The next morning, when Lu Zican knocked on the gates of Listening Wind Hall, Qin Jiuye was still groggily pinned to her bed, unable to get up.
Since becoming the manager of Guoran Residence, she had almost never slept in, nor did she have any experience with the aftermath of a gluttonous drunken stupor. Even after pinching her nose and gulping down several bowls of tea soup, her head still felt like it was splitting open and her stomach was churning. She hadn't walked more than a few steps before realizing something was wrong and rushed toward the latrine.
Outside the latrine, Jin Bao had also crawled out of bed at some point. Before he even reached the courtyard, his face turned green. He grabbed Old Tang’s celadon openwork flowerpot and began to vomit violently. Qin Jiuye, having just emptied her stomach and stepped out of the latrine, felt the sour bile rise again at the sound. She squeezed in next to him, found a spot, and joined him in retching.
The two took turns dry-heaving on either side of the pot until there was nothing left to bring up. Only then did they let go of the flowerpot, their faces the color of wilted vegetables.
The moment Qin Jiuye lifted her eyelids and saw Jin Bao’s bloated face, fragments of the previous night began to drift back into her mind.
She vaguely remembered accompanying this blockhead as he reminisced about past hardships and vented his feelings. It had ended in a grand crying session that only stopped when Tang Shenyan, unable to take it anymore, threw a shoe at them. Afterward, she had dragged Jin Bao back to his room and then personally snuck into the small kitchen, where she finished off most of the remaining two jars of Dalu Brew. As she drank, someone had returned—it seemed to be Li Qiao. She had questioned him with great bravado, and after that...
Qin Jiuye shook her dizzy head violently. She could almost hear the sound of those shattered memories rattling around in her skull; they sounded even more fragmented than the old rice at the bottom of Guoran Residence’s bin.
This Dalu Brew was practically comparable to the *Mafeisan* anesthetic recorded in medical texts. A few jars were enough to cause a total blackout. She really ought to find time to visit the Yinquan Distillery to learn their secrets; perhaps she might find some unexpected gains.
While she was lost in thought, Tang Shenyan yawned his way toward the latrine. As he passed, he remarked nonchalantly that Li Qiao had left before dawn. He said the lamp oil at Guoran Residence had run out, so he was going to the East Market to buy more. Before leaving, he had cooked some congee in the small kitchen and left it warming in the pot.
The person involved was absent and still working diligently; everything seemed normal. It stood to reason that no major blunders had occurred.
Outside the main gate, the disciplined but somewhat stubborn Lu Zican began knocking again. The sound was more urgent than before, interspersed with a few deep-voiced inquiries that threatened to shake the dust off the roof tiles of Listening Wind Hall.
Qin Jiuye had no more time for reflection and no appetite for congee. Driven by the power of silver, she managed to pull herself together in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. She then hurriedly left Listening Wind Hall, following Lu Zican back to the Prefectural Yamen.
The sooner the truth was uncovered and the case closed, the sooner she could take her silver and retire. Nothing was more important than that right now.
At the entrance to the dungeon, Lu Zican glanced at the haggard-looking woman and confirmed once more, "Though the Protector instructed me to call for you, if you do not wish to come, Miss Qin, you can tell me directly. You truly do not need to follow along for every interrogation, nor for the review of the interrogation records later..."
Qin Jiuye nodded with feigned solemnity, not daring to speak. She feared that if she uttered another word, she would vomit on the spot.
Lu Zican’s expression was complex. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "This Su Lin is certainly detestable, but the Protector has always been principled in his interrogations. He never uses illegal torture, nor does he act on impulse. In a moment, Miss Qin, you must control yourself..."
Qin Jiuye knew Lu Zican was referring to the previous incident in the dungeon. However, she remained silent, merely looking at him with her slightly swollen eyes.
She truly didn't understand. Su Lin had committed murder and disposed of bodies without remorse; did a single slap really count as torture? She was a frail, hungover woman—what could possibly make a burly adjutant like him so wary of her?
Lu Zican read her gaze and finally fell silent, leading her down the familiar stone steps into the depths of the dungeon.
After only two days and nights without light or food, the previously arrogant and foul-mouthed Master Su was now as docile as a sheep in a pen. His new stubble had grown to connect his sideburns, his eyes were deeply sunken, and his former insolence had vanished entirely.
Lu Zican placed a bowl of water and a steamed bun before him. Su Lin began to devour them ravenously. Perhaps because he had never eaten so pathetically before, he choked after only a few bites, coughing for a long time before recovering his breath.
No longer caring about his luxurious robes, he sat directly on the ground, staring at the half-eaten bun in his hand. Suddenly, he began to laugh dryly. After a while, he stopped and looked up at the young Protector sitting regally in the interrogation chair.
"If I speak, will the Protector let the Su family off?"
Qiu Ling’s expression remained unchanged. He replied calmly, "That depends on what you can tell us."
Su Lin fell silent for a moment. While continuing to stuff the bun into his mouth, he said without looking up, "The Su family’s business is large and cannot be left to outsiders. I must personally handle almost everything that earns silver. Though I care for my mother, I am often away from home for months at a time. All matters within the manor were handled by that girl, Muzhi. Mother has doted on her since she was a child, and Muzhi personally supervised her daily life since she fell ill. I imagine she was simply desperate to save her kin and thus fell into error step by step. Muhe never dared to disobey her, and Peiyuan was usually busy traveling with me for business; he knew nothing of the schemes within the manor..."
Before Su Lin could finish, a cold sneer escaped Qin Jiuye’s lips.
Having witnessed his character two days ago, she was no longer shocked by his audacity. Even in this state, he didn't forget to recount his "hardships" in supporting the family. With a single act of betrayal, he pushed his hardworking daughter forward to take the blame while attempting to extract himself and his useless, mud-like son from the mess. It was the height of shamelessness.
Qiu Ling clearly heard the deflection in Su Lin’s words as well. He interrupted the man’s lengthy "confession."
"When He Yuanzhou first killed someone on Sangma Street after his illness flared up and returned to the manor, were you truly unaware? Was that also Su Muzhi’s intentional concealment? Later, when He Yuanzhou’s condition worsened and he attacked and killed Kang Renshou, who had come to treat him, was it also Su Muzhi who ordered you to destroy the evidence, frame others, and personally rush to the yamen to take Su Muhe away? And later, when I was ordered to investigate this case and things did not go as you expected, was it Su Muzhi who forced you to go to such lengths to cover it up—even hosting a grand birthday feast to invite me, just to clear He Yuanzhou of suspicion? Was it her idea to send assassins to Guoran Residence to silence witnesses when you realized the truth might be exposed, and then to abandon your entire family to flee alone?"
Su Lin fell silent.
He truly had nothing left to say. Yet, he remained unwilling to accept his defeat—unwilling to lose his dignity so completely.
"Every man for himself, or Heaven and Earth will destroy him. You must understand this truth, so why put on such a righteous front?"
Su Lin looked up hatefully at the woman who had slapped him two days prior. Having dominated the business world for years, he was a master at inciting emotions and manipulating hearts. Rebuttal flowed from his mouth almost instantly.
"All of you are working so hard to dig into this case—is it truly out of a sense of justice or public duty? You, this village woman, are only involved because that old vegetable-delivery man of yours got caught up in it! To save him, you’ve exhausted your wits to drag the Su family into the fire! If your grandfather hadn't been on duty when Kang Renshou died, and the whole matter had nothing to do with you, would you still be standing here with such sanctimonious questions, trying repeatedly to send me to my death?! And you, the great Lord Duanyu—are you not just a dog raised in the General of the South’s manor, thinking only of how to claim credit so you can rise through the ranks? For that, you couldn't wait to cut ties with me and sacrifice your own kin!"
Su Lin grew more agitated, his previously elegant face twisting into a mask of rage. "Who in this world is not like this? I was merely driven by familial love. As long as I could keep my mother alive, I was willing to do anything!"
Qin Jiuye froze.
She knew Su Lin had been driven to the point of madness, but his words weren't entirely "mad."
He was right. If Qin Sanyou hadn't been involved, if Fan Tong hadn't sent men to bring her from Guoran Residence to the Prefectural Yamen for questioning that morning, and if she hadn't been framed for murder in open court, she truly wouldn't have been so persistent, wouldn't have exerted such effort, and wouldn't have reached this point today.
But...
"What you speak of is not Miss Qin’s fault. It is merely self-preservation; what is there to criticize? The General of the South showed me great kindness by recognizing my talent, and there is no shame in working diligently for him, is there?"
Qiu Ling’s voice suddenly rang out. He looked at Su Lin, his expression still unchanged, as if stating a simple fact.
"Miss Qin did not kill others to protect her own interests, and I have never abused my office to treat human life like grass. A person must have a bottom line. Do not seek excuses for your own baseness, and do not attempt to vilify others to prove your own innocence."
Qin Jiuye had to exert a great deal of effort to keep herself from looking at the upright figure sitting before her.
She didn't dare look at his expression as he said those words. She was afraid of developing hopes she shouldn't have, and equally afraid that those hopes would ultimately be dashed.
To say she wasn't moved at all would be a lie.
But she wasn't so conceited as to fall head over heels just because he had spoken a few words in her defense. She understood that Qiu Ling said those things not for her sake, but because that was the kind of person he was.
A person so impartial, so neither humble nor arrogant, and so nearly perfectly just—there was likely not a second person like him in all of Jiugao City.
While Qin Jiuye was still dazed, Su Lin spoke with a cold laugh.
"The Protector is still young. From your studies at the academy to joining the General’s banner, and then from the military into the imperial court, your path has been smooth. I fear you have never experienced failure, let alone been pushed to the brink. A so-called 'bottom line' is something you can only maintain when you have a choice. If one day you are at a dead end and your closest kin faces disaster, you will understand my actions today."
Beside them, Lu Zican couldn't help but spit on the ground.
"I have followed the Protector in many cases and seen many criminals. Love, hate, family feuds—anything can be used as an excuse. But today is the first time I’ve heard someone use filial piety as a shield. Your mother and son are kin, but are Su Muzhi and Su Muhe not? You let your daughter cover for your own sins. A man who won't even protect his own daughter—how could he truly understand genuine affection? I suspect you've done so many wicked deeds that you're trying to use this cost-free 'filial piety' to buy a good word with the King of Hell!"
Su Lin’s face stiffened, but he continued to argue.
"Su Muhe is so shrewd, why would she need my protection?! Compared to her, even Muzhi pales in significance. Back then, when I came to Jiugao alone to make my way, working from dawn to dusk in the pharmacy and personally escorting goods at the post stations, it was my mother who toiled to look after the home. I do not care how long I live, but I wish for her to have a long life so I may fulfill my duty. Now that I have the means, I must give her the best. As for Su Muhe, she has enjoyed the comfort and ease provided by the Su family since birth; should she not know how to repay that? It is just as the Protector received the protection of the Qiu family’s old acquaintances in the military—have you ever had to bear anything for your clan? If not, naturally you wouldn't understand."
Su Lin was indeed a master at striking the heart. In a few sentences, he had turned his words into blades aimed directly at Qiu Ling’s sensitive spots.
Outsiders didn't know the details of these hidden matters, but Qin Jiuye felt she didn't need to know much to see Su Lin’s malicious intent.
She didn't let Su Lin’s words linger for long. Almost immediately, she threw out a string of questions.
"Master Su claims to care deeply for his mother. May I ask, what medicine has she been taking for the past half-month? How many times a day does she take it? What color is the medicine after it is brewed? Does it taste sour, bitter, or astringent?"
The previously indignant and eloquent Su Lin suddenly looked as if his throat were stuffed with cotton. He opened his mouth and stammered for a long time without producing a single word.
Qin Jiuye’s gaze was like a torch. She stood up and walked toward him step by step.
"Master Su cannot answer, so shall I answer for you? Since your mother fell seriously ill, you haven't served her once. You’ve left everything to the servants. As for later, when she became what she is now, you were even more afraid to approach her. Every time medicine was given to her, you ordered a servant to do it. Master Su’s 'filial heart' isn't even equal to that of a five-year-old child in our village. That child is willing to fetch water from the well at the edge of the village every day for her bedridden mother. She hasn't stopped through wind, snow, scorching heat, or freezing winter. She doesn't find the sour stench of someone bedridden for too long disgusting. Every night, she warms her mother’s feet and drives away mosquitoes. Even when it comes to talking about filial piety, you are unworthy!"
"You... you... you sharp-tongued wench! How dare you... how dare you compare me to a village girl!" Su Lin was livid, his words becoming reckless. The innate elegance and self-possession he usually carried vanished, replaced by the ugliness of humiliated rage. "What do you know? What do you know! Do you know how much I paid to obtain that secret prescription..."
He stopped halfway, clearly realizing something. His voice cut off abruptly.
However, Qin Jiuye had already caught those two key words. She froze.
"What secret prescription? Say it again."
***
