Two days later, in the early morning.
The Jia Mansion was already surrounded by many onlookers.
"Oh my, what's going on? It was fine yesterday, why is it sealed today?"
An old woman with a strong Southwest accent stood at the gate of the Jia Mansion, looking at the seal posted on the door and the bailiffs guarding it. She chattered to her companion who was also heading to the morning market.
"Yeah, has this Jia Mansion gone mad? The masters all died the day before yesterday, and now it's sealed. Over a year ago, they said the old master of the Jia family offended spirits, and the Jia Mansion was plagued by misfortune. They thought seeking the Great Strength Buddha would help, but who knew... alas..."
"Let's go, we shouldn't stand here too long, lest we catch something unclean and bring bad luck."
"Let's go! Let's go!"
As the two women spoke, they quickly left the Jia Mansion, supporting each other. With their departure, many other citizens also began to attend to their own matters.
Zhong Li stood outside the crowd. In the time it took for a cup of tea, the mansion gate was deserted. She tightened the small box on her body and walked inside.
"Miss Zhong, you're finally here." As soon as the bailiff at the entrance saw her, he hurried forward to greet her enthusiastically.
Zhong Li stepped forward, her gaze falling on the seal pasted on the main gate of the Jia Mansion. "In just one day, why has the Jia Mansion been sealed?"
The young bailiff scratched his head and replied blankly, "This lowly one doesn't know either. Before the un-timed hour today, the young lord found the master and brought us to the Jia Mansion. Without a word, he sealed the place and told the master to send someone to find you, Miss Zhong. So, this lowly one has been waiting here specifically for you."
Zhong Li's eyes focused on the young bailiff's face. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, she knew he had stayed up late and that he wasn't lying. She then said, "Let's go."
The sealed Jia Mansion no longer had the liveliness and bustle of a few days prior. Apart from the white silk and paper lanterns hanging from the eaves, the only other signs of life were wild cats that had come to forage for food due to hunger.
Zhong Li looked at the desolation before her and followed the young bailiff towards the main hall of the Jia Mansion.
Before they reached the entrance, cries of sorrow and anguish could be heard from within.
"Young Lord, this old servant is wrongly accused! This old servant truly knows nothing about this matter. Even if you gave this old servant ten more lives, he wouldn't dare to plot against the master."
"So, Butler Wang, you mean our young lord has wrongly accused you?"
"This... what are you saying, Guard Lin? This old servant would never dare to speak ill of the young lord. But after all, the young lord is appointed by the Emperor as the Investigator. If he truly wrongly accuses someone, and others criticize him..."
"Audacious!"
...
As Zhong Li entered the main hall, she saw the vast room filled with kneeling servants and masters. Besides Butler Wang, who had repeatedly cried out his innocence, and Qiao Fu, who knelt silently beside him with an honest demeanor, even Magistrate Zhang of the An Ding County Yamen was among them.
She looked up at Lu Wuxie, who sat comfortably in the grand armchair, sipping tea. His aloof attitude, as if unconcerned with the matter, was hardly that of an investigator interrogating a suspect.
Moreover, this was the Jia Mansion, not the Yamen. To storm in and arrest people like this, this man's behavior was too unrestrained.
However...
She lowered her gaze and a smile touched her lips. Thanks to his temperament, it seemed this case was about to be concluded.
"Li'er."
As Zhong Li entered the main hall, Lu Wuxie had already noticed her.
He put down his teacup, tapped the table leisurely with one hand, and raised his eyebrows. "Tell me, did I, this young lord, wrongly accuse Butler Wang?"
As he spoke, Lu Wuxie gestured to Lin Jin, who stood beside him.
Lin Jin understood and walked over to Zhong Li, handing her a confidential letter from his sleeve.
Zhong Li took it and quickly scanned it under the tense gazes of the people around her.
After she finished reading the letter, her misty eyes swept over Magistrate Zhang and Advisor Diao, finally settling on Butler Wang.
She pursed her thin lips and asked, "Does the young lord know about the cuckoo bird?"
Lu Wuxie raised his eyebrows and replied cooperatively, "I've heard of it, but what does this have to do with the Jia Mansion's case?"
Zhong Li smiled and said, "Most birds reproduce by building nests, laying eggs, and hatching them, but cuckoos are different."
"Oh? How are they different?" Lu Wuxie seemed to have become interested, resting his chin on his hand as he listened intently.
"Cuckoos do not build their own nests. To raise their offspring, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Their eggs are special; they change their color to match the colors of the eggs laid by the host bird, ensuring that the host bird cannot distinguish them.
Then, the host bird will naturally help them hatch their offspring." Zhong Li explained. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Interesting." Hearing this, Lu Wuxie smirked unconventionally. "Aren't these cuckoos afraid that their deception will be exposed once their chicks hatch from the host birds' eggs?"
"They don't worry," Zhong Li replied with certainty. "Because cuckoo eggs hatch faster than the host's eggs, and their growth is faster. By the time their chicks are born, they will ruthlessly push the host's eggs out of the nest. Thus, the host not only loses their own offspring but also has to raise the cuckoo's chicks. This is what is called the cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest!"
As she spoke, her clear eyes fixed on Butler Wang like sharp swords.
Butler Wang trembled under her gaze but maintained his composure and smiled. "Miss Zhong, what do you mean? I don't understand."
"Don't understand?" Zhong Li raised her eyebrows and walked over to Qiao Fu. "Does this Qiao Fu truly belong to Jia Jing as your only son, as you said?"
"How could that be false?" Butler Wang's expression stiffened, and he replied stubbornly.
"Is that so? I'm afraid the real Qiao Fu died over a year ago?" Zhong Li coldly threw the confidential letter Lin Jin had given her onto the ground.
Butler Wang stared at the paper on the floor.
In fact, it was less a confidential letter and more a death certificate. It clearly recorded the situation of a man being killed by a sword thrust to the throat. Based on the description of the figure, appearance, and physique on the death certificate, it was ultimately determined to be Qiao Fu, the only son of Butcher Qiao from Su Qing County.
However, because the murderer could not be found, and the case was discovered on a public road near Su Qing County, separated by a Golden City, and the local yamen was inactive, this fake Qiao Fu had been freeloading at the Jia Mansion for a full year and a half.
"This..." Butler Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead. His sallow eyes darted back and forth in their sockets. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something and turned to the fake Qiao Fu beside him, shouting indignantly, "So you are fake! So the master was killed by you! Today, I will surely make you pay with your life for the master."
With that, he extended his withered hands and lunged to grab the fake Qiao Fu's neck.
But this Qiao Fu was not to be trifled with. Being in the prime of his life, he swung his hands and shoved Butler Wang forcefully. Butler Wang flew away like a kite with a broken string.
At the same time, the tables and chairs piled in the corner of the hall all tilted and fell, crushing the old body of Butler Wang, who was half a step into the grave, to the point where he was almost seeing stars and foaming at the mouth.
"Young Lord... Young Lord..." Butler Wang had no time to care about his own body at this moment. He gasped for breath, pointed at the 'fake Qiao Fu' not far away, and said, "Quick, quickly catch that villain who harmed the master and madam, to appease their souls in heaven!"
Lu Wuxie, called upon like this, instantly shed the playful smile that had been on his lips. His sharp eyes coldly swept over Butler Wang's face.
Butler Wang froze.
The next moment, a ledger was thrown in front of him.
"Is that so? Why do I feel like you are playing me for a fool?"