QYT - 4

Jingzhao Prefecture, Tuisitang.

“Yuan Wenguang has always been infatuated with you, and hired matchmakers to propose marriage several times. Your father, disliking his character, politely refused them every time, is that right?”

“I, I don’t know...”

Cui Zhiyue knelt beneath the public hall, her words trembling from between her teeth.

Her fingers clutched at her skirt, knuckles white. Startled by Zhang Luzhi’s sudden question, she didn’t even dare to raise her head.

“He held a grudge because of this. After your father was found guilty, he bribed officials to punish your father severely, and even ambushed you several times in the streets. So, your journey to the capital wasn’t solely for Cui Hongyi, but also to evade him, is that right?!”

“No, no. I really... I really was for my father.”

“But you didn’t expect him to be so determined to have you that he would chase you all the way to the capital. If it weren’t for—” Zhang Luzhi glanced at Qing Wei, who was kneeling beside her, “—your cousin, who has some skill and helped you shake off Yuan Wenguang, you probably wouldn’t have even reached the capital.”

He walked over to Cui Zhiyue with his hands behind his back, bent down, and said, “You arrived at the official inn south of the city, and Cui Qing Wei suddenly left for something. Before leaving, she told you to stay in the room and not go out. You didn’t listen to her and unexpectedly encountered a drunken Yuan Wenguang outside the inn.”

“You knew what he was thinking, and you immediately fled. He caught up with you in the wilderness near the official inn and tried to assault you. You were terrified and full of hatred. You thought of your father, thought of your own plight, and filled with grief and indignation, you finally mustered the courage and, when he was least prepared, stabbed him to death with a knife, is that right?!”

“No, no, I didn’t!”

Cui Zhiyue was flustered and helpless. Though severely provoked by Zhang Luzhi, she managed to hold on, gathering all her strength not to collapse. She remembered what Qing Wei had told her and retorted, “That day... Qing Wei did leave, but she only went to buy some necessities and returned very quickly. After that, we were always together. I didn’t kill Yuan Wenguang; I didn’t even, didn’t even see him!”

“You’re talking nonsense!” The Yuan family servant, who had been listening to the trial, finally couldn’t hold back. “At that time, there was only you and the young master in the wilderness. If the young master wasn’t killed by you, then who could it be?!”

Zhang Luzhi turned and flicked his robes, cupping his hands to Wei Jue at the head of the hall, “Your Excellency, please bring in the witness!”

The yamen of the Black Eagle Division was located outside the Forbidden City. They were now using the Jingzhao Prefecture’s premises for the trial. The bailiffs standing on both sides of the hall had been replaced by armored, armed Black Eagle Guards, and even the “Sea Tide and Sun” painting behind the official desk looked a bit more solemn than usual.

Several witnesses were brought in, seemingly intimidated by the stern atmosphere, and immediately knelt and shouted, “Your Excellency.”

Zhang Luzhi wasted no words and walked to the first person: “Retell your testimony from your deposition.”

“Yes. This humble commoner is the innkeeper of Jipu Town, fifty li outside the capital. It was around the evening of the ninth day of the eighth month, when two groups of guests arrived at the inn to stay...”

“Young Master Yuan arrived at the inn, and the first thing he did was inquire about the whereabouts of two young ladies. Because the two young ladies had their faces covered, this humble commoner couldn’t be sure if they were the people Young Master Yuan was looking for. But Young Master Yuan claimed that their carriage was tied outside the inn, so the people must be here, and he even wanted to search this humble commoner’s inn. However... he didn’t find them. This humble commoner later heard their servants complain, saying something like, ‘That ugly woman must have deliberately left the carriage here just to confuse them; the people ran away long ago.’“

Zhang Luzhi asked, “Take a look. Are the women who stayed at your inn that night the two beside you?”

The innkeeper knelt and turned his face, scrutinizing them: “Reporting to Your Excellency, judging by their build, they resemble them somewhat.”

Zhang Luzhi then looked at the second witness, “Are you the postmaster of the official inn south of the city?”

“Reporting to Your Excellency, I am.”

Although this postmaster was not a high-ranking official, he served in the yamen. Without being told, he immediately recounted how Qing Wei and the other woman arrived at the inn to stay, and how Qing Wei borrowed a horse and left the next day.

“...At noon, Young Master Yuan arrived at the inn and ran straight into the Cui lady. Because the Cui lady dropped her veiled hat while fleeing, this humble one recognized her as the one beside him.”

“This humble one felt the situation was unusual at the time and sent a subordinate to follow and observe. However, firstly, the inn was busy, so the subordinate didn’t pursue far. Secondly, both Young Master Yuan and the Cui lady spoke with Yuezhou accents, suggesting they were from the same area, so the subordinate didn’t pay much attention and returned early.”

Zhang Luzhi stared at Cui Zhiyue: “Well? Are you still claiming you never saw Yuan Wenguang?”

All the color drained from Cui Zhiyue’s face, and her fingers clutched tightly at the ground.

“I... I did see him, but I ran into the wilderness and quickly got lost. It was Qing Wei who found me... I truly don’t know why he died...”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face like broken threads, and her whole body trembled like a withered leaf.

Zhang Luzhi looked at Cui Zhiyue.

She was at the end of her rope; there was no need to pressure her further.

He turned around, took the confession paper from the public desk, and threw it in front of Cui Zhiyue: “Confess.”

The confession paper floated down with a “bang.” A Black Eagle Guard also placed a red clay box for fingerprinting in front of Cui Zhiyue.

The public hall was silent. Gao Ziyu had listened to the entire interrogation from the side. The evidence was conclusive, and there seemed to be no way to argue.

He didn’t believe Yuan Wenguang’s death was caused by Zhiyun. Just as he was pondering how to defend her, he suddenly heard a clear, cold voice from the hall: “Your Excellency.”

“Your Excellency, please be advised, my sister did not cause Yuan Wenguang’s death.”

Zhang Luzhi shifted his gaze to Qing Wei, letting out a cold snort, as if in mockery, “Oh? Do you have other evidence?”

Qing Wei’s voice was soft, but clear enough to be heard distinctly.

“The witnesses found by Your Excellency, besides proving that Yuan Wenguang followed my sister all the way; that I left the official inn on the morning of the incident; and that my sister encountered Yuan Wenguang at noon on the day of the incident, what else can they prove?”

“May I ask the Postmaster,” she slightly turned her gaze to the Postmaster beside her, “On the morning Yuan Wenguang died, you remember I borrowed a horse early. Do you remember when I returned the horse?”

“This...” The Postmaster hesitated, “I don’t recall.”

The southern city inn was extremely busy from noon until evening. He only remembered that when he went to check the horses in the stable at night, the horse borrowed that morning was already there. As for when it was returned, he had no impression whatsoever.

“Since you don’t know when I returned the horse, how can Your Excellency conclude that my sister and I were not together at the time of the incident?”

Is such a hasty judgment truly meant to find the murderer of Yuan Wenguang?

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Luzhi’s pupils slightly constricted, and he couldn’t help but shift his gaze to Wei Jue.

Zhang Luzhi’s reaction was fully observed by Gao Ziyu, who was standing nearby.

That’s right, all the evidence from the Black Eagle Division seemed to only prove that Cui Zhiyue had encountered Yuan Wenguang alone on the day of the incident, as for what happened, or even how Yuan Wenguang died, they seemed not to care.

The Black Eagle Division were close ministers to the Emperor, they shouldn’t be so careless.

Or rather, did they have another purpose in investigating this case?

Gao Ziyu carefully recalled the testimonies of the witnesses.

No, the Black Eagle Division was not looking for Yuan Wenguang’s murderer.

They were merely proving that at the time of the incident, at the official inn south of the city, only Cui Zhiyue was present, and Cui Qing Wei had left.

The Yuan Wenguang case happened at noon two days ago, specifically noon on the eleventh day of the eighth month.

What major event happened in the capital on the eleventh day of the eighth month?

“I’m just afraid Grand Master Gao might understand the mysteries involved and scare himself first!”

Gao Ziyu recalled Zhang Luzhi’s warning to him before the Jingzhao Prefecture.

His face instantly turned pale—

On the eleventh day of the eighth month, the southern city’s dark prison was raided, and a major criminal went missing. The Black Eagle Division received an imperial decree to leave the city and apprehend the criminal. Then, the next morning, they brought back two women who were lost in the mountains.

...

“Since this official claims she is the murderer, there is naturally concrete evidence.”

At Zhang Luzhi’s command, two Black Eagle Guards left and returned, throwing a blood-stained, coarse plain cloth garment onto the hall floor.

Upon seeing the blood-stained clothing, Cui Zhiyue could no longer support herself and collapsed weakly to the ground.

That day, after Qing Wei found her, she clearly helped her wrap the clothes around a stone and sink them in the pond.

Zhang Luzhi asked the postmaster: “Look carefully, did the Cui woman wear this on the eleventh day of the eighth month?”

“Reporting to Your Excellency, it seems... it seems so.”

Zhang Luzhi half-knelt in front of Qing Wei, pulled over Cui Zhiyue’s confession paper, and tapped it with a finger. “What else do you have to say?”

“...Yes.” Qing Wei pursed her lips and looked at the postmaster again, “Since the Postmaster remembers my sister’s attire, do you remember what I wore that day?”

“A black cloak.”

“And beneath the cloak?”

“This...”

“You don’t know. So you can’t be sure if I was wearing black or white, a jacket or a skirt, or perhaps, I was actually wearing the same as Zhiyun.”

“Yuan Wenguang followed my sister all the way to the capital. To guard against him, we naturally had a plan. My sister and I have similar builds, and we dressed identically to make it easier to distract him.”

“What exactly do you want to say?” Zhang Luzhi said angrily upon hearing this, “Are you trying to say that this blood-stained clothing is yours?”

“Precisely.” Qing Wei’s voice was light and steady, “This blood-stained clothing is mine.”

“It was I who killed Yuan Wenguang.”

“On the morning of the eleventh day of the eighth month, I went to the market to purchase supplies. Upon returning, I found my sister’s veiled hat near the inn, guessing she might have run into Yuan Wenguang.”

“I followed the tracks, and about five li away, I discovered Yuan Wenguang attempting to assault my sister. Although my martial arts are weak, upon encountering such a situation, I was determined to fight that filthy scoundrel to the death. Fortunately, Yuan Wenguang was drunk and weak, and couldn’t defeat me. I stabbed him in the abdomen with a knife.”

The hall was utterly silent.

Zhang Luzhi never expected that his investigation of Yuan Wenguang’s case would yield such a result.

Qing Wei’s guess was correct; the Black Eagle Division’s true objective was not this murder case.

However, his temper was impetuous, and when faced with a situation, he didn’t know how to proceed step by step. He was unwittingly led into a ditch and couldn’t recover for a while.

Given the circumstances, Zhang Luzhi had no choice but to turn back and ask Wei Jue for instructions again. Wei Jue’s gaze was fixed on Qing Wei, shifting unpredictably.

In a moment, he emerged from behind the magistrate’s table and stood before Qing Wei.

“You killed Yuan Wenguang?”

“Yes.”

“You and Cui Zhiyue were inseparable on this journey. Why did you leave her to go to the market on the morning of the eleventh day of the eighth month?”

“My sister and I sought help from the Gao family, having traveled a long distance, we naturally had to prepare gifts.”

“There are two markets near the southern city inn. This official has sent people to investigate, and on the eleventh day of the eighth month, none of the market vendors saw a woman wearing a black cloak.”

“My uncle was found guilty, and the Cui residence was raided. My sister and I had a difficult journey to the capital, with little money left. The prices shouted in the market were too expensive, and I couldn’t afford anything. That’s also why I was able to return to the inn early.”

“You discovered your sister was in trouble, why didn’t you inquire about her whereabouts from the postmaster?”

“I have a facial illness and am not good at dealing with people, that’s one reason; secondly, I found my sister’s lost handkerchief, confirmed she was in danger, and was already half a li from the inn.”

“Why didn’t you return to the inn to borrow a horse to search for her?”

“How can one identify tracks in a wild, overgrown area by merely riding past? It’s better to go on foot.”

“You claim that blood-stained clothing is yours. You were clearly wearing a cloak that day, so why is there no blood on your cloak?”

“The cloak was cumbersome, so I took it off during my struggle with Yuan Wenguang. There should be blood on the cloak as well, but after a night of rain, the bloodstains are almost gone. If Your Excellency has doubts, you can take it for inspection,” Qing Wei said. “Also, the dagger I used to commit the crime, I sank it in the pond with the bloody clothes. Since Your Excellency found the bloody clothes, you must have also found the dagger. That dagger cuts iron like mud; although I am but a woman, it would not be difficult for me to stab Yuan Wenguang with it. Does Your Excellency have any other doubts?”

No, answered very well.

Watertight.

Wei Jue looked left and right, Zhang Luzhi understood, raised a hand, and invited all the listening servants, witnesses in the hall, and officials and bailiffs from Jingzhao Prefecture out.

Inside the public hall, besides Cui Zhiyue and Qing Wei, only the Black Eagle Division remained.

Wei Jue’s hawk-like eyes gleamed with cold light. He slowly spoke: “On the morning of the eleventh day of the eighth month, a major case occurred in the capital. Have you heard about it?”

“If Your Excellency is referring to the prison break case, I have heard of it.”

On the day they entered the capital, the Wude Division set up strict barriers at the city gate to apprehend the culprits; upon returning to the Gao residence, Lady Luo also mentioned that Gao Yucang was tied up by a robbery case from the Ministry of Justice.

“The prison break was premeditated. Those who broke into the dark prison were all desperadoes. They fought with their lives to free the important criminal. However, none of that is important.”

“What’s important is that later, a bandit arrived to meet the prisoner. This person, dressed in black, faced dozens of imperial soldiers blocking his path and forcefully carved a path to escape.”

“The Black Eagle Division subsequently received an imperial decree to leave the city and apprehend this bandit and the prisoner. We chased them all the way to the mountains outside the capital, but instead found you and Cui Zhiyue. Do you think this is a coincidence?”

“...Naturally, it’s a coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Wei Jue said, “The dark prison near the southern city suburbs is jointly guarded by the Inspection Office and the Ministry of Justice. Although the soldiers of the Inspection Office are a bunch of useless people, their elites are not weak in martial arts. Even if this bandit is extraordinarily capable, to break through the encirclement of the Inspection Office, he would inevitably leave traces. Since there are traces to follow, it’s impossible for him to disappear without a trace.”

“But that day, the Black Eagle Division pursued into the wilderness, and all clues were lost. They only found two women sheltering from the rain in the mountains. Why do you think that is?”

Wei Jue finished his question, and without waiting for Qing Wei’s reply, he stated, “Two explanations.”

“Either the prisoner was among them, but that’s impossible; the prisoner is a man.”

“Then there’s only one other explanation left—the bandit created a diversion, deliberately exposing himself to cover the prisoner’s escape.”

Qing Wei listened quietly to Wei Jue. When she heard this last sentence, she understood, and looked up at Wei Jue: “Does Your Excellency suspect that I am the bandit?”

She had been taken away by the Black Eagle Division today and didn’t have time to put on her cloak. When she arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture, her veiled hat was also removed. It was noon, and the autumn light poured into the main hall. As she looked up, the marks around her eyes were clearly visible.

“On the night of the eleventh day of the eighth month, the Black Eagle Division pursued into the wilderness outside the capital and heard the startling sound of a bird taking flight from a branch. Was this sound your diversionary tactic?”

“Your Excellency misunderstands. If this humble woman possessed such ability, how could she have been repeatedly hindered by Yuan Wenguang on such a long journey?”

Qing Wei then realized, “Is this the purpose of Your Excellency’s investigation into Yuan Wenguang’s murder case? Does Your Excellency believe that this humble woman used one case to cover up another?”

Wei Jue did not respond.

He admitted that his handling of this case was indeed roundabout.

If the Black Eagle Division were still the same as before, regardless of whether it had evidence, it would simply take the suspect to the “Copper Cellar” for interrogation.

Unfortunately, after the disaster at Xijintai, the inspector and the chief attendant were mercilessly purged, and the Black Eagle Division was put into cold storage for five years, never to be used again. Now, the imperial decree had summoned him, a mere sixth-rank official in charge.

The two women captured in the suburbs of the capital were easily cleared of suspicion. With the precedent of the Black Eagle Division’s past bloodbath, they were treading on thin ice. If they arrested people without concrete evidence, it would only disgrace the imperial decree. Fortunately, he meticulously investigated and discovered that they were involved in another bloody case, temporarily intercepting the Jingzhao Prefecture’s case to gain an opportunity to interrogate the suspects.

He was indeed taking a roundabout route, but he could only seek a direct path through indirect means.

“Where exactly have you hidden the prisoner?”

“Why does Your Excellency insist I am the bandit? Whether it’s a murder case or a robbery case, death is the only outcome. What good would it do me to admit one and deny the other?”

When he got closer, Wei Jue noticed that the markings on Qing Wei’s left eye were not the only unusual marks on her face. There were also two moles embedded near the outer corner of her right eye.

Not tear moles, but between her temples and the corner of her eye, smooth and small, probably faintly reddish because her skin was so pale.

It reminded him of the demon in the rainy night, motionless even as her cloak was split and dark hair fell away.

Her trembling fingers were a deception, almost fooling him.

Wei Jue straightened up, looking down at Qing Wei:

“You stubbornly insist you are the murderer. If this official can prove otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to invite you to the ‘Copper Cellar’ in the forbidden palace for a visit.”

In the Copper Cellar, all eighteen cruel tortures are available for your tasting pleasure.

Qing Wei lowered her gaze: “If Your Excellency proves that this humble woman is lying, I will submit to Your Excellency’s discretion.”

“Good.”

Wei Jue called for Zhang Luzhi, lowered his voice, and asked, “Has Yuan Wenguang woken up?”

“He’s awake. He’s waiting in the carriage outside the public hall right now.”

“Bring him up.”

When the Jingzhao Prefecture yamen guards found Yuan Wenguang, he was barely clinging to life. The case was subsequently taken over by the Black Eagle Division.

So, whether Yuan Wenguang was alive or dead, no one knew except the Black Eagle Division.

However, the Black Eagle Division claimed this was a murder case, and since it was a murder case, lives were naturally lost in it, so everyone assumed someone had died.

Now that he thought about it, Yuan Wenguang was an evil person and a victim in the “murder case,” but in another robbery case, he was the most important witness.

For such a crucial witness, the Black Eagle Division naturally wouldn’t let him die. Even with one foot in the grave, they would snatch him back from the King of Hell.

“Take a look. Is the person who injured you that day among the two here in the hall?”

Yuan Wenguang, having narrowly escaped death, was extremely weak. He stood leaning against someone, his back constantly hunched, perhaps due to pain from his injuries. He was wearing a loose, wide robe, and much of his former arrogance had diminished, making him appear very frail.

“...Reporting to Your Excellency, yes.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s... it’s...” Yuan Wenguang’s eyes were filled with fear, looking apprehensive, but it was unclear what he was apprehensive about.

He raised his hand, his large sleeve enveloping his palm, his fist clenching and unclenching, hesitating to point.

The clear autumn light shone in, and suspended dust motes were clearly visible in the air. After a long moment, a pale hand emerged from his sleeve, hovering in front of Cui Zhiyue, paused, then moved away, towards Qing Wei.

“It’s her.”