Her guards

Chapter 20 Behind the Family Annihilation Case
The Li family members were not imprisoned, but were instead detained and interrogated at home.

"Old Mrs. Li admitted that it was the Li family father and son who reported the Jiang family, and then led people to kill the entire family, creating the illusion that they were accomplices who killed to cover it up."

Wei Jiao walked through the courtyard, listening to the report from the embroidered guards.

The Li family's courtyard was not filled with corpses, but with cries and groans. Bloodstains left by dragging were visible everywhere in the courtyard, sending chills down one's spine.

Wei Jiao, however, seemed to be witnessing a wonderful scene, a pleasant smile curving his lips.

He said, "The most severe punishment is to feel the fear and death of your loved ones in your own home."

The county magistrate Huang, who was following behind him, shivered. This Wei Jiao came from a prominent family in Longxi. Even in the chaos at the end of the previous dynasty, the Wei family’s wealth and status were not affected.

Born into a prominent family and not very old, where did he learn such skills?

intrinsic?
Grandma Li sat in the hall, still dressed in her usual wealthy manner, without a single scratch on her body.

But there were patches of blood under her feet.

This is all the blood of our descendants.

Her face was pale, and she kept her eyes tightly closed, unable to bear to look.

Upon hearing Wei Jiao's words, her body trembled violently.

“A demon.” Her lips trembled as she opened her eyes and looked at the young man who walked in, uttering two words.

Wei Jiao didn't mind at all.

“Old lady, I am not an evil spirit.” He sat down and said, “Your husband and son are. They are the ones who dragged you into this situation. Why are you blaming me?”

Old Mrs. Li's chest heaved violently. What was the point of arguing with evil spirits? Now that things had come to this, she only wanted a quick end.

“I don’t know much,” she said. “I’m a woman, and the men in my family don’t tell me what they do.”

Wei Jiao nodded: "How pitiful, yet you have to bear the consequences."

His face was young and handsome, and he spoke very sincerely, but the person sitting opposite him only felt terrified.

Grandma Li closed her eyes.

“They heard that Jiang Wangchun was hiding a secret treasure,” she said.

A secret treasure? Magistrate Huang couldn't help but ask, "What secret treasure?"

With her eyes closed, Old Mrs. Li said, "A map of the imperial treasures of the previous dynasty."

The previous dynasty? Magistrate Huang looked surprised and asked again, "Emperor Ai's treasure? Or Zhao Tan's treasure?"

The previous dynasty was called Zhou, which lasted for more than two hundred years. In its final years, the emperor was weak and the government was controlled by the maternal relative Zhao Tan for more than ten years. In the end, Zhao Tan simply killed the emperor and declared himself emperor. He was later killed by Deng Shan and righteous men from all over the country. After Deng Shan ascended the throne, he posthumously named the Zhou emperor Ai.

“It’s Emperor Ai’s.” Old Mrs. Li said, opening her eyes.

Wei Jiao chuckled.

"A treasure," he said with a laugh. "You actually believed that?"

Grandma Li said urgently, "I didn't believe it, I didn't believe it at all, but those two, father and son, were bewitched and insisted on going to the Jiang family to steal it... In the end, they lost their family and their lives."

She burst into tears and fell to her knees from the chair.

Magistrate Huang, who was listening nearby, had mixed feelings: "Just because of this?"

A royal treasure of dubious authenticity.

The Jiang family was destroyed and its members perished, and so was the Li family.

However, this should be considered greed, not treason.

The Li family father and son, as well as the bodyguards who killed the Jiang family, all died. The elderly, weak, women, and children of the Li family, even if guilty, did not deserve to die and were able to survive.

Wei Jiao smiled.

“How can it not count?” he said. “The previous dynasty has fallen, Your Majesty is the new emperor, everything in the world belongs to Your Majesty, so they…”

He looked at the old woman kneeling on the ground, on the verge of fainting from crying.

"His intention was to covet His Majesty's treasure; he deserves to die a thousand deaths, but his crime is beyond reproach."

The old woman, Li, was incredulous and looked desperate: "Sir, I've told you what I know, please give me a quick death."

But Wei Jiao shook his head.

"No, there's still the most crucial thing you haven't told me," he said. "Who told you about this treasure from the previous dynasty, and that the treasure map was in Jiang Wangchun's hands?"

He leaned slightly forward, looking at the old woman.

"This person is the real traitor."

The real traitors?
The old woman, Li, looked bewildered: "I don't know, they don't tell me many things..." Wei Jiao stood up and gestured to the embroidered guard beside him: "Then let's continue the interrogation."

The embroidered-robed guard responded with a "Yes!" and shouted loudly inside, "Bring the men!"

The sound of chains rattling, women screaming and crying echoed from the inner hall as more descendants were dragged in and punished in front of Old Madam Li.

Old Mrs. Li was deathly pale, crawling on the ground, crying, "Kill me, kill me!"

Wei Jiao stood up, stepped over her, and walked outside.

Magistrate Huang, terrified, hurriedly followed, only to hear a woman's scream and an old woman's weeping behind him.

My legs.

"Grandma, Grandma, save me!"

"My son, my son—"

"Evil spirit—"

"You evil spirit—"

Magistrate Huang didn't dare to turn around and followed Wei Jiao out.

However, this time it didn't take too long.

After sitting in the gatehouse of the Li family for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a guard in embroidered robes came to report that Old Madam Li had died of fright and heartbreak, and she did not reveal who had told the Li family father and son about it before she died.

Wei Jiao didn't care and said, "Oh, so it seems she really doesn't know."

The woman in embroidery asked, "Should we re-interrogate the remaining people?"

Wei Jiao waved his hand: "There's nothing more to interrogate." He smiled at Magistrate Huang, "Hand the criminal over to Magistrate Huang."

How should he make a judgment? Magistrate Huang smiled obsequiously: "Please enlighten me, Commandant Wei. You said that the one who told the Li family about the treasure map was a real traitor. I feel something is strange."

That person probably also wanted the treasure map, and in order to avoid being exposed, he incited Li Zhen and his son to become greedy and kill the Jiang family. Then, if Li Hao and his son managed to seize the treasure map, that person would kill Li Hao and the others as well and take the treasure map.

But this was a massacre that wiped out two families. With such a big fuss, it was bound to attract the attention of the authorities, and the news of the treasure map also came to the attention of the authorities.

Doesn't this expose me as well?

What's the point of this?

Wei Jiao rested his chin on his hand, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I think he got nothing in return."

"Huh? All for nothing?" Magistrate Huang asked, puzzled.

"What I mean is, the person behind this definitely had something in mind, but ultimately it all came to nothing because someone prevented them from getting what they wanted."

Magistrate Huang understood somewhat: "In other words, besides the people behind the Jiang and Li families, there is another party involved in this case."

Wei Jiao nodded: "Yes, that's it." He stretched out his finger and slowly moved it in the air.

Magistrate Huang then read out four words.

"A life for a life"

……

……

Yang Luo suddenly looked up from the table and saw that the room was still dimly lit by the morning light. She quickly looked towards the bed and saw that the hunter boy was still fast asleep.

Wei Jiao left yesterday and never came back. Not long after, the other people in the inn were also released. Although the city was still being searched and the city gates were not open, they had been frightened, but they had escaped a disaster. They felt a little relieved and fell into a deep sleep that night.

The two still slept in the same room, this time with Mo Zheng sleeping in the bed and Yang Luo looking after her.

Yang Luo stretched his shoulders and walked gently towards the bedside. Just as he stood there, Mo Zheng opened his eyes.

Even though he was injured, this boy was still so alert?

"How is it?" Yang Luo asked hurriedly, reaching out to touch his forehead.

Mo Zheng did not avoid the question this time, allowing her to probe further.

"I was slashed twice, which looks serious, but it's actually not as bad as being scratched by a wild animal. My medicine works very well," he said.

Yang Luo breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her forehead was not hot.

"What other medicine do you need? I'll go and brew it," she said, rolling up her sleeves.

Before Mo Zheng could say anything, the shop assistant's voice came from outside the door: "Miss Yang, Miss Yang, the city gate is open!"

(End of this chapter)