Chapter 27 Corpses Containing Grievances
Madam Qian sobbed softly when she saw Song Que: “My son, your father is sick in bed now, and your two younger siblings are young and ignorant. If by any chance something happens to your father, this family will become yours. Why are you being so hard on me?”
Her eyes were red and she looked pitiful.
Zhang Li on the side seemed a little afraid of her.
Song Que thought to himself, this Madam Qian was not considered to be very good at scheming but a bit of “quick wit”. He didn’t look at her, but turned to Gao Fenglin and said, “My lord, my mother is a woman, How could she kill Aunt Chen? Please be fully aware that there is a lot of doubt in it. Since Aunt Chen’s body was moved then where was she killed? And why was she killed? There were two murderers, and one of them was a man who could enter the inner courtyard of the mansion. What is the relationship between these two people, and what is their motive?”
Every time Song Que asked a question, they all stuck at one point. Madam Qian’s expression was a little grim, and she forgot to cry for a moment.
Song Que changed the subject: “My lord, in my opinion, mother’s suspicion is very small. Although Aunt Chen is very favored, it is absolutely impossible for mother to be jealous and kill her in anger. The person who was in charge of the inner and outer courtyards of the mansion is a very responsible person, it is impossible to put an unrelated adult man in the garden and keep silent when interrogated by the guards. My mother and uncle are cousins. It is impossible to have a private meeting in my mother’s room and get caught by Aunt Chen who is looking for my mother. My uncle will not threaten Aunt Chen by assaulting Aunt Chen, and it is even more impossible for my mother to kill three birds with one stone. When my uncle assaulted Aunt Chen, she picked up a jade pillow and smashed Aunt Chen to death.”
Every time Song Que said a word, Zhang Li and Madam Qian’s complexions turned paler. They suspected that he had seen it with his own eyes.
Gao Fenglin felt funny when heard Song Que say “very little suspicion” but actually listed Madam Qian’s suspicious cases, and the two people in the court were so frightened that their faces turned pale. He was sure that it hit the nail on the head.
It was not unusual for a stepmother and stepson to have some quarrels, and Madam Qian framed Song Que, but Song Que couldn’t really be indifferent. That is to say, due to filial piety, it was not easy for him to speak directly, but Song Que’s words made the most basic cover-up. It was a bit ironic when you think about it carefully. Compared to those hypocrites, it was more in line with Gao Fenglin’s temper. He asked: “How come kills three birds with one stone?”
Song Que said: “Keep Aunt Chen’s mouth shut and keep her private relationship from leaking out. This is the first one. Regardless of whether my father’s illness improves or not, there will be no favor concubine hinder her eyes. This is the second one. Intimidate and lure the servants to frame the eldest son, the children under her knees will become the only heirs in the mansion, and this is the third one. Of course, my mother is definitely not such a vicious person.”
Gao Fenglin was amused when he heard that he made another big turn at the end, but felt he had a brilliant mind. He interrogated the two of them.
Madam Qian still put up a stubborn resistance, but without the cover of the bribed guard, it was full of loopholes.
Zhang Li was already perplexed and finally, he shouted that Madam Qian was the mastermind behind him. He said the adultery was induced by Madam Qian, and he was tempted after she said that the master was dying soon and had no time to take care of the two of them. After a few times, there were no accidents, so he relaxed his vigilance. Who knew that Aunt Chen, who never came to the door, came by chance and saw the two of them rolling naked on the bed. Poor Aunt Chen only had time to let out a cry of surprise, when Madam Qian ordered Zhang Li.
Madam Qian’s original words were: “Cousin, the old man is already fifty, how can he have any strength? Why don’t let the younger sister experience this joyful thing, if it is fun, the younger sister won’t tell anyone.”
That being said, everyone present knew that Madam Qian wanted to make Aunt Chen lose her virginity. For the sake of her own future, Aunt Chen naturally wouldn’t dare tell anyone about this.
Zhang Li was not a good person. Seeing that Aunt Chen was younger and fresher than Madam Qian, his heart became a little hotter. While pinching Aunt Chen’s neck to prevent her from struggling too much, he raped her recklessly.
Madam Qian just stood aside and watched coldly, and approached the head of the bed, Zhang Li raised his head and saw Madam Qian’s expression, he was startled. He shook his head and focused again on the person below him. Then he suddenly heard the sound of a hard object colliding. Looking for the source of sound, Aunt Chen’s head was blooming, and the blood covered her young and beautiful face. Zhang Li saw Madam Qian’s face splashed with blood but was unusually calm. He felt terrified.
This fear continued until he was caught. Zhang Li suddenly thought, if the two of them were released, would he be the next to die?
Song Que’s prediction had already put a lot of pressure on Zhang Li, and his fear of Madam Qian made him panic even more. In the end, Zhang Li even thought that it didn’t matter if he was convicted. He didn’t kill anyone, and he might still have a life in prison, but if he got out of this court, he would really have no protection.
Zhang Li confessed all the details. Madam Qian looked at him incredulously and sneered when she heard him say she was vicious and terrifying. She had no intention of hiding the matter, so she said sadly: “Cousin, I married that old man of the Song family, isn’t it because of you? You and I were engaged. After my father died, auntie disliked my family’s downfall and refused to mention it. Every time I ask you, you don’t reject me making me feel delighted. In the end, the Song family saw that I was beautiful and wanted to marry me as a continuation. You came under my window in the middle of the night. You didn’t say you would take me away, but you cried for half the night. A look of deep affection. I actually believed it was true. After entering the Song family, none of the gold, silver, and jewelry that the old man rewarded were kept. They were all given to you for your study. I still think that after you pass the imperial examination, there is still a chance to continue our relationship. Now that I think about it, you are heartless and ungrateful. All the things you did in the past were just clever words. It was not a bad ending for me to die with you.”
When Madam Qian said this, she pulled out the silver hairpin on her head suddenly and injured someone. The speed was so fast that even the guards on the side had no time to stop her. She had stabbed Zhang Li’s neck seven times, blood was splattered all over her face, and she burst out laughing.
There was a moment of silence in the courtroom.
Gao Fenglin looked at this beautiful woman who looked crazy and felt a little scared in his heart. Because Madam Qian was not a prisoner brought out of prison, they didn’t put wooden shackles on her and Zhang Li. Who would have thought that she would kill someone in court? Fortunately, it was killing each other, not attacking officials.
After killing someone, Madam Qian sat motionless on the ground, exhausting all her strength.
The case has come to this, it has become clear that Madam Qian not only killed the concubine in the mansion, but also killed someone in the court, and the punishment cannot be lowered. After Gao Fenglin sentenced them one by one, they were put in prison cells. Song Que was acquitted of all charges.
Earlier when Madam Qian was taken away by officials, the servants in the mansion were very surprised. After the housekeeper Liu Fang reported to Master Song, he brought people to guard outside the courtroom. After watching such a big show, he was in a state of shock and fury. Fortunately, the young master was acquitted, so the young master could explain everything to the master and didn’t need the servants to rush forward.
Thinking this way, as soon as Song Que came out, Liu Fang hurried up to meet him. Seeing someone coming to pick him up, Song Que was not worried that he would not be able to find the Song Mansion. In his opinion, the Song family really had a good fortune, and even had an ox cart. Although it was very simple, Song Que got into the cart with great interest. The journey with the bullock cart was very bumpy. It said it was a means of transportation, but it made him feel like vomiting. Song Que was unable to bear it. He ignored the housekeeper and sat cross-legged to practice, only then he felt more comfortable. He couldn’t help but think if it were really the young master Song after suffering from torture and already on the verge of death, Song Que was afraid he was going to die in the cart with this bump.
The ox cart was driven to a mansion. This mansion was far less majestic than the official mansion, but compared with what he saw along the way, it was already better than the best.
Liu Fang asked someone to knock on the door, and when the door opened, the young man shouted, “Young master is back!”
Someone went to report to Master Song.
Liu Fang personally came to help Song Que get out of the cart, but Song Que waved his hand and refused his support.
Liu Fang asked: “Young master, do you want to see the master first?”
Song Que said: “I’ll go take a bath first and see my father later. My father is weak now, and I’m covered in dirt. It was not good to pass the bad luck.”
Liu Fang quickly said yes, and immediately sent the boy who knocked on the door just now to order someone to prepare water and help the young master to take a bath.
The Song Mansion occupies a large area, but not many servants. After entering, apart from the housekeeper and the boy, there were only one or two concierges, and there were five or six guards patrolling. The place was empty. Liu Fang immediately explained: “It should be taken away by the guards.”
Song Que thought of the county magistrate. Although he almost caused an unjust, false, and erroneous case, he was not too confused.
Liu Fang asked for instructions: “Young master, it is inconvenient for me to enter the inner courtyard, and there is no one guarding here, why don’t you let me stay here and guard first?”
Song Que thought for a while, then said: “You should come with me. I will deal with the matter here after reporting the complete matter to father. The matter is urgent and there are no female relatives of the right age at home, so there is no need to avoid suspicion.”
Liu Fang thought so too, Madam was arrested, Aunt Chen was killed, the young lady was only five years old, and the young master’s daughter couldn’t walk yet. The remaining masters in the inner courtyard were all men, so he really had no excuse not to enter. Liu Fang sighed deeply in his heart, thinking that the young master might have had a rift with the master because of this incident, and felt that the master might not believe him, so he asked him to come to testify together.
Song Que really didn’t think about it that much, he was afraid that he couldn’t find a place to take a bath.
The housekeeper walked behind Song Que, but Song Que pretended to be in pain and asked someone to help him walk.
In the inner courtyard, there were a few women who tended flowers and plants, and when they saw Song Que coming back, they bowed quickly. Song Que nodded towards them, and with the support of the housekeeper, he finally arrived at his yard. The two maidservants looked worried when they saw him, and stepped forward to support him, one on the left and the other on the right, and helped him in.
