Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 181 The Khitans

“Miss Yan’er, have you forgotten that the jewelry you’re wearing is part of a set? This gold hairpin I’m holding is engraved with plum blossoms and was made by the same craftsman as your other hairpins. Since they are works by a famous artist, each piece has an inscription—Miss Yan’er, how do you explain this?” Yan Mingzhang’s eyes were resolute. In front of so many people, she couldn’t possibly deny it, could she? Little did he know, he had underestimated the girl’s thick skin.

Miss Yan'er was speechless for a moment, her expression changed slightly, and her eyes widened. It was as if she had never known such a thing before.

However, her eyes darted around, and she immediately looked up, her eyes devoid of any remorse: "This hairpin was originally mine, that's true. But when I went out to the kitchen just now, I accidentally lost it. Perhaps the murderer picked it up. And then, he used the method you just described to put the arsenic into this bone!"

"Oh? Arsenic?" Yan Mingzhang stared intently at Yan'er, his eyes blazing, each word like a knife, "I never said that there was arsenic in this chicken leg bone."

Yan'er's face paled, but she still forced herself to continue arguing: "Arsenic...that's how it's written in the stories, and look at the way this old beggar died, anyone with eyes can see it, the murderer must have used arsenic! I was just clever and guessed the truth correctly, you can't call me the murderer just because of that, can you?"

Yan Mingzhang's lips curled into a cold smile as he slowly pointed to Yan'er's right sleeve: "It's alright. But Yan'er, why don't you take a look at your left sleeve first—it's still stained with roast chicken oil. Surely you didn't sneak some from the kitchen, did you?"

"You!" Yan'er was furious, her face flushed red. "I'm not talking to you anymore, you're being completely unreasonable!"

Yan Mingzhang calmly put down the gold hairpin and said in a deep voice, "The physical evidence is complete. Next, we need the witnesses. Chef Li."

At this moment, a plump cook came up. She had a fair complexion, but her face was full of nervousness. She walked shakily to the center of the stage.

Cook Li was prone to sweating, and at this moment she kept wiping her sweat with a handkerchief.

"Cook Li, just tell me what you've heard and seen," Yan Mingzhang encouraged.

Looking at the dense crowd below the stage, the cook, Li, trembled and stammered, "I...I was just carrying the roast chicken I had finished cooking, about to serve the old beggar's table. But as soon as I left the kitchen, I ran into this girl. She gave me a gold ingot, saying she wanted to buy my roast chicken. I thought, the old beggar has eaten so much food, he probably wouldn't remember if I missed a roast chicken, so, in a moment of greed, I...I..."

"Where is the gold ingot?" Yan Mingzhang asked, his eyes gleaming.

Cook Li was cautiously about to take something out of her bosom.

Yan'er, however, drew her riding whip from her waist, the tip tracing a sharp arc in the air with a piercing whistling sound. Immediately afterward, she spun around, her toes lightly touching the ground, and leaped towards Yan Mingzhang and Chef Li. She lashed out with the riding whip, whipping it sharply in mid-air, aiming for Yan Mingzhang's throat, her killing intent palpable.

Seeing that things were not going well, Rong Wanyin, who was standing behind Yan Mingzhang, drew her soft sword from her waist and went to meet him.

The horsewhip and the soft sword became entangled. The horsewhip was more resilient than Rong Wanyin had imagined; it was no ordinary weapon. A soft sword is known to cut through iron like mud, yet it couldn't sever the horsewhip for a moment!
"Miss Rong, be careful!" Yan Mingzhang's heart skipped a beat, and his palms broke out in a sweat as he nervously watched Rong Wanyin's retreating figure.

Rong Wanyin used her toes to touch the ground and flipped backward. With a slight shake of her slender hand, she drew out the soft sword and thrust it towards Yan'er's face.

Yan'er sneered, flicked her wrist, and the riding whip transformed into a series of whip shadows, lashing out.

The two were locked in combat, and unexpectedly, Yan'er's martial arts skills were not weak! Although Yan'er's martial arts were not as good as Rong Wanyin's, she was going all out with every move, while Rong Wanyin only wanted to subdue her and did not use her full strength. Therefore, the two were evenly matched and could not be determined for a while.

The guests below the stage were stunned, unsure whether to watch the two fight or run for their lives.

Swords flashed and whips flickered, the two fighters displaying exquisite skills. If it weren't for the murderous intent in Yan'er's eyes and Rong Wanyin's solemn expression, the back-and-forth fighting would have resembled a meticulously choreographed sword dance.

Qian Shoujun darted forward and joined the battle, instantly reversing the situation. Qian Shoujun's judge's pen struck Yan'er's riding whip, and the two sides separated.

Qian Shoujun said with a serious expression, "Miss Yan'er, this is Jiuqu Pawnshop, not your backyard. You can't just kill this person as you please."

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Oh my, Miss Yan'er, are you trying to commit murder in public? No, you're trying to assassinate an official of the imperial court in public! How amazing! Whose maid are you, to be so bold?"

Yan'er hated it when people called her a maid. She was so angry that her face turned ashen, as if she was about to burst into flames, but she couldn't find the person who had started the commotion in the crowd: "Who said I'm a maid! Believe me or not, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Yan'er was furious, but she couldn't beat him in a fight or win an argument.

"You actually ganged up on me!" Yan'er was furious, her almond-shaped eyes wide open as she pointed at Yan Mingzhang and Chef Li.

She then retorted, "I only bought a roast chicken with gold, and you can convict me? So buying roast chicken is illegal in your Great Zhou Dynasty!"

Yan Mingzhang stared at Yan'er, his eyes sharpening: "You're a Khitan! That explains it. You probably didn't dress like a Han Chinese woman much before, so you didn't know that these headdresses were part of a set. That's why you carelessly discarded this gold hairpin!"

Yan'er realized she had spoken out of turn, took two steps back, and remained silent.

Yan Mingzhang sighed softly, his eyes filled with a knowing understanding: "I understand. That bowl was indeed priceless. If we killed the old beggar and then stole the bowl, it would be a foolproof plan..."

He drawled out the last syllable, looked at Yan'er meaningfully, and gave her an "I understand" look.

"Shut up!" Yan'er's face flushed with anger, her eyes blazing with fury. "Who cares about his broken bowl? Who would steal it! He's just a stinking beggar, he's dead, so what? Why are you all making such a fuss about him! He's the one who embarrassed me! If it weren't for his broken bowl, would I be so humiliated? Killing him would be too lenient; he should be ground to dust!"

"Yan'er!" A voice suddenly called out from room number one, the voice carrying a hint of authority. Yan'er froze instantly, all color draining from her face. She realized she had misspoke; wasn't this an admission of murder?
A wealthy young man slowly descended the stairs, his voice cool and aloof: "This is Lord Yan, isn't he? My daughter Yan'er is young and doesn't know any better. She's caused you trouble..."

The carved wooden staircase creaked softly, and the candlelight cast a tall, slender shadow. The man wore a black brocade robe, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, jingling softly.

When everyone saw his face clearly, they couldn't help but sigh, "This man is truly..."

Surprising!