BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Ancient 7 Confession

Emerging from the Qin Zheng Hall, Lu Mo-chen’s mind was filled with the case Lu Yuan-jing had just mentioned.

It concerned the Marquis of Zhongyi’s family secretly hoarding armor.

Coincidentally, the fundamental reason for the overnight extermination of Lu Mo-chen’s maternal family, the Cheng clan, was also because they had offended the emperor’s taboo. They were similarly charged with hoarding armor, as well as a host of other crimes including embezzlement of military funds, which were combined and punished, leading to the subsequent tragedy. The entire Cheng family was drenched in blood overnight.

That’s why Lu Yuan-jing said this case was related to him in some way.

Lu Mo-chen was just born when the Cheng family was overthrown overnight. He only learned about it later when he grew up and reviewed the case files.

The incident started when the Cheng family’s matriarch celebrated her eightieth birthday. The Cheng family patriarch hosted a small banquet at home, inviting various colleagues to gather together.

But unexpectedly, the Cheng patriarch, after having too much to drink, became careless with his words and said he would take everyone to see his long-treasured treasures.

Naturally, everyone was delighted. But who knew that when the Cheng patriarch opened the door to the vault, a suit of armor was hanging brightly in the center, surrounded by countless gold, silver, and jewels.

This sight frightened everyone present. Secretly hoarding armor was a serious crime. So, everyone present, without exception, jointly submitted a memorial to report it.

The emperor was furious, and millions were slain.

That night, the Cheng family was directly sealed off, and those holding official positions were immediately dismissed, investigated, and imprisoned. Zhao Zhi-zheng, the Minister of Justice in charge of investigating the case, also seized a large amount of gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and famous paintings in a basement of the Cheng family’s residence.

Although the Cheng family was a noble family with a considerable fortune, it was nowhere near such wealth.

Under continuous interrogation, Zhao Zhi-zheng presented a blood-stained confession. Lu Mo-chen had seen that confession, which served as decisive evidence, in his previous life. The bloodstains on it had turned black, making his scalp tingle.

The final outcome was that the Cheng patriarch confessed to hoarding armor, embezzlement, deducting military pay, raising private troops, and other crimes.

When Lu Yuan-jing learned of this news, he directly ordered the execution of the entire Cheng clan, and even Consort Cheng, who was in the palace, did not escape.

Thus, a family vanished overnight. The once prominent Cheng mansion was sealed, all assets were confiscated and added to the national treasury, and past achievements were erased. What remained in the history books were countless accusations.

Since the founding of the Great Yan Dynasty, it was not uncommon for families to raise private troops, but the emperors generally turned a blind eye. Only the matter of secretly hoarding armor was severely punished.

Not to mention the manpower and resources required to produce a set of armor, the craftsmanship was far more complex than ordinary weapons. More importantly, armor was an important defensive tool for generals and soldiers on the battlefield, and also another symbol of imperial power.

There was also a past event, namely the famous case of the Regent’s rebellion. He secretly hid dozens of sets of armor. If the guards had not rescued the emperor in time, the Great Yan Dynasty would have almost changed hands.

Therefore, since then, all emperors had taken this as a warning and dealt with the matter of secretly hoarding armor with utmost severity.

This time, the case of the Marquis of Zhongyi was similar to the Cheng family’s case in several ways.

However, this time it was not Marquis Qi’s drunken mistake, but his colleague Li Dong, who was staying at the Marquis’s mansion. After drinking some wine, he got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, but accidentally got lost and entered Marquis Qi’s vault, where he saw the suit of armor.

Li Dong was so frightened that he immediately sobered up. He didn’t even bother going to the restroom and slipped back to his room, holding it in until morning before leaving the Marquis’s mansion.

After returning home, he immediately wrote a memorial and presented it.

Lu Yuan-jing was furious when he learned of this and sent Qian Ming, the Vice Minister of Justice, to investigate.

However, Qian Ming, for some reason, had been slow to close the case, saying that there were still many doubts and it should not be hastily concluded. This had been dragging on, infuriating Lu Yuan-jing to the point of almost stripping him of his official position.

Qian Ming was also a stubborn person. He stiffened his neck and told Lu Yuan-jing directly: either dismiss him, or follow his pace.

It was said that Lu Yuan-jing was so angry when he heard this that he smashed the jade prayer beads in his hand on the spot.

But in the end, he still did not remove Qian Ming’s official hat.

Speaking of which, this Qian Ming was also a remarkable person. He came from a humble background and finally managed to pass the palace examination. As a result, he actually argued with the emperor on the spot. Having reached the stage of the palace examination, obtaining an official title was already guaranteed, at the very least he could obtain the title of “same origin as a Jinshi scholar”, so most candidates would seek stability.

But Qian Ming actually debated with Lu Yuan-jing in court because of the questions he had set. To put it nicely, it was straightforward and outspoken; to put it bluntly, it was as stubborn as a bull.

In the end, because of his character, Qian Ming could have obtained a second-class ranking, but he stubbornly only got a third-class ranking and was sent to Jiangnan as a small county magistrate.

Powerful families were entrenched in Jiangnan, with intertwined relationships.

But it was precisely because of Qian Ming’s character that he actually achieved considerable success in the local area, uncovering several corrupt officials, which allowed him to return to the capital to serve as an official. When he left, the local people lined the streets to see him off.

In fact, since that palace examination, Lu Yuan-jing had been secretly paying attention to Qian Ming. Lu Yuan-jing wanted to temper his character, which led to the previous measures. After transferring Qian Ming back to the capital, he was also the one who promoted him, giving him the opportunity to serve as the current Vice Minister of Justice.

Who knew that decades had passed, and Qian Ming was still like this. But this was precisely why Lu Yuan-jing appreciated him.

Therefore, Lu Yuan-jing granted Qian Ming another week, and also sent Lu Mo-chen and Chu Li-fei to investigate the case together.

Lu Mo-chen had heard of this case in his previous life, but he had not paid close attention to it when he was with Chu Li-fei.

He only knew that Qian Ming insisted that there were still doubts in the case and refused to close it. But Lu Yuan-jing couldn’t wait any longer. He handed the case over to Zhang Qing-ji, the Minister of Justice, for thorough investigation.

The original Minister of Justice had retired and returned to his hometown five years ago, and the current successor, Zhang Qing-ji, was his student.

In less than a week, the case was quickly concluded.

The final result was that Marquis Qi confessed his guilt and was executed. Later, the Crown Prince pleaded for leniency, which spared him the fate of being exterminated like the Cheng family, and he was only exiled with his entire clan.

He didn’t know what happened after that.

Now that he thought about it, why would the Crown Prince suddenly plead for the Qi family? He remembered that they had no contact before this.

Moreover, he knew his Crown Prince brother best. Lu Mo-lin, on the surface, was upright and noble, like a gentleman, but in private he was insidious and ruthless. He knew this better than anyone else. Why would he plead for the Qi family?

There must be many hidden secrets involved.

On the other side, Chu Li-fei also received an imperial decree to assist Qian Ming in thoroughly investigating the case of the Marquis of Zhongyi secretly hoarding armor, along with Lu Mo-chen.

Early in the morning, Chu Li-fei had just stepped out of the Prince’s mansion when he saw Lu Mo-chen already waiting at the gate.

Seeing Chu Li-fei come out, Lu Mo-chen smiled and greeted him, but his face immediately fell when his gaze shifted to the two figures, one in blue and one in white, behind him.

“Royal Uncle, why are those two following along too?”

Chu Li-fei turned to look at Lu Mo-chen. Seeing his ears were red, he knew he had been waiting for him in front of the Prince’s mansion for quite some time. The cold, piercing words were immediately stuck in his throat.

He forced himself not to look at him, and finally a faint “hm” escaped from his nostrils.

Just a few nights ago—

Chu Li-fei and Ning Yan walked to the pavilion where they had first met.

Ning Yan seemed to have prepared in advance. First, he skillfully brewed a pot of tea for Chu Li-fei, then sat down and looked at Chu Li-fei with a smile, as if he wouldn’t speak unless Chu Li-fei drank.

Seeing this, Chu Li-fei snorted coldly: “Speak quickly if you have something to say. This Prince doesn’t have time to waste with you here.”

Ning Yan pushed the cup forward again, making a “please” gesture: “The story I’m about to tell is a bit long. Why doesn’t Your Highness drink a cup of tea to warm up first?”

Chu Li-fei glared at Ning Yan, then took the cup, took a small sip, and slammed it heavily on the table, sneering: “How is it? Can you speak now?”

Ning Yan took the opportunity to stop pushing: “Naturally.”

It turned out that he had discovered that Liu Shuo-yu seemed to be secretly communicating with someone.

Although he and Liu Shuo-yu lived in the same courtyard, they usually didn’t have much contact. In Ning Yan’s words, it was because their auras didn’t match.

One day, Ning Yan was sitting on a recliner in his room, enjoying the snow with the door open. Suddenly, a bird in the sky caught his attention.

He saw the bird circling over the small courtyard for a long time without leaving, and Ning Yan immediately became interested.

After observing for a while, he concluded that the bird was a carrier pigeon.

Geese fly south, and it was currently winter. It was rare to see birds at all, let alone one that stayed in one place for a long time, clearly waiting for someone.

And in this courtyard, besides the servants, there were only him and Liu Shuo-yu. Since it wasn’t Ning Yan’s carrier pigeon, it was obvious who its owner was.

So, Ning Yan observed for several days in a row.

He discovered that the pigeon would always appear at a fixed time, and whenever a strange whistling sound appeared, the pigeon would obediently land in Liu Shuo-yu’s hand.

Therefore, Ning Yan directly got some laxatives and added them to Liu Shuo-yu’s food.

And as he planned, Liu Shuo-yu hurriedly clutched his stomach and left after taking a few bites.

As soon as Liu Shuo-yu left, the carrier pigeon arrived.

The timing was just right, enough for Ning Yan to imitate the whistle and get that small roll of secret letter.

Seeing the message delivered, the carrier pigeon flapped its wings and flew away.

Liu Shuo-yu didn’t seem to notice anything unusual either.

Now, this secret letter was presented to Chu Li-fei by Ning Yan.

Chu Li-fei looked at him suspiciously, then took it from his hand and slowly unfolded it.

After a moment, he frowned tightly.

He saw that the secret letter was actually blank, with only one word at the end.

That was “Lu.”

Ning Yan seemed to see what Chu Li-fei was thinking and took the initiative to explain: “It seems that the person who sent this secret letter was still wary. The content should only be visible with a specific method. I am unable to help with this.”

Chu Li-fei’s expression was unclear. He put away the secret letter and asked with a smile, “Being able to recognize carrier pigeons and imitate other people’s whistles, it’s been hard on you.”

“Who exactly are you?”

Ning Yan stood up and walked slowly to Chu Li-fei’s side, placing his hand on Chu Li-fei’s shoulder. The foreigner’s face looked angular, and his dark green eyes swayed in the darkness like a will-o’-the-wisp under the lanterns: “I am naturally Your Highness’s person.”

Chu Li-fei turned his head and ruthlessly brushed off Ning Yan’s hand. He got up and walked away.

“In that case, the mansion is still short of a groom. I will tell Royal Uncle tomorrow morning and assign you to it.”

In the darkness, Ning Yan looked at Chu Li-fei’s departing back, a meaningful smile rising in his eyes.

So, the current situation was that Ning Yan and Liu Shuo-yu were driving the carriage outside, and Lu Mo-chen and Chu Li-fei were sitting inside the carriage.

Although there was some distance between them, Lu Mo-chen was still very satisfied with the current situation.

Royal Uncle is still stubborn but soft-hearted, he has me in his heart!

Lu Mo-chen was delighted in his heart.

The carriage soon arrived at the yamen gate.

He saw Qian Ming with a dark face, looking unhappy.

However, when he saw Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen, he still bowed respectfully.

“Greetings, Prince Qin, Fourth Prince.”

Then there was no more to say.

Chu Li-fei secretly sized up Qian Ming.

Qian Ming was not very tall, and although he was not old, he looked no different from a rigid old fogey in his fifties or sixties.

At the same time, Qian Ming was also carefully sizing up the two people in front of him.

He had heard of Chu Li-fei’s reputation long ago, and he admired him from the bottom of his heart.

But this Fourth Prince…

He glanced at Lu Mo-chen, only to see that his nose was red, his black grape-like eyes were rolling around, and his gaze was fixed on Chu Li-fei.

Qian Ming silently sighed in his heart. He had heard about the Fourth Prince’s background when he was in Jiangnan, but he didn’t know much because it involved palace secrets.

After returning to the capital, he had never met this Fourth Prince.

Now it seemed that things were probably not going to end well.

The court not only had princes, but also many noble children who relied on the patronage of their families, with elders or their students bringing them along to “earn merit”, thereby having a smooth career and rising all the way up.

Now looking at this Fourth Prince’s childish nature…

Alas… Qian Ming sighed silently again. He had been immersed in the court for many years, and even if he didn’t dare to agree, he had to admit that there were many people in the court who acted in this way.

He had also felt injustice, but those aristocratic children were not all good-for-nothings, and some of them were talented and loyal subjects who loved the people.

Now he only hoped that this Fourth Prince was not a spoiled person, and would not rashly close the case for the sake of so-called “merit”, causing anyone to be wronged.

All he sought was to fulfill his duty in his position and give justice to everyone in the world.

So that all justice could be upheld, and all filth could be exposed to the sunlight, with nowhere to hide.

The carriage took Qian Ming and went all the way to the Marquis of Zhongyi’s mansion.

No, it could no longer be called the Marquis of Zhongyi’s mansion now.

Qi Lu had been stripped of his title and dismissed from his post and imprisoned. He was now a commoner.

On the way, Qian Ming briefly introduced the situation to Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen.

The Qi family had three sons, namely Qi Fu, Qi Lu, and Qi Shou. All were born to the Qi family’s matriarch. The old Marquis had passed away early, and his title was inherited by his second son, Qi Lu.

Lu Mo-chen interrupted him: “Why Qi Lu? Generally speaking, shouldn’t the eldest son inherit?”

Qian Ming gave him a meaningful look: “Because Qi Fu suffered an accident and his legs were crippled, making it difficult for him to walk.”

Since Qi Fu’s legs were crippled, he rarely went out, and the outside world didn’t know much about him.

The second son, Qi Lu, inherited the title and had even gone to the battlefield with his father when he was young. His reputation had always been good.

As for the third son, Qi Shou, because he was the old Marquis’s son in his later years, both husband and wife doted on him exceptionally. He was a famous playboy in the capital, often gathering three or five friends to tease cats and dogs.

Now these three people, along with Qi Lu’s eldest son, Qi Heng, were all imprisoned.

The remaining family members were not allowed to step out of the Qi mansion, and heavy soldiers guarded the gate.

After getting out of the car, Chu Li-fei felt a sense of desolation.

He could faintly hear crying coming from the gate.

After confirming their identities, the soldiers allowed them to pass.

Chu Li-fei walked in first, only to see that the servants inside were all in a state of fear. They cautiously raised their heads and glanced at them, then quickly lowered their heads and sobbed softly.

With this kind of thing happening, the servants had no mood to work. Some were covering their faces and crying all day, while others were leaning against the trees waiting to die… or for a glimmer of hope.

The masters couldn’t care less about these servants, each minding their own business.

The courtyard looked like it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time, and the ancient tree in the center was covered with fallen leaves.

Just then, Chu Li-fei seemed to notice a gaze in the distance.

He turned his head and saw a woman dressed as a wife hiding behind a rockery, timidly looking at him, but running away quickly as soon as their eyes met.

“Who is that?”

Chu Li-fei asked Qian Ming, who was beside him.

Qian Ming followed Chu Li-fei’s gaze and only saw a vague figure.

“It seems to be… Qi Fu’s wife.”

Chu Li-fei frowned and stared in the direction where the woman disappeared, lost in thought.

Why would Qi Fu’s wife secretly peek at them at this time? Was she hiding some unknown secret?

Speaking of which, it was also possible that Qi Fu felt resentful because he had lost the title of Marquis due to his leg disability…

But secretly hoarding armor was a capital crime that would lead to the extermination of the entire family! Qi Fu would have to pay with his life too!

Could it really be him?

Qian Ming, on the other hand, felt curious about the deserted appearance of the courtyard. He casually asked a servant who was closest to him: “Where are the people of the Qi mansion?”

The servant perfunctorily said: “Tsk, the old matriarch is dying, I guess everyone is there.”

Chu Li-fei cast a questioning look at Qian Ming. Qian Ming sighed and explained: “The Qi family’s matriarch’s health was not very good to begin with. Suddenly hearing such bad news, her physical condition deteriorated sharply. The last time I came, she was relying on medicinal soup to stay alive. Now I’m afraid that…”

Qian Ming shook his head helplessly. Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen both understood his unfinished words.

Chu Li-fei: “Then does Sir Qian have any guesses in his heart?”

Qian Ming frowned, thoughtfully saying: “Actually, I initially suspected Qi Fu. The title of Marquis that should have been his ended up in his younger brother’s hands. How could a normal person accept that?”

“But one thing I’ve never been able to figure out is that secretly hoarding armor is a capital crime in our dynasty. What reason would Qi Fu have to do this?”

Hearing this, a flash of inspiration appeared in Lu Mo-chen’s mind. It seemed that something had been connected. He couldn’t help but mutter: “What if he knew he wouldn’t die…”

“Hm? What did you say?” Qian Ming was very surprised by Lu Mo-chen’s words.

What did he mean by knowing he wouldn’t die?

Just as he was about to inquire in detail, he heard a voice behind him.

“Report—”

Qian Ming: “What is it? Why are you making such a fuss?”

“Reporting… to… Sir…” The jailer gasped for breath after saying each word, clearly having run all the way over, “Qi… Third Master… he… he confessed!”