Chapter 156: The Game (14)

Wei Yixian knew well the principle that "a man of wealth and status does not put himself in harm's way," and therefore had always remained steadfastly behind the scenes, masterminding his plans from the shadows.

Registrar Zi, to him, was nothing more than the lowliest pawn on the chessboard.

He had weaknesses, was easy to manipulate, and was timid.

Even to buy him off required no seals of high office from the Eastern Han Dynasty, grand estates with high gates, or fine horses and ornate carriages.

A few tile-roofed cottages and a few acres of farmland were more than enough to satisfy him.

The man was like a plain, unremarkable thread—ordinarily inconspicuous, yet suddenly emerging and, with a gentle tug, could bring down the curtain he hid behind, exposing his true face to the world!

Still, Wei Yixian was, after all, Wei Yixian.

After a brief flicker of shock in his eyes, he forced himself to regain his composure.

Remember—Zi Yongshou had always been timid, without a mind of his own, meekly accepting whatever came his way, and above all, the worst liar!

When Wei Yixian had originally chosen him, it was precisely because of his spineless temperament and good reputation. He had never expected Zi to actually fabricate elaborate falsehoods or weave silver-tongued lies to frame Mu Jiazhi after the Lingao County incident.

That was well beyond his abilities, so he only needed to tell ambiguous truths.

For instance, on the day Prefect Qian fell into the water, it was Mu Jiazhi who had specifically instructed him to return quickly, claiming there were urgent documents requiring signature. Prefect Qian was in such a hurry to get back to Tongzhou that he met with trouble on the way.

Sometimes, the truth can spark more speculation than lies.

Zi Yongshou's disappearance involved many small, intricate details—if even one detail didn't check out, once he was brought before the court, he was bound to slip up!

At that point, even if the land deeds and house deeds were found in the Wei residence, Wei Yixian believed that with his gift of gab, he could still mount a defense.

...

Zheng Miao had his own doubts. Refusing to use men from Tongzhou, he employed only men from the Provincial Surveillance Commission to discreetly guard the inner gates and walls of the Wei residence, detaining the household members in groups.

To the neighbors and locals, Assistant Prefect Wei's household looked as calm and peaceful as ever.

Zheng Miao entered the Wei residence to look into the situation.

According to the constables who found Zi Yongshou, they had been passing by when they noticed the well was covered with a wooden plank. The well's position showed no anomalies and was in line with feng shui, so they figured it was the household's drinking well. Upon opening it for a look, they discovered it was dry.

The well was narrow at the top and wider at the bottom, like a funnel—it didn't look particularly unusual.

A constable asked: since the well was dry and abandoned, why hadn't it been filled in?

The Wei household steward leading the way hastily explained that people in the Tongzhou area were quite superstitious, observing the principle of "don't damage houses, don't fill wells, don't cut down trees, don't disturb the livestock." Even if a well ran dry, they would not casually fill it in, for fear of cutting off the household's fortune and ruining its feng shui luck.

As the steward spoke, from the depths of the well came a faint, animal-like wheezing sound.

The Wei household steward, having been groomed by Wei Yixian for years, realized something was wrong and hurriedly pretended not to notice, smiling: "Gentlemen, right this way."

The constables wouldn't budge: "What was that sound in the well?"

"What sound?" the steward forced a smile. "Maybe it was just a gust of wind. People say ancient wells have ghostly wails, but really it's mostly just the wind—"

Little did he know, his attempt to explain only made things worse—his cleverness had backfired on him.

From the sunless depths of the well came a clear, drawn-out sob, like a ghost's lament.

...

Zheng Miao descended into the well himself and discovered that there was indeed something else hidden down there.

It appeared that Zi Yongshou had been trapped in the funnel-shaped recess at the side of the well. Viewed from above, he was out of sight—unless one descended to inspect, just lifting the well cover, you'd never see a living person hidden down there.

The well had run dry long ago, so the interior was still fairly dry.

Zi Yongshou had just been pulled up when Zheng Miao arrived upon receiving word, so the other evidence in the well hadn't been gathered up and sealed away yet.

In one corner of the well lay a spread of straw that still held a lingering warmth—Zi Yongshou must have been lying there when discovered.

Not far from the straw sat a water basin containing some clean water, the edges had dust and grime, clearly it had been used for a while.

In the corner stood a spittoon for him to relieve himself.

...Zi Yongshou really did seem to have been locked up here for a long time.

When Zheng Miao emerged from the well, Wang Cheng briefly and concisely reported the circumstances of Zi Yongshou's discovery.

"He didn't have a stitch of clothing on, his hands and feet were cuffed, his mouth was gagged with a cloth—he was nearly at the end of his rope."

"Were there marks on his wrists?"

"The shackle marks were deep, with black-and-blue bruises crisscrossing—not something that happened in a day."

"His complexion?"

"Pale and puffy."

"Was he sensitive to light?"

"Yes. I got word and rushed over, ordered him pulled out. When he saw the light, he curled up with his eyes shut, terrified. I had someone cover his eyes with black cloth before pulling him up."

Zheng Miao: "...What do you make of this?"

Wang Cheng answered honestly: "Registrar Zi was indeed imprisoned for an extended period. As for anything else, I wouldn't presume to guess."

Zheng Miao was silent for a moment, then asked: "What kind of man is Zi Yongshou?"

While Zheng Miao had men searching the homes of the various officials, he'd also discreetly sounded out Registrar Zi's reputation.

The officials all gave remarkably consistent answers:

He was a good man—a quiet, meek pushover.

Over the years following Mu Jiazhi, Zi Yongshou went to bed later than the dogs and got up earlier than the roosters, putting up with endless crap. The yamen clerks had seen it all, every last bit.

Everyone usually turned a deaf ear and a blind eye, ignoring his situation—they knew that Zi Yongshou's service under Mu Jiazhi was like Zhou Yu and Huang Gai: one willing to strike, the other willing to be struck. Speaking up for him wouldn't do them any good, and might even mean having to take on some of his work.

Yet now that it had come down to it, they were willing to spare a few good words for Zi Yongshou.

One blunt official remarked that if Zi Yongshou had even a drop of fire in him, he'd have thrown his attendance log right in Lord Mu's face long ago and demanded more pay.

Hearing such a favorable reputation for Zi Yongshou, Zheng Miao already had a good sense of things.

The man was mild, timid, and honest, not good with words—if he were lying, it would be a cinch to catch him.

The interrogation should happen sooner rather than later.

No need to wait until tomorrow. As soon as we've searched the Wei residence, we'll hold court immediately!

...

By the time court convened, it was already around 8:45 PM.

The sky was heavy, clouds hung low, and the atmosphere in the government office was even more oppressive. No one dared speak, except for the summer insects, seizing their last chance to chirp and make a racket.

The victim was a minor clerk of the prefectural office, while the suspect was an assistant prefect. Thus, the case couldn't be tried publicly before the common people, but every official and clerk in the office had to attend the night hearing, no exceptions.

Seeing that this matter had inexplicably dragged in Assistant Prefect Wei, the staff knew this was serious. They stood solemnly to the side, not uttering a word, yet silently guessing:

...Is Tongzhou Prefecture really about to change hands?

Zheng Miao, outranking everyone, naturally took charge of the hearing.

Le Wuya sat below him, his expression cold and deadly.

...However, whether it was due to prejudice or not, Zheng Miao always felt this man was holding back his amusement and up to something underneath.

As Zi Yongshou stumbled in, helped by someone, a hot, bitter lump rose in Mu Jiazhi's throat, and he started to get up without thinking.

He was barely halfway up when Le Wuya put a hand on him and pushed him back down.

Leaning over, Le Wuya whispered, "I asked around for Assistant Prefect Mu. He's okay, and he's not going to die."

Mu Jiazhi shot Le Wuya a grateful glance, composed himself, and sat back down.

Zi Yongshou was weak, and his eyes couldn't handle light yet. Zheng Miao allowed him to remain seated during the hearing, and had a few lanterns put out so the light wouldn't hurt his eyes.

Zi Yongshou leaned back in the armchair, gasping for breath as he thanked him for the courtesy.

Zheng Miao asked him what happened the day he vanished.

Zi Yongshou looked like he was trying to remember: "That day... that day, I left the office, on my way home. Passing... I think I was passing by Sanjing Lane when something hit the back of my neck, and then, and then I blacked out."

Zheng Miao looked down at the map of Tongzhou Prefecture.

Sanjing Lane was indeed the route Registrar Zi had to take to return home.

But the room went quiet.

Zheng Miao looked up, puzzled. "That's it?"

"That's it," Zi Yongshou said plainly. "When I woke up, I couldn't see or speak—I didn't know anything, not a thing."

Zheng Miao thought for a moment. "When you woke up, what was around you?"

Zi Yongshou thought again, then stammered, "It was very cold around me... It must have been a dark place. My hands and feet were bound, and I couldn't move about easily. I only knew there was a, a pile of straw beside me, a water basin, and an empty chamber pot... As for anything else, I really don't... don't know."

Zheng Miao noticed his tongue was stiff—he clearly hadn't talked to anyone in a long time.

He asked, "Did anyone come to see you?"

Zi Yongshou replied, "After... after I'd been hungry for a while, someone brought me food."

Zheng Miao pushed further. "How long?"

Zi Yongshou was embarrassed that he couldn't answer anything: "Your Honor, I'm not sure..."

Zheng Miao nodded almost imperceptibly.

Once someone's locked up, they lose track of time.

If Zi Yongshou were in on a lie with someone, it'd be easy to slip up on details like this.

"Who was it?"

Zi Yongshou shook his head. "At that time, I couldn't see, and I couldn't place the voice either."

"What did they bring you?"

"Steamed meat and rice."

"Did they take the cloth off your mouth?"

"They did."

"Why didn't you yell for help while you had the chance?"

"...I did yell, but nobody paid attention."

Zheng Miao asked, "Did the person say anything to you?"

"They did."

"Speak truthfully."

Zi Yongshou was completely honest, answering everything: "I shouted for a long time, until my throat was hoarse, and still no one answered. So, so I had no choice but to ask the person who they were and what they wanted me to do."

"That person asked me whether I was willing to do something that went against conscience and heaven's law..."

This statement was strange.

Everyone present perked up at once, all eyes turning to him.

Wei Yixian, also present in the hall, had been straining his ears the whole time, waiting to find fault with this man surnamed Zi.

If he showed even the slightest inconsistency or hesitation in his account, Wei Yixian would question him into silence afterward.

But from everything Zheng Miao had asked so far, Wei Yixian had been unable to find a single flaw in Zi Yongshou's words.

It was as if he had truly experienced all of this himself!

At this very moment, hearing these words, Wei Yixian broke out in a cold sweat from head to toe. In no time at all, his thin official robe was half-soaked through.

The white silver pheasant rank badge embroidered on it, which had once been ambitious and poised to take flight, now hung limp with its head drooping and feathers sagging, faintly revealing a sign of decline.

Those words—"something that went against conscience and heaven's law"—sent his ominous premonition soaring to its peak!

Zheng Miao narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Did you do it?"

Zi Yongshou's face gradually turned pale, as if he were locked in a fierce inner struggle.

After a long moment, he gripped both armrests of the chair, trembling as he pushed himself to his feet, then leaned forward and threw himself to the ground with a heavy thud.

When he spoke again, his voice was choked with sobs: "I... I have wronged Assistant Prefect Mu..."

He then knocked his head hard against the floor twice more, burying his face in the ground: "In the sixth month of this year, Lord Wei summoned me, showed me favor, and asked me... asked me to use the matter of Prefect Qian's accidental drowning to frame Assistant Prefect Mu!"

"Your subordinate truly didn't want to, but was too afraid of Lord Wei's power to report it. I thought—thought about finding a chance to flee with my younger brother, and even pulled out the savings I'd stashed away over many, many years. But I never expected, never expected—"

Wei Yixian's jaw dropped: "..."

So far, every word Zi Yongshou had spoken was true.

His reluctance was real, his fear was real, and his thought of running away was real.

Even the part about Zi Yongshou pulling out the savings hidden in the stove hole was true.

But that was just his habit.

He was cautious, worried that if a petty thief found his stash, keeping it all in one spot would be a disaster, so every now and then, he'd relocate his valuables to a new hiding place.

Mixing truth with lies to muddy the waters and throw off the investigators—that was the trick Wei Yixian had originally planned to pull on Mu Jiazhi.

Now Zi Yongshou had turned that exact trick right back on Wei Yixian!

Le Wuya chose that moment to turn his head toward Wei Yixian, who stood below, and where Zheng Miao could not see, flashed him a brilliant smile without warning.

Then he turned back, resuming his expressionless, solemn demeanor.

Wei Yixian stared at Le Wuya, his body and mind as if plunged into a great terror between life and death. His jaw, already aching from being clenched tight, started to chatter "clack-clack" as the realization hit him belatedly.

It was him!

It was Wen Ren Mingke's scheme!