The long-standing rivalry between the eldest and second sons was something Prefect Jiao had grown accustomed to over the years. By rights, with the legitimate eldest son present, the family's legacy would never fall to the illegitimate second son.
However, the Jiao family was a family of officials. Unlike his second son, Jiao Lianyu, who possessed a talent for scholarly pursuits, Jiao Lianping was mediocre. Even with the guidance of renowned teachers, Prefect Jiao would squeeze in time after his official duties to tutor Jiao Lianping. Unfortunately, after all these years, Jiao Lianping had only managed to achieve the rank of Juren, making it impossible for him to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations.
In contrast, Jiao Lianyu was exceptionally gifted, not only excelling in his studies but also adept at handling people and affairs. For the future of the Jiao family, Prefect Jiao had no choice but to abandon his eldest son and focus on cultivating the second. He had, therefore, become accustomed to the conflict between them.
"Elder brother, have some tea." Jiao Lianyu smiled gently and then turned to pour tea for the eldest son, whose face was filled with mockery, and handed it to him.
"Hmph, second brother, there's no need to put on an act. There are no outsiders in this study," the eldest son scoffed, his disdain evident in his eyes. What a refined young gentleman, he thought, merely a hypocrite and a true villain.
Prefect Jiao sighed as he looked at his eldest son, who was incapable of achieving anything significant. After taking a few sips of ginseng tea, he finally spoke, "You must already know what happened in Qianzhong Guard."
...
Without evidence, attempting to frame Zhan Feiyu with a single life, especially with Official Qiu's obvious bias, was a futile endeavor.
Apart from the young man who had bitten his tongue and committed suicide at the very beginning, the remaining assassins remained silent and made no further attempts to end their lives. However, without harsh interrogation, it was impossible to make these assassins confess.
"It is a fact that you intercepted Zhan Feiyu on the official road in Liuxian County in broad daylight," Official Qiu stated coldly. Deputy Commander Cao and others were eyewitnesses.
Furthermore, after Zhan Feiyu's carriage left Liuxian County, Magistrate Zhu, along with Deputy Magistrate Wei, Captain Cheng, and even other influential figures in Liuxian, had dispatched people to follow along the route. Some had even gone ahead to the official road to await them.
These individuals were also witnesses, so convicting them was merely a matter of time.
"Commander She, do you have any objections?" Official Qiu's sharp gaze fell upon Commander She, who was seated below, listening to the proceedings. By rights, this should have been a joint trial by the three judicial departments, and Official Ge of the Provincial Surveillance Commission should have been the chief judge.
However, Official Qiu's stance on this case was clear, and Commander She had no choice but to avoid his prominence. Official Ge then readily handed over the responsibility of chief judge.
"Your subordinate has no objections," Commander She replied indifferently. Ultimately, these people were useless. If they had succeeded in assassinating Zhan Feiyu, it would have been worth it even if they were convicted. Yet, Zhan Feiyu sat there unharmed, and these people, along with Cai Zhiyuan, were all lost.
Official Qiu, usually gentle in his actions, was now acting with swift decisiveness. In less than an hour, the assassins who had attempted to kill Zhan Feiyu were once again imprisoned.
As for Official Cai's attempt to shirk responsibility by claiming mistaken intelligence, it was futile. Official Qiu stated sternly, "Detain Cai Zhiyuan. Arrest these twelve individuals as well!"
The real sentencing would have to wait until they returned to Qianzhong Prefecture. However, as the saying goes, when a wall is about to fall, everyone pushes it. Not to mention the enemies Official Cai had made over the years, even within this council hall, Assistant Prefect Yin would surely kick him while he was down and use this opportunity to completely crush Official Cai.
Assistant Commander Xu, Deputy Commander Zhu, and Deputy Commander Cao harbored similar intentions. Previously, with Commander She protecting him, they naturally dared not "commit insubordination." But this time, the two sides had already formed an enmity, and it was a matter of life and death. They would certainly strike with all their might to prevent Official Cai from recovering.
Two quarters of an hour later.
Watching the group speed away in the bright sunlight, Deputy Commander Cao finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his face. "These ancestors have finally left!"
Normally, he carried himself with dignity in his official attire, but today he realized that in front of these "ancestors," his fifth-rank position as deputy commander was nothing. He had almost been crushed to death like a fly!
"When immortals fight, mortals suffer. Just wait, this is only the beginning, and there will be more chaos to come," Deputy Commander Zhu patted Deputy Commander Cao on the shoulder, his eyes narrowed in thought. It seemed he would have to write a letter back to the Zhu family; the situation in Qianzhong Circuit was likely about to change.
Assistant Commander Xu, with a grim expression, remained silent. He watched the departing caravan until the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves had completely dissipated before slowly saying, "No matter what, you must strictly discipline your subordinates during this period. If you get involved, you won't even know how you died!"
Cai Zhiyuan was the best example. Yesterday he was a fourth-rank assistant commander of the Commandery, and today he was a prisoner. Once convicted, he would face exile at best, and beheading at worst.
Inside the carriage, Official Qiu allowed He Nuan to take his pulse and said gently, "Time takes its toll on a person. This morning's jolting has made my old bones unable to cope."
He Nuan's brow furrowed slightly. While she had some understanding of medicine, she was still far from being a true master physician. Taking Official Qiu's pulse was initially just to check on his well-being, as Official Qiu had rushed from Qianzhong Prefecture to the garrison for the young lady's sake.
However, at this moment, feeling the strong and vigorous pulse beneath her fingertips, and looking at Official Qiu's ruddy complexion and the spirited gleam in his eyes, her examination indicated that Official Qiu's body was much stronger than that of an ordinary civil official. Yet, he felt fatigued after riding fast, which seemed contradictory.
"My medical skills are not refined, sir. Your body is not in any serious trouble," He Nuan vaguely sensed something was amiss but couldn't grasp it.
Official Qiu smiled gently, "It's been several years since I last rode a horse, so I've become quite rusty."
The scholars of the Great Qing Dynasty were all proficient in the Six Gentlemanly Arts. Official Qiu had been an official for many years, and he always traveled by sedan chair. Furthermore, he was already past sixty, so it was perfectly normal for the jolting of horseback riding to cause physical discomfort.
Zhan Feiyu glanced at He Nuan, recalling the guidance she had received from Old Master Qiu in Xiangwu County that day. "A'nuan, is there anything wrong with Official Qiu's health?"
Official Qiu was taken aback by this question, but he knew that Zhan Feiyu, though young, did not speak without reason.
Moreover, He Nuan and He Sheng by her side were both from the Scholar's Mansion and had been personally selected by Scholar Gu. Both their martial arts and medical skills were extraordinary.
"Miss, I feel that Official Qiu's pulse is too strong. As the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Qianzhong Circuit, sir must be busy with official duties. Normally, it would be normal to be weak and frail," He Nuan's meaning was clear.
Outsiders might not know, but Official Qiu himself knew that he had not worked through the night to handle the affairs of Qianzhong Circuit for years, but it was close. He returned to his own residence less than a handful of times a month, and his grandson no longer recognized him as his grandfather.
After years of such busy and arduous work, Official Qiu's body was still so robust. Zhan Feiyu instantly thought of the phrase "returning to the stage."
"Could he be poisoned?" Zhan Feiyu asked seriously, her delicate face becoming a little more solemn. If Official Qiu were to have an accident, Qianzhong Circuit would fall into chaos!
Zhan Feiyu then recalled that the third branch of the Qiu family had colluded with barbarians, and this had been going on for twenty years. The people behind this scheme had laid their plans for so long. If Official Qiu were to have another accident, no one could predict how the situation in Qianzhong Circuit would unfold.
After a moment of shock, Official Qiu regained his composure. "Miss He, please speak freely."
"Replying to sir, my pulse diagnosis did not detect any problems. If it were poison, it must be a secret medicine. If it were ordinary poison, He Nuan might have known, but with these secret medicines, some originating from the imperial courts of previous dynasties, and some from foreign barbarians, it is normal for He Nuan to be unfamiliar with them."
Official Qiu looked at Zhan Feiyu, whose eyes clearly showed concern, and couldn't help but smile. "Qianzhong Circuit also has skilled physicians, and if necessary, there are imperial physicians in the palace."
A little over half an hour later, a large procession entered Qianzhong Prefecture through the East City Gate, but upon entering the city, they split into four routes.
"Sir, can our prison hold these people?" Official Zhang, who had accompanied Prefect Jiao, asked timidly. It was not that he, a dignified fifth-rank assistant prefect, was admitting defeat. Official Zhang was simply afraid that these people would die silently in the prefectural prison, and no one would be able to bear the blame.
Prefect Jiao had been troubled by this matter all along. Was Assistant Commander Xu's expression so pleased at the time? It was no wonder Assistant Commander Xu was happy to pass these troublesome hot potatoes from the garrison to the prefecture.
"Haven't their wrist tendons been severed? As long as they are strictly guarded, they definitely won't escape," Prefect Jiao looked at the thirty people who were being guarded. Besides the assassins loyal to the old master, there was also Cai Zhiyuan and his twelve personal guards.