webnovelfull Chapter 20 Assassin
Chapter 20 Assassin
"Sir, the teeth are normal, and there are no signs of poisoning."
At this moment, Sun Wangang's face was extremely pale.
The captain of the personal guards clasped his hands and said, "Sir, Manager Sun died of natural causes."
Liu Shan immediately showed a very embarrassed expression. He was thinking about how to apologize and gain the Sun family's forgiveness, but he did not expect that He Qiong would once again refresh his understanding of the old-timers in officialdom.
"Does your pharmacy sell arsenic?" He Qiong asked.
Sun Wangang shook his head repeatedly.
He Qiong instructed, "Draw up a written agreement and put your fingerprint on it."
"This……"
Sun Wangang hesitated. He knew a little about the Wang Pinlian case. He didn't know why his father would admit to selling arsenic, but he guessed that it was definitely related to Magistrate Liu.
If they were to sign a written agreement now, they would definitely offend Magistrate Liu, and their family would surely suffer the consequences.
He Qiong felt somewhat apologetic about the forced autopsy, as it was really only a little bit. However, he believed in the saying "fate, luck, and feng shui," so even though forcibly opening the coffin was a routine procedure, he still had to do it.
"Write the agreement without worry. We'll move the pharmacy to Cangzhou next month."
"Cangzhou? Cangzhou?" This incredible surprise almost made Sun Wangang faint. He hurriedly ordered someone to bring him fifty taels of silver, which he presented with both hands. "Lord He, the lives of my entire family are now in your hands."
He Qiong looked at the rather large silver ingot with a face full of disgust.
Sun Wangang hurriedly added, "This is just some pocket money to show my respect to you. I will definitely repay you handsomely after I take it to Cangzhou."
He Qiong then showed a satisfied expression, but he still did not take the silver ingot. Instead, he pointed at Liu Shan and said, "Give him the silver. Contact him as soon as you get to Cangzhou."
Sun Wangang then held up the silver ingot to Liu Shan and said respectfully, "Forgive my poor eyesight, I do not know your name."
Liu Shan looked helpless, his guilt still lingering. He didn't want to accept the money, and besides, with He Qiong's instruction, helping Sun Wangang open a pharmacy in Cangzhou wasn't a difficult task.
He Qiong saw Liu Shan's hesitation. He forced the silver ingot into Liu Shan's arms and advised, "Since you're in officialdom, you have to abide by its rules. Before you have the power to overturn the table, it's wise to go with the flow for now."
Liu Shan weighed the silver ingot in his hand; fifty taels was quite heavy. "Is this how you test your cadres?"
Even Li Wanqing gets twenty taels of pocket money every month, how could he not withstand such a test?!
He forced the silver ingots onto Sun Wangang, saying, "I can't accept this money, but don't worry, I will help you. After you go to Cangzhou, go to Lieutenant Li's residence to find Liu Shan."
"Thank you, Lord He. Thank you, Lord Liu."
Sun Wangang forced a grateful smile. In his view, the two officials in front of him had big appetites. They didn't want the silver ingots now in order to get more money as tribute in the future.
As Liu Shan left the Sanqi Pharmacy, his heart sank to the bottom.
Although a written statement was obtained that the Sanqi Pharmacy did not sell arsenic, it was practically useless and could hardly overturn the testimony of Manager Sun before his death.
This road is now closed.
Back at the post station, Liu Shan, with a solemn expression, clasped his hands together and said in a deep voice, "Sir, it is urgent to conduct another autopsy on Wang Pinlian."
He Qiong rubbed her stomach. "It's getting late, time for dinner... Tonight, you should finish writing the verdict for this interrogation. Tomorrow morning, we'll take the verdict and the written evidence to the county government office to confront Liu Xinian face to face."
Liu Shanlue was somewhat excited. With Ge Yuniang and Chen An's overturned testimonies, it was finally time to confront Liu Xinian!
Late at night, just past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Liu Xinian woke up.
Since he got older, he has been sleeping very little and his sleep quality has been very poor, especially after doing many bad things. He is always afraid that unclean things will knock on his door...
Not long after, he received a secret report from his confidant.
"My lord, Ding Lu and Tian Fugui are dead."
"Has your identity been verified?"
The confidant replied, "Ding Lu was found hanged at home, and Tian Fugui was burned alive in a fire at home. Both have been verified."
Liu Xinian asked in confusion, "Burned alive? Burned beyond recognition? How can we tell the difference?"
"Your Excellency, Tian Fugui was born without a left ring toe, and the deceased fits this description."
"Where is the advisor? Where is he?"
"Reporting to you, sir, the clerk is waiting outside."
Liu Xinian touched his chest, feeling its cold hardness, and ordered, "Let him in."
After entering the room, the clerk first bowed respectfully, then approached Liu Xinian and bowed again: "My lord, I am honored that you have not disgraced me..."
Before the word "fate" could be uttered, the clerk suddenly sprang up and plunged a gleaming dagger into Liu Xinian's chest.
Liu Xinian cried out in alarm, "Help!"
The advisor had a sinister smile on his lips and continued to thrust forcefully, but he soon stopped smiling.
"You...you're wearing chainmail?"
After his trusted aides had subdued the advisor, Liu Xinian said with a half-smile, "After all these years, do you really think I know nothing, Master Tian?"
Master Tian, his eyes blazing with fury, roared, "Liu Xinian, you forced me to kill my son! You deserve to die a horrible death! I wish I could kill you... Hah? Hah..."
Liu Xinian, not wanting to listen to Master Tian's nonsense, slit his throat with a dagger.
"Heh...heh...I'll go downstairs first...and wait for...you..."
Master Tian died with his eyes wide open in disbelief!
Liu Xinian, however, acted as if he had only done a trivial matter, instructing, "Have someone carry the body out and clean up the ground."
The trusted confidant clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, then turned and left.
"and many more!"
"Sir, do you have any further instructions?"
A wise glint flashed in Liu Xinian's eyes. "The one who was burned to death was not Tian Fugui. The real Tian Fugui must still be alive. Go find him, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"
The trusted confidant clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir."
“Once you find them, kill them immediately!” Liu Xinian added.
At the same time, Liu Shan, half-asleep, vaguely heard a commotion coming from outside.
"Catch the assassin..."
"Don't run!"
"There it is, quick!"
Liu Shan sat up, rubbed his eyes, and thought, "Catch the assassin?"
Has an assassin come to the post station?
That's ridiculous. Right now, only he and He Qiong live here. Neither of them is worth assassinating... Hmm?
Could it be that Liu Xinian sent them to silence them?
What did he find?
Liu Shan was instantly wide awake. He threw on a coat and hurried to He Qiong's room.
At this moment, He Qiong was already dressed and was resentfully devouring the pile of pastries on the table.
Seeing him arrive, He Qiong pointed to the pastries on the table and invited, "Have some, the person has been caught."
Liu Shan then sat down with a sense of relief, and asked while eating, "Are they really assassins? Coming to assassinate us? Do you think we're worthy?"
He Qiong was focused on eating the local specialty pastries and casually said, "Whether it's a good match or not, we'll find out soon enough."
Liu Shan thought the pastries looked quite exquisite, picked up two pieces and put them in his mouth, while inwardly sighing, "The fat man's life is so comfortable."