Butterfly [Please Bookmark]

Chang'an County Office, rear hall.

A constable strode into the room and said delightedly, "Sir, Cui Ze has confessed everything. He and Zhang Xiaoyun jointly killed Steward Zheng. They had been carrying on an affair for a long time. According to him, Zhang Xiaoyun orchestrated all of this; he was only led astray for a moment... After Cui Ze confessed, Zhang Xiaoyun admitted it as well."

None of this lay beyond the Magistrate of Chang'an's expectations.

He glanced at Li Nuo, who was flipping through the Great Xia Codex across from him, and sighed inwardly. As expected, dragons begot dragons and phoenixes begot phoenixes. How could Li Xuanjing's son possibly be a fool? On the contrary, he was not only exceptionally clever and observant, but his insight into and command of the human heart were exquisitely precise.

Li Nuo had merely tried it on a whim. He had not expected the other side to confess so quickly.

Just now, he had been thinking that if the scheme failed, he would directly use the Great Memory Restoration Technique. Once the killer had been identified, even torturing them would not have been unjust.

The Magistrate of Chang'an was looking at him strangely, but Li Nuo did not care in the least. What concerned him more was how many days of lifespan this case would add to him. He immediately asked, "Can these two be sentenced to death?"

Pei Zhe nodded, casually opened the Great Xia Codex, pointed to a page, and said to Li Nuo, "According to Great Xia law, if an adulterer kills the husband of the woman with whom he has committed adultery, then even if that wife or concubine knew nothing of it, she shares the same guilt... These two conspired to murder Steward Zheng, and both should be beheaded. However, Cui Ze was an accomplice and confessed voluntarily, so he may be dealt with leniently: one hundred strokes of the cane, Three Years of Imprisonment, and Exile for Three Thousand Li."

Li Nuo read the legal provision on that page. Compared with later generations, Great Xia's laws differed greatly in this regard.

In Great Xia, if an adulterer murdered a husband, the wife or concubine who had committed adultery with him would be treated as equally guilty whether she knew of it or not. Depending on the circumstances, she would be sentenced to beheading or strangulation. Cui Ze and Zhang Xiaoyun's murder of Steward Zheng had been premeditated, and According to Law, they should both be beheaded.

However, officials had a certain degree of discretion in sentencing. Since Cui Ze was an accomplice and had confessed leniently, his punishment could be reduced somewhat. But this merely spared him the Death Penalty for the time being. Leaving aside Exile for Three Thousand Li, which practically meant death with no hope of survival, those hundred strokes alone might kill him. Whether he lived or died depended on his luck.

The Magistrate of Chang'an wrote down the verdict, awaiting only the two of them to sign and press their fingerprints. Li Nuo idly flipped through the Great Xia Codex when he suddenly noticed another legal provision.

"All servants and slave maids who plot to murder their masters shall be beheaded. Those who plot to murder the close relatives of their masters shall be strangled; those who have already injured them shall all be beheaded."

The ancients valued keeping the body whole. Though both were death penalties, beheading was more severe than strangulation. This provision stated that if a household servant or slave maid plotted to murder a relative of their master, whether or not they injured that relative, they would be sentenced to death.

And anyone who plotted to harm their master would be beheaded, regardless of whether the master was injured.

According to the Great Xia Codex, the Female Assassin was a servant of Li Manor, yet she had committed the offense of a subordinate attacking her superior and attempted to murder her master. She had even caused injury. According to Law, she should have been beheaded.

Yet the Magistrate of Chang'an had merely sentenced her to two years' Imprisonment Sentence for intentional injury.

Li Nuo glanced at the Magistrate of Chang'an. Given his understanding of the Great Xia Codex, it was unlikely that he could make such a mistake. After all, he could point out legal provisions with flawless accuracy and flip straight to the correct page. It was like an experienced old judge being unable to distinguish attempted murder from intentional injury, and there was simply no possibility of confusion in this case.

But Li Nuo did not point it out.

After all, he had been influenced by modern law. Under modern criminal law, she might receive three or five years, but she absolutely would not qualify for the Death Penalty. In the twenty-first century, everyone was equal; there were long since no servants or slave maids, and naturally no crime of a subordinate attacking a superior.

The Code of Law also approved of this sentence.

If she received two years of imprisonment, Li Nuo could live two more days. If she received the Death Penalty, he would not gain even one extra day.

So it seemed that the Code of Law did not operate according to the laws of the present day. It appeared to have its own logic and ideas regarding punishment.

Noticing that Li Nuo's gaze had lingered on a certain place in the Great Xia Codex for a long time, the Magistrate of Chang'an swept his eyes over it. When he saw what Li Nuo was looking at, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

No way. The words in that provision were all simple, common characters. There was a strong chance that he understood them. Did that mean he knew that This Official had deliberately handed down a light sentence in the previous case?

Pei Zhe was uneasy. Only when Li Nuo finally turned to a new page without saying anything did he wipe away the fine sweat seeping from his brow and lower his head to continue writing the judgment.

Meanwhile.

Deep within Chang'an Street, inside a certain grand estate.

The blazing sun hung high overhead, tree shade covered the ground, cicadas cried throughout the courtyard, and not a human voice could be heard.

In a quiet room deep within the residence, incense smoke curled up from the burner, filling the air with a soothing, calming fragrance.

A figure hurried through the shade, shattering the tranquility. He entered the room, took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and said, "Sir, Butterfly has been caught in the net..."

In the silent room, the figure sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion slowly opened his eyes and said, "Continue."

The man slowly said, "Zheng Tianxing is dead. Everyone in Zheng Residence was arrested and brought to the Chang'an County Office early this morning. But not long ago, everyone except Butterfly and Cui Ze was released. I fear the two of them face grim odds..."

After a pause, he added, "Cui Ze can die for all I care, but we painstakingly trained Butterfly for more than ten years. She could still be useful in the future. Sir, should we send someone..."

The man addressed as sir glanced at him and said coldly, "Idiot. If we could make a big fuss of this matter, what was the point of going to such lengths to arrange for her to approach Zheng Tianxing in the first place?"

The man's lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing further.

After a moment of silence, the man asked, "With Butterfly's cunning, she was merely killing a merchant too weak to truss a chicken. Even with a burden in tow, she should not have left behind a single clue or flaw. How could she have been discovered so quickly?"

Speaking of this, the man said angrily, "It should have been impossible to discover her. Zheng Residence was full of people last night. No matter how much the Magistrate of Chang'an suspected, he never would have suspected Butterfly. This case would most likely have ended as it had before, with nothing resolved. Who could have expected someone to suddenly stick a hand into the matter and help the Magistrate of Chang'an solve the case..."

The man took a sip of tea and said, "It does not matter. We have merely lost one pair of hands. So long as it does not disrupt the greater matter, it is fine."

The man still could not swallow this insult. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Butterfly was one of the best among them. It took more than ten years to train one like her. She could have served a great purpose before long, yet she was unexpectedly lost over Zheng Tianxing's case. Your subordinate truly cannot swallow this insult! Unless I tear that person into ten thousand pieces, the hatred in my heart will never be eased!"

The man had not wanted to stir up further trouble, but seeing that his subordinate was clearly furious, he relented after some thought to appease him. "Go, then. Remember to do it discreetly. Do not arouse suspicion."

The man was immediately delighted and clasped his fists. "Thank you, Sir!"

The man waved a hand and casually asked, "By the way, what is this person's identity?"

As the man walked away, he replied, "Li Nuo, the son of Minister of Justice Li Xuanjing..."

"Come back!"

Hearing the sharp shout behind him, the man turned around and asked in confusion, "Sir, what is it?"

The man's eyelids twitched several times as he rebuked him furiously, "You bastard! This Official avoids anyone surnamed Li whenever possible, and you still want to provoke one on your own initiative? Are you tired of living?"

The man froze, then asked uncertainly, "Sir, is Li Xuanjing truly that frightening?"

The man took a deep breath, calmed himself, and said, "You are not in the Imperial Court, so you do not know how formidable this man is. Let this matter end here. Never mention it again, and you are not permitted to cause trouble for his son!"

The man could only lower his head and mutter, "Yes..."

At that moment, the man rose from his meditation cushion and paced the room, rubbing his brow from time to time. He muttered, "Li Xuanjing... Has he discovered something? Impossible. This matter is so secret. It should merely be a coincidence..."

After an unknown amount of time, he looked at the person behind him and asked, "Is Butterfly reliable?"

The man nodded. "Rest assured, Sir. Even if she dies, she will not reveal a single thing about us."

"I do not know whether Li Xuanjing's appearance was a coincidence, but Butterfly absolutely cannot fall into his hands. Otherwise, Chang'an will surely run red with blood, and even you and I will not escape death..." After thinking for a moment, the man lightly made a throat-slitting gesture and said, "Just in case... you understand This Official's meaning, do you not?"

"I understand."

The man nodded and asked, "What about Cui Ze? Should we also..."

The man waved his hand. "No need to do anything unnecessary. He knows nothing. If something happens to him, it will instead arouse suspicion. This case involves Li Xuanjing. We must be exceedingly careful and cannot reveal the slightest trace..."