klisemfg Chapter 220 Even when running away, he took her with him
Chapter 220 Even when running away, he took her with him
Minister Gong?
Jing Muyang remembered that man. He was in charge of the Yuheng Division. Because he and the Ministry of War often had the same needs for raw materials, during the wars in previous years, Minister Gong even gave a batch of raw materials to the Ministry of War to make weapons first. He was a fairly upright person.
However, not long after Jing Muyang arrived in Nanbang, he heard that Minister Gong, who had been in office for less than a year, had died. The coroner said it was due to long-term mercury poisoning.
Minister Gong has been engaged in the smelting and forging industry since he was young, and he worked his way up to this position from the grassroots level. This is considered an occupational disease, so it did not arouse too much suspicion.
After Minister Gong died, the emperor rewarded him and allowed his family to return home.
I just heard that Minister Gong’s family all suffered from mercury poisoning to some extent, and they haven’t had a good life in recent years.
Later, the only son died, and Minister Gong's wife also passed away due to excessive grief. Now there is only a daughter-in-law left, who is taking care of an old grandmother with a young child. Their life is rather difficult, and they rely on the help of some of Minister Gong's former colleagues and friends.
However, compared to Minister Gong, the death of Minister Zhou was somewhat unexpected.
Last year, when Jing Muyang was investigating these princes in the capital, Zhou was killed by a royal guard riding past on the street.
The Imperial Guards were traveling on orders from the Emperor, and anyone who blocked their way would be killed, so if someone was killed in a car accident, it was considered an accident.
Of course, when the emperor fell ill, he was investigating the case under Jing Muyang's orders, and Jing Muyang also gave a lot of compensation to Zhou's family.
"Throwing dirty water on the prince is a capital crime, Minister Min. Think it over carefully before you speak." The emperor had a gloomy face.
He had also heard about Minister Gong and Director Zhou. It was clearly an accident, so how could they say that it was caused by Jing Muhao? It was simply ridiculous!
"Your Majesty, I dare not lie. Minister Gong did suffer from long-term mercury poisoning. When the Fifth Prince found out, he sent someone to add mercury to his family's meals. This lasted for a month or two before the condition deteriorated dramatically.
As for Master Zhou, Master Zhou was pushed out by Miss Ling Shuang and bumped into the horses of the Imperial Guards. That day, I was sitting in a teahouse not far away with the Fifth Prince and watched Master Zhou die. "Minister Min was eager to prove his words, and he blurted them out all at once.
"Miss Ling Shuang?"
"She is the concubine that the Fifth Prince gave to Master Zhou. The Fifth Prince gave each of us a girl, firstly to facilitate his delivery of orders, and secondly to monitor us for any ulterior motives. Once we are found to have any ulterior motives, we will end up like Master Zhou. Since the Fifth Prince disappeared, all the girls in our house have also disappeared. Your Majesty, Your Majesty is very observant!"
The Third Prince broke into a cold sweat after hearing this. "Father... Father, there is also a girl sent by Xiaowu in my mansion. Her name is Lingxue..."
The emperor looked at the third prince, his face darkening, "Huh, you're not saying she ran away too?"
"No, she is at your house, at your house. I will order someone to tie her up right away!" The third prince turned around and gave orders outside the palace.
Ling Xue was quickly captured and brought to the Golden Palace, where she was thrown to the ground.
She raised her head and looked around, finally staring at the Third Prince with a face full of resentment.
The Third Prince looked at her angrily, "Ling Xue, I want to ask you, were you arranged by Jing Muhao to stay in the Third Prince's Palace?"
Ling Xue's clothes were askew and her hair was messy. She gathered herself and sat up a little, then replied lightly, "Yes."
"What order did Jing Muhao give you? Hmm? You'd better tell me everything clearly!"
"The Fifth Prince said that you are arrogant and conceited, and it is best to be used as a pawn. He asked me to stay by your side and encourage you to make mistakes, so that you will lose the trust of the emperor and lose the qualification to compete with him for the throne."
"So you guys are responsible for the money in the Ministry of Revenue?"
"We?" Ling Xue raised her eyes and questioned him, "Third Prince, if you were not greedy, why would you reach out so long? Wouldn't you have felt very happy and satisfied when you spent the money?"
"You..." The third prince was speechless after being rebuked by her.
Ling Xue had been with him for more than two years. Looking back now, although Ling Xue had guided him, he was also indeed tempted by greed.
"Ms. Ling Xue, they all ran away, why didn't you run away?" Jing Muyang asked her while sitting there. His injuries had not healed yet and he couldn't stand for long.
"Why didn't I run away?" Ling Xue looked at the Third Prince expectantly, "Because I had thoughts that I shouldn't have and was abandoned by my sister."
"Why are you looking at me? Do you want to say that you are in love with me?" The Third Prince didn't even want to look at her. At this point, he didn't believe anything Ling Xue said.
"Sister is right. After all, Xue'er was entrusted to the wrong person." Ling Xue turned back sadly.
She was just a sold girl in a brothel. Although she was innocent when she was sent to the Third Prince, her birth in a brothel meant she was born to be treated as a plaything.
The Third Prince is a descendant of a noble family. How could she regard the Third Prince's extra glance as salvation?
"Tell me everything you know, and I can save your life." Jing Muyang said again.
Chu Jian said that no woman is willing to humiliate herself unless she has no other choice.
"Your Highness Prince Zhan..." Ling Xue smiled bitterly, "Ling Xue has already made her choice. All the money found in the Ministry of Revenue last year was originally going to be counted on the Third Prince. The part that the Fifth Prince embezzled was left as a reminder to the Third Prince. It is better to be dismissed by the Emperor before committing a serious mistake than to commit a serious crime and lose his life."
"Ling Xue, you'd better tell the truth. If you left the clues on purpose, how could the Fifth Prince let you go?" Jing Muyun interjected.
"So isn't Chief Zhou dead? My sister knew it was me who did it, so in order to prevent the Fifth Prince from finding out, she pushed everything onto Chief Zhou.
My sister scolded me and even though she helped me suppress the incident, she told me to fend for myself and not go back to the girl, so they didn’t take me with them.”
"girl?"
"It's Miss Wang Chai. All of us sisters listen to her, and the Fifth Prince discusses everything with her."
Miss Wang Chai, this Miss Wang Chai is unknown and was raised in the Fifth Prince's Mansion. Everyone treats her as just an ordinary woman in Jing Muhao's backyard. The only reason they look up to her is because she entered the mansion early and was loved by Jing Muhao.
But no matter how much Jing Muhao loved her, he never gave her a status, not even the status of a concubine. In fact, almost no outsiders had ever seen her. He probably still looked down on her background in a brothel.
Of course, these were what outsiders thought before today. Now, hearing that Jing Muhao valued Wang Chai so much that he even took her with him when he ran away, she was probably no less important than the Fifth Princess.
"Then do you know where they went?" Jing Muyun asked again.
"I don't know. I have already betrayed the girl, and she has noticed it. She has already shown leniency by not sending people to kill me. Why would she tell me where they are going?"
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