Chapter 49 It's Really You (Part )

In response to Hu Jinghui's begging, Di Renjie sighed.

"Remember that night of thunder and lightning in Big Willow Village?"

Hu Jinghui nodded and said, "I remember that day I happened to find Li Er following us, and Cheng Yuan returned to Youzhou City with the imperial edict, so I boldly drugged the master and went out to stab Li Er."

Li Yuanfang frowned: "I didn't expect that you had drugged us at that time."

Di Renjie said: "Yes, that night, I was awakened by thunder. I reached out and picked up the water bowl from the table. With the help of the lightning, I found some fine residue in the bowl. It was the knockout drug."

"Chengyuan wasn't there at the time. There were only three of us. I couldn't be sure which one of you drugged me. So I went to the outer room."

"That's when I saw the venomous snake you killed on your own initiative."

Hu Jinghui laughed at himself when he heard this. Killing the venomous snake and sending it to Di Renjie was indeed a bad move.

Di Renjie did not stop: "In the outer room, I noticed that there were many water stains on the edge of Jinghui's shoes, but Jinghui was lying on the bed, and Yuanfang was not in the room. So, I suspected Yuanfang more."

"I didn't expect that I was once suspected by adults." Li Yuanfang scratched his head and said belatedly.

Di Renjie smiled and said, "From then on, I deliberately left Yuan Fang to take care of the villagers in Daliushu Village, and took Jing Hui to Xiaolianzi Village. I wanted to test you separately."

"Of course, Yuan Fang is not a viper, and Jing Hui did not move under my close scrutiny. The test was not successful, but it reduced Yuan Fang's suspicion a little."

"Then when did you start to suspect me?" Hu Jinghui asked.

"It was after you assassinated Zhao Chuanchen." Di Renjie said.

Hu Jinghui was stunned when he heard this.

"At that time, Zhao Chuanchen was talking about the whereabouts of the missing official silver when he died. This cannot but arouse suspicion. However, the coroner and I searched the body and did not find any wounds."

"Finally, I ordered the coroner to cut open Zhao Chuanchen's chest and found the steel needle."

As he spoke, Di Renjie reached into his bosom and took out a cloth bag, then took out a steel needle from the bag.

"You used this fine needle to kill Zhao Chuanchen and Liu Jin, right?" Di Renjie asked.

Hu Jinghui had nothing to deny, so he nodded.

"A lot of things happened that night. Zhao Chuanchen died, and Zhang Yong and others gave out the list of names of fake Fang Qian in the army. Chengyuan suggested that I act decisively and take down the fake Fang Qian's gang, so I had no time to think about Zhao Chuanchen's matter." Di Renjie recalled.

"But what does this have to do with the steel needle?" Li Yuanfang asked.

"Then it's up to Chengyuan to say it. It was his words that reminded me." Di Renjie motioned for Zhao Ji to come out and speak.

Zhao Ji came out to explain: "When I heard your Excellency tell me about the assassination of Zhao Chuanchen, I was shocked at first."

"I'm telling you, sir, there's probably no one in this world who can kill someone in front of Yuan Fang and General Hu and still get away with it."

"So I suspected at the time that the assassin was one of General Hu and Yuan Fang."

Hu Jinghui smiled bitterly when he heard this: "I never thought that I would be so highly regarded in Chengyuan's eyes."

Zhao Ji rolled his eyes and said, "Hu Zi, don't try to make trouble. I'm mainly talking about Yuan Fang. You are just a secondary person."

Ignoring Hu Jinghui, Zhao Ji continued, "Another point, the news of Zhao Chuanchen's return to the Governor's Office was also kept strictly confidential, which further proves that it was a traitor who killed Zhao Chuanchen."

"I will remind you, sir, to identify who the assassin is based on the positions of Hu Jinghui and Yuan Fang."

Di Renjie nodded and continued, "I was sitting on a chair at the time, Zhao Chuanchen was opposite me. Jinghui was standing behind me, and Yuanfang was standing beside me, facing Jinghui diagonally. I was talking to Zhao Chuanchen, and if Yuanfang made any moves, I would definitely see it. So only Jinghui, who was behind me, could have fired a hidden weapon."

Hu Jinghui reached out and unbuttoned his clothes, revealing the invisible needle inside. "That's right. My hidden weapon is tied to my chest. It was also the thing that shot Liu Jin to death. It's called the 'Invisible Needle'."

Li Yuanfang immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Di Renjie.

Hu Jinghui smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you, sir."

He took off the hidden weapon and placed it on the table. Li Yuanfang stepped forward and took the invisible needle away.

"So the adults knew about it. Then why did they say the assassin was outside the house? They even used the example of me sneaking up behind Yuan Fang at Lanqiao Inn to prove the feasibility of killing someone outside the house." Zhao Ji complained.

Li Yuanfang seemed to be thinking about what he said, and then he said seriously: "If Chengyuan's martial arts skills were higher, he might be able to kill people without being seen."

"It was because of this fantasy that I was unwilling to confirm Jinghui's identity, although the possibility is very small." Di Renjie nodded.

Di Renjie took a breath, his face full of pity, his voice choked with sobs: "Jinghui, do you know? In my heart, I have always regarded you, Chengyuan and Yuanfang as my sons and nephews."

"I really don't want that vicious and cruel killer viper to be one of you."

Hu Jinghui listened to Di Renjie's heartfelt words and sighed again.

Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang were also moved.

Di Renjie continued, "But the facts are the facts. I remembered what Dayou told me after Li Er's snake venom took effect. He said that before Li Er's poison took effect, only Di Chun and you had entered Li Er's room."

"From that time on, I set my sights on you. In order to find out your next plan, I did not alarm you. But a few nights ago, a venomous snake bit someone again."

"In order to dispel my suspicion, you killed the poisonous snake you had raised for many years with your own hands. Little did you know that this action only made things worse and exposed your identity."

"At that time, I knew that I could no longer let you go. I had to close the net as soon as possible, otherwise more people would be killed."

"So Yuan Fang, Cheng Yuan, and I worked together to come up with a plan to lure the snake out of its hole. We knew you would definitely kill Liu Jin, so we asked Yuan Fang to pretend to be injured so that you would let down your guard."

"In fact, the reason why Yuan Fang's face turned black was because he took the rhinoceros belladonna pills I prepared."

"That night, you staged a fake viper play, trying to use Li as a substitute for Tao. Little did you know that Chengyuan had already found your viper clothing in the garden, and did not take it away to avoid alerting the enemy."

"The next day, Yuan Fang pretended to wake up and insisted that the assassin was Viper. This made you mistakenly believe that the plan was successful, and you acted more confidently and boldly."

Hu Jinghui laughed at himself when he heard this: "Yeah, it's ridiculous. I thought Yuan Fang had never seen a substitute. His words will mislead you."

"I knew you were spying on me every night, so I deliberately let you see Li Er's whereabouts. That night, you broke into my bedroom and wanted to kill Li Er, but Yuan Fang had already been waiting in the room."

"But my sudden return to the mansion caught you off guard, so you retreated temporarily. Yuan Fang did not chase you out in order to prevent you from luring the tiger away from the mountain."

"But you left footprints on the ashes I spread. I asked Chengyuan to take the rubbing of the footprints and compare it with your shoes. They are indeed identical."

"Actually, Dayou arrived early in the morning. I deliberately kept it a secret from you and asked him to report later, just for today's plan."

"You were actually very cautious. You wanted to drug Yuan Fang even though he was 'poisoned.' Little did you know that Cheng Yuan saw the remaining knockout drug in your room and guessed your move."

"So I added licorice and other antidotes to Yuan Fang's medicine in advance, and I deceived you."

"No wonder Yuan Fang is safe and sound. But, aren't you afraid that I will poison Yuan Fang?" Hu Jinghui asked.

"Since we left the house, Chengyuan has been secretly monitoring you. Of course, he only dared to signal Yuanfang to take the medicine after ensuring safety. You still have a conscience and did not harm Yuanfang."

“Hehehehe…” Hu Jinghui laughed darkly and kept shaking his head.

"Sir, you are so terrible. We are overestimating our own capabilities by wanting to go against you. After listening to you and thinking back on what I have done, I feel as ridiculous as a clown."

(End of this chapter)