Chapter 035: I Am the Murderer

After reading the secret report, Wu Chengsi’s expression darkened rapidly. The hysterical clamor of the crowd outside the Court of Judicial Review, reaching his ears, only served to heighten his unease. He hurriedly offered a fawning smile to Xiao Muchen, saying, "Since Minister Xiao is acting under the Empress's decree, then the father and son of the Zhou family certainly deserve to die! Let us end this case here. I must trouble Minister Xiao and Junior Minister Lu to properly pacify the hearts of these people on behalf of Her Majesty!"

"Understood!"

With that, Wu Chengsi led his guards and servants out of the Court of Judicial Review in a hurry. However, he found the gates blocked by a dense, suffocating crowd. The wailing and screaming were relentless, a terrifying display of people desperate to tear the Zhou father and son limb from limb. He had intended to offer a brief explanation—"The Zhou father and son have been executed according to the law"—but the sheer scale of the scene frightened him into silence.

It was Lu Shililang who ran out and shouted, "Fellow townsfolk, please do not be so agitated! The Left Prime Minister and Minister Xiao have come to the Court of Judicial Review today to bring the Empress's decree, judging and sentencing the two Zhou men. Although they are already dead, the Court of Judicial Review will surely impose a heavy penalty to address the pain of the loss of your daughters!"

"Please, everyone, return home for now! The Court of Judicial Review will give you all a proper account!"

Only under Lu Shililang’s earnest entreaties did the crowd begin to disperse. Before leaving, many spat fiercely on the ground. Shaken, Wu Chengsi wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly boarded his official sedan, rushing back to his Prince of Wei residence.

Qiu Shenji had been waiting for a long time at the gates. Seeing Wu Chengsi’s hurried arrival, he asked with concern, "Your Highness, what has happened?"

"Follow me inside!"

"As you command!"

Wu Chengsi’s residence was extravagantly built, with towering twin watchtowers, connected halls, elevated corridors, and hidden pavilions. It was no wonder that Lu Zhaolin’s poem "Old Sentiments of Chang'an"—which depicted the luxurious, competitive, and decadent lives of the nobility—was deemed a mockery by Wu Sansi.

Qiu Shenji followed him past several screen walls and pavilions until they reached the main hall. Wu Chengsi found a seat at the head of the room and said sharply, "Did you not say that you were the first to reach the crime scene when Zhou Xing died? Why, then, did that confession fall into the hands of Xiao Muchen?"

Qiu Shenji knelt in terror, "Your subordinate was indeed the first to arrive, and I did send men to retrieve the confession. But later, the Lady of the Inner Guard arrived, claiming she needed to secure all evidence from the scene, so she ordered me to hand it over to her!"

Wuling Yue was Wu Chengsi’s daughter. Qiu Shenji had assumed she would deliver the document directly to her father, never imagining that Wu Chengsi remained completely in the dark.

Wu Chengsi’s expression shifted. He muttered, "I had hoped to use the Zhou Xing case to throw those treacherous ministers who oppose my appointment as Crown Prince—men like Li Zhaode and Cen Changqian—into prison. I never expected that Xiao Muchen would obtain a decree from my aunt to execute Zhou, nor that he would secure a confession, signed and thumb-printed by Zhou himself, accusing me of instigating everything he did!"

After saying this, Wu Chengsi threw his teacup to the ground in a rage. "It is clear that this case was targeted at me!"

"Left Prime Minister, could this case have been designed by Minister Xiao to frame you? And that young Master Su—last night, when I was tracking the killer with the Lady of the Inner Guard, I saw both Minister Xiao and Master Su at the Xingyun Pavilion. Although they were reciting poetry with the scholars, it seems far too coincidental!"

"Even if it is, so what?" Wu Chengsi snapped. "At this point, it no longer matters who the killer is. What matters is how to quell the public’s fury!"

"My aunt has always used Buddhist temples to proclaim herself the Maitreya Buddha descended to earth; she has always placed great importance on public sentiment. The case of the bodies in the well has sparked such outrage that I fear she will not allow me to continue the investigation. You did not see the crowd outside the court; they looked as if they would have happily eaten the father and son alive!"

Qiu Shenji dared not speak, feeling a chill run down his spine and sweat pouring from his brow.

After a long while, Wu Chengsi sighed, "This young Master Su you mentioned is truly extraordinary. So young, not yet in officialdom, and yet he possesses such sharp and ruthless insight. He hinted to me that the death of the Zhou family was the will of the people. If I continue to pursue it, I would be defying that will, which would greatly diminish the sanctity and prestige of Her Majesty in the eyes of the commoners."

"Then the case of the Zhou father and son ends here?"

Qiu Shenji felt a growing fear. His dealings with Zhou Xing had been extensive, and they had collaborated on many dark deeds, such as hounding Crown Prince Li Xian to his death and assassinating the widow and followers of Emperor Xiaojing, Li Hong...

"If it doesn't end here, what else can be done? Do you want me to defy the Empress's decree just to seek justice for those two?"

Qiu Shenji was too cowed to speak further. He understood the principle that when the hunt is over, the hounds are slaughtered. But if things continued this way, would he be next?

Especially when his daughter Qiu Zhenyan’s words echoed in his ears: "That child is even more uncanny and terrifying than she was eight years ago. She can paint the living visage of a skeleton, and she can paint the wicked soul of a murderer!"

Since she returned, the Zhou father and son had died in succession. Was this truly just a coincidence?

"Enough. The case of the Zhou father and son ends here. We need to find another blade. Since Xiao Muchen has found Lai Junchen, bring Lai Junchen to see me!"

...

"Young Master Su, what exactly do you mean by this faceless person you’ve painted?"

After Wu Chengsi left, Lu Shililang could not help but ask about the painting Murong Huan had created.

Murong Huan replied, "I can paint the hundred faces of all living beings, but there are two people whose faces I cannot paint."

"Which two?"

"The first is the current Empress, and the second is myself!"

"Yourself? Can’t you just look in a mirror and paint it?" Lu Shililang asked with a laugh.

Murong Huan shook her head: "You don't understand, Shililang. It is easy to paint skin and bone, but difficult to paint the heart. My heart is not just me; there is another 'me' within, which is why I find it so hard to paint my own likeness."

Hearing this, Lu Shililang laughed even harder: "Your heart is not just you, and there is another you? What kind of talk is that? Could it be that you have two hearts in that body of yours?"

Ashu was anxious on the side: "Ahuan, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Only then did Murong Huan put down her brush. She glanced at Li Xiaolian, then turned to Lu Ling, her expression solemn: "Junior Minister Lu, even though Li Bulian and the daughter of the Prince of Huo both had motives to kill the Zhou father and son and participated in the act, the true killer is actually me!"

The words struck like a thunderclap in a clear sky.

Lu Shililang could no longer laugh, and Lu Ling’s expression changed to one of utter shock.

"What did you say?"

Xiao Muchen, however, seemed unfazed. He tapped Murong Huan’s forehead as if in jest and said with a smile, "She must be possessed by her painting. I will take her to clear her head!"

...

After pulling Murong Huan into a nearby teahouse outside the Court of Judicial Review, Xiao Muchen had her sit down.

"Why didn't you let me finish?" Murong Huan asked directly.

"The case is closed. What are you still saying these things for? Do you think Lu Ling is me, that he would cover up your crimes?"

"I am acting on behalf of Heaven, not committing crimes!"

What a straightforward temper!

No, that couldn't be right—she had not been like this last night!

The playful smiles, the decisive and cold-blooded killing, the aura of confidence that seemed to place her above ten thousand men—she was clearly a different person from the one he saw today.

Xiao Muchen thought of what Lu Shililang had said earlier. Could it be that she really had two hearts in her body?

"Fine, if you say you are acting on behalf of Heaven, then so be it!"

Xiao Muchen did not argue. He asked, "What do you plan to do next? Where will you go?"

Xuan Yu had already informed him that early this morning, Murong Huan had broken ties with the Su family. Given her temperament, she likely would not return.

"Minister Xiao seems exceptionally concerned with my affairs. Why?" Murong Huan asked pointedly.

From their very first meeting, when he deliberately took her fish tally and lured her to the Baihua Pavilion for a night, until now, his concern for her far exceeded that of a casual acquaintance.

Xiao Muchen also smiled, replying playfully: "If I said I was simply curious about you, and interested, would you believe me?"

He paused, then added with a smile, "Besides, aren't we allies?"

"The Zhou father and son are dead, and our alliance is over! So, you need not pay me any more attention. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave!"

She rose to leave, but heard Xiao Muchen say: "You are just a young girl, how could you be so busy? Since the Su family is no longer a good place for you, how about I give you a new one?"

This finally made Murong Huan stop in her tracks.

She turned back, startled, and looked at him with guarded eyes.

"I know you want to investigate your parents' affairs. Your father was once a professor at the Four Gates Academy of the Imperial College, so you want to enter the Imperial College as well. You asked me to take you to the Xingyun Pavilion last night just to spread your name, to pave the way for your future entry. Is that correct?"

She only had vague, dreamlike impressions of last night’s events, but Xiao Muchen’s words undoubtedly voiced her inner thoughts, leaving her speechless and even more interested in listening.

Seeing she was moved, Xiao Muchen continued: "Since the Su family will not agree to let you enter the Imperial College, I can! I am well-acquainted with one of the professors at the Four Gates Academy, but..."

He shifted his tone, smiling craftily: "I have conditions. My condition is that, from now on, you are a member of my household. You will be my personal physician. I will pay you a monthly fee, and you will treat my illness until I am recovered. What do you think?"