Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 40 The End
"How do you get these Annan killers to obey your orders?"

"This isn't difficult, because after their mission failed, they were filled with fear! Fear of returning! The old villain Mo Dengyong was brutal. After he killed the king and seized the throne, he was assassinated twice by loyal and righteous men. Realizing he couldn't win the support of the people, he abdicated and let his own son Mo Dengying succeed him..."

"Send his son to the front, and hide yourself behind the scenes?"

"That's right! Mo Dengyong calls himself the Emperor Emeritus. He seems to be indifferent to worldly affairs, making a living by fishing and enjoying traveling. But in reality, he holds the power of the pseudo-dynasty. His Thirteen Guardians even firmly control the military power in their hands. His son who inherited the throne is nothing more than a puppet and decoration! Such a person can even use his own son, let alone his adopted son."

"That's why Mo Zhengyong planned so hard. He couldn't accept failure..."

"Yes! Mo Zhengyong seems to have been entrusted with an important task by the old thief, and he is usually favored by him, but if he fails to complete the task, he will lose everything when he returns, and his end will be extremely miserable!"

Hearing this, Haiyue nodded slightly.

He had not originally considered that Li Weining might be the mastermind behind the incident, mainly because he had not thought that another group of Annan assassins would be so stupid as to believe the advice of a prisoner.

But now it seems that Ruan Si's brain may not be particularly useful, but what really makes him desperate and seek help from all directions is the pressure from above.

That hero who was born as a fisherman but could now become the emperor of Annan, his methods were cruel and vicious, like a heavy mountain pressing on the hearts of every one of his subordinates!
"Ruan Si also has his own ambitions..."

Li Weining explained, "Mo Zhengyong split his men into two because he knew Zheng Wu was loyal to him. To ensure he wouldn't hinder him, he disguised himself as a member of the envoys' group and followed them into the government office. Ruan Si, on the other hand, was submissive on the surface, but in reality, he was jealous of Mo Zhengyong's status. He had been following the old villain Mo for even longer, but now he couldn't make a name for himself. He was always gossiping, and Mo Zhengyong was worried about him, so he stationed him in the base, waiting for me to take the bait!"

Hai Yue asked, "You fell into the trap again?"

Li Weining sighed deeply. "I know Mo Zhengyong pretended to be an envoy to lure me out. It was a trap, but what's the point of letting him ruin the reputation of the envoy? Even if he survived, what's the point? I heard that Mo Zhengyong and his group went to the government office after the academy incident. I wanted to take the risk and retrieve the talisman to prove my true identity, but Ruan Si found me and brought me here."

At that time, the killer group had not been exposed yet. In fact, Li Weining only needed to wait until Haiyue solved the case, and there would be a turning point. Unfortunately, no one could predict the future.

"At the same time that I exposed and captured Mo Zhengyong, you were also captured by Ruan Si..."

Hai Yue asked, "And you 'incited' him to rebellion?"

Li Weining said, "The government announced the case, and Ruan Si was utterly shocked. He was afraid that he would not be able to report back and would face a miserable end. He was also eager to take Mo Zhengyong's place. I took the opportunity to give him an idea—"

"It's useless to just capture me. My sister is still in the government office. The Ming court has already learned of the arrogance of the Mo family's traitors. They can't even offset their merits and demerits. Unless Mo Zhengyong and his cronies all die in Qiongzhou Prefecture!"

"Only in this way, after Ruan Si takes me back, can I pin all the blame on Mo Zhengyong and take all the credit for the achievements, becoming the new 'Thirteen Guardians'!"

Hai Yue frowned. "You instigated Ruan Si to kill Zheng Wu and the other two who had escaped, and dumped their bodies at the gate of the yamen. There's nothing wrong with that. You're enemies, but why did you create a 'blood totem' to pin the blame on the Li people?"

Li Weining pressed his hand against his abdomen, his voice trembling slightly. "Because the Li people dared to rebel, the Ming government was extremely wary. Using the totem of the rebel leader, Fu Nanshe, would only instill fear in the government! Besides, the person impersonating me was a Li person, right? The Li people pretended to be me first, and then I used Ruan Si to frame them. Is that wrong?"

Haiyue sighed secretly.

Na Ying pretended to be Li Weining because she was deceived by Mo Zhengyong and suffered injustice herself.

Of course, from Li Weining's perspective, it is understandable that he was angry because he was impersonated and the reputation of the entire Annan delegation was ruined.

Retribution for injustice.

After a pause, Haiyue continued, "Was it you who arranged the kidnapping of Inspector Wu?"

Li Weining did not answer directly this time, but just nodded slightly.

Hai Yue asked, "Where's the blood letter?"

Li Weining said, "Ruan Si believes that by using this important official to intimidate the Qiongzhou government, he can achieve his goal! But I know that once the blood letter is delivered, the Qiongzhou government will be even less likely to be threatened. Killing the prisoners will prevent them from explaining themselves! The blood letter will only escalate the matter and further anger the Ming court..."

Hai Yue narrowed her eyes: "So you plan to let Wu Xun die here?"

"No!"

Li Weining said, "I hope he can be rescued, so I've been trying my best to protect him these past two days!" Hai Yue asked, "But will Inspector Wu really accept your favor?"

"Well!!"

Li Weining's forehead was already covered in sweat, but he managed a forced smile. "In fact, the inspector also had suspicions. His arrest was related to me, but he didn't dare to speak out while imprisoned! Now that he's been rescued, of course he wants to get to the bottom of it, but when it comes to a dead man, he can only accept this 'favor'!"

Haiyue was finally moved.

Was the poison that Li Weining was poisoned by Ruan Si and others, or did he take it himself?

The answer is obvious at this point.

Only the dead can wipe out all the things that have happened before.

Only the dead can receive the greatest degree of tolerance and sympathy.

Li Weining remained calm. "A traitor has usurped the throne, and Annan is on the verge of collapse. As the chief envoy, I have helplessly fallen into the hands of the thieves. With no other options, I have no choice but to resort to this last resort! Young Master Hai, if you hadn't exposed Mo Zhengyong's identity, I would have been dead the moment I was captured. Now that you've rescued that imperial censor, I'm deeply grateful, but I have nothing to repay you with. I only have one thing, and I wonder if you might find it useful..."

"No need!"

Haiyue shook her head.

He couldn't be sure how much of the other party's frankness before his death was sincere and how much was just a sympathy-seeking rhetoric, and he didn't want to get involved. He said directly, "I exposed the true face of the Annan killer because they slandered me as a murderer. This time, we were able to destroy the nest, and it was also with the help of your sister, Princess Fanglian, who found this stronghold..."

"Oh?"

Li Weining perked up: "She's outside? Can we let her in?"

Haiyue frowned: "You meet her like this?"

Li Weining said without hesitation, "If she can't even accept something like this, how can she take on the important task of serving as an envoy to your dynasty?"

"All right……"

Half a minute later, when Li Yuying, who had been waiting outside, was brought into the house, she saw the man lying against the wall, smiling at her. She couldn't help but cry and laugh, her eyes full of joy: "Brother Wang!"

“Brother Wang!!”

But the next moment, her voice became shrill.

Because Li Weining suddenly turned his head and coughed, a stream of black blood could no longer be contained and sprayed onto the ground.

Li Weining ignored his sister's cries. He leaned over to her ear and whispered something, then slowly continued, "It is my duty to go to the Ming Dynasty and seek aid to quell the rebellion... This task is difficult and dangerous. If I were here, I would shoulder it single-handedly... But now I am powerless to save the situation. I can only entrust this heavy responsibility to you!"

Li Yuying trembled all over: "No! No--!!"

"Cry! Cry! But only this time... Tears can vent grief and anger... but they can't resolve... the troubles of the world!"

Li Weining pressed his face against his sister's trembling hand, feeling the cold touch. Black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. He mustered his last bit of strength and said, "Take her... away!"

Haiyue helped up Li Yuying, who was crying loudly, and bowed to the dying prince.

Influenced by the various acts of ungratefulness against the Vietnamese in later generations, he actually had no good feelings towards ancient Annan. However, when faced with this prince who was able to serve the enemy, survive from death, and even sacrifice himself at the last moment just to carry out the important mission, he still felt sincere respect.

As the mournful cries faded away, Li Weining's expression wasn't painful. Instead, he felt relieved. He slowly closed his eyes, "This mission is so tiring... It's finally... over... I can take a break... take a break..."

(End of this chapter)