As night fell, the sky turned into a dark and deep color, and the thick clouds in the sky completely hid the stars and moonlight. The tall buildings in the Shangshu's Mansion of the Ministry of Justice also cast a heavy shadow.
It was already very late, and the lights were still on in Lu Wenzheng's study. Lu Wenzheng sat alone in front of the case, his expression solemn and sad. He rested his forehead on his hands and frowned, seeming to be thinking hard about something.
At this time, Rong'er quietly walked in, whispered in Lu Wenzheng's ear: "Sir, Mr. Xu is here."
Lu Wenzheng frowned slightly and said dumbly: "Let him come in."
Rong'er lowered his eyebrows and snorted, and went out.
After a while, Xu Zhi's face turned gloomy, and he walked in from outside step by step, bowing his hands and bowing respectfully to Lu Wenzheng.
There were only two people, Lu Wenzheng and Xu Zhi, in the huge study room.
The room was eerily quiet at this moment, so eerily quiet that one could clearly hear the autumn wind outside weakly blowing at the window lattice and the faint hoarse and low whimpering sounds.
Xu Zhi said softly: "My lord, I don't know what your instructions are for calling students here?"
Lu Wenzheng was pacing back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, sometimes frowning, sometimes deep in thought, and his worry was clearly evident.
Finally, he slowly stopped in front of Xu Zhi, his eyes as sharp as blades staring at Xu Zhi's face without blinking.
Xu Zhi was slightly flustered. He was obviously at a loss, but he still had to keep calm. Finally, under Master Lu's intense gaze, he couldn't hold on any longer. He couldn't help but lowered his head and said: "Sir..."
Lu Wenzheng sighed softly and said: "Mr. Xu, tell me the truth, what is going on with Jiang Chun?"
Xu Zhi murmured: "Sir, student..."
Lu Wenzheng said in a deep voice: "There are only you and me in this room, what else do you want to hide? In fact, when Commander Ling came to me to ask about this matter during the day, I already understood the whole story.
"I still remember that you came to me the morning before the incident and asked me to get rid of Jiang Chun; but I had promised Qiuyue to let Jiang Chun go away safely after she married Ding Jiying. , so I did not agree. But Mr. Xu, you should not..."
Xu Zhipong immediately fell to his knees on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "Students are guilty! Students should not make their own decisions and poison Jiang Chun in wine..."
Lu Wenzheng had a tense face, and his gloomy expression became increasingly gloomy. He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, "Oh, Mr. Xu, you have been so smart all your life, but in the end you did such a stupid thing. You really make me feel sad!"
Xu Zhi's body stiffened, beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, and he choked with sobs: "Actually, the students are doing this for the Ministry of Punishment's Shangshu Mansion, for adults..."
Lu Wenzheng raised his thick eyebrows and said sternly: "But you can't poison and kill people just because of this! As a copywriter of the Shangshu Palace of the Ministry of Justice, don't you know what kind of crime it is to poison people to kill? But you shouldn't know the law and break the law. You did such a ridiculous thing. Now that you have committed such a heinous crime, how can I punish you?"
Xu Zhi's legs were trembling slightly, and there was a bit of cold air on his back, as if a bit of cold wind had penetrated his body. He said with tears in his face: "Sir, the student knows that he will not escape the death penalty, so how can he do it?" Ruining your reputation for saving your own life? Sir, please don’t be embarrassed and just follow the rules. No matter how you deal with the students, the students will have no objection!..."
Lu Wenzheng suddenly felt a lump in his throat, and the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily. The tears in his eyes fell down his cheeks like a flood that broke a bank:
"Mr. Xu, please stop talking! You and Commander Ling are our right-hand men, and they complement each other in both literature and military skills. With your help, I will feel more comfortable and more powerful when doing things, whether in the court or in the Ministry of Justice." .
"But now that so many things have happened, Commander Ling seems to have changed. I'm afraid I won't be able to win back his heart. If I lose you again now, how will it be embarrassing for me?"
Xu Zhi was at a loss for a moment, "But sir..."
Lu Wenzheng lowered his head, and after thinking for a long time, he finally made up his mind, "I have been handling cases all my life, and I think I am fair, honest, and impartial. But today, for the sake of you, my husband, I have bent the law and favored others!"
Xu Zhi said in a trembling voice: "No, sir, I can't do it, I can't do it!"
Lu Wenzheng said: "Only heaven and earth know that you know and I know about this matter. As long as you and I don't tell it, who will know?"
Xu Zhi said: "But, how will Commander Ling explain it?"
Lu Wenzheng sighed and said, "Let me think about this later."
"only……"
Lu Wenzheng waved his hand and said, "Don't just stop it. This matter ends here. Don't mention it again in the future - it's very late. You should go back and rest first!"
Xu Zhi lowered his eyebrows, bowed deeply to Lu Wenzheng, turned around and walked out.
But when he opened the door, he felt the blood all over his body suddenly surged to the top of his head, and the man suddenly stood there like a withered tree.
Ling Yun was standing outside the door, his frosty eyes showing no warmth at all. When blown by the cold night wind, a hint of anger and ridicule emerged that could not be concealed.
Xu Zhi was at a loss for a moment and said in panic: "Commander Ling, why are you..."
The look in Ling Yun's eyes was almost numb, showing a life-like emotion. He said nothing.
Lu Wenzheng slowly approached, looked at him up and down with eyes full of inquiry and questioning, and asked, "How long have you been here?"
Ling Yun turned his face to the side and said nothing.
Lu Wenzheng said: "Have you heard what I and Mr. Xu said?"
Ling Yun remained silent.
Lu Wenzheng sighed: "Then what are your plans?"
Ling Yun chuckled lightly and finally spoke, his cool voice carrying a hint of mocking coldness, "What else can I plan? Haven't you two discussed everything? What else can I say?"
Lu Wenzheng's eyes trembled violently, and a bleak smile appeared on the corner of his mouth; he sighed in frustration and was speechless.
Ling Yun raised his head and breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and walked out.
Lu Wenzheng suddenly said: "Commander Ling."
Ling Yun's figure trembled unconsciously and stood still.
Lu Wenzheng walked up to him almost step by step and said in an almost begging tone: "Promise me not to tell this matter, okay?"
Ling Yun was extremely confused. Xu Zhi and Jiang Chun are both his best friends. Regardless of whether he agrees or not, he will hurt and let down one of them. After staying for a long time, he walked forward without looking back.
Xu Zhi said dumbly from behind: "Commander Ling."
Ling Yun stood still, his deep voice without any fluctuation, "What else do you want to say?"
Xu Zhidao: "I know very well what kind of crime I have committed, and I also know that you must hate me very much now. But I do this for the entire Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Punishment, and for Mr. Lu!"
Ling Yun said: "So you are going to kill an innocent person? Ask yourself, are you worthy of your own conscience?"
Xu Zhi said sadly: "Yes, I regret it too much now. Alas, if I had known now, why would I have done it in the first place?"
Ling Yun said: "How is it now, and what was it like before?"
Xu Zhi said: "If I had known that it would end like this, I shouldn't have taken any chances. I poisoned Jiang Chun's cup, and after he went out, I asked two close guards to follow him.
"This poison is a chronic poison that takes effect after an hour. According to the itinerary, it should occur ten miles away from the city. It is a deserted wilderness and there is no human habitation. It is estimated that no one will find it.
"I asked the two guards to bury him on the spot after he was poisoned and died. In this way, who would know? Who knows? God is not as good as God. I never expected that he would meet him as soon as he left the city. The killer has arrived, and Commander Ling will follow him..." At this point, he was already bursting into tears.
Ling Yun turned his back to him without saying a word.
Xu Zhi sighed: "A single thought led to a big mistake. Now that the crime has been committed, I know that whatever I say is in vain. Now I just ask Commander Ling to give me a happy life. Alas! To die under Commander Ling's sword is considered a blessing." What an honor..."
Ling Yun clenched his fists tightly, his chest heaved violently, his originally pale face became even whiter now, his scarlet eyes were filled with tiny ripples of light, and his two rows of teeth were also chattering.
He unsheathed his sword and thrust it into Xu Zhi's heart.
Lu Wenzheng said in a trembling voice: "Commander Ling!..."
Ling Yun turned a deaf ear and said word by word: "I promised Miss Lu to protect Jiang Chun and leave safely, but you killed him instead!...
"Mr. Xu, you and I have worked together for many years and were close friends. But if I let you go like this, how can I be worthy of Miss Lu, and how can I be worthy of Jiang Chun's unjust soul who died in vain?"
Xu Zhi sighed: "Commander Ling, just do it. I will never blame you. I deserve it." He closed his eyes and waited for death.
The lights in the room and the dark night outside merged into one, just like deathly silence and heartache mixed together; a wisp of desolate night wind blew through, whimpering like a heartbroken person sobbing.
Ling Yun felt as if his soul was being stabbed inch by inch with a knife, and his heart was in a mess. He felt his sword hand shaking slightly.
He tried to reach forward with the sword, but his limp hand couldn't move it forward. Finally, he let out a long sigh, threw the sword to the ground, and turned around as if running away.
When he was about to walk out of the courtyard, he suddenly heard a scream from behind him. The voice was dull, hoarse, and creepy.
At that moment, he felt that the blood all over his body was almost freezing. He turned around suddenly and staggered back to the study as if he was crazy.
I saw that Xu Zhi had already penetrated his own chest with the long sword he had just thrown on the ground without the handle! …
