Tianliangyuan

Chapter 76 Denying it to the bitter end!

Jiang Yanhui was reported by a servant woman, and the matter quickly alarmed the people of the capital.

Especially after Jiang Yanhui was just demoted and then exposed for having an affair in broad daylight, the Jiang family's reputation was on the verge of collapse!

"Your Majesty, the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture is requesting an audience, saying that there is a major case involved. He dares not act on his own and requests Your Majesty to make a decision."

After Emperor Yong'an read the complaint, he ordered the case to be transferred to Zhao Changqing for handling.

Two hours later, Zhao Changqing rushed into the palace to meet the emperor with a letter and a small box.

"That's unreasonable!"

The small box that Zhao Changqing and his men dug out from the flooded courtyard was this very box.

The account books and letters that should have been in Xu Zhaozhao's hands are now lying peacefully in this small box.

"Your Majesty, this item was found under a chrysanthemum in the courtyard. Due to the previous fire, the chrysanthemum was trampled and could not survive. I dug it up and then dug more than a foot deeper before finding this box. At that time, there was a slightly larger box on the outside, and then another layer of oilcloth wrapped around it."

"Take men to the Jiang residence immediately to verify the facts. Also, imprison Jiang Yanhui and make sure this matter is thoroughly investigated!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Yong'an Palace was so angry that his forehead hurt. He did not expect Jiang Yanhui to be so bold as to buy and sell official positions. Did he really think that the court was his Jiang family's domain?

"Has the body of that Lady Ding been examined?"

"Your Majesty, it has been verified that the throat being slit was the work of a skilled hand. Moreover, I have confirmed that Lady Ding did indeed meet with the plaintiff two days before her death. The reason I was able to uncover these things is because the plaintiff had a letter from Lady Ding."

"Was the handwriting checked as well?"

"Your Majesty, we have verified that it was indeed written by Lady Ding herself. Moreover, I have also inquired with her. The plaintiff is illiterate and was formerly a vagrant. He only found stability after being bought by Lady Ding, and is therefore very grateful to her. That is why he had the courage to bring this petition to seek justice."

"Okay, go do it."

Emperor Yong'an felt extremely tired.

He originally thought that although Grand Tutor Jiang was old, he was not so senile as to be senile.

But now it seems that the Jiang family owns too much land.

Zhao Changqing personally presided over the case. Jiang Yanhui was imprisoned, and the woman from before was sent back by Zhao Changqing's men. He also specially arranged for two yamen runners to protect her.

Upon hearing this news, Grand Tutor Jiang was so overwhelmed with anger that he fainted on the spot.

Jiang Yanping never expected his second brother to do such a thing—murder and accepting bribes, which are serious crimes!

The most crucial thing is that there's also a small ledger, and even more correspondence—this is real evidence!

Jiang Taifu lay on the bed, and in just a short while, he appeared to have aged considerably.

"Yanping is so foolish!"

Old Madam Jiang sat to the side wiping away tears: "Grandpa, could this be a mistake? How could Yanping possibly commit murder? In my opinion, someone must have deliberately framed him!"

Jiang Taifu closed his eyes helplessly and did not argue with him.

With witnesses and physical evidence readily available, who could possibly frame him?

"Yanping, send people to inquire again. Find out every detail, no matter how small. The key is whether we can get your second brother out."

"Yes, father."

After making these inquiries and visiting Jiang Yanhui, it was already evening.

“Father, these are all the details we can find out so far. I even personally asked two constables who went with Zhao Changqing to dig up the thing. It was indeed dug up in the courtyard. They confirmed that it had been buried underground for quite some time, and it was definitely not something that was buried in the last three or five days.”

Grand Tutor Jiang frowned. If that were the case, then Jiang Yanping's guilt would be even more certain.

"Go and find out more, or try to get information from that woman. By the way, where is Ding's body now?"

"Ding's body has now been placed in the Dali Temple. According to the information my son found out, Ding was found in a forest about 20 miles outside the city. According to the servant woman, Ding had found her and made an appointment to meet her again in a day, otherwise it would mean that she was in danger. So she asked her to take a letter to the yamen to accuse Jiang Yanhui of murder to silence her."

Jiang Taifu's mind worked incredibly fast.

The issue of accepting bribes is easy to resolve; at worst, the Jiang family will have to pay compensation.

Moreover, Jiang Yanhui violated the law, and with this old man stepping in, his life can certainly be saved, though he can never hold office again.

But this murder...

Jiang Wenhe suddenly reminded him, "Second Uncle was whipped and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall. There's no way he could have left the Jiang residence. So what does Ding's misfortune have to do with Second Uncle?"

Jiang Taifu's eyes lit up.

However, Jiang Yanping did not share this view: "But it is a fact that Ding was killed. Moreover, even if your second uncle did not leave the manor, it does not mean that he could not send someone to kill Ding. Your argument is not convincing."

Jiang Wenhe, however, did not take it seriously: "Father, you are overthinking it. The Dali Temple naturally requires evidence when investigating cases. Who saw Second Uncle commit murder? Were there any footprints or other evidence left at the scene? If not, then Second Uncle is innocent. As for whether Second Uncle sent someone out, I'll say it again, we need evidence!"

Jiang Yanping was stunned for a moment. He cared too much about his reputation and had not thought of this possibility.

Grand Tutor Jiang nodded slightly: "Wenhe is right. Since there is no evidence, it cannot be Yan Hui's doing. As for whether it was done by an assassin, that is Zhao Changqing's concern. As long as we deny it to the death, what can they do to me?"

Jiang Yanping understood: "Then we need to talk to my second brother first."

"Go and do it. Remember to tell him that when it comes to accepting bribes from his subordinates, he should admit it and make him be more polite. He should also offer to hand over all of them. You must not hide anything like this."

"Yes, father."

The murder was indeed a major headache for Zhao Changqing.

He believed that Jiang Yanhui was definitely not the one who killed the person, because Jiang Yanhui was a scholar, and even if Ding was weak, she was still a living person. If she had realized that Jiang Yanhui was going to kill her, she would not have failed to avoid him. Therefore, if Jiang Yanhui had killed her, there would not have been just one cut, and it would have been so deep that it would have been fatal with a single blow!

When Ding's body was discovered, her clothes were intact, and even her hairpins were not missing, except for a hair ornament that may have fallen to the ground when she fell.

But none of these things piqued the killer's interest, so the fact that the other party didn't covet these small benefits meant that they must have been a highly trained assassin.

Therefore, Zhao Changqing concluded that it was the work of thugs employed by the Jiang family.

But as I said before, there's no evidence whatsoever!

Moreover, Jiang Yanhui admitted to accepting bribes but refused to admit to committing murder, and he indeed never left the Jiang residence.

Zhao Changqing believed that if he could get enough support from the emperor, he would definitely be able to find out the real culprit.

However, Consort Jiang intervened.