While Zhang Xingying went home to get blankets and clothes for Di Cui, Huang Zixia and Zhou Zi Qin walked out of the Court of Justice together. As they were discussing whether Princess Tongchang had been held captive and why she hadn’t called for help, they suddenly saw Cui Chunzhan riding back on horseback. He jumped down and excitedly called out to them: “Zi Qin! Chong Gu! You’re here too? That’s wonderful!”

The lanterns at the Court’s entrance were bright, and the torches held by Cui Chunzhan’s attendants were blazing. In the bright light, they saw the joy on Cui Chunzhan’s face, which immediately surprised them both. They exchanged glances—they had expected the Junior Lord Cui to look devastated today!

When a plump figure was dragged out behind Cui Chunzhan, Huang Zixia, and Zhou Zi Qin were even more stunned—this short, chubby middle-aged man, tied up with hemp rope like a rice dumpling, wasn’t he Master Qian, Owner Qian Guansuo?

As soon as Qian Guansuo saw them, he immediately cried out: “Young Master Zhou! Master Yang! You must testify for me! I didn’t kill anyone! I couldn’t possibly have killed the Princess!”

Zhou Zi Qin’s eyes widened in disbelief: “Junior Lord Cui, he’s the murderer?”

Cui Chunzhan was beaming with pride: “Yes, today by Imperial command, I searched the Princess’s mansion again, and happened to catch him sneaking around trying to find the kitchen maid. When we caught and questioned him, he claimed he was looking for his daughter. What nonsense!”

Zhou Zi Qin watched as Qian Guansuo was dragged inside and asked in surprise: “Hey, isn’t his daughter a maid in the Princess’s mansion?”

“Yes, he keeps insisting his daughter is a maid serving the Princess and claims he’s met her many times. He says he hasn’t heard from his daughter recently, so he snuck into the mansion to get news,” Cui Chunzhan said with contempt. “He can’t even tell a proper lie. When we asked him to point out which daughter he was looking for, he couldn’t find her anywhere. He only said his daughter had a light blue birthmark on her wrist, but when we asked everyone in the mansion, including all the maids and even the eunuchs, not a single one had such a birthmark.”

Zhou Zi Qin said in surprise: “But when we went to his shop to investigate before, he described everything in such detail. He said his daughter had given him a golden toad, completely studded with jewels, squatting on a jade lotus leaf—it was exquisite!”

“Golden toad?” Cui Chunzhan’s eyes lit up at once. “Was it the one with a crystal bead on the jade lotus leaf, where every time the golden toad moved, the crystal would roll around on the leaf like a dewdrop?”

Zhou Zi Qin nodded repeatedly: “Junior Lord Cui has seen it too?”

“Of course, I’ve seen it! It was a tribute from some Western Region country two years ago! It was New Year’s Day, and all of us court officials saw it on the throne, everyone was full of praise! Later, it became part of Princess Tongchang’s dowry.” Cui Chunzhan clapped his hands in delight and said, “Now we have it all, even the motive! Qian Guansuo, to obtain the rare treasure of the golden toad, successively killed the Princess’s eunuch, the Princess, and Sun Laizi who lived nearby—though I don’t know how this Sun Laizi got involved, but I believe once we apply torture, that short fat man will have to confess!”

As he spoke, Cui Chunzhan strode quickly toward the inner hall of the Court of Justice, ordering those around him: “Light the lamps! Open court! This official will conduct a night interrogation of a serious criminal!”

Zhou Zi Qin was dumbfounded and turned to look at Huang Zixia. Huang Zixia hurried inside, saying: “What are you waiting for? Let’s quickly see how Junior Lord Cui plans to conduct this trial!”

The main hall of the Court of Justice was brightly lit, with three shifts of runners, law enforcement officials, assessors, and court officials standing on both sides. The Junior Lord of the Court personally conducting the interrogation made it quite a grand scene.

Since they were investigators appointed by the Emperor, the Court officials set up two chairs for Huang Zixia and Zhou Zi Qin. The two sat to the side, watching as Qian Guansuo was brought up, falling to his knees, trembling.

Huang Zixia quietly asked Zhou Zi Qin: “By the way, who is the current Lord of the Court of Justice? How come I’ve never seen him appear at the Court?”

Zhou Zi Qin looked at her in disbelief: “You don’t know?”

“How would I know? When I left the capital before, Lord Xu was the Court Lord, but then I heard Lord Xu had passed away…”

“But you’re with the Court Lord every day, yet you don’t know who he is!” Zhou Zi Qin exclaimed in a low voice.

Huang Zixia pressed her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, but after a moment’s thought, she couldn’t control herself either: “The Court Lord is… Prince Kui?”

“Exactly! Don’t you know how many positions he holds?”

His exclamation was too loud, causing those nearby to look at them. They quickly pretended nothing had happened and lowered their heads to look at Zhou Zi Qin’s previous records.

Cui Chunzhan sat on the bench with official dignity, asking solemnly: “Who kneels before the court?”

“I… I am Qian Guansuo, I run the Qian Family Inn in the capital, for many years with a good reputation, honest and law-abiding… I’ve been wronged! I didn’t…”

“Answer one question at a time!” Cui Chunzhan tapped the judgment block and took the list of charges prepared by the court official beside him, questioning one by one: “Has your inn recently started dealing with sewage works and had dealings with the Ministry of Works’ waterway workers?”

“Yes…” he answered in confusion.

“The Court has determined that next to where Princess Tongchang died, there was a water channel entrance. Did you use this as a hiding place after the murder to evade the official search?”

Qian Guansuo was suddenly terrified, crying out incoherently: “No! No, no! I didn’t kill anyone! I… I didn’t even know the Princess had died!”

“Investigation shows your first entry into the Princess’s mansion was last year during the repair of the mansion’s waterways. Since you don’t understand waterworks, why did you frequently visit the mansion to check on the work progress?”

“I… I had heard the Princess’s mansion was luxurious and magnificent and wanted to see it for myself. Also, given the Princess’s noble status, I was afraid my workers might make mistakes, so, I often came to supervise. I had no ill intentions!” Qian Guansuo collapsed on the ground in fear, like a blob of white lard, soft and limp.

“You heard the Princess’s mansion was luxurious and magnificent? So you set your sights on the mansion’s rare treasures, and colluded with the eunuch Wei Ximin to successfully steal the golden toad and the Nine-Phoenix Hairpin from the storehouse, isn’t that right?”

“This, where did this come from? I only met Wei Ximin once, the golden toad was given to me by my daughter, I’ve never even seen the Nine-Phoenix Hairpin…”

“If you only met Wei Ximin once, why did you give him such expensive Ling Ling fragrance? Later, Wei Ximin went to your shop to ask for more incense, and that night he disappeared, found dead at Jianfu Temple the next day. Tell me, after he helped you steal the golden toad, did you burn him to death at Jianfu Temple to silence him?”

At this, Qian Guansuo broke down in tears, his throat making choking sounds as he frantically explained: “No, it wasn’t… that incense, that incense was for the kitchen maid…”

“Then why did many people say Wei Ximin was using it? Was the kitchen maid one of your spies in the Princess’s mansion?”

“No! No, no! Kitchen Maid Chang Pu is a good person, she helped me find my daughter…”

“You keep saying you have a daughter in the Princess’s mansion, yet not a single person there has the birthmark you described on their wrist. How can you prove this?”

Qian Guansuo knelt there blankly, the flesh of his face trembling as if in spasms. Huang Zixia found his appearance both pitiful and tragic, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, turning her face away as she couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

“But… but I did see my daughter! She reached her hand out from behind the screen to show me, truly! The light blue birthmark, like a little rabbit—if it wasn’t Xing’er, who else could it be? I did see my daughter…”

His words, part questioning, and part pleading were cut off by Cui Chunzhan’s judgment block: “Qian Guansuo! This official asks you after you and Wei Ximin stole the treasures from the Princess’s mansion, why did you then kill the Princess? When the Princess saw the Nine-Phoenix Hairpin in your hands in the crowd, how did you kill her? Quickly, tell this official the truth!”

Qian Guansuo was so frightened he had lost his soul, repeatedly shaking his head: “No! Really no, I didn’t kill anyone, my daughter is in the Princess’s mansion…”

The Court assessor cleared his throat and said: “The criminal has clear evidence against him yet refuses to confess. Junior Lord Cui, it seems without severe punishment, he won’t admit to anything!”

“Hmm, take him down and give him twenty strokes first!” As Cui Chunzhan spoke, he pulled out a command token and threw it toward the courtroom floor.

Zhou Zi Qin jumped up, lunging to grab the token. But he was ultimately a step too late—the token fell to the ground, and the runners behind grabbed Qian Guansuo, dragging him away.

Zhou Zi Qin had lunged too quickly, his heel catching on the chair behind him. He fell to the ground with a thud, the chair crashing down with him. The court runners standing around scattered in surprise, throwing the courtroom into chaos.

Cui Chunzhan frowned and asked: “Zi Qin, what are you doing?”

“Junior Lord Cui.” Huang Zixia stood up, clasping her hands in greeting to him. “Although you’re already investigating this case, the Emperor had Zi Qin and I participate as well. So, there are some matters we’d like to discuss with you. Would you be willing to step aside for a word?”

Cui Chunzhan listened to Qian Guansuo’s wails coming from nearby, looked at the scattered formation of runners in the courtroom, and said: “Very well, let’s talk in the back hall, let them reorganize for a moment.”

The three sat down in the back hall, and after the servants finished serving tea, Cui Chunzhan quickly asked: “What is it?”

Huang Zixia asked: “Does Junior Lord Cui truly believe Qian Guansuo is the real murderer?”

Cui Chunzhan frowned and said: “From what we can see now, he’s highly suspicious, isn’t he? He gave Wei Ximin such expensive incense, and Wei Ximin disappeared the night he went to find him, then was found burned to death the next day. Sun Laizi must have been either an accomplice or discovered his crime and was killed by him, then he found a time to say he happened to discover the body while drunk. Also, since he could steal the golden toad from the Princess’s storehouse, he must have been able to steal the Nine-Phoenix Hairpin that was stored in the same place, and that hairpin was the murder weapon that killed the Princess. Add to that the nearby water channel he could use to escape—they say he went to personally check on people clearing that channel just days ago…”

Huang Zixia asked: “However if we say Wei Ximin’s death was because he helped Qian Guansuo steal the golden toad and was then silenced by him, the Nine-Phoenix Hairpin was stolen after Wei Ximin’s death. Without an insider then, how could he steal again?”

Cui Chunzhan frowned, showing a thoughtful expression. After a long while, he said: “Perhaps it was that kitchen maid he mentioned?”

Huang Zixia shook her head helplessly: “Junior Lord Cui, Wei Ximin was close to the Princess, so perhaps he had opportunities to steal, but the kitchen maid stays in the kitchen all day, never even having a chance to go up to the Cloud Perch Pavilion—how could she possibly steal the Nine-Phoenix Hairpin?”

“But Master Yang cannot deny that this Qian Guansuo is deeply connected to this case, especially with strong links to all three incidents—oh, and also! The horse that caused the Prince Consort’s accident was the one he sold to the Capital Defense Command! How can someone with so many suspicious points possibly be innocent?” Cui Chunzhan sighed, then leaned closer to them and said in a low voice, “Moreover, you know how the Emperor loved Princess Tongchang most dearly, cherishing her like a precious jewel. Now that the Princess is dead, not just the Three Judicial Offices—the Court of Justice, Ministry of Justice, and Censorate—but even the capital’s various guards, both offices and ten armies, who can escape responsibility? Several Imperial physicians have already been beaten to death on the spot, and I hear the Emperor wants to punish their hundreds of family members too. The Princess died from a single strike by the murderer—aren’t the physicians being wrongly blamed? If we don’t quickly catch the criminal for the Emperor now, which office can withstand this thunderous anger?”

Huang Zixia frowned slightly, and Zhou Zi Qin quickly asked: “Then, in Junior Lord Cui’s view, between Lü Di Cui and Qian Guansuo, who is more suspicious?”

“Zi Qin, you jest—compared to Qian Guansuo, Lü Di Cui’s suspicion is hardly worth mentioning. If she hadn’t signed the case file when she came to confess, she could be released right now!”

Zhou Zi Qin felt somewhat relieved and continued: “Junior Lord Cui, I actually feel that this Master Qian’s case still needs to be handled more carefully, don’t you think? After all, this is a matter of life and death…”

Cui Chunzhan looked troubled but still managed to nod, saying: “Don’t worry, as Junior Lord of the Court of Justice, when caution is needed, I still will…”

Before he could finish, someone ran in from behind, calling: “Junior Lord, Junior Lord Cui!”

Cui Chunzhan frowned, looking at the excited Court official who had rushed in, and asked: “What is it?”

“We just received the news—there’s a water channel running right under Sun Laizi’s house!”

“Oh? Really?” Cui Chunzhan immediately stood up in delight. “Did Qian Guansuo know about this channel?”

“Yes! Just days before the incident, when the capital was cleaning the water channels, Qian Guansuo’s workers cleaned that area, and Qian Guansuo himself went to observe the site!”

“Truly heaven’s net is vast and loose, but nothing escapes it—another piece of evidence!” Cui Chunzhan turned back to look at Huang Zixia and Zhou Zi Qin triumphantly. “You see, this Qian Guansuo is the murderer! He used that water channel to climb into Sun Laizi’s tightly sealed room to kill him, then quietly went back down through the channel. After gathering a crowd, he then led people into the room, creating an alibi for himself!”

Zhou Zi Qin frowned and said: “Lord Cui, when Sun Laizi had just died, I went to see the scene. The ground in his house was very even, showing no signs of anyone coming up or down through a sewer…”

Cui Chunzhan frowned at this but quickly dismissed it: “Ah, that’s exactly why he gathered so many people to go with him to witness Sun Laizi’s death! With so many people, wouldn’t the disturbed earth in Sun Laizi’s house get trampled flat, concealing the evidence? This person’s thoughts are so meticulous, truly the height of cunning!”

“But… it still doesn’t make sense…” Zhou Zi Qin tried to say more, but Cui Chunzhan had already raised his hand to stop his words, walking toward the front hall: “Zi Qin, Master Yang, I have a good grasp of this matter now, you two need not worry anymore. Leave it to me—by tomorrow, I’ll have this case investigated to complete clarity!”