Xu Cize trembled all over, trying to conceal the panic in his expression as he addressed the crowd:
“Our Xu family was once quite well-off, but unfortunately, we fell on hard times. Having been spoiled since childhood, I simply couldn’t endure hardship. I took the imperial examinations several times but failed to pass. Years of fruitless study left me disheartened. By then, I had nearly exhausted my money, but I still longed for the carefree days of the past. Since I was already a useless person, I thought I might as well indulge myself and seek some happiness.
What I found most uncontrollable was my irresistible attraction to beautiful women. To get close to women without getting caught, I came up with the idea of becoming a wedding officiant.
Male wedding officiants are rare, and usually married men. I apprenticed under a master, entering and exiting many households before finally completing my training. Relying on my eloquence, decent looks, and efficiency, I maintained a good reputation. This allowed me to take advantage of many brides.”
At this point, Zhu Yan’s fists clenched tightly. Lady Du wasn’t the first victim. There must have been many women he had taken liberties with before.
Xu Cize hung his head low, seemingly regretting his past actions:
“Before this incident, I had taken advantage of many brides. Some even continued relations with me after their weddings, finding me attractive. For those I fancied who were unwilling, I would threaten them to maintain the relationship.
Since these matters were too shameful to speak of, I usually succeeded, and no one dared to expose me.”
After hearing this, everyone present was seething with anger. How could such a despicable person exist in this world? It was truly unforgivable.
“Then why did you target Lady Du this time?” Magistrate Mo Qianzhi pressed.
Xu Cize gave a wry smile and explained: “I have no other hobbies except for my fondness for beautiful women. I had long heard rumors about Lady Du’s beauty, said to be unparalleled in Yingzhou. How could I pass up such an opportunity?
Moreover, when I officiated weddings for other families, I had the fortune of seeing Lady Du once. I was deeply attracted by her beauty at that time and harbored improper thoughts of possessing her. That’s why today’s events transpired.”
“You beast!” Lady Du’s mother, unable to contain her anger, cursed at Xu Cize. She beat her chest in regret for not being able to protect her daughter, allowing this beast to take advantage.
Du Fusheng quickly comforted his wife, managing to calm her emotions slightly.
Xu Cize continued: “However, today’s events were beyond my expectations. I don’t know what happened, but suddenly someone appeared and killed my accomplice. I…”
At this point, Xu Cize’s eyes showed clear panic, and his hands began to tremble again:
“When I sensed someone following us, my accomplice and I hid Lady Du in a well. I left him to guard her while I went to investigate. When I returned, I didn’t notice anything suspicious, but I found my accomplice had been killed.
I couldn’t see what the killer looked like. My appearance seemed to startle him, and he vanished in a flash. I hurried to check on the situation, but my accomplice was already dead, his body half-submerged in the well. I tried to pull him out but only tore off a piece of his outer robe. My clothes were stained with his blood.
I was terrified and didn’t know what to do. I completely forgot about Lady Du and just wanted to leave. I was worried the killer might return and kill me too, so I fled until I encountered you, officials.”
After saying this, Xu Cize hung his head in shame, as if repenting for his crimes.
Zhu Yan, however, seemed to notice something and thoughtfully stroked her chin while observing him.
Shen Du noticed this and leaned closer, lowering his voice: “What are you thinking?”
Zhu Yan furrowed her brow and shook her head slightly: “I feel something isn’t quite right with everything he said, but I can’t pinpoint what exactly. This man has obvious tells when he lies, but he didn’t show any of them just now.”
Hearing Zhu Yan’s words, Shen Du turned his gaze back to Xu Cize.
He had confessed to all his crimes, and his account matched Lady Du’s description. On the surface, there didn’t seem to be anything suspicious. Moreover, given Magistrate Mo Qianzhi’s past deeds and years of establishing authority in the official circles, he wouldn’t sit idly by and allow a wrongful conviction.
Unable to determine the nature of the situation, Shen Du looked at Zhu Yan: “He’s admitted to everything he’s done, and it matches Lady Du’s account. There shouldn’t be any problems. Could it be that you’re overthinking due to fatigue?”
Zhu Yan understood the implications of Shen Du’s words. He was doubting her statement. She opened her mouth but had no grounds to argue.
Perhaps she was overthinking it.
Mo Qianzhi continued questioning: “If that’s the case, the deceased in this case was your accomplice. What was his name and where did he live?”
Xu Cize, now calm after his breakdown, knelt limply on the ground with lifeless eyes. Startled by Mo Qianzhi’s sharp question, he sat up and confessed everything like beans spilling from a bamboo tube:
“He was just a hooligan known as ‘Er Laipi.’ He had no parents and had committed many crimes, including robbery, and had been in prison before. I learned of his situation and persuaded him to commit crimes with me. In our previous kidnapping cases, he proved to be quite daring, so I gradually became comfortable working with him on these misdeeds. Although he was bold, he had never committed murder before. Even if he was guilty, he didn’t deserve to die, Your Honor.”
At this point, Xu Cize was still trying to seek justice for his accomplice, showing some sense of loyalty.
But loyalty aside, crimes must be punished.
However, this case had nothing to do with Lady Du’s kidnapping. Mo Qianzhi was well aware of this and treated the two cases separately.
“This office will investigate his death. For now, the case of Lady Du’s kidnapping can be closed,” Mo Qianzhi said, then struck his gavel forcefully. “Guards, take the criminal Xu Cize into custody. We’ll determine his sentence after the official verdict is reached.”
As Xu Cize was led away, Mo Qianzhi’s mention of determining the sentence wasn’t just about Lady Du’s case. He still suspected that there was more to this murder case than met the eye, a point that Zhu Yan had also noticed.