Chapter 50: Another Murder in This Mansion?

Night fell low, and the ornate lamps were just lit.

The guards of Prince Ning's mansion immediately surrounded the Minister of Works' residence.

Xiao Er stepped forward and knocked on the gate; the servant barely opened a crack, and the guards rushed straight in.

At this moment, Lin Xiangyue was anxiously waiting inside the inner residence for Aunt Zhou to return and report on Xiao Ningyuan's condition.

Why hasn't she returned yet? Could it be… something happened? No, what could happen! Xiao Ningyuan has been taking poison for over a month; by now she should almost be dead.

She paced back and forth inside, and a servant's voice sounded from outside: "Madam, the Lord asks you to go to the front hall."

"What is it?" she halted, having just finished dinner not long ago, why must she go again?

"I do not know, the Lord only said, please, Madam, go at once."

"Understood." Lin Xiangyue glanced at the mirror, tidied her robes, steadied herself, supported a maid, and stepped out of the room.

Just as she stepped out into the courtyard, she sensed something wrong: many unfamiliar guards stood outside, their attire not that of her household servants.

Her foot about to retreat, Xiao Ningchen was already standing nearby: "Madam Lin, Prince Ning has come to visit; please proceed to the front hall."

Lin Xiangyue's complexion changed drastically—Prince Ning! Her leg gave way, nearly causing a fall, but the maid steadied her: "Madam! What's wrong? Feeling unwell?"

Yes, yes, I'm unwell!

"Young master, I feel dizzy, so I won't go to pay respects to Prince Ning." She turned to go back, and Xiao Ningchen placed the Chengying sword before her: "Madam, please."

Chengying flashed with cold light; Lin Xiangyue, merely a woman, had never seen a blade so close, and she trembled: "Uh… fine, fine, I'll go right away, right away."

She had no choice but to turn again, her steps stumbling as she headed toward the front hall.

Xiao Ningchen sheathed Chengying, gave Xiao Er a glance, ordering him to follow behind and escort, leaving her no chance whatsoever.

Xiao Er nodded and hurried after them.

Xiao Ningchen, with two guards, turned and entered the inner residence.

In the front hall, Xiao Yuanhang, clad in a python robe, sat at the head; Minister of Works Zhao Heng and Jingzhao Prefecture Prefect Li Jing sat on his left and right, and a line of people knelt on the ground: Zhou Dahai, Master Xu, Aunt Zhou, and two other aunts guarding Zhou Dahai's family, all present.

On the table still lay that black porcelain jar.

Lin Xiangyue had just entered when she saw the scene and immediately collapsed to the ground.

She stared in panic at her husband; Zhao Heng's face turned ashen, his eyes blazing: "Wretch!"

"You commit such evil behind my back! You risk your own life and drag me and the children into it!"

Those words struck like a bolt from the blue, snapping Lin Xiangyue to attention: indeed, Prince Ning now knows everything; only if she confesses everything can the Minister's residence possibly extricate itself from this affair.

Otherwise, her son—who has just entered the Guozijian with a bright future—would be implicated, and his official career and reputation would be ruined in an instant.

She knelt, tears streaming: "Lord! Greed clouded my mind, I was foolish!" Then she bowed loudly to Xiao Yuanhang: "Prince! It is solely my fault as a consort! It has nothing to do with my husband or children; please, Prince, punish me!"

Xiao Yuanhang's face remained expressionless: "You admit it quickly."

Lin Xiangyue kept bowing: "Prince, please raise your noble hand! Do not involve others!"

Xiao Yuanhang said nothing, letting her bow until blood seeped from her forehead.

Xiao Ningchen entered carrying a box, placing it on the table beside his father.

Lin Xiangyue recognized the box, went mute, and lacked the strength even to continue bowing and pleading.

Xiao Yuanhang opened it and saw it filled with ledgers; he flipped them all onto the table, grabbed one, skimmed a few pages, smiled faintly, and handed it to Jingzhao Prefecture Prefect Li Jing.

Li Jing quickly took it and examined it closely.

Zhao Heng stared hard at the ledgers, his eyes full of shock and anger, unable to understand how the secrets of his own residence had been fully exposed to outsiders.

"This, Prince," Li Jing set down the ledgers, clasped his hands, "the case involves embezzlement of official funds; Jingzhao Prefecture cannot adjudicate alone. How shall we resolve it? Please, Prince, give instruction."

Zhao Heng could no longer sit; realizing the situation was lost, he sighed deeply and knelt.

Xiao Yuanhang, with a solemn expression, said: "Sir Li, the case now has both the perpetrator and the evidence, ironclad! The crimes of the Zhao family are countless."

"First, harming the royal bloodline! Using poison to kill my son, intending his death."

"Second, embezzling state treasury! Zhao Heng, as Minister of Works, dared to divert official silver meant for river‑bank repairs into his private purse, causing river‑defense hazards and treating the lives of the people as chaff!"

"Third, tolerating his wife's clan, leveraging official power to run an escort agency, colluding with merchants!"

"This case is beyond the jurisdiction of a single Jingzhao Prefecture office. Immediately transfer the perpetrators and evidence to the Dali Temple! Sir Li, you shall escort them yourself."

"Yes! I obey!" Li Jing glanced at the kneeling crowd, carefully packed away the ledgers and porcelain jar: "Sir Zhao, please."

At that moment, a guard rushed in: "Your Prince! Third Young Master and the young miss discovered a white skeleton in the garden! Please come see."

Xiao Yuanhang frowned, looking at Tuan Tuan, and rose immediately: "A skeleton? There's another murder case in this mansion?"

Zhao Heng snapped his head up: "What skeleton?"

Lin Xiangyue's face was filled with panic.

Xiao Yuanhang glanced at the two, already suspecting: "Sir Li, since there's another murder, please come with me to inspect. Xiao Er, bring the two of them."

"Yes!" Li Jing wiped the sweat from his forehead, muttering, "So many cases at Sir Zhao's residence! Jingzhao Prefecture will be busy now."

The party arrived at the garden.

"Daddy!" Tuan Tuan, sitting in Third Brother's arms and looking around, saw Xiao Yuanhang and reached out to be held.

Xiao Yuanhang hurriedly took her in, "Are you scared, Tuan Tuan?"

Tuan Tuan shook her head, beaming: "Daddy! I found it! Look! Over there!" She pointed a small hand at an unremarkable artificial hill nearby.

The guards had already illuminated the garden with torches; Xiao Yuanhang focused his gaze, seeing the artificial hill was low and continuous, and the stone his daughter pointed to was one of its blocks.

It looked no different from the surrounding rocks, covered in moss.

Xiao Ningxun explained: "Father, I wanted to stroll with Tuan Tuan in the garden, and when we arrived here, she said this stone was strange, unlike the others, and wanted to push it aside to see what was hidden."

"When I saw she couldn't move it, I gave her a push. Unexpectedly, a white skeleton emerged, and I, fearing it would frighten her, pushed it back."

"Father, look." Xiao Ningxun said, then again tried to push the stone as before.

The stone shifted slowly, moving from its original spot, and then, "Clack…"

A faint mechanical click sounded, and Xiao Ningxun stood up and stepped aside.

The stone slid back slowly, and with a low 'Boom—' a muffled sound followed; the seemingly seamless fake‑mountain stone wall then swung inward.

It revealed an underground secret chamber, small inside, more like an opened coffin.

A heavy earthy stench and an indescribable rotting smell drifted out from inside.