The next day. Yingtian Prefecture Court.
In the spacious and luminous main hall, a grand plaque bearing the inscription "Upright and Honorable" hung at the center. Intricate patterns were engraved beneath shimmering jade inlays, which gleamed glaringly under the light, framed by deep red wood. On either side stood rows of constables in crimson uniforms, gripping long staves, exuding a solemn air of authority.
The villagers permitted to observe the trial could only stand at the far end of the hall—nearly spilling outside—yet none dared complain. They stood ramrod straight, heads bowed low, barely breathing. All, except for one.
Lou Xiyan's gaze swept past the lone figure leaning against the doorway—arms crossed, straddling the threshold. Cloaked in defiance, the man's slouched posture clashed starkly with the solemnity of the hall. His battered hat obscured most of his face, but even without seeing it, Lou Xiyan could guess the seething anger carved upon it. The thought made him inexplicably cheerful.
While he was in high spirits, someone else was fuming with rage.
Noon was indeed the appointed hour, wasn't it? These fools had kept her up all night, God knows what they were scheming, and at the break of dawn dragged her to the courthouse steps to stand like a fool beneath the rising sun. Her clothes were coarse and heavy, her back long soaked with sweat. The oppressive heat beneath her hat was suffocating. Beads of perspiration streamed down her brow and cheeks. Glaring at Lou Xiyan, who sat fresh and composed at the magistrate's bench, Zhuo Qing seethed with irritation.
Today, Lou Xiyan looked utterly different from the night before. He wore a crown inlaid with white jade and gold, a dark red robe embroidered with flowing golden threads. A majestic qilin lay half-reclined across the front of his robes, eyes gleaming with latent power. An obsidian silk belt at his waist bore a jade pendant that chimed softly with his movements. Though his face wore the same gentle smile, no one dared treat him lightly.
"Your humble servant greets Chancellor Lou," said Wu Zhigang, the Vice Minister of Justice, dropping to one knee, unease swirling in his chest. Though both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice were under Chancellor Lou's oversight, criminal case reviews were usually handled by the Justice Commissioner. To see the Chancellor in the Prefecture Court was unprecedented. For a fourth-rank official like him, how could he not tremble?
Lou Xiyan took his seat on the side and casually raised a hand, replying with a faint smile, "No need for formalities."
Wu Zhigang slowly straightened, but did not dare sit. How could he presume to occupy the host's seat in the Chancellor's presence? Standing beside the magistrate's desk, he asked respectfully, "May I ask what brings Chancellor Lou here today?"
Lou Xiyan smiled with disarming ease. "Hundreds of villagers from Niujia Village have submitted a joint petition claiming Lin Bokang was wrongfully accused of tampering with military provisions. What is your view?"
Though the Chancellor spoke casually, Wu Zhigang paled. Clasping his hands, he replied at once, "Chancellor, the case is clear. The evidence is conclusive, and Lin Bokang has confessed. There is absolutely no miscarriage of justice."
"No miscarriage of justice?" Lou Xiyan turned his gaze toward a woman standing beside the hall. "Madam Lin, do you have anything to say?"
Zhuo Qing lifted her eyes slightly. A woman in her fifties had already fallen to her knees. Her voice trembled but rang out with resolute clarity: "My lord, I visited my husband on the eighteenth of this month, three days after his sentencing. He told me he never tampered with military rations—that he had been wrongfully accused!"
Before she could finish, Wu Zhigang could no longer contain himself. "Absurd! His signed confession is in black and white. How can a few words of denial erase the facts? Clerk, bring the case files to the Chancellor immediately!"
"Yes, yes!" The timid clerk bolted into the inner hall, returning moments later with a thick stack of documents. Wu Zhigang snatched them up and offered them with both hands. "Chancellor, these are the case records. The testimony and evidence are irrefutable."
Leaning against the corridor, Zhuo Qing watched Lou Xiyan, waiting for his reaction. He had summoned Lin Bokang's wife—he must have already read the files. But in just one night, what else had he done? A man this young, occupying such a high position, surely wasn't ordinary.
As expected, Lou Xiyan did not take the files. Instead, he sighed, feigning weariness. "One of you swears the case is airtight; the other cries injustice. In that case, bring the accused before me. I shall question him myself."
Wu Zhigang hesitated, but dared not object. He turned to the two bailiffs beside him and whispered, "Go and fetch Lin Bokang at once."
"Yes, sir." The two men departed.
Who would've thought they'd be gone half an hour?
Zhuo Qing began to feel uneasy. Lou Xiyan, however, remained serene, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. Poor Wu Zhigang stood beside him, a sheen of sweat glistening on his brow, frozen in place.
At last, the two bailiffs returned. Wu Zhigang snapped, "What took you so long?" Then, seeing no one behind them, he demanded, "Where is he?"
Panting heavily, one of the bailiffs stammered, "Reporting to your lordship... Lin Bokang… took his own life this morning!"
Took his own life?
Zhuo Qing discreetly observed Wu Zhigang's expression. The man nearly stumbled. His face turned from pale to green—clearly frightened. It didn't look like an act.
Lou Xiyan said nothing, his brows drawing together in a slight frown. Perhaps even he hadn't expected the man to be dead. Suicide? Zhuo Qing instinctively rejected the notion. The timing was far too perfect.
"He's dead?!" The villagers outside the hall gaped in disbelief, wanting to rush in, but dared not trespass in the Chancellor's presence.
"My husband!" Madam Lin collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly. Then, as if struck by a realization, she suddenly sprang up and pointed at Wu Zhigang, crying out, "My husband was innocent! He would never take his own life! It was you! You murdered him!"
She lunged at Wu Zhigang, but the constables blocked her with their staves. Still, she shouted and cursed without pause.
Wu Zhigang, regaining his composure, barked furiously, "Silence! You ignorant woman—how dare you cause a scene in court! Remove her at once!"
He stole a glance at Lou Xiyan, terrified he might be angered. But the Chancellor only looked contemplative, seemingly unmoved by her accusations.
"Let me go!" Madam Lin struggled with all her might, but the two men held her fast, dragging her toward the exit.
"Wait."A cold voice drifted through the hall, halting them mid-step. "Why the rush to drive her away? Whether it was suicide or murder—examining the body will make it clear."
The dead never lie.
The voice rang out chillingly, cutting through the court like a blade. It came from a strange figure shrouded in a gray cloak. Wu Zhigang scowled, snapping, "Who are you, to speak out in court?!"
"I am…"