Chapter 47: Dirty Military

Chapter 47: Dirty Military

Chapter 47: Dirty Military
The night is getting darker, the lights are small,
The lights in Manchun Tower flickered, illuminating Chen Jingyi's weather-beaten face, which was full of sorrow.

He sat at one side of the long table, holding the teacup tightly in both hands.

The originally calm tea inside began to stir up ripples, as if trying to suppress the grief in its heart.

Lu Yunyi looked at Chen Jingyi, a trace of sympathy in his calm eyes.

Losing a child in old age is something that no gray-haired person can bear.

It is fortunate that Chen Jingyi has been able to remain conscious until today.

"You tell me. Since you are one of us, I will do my best."

The moment Lu Yunyi's voice sounded, it seemed as if the whole world was silent.

The sounds of stringed instruments in the courtyard gradually died down. The woman pursed her lips, looked solemn, and knelt there with her head lowered.

Liu Heiying also had a solemn look on his face. Only Chen Jingyi was trying hard to suppress the grief that was about to burst out in his heart, as well as the uncontrollable joy.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Jingyi's eyes gradually focused, his hands clenched, veins bulging, but he still tried to make his words smooth:
"My son Chen Hongjie is a soldier of the Qingzhou Central Thousand Household Division.

On May 6, the 18th year of Hongwu, I went out with my superior to investigate the enemy situation.

Most of the troops returned to camp at 3 p.m. on May 9, and there was no casualty among the more than 100 soldiers.

Only my son died five miles outside of Gyeongju City. When I found him,

The tendons of his hands and feet were cut, his abdomen was cut open and his head was cut off, his face was completely disfigured.
I and a few friends pieced together a half-dead body.
When he was a child, his right leg was burned by fire, so there is a scar.
I am a coroner and can easily tell, so that is my son."

Lu Yunyi frowned and asked, "What did his superior say?"

Chen Jingyi took a long time to recover from the grief he felt three years ago.

"They said my son was killed in a battle with the enemy deep in the grasslands, and his body was taken away by the enemy.
I dragged his body to the barracks, and the military coroner and his superiors said
This body is unrecognizable, he has been dead for at least ten days, it is not my son."

Chen Jingyi's voice trembled slightly, his eyes flushed, his teeth clenched, and his cheeks bulged high:

"But how could I not recognize my own son? I am a famous coroner in Peking!!"

"Beiping?" Lu Yunyi looked puzzled.

"My husband and I used to live in Peking.

Since Hongjie joined the army and came to this frontier land, our family of three has come to Qingzhou to live.
There's no way. The child's mother loves him and she's worried about him being away from home.

But after Hongjie died, his mother cried until she went blind within a few days.
I went to the government office to report to the authorities and to the military camp to make a scene, but the officials just brushed it off.

Just like that, the mother went crazy.
Later, the bucket fell into the well, and she thought it was Hongjie who fell in, so she jumped in too. "

Chen Jingyi's voice was like a ghost, rippling slightly in this elegant pavilion, stirring up a hint of eeriness.

Several women lost their previous demeanor and stood there in a daze, their eyes red and their lips tightly pursed, not daring to speak.

"Are there any other clues?" Lu Yunyi asked.

Chen Jingyi quickly took out a booklet from his chest and handed it over:

"Sir, this is what I have been investigating for the past few years. Since the 13th year of Hongwu, this place returned to the control of the Ming Dynasty.

In just eight years, at least a hundred soldiers died inexplicably.

Some died without a complete body, some committed suicide, some were left dead in the wilderness, and some simply went to the grasslands and never came back, and there was no mention of them in the military reports.

Lu Yunyi's frown deepened. It seemed that what happened to Chen Hongjie was not an isolated case.

"What was the name of his superior at the time?"

Without hesitation, Chen Jingyi said, "Niu Sanyi."

"Niu Sanyi? You mean Niu Sanyi?"

Before Lu Yunyi could speak, Liu Heying on the side exclaimed with a hint of shock on his face.

Then he quickly searched his body, finally took out a note from his sleeve, quickly opened it and handed it to Lu Yunyi beside him.

"Brother Yun'er, the leader of the riot in Madam Ning's Rouge Shop when we returned to the camp was this Niu Sanyi!"

Lu Yunyi's heart skipped a beat, as if he was hit by something. The figure of a burly man appeared in his mind, with an anxious and flattering look on his face.

"It's him?"

"Who does he belong to?" Lu Yunyi looked at Liu Heiying.

Liu Heiying glared and looked at everyone present. Fortunately, everyone had no scruples:

"Qingzhou Zhongqianhu is the direct descendant of Commander Ding Xianzhi.

He had always coveted Madam Ning's beauty. Since the arrival of the army, he felt much more at ease.

But for some reason, I started looking for Madam Ning again yesterday.

Coincidentally, Madam Ning’s husband also died outside the Great Wall three years ago. His name was Sheng Xueyu.”

Everyone was shocked. Lu Yunyi closed his eyes slightly, thinking about the inner connection.

Chen Jingyi immediately said:
"Sheng Xueyu died on August 17, the 18th year of the Hongwu reign. I also went out to search for his body, but I didn't find it."

After hearing this, the people present suddenly felt a chill blowing through the room, making them feel a little creepy.

Mother Li almost hid in Liu Heying's arms, her eyelashes like cattail leaves trembling slightly.

Lu Yunyi took the booklet and flipped through it, and found that there were only names, places and times of death, and the autopsy results performed by the coroner.

He looked up at Chen Jingyi and asked:

“Have they done anything in common? Or do they have any common hobbies?

For example, whether they had jointly carried out a military mission, or whether they had done something for certain people, or whether they had transported food, fodder, and weapons, etc. ”

Chen Jingyi thought about it and nodded slightly:
"Yes, the soldiers of the Zhongqianhusuo are responsible for the transportation of food and fodder between Beiping and Qingzhou.
They once traveled together between Beiping and Qingzhou to transport food and fodder.
In the 18th year of Hongwu, they had two experiences of transporting grain and fodder, but not in the same caravan.

Moreover, almost all soldiers in the Zhongqianhu Division were involved in this matter. I have investigated it before, but found nothing. "

"Could it be that someone was smuggling something in there, and then was discovered, so someone wanted to kill people to silence them?"

Lu Yunyi spoke out his guess again.
This situation is unavoidable in border areas of all dynasties.

Especially now that some of the imperial court's supplies such as salt, iron, tea, and sugar are all government-run,
Although there were some legitimate channels for exchanging food for supplies, such as the Sino-French trade and the tea-horse trade,
But I still earned too little.

Therefore, soldiers in border areas usually have connections with merchants.

The court would not pursue the matter too much if they quietly transported some scarce materials in small quantities.

When Lu Yunyi was in the post of the Hundred Households,
It was because Yan San found this excuse to dismiss the original centurion and investigate him that he was able to take the position.

Chen Jingyi shook his head slowly: "I can't find it anymore. I'm just an ordinary soldier and I don't have access to the accounts of grain and grass.
But I learned from the shopkeeper and the soldiers that

Since the war started in Qingzhou the year before last, the imperial court has tightened control and these businesses have ceased.

Even though their livelihoods have stopped, people are still dying."

Lu Yunyi nodded. From this, it can be inferred that the deaths and injuries of the soldiers had little to do with these livelihoods.

After taking a deep breath, Lu Yunyi already knew the general situation, so he waved the booklet in his hand and asked:
"I'll take the things first, and I'll have someone investigate this matter.

But now that the army is about to set out, all the officials in Qingzhou are busy with the northern expedition, so things may not go so fast. "

Chen Jingyi knew this, but even so, he nodded repeatedly with gratitude.

He asked countless people, but not one of them agreed.
Now that Master Xiao Lu has agreed to investigate the matter for him, Chen Jingyi feels that all these years of waiting have been worthwhile.
"Thank you, Lord Lu." Chen Jingyi bowed, then picked up the wine bowl and drank it all.

Lu Yunyi also smiled and patted his shoulder to push him down:

"People need to look forward. Although this may seem light, it is my sincere consolation. With your ability, you can get a good job in the army, which will make it easier to investigate cases.

It is much better than your laborious search.

So starting tomorrow, you need to cheer up and do your work well.
Some things will naturally become known once your status is raised."

Lu Yunyi picked up the wine bowl, clinked his glasses with a few people while talking, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Jingyi quickly picked up the wine bowl, his face solemn:

"Thank you, Lord Lu. If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to tell me. I will do my best to help you, even if it means my death."

"Hey~" Lu Yunyi waved his hand:
"My subordinates don't need to do this. They just need to do their job well."

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye an hour passed.
The incident involving Chen Jingyi made everyone feel heavy-hearted, and after everyone got a little tipsy, the party naturally dispersed.

"Then I'll take my leave first."

Chen Jingyi bowed slightly and stepped out.
Mother Li gave a secret look, and the woman next to her immediately stood up with a smile and followed closely behind.

This scene made Liu Heiying extremely satisfied. He touched Mother Li's slender waist hard and then laughed:

"Following Brother Yun'er, you will have everything from wine, women, money, fame, and fortune."

These bold words made Mother Li laugh repeatedly, and she said in a gentle voice:

"General, I seem to have heard what Lord Chen said just now."

"Oh?"

A gleam of brilliance flashed in Liu Heiying's eyes.
Lu Yunyi also turned his gaze over, looked him over for a moment, and nodded slightly.

Brothels, brothels and teahouses have always been good places to collect intelligence. Liu Heiying is indeed a very evil person.

"Tell me about it." Liu Heiying said.

Mother Li frowned slightly, and a thought flashed across her eldest son's charming eyes. The slight blush on her face made her look particularly eye-catching.

"The soldiers in the city often come here to have fun, and they are always drunk and talk without restraint.

Some officers from the Zhongqian Households Office would also come here after completing the transportation of food and fodder.
But there is something strange. They never talk about military affairs, especially the transportation of food and fodder, even when they are drunk. "

"This is a military matter, how can you talk about it everywhere?" Liu Heiying frowned.

Lu Yunyi said: "No, the military affairs of transporting food and grass are known to everyone in the city. Apart from the specific number, what else can't be said?"

"I think the same of you.

Those people said anything when they were drunk. They would talk nonsense about the enemy situations they found when they went to the grassland to explore.

Whenever I come here, the military officials always come to question me, but I have never heard them mention the matter of food and fodder."

Hearing what Mother Li said, Lu Yunyi turned his head to look at the woman in white beside him and asked, "Have you heard of it?"

The woman in white froze and looked at Mother Li embarrassedly.

Mother Li then explained, "Girls like Bai Ji are my dearest darlings. How could we bear to entertain those rough men?"

Lu Yunyi nodded in realization. As expected, Manchunlou had a set of such items, which were divided into different grades and prices.

Lu Yunyi pondered and looked at Mother Li and asked:
"Are the soldiers and officers of the Qingzhou Central Thousand Households Office generous? How do they compare to the other thousand households?"

"Of course, that's very generous. The officers of the ordinary Qianhu Suo only come a few times a year, not to mention the soldiers.

If the superior didn't pay, how could they have the courage to come here?"

As she spoke, a hint of complaint appeared on Li's mother's face:
“Every time they come they are drunk and they make the girls suffer a lot, and the girls don’t like them.

But the Zhongqianhu were different. They were Lord Ding's confidants and had ample funds.

Those centurions would come once a month or so, and they were much more generous than the soldiers of other thousand households.

But since the war started last year, these people have rarely come.”

Hearing this, Liu Heiying narrowed his eyes slightly, with a thoughtful look on his face.
A gleam of brilliance flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes. There are only three major crimes: money, sex, and power.
After listening to Mother Li and Chen Jingyi's narration, Lu Yunyi had already made up his mind.
It must be related to money, and even involves the transportation of food and fodder.

This is the fastest way for frontier soldiers to make money.

After figuring this out, Lu Yunyi looked at Mother Li and Bai Ji beside him and waved his hand: "You guys go out first."

"Ah? Sir." Mother Li let out a sweet cry.
But before Lu Yunyi could speak, Liu Heiying's face darkened and he said in a cold voice:
"Get out! You unruly thing."

Mother Li's face froze, and a trace of grievance appeared in her eyes.

Bai Ji was the same. She pursed her lips tightly, her eyes lingering on the young man who was bowing his head in thought, with some regret in her eyes.
When the door was closed, Lu Yunyi asked directly:

"How did Guo Quan perform in the army?"

The anger and drunkenness in Liu Heiying's eyes quickly dissipated, and he became calm and composed:

"It's OK. With Wu Fuliu watching over him, he can't cause any trouble.
In the previous fight, I made a level 1 achievement, and my previous weakness has faded a lot."

"Very good, do you think he is a spy?"

Liu Heiying looked solemn and took a deep breath:

"Brother Yun'er is the son of a noble family, so it's unlikely that he's a spy.

But if others want to get information from him, they just need to ask legitimate questions.
Guo Quan is not a spy, but he does the work of a spy. After all, the world belongs to them, so it is natural for them to care about it. "

"Shen Yan, you are drunk. This world belongs to your majesty."

"Yes, your majesty."

Liu Heiying raised his hand, touched his mouth, and slapped it lightly. Some things can be known but cannot be said.

Lu Yunyi raised his head slowly, his eye sockets deep:

"Investigating the case is the government's business. We in the military cannot interfere, and we cannot directly tell the two Lords.
Then let Guo Quan handle this matter and let him investigate secretly.

It would be best if those who are paying attention to him could also be aware of this, and then we can just wait and see."

Liu Heiying thought about it and nodded:

“This is a good idea, but what’s the reason?

We are from Houqianhuzuo, and we have no relatives or friends in Zhongqianhuzuo. If we intervene rashly, it will attract attention."

"This is a troublesome matter." Lu Yunyi looked worried. All these twists and turns were far less exciting than fighting on the battlefield.

Suddenly a figure appeared in his mind, and he said:
"When I entered the city, I stopped in front of Madam Ning's shop. Niu Sanyi's troubles were also known to many people."

"That's quite reasonable, but we're just neighbors, so there's no need to go to such great lengths."

Lu Yunyi glanced at Liu Heiying: "What's your reason?"

Liu Heiying's face suddenly showed excitement:
"Of course it's love between a man and a woman. Brother Yun'er, you are a young talent, and Madam Ning is a pretty widow. Young people fall in love with mature women.
If this is publicized, within a day, all the people in Gyeongju will know about it, and things will be much easier.

By then, we may not even need to investigate, as Magistrate Liu will have turned the matter upside down for the sake of his daughter."

Lu Yunyi stared at him for a long time, sighed, patted his shoulder and said earnestly:
"General Liu, I am not you. Go find your mother Li. I am gone and things will be done as I say."

Then he stood up, straightened his sleeves, and walked out of the house on his own.

Liu Heiying finally reacted and shouted:

"I don't like mature women."

　I asked the editor today, can real place names appear?
　　Shuntian can legitimately be called Beiping.
　　It makes me worried. The names of provinces are going to be ancient names.
　　so far so good
　　Also, thank you all for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)