Chapter 32: Surrendering to Justice

Su Qing’s question clearly stemmed from his suspicion of Murong Huan. Ashu said with displeasure, "Master, we are not welcome in this house. Where we go is none of the Su family’s business. Besides, even if we didn't return all night, we didn't see anyone from the Su family looking for Ah Huan."

"Why must everything be blamed on Ah Huan whenever something goes wrong?"

Ashu’s tear-filled eyes left Su Qing at a loss, completely bewildered.

Murong Huan did not say another word. Together with Ashu, she stepped quickly out of the Su residence’s main gate, where she found Lu Ling and the eleventh young master of the Lu family waiting for her.

This time, Lu Ling had not brought many bailiffs; only four or five men accompanied him.

The eleventh young master of the Lu family was beaming, a stark contrast to the dejected, grief-stricken appearance he had shown the day before. As soon as he saw her, he waved from afar to greet her.

Murong Huan nodded with a faint smile, approached them, and bowed. "Su Silang greets the Shaoqing. May I ask what brings you to the Su residence this time?"

Lu Ling went straight to the point. "You said last time that you could depict the evil soul of a murderer. So, this time, I have brought you to draw the murderer."

"Very well!"

The eleventh young master of the Lu family leaned in, scrutinized Murong Huan carefully, and asked with suspicion, "Young man, you seem very different today compared to last night. Is it my imagination? Why do I feel like you were a different person last night?"

Murong Huan did not reply. Ashu retorted angrily, "How is he different? My master has always been like this!"

"Yes, yes!"

Faced with Ashu’s fierce demeanor, the eleventh young master of the Lu family lacked the courage to argue further. There was simply no winning a debate with a woman. He turned back to Murong Huan, his face filled with excitement. "By the way, young man, did you know Zhou Xing was killed last night? Just as we were reciting poetry, he died in the very torture jar he invented. The expression on his face—eyes bulging and tongue lolling—was truly fascinating!"

"Ah Xun, what nonsense are you spouting again!" Lu Ling cut him off and gestured for Murong Huan to follow. "Su Silang, come with me to the Supreme Court once more. Do not listen to the eleventh young master’s gibberish."

With that, he ordered Murong Huan and Ashu to mount their horses and rode swiftly toward the Supreme Court.

Along the way, Lu Ling explained, "At the first quarter of the Xu hour last night, Zhou Xing died in his mansion. A confession was found hanging on his chest, detailing many of the trumped-up cases that had led to the execution of entire families. The handwriting has been verified; it is indeed his own."

"Before he died, the Investigating Censor Lai Junchen had just received a secret denunciation and arrived at the Zhou mansion to interrogate Zhou Xing. Who would have thought he would coincidentally die in the very jar he had prepared?"

When Lu Ling finished, Murong Huan replied, "So, this is a case of Zhou Xing committing suicide out of fear of punishment?"

"Of course not. If it were a simple suicide, it would be easy to handle. However, the coroner has examined the body and found he was first strangled with a silk ribbon, then thrown into the jar and roasted with charcoal. After killing him, the murderer even provoked the General of the Jinwu Guard, Qiu Shenji, while fleeing, and then vanished without a trace."

At this point, he looked at Murong Huan, only to see her remaining calm and smiling.

"This murderer is truly formidable. Not only did they not hurry to escape after committing the crime, but they also provoked the Jinwu Guard?"

"I think the provocation of the Jinwu Guard is not simple. Any murderer would avoid exposing themselves after a kill. Therefore, I suspect the true murderer may be someone else, and the person who provoked the Jinwu Guard was merely a decoy."

Murong Huan was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Lu Shaoqing’s analysis is logical. So, you want me to draw the appearance of this murderer? Has someone seen the killer's face?"

Lu Ling fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "Indeed! The murderer has appeared, but this person came to surrender, not to identify someone else."

Murong Huan stopped in her tracks.

"Surrender? Who surrendered?"

...

Upon arriving at the Supreme Court, Lu Ling and the eleventh young master led Murong Huan to the interrogation room.

To her surprise, the person being interrogated was the blind old woman she had seen the day before in Li Xiaolian’s room at the Shaohua Pavilion.

The eleventh young master explained, "The news of Zhou Xing’s assassination spread early this morning. Although the news brought joy to many in Luoyang and among the court officials, it remains an unsolved case. The Prince of Wei, Wu Chengsi, has added fuel to the fire, claiming it was the work of rebellious remnants intended to challenge the Saint’s authority. Consequently, the Saint has ordered a strict investigation."

"Last night, a servant at Zhou Xing’s mansion said that before Zhou Xing died, he had met with the famous courtesan Huo Xiaolian from the Shaohua Pavilion. We searched the pavilion, but Huo Xiaolian was gone. Not only her, but several other official courtesans had also disappeared."

"Both the Supreme Court and the Jinwu Guard searched all night to no avail, until the first quarter of the Chen hour today, when this old woman came to the Supreme Court to surrender, claiming she killed both Zhou Jiulang and Zhou Xing."

The eleventh young master paused and looked at Murong Huan, continuing, "This old woman is the one I told you about—the only person left in the mansion after Zhou Jiulang died. We have been tracking her for two days and confirmed she was indeed in contact with Huo Xiaolian."

Murong Huan asked in astonishment, "She said how she killed Zhou Jiulang?"

"She claims it was poisoning. She used a colorless, odorless, and undetectable chronic poison that she had been administering for a long time. After Zhou Jiulang spent hours carousing with several courtesans at the Shaohua Pavilion that night, the poison took effect on his way home, and he died suddenly."

"Why did she kill Zhou Jiulang?"

"She is the true daughter of the Prince of Huo!" Murong Huan stopped dead in her tracks. She heard the eleventh young master continue, "So, killing Zhou Jiulang was an act of vengeance. She said her father, the Prince of Huo, had no intention of rebellion. It was Zhou Xing who used the pretext of the Prince of Yue’s rebellion to frame her father and imprison him. Later, he humiliated her father and brothers. While the Saint’s decree was only for exile, Zhou Xing had her entire family slaughtered and then abused the women and children of the Li family."

The eleventh young master’s eyes showed a trace of sympathy as he pointed to his own eyes.

"Her eyes were gouged out by Zhou Jiulang. Furthermore, Zhou Xing and his son did not even spare young girls. She heard with her own ears that they tortured girls snatched from the families of high-ranking officials they had purged, claiming they were looking for a girl with a plum blossom birthmark. Regardless of whether these girls had the mark, they would perversely brand them with one and then throw them into wells, claiming it would preserve the fortune of the Great Zhou!"

Murong Huan felt a tremor of shock. "To preserve the fortune of the Great Zhou? You say Zhou Jiulang branded these girls and tortured them to death for that reason? What logic is that?"

The eleventh young master shook his head. "I do not know, but that is what the daughter of the Prince of Huo said."

"Moreover, she specifically asked to see you!"

"See me? Why?"

Murong Huan was startled. With a sense of bewilderment, she approached the old woman.

Seeing her again, Murong Huan felt a mix of shock and pity. It was hard to imagine that this woman, once a proud daughter of heaven, had been reduced to this.

Her body was thin as a stick, her skin covered in wrinkles, her hair withered, and her eyes, though strained wide, held no focus. She was likely under forty, yet she appeared as old as eighty. One could only imagine the torments she had endured while lurking beside Zhou Jiulang.

Perhaps hearing Murong Huan’s footsteps, a faint joy touched the corners of the old woman’s lips.

"Is it the fourth son of the Su family?"

"It is."

Murong Huan sat opposite her and asked, "Why did you want to see me?"

The old woman smiled. "Because you are a kind child, the child of Su Minghe!"

"Child, may I touch you?"

As she spoke, the old woman reached out with a withered hand to touch Murong Huan’s cheek. Murong Huan initially wanted to dodge, but seeing the old woman’s expression, so kind yet so profoundly sorrowful, she let her touch her.

"Did you know my father and mother?" Murong Huan asked in surprise.

The old woman nodded and smiled again. "Your father was a man of great talent, and your mother was a renowned healer. They traveled the world and did many good deeds; there is likely no one in the martial arts world who does not know them. I had the honor of crossing paths with them, so naturally, I knew them."

She sighed. "The young master is gifted; you will surely become a high official and possess great wealth!"

Murong Huan’s heart surged, and she missed the last part of the sentence, asking instead, "Do you know why my parents were hunted down when I was young? They pursued us relentlessly, and even though we changed our names, my mother still could not escape..."

The old woman’s expression darkened with sorrow. "Perhaps because of a prophecy by Li Chunfeng, or perhaps it had to do with the Crown Prince."

"A prophecy?"

The old woman replied, "Yes, a prophecy! You should know that there are people in this world who can foresee the future. They use the Zhou Yi and the Eight Trigrams to calculate the destiny of the Great Tang, and even the Great Zhou, thousands of years ahead."

"Are you talking about the Tui Bei Tu written by Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng?"

"So, the young master has also heard the names of those two peerless masters of divination. But alas, even those two masters, capable of foreseeing the future, could not rewrite their own endings."

"Back then, Li Chunfeng predicted that after three generations of the Great Tang, a woman would rule the world. Even so, Emperor Taizong did not execute the Wu clan to protect his descendants. However, Li Chunfeng also had another prophecy: that the Wu clan’s reign would be but a fleeting flash, and the empire would eventually return to the Li Tang."

"Because of this, the Prince of Wei, Wu Chengsi, and the Prince of Liang, Wu Sanse, urged the current Saint to exterminate the Li descendants and kill any officials who did not align with the Wu clan, pushing for a member of the Wu family to be named the Crown Prince."

Murong Huan was still puzzled. "But what does that have to do with my parents?"