Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 91: Shocking Inside Story
Hearing this, Zheng Qingtian was silent for a moment, then looked at Jia Jue and said.

"Since this lord knows everything, you should understand that I won't say anything."

Jia Jue gave Zheng Qingtian a playful look and sneered.

"Why, a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water, right?"

"Do you think that I can't do anything to you if you are like this?"

After hearing this, Zheng Qingtian lowered his head and said nothing, using silence to fight the fear in his heart.

Seeing this, Jia Jue said calmly.

"Okay, I like hard bones."

"Gu Qianfan."

"The subordinate is here."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"From now on, kill one of Zheng Qingtian's family members in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

"Zheng Qingtian, you're being stubborn, but it doesn't matter. I think your family has 20 or 30 people, so you can hold on for a while."

"I'm not in a hurry. Let's kill them one by one and see who's more stubborn, you or your family."

Hearing this, Zheng Qingtian suddenly became a little uneasy.

"You, how could you do this?"

"It's fine if you, the Jinyiwei, tortured and extorted confessions privately, but if you dare to attack my family, it will definitely cause a stir in the government and the country."

"The big shots behind me will definitely not let this opportunity go. Every single one of you will end up in trouble."

Jia Jue said nonchalantly.

"Look at what you said. Your whole family is dead. What does it have to do with the Jinyiwei?"

"The thieves were so bold that they broke into the Qiantang County Magistrate's residence at night and killed the entire family of County Magistrate Zheng."

"How about it? Doesn't it sound very pleasant?"

Zheng Qingtian couldn't help but breathe rapidly, his face extremely nervous.

"You, you are just talking nonsense. The court will not believe this. When the time comes, you will not be able to escape."

Jia Jue said indifferently.

"It's hard to say what will become of us, but I'm sure, Master Zheng, if you don't tell the truth, your entire family will be able to leave in one piece today."

"I'm almost done with my tea."

Seeing this, Zheng Qingtian's heart was pounding and he didn't know what to do.

After going through a complicated psychological process, Zheng Qingtian was ready to grit his teeth and fight on.

Seeing that Zheng Qingtian was still being stubborn, Jia Jue was too lazy to say anything more and gave Gu Qianfan a look.

Gu Qianfan understood what he meant and immediately left the study.

Not long after, Gu Qianfan returned with a bag in his hand.

After arriving at the study, Gu Qianfan casually threw the bag in front of Zheng Qingtian.

"Master Zheng, please take a look."

Looking at the bundle in front of him that was soaked in blood, Zheng Qingtian suddenly felt something was wrong. After he forced himself to untie the bundle, he instantly fell into great sadness.

"Chong'er, Chong'er."

Inside the bundle was a bloody human head, the head of Zheng Qingtian’s eldest son, Zheng Chong.

Zheng Qingtian's eyes almost popped out and he glared at Jia Jue.

"How dare you, how dare you, do you think the Jinyiwei can do whatever they want?"

Jia Jue said calmly after leisurely drinking a sip of tea.

"Shouting, shouting also counts as time."

"It's okay, I'm not in a hurry. You just lost a son, so take your time."

Seeing Jia Jue's fearless look, Zheng Qingtian really couldn't hold on any longer.

He was just betting that the Jinyiwei would not dare to kill his family to threaten him.

After all, no matter how notorious the Jinyiwei were, he was still an official appointed by the imperial court.

It was understandable for the Jinyiwei to set up a private court to interrogate him, but it was too extreme to threaten him with the lives of his family members.

The Jinyiwei were the emperor's personal army, and such lack of integrity would inevitably make all the court officials feel insecure.

That's why Zheng Qingtian wanted to fight back, he felt that the Jinyiwei didn't have the courage to do so.

However, he never imagined that this gamble would lead to the death of his eldest son.

Although Zheng Qingtian's heart was full of hatred at this time, he didn't dare to be stubborn anymore. He suppressed his anger, forced himself to calm down, bowed and said.

"Sir, who on earth are you? You are so unreasonable."

Gu Qianfan looked at Jia Jue's expression, then sneered and said to Zheng Qingtian.

"Zheng Qingtian, this is the Marquis of Champion, personally appointed by His Majesty. He has been ordered to go south to investigate a major case of customs smuggling in Jiangnan."

"If you know what's happening, then you should honestly confess the customs smuggling."

"Otherwise, today will be the day your entire family dies."

After hearing the title of Champion Marquis, Zheng Qingtian's heart skipped a beat, and then his face was full of regret.

"I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it."

"I've been on guard day and night, but I never imagined that His Majesty would actually send a military officer to investigate. It's truly unexpected."

"Well, I've heard of your reputation, Lord. The Jiangnan Salt Administration case was a bloodbath, and the smell of blood has not dissipated to this day."

"If I had known it was the Marquis who was there in person, my Chong'er wouldn't have lost his life in vain."

"My Lord, the criminal's crimes are so grave that death is not a pity."

"But my family is innocent. If I confess everything about the customs smuggling, could you please show some mercy to my family, Lord?"

Jia Jue said disdainfully.

"You are not qualified to negotiate terms with me."

"Your family enjoyed the life provided by the money you embezzled. How can you claim to be innocent?"

"If you tell the truth, I can punish them according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"If you want to be stubborn, that's fine. When it comes to investigating a case, I'm a novice, but when it comes to killing people, I'm an expert. You can try again."

Hearing Jia Jue's extremely cold words, Zheng Qingtian felt his heart go cold.

At this moment, Zheng Qingtian had only one thought in his mind: he regretted his decision.

After a long sigh, Zheng Qingtian looked at Jia Jue and said.

"Forget it, now that things have come to this, the winner takes all, I accept defeat."

"That's all I've said. But could you please dismiss your attendants? I want to report to you alone."

Jia Jue said calmly after a moment of thought.

"Gu Qianfan, you guys go down first."

"promise."

At Jia Jue's command, the room was quickly cleared, leaving only Zheng Qingtian and Jia Jue.

Jia Jue said after taking a look at Zheng Qingtian.

"Okay, now you can tell me."

Zheng Qingtian bowed and said, "My Lord, I advise you to just let me handle this matter."

"I am willing to take all the blame, and please stop asking questions."

Jia Jue said with disdain.

"As for you, a seventh-rank county magistrate, you are unworthy."

"What do you take me and His Majesty for?"

"You can take the blame for this. If you do, believe it or not, your entire clan will be exterminated."

"You know the huge sums involved in the customs smuggling case. You think this case, which has reached the ears of the emperor, is just a child's play. How foolish and ridiculous."

Hearing this, Zheng Qingtian was stunned for a moment, then he sorted out his thoughts and said.

"My Lord, you are right. This is indeed not something I can carry on my own shoulders."

"But there is also the Yuhang prefect, the chief inspector of the Maritime Customs, and General Wei of the Ninghai Navy."

"With these people, I think it is enough for the Marquis to report to you."

"If the Marquis investigates further, it will be of no benefit to him."

Hearing this, Jia Jue became a little curious.

In the original drama of Meng Hua Lu, the mastermind behind the customs case was none other than the right prime minister Xiao Qinyan.

But given his status, Xiao Qinyan was not a big threat. Why was Zheng Qingtian so hesitant after learning that he had come to investigate the case?

Jia Jue said after a moment of thought.

"Your words really piqued my curiosity. Okay, then tell me who is behind this."

Seeing that Jia Jue was determined to get to the bottom of the matter, Zheng Qingtian hesitated for a moment and said.

"Well, my Lord, don't blame me then."

"Since you insist on knowing, I'll tell you straight away."

"There are two people behind this tariff case, one of whom is the current Right Prime Minister Xiao Qinyan."

"Of course, although Prime Minister Xiao is in a high position and has great power, the Marquis will not take it to heart."

"But the other person, I think the Marquis will find it extremely difficult, because this person is none other than the Marquis of Xiaoyue."

After hearing the name of Xiao Yuehou, Jia Jue was also slightly surprised.

"Little Marquis Yue, Concubine Yue's biological brother, right?"

"Zheng Qingtian, you don't think that if you drag the royal family into this, I won't dare to investigate thoroughly, right?"

Zheng Qingtian sighed and said.

"Even if the Marquis pokes a hole in the sky, the criminals will not disbelieve it."

"But Concubine Yue is deeply favored by His Majesty, otherwise His Majesty would not have yet appointed the eldest prince as the crown prince."

"The eldest prince is the legitimate son of the Empress. The fact that Your Majesty hasn't appointed a crown prince is itself a statement of attitude."

"If the Marquis insists on investigating this matter and involves the Marquis of Xiaoyue, then the entire family of the criminal will be in danger of being killed."

"Perhaps Your Highness is in a high position and has no worries in the short term, but when the time comes to appoint a crown prince, how will Your Highness cope if the Second Prince is chosen as the heir?"

"I know, the Marquis may think that I am making unwarranted accusations and trying to make the Marquis afraid to act rashly."

"But I have evidence in my hand. There is a secret compartment in my bookcase, and it contains the evidence I left behind."

"Among them are the bills for my share of the profits I paid to Prime Minister Xiao and Marquis Xiaoyue, as well as the correspondence between me, Prime Minister Xiao, and the confidants of Marquis Xiaoyue's mansion. Your Majesty will know it at a glance."

"I advise you to reconsider. I am the only one who knows the truth about Marquis Xiaoyue and Prime Minister Xiao's involvement in this matter. If I die, this clue will be broken. You will be relieved, and I can protect my family. Why are you so stubborn?"

After Jia Jue found the evidence at the location indicated by Zheng Qingtian and read it, he felt a little emotional.

He offended the eldest prince so much that he now offended the second prince's uncle.

It seems that I am destined to be a lone minister.

After thinking for a while, Jia Jue looked at Zheng Qingtian and said.

"Zheng Qingtian, you are a seventh-rank official, and you have never seen the emperor's face."

"The emperor is extremely wise. Your little tricks cannot be hidden from his discerning eyes."

"It is impossible for me to conceal the truth of this matter."

"From now on, your life, and the lives of your family, will have to wait for His Majesty's decision."

"You must immediately list all the people on your webpage, and then I will send the Imperial Guards to escort you to the capital overnight."

"As for your family, I will find a place for them to be settled in Qiantang."

"If you die before you reach the Divine Capital to meet His Majesty, I guarantee that no one in your family will survive. Do you understand what I mean?"

Hearing this, Zheng Qingtian couldn't help but sigh.

He never expected that even after saying this, Jia Jue would still send him to the capital.

"My Lord, you are cutting off your own path to recovery by doing this."

Jia Jue said indifferently.

"You're cutting off your own path to retreat. That's ridiculous. I've been the same for so many years, always moving forward without hesitation. I don't need any escape route."

"Okay, here's the pen and ink. Write down all the officials involved."

Seeing this, Zheng Qingtian knew that Jia Jue had made up his mind, so he said nothing more and started writing down his account. Now that things had come to this, he had nothing to hide.

After writing a three-page confession, looking at the densely packed names of officials on the confession, Jia Jue was already ready to sharpen his knife.

Afterwards, Jia Jue called Gu Qianfan, gave him some instructions, and ordered him to escort Zheng Qingtian to the capital overnight.

Then Jia Jue sent his personal soldiers to Jinling overnight.

After everything was arranged, it was already late at night.

After Jia Jue returned to the inn where he was staying, he fell asleep.

The next day, when the sun was already high in the sky, Jia Jue stretched and washed up, then left the inn and headed straight for Zhao's Teahouse in Qiantang County.

At this time, in Zhao's teahouse, Zhao Pan'er had a look of distress on her face.

Not long ago, Zhao Pan'er's younger sister Song Yinzhang was deceived by an unreliable man who came from nowhere and eloped foolishly.

Zhao Pan'er saw through the so-called Zhou She very clearly. He was a womanizer and a gambler. He was completely deceiving the inexperienced Song Yinzhang.

But it was too late to say anything now, Song Yinzhang had also run away.

Zhao Pan'er had no choice but to change her clothes and prepare to go to Yuhang to seek help from Yang Zhiyuan, the judge of Liangzhe Transportation, hoping that he could help Song Yinzhang get rid of his status as a slave.

Otherwise, if a registered musician escapes without permission and is discovered by the government, he will be sent to jail.

Just as Zhao Pan'er was about to go out, a carriage stopped in front of the teahouse, and then Jia Jue slowly got off the carriage.

After seeing Jia Jue, Zhao Pan'er couldn't help but be attracted by Jia Jue's temperament.

Zhao Pan'er was also born into a poor family and was a dancer in Yuhang Leseying.

With just a quick glance, she could tell that Jia Jue was an extraordinary person and must be from a prominent family.

Seeing Jia Jue running towards the teahouse, Zhao Pan'er hesitated for a moment, then walked up to him, bowed and said.

"Sir, I'm truly sorry, but I'm busy today, so the teahouse is closed."

"I hope you will forgive me. Come back another day and I will definitely treat you well."

Jia Jue glanced at Zhao Pan'er indifferently and said.

"What if I insist on having tea today?"

Although Jia Jue's tone was flat, Zhao Pan'er still felt the unyielding majesty in his words.

(End of this chapter)