Chapter 72 Zhang Xingkai's Identity [Thanks to "Squirrel MO" for the reward! ]

There are white hangings in the main hall of the Zhang family.

Mrs. Zhang, dressed in mourning, knelt before the coffin, her eyes full of tears and her face expressionless.

"Sorry to bother you again." Liang Yue came over and sat on the futon behind her. "There are still some things I want to confirm about President Zhang's case."

Madam Zhang turned back calmly and said, "Hasn't the case been closed as my husband's suicide? What does Commander Hu have to say?"

"Because the last time I came here, Madam Zhang, you were also attacked, so Commander Hu wanted me to ask if there are any additional situations today and see if you are safe." Liang Yue said.

"No." Madam Zhang shook her head and said, "I have made arrangements, but no one has attacked me yet. Maybe they only dare to hide in the dark."

"You really don't have any guesses about the murderer's possible origins?" Liang Yue said, "If there are some suspects, we can investigate. It doesn't have to be an enemy, it could be a friend who knows him well."

He asked this because he wanted to see who Zhang Xingkai contacted more often.

Madam Zhang looked at him suspiciously, "Did Commander Hu want you to ask, or did you want to ask yourself?"

"Heh." Liang Yue smiled embarrassedly and said, "Mrs. Zhang saw through me. I was just promoted to a regular guard, and I really wanted to solve a big case to prove myself. The chairman of the Yuezhou Chamber of Commerce is a case of sufficient weight."

Madam Zhang looked deep in thought and said, "Liang Duwei saved my life yesterday, so I won't hide anything from you. I can tell you some of the inside story, but... I hope you won't reveal it to others."

"Absolutely not." Liang Yue agreed.

"Actually, I have a suspect." Mrs. Zhang suddenly asked, "Do you know who my husband works for?"

Liang Yue didn't say anything, but just looked at the other party with confusion. He naturally didn't know.

"Back then, his elders were convicted, their property was confiscated and they were exiled. It was the Minister of Works, Lu Yuanwang, who saved him." Madam Zhang recounted slowly, "Lu Yuanwang arranged for him to do business in Yuezhou and gave him all the government construction projects to pave the way for the Sixth Prince."

Liang Yue listened quietly, but his heart was actually already in turmoil.

In the royal family of the Yin Dynasty, only those born with the blood of the Divine King can inherit the throne.

There are three princes in this generation who have the blood of the Divine King.

More than a decade ago, Emperor Mubei's old injury was difficult to heal, and he was worried that he would not have much time left, so he appointed the oldest prince as the crown prince. At that time, the other princes were still too young, so there was no controversy.

Later, Li Longchan entered the palace to present treasures and cured the emperor's injuries, and he has been healthy ever since.

But when the Sixth Prince grew up, he was very famous for his virtue and was praised by people from all walks of life. It was said that the Emperor also loved the Sixth Prince more and regretted his hasty decision to appoint him as the crown prince in his early years.

The remaining Ninth Prince is only thirteen years old this year and does not have the ability to compete with his two older brothers.

Between the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince, rumors about the dethronement of the Crown Prince never stopped.

The Sixth Prince's mother was Concubine Lu, the daughter of the Minister of Works and also the most favored concubine in the harem.

Lu Yuanwang is the Sixth Prince’s grandfather.

Liang Yue didn't expect that Mrs. Zhang would start with a big one.

All of a sudden, it got involved in the matter of fighting for the dragon.

"Lu Yuanwang was in charge of the Ministry of Works, and he used his enormous power to amass wealth like crazy. Yueyang Trading Company was one of his tools. He assigned most of the government construction projects to my husband, raised the construction costs, and put all the money from the national treasury into his own pocket. Most of the wealth he accumulated was used to bribe officials and build momentum for the Sixth Prince in the court and the country."

Mrs. Zhang said something shocking. Liang Yue was surprised but tried to keep his expression unchanged.

These secrets of the upper class are not something he can hear.

People often hear that the Sixth Prince is wise and loves the people, and is both civil and military. If he could be the emperor, he would definitely be a great person. It's a pity that he was born a few years late.

So it was Lu Yuanwang who paid to incite public opinion?
If all this is known to be false, then what is true?

"He persisted in doing so for more than ten years and successfully made the Sixth Prince the most popular prince. This was all the result of huge bribes. The source of the money was that there were many people like my husband who ran businesses for him all over Jiuzhou. Yuezhou was only the largest part of it, not the only part. In Shendu City, this tool is called the Dragon Tooth Gang." Madam Zhang threw out another familiar name.

But this did not surprise Liang Yue. The Longya Gang has always controlled Nancheng Real Estate. No one would believe that it was not tied to the Ministry of Industry. The only difference was how much the Ministry of Industry owned.

"They did it more secretly in Longyuan City. The Ministry of Industry did not come forward directly, but supported the Longya Gang. All businesses that want to undertake government construction must transfer benefits to the Longya Gang, and the Longya Gang can guarantee that they get the project. The power behind it is naturally the Ministry of Industry."

"But recently, there have been problems with the Dragon Fang Gang."

The candlelight in the mourning hall flickered, and Mrs. Zhang's expression was dark and unclear.

"The Ministry of Industry was thoroughly investigated by the Ministry of Justice. The Dragon Tooth Gang has grown too big in recent years and has long been targeted. It is difficult to protect them. The Sixth Prince wants to cut off the Dragon Tooth Gang and sever all ties with them. The construction of Yuezhou City happened to be completed, so the Sixth Prince summoned my husband back to the Divine Capital, wanting him to take over all the businesses currently held by the Dragon Tooth Gang and then kick the Dragon Tooth Gang away."

Liang Yue continued, "The Dragon Fang Gang should not be willing to do so." "Of course." Madam Zhang sneered, "But this is the fate of people like them. They seem to be in a good position, but in fact, they are just relying on the power of big shots. They are just a knife in the hands of others. Now that the higher-ups don't need them, it's good enough for them to die with dignity. How can they say they don't want to do so?"

"So..." Liang Yue followed her words and said, "Do you think that killing President Zhang is a sign of resistance from the Dragon Tooth Gang?"

"It's not that I think so, the truth must be so." Madam Zhang said firmly: "They dare not disobey Lu Yuanwang and the Sixth Prince, and only dare to attack my husband to express their dissatisfaction."

"But why did the people from the Longya Gang steal the Zhengyang Thunder?" Liang Yue asked in confusion.

"It could be some kind of threat." Madam Zhang said, "We can only get this batch of Zhengyang thunder from the Imperial Guards because the Ministry of Works has guaranteed it. If they push them too far, they will use this batch of Zhengyang thunder to do something that will end in disaster, and many people from the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Guards will be buried with them."

She turned her gaze to the distance outside the window, "Liang Duwei, if you want to investigate, go check the Longya Gang."

"Okay." After listening to her, Liang Yue nodded gently, "I understand."

……

After Liang Yue came out of Zhang's house, he walked slowly back to Fukangfang, lost in thought all the way.

What Madam Zhang said tonight was indeed shocking enough, and the struggles between the government and the opposition involved did not sound fake. If Liang Yue was just standing in the position of a royal guard, he might be shocked by what she said and then stop interfering.

But after considering the transaction with Zhen Changzhi, it is clear that Zhang Xingkai is not that simple.

It's a very simple logic. If he has always been a tool of the Minister of Works, then if he wants to get something from Zhen Changzhi, he doesn't need to make a private deal at all.

There must be some secret about him that Mrs. Zhang didn't tell him, but Liang Yue couldn't be impatient. Asking too much would only arouse his vigilance.

of course.

Mrs. Zhang might be lying when she said this.

Liang Yue thought about it silently in his mind and thought that he could try to verify her words.

After listening to the affirmative side's speech, it's time to listen to the negative side's speech.

With this thought in mind, Liang Yue turned around and did not go home, but quickly came to another place in the south city.

Hong Mansion.

The last time I came here was when Hong Yinsheng brought people to apologize to me, although I still don’t know why he was so polite.

He came to the main gate and told the guard that he wanted to see Boss Hong. Not long after the guard went back to report, Bai Zhishan, the leader of the Leopard Hall, who he had met last time, came out to greet him.

"Liang Duwei, I'm so sorry!" He said with a guilty look on his face, "Our gang leader is out and not at home for the time being. If you have anything to ask about gang affairs, you can ask me. If it's not convenient, can you wait for a while?"

"You can also ask Hall Master Bai." Liang Yue thought for a moment and said, "I want to ask something about Yueyang Trading Company. Do you know anything about it?"

"This..." Bai Zhishan suddenly looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Is there anything inconvenient to say?" Liang Yue asked with a smile.

"Alas." Bai Zhishan sighed and said, "If someone else asked, I would naturally not tell you, but our leader has already instructed that you, Liang Duwei, should be given convenience in everything. As expected, you should be here to investigate Zhang Xingkai's murder case, right?"

"Not bad." Liang Yue nodded.

Bai Zhishan looked around, raised his hand, and said, "Then please ask Liang Duwei to follow me for a walk."

Soon, he led the way, and the two of them walked down the steps of the main entrance of the Hong Mansion, came to the empty street outside, and walked slowly.

"Isn't it convenient to say this within the Longya Gang?" Liang Yue said.

"It's a bit inconvenient." Bai Zhishan smiled, "Liang Duwei may not know that Zhang Xingkai and I were classmates and friends more than ten years ago."

"Oh?" Liang Yue looked at him, "There is such a thing?"

"It's sad to say that we both had our own talents and admired each other, but many years later he was doing business in Yuezhou and I was in Shendu... Alas, I heard that he returned to Longyuan City, and I wanted to find a chance to reunite with him, but who knew we would be separated by heaven and earth." Bai Zhishan sighed.

"Based on Hall Master Bai's understanding of him, who might have committed this crime?" Liang Yue asked.

Bai Zhishan said confidently: "There is no doubt that the murderer in this case is his wife!"

　Thanks to "Squirrel MO" for the reward, I became the 15th leader of this book. Thank you very much!

　
(End of this chapter)