noveltune Chapter 5522 One More Fight
Chapter 5522 One More Fight
Chapter 5522 Fight Again
Longqingfang is located on the north side inside Chunmingmen. Longqing Pond is formed by the confluence of water from the Longshou Canal. The Prince of Hejian's Mansion is located within the ward.
The snow had just stopped, and the surface of the pond was covered with a layer of solid ice, while the banks were covered with snow.
A spray of blood fell onto the snow, melting and freezing with it. Li Chongzhen's body lay supine in the snow, his fatal wound a deep cut on his neck that exposed bone, almost severing half of his neck. His eyes were wide open, his death unfulfilled.
When Fang Jun arrived on horseback, surrounded by his personal guards, he saw that the pond was surrounded by layers upon layers of soldiers in full armor, and squads of skilled "Hundred Cavalry" soldiers were searching for clues in the vicinity like a net.
On the contrary, the constables from the Chang'an government and the patrolmen from the Jingzhao Prefecture were stopped on the outskirts and could only stand and watch...
"Greetings, Grand Commandant!"
Upon seeing Fang Jun arrive, all the constables from the Chang'an government office, the patrolmen from the Jingzhao Prefecture, and the soldiers from the "Hundred Cavalry Division" nearby bowed in unison.
Fang Jun dismounted, his face grave. He tossed the reins to his personal guard and strode forward, the crowd parting to make way for him.
Yuwen Jie, the magistrate of Chang'an, and Li Jingye, the commander of the "Hundred Cavalry Division," bowed to each other, the former bowing deeply to the ground and the latter kneeling on one knee.
Li Chongyi and Li Hui, who arrived earlier, were filled with grief and indignation. With a "plop," they both knelt down in the snow, remaining silent, their bloodshot eyes fixed on Fang Jun.
No further explanation is needed; the meaning is self-evident.
Li Chongzhen was murdered by the pond not far from her home. The murderer was extremely brazen!
Whoever the murderer is, they must be brought to justice and punished with their life!
"No need for formalities!"
Fang Jun waved his hand in a deep voice, stepped forward and patted Li Chongyi and Li Hui on the shoulders, then turned to examine Li Chongzhen's body.
Upon seeing Li Chongzhen's distorted face and unseeing eyes, a surge of anger instantly rose within him.
He had just met secretly with Li Chongzhen yesterday and agreed to leave the "Hundred Cavalry Division" and take up a post in the Yangtze River Navy, but he was still caught up in the vortex.
Although there was no evidence, he was convinced that Li Chongzhen's death must be related to him.
They might even have come specifically for him.
caveat?
Threat?
Or did Li Chongzhen accidentally discover something and get murdered to silence him?
He summoned Yuwen Jie and Li Jingye and asked, "What are the results of the investigation?"
Yuwen Jie glanced at Li Jingye, and seeing that he remained silent, he had no choice but to say, "According to the coroner's examination, Li Jingye was probably murdered around noon last night. The fatal wound was on his neck, where his trachea and throat were severed by a sharp blade... He was discovered by patrolling police around dawn. Because of the continuous heavy snow last night, the scene was covered up, and no other traces were found. The search of nearby residents is still ongoing, and no witnesses have been found yet."
Fang Jun looked at Li Jingye: "Li Chongzhen is a captain of the 'Hundred Cavalry Division,' what does your 'Hundred Cavalry Division' have to say about this?"
Li Jingye hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head slightly and said, "Strictly speaking, Li Chongzhen is no longer considered a member of the 'Hundred Cavalry Division.' He had previously applied for a transfer, but the destination was not yet confirmed, so he recently handed over his duties and is just waiting..."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard a whooshing sound beside his ear. Startled, he tensed up and quickly stepped back. At the same time, he caught a glimpse of an arm sweeping towards him out of the corner of his eye and quickly raised his left hand to block his head.
Although he reacted quickly, the arm that swept across was even faster!
A hammer-like fist swept across and slammed into his raised left arm. The immense power contained in the fist exploded upon contact with his arm, and instead of blocking the blow, his raised left arm struck his left cheek directly.
boom!
Li Jingye's head tilted to the right, thunder roared in his ears, and stars danced before his eyes.
That wasn't the end of it. After his successful strike, Fang Jun raised his foot and kicked Li Jingye squarely in the chest. The latter, who was wearing armor, was kicked in the breastplate and there was another "bang." His body flew back five or six steps and fell into the snow. He curled up like a shrimp, unable to catch his breath, and his face turned red. He couldn't stand up for a moment.
"Grand Commandant, you mustn't!"
"Please, Grand Commandant, stop!"
The officials from Chang'an and the Jingzhao Prefecture were stunned and stood there dumbfounded for a moment, unable to react.
The soldiers of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" surged forward instantly. Although they drew their swords and shouted to stop them, none of them dared to approach Fang Jun.
Although everyone felt aggrieved and indignant that their commander had been beaten, it wasn't the first time. As long as Fang Jun didn't use a weapon, they naturally wouldn't dare to lay a hand on him.
Fang Jun ignored the "Hundred Cavalry" soldiers who rushed up to stop him, and strode forward, bent down and grabbed the silk ribbon binding Li Jingye's armor, lifting his upper body off the ground. He looked into Li Jingye's still bewildered eyes, and their eyes met.
He shouted sternly, "Not to mention that Li Chongzhen was a member of the imperial family and a descendant of meritorious officials, as long as he has not been transferred, he is still a member of the 'Hundred Cavalry Division'. Now he has been brutally murdered and died with his eyes wide open, his body still cold, yet you so cold-bloodedly exclude him and treat him indifferently. How can someone as ruthless and heartless as you lead troops? You are simply outrageous!"
Li Jingye's ears were still ringing, and his mind was not clear for a moment.
Although I heard Fang Jun's cursing, I subconsciously thought, what does it matter to you whether I am heartless, ruthless, or cold-blooded?
It's none of your business!
Whether she was still dazed from the blow to her head or was out of fear, she remained silent as Fang Jun's saliva sprayed on her face, and even as Fang Jun grabbed her by the collar, she remained motionless.
But it's not over yet.
Fang Jun's gaze was cold and his tone was icy: "When the Prince of Hejian was on his deathbed, he entrusted his sons to my care. Now that Li Chongzhen has died a violent death, I cannot face the Prince's spirit in heaven. Since Li Chongzhen was a member of the 'Hundred Cavalry Division,' his death must be related to the 'Hundred Cavalry Division.' You must give me an explanation!"
"Solve this case and arrest the murderer within seven days, or I will pin Li Chongzhen's death on you. At that point, neither His Majesty nor your grandfather can protect you!"
After saying that, he slammed his hand hard on the ground. Li Jingye was caught off guard and had no strength. He was slammed hard on the ground, and the back of his head hit the frozen ground with a loud thud. He felt dizzy and fainted.
Fang Jun stood up, looking coldly at Li Chongyi and Li Hui: "Have someone from the family come to collect Sanlang's body and return to the manor for the funeral. If Li Jingye fails to capture the murderer, Sanlang's body will remain in the manor and will not be buried!"
The soldiers of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" were frantically trying to treat Li Jingye when they heard this and were immediately dumbfounded, their minds going numb.
Li Chongzhen was brutally murdered, so why is Li Jingye being blamed instead?
Yuwen Jie knew Fang Jun well and knew that he was not the type to take his anger out on others easily. Since he beat Li Jingye so violently and said such words, he obviously had ulterior motives.
Could Li Chongzhen's death be related to Li Jingye?
Considering the recent tense situation in Chang'an, my heart skipped a beat...
It is not appropriate to get involved in this matter, and this place is not a place to stay for long.
He quickly bowed to Fang Jun, whispered a few words, and then led the men from the Chang'an government office away in a flash.
The people of Jingzhao Prefecture weren't stupid either. Since Fang Jun claimed that the matter was the fault of the "Hundred Cavalry Division," they were happy to stay out of it. After saying a few words of condolence, they hurriedly led the Jingzhao Prefecture constables to leave.
While waiting for the people from the Prince of Hejian's residence to arrive, Li Jingye finally woke up as his subordinates pinched his philtrum and rubbed his head to treat him.
Coming to his senses, he realized that he had been beaten and abused by Fang Jun in public again. His anger was so intense that his internal organs felt like they were on fire, but he managed to hold back.
He struggled to his feet, staring at Fang Jun with venomous eyes for a long while before staggering a few steps, then, with the help of his personal guards, mounted his horse and quickly departed.
……
The Prince of Hejian's mansion was draped in white mourning clothes and filled with the sound of weeping. Because Li Xiaogong had just passed away, everyone in the mansion was very familiar with the funeral procedures. Although they were surprised and taken aback, they remained calm and orderly, and everything was handled in an orderly manner.
Looking at Li Chongzhen's widow, who was crying her heart out in front of the coffin, Fang Jun sighed and whispered to the two brothers, Li Chongyi and Li Hui, "Do not make any noise about Sanlang's death in the mansion. Tell everyone not to talk nonsense. I will make all the decisions."
Li Chongyi and Li Hui both trembled and looked at Fang Jun in shock.
"Erlang means..."
Fang Jun nodded: "Although we don't know the truth yet, Sanlang's death is probably related to some secrets. Getting involved recklessly will only bring trouble."
Li Chongyi slapped his thigh and sighed, “When Father was alive, he was always worried about Sanlang. He always felt that the ‘Hundred Cavalry Division’ was not a long-term position. It was only because the whole family was deeply indebted to the Emperor that he had so many concerns. When he passed away, he entrusted this matter to you, Erlang… Who would have thought that it would be too late.”
Although Emperor Taizong trusted the Prince of Hejian, how could he not be wary of this most meritorious member of the imperial clan and the most powerful prince in the land? Li Chongzhen was the "hostage" that Li Xiaogong sent to Emperor Taizong. Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, the guard against the Prince of Hejian's residence remains as strong as ever, so Li Chongzhen can only obediently serve as a hostage in the "Hundred Cavalry Guard" and cannot easily escape.
Fang Jun's words were quite clear: the "Hundred Cavalry Division" had become nothing more than "pawns" due to the tense situation between His Majesty and the Crown Prince. In addition, with the recent tense situation in Chang'an, who knew if Li Chongzhen had discovered something extraordinary in the "Hundred Cavalry Division" and thus brought about his own demise?
While the brutal death of one's own brother is infuriating, it would be unwise to pursue the matter relentlessly and drag the entire family into it...
Fang Jun shook his head and sighed, without saying a word.
Li Chongyi and Li Hui exchanged a glance and bowed deeply to the ground in unison: "The kindness and righteousness shown by Erlang is deeply appreciated by everyone in the Hejian Prince's Mansion. If summoned, we will not refuse!"
Leaving aside the friendship between Li Xiaogong and Fang Jun, and the legacy he left behind, such as the Jiangnan Shipyard, which was enough to last for generations, his current maintenance of the Prince's Mansion is invaluable.
Fang Jun reached out and helped the two up, admonishing them, "These are turbulent times; preserving our family business should be our top priority."
As they were talking, a large group of people filed in from outside the mansion, led by the Minister of the Imperial Clan, Prince Han, and Li Yuanjia.
Li Chongyi and his brother stepped forward to greet Li Yuanjia as they went to pay their respects at the coffin. Li Yuanjia glanced at Fang Jun, went to the coffin first to pay his respects, and said a few words of condolence to the Li brothers before coming to Fang Jun.
He looked Fang Jun up and down, frowned and said, "How could you be so reckless? Li Jingye is His Majesty's henchman, representing His Majesty's face. You have repeatedly humiliated and beaten him in public. Where do you place His Majesty?"
Fang Jun corrected him, "It was only 'once and twice,' not 'again and again.' Your Highness, the Prince of Han, should be careful with your words."
Li Yuanjia laughed in exasperation, then shook his head helplessly: "The funeral arrangements here will be handled by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. His Majesty has summoned you to the palace immediately."
He paused, then added, "His Majesty was furious."
Fang Jun didn't take it to heart, smiled, turned around and left the Prince of Hejian's mansion, heading towards the palace surrounded by his personal guards.