Chapter 133 - 93: Seizure (3)
The crowd of onlookers outside the courtyard pointed and whispered amongst themselves.
...
The news that Qiao Zhi had been detained by the City Lord’s Mansion reached Courtyard Three on True Inheritance Peak while Yang Wei was sitting in his room.
Zhao Yuan finished speaking in a low voice, then added cautiously, "Master, Madam Qiao has been kneeling outside the courtyard for an hour, begging you to go put in a word with Senior Brother..."
"Leave it be. Go and do what you need to do."
After Zhao Yuan left, Yang Wei got up three times, walking to the door only to turn back each time.
Madam Qiao’s muffled sobs from where she knelt in the courtyard drifted in, and he dug his nails into his palms.
At noon, Zhao Yuan brought lunch and saw that his master’s eyes were bloodshot.
Yang Wei’s voice was hoarse. "Tell your Senior Brother to stay out of this."
Zhao Yuan was stunned. "Master?"
"My daughter is in a difficult position. Do you think Liang Cheng isn’t?"
Yang Wei looked up, his eyes filled with red veins. "He already let the Qiao Family off the hook once, and it caused a storm of gossip throughout the city. Now that the City Lord’s Mansion and the Martial Preparation Hall have gotten involved, if I speak up again, am I really going to force him to bear the crime of favoritism and obstruction?"
Yang Wei took a deep breath as if it took all his strength. "Tell her to go back. The Qiao Family must walk its own path."
A moment later, a loud wail rose from outside the courtyard gate, then slowly faded into the distance until it could no longer be heard.
All strength drained from Yang Wei’s body. He collapsed to the floor, tears of an old man streaming down his face.
...
At dusk, Mrs. Qiao was chanting scriptures and praying before a statue of the Buddha when Xu Zhi suddenly rushed in, knelt on the floor, and began kowtowing without a word.
Mrs. Qiao hurriedly helped him up. "What’s wrong?"
Tears streamed down Xu Zhi’s face. "Mother-in-law, you’re the only one who can save Zhi’Er now!"
"How? I’ve already begged Yang Wei, but he wouldn’t see me. Now, we can only leave it to fate. Besides, if it weren’t for the Xu Family, how could Zhi’Er have met with such a disaster?"
At this, she looked at Xu Zhi. "Will the Xu Family step forward? Impossible. I told Zhi’Er before that she has always been too proud and ambitious. Even if this hadn’t happened, some other calamity would have."
"She never understood. To ’revive the Qiao Family,’ one needs corresponding strength. Otherwise, it’s not a blessing, but a curse."
"Mother-in-law, it is possible. We just need to take out that heirloom from the Qiao Family’s ancestors. I can handle the arrangements. Once Wu Zhenshan accepts the item, he’ll definitely release her."
Mrs. Qiao’s expression changed. "What ancestral heirloom? Where did you hear such a rumor? There’s no such thing!"
"Mother-in-law!" Xu Zhi said, growing anxious. "Zhi’Er won’t last long in prison. That place is damp and cold, and she’s pregnant..."
"Get out!"
Mrs. Qiao suddenly grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at him. "The Xu Family has brought such ruin upon the Qiao Family, and now you dare spread rumors?"
Xu Zhi dodged the shattered porcelain and stared at her for a moment. Without another word, a look of despair on his face, he staggered out.
Mrs. Qiao collapsed to the floor, trembling all over.
’The Qiao Family’s downfall was because of this very rumor. The truth is, we do have this so-called heirloom. It was because of it that our family lost its True Qi Realm masters all those years ago, leading to our decline.’
’The thing is a bad omen, and it’s not even in the Qiao Mansion.’
’But if it really comes down to it, then just as Xu Zhi said, trading this item for Zhi’Er’s life would be the best possible outcome.’
’But I won’t give it to Xu Zhi. I’ll give it to Liang Cheng.’
’After all, with Yang Wei as a connection, Liang Cheng will have to show some consideration for their shared lineage. When the time comes, I’ll have to ask Yang Wei to come over.’
...
"Senior Brother!"
Zhao Yuan hurried into the study, clutching a piece of dark ore, his face alight with excitement.
"At the Black Market, from a second-hand dealer, we found out a batch of Dongshan Cold Iron Ore was sold recently. After some interrogation, he finally confessed that the people behind it were from the Xu Family’s Tongyuan Trading Company. This is the purchase order!"
Liang Cheng took the ore and the purchase order.
"And the man?"
"He’s still in our custody, Senior Brother. We now have both a witness and physical evidence. The Xu Family can’t escape this time!"
Liang Cheng silently rubbed the ore in his hand.
’This is far too convenient.’
’Yesterday, rumors about me were all over the city. Today, Wu Zhenshan arrested Qiao Zhi, and then this evening, ironclad evidence suddenly appears on the Black Market.’
’It’s as if someone has laid out a set of stairs, just waiting for me to step on them.’
Liang Cheng placed the ore on the table.
"Keep a close watch on the dealer. Don’t let anyone else know about this. We’ll hold on to the evidence for now. We’re not in a hurry to make a move."
Zhao Yuan was taken aback. "Senior Brother, this is our chance to take down the Xu Family..."
"Take down the Xu Family, and then what?"
Liang Cheng turned around. "Why, at this critical juncture, would they let you just happen to catch a dealer selling off the ore?"
"Someone wants to muddy the waters in Lin Wu City, so let them. It’s easier to fish in murky water, but it also helps you see what’s really hiding at the bottom."
"Yes, Senior Brother. I understand."
But just as Liang Cheng was preparing to bide his time, sudden news arrived.
Madam Qiao was dead!
She had hanged herself with a bolt of white silk.
When Yang Wei heard the news, he collapsed onto the ground and sat there, speechless, for a long time.
And Xu Zhi was nowhere to be found!
This time, Liang Cheng could no longer sit still. He had Zhao Yuan stay by Yang Wei’s side just in case, while he personally rushed to the Qiao Mansion.
White funeral banners hung low, and paper money was continuously tossed into a brazier.
A simple mourning hall had been set up in the front courtyard of the Qiao Mansion. A cheap coffin rested in the center, with no one keeping vigil, only a few old Qiao Family servants kneeling beside it, trembling.
Soldiers from the Martial Preparation Hall stood guard around the perimeter, their swords drawn. The atmosphere was grim. When they saw Liang Cheng, they looked hesitant, but then Wu Zhenshan appeared. "Let him pass."
He then walked into the Qiao Mansion with Liang Cheng, explaining as he went, "The forensic doctor has already examined the body. It was suicide by hanging. Would True Inheritor Liang like to see the report?"
Liang Cheng shook his head.
Just then, his eyes fell upon the memorial tablet, and he stood silently for a moment.
But at that very moment, the old Qiao Family steward, Uncle Wang, who was kneeling nearby, suddenly began kowtowing forcefully. THUMP! THUMP! Blood appeared on his forehead. "True Inheritor Liang! This old servant didn’t dare to speak before, but the Madam died a wrongful death!"
He snapped his head up and pointed at the coffin. "After Xu Zhi came the night before last, the Madam just cried in her room. Last night, when this old servant brought her dinner, I saw her hanging from the beam!"
Wu Zhenshan frowned. "Do you have any proof?"
"I do! I do!"
Uncle Wang fumbled inside his clothes and produced a torn piece of fabric. "I pried this from the Madam’s hand! It’s from the brocade robe Xu Zhi was wearing this morning!"
Embroidered on the corner of the fabric was the Xu Family crest.
A shadow of malice flashed deep in Wu Zhenshan’s eyes.