"Miss Jiang, are you alright?" Qi Chengshuo asked hurriedly.

“It’s nothing.” He shook his head gently. “You’ve seen the origin of that bronze mask. It was given to your grandfather by a high monk. Your grandfather also gave Huangjue Temple a lot of money for incense. This matter has nothing to do with him, but… the man who had dealings with the high monk is definitely involved.”

“That’s my second uncle,” Qi Chengshuo said in a deep voice.

This matter was originally related to my second uncle, but I don't know who he colluded with to harm Qi Jiu.

Although he called Qi Jiu "Uncle Jiu", Qi Jiu was actually his cousin, while the middle-aged man seen in the scene was his second uncle.

My grandfather had three sons and one daughter.

His father was born of the principal wife and was the heir to the Prince Duan's mansion. Unfortunately, his father was always frail and sickly, and he passed away when he was ten years old.

Grandfather did not allow his second and third uncles, who were born out of wedlock, to inherit the title, but instead made him the heir of the Prince Duan's mansion.

My grandfather even submitted a memorial to the emperor, saying that when he turns sixty next year, he will pass on the title to him.

By then, Qi Chengshuo will be the proper Prince Duan.

He knew that his two uncles had always harbored resentment, but he never expected that his second uncle would collude with others to kill Qi Jiu.

If the bronze mask he brought were to burn Qi Jiu to death, the Emperor would surely take his anger out on him, and he would definitely lose his title as the heir of the Prince of Duan.

Not only will they lose their titles, but they might also lose their lives.

The second uncle will then have the support of the person behind him and will become the next Prince Duan.

That's truly a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Jiang." Qi Chengshuo bowed to Jiang Xianya, took the bronze mask, and left.

...

Meanwhile, in the yamen, Magistrate Huang Wenjian was interrogating Ye Qingze.

Xu Qianniang's parents, Ye Qingze's father, and his second uncle were present in the audience.

"Ye Qingze, did you know this Xu Qianniang before?" Huang Wenjian slammed his gavel and asked loudly.

Ye Qingze had already passed the preliminary examination and was now a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations). Huang Wenjian did not make him kneel, but simply made him stand and answer questions.

"In reply to Your Excellency, I know Xu Qianniang."

Upon hearing this, the tailor and his wife tried to rush over again, but were blocked by the constables.

"If you dare to shout in court again, I will have you thrown out," Huang Wenjian said, turning around.

Upon hearing this, Xu the tailor had no choice but to pull his wife back.

"I grew up with Xu Qianniang in this town. We played together when we were young, so I naturally know her. However, since we grew up, I have kept my distance from Xu Qianniang and we have never had any contact." Ye Qingze cupped his hands and said loudly.

Although the people of the Great Yan Dynasty were civilized, the separation of men and women was still strictly enforced.

Xu Qianniang was two years younger than him. Ye Qingze loved playing with Xu Qianniang when he was little. There were many other people who played with them, but as they grew up, the distinction between boys and girls became clear.

"Last winter, around the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the student returned from the preliminary examination and encountered Xu Qianniang, who was walking back from washing clothes by the river at the east end of the town. She suddenly grabbed the student's sleeve and slipped a note into his hand."

"What does it say?" Huang Wenjian asked quickly.

"A love poem." Ye Qingze didn't hide anything and confessed honestly.

Xu Qianniang did not go to school; she simply bought a few books to study on her own. Her handwriting was crooked and messy, which Ye Qingze remembered very clearly.

Writing love poems is something that damages a young woman's reputation. Ye Qingze knew that saying it would have some impact on Xu Qianniang, but he had no choice but to say it.

He didn't want to be accused of murder.

“You’re talking nonsense! My daughter has always been law-abiding. How could she possibly write you that kind of stuff?” Aunt Li immediately became anxious.

Her innocent daughter died so tragically, and now she's being slandered and smeared. Li Da Niang's heart is breaking.

"Where is the poetry?" Huang Wenjian asked.

“Burn it. This concerns my daughter’s innocence, and I don’t want others to know.” Ye Qingze quickly shook his head.

From then on, Xu Qianniang pestered him many times, but he was focused on his studies and never thought about love between men and women.

He is already seventeen years old this year, and his family has not arranged a marriage for him because Ye Qingze has long been determined not to marry before the age of twenty. He wants to study hard and strive to pass the imperial examination as soon as possible, or even become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

He wanted to bring honor to his ancestors and become a pillar of support for his family.

“Yesterday afternoon, Xu Qianniang climbed over the wall to come to the school to find me. There was only one person in the room at the time. My aunt fainted, and my grandfather took my second and third brothers to the backyard. I was going to go too, but because I was sitting in the back, I ran a little slower. I also tripped over a stool because I was in a hurry. When I got up, I was the only one in the room. That's when Xu Qianniang came in.”

Upon hearing Ye Qingze say that his daughter had actually climbed over the wall to find him, the Xu tailor and his wife naturally did not believe it. They were extremely anxious, but dared not speak again, lest they be kicked out by the county magistrate.

“She told me that her father wanted to marry her off to her cousin, saying that her cousin was a gambling addict and had an affair with a widow in the village. She didn’t want to marry him, but they had been betrothed since childhood. Even though she cried and made a fuss, her parents did not change their minds. She asked me to elope with her.”

"This is utter nonsense. I rejected her, and she grabbed me and wouldn't let go. In the struggle, she even pulled away the amulet I was wearing around my neck. She said it was a token of our love that I gave her, and that she wanted to take it back to her parents so that I would marry her. After she finished speaking, she ran away."

"I was busy visiting my aunt in the backyard, so I didn't chase after her to get the amulet back. Later... my grandfather fell ill and vomited blood, and the house was in chaos. I didn't have time to tell my parents about it. Then this morning... I heard my aunt come back with the news that a woman's corpse had been found by the river..."

Ye Qingze confessed everything he knew.

He really didn't kill Xu Qianniang.

"Where's the coroner?" Huang Wenjian turned his head and asked.

"The body has been examined, and they are waiting outside," Constable He said hurriedly.

"Bring her in for questioning," Huang Wenjian said loudly, slamming his gavel.

"Yes," Constable He replied, and a moment later, the female coroner in charge of the autopsy entered.

This was the rule in all government offices of the Great Yan Dynasty: when a woman died, a female coroner would examine her body.

"Your Excellency, although Xu Qianniang's head was smashed and her face was broken, she died from drowning. Someone held her head underwater and drowned her. There are obvious finger marks on the back of Xu Qianniang's neck."

"In addition, she had been defiled, and judging from the wounds on her head and face, she died last night, around midnight."