A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 139 The Truth Revealed to the World (25)

"Lu Xun, don't rush, tell me slowly."

In Song Shuyu's memory, Lu Xun was a typical heir of a prominent family: serious, upright, self-disciplined, polite, and measured in his speech and actions.

Lu Xun was usually unmoved even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, but Song Shuyu had never seen him so excited before.

Lu Xun closed his eyes briefly and began to recount: "I have a younger brother named Lu Zhao. We are twins. When we were eight years old, our parents took us back to our hometown to visit relatives for the New Year. On New Year's Eve, Lu Zhao found the house boring and begged me to go out with him. We stubbornly shook off the servants and sneaked out onto the street. We ended up in the Linjiang area, where we happened to run into a group of masked assassins in black who were wreaking havoc at 'Shuiyunjian'! Dozens of lives were taken, men, women, and children, like cutting vegetables, one cut at a time, blood flowing like a river!"

"We two children were terrified and didn't know what to do until our whereabouts were exposed and the assassins discovered us. Only then did we think of running away! To protect Lu Zhao's life, I rushed out to distract the assassins. Unfortunately, I was stabbed several times and fell into Taihu Lake. I lost the jade pendant that belonged to Lu Zhao. Later, the government found the jade pendant and determined that the missing person was Lu Zhao. My father was afraid that the assassins would find out the truth and kill us all, so he went along with the mistake and let Lu Zhao take my place. He then announced to the outside world that Lu Zhao had accidentally fallen into the water and drowned."

"After I fell into the lake, I miraculously survived and was rescued by fishermen. However, not long after, the fishing boat sank, the fishermen perished, and I, who survived, unfortunately became a beggar and wandered among the common people. Nine years later, I grew up and finally returned to the capital as Mu Xun, a scholar from Jiangnan, to participate in the imperial examination. I was fortunate enough to achieve the third-highest rank in the examination! Because I look exactly like Lu Zhao, my father quickly came to find me. Lu Zhao was afraid that I would suffer another misfortune and insisted on changing my identity, allowing me to return to the Marquis's mansion and become the real heir, Lu Xun, while Lu Zhao entered and left the court as the third-highest rank scholar, Mu Xun."

"As a result, Lu Zhao was assassinated twice within a month. From this, we realized that Mu Xun's face and name were the same as Lu Xun's, which had aroused suspicion of the mastermind behind the 'Shuiyunjian' family massacre! We were in the open, while the murderer was in the dark, and the murderer's identity and strength were not to be underestimated. We dared not risk our lives any longer. Therefore, in order not to implicate the Marquis's family and to lull the murderer into a false sense of security, I devised a scheme to fake the death of the third-ranked scholar. From then on, my brother and I stayed at home, biding our time and waiting for the right moment."

After hearing this old story, Song Shuyu was deeply shocked. He said, "So, the reason why the outside world thought that the Marquis of Huai'an's family was low-key and did not associate with official families, and that the Marquis of Huai'an abandoned his official post and just lived a life of holding the title, was not because he was inactive or unambitious. There is such a tragic reason behind this!"

"Yes. During the nine years I was missing, my father never gave up looking for me, but he didn't dare to make a big fuss. He could only send people to search secretly. He didn't dare to make the Marquis's mansion too conspicuous, nor did he dare to let the clan members stand out too much. Only by hiding behind the scenes like a shadow could we possibly escape the calamity of the extermination of our family!"

The secret buried deep in his heart for many years had been suffocating Lu Xun. Today, he finally had the opportunity to find a trusted partner to confide in. His heart, which had been taut for twelve years, finally opened a small gap, allowing him to breathe. But it was only a slight gasp; he dared not fully relax and enjoy himself.

Because as long as the "Shuiyunjian" family annihilation case remains unsolved and the murderer remains at large, the sword hanging over his and Lu Zhao's heads will always remain!

Song Shuyu's eyes slowly reddened. He gripped Lu Xun's hand, a lump in his throat, "I never knew you'd suffered such a fate. You were only eight years old then! I can't even imagine how you survived. How did you even manage to become a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations... how..."

He choked up, as if someone had grabbed his throat, and couldn't continue speaking.

He had always envied Lu Xun. Lu Xun spent his days in the Marquis's mansion, unconcerned with his future or worldly affairs. His mother accompanied him in calligraphy and painting, and his father helped him brew wine and practice archery. The whole family was together, enjoying a harmonious life. Unlike him, from the age of ten, he had only his grandmother by his side, and from time to time, he had to endure the wrath of his eccentric aunt, Song Zi. Only now did he realize that Song Shuyu and Lu Xun, who appeared to be of noble status, were actually both burdened by hatred, and had been carrying this burden for more than ten years.

Lu Xun leaned down and gently embraced Song Shuyu, saying with emotion, "Brother Song, the past is not entirely over. I am very grateful to you for helping me take over the Dali Temple. I must find out the truth behind the massacre of the 'Shuiyunjian' family, clear the names of the thirty-two people who were slaughtered, and seek justice for myself!"

"Lu Xun, do you suspect the Empress Dowager?" Song Shuyu suddenly stiffened, propped Lu Xun up, and said in an unyielding tone, "You must explain yourself to me. I will help you investigate. It would be time-consuming and laborious for you to do it alone, not to mention you might die!"

Lu Xun paused for a moment, then slowly smiled. "Alright, since we brothers are of one mind, I won't hide it from you. In these three years, I've raided the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice more than a dozen times at night. I reviewed all the files related to the 'Shuiyunjian' family massacre case and discovered that the government classified it as a江湖 (jianghu, martial arts world) feud, but couldn't identify the suspect. When the case was reported to the Ministry of Justice, the only response from the local government was 'investigate further,' and that was the end of it. Later, the Dali Temple intervened, and the then-Minister of Dali, Lord Mu Yan, objected to the case and ordered it to be transferred to the Dali Temple for a thorough investigation. Unexpectedly, Lord Mu was soon demoted and sent to a remote post, and the case was shelved from then on, never to be mentioned again."

"Mu Yan?"

Song Shuyu was horrified. How could Mu Qingcheng's father be involved? It turned out that the reason Mu Yan sold his property and left the capital with his daughter was related to the massacre of the "Shuiyunjian" family!

Lu Xun sighed, "The murderer was able to take down even the Grand Secretary of the Court of Judicial Review, a third-rank official in charge of criminal trials nationwide. This shows that the murderer is no ordinary person and has connections everywhere!"

Song Shuyu's thoughts were churning, and beads of cold sweat gradually appeared on his forehead. Twelve years ago, when the late emperor was alive, the Song family rose rapidly in rank thanks to his grandfather's illustrious military achievements. They not only won the empress title for his aunt, but also the title of duke for the Song family. They were so powerful that they dominated the court and wielded immense influence!

So, was the Empress Dowager involved in the massacre at "Shuiyunjian"? Was Mu Yan's demotion possibly orchestrated by the Song family?

Song Shuyu's ashen face and panic made Lu Xun's heart tighten. "Brother Song, don't overthink it. I haven't suspected anyone. I only believe in evidence! The reason I asked you to bring up this case again was both to pave the way for restarting the investigation and to throw out a bait to test the murderer!"

Song Shuyu's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was dry. "I... I'm not afraid of your suspicion. I'm just worried that the Song family is involved in the case, and that the Song family will deal with Lord Mu."

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(End of this chapter)