Chapter 145: One Hundred and Fifty-Two: Who Is the True Culprit

One Hundred and Fifty-Two: Who Is the True Culprit? The Public Trial Ends in Victory

On Luming Street, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Amid the dense, thronging crowd, a clear space had been cleared, and countless civilians watched the Liu brothers in the center—some excited, some coldly indifferent, some astonished.

The eldest brother, Liu Liu Ziwen, lay slumped in the arms of his second brother, Liu Zi'an.

Blood gushed unrestrained from his chest, slowly oozing from all seven orifices; his body convulsed in rhythmic spasms, his eyes bulged like those of a dead fish, as if he were a fish pinned on a butcher's slab, struggling desperately in unbearable internal torment.

This was not the expected symptom of a stab wound to the chest or abdomen—it was the same poisoning condition as the unconscious Jade Zhi Immortal nearby.

Yet at this moment, the poison in Liu Liu Ziwen's body appeared to be in its early stage; the toxins had not yet penetrated deeply, and the symptoms were less severe than those suffered by the Jade Zhi Immortal earlier.

However, if this strange poison truly disrupted the flow of meridians and blood vessels, then slowness was clearly more torturous than suddenness.

The twisted expression on Liu Liu Ziwen's face revealed the grim truth.

A corpse of a man wearing a felt hat lay nearby, still surrounded by Yan Yan Liulang and the other constables.

Yet now, apart from the tearful wails of Liu Liu Zilin, Liu Liu Ziwen, and other members of the Liu family, the entire atmosphere rapidly chilled.

The fading echoes of the felt-hat man's final cry before his suicide still seemed to linger in the air.

Silence fell. All eyes—Yan Yan Liulang, Assistant Magistrate Official Diao, the county officials, and the watching townsfolk—unconsciously turned toward the magistrate's desk nearby.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, Shen Shen Xisheng, and Wang Wang Lengran sat calmly beside the desk.

Who? Which magistrate?

Many in the crowd exchanged glances; confusion spread among them.

The magistrate's desk became the focal point of all attention.

Shen Shen Xisheng immediately turned his gaze toward Wang Wang Lengran.

Wang Wang Lengran turned his head, fixing his eyes on Magistrate Ouyang Rong.

Not only he—many others in the crowd also fixed their gazes on Magistrate Ouyang Rong.

Only Chenjun Xie Ling remained still; aside from her initial look of surprise, she did not turn to look at her senior brother.

Chenjun Xie Ling stopped calmly beside the felt-hat man's corpse, picked up the bloodied dagger from the ground with a handkerchief, and examined it closely in the sunlight.

In the sunlight, Magistrate Ouyang Rong stood tall, hands braced on the desk, his upper body leaning forward.

He ignored the reactions of Wang Wang Lengran, Shen Shen Xisheng, and others beside him.

"Save him first!"

Beneath his rugged brows, his eyes locked straight ahead as he spoke loudly and clearly.

Chenjun Xie Ling immediately dropped the dagger and stepped forward, pushing aside Liu Liu Zilin and the others, using spiritual energy to rapidly seal Liu Liu Ziwen's acupoints.

Drawing on her experience with the Jade Zhi Immortal, Chenjun Xie Ling seemed familiar with the poison's mechanism; her actions were swift and precise.

Once the convulsions ceased and the bleeding from the orifices slowed, the poison temporarily suppressed, Liu Liu Ziwen did not faint—he lay pale and weak, but conscious.

"Doctor! Where's the doctor? Hurry, send someone! Quick!"

Liu Zi'an shouted urgently; constables and Liu family servants rushed to fetch the nearest physician.

"Brother, hold on!"

Liu Zi'an's eyes were bloodshot; he bowed his head in sorrow, gripping a handkerchief as his trembling hands wiped the blood from his brother's mouth, nose, and lips.

The onlookers had expected a tragic scene of a dying brother entrusting his family to his surviving kin.

"You… you… you're cruel!"

Suddenly, Liu Liu Ziwen's upper body jerked upright like a corpse reanimated, his bloodied left hand clamping down with the force of a dying crab on Liu Zi'an's wrist holding the handkerchief, delivering one final, crushing grip.

Before all eyes, Liu Liu Ziwen's face twisted in fury as he screamed at Liu Zi'an:

"You're my younger brother—why? Why?! You… you're cruel!"

On his blood-smeared, grotesque face, a flicker of sorrow appeared in those final words.

Liu Zi'an's expression froze for a moment; the handkerchief in his palm slipped to the ground.

"Huh—!"

The crowd packed along Luming Street erupted in a wave of startled murmurs.

Who could have foreseen such a twist? It was as if they'd just stumbled upon a scandalous secret.

Those who had been glancing subtly toward Magistrate Ouyang Rong, Shen Shen Xisheng, and Wang Wang Lengran at the magistrate's desk now turned sharply toward a figure sitting motionless nearby.

Chenjun Xie Ling, Assistant Magistrate Official Diao, and Yan Yan Liulang also glanced toward Liu Zi'an.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong and the other two at the desk turned their eyes together to examine Liu Zi'an.

Even Liu Liu Zilin and other Liu family members instinctively stepped back, staring at the second master of the Liu household, who still clutched Liu Liu Ziwen in apparent grief.

"Brother, what are you saying? It wasn't me—I didn't do it! How could I ever do such a thing? Brother! No… it wasn't me!"

Liu Zi'an's mouth gaped open, utterly bewildered, his words stumbling from shock and injustice.

Then he suddenly rose, scanning left and right.

Facing the entire crowd and his younger brother Liu Liu Zilin's wide, accusing eyes, Liu Zi'an shouted fiercely:

"I've always been as close to my brother as flesh and blood—how could I do such a thing? Who is behind this? Who is trying to turn us against each other? I, Liu Zi'an, and the entire Liu family will never forgive him!"

After declaring this to the crowd with clenched teeth, Liu Zi'an sat back down, hugging Liu Liu Ziwen tightly, refusing to look at him; instead, he turned sharply to Liu Liu Zilin and the others with a stern face:

"What we must do now is not suspicion! Third brother, Liu Fu, hurry and fetch the doctor—Brother's condition cannot wait! Whether you believe me or not, save him first. We'll settle everything else later. I am innocent, upright, and will prove it myself—then let the whole family investigate! Right now, act!"

Speaking as the second master of the Liu family, Liu Zi'an turned sharply toward the magistrate's desk and announced loudly:

"Magistrate Magistrate Ouyang, Magistrate Wang, Magistrate Shen, a vile enemy hired assassins to kill us. I beg you, send men to investigate thoroughly—get to the bottom of this. Also, could today's public trial be postponed slightly? My brother… my brother…"

The second master of the Liu family clutched his brother, tears and voice breaking.

The entire crowd fell silent, watching Liu Zi'an in anguish.

His words left everyone exchanging uneasy glances.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong glanced sidelong at Liu Zi'an, then exchanged a look with his junior sister, who stood nearby, observing coldly.

She gave a slight shake of her head—she couldn't tell either.

The Liu family, led by Liu Liu Zilin, grew uncertain.

"You… you… have the poison…" Liu Liu Ziwen struggled to speak, his words halting.

"Brother, speak."

Liu Zi'an finally lowered his head, pressing his ear to Liu Liu Ziwen's bloodied lips, listening intently.

"You… you have this poison…"

Liu Liu Ziwen ignored Liu Zi'an's innocent, wronged expression, staring fixedly into his eyes, his voice barely audible—only Liu Zi'an could hear.

Liu Zi'an bowed his head, choked with grief, and whispered into Liu Liu Ziwen's ear:

"It really wasn't me, Brother. I've entrusted everything to you. Don't you remember? Yesterday, you gave the poison to that man in the crowd…"

"Brother, please believe your second brother. I won't let him go unpunished. For now, I'll hold the Liu family together. Just survive this, and I'll avenge you. Brother, hold on—don't die. Wait until you recover…"

As the two brothers whispered, a physician from a nearby clinic finally rushed through the parted crowd.

Before releasing his embrace, Liu Liu Ziwen, who had been staring unblinkingly at Liu Zi'an, dimmed his gaze, clutched his bloody chest, slowly closed his eyes, and whispered:

"Antidote…"

Liu Zi'an glanced at Liu Liu Ziwen, nodded silently, stepped aside to let the physicians crowd in and tend to the wounded man.

The cleared space erupted into chaotic bustle.

Liu Zi'an stood up, staring down at the blood soaking his clothes. His eyes held sorrow and confusion.

Seeing Liu Liu Zilin approaching slowly, Liu Zi'an sighed wearily: "Third brother, I really…"

"Second brother, I believe you!"

Liu Liu Zilin stepped forward, joining the rest of the Liu family to meet him; he grasped Liu Zi'an's blood-stained hands and nodded firmly:

"Brother has been attacked—we can only rely on you now. Lead us through this crisis… Don't be too broken, Second Brother. Stay strong. This was surely the work of that man…"

Mid-sentence, he noticed Liu Zi'an's expression and fell silent.

Indeed, Liu Zi'an immediately stepped past him: "Magistrate Magistrate Ouyang."

Liu Zi'an stepped forward warmly to greet Magistrate Ouyang Rong and the others who had left the magistrate's desk.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong, hands behind his back, leaned forward to glance at Liu Liu Ziwen, now being carried on a stretcher by two physicians.

Liu Zi'an smiled carefully: "Thank you, Magistrate Magistrate Ouyang, for your concern for my brother. By the way, could the public trial be paused for a moment…"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong suddenly turned: "I have no concern. Hmm… it's a pity, though."

He glanced at the blood-soaked wounds on Liu Liu Ziwen's body, muttered under his breath, then turned and walked away with his attendants.

Liu Zi'an's smile froze. Just then, Magistrate Ouyang Rong, having taken a few steps away, suddenly halted.

"Oh, I came to inform Liu Liu Ershao of something."

Chenjun Xie Ling, Yan Yan Liulang, and Liu Ashan, who stood close around the young county magistrate, heard him speak without turning his head:

"The public trial continues. The Liu family must not miss the second half."

Liu Zi'an: "But my brother…"

"Then let Liu Liu Ershao take his place—who said it must be your brother? His crimes won't vanish just because he's injured. Treat him well—don't let him die."

"And do you think I've been targeting you three brothers because I dislike you—or because of some personal grudge?"

Liu Zi'an replied quickly: "Magistrate Magistrate Ouyang, your humble subject dares not think so…"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong cut him off immediately:

"I'm sorry—it's not that. I'm not that petty. From the beginning, my public trial has never been about you."

"It's about the entire Liu family!"

"I do only three things: relief, flood control, justice. Your Longcheng Liu family is the greatest obstacle to these. That is your original sin."

"And this public trial is to show every citizen, merchant, and gentry in the county exactly what crimes your Liu family has committed!"

The young county magistrate swept his sleeve and departed; Chenjun Xie Chenjun Xie Lingjiang, Yan Yan Liulang, and their followers cast cold glances at Liu Liu Zian and the others standing frozen in place, then turned and followed the magistrate's footsteps.

Only the crowd gathered to gawk and feast on the spectacle remained, along with the Liu family members whose bodies began to tremble with fear.

Thus, not long after.

The county-wide public trial resumed.

Thereafter, on the open-air courtroom of Luming Street, the sound of the gavel—each strike trembling through the hearts of Liu Liu Zian and the Liu family—fell again and again.

In the silent hearts of the thousands of onlookers, something formless—greater than the Liu family's former power before its collapse—rose silently from nothing, sprouting into a towering edifice in the blink of an eye.

Its name was justice.

…

Boom—

Fine, rustling raindrops pattered against the ancient, upturned eaves.

Just two days after the county-wide public trial, which had taken an unexpected turn but left the people of Longcheng smiling, the final rains of the plum season descended.

The heavens and earth seemed filled with the pattering sound of rain striking surfaces.

The rain washed over this ancient city nestled in a corner of Jiang Nan Dao.

As if seeking to cleanse from it certain unclean things.

This was an official lodging not far from the Longcheng County Office, near enough to the county jail that it had been renovated to house prisoners who were either guilty or suspected, yet afflicted by illness.

At the entrance to the long corridor leading to the lodging's courtyard, Magistrate Ouyang Rong and his party—Yan Yan Liulang, Liu Ashan, and others—folded their oiled paper umbrellas, shook off the rain, and stepped inside.

"Yan Liulang, have you found out who attacked Liu Liu Ziwen?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong asked casually; in the two days since the trial's verdict, he had been busy dismantling the Liu family and had forgotten to follow up on some matters.

Yan Yan Liulang nodded: "His name is Amo. He's not from Longcheng. He came here years ago during a famine and settled in Longcheng County for a long time…"

"Get to the point," Magistrate Ouyang Rong suddenly said.

Yan Yan Liulang nodded and spoke directly:

"The only connection he had with the Liu family was when he first arrived in Longcheng, and was given porridge by the Liu patriarch's charity stall."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong slowed his steps slightly, turned to gaze at the rain beyond the corridor, his brow furrowing.

He recalled Old Cui, the man who had once burned the Liu family's ledgers in the eastern warehouse, and saw before him the blurred, aged face scorched by the demonic oil-fire.

Old Cui had been much the same—once fed by the Liu patriarch's charity stall, then later found new work in Longcheng.

How often fate mirrors itself in this world.

Outside the corridor, the sound of water enveloping heaven and earth, rain striking banana leaves, filled the air.

Magistrate Ouyang Rong turned his gaze back and saw Yan Yan Liulang about to speak but holding back. He chuckled: "What else? Say it. Nothing's too secret."

Yan Yan Liulang replied honestly: "I also think the Liu family is most likely guilty, but this assassin, Amo… he also had some connection to the magistrate…"

"What connection?" Magistrate Ouyang Rong seemed unsurprised.

Yan Yan Liulang frowned: "The relief camp you built on the city's outskirts also fed him. He had been receiving rations at the Shuangjiang Camp."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong let out a quiet laugh and asked:

"Do you think I did it?"

"Impossible. The magistrate would never do such a thing, nor would he deign to." Yan Yan Liulang said earnestly, then added in a whisper, "Even if, hypothetically, he were to do it, he wouldn't hide it from his subordinates."

Magistrate Ouyang Rong shook his head lightly. "The motive behind this mastermind is intriguing."

Yan Yan Liulang leaned forward, whispering: "Who do you think the real culprit is, Liu Liu Zian? Or… that Lord Wang?"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong kept his sleeves folded in silence, walked a few steps alone, then suddenly turned and smiled:

"Come, let's go see if Old Master Liu is dead yet. Better not die too easily—just keep him breathing. Otherwise, it'd be too kind to him. Hmm, ideally, he should witness firsthand the gift I've given him these past two days. Also…"

Magistrate Ouyang Rong nodded with sincere expression:

"To be honest, I'd actually like to deliver justice for him. After all, Old Master Liu's life is a life too…"

Yan Yan Liulang and the others stared, dumbfounded, then hurried to catch up with the young magistrate ahead.

…

This chapter moved too fast. Dammit. Didn't detail the second half of the trial. Xiao Rong will explain it another way.

(End of Chapter)