Guo Yanrong’s hands tensed around her sleeve at these words, and her lips parted and closed twice before she managed to say, “I… I…”
“Not only that — based on the forensic autopsy and the description given by the maidservant, the killer filled a copper kettle with boiling water to use during the attack. That scalding water left a patch of burn marks across the victim’s body. By the same token, the killer could not have avoided being burned by the water herself while striking the victim with the kettle.”
Guo Yanrong looked at Shi Ting in surprise, but the moment her eyes met his, she swallowed nervously.
“The forensic examiner has already examined Han Xiling just now. Her right hand and right arm bear a large number of burn scars. Fingerprints combined with the burns — both can serve as evidence linking Han Xiling to Madam Yan’s death. If you continue to shield her, your crime will be compounded.” Shi Ting’s eyes narrowed. “Second Concubine, if you don’t tell the truth, you may well spend the rest of your life behind bars. Are you familiar with what the women’s prison is like? It’s filthy and chaotic, and new arrivals, no matter their age, are beaten and berated every day, made to do whatever the prison bosses demand. Second Concubine has lived a life of comfort and indulgence. Are you certain you can survive a single day in a place like that?”
Shi Ting wasn’t trying to frighten her — he was describing the reality as it stood.
Disorder in the prison system had existed for a long time, and in most cases the wardens looked the other way. People being beaten to death happened nearly every month.
At his words, Guo Yanrong’s hands shook even more violently. The conflict raging inside her was clearly intense.
At that moment the door opened, and even that small sound was enough to make Guo Yanrong nearly leap out of her skin. Sweat began to bead across her forehead and back in wave after wave. Her face had drained to a ghastly paleness.
The young officer paid no mind to Guo Yanrong’s reaction and made no effort to keep his voice down. He spoke directly. “Director, Yan Ling has confessed.”
Those words were the final straw that broke the camel’s back. Guo Yanrong burst into loud, helpless weeping. Between her sobs she cried out, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk. I hope Director Shi will be lenient in his judgment. I truly had no direct hand in any of it — everything was that Han Xiling’s doing. She planned the whole thing herself.”
Shi Ting waited for Guo Yanrong to gradually calm down and indicated to the young officer to bring her a cup of water.
Guo Yanrong took the cup. She was still trembling all over. Clearly, what Shi Ting had said about the prison had thoroughly frightened her.
She had endured hardship and displacement in her life, but ever since she married into the Yan household, she had lived in comfort and luxury. If she were truly sent to prison, it would be a fate worse than death.
Guo Yanrong did not drink the water. She only needed the small warmth of the cup against her hands.
After a moment she began to speak. “Han Xiling and Ling’er were classmates. The two of them were very close when they were in school, and they kept in touch afterward as well. After the Han Family’s troubles, Ling’er even secretly sent Han Xiling money to help. During the time Han Xiling was abroad, the money she used came from Ling’er.”
Guo Yanrong let out a sigh, and her emotions gradually settled.
“Han Xiling suddenly came back to Shun Cheng not long ago. Then Ling’er discussed it with me, saying she wanted to let her stay in our courtyard but couldn’t let outsiders know. I asked her at the time what Han Xiling was coming here for. She said Han Xiling had no home to go back to and wanted to stay with us for a while, but she was afraid that if her identity became known she would be mocked, so she wanted to hide under a false name. I wasn’t going to agree at first. But Ling’er kept pleading with me, and I thought — well, her living here wouldn’t cause any major trouble. It was just one more person breathing and eating. So I agreed.”
Guo Yanrong said this with a look of regret and knocked herself on the head. “If I’d known it would come to this, I never should have agreed. I was such a fool.”
Shi Ting waited for her to finish knocking at herself and then spoke. “Continue.”
Guo Yanrong nodded, signaling her willingness to cooperate. All she wanted now was to have her own blame reduced as much as possible. She had no desire to suffer in prison.
“One day, I happened to overhear Han Xiling and Ling’er talking in the room. Han Xiling said she wanted to avenge the Han Family — she wanted the person who had destroyed them and left them with nothing to pay the price. From what I’d heard about Director Han’s situation, the enemy Han Xiling meant should have been Director Shi.” Guo Yanrong paused for a moment. “But I never imagined that the revenge she spoke of wouldn’t be to go directly after Director Shi, but to go after Sixth Miss instead. She said this shortly before the Madam suddenly died, and the killer turned out to be Sixth Miss. When I found this out, I felt something was wrong, so I privately asked Ling’er. Ling’er told me that Madam Yan had been killed by Han Xiling. She had been hiding on Madam’s rooftop all along. Once she found out that the Madam had sent for Sixth Miss, she climbed down from the roof and killed the Madam. Then when Sixth Miss entered the room, she attacked her from behind to frame her. I was terrified when I heard this, but Ling’er told me to keep it secret. She said Han Xiling was living in our courtyard, and if Xiling got into trouble, we would all be dragged in. So that’s why — that’s why I never dared to say anything.”
Shi Ting’s eyes narrowed. “Second Concubine, are you certain you had no part in any of this?”
“Director Shi, what do you mean by that?”
“On the night before the incident, you went to find Yan Qing. You tried to persuade her to join you in going against Madam Yan. But Yan Qing refused. Once you realized that persuading Yan Qing had failed, you grew worried she might cooperate with Madam Yan to drive you out. You were also afraid she might claim a share of the Yan Family’s estate. So after learning of Han Xiling’s plan, not only did you fail to stop it — you deliberately shielded her.”
“I didn’t.” Guo Yanrong hastily denied it. “I truly didn’t.”
“If you had no such intention, why didn’t you notify Yan Qing immediately when you learned Han Xiling’s plan? You knew Han Xiling wanted to go after her enemy, and that enemy was me — yet you stood by and did nothing, letting her kill Madam Yan.” Shi Ting’s gaze was piercing. “Because Han Xiling’s plan worked in your favor on every count. Madam Yan was dead. Yan Qing was the killer. Once the Master passed away, the Yan Family would dissolve into chaos. In that kind of situation, your branch of the household would finally have a chance to break through and carve out a future for itself.”
Guo Yanrong stared at Shi Ting, momentarily struck speechless.
“Second Concubine, you may not have directly taken part in Han Xiling’s murder, but you knew who the killer was and continued to shield her. Harboring a murderer carries a sentence of three to five years in prison.”
“I… I…” Guo Yanrong started and stopped, unable to get another word out. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward.
Shi Ting said without alarm, “Frightened herself unconscious. Take her to the forensics room to be checked.”
He stood up, and the young officer said, “Yan Ling has a very tight mouth — she won’t say a word.”
That had been nothing more than a performance he and Shi Ting had staged for Guo Yanrong’s benefit.
“She doesn’t need to talk anymore. Guo Yanrong has already confessed. Yan Ling may not have been directly involved in the killing, but she was an accomplice. She can keep her mouth shut if she likes — honesty earns leniency, resistance earns severity. With the evidence now clear and a confession secured, she can wait for her sentence to be compounded.”
When it came to criminals, Shi Ting rarely let much emotion show — not even toward the most heinous offenders. But this time, because it involved Yan Qing, he was even more unyielding than usual.
Guo Yanrong was taken to the forensics room. Yan Qing examined her briefly, then pressed her fingernail into her philtrum, and Guo Yanrong came to. The moment she regained consciousness, she broke into loud, wailing sobs, crying out over and over that she had done wrong.
After crying for a while she noticed Yan Qing standing there, looking at her with a calm, detached gaze.
At this point Guo Yanrong no longer cared about dignity or appearances. She rolled and scrambled her way to Yan Qing’s feet and dropped to her knees. “Sixth Miss, Sixth Miss, please save me! I don’t want to go to prison! Please, on account of the fact that I never truly harmed you, put in a good word for me. Let me off this once.”
Yan Qing looked at the woman kneeling before her — mascara streaked down her face, eyes filled with despair — and shook her head. “Second Concubine, don’t say you never harmed me. You were simply more skilled than others at it. You never struck directly — you merely sat back and let others do the work for you. You indulged Han Xiling, and the reason was simply that you wanted her to help you get rid of the Madam and of me. Didn’t you give the motive for the murder in your statement? If Bai Jin hadn’t caught Han Xiling, that motive of yours would have been perfectly airtight.”
“No, no — you’ve misunderstood. At the time, I… I was just talking without thinking.”
“Every word spoken at that moment was connected to the final outcome of the case. You say you were just talking without thinking — does anyone believe that?” Yan Qing’s eyes went cold as she looked at her. “From the very beginning you wanted to destroy me. Am I right, Second Concubine?”
Faced with Yan Qing’s utterly expressionless gaze, Guo Yanrong suddenly crumpled to the floor.
She had dealt with Yan Qing many times and knew very well what kind of person she was. She appeared gentle and easy-going, but once you had made an enemy of her, she would not spare you a single drop of sympathy. In dealing with those who had wronged her, she never softened her hand.
At that moment, two officers stepped in. One held Guo Yanrong down while the other brought out handcuffs and snapped them onto her wrists.
Guo Yanrong no longer had the strength to cry out. With a blank, glazed expression, she was dragged away.
Yan Qing watched Guo Yanrong leave. Shi Ting walked in at that very moment. Seeing the distant look on her face, he strode over and pulled her into his arms.
“What are you thinking about?” His low, rich voice was like the deep tones of a cello, flowing slowly into her ears.
“The Madam is dead. Second Concubine and Yan Ling are both in prison. The Yan Mansion is in complete ruin now.” Yan Qing let out a quiet sigh. “I never expected so much to happen.”
“It’s all because of me.” Shi Ting said with a note of regret. “Han Xiling’s true target for revenge was me. That’s why she chose to strike through you.”
Yan Qing shook her head. “Shi Ting, do you really think Han Xiling was the driving force behind all of this?”
Shi Ting’s gaze deepened. “Han Xiling wanted to ruin me — doing something like this would make sense. But judging by Shi Guang’s behavior, I have reason to believe that Shi Guang played a role in fanning the flames.”
“Not just Shi Guang — Qian Lan as well. Both of them must have been in the know, and very likely were the ones who devised the strategy. A Han Xiling on her own, with no backing and no connections, might have been able to use Yan Ling’s help to slip into the Yan Mansion. But how would she alone be able to manipulate public opinion?”
$$$$
Today is the lovely weekend — school’s out, and holiday has begun.
Poor Eighth Brother has no days off. For me, all three hundred and sixty days of the year, without exception.
Given how pitiable Eighth Brother’s situation is, you’d better not say I update too infrequently.