Zhan Feiyu decided to have Zhao Yuan interrogated, and Prefect Jiao and Madam Jiao agreed. Just then, a young man in black, form-fitting attire entered from outside the house. He did not even glance at Prefect Jiao, who was seated at the head of the table, but instead bowed respectfully to Zhan Feiyu.
Could this be a death warrior from the Scholar's Mansion? Jiao Lianping suddenly sat up straighter, his gaze fixed intently on the ordinary-looking youth before him. The man had common features and an equally unremarkable aura, the kind of person who would be lost in a crowd. He didn't even possess a hint of killing intent, and his lean build suggested he wasn't a martial artist.
Unlike Jiao Lianping's superficial ability to discern people, Prefect Jiao sensed something different. At first glance, the man seemed ordinary, but his eyes were cold and indifferent, like an endless abyss. Only someone living in darkness would possess such lifeless eyes.
What is this? Zhan Feiyu's eyes widened. She hadn't even seen him move, but the ropes binding Zhao Yuan instantly disintegrated. Even if they were broken by internal energy, the fact that only the ropes snapped without harming the person proved this was far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary martial artist.
Also momentarily stunned, Zhao Yuan, realizing his freedom, instinctively tried to escape. However, before he could make a move, the youth swiftly touched several pressure points on Zhao Yuan's body.
"Ah..." A sharp, agonizing scream rang out. Zhao Yuan's body, which had just straightened, collapsed back to the ground. Writhing in extreme pain, his face contorted, and he twisted on the ground like a worm.
This sudden turn of events startled everyone in the room. The scream alone indicated the immense pain.
Madam Chen, terrified, sank into her chair, trying to control her emotions, but her body trembled uncontrollably. She remembered when she was young, a horse had bolted. Zhao Yuan, to save her, had lunged forward and shielded her with his body. The wild horse had trampled over Zhao Yuan's left arm.
Madam Chen clearly recalled the crunching sound of bone breaking. Yet, despite the excruciating pain, the ten-year-old Zhao Yuan had not cried out.
But now, seeing Zhao Yuan convulsing in pain, Madam Chen could not imagine how much it hurt. She also dared not think about what would happen to her if Zhao Yuan confessed.
The youth touched two more pressure points on Zhao Yuan's body, and the wails finally ceased.
Zhao Yuan, curled on the ground, gasped for breath as if he had been pulled from water. His face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.
"Speak or not?" the youth asked. His voice was calm, devoid of any coldness, yet as soon as he spoke, Zhao Yuan's body twitched in terror. It was clear he was already afraid.
With a flick of his wrist, a gleaming silver blade appeared in the youth's palm. It was only palm-sized, but the blade was as thin as a cicada's wing.
"Ah!" The cry of pain erupted again.
This time, Zhan Feiyu saw clearly. The youth's right hand moved twice. Once, he cut open Zhao Yuan's shoulder clothing, and the second time, he sliced the blade across Zhao Yuan's shoulder blade.
"Such swift knife skills!" Jiao Lianping exclaimed dazedly. This strike was aimed at the joint of the shoulder blade, directly severing the tendons connecting the bones.
Looking at the blood on the ground, Jiao Lianping suddenly believed in the legend of "a thousand cuts." With such knife skills, one could truly flay the flesh off a criminal piece by piece. Even if only bare bones remained, the criminal would not die.
Without waiting for Zhao Yuan to speak, the youth used the same technique to sever the tendons of Zhao Yuan's left shoulder blade. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a flash of steel, and a piece of flesh was sliced from his shoulder.
Blood gushed out instantly. Zhao Yuan screamed in agony, but his body seemed pinned to the ground. Despite such excruciating pain, he could not move an inch.
Zhan Feiyu instantly thought of the dish "garlic paste white meat." She would never touch chopsticks to eat it again in her life.
Jiao Lianping also thought of it, feeling nauseous. He quickly turned his head away, but the sliced piece of flesh remained vividly in his mind.
"Master?" Madam Huang's voice trembled. She looked at the gentle and demure Madam Chen, who, in private, could also employ tactics to punish servants, believing in the dual approach of benevolence and authority to manage subordinates. But compared to the youth's cold-blooded actions, Madam Huang felt she was too merciful. This was clearly the work of an executioner.
Prefect Jiao had also used torture when interrogating criminals, but the yamen typically used beatings with planks. For severe torture, they would use the "jia gun" (a type of rack). Usually, by the third round, the criminal would confess.
Seeing the youth's practiced movements in severing tendons and slicing flesh, Prefect Jiao knew without a doubt that this person was not a death warrior from the Scholar's Mansion, but from the Imperial Dragon Guard.
"I confess..." Compared to the physical pain, Zhao Yuan feared the methods of torture the executioner behind him would employ even more. Ultimately, he would not be able to endure and would confess, so it was better to suffer a little less.
The youth's expression remained indifferent, showing neither disappointment nor triumph. He wiped clean the blood-stained blade, sheathed it, and stepped aside. It was fine that Zhao Yuan confessed; if he hadn't, the youth could have continued the interrogation.
"Husband, let's go back!" Madam Chen's voice trembled like leaves in a cold wind. She grabbed Jiao Lianping's wrist with such force that her fingernails almost dug into his flesh.
"Sit down!" Madam Jiao's voice was sharp. She looked coldly at the frightened and uneasy Madam Chen. It was too late to be scared now.
Zhao Yuan lowered his head and began to speak. Ultimately, his affection for his wife could not overcome the physical and mental torment.
"Did you instigate this person to harm Lianyu?" Prefect Jiao's eyes finally showed a trace of regret. He shouldn't have forced his eldest son to marry Madam Chen back then.
Jiao Lianping let out a chuckle, forgetting the bloody scene just moments ago. He looked at the trembling Madam Chen as if she were an idiot. "You wouldn't actually think that if Jiao Lianyu died, the Jiao family would be handed over to me, would you?"
Although he disliked his father, Prefect Jiao, Jiao Lianping knew that Prefect Jiao was upright and righteous. If one of his two sons died and the other was incompetent, the heir to the Jiao family would be sought from collateral branches, meaning the most capable would inherit.
In fact, it wasn't just the Jiao family; the Qiu family in Qianzhong Prefecture was the same. The direct descendants were tutored by renowned scholars from childhood, had countless books in their homes, and were personally guided by their elders in their studies. They could also use family credentials to visit esteemed scholars and gentlemen.
Under such conditions, if the direct descendants still failed to excel, then once they took over the family business, it would only be a matter of time before they squandered their ancestral fortune. Rather than that, it was better to select outstanding heirs from the collateral branches. After all, they were all family, of the same clan and surname.
"Why?" Madam Chen was stunned. She thought that once Jiao Lianyu was dead, everything in the Jiao family would belong to their main branch. As for Madam Huang, no matter how favored she was, she was merely the father's concubine and could be easily dismissed with some silver.
Madam Huang also hadn't expected that the mastermind would be Madam Chen. Although she had always looked down on Madam Chen, the young madam of the household, Madam Huang truly hadn't expected that Madam Chen, though foolish, would be so audacious as to commit murder for profit.
Jiao Lianping cast an apologetic glance at Zhan Feiyu, showing no sympathy for Madam Chen, his wife. At this moment, he spoke coldly, "A life for a life, a debt for a debt! Father, since Zhao Yuan has confessed, why not bring them and their servants to justice."
"You shut up!" Prefect Jiao, in his anger, threw the teacup directly at Jiao Lianping. It was precisely this daughter-in-law that he had forced his eldest son to marry.
Madam Jiao gave her garrulous son a warning look. As for Prefect Jiao's current embarrassment and rage, she paid it no mind. "Family scandals should not be aired. Zhao Yuan is not a servant of the Jiao family. Have his hands crippled, give him a哑药 (drug that causes muteness), and send him to the authorities. As for Chun Chan..."
Madam Jiao looked at Chun Chan, who was kneeling on the ground, and continued in a deep voice, "Nanny Niu, drag her out and beat her to death!"
Although Chun Chan was Madam Chen's dowry maid, she was also born into the family and had signed a contract of indenture. If she were beaten to death, Chun Chan's parents would have no choice but to accept it.
"Mercy, Madam!" Chun Chan cried out desperately, trying to implicate Madam Chen. However, Nanny Niu was faster. She pulled out a handkerchief, stuffed it into Chun Chan's mouth, and directly had the nearby guards drag her away.
Madam Chen opened her mouth but could not utter a word. She could only look at Prefect Jiao and Madam Jiao with tears streaming down her face, silently pleading. She didn't want to die. She was the young madam of the Jiao family, and Jiao Lianping was merely a lowly illegitimate son!
"Madam Chen will die of illness," Madam Jiao finally granted Madam Chen the last shred of dignity.
"You can't kill me!" Madam Chen screamed like a madwoman, backing away step by step, her face filled with terror. "I am a daughter of the Chen family, you cannot kill me!"
Madam Jiao looked coldly at the shouting and screaming Madam Chen. "You hired someone to commit murder; sending you to the yamen would also be a dead end! The Chen family has more than just you as a daughter. Do you think the Chen family will stand up for you?"
The Chen family would probably kill Madam Chen themselves first, to prevent her from bringing disaster upon all the other daughters of the Chen family. Especially since the Chen family was now in decline and could only rely on the Jiao family. If Madam Jiao had spoken, how would the Chen family dare to disobey?
If Madam Chen and Jiao Lianping had a harmonious marital relationship, it would have been one thing. But she was not favored, and now she was a murderer, even if it was an attempted murder. If Madam Chen lived, not only Jiao Lianping but others would also be afraid. Who knew when she might go mad again and hire someone to kill.