Rebirth of a Star General Chapter 210

Chapter 210: Concealment

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Wuzuo was examining the corpses on the side. In the main hall of the yamen, before long, He Sui received the news and hurriedly rushed over. As soon as he saw He Yan, he rushed over, grabbing He Yan and examining her up and down, “Yan Yan, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Why are your clothes torn? Did they harm you?”

He Yunsheng stood aside and said coldly, “All the people who harmed her are dead. Dad, what are you worrying about?”

Seeing He Yunsheng standing indifferently on the side, He Sui slapped him on the back and scolded, “You are fine, so why let your sister pick you up and go home? Don’t you know your sister is a girl? What if something happens to her? Are you protecting your sister like this?”

The official beside them: “…”

He Yan said, “Dad, I’m fine. Those people weren’t targeting Yunsheng; they were after me. Besides, I can protect myself. It’s better for Yunsheng to be accompanied by me when going to and from school these days.”

He Yunsheng snorted, “Take care of yourself.”

He Yunsheng was somewhat annoyed by He Sui’s partial behavior, although he didn’t really care.

At this moment, someone else came in from outside. It was Xiao Jue. He must have rushed back directly from outside, looking dusty. As soon as he entered, he brought in the chill of early winter.

Xiao Jue walked in and asked He Yan, “What happened?”

He Yan shrugged, “I picked up Yunsheng from school and encountered assassins on the way home. However, these assassins seemed to be death soldiers. I didn’t kill them; they all took poison and committed suicide. Now the coroner is examining the bodies, and I don’t know the specific situation.”

“Death Soldiers?” Xiao Jue frowned slightly, thinking immediately of what Xu Jingfu’s people might do. However, Xu Jingfu’s people wouldn’t be so foolish at the moment. If He Yan really died, the marriage would be canceled, and Xiao Jue could find another well-backgrounded noble girl. In this way, their plan would be completely ruined. Even for his own benefit, Xu Jingfu would not act against He Yan at this critical moment. The same was true for Xu Jingfu’s people.

Could it be He Yan’s enemy?

The official wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was difficult enough to deal with a Wuan Marquis. Now, General Fengyun had come in person to inquire about the matter. If this matter was not clarified, everyone’s job might be at risk.

“Did you get hurt?” Xiao Jue asked again.

He Yan opened her arms, turned around, and gestured that she was intact, “Don’t worry. After all, I’m the number one in Liangzhou. These people are not enough to beat me.”

Xiao Jue saw her lively and energetic appearance, and only then did he slightly relax. When the news came from Fei Nu, he was in the midst of meeting the two brothers who were barely clinging to life that day. Upon receiving the information, he immediately rushed over without stopping. Shuojing was not like Liangzhou Garrison; if she killed in Liangzhou Garrison, it would be due to harsh weather, difficult environments, and the brutal and arrogant Wutuo people. In Shuojing, there were countless ways to carry out a conspiracy to kill someone. He did not want to involve He Yan in irrelevant disputes because of his own relationship.

However, this assassination was originally extremely strange. Emperor Wenxuan had just granted the marriage not long ago and they started acting immediately. It was as if he couldn’t wait. This was not Xu Jingfu’s style at all.

Wuzuo, who was wiping his hands, walked over, first saluted He Yan and Xiao Jue, and then said, “There are a total of seven dead bodies. They concealed wax pills in their mouths, and the wax pills were sealed with a strong poison. They died instantly upon ingestion. These people have no fatal wounds on their bodies but took poison and committed suicide.”

Suicided by taking poison indicated that their deaths were unrelated to He Yan, proving that He Yan did not kill them. It also demonstrated that these people came prepared and were indeed Death Soldiers.

“Who are they?” He Yunsheng couldn’t help asking, “Why would they want to kill my sister?”

Another official stepped forward and said, “We searched all over the bodies of these assassins and found a silver note on one of them.” He handed the silver note to Xiao Jue, “It’s a note from Jinyu Bank.”

The silver note was very clean, almost brand new, and was well preserved.

“We plan to go to Jinyu Bank with this silver note.”

As long as they checked the bank’s accounts over the past few days, one by one, they could probably figure out who cashed this silver note, leading to it appearing on the assassin’s body.

However… He Yan lightly frowned; this was going a bit too smoothly. Since these assassins could seal the wax pills so well, indicating that they didn’t care about life and death, why would they carefully keep a silver ticket in their bosom? It seemed like… as if it was deliberately shown to them.

He Sui arched his hand and said, “Thank you, everyone.”

The officials dared not speak, considering General Fengyun’s father-in-law and Marquis Wuan’s father; they couldn’t afford to be negligent.

He Yan raised her head and saw that Xiao Jue still had a furrowed brow, seemingly in a very bad mood. She tugged at his sleeve and whispered, “Commander, I think we should go back and wait for news first. Let the government handle the case. We need to be careful these days.”

Since they could target her, it might indicate that Xiao Jue’s situation was also dangerous.

Xiao Jue looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, “Since it’s aimed at you, stay at home these days and don’t go out.”

“That won’t do,” He Yan firmly refused. “Yunsheng has to go to school, and I can’t trust him alone. Also, my father, I’m afraid those assassins will target them. Both of them are not as skilled as I am. They won’t be able to protect themselves against those assassins.”

“Don’t worry,” Xiao Jue said. “I will send someone to secretly follow and protect them.” After a pause, he continued, “For the Xiao family too, I’ll have Chiwu follow you.”

He Yan shook her head rapidly, “No need, Chiwu is not as capable as me, and he won’t be of much help. I’m enough on my own. Moreover, in broad daylight, those people won’t dare to be too audacious. This time, they failed, and I think they won’t act recklessly for the time being.”

She still had to investigate the news at the Xu family and find out the whereabouts of Qin Momo. Chiwu following would be inconvenient, akin to having a spy around her. If Xiao Jue found out about her peculiar actions, she wouldn’t even know how to explain.

However, Xiao Jue was unusually resolute this time. “No, you can’t go alone. If you don’t want him to follow you, then move into the Xiao house.”

He Yan, “…Didn’t you say you wanted to consider my reputation?”

Xiao Jue coldly replied, “I’m more concerned about your safety than your reputation.”

He Yunsheng said, “…” For some reason, he felt that he and He Sui were somewhat redundant here.

After pondering for a moment, He Yan made a decision. “Alright, let Chiwu follow me then.” If she stayed in the Xiao house, she probably wouldn’t even be able to leave. In the He house, although there was Chiwu, she could still slip away quietly. It might be a bit troublesome, but there was still a way. Although it will take more work, she had no other choice.

Xiao Jue relented only after that.

As it was getting late, and today’s events were sudden, after finalizing matters with the government, Xiao Jue sent them back to the He residence and left Chiwu and a few guards. 

After Xiao Jue left, He Yan returned to her room after washing up. Although Qingmei was cooking porridge, nobody had the appetite to eat. The guards and Chiwu were on night duty in the residence, so He Yan wasn’t very worried. However, after lying down, looking at the curtain, her thoughts were in turmoil.

In fact, when those assassins swallowed poison and died, and she learned they were Death Soldiers, suspicions about the mastermind had already surfaced in He Yan’s mind. Perhaps it was He Rufei or Xu Zhiheng. Her appearance at the celebration feast must have frightened Xu Zhiheng and aroused He Rufei’s suspicions. Maybe it was to test her background or to take decisive action, so they mercilessly struck. Apart from these two people, He Yan couldn’t think of any other enemies.

But she didn’t expect these two to be so audacious, daring to act in broad daylight. Were they confident that she didn’t know the whole story, so they acted so boldly?

But He Rufei and Xu Zhiheng had no idea; she was originally He Yan, aware of all the truths. This move, instead, allowed her to understand their details. Perhaps He Rufei and Xu Zhiheng were not as calm as they appeared on the surface. Or maybe they hadn’t covered their tracks thoroughly, leading them to act so urgently in killing to silence.

He Yan turned over and slowly closed her eyes.

He Rufei was ruthless, and Xu Zhiheng was weak. The relationship between these two might not be harmonious, as each had their own selfish motives and held leverage over the other. If they could quietly eliminate each other, it might be a desirable outcome for both. Relationships built on interests were inherently fragile and unreliable.

Whether playing the role of the snipe or the clam, in fact, made no difference; what mattered was the fisherman could benefit from their struggles.

…

Whether due to her current position as Marquis Wuan or because of Xiao Jue’s influence, the government acted swiftly. In just two days, He Yan was notified to go to the government office, where they claimed to have found the mastermind behind the assassins.

As He Sui and He Yunsheng were not at home, He Yan went out by herself, with Chiwu following closely. When she arrived at the government office, she ran into Xiao Jue getting off his carriage and heading inside.

“Commander, why are you here?” He Yan wondered. “Did they inform you as well?”

Xiao Jue nodded.

He Yan didn’t press further, thinking that the officials in the government office were truly untrustworthy. She was the victim, yet they bypassed her to inform Xiao Jue.

Once inside, Lord Liu approached them, asking them to sit in the hall and had his subordinates pour tea.

“Lord Liu,” He Yan got straight to the point, “have you found the mastermind behind the scenes?”

“Our constables went to Jinyu Bank and checked their account books. We discovered that the silver ticket was cashed out by the Fan family five days ago.” Lord Liu looked at He Yan, hesitated for a moment, seemingly conflicted, and finally had to ask a question, “Miss He, do you remember the Fan family in the capital?”

He Yan, openly and without any embarrassment, responded, “Fan family? You mean Fan Cheng?”

Lord Liu sighed internally, thinking she truly was a heroine. No wonder she could tame the cold and heartless Jade-faced Commander. She straightforwardly asked, making him laugh, “Exactly.”

“So, you mean the assassins were instigated by someone from the Fan family?” He Yan asked. “Why would they do that?”

“Um…” Lord Liu said, “After finding out that the silver ticket was cashed out by the Fan family, we went to the Fan residence. In Madam Fan’s room, we found the exact same poison as the wax pills used by those assassins. Madam Fan’s personal maid revealed the truth, saying that about a year and a half ago, Madam Fan’s only son, Fan Cheng, was murdered on the boat during the Spring Comes River journey. The assassins were untraceable, and at that time, Miss He was also on the boat, whereabouts unknown. Everyone thought that Miss He had been killed by the murderer. Now that Miss He has safely returned to the capital, Madam Fan believes that Miss He is the murderer and holds a grudge. So, she secretly hired assassins to try to take Miss He’s life.”

“How does the assassin defend himself?” Xiao Jue asked.

“Madam Fan refuses to admit that she hired killers. She is currently being held in custody and is still being interrogated. But according to my judgment, with the evidence and witnesses, there should be no other possibilities.”

“Where is that maid now?”

Lord Liu sighed, “After Madam Fan’s maid revealed the truth, she argued with Madam Fan. Before our people could separate them, the maid took a knife and stabbed herself in the heart, either out of fear of retaliation from the Fan family or simply out of guilt for her actions.”

“So, now there’s no one else to prove Madam Fan’s innocence?” He Yan asked.

Once he uttered these words, he quickly glanced at He Yan. If it weren’t for unavoidable circumstances, he really didn’t want to take on this case. No matter how you looked at it, it was a tricky job. One wrong move, and if he couldn’t satisfy these two people, his career might come to an end. Especially now, with the mastermind behind the scenes uncovered, he felt even more troubled.

The relationship between the Fan family and He Yan was unclear and ambiguous. Asking such questions in front of Xiao Jue, if Xiao Jue felt uncomfortable and took it out on him, what should he do?

“The Fan family?” He Yan was straightforward, without a hint of embarrassment. “Fan Cheng?”

Lord Liu sighed inwardly, truly a female hero. No wonder she could subdue the cold and ruthless jade faced Commander. She asked directly like this. He smiled and said, “Exactly.”

“Are you saying that the assassins were instigated by someone from the Fan family?” He Yan asked, “Why would they do that?”

“Uh…” Lord Liu said, “After we found out that the silver notes were flowing through the Fan family, we paid a visit to the Fan family. In Madam Fan’s room, we found the same poison pills as those in the wax figures of the assassins. Madam Fan’s personal maid revealed the truth. About a year and a half ago, Madam Fan’s only son, Fan Cheng, was murdered on the Chunlai River boat. The assassins were nowhere to be found. Miss He was also on the boat at that time, and her whereabouts were unknown. Everyone thought Miss He was killed by the murderer. Now that Miss He has safely returned to the capital, Madam Fan believes that Miss He is the murderer and that she killed Fan Cheng. Holding a grudge, Madam Fan secretly hired assassins, attempting to take Miss He’s life.”

“How did the murderer explain?” Xiao Jue asked.

“Madam Fan refused to admit that she hired someone to kill. She is currently detained and still under interrogation. However, from my perspective, with the evidence and witnesses we have, there shouldn’t be any other possibilities.”

“Where is that maid now?”

Lord Liu sighed, “After the maid revealed the truth, Madam Fan argued with her. Our people hadn’t had a chance to separate them, and the maid took a knife and stabbed her heart, seeking a way out. I don’t know if she was afraid of retaliation from the Fan family or simply chose to end her life in guilt.”

“Which means there is no one else now to prove Madam Fan’s innocence?” He Yan asked.

Lord Liu looked at He Yan, “Miss He, I also know that you are kind-hearted and unwilling to wrong others. However, the facts of this matter are already clear. In fact, to avoid arresting the wrong person, the officials from the yamen have investigated many things. For example, on the day you went to join the army, the Fan family had been making things difficult for your father and brothers. The reason your father lost his position as a military offical was because the Fan family had manipulated things. The Fan family has long blamed you for the death of Fan Cheng. Now that you have returned unharmed, the Fan family doesn’t dare to retaliate openly, so they acted in secret. In the city of Shuojing, you have no enemies other than the Fan family. There really is no reason for anyone else to seek revenge against you.”

He deliberately skipped the possibility that He Yan was implicated because of Xiao Jue. After all, as a small figure caught in the struggle between Xiao Jue and Xu Xiang, he didn’t dare to get involved.

He Yan looked at Xiao Jue, and Xiao Jue said, “I want to see the person.”

Lord Liu was taken aback, “Commander Xiao…”

“Fan Cheng’s mother.”

This request was one that Lord Liu could fulfill. When He Yan and Xiao Jue arrived at the prison, they saw Madam Fan sitting curled up in the innermost part of the cell. Whenever someone approached, she couldn’t help but tremble and mutter something.

He Yan frowned upon seeing her and asked, “Did you torture her?”

“No, no!” Lord Liu was startled, waving his hands repeatedly. “We haven’t had a chance to interrogate her yet. We only captured her yesterday afternoon. But it’s strange. When she came in yesterday, she was fine, extremely arrogant, and refused to admit any connection with those assassins. This morning when the jailer came to check on her, she seemed a bit off. However,” Lord Liu dismissed it, “we’ve seen this a lot here. Once evidence is found and they can’t escape, they start pretending to be crazy, thinking they can escape punishment.”

He Yan squatted down and called out to her, “Madam Fan, Madam Fan?”

The woman in the cell, upon hearing this, cast a trembling glance at her. Her hair was disheveled, covering her face, and only one eye, filled with panic, was vaguely visible.

He Yan had seen Fan Cheng before but was meeting Madam Fan for the first time. She had heard from Qingmei that Madam Fan was not a good-tempered person. Since the engagement between Tang Ying and Fan Cheng was settled, Madam Fan had ordered Fan Cheng to cut off contact with Miss He. When Miss He went to their residence, the servants stood at the door ignoring the insults from passersby. This caused Miss He great embarrassment and eventually led to her falling seriously ill.

However, upon seeing Madam Fan now, He Yan felt that there were still some suspicious points in this case. A fierce, doting mother like her, even if she wanted to settle scores, based on Madam Fan’s usual temperament, she would never secretly strike from the shadows. Moreover, as a woman, how could she have contact with those dead assassins? Even if she did hire assassins, why would she be foolish enough to leave poison pills in her own room without promptly disposing of them? Why would her personal maid betray her mistress? If she was afraid of being implicated, she could simply remain silent. She even had the courage to commit suicide. Why would she be afraid of facing the consequences? With no evidence, Madam Fan was now acting insane. Was she really pretending?

Lord Liu watched He Yan’s actions, breaking out in a cold sweat. Wuan Marquis didn’t shy away, daring to show such concern for his previous lover’s mother in front of his current fiancé. Even if the other party wanted her life, he seemed unconcerned. However, from Fan Cheng to Xiao Jue, Miss He from the He family had indeed made remarkable progress in her choices.

He Yan stood up. “Let’s talk outside.”

The group walked out of the prison gate.

“Miss He, Commander Xiao, this case…”

“She is not the murderer.” Without letting Lord Liu finish, Xiao Jue interrupted him.

Lord Liu was momentarily stunned. “But… all the evidence is already complete.”

“The so-called evidence is what the murderer wants you to see. If we proceed with the trial like this, it’s likely playing into the hands of the real culprit,” Xiao Jue said.

Lord Liu felt a deep internal anguish. He just wanted to be a peaceful official and quickly wrap up this case. Finally, with both witnesses and evidence in hand, he could conclude the case as soon as possible. However, Xiao Jue’s words negated all of this, making the situation more complicated.

Although he complained in his heart, Lord Liu dared not express it in front of Xiao Jue. After thinking for a moment, he said, “But if it’s not Madam Fan, then who could it be? The clues lead here, and everything identifiable on the assassin has been thoroughly checked. The only thing is that silver note.”

“We can start with the Fan family,” Xiao Jue calmly suggested. “Investigate whom the deceased maid had contact with before this incident. Check who entered Fan Cheng’s mother’s room. Also,” he paused, “starting tonight, double the guards here. I believe someone will soon try to silence others.”

He Yan listened with a pounding heart. Xiao Jue’s analysis was close to what she had in mind.

Despite how troublesome it might be, Lord Liu, with a series of assurances, went to instruct the officials. He Yan and Xiao Jue walked side by side, both silent for a moment.

If He Yan was only speculating before, now it was almost certain that He Rufei and Xu Zhiheng were behind this. The accusation against the Fan family was too obvious, probably because He Rufei thought that He Yan had conflicts with the Fan family. If an incident occurred, she would likely seize the opportunity to frame Madam Fan and avoid a deeper investigation. But now, due to Xiao Jue’s words, Lord Liu continued to investigate the case. To prevent any complications, He Rufei and the others would likely take the risk of silencing Madam Fan. Although this seemed even more flawed, it was still their best option.

“How do you see it?” Xiao Jue suddenly asked.

He Yan came back to her senses and said, “Commander, what you said just now is right. Something about this case doesn’t feel right.”

Seeing Xiao Jue silent with lowered eyes, He Yan’s heart stirred. She playfully teased, “Commander, are you angry about the Fan family’s matters?”

It was Miss He who had a previous entanglement with Fan Cheng, not her. She had forgotten this detail when she first arrived, but now, remembering it, Xiao Jue’s unusual silence might be due to dissatisfaction with this matter. In any ordinary family, it would be inappropriate for an engaged woman to have connections with others.

“Fei Nu should have investigated what happened on the boat back then with Fan Cheng. If I really had something, I wouldn’t have done it like that,” He Yan whispered.

Xiao Jue stopped in his tracks, looking at her. The young girl’s features were lively, like a child who had done something wrong, a bit embarrassed, a bit ingratiating, with a hint of a smile. It was hard to believe that she had just experienced a thrilling chase a few days ago.

If it were in the past, he might have casually joked along with He Yan’s words. But today was different.

“He Yan,” he called her name, “are you hiding something from me?”

He Yan paused, maintaining her usual smile, looking up at the person in front of her. “No, why would you say that, Commander?”

The young man stood still, looking at her with a gentle tone but sharp eyes. He remained silent for a moment before asking, “Do you really not know where those assassins came from?”

For a moment, He Yan felt like he was seeing through everything, knowing everything. But after a moment, she was puzzled and said, “Commander, what do you mean? If I knew where the assassins came from, I would have told Lord Liu directly to catch them. Why waste time here?”

He Yan appeared relaxed, but her heart was pounding. She didn’t know if Xiao Jue had noticed any clues.

She couldn’t tell Xiao Jue about these things. She didn’t know how to explain the strange, crazy, conspiratorial, disgusting behaviors filled with conspiracy and calculation. She couldn’t tell Xiao Jue about it.

Xiao Jue looked at her steadily. After a while, he calmly said, “It’s nothing.”

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