When people were in Qin, they captured Zhao and questioned Qin.

Chapter 45 Lord Pingyang

Zhao Yan collapsed to the ground below the steps, bowing his head. His body trembled slightly with fear, clearly indicating that he was completely disoriented.

King Zhao, seated behind his desk, glanced only at his disheveled second son below the steps and said coldly:

"Now, you shall explain the four corpses in the hall today, the so-called suicide note to prove their will, and the various doubts that Heng'er just pointed out."

Zhao Yan was covered in cold sweat, which streamed down his temples.

He dared not raise his head, and could only hurriedly say, "Father, please forgive me, your son truly did not know there were such twists and turns involved..."

"I don't know?"

The King of Zhao interrupted him, his voice suddenly turning cold:

"Before your elder brother set off for Xianyang, before the ancestral temple, it was you who spoke these words yourself. You said that your brother was risking his life for the country, venturing deep into the treacherous Qin state, and that as his younger brother, you would take good care of his wife and children at home, so that he would have no worries. You also said that Heng'er was your own nephew, and that you would treat him as your own son, never letting him suffer the slightest grievance or be bullied. These words still ring in your ears; do you still remember them?"

Zhao Yan's body stiffened.

"Is this how you take care of him now? Taking care of him to the point that someone wants his life, taking care of these four half-grown children lying dead here, taking care of him to the point that you have to use such a clumsy trick to stage a scene of loyalty and dying for him in front of me?"

"Your subject wouldn't dare!"

Zhao Yan's face turned deathly pale: "Father, I have never forgotten my brother's trust. When I heard the news of Aheng falling into the water, I was also furious, which is why I strictly ordered my subordinates and the Minister of Justice to work together to investigate and find the culprit..."

He was afraid of being interrupted by that brat Zhao Heng again, so his speaking speed increased dramatically:

"However, the specific handling of this case was done by several of my retainers, along with officers and soldiers from the Ministry of Justice. It is reported that when these individuals were apprehended, several officers and soldiers from the Ministry of Justice were also present at the scene. Although I did not personally witness the proceedings, I believe that in an official investigation, with so many eyes watching, no one would dare to tamper with the evidence… Therefore, upon hearing of the perpetrator's suicide and the utterly absurd words he left behind, while I was shocked, I did not have time to investigate further…"

At this point, Zhao Yan hurriedly turned to the side and bowed deeply to the elderly member of the imperial clan in the left-hand seat.

"Moreover, this matter is of utmost importance, and I dare not act arbitrarily. Therefore, I immediately consulted my uncle, Lord Pingyang. After consulting with my uncle, I realized the urgency of the situation, and only then did I enter the palace with him to quickly explain the whole story to my father, without daring to conceal or delay anything!"

It turned out that the stern-faced old man was none other than Lord Pingyang, Zhao Bao.

Zhao Heng had stopped crying and was half-jokingly wiping the tear stains on his cheeks with the silk handkerchief given to him by Li Lingcheng when he heard this, he suddenly understood.

Lord Pingyang, Zhao Bao, was the son of King Wuling and the younger brother of King Huiwen. He was the brother of the famous Lord Pingyuan, Zhao Sheng, and was naturally the uncle of the current King Dan of Zhao and the great-uncle of Zhao Heng.

Zhao Heng vaguely remembered that, according to historical records, before the Battle of Changping, the Qin state captured Yewang in Han, cutting off the connection between Shangdang Commandery and the Han mainland. Feng Ting, the governor of Shangdang Commandery, refused to surrender to Qin and instead offered seventeen cities of Shangdang to the Zhao state.

At that time, when Feng Ting's envoy arrived in Handan, there were very few clear-headed people in the court who strongly advocated refusing to accept Shangdang to avoid getting burned. Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao was one of them.

Unfortunately, King Dan of Zhao failed to heed his advice, ultimately leading to the Battle of Changping. His ability to maintain his rationality under such temptation was truly remarkable, setting him apart from ordinary members of the royal family.

As Zhao Heng pondered, the people in the hall had already turned their attention to Lord Pingyang.

Lord Pingyang, with his white hair and beard, sat upright on the throne. When Zhao Yan steered the conversation toward him, he remained expressionless, only rising to bow respectfully to the throne.

"Your Majesty, what Prince Yan said is true. If we are to discuss the responsibility for oversight in this matter, this old minister certainly cannot shirk it."

He hesitated for a moment, then said frankly:

"When Prince Yan brought the case to me, I, your humble servant, also felt that it involved the prince and was no small matter. The first priority was to strictly seal off the news and not let a single word leak out. What I am worried about is that if this matter is not handled properly, it may be deliberately exaggerated by those with ulterior motives, or even seized upon by spies from Qin or other countries, who may spread it widely, potentially sowing discord between the people and the royal family. In these turbulent times, when diplomatic relations are sensitive, we must be on guard."

At this point, he lowered his head slightly and said, "Therefore, this old minister was extremely anxious and only thought of presenting this case to Your Majesty as soon as possible for Your Majesty's judgment. I did not have time to carefully examine the corpse and the details of the case first. This was due to my lack of consideration, and I beg Your Majesty's punishment."

His words and actions, with their upright manner, certainly carried considerable weight.

Zhao Heng observed secretly, and felt a sense of relief.

It seems that Lord Pingyang acted more out of consideration for the overall interests of the country, and was not part of Zhao Yan's faction, or at least did not seem to be one of its core supporters.

Upon hearing this, the King of Zhao's anger subsided slightly, and he simply waved his hand at Lord Pingyang.

"Uncle Wang, there's no need to worry too much. Your priority in blocking the news and preventing the situation from escalating, considering diplomatic relations and public sentiment, shows your patriotism and cannot be considered a mistake. As for a thorough investigation... it's not too late to investigate now. Besides, once this matter comes to light, the truth will come out, the mastermind will be exposed, and a cleanup will be carried out, which may not be entirely a bad thing for the country and the family."

After speaking, King Zhao stopped looking at Zhao Yan and turned to Zhao Heng, who had been standing with his head bowed below the steps, and beckoned to him.

"Heng'er, come closer."

Zhao Yan remained in a prostrate, apologetic posture. He didn't hear being told to get up, but when he heard the old man call Zhao Heng closer, he clenched his teeth. His lowered face twitched almost imperceptibly, and his fist clenched quietly in his sleeve.

Zhao Heng followed the instructions, stepped forward, walked up the steps, and stopped beside the table.

He had stopped crying, but traces of his sobbing still lingered on his face. He appeared to be trying to remain calm, but also carrying a slight sense of embarrassment from his earlier loss of composure, as if he were somewhat ashamed to face his grandfather.

King Zhao felt slightly ashamed, so he pulled him aside and examined him closely.

"The last time I saw you was at the palace banquet last year. In just one year, you've grown so tall. It seems your mother has taken good care of you."

Zhao Heng lowered his head and said softly, "It is my fault for being so kind, Father. I am unfilial for not being able to visit you often."

He no longer spoke passionately, but instead seemed somewhat silent, just like a stubborn boy who had thrown a tantrum in front of his stern grandfather, and after venting his anger, realized he had been impolite and was now awkwardly at a loss for what to do.

When King Zhao saw him like this, he was not offended, but instead nodded slightly.

"A true man stands between heaven and earth; to weep and wail is certainly not the act of a hero. But considering your words and actions just now, they all stemmed from a pure filial heart, worry for your mother, and sorrow for innocent lives... These tears are indeed pitiful. Indeed, your mother is gentle and kind, yet she has taught you to be upright and has raised you very well."

Zhao Heng did not respond, but lowered his head even further.

I've narrowly escaped this sudden crisis. But the lives of those four innocent teenagers have ultimately become sacrificial lambs, ignored in this power struggle.

Thinking of this, he still felt a deep sense of melancholy.

Soon after, Gao Qu brought in several coroners.

The coroners, all dressed in black robes, bowed to the King of Zhao and, at Li Lingcheng's instruction, began to carefully examine the four corpses.

About fifteen minutes later, the lead coroner finally came down the steps and bowed to report.

"Your Majesty, after our examination, we found that the neck wounds of the four corpses were indeed different in shape. Among them, only the neck wound of one person was consistent with the characteristics of suicide. The wounds of the other three people were suspicious in terms of direction, depth, and shape, and were clearly caused by external force cutting their throats, rather than suicide."

After Gao Qu led the coroner back, he stood aside, keeping his eyes down and not saying a word.

Upon hearing the result, Zhao Yan's face paled even further, and he hurriedly looked up to argue.

But King Zhao sneered first, then looked at Lord Pingyang: "Uncle, the doubts in this case have been clarified. The theory that the murderer committed suicide is self-defeating. There must be some hidden story. No one involved in the case, regardless of their official rank or social status, should be let off lightly."

"This old minister understands."

"Immediately imprison all those in charge of this case, including the involved bandits and thieves, and subject them to severe interrogation. Determine whether anyone accepted bribes, committed murder to cover up the crime, or fabricated the scene. After the trial, regardless of whether they were the ringleaders or accomplices, all of them shall be dismissed from their posts and conscripted to serve on the frontier."

Then, King Zhao looked at Zhao Yan and said in a deep voice:

"And your household. All the retainers and attendants involved in this case, whether they were present or not, shall be arrested and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for separate interrogation from the clerks. I want to see who gave them such audacity."

Lord Pingyang said no more, but simply bowed and accepted the order.

When Zhao Yan saw that the King of Zhao was truly enraged and was about to target his men, he became extremely anxious.

Fortunately, after his initial panic, he calmed down a bit and didn't instinctively try to distance himself from the situation or shift all the blame onto his retainers. Instead, he feigned fear and a hint of grievance, and kowtowed, saying:

"Father, my retainers are usually honest and diligent. Their assistance in apprehending the murderers was out of righteous indignation, at my request. They... could not possibly be involved in such a murder to cover it up. I urge you, Father, to investigate thoroughly and not to wrong these loyal men!"

Zhao Heng watched silently from the side, thinking to himself that his uncle wasn't entirely brainless; at crucial moments, he actually knew how to yield in order to gain the upper hand.

However, the King of Zhao ignored him and simply said:

Whether it's related or not isn't up to you to decide; the investigation will tell.

Zhao Yan could only agree.

King Zhao, with his eyes closed, slowly said, "Zhao Yan, today's matter is neither too big nor too small. As his uncle, you were negligent in your care for your nephew's safety and failed to properly supervise your subordinates in handling important matters. You cannot escape blame. Until the interrogation results are in, you will stay here and are not allowed to go anywhere."

Zhao Yan's heart sank. Knowing that further discussion was futile, he dared not argue any further and could only nod in agreement. He scrambled to his feet and returned to his seat.

However, as he stood up, he glanced at Gao Qu, who was standing to the side, without making a sound.

Gao Qu merely lowered his eyelids slightly and nodded.

Upon receiving this signal, Zhao Yan's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but he still felt extremely uneasy.

Today's events have completely exceeded expectations. Not only have we failed to seize this opportunity to strike at Zhao Heng, but we've also dragged ourselves and our followers into this passive situation, and now we're practically under house arrest by that old man...

I wonder if Guo Kai, after learning the news outside the palace, will be able to respond in time and handle the situation cleanly.