That night, the Zhao residence was as quiet as ever.
It wasn’t until after the fifth watch that the steward, noticing the master hadn’t emerged, couldn’t help but knock on the study door. There was no response from within.
He pushed the door, and it unexpectedly opened.
“Master, Madam?” The steward stood at the doorway for a moment, calling inside.
The study was silent.
After calling a few more times with no reply, he hesitated before stepping into the study, moving toward the inner room.
As soon as he entered, a strong stench of blood hit him. The steward’s heart jolted, and he quickened his pace, spotting a large pool of blood on the floor and bloodstained footprints, small enough to belong to a young child.
He stepped forward and pulled back the tightly drawn bed curtains, revealing three people lying side by side on the bed.
The master and madam, with Young Master Wenqi in the middle.
But of the three, only Young Master Wenqi’s face looked normal, his breathing even. The other two had lost all color in their faces, and below their faces, the necks exposed above the blanket were reduced to mere bone.
The steward took one look, screamed, and bolted out, tripping and falling on his way, his face smeared with blood.
“The master’s dead! Report it quick!”
Hearing that the deceased was the Left Deputy Censor, the Capital Prefecture immediately sent word to the Ministry of Justice.
Soon, the Ministry dispatched a team to the Zhao residence, led by Xue Mingtang.
When Xue Mingtang received the report from the Capital Prefecture, he was told only that Zhao Ming and his kept mistress had died. It wasn’t until he arrived that he learned Zhao Ming’s parents had also perished.
Now, the only person in the entire household who could take charge was the yet-to-be-married second young lady, Zhao Wenyue.
Zhao Wenyue woke to the news that her grandparents and father had all died overnight. She was stunned, and when she saw Xue Mingtang, the usual joy on her face was absent.
“Lord… Lord Xue, what happened to my father?” Zhao Wenyue asked anxiously, clinging to Xue Mingtang as if he were a lifeline.
“This official is about to take the coroner to examine the bodies. Please wait, second young lady.”
Xue Mingtang didn’t linger with Zhao Wenyue. He summoned the somewhat capable Zhao residence steward, instructing him to lead them to Zhao Ming’s study, while sending another team to examine the bodies of Zhao Ming’s parents.
The steward, nearing the study, couldn’t help but recall the earlier scene and didn’t dare enter. Xue Mingtang didn’t force him, assigning two subordinates to guard the door while he, the coroner, and a few others went inside.
When the steward had fled, he only remembered the master’s death, completely forgetting that Zhao Wenqi was still inside.
Xue Mingtang saw the boy sleeping soundly beside two corpses, a deep gash on his face that had stopped bleeding. Frowning, he turned and ordered, “Wake the child.”
A clerk from the Ministry of Justice stepped forward, patting Zhao Wenqi’s face. Zhao Wenqi groggily rubbed his eyes and sat up.
Still confused about why he was waking in his father’s study, he turned and saw his parents lying on the bed. “Father, Mother,” he called.
As he reached to nudge his unresponsive parents, the clerk swiftly scooped him up.
Zhao Wenqi squirmed, his legs kicking, and his foot caught the blanket, pulling it back.
Beneath the blanket, two skeletons lay side by side, their organs still in place, but their flesh gone.
Not vanished, but neatly stacked beneath them.
The horrific scene made even the seasoned Ministry coroner cover his mouth, let alone Zhao Wenqi, a mere child.
He let out a short scream, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
“Sir, the child?” the clerk asked Xue Mingtang.
Xue Mingtang glanced at the child-sized shoes discarded by the bed, then at Zhao Wenqi’s feet. “Compare them to the footprints in the room.”
The comparison quickly confirmed that the bloody footprints belonged to Zhao Wenqi.
“Take him out and keep an eye on him until the coroner’s report is ready,” Xue Mingtang ordered.
“Yes, sir.” The clerk carried Zhao Wenqi out.
Xue Mingtang’s gaze swept over the two skeletal bodies, his brow furrowed tightly.
He left the coroner to examine the bodies and instructed his subordinates to search the inner room for other evidence, while he moved to the outer study.
At the doorway, Xue Mingtang ordered the guards to let no one enter, then closed the study door.
When he and Zhao Ming first met, he had given Zhao Ming a jade pendant as a token. Now, he needed to find it quickly, and given Zhao Ming’s caution, there might be other preparations.
As he thought, Xue Mingtang’s eyes scanned the study.
Since learning of Zhao Ming’s murder, he had been uneasy.
The Mirror Division watched closely, and he hadn’t wanted to act rashly by dealing with Lady Xiao Lin immediately, but Zhao Ming had eagerly pressed him to fulfill their agreement and eliminate her.
Moreover, on the Flower Festival, Lady Xiao Lin had insulted his sister, so he used the snow needle snake, cleaning up the traces afterward to leave no clues for the Mirror Division.
Lady Xiao Lin had been dead for some time, and indeed, no one had noticed anything amiss. He thought it was over, but now this had happened.
Soon, Xue Mingtang found two hidden compartments in the study: one behind a hanging painting, the other behind a bookshelf, concealed by stacks of books.
The first compartment held a box containing a stack of silver notes, several gold ingots, and a few property deeds beneath.
The other compartment contained a wooden box filled with a stack of letters.
Xue Mingtang took the letters and, as expected, felt something in one of them.
Inside the envelope was the jade pendant he had given Zhao Ming.
He pocketed the pendant but couldn’t help wondering if Zhao Ming had left any incriminating evidence in these letters.
As he considered how to handle the letters, a shout came from the guard at the door: “Halt!”
Xue Mingtang’s expression changed. The next moment, the closed study door shattered, and a wooden box flew outside.
The two men, one inside, one outside—exchanged a move through the air, and the wooden box exploded, its letters scattering into countless fragments.
Xue Mingtang tucked his slightly trembling hand behind his back and walked out calmly.
Outside the study, Feng Yang, who had clashed with him, stood at the forefront, backed by a team of Mirror Division guards.
“Captain Feng, what is the meaning of this?” Xue Mingtang’s tone carried a challenge.
“The Zhao family case is now under the Mirror Division’s jurisdiction,” Feng Yang replied.
Xue Mingtang’s face darkened, his voice firm. “There’s no such precedent. The case was reported by the Capital Prefecture to the Ministry of Justice. If you want this official to step aside, the Ministry must issue an order.”
“Is this official’s order not enough?”
As Xue Mingtang and Feng Yang stood at odds, a low voice cut through. The Mirror Division guards swiftly parted into two lines, making way.
Bai Xiuming, dressed in a dark purple wide-sleeved robe with faint dragon patterns shimmering as he moved, approached. He hadn’t been at the division today but had rushed from Prince Ming’s residence upon hearing of the Zhao family incident.
“Greetings, Lord Bai,” Xue Mingtang said, bowing deeply. “If Lord Bai wishes to investigate this case, this official will withdraw immediately.”
“Withdraw?” Bai Xiuming glanced at the scattered paper fragments. “Before Xue explains why you destroyed evidence at the crime scene, I’m afraid you cannot leave.”
Xue Mingtang quickly explained, “This official thought it was the culprit breaking in and used the wooden box in the study as a weapon to throw out. It was my mistake, and I’m willing to accept punishment.”
“So, Captain Feng startled Lord Xue?”
Sweat beaded on Xue Mingtang’s forehead. He dared to confront Feng Yang but not this Commander, not because of Bai Xiuming’s rank, but because his cultivation could crush him.
“It was this official’s error.”
“Since you erred, Lord Xue, stay here and reflect.”
Bai Xiuming finished speaking and headed toward the study.
By now, the Ministry’s coroner had finished examining the bodies and was surprised to see Mirror Division members enter.
Feng Yang stepped forward and asked, “What did you find?”
The coroner promptly reported, “Sir, these two died by being flayed alive. Strangely, the angle and force of each cut were identical, something even the most skilled executioner couldn’t achieve.”
“Sir?” Feng Yang turned to Bai Xiuming.
Bai Xiuming asked, “Who was the woman who died?”
“She was Zhao Ming’s mistress. The son Zhao Ming recently adopted is their illegitimate child.”
“How many know of this?”
“Likely Zhao Ming’s parents, who are also dead.”
Bai Xiuming pondered for a moment. “Send men to find the Lin family’s grave, dig it up, open the coffin… and summon the soul.”
“Yes, sir.” Feng Yang immediately dispatched men.
“And… keep an eye on Ji Chan. Once the case is investigated, this official wishes to see her.”
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