Chapter 20: Behind the Massacre

The members of the Li family were not thrown into a dungeon; instead, they were detained and interrogated directly within their own home.

"Old Madam Li has confessed. It was the Li father and son who accused the Jiang family, then led men to massacre them, creating the illusion that political allies had committed the murder to silence witnesses."

Wei Jiao walked through the courtyard, listening to the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

There were no corpses laid out in the Li courtyard; instead, it was filled with the sounds of wailing and groaning. Bloodstains from being dragged could be seen everywhere throughout the grounds, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine.

Yet, Wei Jiao looked as if he were witnessing a beautiful scene, a pleasant smile curving the corners of his mouth.

He said, "To feel the fear and death of one's own kin within one's own home—that is the most severe punishment."

Magistrate Huang, following behind him, shuddered. This Wei Jiao hailed from the prestigious Wei clan of Longxi; even during the chaos of the previous dynasty's end, the wealth and status of the Wei family had remained untouched.

Born into a great family and still so young, where had he learned such methods?

Was it innate?

Old Madam Li sat in the main hall, still dressed in her affluent attire, without a single scratch on her body.

But beneath her feet lay patches of blood.

It was the blood of her descendants.

Her face was pale and ashen, her eyes tightly shut, unable to bear the sight.

Upon hearing Wei Jiao's words, her body began to tremble violently.

"Evil demon," her lips quivered. She opened her eyes to look at the young man walking in and spat out those two words.

Wei Jiao was not bothered in the least.

"Old Madam, I am no demon," he said as he sat down. "It was your husband and son who were. They are the ones who dragged you into this predicament; why blame me?"

Old Madam Li's chest heaved violently. What was the point of arguing with a demon? Now that things had come to this, she only sought a quick end.

"I do not know much," she said. "I am a woman; the men of the house did not tell me when they acted."

Wei Jiao nodded. "How pitiful, yet you are the one who must bear the consequences."

His face was young and handsome, and his words sounded sincere, but the person sitting opposite him felt only terror.

Old Madam Li closed her eyes.

"They heard a rumor that Jiang Wangchun was hiding a secret treasure," she said.

A secret treasure? Magistrate Huang could not help but ask, "What secret treasure?"

With her eyes closed, Old Madam Li said, "A map to the treasures of the previous dynasty's imperial family."

The previous dynasty? Magistrate Huang looked surprised and asked again, "The treasure of the Mourning Emperor? Or Zhao Tan's treasure?"

The previous dynasty was the Zhou Dynasty, which had lasted over two hundred years. In its final years, the emperor was weak, and the court was controlled by his maternal relative, Zhao Tan, for over a decade. Eventually, Zhao Tan simply killed the emperor and declared himself emperor. He was later overthrown by Deng Shan and the righteous men of the realm. After Deng Shan ascended the throne, he posthumously titled the Zhou Emperor as "Mourning."

"The Mourning Emperor's," Old Madam Li said, opening her eyes.

Wei Jiao let out a short laugh.

"A treasure," he said with a smile. "You actually believed it?"

Old Madam Li said urgently, "I didn't believe it, I didn't believe it at all! But those two—that father and son—were possessed by greed. They insisted on going to the Jiang house to seize it... and ended up destroying their entire family."

She broke into loud sobs, collapsing from her chair to her knees.

Magistrate Huang, listening from the side, felt a complex mix of emotions. "Just because of this?"

A rumored imperial treasure, true or not.

The Jiang family was wiped out, and the Li family was wiped out as well.

However, this should be considered greed, not treason.

The Li father and son, along with the escorts who killed the Jiangs, were all dead. Even if the elderly, weak, and women of the Li family were guilty, they were not sentenced to death; they would survive.

Wei Jiao smiled.

"How can you say it isn't treason?" he said. "The previous dynasty has fallen, and His Majesty is the new Emperor. Everything under heaven belongs to His Majesty. Therefore, they..."

He looked at the old woman kneeling on the ground, on the verge of fainting from grief.

"Their intent was to covet His Majesty's treasure. They deserve death ten thousand times over; their crime is unpardonable."

Old Madam Li looked on in disbelief, her expression one of despair. "My Lord, I have told you everything I know. I beg you, give me a quick end."

But Wei Jiao shook his head.

"No, you haven't. You still haven't told me the most crucial part," he said. "Who told you about this treasure of the previous dynasty, and that the map was in Jiang Wangchun's hands?"

He leaned forward slightly, staring at the old woman.

"That person is the true traitor."

The true traitor?

Old Madam Li was dazed. "I don't know. They didn't tell me many things..."

Wei Jiao stood up and signaled to the Embroidered Uniform Guard beside him. "Then continue the interrogation."

The guard responded and shouted loudly toward the interior, "Bring them in!"

The sound of chains and the screams and cries of women echoed from the inner hall. New members of the family were being dragged in, punished right before Old Madam Li's eyes.

Old Madam Li's face turned deathly pale as she crawled on the ground. "Kill me, just kill me!"

Wei Jiao stood up, stepped over her, and walked toward the exit.

Trembling with fear, Magistrate Huang hurried to follow him, hearing the screams of women and the wails of the old woman behind them.

"My legs!"

"Grandmother, Grandmother, save me!"

"My son! My son—!"

"Evil demon—!"

"Demon—!"

Magistrate Huang did not dare look back, following Wei Jiao out.

However, they did not have to wait long this time.

After sitting in the Li family's gatehouse for the duration of a tea service, the Embroidered Uniform Guard reported that Old Madam Li had died of fright, her heart breaking. Even in death, she had not revealed who had told the Li father and son about the matter.

Wei Jiao did not seem to care. He gave a casual "oh" and said, "Then it seems she truly did not know."

The guard asked, "Should we continue interrogating the rest?"

Wei Jiao waved his hand. "There is nothing left to interrogate." He smiled at Magistrate Huang. "Leave the prisoners to you, Magistrate Huang."

How was he supposed to rule on this? Magistrate Huang forced a smile. "I ask for your guidance, Commander Wei. You said the person who told the Li family about the map is the true traitor, but I find that a bit strange."

That person might have also wanted the map, and to avoid exposure, incited the greed of the Li father and son to kill the Jiang family. Then, if Li Hao and his son had successfully seized the map, that person would have killed them as well to take it.

But this was a massacre involving two entire families. Such a massive incident would inevitably draw the scrutiny of the government, and the news of the map would be known to the officials.

Wouldn't that expose them as well?

What was the point?

Wei Jiao rested his chin on his hand and raised an eyebrow. "I think... he was chasing a void."

"Huh? A void?" Magistrate Huang was puzzled.

"What I mean is, the person behind this certainly wanted something, but in the end, it was all for nothing, because someone prevented him from getting his wish."

Magistrate Huang began to understand. "In other words, besides the person behind the Jiang and Li families, there is another party in this case."

Wei Jiao nodded. "Exactly, that's it." He traced a slow movement in the air with his finger.

Magistrate Huang repeated the four words.

"Life for a life."

...

...

Yang Luo suddenly lifted her head from the table. Seeing the dim morning light in the room, she hurriedly looked toward the bed and saw the hunter youth still fast asleep.

After Wei Jiao left yesterday, he had not returned. Not long after, the other guests at the inn were allowed to leave. Although the city was still being searched and the city gates had not been opened—which had been quite a scare—they had escaped the worst of it. Her mind had relaxed slightly, and she had fallen into a deep sleep at night.

The two were still sharing a room; this time, Mo Zheng slept in the bed while Yang Luo kept watch.

Yang Luo stretched her shoulders and walked softly toward the bedside. Just as she reached him, Mo Zheng opened his eyes.

Even while injured, was this boy this alert?

"How are you?" Yang Luo asked hurriedly, reaching out to feel his forehead.

Mo Zheng did not avoid her this time, allowing her to check.

"I was slashed twice. It looks serious, but it's actually not as bad as a beast's scratch. My medicine is very effective," he said.

His forehead was not hot, and Yang Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you need any more medicine? I'll go brew some," she said, rolling up her sleeves.

Just as Mo Zheng was about to say something, the shop assistant's voice came from outside the door: "Miss Yang, Miss Yang, the city gates are open!"

(End of Chapter)