Cypress Boat Floating

Chapter 197 Evidence

Recently, there have been heavy rains in Beijing, as if even the sky was crying for Ye Honghai's passing.

It's amazing to say, before, there was obviously no evidence to prove Ye Honghai's innocence, but now that Ye Honghai is dead, all the evidence has surfaced, and the people sent by Lu Zhixing have also returned with the evidence.

When Lu Zhixing got the evidence, he wanted to go to the palace immediately to hand it over to the emperor to clear Ye Honghai's grievances, but he was stopped before leaving.

In the lobby of the Prince of Qin's Mansion, Lu Zhixing sat at the top, and below him on his left sat a person he had never thought would visit him.

"Commander Liang, why do you come to me instead of recuperating in your house?" Liang Kai, a man who chose to remain neutral and stayed away from both the Crown Prince and the King of Qin since taking up this position, was surprised that he came to visit my house when his injury was not healed yet. This made Lu Zhixing puzzled about his arrival.

"Your Highness." Liang Kai opened his mouth to call out, but then fell silent, as if he had not yet considered how to say the next words, and all his thoughts were unable to be expressed in words.

Lu Zhixing didn't rush him, and he would speak when he wanted to. Since they had come this far, they should have been well prepared before leaving, so Lu Zhixing was not in a hurry.

Liang Kai looked embarrassed. He gritted his teeth and drank the hot tea beside him. Then he knelt down on his knees and said, "My words are disrespectful. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Lu Zhixing looked at him with a calm face and no expression: "Commander Liang has come to this king, so he must have thought clearly about the consequences of saying these words. In this case, then just say it openly."

Liang Kai raised his eyes and asked softly, "Does the prince want to go to the palace to present evidence of General Ye's innocence?"

Lu Zhixing didn't answer, but his expression gave Liang Kai a definite answer. After Liang Kai confirmed it, he continued, "Your Majesty, you must not do that."

Lu Zhixing raised his eyebrows: "Why is that? Father is very observant, and General Ye is his friend and a pillar of the country. If there is evidence to prove that General Ye is innocent, Father will be overjoyed."

"Because, because." Liang Kai closed his eyes, as if he had thought of something, his face full of pain. When he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse, but with a hint of firmness.

"Because the one who killed General Ye was His Majesty."

"Nonsense." The teacup broke at Liang Kai's feet, but did not hurt him.

Lu Zhixing's face was fierce, and his eyes were as fierce as a leopard's, staring at the other person, as if he wanted to bite off the other person's neck. What Liang Kai said was something he dared not think about.

"What evidence do you have to prove it?"

Liang Kai did not have any evidence, but he had accompanied Ye Honghai for so many days and encountered so many assassinations along the way. Ever since he met those assassins in the inn that day, he had always been skeptical about the matter and had been inseparable from Ye Honghai all the way, fearing that he would be harmed at any time.

But he didn't expect that despite all his precautions, he still couldn't prevent it.

He had agreed to go find reinforcements that day, but he was knocked unconscious before he left the place. When he woke up, he learned that General Ye Honghai had been killed by a traitor. He regretted it deeply, but was powerless to change the situation.

He knew that there were people around him who wanted to harm General Ye, but he still left him easily. Failure to protect him was the biggest mistake of his life, and it would also be a pain that would haunt him throughout his life.

After returning to Beijing, he pretended to be sick and stayed at home. He said that he was avoiding the facts or was afraid to face them, but he really didn't dare to go back.

The reason why I appeared in the Prince Qin's Mansion today was because I received news that the Prince Qin had collected evidence.

As everyone knows, the relationship between King Qin and Ye Honghai is extremely close, and they have a sense of master-disciple relationship. So after knowing that King Qin had collected evidence, he guessed that King Qin would go to His Majesty as soon as possible to clear General Ye's grievances.

How could he just sit back and watch, since his mistake had already caused the death of General Ye Honghai. He wanted to do one last thing for General Ye, to help his apprentice, even if the King of Qin did not need it, as long as he did it he would feel at ease.

Liang Kai told Lu Zhixing everything that happened when he came to Beijing. He didn't think Lu Zhixing would immediately think that the emperor had deliberately killed Ye Honghai, but he also hoped to provide him with some help, so that he could at least be more cautious.

After listening to him, Lu Zhixing pondered for a while: "How can you be sure that those people are sent by the emperor?"

"The assassins captured by General Ye that day were interrogated by me. They were all members of the Imperial Guards who had just joined the palace some time ago. Although they were on the periphery and they thought I didn't know them, I remember every face of them clearly. I also found the emperor's orders on them, and I recognized the handwriting." The faces of those people kept appearing in Liang Kai's mind. They were all newcomers to the palace. When they entered the palace, Liang Kai, as the commander, had high hopes for them, but he never thought that these people would eventually die in his own hands.

"If father really wanted to kill General Ye, couldn't he just let you do it directly? Why would he need to send someone to assassinate him?" Lu Zhixing asked.

This is also what Lu Zhixing doubted. He did not doubt what Liang Kai said. On the contrary, he felt that what Liang Kai said was true. The problem lies with the assassins. Why do those people carry letters from the emperor? Why are they all new to the palace, but they all happen to be known by Liang Kai? There are many doubts here, right?

"I don't know." Liang Kai lowered his head. It's not that he didn't know. He just had too many doubts in his mind, but he didn't dare to say it.

After listening to Liang Kai's reasons, Lu Zhixing naturally figured out why he stopped him at the gate. He didn't hide it anymore and asked directly, "General Ye's death is not that simple. Commander Liang stopped me from handing the evidence to my father privately because he was worried that my father would not handle it impartially?"

Liang Kai was in a dilemma. He didn't dare to say yes or no. He was too impulsive. He rashly came to stop Lu Zhixing from submitting evidence and said bad things about his father in front of him. Isn't this trying to sow discord between the King of Qin and the Emperor? Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly widened and sweat began to break out on his back.

Perhaps sensing Liang Kai's embarrassment, Lu Zhixing sympathized with him: "Commander Liang, rest assured. I will naturally investigate the truth of this matter and will not make a rash decision based on one-sided statements. I also know that Commander Liang wants to help General Ye. I thank Commander Liang on behalf of General Ye."

After changing the subject, Lu Zhixing said seriously: "However, Commander Liang is the commander of the Imperial Guards beside my father. His duty is to escort my father and follow his orders. I hope Commander Liang can be loyal to the emperor and not be easily deceived by others."

"Yes, I understand." Liang Kai naturally heard the warning in Lu Zhixing's words, but what happened today was also the result of his being too impulsive and not thinking clearly. He had no regrets.

"Life and death are determined by fate. General Ye's death is a foregone conclusion. Commander Liang does not need to regret it. If what you said is true, you have already protected him very well."

The sky in the distance was extremely blue, and a large pure white cloud floated over and blocked the sun, leaving a shade in front of the Qin Palace.

Liang Kai went back.

Lu Zhixing was still sitting alone in the lobby for a long, long time. The tea beside him had already gone cold. The cloud in the sky had long since drifted away from the Qin Palace, and the sun reappeared.

He pondered every word Liang Kai said in his mind. He was trying to guess his father's various thoughts. He wanted to determine whether what Liang Kai said was true. Even the evidence in his hand seemed very hot.

Since Liang Kai left, Wei Wangshu came behind the screen, looking at him and accompanying him. She didn't know what Liang Kai said to him, but she also knew that Liang Kai was the one who escorted General Ye back to the mansion at that time.

Wei Wangshu didn't know whether her husband was regretting at this moment that he did not personally ask for permission to go to Beiguan to escort General Ye back to Beijing. If he had led the troops there in person, perhaps General Ye would have been able to come back alive, clear his grievances, and usher in a bright day.