Chapter 55: Two Men Buried Together
Amidst the mountains, a gentle breeze swept fallen leaves, swirling beneath my feet. Graves dotted the hillside, and occasionally someone would kneel before one, weeping. The air was thick with the scent of paper money.
Luo Qingling followed Qin Yanheng in small steps. The latter was carrying a bundle on his shoulder, his black hair was half tied up with a wooden hairpin, and the jade pendant at his waist had been taken off long ago, replaced by an ordinary fan, looking like a young master.
"Little...Brother, when will we get there?"
As soon as she opened her mouth, Luo Qingling habitually called Qin Yanheng "Your Highness." She realized this and immediately changed her tone. Now, she and Qin Yanheng were pretending to be a pair of siblings returning home to visit relatives and offer sacrifices, so they couldn't let anyone see the clues.
"Don't worry, sister. It's just on this hill. We can get there today anyway." Qin Yanheng got into the role quickly. He walked in front with his bag on his back and answered naturally, without any trace of acting.
Someone followed him from behind, but Luo Qingling did not look back, thinking that he was just a passerby.
"Are you two going to offer sacrifices halfway up the mountain?" A rather aged male voice sounded behind him.
Luo Qingling looked back and saw a bearded man approaching with a bag on his back. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, the same age as her father. He panted as he approached Luo Qingling, frowning slightly as he asked, "What's the matter?"
"This young lady has never walked on a mountain road, right? The mountain road to this tomb is not easy to walk on. Madam and young master should be careful." The man was very enthusiastic. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face while speaking, as if he was instructing his own child. He looked like a kind father.
But today, Luo Qingling and the others were here to catch the murderer, so they naturally had no intention of chatting with passersby. She glanced at Qin Yanheng, who walked ahead without turning back, and nodded to the man perfunctorily, "Thank you."
The man didn't care and continued chattering, "Don't blame me for being nosy, ladies. I also have a child at home who's about your age. He often goes out drinking and comes home at night reeking of alcohol. Alas... he accidentally ended up living in a grave. I'm here to offer my respects today, and seeing you reminds me of my child, so I can't help but say a few words."
Did you drink yourself to death?
Luo Qingling was startled and couldn't help but take another look at the man. Although he had a beard, his features were very kind, suggesting he must be a doting father. Feeling sorry for him, she asked, "My dear father, I'm so sad. Did your son pass away this year?"
"Oh, it was not long ago." The man sighed, but did not say anything else.
The three of them walked on the mountain path, one in front and one behind.
After a while, the man stopped in front of a grave without a tombstone, put the bag on his shoulder under a tree, turned to Luo Qingling and said, "We have arrived at my son's grave, so I will not accompany you on this journey. Young lady and young master, please be careful not to fall."
Luo Qingling was about to agree when Qin Yanheng, who had been silent all the way, stepped forward, took the man's hand in both his, and said with a look of concern, "I didn't expect to meet you in the mountains. You've been with me and my sister all the way, just like a father to our family. How could my sister and I leave you alone now? How about this, we two join you in paying homage to this brother in the grave and acknowledge you as our father. Then you'll have a pair of children."
What is Qin Yanheng doing?
Luo Qingling stared at him with wide eyes. Unexpectedly, Qin Yanheng became more and more addicted to his performance. He even took out a wine pot and two cups from his bag, as if he was going to recognize his relatives at the grave. She hurriedly stepped forward to grab the cups and wanted to stop him.
Qin Yanheng lowered his eyes and glanced at her, his eyes twitching slightly, and she didn't know what he meant.
"I appreciate the kindness of this young master, but the pain of losing a son... Alas, looking at the young master reminds me of my son, and I really don't want to recall it." Tears welled up in the man's eyes. He pushed away the wine glass handed to him by Qin Yanheng, then squatted in front of the grave and raised his hand to wipe the tombstone.
There is not a single word on the tombstone, and we don’t know the deceased’s name.
"Since my father-in-law is unwilling, I won't force him. I'll just offer a glass to my brother in the grave." Qin Yanheng pretended to be lost, squatted beside his father-in-law, put the wine glass on the ground, and raised his hand to pour the wine.
Unexpectedly, they were stopped by a man halfway. He said with red eyes: "He'er can't stand it, my lord and lady should hurry up."
He'er?
Luo Qingling was alert and immediately understood the reason behind Qin Yanheng's behavior. He must have suspected that the man was Cao He's father, the murderer of Liu Zhang.
"He'er loved drinking. One day, he got into an argument with someone after drinking, and then..." The man covered his face and cried, "As a father, how can I be willing to let my son pass away so suddenly?"
"What's the name of your father-in-law's son?" Qin Yanheng stood up, lowered his eyes and looked at the man squatting on the ground crying, and his tone returned to normal.
"Cao He." The man didn't react and answered subconsciously.
"Catch him."
Qin Yanheng waved his hand, and Xuanying rushed out from the mountains with several officers and soldiers behind him. They surrounded Cao's father who was kneeling on the ground with long swords in their hands, waiting for Qin Yanheng's next order.
Luo Qingling had expected Cao's father to struggle to explain, but instead, he slowly raised his head and glanced at her and Qin Yanheng, a relieved smile on his face. Cao's father pulled paper money and offerings from his bundle and, in full view of everyone, placed them in front of the grave. He knelt on the ground without even turning his head.
"I know the government will come after me sooner or later, so I don't want to run away. I'll leave with you after I finish paying homage to He'er." Father Cao quickened his movements, and the flames flickered on the ground. He threw the paper money in his hand into the fire, and the flames crackled and danced on his face.
"Have you known for a long time that we suspected you?" Luo Qingling asked.
Cao's father nodded. "I didn't intend to kill Liu Chang to avenge He'er. It's just that Lord Liu, relying on his position as an official, used his status to pressure me, making it impossible for me to seek justice. As a father, how can I bear to watch my son being murdered while the murderer lives a carefree life?"
"Is it because the murderer's father is a Jinwu Guard, and I'm just a commoner?" Cao's father turned his back to everyone, not wanting others to see the hatred in his eyes, but his tone had already revealed his inner thoughts.
"Why should I allow others to bully me when I have no power? I'm just an ordinary father. I haven't done anything wrong in decades. Even when He'er buys alcohol on credit, I pay him back in time. Why do you treat me like this?"
"After Liu Chang killed He'er, I wanted to ask Lord Liu to pay me some money, but he sent people to my house and beat me up. I was so scared that I didn't even dare to go home."
"I lost my son, but Lord Liu is still able to rule the capital with such splendor. Why?"
The more Cao's father spoke, the more agitated he became. He turned around, knelt, and looked at Qin Yanheng, his eyes filled with tears. "Yes, I killed Liu Chang and Madam Liu. I knew I would be caught by you if I returned to offer sacrifices, but I still wanted to see my son. Now that things have come to this, I, Cao, voluntarily plead guilty and will leave it to you to deal with."
No one interrupted Father Cao while he was speaking.
Qin Yanheng stood beside Luo Qingling in plain clothes. Even without finery, he exuded nobility. He nodded gently and glanced at the grave behind Cao's father.
"Liu Chang is also in the tomb, right?" Qin Yanheng said.
What does this mean? Luo Qingling was startled and couldn't help but look up at him. How could Liu Chang be in Cao He's tomb?
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Cao's father lowered his eyes, but did not deny it. After a while, he looked up and looked directly at Qin Yanheng: "Yes, after I killed Liu Chang, I buried him in this tomb together with my son Cao He to avoid being discovered."
"Doesn't Liu Chang hate my son? I will let him lie in the same tomb with He'er, and he will be entangled by my son for generations to come!" Cao's father laughed, with a cold look in his eyes.
How cruel... Luo Qingling's mouth corners drooped, and he couldn't help but think to himself.
It is hard to believe that a kind-looking man, after his son was killed and there was no hope of justice, would kill the murderer and his innocent mother. The human heart is really unpredictable.
No matter how kind a person is, there will always be moments of anger. If Lord Liu had not abused his power and forced Cao's father into a desperate situation, the three people would not have died today.
It's really sad!
"Then why did you kill Madam Liu as well?" Luo Qingling asked.
Perhaps because Luo Qingling was so amiable and had such a soft voice, Cao's father couldn't bear to frighten her. Instead, he softened his tone and replied with a gentle smile, "Young lady, don't blame me for being cruel. If Madam Liu hadn't suddenly appeared at Liu Chang's door and witnessed everything, I wouldn't have been so cruel."
"How did you move the two bodies out of the city?" Luo Qingling seized the opportunity to ask. He was now certain that Cao's father had sneaked into Liu's mansion at night and killed people as they had previously guessed.
"I rented a carriage in the east of the city, removed the wooden planks that were supporting the carriage, brought them into the Liu residence, and used them to press against the backs of Liu Chang and the other man, causing them to die from heart failure. I then used the carriage to carry the bodies out of the city."
It was exactly the same as what Luo Qingling and the others had previously speculated.
Cao's father knelt down and told everything, and was then escorted by the guards out of the cemetery without looking back.
Luo Qingling looked around, then leaned over to Qin Yanheng and asked, "Young Prince, are we just going to leave Liu Chang's body like this?"
"According to the procedure, open the coffin and conduct an autopsy." Qin Yanheng replied.
That's good, she has never seen two men buried together...
The grave was dug up and a coffin was lying on the ground. Qin Yanheng raised his chin to signal his followers to open the coffin. Luo Qingling stretched his head to look and was shocked.
The two skeletons were intertwined with each other's hands and feet, and the corpses were stacked on top of each other, with rotten flesh and blood tightly stuck to each other. It was no longer possible to tell whether it was Liu Chang's or Cao He's. The two of them lay quietly in the coffin.
They clearly dislike each other, but they have to be connected.
The sound of horse hooves was heard not far away, followed by a few cries. It was Lord Liu who came running over after hearing the noise.
"My poor Chang'er—"
Lord Liu ignored Qin Yanheng's cold face, and quickly stepped forward, lying on the coffin board, and spoke with tears in his eyes.
"Your son is pitiful, but aren't other people's sons pitiful too? Lord Liu has brought this upon himself." Qin Yanheng scolded harshly.
"Take Lord Liu away and report this matter to the Saint. He will be held accountable."
Upon hearing this, Lord Liu fell to the ground, his face full of regret. He stared blankly at the carriage going away, his whole body shivering.
After bullying others in Beijing for more than ten years, he finally reaped the consequences of his own actions.
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