Take It Upon One's Own Fault
"Since the Niu family treated your sister poorly, that is a family feud. What does it have to do with Chen Ergou and Prince Liang?" Chen Buyu asked in a deep voice.
"You take a guess." Wang Baitian laughed out loud again.
His gaze turned icy as he looked at Mu Zhao, Lu Qian, and the others. "The prince and esteemed officials are so intelligent—how could you not have guessed the reason already?"
"You're good at making arrests, but do you even understand the case?"
"Yes! With a governor like this in charge of food supplies in Weizhou City, how can the people's livelihood be any good? The yamen is filled with officials who only know how to eat but do nothing! Who, then, is left to care about the suffering of the common people? Hahaha!"
"You're too arrogant!" Governor Yu hadn't expected to be the first target of the murderer's scorn, yet in front of the prince and many officials, he couldn't afford to lose face.
"If it weren't for that girl drawing my portrait, would you yamen officials have even caught me?"
Governor Yu trembled with rage. The clerk recording the confession hesitated, unsure whether to include such an insult against the governor.
"Your sister, Niu Wang, died two years ago," Mu Zhao replied calmly, unfazed by Wang Baitian's taunts. "The Niu family received a large sum of silver—over 500 taels—and squandered it all in the gambling houses."
"This amount was far beyond their actual annual income. Clearly, there was something hidden behind it. But now, everyone in the Niu family is dead, and the new bride they brought into the household knows nothing. The neighbors, too, have no knowledge of what transpired. As a result, the yamen was unable to uncover the truth."
Mu Zhao's voice softened. "You did not harm the new bride of the Niu family, which suggests that you are someone who knows how to distinguish between enemies and innocents. A man like you, driven by deep emotions, would not kill indiscriminately. If you have suffered an injustice, state your case. If your actions were motivated by revenge, then tell us—how does this involve Prince Liang? Speak the truth, and we may judge the matter fairly."
"Release him. Let him sit and explain himself."
"Your Highness!" Governor Yu was alarmed.
This was a murderer who had killed many. If he suddenly lashed out, these unarmed civil officials would have no way to protect the prince...
"He is gravely injured, his feet still bound with shackles. What harm could he possibly do?" Mu Zhao frowned slightly. "Let him down and let him speak clearly. And bring in a few stools."
Governor Yu had no choice but to comply. He ordered the prison guards to fetch several stools, and soon, everyone sat face to face with Wang Baitian.
"There are many ways to take a life," Lu Qian said with a warm smile. "Killing the enemy in service of the nation makes one a hero. Killing to avenge a loved one… that, too, can be the act of a hero."
"Wang Baitian, tell us your story."
Wang Baitian, weighed down by his heavy shackles, smirked as he spoke. "Tell me, officials, do you know the kind of man Prince Liang truly is?"
"Since being demoted to Weizhou, Prince Liang has brought ruin to many innocent women within his palace."
"He has a cruel and twisted obsession—he delights in tormenting pregnant women. The number of such women who have died at his hands is beyond count. My sister… was one of them!"
Wang Baitian clenched his fingers into a fist, his knuckles turning white. Mu Zhao, Lu Qian, Chen Buyu, and the others stiffened. Governor Yu grew restless, jumping to his feet in alarm. "Ridiculous! If something this grave had happened, how could there have been no rumors in Weizhou City?"
"Hahaha! Rumors? What kind of rumors do you expect, you useless official? Would the Liang Palace ever let such news leak? Of course not! They covered it up completely!"
Wang Baitian's eyes burned with fury. "And more than that—it started six years ago! A farmer from Chenjiabang once sued the Liang Palace for abducting his daughter. Did the governor ever investigate?"
"M-Me?" Governor Yu broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly turned to Wu Yong for help.
Wu Yong cleared his throat and spoke hesitantly. "I do recall something about that. Six years ago, a farmer from Chenjiabang accused the Liang Palace of abducting his wife. But in the end… her body was found in a valley behind Dongshan."
"Her corpse had been torn apart by wild wolves. She had clearly been attacked and killed by them. Initially, the farmer claimed he had proof that his wife had been forcibly taken by the royal family, but during interrogation, his witness retracted their statement, saying they had not seen the incident clearly."
"With no evidence, the magistrate had no choice but to close the case."
Wang Baitian sneered. "You didn't investigate the truth behind the witness's sudden change in testimony? You didn't ask why such a blatant crime was dismissed so easily? You corrupt officials cover for one another, protecting the Liang Palace at every turn. Governor Yu, you've held office in Weizhou for eight years, and for eight years, you have shielded Prince Liang!"
"Nonsense!" Governor Yu shot up in fury. "Don't spout such lies! I have no association with Prince Liang! Everyone in Weizhou City knows this!"
Who didn't know that Prince Liang had fallen out of favor with the emperor? Governor Yu was no fool—he wouldn't dare align himself with the disgraced prince. Was this man trying to implicate him unfairly?
"Governor, are you afraid now?" Wang Baitian scoffed. "Yet for eight years, you turned a blind eye to the prince's countless crimes!"
"My sister was saved by the Niu family while fleeing from famine. I was grateful to them. Who would have thought that less than two years after she married into the Niu family, they would sell her to the Liang Palace like livestock?"
"I hate myself. I hate that I didn't find A-Mei sooner, that I couldn't save her. I can only imagine how much pain and fear she endured before she died. And what did the Niu family do? They celebrated—reveling atop my sister's suffering! Six hundred taels… that's the price they put on her life!"
"Niu Daji and Niu Erji squandered the blood money in gambling houses! I spent two years investigating the truth, calling upon my allies to uncover every last detail. Chen Ergou was a mere servant of the Liang Palace, and it was he who first spotted my sister on the streets and took a fancy to her. He bribed the Niu family with ten taels of silver, convincing them to let her work in the palace for a year. Old Madam Niu accepted the money gladly, ignoring the fact that my sister was pregnant!"
"When I finally found her, she was already dead, her body covered in wounds."
"Niu Daji was no fool. Realizing that something was wrong with my sister's corpse, he used it to blackmail Chen Ergou. The Liang Palace paid six hundred taels to silence them, and Chen Ergou, having failed in his duties, was scolded by his superiors."
"Six hundred taels. That's what the royal family paid for a commoner's life. Perhaps that's even considered a high price. Ordinary folk—those who die from accidents or exhaustion—might be lucky to receive thirty or fifty taels in 'compensation' from their so-called noble masters."
"The Niu family rejoiced over their newfound wealth. But greed led to their downfall. Niu Erji lost his share at the gambling den and fell into debt. The brothers fought, the mother panicked, and to repay his debts, Niu Erji sold himself into the governor's office as a laborer."
"This is the full truth. I killed Chen Ergou. I wiped out the Niu family. And I killed that depraved bastard, Prince Liang. They all had it coming!"