This move not only surprised Ran Fang, but also Fu Su.
They stood up at the same time, trying to help the middle-aged man in front of them who seemed to have suffered a lot. Unfortunately, this man was very stubborn and could not get up from his knees.
His tears fell on Fusu's hand, and there was still some expectation in his desperate eyes.
"Just let me, this old man, kneel down and say it."
Seeing his persistence, Fusu glanced at Ran Fang and had no choice but to let go of his hand and sit back on the couch.
Seeing that the two of them were willing to listen to him, the man calmed down and slowly spoke out his grievances.
"The younger one is Qi Cao, and my eldest son is the newly appointed Xianyang Order, named Lian Liangcai."
"My lord is diligent and conscientious. He only cares about the country and the people of Da Qin and would never do anything corrupt. But yesterday, for some unknown reason, General Meng Yi suddenly broke into the house and said that my lord has been arrested for corruption. "
"Furthermore, five boxes of gold were found in our house. That doesn't belong to my lord!"
"If my lord was corrupt, he wouldn't be living a simple life for so many years. The best thing to wear is his official uniform!"
"Sir, please save my master!"
"He really is dedicated to the people!"
"I have no choice. I heard that there is a capable person in Xianyang Prison. I have to come and beg him. My family still has a chance of survival. I really can't think of a way, so I can only come to you!"
"Please..."
As he said that, he started kowtowing again.
Seeing this, Ran Fang's expression was a little helpless.
"Get up and talk!"
Ran Fang's words were a bit strong, Qi Cao was stunned for a moment, raised his head and met his slightly angry eyes.
"Sit down or I won't say anything."
Seeing this, Qi Cao sat down cautiously, with gratitude in his eyes.
After watching him sit down, Ran Fang asked: "Did you just say that Meng Yi went to ransack the house?"
"Yes," Qi Cao didn't know why Ran Fang asked, but he still nodded sincerely.
Then he continued: "Later I went to inquire and found out that Mr. Meng and Zhao Gao were the ones who ransacked the house."
"But Mr. Meng only ransacked his house and did not embarrass those officials."
"But my master was wrongly accused, and he would never do something like that!"
"I know why Zhao Gao did this? On the day he went to the palace to announce the decree, he wanted to bribe my family, but unfortunately my family refused."
"He also wanted to come to the house for tea, and my master also refused. Then Zhao Gao must have a grudge."
"Zhao Gao is in trouble by His Majesty's side and is deeply trusted by His Majesty. His Majesty will naturally listen to anyone he says is corrupt. That's why my family will be slandered indiscriminately."
"However, my family is lucky. It's just that their homes were confiscated. It's different for those whose homes were confiscated by Zhao Gao. I heard they were beaten half to death."
"The people around Mr. Meng kept trying to stop him, but they didn't stop him."
Qi Cao told Ran Fang everything he had investigated.
He hoped that Ran Fang would know that Zhao Gao was avenging his private revenge.
Otherwise, with the temperament of his family, he would never be corrupt.
Ran Fang was not in a hurry to express his position, but Fusu, who had been listening, couldn't sit still.
As soon as he heard what he said about Ying Zheng's fault, Fusu immediately retorted: "If Lian Liangcai is really not corrupt, then your Majesty will give him justice."
"What if he was corrupt and you didn't know about it?"
"Why do you think he was wronged?!"
"Just because of your mouth?!"
Stunned by Fusu's words, Qi Cao was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.
He sat there with anxious eyes. He wanted to say something but didn't know where to start. He could only look at Ran Fang, hoping to hear a glimmer of hope from his mouth.
Ran Fang was also thinking in his mind that Lian Liang was exposed as a corrupt official just after he took office. This always felt fishy.
Moreover, it was Meng Yi who ransacked the house, which meant that it was His Majesty's personal instruction.
Is the Xianyang Order who has just taken office worthy of His Majesty using his cronies?
He didn't want to deal with this kind of thing, but seeing Qi Cao kneel down and kowtow at such an old age was really unbearable.
Moreover, from Qi Cao's words, it sounded like Lian Liangcai was a good official. If he was really wronged, it would be a good thing if he could help him.
"Did you notice anything different a few days before your home was ransacked?"
Seeing Ran Fang asking questions, Qi Cao immediately lowered his head and thought.
From Lian Liangcai's sudden dismissal to Meng Yi's search of his home yesterday, he had thought carefully about every detail.
After thinking for a long time, he couldn't think of anything that had happened.
After a while, he said hesitantly: "Does it count if my master suspects that the assassin is related to Zhao Gao?"
"Assassin?" Fusu said in surprise.
"Yes," Qi Cao nodded, showing no emotion at all because of Fusu's words. Instead, he said anxiously, "Xianyang City has been tracking down two assassins in the past few days, and they even posted portraits in Xianyang City."
"One has a beard, and there is a young man. At that time, some people said that they were people from Yan Le, the former commander of Xianyang. This matter was aroused in Xianyang City."
"Originally, he didn't care about my lord's affairs, but he felt that since it happened in Xianyang City, he had to intervene. Later, he went to Lord Meng's house and said he wanted to discuss it."
"Later, I don't know what happened. After entering the palace, I was locked up."
"If I had known this, I might as well have been a censor and not be slandered."
After saying that, he felt that his words were a bit too much. Qi Cao smiled coquettishly and quickly stopped talking.
He raised his head again and carefully saw that Ran Fang didn't feel unhappy in any way, and then he felt relieved.
Ran Fang didn't care about this, he was just thinking about what Qi Cao said.
"You said that gold is not from your family, where did it come from?"
Qi Cao's old face showed anxiety, and he waved his hands in a panic: "I really don't know."
"At that time, Mr. Meng went in empty-handed and suddenly said that he had found stolen money. The old slave was also shocked."
"My family just moved into this house. It was given to Xianyang by the imperial court."
"There are few servants in our house, so we don't have time to clean up. I really don't know where the gold comes from."
After hearing what he said, Ran Fang had some guesses in his mind.
If what Qi Cao said is true, then this is a frame-up against Lian Liangcai.
But if it was Zhao Gao who did it, he still had some doubts in his heart. Was it just to vent his anger?
"If it is true as you said, Lian Liang is the one who is slandered, and the gold is not his, then the gold must have come from somewhere."
"If you can find where he came from, your adults will be cleared of suspicion."
"Think about it carefully, who else has Lian Liangcai offended?"
Qi Cao thought about it seriously, with a hint of embarrassment on his face, and he looked at Ran Fang sheepishly.
"My family has a straightforward personality, and sometimes it is easy to offend others with what we say or do."
Listening to his evaluation of Lian Liangcai, Ran Fang had some idea of his character. He had a stubborn temper and lack of tact, so it would not be easy to bribe him.
"You go and investigate first."
Qi Cao stood up, bowed respectfully, and said in a very respectful tone: "Thank you, sir."
With that said, he turned and left.
When he walked to the door, he happened to bump into someone. He lowered his head in fear, saw the official boots, and quickly apologized: "My lord, make atonement."
He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard "It's okay" from above his head.
He raised his head and recognized that this person was Tingwei Feng Xiao. He was a little confused, why did Feng Xiao come to Ran Fang?
With doubts, he limped out of Xianyang Prison. After all, what mattered now was his family's affairs.
Feng Xiao, on the other hand, did not recognize who this person was, so he entered the cell with a casual wave of his hand and greeted Ran Fang familiarly.
"Sir, this is newly brewed wine, specially given to you to try."
