Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 768 Terrible

Old Master Xie finally made up his mind and came to the yamen to find Xu Huaiyi.

Xu Huaiyi hadn't slept a wink all night and had been busy all day, so he was exhausted. But when he saw the listless Xie family patriarch, he immediately perked up. Perhaps there was going to be progress in the Xie family's case.

Xu Huaiyi took Master Xie to the yamen.

"What brings you to me, sir?"

Since they had all come to the yamen, it was naturally for the Xie family's case. Old Master Xie Si sat down, his expression slightly conflicted, but he still said, "I... am here for... my elder brother and sister-in-law's case."

Xu Huaiyi glanced at the clerk, who immediately picked up his pen.

Old Master Xie said, "When my eldest brother passed away, the reason I stopped the government office from conducting an autopsy was because I had some suspicions. I was afraid that if the magistrate found out something, the Xie family's reputation would be ruined."

"With so many members of the Xie family burdened with these responsibilities, what future do they have?"

Master Xie then recounted how he discovered the suspicious circumstances, found Madam Xie, and later broke his promise to her.

This is exactly what he told Xie Yuyan, without the slightest concealment.

The clerk was astonished and stopped writing several times to look at Master Xie.

Xu Huaiyi said, "You mean, Old Madam Xie was also harmed by Xie Yizhi?"

“I suspect so,” Old Master Xie said, handing Xu Huaiyi a book. “You can take a look at this book. The date it’s copied should be the day before my sister-in-law passed away. It’s clear that my elder brother saw her the day before. I suspect that he was discussing Xie Yizhi with her. Xie Yizhi was afraid that my sister-in-law would persuade him, so he simply poisoned her. After my sister-in-law passed away, my elder brother couldn’t let go of this matter. This has sown the seeds of disaster between father and son.”

Xu Huaiyi opened the book and indeed found handwriting that resembled Xie Xiang's. He then flipped to the end and found a small mark.

Master Xie explained, "At that time, my eldest brother was compiling the collected annotations of the Five Classics. This is the handwriting left by my eldest brother when he was proofreading. In order to facilitate future reference and modification, my eldest brother would write the date each time. The temple official can compare them to know the authenticity."

At this point, Old Master Xie seemed to remember something: "My eldest brother has a student who is still working at the Hanlin Academy. He once helped my eldest brother organize the collected annotations. He knows that my eldest brother's manuscripts were suddenly lost... He should remember roughly when they were lost."

Xu Huaiyi said, "So the 'lost' collection of notes has always been with you?"

Old Master Xie nodded: "Yes."

Xu Huaiyi stared at Old Master Xie: "Why did you keep these things to yourself?"

Old Master Xie pursed his dry, cracked lips: "I always need to keep something to protect myself. This is a kind of evidence. In case Xie Yizhi tries to harm me, my family can use this to seek justice for me."

Xu Huaiyi continued, "Since you've hidden it for so long, why are you bringing it out now?"

The old master Xie looked embarrassed, his back seemed to bend even more: "Xie Yuyan said that if I don't tell the master everything I know, she will find out. At that time, it will not only be the crime of hiding evidence, but also... I may be identified as an accomplice. I dare not hide it anymore."

Xu Huaiyi knew immediately that Master Xie was not telling the truth. Xie Yuyan was definitely saying more than that, and Master Xie's descendants were probably not clean either, likely being kept under surveillance by Madam Xie.

Master Xie said, "That's all I know. What happens next is up to the government."

The case has not been heard, and the truth about what Master Xie said today still needs to be investigated. Even if it is found out, he is not the main culprit and cannot be detained immediately.

Xu Huaiyi said, "After you return, you must not leave Bianjing City and must wait for the government to summon you at any time."

Grandpa Xie responded and stood up shakily, but his legs were so weak that he almost fell to the ground.

"My lord," before leaving, Master Xie looked at Xu Huaiyi, "could you please be lenient with me, considering that I voluntarily handed over the evidence?"

Xu Huaiyi looked at Old Master Xie without saying a word until Old Master Xie walked out the door. Then the clerk walked up to Xu Huaiyi and said, "That Lady Xie is really something. She scared the Xie clan chief so much that he rushed over overnight. If this evidence is real, it will be of great help to the case. At the very least, it can be inferred that Prime Minister Xie knew about Xie Yizhi's crimes."

"If Xie Yizhi was capable of murdering her father for this, she certainly wouldn't let go of the mother who investigated these matters first." Xu Huaiyi looked at the notes in his hand and said calmly, "The evidence is incomplete, so don't make wild guesses."

The clerk replied, "This humble servant understands."

After putting away the evidence, Xu Huaiyi should have left directly with the clerk. Just as the clerk was about to extinguish the oil lamp, Xu Huaiyi suddenly frowned and said, "Wait a minute."

The clerk immediately froze on the spot.

Xu Huaiyi pondered carefully, and lately he often felt that something was amiss.

Now he finally knows where he went wrong.

In Xie Yizhi's case, it seems that the evidence is incomplete in some places, and the conclusion was reached based solely on Xie Yizhi's confession and their speculation.

This is not how he usually handles cases.

Was the death of Madam Xie and Prime Minister Xie really like this?

Xu Huaiyi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The evidence presented and the statements made by the Xie family patriarch today are even more absurd. Just because Old Madam Xie met with Prime Minister Xie before her death, can one conclude that Old Madam Xie was killed by Xie Yizhi?

Xu Huaiyi asked, "What do I usually say to you?"

The clerk bowed and listened attentively.

Xu Huaiyi said, "Those who saw it while they were alive are the most suspicious."

The clerk pondered these words several times, then suddenly his eyes widened.

Before Madam Xie died, the person she saw was Prime Minister Xie. Prime Minister Xie suddenly went to see his old wife, who had moved to the countryside many years ago, and the next day she passed away.

The clerk didn't suspect Prime Minister Xie for two reasons: firstly, Prime Minister Xie had passed away, and secondly, Prime Minister Xie had always had a good reputation, so they felt he couldn't possibly have done such a thing.

“There’s one more thing,” Xu Huaiyi said, looking at the clerk.

The clerk's mind went blank for a moment, then he swallowed hard. He guessed what question Xu Sicheng was asking him, and after a long while, he said in a trembling voice, "My wife... my wife died and she suspected her husband."

Xu Huaiyi nodded slowly.

The clerk's legs went weak: "You mean, Prime Minister Xie is more suspicious than Xie Yizhi?"

Xu Huaiyi corrected, "That's not what I meant, but what the evidence and testimony indicate."

The clerk said, "That's not right either. What was the reason why Prime Minister Xie killed his wife?" After saying this, he realized that the reason was that the head of the Xie clan reported to Prime Minister Xie that Old Madam Xie was investigating Xie Yizhi.

Prime Minister Xie did not want this matter to be made public, after all, Xie Yizhi was his only son and the most promising member of the Xie family.

“That’s still not right,” the clerk was already in a state of confusion. “If Prime Minister Xie killed his wife to cover for Xie Yizhi, why would Xie Yizhi turn around and harm him?”

“Who said that Xie Yizhi was the one who killed Prime Minister Xie?” Xu Huaiyi said. “Perhaps we were wrong from the beginning, and the murderer was someone else entirely.”

As soon as Xu Huaiyi finished speaking, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, illuminating the room.

The clerk immediately shuddered.

(End of this chapter)