SGEIRS -Chapter 374 Questions About the Case

The next day, the sun was high in the sky.

Meng Jinyao slowly woke up. Upon opening her eyes, she instinctively looked to her side and found the spot beside her empty. She then glanced around the room and noticed it was bright—clearly, the sun was already shining outside.

She sat up, preparing to pull the bell to call a maid, but suddenly felt her waist ache. Instinctively, she rubbed it and yawned. Even though she had only just woken, she still felt exhausted. The previous night had been taxing, and she had gone to bed too late.

At that moment, Meng Jinyao saw Gu Jingxi enter. Seeing him looking refreshed, she immediately felt a little annoyed—clearly, they had both been through the same ordeal, so why did she feel so tired while he seemed fine?

Gu Jingxi noticed her awake and looking listless. He strode over and asked gently, “A-Yao, how are you feeling?”

Meng Jinyao glared at him with a hint of accusation in her eyes. “My waist aches, I’m tired, and I’m still sleepy. It’s all your fault for keeping me up so late.”

Gu Jingxi sat down and pulled her into his embrace. Apologetically, he said, “It’s my fault. Let me rub it for you.” He gently turned her onto her stomach and began massaging her waist.

His technique was skilled, with the right amount of pressure—it felt very comfortable.

After a while, Meng Jinyao felt the soreness in her waist ease significantly. She then got up and called a maid in to attend to her.

After washing, dressing, and finishing her grooming, it was already noon. Lunch was served.

Gu Jingxi instructed the maid to set the table.

After lunch, Yu Chuan came to inform him, “My lord, Fang Xuan and Fang Ce have returned.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi spoke briefly to his young wife before heading to the study in the front courtyard. Fang Xuan and Fang Ce had been sent ahead before he left the capital and had arrived in Huzhou Prefecture earlier. They were there to investigate certain matters, though it was unclear whether they had found any leads.

After he left, Meng Jinyao spoke with her trusted maid Qingqiu about the events of the previous night. When she had finished bathing in the clean room and saw the sanitary pads Qingqiu had prepared, she realized that Qingqiu had likely misunderstood, thinking she was on her period—after all, in that situation, Qingqiu wouldn’t have thought it was just spotting.

Qingqiu was shocked. “Madam, you and my lord consummated your marriage? And his illness… is it cured?”

Meng Jinyao nodded. “His illness is cured. It was Physician Wen who treated him.”

It took Qingqiu a long moment to process this news, but then her face lit up with joy. She was happy for her mistress. “Madam, that’s wonderful! Now you and my lord can be like a normal married couple and even have children. Who knows, perhaps you already have a little heir in your belly.”

Instinctively, Meng Jinyao touched her flat abdomen and smiled. “I doubt it’s that soon. But my cold-related condition has improved, so having children shouldn’t be an issue.”

Qingqiu thought for a moment. “It might be better to wait a little before conceiving. Traveling back to the capital by boat for over half a month isn’t ideal for carrying a child.”

Meng Jinyao replied gently, “We’ll leave it to fate. If I do conceive, returning to the capital could even be a surprise for my mother. She treats even grandchildren with no blood relation so well—it’s clear she loves children.”

Front Courtyard Study

Fang Xuan and Fang Ce were already waiting in the study. They were twin brothers, about twenty-one or twenty-two years old. They looked almost identical, but their personalities differed: Fang Xuan was calm and reserved, while Fang Ce was gentle and often smiling.

When Gu Jingxi entered, the brothers respectfully bowed.

Gu Jingxi waved them off, signaling that formalities were unnecessary, and had them sit. Then he asked, “Did you find any leads during your investigation in Deqing County?”

Fang Xuan replied, “My lord, we investigated the deaths of the two previous magistrates of Deqing County, as well as the first official sent to examine this case. Their deaths were consistent with the records—they all died suddenly from acute illness. Before dying, they spoke incoherently, had difficulty breathing, and were completely paralyzed and weak.

Before falling ill, they all experienced the same event: in the middle of the night, they would rise, claiming someone was crying out for justice. They wanted to see who was calling for justice, but in reality, no one was there. The next day, they fell ill. The locals believed it was ghosts or vengeful spirits causing their deaths.”

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi frowned slightly. This wasn’t new information—he had read the same in the files. These three deaths had been preceded by hearing someone calling for justice, which was clearly staged to confuse and mislead.

He asked further, “Apart from that, were there any other details?”

Fang Xuan continued, “The two previous magistrates were considered good officials by the people—fair, strict, and honest. However, there was one merchant who had a grudge against the earlier magistrate, Lord Sun.”

Gu Jingxi inquired, “What caused the grudge?”

Fang Xuan explained patiently: “There was a merchant surnamed Li, whose only son violated and killed a respectable young woman. The woman’s brother reported the crime, and Magistrate Sun convicted Li’s son and sentenced him to be beheaded. The case was then submitted to Prefect Wei for review.

Upon reexamination, Prefect Wei discovered inconsistencies. It turned out that the woman had a prior relationship with Li’s son, who intended to take her as a concubine. But the woman’s brother, acting out of jealousy and hatred, assaulted and killed her, then framed Li’s son.

At first, the brother refused to confess, insisting that Li’s son was the murderer. Under torture, he eventually confessed. But upon hearing of the execution, he feared the beheading and mutilation and ran into a pillar, dying instantly. The case was then closed.

However, Magistrate Sun had not handled the case carefully and nearly caused Li’s son to be wrongfully executed. The Li merchant bore a grudge against Sun and, on occasion, spoke of Sun’s incompetence, claiming many had died unjustly under him.

Still, these were drunken words. The merchant, being of low status, dared not openly accuse imperial officials. Moreover, the people viewed Sun as a good magistrate. They simply considered the woman’s brother cruel and deceitful, leading to a misjudgment. These remarks caused no stir. The woman’s parents also left that sorrowful place to live elsewhere.”

After hearing the story, Gu Jingxi felt that nothing seemed amiss on the surface, but a question lingered: “But how could the brother, supposedly acting out of love, develop hatred?”

Fang Xuan replied, “He wasn’t the woman’s biological brother. He was an orphan adopted by her parents. They had considered marrying the two, but the woman did not have romantic feelings for him, so the plan was abandoned.”

Gu Jingxi nodded slightly, thinking it over. He then asked, “Did the Li merchant take any action against Magistrate Sun afterward?”

Fang Xuan shook his head. “He did nothing further—he was simply displeased that Sun’s misjudgment nearly killed his son. Incidentally, the Li merchant had a good relationship with the new magistrate, Lord Chen, because although he was a merchant, he was knowledgeable in poetry and literature and could converse well with Chen.”

Gu Jingxi considered this, ruling out the possibility that the Li merchant had murdered an imperial official. After all, one official, Sun, had a personal grudge, while the other, Chen, had a friendly relationship with Li. But the deaths of Sun and Chen were identical—sudden acute illness. And the first official sent by the court to investigate the case could not possibly have been harmed by the Li merchant.

Fang Ce asked, “My lord, is there anything else you need us to investigate?”

Gu Jingxi thought for a moment and then instructed, “Fang Ce, find the woman’s parents and bring them back. Fang Xuan, investigate Li’s son further—he had a prior connection with the woman. Check on the nature of their relationship.”

The brothers responded in unison, “Yes, my lord.”

After Fang Xuan and Fang Ce left, Gu Jingxi turned to Yu Chuan. “Yu Chuan, make sure to expedite the matter I previously asked you to investigate.”