The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 52: Death of Sun Dalang

Someone suddenly broke the atmosphere between the two. Yang Yuhuan was not angry. She whispered to Li Heng, "My dear, please take care of the official business first. We can talk about it in private later."

She stood up, took a look at the box of oranges, walked over to pick up a few, then came to Li Heng and whispered, "These oranges are from my husband's wish to ease my homesickness. I am very touched. However, homesickness is hard to ease because you don't have a place to belong. I have found my place. And it would be better if everyone could share things from home, so I want to share this box of oranges with everyone. Is that okay?"

"Of course." Li Ying nodded.

Yang Yuhuan not only understood his feelings, but was also generous and free and easy. Li Heng certainly agreed with such behavior.

"Okay, then you guys talk about business first." Yang Yuhuan held the flowers and retreated to the inner room.

After Yang Yuhuan left, Li Heng asked Xin Yunjing to invite Gao Xianzhi in.

After a while, Gao Xianzhi came in and said, "Your Highness, several people were suddenly killed in the city today."

"Oh?" Li Heng was slightly surprised. "Who are they?"

"Ordinary people, businessmen, singing girls, and even... retired soldiers."

Gao Xianzhi answered, his expression obviously sad.

Li Ying noticed Gao Xianzhi's expression and asked, "Is there anyone you know in there?"

"Yes." Gao Xianzhi admitted, "The retired soldier who was killed was named Sun Dalang. I fought alongside him when I was stationed in Khotan."

Khotan was one of the four towns under the jurisdiction of Anxi. It was also the place closest to Tubo and the outpost of Anxi in defending against Tubo.

Li Heng could guess who did it without even thinking.

Li Heng had deliberately alerted the enemy before, hoping to make Gai Jiayun act hastily and reveal his true identity.

But he didn't expect Gai Jiayun to react so cruelly and directly want to kill him.

As the saying goes, a kind man cannot command an army. Gai Jiayun has a thorough grasp of this point.

This is a good thing for Li Heng, but he still feels indignant about those innocent lives that were lost.

Li Ying stood up and looked at the falling snow. He stared blankly for a long time before asking Gao Xianzhi, "Why was he killed? Does General Gao know?"

"I..." Gao Xianzhi hesitated.

Li Heng did not force it. He looked at the charcoal fire in front of him and said, "It's a pity that you are wearing thin clothes. I worry about the low price of charcoal and hope the weather is cold. I am the envoy of Chubu and I am on duty on behalf of the emperor. I don't really want to make things difficult for anyone. I just hope that every citizen of the Tang Dynasty can share the fruits of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Heng said, picking up an orange and introducing it: "This is an orange from Shuzhou. Shuzhou is the princess's hometown. This is a specialty of her hometown. She hopes that I can share it with everyone, so that everyone can share the things of her hometown..."

"Your Highness." Gao Xianzhi bowed to Li Heng and said, "Three years ago, I and others lured the enemy to Khotan and many of our brothers died. Logically, the bodies of these dead brothers should be transported back to their hometowns for burial, and their families should receive a generous funeral. However, until now, some of the bodies of the dead soldiers have not been transported back to their hometowns, and some of the families who were transported back to their hometowns only received five strings of cash at most."

The funeral gift that Gao Xianzhi mentioned here is the pension, and the practice of transporting the corpse back to the hometown for burial originated from Li Shimin in the Tang Dynasty and has been passed down to the present day.

However, it is obvious that if the body is not transported back, the person is equivalent to not being dead, so they can collect salaries without doing anything, and they also embezzled some money by transporting the body back.

If the fubing system had not been destroyed, there would not be much meaning in drawing empty salaries. But now is the time when the fubing system has collapsed and the recruitment system has risen, so it is also the time when drawing empty salaries is prevalent.

Gao Xianzhi was obviously touched by Li Heng's words. He paused, adjusted his emotions, and continued, "Sun Dalang, who died today, always hoped that the remains of his brothers who died in Khotan before could be returned home and their families could receive funeral gifts."

"Those who carry firewood for the public should not be allowed to freeze to death in the snow." Li Heng sighed, looked at Gao Xianzhi, and said, "General Gao also participated in that war. With his character, he must have sought justice for his brothers who died, right?" "I am incompetent." Gao Xianzhi looked ashamed, "I have worked hard for this before, but to no avail."

Li Ying said: "That means this matter is of great importance."

Having said that, Gao Xianzhi no longer had any need to hide anything, and said, "This matter involves a serious matter. If it weren't for the commander-in-chief of the army, no one could have done this. I think it must be General Gai who was behind this."

"Oh?" Li Heng was slightly stunned and asked, "So General Gao has known this all along?"

Gao Xianzhi said: "I have not said this before. Firstly, there is insufficient evidence and I dare not speculate. Secondly, I have followed General Gai for a long time and I am grateful for this kindness."

"I see." Li Ying nodded and asked, "How did Sun Dalang die?"

Gao Xianzhi said, "Your Highness is here, I dare not inspect on my own, I just asked Feng Changqing to lead people to surround the scene."

Gao Xianzhi had heard about Li Heng's ability to handle cases in Lanzhou, so he wanted to invite Li Heng to see it in person.

Li Heng understood Gao Xianzhi's intention and said, "Then I will go now."

After saying that, he asked Yang Yuhuan to "take care" of him and went to the scene together.

……

……

……

This is a very simple thatched house with only a bed, a table and a chair.

There were two or three holes of moderate size on the roof of the thatched house. The strong wind and snow came in through the holes, making the whole room full of cold.

Li Heng took a look at the room and said, "A soldier guarding the border lives in a place like this?"

Gao Xianzhi nodded and sighed.

Li Ying walked over to the soldier's body and examined it personally.

This was a man in his thirties, with a large build but unkempt hair. There were multiple wounds on his body and an arrow stuck in his chest. He held a long, thin iron rod in his hand, which seemed to be used for making fire.

Li Heng carefully examined him and said to Gao Xianzhi, "Both of his legs are broken, and there are black calluses and abrasions on his palms, which means he often walks with his hands, so he has been lame for a long time. Did he become disabled in the war and was discharged from the army?"

"Your Highness, no." Gao Xianzhi shook his head and said, "Two years ago, the military commander Zhao Cheng accused him of selling horses to Tubo privately and colluding with foreign enemies, so he was beaten and crippled."

"Did he really collaborate with the enemy?" Li Heng asked.

This time, Feng Changqing said without waiting for Gao Xianzhi to speak, "No, he will never collaborate with the enemy. In the battle of Khotan, many of our brothers died at the hands of the enemy. Sun Dalang has been seeking justice for the dead brothers in recent years. He will never collaborate with the enemy."

If it's not treason, then it's a frame-up.

It is very easy for a superior to frame the ordinary soldiers under him.

Li Heng nodded and asked in confusion: "Since someone accused him of collaborating with the enemy, which is a capital crime, why didn't the military commander kill him?"

(End of this chapter)