Chapter 7: Fear of Crime
The moonlight is condensed, and the wind blows the shadows of the trees, flowing silently.
Lin Wanqing had never felt the surroundings so quiet, as if the entire Jingzhao Prefecture had sunk into a dark lake, so deep that one could not see the bottom.
I could hear my own rapid breathing and messy footsteps, and my heart was being pulled down, getting heavier and heavier.
The team of bailiffs who were supposed to be guarding outside the prison disappeared.
The prison door, which should have been tightly closed, was slightly ajar, fluttering in the night wind, making strange creaking sounds.
Her feet were caught by something for a moment, and she was nailed to the ground in a daze.
There was a light sweetness in the air, with some warmth, like peaches in June...
When the breeze blew, the sweet fragrance dissipated, and in the clear moonlight, there was a barely perceptible smell of blood.
Still hot.
"Wang... Wang Hu..."
Lin Wanqing was stunned. The chill on his back just now rushed up and turned into a buzzing in his head, exploding.
His eyes went white for a moment, and even the tone of his voice changed, with a noticeable hoarseness.
Lin Wanqing completely forgot how he ended up in that blood-soaked cell. The bodies of the yamen runners on duty were scattered all over the ground, making it look like a slaughterhouse. They all killed with one sword, cleanly and neatly. His empty eyes stared blankly ahead, and the expression on his face only stayed at that moment of surprise.
She pushed open the half-open cell door and saw Wang Hu lying on the ground.
He helplessly covered his neck which was about to break in two, his whole body twitching and his lips and tongue trembling. Looking at Lin Wanqing's pleading and anxious eyes, he couldn't say a word.
"Wang, Wang Hu... Wang Hu!"
Lin Wanqing was speechless. Apart from repeating the name, all other words seemed to be stuck in his throat like thorns, and turned into broken tones in the blink of an eye.
The hand soaked with cold sweat pressed the wound on Wang Hu's neck, and the sticky and warm blood flowed down through the fingers, wetting the cuffs and the front of the clothes...
"Don't, don't die... No, it's okay..."
She was in a hurry to comfort him, saying meaningless words.
The sweet smell from before came back again, lingering silently.
Lin Wanqing was stunned, realizing that the hands he was holding down had loosened at some point, and fell onto the haystack, making a slight crackling sound.
No, this sound clearly seemed to come from behind...
"Keng——"
There was a cold white light in front of my eyes and the crisp sound of metal hitting each other in my ears. Lin Wanqing only felt a chill on the side of his face, as if a piece of icicle was suddenly stuck on him in winter.
Then there was a loud "bang".
The cold light shot into the crack in the wall in front of her, shining coldly white under the flickering firelight.
She subconsciously touched her face and found that her hair was messy. On her fingertips, there was a deep red color and a warm and fishy feeling.
Chaotic footsteps were heard behind him at the right moment. Lin Wanqing turned around in a daze, only to see flames gradually lit up from the entrance to the end of the prison, like a fire dragon unfolding its body before his eyes. The originally dim space was suddenly brightly lit.
Someone pushed the cell door open heavily, and it hit the wooden bars with a clanging sound.
The surroundings suddenly became very quiet, with only the flickering sound of torches and oil lamps.
Behind the charming firelight, a figure was walking towards them from afar. He was walking neither fast nor slow, and his moon-white robe was as light as the clear moon and the gentle breeze.
When he walked up to her and saw her face clearly, Lin Wanqing saw that his sword-like brows were visibly frowned.
Su Moyi's thin lips moved slightly, and he looked at her with a complicated expression and said, "Registrar Lin, why are you here again?"
*
"Dong-dong-dong-dong-"
The midnight gong dragged out its long tail sound, scattered in the quiet streets, and drifted with the wind into the brightly lit lobby of Jingzhao Mansion.
Under the flickering candlelight, Lin Wanqing knelt on the ground in a daze, his hands stained with dried blood clutching each other, his fingertips rubbing against each other over and over again, as if he wanted to rub off a layer of skin.
Maybe it was because of the cold or the shock, but her bloody jaw was shaking. After Wang Hu's blood dried, it turned into a reddish-brown color, which made her already pale face look even more pale.
When Su Moyi followed Li Jingzhao in, he saw this scene. He looked calm and composed, lifted his robe and sat next to Li Jingzhao.
Lin Wanqing didn't react at all. Even though her head was covered with a thin blanket, she just shook her body and slowly raised her head to look at Li Jingzhao who was sitting in the main hall.
Under the light, half of her face was hidden in the shadow of the thin blanket, and her expression could not be seen clearly.
Li Jingzhao, who was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, looked tired and angry at the moment, and naturally looked at Lin Wanqing with a bit of hostility in his eyes.
He snorted in a deep voice, slammed the case file in his hand on the table, and pointed at Lin Wanqing and said, "Do you know what trouble you have caused?!"
The people in the hall seemed not to hear him, just raised their heads slowly and looked into his eyes.
The eyes that were clear and lively earlier were now darker and firmer than ever before.
She just looked at Li Jingzhao without saying a word, but Li Jingzhao's legs went weak for no reason and he secretly swallowed.
He pulled at his official uniform which was a bit tight on him and said, "You...you exceeded your authority and interrogated the criminal, which resulted in the death of Wang Hu and the loss of several lives of jailers for no reason. You..."
"Just say whatever you want to say."
The person in the hall suddenly opened his mouth, and an indifferent voice sounded, startling everyone present.
Lin Wanqing came back to her senses, and her eyes, which had been a little misty at first, suddenly became clear, reflecting the flickering firelight, sparkling especially brightly.
Li Jingzhao was startled and choked, and forgot to reply for a moment. With only one trembling hand, he pointed at Lin Wanqing and said, "You, you... exceeded your authority first and then neglected your duty... Not only did you interfere with the case, but you also killed the suspect! You actually..." "
What's important is not that I killed Wang Hu, but that he died. Who killed him? Why did you want to kill him? You don't ask about these things, but you focus on this little detail. Are
you delusionally hoping to find the murderer from here?!" "How dare you!" Li Jingzhao stared at him with a pair of sleepy green eyes, his voice was loud, but his body leaned back unconsciously.
"The murderer clearly followed you to the death row! You took advantage of your power to let the jailer let down his guard, which led to the disaster. You even dared to distort the facts and insult me with a clear conscience..."
"Can't you see it?" Lin Wanqing pulled his wide sleeves soaked in blood, lifted the thin blanket on his body and stood up suddenly and said: "Wang Hu will die no matter what! The person who killed him was well prepared, with sharp methods and quick actions! Except for assassins and trained deadpools, who can sneak into the prison in just half a cup of tea and kill several jailers with sharp blades in succession?!"
Lin Wanqing asked loudly, and walked to Li Jingzhao in two or three steps.
She was covered in bloodstains, some dried and some not. Mixed with the smell of lamp oil, it was so fishy and stuffy that it made people dizzy.
Perhaps it was because of the smell of blood or because he was scared by Lin Wanqing, but Li Jingzhao panicked and leaned back repeatedly, almost falling off the chair. He quickly grabbed the corner of the table and hurriedly ordered the bailiff to stop Lin Wanqing.
He then breathed a sigh of relief, forced himself to sit up straight, and lightly adjusted the black hat on his head with his hand.
"The point is that Wang Hu died because of you..."
"The point is that you are wrong!" Lin Wanqing stared at Li Jingzhao without any fear, with veins faintly visible on his fair forehead.
"Wang Hu is not the murderer of rape and murder, and he didn't even kill Aunt Zhao! However, what did you do from beginning to end except to force a confession under torture and to be greedy for merit and reckless?! If Wang Hu's injustice had been found out earlier, would he not have to be locked up in jail, would he have died?!"
"You...you..." Li Jingzhao was unable to argue, and even his momentum was weakened by her yelling at him. He could only helplessly and angrily say: "You have disrespected the court and insulted the imperial official. According to the law, you should be flogged thirty times! Come! Give it to me..."
After an order was given, but before Li Jingzhao could say the word "beat", a cold "wait" cooled the atmosphere in the hall in time.
Li Jingzhao then remembered Su Moyi who had been sitting quietly beside him and watching the show for a long time. He just lifted his wide moon-white sleeves and waved his long hand with distinct joints. The yamen runners, who were ready to take action just now, immediately nodded and retreated like wilted cabbages.
"Lord Su..." Li Jingzhao wanted to say something but was stopped by Su Moyi.
There was silence in the hall for a moment. Under the flickering firelight, he frowned and looked at the little clerk covered in blood.
Her hair was loose on one side, and her black hair fell messily on her shoulders. There was an obvious blade scratch on one cheek, and the blood had already solidified and hung in front of him like a string of red coral.
The light grey official uniform was covered in mud and blood...it
was as messy as it could be.
But...
something in his heart suddenly moved uncontrollably, and he couldn't tell why.
Because of her reckless and ignorant attitude?
For her keen insight into the facts?
Or maybe it was just because of her stubbornness that wouldn't turn back even if she hit a wall.
Su Moyi suddenly smiled, with only a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, he felt that this little clerk was interesting, very interesting.
"Lord Su?" This time, Li Jingzhao changed his tone to inquire. Perhaps he also noticed Su Moyi's abnormality and did not dare to act rashly for a while.
Su Moyi ignored him and still looked at Lin Wanqing, and asked slowly, "You just said that Wang Hu didn't kill Aunt Zhao?"
The people in the hall were stunned, as if they didn't expect him to ask this question. After a moment of reaction, they said firmly, "No."
Li Jingzhao grinned when he heard it, with a look of disdain on his face, "How do you know he didn't?"
"Because he has no reason to kill anyone."
Li Jingzhao wanted to speak again, but just as he was about to open his mouth, he was swept back by Su Moyi's cold eyes.
Su Moyi then continued to ask: "Then what was he doing sneaking into a girl's boudoir in the middle of the night?"
Lin Wanqing was silent, biting the tender flesh of her lips with her teeth, and said weakly: "If I say that Wang Hu told me that it was his childhood sweetheart Aunt Zhao who handed him a note asking Wang Hu to elope with her, would you believe it, sir?"
The doubt in his heart was confirmed.
Su Moyi remained silent. Under the flickering firelight, his shadow fell on the one-foot-two square ground under his feet. The index finger and thumb of his right hand were twirling repeatedly, making a slight rustling sound, and his eyes were looking far away somewhere unknown.
"Lord Su?" Li Jingzhao asked weakly with a worried look in his eyes, "Does Lord Su have any instructions?"
He was stunned for a moment, then gave a distant smile, "Nothing else."
"Then... this little clerk..." Having been an official for many years, Li Jingzhao was naturally accustomed to reading people's faces.
Since Su Moyi has stepped forward to stop it, it is natural to ask his opinion on what to do next.
Su Moyi seemed to have just reacted and followed Li Jingzhao's gaze to look at Lin Wanqing in the hall.
With almost no hesitation, he withdrew his stroking hands, placed them gently on his knees and said: "She is from Jingzhao Prefecture. It is naturally not up to me, the Dali Temple, to decide how to punish her."
"Let Li Jingzhao decide."
——————
Lin Wanqing had never felt the surroundings so quiet, as if the entire Jingzhao Prefecture had sunk into a dark lake, so deep that one could not see the bottom.
I could hear my own rapid breathing and messy footsteps, and my heart was being pulled down, getting heavier and heavier.
The team of bailiffs who were supposed to be guarding outside the prison disappeared.
The prison door, which should have been tightly closed, was slightly ajar, fluttering in the night wind, making strange creaking sounds.
Her feet were caught by something for a moment, and she was nailed to the ground in a daze.
There was a light sweetness in the air, with some warmth, like peaches in June...
When the breeze blew, the sweet fragrance dissipated, and in the clear moonlight, there was a barely perceptible smell of blood.
Still hot.
"Wang... Wang Hu..."
Lin Wanqing was stunned. The chill on his back just now rushed up and turned into a buzzing in his head, exploding.
His eyes went white for a moment, and even the tone of his voice changed, with a noticeable hoarseness.
Lin Wanqing completely forgot how he ended up in that blood-soaked cell. The bodies of the yamen runners on duty were scattered all over the ground, making it look like a slaughterhouse. They all killed with one sword, cleanly and neatly. His empty eyes stared blankly ahead, and the expression on his face only stayed at that moment of surprise.
She pushed open the half-open cell door and saw Wang Hu lying on the ground.
He helplessly covered his neck which was about to break in two, his whole body twitching and his lips and tongue trembling. Looking at Lin Wanqing's pleading and anxious eyes, he couldn't say a word.
"Wang, Wang Hu... Wang Hu!"
Lin Wanqing was speechless. Apart from repeating the name, all other words seemed to be stuck in his throat like thorns, and turned into broken tones in the blink of an eye.
The hand soaked with cold sweat pressed the wound on Wang Hu's neck, and the sticky and warm blood flowed down through the fingers, wetting the cuffs and the front of the clothes...
"Don't, don't die... No, it's okay..."
She was in a hurry to comfort him, saying meaningless words.
The sweet smell from before came back again, lingering silently.
Lin Wanqing was stunned, realizing that the hands he was holding down had loosened at some point, and fell onto the haystack, making a slight crackling sound.
No, this sound clearly seemed to come from behind...
"Keng——"
There was a cold white light in front of my eyes and the crisp sound of metal hitting each other in my ears. Lin Wanqing only felt a chill on the side of his face, as if a piece of icicle was suddenly stuck on him in winter.
Then there was a loud "bang".
The cold light shot into the crack in the wall in front of her, shining coldly white under the flickering firelight.
She subconsciously touched her face and found that her hair was messy. On her fingertips, there was a deep red color and a warm and fishy feeling.
Chaotic footsteps were heard behind him at the right moment. Lin Wanqing turned around in a daze, only to see flames gradually lit up from the entrance to the end of the prison, like a fire dragon unfolding its body before his eyes. The originally dim space was suddenly brightly lit.
Someone pushed the cell door open heavily, and it hit the wooden bars with a clanging sound.
The surroundings suddenly became very quiet, with only the flickering sound of torches and oil lamps.
Behind the charming firelight, a figure was walking towards them from afar. He was walking neither fast nor slow, and his moon-white robe was as light as the clear moon and the gentle breeze.
When he walked up to her and saw her face clearly, Lin Wanqing saw that his sword-like brows were visibly frowned.
Su Moyi's thin lips moved slightly, and he looked at her with a complicated expression and said, "Registrar Lin, why are you here again?"
*
"Dong-dong-dong-dong-"
The midnight gong dragged out its long tail sound, scattered in the quiet streets, and drifted with the wind into the brightly lit lobby of Jingzhao Mansion.
Under the flickering candlelight, Lin Wanqing knelt on the ground in a daze, his hands stained with dried blood clutching each other, his fingertips rubbing against each other over and over again, as if he wanted to rub off a layer of skin.
Maybe it was because of the cold or the shock, but her bloody jaw was shaking. After Wang Hu's blood dried, it turned into a reddish-brown color, which made her already pale face look even more pale.
When Su Moyi followed Li Jingzhao in, he saw this scene. He looked calm and composed, lifted his robe and sat next to Li Jingzhao.
Lin Wanqing didn't react at all. Even though her head was covered with a thin blanket, she just shook her body and slowly raised her head to look at Li Jingzhao who was sitting in the main hall.
Under the light, half of her face was hidden in the shadow of the thin blanket, and her expression could not be seen clearly.
Li Jingzhao, who was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, looked tired and angry at the moment, and naturally looked at Lin Wanqing with a bit of hostility in his eyes.
He snorted in a deep voice, slammed the case file in his hand on the table, and pointed at Lin Wanqing and said, "Do you know what trouble you have caused?!"
The people in the hall seemed not to hear him, just raised their heads slowly and looked into his eyes.
The eyes that were clear and lively earlier were now darker and firmer than ever before.
She just looked at Li Jingzhao without saying a word, but Li Jingzhao's legs went weak for no reason and he secretly swallowed.
He pulled at his official uniform which was a bit tight on him and said, "You...you exceeded your authority and interrogated the criminal, which resulted in the death of Wang Hu and the loss of several lives of jailers for no reason. You..."
"Just say whatever you want to say."
The person in the hall suddenly opened his mouth, and an indifferent voice sounded, startling everyone present.
Lin Wanqing came back to her senses, and her eyes, which had been a little misty at first, suddenly became clear, reflecting the flickering firelight, sparkling especially brightly.
Li Jingzhao was startled and choked, and forgot to reply for a moment. With only one trembling hand, he pointed at Lin Wanqing and said, "You, you... exceeded your authority first and then neglected your duty... Not only did you interfere with the case, but you also killed the suspect! You actually..." "
What's important is not that I killed Wang Hu, but that he died. Who killed him? Why did you want to kill him? You don't ask about these things, but you focus on this little detail. Are
you delusionally hoping to find the murderer from here?!" "How dare you!" Li Jingzhao stared at him with a pair of sleepy green eyes, his voice was loud, but his body leaned back unconsciously.
"The murderer clearly followed you to the death row! You took advantage of your power to let the jailer let down his guard, which led to the disaster. You even dared to distort the facts and insult me with a clear conscience..."
"Can't you see it?" Lin Wanqing pulled his wide sleeves soaked in blood, lifted the thin blanket on his body and stood up suddenly and said: "Wang Hu will die no matter what! The person who killed him was well prepared, with sharp methods and quick actions! Except for assassins and trained deadpools, who can sneak into the prison in just half a cup of tea and kill several jailers with sharp blades in succession?!"
Lin Wanqing asked loudly, and walked to Li Jingzhao in two or three steps.
She was covered in bloodstains, some dried and some not. Mixed with the smell of lamp oil, it was so fishy and stuffy that it made people dizzy.
Perhaps it was because of the smell of blood or because he was scared by Lin Wanqing, but Li Jingzhao panicked and leaned back repeatedly, almost falling off the chair. He quickly grabbed the corner of the table and hurriedly ordered the bailiff to stop Lin Wanqing.
He then breathed a sigh of relief, forced himself to sit up straight, and lightly adjusted the black hat on his head with his hand.
"The point is that Wang Hu died because of you..."
"The point is that you are wrong!" Lin Wanqing stared at Li Jingzhao without any fear, with veins faintly visible on his fair forehead.
"Wang Hu is not the murderer of rape and murder, and he didn't even kill Aunt Zhao! However, what did you do from beginning to end except to force a confession under torture and to be greedy for merit and reckless?! If Wang Hu's injustice had been found out earlier, would he not have to be locked up in jail, would he have died?!"
"You...you..." Li Jingzhao was unable to argue, and even his momentum was weakened by her yelling at him. He could only helplessly and angrily say: "You have disrespected the court and insulted the imperial official. According to the law, you should be flogged thirty times! Come! Give it to me..."
After an order was given, but before Li Jingzhao could say the word "beat", a cold "wait" cooled the atmosphere in the hall in time.
Li Jingzhao then remembered Su Moyi who had been sitting quietly beside him and watching the show for a long time. He just lifted his wide moon-white sleeves and waved his long hand with distinct joints. The yamen runners, who were ready to take action just now, immediately nodded and retreated like wilted cabbages.
"Lord Su..." Li Jingzhao wanted to say something but was stopped by Su Moyi.
There was silence in the hall for a moment. Under the flickering firelight, he frowned and looked at the little clerk covered in blood.
Her hair was loose on one side, and her black hair fell messily on her shoulders. There was an obvious blade scratch on one cheek, and the blood had already solidified and hung in front of him like a string of red coral.
The light grey official uniform was covered in mud and blood...it
was as messy as it could be.
But...
something in his heart suddenly moved uncontrollably, and he couldn't tell why.
Because of her reckless and ignorant attitude?
For her keen insight into the facts?
Or maybe it was just because of her stubbornness that wouldn't turn back even if she hit a wall.
Su Moyi suddenly smiled, with only a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, he felt that this little clerk was interesting, very interesting.
"Lord Su?" This time, Li Jingzhao changed his tone to inquire. Perhaps he also noticed Su Moyi's abnormality and did not dare to act rashly for a while.
Su Moyi ignored him and still looked at Lin Wanqing, and asked slowly, "You just said that Wang Hu didn't kill Aunt Zhao?"
The people in the hall were stunned, as if they didn't expect him to ask this question. After a moment of reaction, they said firmly, "No."
Li Jingzhao grinned when he heard it, with a look of disdain on his face, "How do you know he didn't?"
"Because he has no reason to kill anyone."
Li Jingzhao wanted to speak again, but just as he was about to open his mouth, he was swept back by Su Moyi's cold eyes.
Su Moyi then continued to ask: "Then what was he doing sneaking into a girl's boudoir in the middle of the night?"
Lin Wanqing was silent, biting the tender flesh of her lips with her teeth, and said weakly: "If I say that Wang Hu told me that it was his childhood sweetheart Aunt Zhao who handed him a note asking Wang Hu to elope with her, would you believe it, sir?"
The doubt in his heart was confirmed.
Su Moyi remained silent. Under the flickering firelight, his shadow fell on the one-foot-two square ground under his feet. The index finger and thumb of his right hand were twirling repeatedly, making a slight rustling sound, and his eyes were looking far away somewhere unknown.
"Lord Su?" Li Jingzhao asked weakly with a worried look in his eyes, "Does Lord Su have any instructions?"
He was stunned for a moment, then gave a distant smile, "Nothing else."
"Then... this little clerk..." Having been an official for many years, Li Jingzhao was naturally accustomed to reading people's faces.
Since Su Moyi has stepped forward to stop it, it is natural to ask his opinion on what to do next.
Su Moyi seemed to have just reacted and followed Li Jingzhao's gaze to look at Lin Wanqing in the hall.
With almost no hesitation, he withdrew his stroking hands, placed them gently on his knees and said: "She is from Jingzhao Prefecture. It is naturally not up to me, the Dali Temple, to decide how to punish her."
"Let Li Jingzhao decide."
——————
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