HCB What does Chapter 238 have to do with me?
What does Chapter 238 have to do with me?
Lieutenant Xu's words were like a black fireball that suddenly exploded in the crowd, instantly causing shock.
Deputy General Chi looked at Deputy General Xu in surprise.
Unexpectedly, Vice General Xu, who had repeatedly tried to stop him and advised him to be careful with his words, made a heavy accusation right off the bat.
This is definitely a case of quietly accomplishing great things!
He then gently nudged Vice General He, who was standing to the side.
"Our border city has only had three generals so far. Could Xu Qi be referring to the deceased General Qian?"
"It should be." Deputy General He nodded haphazardly as he watched Deputy General Xu walk into the hall.
He felt that Xu Qi couldn't see the situation clearly.
With both General Li and Li Qing in dire straits, Xu Qi still eagerly went to offer himself up for death. How could he possibly fight against Wei and Zhang?
Vice General Chi was delighted. If Vice General Xu could turn the tide and Protector Wei could be brought to justice, then General Li and Li Qing would be saved.
He leaned close to Vice General He's ear and whispered something.
"I doubt that what Xu Qi said is true! I heard that the border city almost fell back then, but fortunately General Qing turned the tide. I just don't know why, it was Lord Wei who was promoted, while General Qing was—"
"Shh, you don't want to live anymore, don't mention that person!" Deputy General He's expression changed, and he immediately interrupted Deputy General Chi.
This guy is usually quite carefree, but how can he talk about people who are taboo by the court at this time and place!
Deputy General Chi was suddenly stopped by Deputy General He. Realizing that his words were inappropriate, he immediately fell silent and dared not say another word.
However, no one noticed what they were saying, because everyone was stunned by what Vice General Xu had said.
Li Qingqing looked at Vice General Xu standing beside her in surprise.
Because they were so close, she could see that Vice General Xu's clenched right fist under his sleeve was trembling slightly without his notice.
That situation felt...
It seems that after years of forbearance, this moment is finally the time for revenge to erupt.
As soon as Deputy General Xu uttered his first words, Protector Wei stared intently at him, his mind already racing.
This Xu Qi was from another village and had always been unknown, with a very low profile.
More than ten years ago, he was sent to the border city along with other new recruits from other places. Later, he was promoted to deputy general by General Li.
Logically speaking, Xu Qi should not know the old stories of the border city.
After all, all those involved back then had already been eliminated one by one, so there couldn't possibly be any who had escaped!
Could it be that he was deliberately deceiving me to avenge Li Feng?
Thinking of this, Protector Wei flew into a rage and shouted, "Insolence! Xu Qi, how dare you spout such nonsense! Do you know what crime it is to falsely accuse me?"
Deputy General Xu turned his head to stare at Protector-General Wei, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Ha, is this a frame-up? Do you remember that General Qian had a trusted confidant surnamed Xu?"
Upon hearing this, Governor Wei's pupils contracted sharply.
General Qian had a private subordinate named Xu Chengqi. After the battle at the border city, Xu Chengqi's name appeared on the list of fallen soldiers, and he always believed that Xu Chengqi was dead.
Is it...
Protector-General Wei was filled with surprise and doubt.
But then Deputy General Xu looked at Zhang Haoyi and said:
“My original name was Xu Chengqi, and I was a subordinate of General Qian. Lord Wei was a deputy general in the border city back then. After he murdered General Qian, he intended to eliminate General Qian’s old troops, so I had no choice but to hide my identity.”
"I don't understand what nonsense you're spouting!" Governor Wei immediately rebuked.
He felt a slight panic, but his expression remained calm, exuding an extremely strong sense of pressure. "You'd better think carefully about the consequences of falsely accusing me!"
You cunning Xu Chengqi! You've actually hidden your identity and lurked right under my nose!
Wei Duhu secretly grumbled to himself and glanced at Zhang Haoyi.
"Humph!"
Deputy General Xu gave Protector Wei a cold glance, then turned to look at Zhang Haoyi.
"I personally witnessed General Qian drink the tea he was offered, and within an hour he suddenly fainted and died from his injuries!"
"Oh, do you have any solid evidence?" Zhang Haoyi asked slowly, his expression remaining impassive.
"It is said that General Qian died of illness. If you do not have concrete evidence, the one who made the false accusation will be punished instead. Do you understand?"
"Understood, sir," Vice General Xu nodded quickly.
"General Qian's symptoms back then were extremely similar to those of General Zhao when he was poisoned, clearly caused by the same poison! You can check the border log from back then; it contains records of the physician's treatment of General Qian's condition!"
"Xu Qi, don't make false accusations!" Protector Wei was furious.
"Leaving aside the fact that the diary from back then is long gone, you've already claimed that he died of poisoning based solely on a disease that supposedly caused his death. Could it be that you've been bribed by Li Feng to frame me?"
Zhang Haoyi coughed lightly.
"This matter is of great importance and cannot be concluded hastily. Vice General Xu, since you claim to have concrete evidence, then present it for everyone to see. If it was indeed done by Protector-General Wei, I will handle it impartially and without leniency!"
Upon hearing this, Deputy General Xu took out a well-wounded cloth bag from his pocket.
"This is the cup that Lord Qian drank from back then. It should still contain traces of poison. The physician can tell with a single examination. I implore you, sir, to seek justice for General Qian!"
Deputy General Xu unfolded the cloth bundle, revealing a perfectly intact cup.
If he hadn't heard what General Zhao said, he wouldn't have dared to come forward and testify.
Both medical officers shook their heads upon seeing this; it was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Even if this poison is potent, it can only adhere to the cup wall for a few years; it is impossible for it to retain its toxicity after that.
Governor Wei glanced over and immediately felt relieved.
It's been seventeen or eighteen years. If they can still detect the poison, then there's something fishy going on!
"Where did you find this old thing?"
Wei Duhu, enraged, laughed, "If you're determined to find fault, you can always find a pretext!"
Li Qingqing took a look and realized that it was indeed a coarse teacup that was popular more than ten years ago.
These coarse teacups, made of clay, have micropores on their inner walls. Toxins can seep into these pores and, over time, become one with the teacup.
She spoke immediately.
"Lord Zhang, this teacup is indeed an old artifact from a bygone era, but if you wish to test for poison, you might as well boil it in water!"
Protector Wei's expression changed slightly, and he glared at Li Qingqing, "What do you know! You're so nosy!"
Li Qingqing sneered, too lazy to pay him any attention.
Following Zhang Haoyi's instructions, the two medical officers quickly had Wei Zhida removed from the ground, prepared a small stove, and boiled the teacup in water in front of everyone. After testing it with a silver needle, it was indeed found to be poisoned!
Upon seeing this, Governor Wei immediately said, "Even if it is poisonous, it does not prove that these two poisons are the same!"
Zhang Haoyi nodded. "That's right. Silver needles can only detect whether there is poison, but they cannot identify the type of poison. This evidence is invalid. Vice General Xu, do you have any other evidence?"
Deputy General Xu looked at Zhang Haoyi, then glanced at the other deputy generals, remained silent for a moment, and then his face hardened with determination.
"My lord, I am willing to test the poison myself. If I experience the same poisoning symptoms as General Zhao after drinking this water, it will be enough to prove that General Qian's death was indeed orchestrated by Lord Wei, and that General Zhao did not commit suicide!"
These words startled all the deputy generals.
“Xu Qi, you can’t drink! You’ll die! Lord Zhou has already left, who can save you?” Vice General Chi shouted immediately upon hearing this.
Deputy General Xu shook his head and looked at Imperial Censor Song, who had been sitting silently. "Lord Song, I hope you can take out the diary from that year as evidence."
Diaries from back then?
Governor Wei was startled again. He glanced at Zhang Haoyi and found that Zhang Haoyi was looking at him with some annoyance.
All eyes turned to Imperial Censor Song.
He pulled a yellowed diary from his pocket, his expression unusually serious:
"This is the border log from back then, which records every detail of General Qian's illness,"
Imperial Censor Song paused, then looked at Zhang Haoyi, "Lord Zhang, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I will temporarily keep this logbook."
Zhang Haoyi: ...
When Vice General Xu saw Lord Song take out the logbook, he took the cup from the physician's hand and drank it all in one gulp.
He then looked at Zhang Haoyi and said, "I hope that Lord Zhang will uphold justice and give General Qian the due!
Zhang Haoyi then seemed to realize something and said regretfully.
"Deputy General Xu, you're really confused! This is poison... never mind!"
If this matter is indeed true, I will certainly uphold justice for you; if Lord Wei has been wronged, considering your willingness to die to prove your innocence, I will not pursue your responsibility.”
But at this moment, Imperial Censor Ruan, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke.
"Even if Vice General Xu unfortunately died of poisoning, it does not directly prove that Lord Wei murdered General Qian back then. It only means that General Qian was poisoned rather than died of illness."
"Similarly, it cannot be proven that the poison that General Zhao was poisoned was done by Lord Wei."
“That’s right, whether they are poisoned or not is none of my business!” Governor Wei quickly replied.
"You!" Deputy General Xu was both angry and anxious.
If it cannot be proven, then he drank the poisoned water just now, wouldn't that have been for nothing?