Chapter 127: Red Face and Black Face

When Tang Cheng'an's voice rang out, Wang Zhe's eyebrows instantly knitted together, the wrinkles on his forehead gathering into one, and his entire face was immediately shrouded in gloom and displeasure. He stared coldly at Tang Cheng'an, his eyes sharp as lightning and his tone as sharp as a knife: "Tang Tang Sima, why have you come? I recall you should currently be at home reflecting on your errors."

Tang Cheng'an was just about to speak when his gaze inadvertently swept past Jiang Jiang Mingyu, who stood to the side with arms crossed and a indifferent expression. He felt his heart skip a beat, thinking to himself that this arch-enemy was like a shadow; he had only just received the Prince's order when he ran into this nemesis, truly bad luck.

Tang Cheng'an's eyeballs turned slightly, words caught in his throat, his mouth twitching a few times as if trying to explain yet also trying to conceal something. Seeing him stammer, Wang Zhe's frown deepened further, his voice low as thunder and his tone piercing as an ice pick: "Tang Tang Sima, this official is asking you a question, have you not heard?"

Tang Cheng'an shuddered, immediately clasping his hands in a bow and forcing his spirits up: "Ten thousand apologies, Regional Military Commissioner, this subordinate was simply too nervous." He leaned his upper body forward slightly, plastering a sycophantic smile on his face and speaking in a humble tone: "This subordinate has reflected clearly; the accusations against Lord Jiang previously were truly wrongful, and I hope Your Lordship will forgive me!"

His gaze fell upon Jiang Jiang Mingyu not far away, and he plastered a sycophantic smile on his face: "Lord Jiang is also here, which is perfect for me to apologize to you in person. Please be magnanimous and do not hold my unintentional mistake against me. We are all officials loyal to Great Feng and should work together with one heart."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu also plastered a polite smile on his face, though there was not a shred of amusement in his eyes: "Lord Tang is joking; that day, this subordinate also spoke out of turn, so let us not hold it against each other." He merely nodded politely, thinking that Tang Cheng'an's behavior today was far too strange. This man was usually arrogant and domineering; how could he suddenly be so humble? He must be plotting something behind the scenes again. Since he wants to play, I will play along to the end and see what new tricks he can come up with!

Wang Zhe made a soft "Hmm" sound and said, "Tang Tang Sima figuring things out so quickly is a good thing. If the Emperor knows your attitude has changed, he will surely be very pleased." He glanced meaningfully at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, reminding Tang Cheng'an that Jiang Jiang Mingyu was someone sent by the Emperor and that he had better not entertain any twisted thoughts about Jiang.

Tang Cheng'an immediately nodded and bowed, his face full of sycophantic smiles that made people feel very uncomfortable: "Nowhere, nowhere, this humble one simply realized the principle of admitting mistakes and correcting them. The Regional Military Commissioner has taught well, and this humble one has learned."

Wang Zhe snorted coldly and waved his hand, saying, "Enough, stop bowing and scraping here; this official has heard your apology. Did you come here just for this matter?"

Hearing Wang Zhe's words, Tang Cheng'an's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly changed the subject, fearing Huang Huang Chaoran would pin the blame on him: "Regional Military Commissioner, what is going on here?" He pointed at Huang Huang Chaoran, who was being held up, and asked with a confused face.

Little did he know, Huang Huang Chaoran had already spoken first: "Lord Tang, long time no see." He deliberately pretended to act as if they had known each other for a long time: "Huang is guilty of a crime worthy of death and has already been sentenced to execution. I hope you will return and tell my family, and I will be eternally grateful. If fate allows in the next life, I will surely repay your great kindness in this life!"

Having finished speaking, he said no more, allowing the Yamen Runners to lead him to the death prison to reunite with his nephew, Zhu Zhu Tianxiang.

Tang Cheng'an understood clearly that the subtext of Huang Huang Chaoran's words was: I am about to be done for, so hurry back to the Huang Manor to send word and find a way to get me out. When I rise again in the future, I will certainly not fail to reward you.

Tang Cheng'an immediately clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Regional Military Commissioner, I will return now." He thought that currently, only Huang Huang Chaoran was his ally, and he must find a way to save him; once that was done, things would go much more smoothly.

Wang Zhe let out a cold sneer, made no effort to detain him, and simply waved his hand, saying, "Go, I will summon you again if there is business." He was more than happy for this old nemesis to get lost quickly.

Tang Cheng'an performed a bow and turned to leave.

As soon as Tang Cheng'an's back disappeared outside the door, Wang Zhe's expression changed instantly, and he looked gloomily at Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Lord Jiang, something is wrong with this matter."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu showed a look of suspicion and asked in return: "What is wrong, Regional Military Commissioner? Please tell me."

Wang Zhe stroked his beard, speaking as if carelessly: "To monitor Tang Cheng'an's movements, I stationed many informants and spies around the Tang Sima's residence. Two days ago, my people reported to me that Huang Huang Chaoran had recently visited Tang Sima Tang in person. The two held a secret meeting lasting about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

"Then, why did Huang Huang Chaoran just now deliberately pretend to act as if he had not seen Tang Cheng'an for a long time? It is obvious he is concealing something." A trace of gloom flashed in Wang Zhe's eyes.

After listening, Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered for a moment, then looked up at Wang Zhe: "Does Regional Military Commissioner Wang mean that Tang Cheng'an might also have known about and participated in Che Ting's kidnapping of Miss Liu?"

Wang Zhe said in a deep voice: "Not only possible, it can almost be confirmed. I even suspect that the dead Huang Huang Chaoran has very likely secretly defected to the side of the Prince of Qi. His collusion with Tang Cheng'an, all of this, stems from the Prince of Qi's orders, with the aim of using Miss Liu to blackmail you and me."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was slightly startled, and a guess flashed through his mind: "Does Regional Military Commissioner Wang mean that the Prince of Qi has set his sights on the 50,000 troops in my hands?"

Wang Zhe pondered for a moment and finally slowly nodded: "Exactly so. If the Prince of Qi simply wanted to eliminate you, he could have directly ordered someone to act. The reason he did not do so before is simply because he was still brewing a larger plan and did not want to startle the snake."

"However, the news of your large-scale recruitment of troops within the borders has been transmitted by Tang Cheng'an to the Prince of Qi's ears. This undoubtedly gave the Prince of Qi a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—he can both eliminate you, this major threat, and replenish the Emperor's military strength."

"So he bided his time and began to strike at you. But hindered by the difficulty of dealing with the 50,000 troops in your hands, he could only first use the kidnapping of Miss Liu to blackmail you. It can be said that it is precisely because of the existence of these 50,000 troops that your life has been temporarily spared."

A flash of inspiration struck Jiang Jiang Mingyu's mind, and he suddenly understood everything. It turned out that nothing was so simple, and hidden behind it all was the Prince of Qi's conspiracy!

It turned out that the Prince of Qi's greedy gaze had long been fixed on the 50,000 troops in his hands.

Controlling this massive force, he could become king and dominate the entire Northern Frontier.

With this batch of powerful elite troops, the Prince of Qi could finally face off against the Emperor directly.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu finally understood clearly; it turned out that the root of everything lay in these 50,000 soldiers.

Having figured out this layer of relationship, Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt the heavy burden on his shoulders suddenly lift, and he let out a long sigh. He knew that as long as he firmly controlled these 50,000 troops, the Prince of Qi would not yet dare to deal him a fatal blow.

But what Jiang Jiang Mingyu guessed wrong was that this entire conspiracy did not originate from Tang Cheng'an's hand, but was precisely a trap set secretly by the Prince of Qi.

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's look of sudden understanding, a faint smile appeared on Wang Zhe's dark face, and he nodded slightly to indicate affirmation.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu made a soft "Hmm" sound and asked in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant: "Since the matter has been cleared up, how should we respond to this hidden powerful enemy in the next step?"

He knew that the Prince of Qi currently did not dare to put him to death directly, but this did not mean he could just wait foolishly to be killed.

Wang Zhe, however, seemed not the least bit panicked and even spoke leisurely: "Lord Jiang, please rest assured. The Emperor has already seen through everything and must have a countermeasure ready long ago; the Prince of Qi cannot stir up any big waves." As he said this, his tone even revealed a hint of contempt and disdain.

Wang Zhe paused, then continued steadily: "This official will execute Huang Huang Chaoran according to the law as a warning to others, and at the same time monitor every move of Tang Cheng'an, absolutely not allowing him to continue making trouble in the shadows. You only need to firmly control the 50,000 troops; until the new Commandant arrives to take office, these 50,000 soldiers will be under your full command and dispatch."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled helplessly and said: "My power is too insignificant to deal with the strife between the Prince of Qi and the Emperor. It is better to turn our attention to a more pressing issue—the military intelligence that the people of Other Xi Xia are about to invade. If we can completely repel their attack, we will not only preserve the territory of Shangmu but also stabilize the Emperor's position in court and increase our bargaining chips."

After listening, Wang Zhe pondered for a moment, finally nodded silently, and said no more.

Seeing the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Jiang Jiang Mingyu quickly changed the subject to liven things up: "By the way, Regional Military Commissioner, is the business we are preparing to cooperate on ready?"

Upon mentioning business, Wang Zhe finally showed a smile on his face: "This still depends on you, Lord Jiang. I have already found a shop for you, and you have also received the opening capital, but the batch of iron ore you promised to provide has not yet been seen. I can still barely rely on my reputation in the business world for a while, but you took the money and have not delivered the goods, which will inevitably cause some loss of credibility."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled awkwardly and explained: "Regional Military Commissioner, you are joking. I have already prepared this batch of iron ore long ago. It is just that the weather has been bad recently, and the mountain roads are muddy and difficult to travel, so there has been some delay. Please rest assured; the first batch of ore will definitely arrive within three days at the latest, and time will not be delayed. Please understand this special situation and give me a few days to solve this problem."

Before Wang Zhe could reply, the sound of "Dong Dong" from the drum for appealing injustice suddenly came from outside the door, followed by Xiao Cao Tong rushing in to report respectfully: "Reporting to the Regional Military Commissioner, Huang Huang Chaoran's family members have appeared outside with relatives and friends requesting a meeting, claiming they want to appeal for justice for Huang Huang Chaoran."

Wang Zhe was quite surprised: "They came so quickly? They are requesting a meeting just after the sentencing?" He looked at Jiang Jiang Mingyu suspiciously.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu asserted without hesitation: "Who else could it be? If Tang Cheng'an had not tipped them off, how could the Huang family have arrived here so quickly? Tang Sima Tang just left not long ago, and the Huang family arrived; unless he ordered it, who else could it be?"

Wang Zhe pondered for a moment and finally slowly nodded: "It seems our previous guess was correct. If Tang Cheng'an had nothing to do with this matter, he would not have specially run over to rescue a death row convict. Lord Jiang, come here; later I will need you to cooperate with me to act out a play."

Immediately, Wang Zhe whispered a string of words into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's ear.

With the announcement by the Yamen Runners, a man and a woman slowly walked in.

The old man's hair and beard were already gray, and his back was slightly hunched; he looked to be at least sixty years old. He wore luxurious clothing, but had a face like a monkey with a pointed mouth, making it clear at a glance that he was not a good person to deal with. At this moment, his tightly pressed lips and gloomy eyes further confirmed Jiang Jiang Mingyu's guess—this old man was named Huang Huang Haotian, the current head of the Huang family and Huang Huang Chaoran's biological father.

The woman following behind him looked to be in her early thirties, extremely beautiful and charming, with red-rimmed eyes; she was Huang Huang Chaoran's wife, He Hua.

Wang Zhe slammed the gavel heavily and asked in a cold tone: "Huang Huang Haotian, what are you two, old and young, doing coming here to me?"

Before Huang Huang Haotian could open his mouth, He Hua, who was kneeling on the ground, cried out: "Regional Military Commissioner, it is truly wrongful!"

Wang Zhe said without changing his expression: "If you have any grievances, speak them directly; I am here to listen."

He Hua wiped her tears and choked out: "My lord, that Imperial Envoy Jiang Jiang Mingyu, for no reason, arrested my husband Huang Huang Chaoran and deceived you into wrongly sentencing him to death. Not only that, that damn Jiang Jiang Mingyu even brought people to publicly inflict private punishment on my husband on the street that day, which is simply absurd! Although my Huang family is a prestigious family of the Other Xi Xia Regional Military Commissioner, and my husband is a gentleman of integrity, how can he suffer such a great humiliation? Please have this lawless Jiang Jiang Mingyu arrested and punished to clear my husband's name and rectify this enormous injustice!"

He Hua had no idea that the "lawless" Jiang Jiang Mingyu she spoke of was standing to the side, watching with cold eyes. This was not surprising, after all, He Hua had not returned to Shangmu for a long time and had never seen Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

And Jiang Jiang Mingyu was thinking to himself: This woman is indeed the daughter of that dead man He He Dachuan. As the saying goes, if the beam is crooked, the rafter will be crooked; He He Dachuan was no good, and his daughter seems to be someone who turns black and white upside down and talks nonsense.

The old face of Huang Huang Haotian, covered in wrinkles, also revealed deep malice, and he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Regional Military Commissioner, is the matter truly so? Jiang Jiang Mingyu, as a government official, actually ignored the law and publicly beat Huang, an innocent commoner, in the street; this is indeed a great sin, is it not?"

"Innocent commoner?" Wang Zhe could not help but sneer coldly. "This official sentenced Huang Huang Chaoran to death based on conclusive evidence. Look at this yourselves; is the 'innocent commoner' you speak of not undoubtedly deserving of death?" Saying this, he signaled Jiang Jiang Mingyu to throw Che Ting's confession in front of the two of them.

Huang Huang Haotian and He Hua only glanced at it lightly, obviously having already learned the truth from Tang Cheng'an. He Hua's previous crying complaint was merely a small act to set the mood.

With the truth now exposed to the world, Huang Huang Haotian could only smile awkwardly and say, "Inspector, my son acted out of youthful arrogance, which led to this foolishness. To privately swap a death row prisoner before you indeed showed no regard for your face; this is our fault. As for plotting against Jiang Jiang Mingyu and kidnapping Miss Liu, it was merely a moment of confusion on my son's part, and fortunately, no great disaster resulted. Whether my son can keep his life depends entirely on your single word."

Wang Zhe leaned forward, hands braced on the table: "Oh? What exactly does this old man Huang mean? Speak more specifically."

Huang Huang Haotian smiled apologetically: "Actually, it is very simple. My lord, you need only execute Che Ting according to the law, as he was meant to be executed, and that will suffice as an explanation to Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Jiang Jiang Mingyu will not dare question your decision. As for that Miss Liu, she is merely an unknown nobody; there is no need to take her to heart."

He quickly added: "As long as you spare my son, these fifty thousand taels of white silver notes are yours." Having spoken, he directly pulled fifty thousand taels of silver notes from his bosom and waved them before Wang Zhe.

Wang Zhe sneered: "Old man Huang, isn't this bribery in open court somewhat untenable?"

He Hua, kneeling on the ground, wiped away her tears and spoke: "Inspector, one cannot speak that way. Since no outsiders are present, I will speak plainly: is being an official not for the sake of wealth and comfort? These white silver notes are placed right before you; you need only nod in agreement, and this money will be yours."

Wang Zhe shook his head and swayed, saying: "Lady He speaks with reason. But Lord Jiang is the aggrieved party; if he does not agree to let this matter be concluded so rashly, I will find it difficult to give an account to the outside world. He is an Imperial Envoy sent by the court; if this matter spreads, my position will likely become very awkward."

He Hua dismissed this, saying: "Inspector, is that all you worry about? Cutting off a man's source of wealth is like killing his parents. If Jiang Jiang Mingyu refuses to cooperate, you simply find a reason to eliminate him. At that time, my Huang family can stand up for you, help you resolve this trouble, and we will be too late to express our gratitude for your benevolence."

As she spoke these words, a wicked fire of vengeance for her father's death had already kindled deep within He Hua's heart. She even turned her head to ask Jiang Jiang Mingyu cunningly, "Little brother, do you not think my idea is excellent? What do you think?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and nodded, taking the cue: "Lady Huang's analysis is extremely correct; I fully agree with your viewpoint."

He Hua grinned triumphantly: "Little brother indeed thinks things through thoroughly; I wonder what your name is?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu finally broke into a brilliant smile: "My surname is Jiang, my given name Jiang Mingyu; I am the one standing here."

The smile on He Hua's face froze instantly, her eyes bulging out as she stared at Jiang Jiang Mingyu in terror. She suddenly gasped in a sharp breath, her tears instantly drying up, and her whole body began to tremble.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered once and walked forward slowly: "Lady He, do you still remember your father, He He Dachuan? Back then, I personally slaughtered him; today it seems I killed the wrong person."

He Hua's lips trembled, and tears surged forth again: "You... you..."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu grabbed her hair with one hand, shook her violently several times, and roared in anger: "You little dog, you wanted to harm me, did you? Could you have succeeded? Do you believe I will tear your mouth apart today!"

He Hua began to wail in agony. Jiang Jiang Mingyu kicked her over onto the ground with one foot and shouted sternly: "Your father died with his eyes unshut; today I will send you to accompany him!"

At this moment, Wang Zhe hurriedly shouted: "Stop! Lord Jiang, calm your anger; she is, after all, a woman; spare her this time."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook off Wang Zhe and said coldly: "Inspector, do not be hasty; I have my own measure. Can this matter simply be settled like this? How can we two serve as officials in the court in the future!"

Wang Zhe smiled awkwardly and advised: "Haha, Lord Jiang, if this matter escalates, it will benefit neither you nor me. It would be better to let it pass here!"

"Inspector, I truly do not understand your words," Jiang Jiang Mingyu narrowed his eyes. "Originally, we sentenced Huang Huang Chaoran to death, and our anger had mostly subsided, yet this old fox and this shrew still dare to bribe in open court, intending to harm your life. They are so arrogant; will you simply let it pass?"

Wang Zhe chuckled dryly twice and stammered: "The Zhu and Huang families are, after all, prominent noble clans; a strict punishment would surely cause great chaos."

"Inspector, I see you are terrified," Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face darkened. "Bribing in open court is a crime that cannot be excused. Intending to harm the Inspector's life is even a capital crime! If you let him go like this, it is equivalent to condoning his arrogance!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu suddenly slammed the table and shouted sternly: "Inspector, if things continue to develop this way, I absolutely will not agree! Do not forget, I am the Imperial Envoy personally appointed by Your Majesty. What I represent here today is the majesty of Your Majesty!"