She swung her legs on the chair, jumped down lightly, and walked up to Feng Zhizhang: "Don't rush to demand justice. Listen to the Dai family's terms first. Feng Zhizhang, you're already dead, can't you leave some benefits for your parents who raised you? You didn't fulfill your filial duties when you were alive, and now you're going to skin your parents alive too. How can you be so heartless?"
Feng Zhizhang retorted defiantly to Yuan Qi: "You're just trying to fool me because you're paid to do my bidding."
Yuan Qi rolled his eyes: "You really have no conscience at all. Your parents have spoiled you for nothing. You wouldn't have survived anyway. Why don't you leave your parents more money so they can live a happier life in their later years? Is this what children should do?"
Feng Zhizhang wasn't buying it at all: "No way! Did I die in vain? All that money I left behind was divided up by those illegitimate children. What chance did my mother have?"
Yuan Qi knew that Feng Zhizhang was unyielding, so he said one last thing: "Even if you let Dai Yunlei go, he will still be judged in the underworld after he dies, and this matter will be settled. He will pay the price he deserves. If you don't let him go, he will repay this karmic debt while he is alive, and then it will all be over after he dies."
Feng Youxiao nodded and also tried to persuade his wife and son: "Yes, madam, Zhizhang is not going to make it back to life. Dai Zhan'an has already said that 300,000 taels of silver will be exchanged for Dai Yunlei's innocence. You know how much money our family has spent on Zhizhang's treatment over the years. Even though I am a dignified prefect, I am struggling to make ends meet. I can't afford it either. If you are not willing to reconcile, we will lose both our money and our husband. Madam, please think about your husband."
Madam Feng naturally knew how much money the family had spent over the years. Although her husband was not very affectionate with her and gradually disliked Feng Zhizhang, and occasionally complained that Feng Zhizhang was a burden, he never mistreated her and her son.
But she only has one son. Can she let him die with regrets over such a small amount of money?
"No way! You refuse to kill Dai Yunlei to avenge my son, and you won't even let me seek justice for my son! You can forget about it!"
Madam Dai looked at Yuan Qi: "Young Taoist priest, you should hurry up and take him away, don't let him bewitch people here."
Yuan Qi didn't want to meddle in other people's business. She just thought Feng Zhizhang was mentally challenged, and the name Zhizhang was quite fitting.
"Since they are willing to lose both their money and their loved ones, then let them lose both. With Marquis Shouchang here, I don't think the Feng family will dare to bend the law for personal gain, so let's proceed according to the law. In any case, Dai Yunlei didn't kill intentionally. He'll be back in two or three years of exile. He'll just suffer a little, but that's all. Madam Dai, you don't need to lose all your wealth."
Madam Dai sighed deeply. Her son's life had been saved, but he would suffer, and as a mother, she was heartbroken.
Qian Jin cleared his throat and said loudly, "Since that's the case, then let's proceed according to the law. We'll have a coroner examine the body to find out the cause of Feng Zhizhang's death, and then determine Dai Yunlei's crime. This case will be tried publicly to ensure justice. If Prefect Feng doesn't agree, I'm willing to investigate what you've been doing in Yangzhou these past few years."
Two drops of cold sweat dripped down Feng Youxiao's forehead; his past could not withstand scrutiny.
Seeing the 300,000 taels of silver slip away, Feng Youxiao was seething with hatred.
"Lord Qian, please wait a moment. My wife and I will go to the back room to discuss this further."
Yuan Qi and Qian Jin did not stop them, allowing Feng Youxiao and his wife to come and go as they pleased.
With nothing else to do, Yuan Qi started chatting with the ghost messengers: "You two look unfamiliar. You haven't been on duty for long, have you?"
One of the ghost messengers was named Mei Kaixuan. He was very strong and looked like a military general.
Mei Kaixuan chuckled: "The Celestial Master is not mistaken. I have only served for a little over ten years. In my lifetime, I was a general who made great contributions and was famous far and wide. After my death, the King of the Underworld made me a ghost messenger so that I would no longer have to suffer the pain of reincarnation."
Qian Jin's eyes lit up: "I know you. Twenty years ago, there were bandits in Yangzhou. The imperial court sent troops to suppress them, but they returned empty-handed after many expeditions. In the end, you were the one who quelled the bandits. The late emperor granted you a pardon. I was not yet twenty years old at that time and I admired you very much. I practiced with my gun in the courtyard every day, determined to be like you. It is my great honor to meet you here today."
However, Qian Jin had never had the chance to meet Mei Kaixuan before, and now that he had, Mei Kaixuan was already a ghost messenger, which filled him with emotion.
Mei Kaixuan was overjoyed; it was a good thing to have someone admire him. The flattery was so pleasant that the man and the ghost started chatting idly, one sentence after another.
Qian Jin was puzzled. Yuan Qi was just a minor Taoist priest, but Mei Kaixuan seemed to be very respectful to him.
Yuan Qi also said that he was new here. Why did he feel that Yuan Qi's words revealed a lot of information? At least Yuan Qi seemed to be very familiar with those people in the underworld.
Yes, we can't afford to offend them.
After waiting for a while and not seeing his father and mother return, Feng Zhizhang went to check on them.
Yuan Qi gave Mei Kaixuan a wink.
Mei Kaixuan threw down the soul-snatching rope in his hand and said rudely, "You'd better not go. Get ready to report to the underworld."
Feng Zhizhang was unconvinced, but the Soul-Hooking Rope was specifically designed to deal with ghosts. He was completely immobilized, without any strength to resist, and couldn't even speak.
He worried that his mother would be no match for his father and would be forced to compromise.
When Feng Youxiao came out again, he had two bloody marks on his face. Madam Feng did not come out with him.
"Lord Qian, Madam Dai, young Taoist priest, let's do as the Dai family says and settle this privately." Feng Youxiao walked to the door and ordered the yamen runners to release the three members of the Dai family, father and son.
When Madam Dai saw her wounded only son, she almost fainted. One of his legs was bandaged, his body was wrapped in bandages, and his face was covered in bruises.
Dai Yunfeng walked here.
Qian Jin and his wife didn't know which one was their son at first, but when they saw Madam Dai holding the boy on the stretcher and crying with tears streaming down her face, they knew.
"It's terrible, sir! It's terrible, sir..." A maid rushed over and hurriedly reported.
Feng Youxiao felt irritated: "What is it now?"
The maidservant, steeling herself, reported, "Madam committed suicide. She stabbed herself in the heart with scissors and died..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a new ghost, its heart stained with blood, floated over, its body surrounded by black mist, and pounced directly on Dai Yunlei on the stretcher.
Without Yuan Qi lifting a finger, another ghost messenger threw out a soul-hooking rope and lured over Madam Feng's ghost.
Yuan Qi shook his head: "Do you think you can avenge your son by becoming a vengeful ghost?"
Feng Zhizhang, bound by the Soul-Hooking Rope, was filled with remorse. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have been so stubborn. He was the one who killed his mother! He was the one who killed his mother!
He struggled fiercely, his eyes turned bloodshot, and black smoke began to emanate from his body.
Mei Kaixuan shouted sternly, tightening his grip on the Soul-Hooking Rope: "How dare you! If you resist again, I'll make sure your souls are scattered!"
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