“Young Lord, Ninth Young Miss, I’ll take Qing Niang back to the yamen now.”

Wang Huai Yu bowed to Yan Chi and Qin Wan. Yan Chi nodded, and Wang Huai Yu followed Qing Niang out.

Soon, only the original few yamen runners and Qin Yan’s group remained at the courtyard gate. Qin Shuang stared wide-eyed at Qin Yan, “Third Brother… if I heard correctly, Qing Niang is the murderer in these cases? She also killed Qing Li?”

Qin Yan nodded, his brows tightly furrowed. These past days, everyone inside and outside the mansion had been investigating, but even he hadn’t paid attention to a servant like Qing Niang. Not just Qing Niang—he had never even considered Madam Chang’s household. Now that this had suddenly come to light, he was still somewhat dazed.

Qin Shuang looked at Qin Wan’s back in amazement and said softly, “These past few days, wherever she went, I followed, but how did she know Qing Niang was the murderer? How did I not notice anything?”

Qin Yan frowned slightly, also looking at Qin Wan, his gaze deepening.

In the courtyard, Qin Wan and Yan Chi stood together, watching Madam Chang emerge from the house with a grief-stricken face. Madam Chang stopped at the doorway, standing where Qing Niang had stood, her eyes reddened, seeming to have words unsaid.

Qin Wan glanced at Yan Chi, then stepped forward to the door.

“Ninth Young Miss…” Madam Chang’s eyes grew moist, words caught in her throat.

Qin Wan entered the room, looked toward the warm chamber, and then turned to Madam Chang, “What are Madam’s plans for the future?”

Madam Chang’s lips were tightly pressed together, and after a long while, she shook her head, “I won’t stay here, that’s certain.”

Qin Wan’s somewhat profound gaze softened slightly, “Madam must have known.”

This wasn’t a question but a statement. When these words fell, Madam Chang’s expression indeed changed. She nervously gripped her sleeve, turning her back to the outside where Yan Chi stood motionless in the courtyard.

Qin Wan looked at Madam Chang, “When did Madam find out?”

A tear rolled down Madam Chang’s cheek as she spoke in a choked voice, “When something happened to Yun’er. At first, I didn’t know who Qing Niang was, but at that time, I had thoughts of dying together with Jia Yan, Pang Yi Wen, and Pang Fu Liang. It was Qing Niang who stopped me. She said she could help me, but she needed to wait for the right moment, to investigate the old case. She said not only would she take Pang Fu Liang’s life, but she would also bring the old case to light to give her master justice. These past few years, Qing Qin came less often, and Liu Ren Li only visited twice. She never found the right opportunity until this time…”

“That was when I learned that a beast like Pang Fu Liang had truly murdered for money in the past. This was how he built his fortune from nothing.” Speaking this, Madam Chang sobbed once, “Ninth Young Miss, truly, you can’t blame Qing Niang. You don’t know, you don’t know how Pang Fu Liang was worse than a beast. Not only did he commit those past crimes, but in recent years he bought several mines in Liang Prefecture. For the sake of mining, many laborers were worked or beaten to death. These… these things others don’t know about, and there’s more. If someone investigates, they’ll certainly find it all. Ninth Young Miss, can you speak up for Qing Niang?”

Qin Wan listened with an unchanging expression, then asked, “What about the Chang family? Was their downfall related to Pang Fu Liang?”

At this question, anger immediately appeared on Madam Chang’s face. She gave a bitter laugh, “The Chang family… the Chang family… At least half of Pang Fu Liang’s current power came from the Chang family’s help. He’s simply a demon. If not for wanting to save face and not wanting his wife’s natal family to appear too wretched, he could have done even worse things!”

Madam Chang wiped away her tears with her hand, “All these years, I’ve been enduring, constantly enduring, until finally this day came.”

Qin Wan’s lips tightened slightly, “While the deaths of Qing Qin and Liu Ren Li might not be related to Madam, you cannot escape responsibility for Pang Yi Wen’s death. That day, you and Qing Niang taught Young Miss, then put on a show for us, didn’t you?”

There was no fear in Madam Chang’s eyes, but she seemed somewhat wary as she glanced back at Yan Chi in the courtyard.

“Ninth Young Miss, you’ve seen Yun’er—my Yun’er became like that. As a mother, I wanted Pang Yi Wen to die a hundred times before my eyes. Dying like that was too easy for her…”

Looking into Madam Chang’s eyes, Qin Wan found herself speechless for a moment. But Madam Chang thought she still didn’t understand, “Ninth Young Miss, you don’t understand now, but when you have children, you will understand. Ninth Young Miss just said that good follows reason and evil defies it. I follow reason, and in my heart, the principle is that those who do wrong must be punished, and death is too light a punishment for those who commit inhuman acts.”

As Madam Chang spoke, her tears increased, but her eyes showed bone-deep hatred, and her tone was forceful without any trace of fear. Qin Wan watched her quietly, and though her heart was stirred with shock, her face showed nothing. She should have remembered her father’s teachings, but at this moment her heart was filled with a sense of helplessness. She couldn’t speak righteous words—there is no absolute fairness in the world. Even the laws of Great Zhou only work somewhat when they meet good officials, let alone when faced with devastating revenge, when the law seems insufficient.

“I agree with everything Madam says, but social order needs rules. If everyone takes private revenge out of hatred, society will fall into chaos. Madam endured for so many years before taking revenge, but what about those who suffer even more than Madam? Moreover, Qing Niang has been taken by the yamen, and Madam, strictly speaking, is also guilty of conspiracy. If the officials pursue charges against you, what will happen to Third Young Master and Young Miss…”

“I’m not afraid.” The hatred in Madam Chang’s eyes dispersed somewhat, suddenly replaced by a devout look. “I’m not afraid. Someone had to do these things. Qing Niang did so much for us, I can never repay her. If the officials want to pursue this, I will never regret it. I can accept the judgment of the law as justice and fairness, but to forever submit to a beast, to let my daughter live in hell—that I cannot accept. Ninth Young Miss, I tried being virtuous and pleasing, tried being good to everyone in this household, but nothing changed at all. Good people’s kindness cannot make evil people change their minds, so I became a bad person too.”

Qin Wan sighed, “Madam—”

“Ninth Young Miss certainly doesn’t understand.” A bitter smile appeared on Madam Chang’s face. “In this world, I know we should punish evil and promote good. These words, I would never teach Jia Yan and Yun’er, but I am not a child. These teachings about guiding everyone toward good are useless to me now. I only know what I’m experiencing, and I must fight to the death.”

Something caught in Qin Wan’s throat—Madam Chang’s words made her feel bitter and desolate.

“Madam… how do you plan to explain Master Pang’s death to the Third Young Master?”

After all, Pang Jia Yan was indeed Pang Fu Liang’s son, and usually, Pang Fu Liang seemed quite doting toward Pang Jia Yan. Although Pang Jia Yan was mature for his age, he was still a child and must have some feelings for his father. How would Madam Chang explain all this to him while raising him well? And about Pang Jia Yan, Qin Wan always felt there was something strange.

Hearing Qin Wan’s words, Madam Chang laughed—a bitter laugh with a hint of vengeful satisfaction. “The relationship between father and son is one of the greatest bonds in the world. I would never let Jia Yan commit patricide, but does Ninth Young Miss know how to make a son hate his father to the bone?”

Qin Wan looked at Madam Chang, who suddenly gave a vicious smile, “That is… to let a father brutally beat the son’s mother in front of him until she’s barely breathing, then tell the son, this is what happens when you don’t obey, this is your lowly mother.” Madam Chang laughed coldly repeatedly, “Pang Fu Liang can’t even be called human. He doesn’t understand how spouses should be, he doesn’t even understand how fathers and sons should interact. He only wants to control everything in the world, but he’s nothing but waste!”

Qin Wan suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Of all Madam Chang had said, it was at this point that she truly found herself speechless. Family is heaven-ordained, not chosen—no one knows if those who birth and raise you will be good or evil. Yet blood ties remain the world’s closest, inseparable relationships. Qin Wan had seen many cases before, where even the most vicious criminals either deeply loved their children or were filial to their parents. Only a very few demons who couldn’t be called human could kill their fathers or children, reaching the ultimate in cold-bloodedness.

Madam Chang laughed until tears came. She wiped them away with her hand, “Ninth Young Miss knows everything now. If Ninth Young Miss wishes, one word from you and Magistrate Wang will surely come to arrest me. Don’t worry, I’ve made arrangements for Jia Yan and Yun’er. Though the Chang family has fallen, there are still one or two people left. We don’t want any of the Pang family’s wealth—let’s just treat these years as a nightmare.”

After speaking, Madam Chang straightened her back and let out a breath, “It feels so much better to say it all.”

Qin Wan felt as if something was blocked in her chest. She looked at Madam Chang, who also looked at her. Their eyes met—Qin Wan’s gaze heavy, while Madam Chang seemed to have expelled all the dark thoughts from her heart, and now her expression was very clear.

After a long while, Qin Wan finally said, “Now that this case is clear, how to investigate and what to investigate is Magistrate Wang’s business. I can only examine corpses with my medical skills.” After a pause, Qin Wan looked at Madam Chang with a serious tone, “Madam’s reasoning is very correct—those who do wrong should be beaten and punished. Young Miss and Third Young Master are still young; don’t give them opportunities to be beaten and punished.”

Madam Chang’s expression changed slightly, but Qin Wan lowered her eyes, curtsied, and turned to leave.

Madam Chang stared at Qin Wan’s retreating figure for a few moments, then suddenly took two steps forward, “I understand Ninth Young Miss’s meaning. I won’t.”

Qin Wan didn’t stop walking until she reached Yan Chi’s side. Yan Chi glanced at Qin Wan’s grave expression and turned to walk out beside her. Outside, Qin Yan and Qin Shuang were still waiting. Seeing Qin Wan emerge without a word, they exchanged glances, and Qin Yan said, “We’ll return first. Please inform us, Young Lord, when this case concludes.”

Yan Chi nodded, and Qin Yan led Qin Shuang away. After they left, Yan Chi pointed to another small path, “This way.”

This place was very close to their courtyard—if Yan Chi wanted to escort Qin Wan back, it would only take a few steps. His pointing to a different path showed he wanted to talk with her. Qin Wan obediently walked over, with Fu Ling and Bai Ying following far behind.

“Did Madam Chang’s words make you hesitate?” Yan Chi suddenly spoke. The current Qin Wan seemed to him to be shrouded in a layer of gray-black gloom, as if something heavy was weighing her down, making her appear quite dejected.

Qin Wan slowed her steps, and after a moment shook her head, “Private revenge must be wrong.”

Yan Chi continued watching Qin Wan, knowing she hadn’t finished. Sure enough, Qin Wan continued, “But if… if there is no other way, what should one do?”

Just as these words fell, they walked into a shaded area. Yan Chi’s hand moved to hold Qin Wan’s—from a distance, it only looked as if they were walking close together, their robes touching.

“You’ve read too much of Shen Yi’s writings, and surely feel that everything in the world should follow propriety and law. Great Zhou’s laws have incorporated the best of previous dynasties and are quite complete. In your heart, you prioritize following the law as being best for oneself and others.”

Qin Wan lowered her eyes, “But sometimes, it’s truly unfair.”

Yan Chi turned to look at Qin Wan for a moment, “Shen Yi’s writings are mostly for yamen officials, or scholars interested in criminal law—they are texts for universal moral education. But he never wrote in his books what he would do if he encountered dire circumstances, or how he would choose if violating the law meant life while following it meant death.”

Qin Wan’s steps paused as she turned to look at Yan Chi. His words indeed reminded her of past events.

Her father came from humble origins, and though he encountered many injustices in his official career, he ultimately persevered diligently and rose to a high position, becoming someone who could determine others’ fates. He had never experienced suffering like Madam Chang’s—one cannot see a person’s choices until they reach desperate circumstances. If her father had truly reached the situation Yan Chi described, how would he have chosen?

“That servant’s words were not wrong—the law is merely a tool.” Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan with bright eyes. “The laws you see may be more just and fair than previous dynasties, but in the end, many of the provisions are for the stability of rule. The people who made the laws considered Great Zhou first, then the common people. If everything followed the law strictly, those sitting in positions of power would benefit most.”

Speaking this, Yan Chi pressed Qin Wan’s palm, “That’s one thing. Secondly, when it comes to matters of life and death, what do laws matter?”

Qin Wan stopped to look at Yan Chi, “If it were you, Young Lord, how would you choose?”

Yan Chi’s lips curved slightly, “I don’t like following rules set by others. If I set them myself, I might set an example. In this world, even important state instruments can be used for private purposes. If that’s the case, we might as well do without such state instruments.”

Qin Wan’s expression had brightened considerably, but she still tilted her head and said, “Young Lord’s words seem to agree with their meaning—this would be teaching people toward evil, which isn’t good in the end.”

Yan Chi smiled, “That’s why I only say these words to you. Shen Yi’s writings are good—universal teachings shouldn’t cause chaos. But his methods can only deal with ordinary evil people… truly evil people are unreasonable. When you encounter unreasonable people, you have to be even more unreasonable than them.”