That night, Zhao Manor was as peaceful as ever.
It stayed that way until the fifth watch had passed. When the steward saw that the master still hadn't come out, he couldn't help going to knock on the study door. There was no response from inside.
He pushed at the door, and it swung open.
"Master? Madam?" The steward stood at the entrance for a moment, then called inside.
The study was silent.
He called several more times, but still no one answered. Hesitantly, he went into the study and turned into the inner chamber.
The moment he stepped inside, a thick, rank stench hit him. His heart jolted. He hurried forward and saw a huge pool of blood on the floor, along with bloody footprints. They were tiny, as if left by a child of only a few years old.
He went up and lifted the bed curtains, drawn tightly shut, and saw three people lying side by side on the bed.
The master and madam, with Young Master Wenqi between them.
But of the three, only Young Master Wenqi had a normal complexion and was breathing evenly. The other two had gone pale, and below their faces, the necks exposed above the covers had been reduced to bare bones.
The steward took one look and let out a scream as he fled. On his way out, he stumbled and fell, smearing his face with blood.
"The master is dead! Hurry, report it—"
When Jingzhao Prefecture heard that the deceased was the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, they sent someone straight to report it to the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry of Justice soon dispatched people to Zhao Manor. The official leading them was Xue Mingtang.
When Xue Mingtang first heard the report from Jingzhao Prefecture, he was told that the dead were Zhao Ming and the woman he kept as a mistress. Only after arriving did he learn that Zhao Ming's parents were dead, too.
Now the only person in the entire manor who could make decisions was the unmarried Second Young Lady, Zhao Wenyue.
Zhao Wenyue woke to the news that her grandparents and birth father had all died in a single night. She was completely stunned. When she saw Xue Mingtang, there was none of her usual delight on her face.
"L-Lord Xue, what happened to my father?" Zhao Wenyue asked in alarm, seeming to regard Xue Mingtang as her only lifeline.
"I'm about to take the coroner to examine the bodies. Please wait here, Second Young Lady Zhao."
Xue Mingtang didn't waste time with Zhao Wenyue. He summoned the Zhao Manor steward, who was at least somewhat useful, and had him lead them to Zhao Ming's study. He also sent another team to examine the bodies of Zhao Ming's parents.
The steward couldn't even get close to the study without remembering what he had just seen. He didn't dare go in. Xue Mingtang didn't force him; he stationed two subordinates outside and went in with the coroner and the others.
When the steward ran out, he had remembered only that his master was dead. He had completely forgotten that Zhao Wenqi was still inside.
Xue Mingtang saw a sleeping boy beside the two corpses. There was a deep gash on the boy's face, though it had stopped bleeding. He frowned and turned to instruct them, "Wake the child."
A clerk from the Ministry of Justice stepped forward, patted Zhao Wenqi's face, and watched him rub his eyes groggily before sitting up.
He still hadn't figured out why he had woken in his father's study when he turned and saw his parents lying on the bed. "Father, Mother," he called.
He was about to reach out and push his unresponsive parents, but the clerk from the Ministry of Justice was quick to scoop him up.
Zhao Wenqi was startled. His legs kicked wildly, and one foot caught the covers, pulling them aside.
Beneath them lay two bodies stripped down to bone, side by side. Their internal organs remained in place; only the flesh had been removed.
It hadn't disappeared. It had been neatly stacked beneath them.
The scene was so horrifying that even the Ministry of Justice coroner, who was accustomed to death, covered his mouth. Zhao Wenqi, only a few years old, could hardly be expected to fare better.
He let out a short scream, rolled his eyes, and fainted.
"My lord, what should we do with the child?" the clerk asked Xue Mingtang.
Xue Mingtang looked at the small child-sized shoes beside the bed, then at Zhao Wenqi's feet. "Compare them with the footprints in the room."
The comparison was done quickly: the bloody footprints had indeed been left by Zhao Wenqi.
"Take him outside and keep an eye on him. We'll decide what to do after the examination results are in."
"Yes, sir." The clerk from the Ministry of Justice carried Zhao Wenqi outside.
Xue Mingtang's gaze swept over the two bodies stripped to their skeletons, his brow furrowed the entire time.
He left the coroner to examine the bodies and told his subordinates to search the inner chamber for other evidence. Then he went out into the study.
At the doorway, Xue Mingtang ordered the guards not to let anyone in, then closed the study door.
When he and Zhao Ming had first become acquainted, he had left his personal jade pendant with him as a token. He needed to find it as soon as possible. Given Zhao Ming's caution, he might have made other preparations as well.
As he thought this over, Xue Mingtang began searching the study with his eyes.
Ever since he had learned that Zhao Ming had been murdered, he had been unable to settle his nerves.
The Mingjing Division had been keeping close watch. He hadn't wanted to take the needless step of immediately disposing of Lady Xiao Lin, but Zhao Ming had impatiently demanded that he honor their agreement and help him get rid of her.
And after Lady Xiao Lin had insulted his elder sister on the day of the Flower Festival, he had used the Snow Needle Snake. He had also thoroughly cleaned up afterward, leaving the Mingjing Division no clues to find.
Lady Xiao Lin had been dead for some time, and, as expected, no one had noticed anything amiss. He had thought it was all over, but who knew things would still take such a turn?
Before long, Xue Mingtang found two hidden compartments in the study. One was concealed behind a painting, the other behind a bookcase, blocked by a pile of books.
The first compartment held a box. Inside were a stack of silver notes, several ingots of gold, and a few land deeds tucked beneath them.
The other compartment held a wooden box filled with a stack of letters.
Xue Mingtang took out the letters and, sure enough, felt something inside one of the envelopes near the middle.
The envelope contained the jade pendant he had given Zhao Ming.
He took out the pendant and put it away. Then he couldn't help wondering whether Zhao Ming might have written anything incriminating about him and tucked it into one of these envelopes.
As he considered what to do with the letters, the clerk standing guard at the door suddenly shouted, "Stop right there!"
Xue Mingtang's expression changed. The next instant, the tightly shut study door shattered, and a wooden box flew outside.
The two men exchanged a blow through the air, one inside and one outside. The wooden box exploded, and its letters burst into countless scraps that swirled through the air.
Xue Mingtang hid his slightly trembling hand behind his back and walked out, his expression composed.
Outside the study, Feng Yang stood at the front, the Mingjing Division Guards lined up behind him.
"Commander Feng, what is the meaning of this?" Xue Mingtang's voice carried a note of accusation.
"The Mingjing Division is taking over the Zhao case."
Xue Mingtang's expression darkened, and his voice rang out with conviction. "There is no such rule. The case has already been reported to the Ministry of Justice by Jingzhao Prefecture. If you don't want me involved in this case, the Ministry of Justice must issue an order."
"I'm issuing the order. Is that not enough?"
As Xue Mingtang and Feng Yang stood in a standoff, a deep voice rang out. The Mingjing Division Guards promptly formed two ranks and cleared a path.
Bai Xiuming wore a dark purple, wide-sleeved robe with a straight collar. Faint dark dragon patterns shimmered across it as he walked.
He hadn't gone to the office that day. After learning of the trouble at Zhao Manor, he had come straight from Ming King Manor.
"Greetings, Lord Bai." Xue Mingtang lowered his head deeply. "Since Lord Bai wishes to investigate this case, I'll take my people and leave at once."
"Leave?" Bai Xiuming looked at the scraps of paper scattered across the ground. "Before Lord Xue explains why he destroyed the letters at the crime scene, I'm afraid you can't go."
Xue Mingtang immediately explained, "I thought the murderer had broken in, so I picked up the wooden box in the study and threw it as a weapon. This was my fault. I'm willing to accept punishment."
"So Feng Yang startled Lord Xue?"
Sweat beaded on Xue Mingtang's forehead. He dared to stand up to Feng Yang, but he would never dare show disrespect to this Pacification Commissioner—not because of Bai Xiuming's rank or status, but because Bai Xiuming's cultivation could crush him utterly.
"It was my fault."
"Since you were at fault, Lord Xue, stay here for now and reflect on it."
After saying this, Bai Xiuming headed into the study.
By then, the Ministry of Justice coroner had finished examining the bodies. Seeing that the person who had walked in was from the Mingjing Division, he couldn't help looking surprised.
Feng Yang stepped forward and asked, "What did you find?"
The coroner immediately reported his findings. "My lord, the two were killed by being flayed alive. What's strange is that every cut was made at the same angle and with the same force. Even the most skilled executioner couldn't achieve that."
"My lord?" Feng Yang turned to look at Bai Xiuming.
Bai Xiuming asked, "Who was the dead woman?"
"She was Zhao Ming's mistress. The son Zhao Ming recently adopted was his illegitimate child with her."
"How many people knew?"
"Zhao Ming's parents must have known. They're dead, too."
Bai Xiuming pondered for a moment. "Send someone to find Lady Lin's grave. Dig it up, open the coffin... and summon her soul."
"Yes." Feng Yang immediately sent someone out.
"There's one more thing... Keep an eye on Ji Chan. Once the case is solved, I want to see her."
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