The clap of the gavel brought the hall to silence, not only for the county yamen runners but also for the scholars from noble families gathered outside.
Prince Yu sat behind the desk, while Gu Qingzhou, Liu Jian, Prefect Zhang, and others who were present sat to his left.
"Your Excellency, we pay our respects!" The four men, brought to the hall by the yamen runners, knelt down with a thud. They were the most likely culprits in the poisoning of Wan Yunhao and had been imprisoned.
Fortunately, Prince Yu, who presided over the trial, had no fondness for torture. Although the four men, imprisoned for three days, looked haggard and fearful, they had not suffered.
"I have investigated and found that Wan Yunhao was not poisoned by the bamboo tube of cold water. The suspicion on the four of you has been cleared." Prince Yu struck the gavel again, releasing the four men on the spot.
The four kneeling figures, Chef Jia, Aunt Yi, and the laborers Bing and Ding, were stunned for a long time before they reacted. Overjoyed and excited, they kowtowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Your Excellency, thank you, Your Excellency!"
As a minor official prepared to have the four sign and fingerprint, Liu Jian frowned, a sense of unease rising in his heart. "Your Highness, how was Wan Yunhao poisoned?"
Not only Liu Jian was puzzled, but also the twenty scholars selected to observe. If it weren't for Prince Yu's imposing presence and his status as a first-rank prince, they might have spoken up to inquire as well.
Prince Yu glanced at Liu Jian with a cold sneer. "Lord Liu, please be patient. Since I am presiding over this case, I will naturally get to the bottom of it. If you are so impatient, your temperament is not as steady as these young scholars."
Liu Jian's old face darkened, but he dared not retort. To use Prince Yu's own words, he couldn't touch the First Prince for now, but could he not deal with Liu Jian, a second-rank minister!
The twenty scholars, who had been impatient, were surprised by the praise. Then, with proud expressions, they straightened their backs and adopted a calm and composed demeanor. As scholars, they were naturally expected to remain unfazed even in the face of disaster.
Many, unable to observe from outside the county yamen due to the scorching heat, had hired people to guard the place. Seven or eight people ran towards the street, spreading the news of Chef Jia and the other four being released.
When the scholars waiting in tea houses, wine shops, and inns arrived, Chef Jia and the others had already left the county yamen. Seeing their families who had come to pick them up, they cried with joy, "His Highness has cleared the matter, and my suspicion has been washed away."
Perhaps due to the loud commotion outside, Prince Yu struck the gavel again, and the yamen runners shouted, "Majesty!" The trial had to continue.
"Your subordinate pays his respects to Your Highness!" Chong Guang stepped onto the hall and bowed to Prince Yu. Then, he had two yamen runners carry a table onto the hall and began taking out items from the wooden box one by one, placing them on the table.
"What is this for?" Outside the hall, a young man in brocade robes craned his neck to look, utterly bewildered.
"Hush," his companion whispered a reminder.
Those were the Imperial Guards, skilled in martial arts. No matter how quietly they spoke, they would be heard. Speaking too much could lead to mistakes, so it was better to speak less and observe more.
The scholars who had rushed over also disregarded the advantage of mingling with the noble youths and all stood under the black cloth canopy, looking towards the hall.
Chong Guang's voice was a few decibels louder than usual. "Your Highness, this scroll was written by Wan Yunhao during the competition. After inspection by the Imperial Guards, the ink stick used by Wan Yunhao that day had been tampered with..."
As soon as Chong Guang said this, everyone inside and outside the hall finally understood why Prince Yu had released Chef Jia and the other four. It turned out that the ink stick had been mixed with a stupefying drug, which had caused Wan Yunhao to faint.
Afterward, Liu Tong, the斋夫 (zhāi fū - a caretaker of a vegetarian hall or a monk's quarters), took advantage of the darkness to force the poison into Wan Yunhao's mouth and then poured it into the bamboo tube, creating a false impression to mislead everyone.
"Majesty!" Amidst the shouts of authority, the斋夫 Liu Tong was brought to the hall. Prince Yu, however, immediately resorted to torture.
"Ah... I'll tell you... I'll tell you everything..." Liu Tong was just an ordinary person. After his buttocks were whipped until the skin was torn, he could not bear the pain and confessed.
As previously speculated, Liu Tong had no idea who had instructed him. In the darkness, the person gave him two hundred taels of silver and then placed the porcelain bottle containing the poison on the table.
If he did it, Liu Tong would receive two hundred taels of silver; if he didn't, his only son would die on the spot.
"Your Highness, your subordinate was also forced!" Liu Tong cried, crawling on the ground. If he had any other way, how would he dare to harm someone's life, and a juren (successful candidate in the imperial examinations) at that!
Prince Yu showed no mercy. After Liu Tong signed and fingerprinted, he was shackled and imprisoned in the dungeon.
"Bring the seven people responsible for guarding the self-reflection room of the county school to the hall!" Prince Yu commanded coldly. The seven individuals, detained by the Nanxuan Guard before the trial, were brought to the hall.
Prince Yu's gaze was sharp, allowing no escape. The seven people kneeling in a line felt an inexplicable unease.
After receiving Prince Yu's approval, Chong Guang put on the cicada-wing gloves he had obtained from Doctor Ji and picked up the ink stick from the table.
"The ink stick with the stupefying drug was taken by the culprit. This is the replaced ink stick. By examining the fingerprints on it, not only can it be proven that Wan Yunhao did not use this ink stick, but it can also be used to find the culprit who swapped the ink stick."
Hiss! Everyone inside and outside the hall gasped in shock. Chong Guang's explanation was clear, and everyone's gaze suddenly turned to the seven kneeling figures. Only they had the opportunity to swap the ink stick.
Chong Guang opened the powder box on the table. The exquisitely crafted box was not only carved with intricate patterns but also inlaid with a pearl.
"That's a powder box used by women?" The elder scholars widened their eyes in surprise. They were all married and had seen their wives groom themselves, but the cosmetics their wives used were far less exquisite and beautiful than what Chong Guang held.
Ignoring the surprised and curious crowd, Chong Guang dipped a soft wool brush into some white powder, shook it slightly, and then brushed the powder onto the ink stick.
A moment later, Chong Guang blew on the ink stick. Several fingerprints appeared on the black ink stick, two of which were quite clear.
"This?" Those outside could not see clearly, but the twenty scholars observing in the hall exclaimed in surprise.
Is this the method of the Imperial Guards? Liu Jian, Prefect Zhang, and the others looked at Chong Guang with shock and apprehension. If such methods were used in the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review, would investigations be easier?
"How will the fingerprints be compared to find the culprit?" Prince Yu asked directly. The four people, Chef Jia and the others, who had been released earlier, had also pressed their fingerprints, but they were not clear, and the patterns appeared blurred. It was almost impossible to find the culprit by comparing them.
"Your Highness, please wait a moment. Next, we will take the fingerprints of these seven people." Chong Guang gently put down the ink stick.
At this moment, the seven people kneeling in the hall appeared relatively calm. Although the Imperial Guards were terrifying and caused people to change their expressions upon hearing their name, after seeing Chong Guang's methods, they were no longer worried. As long as they were innocent, they were not afraid of investigation.
Several candles were lit on the table. Chong Guang placed a piece of porcelain evidence over the candle flame and slowly baked it. A moment later, a layer of black ash condensed on the white porcelain piece.
Chong Guang asked the first constable kneeling to step forward. After the porcelain piece cooled down, he announced loudly, "Smear black smoke on these three fingers of your right hand."
Although he didn't understand what Chong Guang was doing, the constable complied without hesitation. First, his right thumb, then his index and middle fingers. "Sir, it is done."
Chong Guang glanced at it. The fingertips were already black, evenly coated with black smoke. "Wait."
Everyone watched as Chong Guang placed white wax used for making candles over the flame. After the white wax softened, Chong Guang quickly poured the melted wax, which looked like a viscous liquid, into a long copper box and rapidly smoothed the surface with a blade.
After waiting for a while longer, and confirming that the wax had reached the right softness, Chong Guang looked at the guards and said, "Press your fingers on it one by one. Remember, just a light press. Do not move your fingers, or the fingerprints will be blurred."
"Yes." The constable nodded in understanding and pressed his three fingers, smeared with black smoke, onto the wax one by one.
After he removed his hand, three clearly defined fingerprints appeared on the wax.
Perhaps because the fingertips were smeared with black ash and contrasted against the white wax, the fingerprints were much clearer than those pressed during signing and fingerprinting. The patterns in the middle were particularly discernible.
"This can actually extract fingerprints?" Everyone inside and outside the hall widened their eyes in shock again. If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they would probably not have believed it.
Chong Guang had his subordinates from the Imperial Guards extract fingerprints from the second person, while he himself compared the black fingerprints on the wax with the ink stick and recorded them.
Although this process was slow, its effect was significant. As fingerprints were extracted from one person after another, only the last two remained kneeling.
One of them was Chen Fei, a squadron leader of the Nanxuan Guard, and the other was Xiong Dahai, an ordinary rank-three constable.
Zhan Feiyu had initially thought that if the fingerprints of the first five people did not match, then the culprit who swapped the ink stick would be the burly, dark-skinned Xiong Dahai.
However, as her gaze inadvertently swept over, she saw that Chen Fei's hands, placed by his side, were trembling slightly. Zhan Feiyu was stunned. How could this be possible?
Whether it was Prince Yu sitting behind the desk, or Gu Qingzhou, Liu Jian, and Prefect Zhang observing, as officials of the court, they had seen countless people. If Zhan Feiyu could detect Chen Fei's abnormality, these old foxes naturally noticed it as well.
"Sir, your subordinate has no regrets even in death!" A hoarse and tragic voice sounded. Chen Fei suddenly stood up and tried to seize Xiong Dahai, who was kneeling beside him.
Seeking death! Chong Guang's eyes suddenly darkened. The wool brush in his hand shot out like a hidden weapon towards Chen Fei's right hand, and his figure also flashed forward instantly.
"Ah!" A scream of terror rang out.
Just as Chong Guang twisted Chen Fei's arm, his body convulsed in pain. Black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. He had bitten and crushed a poison pill hidden in his mouth and committed suicide.
"Sir..." Chen Fei extended his left hand towards Magistrate Chen, and then spat out another mouthful of black blood. He died with his eyes wide open, still looking at Magistrate Chen.
"Someone's dead!" A timid scholar cried out in alarm again. The deathly appearance of Chen Fei, who had died of poisoning, with his bulging, ferocious eyes, had truly terrified them.
"Silence!" Prince Yu struck the gavel, glaring at the few shouting scholars. If little Yu, an eight-year-old girl, was not afraid, why were these grown men crying out like this, shaming themselves as men!
Zhan Feiyu came back to her senses and then looked towards Liu Jian. She saw that he still had that gloomy and sharp expression, showing neither shock nor the smugness of having successfully framed Magistrate Chen. He appeared as calm as if all of this had nothing to do with him.
Sensing Zhan Feiyu's change in mood, Gu Qingzhou patted her shoulder comfortingly. Liu Jian was, after all, a second-rank official. If he lacked this composure, he would have lived his life in vain.
Chen Weibin did not panic either. He knelt and pleaded, "I implore Your Highness to clarify, this case has nothing to do with this subordinate."
"Magistrate Chen, does it mean nothing if you say it has nothing to do with you?" Master Qin's family angrily rebuked, then knelt and kowtowed to Prince Yu, saying, "I implore Your Highness to investigate thoroughly."
Prince Yu ignored the head of the Qin family and coldly ordered Chong Guang, "The person is dead, and the body is still here. Extract the fingerprints first."
"Your subordinate obeys." Chong Guang was already annoyed. He had not expected Chen Fei to have hidden poison in his mouth. With this person's death, the clues would likely be completely断了 (duàn le - broken/severed). What's more, he had dragged Magistrate Chen down with him before dying!
Perhaps because of Chen Fei's horrific death, or perhaps because of Prince Yu's overwhelming anger, the hall and its surroundings fell into silence.
Chong Guang personally extracted Chen Fei's fingerprints and compared them in detail with the fingerprints revealed on the ink stick. "Reporting to Your Highness, Chen Fei's fingerprints match the clear one on the ink stick, but they do not match the fingerprint at the top of the ink stick."
Actually, this was normal. Chen Fei was the one who swapped the ink stick, so his fingerprints would be on it.
However, there were still five or six slightly blurred fingerprints on the ink stick, while the fingerprint at the top was clear. This must have been left by the person who ground the ink stick. To achieve a deceptive effect, they couldn't have replaced it with a brand new, unused ink stick.
After Chong Guang finished speaking, Gu Qingzhou looked at Liu Jian with a half-smile. The Emperor, for the new salt production method, had directly issued an oral decree to Prince Yu and Liu Jian. They had rushed to Shangsi County, bringing only guards, no servants or attendants.
Upon arriving at Shangsi County, the servants Liu Jian ordered were arranged by Tong Tongzhi. Therefore, the grinding work could not have been done by the guards, nor by the servants of the Tong residence.
Of course, based on Gu Qingzhou's understanding of Liu Jian, Lord Liu had an imposing official demeanor and would not do such menial work. Therefore, the most likely person to have done this would be Liu Jian's advisor, a very mysterious person and Liu Jian's confidant, who was also a scholar. There was no one more suitable.
...
Although Prince Yu had suspended the trial, the scholars were not as agitated as before. At least the truth of Wan Yunhao's poisoning had been uncovered. As for who had instructed Squadron Leader Chen Fei, that still needed further investigation.
"What? Are you feeling indignant for Magistrate Chen?" In the carriage, Gu Qingzhou smiled and looked at Zhan Feiyu, who had a pouting, chubby face. She was truly a kind-hearted little girl.
Looking at the receding streetscape outside the carriage window, Zhan Feiyu said listlessly, "I just feel that Lord Liu's actions are too disgusting!"
"Haha, you only know half the story. Liu Jian's attempt to frame Magistrate Chen is also like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet." Gu Qingzhou spoke only half of what she meant. "Perhaps the Prince's opportunity for revenge has arrived."
Zhan Feiyu's emotions fluctuated quite a bit. Firstly, she hadn't expected the murderer to be Chen Fei, and secondly, she was worried about Magistrate Chen.
Now that she had calmed down, Zhan Feiyu frowned in thought, her eyes lit up, and her voice became much more cheerful. "Teacher, are you saying Lord Liu is going to silence the witness?"
Today, Chong Guang had extracted fingerprints in public and recorded the fingerprint from the top of the ink stick. As long as the owner of the fingerprint was found, it would be equivalent to finding the person who ground it, and this person would undoubtedly be Liu Jian's confidant.