Chapter 660
Marquis You clearly sensed that something was amiss with the sounds coming from inside the room. Seeing Magistrate Bai's tense expression as he emerged from the house, he couldn't help but frown.
"Your Excellency," Constable Qing hurried over to Magistrate Bai, his voice lowered so only the two of them could hear. "One of the deceased is Lai San."
What? Magistrate Bai's solemn face showed shock. He instinctively glanced towards the room.
Constable Qing nodded. He didn't know what had gone wrong. Lai San, who should have been under strict guard in the prison, had appeared at the Chang residence, and was also the murderer of You Bawang.
Calming down from his initial shock, Magistrate Bai's expression grew even more grave. He spoke in a deep voice, "Have the coroner Lu come out immediately. No one is to enter the room again!"
Fortunately, it was winter. Even if the bodies were left in the room, they wouldn't rot anytime soon. When Magistrate Bai thought that the murderer was Lai San, and that the Shuntian Prefecture had to recuse itself, this case could only be reported to His Majesty at the morning court tomorrow, and the officials to handle the trial would be decided by His Majesty.
"Yes, your subordinate obeys." Constable Qing responded and quickly returned to the room to speak to Coroner Lu, who was examining the bodies. "His Excellency orders us to withdraw immediately and leave the bodies here, untouched."
"Both of them died from鹤顶红 (He Ding Hong)," Coroner Lu sighed as he stood up. There was nothing in the two bodies that required detailed examination; both had died from a potent poison.
In the courtyard, Marquis You and Lord Chang watched Constable Qing and Coroner Lu quickly retreat from the room, both bewildered. Seeing the Shuntian Prefecture constables re-affixing the seal to the door, they wondered if they weren't going to investigate the case anymore.
"Magistrate Bai, what is the meaning of this?" Marquis You asked angrily, striding towards Magistrate Bai. He glanced at the constables guarding the door and asked with a laugh of rage, "Is Magistrate Bai not investigating the case? And leaving my son in the room?"
Marquis You's wife, Madam Du, had just shaken off Madam Chang's support and reached the courtyard entrance when she heard her husband's questioning. Seeing the sealed room, she immediately began to wail in grief, "Ran'er... Mother's good son..."
Seeing Madam's demeanor, Constable Qing and the others had to form a human wall of six people to block the doorway, fearing that Madam You would rush into the room and damage the scene or the bodies, affecting the subsequent examination.
"Get out of my way, get out of my way..." Crying and roaring, Madam Du frantically slapped at the constables blocking her, her sharp nails angrily scratching their faces.
Marquis You watched his wife go mad but did not stop her. He slightly raised his head, forcing back the tears that were reddening his eyes. Only after the grief of losing his son had slightly subsided did he look at Magistrate Bai again and question, "Shouldn't Magistrate Bai give this Marquis an explanation?"
"My Lord, Lord Chang." Magistrate Bai cupped his hands in apology to the two and explained in a deep voice, "The coroner just entered the room to examine the bodies and discovered that the murderer is a prisoner from the Shuntian Prefecture. Lai San should have been confined in the prison."
Lord Chang was startled. He then understood why Magistrate Bai had ordered the constables and the coroner to withdraw. The murderer was a prisoner from the Shuntian Prefecture prison. Regardless of how this person appeared at the Chang residence or why he assassinated You Bawang, the Shuntian Prefecture's negligence was a foregone conclusion.
Before Marquis You could speak, Magistrate Bai continued, "This person's name is Lai San. Before he was imprisoned, he was a prison guard."
"It was him?" Lord Chang was truly shocked this time. He had thought it was just an ordinary prisoner, but who would have thought it was Lai San.
"What crime did Lai San commit?" Marquis You, though heartbroken, was much calmer than his wife who was collapsing in tears. Seeing the expressions of Lord Chang and Magistrate Bai, he knew that this Lai San was problematic.
"I believe Marquis also knows that my son was almost assassinated by the cook Yao Damin at Yufeng Tower that day..." Magistrate Bai concisely explained Lai San's identity. "Yao Damin committed suicide in prison, and the mastermind who instructed him to commit the murder could not be found. I had Lai San confined separately, thinking I could find some clues from him."
Although Lai San confessed after being apprehended that he had informed Yao Damin of "the time has come" under duress of Madam Bai's identity, and that night Yao Damin confessed and falsely accused Zhan Feiyu as the true culprit who instructed him, after which Yao Damin committed suicide.
However, Magistrate Bai knew that an old hand like Lai San would not be so foolish. Even if he was afraid of offending Madam Bai, he knew Magistrate Bai's fair and upright conduct even better.
As long as he informed Magistrate Bai of the matter, Madam Bai, as a lady of the inner chambers, would absolutely not retaliate against Lai San. Even if she wanted to act, Magistrate Bai would prevent it.
"A prisoner confined in the prison not only escaped but also killed my son?" Marquis You sneered, his bloodshot eyes filled with surging anger. "Is Magistrate Bai's Shuntian Prefecture prison a vegetable garden?"
"It is my subordinate's oversight," Magistrate Bai pleaded guilty.
This matter was indeed the Shuntian Prefecture's responsibility. However, now that Lai San was dead, not only could the case of Yao Damin not be further investigated, but with the death of You Bawang, it was simply a complete mess.