Chapter 292

Fresh blood gushed from Chen Tongyuan's severed neck and chest, staining the walls, the ground, and Meng Wan Yi's crazed face red.

She shook her hair and began to tear at her clothes again.

Rolling in the pool of blood, she continued to shout crazy words that no one could understand, like a demon reveling in hell.

"Chen Tongyuan, my good father, how does it feel to die at the hands of the two people you cared about most?"

"Can it be considered a beginning and an end?"

"Can this legitimate eldest son of yours be considered filial?"

Chen Yan watched the corpse that had already lost its breath, smiled indifferently, and thought to himself.

Chen Tongyuan's death did not cause any ripples for Chen Yan.

The only point that made him happy was that the position of Duke of Wei had finally been vacated...

He could inherit the title!

"Mother, did your spirit in Heaven see this?"

"Chen Cijiu and Chen Tongyuan both died at the hands of their son; they paid the price they deserved!"

"May your spirit in Heaven rest in peace!"

Chen Boqiao took his mother's spirit tablet from his bosom, placed it on the ground, and knelt down to kowtow repeatedly.

And the corpse of Chen Tongyuan lying not far away seemed to be the best sacrifice to comfort his late mother...

"Madam, the Young Master planned everything and avenged you!"

"The Young Master today is more outstanding than any young talent from any aristocratic family in Chang'an. I will definitely protect the Young Master well, so please rest assured!"

Zhu Yi held the jade pendant given by the Madam years ago, looked at the thoroughly dead Chen Tongyuan, and sighed with deep emotion.

"What on earth is going on?!"

"Why is my mother here?!"

"And why did she go crazy and bite Father's neck?!"

Where there is joy, there is sorrow. Chen Gubai shuddered, as if struck by a thunderbolt. His body, which had been kneeling on the ground, leaned forward violently, and he didn't even notice the bloody marks his knees made on the cold stone slabs.

Chen Gubai watched helplessly as Meng Wan Yi smeared the blood from the ground onto her face.

Watching her emit an inexplicable, hideous smile at his father's corpse, his stomach churned.

But more than that was the bone-chilling cold and confusion, as if countless ice needles had drilled into his brain, causing him a splitting headache.

Chen Gubai didn't understand; he couldn't understand why his mother would go crazy and bite his father's neck, and he understood even less how his mother could be here.

"Your mother was brought here by me!"

Fortunately, Chen Gubai wasn't confused for long. The next moment, someone kindly answered: "As for why she went so crazy, it's because I just fed her some interesting medicine in the Qinglong Hall!"

The owner of the voice was Li Tan.

This Duke of Wei's wife, whose mental state was already near collapse, was brought back by Cui Hongdu specifically according to Chen Yan's instructions before Li Tan left the Duke of Wei's mansion.

To achieve this effect, she was also fed quite a bit of Yun Xi's secret medicine...

And behavioral guidance was provided.

"Li Tan!"

"You!"

Chen Gubai felt his chest tighten, blood surging up. He glared at the instigator, Li Tan, and questioned: "What grudge did my father and mother have with you!"

"How could you commit such a vicious act!"

Upon hearing this, Li Tan smiled half-heartedly, raised his hand to poke his head, and mocked: "Chen Gubai, use your stupid brain to think carefully—why was the entire Meng clan exterminated?"

"Would my Big Brother raise his hand in mercy and spare only this crazy woman, Meng Wan Yi?"

Having said that, his fingertips pointed again at the disheveled woman in the bloodstains.

"Wasn't it because Father promised..."

Chen Gubai blurted out subconsciously, then suddenly thought of something, his pupils locking into needles. He looked at Chen Yan in disbelief, "No!"

"You intended to use my mother to kill my father from the very beginning!"

Why did his Big Brother, who had slaughtered his second uncle and aunt to the last person, show mercy to them everywhere?

Was it because he cared about family affection and was soft-hearted?

Was it because he was moved by those things?

None of that!

It was because he had calculated this ending from the very beginning and prepared this method of death for his father!

At that moment, cold sweat instantly soaked his back, and all the hair on Chen Gubai's body stood up.

It was like a cold snake crawling up his spine, flicking its tongue to lick the back of his neck.

He felt it was terrifying to think about!

It made his hair stand on end!

Chen Yan didn't pay attention to Chen Gubai; he beckoned You Xian from outside and ordered: "Go and invite the coroner to come and examine the injuries of..."

"Duke of Wei, Chen Tongyuan!"

Actually, his third brother was right; the ending had been set long ago...

After all, he, Chen Yan, was a person of great creativity; how could he repeat himself?

The three siblings had to have different ways of dying!

"Examine the injuries?"

Chen Gubai repeated muttering, as if realizing something, and asked tremblingly: "Big... Big Brother, what are you doing?"

Asking for a coroner to examine the injuries for no reason was an unusual signal...

"The Duke of Wei had his neck bitten off by a concubine and was stabbed by a concubine-born son with a sharp blade; of course, we must leave traces immediately!"

Chen Yan glanced over, smiled half-heartedly, and replied nonchalantly.

"Work" must leave traces.

That was the cause of death to be given to the outside world!

Otherwise, who would take responsibility for Chen Tongyuan's death?

"It was Chen Boqiao!"

Chen Gubai's emotions suddenly became extremely agitated. He pointed at Chen Boqiao and said sternly: "It was Chen Boqiao who grabbed my hand and drove the short blade into Father's chest!"

"The murderer is Chen Boqiao!"

Chen Gubai couldn't wait to clear himself of responsibility.

"Third Brother, don't you go around making false accusations!"

Chen Boqiao, seeing this, stood up unhurriedly and retorted.

Immediately, he looked around and asked: "Did anyone see me grab Chen Gubai's hand?"

Zhu Yi, Hongye, Li Tan, and even the old jailer all shook their heads in unison.

"You... you all!"

Chen Gubai looked at the group who were all standing on the same side and felt he couldn't argue his case. The fire in his chest burned brighter and brighter, as if it were going to burn his internal organs to ash.

"Cough... cough cough..."

A violent cough interrupted his train of thought. He bent over, coughing heart-rendingly, tears choking out, but he couldn't cough anything up.

Only that feeling of suffocation grew heavier, like a giant rock pressing on his chest, making him unable to breathe.

"My Lord, the coroner has arrived!"

Footsteps approached from afar. You Xian returned quickly, followed by several old men carrying wooden boxes. They were dressed in washed-white blue cloth shirts, their hair and beards white, their faces lined with deep wrinkles—they were the famous coroners of Chang'an.

"Begin the autopsy!"

Chen Yan said with his hands behind his back.

"This humble one understands!"

Coroner Liu and the others replied, opening the wooden boxes. The silver autopsy knives, probes, white cloth, and other items inside gleamed coldly under the torchlight.

Carrying the boxes, they walked into the pungent smell of blood.

Meng Wan Yi had already been propped up by the Embroidered Attire Envoys. Coroner Liu and the others glanced at her and pretended not to see, simply taking a piece of white cloth from the box, spreading it on the ground unhurriedly, and then squatting down to carefully examine Chen Tongyuan's corpse.

They first looked at the wound on the neck, carefully probed the chest with a probe, and then flipped open Chen Tongyuan's eyelids to check the state of his pupils.

Fingers placed on Chen Tongyuan's wrist, feeling the pulse that had long since gone cold, brows slightly furrowed, then relaxing again.

"The fatal wound is on the neck," they looked at each other, and Coroner Liu spoke, his voice as flat as if he were talking about an ordinary object, "The cervical artery is ruptured, the trachea is bitten off, and there is a knife wound piercing the heart in the chest, which aggravated the injury. Death was caused by excessive blood loss. The tooth marks are deep and messy, the force was extremely fierce, consistent with... the joint actions of a madman and an enemy."

Upon hearing this autopsy result, Chen Gubai knelt down at Chen Yan's feet with a "thud" and shouted: "Big Brother, you just promised to let your younger brother go and to ensure my glory and wealth!"

"Is it still valid?"

His words were full of pleading.

"This Chief will naturally let you go!"

Chen Yan smiled indifferently and said.

He paused, changed the subject, and continued: "But the chief judge of this case is the Grand Imperial Rectifier..."

"He cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes!"

Having said that, he shrugged, indicating his own "helplessness."

"Chen Yan, you clearly swore an oath just now!" Chen Gubai panicked and said hysterically.

He never imagined that this person could go back on his word and be so faithless...

He really was right about what Father said.

"That's right!"

Chen Yan nodded, unhurriedly: "Our grievances are wiped clean, and this Chief will not harm your life!"

"As for ensuring your glory and wealth..."

"Third Brother, after you are executed, this Chief will definitely order people to burn more offerings for you and give you a grand burial, ensuring your glory and wealth after death!"

"Oh, and your fiancée, Ning Chuyou, can also be buried with you!"

"You won't be lonely on the Yellow Springs road!"

"Am I not good to you, brother?"

"Hahahaha!"

Chen Yan never violated his oath from beginning to end. He let Chen Gubai go; whether others would let him go was none of his business...

As for ensuring glory and wealth, the kind after death is the same!

After all, a family must be neat and tidy, round and complete...

"Chen Yan, may you die a miserable death!" Chen Gubai was ashamed and angry, cursing crazily.

He even wanted to rush toward Chen Yan but was intercepted by You Xian before Zhu Yi could move, and he was thrown to the Embroidered Attire Envoys behind: "Why haven't you dragged him down to await the trial of the Grand Imperial Rectifier!"

"Yes."

Two Embroidered Attire Envoys replied, took out a stupidity-inducing medicine from their bosoms, stuffed it into Chen Gubai's mouth, and made him swallow it.

"Hahahaha!"

A hearty, cheerful laugh suddenly came from outside.

The crowd looked over in unison, and after seeing who it was, they all bowed respectfully:

"Greetings, Great Chancellor!"

"Greetings, Great Chancellor!"