Trump Card
Wei Zhi asked her, "The things taken away by Bai Qi back then..."
That was the only piece of evidence that could identify all the individuals involved in this case. If they couldn't obtain it, they would have to try again, and the amount of manpower and material resources spent would be uncertain, potentially resulting in an uncertain final outcome.
Upon hearing this, Liu Shi felt her shoulders slump.
She had this, but when Wei Zhi confirmed it, she couldn't help but feel.
After a pause, she said, "Back then, there was one of the Changs who escaped with Qi'er." He's called Er Ji, but I can't give him to you now. "If one day you can bring the mastermind behind this to justice and need a witness, I will testify and help you bring him to justice."
"What about the thing?"
This was the most important.
Liu Shi shook her head and said, "I have been searching for it for so many years."
This time, she did not avoid the topic and told him what happened back then, including the relationship between Man Bao and the couple, Zhou Yin. She said, "I tested it out and even had Da Ji secretly search the Zhou family's home, but we didn't find what we were looking for." Zhou Yin's parents died on their way home before they could make it back, and the culprit was nowhere to be found.
Wei Zhi was surprised to see that the little girl was also involved in this matter.
As he saw the object on the road and the person holding it already deceased, he furrowed his brows. It was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Liu Shi, of course, knew this, and this long-standing injustice made her feel powerless in her heart. It had been six years. Could she really clear her son's name in her lifetime?
Liu Shi sat down in a chair, feeling a wave of despair in her heart, and asked, "Your Excellency, how many people died in the recent breach of the Jianwei Dam?"
Wei Zhi gritted his teeth, recalling the hell on earth he saw when he first arrived in Yizhou.
This time, the death toll from the flood disaster exceeded forty-eight thousand people. Among them were those directly washed away or drowned by the flood, but quite a large number also died from hunger, conflicts, and diseases.
But it was due to the breach of the Jianwei Dam.
If Bai Qi had survived six years ago when the Jianwei Dam breached, today's disaster could have been prevented.
This case was not just about Bai Qi, Zhou Yin's couple, and their followers who died at that time, but also about the more than forty-eight thousand people who died today.
And those he did not count were the common people who died in unknown places.
Wei Zhi took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Madam, rest assured, Wei will do everything in his power to bring justice to everyone."
Liu Shi's eyes turned red. She stood up and bowed to him, saying, "Your Excellency is righteous." "I believe in you." However, I also understand that there are things that can be accomplished and things that are beyond our control. I have waited for six years and don't mind waiting for another six years, and another six years, because at my age, besides enjoying the company of my loved ones, I have no other pursuits. I can wait.
Wei Zhi heard her words and asked, "Madam, if you have any requests, please speak up."
Liu Shi said, "Back then, Zhou Yin's parents were falsely accused of being bandits to the extent that Zhou Man could not recognize them, and the Zhou family has been concealing the news of Zhou Yin's death."
She continued, "Zhou Yin's couple died because of my son." I cannot let them carry this stain even after death, not to mention that Man Bao cannot forever deny his parents. She is six years old now, and I can wait, but she cannot, and the people in the Zhou family probably cannot wait either.
Wei Zhi began to ponder.
How important are a person's affairs after death?
Even though Wei Zhi didn't believe in ghosts and gods, he still valued these two concepts.
Who wouldn't want to be remembered positively after death? Who would want to carry a bad name even after death, without even the basic rituals?
He paced back and forth in the hall. After a long time, he asked, "Who else knows about the matter concerning Zhou Yin's couple?"
"Only Lizhi and the two of us," Liu Shi said. "As for the other three, they might have suspected something, but they are now under our control."
So, no one outside knows, not even the Zhou family.
"What about Dai Ji..."
Liu Shi said, "He is."
After a pause, Liu Shi said, "They were all servants of my Bai family, and Er Ji is his younger brother, so Your Excellency can rest assured."
Wei Zhi nodded and said, "It will be much easier to operate this way. You can rest assured that I will arrange it." "You just need to be patient."
"Yes," Liu Shi thanked him, "I will first thank Your Excellency on behalf of the Zhou family, Man Bao, and Qi'er."
"Please, don't do this," Wei Zhi said as he helped her up, sighing. "Zhou Yin's couple were loyal to the end, and I, Wei, have only done my meager part. I cannot even help them clear their names."
Liu Shi opened her mouth but did not ask.
In fact, she was a bit puzzled. Even though she was very clever, she couldn't understand why, despite the Jianwei dam being breached, the dam still stood there as naked evidence. How could they not be held?
This was the fief of the Prince of Yizhou. If anyone claimed that the Prince of Yizhou and the Military Governor of Jiannan were unaware, she wouldn't believe it even if she were beaten to death.
Even a woman like her knows this simple truth, so why couldn't the court take action against them?
Indeed, the court couldn't.
Currently, even the governor of Yizhou was being called back to the capital under the charge of dereliction of duty.
Yes, called back, not dragged back. He could leisurely walk back to the capital with his entourage as long as he arrived within the final deadline set by the Ministry of Personnel.
Currently, despite everyone's speculations, no one can definitively state that the Jianwei dam was constructed with substandard materials, which caused its collapse.
When Wei Zhi arrived, the Jianwei dam had been sabotaged, and any remaining traces of the sabotage had been removed, with the floodwaters sweeping away any evidence.
Even though the response from the governor of Yizhou was evasive, there was nothing they could do about it.
He claimed that the Jianwei Dam had been sabotaged by angry victims of the disaster. Could he not say so?
When he arrived in Yizhou, the residents had long since evacuated. At that time, the primary focus was on providing relief to the victims and saving lives, rather than pursuing those responsible for sabotaging the Jianwei dam.
Even now, Wei Zhi had the time to uncover the truth because most of the disaster victims had been resettled, and his relief policies were gradually being implemented by local officials. Otherwise, he would have delegated this matter to his subordinates or the Ministry of Punishments.
He always knew how to.
After learning about her trump card from Liu Shi, Wei Zhi was ready to return to the capital.
He delayed his return by four days. Wasn't the sage anxious by now?
The Emperor was indeed anxious. By rights, Wei Zhi should have returned to the capital yesterday, but there was no sign of him on the official road.
A delay on the road could have been caused by the Emperor, so he patiently waited for another day. However, even by sunset the next day, Wei Zhi had not returned to the capital.
Now the Emperor was getting restless.
Of course, he wasn't angry at Wei Zhi for being negligent; he was worried that Wei Zhi had offended too many people during the disaster relief efforts, and those people had taken action against him on the road.