Chapter 1377: You heartless bastard!
In the underground ice cellar of the Yijing government office, Yang Tao looked at his good friend Wang Shujie, who had his eyes tightly closed. Sadness spread from his heart, and all the past events with Wang Shujie came to his mind.

Although Yang Tao already knew that his friend had hanged himself last night, he still held on to hope that Wang Shujie could be rescued, but unfortunately, God did not have mercy on him in the end.

Just as Yang Tao was feeling sad, the coroner Li Heng beside him also introduced:
"Captain Yang, the characteristics of Wang Shujie's death are typical suicide by hanging. There is nothing else to say. It is said that before he hanged himself, he said goodbye to his wife and daughter. At that time, his wife Liu realized that something was wrong and asked Wang Shujie if something happened, but Wang Shujie said nothing and then stayed alone in the house!"

"When his wife and daughter found him half an hour later, Wang Shujie had already hanged himself in the room and was not breathing."

"A suicide note from Wang Shujie was also left at the scene. In it, Wang Shujie said that he had made some mistakes in his work at the Ministry of Justice a few days ago and was scolded by Zhao Xin, the Deputy Director. Wang Shujie felt that he had lost all his dignity and face, so he could not bear the humiliation and committed suicide!"

After saying this, the coroner Li Heng handed a page of paper to Yang Tao and said:
"Captain Yang, this is his suicide note, please take a look!"

Yang Tao took the suicide note and read it carefully. He and Wang Shujie had known each other for many years, so he was familiar with Wang Shujie’s temper. Wang Shujie was willing to tell him some of his complaints at work, so Yang Tao also knew that Wang Shujie had been wronged more than once in his work at the Ministry of Justice, and had been scolded by his superiors before...

Although Wang Shujie felt humiliated, he silently endured it considering his wife, children and mother at home. So when Yang Tao heard that Wang Shujie committed suicide because he could not bear the humiliation after being scolded by his boss, to be honest, he didn't believe it in his heart. So he urgently wanted to see Wang Shujie's suicide note so as to judge its authenticity from the handwriting.

Wang Shujie's suicide note consisted of only a hundred words, and the content was exactly the same as what the coroner Li Heng said. However, Yang Tao spent half a cup of tea reading these hundred words over and over again three times before returning them to Li Heng.

Because he had known Wang Shujie for many years, Yang Tao was very familiar with Wang Shujie's handwriting. Therefore, he could tell that every word in the suicide note was written by Wang Shujie himself, and not forged by someone else as he had just guessed.

Although it was confirmed that the suicide note was written by Wang Shujie himself, Yang Tao still found it hard to believe that Wang Shujie would commit suicide because of this.

In his impression, Wang Shujie is a hard-working and responsible man. In order to give his family a better life, he studied hard and went to work in the Ministry of Justice. In order to move his family out of Jiashiyi Hutong, he worked very hard in the Ministry of Justice. Even when he was wronged in the Ministry of Justice and was scolded by his superiors, he never showed any negative emotions after returning home.

Yang Tao found it hard to believe that such a person could be so cruel as to abandon his mother, wife and daughter!
While Yang Tao was thinking, an officer came over and informed him:
“Captain Yang, the prefect said that although Wang Shujie committed suicide, it was still a human life. According to the rules, the Yijing government should investigate. And since you are a good friend of Wang Shujie, you should go to the Ministry of Justice to inquire about the situation…”

Faced with the task assigned by the prefect Liu Ning, Yang Tao directly accepted the job. Wang Shujie was his best friend, so Yang Tao had to find out why Wang Shujie died. Even if Liu Ning did not give him this task, he would take the initiative to volunteer to investigate.

Since he had accepted the task, Yang Tao did not hesitate at all. Half an hour later, he arrived at the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice had obviously learned about Wang Shujie's death, so after Yang Tao informed them of his identity and purpose, he questioned Zhao Xin, the Deputy Director, and several of Wang Shujie's colleagues as he wished.

Several people, including Zhao Xin himself, said that Wang Shujie made a mistake in a file yesterday afternoon and was scolded by Zhao Xin for this. The scolding lasted for about two cups of tea, during which he used insulting words such as "idiot" and "waste", and he also threatened to kick Wang Shujie out of the Ministry of Justice if he made another mistake.

During the questioning, Zhao Xin also expressed his apologies. He said that he had been under a lot of work pressure recently and was overwhelmed by the large number of documents and files he had to deal with. So when he saw that Wang Shujie had made a mistake with a file yesterday, he spoke without thinking and spoke harshly to Wang Shujie.

He didn't expect that Wang Shujie would actually commit suicide, and in order to express his apology, although he didn't need to pay compensation, he was still willing to pay a certain amount of compensation to Wang Shujie's family··············
Wang Shujie's colleagues said that Wang Shujie was usually a very careful person. As far as they could remember, it was the first time that Wang Shujie made a mistake in the file yesterday. They were also very surprised that Wang Shujie committed suicide. After all, he had been reprimanded like he was yesterday before, and Wang Shujie had even been scolded even more severely. However, Wang Shujie still came back to work on time the next day.

After hearing the stories from the people in the Ministry of Justice, Yang Tao's doubts not only did not decrease, but an idea gradually formed in his mind.

After finishing questioning everyone in the Ministry of Justice, Yang Tao was ready to return to the Yijing Yamen, but on the way he met a person he didn't want to see.

Although Yang Tao believed that it was Zhao Yuan who sent people to follow him and even sent people to watch him near his home, in the officialdom, it can be said that the higher the official, the more powerful he is.

So when he saw Zhao Yuan on the road, Yang Tao could only suppress his unhappiness and bowed to him:

"I pay my respects to Chief Zhao!"

Zhao Yuan looked at Yang Tao and said with a smile:

"It's such a coincidence that I met Captain Yang here. If you have nothing to do, would you like to have a cup of tea with me?"

Yang Tao said calmly:
"Thank you for your kindness, Chief Zhao. I still need to go back to the government office to report!"

After saying that, Yang Tao bowed and made a gesture to leave. Seeing this, Zhao Yuan also restrained his smile and said:

"Captain Yang, don't you want to know the truth about your friend's death?"

Yang Tao hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but still did not stop leaving. Seeing this, Yang Tao could only use his trump card:
"Captain Yang, please forgive me for being blunt, but your family is in danger..."

Hearing Zhao Yuan mention his family, Yang Tao immediately stopped and looked at Zhao Yuan coldly, while Zhao Yuan walked into a teahouse.

A moment later, in the teahouse private room, Zhao Yuan looked at Yang Tao, who had murderous intent in his eyes, and said helplessly:

"Captain Yang, I admit that I underestimated you. I think you should have already discovered the sentries near your home!"

"You're right! Those people were sent by me, Zhao Yuan!"

Seeing Zhao Yuan directly admitting this matter, Yang Tao couldn't help but narrow his eyes, and Zhao Yuan continued:
"Although I sent them, they are not here to harm your family. Instead, they are here to protect them!"

After saying this, Zhao Yuan paused for a moment, then looked at Yang Tao and continued very seriously:
"Captain Yang, if you had been honest yesterday, I believe your friend Wang Shujie would not have been forced to commit suicide!"

Hearing Zhao Yuan use the word "forced" to describe Wang Shujie's suicide, Yang Tao couldn't help but feel moved, but he remained expressionless and said nothing.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuan continued to ask:

"Captain Yang, let me guess what you found out. It's a list, right?" Yang Tao, who had been unhappy for half his life, was still shrewd. Therefore, although he was puzzled as to why Zhao Yuan knew it, Yang Tao remained expressionless under Zhao Yuan's gaze.

Seeing that Yang Tao remained silent, Zhao Yuan also spoke out:
“Captain Yang, if you maintain this attitude, then there’s no way for us to continue this conversation. I can withdraw the sentry guarding your home right now, but if anything happens, don’t regret it…”

Yang Tao was a little hesitant after hearing this, and Zhao Yuan continued to say:

"Captain Yang, I guess you and Wang Shujie once reached an agreement, and then you pushed all the blame onto that gambler and closed the case with Prefect Liu. But now Wang Shujie is dead, and you have seen the other party's methods. You and your family are in danger. The only one who can help you now is me, Zhao Yuan!"

After careful consideration, Yang Tao raised his head and looked at Zhao Yuan and said in a deep voice:

"How can you guarantee that you can protect me and my family?"

Zhao Yuan fell silent after hearing this. After a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"Captain Yang, do you know why I came to investigate this case?"

Faced with Zhao Yuan's sudden question, Yang Tao shook his head honestly. This was only the second time he and Zhao Yuan had met. He didn't know Zhao Yuan well enough, so naturally he didn't know why he was the one investigating the case.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuan continued:

"Captain Yang, what I am about to tell you is top secret. If you leak it, you and your family will be punished by the court. So are you sure you want to continue listening?"

"Does this have anything to do with my problem?"

"Of course!"

After getting a positive answer from Zhao Yuan, Yang Tao hesitated for a moment but finally nodded.

After getting the answer from Yang Tao, Zhao Yuan did not hesitate and said directly:
"The imperial court intends to set up a new department in the Ministry of Justice, and I am a competitor for the position of head of this department. This case is my chance to prove my ability..."

"If I succeed, Captain Yang, I want you to join us as a deputy in this department!"

"In fact, I was examining you yesterday. You performed better than I expected. My subordinates came from the Coordination Office and have received professional training in tracking and surveillance, but you found them easily. Combined with your past ability to solve cases, I think you are the talent I need!"

"Captain Yang, with your ability, you shouldn't just be an eighth-rank constable in the Ministry of Justice. You should have a brighter future!"

Facing Zhao Yuan's eloquent talk, Yang Tao felt a little confused. Wasn't he talking about how to ensure the safety of himself and his family?
How come Zhao Yuan now wants to recruit me to work in the Ministry of Justice?
Seeing Yang Tao's puzzled expression, Zhao Yuan continued:

"Captain Yang, in short, if you help me investigate this case, I will be able to get promoted. Then I will recruit you to join my group. In this way, no one will dare to touch you and your family, and you will also be able to get promoted and make a fortune!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Tao said in a deep voice:

"Sir Zhao, I am just a small constable under the Yijing government office. I am not very interested in promotion or wealth. I just want to ensure the safety of my family!"

"That's a shame! But as long as you help me solve this case, I can protect your family's safety!"

Yang Tao hesitated for a moment before finally saying:
"After Governor Liu handed the case over to me for secret investigation, I discovered that someone had searched Ziyun's room. I used this as a clue to investigate. After some investigation, I found out that Ziyun had hidden something in a house she bought in Yijing West City..."

"It took me half a day to find Ziyun's house and found a list from it!"

After hearing Yang Tao talk about the key issue, Zhao Yuan asked directly:

"Have you seen the list?"

Faced with this question, Yang Tao hesitated for a moment but finally said helplessly:

"I didn't know what was written on it at the time, so I took a look at it in order to solve the case!"

"Do you remember what it said?"

In response to Zhao Yuan's question, Yang Tao hesitated for a moment but nodded truthfully and said:

"The list contains the names and amounts of bribes given to members of the G by Hu Ming!"

Zhao Yuan was not surprised by Yang Tao's introduction and continued to ask:
"Can you write it down now?"

Since he had chosen to cooperate with Zhao Yuan, Yang Tao did not try to be indecisive. He directly borrowed paper and pen from the store and began to write furiously.

Half an incense stick later, Yang Tao handed the list to Zhao Yuan. Zhao Yuan looked at the dozen names on it, then immediately locked onto one of them and asked with a frown:
"Captain Yang, what does this heartless bastard mean? Did he accept 30,000 taels of silver from Hu Ming?"

Yang Tao explained:
“The person listed on Ziyun’s list at that time was a heartless bastard! According to what was written on Ziyun’s list, this person should have indeed accepted 30,000 taels of silver from Hu Ming…”

(I saw some readers expressed doubts about my writing of this plot in the background. I want to explain my motivation for writing this paragraph. First, I want to try to write a suspenseful plot. Second, I am trying to describe the open and secret struggles in the Daqian court from the perspective of a small person. I think everyone may feel it more in this way. Third, I also laid a foreshadowing. You can come back and read this chapter in a month.)