He got his chance.
The case involves the massacre of an entire family, and the victim is a high-ranking official of the imperial court. The court cannot afford not to investigate thoroughly, so they need a scapegoat. Only with a murderer can the case be closed.
Shi Boyin appeared.
Yun Qingxian had everything arranged: eyewitnesses, physical evidence, a plausible motive, and the murderer arrested on the spot.
Everything went smoothly, except for some trouble with Shi Boyin. While he was enjoying wine and playing the zither with Shi Zechun, Shi Zechun revealed the secret of the score. He said it was a piece written for him by a woman, a beautiful and deeply moving love song. He said his son had personally handed it to him, and that his son was also an official in the court.
Shi Zechun didn't reveal the man's identity; he was prone to rambling when drunk, so Shi Boyin initially didn't take him seriously. He was focused on the beautiful music but paid little attention to other people's family affairs. It wasn't until the murder occurred and he was arrested as the culprit that he connected the dots and explained everything to Yun Qingxian, who was interrogating him. Then, one day, he could no longer speak.
There was another unexpected element to this matter: the Emperor.
Originally, it would have been one thing for Shi Boyin to be executed, but the Emperor felt it was a great loss that he had never heard Shi Boyin play the zither in his life. Shi Boyin, too, was a man of great pride, refusing to play for those who didn't appreciate his music. This was his eccentric nature, and also the reason behind his desperate plan. He was indignant; he wanted justice served.
With no official recourse for his grievances, he pinned his hopes on fellow musicians like himself.
He longed to find a true "soulmate".
And so the execution music gathering came about, and so did all that that followed.
Yun Qingxian's pursuit of the musical score wasn't actually about wanting the score itself. In fact, the melody lingered in his mind; he could play it with his eyes closed. What he worried about was that someone might understand his master's meaning, deduce his relationship with Shi Zechun from the content of the music, and thus connect it to the truth. He spread some false information, such as martial arts manuals, to confuse everyone.
But this matter involved Mu'er, who knew nothing of martial arts or anything else, only the zither. So she firmly believed that this matter was closely related to the zither score, and she was convinced that her master's dying words were not a display of skill, but rather that he had something to say.
Yun Qingxian finally finished his story. Mu'er was starting to doze off. Mainly, the story was almost exactly what she and Long Er had guessed, and she was truly exhausted in the middle of the night. Another reason she wasn't very engaged was that she felt absolutely no sympathy for Yun Qingxian. A heartless person is hateful, but to slaughter an entire family for such a reason was even more chilling. She simply couldn't understand how Yun Qingxian could recount all of this from the perspective of a pitiful, tragic victim.
She felt it wasn't that she lacked compassion, but rather that she felt compassion for someone who was about to kill her after telling her a story. She felt that only someone who had gone mad would do such a thing.
So, after Yun Qingxian finally finished speaking, Mu'er was immediately energized.
The story is over, and he's about to kill her. He has to rush back to fake receiving a tip that the prisoner has escaped; his time is running out.
"I'm not as bad as you think," Yun Qingxian concluded. "Although I didn't marry Xiang'er because I liked her, I've always treated her well. Even when she did some foolish things, I didn't abandon her; I protected her. As a result, she didn't want to owe me too much, so she became a nanny. Later, she heard a lot of news in the building and would tell me on her own initiative. Over time, I simply made her a spy, and she did a very good job. She impersonated Lin Yueyao because she happened to be by Lin Yueyao's side, and all the conditions were suitable. I didn't take advantage of her feelings."
Mu'er didn't answer, she just nodded haphazardly.
Long Er hadn't arrived yet, and neither had her reinforcements. There wasn't a single sign that anyone was coming. And she was running out of time.
At this moment, Yun Qingxian took out a packet of medicine powder from his pocket and placed it on the table. Then he took a cup and poured a glass of water. Mu'er heard his movements and nervously held her breath.
Before Yun Qingxian could make a further move, Mu'er suddenly screamed "Ah!" and collapsed onto the table, clutching her stomach.
Yun Qingxian was startled. He quickly went over to help her up: "What's wrong?"
He had just grasped her arm when he saw Mu'er grab his hand in return, raise her right hand, and slap it on his face. Her hand then slipped and touched his neck.
Yun Qingxian instinctively pushed her away. Mu'er lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Then he felt a dampness on his hands, face, and neck. Looking down, he saw that his palms were stained dark red. He touched his face and realized that his face had also been stained with the color.
At this moment, Mu'er got up from the ground and shouted, "You say that rescuing a prisoner is a serious crime, and everyone will side with my husband, and no one will suspect you. You're wrong! This dye can't be washed off for half a month, and I also smeared this dye on the wall by the prison bed, on the corner of the trunk you transported me in, and under the seat of your carriage. Now, you also have marks on your hands and face. How do you explain that if you didn't rescue me from the prison, why do you have the same dye on your body as in the cell?"
Yun Qingxian was shocked. Mu'er continued loudly, "You think killing me will get you away with it? Dream on! I won't let you frame my husband and the Long family! The Emperor has given you ten days to resolve this case. You can't possibly not show yourself within ten days. If you do show up, people will see the mess on your hands and face, and you'll have no explanation. Even if I disappear, even if my body isn't found, everyone will know it was you. You are the real culprit in the prison break, and that's the evidence!"
Yun Qingxian's face turned ashen. He finally understood why Zhuo Yi couldn't defeat Mu'er. He finally understood.
Yun Qingxian gritted his teeth and reached out to grab Mu'er.
A single wrong thought.
He only ever loved one woman, a woman who was his enemy and whom he had to kill.
Yun Qingxian reached out to grab Mu'er's neck, but unexpectedly, someone suddenly leaped down from the roof beam. The person, wielding a sharp sword, thrust it towards Yun Qingxian with a "whoosh."
The two instantly started fighting. Mu'er cried out happily, "Husband!"
"Second Sister-in-law, it's me." It was Long San who answered. "Second Brother and the others are outside. Yun Qingxian is quite skilled in martial arts, and I was afraid he would hear the commotion, so I hid inside the house alone."
To put it bluntly, in order to prevent Yun Qingxian from finding out, whoever has the best martial arts skills will hide in the house.
Mu'er blushed, feeling embarrassed for calling him "husband" by the wrong name. Just then, the sounds of fighting could be heard from inside, so everyone rushed inside.
Long Er took the lead and rushed into the house. He felt it would be a loss of face if he wasn't the one to save the damsel in distress at the crucial moment, so he had to make a grand entrance.
He shouted, "Mu'er!" and was about to rush over to hug her when he noticed that both of Mu'er's palms were covered in dark red dye. He was stunned and was about to ask her what happened to her hands when he saw that Yun Qingxian's face also had the same color.
Long Er immediately became furious: "Did he touch your face?"
What on earth is going on? Everyone in the room was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by Long Er's antics. But Long Er was already fuming with rage; he stopped cuddling his wife and charged straight at Yun Qingxian, yelling at Long San, "Get out of the way! Let me beat this bastard up! Damn it, I've wanted to beat him up for ages!"
Fengwu skipped over to Mu'er's side, helped her sit down in a chair, and said to her, "Second Uncle is so rude."
Mu'er was so happy she almost cried. She really thought she couldn't escape, but she never expected that the Second Master would actually come to save her.
"Would you like some?" Feng Wu took out a packet of pastries, picked out a piece, and handed it to Mu'er. Mu'er was taken aback. Was this a rescue operation or a tea party?
"I was afraid I'd get bored while waiting outside, so I prepared this." Seeing that Mu'er wasn't eating, Feng Wu simply tossed the snack into her own mouth. Then she commented, "It seems Second Uncle is no match for Yun Qingxian."
These words were spoken quite loudly, and Long Er naturally heard them. His martial arts skills were inferior to Yun Qingxian's, but this was a matter of pride! Pride!
Moreover, to ensure there were both witnesses and physical evidence, he specifically brought along Prince Kang, the Minister of Personnel, two other officials, and people from the Ministry of Justice. Bringing the Ministry of Justice officials was to let their own people see what Yun Qingxian had done, thus silencing those within the Ministry of Justice.
Now, with them right in front of him, Yun Qingxian knew he was doomed and couldn't argue anymore. So, even in his dying moments, he wanted to drag Long Er down with him, so he fought with all his might.
Long Er was at a disadvantage and struggling to fight. He also had to listen to Feng Wu's nagging and urging, which made him angry. He shouted, "Third brother, do something about your wife!"
Feng Wu said coolly, "Don't worry about me for now, worry about Second Uncle first. You can worry about me after you win the fight."
Seeing that the situation was indeed bad, Long San could no longer let Long Er continue to act recklessly, so he quickly stepped forward to help and repel Yun Qingxian.
Several guards rushed forward, leaving no room for Long Er at the front. He retreated sheepishly, complaining to the guards, "Why are you pushing? I was about to win."
He muttered to himself as he retreated to Mu'er's side. Mu'er smiled sweetly at him: "Even if my husband doesn't win, I'll still love him."
Long Er snorted, coughed twice, and wanted to hug her but then looked down at the dye on her hands. "How did you get this on your hands?"
“I was afraid someone would assassinate me in prison, and you wouldn’t know who the killer was. So I asked my friend to get me some dye from her family’s dye shop, thinking that I would leave some color in the prison, and if someone broke into the prison and committed a crime, I would put the dye on them, so that Second Master would see it and figure out who the killer was. I didn’t expect that no one would cause me any trouble in prison, but it came in handy this time.”
"Does it still stain clothes now?"
"I don't know." Mu'er shook her head and reached out to hug Long Er.
Long Er exclaimed, "Master, this outfit of yours is very expensive."
Mu'er reached back to wipe herself, but Long Er exclaimed, "Your clothes cost a lot of money."
Mu'er frowned and said unhappily, "Then from now on, Second Master, don't get close to me. Just hold onto the silver."
"Enough, enough. You're such an unpleasant woman." Long Er said, pulling Mu'er into his arms.
While the couple bickered, the battle on the other side had ended. Yun Qingxian was forced to kneel on the ground. His poison powder was still on the table. Putting aside the case of Shi Boyin, the crime of breaking into a prison and killing someone was enough to convict him.
Long Er was very satisfied to see his disheveled appearance. He held Mu'er for a while, put her back on the chair, and casually snatched Feng Wu's bag of snacks and put it in Mu'er's hand: "Eat something first, I'll go teach that bastard a lesson."
Then he slowly walked over, grinning at Yun Qingxian with immense pride: "You think I can't deal with you? You think we can't find evidence? Let me tell you, I have plenty of ways. Taking down Ding Sheng is just the first step. You think heaven is on your side? That's my doing! You two are fighting like dogs, and whether you or that old bastard Ding Sheng wins in the end, I won't lose out. As long as one of you is injured, I can lure you to the next step. But you're indeed ruthless enough to win this round against Ding Sheng. So you're smug now, aren't you? Smugness makes you lose your head. So my next series of schemes within schemes are something you can't possibly escape."
“Second Uncle is making the same mistake of getting carried away,” Feng Wu said softly, but Long Er still heard her. He turned and glared at Long San. Long San glanced at his wife. Feng Wu then took a piece of pastry, stuffed it into her mouth, and fell silent.
Long Er was finally satisfied. He turned to Yun Qingxian and said, "Now that we have both witnesses and evidence, we'll take you back first so you can see your wife being interrogated. Don't worry, I will punish you for every single crime you've committed. How dare you bully my Mu'er? Don't you know who her husband is?"
Yun Qingxian frowned. How did Ding Yanxiang get involved? Even if things were exposed in the end, he would take the blame for the bandit kidnapping case. How did Ding Yanxiang get involved now?
Over there, Prince Kang coughed forcefully, reminding Long Er, "Second Master, the imperial edict has already been posted."
The imperial edict stated that Mu'er had been stripped of her status from the Long family. Because her marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager, this separation from the Long family had to be publicly announced.
The mere mention of Long Er filled him with rage. He glared at him. What was going on? He had done something truly momentous—clearing out those wicked officials and traitors from the court—yet the Emperor still wanted to punish him. And now, when it was his turn to show off his power, why was everyone trying to hold him back?
Long Er glanced at Mu'er; she didn't react much to the mention of the imperial edict. Perhaps she didn't know yet. Anyway, he was going to take her home tonight; who cared about that imperial edict?
Long Er straightened his face and said to Yun Qingxian in a stern tone, "Do you know why the Prefect didn't come to arrest you? It's because he's waiting at the Prefectural Office. Someone wants to beat the drum to file a complaint, accusing Lady Ding Yanxiang of instigating others to murder you."
Author's Note: I accidentally wrote too much, so this chapter is being released ahead of schedule.
The next chapter is scheduled for Friday.
The truth of 1994 comes out: three marriages
Someone's going to file a complaint? Is there going to be some drama to watch?
Feng Wu quickly packed up the bags of snacks and urged everyone to hurry back.
The carriage and horses were parked quite a distance away, and several men ran to fetch the horses and drive the carriage over. The Long family members stood to one side, and Long Er began to complain to Long San: "I told you to look for an opportunity to save Mu'er, why did you make us wait so long?"
"Yun Qingxian hasn't even made a move yet, but he's still talking. It wouldn't hurt to hear his incriminating evidence, so I waited. In the end, he told a long story, which was better than what the teacher said, so I waited for him to finish."
Long Er glared at him. Was he here to rescue someone or just to hear something? "I should have come myself."
“If you come in person, we’ll have to go through all the trouble of rescuing you, and the hostage will go from one to two. It’s better not to.” Feng Wu was definitely on Long San’s side.
Long Er continued to glare at Long San: "What exactly do you see in your wife? She's always chattering and dragging things down."
Long San smiled gently at Feng Wu: "I like that she's special. She's so special that I don't care about her appearance or her personality."
"Hey, are you still mocking and ridiculing him?" Long Er glanced at her sideways. In his opinion, Feng Wu was special. Specially good at eating, especially good at causing trouble, and especially good at fighting.
The Long couple, finding him an eyesore, ignored him and exchanged gentle smiles. Long Er, not to be outdone, pulled Mu'er to his side as well.
Mu'er found their banter hilarious. She still had many questions to ask: "How did my husband find me?"
Speaking of this, Long Er became smug again. "I was scolded by the Emperor in front of Yun Qingxian and all the officials. He even issued an edict to transfer you to another prison and said they would torture you. So, my plan to break you out of prison was perfectly logical and justified. If they overheard it, they wouldn't doubt its authenticity. Yun Qingxian has something to hide, and he doesn't want you to be tortured and interrogated because he's unsure how much you actually know. If you can't withstand the torture and confess everything, it won't benefit him. So, I deliberately said I would break you out at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) to see what he would do."
Mu'er nodded, and Long Er continued, "He sent people to keep an eye on me, so I made arrangements everywhere, making it seem like I was going to pick you up at 1 AM. He believed I would do that, so he started making arrangements too. But he didn't expect that I also sent people to keep an eye on him."
“So we knew he had arranged this place, intending to kidnap you here first. To avoid arousing his suspicion, I arrived here ahead of time to lie in ambush. He is a cautious man, so naturally he would be watching to see if anyone was following him, but he didn’t expect that I would arrive first,” Long San said.
Mu'er finally understood. Just then, the horses and carriages arrived, and the group hurried towards the government office.
On the way, Long Er was very dissatisfied with Mu'er's dark red hands: "How did you get these?"
Mu'er explained the reason. Long Er laughed: "So you had this trick up your sleeve."
Mu'er explained, "The daughter of the dyeing workshop is..."
“I know who it is.” Long Er interrupted her before she could finish, completely unfazed and showing no curiosity whatsoever.
Mu'er pouted: "Husband's tone is as if he recognizes me. Just how many things has he been hiding from me?"
Long Er chuckled, "Not much, not much, just this one thing. Besides, you asked her to deliver things to you, didn't you keep it a secret from me?"
"I didn't intend to hide it from you. It's just that it's not a good place to talk in prison, so I didn't tell you. But your arrangements started long before we got married, and you didn't tell me about that either."
The two bickered all the way to the government office.
The daughter of the dye shop the two were talking about was named Liu Yu, and she was married to Chen Liangze. At this moment, she was in the main hall of the government office, escorted by Steward Tie and his men, suing Lady Ding Yanxiang of the Yun family.
Ding Yanxiang was not so easily manipulated; she also brought Yun family guards, with each side occupying one side of the main hall. Chen Liangze, his mother, and his father had all arrived, looking bewildered and anxious.