The front hall.
On Magistrate Zhang's desk lay a partially formed infant corpse, a few drops of fresh blood staining the tray.
Ma Su, staring blankly at his severed finger, knelt on the ground, utterly dejected.
A sharp rap of the gavel echoed, and Magistrate Zhang spoke first, "Ma Su, do you have anything to say?"
Ma Su offered a bitter smile and said, "Two months ago, Xie Xiaoyun told me she was carrying my child. I didn't believe her, but now..."
He glanced at the 'little meatball' in the tray, then quickly looked away.
With a sigh, his once obstinate mouth finally opened, "Yes, it was indeed I who incited Jia Kun to kill Xie Xiaoyun."
As his words fell, a collective sigh rippled through the onlookers, whether it was in sympathy for Ma Su's lingering conscience, or to comment on his ruthlessness, cunning, and deceit.
"How did you incite Jia Kun?" Zhong Li asked.
Ma Su raised his eyes to the woman opposite him and replied, "Actually, it wasn't my intention for Jia Kun to kill Xie Xiaoyun."
"I got together with Xie Xiaoyun a month after I first arrived at the Jia residence."
A month later? So, a year and a half ago? Zhong Li mused.
"Honestly, from the moment I arrived at the Jia residence, Xie Xiaoyun tried every means to seduce me. She was naturally alluring and captivating, and not long after, we secretly conceived." Ma Su continued:
"We were actually quite careful, always meeting when Jia Kun was away from the manor. In this way, we maintained our secret for three months, until... one time, when Jia Kun was out, his elderly mother caught Xie Xiaoyun and me in the act."
"So you had Xie Xiaoyun kill Jia Kun's mother?" Zhong Li asked, calculating the time.
Ma Su nodded, "Yes, and then Xie Xiaoyun lied to Jia Kun, claiming his mother had suddenly fallen ill and died."
"Didn't Jia Kun have any suspicion?" Zhong Li inquired.
"Suspicion?" Ma Su sneered coldly, "That fool who would have licked Xie Xiaoyun's feet, would he suspect?"
Zhong Li glanced at Ma Su without a word.
"Indeed, Jia Kun was a renowned filial son in Anding County, but that was before he met Xie Xiaoyun." Ma Su, knowing what Zhong Li was about to ask, explained:
"Jia Kun was obedient to Xie Xiaoyun's every word, not just because of Xie Xiaoyun's beauty, but also her family background. After all, being connected to the Prince Xian's manor would be very helpful for the Jia family's future business development."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li understood. The Jia family had already become preeminent in Anding County. If they wanted further development, dealing with the imperial court became a necessary path for Jia Kun. This provided the most logical explanation for his indulgence and tolerance of Xie Xiaoyun's various actions.
"Logically, my affair with Xie Xiaoyun could have remained hidden forever, but unfortunately..." Ma Su shrugged with a look of helplessness.
"Unfortunately, Jia Kun discovered your identity, and discovered all the things you did behind his back to deceive him of his money in order to gain his trust. To avoid your crimes being exposed, you sought out Xie Xiaoyun, is that right?" Zhong Li finished his sentence.
Ma Su nodded, then a helpless smile creased his lips.
"Yes, I asked Xie Xiaoyun to persuade Jia Kun. I just wanted Jia Kun to shut up, and ideally, to let me off the hook. But I never imagined that in order to be with me, she would tell Jia Kun everything that had happened before.
Jia Kun was indeed someone who could tolerate everything Xie Xiaoyun did, but that was under the premise that Xie Xiaoyun was the mistress of the Jia manor. Now that she wanted to leave, how could he be reconciled?
So, Jia Kun, in a fit of rage, killed Xie Xiaoyun, and then, knowing he couldn't escape the law, chose to hang himself."
"You're lying!" Zhong Li sneered after hearing Ma Su's account of Jia Kun's wife's murder and subsequent suicide.
Ma Su was startled and was about to retort when Zhong Li spoke first, "Although Xie Xiaoyun was not from a royal or noble background, she was from a wealthy family. Accustomed to a life of ease and comfort, how could she abandon all the riches and glory of the Jia manor to be with you? Moreover, you, Ma Su, are nothing more than a bandit?"
"What's so impossible about that..."
"It's entirely impossible." Before Ma Su could finish, Zhong Li quickly interrupted, "I believe it was you, Wang Gui, and Xie Xiaoyun who had already sold off most of the valuable items in the Jia manor, pocketed the majority, and then conspired to ditch Jia Kun. It devolved into a 'fish dies, net breaks' situation, didn't it?
You had Xie Xiaoyun reveal all the truth to Jia Kun, even telling him the real cause of death of the old lady of the Jia manor. For Jia Kun, such a devoted filial son, this would undoubtedly be a fatal mental blow, wouldn't it?"
Ma Su looked at the woman opposite him, who was relentlessly questioning him, and argued forcefully, "You're slandering me! I didn't..."
"Didn't?" Zhong Li raised her eyebrows and continued, "Perhaps you also wanted to get rid of Xie Xiaoyun?"
"What did you say?" Ma Su stared at the woman opposite him in horror.
Zhong Li fixed him with a gaze, "To enrage someone, understanding their disposition is paramount. Jia Kun is easy-going, a principled businessman, deeply filial, and doted on Xie Xiaoyun. Therefore, Xie Xiaoyun was your greatest weapon to get rid of Jia Kun.
Family ruin, matricide, adultery – these three matters were enough to drive Jia Kun to utter collapse. Things unfolded exactly as you planned: Jia Kun killed Xie Xiaoyun, then hanged himself, and you and Wang Gui could then legitimately take all of the Jia manor's wealth and leave completely, right?"
"I didn't, I didn't ask Xie Xiaoyun to tell Jia Kun..."
"Yes, perhaps you were unaware of Xie Xiaoyun's pregnancy from beginning to end. Perhaps Xie Xiaoyun intended to give you a surprise after everything was done. Who knew, she would never be able to tell you this in her lifetime," Zhong Li finished Ma Su's words, saying coldly:
"Whether you cherished Xie Xiaoyun or not is irrelevant, but people say even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs. Ma Su, you didn't expect it, did you? The one who truly brought you to justice is your own flesh and blood."
As Zhong Li's words fell, Ma Su collapsed onto the ground, limp like a broken kite.
Wang Gui, the steward of the Jia manor, who had been standing by the side all along, knowing that he could not refute any of the evidence, his knees buckled, and he surrendered.
"Clang!"
Magistrate Zhang flicked the gavel in his hand, and the bailiffs on either side escorted Ma Su and Wang Gui to the death row.
During their escort, the two men blamed each other, their incessant cursing making the solemn court hall noisy.
When the spectators had dispersed and the hall became exceptionally quiet, Magistrate Zhang tidied his desk and, looking at Lu Wu Xie who had not yet departed, smoothed his official robe and walked up to him, cupping his hands.
"Your Highness!"
Lu Wu Xie turned his gaze towards him.
"Your Highness," Magistrate Zhang said with a smile, "today's case was truly thanks to Your Highness's assistance, otherwise, these bandits would have truly escaped with impunity."
Lu Wu Xie waved his hand, signaling Magistrate Zhang to rise.
Magistrate Zhang adjusted the black gauze cap on his head and said, "Does Your Highness have any other arrangements for today? If not, I have prepared a banquet at my residence and invited the most popular dancers in Anding County. I hope Your Highness will grace us with your presence?"
"Other matters?" Lu Wu Xie, upon hearing this, let his gaze fall almost imperceptibly on the ledgers related to Jia Kun's case held in Magistrate Zhang's hand. He smiled and said, "Magistrate Zhang, if you hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten. Speaking of which, does Magistrate Zhang truly believe this case is concluded?"