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墨書 Inktalez
The next morning, the Marquis Residence was bustling with activity as a grand water and land ceremony was prepared. White-clad paper horses were everywhere, and countless incense and offerings filled the space. A gentle breeze rustled the paper banners, creating a lively sound.
As the auspicious time approached, the officiating officer raised his voice to order the firing of cannons to signal the start of the procession. Lin Quan, dressed in heavy mourning attire and with a sorrowful expression, led the way, the Yuchang Sword slung over his shoulder. The funeral procession was filled with mournful cries, and paper money flew through the air like leaves in a storm, painting a scene of profound desolation.
As the group reached the entrance, soldiers brandishing long spears blocked their path, allowing only Yu Yan and Luo Zuo to proceed with the procession. After parading through three circles in the streets, they exited from the southern gate and traveled several miles until they arrived at the edge of a forest.
Suppressing his tears, Lin Quan clasped his hands together and addressed Yu Yan, “ master Yu has accompanied us for over ten miles; my adoptive father would surely be grateful if he knew. However, I understand that master Yu is busy with official matters, so please return…”
A mocking smile crept onto Yu Yan's lips as he replied loudly, “If the Duke truly knew what was happening from beyond, would he allow you, this ungrateful son?”
No sooner had Yu Yan finished speaking than a group of soldiers burst forth from the woods, raising clouds of dust as they surrounded the funeral procession. In an instant, the musicians playing mournful tunes and the bearers of the coffin all changed their expressions, revealing weapons in hand.
“ master Yu! What is the meaning of this?” Lin Quan exclaimed, his eyes wide with feigned anger.
“You committed patricide first and then silenced witnesses! Though heaven is vast, it shows no mercy to your wicked heart; though the earth is wide, it cannot support your beastly feet! Bow your head and confess!” Yu Yan glared at Lin Quan, pointing an accusing finger at him.
Hearing this, Lin Quan burst into laughter that echoed through the trees, tinged with arrogance. “ master Yu thinks to pin this crime on me? I arrived at the Marquis Residence only on the second day after my adoptive father was killed; how could I have committed murder?”
“Hmph! You may not speak truthfully, but your steed can testify! On Qingming Festival day, a convoy transporting red earth passed through on its way to the capital. Less than twenty miles after exiting the northern gate, several carts became stuck in mud. The foreman had no choice but to send someone back to town for help; I dispatched two hundred Fu Bing to assist. The red earth was quite heavy; as everyone pulled together, some carts tipped over and spilled a large amount of red earth…”
“Look at your horse's legs; they are still caked in red earth! There is no such soil in Shandong; this red earth must have stuck to your horse when you passed through. If you were heading north out of town as a son should have visited the Marquis Residence! This indicates you were traveling south towards Yanzhou! The next day, you entered the city from the south with several Jinyiwei; if you were all working together on an official matter, why do their horses not bear any red earth? Your actions only serve to create an illusion that you were not in Yanzhou that night.” As Yu Yan spoke, he walked up to Lin Quan's horse and pointed at its muddy legs.
“ master Yu thinks he can deduce my guilt from a bit of mud on my horse’s legs? Isn’t that rather childish?” Lin Quan retorted defiantly.
"Of course not... The convoy carrying the red earth left at the hour of the horse. I even had someone fill and clean the official road, which indicates that you arrived in Yanzhou before the hour of the monkey, and by that time, the Marquis Residence had already begun to welcome guests." Yu Yan replied leisurely, confidence shining in his eyes.
"You came to the East City Water Channel to find the secret passage, and an insider within the Marquis Residence opened the sluice gate of the hidden chamber, allowing you to infiltrate the treasure vault. This insider was none other than Xue Cen, whom you later plotted to kill. The Marquis Residence was under his supervision; I suspect he took advantage of the crowd touring the residence to open the gate at the designated time, allowing you to lie in wait in the hidden chamber for the Duke to come and retrieve his sword."
"Indeed, after getting drunk, the Duke came to the west courtyard to fetch his treasured sword. Upon entering, he didn't rush to activate the mechanism but instead walked around the room several times, shaking off the mud from his shoes. He was also afraid that the hiding place of the sword would be exposed, which is why I could never follow his footprints to find the treasure mechanism."
"The Duke opened the sluice gate, letting water from the back courtyard pool flood into the hidden chamber. Coincidentally, a young Red Golden Dragon squeezed through the bottom grate of the pool and was swept into the chamber along with it. In that darkness, you couldn't possibly notice. You used the water's force to float up and broke free from your hiding spot beside the sword box, ready with your prepared Misty Pipe in your mouth!"
"In fact, there should have been several layers of oil paper wrapping around the outside of the Yuchang Sword box to prevent water from entering. Because the sword box had been opened multiple times, its wax seal would inevitably be damaged; this method ensured complete protection... The Yuchang Sword was pushed out from beneath the Rockery by water. As the Duke bent down to retrieve it, you sprayed a mouthful of smoke at him. He staggered back a few steps but ultimately fell unconscious on the ground. You crawled out from behind the Rockery, took hold of the Yuchang Sword, laid out the oil paper on the ground, and stabbed him in a vital spot. Thus, in a daze, he lost his life..."
"Because you stood on top of the oil paper, we found no footprints of outsiders at the crime scene; we only saw a wax mark about the size of a copper coin. This must have been left behind when you exerted force during your act of murder." Yu Yan recounted every detail of the crime with piercing eyes fixed on Lin Quan.
Upon hearing this, Lin Quan threw back his head and laughed heartily, a hint of arrogance in his laughter: "If what you say is true, why didn't I use my personal weapon to kill him? Why complicate things?"
"Hmph! On the day when Duke disarmed himself and ceased military affairs, all civil and military officials visiting his residence had to remove their weapons as a sign of respect. If you had killed him with your personal weapon, I would have immediately concluded that it was someone other than a guest at his residence who committed murder... After killing Duke, you stepped on oil paper and pulled down the drainage sluice gate. Then using both hands and feet, you quickly climbed into the secret passage and escaped through East City Water Channel, waiting to meet your subordinates south of town on the following day. But what you didn't expect was that that Red Golden Dragon was also swept into East City Water Channel with you and was eventually fished out by a carpenter in this province, landing in our hands... When you came crying for mourning on the next day, we initially didn't suspect you. But then you did something incredibly foolish." Yu Yan said this while narrowing his eyes slightly, a hint of coldness in his gaze.
"That night Head Constable Luo came to my office saying that Yu Chang devoured its master. You overheard this and immediately flashed a hint of malice in your eyes. Seizing that opportunity, you slammed your hand on the table and stormed out angrily to gather your subordinates and devise a plan. When Head Constable Luo went to apologize, without asking for clarification, you drew your knife and attacked him relentlessly to divert everyone's attention. While you were engaged in fierce combat in front of your courtyard, your subordinates took advantage of this distraction to sneak into master Xue's room. Taking him by surprise with fragrant powder while he was inside, they swapped shoes with him quietly and stealthily entered my residence to steal swords and commit murder. The Jinyiwei are all martial arts experts who come and go without a trace; killing an unarmed scholar is as easy as pie for them. Fabricating a scene is second nature; after accomplishing their task, they came back to stop you just as you were about to give up."
Yu Yan paced slowly as he revealed each detail while keeping his gaze fixed on Lin Quan.
"You killed master Xue and publicly claimed that Yu Chang devoured its master for two main reasons: First, by eliminating master Xue —who alone knew about that treasure vault—you could rest easy thereafter; second, once rumors about Yu Chang devouring its master spread out there would be no one daring enough to covet that sword again... You merely waited for seven days of mourning to pass before leaving with Yuchang Sword without raising any suspicion; thus ensuring that your murderous truth would sink into oblivion."
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