On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2089 Three People Quiz Each

Liu Guozhong was crying his eyes out.

"As for the rest, such as the capital city and the account books, I really don't know anything about them!"

He looked at Huo Changhe with pleading eyes: "Sir, I've already told you, please spare my life... I'm just an old man, I've long since lost my say in clan affairs, it's all Liu Balang and Liu Jiulang who make the decisions!"

"Spare your life?" Huo Changhe sneered. "You know how many dirty deeds you've committed. Even if I spare you, those you've harmed won't."

He gestured to his guards, "Take him away and keep him under strict guard. We'll deal with him once we've investigated everything."

The guards grabbed Liu Guozhong and dragged him outside.

As Liu Guozhong struggled, he cried out, "Spare me! I know I was wrong! Please spare me!"

Yan Ruyu waved her hand, and the guards stopped.

Liu Guozhong, seeing a glimmer of hope, kept begging for mercy.

Yan Ruyu looked down at her and asked, "Who sent you to bring these people today?"

Liu Guozhong swallowed hard and replied without hesitation, "Yes, it's Jiulang."

Yan Ruyu narrowed her eyes slightly: "Where is he?"

"It's in the cellar of my house."

Yan Ruyu glanced at Huo Changhe, who immediately waved his hand, and the guards went to arrest the person.

Yan Ruyu had no intention of getting anything out of Liu Guozhong, whether it was the capital or account books.

From beginning to end, this was the only question she wanted to ask.

The one caught at the shipyard that night wasn't the real Liu Jiulang.

Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe had already figured it out, so when Liu Guozhong brought people to cause trouble, she wasn't surprised at all.

The real Liu Jiulang has not yet been captured, and he will certainly not give up easily; he will continue to cause trouble outside.

Yan Ruyu wasn't afraid of him moving, but rather of him not moving.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard again. Su Zhenhai strode in, holding a document in his hand: "This is the letter of repentance that the Liu family members handed over earlier. It lists many of the Liu family's crimes, as well as some secrets they know. Please take a look."

Huo Changhe took the letter of repentance, quickly flipped through a few pages, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Very good, these are all important pieces of evidence."

He handed the letter of repentance to Yan Ruyu: "Keep this, and put it together with the previous account books and letters. It will be the basis for conviction in the future."

Yan Ruyu took the letter of repentance, read a few pages carefully, and nodded, saying, "It describes the Liu family's business of selling smuggled salt and tax evasion. These can be used to further investigate the Liu family's crimes."

Su Zhenhai stood to the side, his tone respectful: "What should we do next? Should we send people to arrest the other branches of the Liu family?"

Huo Changhe and Yan Ruyu exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.

"Grasp!"

The more chaotic the situation, the better.

You can only fish in turbulent waters.

Liu Jiulang wouldn't let this go easily, and coincidentally, so would Yan Ruyu.

"Yes, I understand," Su Zhenhai replied, bowing.

Yan Ruyu looked out the window; the sunlight was just right, but she knew that true peace had not yet arrived in Rongzhou.

But as long as she and Huo Changhe work together, they will surely be able to resolve the crisis and restore peace to the people of Rongzhou.

The guards' footsteps fell on the bluestone slabs of Liu Guozhong's house without making a sound.

The two figures quickly circled around to the west wing and bumped into a servant carrying a copper basin. Just as they were about to shout, the guards grabbed them by the back of the neck.

Where is the cellar?

The servant trembled, his eyes darting around, his lips quivering as he stammered, "N-no cellar..."

"I'll ask you one more time, where is the cellar?" Another guard stepped forward, pressing his finger against the servant's wrist, the pressure making the servant gasp in pain.

The servant's face turned pale instantly, and he nodded hastily, "It's...it's behind the woodshed in the east courtyard! There's a bluestone slab that can be lifted up, and underneath it is..."

The guards didn't say anything more. They knocked out the servants and dragged them to a corner of the woodshed. The two of them then quickly walked towards the east courtyard.

Sure enough, there was a bluestone slab behind the woodshed. They lifted it up together, and a damp smell rushed out.

As you descend the stairs, the candlelight in the cellar flickers, casting Liu Jiulang's silhouette.

Liu Jiulang was sitting on a haystack, rubbing his hands repeatedly on his knees.

His mind was in turmoil. He kept thinking about whether Liu Guozhong could make a scene quickly, so that he could take advantage of the chaos to sneak out.

Then he worried that if he messed things up, he wouldn't be able to escape and would lose his life.

He got up, paced a couple of steps, then stopped. Just as he was about to raise his hand to rub his throbbing temples, he heard footsteps above him.

The cellar door was pushed open, and light flooded in, making Liu Jiulang squint.

Upon recognizing the guards, his heart sank. He grabbed the short knife beside him and stabbed at the guard who had come down first.

The guard sidestepped, then reached out with his other hand, precisely gripping the wrist holding the knife. With a gentle twist, the short knife clattered to the ground.

Liu Jiulang struggled to lift his leg to kick, but the guard was prepared. He hooked his ankle with his foot and pushed him, causing Liu Jiulang to stagger and fall to the ground.

Two bodyguards stepped forward, one pressing on his shoulder and the other on his legs, holding him firmly down.

"Let me go!" Liu Jiulang shouted, his neck stiff. "If you have the guts, let me go and we'll fight again! That last attack doesn't count; I wasn't prepared!"

The guards ignored his shouts, untied the rope around his waist, and tied his hands behind his back.

Liu Jiulang was still struggling, shouting, "You bunch of cowards, do you dare to give your names? What kind of skill is it to ambush me!"

The guards remained silent, supporting Liu Jiulang as they walked out of the cellar.

As soon as he arrived at Liu Guozhong's gate, he saw a group of people dressed in military uniforms rushing in. He recognized the leader as Su Zhenhai's subordinate.

Liu Jiulang's eyes widened suddenly, and his struggle weakened.

The fact that Su Zhenhai's men came to raid Liu Guozhong's residence means that something must have happened to Liu Guozhong, otherwise Su Zhenhai wouldn't have acted so quickly.

His last shred of hope vanished, and a chill ran up his spine—the situation was hopeless.

The guards carried Liu Jiulang through the crowd and back to the Su residence.

Upon entering the courtyard, Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe swept their gazes over with cold indifference.

The guards pushed Liu Jiulang to the ground and reached out to remove the mask from his face.

Liu Jiulang's face was revealed, his forehead still covered in dust, his eyes filled with resentment.

Yan Ruyu gave a short laugh, her voice calm: "Bring the other two Liu Jiulangs up."

Soon, two people dressed in similar attire to Liu Jiulang were brought in.

One of them, pale-faced and shifty-eyed, was captured from the sacrificial site;

The other one had some bruises on the corner of his mouth and looked defiant; he was caught at the shipyard.

The three of them stood together. They didn't look exactly alike, but at a glance, it was basically impossible to tell the difference.

Liu Jiulang looked at the other two people, his pupils contracted, and the last bit of hope in his heart vanished.

Yan Ruyu's gaze swept over the three of them, and she slowly spoke, her tone devoid of emotion: "The three of you are all Liu Jiulang's stand-ins, right?"

The three of them exchanged a glance, then quickly lowered their heads, and none of them spoke.

Huo Changhe waved his hand, and three bodyguards stepped forward, standing behind them respectively.

Huo Changhe said coldly, "Ask each question only once. Those who don't answer, or who answer slowly, should either drink some poison to test the poison, or try the knife to see how fast it is."

The three men turned pale instantly, their faces filled with fear.

They were on the same side just moments ago, but now they've become competitors.

All three of them pursed their lips, looked up again, and stared intently at Yan Ruyu, afraid of falling behind.

Yan Ruyu chuckled inwardly.

"First question: Has anyone here ever seen the real Liu Jiulang?"

The three of them said in unison, "Me!"

They happened in different orders.

Yan Ruyu pondered for a moment: "Since everyone has answered, let's see who can say more and say it better."

"Those who say little or spout nonsense will be the ones to test the poison or the knife."

Yan Ruyu pointed to one of them: "You go first."