According to Lu Shi’s tearful account, Master Qi had fallen to the ground and died on his own. Fearing this would still be considered killing him, she had thought to use the inkstone to smash Master Qi’s back of the head and write the blood character to frame the eldest Qi daughter-in-law.
At this point, all the neighbors cursed her, and no one questioned Lu Shi’s words.
Including Yao Huang, who also felt the case could conclude here.
However, Magistrate Xu continued interrogating Qi San and his wife, who lived in the reverse-facing rooms of the front courtyard: “Old Master Qi went to the eastern side building in the middle of the night and got into an argument with Lu Shi. Did you truly hear not even a single sound?”
Qi San’s wife cried, “This commoner woman truly heard nothing! My youngest son is only three years old. I spend the entire day caring for the child. Last night after the child fell asleep, I also went to sleep. I only woke up frightened by my mother’s cries when the incident occurred. If Your Honor doesn’t believe me, you can ask Qilang—he’s young and won’t lie!”
Magistrate Xu looked at Qi San. Qi San kept his head lowered, kneeling on the ground, his entire body trembling.
The eldest Qi daughter-in-law suddenly said, “Reporting to Your Honor, my third brother-in-law finds the children’s crying annoying. Most of the month he sleeps alone in one room. If Lu Shi needed someone to help, approaching him would be most convenient!”
Lu Shi: “You shut your mouth! This matter was done by me alone and has not even half a connection to Third Son!”
Magistrate Xu: “The wicked woman need not make excuses. Looking at the scattered blood traces around Old Master Qi, whoever used the inkstone to strike him would have blood spattered on them. Someone come—search Lu Shi’s and Qi San’s rooms. If nothing is found, then search the other rooms.”
The time since the incident was too short for Lu Shi and her accomplice to dispose of bloody clothes. Burning them in the stove might produce smoke that could alert neighbors getting up at night, and would leave an unusual smell.
Before several constables could carry out the order, Qi San’s body tilted and he collapsed to the ground.
When the constables searched Qi San’s room and found blood-stained inner garments hidden in a winter boot at the bottom of a cabinet, Lu Shi once again took all the blame upon herself, saying things like Qi San had only helped because she threatened to exchange her life, that Qi San was a filial son who had been coerced, and so on.
Magistrate Xu didn’t listen to her excuses. He ordered Lu Shi and her son Qi San to be escorted to the county yamen for detailed interrogation there. Master Qi’s corpse also had to be taken—the coroner still needed to conduct a further autopsy to determine whether Master Qi had died from a sudden illness or from the severe head trauma.
Qi Da had lost his father and wept heartbreakingly. Qi Er was about to lose both his father and mother and also cried miserably.
Seeing that Magistrate Xu was about to leave, the eldest Qi daughter-in-law stepped forward and requested that Magistrate Xu preside over dividing their household: “Your Honor, Lu Shi and her son, mother-in-law and daughters-in-law are extremely difficult to deal with. My father-in-law lost his life because they disagreed with dividing the household. Now that Lu Shi and Third Brother have been arrested, we still have Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Third Sister-in-law, and their relatives. Our household of five cannot prevail against them. If Your Honor doesn’t help us divide the household, I fear the next to die will be my husband and me!”
She knelt before Magistrate Xu and knocked her head heavily on the ground.
Dalang, who had rushed back from the academy, also knelt down and kowtowed: “Lu Shi is suspected of murdering my grandfather and conspired with Third Uncle to frame my mother. She disregarded family affection and was ruthless and cruel. I beg Your Honor to advocate for us. Our household doesn’t covet the family property—we only ask to sever relations with Lu Shi and the others.”
The neighbors all voiced their agreement, hoping Magistrate Xu could do the Qi family’s eldest branch this favor. Otherwise, there would be endless quarrels in the future, disturbing the neighbors’ peace as well.
Magistrate Xu thought of the household division list that Master Qi had already drafted on the desk in the north room. The old man had given roughly equal portions of the family property to his three sons, but Qi Er and Qi San were both Lu Shi’s sons. At first glance, Lu Shi’s branch had taken advantage, so Lu Shi had deliberately left this list as evidence that the eldest Qi daughter-in-law had killed in resentful anger.
Magistrate Xu ordered someone to retrieve the list and read it aloud publicly.
The eldest Qi daughter-in-law cried, “My father-in-law had a bitter life and couldn’t enjoy his later years in peace. Please help divide the portion he didn’t divide as well, Your Honor.”
Magistrate Xu had people bring over the stored silver and valuable items not mentioned in the household division list.
Most could be divided equally. In the end, only one item remained—a birthday celebration painting that Master Qi had especially treasured and kept in a box.
Magistrate Xu unrolled the scroll. After seeing it clearly, he was actually stunned.
Yao Huang also saw this painting. Blood rushed to her head momentarily, and she called out, “Reporting to Your Honor, this painting was created by this commoner woman’s husband. He never paints to give to others. It happened that Uncle Qi’s sixtieth birthday was approaching, and Uncle Qi begged earnestly, so he painstakingly painted this to celebrate Uncle Qi’s birthday. Now that Uncle Qi has died, this commoner woman hopes to burn this painting to comfort Uncle Qi’s spirit in heaven. I hope Your Honor will grant this.”
Aside from Master Qi, no one else in the Qi family deserved to keep this painting by Prince Hui.
The Qi family’s eldest son was the first to support this action. Following him, Qi Da and his wife both agreed, and Qi Er had no face to object at all.
Magistrate Xu said “What a pity,” then set fire to this birthday celebration painting that had been unable to fulfill the old man’s wishes.
Magistrate Xu left with the constables, but the neighbors still blocking the Qi household inside and out continued praising the magistrate’s brilliance.
Yao Huang also felt this magistrate was brilliant. However, when she looked at Magistrate Xu’s back as he rode away on his horse, being seen off with cheers from neighbors lining both sides, and listened to the neighbors’ successive praises rising and falling, what floated into her mind was the lonely figure of Prince Hui sitting alone in his wheelchair reading Buddhist scripture before she had gone out.
Magistrate Xu had stayed in the north room for two ke before coming out. Last night, Prince Hui had swept his gaze from the entrance of the north room a few times and reached his conclusions.
Yao Huang didn’t insist that the neighbors all change to praising her husband instead. She just felt sad for Prince Hui. He was clearly capable in both civil and military matters, not inferior to anyone else in any way. Just because his legs were crippled, he no longer had opportunities to display these talents.
He said he didn’t need achievements or praise. At only twenty-three years old, how had he cultivated such freedom from desire?
Had he read too many Buddhist scriptures? Or did he feel that a disabled prince gaining achievements and praise would be useless anyway, so he might as well leave them all for those who needed them more?
The neighbors were still discussing the Qi family’s legal case. Yao Huang brought A’Ji back to the western courtyard, then came alone through the moon gate in the front courtyard to the eastern courtyard.
Before turning to the entrance of the main hall, Yao Huang made herself smile.
Zhao Sui had heard the princess’s footsteps early on. He lowered the Buddhist scripture in his hands and raised his head to see a princess who, though smiling, smiled somewhat complexly.
He set the Buddhist scripture aside and asked, “Did they determine the murderer?”
Yao Huang nodded. Instead of sitting in the chair beside the long table, she sat directly on the long table facing Prince Hui, grasping his hand. “Lu Shi—did you guess it was her last night?”
Zhao Sui: “She indeed had the greatest suspicion.”
Yao Huang: “Did you see that she had an accomplice?”
Zhao Sui had already heard some gossip drifting from the street and guessed the course of Magistrate Xu’s case investigation. With the truth revealed, the princess should be happy. Now asking these questions—could it be she felt uncomfortable that her husband hadn’t discovered as much as Magistrate Xu?
After a moment of silence, Zhao Sui said, “Looking at the blood traces on the ground, Old Master Qi fell to the ground first before the back of his head suffered severe trauma. Otherwise, the spattered blood would have been farther from his head. Last night, Wang Dong didn’t hear any sounds, indicating that when Old Master Qi fell, he was already unable to call for help and could only be attacked at will. Lu Shi indeed had the opportunity to act alone. However, a woman not calm enough to avoid numerous flaws would likely find it very difficult to wield the inkstone and strike so viciously at her own husband.”
Lu Shi was greedy for money. Someone like her might be able to kill in the heat of the moment, but having her strike a death blow again at her unconscious or already dead husband—even if her heart was cruel enough, she couldn’t control the force with precision.
Yao Huang only felt it ironic: “If she couldn’t be that cruel, Qi San as her own son could strike that blow.”
Indeed, Lu Shi’s constant quarreling was all about fighting for family property for her two sons. If they had truly framed the eldest Qi daughter-in-law, Qi Da would have neither the face nor the ability to fight for more. The inkstone Qi San swung at his old father was ultimately still for himself, not to help his mother cover up the aftermath.
Zhao Sui swept his gaze over the empty courtyard. His right hand caressed the princess’s solemn face. “What’s past is past. Don’t dwell on it.”
Prince Hui’s palm had a thick layer of calluses, making each of his touches—no matter where he touched—cause Yao Huang to tingle slightly. And it wasn’t a simple tingle. Just like his breath falling on her ear or side of her neck at night or in the afternoon, it easily stirred up heat.
But Yao Huang knew that Prince Hui at this moment only wanted to comfort her and absolutely had no such intention.
Ignoring that tiny bit of inappropriate spark, Yao Huang pulled down Prince Hui’s hand and lowered her head. “Alright, let’s talk about something else. I asked Magistrate Xu to burn the painting you gave Uncle Qi. Will Your Highness mind?”
Zhao Sui clasped the princess’s hand in return, positioning his palm downward: “It was originally given to Uncle Qi. It should be burned.”
Yao Huang smiled and brought up Magistrate Xu: “Your Highness wants to entrust the matter of clearing land to plant polygonatum to Magistrate Xu. Why didn’t you take the opportunity to meet him while he was here?”
Zhao Sui: “He had to handle the case. Today wasn’t the right time.”
Yao Huang: “Seeing how quickly he solved the case, he should be a capable magistrate. Perhaps he really can help Your Highness handle this matter well.”
Zhao Sui didn’t tell the princess that after he had the idea to clear land, he had people investigate the character of the Lingshan County magistrate. If he were muddled or incompetent, Zhao Sui wouldn’t entrust the land-clearing matter to him.
On the same day Magistrate Xu took away Lu Shi and her son, Qi Da, Qi Er, and Qi San’s wife divided the household property. Qi Da’s family received the rear courtyard of the Qi residence. Qi San’s wife and two children received the front courtyard. Qi Er’s family received the shop on Main Street with its attached single-courtyard residence. The fields were divided equally among the three families.
The Qi household’s two-courtyard compound also had a small door in the middle. Qi Da and his wife directly demolished the door and bricked up a wall, blocking it completely. From then on, each lived their own life. Because her husband had done the deed of smashing his own father’s head, Qi San’s wife couldn’t hold her head up before the neighbors. For the time being, she took the children back to her maiden home. Therefore, these past days the Qi household area had been clean and quiet, with no more quarreling.
On the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month, the county yamen reached a verdict. Master Qi had indeed died from sudden illness, but Lu Shi and Qi San had first desecrated Master Qi’s corpse and then conspired to frame the eldest Qi daughter-in-law. Qi San, who had directly laid hands on Master Qi’s corpse, was sentenced to beheading for great unfilial conduct. Lu Shi was sentenced to exile. They would await review by the Supreme Court before execution.
With the case settled, Qi Da and Qi Er brought a coffin to the county yamen to retrieve Master Qi’s body and buried him that very night.
After seeing Master Qi off on his final journey and returning to the eastern courtyard, Yao Huang sighed to Prince Hui, “Now if we move away, we don’t even need to deliberately find an excuse. A neighbor’s household had a murder. Our family doesn’t lack money. If we move again, the neighbors can understand.”
Zhao Sui silently surveyed this small courtyard where they had lived for over a month.
The princess suddenly leaned over from the side and asked with a smile, “Is Your Highness also very reluctant to leave? Forget other things—once we return to the princely residence, it won’t be as convenient for Your Highness to come rest at my quarters during the afternoon.”
Zhao Sui lowered his eyes and didn’t respond.
Yao Huang had long grown accustomed to Prince Hui’s restraint during the day. At night, she snuggled against him and asked, “What will we do in the future? Will the prince still rest with me during the afternoon?”
Prince Hui pressed down on the princess’s hand, which was treating his Adam’s apple as a toy, and said—unable to tell whether it was against his will or following his heart—”Yes.”