Execution after autumn
Xie Chengnan dismissed it: "How could that be?"
Lin Yidao: "Let me finish speaking first."
Xie Chengnan then fell silent.
“I know you’re jealous. But there’s really no need for that. I do feel a little sorry for Duan Wenjin. Although I don’t know what he’s done or what he’s been through, I can sense that he must be having a very hard time.”
Xie Chengnan snorted coldly.
"Perhaps it can be understood as a little bit of mutual sympathy born from shared misfortune. But clearly, our relationship is closer. No, more than just a little. My acquaintance with him is only to investigate clues, and no one knows this better than you. Even if we do become friends through this process, it won't affect our relationship. Our interactions will remain the same as before."
Lin paused, then added, "Why ruin our relationship over such a trivial matter between outsiders?"
Her explanation was worse than no explanation at all; it was nauseating. Only the last sentence, with its use of "outsider" and "favor," could be considered somewhat palatable. At least this person could distinguish between insiders and outsiders, so Xie Chengnan decided not to argue with her.
The three-day period that Yue Mingzhang had promised Feng Zhengxian soon arrived. During these three days, Feng Zhengxian occupied Xie Chengnan's study, being fed and cared for lavishly, and with no one to supervise him, he was reluctant to leave even though the furniture in the Xie residence was somewhat dilapidated and old.
When the Yue family came to pick them up, Feng Zhengxian stared at Xie Chengnan expectantly, as if he could stay there forever if Xie Chengnan simply asked him to.
Xie Chengnan, of course, chose to blatantly ignore it.
“I’ll take the person back.” As Yue Mingzhang turned around, he saw that Qiu Qing also seemed to want to say something but hesitated, so he took the initiative to say to her, “I know that Miss Qiu still has some doubts, but now that the murderer has been caught, there is no reason to leave it unattended.” He lowered his voice and added, “There is pressure from above. I have tried my best to delay, but I’m afraid I can’t hold out for long.”
"What will happen to Master Liu?" Lin asked.
“Intentional homicide, murder of one’s wife or pregnant woman, shall be punished by beheading according to the laws of Da’an.”
"..."
Yue Mingzhang gave her a deep look: "If you are still unwilling to give up and want to do something, please do so as soon as possible. I have troubled you a lot these past few days, so there is no need to see me off."
Lin Yi didn't know who was putting pressure on her, and she couldn't figure it out or guess what it was. All she knew was that even Yue Mingzhang had compromised and stopped investigating the case.
Nobody cares what the truth is.
Even if Master Liu truly had no intention of killing Madam Liu, the fact remains that he killed Chun Chan with the intention of aborting her unborn child. Therefore, his execution was deserved.
Moreover, it remains unknown whether there are other instigators behind this incident. Currently, the only person connected to this matter is the pitiful Duan Wenjin.
Lin Yi hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should continue the investigation.
She instinctively looked at Xie Chengnan as if seeking help, only to find that he was also looking at her.
"You're hesitating."
Lin Yi took a deep breath. "Yes, I hesitated. I... don't know if I should continue investigating."
"That's simple. Your heart and legs are both with you. You can investigate if you want, or not if you don't."
Lin Yi smiled bitterly, "But what if even I can't be sure of my own heart? Whether I want it or not, I don't even know myself."
Xie Chengnan pondered for a moment, then asked again, "In your opinion, what would be the best solution to this matter?"
"Perhaps the best solution is to let it go, to let go of yourself and this matter, but..."
"The so-called best solution is often the most suitable choice, but often—the 'but' after knowing the correct way is what you really want to do. Do you think I'm right?" Xie Chengnan patiently guided him.
Lin Yi took another deep breath. "You're right. I know this should probably end here, but I'm not satisfied. I want to investigate further. Why turn a blind eye to things that are clearly inconsistent? I—"
Xie Chengnan put his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Only then did Lin Yi realize that she was standing at the entrance of the Xie residence, with pedestrians coming and going on the street, and that she was being a little too emotional.
“Then go investigate, don’t worry about it. I’ll go with you anyway,” Xie Chengnan said.
Lin Yi felt her eyes getting hot, not because of feeling wronged or sad, but because the feeling of pent-up emotions in her chest had suddenly found an outlet—at this moment, someone truly understood her and was willing to say, 'I'm with you.'
Lin Yi sniffed, holding back her tears. Her fingertips trembled slightly. She clenched her fists tightly, finally finding the courage to look Xie Chengnan in the eye. "Thank you. I'll remember that. Don't go back on your word." A smile finally returned to her face.
Xie Chengnan smiled and said, "Why would I go back on my word?"
Time waits for no one. Yue Mingzhang had just reminded Lin Yi when he was taking a leisurely stroll during the welcoming party that morning. That same day, the Dali Temple urged him to close the case of Madam Liu and sentenced Liu Yuanwai to be executed in the autumn.
Originally, it was because Old Mrs. Liu had lost her daughter-in-law and grandson for no reason that she asked Steward Liu to report the case. As a result, it implicated Master Liu, and now even her own son could not be protected. Such a clumsy attempt backfired and resulted in a complete loss. After this disaster, Old Mrs. Liu finally fell ill and never recovered.
It had only been a little over a month since the execution, and anyone who knew even a little about the matter was certain that the Liu family was doomed.
Some even suspect that the Liu family suffered this misfortune because of their incorrect stance on political affairs.
In Anguo, the wealthy landowners did not hold any real official rank; most were local gentry who had bought their positions. However, since they were based in Mingzhou City, they were inevitably involved in court affairs. Some people had seen Liu, the wealthy landowner, privately interacting closely with Princess Changning. Princess Changning and the Crown Prince had always been at odds.
It is then obvious who wants to take this opportunity to dismantle the Liu family.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi's investigation still made no progress.
There's more to the story than meets the eye in Madam Liu's death—this was merely a suspicion, based on Lin Yi's intuition as a newly minted physician. How could one produce evidence for something so baseless? Perhaps the truth is that while Master Liu had no intention of killing, Madam Liu simply died by a twist of fate.
Based on the existing suspicions, and following Feng Zhengxian's bold speculation that day, the suspects were roughly narrowed down to two: Duan Wenjin and Duan Qitian. This suspicion was based on two points: first, the Liu family's framing of Xinglin Medical Clinic; and second, the affair between Duan Wenjin and Liu's third wife.
The former can be loosely explained as Xinglin Medical Clinic being merely an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of the entire case. The latter, however, was known only to Xie Chengnan and his group through Yao Niang.
Regarding the latter point, because it was legally incompatible, Yue Mingzhang could not provide them with the complete confession, but he did make an exception and gave them some hints.
—Master Liu himself did not know whose child was in Madam Liu's womb. The reason he was so certain the child was not his was because Master Liu was infertile. This was later confirmed by the investigations of the Mingdu Prefecture officials—Master Liu had consulted different doctors outside the city on several occasions.
The man was utterly cowardly; even knowing the child wasn't his own, he dared not confront his wife or even question her. Therefore, everyone in the Liu household, including Old Madam Liu, naturally assumed that the Liu family was finally about to welcome a new young lady or gentleman.
Master Liu dared not let anyone know that he was impotent, and he did not want to be taken advantage of in raising someone else's child, so he wanted to secretly get rid of the child.
Since a life had been taken, fearing that the authorities would find out what he had done, his first thought was to downplay the matter. When that failed, he killed Chun Chan, who had once delivered soup to him, to silence her.
This is all the information they have.
Throughout this entire incident, apart from Lin Yi and Xie Chengnan, no one seemed to care about the father of the child in Madam Liu's womb.
"Actually, we can't confirm that the child is Duan Wenjin's," Lin Yi said.
Xie Chengnan looked at her with considerable surprise.
Saying this at this moment means overturning all the assumptions they had previously made.
"I believe your source of information. Duan Wenjin and Madam Liu must have had an affair, but it is very likely that Duan Wenjin was unaware of the child."
"You want to continue the investigation, but you've overturned our previous assumptions. Have you discovered a new direction for your investigation?"
"No."
Xie Chengnan shook his head and chuckled, "That would be difficult. You can't expect clues to just pop up and tell you on their own."
Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. "Clues can't speak, but people can."
Xie Chengnan said knowingly, "You still need to go find him."
"Yes. Since he's the only clue we have right now, we have no choice but to start with him, even if it's just to help us eliminate one of the options."
Xie Chengnan did not stop her, but asked, "Do you need me to come with you?"
Lin Yi thought for a moment, "I'd better not, after all, he's more wary of you than he is of me."
Before Xie Chengnan could say anything, Lin Yi continued, "If you don't mind the trouble, could you wait for me at the teahouse across the street? Knowing you're nearby always puts my mind at ease."
Xie Chengnan put his arm behind his head: "I'm scared, I hate trouble the most. But since you rarely ask, I'll agree to your request."
Lin Yi smiled sweetly at him and said, "Then thank you very much, young marquis?"
This was Lin Yi's fourth time meeting Duan Wenjin, and each time she had different feelings. However, this time she had a lot on her mind, so she looked particularly heavy-hearted.
"Miss Qiu, have you encountered a difficult situation?" Duan Wenjin asked.
"It's a pity that Master Liu is going to be executed."
Duan Wenjin stopped pouring tea for her. "Is it confirmed? Is the information reliable?"
Before Lin Yi could say anything, Duan Wenjin seemed to suddenly come to his senses and muttered to himself, "That's right, Miss Qiu is the young mistress of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, so the information about Young Master Xie must be accurate."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com