A Cheng didn't know what unbelievable thing he had said, for the man opposite, dressed in luxurious brocade robes, was looking at him as if he were a monster.
However, since he had been asked, and as long as it could absolve him of the crime of stealing another's belongings today, he didn't mind saying a few more words.
"Peng Yong wasn't from our area before."
As A Cheng spoke, his gaze swept northwards. "There's a Peng Family Village next door, and Peng Yong is from there."
"Then how did he come to the northern outskirts of Jin City?" Lu Wuxie asked.
"Peng Yong is actually a pitiable soul. I heard that when he was a child, he had a serious illness that burned his mind. His father, finding him a burden, abandoned him and his mother and left home.
But Peng Yong's mother was already in poor health, and having given birth to Peng Yong, she had been bedridden and frail for a long time. A few days after his father left, his mother passed away.
His maternal relatives, seeing his pitiable state, reluctantly took him in and provided him with meager sustenance," A Cheng said, his eyes filled with helplessness.
"And then?"
"As Peng Yong grew older, he ate more and more. Moreover, Peng Yong was robust and ate for two people. His relatives felt they couldn't afford to support him and planned to sell him to the north as a laborer to build the Great Wall," A Cheng continued.
"Then why didn't he go?"
"Alas! When Peng Yong's relatives took him to the market to sell him, they encountered Miao Jie!" A Cheng sighed, saying, "Miao Jie's blacksmithing skills were famous throughout these ten miles and eight villages. By rights, with his abilities, he wouldn't be short of helpers.
However, Miao Jie had a host of bad habits and was very stingy with others. He had hired several apprentices for his blacksmith shop before, all of whom had left decisively because he didn't pay them. So, Miao Jie, in a fit of desperation, went to the market to find someone to bring home to help. That day, he brought Peng Yong back."
So, Peng Yong was bought by Miao Jie.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li understood.
"But Peng Yong's relatives were cunning. When they sold Peng Yong to Miao Jie, they didn't mention that Peng Yong was simple-minded. It was only after Miao Jie brought him back to work that he discovered Peng Yong, apart from eating, was utterly clueless about blacksmithing," A Cheng said.
"How clueless was Peng Yong?" Zhong Li was very interested in Peng Yong's situation.
"Hmm..." A Cheng scratched his head. "Let me put it this way: if Miao Jie taught Peng Yong to make nails and hoes today, and the direction for inserting the nail was from top to bottom, then Peng Yong would only hammer it from top to bottom. If he encountered a slightly different mold, he could only do it ambiguously."
So, he was inflexible and only followed the routine.
Hearing A Cheng's account, Zhong Li gained a rough understanding of Peng Yong's intelligence.
"Is it just because of this that you think he wouldn't be the murderer?" Zhong Li asked.
"Of course not," A Cheng replied without hesitation. "Peng Yong is simple-minded, that's one thing. On the other hand, Peng Yong wouldn't even kill a stray dog, so how could he possibly kill a person?"
Zhong Li narrowed his eyes, waiting for A Cheng to explain.
"It's like this," A Cheng said. "The outskirts of Jin City get very cold in winter. Every year, everyone would kill stray dogs for a pot of stew. I personally saw Peng Yong let go of the stray dogs about to be slaughtered when other villagers weren't paying attention."
Zhong Li nodded upon hearing this. Indeed! Dog meat was warm and an excellent way to ward off the cold.
"So, back then, when everyone said Peng Yong was the murderer, I never believed it," A Cheng said, his eyes full of regret. "The year Peng Yong had the incident, Miao Jie was almost implicated. However, at that time, the Dali Temple searched his house but found no evidence of Miao Jie's involvement. Coupled with Peng Yong's confession that he committed the murder, afterwards... Miao Jie also left here.
I thought Miao Jie left because he believed that Peng Yong couldn't possibly be the killer?"
As A Cheng spoke, he couldn't help but add a bit of his own emotion.
"How much do you know about Miao Jie's affairs?" After asking about Peng Yong, Zhong Li then asked about Miao Jie.
This time, A Cheng didn't give Zhong Li a satisfactory answer.
He shook his head and said, "Miao Jie moved here fifteen years ago. When he arrived, he had just passed his coming-of-age ceremony. Although we were good friends, he never spoke of his past. All I know is from our five years together."
"Then do you know if he has a painting?" Zhong Li asked, holding onto a sliver of hope.
"A painting? What painting? He has paintings? Are they valuable?" A Cheng asked, looking completely bewildered.
Zhong Li gazed deeply at A Cheng, certain he wasn't lying. She then put back the red coral lotus hairpin she had been about to take from her sleeve. She knew A Cheng could no longer provide any useful clues.
"You can go," Zhong Li casually took out a string of coins from her robes and placed them in A Cheng's hand.
A Cheng hadn't expected that these two officials wouldn't arrest him but would let him go after questioning him. Fearing she might change her mind, he grabbed the money and, turning around, vanished into the wheat field as fast as lightning.
Lu Wuxie stood to the side, watching Zhong Li's actions, a hint of teasing in his eyes.
"You yourself are almost in rags, yet you want to help others?"
Zhong Li turned and walked towards Miao Jie's old house, saying, "He's already skin and bones. That bit of money is his consultation fee."
"Tsk tsk," Lu Wuxie flicked his robe and followed her, saying, "Didn't you hear him? He has land at home. His current state is due to laziness. You, my dear, are a fool."
Zhong Li smiled and said, "Your Highness doesn't understand medicine. In fact, he sustained a severe injury, but it's hidden beneath his clothes, and no one can see it. It's already remarkable that he's managed to survive until now. Given his condition, he likely has only a few days left. I'm just doing what I can."
After speaking, Zhong Li pushed open the door and went inside.
Lu Wuxie didn't follow this time. He merely gazed at the figure of the woman busy inside, lost in thought.
When Lin Jin, leading the Dali Temple officials, rushed into the house, he finally turned his gaze towards the direction A Cheng had left, and in a voice barely audible to himself, he murmured, "If only I had met someone like you back then, would the outcome have been different?"
"Quickly, tidy up all the ceramic jars here. Take back the chopped meat in the yard. Don't miss a single piece!"
"Yes!"
As Lu Wuxie entered Miao Jie's courtyard, Xu Qing's voice already rang in his ears.
He concealed the melancholic expression on his face and walked over to Xu Qing, asking, "How long will it take to clear this out?"
After cupping his hands in greeting, Xu Qing replied, "Miao Jie's backyard wasn't large. If these ceramic jars were intact, we would have finished within two cups of tea. However..."
He looked at the mess on the ground and shook his head, "Basically, not a single ceramic jar is intact, and the pickled meat inside is spilled everywhere. To tidy it all up will take about half a day."
Lu Wuxie remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the busy Dali Temple constables moving back and forth. Just as he was about to get into a carriage to rest for a while, his eyes fell squarely on Zhong Li, who was hidden among the constables.
She seemed to have discovered something, frowning as she squatted on the ground, holding two dark pieces of meat and examining them.