's go to the Mansion first. If he is not seen, we will issue a city-wide wanted notice!"
Zheng Rentong thought for a moment: "Okay! Let's do it like this! Take me for the Jingjie!"
The banners are dedicated to rewards, and the festivals are dedicated to killings. Every governor who governs a state has disciplines in order to mobilize the sergeants at critical moments.
At this time, Zheng Rentong gave an order, and hundreds of imperial troops defending Luoyang Imperial City were mobilized and immediately entered Guangdaofang in a mighty manner.
Since they were in the same city and at the foot of the imperial city, everyone headed outside Gong's mansion within half an hour.
Gong Siguang stepped forward and asked, "Has Gong Taoguang come back?"
Those servants were trembling with fear: "We don't know what to say back to Alang."
Gong Siguang was unambiguous and said directly: "Maybe he came back through the back door. I don't care, let's search first!"
He took the lead and rushed inside with the guards in high spirits, shouting all the way. He really did not regard the side branch as one of his own clansmen: "Gong Taoguang is here to arrest this thief. No resistance! No resistance!"
Li Yan and Zheng Rentong were strolling in the courtyard, walking behind.
Zheng Rentong said curiously: "I didn't realize it before. Although Gong Wulang is a dandy, he is also somewhat decisive. He should not be underestimated. Li Jiyi is really good at discovering talents!"
Li Yan smiled slightly.
Seeing Yugoro personally leading the team, the family members naturally did not dare to resist, and were forced into the backyard.
When he arrived at the residence of the female family members, Gong Siguang calmed down a bit. After asking the maid, he said happily: "Gong Taoguang is indeed back. He is in his room. You all, follow me to arrest him!"
He rushed in with the imperial army, but suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing by his side, and saw Li Yan moving like thunder and rushing in.
"Li Jiyi, what are you...?"
Gong Siguang was stunned at first, but soon understood and turned pale with horror.
Because when everyone entered the courtyard, they saw candles lighting up Gong Taoguang's room, and a figure reflected through the window paper.
If you look closely, you will see that the shadow is hanging on a rope, dangling.
Li Yan was the first to enter the room, and what caught his eye was Gong Taoguang with his tongue hanging out in anger, hanging from the beam, and a piece of filth below.