"Hmph, I finally showed my fox tail!"

Zhao Zhenji thought so, and a touch of mockery couldn't help but appear on his face.

Then, I saw Zhao Zhenji get up from the chair and go straight back to the study.

At this moment, Zhao Zhenji had already understood the origin of the matter, why Ma Ningyuan's case would cause a stir in the capital, and it also attracted officials from the imperial court to investigate the case.

In the final analysis, it is nothing more than someone who wants to use Ma Ningyuan's case to muddy the waters of the entire Zhejiang, so that they can fish in troubled waters.

"If this official doesn't have the right to cut first and then play given by His Majesty, he really can't help you, it's a pity that ......"

After sighing, I saw Zhao Zhenji spread out the pen and paper, and wrote a letter to Qi Jiguang with a brush full of ink.

The content of the letter is to order Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou to mobilize their subordinates and soldiers to arrest those merchants who intend to buy the people's raw silk from tomorrow.

Zhao Zhenji knew very well in his heart that he only gave Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing ten days to investigate the case, and now two days have passed.

In other words, if Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting want to complete the set tasks, they must seize the time, launch a larger-scale operation, and pay close attention to buying raw silk in the hands of the people.

Otherwise, when Zheng Michang and He Maocai are reinstated, they will only become more and more passive.

Regarding what happened in the past two days, Zhao Zhenji couldn't see that the other party was testing himself unabashedly.

"Finally took the bait, the official doesn't believe it, you can keep calm, and see how the official cleans up your group of worms!"

After the ink on the paper dried, I saw Zhao Zhenji solemnly put it into the envelope, and then called his cronies, and ordered in a deep voice: "Immediately hand over this letter to General Qi's hands!" ”

When the cronie heard this, he didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, and after taking the envelope from Zhao Zhenji's hand, he replied in a deep voice: "Yes, my lord! ”

……

At night, in the barracks where Qi Jiguang's department was stationed.

At this moment, the orange light in the main tent was bright, clearly reflecting the faces of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.

I saw Yu Dayou look at Qi Jiguang, who was sitting on the main seat at the moment, and said, "General Qi, that's all I heard about below!" ”

When Qi Jiguang heard Yu Dayou's words, a look of gratitude appeared on his face, and he immediately spoke: "Well, Brother Zhifu, it's hard work!" ”

Not long ago, Yu Dayou told Qi Jiguang about what he had heard so far, including the fact that those businessmen forcibly bought raw silk from the people at a very low price under the banner of the Weaving Bureau.

After this, I saw Qi Jiguang take a deep breath and close his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

But as soon as Qi Jiguang closed his eyes, what Yu Dayou had said unconsciously flashed in his mind.

"In order to buy raw silk at a low price from the hands of the people, those businessmen colluded with those ruffians and hooligans, and did everything they could, and even directly sent thugs to beat up those people who were unwilling to sell raw silk cheaply!"

"In the process, countless people were injured, and even five people died of their injuries!"

Then, I saw Qi Jiguang's face cold, slammed the table, and said in a deep voice: "Even if there is a weaving bureau behind the back, this group of damn insects, this general will definitely not let them go!" ”

Yu Dayou, who was on the side, saw Qi Jiguang angry, and hurriedly stepped forward to comfort: "General Qi, calm down, didn't the governor say before, when the time comes, he will send someone to inform us!" ”

"Now that such a thing has happened, the Governor will definitely not sit idly by!"

When Qi Jiguang heard this, he looked in the direction where Yu Dayou was, nodded, and said in a deep voice: "Well, Brother Zhifu is reasonable, the governor has the right to cut first and then play the right given by His Majesty, and he will definitely not sit idly by!" ”

After this, I heard a rush of footsteps outside the main tent.

After a while, I saw several heavily armed armor soldiers, escorting a man with a masked face into the camp.

Before the visitor could speak, Qi Jiguang couldn't hold back the eagerness in his heart, suddenly got up from the seat, looked in the direction of the visitor, and asked in a deep voice: "Did the governor send you?" ”

When the visitor heard this, he bowed slightly to Qi Jiguang, and then carefully took out the envelope from his arms, and said respectfully: "General Qi, the governor asked the little one to be sure to put this letter in your hands!" ”

As soon as the comer's words fell, I saw Qi Jiguang's personal guard step forward, took the envelope from the comer's hand, and came to Qi Jiguang's face.

"General!"

"Hmm."

After Qi Jiguang took the envelope from the guard's hand, he couldn't wait to open it and browse the contents on it.

After Qi Jiguang finished reading the contents of the letter, his face was full of excitement that could not be concealed.

Then, I saw Qi Jiguang looking at the person who came, and commanded: "I'm tired to go back and tell the governor, and I will say that the general must be lucky not to disgrace his life!" ”

When the visitor heard Qi Jiguang's words, he hurriedly lowered his head and returned the salute: "Where is it, General Qi is polite, the little one must bring the words!" ”

Seeing that the mission of his trip had been successfully completed, the visitor did not stay in the tent for too long, but left under the escort of the armor sergeant.

After the visitor left, I saw Yu Dayou looking at the letter in Qi Jiguang's hand with a curious expression, and asked, "General Qi, what did the governor say in the letter?" ”

When Qi Jiguang heard this, he immediately stepped forward, handed the letter in his hand into Yu Dayou's hands, and then said: "The governor has ordered us to mobilize our subordinates and arrest those merchants who intend to buy the people's raw silk from tomorrow!" ”

"Okay, okay, I knew that the governor would not sit idly by!"

After reading the contents of the letter, Yu Dayou subconsciously clenched his fists and said excitedly.

"General Chuanben's order, the whole army is assembled!"

"Yes, General!"

Soon, before the three-way drum sounded, the soldiers under Qi Jiguang soon gathered in the school field.

Qi Jiguang looked at the neatly arranged soldiers in the audience, exuding a murderous aura, and said in a deep voice: "Today, this general summoned you on the orders of the governor, and now ......"

……

Late at night, inside a dimly lit cell.

At this time, Ma Ningyuan had already been tortured by the torture for several days, and at this moment, he was curled up in the corner of the cell in tattered prison clothes.

His body was covered with scars from various torture instruments, and sometimes new wounds were added before the wounds had time to scab over.

Ma Ningyuan's face was covered with bruises, and the labor pains from all over his body made him unable to sleep for a long time.

Now Ma Ningyuan only has one breath left, and he is still looking forward to it in his heart, and when he goes out in the future, he must come back with revenge.

"Ah, Yan Maoqing, Wang Ting, you wait for the official, and when the official goes out, he will definitely be returned a hundredfold!"

At this time, I saw Ma Ningyuan gritting his teeth and secretly hating, and muttered to himself silently.

At this moment, I heard a sound of footsteps in the corridor of the prison.

But at this time, Ma Ningyuan had already fallen into a state of trance, so he didn't notice it too much.

When he heard the sound of unlocking from the door, he couldn't help but be secretly vigilant: "Could it be that someone has come to kill it?" ”

Ma Ningyuan thought of this, and decided to pretend to be asleep first and wait to see the development of the situation, after all, with his current physical condition, if someone really came to kill him, he would be powerless.

At this moment, I saw someone quietly coming to Ma Ningyuan, who was pretending to be asleep, and said in a low voice: "Lord Prefect, wake up, Lord Prefect!" ”

When Ma Ningyuan heard this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and said secretly: "It seems that he is not here to kill his mouth!" ”

Then, I saw Ma Ningyuan sitting up from the ground with a strong support, and then, the pain from all over his body made his expression become hideous.

Ma Ningyuan endured the pain, turned his gaze to the person who came, and asked, "Did Lord Zheng and Lord He send you?" ”

Hearing this, the visitor nodded, and then carefully took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Ma Ningyuan: "Lord Prefect, the little one was sent by the political envoy!" ”

"The political envoy explained, saying that the little one must hand over this letter to you, saying that after you read this letter, you will understand everything!"

When Ma Ningyuan heard this, the light of hope rekindled in his eyes, and he secretly sighed: "It seems that they haven't forgotten their official yet!" ”

After that, I saw Ma Ningyuan open the envelope and browse the contents of it by the faint light of the candle.

After Ma Ningyuan read the contents of the letter word by word, the look of hope on his face disappeared, and was replaced by endless despair.

At this time, Ma Ningyuan's face was pale, trembling, and he looked incredulous.

After a long time, I saw Ma Ningyuan come back to his senses, a sad look appeared on his face, and he said to himself: "Hahaha, in the end, I, Ma Ningyuan, actually ended up like this!" ”

In this letter, Zheng Michang not only explained the current situation to Ma Ningyuan, but also conveyed Yan Song's meaning to Ma Ningyuan word for word.

The meaning of this letter is very simple, that is, let Ma Ningyuan bear all the responsibility alone, and not implicate others, especially his teacher Hu Zongxian.

"Okay, okay, the teacher is now the old cabinet minister and the secretary of the ministry!"

When Ma Ningyuan said this, an inexplicable smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

Then, as if he had made up his mind, Ma Ningyuan saw him struggle to get up, and put the letter in his hand close to the candle flame that was emitting an orange faint light.

The moment the flame touched the paper, it burned even more vigorously, and Ma Ningyuan watched with his own eyes, and the paper gradually turned into ashes.

After doing this, I saw Ma Ningyuan looking at the person who came, smiled miserably, and said slowly: "I am tired of telling the political envoy for this official, and he said that this official will do it, and I hope he can take care of the official's family!" ”

When the visitor heard this, he immediately lowered his head and replied respectfully: "Yes, Lord Prefect, the little one must bring your words intact!" ”

After that, Ma Ningyuan lost the interest in talking, only to see him wave his hand and signal the person to leave.

Soon after the visitor left, I saw Ma Ningyuan call the jailer and ordered: "Prepare pen, ink, paper and inkstone for this official!" ”

When the jailer heard Ma Ningyuan's words, he thought that Ma Ningyuan had figured out that he wanted to confess, and he didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, so he ordered someone to prepare the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Subsequently, I saw Ma Ningyuan spread out the pen and paper, and under the reflection of the candlelight, he forcibly held up the brush soaked in ink to repeat the story of the case.

The case recounted by Ma Ningyuan did not involve anyone, and from beginning to end, this case was committed by him alone!

When the last word fell, Ma Ningyuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then, after signing and drawing at the cashier's office, he ordered the jailer to take the confession away.

After doing this, Ma Ningyuan curled up in the corner of the cell again.

Since it was already late at night, those jailers did not dare to rush forward to disturb Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing, who lived in the post station.

Therefore, they decided to wait for dawn to send Ma Ningyuan's confession over.

On the other side, in the room, I saw Zheng Michang looking at the person who came, and asked in a low voice, "Has the letter been delivered?" ”

When the visitor heard this, he immediately lowered his head and replied respectfully: "Your Excellency, the letter has been delivered to the prefect, and in addition, the prefect has also entrusted the little one to bring you a word!" ”

When Zheng Michang heard this, an eager look appeared on his face, and he immediately asked, "What words?" ”

Hearing this, after recalling for a while, Fang said unhurriedly: "The prefect said that he will do it, and I hope that in the future, you can take more care of his family!" ”

When Zheng Michang heard this, he couldn't help but show a stunned look on his face, and after pondering for a long time, he came back to his senses and commanded: "Well, the official knows, you go down first!" ”

"This official has already arranged it, and no one will be able to find your traces when the time comes!"

"Thank you, Envoy!"

……

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and when the sky was just dawning, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing, who were at the post station, received a report from their subordinates, saying that Ma Ningyuan had confessed.

Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing were naturally overjoyed when they learned the news from their subordinates, but when they got Ma Ningyuan's confession, they couldn't help but be furious.

Because Ma Ningyuan's confession, from beginning to end, only involved him, all of this was his own opinion, and it had nothing to do with anyone!

"This Ma Ningyuan, I really don't know what to do, it seems that we are still too kind to him!"

After Wang Ting read Ma Ningyuan's confession from beginning to end, his face was full of gloom, and he said.

Subsequently, just as Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing were about to rush to the prison and ask the teacher for the crime, they received a report from their subordinates, saying that Ma Ningyuan was dead and died in the prison!

This sudden news was tantamount to a bolt from the blue for Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing.

You must know that Ma Ningyuan is a prisoner of the imperial court, but right now, he died in a cell so inexplicably, if this news spreads, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing will be to blame!

After that, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing didn't care about anything else, and immediately took a sedan chair and hurried to the cell.

When Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing rushed to the cell where Ma Ningyuan was being held, they saw a corpse covered with a white cloth.

At this moment, Wang Ting's face was full of shock that could not be concealed, and he saw him step forward quickly and lift the white cloth with a trembling hand.

After lifting the white cloth, what caught his eye was Ma Ningyuan's lifeless corpse.

Looking at this familiar face, a look of horror appeared on Wang Ting's face.

Then, I saw him turn around and glance over the trembling jailers behind him with a selective gaze.

"What the hell is going on, if you can't come up with an explanation, go down with him!"

When Wang Ting's words fell, Yan Maoqing on the side couldn't help but urge: "Tell me quickly, what the hell is going on, a good living person, how can you say that it will be gone!" ”

After that, I saw that among the jailers, a leader stood up and said cautiously: "Two ...... Two adults, here's how it came to ......"

Under the jailer's narration, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing finally learned some general information.

Then, I saw Wang Ting squinting slightly, swept his gaze from those jailers one by one, and said coldly: "So, what you mean is that last night, Ma Ningyuan suddenly asked you for pen, ink, paper and inkstone!" ”

"After writing down his confession and signing it, he was found dead in his cell early this morning?"

When the jailers heard this, they immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed like garlic, and hurriedly explained: "Yes, yes, my lordship, when the brothers came to inquire about the situation this morning, they ...... I found ......"

Before the jailer could finish speaking, he was coldly interrupted by Wang Ting: "Hmph, it's really nonsense, there must be something strange behind this, come here, take them all down to the official, and serve them with great punishment!" ”

"Be sure to let them tell who Ma Ningyuan had contact with before he died!"

When Wang Ting's words fell, the guards on the side immediately stepped forward, arched their hands, and responded in a deep voice: "Yes, my lord!" ”

"My lord, spare my life, I really don't know anything!"

"My lord, this matter is none of my business!"

"Please spare my life, my lord, the youngest one has an eighty-year-old mother, and the younger one has a ...... waiting to be fed."

Gradually, the cries for mercy grew farther and farther away, replaced by one terrible howl after another.

Then, I saw Yan Maoqing with a worried look on his face, turned around, looked at the royal court on the side, and asked: "Ma Ningyuan is dead, this matter is troublesome, what should we do next?" ”

Wang Ting took in the expression on Yan Maoqing's face, sighed helplessly, and said slowly: "Now that the matter is now, there is no other way but to find a way to make this case an iron case!" ”

Yan Maoqing heard Wang Ting's words, and after hesitating for a moment, he followed up and said, "What do you mean ......?"

Wang Ting withdrew his gaze from Yan Maoqing's body, nodded, and said in a deep voice: "Well, that's right, when the time comes, just say that Ma Ningyuan committed suicide in fear of crime, and then put the blame on those jailers!" ”

When Yan Maoqing heard this, a trace of gloom flashed on his face, and he chattered: "It's really damn, how could things have become like this......"

After that, I saw Wang Ting glance at Yan Maoqing, and interrupted his broken thoughts: "Okay, right now, such a big thing has happened, it is reasonable, we all have to go to the Governor's Palace!" ”

Yan Maoqing heard this, nodded, and said in response: "Well, let's go!" ”

After this, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing did not hesitate at all, and immediately got on the sedan chair and walked in the direction of the governor's palace.

……

In the Zhezhi Governor's Palace, Zhao Zhenji received a report from the officials of the Governor's Mansion shortly after breakfast, saying that at this moment, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing were asking to see him outside the Governor's Palace.

"At this time, what are the two of them doing here, could it be that someone leaked the news?"

Subsequently, I saw Zhao Zhenji suppress all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, came back to his senses, and instructed the officials of the Governor's Mansion to take the two to the council hall to wait.

"Hmph, this official wants to see what kind of medicine you sell in your gourd!"

After this, Zhao Zhenji did not hesitate at all, and immediately stepped forward and went to the meeting hall of the Governor's Palace.

When Zhao Zhenji came to the meeting hall of the Governor's Palace, he keenly observed the panic on the faces of Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing.

When Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing saw Zhao Zhenji coming, they hurriedly got up from their seats, leaned down, and saluted him respectfully: "I've seen the governor!" ”

When Zhao Zhenji heard this, he replied imperceptibly, and then, he saw him sitting on the top of himself, and asked: "Aren't the two adults supposed to be investigating the case, what are you doing in the Governor's Mansion?" ”

When Zhao Zhenji's words fell, Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing couldn't help but look embarrassed.

After organizing the language in his mind, he saw Wang Ting stand up, look in the direction where Zhao Zhenji was, and said cautiously: "Patrol...... Lord Governor, don't hide it, Ma Ningyuan has an accident! ”

When Zhao Zhenji heard Wang Ting's words, his face was full of shock, and he saw him get up from his seat abruptly and ask, "What did you say, something happened to Ma Ningyuan?" ”

Facing Zhao Zhenji's scrutinizing gaze, Wang Ting had to explain stubbornly: "Yes, Lord Governor, here's the thing, Ma Ningyuan ...... last night"

Under Wang Ting's narration, Zhao Zhenji finally understood the general situation of the matter.

Then, I saw Zhao Zhenji caressing his beard, scanning his gaze from Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting's bodies respectively, and said slowly: "So you mean that Ma Ningyuan committed suicide in fear of sin?" ”

When Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing heard this, they nodded, and responded without thinking: "Yes, Lord Governor, Ma Ningyuan must have committed suicide in fear of sin!" ”

Zhao Zhenji took in the expressions on Yan Maoqing and Wang Ting's faces, and a trace of disdain flashed on his face.

Subsequently, after pretending to be worried, he said slowly: "But the news that this official got is that Ma Ning has been tortured in the past few days and has been tortured to the point that he is not human!" ”

When Zhao Zhenji said this, he paused for a moment, an inexplicable smile appeared on his face, and asked rhetorically: "The two adults think that it is because Ma Ningyuan can't withstand the torture that this is ......?"

When Wang Ting and Yan Maoqing on the side heard Zhao Zhenji's words, a trace of panic flashed on their faces, and they hurriedly explained: "Patrol ...... Lord Governor, it's not like this, Ma Ningyuan really committed suicide in fear of sin! (End of chapter)