flstandardbreds Chapter 174 Something must have gone wrong.
Chapter 174 Something must have gone wrong.
Fortunately, Lu Qingyun reacted quickly, leaping forward and dislocating one of the men's jaws.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining four people all bit into the poison sacs in their mouths and committed suicide.
Lu Qingyun deftly removed the remaining poison from the mouth of the survivor, tied his arms behind his back, removed his weapon, and ordered his subordinates to tie him up, preparing to take him back for proper interrogation.
Yu Kangjing stared at the corpses scattered on the ground, his back soaked with cold sweat.
If it weren't for General Lu's presence, he would probably have lost his life here tonight.
……
He Yunjin waited until dawn but the assassins still hadn't returned, so she crushed the teacup in her hand.
He spent ten years training these assassins. Logically, they should be able to defeat even twenty or thirty guards. How could they not even kill Yu Kangjing?
Something must have gone wrong.
Despite being unwilling to believe that the mission had failed.
But He Yunjin still decided to prepare for both possibilities.
He rushed into the bedroom and shook his sleeping wife awake: "At daybreak, you will take Lin'er and leave the capital for Shu. I have already prepared a house there. You will live in anonymity and never be a member of the He family again."
"What happened?" His wife, Jiang Lanzhi, was startled.
"The He family may be finished. Don't worry too much, travel light, don't pack too much stuff, just take your gold and silver valuables, you can buy other things when you get there."
He Yunjin didn't have time to explain in detail; she just wanted to get her and her son away as soon as possible.
He rummaged through drawers and stuffed the land deed and hidden banknotes into his wife's hands.
"I will arrange for two assassins and two guards to escort you and your child away. Be quick, leave at dawn."
Jiang Lanzhi was so frightened by his words that her face turned pale and her lips trembled involuntarily.
"What about you? Aren't you coming with us?" Her tears fell onto the embroidered quilt with a "plop".
He Yunjin shook her head: "If I leave, you won't survive."
Jiang Lanzhi stood there, stunned.
Seeing that he was still in a daze, He Yunjin grabbed her shoulders and said in a serious tone, "Don't cry, now is not the time to cry. Hurry up."
Jiang Lanzhi nodded blankly.
Although my mind was still foggy, my body had already obediently started packing.
He Yunjin went to her father and mother again.
They were each told to take their two illegitimate sons and leave through another door.
Cunning Rabbit Three Caves.
He knew he was doing something that could cost him his head at any moment, so he had arranged for hiding places in other places well in advance.
Although the He family parents were panicked, they obediently listened to their son and left immediately.
To avoid arousing suspicion, He Yunjin deliberately had them leave at different times.
As dawn broke, He Yunjin, dressed in his official robes, headed towards the palace.
Even after he left, the assassins were nowhere to be seen.
His heart sank straight down.
"Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned—" the eunuch called out in a drawn-out tone, and Lu Qingyun suddenly stepped out of the queue.
The old man had his court robes perfectly pressed today, and he was holding a carved wooden box in his hands.
"Your subject wishes to impeach He Yunjin, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Huo Pinglan, the Duke of Xingguo."
His voice boomed so loudly it made the roof beams vibrate.
"These two took money to sell official positions and planted their own people in the imperial examination halls. This year's top scorer in the Jiangnan provincial examination was bought with silver!"
The entire court was in an uproar.
The official tablet in the hand of Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue fell to the ground with a "clatter," and two young censors in the back row almost bumped into each other.
He Yunjin gripped the jade belt tightly, while not far away, Huo Pinglan's face had turned ashen.
Emperor Xiangwu straightened up, leaning on his dragon throne: "Does General Lu have any proof?"
"This is evidence of their collusion and their selling of official positions. Each entry on it details their crimes." Lu Qingyun slammed open the wooden box, pulled out two account books, and handed them to the eunuch to present to the emperor.
Then, the fact that Yu Ziheng failed the exam sparked speculation among Yu Kangjing's family, and they revealed what they had been secretly investigating.
The emperor listened to his report while reviewing the submitted account books.
The more they turned against each other, the worse it got; the bribes these two received were more than the emperor's private treasury.
He angrily grabbed a teacup and smashed it at He Yunjin's feet: "You, He Yunjin! Just the other day you were complaining to me that you were poor and that your salary wasn't enough to support your family!"
"Your Majesty, you are wise!" He Yunjin knelt down with a thud. "Someone must have framed me. This ledger must be forged."
"Framed?" Lu Qingyun sneered. "The assassins Lord He sent to intercept Yu Kangjing last night are still in my hands."
He Yunjin's guess was confirmed, and his forced composure suddenly changed.
"Death warriors? What death warriors?" Emperor Xiangwu's expression grew increasingly grim.
Lu Qingyun recounted the events of the previous night in detail.
"Bring the person up here right now!" Emperor Xiangwu was radiating anger.
The eunuch standing by shrank back, fearing the emperor's wrath.
"Yes," Lu Qingyun replied.
They brought the assassin up.
After being tormented all night, he had no choice but to spit it out.
After hearing his testimony, Emperor Xiangwu slammed his fist on the dragon table in anger: "This is outrageous! The imperial examination system is the foundation of the nation, and you dare to interfere! Guards! Strip them of their official robes, and immediately seal off and confiscate the property of the He and Huo families!"
Two Imperial Guards rushed in and dragged Huo Pinglan away. Huo Pinglan collapsed to the ground, howling like a pig being slaughtered: "Your Majesty, have mercy! I was deceived by He Yunjin! Please, for the sake of the Imperial Concubine, spare me!"
"You did something wrong, yet you dare to implicate the Imperial Concubine!" Emperor Xiangwu glared angrily.
"Give him twenty slaps and see if he dares to talk nonsense again."
The guards who were arresting the man immediately carried out his orders.
The sound of slaps echoed in the court, but no one dared to utter a sound.
He Yunjin didn't say anything. He lowered his head and silently prayed that his parents, wife, and children could escape.
"Issue the decree!" The emperor snapped a string of court beads in half. "He Yunjin and Huo Pinglan are sentenced to immediate execution. All males over ten years of age from both families shall be executed in the autumn. The rest shall be exiled to Qiongzhou."
"Your Majesty is wise," the court officials responded in unison.
When the court session ended, Lu Qingyun deliberately slowed down and stopped beside He Yunjin.
"Do you think your family members have already been sent away?"
One sentence startled He Yunjin so much that her expression changed drastically.
"How did you know? Where are they? Let them go."
He lunged forward, trying to grab Lu Qingyun's clothes, but only managed to grasp air.
Lu Qingyun did not answer him and strode away.
Ever since he learned of He Yunjin and Xingguo Gonggan's misdeeds, he had secretly sent people to keep an eye on both families.
So when the He family tried to escape, they were stopped by his men as soon as they stepped out of the city gate.
Judging by the time, they should be sent back to the He family by now.