You and Zhao Sheng had no contact throughout. Why would the yamen…
Yan Tongshu handed the picked vegetables to Auntie: "Auntie, thank you for telling me all this. We have matters to attend to, so we’ll be leaving now."
It was just casual conversation, and Auntie didn’t mind whether Yan Tongshu and the other two stayed or not. She waved them off with a hand gesture.
Jinbao drove the carriage, carrying the three of them, and swiftly arrived at Kaifeng Prefecture.
Sure enough, at the entrance of Kaifeng Prefecture, Yan Tongshu saw Yang Dama.
Yang Dama’s withered hands held up a piece of paper with the word "Injustice" written on it. Her graying hair was as messy as dried weeds.
Her clothes, usually patched but always cleanly washed, were now filthy and blackened, emitting a foul odor.
She hunched over, kneeling humbly on the ground, her knees scraped raw, bleeding and mangled.
Yan Tongshu instructed Jinbao to pull the carriage to the side and stop, then hurried over to Yang Dama.
"Yang Dama."
She called out.
Yang Dama’s eyes were unfocused. Hearing the voice, she slowly raised her head, her cracked lips trembling.
She had been kneeling for far too long, her body and spirit pushed to the brink.
She looked at the person before her—a blurry figure. She was too exhausted to even discern whether it was a man or a woman.
She just repeated, numb and mechanical, over and over: "My son is innocent, innocent."
Yan Tongshu took out a Ginseng Pill from her pocket and placed it in Yang Dama’s mouth to keep her alive: "Yang Dama, why are you so certain your son is innocent? Is it because Zhao Gengtian provoked him first, and Zhao Sheng’s killing was accidental, so you think he doesn’t deserve death?"
According to the laws of this dynasty, accidental killing could be punished more leniently, not necessarily warranting the death penalty. However, Zhao Gengtian was Zhao Sheng’s grandfather. Killing one’s father, grandfather, or mother was an aggravated offense, with no room for leniency.
Upon hearing this, Yang Dama became agitated, shaking her head desperately, her lips quivering: "No, no, my son didn’t kill anyone, didn’t kill anyone… He said he didn’t kill anyone… He said he didn’t kill anyone… Didn’t kill anyone…"
Yang Dama was simply too exhausted. Before she could finish speaking, her body stiffened abruptly, and she fell forward with a thud.
Yan Tongshu quickly caught her. Yang Dama had completely lost consciousness, but her bony hand still tightly clutched the sign with the word "Injustice" written on it.
Seeing this, Zhenzhu also hurried over to help Yan Tongshu support Yang Dama.
Yan Tongshu checked Yang Dama’s pulse: "She has a fever and is physically weak. She needs to be taken to a doctor immediately."
Jinbao, having parked the carriage, came over. Yan Tongshu instructed him to take Yang Dama to a medical clinic for treatment and handed him her purse, telling him not to worry about the cost and to use the best medicine available.
Zhenzhu asked in confusion: "Young master, aren’t we going with them?"
Yan Tongshu shook her head, her brow furrowed tightly: "Do you think Zhao Sheng could be innocent?"
Zhenzhu curled her lip: "With Zhao Sheng’s reckless nature, it wouldn’t be surprising if he caused any trouble. Yang Dama loves her son dearly and can’t bear to see him beheaded, so of course she’d come to the yamen to plead his innocence. But then again, that old Zhao was a terrible man too. If you ask me, an old villain being beaten to death by a young villain isn’t unjust."
Yan Tongshu lowered her gaze: "Yes, Yang Dama has always doted on her son, indulging him in everything."
That time Zhao Sheng stole her purse, she caught him on the spot. It was Yang Dama who knelt down and pleaded tearfully, begging for mercy, which was why she let Zhao Sheng off the hook.
“But this concerns a human life, so we must be cautious.”
Yan Tongshu thought for a moment, then resolved, “Let’s go, Zhenzhu. We’ll meet Zhao Sheng and question him face-to-face.”
Zhenzhu exclaimed, “Isn’t everything already clear? What else is there to ask?”
She hurried after him with small steps. “Young master, you don’t actually believe Zhao Sheng is innocent, do you?”
Yan Tongshu replied, “Whether he’s innocent or not will only be known after investigating. If it truly is an ironclad case, verifying it will allow Yang Dama to finally give up hope and live in peace.”
Otherwise, if Yang Dama couldn’t resolve her grief and Zhao Sheng were executed, she might follow her son in death, consumed by sorrow. Having eaten Yang Dama’s noodles for so long, how could Yan Tongshu simply stand by and watch?
…
Though sixteen-year-old Yan Tongshu served in the “cold palace” that was Xianlin Hall, she still held a fourth-rank official position. The Kaifeng Prefecture yamen runners naturally showed great deference, swiftly escorting her to a small courtyard beside the prison cells and bringing a chair for her to sit on.
Before long, Zhao Sheng was brought out.
Zhao Sheng wore filthy prison garb, his hands and feet shackled with heavy chains. For refusing to confess, he had received twenty strokes of the cane, leaving his legs torn and bloody, unable to stand. Two yamen runners half-dragged, half-carried him before Yan Tongshu.
The runners threw the severely injured Zhao Sheng onto the ground.
In the past, Zhao Sheng had been known for taking petty advantages, mingling with groups of young women, and engaging in petty theft, repeatedly unrepentant even after being caught. His smug grin had made him utterly detestable, and even Zhenzhu had despised him.
But now, seeing Zhao Sheng covered in blood and misery, Zhenzhu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity.
It truly fit the saying: pitiable people often have their own despicable traits.
Zhenzhu shook her head.
Yan Tongshu asked, “Zhao Sheng, your mother has knelt at the yamen gates for days and nights, proclaiming your innocence. Do you have anything to say?”
Lying on the ground, barely alive, Zhao Sheng rasped, “What else can I say? What is there left to say? Kaifeng Prefecture has already passed judgment. The order has come down from above—I’m to be taken to Caishikou for beheading. There’s no way out… I won’t live, I won’t live…”
By the end, tears streamed down Zhao Sheng’s face. He tried to lift a hand to wipe them away, but his wrists were already raw and bleeding from the shackles. The tears only stung the wounds, intensifying the pain.
Yan Tongshu detected the grievance in Zhao Sheng’s tone.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to steady herself, and carefully observed Zhao Sheng’s expression. “Zhao Sheng, I ask you: what exactly happened between you and Zhao Gengtian back then? If you still want to live, tell me everything—every word spoken and every action taken from the moment Zhao Gengtian arrived at your home and met with you that day. Leave nothing out.”
Hearing this, Zhao Sheng suddenly grew agitated. Propping himself up with his hands, he struggled to lift his head, his disheveled hair clinging to his sweat- and blood-streaked face. “Lord Yan, can you save me?”
Yan Tongshu’s gaze was clear and sharp. “If you truly are innocent and did not commit murder, then I can save you.”
Zhao Sheng’s dull eyes instantly blazed with a fierce longing for life. He cried out, “Lord Yan, I am innocent!”
Yan Tongshu said, “Tell me, from your perspective, what happened between you and Zhao Gengtian that day.”
Zhao Sheng didn't understand what Yan Tongshu meant by "from your perspective" in that statement, but this was his only hope. Even if that hope was as faint and fragile as a goose feather, he had no choice but to cling to it desperately.
Zhao Sheng cried out, "Lord Yan, the day before the incident, I drank with my brothers and slept until almost noon. I only woke up because I was hungry. When I got up, my mouth was parched and my throat was dry. I was rummaging around the house for something to drink and had just gulped down two mouthfuls of cold water when my grandfather… bah!"
As if thinking that Zhao Gengtian was utterly unworthy of being a person, let alone his grandfather, Zhao Sheng spat in disgust and changed his address, gnashing his teeth as he said, "That dog Zhao Gengtian barged in, cursing and swearing, and immediately started hurling abuse at my mother and me.
Zhao Gengtian is an old scoundrel, spewing filth as soon as he opens his mouth. Even though I'm a ruffian myself, I'm useless—I can't out-curse him. Plus, I'd been drinking the day before, so my head was fuzzy and I felt even less energy to argue with him."
Zhao Sheng continued, "But luckily, I'm thick-skinned and shameless. Every time he cursed at me, I'd just say, 'Hey, you're right, I deserve it. I'm a seed of the old Zhao family, and we Zhaos are just lowlifes, sons of bitches, destined to beg for food our whole lives…' I didn't get angry at Zhao Gengtian; instead, he got so furious he nearly choked on his own breath."
Recalling this, Zhao Sheng seemed to forget his current predicament and even grew a little proud.
Zhenzhu couldn't help but giggle.
The bailiff beside her glanced over, and she quickly lowered her head, covering her mouth with an embroidered handkerchief to suppress her laughter.
Yan Tongshu was also exasperated by Zhao Sheng's shamelessness. "Alright, continue."
Having been laughed at by a young lady, Zhao Sheng felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. He licked his chapped lips and said, "Later, that Zhao Gengtian told me to steal my mother's secret recipe for the sauce topping. He said that if I stole it, he'd still acknowledge me as a grandson of the Zhao family.
So I told him, 'You think the Zhao family is some golden nest? Like putting shit on a turtle shell—you think it's fancy? I don't give a damn.' Then he reached out to hit me. When he hit, I dodged."
Yan Tongshu questioned, "You didn't fight back?"
Zhao Sheng snorted fiercely. "I wanted to. With my old temper, I'd have slapped that old turtle at least twenty times."
Yan Tongshu pressed further, "Then why didn't you?"
Zhao Sheng curled his lip. "Because once before, I did hit the old turtle. To stop him from reporting me to the authorities, my mother had to pay a lot of silver, and the village chief even had me hung from a tree overnight.
In the end, my mother lost money, and I gained nothing. After that, I learned to be smarter—only using my mouth, not my hands, hoping to anger that old turtle to death."
The corner of Yan Tongshu's mouth twitched violently several times. "You're quite clever."
Zhao Sheng chuckled. "When you're scraping by on the streets, if you're not clever, you'd have been beaten to death long ago."
Yan Tongshu was speechless. "Was I praising you?"
Zhao Sheng shrank his neck and lowered his head, not daring to look at Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "Go on, what happened next?"
Zhao Sheng said, "The old turtle chased me, trying to hit me. I ran, and he chased. We circled the table several times. His eyesight is poor—he can't see clearly or fully. How could he possibly land a hit?"
Zhao Sheng's tone carried a hint of pride, but then his face fell again. "Seeing he couldn't hit me, he grabbed the kettle next to him and tried to throw it at me. How old is he, and how young am I? Could he possibly hit me? When the kettle came flying, I dodged it. After dodging, I even made a face at the old turtle. Who would have thought the old turtle would just stand there motionless…"
Yan Tongshu keenly seized on this detail: "What do you mean by 'motionless'?"
Zhao Sheng: "It was just… like this…"
Enduring the pain of his injuries, Zhao Sheng clumsily imitated the posture Zhao Gengtian had taken when raising the kettle.
Yan Tongshu's gaze was sharp, fixed intently on his movements: "He maintained that posture the whole time? How long did it last?"
Zhao Sheng shook his head: "I don't know exactly how long, but it was just like this, and then, as if he'd seen a ghost, he stiffly fell backward, hitting his head on the cabinet. Blood started flowing right away. I was terrified and rushed out to call for help. Then I was taken to the magistrate's office along with the others."
This was something Yan Tongshu didn't understand.
She asked, "You and Zhao Gengtian had no physical contact throughout the entire incident. Why did the magistrate's office determine you were the murderer?"
At this question, Zhao Sheng's sense of injustice surged straight to the top of his head.
He cried out at the top of his voice, "Lord Yan, I've been wronged! I've truly been wronged!"
Author's Note: