PFC Chapter 179 The Black Hand is Caught
Chapter 179 The Black Hand is Caught
The rain that Ning Yunxiao was waiting for came sooner than they expected.
The next day—
After two days of efforts, the victims who were originally scattered everywhere were finally rescued. Due to the mistakes in the previous search and rescue decisions, the victims who were finally found had been trapped for too long and only a few survived.
Even so, Ning Yunxiao still fulfilled his promise, not giving up on anyone and not missing any corner.
As more and more disaster victims were found, Jiang Lige's task of settling them became increasingly heavy.
Especially the victims who were sent in later, almost all of them had injuries of varying degrees, and several of them had broken legs and could not walk, which meant that they needed careful care even to move.
It was under such circumstances that the heavy rain came. The rain poured down in torrents, and the huge amount of water merged into a flood. In less than half a day, it almost submerged the hills where the victims took temporary refuge.
Fortunately, Jiang Lige was well prepared. While commanding a large group of victims to take refuge on the top of the mountain, he also helped Shi Daizhi transfer the injured victims to the mountain.
Strangely enough, after everyone moved to the top of the mountain, the rain did not subside, but the flood at the foot of the mountain receded a lot.
When the disaster victims saw this, they all shouted "Amitabha", saying that God had opened his eyes.
Jiang Lige just smiled without saying anything. After settling the victims, he went to help Shi Daizhi.
The busy days seemed to pass by exceptionally quickly; in the blink of an eye, it was already dark.
After dark, Santou Mountain——
A group of people in black night clothes carried more than ten baskets of gravel up the mountain.
These people first looked around cautiously, and after making sure that there was no one around, they took action under the orders of their leader.
Some people went into the water to block the flood outlet with gravel, some were responsible for passing stones on the shore, and some were responsible for keeping watch and handling traces. The division of labor was clear.
Everyone was busy and having fun when they were covered by a huge net that fell from the sky. Everyone was shocked and felt something was wrong. Just as they drew their swords to chop at the huge net, they heard a low voice of "Get it".
Then, a group of masters in official uniforms rushed out from the woods, rushed forward, and captured everyone without leaving a single one alive.
Everyone was forced to kneel on the ground with their heads pressed down. The man who had just spoken came slowly towards them, and finally stopped steadily in front of the leader, and spoke indifferently.
"Prefect Qin, how are you?"
When Prefect Qin looked up, he saw Ning Yunxiao, who was wearing a black robe with dark patterns, his eyes sharp as a sword.
"So it's the prince! The flood has already hit the Dragon King Temple, and even family members don't recognize each other!" Prefect Qin said with a flattering smile, "I heard today that the flood has become stronger again, so I brought people here to see if we can find a way to divert more floodwaters out of the floodgates."
Ning Yunxiao didn't even bother to give Prefect Qin a sarcastic smile, "I'm so ignorant that I didn't know this stone could also help with flood control?"
Prefect Qin, relying on the fact that all the gravel had been thrown into the water, lied with his eyes wide open and said, "What stones? What I just ordered people to pour in were all used to clear the channel!"
Ning Yunxiao truly had no idea how shameless Prefect Qin had become. He snorted, "Then how do you plan to explain this receipt for gravel signed and sealed by Prefect Qin?"
After saying that, Ning Yunxiao placed a receipt in front of Prefect Qin.
Unexpectedly, Prefect Qin, who always had to take a breath after walking two steps, saw the receipt and actually mustered up all his strength to push away the officers and soldiers who were detaining him on both sides. He snatched the receipt from Ning Yunxiao's hands and stuffed it directly into his mouth to destroy the evidence.
The action was done in one go, which stunned Ning Yunxiao. He could not help but hold his forehead helplessly. Jiang Lige had guessed it right.
Therefore, the next moment, Prefect Qin saw Ning Yunxiao readily take out the second receipt from his arms.
"I forgot to tell Prefect Qin that I had these copied. If you haven't had enough, I have plenty here."
When Prefect Qin saw this, his smug smile instantly fell.
Looking at Prefect Qin's stunned expression, Ning Yunxiao could almost guess that if Jiang Lige were here, he would definitely raise the corners of his lips and arrogantly claim credit: "Speaking of absurdity, is there anyone more absurd than me?"
Thinking of this, Ning Yunxiao couldn't help but curl his lips.
However, this smile became a mockery in the eyes of the guilty Prefect Qin. Prefect Qin knew that the words had already been proven, and it was useless to quibble. It would be better to lose clearly.
"Your Highness was a smart move, and it was Qin who lost. But please enlighten me, Your Highness. I still can't understand where I went wrong."
"Prefect Qin is very clever, he wouldn't have missed it. We've already noticed something strange here, and we've deliberately waited until it rains to open the floodgates. This way, Prefect Qin will think the heavy rain has washed away the rocks blocking the floodgates.
The heavier the rain, the less likely Prefect Qin would suspect anything. To profit from this disaster, Prefect Qin would have to make sure the disaster continued, so he would definitely bring people to block the flood outlet again.
Prefect Qin is always cautious. He wouldn't risk leaking such a serious crime and sharing it with others. He will definitely come in person. All we need to do is wait and see."
Years of planning were ruined in an instant. Prefect Qin belatedly realized and chuckled. He then said, "How about I do some business with the prince?"
"Why, Prefect Qin wants to bribe me with silver?"
"Your Highness, your words are harsh. Every year, half of the silver collected during floods belongs to me. If Your Highness is willing to let me go, I will give you all my wealth. Even if Your Highness is not greedy for money, this silver can save many victims from suffering."
"Prefect Qin is quite calculating," Ning Yunxiao sneered. "As long as Prefect Qin is convicted and executed, the silver you have will naturally be returned to the people."
The two sides had already fallen out, and Prefect Qin was too lazy to pretend anymore. "I thought the Crown Prince was an upright person, but I didn't expect his methods to be so shameful."
"Use the means to deal with the person you are dealing with." Ning Yunxiao took over the conversation smoothly, without a trace of anger on his face. "Since Lord Qin is so interested in arguing with me, it would be better to explain it clearly as soon as possible. Who knows, the emperor might consider your good attitude and pardon your family from being implicated."
Prefect Qin's eyes flickered like the grass and trees withered by the sudden rain. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke again.
"In the past few years, I have indeed made a lot of money as an official in the border town, but I didn't do it this way at the beginning. This method was told to me by the man in black."
"Man in black?"
"It's him……"
Prefect Qin nodded, but before he could finish his words, he saw three crossbows flying through the air from a distance, heading straight for Ning Yunxiao's face. In the blink of an eye, the arrows and crossbows were already in front of him.