Chapter 218: Uncle Yang, it was Chen Yan who poisoned A Gong!

Immediately following this, two people walked in from the outside first, with the rest of the attendants trailing behind...

The man on the left wore a dark blue straight-cut robe, with the cuffs of his moon-white inner garment visible; his figure was as straight as a pine. Years of military life meant that even after shedding his armor, his every gesture still carried an awe-inspiring air that commanded respect without anger.

On his square, sharp-featured face, the years had left deep marks.

His brow bone was high and prominent, and his tiger-like eyes were as deep as an abyss. Though the corners of his eyes were crowded with crow's feet, they could not hide the sharp light within, which seemed capable of perceiving everything.

Across the bridge of his straight nose was a faint scar, slanting from his brow bone to the corner of his eye, adding a touch of vicissitudes and fortitude to his appearance.

This person was none other than Yang Gong's father, one of the Twelve Great Generals, Yang Qin.

And the man on the right was the newly appointed Mirror Department Mirror Master.

"Chen Yan?"

"Why did he come too?"

Dugu Zhang looked at Chen Yan, who had entered with him, his brows furrowed in deep confusion as he muttered to himself.

He clearly remembered that he hadn't sent anyone to notify the Mirror Department...

Why had he come uninvited?

Yang Qin hurried over to Dugu Zhang and Gao Jiong, asking urgently, "A Zhang, A Jiong, how is my son A Gong?"

"Is he safe?"

His words were filled with anxiety.

The person who came to report said his son A Gong had first been assassinated, then poisoned, and his life hung in the balance...

Yet, faced with a father's inquiry, both men fell into the same silence, a deathly stillness.

Neither knew how to speak.

"Speak, you two!"

"How is A Gong?"

Seeing this, Yang Qin's facial muscles twitched, and he urged them sternly.

From the reaction of these two, a bad premonition surfaced in his heart...

His most outstanding eldest son had probably, perhaps, already...

"Uncle Yang, please restrain your grief!"

After weighing his words, Dugu Zhang steeled himself and said, "A Gong... he has passed!"

"The poison took effect too quickly; the physician couldn't save him in time..."

As he spoke, he and Gao Jiong turned sideways simultaneously, revealing Yang Gong, who had fallen to the ground and died from black blood flowing from his seven orifices.

Under those circumstances, he, Dugu Zhang, had truly done his best...

"A Gong!"

"My A Gong!"

Yang Qin looked at his son, who was now a corpse. His heart felt as if it were being twisted into a ball by an invisible giant hand. He lunged forward, ignoring the filthy black blood, and cradled Yang Gong in his arms, gritting his teeth as he said, "Father will definitely catch the murderer and make them pay in blood!"

"To comfort your spirit in heaven!"

Yang Qin's Adam's apple rolled violently in his rough neck, as if he were trying to swallow a thousand-jin stone.

Those large hands, accustomed to gripping long spears and capable of snapping arrowheads with bare strength, now trembled slightly as they pressed against his eye sockets. The moisture seeping between his fingers shimmered with a cold, chilling light under the candlelight.

That was his eldest son, his most excellent son, the heir into whom he had poured countless efforts. Everything had turned into bubbles; how could his heart not be torn to shreds?

"General Yang, please restrain your grief!"

Chen Yan stepped forward at the right moment, arriving at Yang Qin's side. After glancing at Yang Gong in his arms, he said, "My Mirror Department will certainly do its utmost to apprehend the villain who poisoned your noble son!"

"My Jingzhao Prefecture will also assist with all our might!" Liu Bingzhong, hearing this, did not hesitate and quickly echoed the sentiment.

With the Mirror Master Chen—no, the Chief Mirror Officer Chen—stating his position, the pressure on him to solve the case suddenly plummeted...

"Chen Yan, what are you putting on this hypocritical act for?"

Gao Jiong, witnessing this scene, revealed a cold sneer and asked sarcastically.

He paused, then said, enunciating each word: "A cat crying for a mouse, fake compassion!"

"A Jiong, do not speak nonsense!" Dugu Zhang was startled and immediately tried to stop Gao Jiong.

He never expected that this kid would dare to speak such wild words directly to Chen Yan...

And with such clear intent.

"Young Master Gao Jiong, what do you mean by that?" Chen Yan looked toward the source of the sound, raised an eyebrow, and asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

His words were filled with displeasure.

Gao Jiong held his head high, snorted coldly, raised his hand, pointed at Chen Yan's nose, and scolded him head-on: "A Gong was poisoned to death; it absolutely has something to do with a ruthless person like you!"

"You just wanted to destroy the alliance between the Yang family and the Dugu family..."

"Smack!"

But before he could finish his sentence, he was ruthlessly interrupted by the sound of a crisp slap.

Chen Yan lightly blew on his right hand, which had just slapped someone.

And at the same time he acted, Zhu Yi and the Embroidered Attire Envoys stepped forward, restraining the guard Lin Mingjing, who had tried to intervene.

"A Jiong!" Dugu Zhang shouted.

"You..."

"You dare hit me?"

Gao Jiong clutched his burning left cheek, looked at Chen Yan in disbelief, and questioned, "You actually dare to lay a hand on me in front of Uncle Yang?"

"So what if I hit you?"

Chen Yan glanced sideways, curled his lip, and backhanded him with another slap.

"Smack!"

This time the force was heavier, and Gao Jiong was slapped directly to the ground. However, after wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he became even more confident and argued, "Chen Yan, you must have been hit by my words, and now you're feeling guilty..."

"Smack!"

Chen Yan did not speak; the only response was another slap.

This time, whether Gao Jiong had been slapped awake, he decisively changed his strategy, crawled to Yang Qin's side, and accused him desperately: "Uncle Yang, it was Chen Yan who poisoned A Gong!"

"It was absolutely his doing!"

But Yang Qin's reaction was the exact opposite of Gao Jiong's expectation. He said sternly, "Shut up!"

He paused, then questioned, "You speak with such certainty; do you have evidence?"

As he spoke, he extended a hand, as if demanding proof.

"No... none..."

Gao Jiong was momentarily speechless, lowered his head, and stammered.

Yang Qin's gaze sharpened, and he questioned again, "Without evidence, you dare to frame the Mirror Department Mirror Master with empty words. Do you know what the crime is?"

"I... I..." Gao Jiong was dumbfounded, not knowing how to answer.

"Step back!" Yang Qin flicked his sleeve violently and shouted.

Having no other choice, Gao Jiong retreated to the side, his eyes filled with resentment as he glanced at someone.

After Yang Qin took a deep breath, he turned to look at Chen Yan and said, "Mirror Master Chen, Gao Jiong was somewhat stimulated by the death of my son and spoke out of turn. I hope you will not take offense!"

Clearly, despite the pain of losing his son, Yang Qin still maintained his reason and had not lost his head...

Attributing the problem to being stimulated was just to prevent someone from taking the opportunity to make trouble, and to protect Gao Jiong, who was reckless and impulsive but had A Gong's best interests at heart.

"No matter!"

Chen Yan didn't take it to heart, waved his hand, and chuckled, "How could I take offense at a fool who has lost his mind?"

"You..." Gao Jiong glared, gritting his teeth, but dared not say another word.

Chen Yan couldn't be bothered to attack the heart of a mad dog again. He smiled calmly, looked at Yang Qin, and said, "In my opinion, the most urgent task is to first determine the cause of your noble son's death and ferret out the murderer who administered the poison..."

"Indeed!"

Li Tan took over the conversation and echoed, "The Mirror Master is right, lest some things go around with empty mouths... spitting blood at people!"

The last four words were enunciated one by one.

As he spoke, his peripheral vision also glanced at someone in the corner.

"Prefect Liu, I'll have to trouble you!"

Although these two were suspected of just watching the show, it couldn't be denied that their words were indeed reasonable. Yang Qin looked serious and handed the body of his beloved son in his arms to Liu Bingzhong.

"Yes."

"You lot, hurry and go..."

Liu Bingzhong nodded, responded, and immediately beckoned for people to start the autopsy and to check the food and wine on the table.

"A Zhang, you tell me what exactly happened..." Yang Qin stood up, called Dugu Zhang over, and asked.

"Today, the three of us agreed to drink at Da Feng Tai..."

Dugu Zhang recalled briefly, organized his thoughts, and said truthfully, "Several waves of assassins came one after another to assassinate A Gong, but they were all killed by the guards!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the corpses of the black-clad assassins on the ground inside the pavilion.

He paused, then continued, "But I don't know why, after the danger was resolved, A Gong suddenly vomited blood..."

These corpses of the black-clad men on the ground should be those assassins... Yang Qin looked in the direction he pointed, formed a judgment in his heart, and asked again, "Then what did A Gong eat and drink before this?"

Dugu Zhang's brows furrowed tightly, and he said in a deep voice, "It's strange to say, but the things the three of us ate and drank were all the same..."

Mentioning this question, Dugu Zhang was also puzzled.

Logically speaking, if they ate and drank the same food and wine, they should all have been poisoned together...

Yet only one person was poisoned!

It was inconceivable!

Just then, Dugu Zhang's guard, Liu Jin, spoke up at the right moment: "Young Master, do you remember what one of the black-clad men said..."

"What words!" Yang Qin and Dugu Zhang said almost in unison.

Liu Jin looked troubled: "Those words were somewhat disrespectful to His Majesty..."

"Never mind the disrespect; if anything happens, I will bear the responsibility!" Yang Qin said in a deep voice, "Speak!"

Liu Jin, having received reassurance, recalled briefly and carefully repeated: "A usurper who oversteps his bounds, and he dares to falsely claim to be the Son of Heaven?"

——

Thank you all for the gifts and five-star reviews. Wan Feng bows in gratitude. I will continue to add more chapters today, three chapters, eight thousand words (?? ω??)?

If the rating can hit 9.0 later, I will continue to add chapters to repay the kindness of all you foster fathers? (ゝω???) ===== CHAPTER 219 =====