Chapter 92 Verification
Everyone's eyes involuntarily turned toward the source of the sound, even Wang, who was lying on the coffin crying, paused.
In the morning light, a figure slowly walked in.
Xiao Yunzhan's every step felt like stepping on people's hearts. Although he didn't bring any attendants, he instantly suppressed the surrounding noise.
He stopped next to Liu Jingchang, his gaze first sweeping over the paper money scattered on the ground, then falling back on the black lacquered coffin.
A slight smile played at the corners of his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
Pei Zhiwei was overjoyed and reached out to pull Xie Ji's arm.
The pull was a bit too forceful, and Xie Ji was caught off guard.
He stumbled forward, almost kneeling down, and cried out, "Ouch!"
Xie Ji glared back, only to see Pei Zhiwei already kneeling halfway down, her hands forming a neat arc in front of her chest, performing a standard salute.
She called out loudly, "This humble woman, Pei Zhiwei, greets His Highness Prince Rui!"
Xie Ji then realized her intention, secretly rolled her eyes, and followed Pei Zhiwei's example to bow.
He muttered to himself, "Couldn't you have told me?"
Liu Jingchang reacted quickly; as soon as Pei Zhiwei finished speaking, he immediately bowed and said, "This humble official, Liu Jingchang, greets His Highness Prince Rui!"
Only then did the people around finally come to their senses.
Among the Xu clan members, the elderly man with gray hair was the first to kneel down, leaning on his cane.
The merchants who came to pay their respects panicked. Several of them were still adjusting their clothes when they were pulled down to bow by the people next to them.
For a moment, the area in front of the mourning hall was filled with shouts of "Greetings, His Highness Prince Rui," creating a chaotic scene.
Xiao Yunzhan raised his hand to help them up, "Get up, everyone."
He turned to look at Liu Jingchang, "Lord Liu, you are a fifth-rank magistrate of Yangdu County. You should act in accordance with the laws of Daliang. What is there to hesitate about?"
"I'm right here today, and I want to see if some people have gotten too comfortable and really think they can turn the world upside down in Yangdu."
Liu Jingchang felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.
He had felt a bit overwhelmed by the argument with the Wang and Xu clansmen, but now that Xiao Yunzhan was backing him up, he felt much more confident.
He waved his hand and shouted to the constables, "Open the coffin and examine it again! Check carefully, don't miss a single detail!"
This time, the constables had no more reservations than before, and they straightened their backs and walked towards the coffin.
Two members of the Xu clan stubbornly stood beside the coffin, but were pushed away by the yamen runners.
The force was considerable; the tribesman staggered back two steps, muttering "you" for a long time, but dared not go forward again.
They could only stand by, glaring angrily at the constables, their fists clenched tightly, but in the end, they didn't dare to utter another word of "no".
But Wang Shi remained lying on the coffin and refused to move.
She was dressed in plain clothes, her hair was loose over her shoulders, and she was holding the coffin tightly with both hands, her fingernails almost embedded in the black lacquer.
The constables stood around the coffin, looking at each other in bewilderment, each at a loss for what to do.
Firstly, there was the strict rule of separation between men and women. If someone reached out and dragged a woman dressed in plain clothes who was crying, it would inevitably be seen as "disrespectful."
Secondly, Wang was ultimately Xu Fengyan's widow, whose conviction was pending. There was neither a royal decree nor concrete evidence, so it was impossible to simply treat her like a prisoner and drag her into this mess.
Xiao Yunzhan scoffed softly at the scene.
"Madam Xu is deeply in love with Master Xu. Is she planning to commit suicide today to accompany him in death?"
Wang's body stiffened, and she didn't say anything, but just cried loudly to herself.
“But the laws of this dynasty have long prohibited suicide pacts.” Xiao Yunzhan pretended to be thinking, constantly turning the ring on his finger as if he had made up his mind, and finally nodded after a long while.
"But it doesn't matter."
If Madam Xu really intends to do this, then I will personally write to His Majesty and say that Madam Xu died suddenly from a heart attack due to excessive grief.
In this way, you will both get what you want and be spared the Xu family's punishment. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
Upon hearing this, Wang's personal maid turned pale.
She rushed over, reached out to help Wang Shi up, and cried as she pleaded, "Madam! Please don't do this!"
"If the old man were watching from heaven, he wouldn't want to see you like this!"
When the maid pulled her like that, Wang's tense body instantly relaxed.
Her hand trembled as she pointed at Xiao Yunzhan, her lips quivering, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time: "You...you all..."
In the end, all that remained was a sob that broke her voice, and she was half-supported and half-carried away by her maid to the side.
Once the yamen runners saw that there were no obstacles, they immediately stepped forward to take action.
Two strong constables squatted on either side of the coffin, gripped the lid with both hands, shouted "Lift!", and forcefully lifted the heavy coffin lid.
The coffin lid hit the ground with a dull thud.
Han, the coroner, was already prepared. He carried the autopsy kit and strode forward. He first bowed to the inside of the coffin before carefully reaching out to examine Xu Fengyan's body.
The two bailiffs beside him were holding the previous burial list and checking the contents of the coffin one by one.
He counted the jade items, silks, and everyday clothes one by one, weighing them every now and then on a small scale.
However, after checking each item one by one, no abnormalities were found.
Pei Zhiwei stood at the back of the crowd, but with each check, her heart sank deeper.
The unusual curvature of the coffin poles when they were carried earlier kept replaying in her mind.
Her brows furrowed, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the strap of the brocade bag.
This isn't right; there must be something we haven't found.
She quietly moved closer to the coffin, trying not to attract attention.
She carefully examined every detail inside the coffin, then tilted her head to re-examine the entire coffin.
"Your Highness!" Wang's hysterical cries suddenly rang out again.
"You've inspected it, and you've checked the list. Now it's time to let my master rest in peace, isn't it?"
He's been dead for so long, are we really going to let him be searched and interrogated here again and again?
Liu Jingchang also looked at the yamen runner checking the list, and then at Han the coroner.
The constables and the coroner Han all shook their heads at him, indicating that there was nothing unusual.
Now Liu Jingchang was also a little unsure. Could it be that Madam Pei had really made a mistake this time?
He glanced at Xiao Yunzhan and saw that the other man still had the same smile on his face, unchanged.
He knew in his heart that Xiao Yunzhan was now essentially in a predicament.
If no problem is found, not only will it be difficult to explain to the Wang family, but the Xu family will likely cause trouble again.
He has to be the one to pass the steps.
"Then..."
"Wait a minute!" Pei Zhiwei's clear and firm voice suddenly rang out, abruptly interrupting Liu Jingchang's words.
The smile that had been hidden in Xiao Yunzhan's eyes finally spread out.
Wang pointed at Pei Zhiwei forcefully; if it weren't for the maidservant stopping her, she would have pounced on her.
At this moment, the corners of her eyes were so red they looked like they were bleeding, and her disheveled hair clung to her tear-streaked cheeks, making her look terrifyingly ferocious.
He shouted sternly, "And who are you? What gives you the right to stop me again and again?"
"What exactly do you want to get rid of my master?"
Pei Zhiwei ignored her rage and said with great certainty, "This coffin has a hidden compartment. Let's examine it again!"
The moment those words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.
One of the Xu clan members exclaimed "Ah!" and couldn't help but peek out.
Liu Jingchang was also stunned. "Madam Pei, are you sure?"
"Sure."
An elderly bailiff, his fingers bent, began tapping from the top of the coffin.
The initial sound was a dull "thump-thump," but when it reached near the bottom, it suddenly produced a hollow, crisp sound, which was clearly different from other places.
The constable's eyes lit up. "Sir!"
"Madam Pei is right, this coffin does indeed have a hidden compartment!"
The Xu clan members looked at each other, their eyes filled with doubt and fear.
They had previously helped Wang prevent the coffin from being opened. If there was something shameful hidden inside, wouldn't they also be implicated?
Without hesitation, Liu Jingchang ordered the constables, "Bring the body out first and carefully examine the hidden compartments!"
Two constables carefully lifted Xu Fengyan's body onto a wooden board and covered it with a white cloth.
Then, taking a crowbar, he started prying at the bottom of the coffin.
With a creak, a crack was pried open in the wooden plank at the bottom of the coffin.
The constables continued to exert their strength and finally lifted the entire wooden plank.
"Master Liu!
There...there are people in here!
All eyes turned to that direction.
In the hidden compartment at the bottom of the coffin, lying flat was a person dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, none other than the missing Wang Jingzong!
Han, the coroner, rushed over, checked Wang Jingzong's carotid artery, and then examined his eyelids before finally straightening up.
"Your Excellency, the person has been dead for some time."
"Brother!" Wang suddenly let out a sharp cry of grief, the sound soaring to the heavens. Then her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
The maids swarmed forward, some pinching the philtrum, others patting the back, creating chaos.
The Xu clan members were no longer filled with resentment; all that remained was confusion and lingering fear.
One of the middle-aged men knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Liu Jingchang, shouting incoherently, "My lord!"
I had no idea there was a hidden compartment in the coffin!
If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to stop them from opening the coffin even if I had a hundred lives!
Please, Your Excellency, see the truth!
Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.
Soon, a group of Xu clan members knelt before the mourning hall, each one kowtowing to the ground, their voices trembling with sobs: "Please, Your Excellency, have a clear understanding!"
"The younger one was also kept in the dark!"
Xiao Yunzhan hadn't expected that Wang Jingzong's corpse would be in the hidden compartment. He raised an eyebrow and his expression darkened.
He looked at the coroner, Han, and said in a serious tone, "You should examine the body carefully first."
The coroner, Han, quickly replied, "Yes, Your Highness!"
He then opened the autopsy kit and began to carefully examine Wang Jingzong's body.
Xiao Yunzhan raised his voice to Liu Jingchang: "Wang Jingzong is the Military Advisor of Xuzhou's Granary, a seventh-rank official."
He died in the Xu residence, and his body was hidden in a crypt within Xu Fengyan's coffin. According to the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, this was a serious case.
Pei Lin, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, is currently in Yangzhou. This case should rightfully be under his jurisdiction. Your prefectures and counties are responsible for assisting in the investigation; there must be no mistakes.”
Liu Jingchang cupped his hands and solemnly said, "Your humble servant obeys!"
"Go to Yaoguang Garden and invite Lord Pei here," Xiao Yunzhan instructed a yamen runner beside him.
Pei Zhiwei's gaze fell on the mourning hall.
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