Chapter 453: The Great Benefactor Who Slashed Himself Alive, Blade by Blade

Sun Xiangbai heard the words, and his expression froze as if chilled.

His previously relaxed mouth corner suddenly tightened, his eyes filled with astonishment, and with a sudden straightening of his knees he sprang up, the wooden chair's back leg scraping the floor with a sharp sound.

"Shi Yuanwai of Shengping Lane?!" He stepped half a pace forward, his voice suddenly rising, trembling with disbelief, and hurriedly asked, "Could it be Shi Qingwen, Shi Yuanwai?!"

The clerk hurriedly nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice still shaking: "Exactly!"

Sun Xiangbai stepped back half a step, his gaze fixed, his lips quivering, and after a long pause he muttered in disbelief, "How could the old man meet such a fate?!"

Seated at the head, Chen Yan tapped the table edge with his fingertips, his eyes blazing, taking in Sun Xiangbai's agitated and erratic demeanor, and after a brief thought asked, "Sun Gongcao, are you close with this tragically deceased Shi Yuanwai?"

He seemed to care a great deal...

His reaction already exceeded that of ordinary officials upon hearing of a murder...

Sun Xiangbai snapped back to his senses at the words, remembering they were in the main hall discussion, quickly composed himself, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "If I may, Lord, this Shi Yuanwai is a renowned great benefactor of Wan'nan!"

"He has often distributed porridge for relief, beloved by the people..."

Speaking of this, his brows furrowed tighter, his face full of regret, his voice deepened: "Who could have imagined he would meet such a misfortune!"

When his words fell, he couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

The sigh was filled with sorrow.

Chen Yan's tapping paused briefly, as if pondering, and he murmured repeatedly, "Still a great benefactor..."

A moment later, he lifted his gaze to the clerk still standing by the door, his voice regaining authority, and asked, "You just said Shi Yuanwai died tragically; do you know the exact cause of death?"

The clerk clasped his fists, bowed lower, his head drooping further, his voice trembling with unmistakable fear, replying word by word, "If I may, Lord, according to Shi Eldest Son, Shi Yuanwai sliced himself alive, knife by knife..."

At the end, his Adam's apple bobbed violently, his tone growing even more strained: "The final thrust pierced his own throat!"

Feng Xiao Yan had been maintaining some composure, but his complexion changed in an instant, his voice trembling with shock, "What did you say?! Slice oneself alive?!"

On the other side, Gao Jiong also froze, his brows knotted, blurting out, "How could this be possible?!"

People may commit suicide for myriad reasons, and may employ extraordinary means to torment their enemies...

But they would never kill themselves!

Chen Yan slowly pursed his lips, a faint hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes, and silently whispered, "That's rather interesting..."

From the perspective of this professional from the Mingjing Office, suicide is impossible; this method resembles a certain revenge...

Moreover, whoever forced Shi Yuanwai to do this must hold a considerable grudge against him!

Gao Jiong inhaled deeply, quickly composed himself, rose, faced the Duke of Wei at the head, clasped his fists and bowed, his voice steady and forceful, no longer shocked, only solemn: "Lord, I will investigate this case at once!"

When he lifted his gaze, a sharp investigative fire lit in his eyes, and his voice rang out, "I will ensure the truth comes out in the shortest time!"

"This case never emerges early or late, yet it surfaces now..."

Chen Yan raised his hand, pressed it, his knuckles lightly tapping the table edge, his brows slightly raised, a hint of cold displeasure, and said, "It does seem like a provocation against our office!"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping the hall, his voice suddenly deepening, "Our office will take charge personally!"

"County Magistrate, bring the informant and the coroner, we will go to Shi's residence together!"

Anyway, handling the county office's routine affairs, there are Feng Xiao Yan and Liu Mu Zhi...

Chen, being idle, thought better to go take a look at Shi's residence!

To see which devilish spirit dares to cause trouble on his first day in office!

Gao Jiong heard this, immediately straightened his back, clasped his fists, bowed, and said with resonant force, "As you command!"

He then turned, leading the clerk, and strode out briskly to summon reinforcements.

Chen Yan's gaze swept the remaining officials in the hall, ordering, "The others, each fulfill your duties at the county office!"

Everyone rose in turn, clasping fists and bowing in unison, replying, "As you command!"

On the way to Shengping Lane.

The carriage wheels rolled over the stone slab road, emitting a steady "gulu" sound; the cicadas outside the window were muffled, leaving only a hint of stifling heat.

Gao Jiong lifted a corner of the Cheli, stepped in first, turned to the seated Chen Yan inside the carriage and bowed, then raised his hand to beckon the young man behind him, respectfully introducing, "Lord, this is the informant, Shi Xiuwen!"

The youth wore a plain long robe, his eye sockets swollen red, his face still bearing lingering terror, and upon hearing the introduction he hurriedly bowed.

Gao Jiong turned to him again, his tone more solemn: "Shi Eldest Son, this is our newly appointed magistrate of Wan'nan, Lord Chen Yan!"

Shi Xiuwen was still bowing with his head down; upon hearing Gao Jiong's introduction, his body froze, and when he jerked his head up, his swollen eyes were full of astonishment, his voice involuntarily rising, "Chen... Lord Chen Yan?!"

He stared at Chen Yan's face, as if confirming something, his Adam's apple bobbing twice, then urgently asked, his tone trembling with disbelief, "You are the Lord Chen Yan who just returned triumphantly from Hezhou?!"

He wore an expression of utter surprise.

Shi Xiuwen never imagined that the Magistrate of Wan'nan who would personally investigate the case turned out to be this contemporary paragon of justice...

Chen Yan gave a slight nod, the sleeves of his dark Brothel swaying lightly with his movement, acknowledging, "Indeed, this is our office!"

His gaze fell on Shi Xiuwen's swollen eyelids, and his tone shifted directly to the core, "Let's talk about your father..."

"Who discovered his tragic death, and when?"

Compared to indulging in a hollow exclamation, Chen now found the case itself far more intriguing...

After all, this was his first investigation, not a murder he had orchestrated!

Shi Xiuwen's hand hanging at his side unintentionally clenched his robe, his knuckles whitening, his Adam's apple bobbing twice before he slowly spoke, his voice still trembling, "If I may, Lord, it was at the end of the early‑morning hour this morning that the maid responsible for attending to my father's daily routine, as per habit, went to the Shufang to deliver the medicinal soup—"

"That soup is what my father drinks every morning upon waking; the maid, carrying the soup cup, had just pushed open half of the Shufang door when she saw..."

"She saw my father standing at the writing desk, a dagger clenched in his hand, slicing his own arm knife by knife..."

He paused, his breathing suddenly rapid as if he had seen the bloody scene again, his eyes flooding with terror, "The maid was so frightened she dropped the soup cup, screamed and fled backward, her cries alerting the courtyard servants."

"When we rushed into the Shufang, we heard a 'puchi' sound from inside; when we burst in..."

"We found my father already collapsed on the floor, the dagger half‑embedded in his throat, blood streaming down his collar onto the ground, even the inkstone on the desk soaked through..."

Shi Xiuwen raised his hand to wipe his face, his fingertips wet with tears without noticing, and added with a clear, lingering fear, "My father's arms and chest were covered with wounds of varying depth; in some places the flesh was torn open, not as if forced, but rather... as if he himself had driven the blade with fierce intent to his death..."

He thus died under everyone's gaze... Chen Yan couldn't help muttering to himself, his eyelids slightly lowered, his eyes now tinged with curiosity, and asked, "Who attended your father as he went to sleep last night?"

Before boarding the carriage, Chen Yan perused the records concerning the deceased Shi Qingwen.

The wealthy household of Wannian Xian alone has eight concubines now, not counting the unofficial ones, and the principal wife has taken two more…

Shi Xiuwen frowned slightly, his fingertips unconsciously tugging at the hem of his long robe, clearly trying to recall last night's details. After a moment he slowly spoke: "Last night my father was in the Shufang tallying the accounts…"

"It was late, so he slept alone in the Shufang…"

"No one to attend him!"

Tallying the accounts? ……… Chen Yan repeated the information in his mind, narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharpening, and asked, "Then does your father have any enemies in his daily life?"

"Or perhaps he has ever held a grudge against anyone?"

A murder case always has a killer; an enemy is the most direct clue.

Shi Xiuwen almost instantly lifted his head and replied resolutely, "No!"

"You're so sure?"

Chen Yan stared steadily at his reddened eyes, raised an eyebrow, and asked meaningfully, "Don't you need to think about it a bit more?"

Shi Xiuwen straightened his posture slightly, gaining a more solemn air, and explained earnestly, "Lord Chen Yan, you may not know, my father has spent his life being kind to others, generous with his wealth…"

"He never even quarrels with anyone, let alone bears a grudge!"

He paused, then added details, his tone full of respect for his father: "Two years ago the owner Zhou of the Chengxi cloth shop ran into cash‑flow problems; my father not only lent silver but also introduced customers. Last year the grandson of Aunt Wang A‑Po of the neighboring lane fell ill, and my father hired a Physician and covered the medicine costs…"

After hearing Shi Qingwen's deeds, Chen Yan pressed his lips together and murmured softly, "Is that so?"

At that moment, the carriage jolted to a halt, and from outside the driver called, "Lord, the Shi residence has arrived!"