Brother, have you ever hanged yourself?

"Xuan, come on..."

Lu Xiaoliu was equally speechless. "Qian might be a bit reckless most of the time, but she wouldn't go hacking someone's wife down in broad daylight."

Then he muttered, "Surely she'd at least wait until dark?"

Song Xuan slapped his shoulder. "Stop fooling around and get to the point!"

"Oh, it's actually nothing serious." Lu Xiaoliu had calmed down somewhat by now. "They went out for a spring outing and found a woman hanging dead in a little grove.

"The three of them reported it to the local County Yamen. They're still there waiting for the results."

"Nothing happened to them, did it?"

Song Xuan only asked in passing. Song Qian was a Second-Rank Black Robe Guard, and although Lu Xiaoliu's second elder sister, Lu Qingshuang, hadn't joined the Black Robe Guard, she had trained in martial arts since childhood and was no weak fighter.

With those two around, if anything happened, it would happen to someone else. They would be the last ones to suffer.

"Nothing serious. Your little cousin just got a fright from seeing a dead body."

Song Xuan nodded, left the yamen, and mounted his horse. With Lu Xiaoliu guiding him, he headed for Ping'an County outside the city.

Song Xuan wore his Black Robe Guard uniform. The constables at the entrance to the Ping'an County Yamen didn't dare stop him. They eagerly came forward to receive him and escorted him to the courtroom.

Inside, the magistrate of Ping'an County was hearing the case. Song Qian sat to one side, watching the proceedings with great interest. Beside her stood the two close friends, Lin Daiyu and Lu Qingshuang.

When she saw Song Xuan enter, Song Qian cheerfully called out, "Brother!"

Lin Daiyu hurriedly dipped into a graceful bow as well and called sweetly, "Cousin!"

Lu Qingshuang, however, looked at Song Xuan with a hint of reproach on her gentle, lovely face. She said nothing, merely giving him a slight nod.

Had an ordinary person dared enter the County Yamen's courtroom without permission and disrupt the proceedings, the magistrate would have ordered their arrest long ago.

But when the magistrate of Ping'an County saw Song Xuan's dark official robes, he merely paused in surprise before rising with a broad smile and offering a clasped-hands salute.

"Official Song!"

Song Xuan returned the salute and smiled. "Sorry for the trouble, Magistrate Chen!"

The magistrate of Ping'an County was named Chen Huaili. As he governed the county just outside the Imperial Capital, Song Xuan had dealt with him a few times before, so they weren't strangers.

"No trouble at all!"

Chen Huaili smiled amiably. "We must thank Official Song Qian this time. Had she not discovered the body so early, it would have rotted in another few days, and the case would have been even harder to investigate."

Then he lowered his voice. "Official Song, might we have a word in the rear hall?"

Song Xuan didn't refuse. He glanced at Song Qian and the others, then followed Chen Huaili into the rear hall.

"Official Song..."

As soon as they entered, Chen Huaili said awkwardly, "Sir, do you think you could take your younger sister home first? With her here, I hardly know how to handle the case anymore."

Rather than answer directly, Song Xuan smiled. "Please explain the details, Magistrate Chen. What exactly happened in this case?"

For a murder within Ping'an County's jurisdiction, even if the case needed to be reported to a higher authority, it should normally be reported to the Ministry of Justice.

But an organization with special privileges like the Black Robe Guard could take charge of virtually any case within Great Zhou, provided they wished to. If Song Xuan wanted to learn the details, Chen Huaili didn't dare stand in his way.

"The deceased was the wife of Landowner Shen, a local gentleman in Ping'an County.

"According to the Shen Household's servants and maids, Landowner Shen and his wife had an argument last night. Then this morning, she was found hanging dead in a grove outside town."

Song Xuan said, "In that case, Landowner Shen is a strong suspect."

"He is indeed." Chen Huaili sighed. "But suspicion is all we have. According to the Shen Household's servants and maids, after arguing with his wife last night, Landowner Shen left home in a rage.

"Landowner Shen also stated that after leaving home, he went to a friend's house to drink and stayed there overnight.

"That friend can corroborate his account, which gives him an alibi."

Song Xuan smiled. "Then do you think this was murder or suicide, Magistrate Chen?"

"I believe it was suicide!"

Chen Huaili explained, "According to the Shen Household's servants and maids, during last night's argument, Landowner Shen's wife cried and made a scene, shouting that she didn't want to live anymore. Everyone in the Shen Household heard her.

"When Landowner Shen left, he also shouted that if she wanted to die, she should do it outside, not at home.

"I suspect Madam Shen couldn't swallow her anger and, unable to see a way past it in that moment, went outside town and hanged herself."

Song Xuan asked, "Has the body been examined?"

"The coroner has already examined it. There were no signs of binding or beating on her body, nor any obvious signs that she struggled before death. We can essentially rule out foul play."

"So you believe this was a straightforward suicide, Magistrate Chen?"

"That is my opinion. But Official Song, your sister insists Madam Shen was murdered and refuses to leave the courtroom until she sees me solve the case.

"Wouldn't you say that puts me in a difficult position?"

Song Xuan chuckled. "Song Qian may be a little headstrong, but she never talks through her hat when it comes to a case involving a human life. If she thinks it was murder, she must have some grounds. Call her in and ask, and we'll know."

Soon, Song Qian was summoned to the rear hall.

"Tell us, why are you so certain Madam Shen was murdered?"

Song Qian said, "Brother, have you ever hanged yourself?"

Song Xuan glared at her. "What, have you?"

Song Qian nodded. "Today, in the grove where we found the body, I tried hanging myself. Then I discovered that when someone is on the verge of dying, they instinctively struggle with all their might. The rope rubs violently against the tree and leaves very clear friction marks.

"But there weren't any friction marks at all on the crooked tree Madam Shen was hanging from.

"That means Madam Shen didn't commit suicide at all. Someone murdered her, then hung her from the tree to make it look like she had hanged herself!"

"Reckless nonsense!"

Song Xuan rebuked her. "Investigating cases is the magistrate's job! Did you have to risk your life for it?!"

Song Qian shrank back and said quietly, "I just wanted to learn more. Last time we went to Huai'an Commandery to investigate that case, I wasn't any help at all. I wanted to learn more about solving cases so I wouldn't drag you down."

Song Xuan fixed her with a stern glare for a long while before finally sighing. "If there's anything you don't understand, ask me. You are not to risk your life like that again. Do you hear me?"

"I know, I know!"

Song Qian let out a soft breath. "Just this once. I'll never do it again!"

Then she gave Chen Huaili a shove. "Magistrate Chen, your skill at judging cases needs some improvement. A human life is at stake, yet you were going to declare it suicide with a few casual words. You haven't taken dirty money from the Shen Household, have you?"