Chapter 796
Lure the snake out of its hole
Chapter 796 Lure the snake out of its hole
Wu Zhihong's complexion was not much better than Qian Zhixiao's. It wasn't until he walked out of the prison and was exposed to the sunlight for a long time, feeling a bit warm, that he came to his senses.
He looked helplessly at Pan Yun: "Prince Lu... can this case still be investigated?"
Pan Yun was optimistic and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "He's just the Prince of Lu, not the emperor."
Actually, the emperor wasn't afraid; what he feared were the civil and military officials in the court.
Wu Zhihong still couldn't muster any enthusiasm: "Prince Lu alone isn't so scary, but there's also the commander of Quanzhou Guard involved. What can they possibly do in their collusion?"
Wu Zhihong shuddered just thinking about it.
One held military power, the other was a member of the imperial family; maritime trade and smuggling had always been serious problems, and the internal strife over lifting the maritime ban had not ceased to this day.
Wu Zhihong looked at Pan Jun.
This woman was a proponent of lifting the maritime ban, and in fact, she was a major driving force behind its lifting. Then, the Prince of Lu and the Quanzhou Guard were revealed…
Pan Yun looked back at him and raised an eyebrow at him.
Wu Zhihong immediately invited Pan Jun and the others to have dinner together and stay at his house.
Since his wife and children returned to their hometown, the backyard has been empty. There are many empty rooms, and if you squeeze in, you can easily accommodate them all.
Pan Yun declined the offer of accommodation, but was happy to have dinner with them.
She also happened to have some questions for Wu Zhihong, so it was basically an exchange of information between them.
Pan Yun recounted how the mission to Japan was ambushed twice by Japanese pirates at sea before the lifting of the maritime ban: "This case is also at a standstill at this time, but we have found some things. This matter is related to the imperial family, nobles and relatives of the emperor."
Wu Zhihong astutely extracted the key point: "Imperial family and relatives of the emperor?"
Pan Yun smiled but remained silent.
Wu Zhihong felt a cold sweat break out on his back; it was cold again.
Pan Yun: "What's interesting is that before I came here, Jiang Fangzheng sent his steward to see me, intentionally or unintentionally implying that the case was masterminddled by the Sun family and Magistrate Wu. Tell me, in His Majesty's heart, is Prince Lu more important, or the Sun family?"
Of course the Sun family is more important!
The Prince of Lu was several levels removed from the Emperor, yet the Sun family were the Emperor's maternal uncles.
However, it is true that the incident involving Prince Lu was a disgrace to the royal family, but...
Who can guarantee that this isn't exactly what the emperor wants?
Pan Yun murmured, "I didn't originally intend to find out the truth at this time, since it's beyond human capability, but he insisted on putting a knife in my hand."
She stared intently at Wu Zhihong: "Instead of releasing all four fat fish, why not catch one? Maybe we can get a pleasant surprise and catch the others in the net too?"
Wu Zhihong: "Who are the other three fish?"
Xue Shao said, "The other two fish are unclear, but fortunately, the Prince of Lu made the first move, so we can use him to test the waters."
Pan Yun made a decisive decision: "Then let's throw it!"
Wu Zhihong quickly said, "But we have no concrete evidence to accuse King Lu. You should interrogate Xue Xin..."
He glanced quickly at Xiao Hong and whispered, "The methods used cannot be revealed to outsiders, and Xue Xin will not admit it either. He can't even write an impeachment memorial."
Pan Yun: "Didn't I give you the opportunity to gather evidence?"
Wu Zhihong seemed to be deep in thought: "Qian Zhixiao..."
Wu Zhihong jumped up and immediately ran out to summon the county magistrate, ordering him to send someone to secretly keep an eye on Qian Zhixiao and prevent him from being harmed.
When he returned after making the arrangements, Pan Yun and Xue Shao had already discussed what to do next.
Wu Zhihong stood by the door, looking at her with a complicated expression: "With the arrival of Daoist Pan, our county government office has come back to life."
Pan Yun: "Isn't this a good thing?"
“But it was quite a nerve-wracking experience,” Wu Zhihong said, touching his chest. “I almost couldn’t catch my breath just now.”
Pan Jun smiled. Wu Zhihong walked back to his seat and said, "Master Pan, please ask whatever you wish to ask."
Pan Yun's expression tightened, and she asked, "Have you found Xi Yan?"
Wu Zhihong's smile faded, and he nodded slightly: "Found it."
The county constable went to the countryside to search based on the clues, but he scared the family away. When he found the place, the family had already moved away. The county government later spent a lot of effort to find them.
Wu Zhihong glanced at Xiao Hong and readily gave them the address.
He said in a low voice, "When people came from the capital twice, I didn't call her out, nor did I reveal my whereabouts."
Pan Yun immediately understood: "Don't worry, we won't leak her information, and we certainly won't harm her."
This was Wu Zhihong's trump card, and also the only surviving victim.
Well, although Wu Zhihong had seen many victims, he couldn't very well let the officials from the capital go to their deaths with him.
He doesn't have Pan Yun's abilities, but he does...
Apart from Liu Xiaohong, everyone else was sent to be reincarnated by Pan Yun, and now not even a ghost can be found.
Therefore, the evening glory is of utmost importance.
He would never have given the address if it weren't for Pan Yun and Liu Xiaohong.
Xi Yan's address is currently only known to him, his advisor, the county magistrate, and two of his trusted yamen runners.
Pan Yun took the address, glanced at it, and memorized it. Then, she crumpled the paper in her hand and crushed it into powder, which was more effective than a paper shredder.
"There's one more thing," Pan Yun hesitated for a moment before asking, "Has anyone from the Liu family come?"
Wu Zhihong glanced quickly at Liu Xiaohong and whispered, "No..."
Xiao Hong paused for a moment, then smiled at Pan Jun: "It's better that you didn't come. You took my remains with you, so they won't be able to get them even if they come. It's better that you didn't come. Let's go find Xi Yan first."
Xiao Hong frowned slightly, looking confused: "I have many images in my mind of practicing the piano and singing with my sisters, but I can't think of them in detail. As for Xi Yan, I can't remember much about her."
Pan Yun: "She is very important to you."
“I know,” Xiao Hong murmured, “After I lay down in the skeleton, the first memory I regained was of her being so happy, looking at me with such joy. She was so beautiful.”
But I can't remember much else.
Pan Yun immediately decided to take her to find Xi Yan.
They live in the mountains, in a detached house.
At the foot of the mountain is a very small natural village with only eight or nine households, scattered around, while Xiyan's home is two or three miles up the mountain, even further away.
When they passed through the village, they heard that the people living on the mountain only came down once every ten days.
They went up the narrow mountain path.
There are many trees in the mountains, but fortunately there are villages at the foot of the mountain. They need humus soil to compost, so they often shovel fallen leaves and humus soil in this area, which reduces the smell of decay and adds a touch of freshness.
Pan Yun slowed down as she walked: "It would be nice to settle down in a place like this when I get old."
Xiao Hong didn't think it was good. She said listlessly, "I used to be bound and lived like this every day. I still prefer liveliness."
“That’s a spirit that binds the earth, not what I want.” When houses appeared ahead, the group quickened their pace.
The house consists of three mud houses with thatched roofs. There is a large yard in front of the houses, which is separated by a fence. Several rows of vegetables are planted on one side of the yard. Although it is winter, radishes and cabbages are still growing in the fields.
A five- or six-year-old girl was playing quietly in the yard with a three- or four-year-old boy when they heard a knock on the door and turned around in surprise.
(End of this chapter)