Chapter 25: Anomalies

"My lord, I am innocent!" Madam Rong knelt straight down and kowtowed. "Why would I kill young Master Yu?"

"To avenge your son, of course!" a man in a grey gown jumped out to interject.

"Avenge? Avenge what?" Madam Rong looked baffled. "Didn't that short-lived wretch of mine die from drinking too much?"

"My lord, I am innocent..."

The man in the grey gown choked on his words.

The magistrate struck his gavel again and demanded, "Madam Rong, where were you at mid-morning today?"

"I was running my stall in the east of the city. These ladies and gentlemen were there as well at the time."

Fu Cen, noticing he had been mentioned, flicked his fan. "That is indeed true!"

"My lord!" the bailiff immediately rushed forward. "When I arrived, I noticed these people had been chatting for quite some time. I suspect they may have colluded!"

Having said this, the bailiff felt pleased with his own cleverness, his eyes flashing with pride, entirely failing to notice the magistrate’s face growing darker by the second.

"These gentlemen and ladies have traveled from the capital. How could they possibly have colluded with Madam Rong? Do not spout nonsense!"

"My lord... human hearts are unpredictable..." The bailiff, who had initially thought his superior was merely putting on a show, retreated in a hurry when he met the magistrate’s grim, piercing glare.

Fu Cen looked at the magistrate with a faint, mocking smile.

The magistrate felt a prickle of dread on the back of his neck.

"Bring in Wei Xin."

When Wei Xin was brought in, he looked utterly bewildered. Upon seeing the middle-aged man in the grey gown, he acted as if he had found his anchor. "Uncle Chang, where is Brother Yu? Where is Brother Yu? Let me see him."

The middle-aged man looked at him with cold eyes. "Young Master Wei, my master’s end was tragic. You would be better off cooperating with the magistrate’s questioning!"

"Wei Xin, I ask you: did you see Yu Su today?"

"I did. After leaving the academy today, Brother Yu and I went to the Xiangman Pavilion to eat. The proprietor and the waiter can both testify to that!"

"And them! We even ran into them!" Wei Xin pointed at the three people to the side, shouting as if he had made a great discovery.

Fu Cen immediately clarified, "We are merchants. We arrived in Liangzhou just yesterday and are currently staying at that very inn."

"Silence!" The magistrate’s temple throbbed at the mention of these three again. He struck his gavel. "And after you left the Xiangman Pavilion?"

"I was feeling a bit tired, so I went straight home. Everyone in my household, as well as my neighbors, can testify to that!" Wei Xin added.

"After you got home, did you leave the house again?"

"I did not."

"My lord, when we arrived at the Wei residence, the young master was in his study reviewing his lessons," the bailiff reported.

"So... how exactly did Yu Su die?" Wei Xin asked, his face full of agony. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he stared intently at the middle-aged man.

"The servant who returned said a young beggar gave our master a letter. After reading it, the master went alone to a private room on the second floor of the Yanyu Pavilion—the same room you two often frequented!" The middle-aged man looked at Wei Xin with profound meaning; he had always been suspicious.

"When the servant saw that the master hadn't come down for a long time, he went up to check. He found the master’s chest pierced by a sharp blade! Blood was everywhere!"

As the middle-aged man spoke, his emotions grew increasingly volatile. After a long moment, he let out a long sigh. He hadn't mentioned the rest—that his master’s body had been dismembered, a testament to the perpetrator's heinous cruelty.

After listening, Wei Xin collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at the middle-aged man. "Uncle Chang, do you suspect me?"

"I do," the man replied bluntly.

"Why? Even if Brother Yu and I weren't as close as brothers, we were always on good terms..."

"Young Master Wei, I know you have always been close with my master, and he often tried to counsel you. Just now, the bailiff said you were in your study when he came to find you. I recall that you have always paid others to write your assignments for you. Why were you in your study reviewing lessons?"

"And at the very time my master met with his misfortune!"

"Isn't your appearance in the study highly irregular?"

As the middle-aged man finished speaking, everyone turned their eyes to Wei Xin.

"Wei Xin, you do pay for your assignments to be done!" a student from the academy who had come to watch the spectacle couldn't help but interject.

"That's cheating!"

"Exactly!"

"I..." Wei Xin looked at his classmates, his mouth agape, not knowing how to explain.

"Even academy students cheat?"

"What do you know? Do you think everyone gets into the academy by passing the exams? The Wei family has money; he got in through the magistrate's connections."

The surrounding crowd began to whisper.

"Silence!"

Wei Xin’s face went from pale to flushed. He knew this was not the time to argue over that, so he hurriedly explained, "Because my father said if I placed in the top fifty in the grand examination, he would increase my monthly allowance, so I was studying."

The middle-aged man sneered, clearly unconvinced. "I imagine your father has been saying that since you first entered the academy, hasn't he? It’s been three years, hasn't it?"

Wei Xin gritted his teeth. "Actually, I wasn't reviewing lessons. I was reading a novel!"

"My lord, I really was just reading a novel!"

No sooner had Wei Xin finished speaking than his father, who had just arrived, heard the admission.

"You rebellious son!" Wei father roared, stepping forward and pointing at Wei Xin, his hand trembling. "Wait until I get you home, I’ll beat you to death!"

Wei Xin shrank into a ball, trembling like a quail.

The middle-aged man sneered, "If Master Wei really had the heart to beat him to death, our master would have company in the afterlife!"

Wei father choked.

"Wei Xin, what novel were you reading? Do you have proof?"

Wei Xin kept his head low, his mouth shut tight, refusing to speak.

"Wei Xin, if you don't speak, I will have no choice but to take you into custody..."

"Hmph! It seems he has something to hide..."

"You little beast, speak up!" Wei father couldn't help but give him a kick.

" 'The Plum in the Golden Vase'... I was reading..." As Wei Xin's voice trailed off, the surrounding area fell into a sudden, awkward silence.

"Sister, what kind of book is that?" Pei Zhenzhen asked curiously in Lin Menghua’s ear.

The corner of Lin Menghua’s mouth twitched. "I don't know..."

"Do scholars read such things?" someone muttered.

Wei Xin buried his head completely, thinking to himself that being taken into custody would have been better than this.

The magistrate cleared his throat and was about to speak when the lady in silk beside him suddenly interjected: "Young Master Wei, you and Master Yu were close. Who do you think the killer is?"

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice. Fu Cen was particularly shocked—what was Lin Menghua getting involved for?

The lady stood in the courtroom, her back straight, looking dignified and imposing.

"It’s Xu Qi! It must be him! He never got along with us!"

"Impossible!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone refuted him. "Brother Xu went back to Chenggu County to visit relatives. We personally saw him out of the city gates!"

"How do you know he didn't double back?" Wei Xin gritted his teeth and said.

"Does Master Wei have any other suspects?" Lin Menghua continued.

Wei Xin glanced at Madam Rong, who was kneeling in the front, but quickly lowered his head again. "No..."