prison
As Mu Qing climbed up the roof beam, she heard a scream, followed by a rustling sound that seemed to come from nowhere, pulling her down from the halfway point of the pillar.
Song Baixuan's slender fingers wrapped around one of her ankles.
Mu Qing kicked him hard, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, not even uttering a sound. His hoarse voice sighed, "Miss, stay with me until the end."
Mu Qing felt a chill in her heart. Turning around, she saw Song Baixuan holding a gleaming dagger in his other hand under the pale moonlight, with dark red blood flowing from the blade.
In a moment of distraction, she was pulled to the ground, causing Song Baixuan below to lose his grip amidst the tremors, and the dagger clattered to the ground.
In the darkness, to avoid being captured, Mu Qing touched a dagger and reached back to pick it up, but it was pressed down heavily. In the struggle to pull his hand away, his thoughts became chaotic, and a certain instinct took over.
With a soft splash, the cool liquid hit Mu Qing's face, and she froze in shock.
As footsteps approached, a few lights appeared around them, gradually brightening the scene and illuminating everything before them. Her hand, holding a dagger, plunged into the chest of the person beneath her.
"Arrest her!"
At a shout, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the ground.
Mu Qing stared blankly at the ground, only to see the person lying there looking back at her, his bleeding lips turned upwards, as if he had gotten what he wanted.
"He must be crazy," Mu Qing thought helplessly, ignoring the voices of those around her.
Pushed out of the room, she saw bright lights outside. She turned her head to the side, and her hat, which had fallen off during the fight, was now exposed to the firelight, her slightly disguised face with stray hairs stained with blood and clinging to her cheeks.
The person walking in front of her stopped and said loudly, "Lord Zhong, why are you here so late at night?"
Zhong Linlan's voice came from not far away: "Hearing of unusual activity in the city, I came here to see what was going on. Inspector, what important matter brings you here with so many men?"
“The city has been rather unsettled lately. There was even a murder yesterday, so we had to increase patrols and bring out more people. Just then, an informant reported that there were thieves here, and when we arrived, we caught them red-handed.”
The patrol inspector's surname was Qian and his given name was Lei. He was originally an eighth-rank military officer who had made meritorious contributions in the case of Imperial Censor Qin. He was recently promoted to patrol inspector, and he was just starting out as a new official.
Qian Lei took a few steps forward and had his men lead the person to the front.
Mu Qing was pushed out, her hands tied behind her back, her eyes lowered.
Even though I didn't want to look, my eyes, glancing at the ground, still caught sight of Zhong Linlan's official robe hem and black-soled official boots.
She gritted her teeth, feeling that God was truly hateful.
“Two men are dead inside,” Qian Lei said. “When we went in, she was killing the young man.”
Zhong Linlan seemed not to hear, staring fixedly at the person being pushed in front of her, momentarily forgetting to breathe.
Seeing that he remained silent, Qian Lei asked, "Does Lord Zhong know this woman?"
“No.” Zhong Linlan looked at Qian Lei again, sizing up his broad shoulders and strong build. “Inspector, she is very thin, less than half your size. It is unbelievable that she could deal with two men all by herself.”
Qian Lei said, "I was also puzzled, but it wasn't just me. Several people who went in with me also saw her stabbing people with a dagger. I wasn't seeing things. When we asked her questions, she wouldn't say anything. We were just about to take her back for questioning."
Zhong Linlan asked calmly, "Where are you taking him for interrogation?"
Qian Lei laughed heartily, "It wouldn't be appropriate to go looking for the prefect in the middle of the night, but since you're here, Lord Zhong, it's perfect that we go to the prefectural office together."
When Prefect Liu was woken up from his bed, he sensed something was wrong. Seeing the two corpses in the hall and the woman kneeling below, he realized something was amiss.
When the routine questions went unanswered, Imperial Censor Zhong, who was standing nearby, hinted that there might be a miscarriage of justice and reminded the public not to abuse the punishment.
Prefect Liu hurriedly stepped down from the platform, intending to ask her questions in a different way. Suddenly, he realized that the woman looked familiar. He ordered someone to bring water and wash the blood off her face. When he looked at her again, he was stunned.
Ordinary people rarely see the women of high-ranking families. As the prefect, he had some dealings with the Lu family and had met the third wife. When he discovered that the suspect looked quite similar to the third wife, he was immediately surprised and, without further ado, postponed the case for further investigation.
During the day, he sent his wife and daughter to visit the Lu family, only to find that there was nothing unusual about the Lu family. The Lu family's daughter, who resembled the Third Madam, was at home, waiting to marry into the Prince Qing's mansion. However, she had developed a rash again and was not fit to receive guests.
Remembering that Imperial Censor Zhong had once been a protégé of Master Lu, Prefect Liu visited the Imperial Censor's residence at night. While discussing the case, he drank less than a cup of tea before raising his suspicions.
"The fact that Imperial Censor Zhong stopped the torture at the time must have had some deeper meaning."
"I merely believe that a woman who is too weak to even kill a chicken could not possibly defeat two adult men. Didn't the coroner's examination also prove that the two men most likely died in a fight?"
Prefect Liu said, "But Inspector Qian testified that he personally witnessed the woman committing murder, so I'm afraid she should be convicted of murder."
Zhong Linlan said, "According to the laws of this dynasty, a woman who kills her attacker when she is assaulted is not held criminally responsible. Can Inspector Qian be certain that she does not fall under this category?"
“It seems that Imperial Censor Zhong’s idea makes sense.” Prefect Liu glanced at Zhong Linlan and stroked his mustache. “I heard from the jailer that you went to see her in private.”
Zhong Linlan remained calm. "This humble official has the authority and responsibility to oversee criminal cases, and questioning suspects is within my duty."
Did Imperial Censor Zhong find out the woman's identity?
Not yet.
"I haven't even gotten her name or background, this case is simply impossible to judge." Prefect Liu frowned, feigning distress. "In Censor Zhong's opinion, what should be done with her?"
Zhong Linlan said, "Why are you in such a hurry, sir? In the past, solving cases always took ten days to half a month. Why do you want to solve this case involving two lives in a short time?"
Prefect Liu was speechless and put the case aside after returning home.
The women's prison in the government office was relatively deserted.
Because he was caught red-handed, and it was expected that he would be convicted soon, Mu Qing was placed in solitary confinement in a cell near the prison gate. The cell was well-ventilated, and there was no sound of rats scurrying around; only occasional jailers came and went.
Mu Qing curled up on the straw mat, covering her ears and facing the wall, but Zhong Linlan's words were still echoing in her mind.
"Didn't you say you could handle it?"
Other words go in one ear and out the other, but this one is stuck in my head and won't leave.
During their last meeting, she told Zhong Linlan that she didn't want to see him again, shamelessly abandoning him after using him. Little did she expect to run into him in such a disheveled state.
If you try to get her to back down, she'd rather remain silent and die than admit her guilt.
Anyway, if you get caught, saying nothing will at most result in a murder charge and immediate execution. Confessing your identity will only bring you the most heinous crime. Murdering a high-ranking official and wiping out an entire family for robbery would probably warrant the death penalty of slow slicing.
In retrospect, she should thank Song Baixuan for giving her an easy way to die.
She was lost in thought and somehow came up with this little advantage.
*
In the city's treasure pavilion, Boss Lin felt a headache coming on when he heard that the imperial censor had come to visit. He had made an excuse to avoid him the previous two days, but this time he was blocked at the door and couldn't even do business.
He had no choice but to personally intervene, coaxing the person into the private reception room and serving them tea.
"Lord Zhong, I really have nothing to give you besides gold and silver jewelry."
Zhong Linlan took the tea and put it down. "Mr. Lin, you're too kind. I came here just to have a chat with you."
Mr. Lin sat down to the side, tugged at his mustache, and said, "Lord Zhong, even though my identity is a bit suspicious, I haven't broken the law. Why do you have to dig so deep?"
Zhong Linlan looked at him and said, "You haven't broken the law, but someone has, and she needs your help."
Hearing this, Boss Lin found it quite strange and raised his hand, saying, "Please speak, sir."
“Then I will speak frankly,” Zhong Linlan said. “According to my investigation, you and the third wife of the Lu family both came from the Marquis of Anguo’s mansion, but you are not a legitimate daughter.”
Boss Lin's expression immediately changed, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Lord Zhong, you are truly skilled."
Zhong Linlan remained noncommittal. “I am not from a prominent family, but I have heard about the troubles of being born into one. I have also heard that during the founding of the dynasty, there was a mighty general who was born into a family of generals who had served for five generations. He was originally born out of wedlock, but he was brave and skilled in battle and made many great achievements. He was praised by the late emperor and many scions of famous families vied to befriend him. I suppose Mr. Lin is no exception.”
"That's just old news, why bring it up?"
"Military generals are of great use in the struggle for the world, but when the world is at peace, they become awkward. In particular, this general's stepmother was a Hu woman, and later there were rumors that she was not an ordinary Hu woman, but a princess of a foreign tribe who had been exiled. As a result, this general might inherit the throne of a foreign tribe. The saying 'the bow is put away after the birds are all gone' fell on this general, making his situation even more unbearable."
Mr. Lin, growing impatient, said, "I am but a commoner and dare not presume to comment on such matters. Sir, don't risk your own life and drag others down with you."
Zhong Linlan smiled slightly, "Boss Lin doesn't dare to speak recklessly, but he does dare to act. Five years ago, he came to Weizhou and opened this Treasure Pavilion. He secretly tried to destroy some of the arrest warrants that were posted, and he didn't even spare the nearby prefectures and counties."
Boss Lin stared at him, "Does Lord Zhong have any evidence?"
Zhong Linlan said, "If you're looking for irrefutable evidence, then there isn't any."
Just as Boss Lin was about to retort, Zhong Linlan continued.
"But I know a girl whose father, who shares the same name as that general, is Mu Kui. Her features resemble those of the Third Madam, but if you see more Hu people and look at her more closely, you will find that she has some Hu bone structure. Fortunately, Weizhou is in the heart of the Central Plains, and Hu people are rare. Most people who see her will at most think that she is unusually beautiful."
“Lord Zhong,” Boss Lin stood up and called out again, “Lord Zhong…”
He pointed at Zhong Linlan with his finger, said nothing, paced back and forth a couple of times, and then asked, "Lord Zhong, what do you mean?"
Zhong Linlan said calmly, "She's in jail now."
Mr. Lin was stunned for a moment, "How is this possible? She's at the Lu family's..."
As soon as he spoke, he realized he had given himself away. He pursed his lips and looked at Zhong Linlan. Seeing his serious expression, he was alarmed.
Zhong Linlan said, "Mr. Lin will know the situation of the Lu family when he goes there. If you can tell the Third Madam, it might be of some use."
"If you can go to the Lu family, why don't you go by yourself?"
"I am just a student and it is inconvenient for me to interfere. Besides, I am not as senior as Boss Lin."
Seeing Zhong Linlan suddenly become humble, Boss Lin glared at him before inquiring about what he had said.
*
As the sun was about to rise and dawn was still breaking, some subtle movements were heard in the dimly lit bedroom, where gauze curtains hung.
A moment later, the pale yellow gauze curtain swayed gently like ripples on water, and a figure emerged.
If anyone were to see this, they would surely be astonished. The usually dignified and elegant Third Madam was not as graceful as usual. She had her hair tied up in a very simple bun, and before she was even properly dressed, she tiptoed out.
However, before she could reach the door, a low and bitter question came from inside the room.
"Do you only have that one child?"
The third wife stood up dejectedly, "Only that one was abandoned by me at birth."
Hearing footsteps approaching from inside, the Third Madam closed her eyes and revealed her plan, which she had pondered all night: "I will not go to see her. She has other relatives in this world who will help her. I will go and tell them, and when I return, I will do as you say."
The gauze curtain was lifted, and Master Lu looked at her from behind. "How do you know I'm unwilling to help?"
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