Chapter 118 Sorrow
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and Xiao Jingxuan was still sound asleep, his door was suddenly flung open.
"Young Master! Something terrible has happened!" The personal servant Zhao Cai rushed in, his voice filled with unprecedented panic, and shook Xiao Jingxuan awake from the bed.
Xiao Jingxuan was fast asleep when he was forcibly woken up. Filled with impatience, he didn't even open his eyes before raising his fist at the servant:
"It's so noisy, like a banshee howling... Can't a person get any sleep?"
"Young Master Li is dead! Young Master, something terrible has happened!" Zhao Cai was extremely anxious.
"Soldiers have arrived at your residence, saying they've come to arrest you!"
"Whether he lives or dies is none of my business. Nobody's going to bother me while I'm sleeping..."
Xiao Jingxuan subconsciously responded with a reply, then turned over, wanting to continue sleeping, however—
"What?!"
He seemed to wake up suddenly, abruptly sitting up in bed, the effects of the alcohol and sleepiness vanishing instantly.
"Who did you just say?! Who died?!"
Zhao Cai was gripped tightly by his arm and had to repeat himself again: "It's Li Mo, Young Master Li! He's dead! His body was found this morning in an alley two streets behind Zuixianlou. The people from the Jingzhao Yin said... last night someone saw you, Young Master Zhao, and Young Master Sun attack Young Master Li together and beat him up. They suspect you're involved. The officials are outside now, saying they want to invite you to the yamen for questioning!"
"What a load of bull!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxuan was immediately furious.
It's true that I punched Li Mo twice last night, but that bastard can still get up and beat people up himself. What does this have to do with him?
Xiao Jingxuan's blood boiled, and he hastily put on his clothes and rushed outside, ready to confront the officials.
However, just as he stepped out of the door, he saw a large group of people already arriving in the courtyard.
The man at the head was the father, whose face was ashen. Standing beside him was the mother, Liu Shi. Behind them were several officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture, dressed in official robes and carrying swords at their waists.
"You unfilial son! What were you doing last night! Why did you suddenly get into a conflict with that young master of the Li family?"
Xiao Dingshan did not directly convict Xiao Jingxuan. In his mind, although his second son was unruly, he was not the kind of person who would disregard the consequences and the overall situation.
There's probably something fishy about this.
Seeing his father's anger, Xiao Jingxuan instinctively began to explain: "Father! I didn't kill anyone! Last night, that bastard Li Mo tried to pounce on me first. I was so angry that I only punched him twice, really just twice. I definitely didn't kill him. How could he have died? This is clearly a frame-up!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Dingshan breathed a slight sigh of relief, but remembering that there were outsiders present, his tone remained stern.
"You scoundrel! Even if what you say is true, it's your fault for acting rashly and recklessly. If you hadn't stirred up trouble and gotten into a street fight, you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this murder case!"
Madam Liu stepped forward, both distressed and annoyed: "You child, why did you always provoke Li Mo? Now that he's dead, he's the only heir left in the Li family. How can Minister Li let this go? What are we going to do?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Xiao Jingxuan immediately lowered his head and muttered under his breath, "It's because he always looks down on me..."
At this moment, the officers behind him stepped forward, cupped their hands, and said, "Young Master Xiao, we apologize for disturbing you. Young Master Li was murdered last night. Someone testified that you had a conflict with the deceased last night and even fought with him. According to regulations, we need you to come back to the yamen with us for routine questioning and to assist in the investigation."
Xiao Jingxuan glanced at his parents' grave expressions and then at the officials, knowing that this matter could not be resolved peacefully.
He gritted his teeth and finally could only say, "Fine, I'll go! I've done nothing wrong, I didn't kill anyone, let's see what you can do to me!"
Finally, Xiao Jingxuan cooperated and arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.
...
Meanwhile, Xiao Jingheng rushed to the crime scene to investigate as soon as he received the news.
The scene appeared to have been disturbed; apart from a pool of blood on the ground, there was nothing suspicious.
Li Mo was found by a passerby who, unsure whether he was dead or alive, took him to a nearby clinic.
When Xiao Jingheng arrived at the clinic, Li's parents had already arrived. Li's mother was holding her son's body and crying uncontrollably.
Li's father also stood to the side, his once dignified face now looking as if all his energy had been drained away, aging him by more than ten years overnight.
Upon seeing Xiao Jingheng enter, Li's mother glared at him fiercely with bloodshot eyes, like an enraged mother beast.
"Young Master Xiao! What are you doing here!"
"Your brother killed my son! Your Yongning Marquis's mansion bullies others with your power! My son had no grudge against him; it was just a youthful squabble. Yet he dared to commit such a heinous act! I demand that your mansion pay for this crime in blood! I demand that your brother pay for my son's life!"
Xiao Jingheng stood there, calmly enduring her anger without uttering a single word of explanation.
Li's father's gaze slowly fell on him, filled with grief and coldness: "Young Master Xiao, we have served in the same court for many years, and I have always thought that the Marquis's family has done a good job in educating its sons."
“My son cannot die like this, without any explanation! If this matter truly has nothing to do with your brother, that would be for the best, and my Li family will not make things difficult for the Marquis's mansion; but if he did it…”
Father Li paused, his voice filled with resolute ruthlessness, "Even if he is the son of a marquis, I will make him pay for my son's life! I will personally petition His Majesty to request a thorough investigation!"
Xiao Jingheng waited until Li's mother's crying subsided before slowly speaking.
"I understand your grief, but although Jingxuan is impulsive, he has no intention of killing. Before the matter is investigated, I ask you both to calm down. If you want to seek justice for Young Master Li, finding out the truth is the most important thing."
Mother Li wiped away her tears, "Is there anything else that needs to be verified? It's all been seen. Last night, my son only had a conflict with Young Master Xiao. If it wasn't him, then who else could it be?"
Ignoring Li's mother's desperate cries, Xiao Jingheng turned to the doctor beside him: "Doctor, where was the fatal wound of this deceased, and what was the condition?"
The old doctor wiped the cold sweat from his brow and respectfully replied, "This young master's fatal wound is a knife wound in his lower back..."
"It's strange, actually. The wound wasn't that deep. If he had been taken to the hospital in time, it might not have been fatal. But... it just so happened to be on the kidney point, a vital area. Plus, when he was found, he had already lost too much blood and had been lying on the cold ground for a long time, letting the cold seep into his body... In addition, he had a lot of alcohol in his body, and his blood circulation was already fast... All these factors combined led to... sigh..."
"Did you hear me? Did you hear me?"
Before the doctor could finish speaking, Li's mother broke down in tears again, pointing at Xiao Jingheng.
"It was Xiao Jingxuan! He not only killed my son, but also abandoned him on the street, leaving him to bleed and freeze, torturing him to death! Your Marquis's mansion is truly cruel!"
Minister Li was also in tears, beating his chest and stamping his feet: "My son...you died so tragically!"
Xiao Jingheng frowned. A knife wound?
Jingxuan went out. Jingxuan never carries sharp weapons when he goes out. Moreover, the doctor said that Li Mo's wound was not deep. With Jingxuan's strength, if he really wanted to kill, how could he only stab half an inch?
He would never allow people to bleed in the streets; that would be completely out of character for him.
"Minister Li, Madam Li, please accept our condolences."
Xiao Jingheng's gaze swept over Li Mo's corpse, his voice steady and powerful, "I swear in the name of the Xiao clan that I will find the real culprit within three days and clear Young Master Li's name. If the real culprit is Jingxuan, I will not tolerate it and will personally bring him to the court to plead guilty, to be judged by His Majesty; if it is someone else, I will bring him to justice and make him pay for Young Master Li's life."
"What's the use of making a vow?" Li's mother asked, wiping away her tears, her emotions running high.
“You are his elder brother and the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. You should be avoiding suspicion. Who knows if you will secretly do something to protect your own brother? I don’t believe you. I’m going to report this to the Prefect’s Office in the Capital and ask the Censorate to intervene!”
Xiao Jingheng was not angry. "If you don't trust me, Madam, you can ask the Prefect of the Capital and the Censorate to jointly supervise this case, and the whole process will be open and transparent. But right now there is a more important matter, and it would be best if you two kept it a secret."
Mr. Li was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "What is it?"
Xiao Jingheng: "We will not announce the death to the public for the time being. We will only say that Young Master Li is seriously injured and in a coma."
"If the murderer knew that Li Mo was not dead, he would definitely take some action."
Upon hearing this, both Mr. and Mrs. Li froze!
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