The Su Qing County Magistrate’s Office.
Due to the complexity of the case involving Liao Jue and the subsequent murder of Li Kun, the interrogation had to be conducted privately. Lu Wuxie took over as the chief interrogator.
Currently, Lu Wuxie, with his hand propping up his chin, gazed desolately at the empty main hall, appearing utterly uninterested.
It wasn't until Lin Jin, standing behind him, whispered a reminder in his ear that Lu Wuxie casually picked up a token from a box opposite him and tossed it to the ground, saying, "Bring him in."
The scraping sound of iron shackles on the ground echoed within the hall. There were no guards striking the floor to announce the proceedings with solemnity, only the hollow reverberation.
Liao Jue was brought into the hall by Lin Jin. At first, he resisted. Before he knew it, someone struck his knee. With a thud, he lost his balance and knelt on the ground. The next moment, Liao Jue obstinately stood up again.
Lu Wuxie glanced at him and waved his hand dismissively.
"Who is before the court? State your name," he asked.
Liao Jue coldly rolled his eyes, still remaining silent.
Lu Wuxie did not get angry. He chuckled and said, "Chu Hui, you studied under Liao Que, a descendant of renowned physicians. How could your master teach you this way?"
Liao Jue was startled to hear his original name, his expression momentarily faltering. Before he could react, Lu Wuxie continued, "But then again, Liao Que died at the hands of his disciple, having defiled his eldest disciple's wife and daughters. As the saying goes, if the beam above is not straight, the beams below will be crooked. You, his youngest disciple..."
"My master did not!" Liao Jue finally spoke, fixing his gaze on Lu Wuxie. "My master dedicated his life to healing and saving people. He never harbored any improper thoughts towards anyone. Others sought to frame him; my master was wrongly accused."
Hearing this, Lu Wuxie put on a knowing expression. Then, his eyes sharpened. "Since that is the case, when your master was framed and took his own life to prove his innocence, such courage was truly admirable to all who witnessed it. Now, his disciple has committed a monstrous crime of murder but dares not admit it like a cowering turtle. The Liao family, a renowned lineage for a hundred years, do you think you can still tell others where your martial arts originate from?"
With that, Lu Wuxie swept a stack of papers from the table onto the floor opposite him.
Liao Jue followed his gaze as the papers, each bearing the likeness of a different person, slid to the ground. He recognized all of them: his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandson, who was only three years old. Finally, Liao Jue could no longer hold back. He slumped to the ground, letting out a muffled sob of pain.
"Twenty years ago, the Ruan family rebelled..." Liao Jue choked back his sobs for a long time before finally speaking slowly. "My Chu family lived a life free from worldly troubles and abundant in food and clothing in Su Qing. However, the Northern Di invaded, intending to take advantage of this opportunity to conquer the Southern Yue Kingdom. The general at that time, Ge Meng, was recruiting new soldiers in Su Qing. My son, Chu Mu, being young and spirited, disregarded my and my daughter-in-law Zhou Miaomiao's objections, insisting on joining Ge Meng and becoming a military doctor in the Ge family army."
Lu Wuxie's eyes conveyed understanding upon hearing this. "Twenty years ago, it was rumored that Ge Meng had a 'divine hand' under his command. It seems he was the child of Liao Jue's master."
Liao Jue offered a desolate smile. "Yes, it was A Mu. But what does that matter? What is the point of leaving a name for a hundred generations? For a father, for his wife Miaomiao, there is nothing better than him being alive."
As he spoke, Liao Jue seemed to truly miss Chu Mu. His previously stern demeanor softened instantly. The lines of age on his weathered face were now etched with suppressed grief and sorrow, the profound emptiness that only a parent who has outlived their child can possess.
After he finished speaking, the few guards accompanying Lu Wuxie fell silent.
After an unknown period, Liao Jue’s gaze swept over the high inscription plaque above Lu Wuxie's head. He continued, "A father longs for his son's safe return, only to receive news of his demise. I even envied my crippled neighbor who lost a leg in battle, his unfilial son. But it is what it is; I am powerless. Fortunately, I still have my grandson Chu Ran, and my daughter-in-law is filial, so I let it go. Fortunately, the Emperor in Jincheng pitied the people of Su Qing county and emptied the national treasury of thirty million taels to comfort us dependents. In reality, thirty million taels divided among everyone amounted to only a few dozen taels. But for the people of Su Qing county, whose fields were mostly abandoned that year when fighting against the Northern Di, this was a glimmer of hope for survival. At least with this money, everyone could have a more comfortable winter. But!"
Liao Jue's eyes flared with hatred as he reached this point. He gritted his teeth, and word by word, declared, "It was actually swallowed by those three scoundrels, Zhao Jun, Liao Chen, and Li Kun! Thirty million taels, and the people of Su Qing county received barely a single string, not even enough to buy a few basins of charcoal! The rest went into the pockets of these three beasts!"
Silence descended upon the surroundings after his outburst.
Lu Wuxie looked at Liao Jue's trembling hands, agitated by his outburst, and the three portraits he held. "Even if Zhao Jun, Liao Chen, and Li Kun embezzled the relief funds distributed by the court to the people, is that alone not enough for you to hate them enough to kill them? The real reason is... I suspect it was the deaths of Zhou Miaomiao and Chu Ran?"
When Lu Wuxie spoke the names of the remaining two individuals in the portraits, Liao Jue's already agitated emotions completely broke down. Tears streamed down his face, falling onto the portraits of Zhou Miaomiao and Chu Ran. In moments, the ink bled, blurring the features of the people in the images.
"Yes," Liao Jue finally choked out after a long pause, nodding his head. "What truly drove me to want to kill Zhao Jun, Liao Chen, and Li Kun was the death of Miaomiao and A Ran."
Liao Jue took a deep breath, his jaundiced eyes staring at the ceiling of the magistrate's hall. "The year A Mu left, Su Qing county was exceptionally cold. Because all the men in the county were at the front lines, the crops were also abandoned that year. That was the most painful year we endured; we had no food and no warmth. Actually, that was manageable. Miaomiao and I were adults and could endure it, but A Ran could not. A Ran was only three years old, still growing, and his resistance was weak. A slight chill would cause him to have a fever all night. Miaomiao was his mother; how could a mother bear to see her own flesh and blood suffer, especially when the child was so young? So, she ignored my advice and went to find Li Kun."
As Liao Jue spoke, Lu Wuxie had already guessed most of the outcome. With Li Kun's household of seven or eight concubines, Zhou Miaomiao's fate was predictable.
But... what surprised Lu Wuxie was what Liao Jue said next. It was enough to make the Judicial Inspection Office, known for its idleness, comfort, and non-interference, wish to unearth Li Kun's corpse and whip it.
"Although Miaomiao was not a beauty that could topple a nation, her looks were well-known in Su Qing county. She went behind my back to find Li Kun with A Ran. She thought Li Kun would take pity on our family and give her Chu Mu's compensation. Who knew that Li Kun, that lecher, would insult her. Miaomiao had a fiery temper, and in a fit of rage, she declared she would go to the Dali Temple in Jincheng to lodge a complaint. At that time, the Emperor greatly valued soldiers who died in battle; Li Kun would not dare to commit a crime on the brink. So, he decided to cut his losses and... sob..." Liao Jue could no longer continue, covering his face and weeping. "This is just the beginning. That beast then colluded with Liao Chen and Zhao Jun and… did unspeakable things to Miaomiao's corpse... At that time, Chu Ran was right there, forced to watch his own mother being so violated by others!"
Liao Jue was weeping uncontrollably, his speech becoming increasingly slurred.
"And Chu Ran?" Lin Jin, standing by, was most concerned about the three-year-old child.
"Chu Ran?" Liao Jue burst into hysterical laughter. "Dead. How could they let someone who witnessed their sins live, even if it was a three-year-old boy."