Chapter 10: The Filial Son
Dan Mo knelt on the ground, trembling all over, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time. Fang Yan put away the playful expression he had when he was with Xun Shu, and put on a stern face, embracing the imposing manner of a county lieutenant, and said in a dignified manner without anger: "Get out of the way."
Dan Mo didn't move. The bailiff stepped forward and pushed him away, then kicked open the closed door.
The smell of alcohol hit Xun Shu in the face, choking him and making him frown. He unconsciously took a half step back, and only with the support of He Xuan on his back could he stand firm.
"Be careful." He Xuan said softly.
Light pierced the dim room, dispelling the filth and illuminating everything within. Several wine jars lay stacked on the floor, most of them empty. One had rolled to the door, spilling the remaining liquid across the floor, soaking the ground and leaving behind a strong odor that remained locked in the sealed room all night.
The room was in a mess, with a lot of miscellaneous items scattered on the floor, mixed with scattered porcelain fragments, as if they had been thrown to the floor and broken into pieces by someone in anger and never cleaned up.
Fang Yan was the first to enter the house. He carefully stepped over the debris on the ground, passed through layers of curtains, and walked into the inner room. He saw Zhao Yuanming lying unconscious beside the bed.
The mother was dead, and the son was sleeping here, as if he knew nothing about it. It was too absurd. Dan Mo, who was standing by, seemed to guess what they were thinking and explained with a sad face, "I came to look for the eldest young master early this morning, but he drank too much last night and told me to get out. I had no choice but to lock the gate to avoid gossip. But I didn't expect you to find me anyway."
After Madam Zhao's death, the mansion was in chaos. Perhaps the others didn't notice Zhao Yuanming's absence, or perhaps they noticed and mistakenly thought he had other plans, which was reasonable. But as Madam Zhao's only son and Magistrate Zhao's eldest son, why would Magistrate Zhao leave him drunk and unconscious in the house without caring about him?
Fang Yan glanced at the yamen runner beside him. The man turned around to take the cold tea on the table, opened the lid of the pot and poured it all over Zhao Yuanming's face.
The cold pain from the overnight cold tea stimulated Zhao Yuanming's gradual awakening. Before he even opened his eyes to see everything clearly, he shouted angrily, "Who?!"
Tea dripped down his eyelashes, leaving tea leaves on his face. Zhao Yuanming wiped the stain with his sleeve, finally taking in everything in front of him. He seemed surprised to see so many people in the room, and asked in astonishment, "Who are you? Why are you in my room?"
"Your mother is dead." Fang Yan said calmly and got straight to the point.
Zhao Yuanming was still hungover, his mind fuzzy. After a moment of stunned silence, he frowned and angrily shouted, "It's so early in the morning, are you guys done yet?! If she wants to commit suicide, then let her go! This isn't the first time, don't bother me over such a trivial matter!"
This is treating this group of people as liars.
Even though Fang Yan rarely got angry at people involved in a case, he couldn't help but lower his voice at this moment, his eyes filled with disdain. "I am Fang Yan, the Chaozhou County Magistrate. I'm here today regarding the murder of Madam Zhao. I have something to ask you. Once you've packed up, come find me in the courtyard."
After saying that, without waiting for Zhao Yuanming's reaction, Fang Yan flicked his sleeves and fled from the stinking room.
Xun Shu lagged behind the crowd by a few steps, his eyes sweeping across every corner of the room, finally stopping on Zhao Yuanming's face. He paused for a moment before leaving before he got angry.
Dan Mo hired two maids to help Zhao Yuanming dress and wash. He Xuan happened to pass by them as he walked out of the room. He quickly stopped the one at the end of the group and said with a smile, "This sister is very beautiful. Is she serving in the eldest young master's courtyard?"
He Xuan had a handsome face and a gentle smile, which made the maid blush and said shyly, "My lord, I am serving in the eldest young master's courtyard."
"Then do you know if anyone came to this courtyard last night?"
"I was not in this courtyard last night and did not know about it."
Xun Shu just walked out of the house and couldn't help but ask after hearing this: "Since you are from the eldest young master's courtyard, why are you not in this courtyard?"
"Young lady, you don't know that the eldest young master has a strange temper and doesn't like to have anyone stay in the courtyard. On weekdays, only Dan Mo serves in this courtyard. The other maids and servants live outside the courtyard and only come when the eldest young master has instructions. Yesterday, the eldest young master was in a bad mood and didn't come to see us all day."
He Xuan seemed to be lost in thought. "I just saw a lot of empty wine jars in the young master's room. Since you said the young master didn't look for anyone, where did these jars come from? Could it be that Dan Mo moved them all by himself?"
The maid shook her head. "The wine was requested by the eldest young master the other day. The evening before yesterday, the mistress came to the eldest young master's courtyard. I happened to be sweeping the grounds there at the time and heard the two of them arguing. When the mistress left, she was very angry, her eyes red. After that, the eldest young master requested ten jars of wine and drove everyone out of the courtyard. I heard from Dan Mo that he locked himself in his room and drank all night long."
"Xiaoqin, come in quickly!"
Someone in the room called out to the maid named Xiaoqin. She hurriedly said goodbye and was about to turn around when she suddenly remembered something and lowered her voice to say, "However, after dinner yesterday, when I returned to my room, I saw the young master leaving the courtyard alone and heading towards the back garden. It was around the evening hour, and I don't know what he was going to do." She paused, her eyes full of autumn water as she blinked and looked at He Xuan, "Is what I said useful to you, my lord?"
He Xuan didn't know why, but he felt a panic in his heart. He subconsciously turned to look at Xun Shu beside him. Seeing that she didn't react, he breathed a sigh of relief. But a moment later, it seemed as if a darker cloud had loomed over his heart, making it hard to breathe. He exhaled, his smile a little fake, and his voice became muffled. "It's useful. Thank you."
The maid kept looking back as she left reluctantly. Fang Yan watched from afar. Thinking that he would be happy if He Xuan was in trouble, he couldn't help but say something provocative: "Mr. He is so lucky."
He Xuan blinked: "Solving the case is the most important thing. How about Lord Fang come in person next time?"
Fang Yan snorted coldly: "I didn't see you ask anything."
He Xuan was about to argue when he heard Xun Shu speak beside him, his voice full of doubt: "She met Zhao Yuanming on his way to the garden at Youshi. Madam Zhao was murdered between Haishi and Zishi. Could he be the murderer?"
Fang Yan was stunned, with a bit of disbelief: "Mrs. Zhao is Zhao Yuanming's biological mother. He wouldn't kill his own mother, right?"
Xun Shu shook his head and said seriously, "What if Madam Zhao is not Zhao Yuanming's biological mother?"
"What does this mean?"
Xun Shu pointed at her philtrum and said, "I've read Madam Zhao's face before. A thin line in the philtrum indicates a weak affinity with children, a face that suggests childlessness and a life of old age without support. I just looked at Zhao Yuanming's face as well. His parental palace is bright and plump, with a yellow, radiant glow. This suggests a face with both parents still alive and in good health. Also, there seem to be faint fine lines at the bridge of his nose. It was dim in the room just now, so I couldn't see clearly, but if that's true—" She pursed her lips, hesitant a little, "He was probably adopted by someone else. County Magistrate Zhao and Madam Zhao are probably not his biological parents."
The air grew quiet. Fang Yan, along with several nearby yamen runners, stared at Xun Shu in shock, seemingly unable to understand what she was saying. He Xuan sighed inwardly, chuckled softly, and spoke in a relaxed tone, "Don't be surprised, everyone. Ah Shu has been learning physiognomy from Uncle Jiang lately, and he talks about it to everyone he meets. Uncle Jiang was just saying yesterday that Ah Shu hasn't mastered the skill of physiognomy yet, but he's still going around giving advice. Sooner or later, he'll get into trouble. Please, do me a favor to the county lieutenant Fang and don't tell anyone about this!"
Fang Yan glanced at He Xuan, but ultimately said nothing, tacitly agreeing with what He Xuan had said. The county officials smiled and nodded repeatedly, and the matter was over.
Xun Shu lowered his head and kept his mouth tightly shut, fearing that he would lose control and blurt out rebuttal words.
Fortunately, she didn't suffer for too long. The door of the main house opened, Zhao Yuanming packed up and walked out of the house. Dan Mo followed behind him, with red marks on his cheeks.
The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard. Zhao Yuanming stood in the bright light, and every detail of his body was clearly visible. His face was swollen from a hangover, and there was obvious darkness under his eyes. He was obviously a young man who was not yet twenty years old, but his cheeks were drooping, which made him look a little more vicissitudes of life.
During this moment, Xun Shu's gaze was focused on the bridge of his nose, and he could see the fine lines clearly.
He Xuan walked up to her without her noticing, coughed lightly, and lowered his voice: "Be careful with your words."
Xun Shu rubbed his feet against the bluestone bricks on the ground and responded slowly: "I know."
There were no tables or chairs in the yard. Dan Mo trotted to open the door of the left wing, which was where Zhao Yuanming usually studied and attended classes. Zhao Yuanming walked in front, leading everyone in. He looked humble and polite, a completely different person from just now.
The fragrance of books and ink mixed together in the room, which was extremely pleasant. Xun Shu followed everyone and stood in the corner, listening carefully to the questions from the people in the yamen without saying a word.
The maid served tea to everyone and left. Zhao Yuanming picked up the teacup and took a sip. The fragrance of the tea diluted the bitterness in his mouth, and his mood improved a little. He smiled and said, "You all came to look for me, but what nonsense did my mother say again?"
Fang Yan frowned, realizing the man before him hadn't taken his words to heart. He could only repeat, "Mrs. Zhao, I'm afraid you can't say anything more. This morning, a slave found her body in the backyard pond. She was already dead when she was fished out. The coroner confirmed it was suspected to be murder."
Zhao Yuanming was stunned for a moment, then his gaze swept across the room, landing on Fang Yan's official robes. It was then that he realized the man before him was telling the truth. He slammed his cup down on the small table, stood up, and slapped Dan Mo across the face, angrily barking, "Such a serious matter, why didn't you tell me?!"
Dan Mo covered his cheeks and didn't dare to respond. He felt half aggrieved and half relieved.
He had woken up the young master early in the morning and told him about this, but the young master thought he was joking and scolded him. At that time, some evil thoughts suddenly arose in his heart, so he did not remind him again.
He thought, after all, he had already told the young master, and if the young master didn't believe him and didn't want to go to the front yard, it had nothing to do with him. Even if someone investigated later, the worst that could happen would be another beating and scolding. What difference would that make compared to what was happening now?
After Zhao Yuanming finished beating Dan Mo, he realized that there was someone in the room. He suppressed the anger on his face, softened his distorted expression, and said softly, "My mother...where is she now? Can I go see her?"
"I'm afraid you can't see her now," Fang Yan replied calmly. "The coroner has just examined your mother's body. A maid is currently preparing her remains. The body will then be sent to the mourning hall for rest. Once the case is concluded, she will be buried. During this time, you can visit your mother, but you must be accompanied by an official."
Zhao Yuanming nodded vaguely and didn't say anything for a long time. Gradually, tears slid down his swollen cheeks and fell on the hem of his clothes, staining them one dot after another.
Xun Shu looked at him quietly and felt that his sadness was not fake, but he was really sad about Mrs. Zhao's departure.
Fang Yan looked at Zhao Yuanming and saw that his mood was gradually calming down. He spoke again, "I am here on the orders of your father, County Magistrate Zhao, to thoroughly investigate your mother's case. I have a few questions for you, and I hope you will answer them truthfully." He paused, and without waiting for Zhao Yuanming's response, he continued, "I heard that Madam Zhao came to your courtyard the other day looking for you. You and your mother had a quarrel. What was it about?"
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