Chapter Sixty-Four: Immediate Execution!

Song Yongnian’s eyes were bloodshot, and his legs gave way beneath him as he collapsed to his knees before Li Yunjie.

“I have failed as a father, allowing my son to commit such monstrous crimes!”

As he spoke, Song Yongnian removed the official’s black cap from his head.

“I beg Your Highness to be magnanimous and spare his life!”

“For all the crimes committed, I am willing to bear the punishment alone!”

Li Yunjie watched the old man, tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks, but felt not the slightest ripple of emotion. His voice was cold as he replied,

“Bear it alone?”

“Do you have the strength?”

Li Yunjie swept his gaze over the Song father and son, a cold sneer on his lips as he continued,

“Do you think I don’t know?”

“You thought that, with the Eastern Palace behind you, you could run rampant through Jiangnan, bullying the people at will!”

“Since my arrival in Jiangnan, you have obstructed me at every turn.”

“The cases of the Zhang family elder and the Du family were both the same.”

“And now that your family is in dire straits, has the Eastern Palace sent anyone to save you?”

“You are nothing but pawns, easily discarded.”

“No, that’s not even right—your wits are so lacking that you’re not even worthy to be called pawns.”

Each word struck home, and the faces of the Songs turned ashen as they slumped hopelessly to the ground.

Li Yunjie drew the badge from his waist, the characters for “Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review” carved on its surface.

With a casual toss, he embedded it into the bluestone tiles.

“Upon investigation, Song Zeye has repeatedly seized women by force. His crimes are heinous!”

“With irrefutable evidence, the sentence is immediate execution by beheading!”

“Song Yongnian, Prefect of Jiangnan, is guilty of corruption and shielding criminals. He cannot escape responsibility!”

“His sentence: exile, three thousand miles from here!”

Li Yunjie’s voice rang out, firm and unyielding, each word as sharp as a blade, stripping the Songs of their last hope.

“I cannot die! I cannot die…”

Unwilling to accept his fate, Song Zeye’s eyes rolled, and in sudden desperation he leapt up, drew the sword from a constable’s waist, and charged at Li Yunjie.

Li Yunjie sidestepped with ease, leaving Song Zeye to stumble and fall face-first into the dirt, utterly disgraced.

His hair in disarray, Song Zeye was the picture of defeat.

Li Yunjie slowly unsheathed his broken sword and, expressionless, walked toward Song Zeye.

“What are you doing?! What are you doing!”

Song Zeye, terror etched on his face, scrambled backwards, fleeing from Li Yunjie as if from a demon, until his back was pressed to the wall.

“To assault a court official—your crime is doubled,” Li Yunjie said icily.

Without hesitation, he swung his sword, severing the tendons in Song Zeye’s hands and feet.

The pain left Song Zeye drenched in sweat, his lips bloodless and trembling, but no sound escaped him. As a clear liquid pooled beneath him, his body collapsed, and darkness claimed his senses.

Seeing this, Song Yongnian’s blood surged; he spat a mouthful of blood and fell lifeless to the ground.

“Well done!”

“The Song traitors got what they deserved!”

“Yes, justice at last!”

The crowd roared in outrage. If not for the constables holding them back, they would have stormed the yamen, dragging the Songs through the streets for all to see.

Li Yunjie exhaled deeply and scanned the crowd outside the barrier.

His gaze met Zhang Shu’s—her eyes brimming with tears, a faint smile beginning to blossom on her lips.

Beside her, Mao Shan was already weeping openly. He bowed deeply to Li Yunjie in gratitude.

Li Yunjie nodded in acknowledgment.

At the same time, he keenly noticed a well-dressed man turn away from the proceedings and slip through the crowd.

“Wu Jin,” Li Yunjie murmured, “did you really think you could escape…”

The spring breeze scattered the clouds, and a shaft of sunlight fell across the yamen.

Above Li Yunjie’s head, the characters for “Justice and Integrity” shone brilliantly.

...

With the dust settled, Song Zeye was carried to the execution ground by constables.

Li Yunjie did not personally oversee the execution.

Now that Song Yongnian had fallen, there were many in the Jiangnan yamen eager to see Song Zeye dead.

At the Linjiang Inn.

Gong Qingfeng studied the secret missive Li Yunjie had written to Lin Mao, his brow furrowed. “Will this method truly allow us to extract fingerprints?”

Lin Mao nodded solemnly. “Absolutely.”

“But why?” The seventy-year-old’s eyes were brimming with curiosity.

Li Yunjie replied with pride, a faint smile on his lips, “Any smooth surface touched by a finger will retain traces of oil.”

“This oil is sticky, it can attract charcoal powder, leaving behind patterns.”

Gong Qingfeng pressed on, “But why specifically use lampblack from burning oil lamps?”

“Ordinary charcoal powder is too coarse,” Li Yunjie explained. “It won’t adhere properly.”

“Only the fine, smooth powder produced by incomplete combustion of oil lamps can do the job!”

“What do you mean by incomplete combustion?” Gong Qingfeng’s confusion deepened. To him, something was either burning or it wasn’t; incomplete combustion was a foreign concept.

Sensing his endless questions, Li Yunjie chuckled, “To put it simply—the oil lamp burns, and what’s left is charcoal.”

Gong Qingfeng grunted in response.

He still couldn’t quite grasp it—oil was oil, a liquid. How could it turn into solid charcoal?

But picking up on Li Yunjie’s tone, he refrained from further questions.

“If Your Highness’s method could be widely adopted, it would surely increase the efficiency of our Great Qian’s constabularies and greatly reduce wrongful convictions!” Lin Mao exclaimed, inspiration lighting his eyes.

“That is precisely my intention,” Li Yunjie replied with a smile. “Once I return to the capital, I will teach this method to my colleagues at the Court of Judicial Review!”

With that, he rose slowly. “Today, I came especially to thank you, Brother Lin.”

“I could not have solved this case without your help.”

Lin Mao waved his hand and smiled. “Your Highness is too kind.”

“My actions were merely a small measure of justice for the people of Jiangnan.”

Li Yunjie nodded, and the three of them shared a smile.

Back in his room, Su Xiyan and Eleven had already set out stools, waiting expectantly for Li Yunjie’s return.

Su Qingmeng stood by the window, affecting indifference, but Li Yunjie caught her sneaking glances at him.

“Master,” said Eleven, ready and attentive, “tell us—how did you solve the case this time?”

The thought of having to explain the fingerprint extraction method again made Li Yunjie’s scalp tingle, but he endured, patiently explaining it from start to finish.

As expected, the three women looked utterly baffled.

Li Yunjie sighed deeply, recalling his own school days, sitting in class listening to teachers explain things.

That moment, he thought, was just like this one.

He couldn’t help but sincerely marvel: teaching truly is a remarkable profession!

...

Jiangnan.

Thousand Gold Gambling House.

A scar-faced servant hurried toward the upper floor.

“Master! Something’s happened!”

Inside, a woman in a violet silk dress was leafing through her account books with casual grace.

Her red lips parted as she spoke softly, “What has you in such a panic?”

The servant, breathing heavily, recounted the exile of Song Yongnian and the execution of Song Zeye in detail.

On hearing this, the woman frowned and snapped her account book shut.

“The Li Prince you mentioned—is that the one from the Northern Duke’s estate?”

The servant nodded repeatedly.

Her frown deepened as she muttered, “I’d heard he was nothing but a wastrel—how could he be so capable…”

Then, her expression changed abruptly, and she whispered gravely, “He’s come with ill intent…”