TGCFNM -Chapter 38 You Are the Culprit

Chu Ling once again swept her gaze over the students, noting everyone’s reactions, then slightly turned her head to look at one spot.

To the onlookers, it seemed as if Chu Ling was spacing out.

But in reality, she was watching Shen Lizhou—observing his reaction, seeing whether he felt indignation, resentment, or pain.

There was none of that. Shen Lizhou seemed to have let it go.

Shen Lizhou said, “Your Excellency, when that person attacked me, they were also harming themselves. Some people will remember my writings, unfortunately for my talent. But that person will only leave behind a notorious name, and their family will suffer as well. Such a punishment is sufficient.”

Chu Ling shook her head and murmured, “Killing someone requires paying with your own life.”

Among the gathered townsfolk, someone shouted, “The magistrate speaks rightly! Murder must be punished by death!”

“Murder must be punished by death!”

“Murder must be punished by death!”

Amid the thunderous voices, Zhao Yi pushed through the crowd and entered the courtroom, holding a long object wrapped in cloth.

“Open it,” said Magistrate Zhang.

Zhao Yi shook the cloth, revealing a knife about the length of a forearm.

A small crescent moon knife!

Wan Sanjin whispered boastfully, “Your Excellency, I wasn’t wrong, right? According to Su He’s autopsy, the murder weapon is exactly the small crescent moon knife I told you about.”

“Hmm, credit where it’s due,” Chu Ling said, stepping forward to take the knife from Zhao Yi, then swiftly drew it.

The blade gleamed coldly, and at the junction of handle and blade were old bloodstains that hadn’t yet been cleaned.

From this alone, it could already be confirmed as the murder weapon.

Magistrate Zhang struck the gavel. “Yang Sheng, what more do you have to say? You and your accomplice, the tutor’s boy, acted separately, hired someone to kill, framed innocent students, and even caused others to be imprisoned. Your crimes are countless and heinous.”

Yang Sheng shook his head desperately, but it was as if his throat was blocked—he couldn’t speak a word. He looked around in panic, seeking help, but no one would look at him.

Everyone looked at him with disgust and anger.

Chu Ling waved the knife a few times, then half-squatted in front of Yang Sheng. “How much did you pay for the small crescent moon knife?”

Yang Sheng shook his head frantically. He didn’t know. He didn’t buy it. He never bought the knife.

“Perhaps the people of Chengyang aren’t familiar with the small crescent moon knife, so let my advisor give a brief introduction,” Chu Ling said, motioning for Wan Sanjin to step forward.

Wan Sanjin took the knife, brandished it briefly, then said, “The small crescent moon knife was part of a batch our Wan family produced three years ago—only twenty in total. At the time, any young master from a notable family considered owning one a matter of pride.”

“But some, driven by profit, dared to imitate our knife. Fortunately, my eldest brother was clever—he engraved a number on the bottom of every sheath, and the buyer’s name was recorded alongside the number.”

“According to the records, the owner of this knife isn’t Student Yang Sheng, but… Pei Yuan, Student Pei.” Wan Sanjin smiled as he handed the knife over. “Student Pei, would you like to take a closer look and see if this is your knife?”

Pei Yuan cast a faint glance, unconcerned. “I don’t understand what this scholar is talking about. My knife is in the capital, safely kept.”

Wan Sanjin didn’t pay it any mind either and simply returned the knife to its sheath.

“Oh, by the way, students,” Wan Sanjin said with a smiling face, “my lord is curious about one thing. Who here knows the three Qian brothers? Qian Long, Qian Hu, and Qian Bao?”

The students all looked stunned—who were these three?

“These three were the ones who killed Shen Lizhou. I’ve already captured them, and they’re currently being held in Chengyang’s prison, personally interrogated and tortured by the jailer,” Wan Sanjin said, then looked proudly at Chu Ling and raised an eyebrow.

The Wan family was the richest in the Great Zhou. In every corner of the country—even in Sishui County—they had assets. All of these holdings served as their eyes and ears. When the Wans wanted to investigate something, they could accomplish it more efficiently than anyone else.

This time, the three assassins had truly walked into a trap. They didn’t immediately flee with the money, thinking the commotion was too great and the sum too small, so they stayed in Chengyang, conveniently lodging at the Fulai Tavern.

Fulai Tavern, of course, was also a Wan family property.

Wan Sanjin stepped behind Chu Ling. Chu Ling took up her knife again and stepped forward, pointing it directly at Pei Yuan in front of Magistrate Zhang.

“The killer is you!”

“You hired assassins to commit murder, even went so far as to carefully set up contingencies. You pushed others forward as scapegoats. Everything was connected, without a single slip.”

Pei Yuan suddenly smiled. “My lord, do you have proof that I hired assassins to kill?”

“Oh, right. My lord has captured those so-called Qian brothers—good, interrogate them carefully and see who the real culprit is.” Pei Yuan snorted coldly. “I act honorably and sit upright; I have nothing to fear from investigation.”

Chu Ling clicked her tongue. “I knew you wouldn’t just confess… Master Wan.”

Wan Sanjin reached into his sleeve and produced a silk pouch, handing it over. Chu Ling opened it to find a tightly rolled letter.

“Pei Yuan, courtesy name Ziqi, a student of Qingzhu Academy. He left the capital to study in Chengyang, all to apprentice under Song Zhuhe. Master Song was a student of Grand Tutor Sun. After leaving the capital, he returned to his hometown of Chengyang to teach, but remained in close contact with his teacher. When he met an outstanding student, he would write a letter to send to the capital.”

Chu Ling continued, unrolling the letter. There were small traces of blood on it, but no signature.

“The night before Shen Lizhou went to the ruined temple, he received a letter and money for the trip to the capital from his boss. The boss’s exact words were: ‘Deliver this letter to Cangzhu Academy, to a teacher surnamed Xie.’”

Wan Sanjin immediately said, “This letter was written by Master Song. We’ve already verified the handwriting. If Pei Yuan denies it, we can even have Master Song come in person to confirm it.”

“Other students, if I’m not mistaken, Pei Yuan should have already been at the ruined temple when you arrived,” Chu Ling asked.

They all nodded.

Chu Ling said, “Of course he went first. He knew from Qingzhu Academy that Master Song had written the letter and also learned from others of Shen Lizhou’s literary talent. So he went himself to probe. Shen Lizhou only thought he was carrying a letter—who knew that the letter was a death warrant?”

Chu Ling sneered, showing the end of the letter to everyone. There was a small cut at one corner, evidence that someone had peeked inside.

“Pei Yuan naturally wasn’t afraid of being caught. He knew the Xiao Yue knife was a replica, so he set up several schemes in a row—either Yang Huaishan would take the blame, or Yang Sheng. The three Qian brothers dared not defy the capital’s noble families and wouldn’t confess, so Pei Yuan had nothing to fear.”

Pei Yuan pressed his lips together, his expression calm and collected, showing no sign of panic.

Chu Ling laughed. “So we have the key evidence—a piece that Pei Yuan can no longer pretend not to see! On Shen Lizhou’s body, we found a single character. A Pei character!”

Wan Sanjin immediately stepped forward, grabbing Pei Yuan’s hand and displaying it. On his index finger was a copper ring—a mark of the Pei family. Only men wore it, and each ring had slight differences.

“The man has been dead for so many days, and you say he had a character on him? Ha! That’s absurd!” Pei Yuan yanked his hand back, looking at Magistrate Zhang. “Magistrate, the county magistrate intends to frame me. Please make a ruling in my favor.”