"Li Yong was at my instigation, and the deed was mine as well. I have nothing to hide, nor anything to justify. You decide what to do."
Aunt Li was indeed forthright, perhaps too much so, basking in her triumph.
Lu Qingqing found her confession amusing. "Why did you do it? What was your other reason?"
"Nothing, just to avenge my master."
"Your master? Who?"
"Lian Xianhai!"
Lu Qingqing had assumed Aunt Li meant to avenge Sixth Master, but she hadn't expected Lian Xianhai.
"Was Lian Xianhai your husband?" Lu Qingqing asked, surprised.
"No, I wasn't worthy. I was just a servant in his household, taking care of his daily needs," Aunt Li replied.
Er…
Lu Qingqing was speechless. While this wasn't the answer she'd hoped for, it made a kind of sense.
Aunt Li explained that she had always worked for the Lian family. After Lian Xianhai mysteriously disappeared, she, grateful for his years of care, remained in his home.
After all, she didn't know if Lian Xianhai would ever return.
It was only much later that she learned Lian Xianhai was dead, murdered by the Tong siblings. Thus, when she found out Tong Hua was imprisoned in the Supervisory Bureau of Governance, she decided to eliminate him discreetly. She disguised herself as a construction foreman and took on the renovation work for his office.
On the day Tong Hua met his fate, she saw Tong Meng visiting him from afar. She knew her opportunity had arrived.
She knew Tong Meng also harbored resentment towards her brother.
So, she approached Tong Meng, revealed her plan, and asked for her help.
"He's her own brother, would she agree?" Zhou Fengjiu asked, perplexed.
"She definitely would. Firstly, Tong Meng was framed by Tong Hua, leading to her being violated by Lian Xianhai. Secondly, Tong Hua knew too many of her secrets, making Tong Meng uneasy." Aunt Li stated that Tong Meng indeed did not refuse and they devised a plan: to arrange for Tong Hua to take a bath and then kill him, creating the illusion of suicide in a locked room.
As time was short, Aunt Li had no choice but to enlist her nephew Li Yong's help.
"Isn't Tong Meng also your enemy? Yet you sought her help?" This was what Hu Jia couldn't understand.
"When you find your enemy too formidable to overcome, you naturally let go. Besides, wouldn't it be advantageous to kill Tong Hua in the process? This way, I'd also have leverage over Tong Meng."
Hearing Aunt Li's words, one couldn't help but admire her manipulation of human hearts.
"So, you're saying the entire case was planned by you and Tong Meng, and Li Yong was merely following orders?"
"Yes! Therefore, Tong Hua was also killed by Tong Meng's hand; she murdered her own brother." Aunt Li chuckled, "I knew this would be discovered, and I have no intention of hiding it. My revenge is complete. I've told you everything. As for the other murderer, that's up to you to find out."
With that, Aunt Li gave Lu Qingqing a deep look. "If possible, I hope my nephew can be spared."
Lu Qingqing frowned, what was she thinking?
Although Li Yong wasn't the mastermind, he was still a murderer.
Just as Lu Qingqing was about to ask more questions, a trickle of black blood flowed from Aunt Li's mouth.
She had poisoned herself.
…
With Aunt Li's suicide, Tong Hua's case was considered closed. The police officially issued an arrest warrant for Tong Meng.
"Could this Aunt Li have deliberately implicated Tong Meng in her revenge, leading her to falsely accuse her?" Hu Jia still felt something was amiss about Aunt Li's insistence on Tong Meng being a principal culprit before her death.
"Perhaps. But regardless, Tong Meng is also implicated in a murder," Lu Qingqing had considered the truthfulness of Aunt Li's statements and had also suspected Aunt Li might have framed Tong Meng.
However, it was undeniably Tong Meng who had arranged for Tong Hua to take a bath.
"Then don't you think there's a gap in the story? Who exactly is this Aunt Li? Just a servant. What capability did she have to quickly form a construction team and secure a contract with the Supervisory Bureau of Governance? Surely, she wouldn't have been able to do it without help?"
Ah?
Lu Qingqing had overlooked that point. "Could it not have been Tong Meng who helped her?"
"Tong Meng wouldn't have had the means," Hu Jia mused. "I'll go to the Supervisory Bureau and get to the bottom of this."
…
Meanwhile, in the deep mountains, a half-naked woman was drifting in and out of consciousness. She was starving, and her wounds had begun to fester.
If she couldn't be rescued soon, she might die here.
However, she had no strength left.
The sunlight was dazzling, warming her body. She longed to sleep.
Wait, who was it?
Someone was coming?
Those footsteps?
The woman jolted awake, terrified that it might be her captors.
"Qiao Huali, you're ruthless! I, Tong Meng, will never forgive you even in death!"
She desperately wanted to escape, but her exhausted body had no strength left. Gradually, she heard the footsteps growing closer, but her eyelids grew heavier.
Finally, she couldn't hold on any longer.
She wanted to sleep!
…
After Hu Jia left, Gao Liang arrived. "Director Xie's wife has been safely escorted home."
It turned out that after Luo Wenwu had gone to Yongchuan without authorization, Ouyang Wen had dispatched Gao Liang to Jiangjin to personally protect Xie Xi's family.
Today, Gao Liang had successfully rejoined the team. His hatred for Tong Meng ran deep; if she hadn't framed him, he wouldn't have had to leave Chongqing for so long. "Director Xie told me we don't need to hold back, we can do whatever we want."
Saying this, Gao Liang produced a search warrant from his hand. "This lists the address of Tong Meng's home."
Lu Qingqing took the warrant and saw Xie Xi's signature. It seemed that without the threat to his wife and children, Xie Xi was prepared to make decisive moves.
"Don't spread the word about this for now. Tong Meng knows many people in the department. Even though she's in hiding, we can't be sure no one will inform her," Lu Qingqing instructed.
"Understood," Gao Liang replied, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Call me when you're ready to move. I'll turn her house upside down, even the cockroaches."
"Look at you," Lu Qingqing said, acknowledging Gao Liang's simmering resentment. "Let's meet at the main entrance after work. We'll conduct a night raid."
…
"Huh? Why is he leaving work so early today?" Zhou Fengjiu and Zhan Ruoxuan, who had been monitoring Qiao Huali, exchanged glances. It wasn't even quitting time, yet Qiao Huali had left in such a hurry.
They followed him without hesitation.
However, Qiao Huali's behavior was peculiar. Despite his haste, he didn't go to any other locations but returned directly home.
Zhan Ruoxuan and his companion were puzzled. If Qiao Huali wasn't going to do anything else or meet anyone, why the rush? Was he suffering from an upset stomach?
At that very moment, Guan Jinsong heard movement from within Sixth Master's house.
He had been guarding the abandoned courtyard of Master Dao Liu for the past few days, hoping someone might reappear. But after waiting for two days with no sign of activity, he was starting to lose interest. Suddenly, he heard a noise from inside the house.
"Who's there?" Guan Jinsong rushed into the courtyard. The door was still shut. He kicked it open and ran inside.
But the living room was empty. Had he imagined it?
Just as Guan Jinsong began to doubt himself, he noticed the telephone in the corner wasn't hung up properly!
The cord was still swaying!