noffsinger Chapter 612 A Thief Within is Hard to Guard Against! Zhou Buyi: He's Not Worthy of Entering the
Chapter 612 A Thief Within is Hard to Guard Against! Zhou Buyi: He's Not Worthy of Entering the
Night falls
Du Ji sat alone in the room, grieving.
His relationship with his wife was genuine; they were childhood sweethearts who had supported each other through thick and thin.
The loss of his beloved wife left Du Ji in a daze, and he even had the urge to follow her in death.
But Du Ji was not alone after all; he carried the fate of his family and bore the responsibility of being the clan leader.
It's impossible to simply let go and walk away.
"Brother, are you alright?"
A voice sounded outside the study.
After being called three or four times, Du Ji finally came to his senses and realized that it was his younger brother, Du Zhou, calling him.
"Zhongying (Du Zhou's courtesy name was Zhongying), why aren't you asleep yet at this hour?"
"Brother, may I come in and say a few words to you?"
Du Zhou asked.
Du Ji pondered for a few seconds, then opened the door and let Du Zhou in.
Du Zhou was Du Ji's half-brother, born to a concubine.
However, Du Ji's father only had these two sons, so he didn't treat Du Zhou any worse.
Even after Du Ji became the clan leader, he took good care of his younger brother Du Zhou, fulfilling his responsibilities as the eldest brother.
It can be said that as long as Du Zhou doesn't think about the position of clan leader, it's a foregone conclusion that he will become one of the clan elders when he gets older.
"Brother, my sister-in-law has been murdered by a villain. Are you just going to stand by and watch her lose her life?"
Du Zhou looked at him with a look of anger at his lack of ambition, leaving Du Ji speechless.
“Zhongying, it’s not that I didn’t want to, but the evidence is conclusive that your sister-in-law poisoned Commander Su.”
Du Ji lowered his head in shame.
Party politics shouldn't involve family members, but the wife did it anyway.
“Brother! My sister-in-law is so kind to everyone. If it weren’t for you, how could she have poisoned Su Yu?”
Everything she did was for you!
"Brother, if you don't think about avenging your sister-in-law, are you even a man?"
"I……"
Du Ji couldn't help but recall the wonderful times he had spent with his wife.
Unfortunately, all of this is now just a memory, never to return.
"Brother, everyone else can speak ill of sister-in-law, but you can't!"
"She dedicated most of her life to you!"
Du Zhou's words struck Du Ji's chest like swords.
In a daze, Du Ji asked:
"Zhongying, what do you think I should do, brother?"
A confident smile appeared on Du Zhou's face.
"Brother, why not go with the flow and pin the poisoning on Su Ziyi?"
"As long as you ask the Commandant of the Capital Region, he will definitely agree."
“This is Chang’an, the territory of the Commandant of the Capital Region and your territory.”
"Even fabricating some false evidence shouldn't be difficult."
"Although Su Ziyi's self-directed and self-acted actions cannot cause him any real harm, they can completely ruin his reputation!"
Suddenly, Du Ji laughed.
The smile looked extremely tragic.
The next moment, he stood up and grabbed Du Zhou by the collar.
"Ah Zhou, Ah Zhou, what have your brother and sister-in-law done to wrong you?"
"Why would you go to such lengths to cause your sister-in-law's death?"
A flicker of panic crossed Du Zhou's face, but he still gritted his teeth and argued:
"What nonsense are you talking about, brother?"
"Weren't my words just now all suggestions and advice for you?"
"You not only don't appreciate it, but you also say that your younger brother killed your sister-in-law?"
"Brother, what are you thinking?"
Du Ji gave Du Zhou a cold look.
He clapped his hands, and several guards rushed in from outside.
“Ah Zhou, Haitang has been your sister-in-law’s maid for many years. Besides your sister-in-law, the only person she cares about is her son.”
"Her son also works in the household, but he works for you."
"Start with her son. By half-bewitching and half-winning him over, you can get Haitang to work for you."
"As for that cook, his family member was seriously ill, and you paid for his treatment. His life was already yours!"
Upon hearing this, Du Zhou shouted:
"Even so, what power do I have to make my sister-in-law hang herself?"
Du Ji's eyes were filled with sorrow.
The next moment, this sorrow transformed into tangible anger.
You used me!
"You instigated your sister-in-law, telling her that Su Ziyi was going to harm me! The only way to keep me out of this is to seize the opportunity to poison Su Ziyi's food!"
"But...you can fool your sister-in-law, but you can't fool me!"
"I am the Prefect of Chang'an. I am responsible for arranging Su Ziyi's meals and accommodations in Chang'an."
"If Su Ziyi really gets into trouble, then I, the Prefect of Chang'an, will surely die for him!"
"If Su Ziyi is alright, then you should further instigate your sister-in-law to take all the blame by committing suicide."
"Ah……"
"How could the Du family produce such a heartless and ungrateful wretch like you!"
Du Ji actually had one more thing he didn't say.
Given Su Yu's usual style of never suffering a loss, it's impossible that he would stop his investigation after reaching Madam Du.
If we follow the clues and continue the investigation, Du Ji will still be affected, including the position of clan leader, which he will have to relinquish.
and so.
As long as Madam Du makes a move against Su Yu.
Regardless of success or failure, Du Ji is destined to be unlucky.
But Lady Du was unaware of all this. Under Du Zhou's influence, she naively believed that she could risk her life to protect her husband from being implicated.
As for Du Zhou's purpose, it was quite simple.
If Du Ji is implicated, his two sons will also be affected.
At that time, wouldn't Du Zhou, the person from Du Ji's branch who was ineligible for the position of clan leader but was closest to it, become the clan leader?
Even those born out of wedlock have their own paths to success.
Their goal was to eliminate their elder brother, who was born of the legitimate wife.
"Hehe, brother, when did you realize the problem?"
Du Zhou gave up struggling and questioned Du Ji.
Du Ji's face was expressionless, revealing neither joy nor sorrow. He said calmly:
"The investigation into you started this afternoon."
"But I never believed you truly harbored such treacherous ambitions. However, the moment you entered the study, I understood: you truly desire the position of clan leader!"
"Hahahaha!"
“Brother, my talent is no less than yours, so why should only you be the head of the Du family?”
"Just because you are the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and I am a son born out of wedlock?"
"My future is in my own hands, and I refuse to be controlled by you!"
"You're crazy! You're absolutely crazy!"
Du Ji said nothing more, turned around, and signaled his guards to take Du Zhou away and hand him over to Zhou Buyi for disposal.
Du Ji is no ordinary person; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the second-in-command of the Zhong Yao Group.
Du Zhou was a traitor within the Du family.
But Su Yu deserves an explanation for poisoning him.
Therefore, Du Ji would not interfere with the handling of Du Zhou, but would leave it entirely to Su Yu.
……
When Du Zhou opened his eyes again, the surrounding environment had transformed into the Chang'an dungeon.
Zhou Buyi held the torture instruments in his hand, looking at him with a forced smile.
"Du Zhou, is that right? You're quite capable!"
"I……"
As soon as Du Zhou uttered a single word, the punishment, taught by Su Yu, authorized by the Ministry of Justice, and carried out by Zhou Buyi, officially began!
……