Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 774 Revenge
To outsiders, it was not suspicious that Madam Xie, who was old and had been recuperating for many years, suddenly passed away. It was also perfectly natural for her second daughter, who had always been by her side, to be observing mourning for her in the village.

Cao, the coroner, accidentally learned the truth and couldn't resist prying into the details.

The village was located in Zhongmu County, making it easier for Cao, the coroner, to gather information under the guise of official business. When he visited the homes of farmers around the village, he overheard the children saying that there was a madwoman in the village.

That woman would wear only a single layer of clothing and run barefoot in the yard even on snowy days.

“Those children aren’t just talking nonsense,” said Cao, the coroner. “There are plum trees on this estate, and those children always try their best to pick some branches to take back with them. I’ve seen them selling plum blossoms along the way.”

In winter, beautiful plum blossoms can be sold for money. Adults don't care about the money, but children don't mind.

The coroner, Cao, looked outside and said, "Second Madam Xie knew that there was something fishy about Old Madam Xie's death. The Xie family couldn't have let her out. The reason they didn't kill her immediately is probably because she's gone mad."

“A madwoman like her will die in less than two years. Rather than risk killing her, the Xie family should just let her fend for herself.”

"Perhaps that the second young lady was not destined to die. She actually saved the Prince of Huai. After the Prince of Huai escaped danger, he inquired about her whereabouts everywhere, which made the Xie family hesitant to take action against her immediately."

“You should also know how much of a commotion it caused when the Prince of Huai was looking for his savior,” said Cao the coroner. “I was also questioned by the Prince of Huai’s men at the yamen. The manner of their questioning really startled me. I thought that the matter of Madam Xie could no longer be kept secret.”

At this point, Coroner Cao's eyes flickered.

Xu Huaiyi's face darkened: "What have you done?"

Cao, the coroner, immediately denied it: "I...I didn't dare to do anything. I just...I just secretly went to the manor to find out information, and...I even bribed a servant on the manor to find out what was going on."

Xu Huaiyi asked, "What did you find out?"

As if seeking credit, the coroner said, "Madam Xie may have been pretending to be crazy all along. On the day she saved people, she took advantage of the Xie family's inattention and slipped out of the manor."

"How could a madman plan all this, and even save people on the way? Unfortunately, the Xie family quickly discovered the anomaly, and all the guards on the estate gave chase. Xie Er Niangzi was delayed because she was rescuing Prince Huai, and she was caught up with not far away."

Xu Huaiyi said, "Continue."

"That's...that's all..." After saying that, the coroner Cao thought for a moment, "After Xie Er Niangzi was taken back, she was locked in the courtyard. I don't know why, but the Xie family didn't kill her this time. I think Xie Er Niangzi must have something that can save her life."

Xu Huaiyi thought of the evidence in Li Da's hands. If Xie Erniang was smart enough, she would definitely use it to blackmail him.

Furthermore, although Xie Erniang failed to escape, she exposed her identity by rescuing Prince Huai. Afterwards, Prince Huai searched everywhere for his savior, making the Xie family hesitant to deal with her easily. Therefore, Xie Yizhi came up with a plan to substitute one Xie Erniang for another, so that the real Xie Erniang would die and the fake Xie Erniang would marry into Prince Qin's mansion.

Unfortunately, not everything went according to Xie Yizhi's plan.

Xie Yizhi sent people from the Demon Cult to deal with Xie Erniang, but she didn't know that Xu Shu's act of killing Lü Shi had aroused the dissatisfaction of the Demon Cult members. Not only did Qiao Si not kill Xie Erniang, but he also took her and her servant out of Bianjing and let them go.

The events that happened on this estate have been mostly clarified... except for one thing.

How did Prime Minister Xie die?

The previous logic was that Prime Minister Xie discovered what Xie Yizhi had done and was subsequently silenced by Xie Yizhi.

The truth is that if Prime Minister Xie killed his wife to protect Xie Yizhi, then Xie Yizhi had no reason to kill her own father. So who would kill Prime Minister Xie?
In fact, Xu Huaiyi had already made a deduction about the murderer, and now the evidence was right in front of him, so he had no choice but to believe it.

The coroner, Cao, said, "Actually, on the night that Prime Minister Xie passed away, his bodyguards were also drugged."

Xu Huaiyi pressed, "How did you know?" The coroner, Cao, replied, "When I went to the manor with the coroner from Kaifeng Prefecture to examine the body, a servant of the Xie family told me." The servant of the Xie family he mentioned was Zhao En, the Xie family guard whom he had bribed.

"Someone must have used datura pollen, because the guard said he smelled a strange odor."

Xu Huaiyi asked, "Where is the Xie family servant who told you all this?"

Cao, the coroner, was clearly prepared: "After Prime Minister Xie passed away, he was sent to Xie Family Village in Weishi County."

After Xie Yizhi was arrested, Xie Family Manor was also investigated, but it doesn't matter. As long as the person is still alive, we will definitely find his whereabouts. Xu Huaiyi looked at the clerk beside him, who understood and hurriedly went out to make arrangements.

Cao, the coroner, looked as if he had been pulled out of the water; his clothes were soaked with sweat. That was all he knew. When the clerk finished writing the confession and was about to have Cao sign and affix his seal, Xu Huaiyi suddenly spoke up again: "Were the guards who were drugged that night killed?"

“No,” said the coroner.

Xu Huaiyi nodded. He hadn't implicated anyone else; he had only targeted Prime Minister Xie. This kind of purposeful killing wasn't a momentary loss of control or a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The fact that Prime Minister Xie killed Old Madam Xie and was himself killed on this estate was not a coincidence, but a planned and inevitable event.

Someone is seeking revenge against Prime Minister Xie.

That person was knowledgeable in medicine and knew how to use drugs. She was short and not very strong. She was meticulous and managed to escape with the help of others after committing murder. She did indeed leave Bianjing smoothly.

And the most important point.

Xie Yizhi knew who killed the old Prime Minister Xie, but he couldn't reveal it, fearing that people would follow the clues and find out about the death of the old Madam Xie and his relationship with the demon cult.

Moreover, that person's identity was still useful to him; he wanted to have his own daughter take his place in the royal family.

Of course, Xie Yizhi could easily kill someone to take the blame, but upon closer examination, there would certainly be many loopholes. It would be better to insist that Prime Minister Xie's death was an accident.

Xu Huaiyi's favorite thing to do is to sort out the most perplexing cases, which gives him an unprecedented sense of excitement. But this time is different.

He felt as if he had sunk to the bottom of a valley.

No matter what Prime Minister Xie did, she could not murder her own grandfather. This crime was considered "heinous" among the "Ten Abominations" and would be punishable by death.

For a moment just now, he had considered stopping the investigation and not letting anyone interrogate the Xie family servants, but that would not be in line with his duty and his long-held aspirations.

He hoped that things could take a turn for the better and that he could find more evidence to prove that the real killer was someone else.

……

In the Dali Temple prison.

Xie Yizhi slowly raised his head, calculating that the time seemed to be almost up.

If she wanted to kill him, then she wouldn't live either. He had kept it a secret for her for so long, just waiting for the right moment to make it impossible for her to escape.

(End of this chapter)