Chapter 30 Why do we need to hide our whereabouts?

Chapter 30 Why do we need to hide our whereabouts?

Deng Ziqiu said with a sharp look in his eyes, "Some people say that you ordered someone to poison the wine and frame my father."

Ji Mingxiang's face changed and he said angrily, "Bullshit! When have I, Ji Mingxiang, ever done such a thing?"

Deng Ziqiu asked, "So, who was the person who got my dad drunk that day?"

Ji Mingxiang was silent for a moment, then said, "I have asked that man to surrender himself."

Deng Ziqiu's eyes flashed with doubt, and he asked, "Surrender? Then where is he now?"

Ji Mingxiang sneered and said, "He is already dead."

Deng Ziqiu's face changed and he asked, "Dead? Why would he surrender himself?"

Ji Mingxiang said: "He knew he had committed a crime and was afraid that I would find out, so he chose to surrender himself."

Deng Ziqiu was even more confused and asked, "So, where did he surrender?"

Ji Mingxiang sneered and said, "It's okay to tell you. The place where he surrendered himself is in the backyard of the Ji Mansion."

Deng Ziqiu was shocked when he heard this and immediately turned and walked towards the backyard.

Jiang Zhiyu had been waiting outside for a long time. Seeing Deng Ziqiu in a hurry, he asked hurriedly, "Ziqiu, how are you?"

Deng Ziqiu said: "Zhi Yu, follow me."

The two men came to the backyard of Ji's house and saw a man in prison clothes lying on the ground, no longer breathing.

"Is he the one who turned himself in?" Jiang Zhiyu asked.

Deng Ziqiu nodded and said, "Yes, his name is Zhao Liu, and he is a small thug in the north of the city. He was instructed by Ji Mingxiang to get my father drunk, but he didn't know my father's alcohol tolerance."

Jiang Zhiyu sneered and said, "This Ji Mingxiang is really cunning!"

Deng Ziqiu said: "Now, what we have to do is to find evidence to prove Ji Mingxiang's crime."

The two began to search the scene carefully, hoping to find some clues. On Zhao Liu, they found a jade pendant with the words "Ji Mansion" engraved on it.

"Was this jade pendant given by Ji Mingxiang?" Jiang Zhiyu asked.

Deng Ziqiu nodded and said, "It seems that the evidence is here."

The two men immediately returned to the Imperial College, found the Dean of the Imperial College, Shangguan Zhengming, presented the jade pendant to him, and told him everything that had happened today.

Shangguan Zhengming took the jade pendant and examined it carefully for a moment, with a gleam in his eyes. He said in a deep voice: "This jade pendant is indeed from the Ji family. It seems that Ji Mingxiang is increasingly suspected of being behind this case."

"Master Siye, what should we do next?" Jiang Zhiyu asked anxiously.

Shangguan Zhengming pondered for a moment and said, "You have found the key evidence. Next, we have to send this jade pendant to the Ministry of Justice and let them conduct a thorough investigation of Ji Mingxiang."

Deng Ziqiu said: "Should we hand over this jade pendant to the government first? After all, this is direct evidence pointing to Ji Mingxiang."

Shangguan Zhengming shook his head and said, "No, we can't rush for success. First, we have to confirm the authenticity of this jade pendant to prevent it from falling into the hands of others and becoming a pawn to undermine our investigation. Secondly, we have to find more evidence to prove Ji Mingxiang's crime."

"Master Siye, do you have any solution?" Jiang Zhiyu asked doubtfully.

Shangguan Zhengming nodded and said, "I have a few clues. First, we need to find Zhao Liu's body to see if he has any other belongings. Second, we need to go to Ji's mansion to investigate and see if we can find more evidence. Finally, I need to go to the north of the city to look for Zhao Liu's family and learn about his background."

Deng Ziqiu asked, "Master Siye, are you going to the north of the city alone?"

Shangguan Zhengming smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I am doing. You two are in charge of the Ji Mansion, and you must find more evidence. I believe that the truth will come out."

Jiang Zhiyu and Deng Ziqiu agreed in unison and then went their separate ways.

Jiang Zhiyu and Deng Ziqiu immediately split up after receiving the order. Jiang Zhiyu changed into casual clothes, wearing a bamboo hat and a green dress. She knew that as a female disciple of the Huang class of the Imperial Academy, if she was too ostentatious, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

In the Ji Mansion, Jiang Zhiyu and Deng Ziqiu carefully avoided the sight of the servants and sneaked into the backyard. In the night, the house was brightly lit, but the backyard was silent. The two walked through the winding corridor and came to a remote study.

"It's here." Jiang Zhiyu said in a low voice, pointing at the study door.

Deng Ziqiu nodded and pushed the door open. The room was simply furnished, with books piled on the bookshelf and a few unopened letters scattered on the table.

"This may be Zhao Liu's study." Deng Ziqiu picked up a letter, hesitated for a moment, and finally opened it and read it.

The content of the letter was that Zhao Liu had concealed his whereabouts from his family and asked his family not to tell his father. Seeing this, Jiang Zhiyu couldn't help but wonder why Zhao Liu concealed his whereabouts?

At this moment, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door. Jiang Zhiyu and Deng Ziqiu immediately hid behind the bookshelf, only to see a sturdy man hurriedly walk into the study, who was Zhao Liu's family member.

"Zhao Lao Er, you've come just in time," the man shouted angrily, "Tell me quickly, where is your brother Zhao Liu? Why did he hide his whereabouts?"

Zhao Lao Er looked panicked and hesitantly explained, "Master, I... I really don't know. He... he has been in the north of the city recently, saying that he was looking for something to do."

The man's face turned pale when he heard this, and he waved his hand, signaling Zhao Laoer to leave. Then, he turned around, took out a key from his pocket, walked to the bookshelf, and opened a drawer on the bottom shelf.

In the drawer, there was a worn-out notebook. The man opened it and read page by page. Jiang Zhiyu and Deng Ziqiu held their breath and concentrated, only to see that the notebook recorded Zhao Liu's recent whereabouts and his interactions with other people.

"I see." The man put down the notebook and sneered, "Zhao Liu, this rebellious son, actually dared to betray me. I will make him pay the price."

Seeing this, Jiang Zhiyu's heart moved, and he thought to himself: "This notebook may be our clue."

Deng Ziqiu whispered, "Zhi Yu, what should we do?"

Jiang Zhiyu replied: "Let's follow quietly and see how Zhao Liu's family will deal with him."

The two quietly left the study and followed Zhao Liu's family to the outside of the mansion. They saw Zhao Liu's family put Zhao Liu on a carriage and drove away.

Jiang Zhiyu and Deng Ziqiu quickly mounted their horses and followed closely. Along the way, they kept their distance at all times to avoid being noticed by Zhao Liu's family.

The carriage drove out of the city and came to a desolate valley. Zhao Liu's family stopped the carriage and dragged Zhao Liu off the carriage.

"Zhao Liu, do you have anything else to say?" the man asked.

Zhao Liu's face was full of fear, his lips were trembling, but he couldn't utter a word.

The man sneered, took out a dagger from his arms, and stabbed Zhao Liu's heart fiercely. Zhao Liu screamed and fell to the ground, breathless.