Chapter 81: Ask Your Heart

County Magistrate Lu slammed the wooden stick and shouted, "Mu Wei, why on earth are you in Hushan County?"

Mu Wei subconsciously defended himself, "I only heard about Lin Changqing's tragic death, so..."

"You're lying!" Su Fengzhang shouted coldly, "Changqing died tragically on New Year's Eve. The county government didn't send anyone to the village. Even if they did, it would take four days to travel back and forth given the distance between the two places. Even if you got the news and hurried on, you wouldn't reach Hushan County until tomorrow!"

"No, no, no, I, I suddenly felt unwell on the way home, so I turned around and came back." Mu Wei shouted in horror.

Little did he know that his inconsistent testimony made County Magistrate Lu, who originally thought that Su Fengzhang was just biting back, suspicious.

His face was cold. If Mu Wei had not still had the title of a student, he would have probably resorted to punishment.

The people around were in an uproar, talking among themselves. Liu Xiong snorted coldly, "I knew this guy was sneaky and no good. Turns out he's the murderer, and he's even bluffing!"

"Since you came back halfway, when did you arrive in Hushan County, and where have you been living these days?" Su Fengzhang asked coldly.

Mu Wei shouted, "I, I just came back on the first day of the new year and just found an inn to stay in."

Su Fengzhang laughed. "That's funny. You left on the 28th day of the lunar year and only came back on the 1st. Could it be that you were already at your doorstep when you felt unwell and returned to Hushan County?"

"No, no, no, I came back on the 29th day of the lunar year. I was just not feeling well at the time and was afraid of sharing a room with others, so I found an inn to stay in."

Not to mention County Magistrate Lu and Chief Clerk Sun, all the onlookers knew that there was something wrong with his testimony.

County Magistrate Lu was even more disgusted with this man and shouted, "Mu Wei, why don't you tell the truth!"

Mu Wei's lips were trembling, but he gritted his teeth and shouted, "My lord, I am really innocent. I was so sick and groggy on New Year's Eve that I couldn't get up at all. Besides, if I was the murderer of Chang Qing, why would I come to your door?"

Su Fengzhang said calmly, "Perhaps you heard Scholar Yuan say that he seemed to hear my name, and you also knew that I was caught at the scene and reported to the police. You are afraid that Lord Cai will come back to find out the truth, so you want to take this opportunity to put the blame on me!"

"If it weren't for the fact that the city gate guards remembered the exact time and had the auspicious time of New Year's Eve to determine when I would arrive at the county school, based solely on Brother Yuan's testimony, and Su being caught red-handed, even if he couldn't be convicted, he would still be under suspicion for the rest of his life, right?"

There was no DNA identification at that time. If Su Fengzhang could not prove his innocence, it was possible that he would be killed by a confused official. After all, he was indeed the most suspicious person.

The reason why Mu Wei jumped out in a hurry was probably because he knew that Lord Cai had a personal relationship with Su Fengzhang. This was something everyone in the county school knew and it was not a secret. He was afraid that Lord Cai would be biased, so he wanted to strike first.

As long as County Magistrate Lu has made a judgment on the case, even if Lord Cai is a higher-ranking official, he will have to face the consequences if he wants to change the case. By then, Su Fengzhang's future can be imagined. Moreover, Lord Cai is cautious about his reputation and may not necessarily overturn the case for Su Fengzhang.

County Magistrate Lu's suspicions grew even stronger after hearing this: "Mu Wei, why don't you confess now? Otherwise, I will punish you!"

Facing everyone's suspicious gazes, Mu Wei glared at Su Fengzhang with bloodshot eyes. "Sir, Su Fengzhang was caught on the spot before, but he was only imprisoned and not punished. Now what evidence do you have to prove that I am involved in this matter? Are you trying to force a confession out of me?"

"Could it be that what Su Xiucai said is evidence and what I said is a false accusation? Even if I am just a student, you can't be so biased. Where is justice?" Mu Wei knelt on the ground, looking really pitiful.

"You're the only one who still wants justice!" Mrs. Su Zhao was the most angry. She absolutely believed in her son's innocence, and therefore hated those who slandered him even more. "If there is justice, Mr. Lin should get up and bite you, the murderer, to death."

Su Fengzhang turned around and gave his mother a reassuring look before saying, "My lord, it's not difficult to determine where this person has been these days. If he's staying at an inn, the innkeeper will remember him. If he's staying at a private residence, we can find traces of him."

"Hushan County isn't very big, and there are only a few inns. We can find out the truth by sending someone to ask. Also, Changqing was seriously injured and died, and the murder weapon is missing. I think the person must have panicked and taken the weapon with him."

"He certainly wouldn't dare leave the city, nor would he dare discard the bloody murder weapon. He must have taken it back and hidden it, or left it somewhere secret. The murder weapon certainly wasn't something easily burnt like paper. As long as it's still there, whether it was thrown away or buried, it's only a matter of time before it's found."

While speaking, Su Fengzhang kept looking at Mu Wei's expression. Mu Wei was not a scheming person, and he was even a bit impulsive. This could be seen from his popularity in the county school.

"In my opinion, if Mu Tongsheng stayed at the inn, he would be easily discovered coming and going. He must have some hidden secrets when he returned halfway. He would never just find a place to stay."

"Sir, I heard that Mu Tongsheng's family is wealthy and may have bought property in Hushan County. Why don't you send someone to investigate?"

This was quite convenient. County Magistrate Lu glanced at Chief Clerk Sun, who then stood up and said, "I'll go check. Please wait a moment, sir. I'll have news soon."

Mu Wei felt a darkness before his eyes, and he regretted at this moment why he rushed out to falsely accuse Su Fengzhang. If he had known earlier, he might as well leave Hushan County quickly, and maybe he would not be caught by anyone.

Soon, Sun Zhubu returned with news: "This person does have property in Hushan County. It's a house with one entrance, and it's right behind the county school!"

Su Fengzhang said, "Please send someone to search the Mu family residence. If that place is close to the county school, this person may have taken the murder weapon back home and hidden it, or buried it!"

At this time, Mu Wei had collapsed to the ground, unable to even utter a word to defend himself. He was trembling all over, and no one knew where he got the courage to make a scene in court.

The house was not far from the government office. You should know that houses in that area were not cheap. Mu Wei's family was indeed very wealthy, otherwise he, a student from outside the area, could not have afforded such a house.

It didn't take long before the detectives who had been sent out returned angrily: "Your Excellency, we have found the murder weapon and the blood-stained shirt!"

Su Fengzhang looked over and saw an inkstone that was stained with the county school's ink, and also a tattered bloody shirt. The clothes had probably been burned, but not completely, and both items were covered with a lot of dirt.

The coroner came forward to examine the items and nodded, saying, "The size of the murder weapon matches, and the bloodstains on the shirt were recently stained."

County Magistrate Lu's face was stern, and he shouted angrily: "Mu Wei, why don't you come here quickly!"

This time, without waiting for Mu Wei to speak, he ordered his men to torture him directly. A tongsheng is not a scholar, so there is no such thing as not being able to torture him. Besides, now that the evidence is conclusive, County Magistrate Lu is not afraid of being accused of lynching.

Who knew that after only three blows, Mu Wei screamed in fear, "Don't hit me, I'll take it."

County Magistrate Lu shouted sternly, "Tell the truth about why you returned to the city halfway, why you quarreled with Mr. Lin, and why you killed someone. If you lie, your crime will be even more serious."

Mu Wei was hit with the stick three times, his face was covered with tears, and he looked extremely miserable.

But at this time, no one among the onlookers sympathized with him. This was a cruel man who dared to kill people, and the person he killed was his classmate.

Mu Wei's face also showed regret, but more of it was confusion and fear. His voice was choked with sobs, but it chilled people's hearts. "Years ago, I actually invited Lin Changqing to go back with me. You probably don't know that he was just my book boy. His parents died young, and if it weren't for my father's kindness, he wouldn't even have the chance to study. He even provided a lot of financial support after he took the exam. To be honest, my father treated him much better than I did me."

"But Lin Changqing is ungrateful and ungrateful. After passing the imperial examination, he looked down on me and my family. He would rather stay alone in the county school and eat cold rice than go back with me."

The people present frowned slightly, thinking that if this was true, Lin Changqing was rather heartless and ungrateful.

Su Fengzhang sneered, "Mu Tongsheng's words are rather biased. Everyone knows how frugal Brother Lin is in his daily life."

County Magistrate Lu also said: "Just tell me why you didn't go back."

Mu Wei lowered his head and continued, "This matter is related to what happened later. The more I thought about it on the way home, the angrier I got. It's fine that he looked down on me, but why did he also look down on my father? My father was so kind to him, but he didn't even want to go back and visit him. He even insulted him."

"After walking for a whole day, I came back halfway and tried to persuade him to go back home with me. I knew my father would be sad if he didn't come back, and I didn't want to make him sad."

"Because I was afraid people would see me begging him to come back home, I didn't go through the county school gate after I came back. Instead, I climbed the ladder from my home and went directly to find Lin Changqing."

"Sir, I really didn't want to kill him. I tried to persuade him gently at first, but he not only refused to agree, but he insulted me even more vigorously, even involving my mother. As a son, who can tolerate his parents being insulted?"

"I was so angry at the time that I grabbed the inkstone and hit him with it. Who knew he would die..."

"Sir, I was possessed by a demon and falsely accused Su Fengzhang in order to make him take the blame. But there was a reason for that. I definitely didn't do it on purpose. Who would have known that he normally looked strong and healthy, but would die from just one blow?"

"I really didn't mean to kill him. When I saw him dead, I was so terrified that I ran away in a daze. I haven't been able to rest in my dorm room these past few days. Changqing and I grew up together. Although our relationship wasn't good, we were once like brothers!"

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Author's words: First update

The case will be concluded today.