HLnovel Chapter 266 Dogs Biting Dogs
Chapter 266 Dogs Biting Dogs
Chapter 266 Dogs Biting Dogs
After Chunyu Jing left, Feng Ling stayed in the room, repeatedly flipping through the account book in his hand by candlelight. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his heart felt as if it were burdened by a huge stone, so heavy that it was unbearable.
He initially thought it was just an ordinary murder case, but as he followed the clues deeper, he uncovered such a shocking secret. However, he couldn't understand why these people would do such a thing. Holding high positions, wielding power, and with beautiful wives and concubines at home, why would they still harm other innocent people?
And what about His Highness the Crown Prince? He can simply raise his arm and call out, and naturally people will send beauties to him. So why would he be involved in this matter?
Although he promised Chunyu Jing that he would report the matter directly to the emperor, upon calming down and thinking about it, he felt that this move seemed too reckless and impulsive.
How to be good?
The candlelight flickered slightly, and Feng Ling suddenly had an idea. He immediately and carefully put away the rubbings of the account books, opened the door, and called his trusted guard, whispering:
"Li Kui, quickly prepare two sets of inconspicuous plainclothes, and remember not to let anyone see them!"
The guard replied, "Yes, sir!"
After disguising themselves, Feng Ling and his guards quietly left through the back gate of Shuntian Prefecture and headed towards the Left Prime Minister's residence.
Meanwhile, the Shuntian Prefecture prison was bustling with activity.
"Pah! You son of a bitch, you piece of trash who's been fucked by ten thousand men, spouting nonsense and slandering good people! May you die a horrible death!"
"That corrupt official Feng Ling is guilty of embezzlement, bribery, and slandering innocent people. He deserves to be struck by lightning!"
Ever since she entered the prison, Granny She had been constantly cursing and swearing. One moment she was cursing Zheng Yan, who testified in court, the next she was cursing Feng Ling, who was a corrupt official, and then she kept harping on Li Shi, as if everyone in the world was evil and only she was a good person.
Wang Bao was imprisoned in the cell next to hers. After listening to Granny She's cursing for a long time, he finally couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up:
"Shut up, it's too late for you to shout anymore!"
Unexpectedly, Granny She spat at Wang Bao from afar and cursed, "Pah, you dog! You were always giving me advice when I was doing those dirty tricks, and now you want to stay out of it? Humph, no way!"
"Hmph, I think you're just out of touch with reality. Women are women, so short-sighted," Wang Bao retorted with a cold snort.
"What did you say?" Granny She glared fiercely at Wang Bao, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Wang Bao said, "If you hadn't repeatedly denied it in court and reacted so violently, how could all those things have come to light? If you had admitted that you did it all then, that crazy woman wouldn't have had the chance to testify in court, and the case could have been closed smoothly. But now, that crazy woman has revealed everything in court—"
At this point, Wang Bao snorted coldly, his eyes filled with malice: "Do you think that after all this, anyone will still protect you?"
After being instructed by him, Granny She finally realized what she had done in the courtroom. Her face turned pale and then red, and she broke out in a cold sweat.
Yes, at first she always thought she had someone backing her up. If that person knew that the Shuntian Prefecture's investigation had reached her level, they would definitely step in to protect her, which is why she stubbornly denied everything. But she forgot that the master behind the Shuntian Prefecture was the current emperor, whose influence was far greater than theirs!
Although she knew in her heart that she had made a foolish mistake, Granny She still wouldn't let it go: "You were the one who confirmed it yourself, saying that the person was dead and the things were burned, so Master Zhao and I were relieved. But now? That woman is not dead at all, and she has come back with the 'list'. Humph, you blame me? You should worry about yourself. You set the fire and burned her to death. Do you think she will let you off the hook?"
Recalling the way Zheng Yan looked when she took off her mask in court, Wang Bao suddenly got goosebumps all over, and he could almost smell that strong, pungent smell of smoke from back then.
He will never forget the look in that crazy woman's eyes when he set that fire!
"And that slut over there! If you hadn't taken a liking to her and lured her up the mountain, things wouldn't have turned out this way!" Granny She glared fiercely at Min'er in the other corner.
"What, you've done something wrong, and now you want to pin it on me? Is that it?" Min'er raised her head, looking at Granny She and Wang Bao without any emotion, and said with a sneer, "Wang Bao, Wang Bao, I should have known you were this kind of person. What kind of good person could you be, following that old bastard? I was blind to have fallen for you back then, and all my sincerity was wasted!"
"Shut up!" Zheng Yan's image lingered in Wang Bao's mind, and he felt a surge of irritation. He roared at Min'er, "If it weren't for you, you slut, seducing me, how could I have betrayed the master! And you even dared to use me to follow me!"
"Seduced you?" Min'er laughed as if she had heard a joke, tears streaming down her face. She said hatefully:
"I did use you, so what? Didn't you use me too? You were so jealous of that old bastard that you were practically going crazy, dreaming of seizing his property and taking his place. That's why you came to me, planning to use me to kill him! You colluded with him, committing countless evils. It was his retribution for being killed by you. You'll be next!"
Wang Bao was hit where it hurt by Min'er's words, and he immediately jumped up and pounced on Min'er: "You wretch, I'll kill you today!"
Min'er couldn't dodge in time, and Wang Bao grabbed her fair neck tightly, making it impossible for her to breathe, and her face turned red.
The sudden turn of events in the prison cell startled Li Shi, the proprietress of Li Jin Cloth Shop, who screamed:
"Killing! Killing!"
Granny She quickly stepped forward and covered her mouth, saying, "What are you shouting for! Let them kill each other!"
However, the prison guards, drawn by her cry, saw that Min'er was nearly strangled to death by Wang Bao. They rushed in, opened the cell door, lashed Wang Bao with a whip, and roared:
"Stop! You are already burdened with serious crimes, yet you show no remorse and still want to kill again. Your crimes are simply unforgivable!"
Wang Bao's flesh was torn open by the whip, and he screamed in agony as he released Min'er. Min'er, having escaped death, lay on the ground, clutching her neck and gasping for breath, and reached out her hand to the jailer:
"The jailer... the jailer... save me... they're trying to kill me to cover it up..."
The jailer kicked Wang Bao, who was trying to get up from the ground, and lashed him a few more times. He then glared at Granny She and Madam Li before having someone help Min'er up and instructing her to be separated from Wang Bao and the others and imprisoned in two separate cells.
"Behave yourself!" the jailer yelled, pointing his whip at Wang Bao, who was covered in blood, and then locked the cell door again.
Finally free from the same cell as Wang Baoshe and the others, Min'er leaned against the damp, dirty wall, gently rubbing her nearly broken neck, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Her life was filled with hardship. Born into a poor family, she was sold to a teahouse to sing songs from a young age. She witnessed the ugly faces of the world and, relying on her little bit of cleverness, thought she could escape from Master Zhao's side. However, she did not expect to fall into Wang Bao's trap in the end.
It was because she was too foolish, too eager to escape her background as a street singer, that she was exploited by that scoundrel Wang Bao and ended up in this predicament.
The tragic death of Master Zhao was retribution, but isn't her fate also retribution?
Thinking of this, Min'er forced a bitter smile.
If it weren't for that girl stopping Master Zhao at the Zhao residence, I probably would have been beheaded long ago. It's better this way. Although I'm in jail, I can still keep my life. If her crime doesn't warrant death, I'll spend the rest of my life by that girl's side, doing good deeds as atonement.
Min'er, lost in thought, leaned against the wall and fell into a deep sleep. Just then, a gentle breeze blew in from somewhere, extinguishing the oil lamp outside the cell door, casting a shadow over her, making her indistinguishable from the other.