"I originally didn't intend to investigate too deeply. I just wanted to know who you are from the Jinyiwei Yamen. But your experience is so strange that I have to dig deeper. Your resume file says that you have
There were many opportunities to leave Nanzhen Fusi Yamen and get re-employment, but you rejected them all. I also found a copy of the transfer order of Beizhen Fusi years ago. You even had the opportunity to work in Beizhen Fusi, but you refused."
"You were once a member of a thousand households, but you were demoted to a hundred households for beating a colleague. Logically speaking, you have been in Jinyiwei Yamen for many years, so you don't know the importance. But you still did it. This can be understood as your loyalty.
You are a straightforward person, but I have another explanation. Maybe you don’t actually care about the level of your official position, you just want to stay here in Nanzhen Fusi to hang out. Because it is leisurely and unobtrusive, it is a place to hide yourself.
A good place. You won’t be in the limelight and attract attention, and you can hide your identity as a royal guard.”
Zhang Yanling said slowly with a smile. Chen Shi was frightened. He didn't expect someone to guess his thoughts so clearly. It was like a roundworm in his stomach.
"With this idea in mind, I searched some files about you in more detail. I have to say that the files of our Nanzhen Fusi Yamen are quite complete. There are not only resume files, but also some case files.
. It took me two days to find this file, which was almost eaten away by insects, and found your name in it. But I didn’t expect that it turned out to be a drowning case involving one body and two lives.
Your name appeared in it as the husband of the poor mother and son. Of course, in the end you were ruled out as a suspect, but the case has not been solved to this day. Later you entered the Jinyi Guard. I think, as the husband of the deceased and the unborn
The father of my child, how could you be willing to allow the murderer to go free. Therefore, what you said just now about seeking a future is obviously untenable. It is obvious that your purpose of joining Jinyiwei was not that."
Chen Shiyi lowered his head with a painful expression on his face. Zhang Yanling's words opened the most painful wound in his heart, and this wound has not healed for a moment yet.
"...I will make a bold guess. I think your purpose of joining Jin Yiwei is to seek revenge. One is that you think joining Jin Yiwei can better solve the case, use Jin Yiwei's identity to personally find out who the murderer is, and avenge your wife and children.
.Or maybe...you suspect that the murderer is probably someone from the Jinyiwei. Joining the Jinyiwei can get close to this person, which makes it easier to find out the facts and then take action personally. I don’t know if my guess is right. Of course, these are all mine.
Just guessing. But one thing I firmly believe is that you have not succeeded in revenge so far. Otherwise, you would not have indulged in alcoholism and behaved so decadently. And your request for leave not long ago should not have been due to family matters. It was... return to
Go to Taiyuan Mansion to pay homage to your dead wife and children. Because the third day of the first lunar month is the death anniversary of your wife and children, and that is the day when that case happened."
Chen Shi trembled all over, the muscles on his face were twisted, and his expression was extremely painful.
Zhang Yanling took out a stack of bound books from the wooden box next to the desk and said calmly: "Chen Baihu, since you entered Nanzhen Fusi, your leave records are all here. It is clearly recorded on it,
You have to take ten days off every year before and after the New Year, rain or shine. And by doing so, you go to pay homage to your wife and children. I think there is nothing to deny about this matter."
Chen Shiyi let out a long sigh. Originally, he wanted to make some excuses and concealments, but after discovering that the other party had almost completely grasped all the situations, there was no need to explain or conceal anything. On the contrary, Chen Shiyi had an idea.
A feeling of relief.
"Your Excellency, you are very powerful. I didn't expect you to have insight into such a secret thing. I thought no one would know all this. I admire you so much," Chen Shiyi said in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling sat down again and said softly: "Chen Baihu, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have dug up these past events. I can see that you haven't let it go yet. That incident must have hurt your bones and broken your heart. I shouldn't have.
I peeked into your privacy. However, I didn't mean to do so. I apologize to you."
Chen Shiyi sighed: "There is nothing to apologize for. Since your Excellency has investigated the whole matter, I don't want to hide it anymore. Your Excellency is indeed thoughtful. Most of what you said is right, but there are some places."
There are discrepancies. The deaths of my wife Aying and my unborn child were caused by drowning, but they were frightened and fell into the river. I have also already found out that the murderer was someone from the Jinyi Guards, but I couldn't move him. I killed him.
Don’t drop him.”
Zhang Yanling said in surprise: "Oh? Do you know who the murderer is?"
Chen Shiyi nodded slowly, looking at the two light beams shooting down from the roof tiles, looking at the shining dust flying in the light beams, and fell into memories.
"That year, I was twenty-four years old, and I had only been married to A Ying for three years. A Ying was the daughter of my father's good friend. She was only fourteen years old when I met her, and I was eighteen. But I recognized her
She is my wife. Three years later, I got my wish and married her. Those were the happiest three years of my life. Aying is very virtuous and gentle. She is the best woman in the world, just like a fairy from heaven.
Generally speaking, after three years of marriage, Aying became pregnant, which made her even more happy. But who could have thought that bad luck would befall her. After the New Year that year, on the third day of the first lunar month, my senior brother and I drank some wine at home.
Wine... Originally I was supposed to go to my father-in-law's house in the east of the city to borrow her home. The first day I went with her to pay New Year's greetings, and my mother-in-law kept her overnight. Since my brothers and sisters were coming to pay New Year's greetings to my father, I went home to take care of her that day.
.I made an appointment to pick her up in the afternoon, but...I got drunk and fell asleep. Until someone came and told me...something happened to Aying."
Chen Shiyi's face became distorted and his body became hunched over. This memory made him extremely painful.
"Chen Baihu, have a sip of tea before we talk." Zhang Yanling said solemnly.
Chen Shi waved his hand and continued: "When I rushed back to Maqiao... the man had been salvaged, but there was no way he could be saved. It's pitiful that my Aying and my unborn child were just gone. It was so cold.
River, she must have been in so much pain and fear before she died. But I was not by her side and couldn't save her. I'm such a bastard, I can't even save my wife, I'm such a waste."
Chen Shiyi gritted his teeth, biting his lip, and blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.
"... They said that Aying lost her footing and fell back into the river under the Maqiao bridge and drowned. There was snow on the road that day and it was very slippery. She was walking home when she slipped and fell into the river. After people from the government came to investigate, it was
That's what I said. At first, I believed it, but later, an old woman who lived near Huimaqiao told me something. There were more than a dozen horses galloping across the bridge that day, and the old woman heard it.
A woman screamed. Because it was dark at the time, she didn't see it clearly and didn't pay much attention to it. The group of people on horseback galloped away and left the city. She didn't know who they were. But then something happened.
It was only after she died that she remembered this matter. Seeing how pitiful I was wandering by the bridge every day, she told me about it."
"When I heard about this, I immediately understood what was going on. My Aying has always been cautious, and she became even more cautious after becoming pregnant. Even if she walked, she would always walk in a dry place in the middle of the road. How could she walk to the bridge with snow?
Place? He must have been fleeing from that group of horseback riders before he panicked and fell into the water. I investigated the matter secretly and finally found out the identity of the group of people who galloped out of the city from Huimaqiao that night. They were Jin Yiwei who came to Taiyuan Prefecture from the capital on business.