Chapter 21: They Are Just Two Dogs

Madam Zhang was speechless.

Earlier, the Marquis's manor had exerted pressure, forcing the He family to deal with Lady Liu.

Thus, Lady Liu's death was inevitable, but how could the He family be so foolish as to drag themselves down with her?

That was the Great Prison of Shuntian Prefecture! Aside from the people of Shuntian Prefecture and the Imperial City Guard, who else could enter to commit a murder?

It was simply that someone did not want He Hui to live!

And just as Zhang Shaode had said, at this moment, who else would desire nothing more than the total annihilation of the He family, if not the Du family?

"Are you suggesting that the Du family is going to strike us next?"

Madam Zhang could barely remain standing.

Zhang Shaode's voice was hoarse: "Lady Liu's indictment didn't mention the Du family at all. This morning at the Marquis's manor, he was already in a towering rage. What he fears most is having his secrets exposed, and what he fears most is someone using them to threaten him!

"As it happens, the people who know this secret best in this world are the Zhang and He families. Therefore, the incident involving the He family was no accident; it was premeditated.

"Since they have already moved against the He family, moving against us next is a foregone conclusion."

Madam Zhang burst into loud wails.

"What are you crying for?" Zhang Shaode pulled out the keys to the storehouse. "We cannot sit idly by and wait for death.

"Hurry and take some travel funds. Before dark, have our daughter-in-law use the excuse of taking our grandson to stay at her maiden home in Songyang to leave the city!

"Once they are out of the city, immediately send someone to catch up with Ji'er to warn him to be on guard! Tell them to come up with an excuse and not to return!

"Go, quickly!"

Madam Zhang wiped her tears and hurried out in a frenzy.

Zhang Shaode pulled a bloodstained token from his bosom, his hands still trembling.

...

Du Yu rushed back to the manor from Shuntian Prefecture and found the Marquis of Guangling in the main courtyard.

"Father, things are becoming increasingly bizarre!"

Before Du Yu's return, someone had already reported the matter regarding He Hui, and the Marquis of Guangling was already overwhelmed with anxiety.

"What exactly is going on? Did you find no suspicious clues?"

Du Yu shook his head. "I interrogated He Jianzhong's wife for a long time, but she has gone completely mad; she can't say a thing!

"The only thing she keeps repeating is the word 'Princess'!"

"The Princess?" The Marquis looked at him.

Du Yu sighed. "She is raving and incoherent; she cannot provide any real answers."

The Marquis paced with his hands on his hips. "What about the authorities? Did they find nothing?"

"In just two or three days, starting from He Xu, one incident after another has occurred, leaving us breathless. The authorities haven't even cleared up He Xu's death, and now with these subsequent cases involved, it has become even more complicated and difficult to approach."

The Marquis nearly ground his teeth to dust. "And what about He Hui? Why was he so stupid as to attack Lady Liu in prison? Did he not know that even if he succeeded, it would easily invite suspicion?!"

Du Yu spoke deeply. "I went to the prison to see He Hui. He claimed that although He Jianzhong ordered him to bring the woman back to the manor before dealing with her, he had never laid a finger on Lady Liu.

"Yet, Lady Liu was poisoned!

"He Hui does not admit that the He family sent anyone to the prison with food; he says the bundle appeared out of thin air and he has no idea how it happened!

"Therefore, I am very perplexed. If what He Hui says is true, then who administered the poison?

"Who is capable of both poisoning the manor to frame He Hui and entering the prison to kill Lady Liu?"

"No such person exists!"

The Marquis's face was as dark as ink as he stared at the pile of Imperial City Guard tokens on the desk before him. "Aside from Shuntian Prefecture and the Imperial City Guard, who can enter the prison? No one! And all the tokens are right here; not a single one is missing!"

Du Yu took a deep breath. "That is the biggest problem.

"If it wasn't a lapse by the Imperial City Guard, then only someone within Shuntian Prefecture is a possibility.

"But if it were someone from Shuntian Prefecture, they would have no reason to harm the He family, nor could they possibly kill so many people in the He family one after another.

"In contrast to the people of Shuntian Prefecture, we, the Marquis of Guangling, who have taken the He family as our pillars of support, have much more room for maneuver.

"In the eyes of a calculating person, for us, who are closely tied to the He family, poisoning them or committing murder would be as easy as turning over a hand!"

"Nonsense!" The Marquis slammed the table. "Why would we kill the He family? The He and Zhang families are merely two dogs under our Marquis's manor. Why would I kill a watchdog for no reason?!"

"Because there is an unspeakable motive, of course." Du Yu's gaze was profound. "Others might think we have no reason to kill, but what about the Zhang family?

"The He and Zhang families were the ones who personally executed the operation back then. The He family members are dying in such strange ways, and now almost only the Zhang family remains.

"I believe that once Zhang Shaode forms a suspicion, he will certainly find a reason to accuse us of murder!"

The Marquis paused.

With a hint of coldness in his eyes, Du Yu continued, "After the incident occurred this afternoon, Zhang Shaode arrived at the He residence before I did. Before I arrived, he had already inspected He Jianzhong's corpse.

"I do not know what he connected it to, or if he made some other discovery, but in short, his expression has been very wrong since the moment I saw him.

"Later, while I was handling the He family's affairs, he remained silent by my side.

"Lady Liu's death is right there. If we cannot prove our innocence—that we never went to the prison—then we will be forced to take the blame for the extermination of the He family, starting from the death of He Xu.

"And the first person to suspect us will undoubtedly be the Zhang family! He will conclude that we are 'killing the donkey once the grindstone is worn out'!"

The Marquis felt an itch on his forehead. "This is a conspiracy. A conspiracy specifically targeting my Du family!

"But just who is behind this, moving step by step like this?"

Du Yu's brow was tightly furrowed. "Lady He kept muttering about the Princess. I am worried that someone might have discovered the secret from back then and is using it to stir up trouble."

The Marquis narrowed his eyes. "Is it Wei Zhang?"

Du Yu shook his head. "The clues indicate he is still in Pingcheng, two hundred miles away from Licheng."

The Marquis disagreed. "He could have deceived you all and returned early! After all, if he were truly alive, he has already deceived you and me for three years!"

He sounded extremely agitated when mentioning this. "When Princess Yongjia left the capital to live elsewhere, the late Emperor specially assigned twelve guards to this only niece.

"Wei Zhang was the standout among them, and the only one whose death was not explicitly confirmed that night!

"If he is truly alive, then none of this would be a problem for him!"

Du Yu fell silent for a moment, then shook his head again. "On the night of the ambush, it was the dead of night and all one hundred and more people were masked. The only one whose identity was leaked was He Xu, whose mask was pulled aside by Princess Yongjia.

"On Princess Yongjia's side, only Wei Zhang remains, and his fate is unknown.

"It is impossible for Wei Zhang to know that the He family were the killers.

"Furthermore, he failed to protect his master, leading to the death of Princess Yongjia, and he even managed to escape. Once he shows his face, his only path is death.

"So even if he wanted revenge, he would never dare to stir up such a massive storm.

"I am certain—there must be someone else!"