When Magistrate Bai and the Shun Tian Fu constables arrived at the Chang residence, the You family's people were already there.
However, the You family's old madam was elderly, and Marquis You dared not inform her, fearing that her grief might cause her demise. Thus, the ones present at the Chang residence were Marquis You, his wife Madam Du, and dozens of the Marquis's personal guards.
"Your Excellency?" Assistant Magistrate Sun frowned as he looked at the two confronting parties. Even though You Ba Wang had been assassinated at the Chang residence, the Marquis had no right to force his way into the Chang residence with his guards.
Lord Chang was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a third-rank official of the imperial court. Unless it was the Imperial Dragon Guard, no one else could seal the Chang residence without an imperial decree.
Magistrate Bai had anticipated the situation before arriving and spoke in a deep voice, "Tongpan Lu, you take your men and Chang Hu into the mansion first, then seal off the rooms. No one is to enter without permission."
"Yes." Tongpan Lu acknowledged, leading the constables and coroners behind Chang Hu towards the side entrance.
Magistrate Bai then proceeded towards the main entrance of the Chang residence with Assistant Magistrate Sun and the others. The footsteps of their entourage immediately alerted the two parties confronting each other at the main gate.
Lord Chang personally came to greet them, "Thank you for your trouble, Magistrate Bai."
"It is my duty, Lord Chang. There is no need for formalities." Magistrate Bai, as always, was impartial. After exchanging pleasantries with Lord Chang, he bowed to the furious Marquis You, "Your subordinate pays his respects to Your Lordship."
Marquis You did not speak. His dark gaze shifted back and forth between Magistrate Bai and Lord Chang. Both were officials of the Three Judicial Offices and trusted confidants of the Emperor, but apart from official functions, they had no personal relationship.
It was only in the case of Yao Da Min that Magistrate Bai had to recuse himself, and Minister Liu was implicated. Ultimately, the case was transferred from Shun Tian Fu to the Court of Judicial Review. Lord Chang had handled it impartially and with integrity.
"Magistrate Bai, you need not be so formal." Marquis You's voice was hoarse. Thinking of his son who had died tragically at the Chang residence, his eyes instantly reddened. Suppressing his grief and anger, he spoke again,
"My son came to the Chang residence to celebrate a birthday and met a tragic end here. I request Magistrate Bai to give me an explanation! Otherwise, even if I have to take this to the Golden Palace, I will seek justice for my son and make the Chang family pay with blood!"
Whether Marquis You's words were a threat or an enticement, Magistrate Bai's stern face remained unchanged, "Please rest assured, Your Lordship. Your subordinate will uphold justice and apprehend the murderer to comfort the Crown Prince's spirit."
Clearly displeased with Magistrate Bai's perfunctory attitude, Marquis You's expression darkened instantly.
Before he could express his anger, Magistrate Bai spoke again, "Shun Tian Fu is investigating the case. I request Your Lordship's cooperation and ask the Marquis's guards to temporarily withdraw outside the gate."
"I naturally trust Magistrate Bai, and I hope Magistrate Bai will not disappoint me!" Marquis You's words were chillingly cold. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Zeng Ming, you four will accompany me inside. The rest will guard outside and await my command!"
"Yes!" the guards responded in unison. Their voices echoed through the night, sharp and cold. Even though the Marquis's influence had waned, these guards were veterans from the battlefield, and their combat prowess was not to be underestimated.
Meanwhile, Tongpan Lu, who had entered the Chang residence earlier, had already ordered the courtyard where the incident occurred to be cordoned off. "Seal off the courtyard first. No one is to enter without authorization." The servants and maids involved in the case had already been handed over to Shun Tian Fu for custody.
"Constable Qing, you and Old Lu go into the room and examine the body first." Tongpan Lu looked at the approaching coroner and whispered again, "The Marquis and his wife are being held back. Old Lu, hurry up."
"Understood." Coroner Lu nodded, understanding that once the Marchioness arrived, it would be difficult to examine the body.
Marquis You was accompanied by Lord Chang and Magistrate Bai. As the Marchioness had also arrived, Madam Chang had changed out of the bright red jacket she wore during the birthday banquet. She had changed into a plain, round-collared padded jacket, covered with a white snow cloak. Even her hair ornaments had been replaced with white jade and plain silver.
Yet, despite Madam Chang's subdued attire, Madam Du, the Marchioness, looked at her as if she were an enemy.
Shaking off the maid who was supporting her, Madam Du slapped Madam Chang across the face, her piercing voice filled with pain and hatred, "I want you to pay for my son's life!"
"Madam!" The maids and old women beside Madam Chang cried out, and the scene instantly became chaotic.
The maids stopped Madam Du from continuing her outburst, and two of them shielded Madam Chang behind them. The rest, unable to do anything else, could only try to restrain Madam Du's maids and servants.
After enduring the slap, Madam Chang was stunned. It was only when the throbbing pain on her cheek returned that she regained her senses, her expression turning extremely grim.
However, seeing the Marchioness still shouting for the Chang family to pay for her son's life while being held back by her maids, Madam Chang had to suppress her anger.
"Please calm down, Marchioness. The Crown Prince's unfortunate demise has brought us great sorrow as well. However, the most important thing now is to catch the murderer, otherwise, the Crown Prince will not rest in peace!"
"My son was killed by you!" Madam Du shrieked. The thought of You Ba Wang's tragic death overwhelmed her with grief, and she burst into tears.
No matter how much dissatisfaction Madam Chang felt, seeing the grief-stricken Marchioness, she couldn't help but feel sympathy. There was no greater pain in this world than for parents to outlive their children.
Lord Chang, Magistrate Bai, and Marquis You had already entered the courtyard. At this moment, the constables of Shun Tian Fu had secured the entire courtyard.
"Sir!" Coroner Lu's voice rang out from inside the room, his tone clearly indicating something was amiss.
Constable Qing stood guard at the entrance of the room, preventing outsiders from entering so that Coroner Lu could examine the body in peace. Hearing the voice, Constable Qing placed a hand on his sword hilt and quickly walked into the room.
Upon seeing the body in front of Coroner Lu, Constable Qing's expression also changed drastically. The deceased was none other than the jailer Lai San!
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