standoff
The coroner stitched up Cui Jue's body.
His internal organs were displaced, his body was shattered into several large pieces, and his brains were splattered all over the ground. Such a horrific state could not be caused by falling from an ordinary tall building.
Xiao Yin speculated that the wheelchair that hit Cui Jue was just a feint, and that Cui Jue's real cause of death was that someone grabbed him and slammed him to the ground with all their might.
"Qilou is famous for its slanted eaves and its proximity to the water, where one can pluck the stars. It is indeed taller than usual. But look at this miserable state; it looks as if it was smashed to pieces."
Wrapped in a white cloth, Cui Sanlang's body was covered. Xie Lingxi frowned and said, "I heard that the Cui family has invited a high-ranking monk to chant the Rebirth Sutra for him, and he will be buried soon."
But the Emperor's birthday is just a few days away.
His Majesty fell seriously ill last autumn. Although he experienced a brief resurgence of health, he has grown increasingly weak and has even been coughing up blood. It seems there is no hope of recovery.
Therefore, the palace intends to hold a grand celebration for this birthday to add to the festive atmosphere.
How could the funeral of a scion of a noble family offend the Emperor? She said, "A grand funeral is impossible. If it coincides with His Majesty's birthday banquet, it will probably have to be postponed."
Xiao Yin shook his head: "The Cui family means the sooner the better."
The seven-day mourning period had long passed, and the empty coffin had been placed in the Cui family's mourning hall for several days. However, because the mystery remained unsolved, Cui Sanlang's spirit lingered in the world.
He had already caused a scene by banging her head against a pillar several times, fainting from the impact and leaving her face covered in blood. Now that everything that needed to be investigated had been investigated, regardless of who the murderer was, she couldn't bear to let Cui Jue continue to suffer.
The funeral was scheduled for two days later.
That day, it was drizzling and the wind was howling. Many people came to pay their respects, bringing money, silk, wreaths, and burning paper money. As evening approached and the sky darkened, everyone except a few who were close to Cui left, wading through the water.
Cui Wenying's face was expressionless, except for her lips, which were pressed into a straight line. He Shi, on the other hand, without any makeup, wept bitterly, pounding her chest with her fists.
"My son, how could you be so unlucky, killed by a villain at such a young age..."
"What a waste to have such a wretched father like you! You know who the murderer is, but you refuse to seek justice for you!"
Upon hearing this, a murmur rippled through the surrounding crowd: "What?!"
Someone earnestly asked, "What does this mean, sister-in-law?"
Seeing that someone was responding, Madam He raised her sleeve and covered one eye with a pitiful expression, pretending to shed tears. "My son, Jue'er, although he is a bit lively, how could he have made enemies in Chang'an? The only ones he has some friction with are the children in this family..."
“They had a hard life, losing their mother at a young age. After I entered their family, I treated them as my own children, and I never forgot them day or night!”
After he finished speaking, everyone present was shocked.
The "children in the family" must refer to the Cui siblings, right? They saw that this Second Young Master Cui was a calm person, and even if they had some disagreements, he wouldn't go so far as to hire someone to kill him!
Xie Lingxi stood below, head bowed.
He Shi dared not implicate Xie Lingjun in this matter, lest she offend the Xie family. But was that truly what she thought? Or was she merely seeking a little pity and compensation from the man?
To think that this plan is being used against Cui Wenying is a serious mistake.
Sure enough, Cui Wenying closed his eyes impatiently and said sternly, "Someone, take the lady away and take good care of her."
He then explained to the guests that Mrs. He was overwhelmed with grief and had some inexplicable delusions, and that they should not take it to heart.
Finally, the true husband lay in the coffin.
As the rain hisses, a musician plays funeral music, accompanied by the sound of a suona horn: "The dew on the leek, how easily it dries! The dew dries and falls again tomorrow, but when a person dies, when will they return!"
"The dew on the leek, how easily it dries! The dew dries..."
"..."
After a mournful song, the moon rose high in the sky, and the rain stopped.
As the paper money was being burned, Xie Yuan touched Cui Wenying's hand and said, "Please accept my condolences."
Cui Wenying looked at him.
The Xie and Cui families have always been on good terms and have often intermarried. Although the funeral is simple, the burial is scheduled for tomorrow. We are so anxious, but thanks to the Xie family for their help, we are not in a state of chaos.
He didn't speak, but glanced at Xie Lingxi, who was drowsy with her eyelids drooping in the mourning hall, and frowned. "Why did you send your daughter here? She is already weak. If she stays here, people will say that I am tormenting her."
Xie Yuan's lips twitched slightly. "She knows everything."
"Cui Jue is dead, and He Ren is dead too. Don't you think there's something fishy about this?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Wenying glanced at the mourning hall without making a sound. There were only a few people left, and only a few relatives from the clan remained to keep vigil. When they saw him looking over, they all took their leave.
The place is empty.
Suddenly, a few bird calls rang out in the darkness, and with a "whoosh," they darted out from the grass, appearing somewhat ghostly in the desolate night, as if an invisible, bloody maw lay across it, devouring everything.
This matter is dishonorable. If it weren't for He's insistence, he would have handled it quietly without any mourners. Thinking of this, he called Xie Lingxi out and said, "It's late and the dew is cold. Let's go home."
Xie Lingxi wasn't going home; she was still holding the murderer's name in her heart. She glanced at Xie Yuan from afar, and the latter nodded.
She straightened her sleeves and was about to leave when a gust of cold wind swept over her, covering her half-covered in dirty water. In the hazy mist stood a figure—
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Are you afraid the younger generation will hear about your dirty deeds and lose face?"
That face! Xie Lingxi's breathing quickened instantly... Prince Pingnan, Yan Li, had actually brazenly left his fiefdom and come to Chang'an!
When Yan Li saw her, he became much gentler: "Good niece, you and Wan Jun do look quite alike."
How are they alike? They are clearly two completely different people.
Xie Lingxi subconsciously took a step back and bumped into a warm and firm chest. Her heart calmed down, and she grabbed Liu Xu's hand in mid-air and held it tightly.
Liu Xu said, "Your Highness, Prince Pingnan, leaving your fiefdom without permission is a capital offense punishable by death."
“That’s a strange way of putting it,” Yan Li said, raising his hands and waving them around. “My brother’s birthday is in a few days. I’m thinking of our blood ties and how much I miss him, so I’ve come all the way to Chang’an to wish him a happy birthday…”
"How touching and heartwarming!"
He tilted his head dramatically, a sly smile playing on his lips. "But it just so happens that it's the funeral of the Third Young Master of the Cui family. Shouldn't you all welcome me here to pay your respects?"
Outside, the wind and rain were fierce, and visibility was so low that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. Cui Wenying stared at the Prince of Pingnan's water-soaked outer robe for a long time, then expressionlessly closed the door of the mourning hall.
"You've come at the perfect time. Now tell me, why do you want to take Jue'er's life?"
How did Prime Minister Cui find out?!
Xie Lingxi was startled, realizing that things were not going as she had expected. Then she heard the Prince of Pingnan click his tongue and say, "Jue'er?"
"Lord Cui is so kind-hearted, he can address the imposter so intimately."
Cui Wenying glanced at Xie Liu and the other person, and said only, "Be careful what you say."
"Be careful what you say? Hahahaha—"
The Prince of Pingnan casually picked up a piece of paper money, folded it into the shape of an arrowhead, held it between his fingers, and pinned it to the coffin lid with a "whoosh." He smiled slyly: "Cui Jue lied to me, saying he was Wan Jun's son, and begged me to help him seize the position of family head."
The laughter was glaringly harsh. "Cui Wenying, how many years have you raised him? How could he so easily accept another father? What's the point of keeping such a heartless bastard around?"
Cui Wenying said calmly, "I'm saying all this just because he lied to you."
Xie Wanjun has been implicated!
Xie Lingxi recalled that Cui Jue's mother also had the surname He, and her father said that Aunt Wan Jun's child died young. Could it be that the child didn't die young, but was stolen...?
Listening to their argument, it seemed as if Prime Minister Cui had also admired Xie Wanjun and knew the secret behind it, which was why he married Lady He.
But as the Prince of Pingnan said, Cui Jue is not Xie Wanjun's child.
"yes!"
The Prince of Pingnan said, "How dare he deceive me with the matter of Lady Wan? He's offended someone without realizing it; he deserves to die—"
"And you are a coward. When the Xie family forced Wan Jun to marry that sickly man, what did you do? Did you stand idly by and even fuel the flames?"
"—Just for the sake of your Cui family's reputation?!"
“However,” Yan Li staggered, as if drunk, to Xie Yuan’s side, raising his hand to roughly grab his collar, but Liu Xu stopped him. He paused for a moment, then smiled mockingly, “Brother, Wan Jun is dead, and you are also the culprit.”
Xie Yuan stood there quietly: "Yes, what I hate most about myself is that I trusted you."
"You broke your promise and abandoned her, and now you come to me acting all high and mighty? Have you lost your mind?"
Yan Li couldn't bear this any longer and shouted, "Shut up! Shut up! I'm back! But she's already married to that vulgar cloth merchant... How could he marry Wan Jun? I even kindly killed him, so that he could be reunited with Wan Jun in the underworld—"
"I was so foolish, so foolish...!"
After saying this, he stamped his feet and pounded his chest in extreme grief, his face turning blue and red, looking like a demon.
Suddenly, thunder roared and lightning flashed, "Boom!"—a beam of white light shone down, illuminating the mourning hall brightly, and the row of candles flickered violently, teetering on the verge of falling!
Yan Li cried and laughed, his face streaked with tears and snot. In an instant, he drew a soft sword from his waist and slashed at the coffin!
"Splash!"
The coffin was struck by immense force and energy, and split into two neat halves!
Standing there, Xie Lingxi suddenly felt a sense of absurdity—
The murderer caused a disturbance at the victim's funeral hall, first slaughtering the corpse and then damaging the coffin. Such horrifying and disrespectful acts to the dead made onlookers shudder. Yet Cui Jue's father, the so-called "victim," remained expressionless, showing no sign of grief or sorrow.
A few tiny wood shavings were rubbed onto Cui Wenying's body. He casually brushed them off and said in a low voice, "Is that enough?"
That sound made him seem ten years older.
He rubbed his temples, about to decline the guests, but Xie Yuan stopped Yan Li. The two glared at each other, and Xie Yuan spoke, his words still relatively restrained, "What's so great about something that happened more than ten years ago that you're making such a fuss?"
"Let alone the Xie family, what grudge do you have against Lingxi and Lingjun?"
The Prince of Pingnan not only harmed her, but also wanted to harm her brother, and wanted to smash the Xie family's reputation plaque to pieces, leaving only a few skeletons and remains.
The details of her past life were laid bare before Xie Lingxi, and the heart-wrenching reality and illusion reappeared once more, instantly filling her with uncontrollable rage—
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