As the night deepened, the gates of the Anyang Marquis Manor remained brightly lit.
At the bottom of the steps lay a stretcher bearing a rough-looking man whose face was covered in blood. The man’s eyes were tightly shut, having been dead for some time. Beside him, seven craftsmen dressed in coarse work clothes knelt on the ground, wailing loudly.
“The Second Young Master of Anyang Marquis Manor has killed someone! We beg the Marquis for justice!”
“We plead for the Second Young Master to come out and face us, give us poor common folk justice…”
“A man is dead, and the Marquis Manor won’t even give us a single word?”
“The Marquis Manor has such great power – what does it matter to them if they trample on human life?”
The craftsmen’s voices overlapped, their wailing growing louder and louder. On the broad street nearby, crowds of common folk gathered layer upon layer. Yesterday’s incident at the Anyang Marquis Manor had just shocked the entire Jinzhou City, and now the Second Young Master had killed someone again?
“Has the Anyang Marquis Manor been struck by some evil star?”
“Indeed, how have they become entangled in murder cases one after another…”
“The Anyang Marquis Manor family are all military people with strong martial arts skills. It’s not surprising they might kill someone. Look at the man lying on the ground – he’s covered in blood. I wonder if the authorities will handle the case according to proper procedures?”
“What procedures? This is the Anyang Marquis Manor we’re talking about.”
“That’s right, there’s even an Imperial Princess in that manor!”
As the common folk discussed among themselves, suddenly the half-closed manor gate creaked open.
Yang Xi, wearing a brown long robe, emerged first. “Alright, alright, you want to see the Marquis? The Marquis is coming.”
Hearing this, the common folk fell silent, and the wailing craftsmen closed their mouths.
Yue Qiong strode out with a composed expression. He first walked to the deceased, bowed with clasped hands, and then waved to the craftsmen, “Please rise, everyone. The prefecture office has already taken the case. Rest assured, this matter will be resolved properly.”
“We won’t rise!” the lead craftsman said with a trembling voice. “This case is so clear, yet the prefect hasn’t sent anyone to question the Second Young Master for an entire day. It’s being delayed. We are as insignificant as ants before the Marquis, and if you don’t wish to punish the Second Young Master, we can do nothing about it. But heaven above bears witness – we were as close as brothers with Brother Lin. We cannot rest without seeking justice for him. His poor mother still lives – now she must bury her son…”
This man was tall and thin with a dark complexion. As he spoke, he grew more emotional and finally broke into loud wails. The other craftsmen joined in upon hearing his words – a group of grown men crying like women.
Yue Qiong frowned deeply. Having served in the military for many years where discipline was strict, he maintained equally strict control over the younger generation at home. Moreover, with Madam Jiang’s good guidance, the young ones had been raised well. He couldn’t believe Yue Qing would deliberately kill someone, though given Yue Qing’s martial arts skills, an accidental killing wasn’t impossible…
“Everyone,” Yue Qiong raised his hands in greeting, “I, Yue Qiong, have lived in Jinzhou Prefecture for many years. The people of Jinzhou know my reputation. I have no intention of being lenient in this matter. It is only because our household is dealing with multiple issues that there has been a delay. The prefect is in the same position. It’s late now – please come into the manor. Since this death was caused by my son, I will certainly take full responsibility.”
Seeing Yue Qiong’s sincere attitude, showing no trace of a powerful man bullying the weak, the craftsmen exchanged glances before looking to their earlier spokesman. After a brief contemplation, that man’s tone softened, “Very well, we’ll do as the Marquis says.”
Yue Qiong then instructed Yang Xi, “Go prepare the side rooms in the front courtyard for these brothers to rest and invite the prefect over. We’ll settle this matter tonight.”
Yang Xi complied, first helping the craftsmen to their feet, then carrying the stretcher into the manor.
Inside the manor, behind a screen wall, Qin Wan, Madam Jiang, Yan Chi, Yue Ning, and others had observed everything.
Madam Jiang clutched her sleeve, her eyes reddening as she said, “I know the Marquis’s character – he’s honest and upright. All these years, both at home and in the military, he’s never been lenient. If he’s inviting Prefect Huo over, he truly intends to determine Qing’er’s punishment tonight.”
As she spoke, the group had entered the manor. The spokesman craftsman led the others, following behind Yue Qiong and Yang Xi toward the side rooms in the front courtyard. Seeing this, Madam Jiang quickly led her group to retreat behind the flower wall of the side corridor.
The entire front courtyard was brightly lit. From over ten paces away, Qin Wan’s gaze swept across the group like arrows.
“What’s the identity of this speaking craftsman?” Yan Chi, who had been quiet for long, suddenly asked.
Though puzzled by Yan Chi’s question, Madam Jiang glanced at Lu Yun, who understood and walked toward the side rooms. She returned shortly to report, “Your Highness, the spokesman is their foreman, called Wei Wu.”
Yan Chi raised his eyebrows slightly. “This man has some cleverness about him.”
The deceased was just a craftsman, and these men were of humble status. Their courage to seek justice came firstly from brotherhood, and secondly because they knew of Yue Qiong’s excellent reputation in Jinzhou – they must have known the Anyang Marquis wouldn’t use extraordinary means to bully them.
Moreover, Wei Wu bringing the corpse to the main gate and his earlier words before so many commoners clearly emphasized their lowly status and the deceased’s family’s tragedy. If this matter wasn’t resolved properly, Yue Qiong’s reputation would be ruined.
Yan Chi added thoughtfully, “If he’s truly only seeking justice, then he can be considered loyal indeed.”
Qin Wan suddenly asked, “Madam, has the prefecture office examined the corpse?”
Madam Jiang nodded, “They have. They said the deceased’s shoulder was dislocated and two ribs were broken. The ribs likely pierced his internal organs, causing him to cough blood and die after Qing’er left.”
Qin Wan frowned. Death from broken ribs usually came either from excessive blood loss or internal organ damage, but she wasn’t sure if the coroner had carefully determined which. Madam Jiang said the deceased was covered in injuries, but Yue Qing had trained in martial arts since childhood and should know which points were vital – why would he strike everywhere?
This was Qin Wan’s biggest doubt, but without examining the corpse up close, she couldn’t be certain. She also couldn’t rashly request to see the body – that would likely cause great suspicion among the manor’s people.
As Qin Wan frowned in thought, Yan Chi’s gaze fell intermittently upon her.
He had already been surprised when she suggested coming to watch. Qin Wan wasn’t one to enjoy watching others’ drama, yet she had proposed it. Since arriving, she had been deep in thought.
Yan Chi suspected she was likely thinking about how to resolve the Anyang Marquis Manor’s trouble.
But this was a murder case – what could a young lady do to resolve it?
“Let’s move closer. I want to know what happened today.”
Madam Jiang suddenly spoke up. Concerned about Yue Qing, since she was already here, she couldn’t help wanting to hear more. So she emerged from behind the flower wall and walked directly to the corridor outside the side room.
Through the window lattice, the conversation inside is carried out clearly.
“Marquis, Brother Lin still has an elderly mother at home. With Brother Lin’s death, I don’t know how his mother will survive.”
“Rest assured about that – the Marquis Manor will provide sufficient money and arrange for her care.”
“Brother Lin was his family’s only son. With his death, the Lin family line ends. His mother is weak and sickly. We brothers haven’t told her the truth yet – we don’t know if she can bear it when she finds out.”
Wei Wu spoke sorrowfully, and Yue Qiong replied, “I understand the pain of losing a son. In the future, I’ll rely on all of you to care for Mother Lin.”
Wei Wu immediately said, “Of course, we’ll care for her like our own mother from now on.”
After a brief pause, Yue Qiong continued, “Brother, what exactly happened today? Since you say you witnessed my son killing Brother Lin with your own eyes, why don’t you tell me how he did it?”
Unable to wait for Prefect Huo’s arrival, Yue Qiong anxiously asked about the incident.
Wei Wu’s eyes showed pain as he said, “Well, it was Brother Lin’s loose tongue. He was righteous but liked to discuss rights and wrongs. Last… last night’s events are known to all of Jinzhou’s people. This morning, he was discussing it with us when the Second Young Master happened to pass by and hear. The Second Young Master stopped to argue with him, but he wouldn’t back down, and that’s how the fight started…”
Yue Qiong’s gaze grew solemn. “How did he strike?”
Wei Wu’s brows furrowed slightly, meeting Yue Qiong’s eyes as he realized the Marquis wanted him to describe the details of the assault.
After a moment’s thought, Wei Wu said, “The Second Young Master struck first. He rushed forward and punched Brother Lin in the face. Brother Lin cried out in pain and couldn’t help but lunge back, but he was no match for the Second Young Master. The Second Young Master grabbed his shoulder and with just one twist had him subdued, then kicked him down to his knees. Brother Lin was frightened by the beating and had just gotten up when the Second Young Master kicked him again in the chest. The Second Young Master was furious and kept raining punches on Brother Lin…”
Inside the room, Wei Wu spoke faster and faster, while outside the window, both Qin Wan and Yan Chi’s brows furrowed simultaneously.
“He is lying.”
“He is lying.”