GBP Chapter 599 Who Did You Offend?
Chapter 599 Who Did You Offend?
Although He Mazi was taken down from the rack in the Dali Temple's prison, his hands and feet were still chained, and after several days, his wrists and ankles were rubbed raw and bleeding.
"Hey! Quickly get me some medicine, my hands and feet are injured! Your boss told you not to let me die, have you forgotten!" He Mazi shouted loudly at the guards outside.
A guard turned around, glanced at him impatiently, and cracked his whip against the prison bars. Startled, He Mazi shrank back and had no choice but to lie down on the hay to sleep.
At this moment, another guard came over, subtly exchanged a glance with the two guards outside, and the three of them left He Mazi's cell.
He Mazi glanced at the crowd outside and, seeing that they had left, scoffed, picked up a straw, and started cursing at the roof.
A cold wind blew by, the candlelight in the cell flickered, and strange footsteps echoed throughout the prison.
He Mazi sensed something was wrong and sat up to look outside the cell.
Other people viewing the property asked the same question.
"Where have all the constables gone?"
"Hey! Is anyone there?"
Just as he finished speaking, a muffled groan was followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.
Then, a series of muffled groans and the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground followed.
Muffled groans also came from He Mazi's cell. In the end, all the prisoners in the cells on this floor fell silent.
A tinderbox was thrown into the cell, and the dry grass inside was quickly ignited, turning the Dali Temple prison into ablaze.
When the constables discovered the fire, they shouted "Fire!" and others came one after another to put it out.
But by then, it was all too late; the fire consumed everything, including the corpses in the house.
A shout of "Withdraw!" came from not far away, and all the men in black disappeared into the night.
With his back to the subordinate who came in to report, Su Heng asked, "How is it?"
The man in black knelt down and reported, "Master, all the prisoners on that floor are dead; not a single one survived."
Su Heng turned around and calmly said to the man in black, "Well done. How is Prince Jing doing?"
The man in black looked troubled: "Master, ever since the bandit suppression in Yushan County was successful, Prince Jing has been taken to the prefectural government to manage all affairs. Everyone entering and leaving Xiangzhou City must be checked. Even if a few manage to sneak in, the government is heavily guarded outside. We can't even get close to him."
Su Heng didn't care about this.
King Jing will eventually return to the capital. This time, we will mobilize all our forces. I don't believe we can't defeat him.
*
Inside the Dali Temple, He Mazi stared blankly at the two constables who had dragged him to the ground. They were tightly covering their mouths, preventing him from making a sound.
Only after the noise outside had completely subsided did the two release him.
He Mazi looked at the two men warily and asked, "What are you doing? What's going on outside?"
A constable looked at him with disdain and said, "Someone is trying to kill the prisoners in the jail. If it weren't for the fact that the magistrate said your crime hasn't been investigated yet, we would have just let you be killed like the other prisoners."
He Mazi was taken aback, and tentatively asked, "Who was killed?"
The constable said, "Several prisoners on your level have died, but they were all sentenced to death. Like you, there are two others whose charges are still pending. Lord Li sent people to rescue them, but I don't know if they were saved."
Another constable complained, "These people, they commit crimes and offend people without even realizing it, and they still refuse to admit their guilt. They deserve to die. I really don't understand why the magistrate wants us to save them. They'll have to be interrogated again. We might as well let them burn to death!"
"Shut up!" The constable next to him immediately scolded him, "You're new here and don't know, we officials are the most just, we won't convict anyone casually, nor will we let a criminal go free. Their crimes haven't been determined yet, we can't treat human life lightly!"
"understood."
The defiant constable's momentum weakened, and the two of them together pulled on the chains binding He Mazi, locking him in another cell.
After the two left, He Mazi looked around with his beady eyes, and only after confirming that there were yamen runners on guard and that there was nothing amiss did he sit down in the corner, dragging his chains.
He recalled the conversation between the two constables; the one who came to kill the criminal was an enemy of one of the prisoners in jail.
If it was someone sent by Zheng Zixu, they would surely send someone else if they knew he was not dead.
But he had Zheng Zixu's weakness in his hands, would he really dare to be so blatant?
*
During the morning court session, the fire at the Dali Temple naturally became a topic of inquiry for the emperor.
"Duan Xu, I heard the Dali Temple caught fire? What happened? How come the Dali Temple caught fire right after the Jiang residence? Who did you both offend at the same time?"
The emperor spoke casually, but Duan Xu and Jiang Fu exchanged a glance, then Duan Xu turned back and replied, "Your Majesty, I do not know. We have not caught anyone and need to continue the investigation."
Jiang Fu had no intention of suffering in silence. Even if he couldn't imprison him now, he would make sure that Jiang Fu wouldn't dare to act rashly again.
“Your Majesty, I have served in the court for many years and have never made enemies, except for one person. Although I have no evidence, I will definitely find a way to make that person pay the price for sending someone to assassinate my son.”
Jiang Fu's words immediately drew the emperor's suspicion to Zheng Zixu.
Zheng Zixu felt extremely guilty but could not defend himself. He could only lower his eyes and avoid looking at the emperor, trying to appear calm.
Now that He Mazi is dead, no one can threaten him. Su Heng did it, and even if they investigate, they won't be able to trace it back to him.
Just then, Zheng Zixu clearly heard Duan Xu's voice, "Your Majesty, although the Dali Temple caught fire last night, fortunately, Lord Li made proper arrangements and the fire was put out in time. No important criminals were injured, and the person related to the theft from the Ministry of War is also unharmed."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression softened considerably. "Is that so? That's good. You and Zhang Zhong will work together to investigate the theft from the Ministry of War as soon as possible to reassure the people."
Zheng Zixu and Su Heng's expressions darkened, and they both looked at Duan Xu and Li Huaizhi.
Last night, my men clearly reported that they had killed everyone. What exactly happened?
After court, Su Heng returned to his residence and immediately summoned his subordinates, coldly questioning them: "You said everyone was killed, so how come He Mazi is still alive?"
"Impossible!" Su Heng's men knelt down with a thud. "We confirmed that the arrows had pierced the heart before setting the fire and leaving. There's no way they could have survived."
"But He Mazi is still alive!"
Su Heng coldly looked down at his subordinates, his eyes filled with an undeniable aura of authority.
The subordinate dared not utter another word of explanation, and banged his head heavily on the ground, saying, "Even if it costs me my life, I will complete the task assigned to me by my master."
*
At night, in the Dali Temple, the few guards were taken down in a few breaths, and five or six men in black, swords in hand, headed toward He Mazi's new cell.
This time, He Mazi saw clearly that the newcomer was like a ferocious demon, with murderous intent in his eyes, and the cold blade of his sword gleamed in the candlelight.
He Mazi was so frightened that he was trembling all over, and he shouted for help while shrinking into the corner of the wall.
The man in black cleaved open the cell with his sword, walked up to He Mazi, raised his sword, and without any hesitation, thrust it at He Mazi.
At the critical moment, an arrow shot from behind the man in black. To avoid the arrow, the man in black immediately turned around.
At that moment, He Mazi felt a heat beneath him; he had lost control of his bladder.
Inside the prison cell, Li Huaizhi, accompanied by his guards, surrounded the man in black.
The man in black looked at Li Huaizhi with disbelief. "How is that possible? I clearly saw you leave the city before the gates closed."
Li Huaizhi stared sharply at him, pulling a gold medal from his robes. "See this clearly? This is a gold medal bestowed by His Majesty. There is no gate in the capital that cannot be opened."
At this moment, the man in black finally understood what was going on: "You did this on purpose?"
"Otherwise what? Quickly tell us who sent you, and you might save your life!"
Spare their lives? Their lives were in Su Heng's hands; living would only bring more suffering. A resolute glint flashed in the black-clad man's eyes. He immediately bit down on the poison in his mouth and slammed heavily to the ground.
After checking the pulse in the man in black's neck, Li Huaizhi ordered his men, "Take him away and dispose of him."
After saying that, he walked over to He Mazi, who was sprawled in the corner, and was somewhat surprised to see that he had lost control of his bladder in fright.
I heard he frequented all sorts of shady places, but I never expected him to be so timid.
"Tell me, who have you offended? Next time, I might not be able to protect you."
He Mazi shakily got up and knelt down in front of Li Huaizhi. "My lord, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"