ebookland Chapter 254 A New Mother (Part 1)
Chapter 254 A New Mother (Part 1)
The carriage continued forward.
He Zhennan and Zuo Yi sat in the back seat, exchanging few words; the atmosphere inside the carriage was very quiet. It wasn't until the carriage entered the city gates that He Zhennan couldn't help but ask, "Where are you taking me? Judging from your clothes, you're neither江湖人 (jianghu people, martial arts practitioners) nor merchants. Are you government officials? Which department do you belong to? What is the purpose of bringing me to the capital?"
"You have so many questions. I thought you wouldn't ask any." Zuo Yidao said.
He Zhennan: "I asked, please tell me the answer."
Looking into his eyes from the left, she said, "What can Mr. He do to me if I don't tell him?"
He Zhennan: "..."
Of course he can't do anything. If he had that ability, he wouldn't be sitting in a carriage.
Half an hour later, the carriage stopped at the back gate of the Commandant's Mansion.
He Zhennan got out of the car and observed the building in front of him. This courtyard was obviously an official residence. It was quiet and deserted, but the sounds of carriages and shouts could be heard from several streets away.
This official residence is located in a bustling downtown area.
After parking the car, the two entered the Commandant's Mansion through the back gate. He Zhennan appeared calm, but his palms were sweaty. He had never been inside the Commandant's Mansion before, yet he could feel the solemnity and pressure within. The interior, like the exterior, was starkly black and white, with only a few patches of green bamboo as decoration. The further they went in, the clearer the chilling feeling became; even though he had survived in darkness, standing in such a place still filled him with an undeniable sense of fear.
The people's fear of officials may be innate.
He walked ahead on the left, as if strolling through his own backyard. When they reached the crescent-shaped gate, he casually raised his hand, pushed the gate open, and entered.
He Zhennan only saw the scene inside after entering the gate. Many people were kneeling in the courtyard: the mayor of Chunfeng Town, the Zhang family's steward, his sister He Yanxi and brother-in-law Zhou Xu, as well as some of the Zhou family's managers and stewards whom he knew. Instinctively, He Zhennan knew where he was and why he had come.
There were two people on the steps, one standing and one sitting. The standing one exuded a murderous aura, while the sitting one possessed an air of nobility. When He Zhennan entered, they were discussing something. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw Zuo Yi and simultaneously turned their gazes to He Zhennan.
"Mr. He? I've heard of him for a long time, but never met him. Seeing him today, he's nothing special." One of them called out to He Zhennan, his attitude somewhat cynical: "It seems that the Emperor was fooled by Mr. He's empty reputation. Fortunately, Mr. He had the self-awareness to not climb the ladder the Emperor offered, otherwise he would have really become a monkey."
Monkey?
He actually dared to call himself a monkey!
Okay, he's just a monkey. A true man can bend and stretch, there's no need to argue about who's better at this time.
"Gentlemen, can anyone explain the current situation to me?" He Zhennan said, "You suddenly barged into my house, brought me here, and didn't say a word. What do you want? What does my sister and brother-in-law have to do with this? If I remember correctly, my brother-in-law is the Vice Minister of Rites. Even if he is at fault, it should be the Emperor who sends someone to investigate. Who are you?"
Zuo Yi said, "Let me introduce you. This is Commandant Ma, and that is my master. You are not worthy to know their identities."
They're not worthy to know; they seem to be from the royal family.
"I wonder why the people from the Commandant's Office have summoned me here?"
Captain Ma yawned and stretched lazily: "What is it? Mr. He really knows how to play dumb. Come on, bring up the evidence, lest Mr. He, with his silver tongue, deny everything to the death."
Several large boxes were carried up, containing account books, lawsuits, confessions, account books of transactions between the He and Zhou families, as well as some bank notes and gold and silver jewelry.
Commander Ma walked up to He Zhennan and kicked him, causing him to kneel on the ground.
"Do you know how many people were mobilized for your case? The Commandant's Office, the Garrison Command, and even officials from the Six Ministries of the court were all involved. Just checking your shady and corrupt records took one whole night. See my hair? It's all white! It's all because of you. And the wrinkles on my face are also because of you. If we don't execute you on the spot, we will be letting down the Emperor, His Highness the Crown Prince, the court, all the civil and military officials, the common people, and ourselves."
After saying that, he kicked He Zhennan again.
He Zhennan was a weak scholar, cunning and resourceful, but not skilled in martial arts. Captain Ma used seventy or eighty percent of his strength in those two kicks, striking the same spot and causing He Zhennan to spit out blood.
Seeing her brother suffering, He Yanxi tried to move but was held down by her husband, Zhou Xu.
He Zhennan looked at those things and closed his eyes.
"I never imagined that the He family and the Zhou family would be finished like this."
Captain Ma: "You admit it? Those children in Spring Breeze Town, and those children in the academy, were all trafficked by you?"
He Zhennan opened his eyes and looked at Commander Ma: "I don't think I did anything bad! I just helped those poor children find a more suitable home for them."
"A more suitable home for them?" Captain Ma kicked out a third time: "Did you ask those children if they wanted to? Did they want to be sold? Did they want a new home?"
Despite being questioned by Commandant Ma, He Zhennan remained steadfast in his opinion. He clutched his chest and looked at the old town head kneeling beside him: "You've brought the old town head here, which means the problem lies in the town. It's my fault for being careless and overlooking what happened a few days ago. Liu Cuier, is it because of that Liu Cuier? She's still alive, somewhere in this city. You can bring her here and ask her if she'd like to go back to her home or to a better place."
Captain Ma: "Why don't you ask her yourself?"
He Zhennan hadn't expected them to find Liu Cuier so quickly. Looking at He Yanxi, Zhou Xu, and the Zhou family's managers kneeling before him, he realized it wasn't surprising that they had found Liu Cuier.
With His Highness the Crown Prince's permission, the officers of the Commandant's Office brought Liu Cuier and the girl who was rescued on the day of the sacrifice together.
He Zhennan seemed to have found hope; a bright light shone in his eyes. He crawled forward two steps on his knees, trying to grab Liu Cuier's hand. Cuier panicked and hid behind the constable who had led her there. After a while, she peeked out, looking timidly at He Zhennan.
"Cui'er, is your name Cui'er? Do you want a new home? Do you want a father and mother who treat you well? Do you want to eat meat every day and wear new clothes?"
Cui'er looked at him timidly and said, "You are a bad person, a liar. The official said that you have tricked many children in the town, and you also want to trick Cui'er away."
He Zhennan defended himself: "Uncle didn't lie to you. Uncle just wanted to help you find a new home. You also want a new home, right?"
Cui'er shook her head: "Cui'er doesn't want a new home, Cui'er just wants to go back to her own home!"
Undeterred, He Zhennan continued, "Your mother treats you badly, don't you want to find a mother who treats you well?"
Cui'er blinked and looked at He Zhennan seriously, saying, "Do you have a mother? If your mother treats you badly, would you like to change your mother?"