At the time, only Zhao Sheng and Zhao Gengtian were present at the scene.
Since the matter had not yet been fully investigated, Yan Tongshu dared not make any bold claims, saying only, "I merely have a suspicion."
Xu Qiu nodded repeatedly, glancing at Yan Tongshu from time to time. This Lord Yan truly seemed to possess some skill.
After the injury examination was completed, Yan Tongshu and Xu Qiu left Shenming Pavilion. Yan Tongshu went to a corner of the pavilion to wash his hands and took the opportunity to ask Xu Qiu, "Brother Xu."
Xu Qiu cupped his hands respectfully and bowed. "Please speak, Lord Yan."
Yan Tongshu spoke in a steady tone, "Brother Xu, before I arrived, I heard that many people 'saw' Zhao Sheng beat his grandfather to death—with so many witnesses, it couldn't be a false accusation. But Zhao Sheng claims that the conflict between him and Zhao Gengtian occurred inside the house and that he never laid a hand on Zhao Gengtian throughout the entire incident. I want to confirm: Did everyone truly see it? Did they witness with their own eyes Zhao Sheng and Zhao Gengtian fighting?"
Xu Qiu replied, "Lord Yan, you've hit the nail on the head. Indeed, no one actually saw it. However, that Zhao Gengtian cursed all the way to the Yang family's house. Many people went to watch the commotion. Everyone heard Zhao Sheng and Zhao Gengtian arguing fiercely, and there were even sounds of things being smashed. It was only after a life was lost that the authorities were notified."
Yan Tongshu nodded and asked another question, "Who closed the door?"
Xu Qiu was taken aback. "Huh?"
The question was so "tricky" that Xu Qiu was momentarily at a loss.
Yan Tongshu smiled. "It's fine. It's been a long journey, and I thank Brother Xu for granting me this favor."
Xu Qiu cupped his hands again. "You flatter me, you flatter me."
After thanking Xu Qiu, Yan Tongshu and Zhenzhu left Kaifeng Prefecture.
Zhenzhu couldn't wait to ask, "Has the young master figured it out? Can Yang Dama finally rest easy?"
Yan Tongshu's gaze turned cold. "Zhao Sheng wasn't lying. Zhao Gengtian wasn't killed by him."
Zhenzhu exclaimed, "Huh?"
She was bewildered. "So that little ruffian really was wrongfully accused this time?"
Yan Tongshu nodded. "It appears so at the moment."
Zhao Gengtian had avoided conflicts with others for seven days prior. He cursed and grumbled all the way to Yang Dama's house, deliberately drawing a crowd to watch the spectacle.
At the time, Zhao Sheng had just woken up from a hangover and was drinking cold water when he was immediately confronted with curses.
When Zhao Sheng gave his testimony, he didn't mention closing the door—most likely because he wasn't even aware of it.
Moreover, Zhao Sheng was shameless and utterly unafraid of being seen.
If the door wasn't closed by Zhao Sheng, then it must have been closed by Zhao Gengtian.
Why would a person who stormed over angrily to demand payment, deliberately drawing the neighbors' attention in hopes of escalating the situation, close the door himself?
Unless Zhao Gengtian closed the door after entering to deliberately argue with Zhao Sheng, making others believe they were fighting, so he could blame the injuries on his body on the Yang family. He could then use the accusation of filial impiety to extort and blackmail them.
Therefore, after Zhao Sheng refused to steal the gravy recipe, Zhao Gengtian didn't persist.
But the current problem is: if the injury on Zhao Gengtian's head wasn't fatal, what was the cause of his death?
At the time, only Zhao Sheng and Zhao Gengtian were present at the scene. If the cause of death cannot be determined, Zhao Sheng cannot be exonerated.
Yan Tongshu rubbed his aching head. "Let's go. We'll visit Yang Dama first and ask a few more questions. Perhaps with more inquiries, we'll find a clue."
Zhenzhu nodded. After a moment's thought, she followed behind Yan Tongshu and added, "If Zhao Sheng really is innocent, that would be good. Once he's released, Yang Dama will see her son safe and sound, and she'll surely recover quickly. Ah, Yang Dama is truly pitiful."
The two soon arrived at the clinic.
At this moment, Yang Dama had already woken up and was drinking her medicine.
Her heart was bitter, so the medicine didn't taste bitter at all. She finished it in two gulps and was about to get out of bed to continue crying out her grievances.
"Yang Dama."
Yan Tongshu quickly stepped forward, gently pressing her shoulder and softly advising, "Please lie down first, don't rush."
She leaned over to tuck in Yang Dama's quilt before speaking slowly, "I've already met Zhao Sheng."
Upon hearing this, Yang Dama's tears fell like rain: "Young Master."
She cried, "My son is usually a bit unruly, but he really is a good boy. He's very filial to me, his mother. Whenever he has money, the first thing he thinks of is buying cloth to make me clothes or getting me pastries and snacks…"
"Alright, alright." Yan Tongshu quickly comforted her, waiting for her emotions to settle before asking, "Yang Dama, why are you so insistent that Zhao Sheng is innocent?"
Yang Dama wiped her tears with her rough hands: "My son said so himself; he's been crying out his innocence all along. And my father-in-law, that man, has been coming to our door every other day to cause trouble over the braised sauce recipe—this isn't the first time. My son never hit him before, so why would he hit him this time? If my son says he didn't hit him, then he didn't."
Although the reasoning reflected a mother's unconditional trust and defense of her son, it still held some ground.
Yan Tongshu pondered for a moment before asking again, "Yang Dama, tell me about your father-in-law and Zhao Lao Er. Every detail, the more thorough, the better."
Upon hearing this, Yang Dama's eyes lit up: "Young Master, do you have a way to help my son clear his name?"
Yan Tongshu didn't dare to make grand promises, only saying, "I don't know if it will work, but I can only try my best."
This was her last hope. Yang Dama didn't dare to be careless and quickly recounted her grievances with the Zhao family in detail.
The conflict between the two families wasn't much different from what she had heard earlier or what Zhao Sheng had said.
So Yan Tongshu paid special attention to the temperaments and behaviors of Zhao Lao Er and Zhao Gengtian.
Zhao Gengtian's temper had already been clearly described by Zhao Sheng earlier, but the focus was mainly on Zhao Lao Er.
Zhao Lao Er was now in his thirties, with a son at home, about fifteen years old.
Zhao Lao Er was lazy and fond of good food. The family's fields were all farmed by his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. However, Zhao Lao Er was smooth-tongued and knew how to flatter, charming Zhao Gengtian so thoroughly that even when Yang Dama's husband was still alive, Zhao Gengtian often took money from Zhao Lao Da to support Zhao Lao Er.
Yang Dama explained in detail: "It started around two years ago when my father-in-law got his retribution, and his health began to decline."
Yan Tongshu's gaze sharpened: "Declining health? How so?"
Yang Dama shook her head: "I don't know the specifics, but he often had headaches. Sometimes, after drinking too much, he would lie on the ground convulsing—maybe epilepsy.
My father-in-law had no money. The extra money I gave him for medical treatment either went to Lao Er or was spent by him on alcohol, so he just took whatever medicine he could get from the itinerant doctor in the village.
How could that be enough? So over the past two years, his health has gotten worse and worse. I was afraid something would happen to him and he'd blame our family, so I always warned Xiao Sheng not to lay a hand on him."
Yan Tongshu frowned. Declining health—could he have died of illness?
After finishing her conversation with Yang Dama, Yan Tongshu told her to rest peacefully at the clinic and not worry about the money. Then, she left the clinic with Jinbao and Zhenzhu.
Yan Tongshu had Jinbao bring the carriage over to go to Yang Dama's house and inspect the first scene of the incident.
Around dusk, Yan Tongshu arrived at Yang Dama's house.
Jinbao stayed with the carriage while Yan Tongshu and Zhenzhu entered the courtyard of Yang Dama's home.
After the incident, the courtyard had been sealed off with official notices, preserved exactly as it was. Therefore, Yan Tongshu couldn't enter now and could only peer inside through some gaps.
The windows of the Yang house were locked.
The Yang house was located beside the main road, where people came and went, making it a chaotic area.
Yang Dama had to leave before dawn every day to set up her stall and sell noodles. Zhao Sheng was lazy and gluttonous, often drunk at home, muddling through his days. Worried about thieves, Yang Dama would lock the doors and windows tightly every time she went out.
Yan Tongshu pushed the door slightly, opening a crack to look inside.
Zhao Sheng's room wasn't large—just a bed, a table, a chair, and a cabinet.
The floor was dry, packed earth, with many chaotic footprints left behind.
There were bloodstains on one corner of the cabinet, and beside it, the authorities had marked the position of the body when it was discovered.
Yan Tongshu released the door: "Not much blood, matching the wound on the back of Zhao Gengtian's head."
Combined, the blood from both sides likely amounted to less than fifty grams. Moreover, with the skull intact, it was far from fatal.
Yan Tongshu then took Zhenzhu to question people nearby, further confirming his earlier two speculations.
First, the door was closed by Zhao Gengtian himself.
Zhao Gengtian shut the door as soon as he entered the room, after which the sound of an argument was heard.
Second, no one actually witnessed Zhao Gengtian and Zhao Sheng fighting.
Everyone only heard Zhao Gengtian roaring that he would beat Zhao Sheng to death.
After Zhao Gengtian's accident, Zhao Sheng was the first to open the door and call for help, his lips trembling as he shouted: "Oh no, oh no, the old bastard knocked himself against the cabinet and died."
Having gathered the information he wanted, Yan Tongshu sent Jinbao to find the itinerant doctor.
The itinerant doctor often moved between several nearby villages, so it was hard to tell exactly which village he was in at the moment.
With no other choice, Yan Tongshu had to return home first.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that Jinbao finally located the itinerant doctor.
The itinerant doctor, surnamed Wang, was around forty years old. He had a sixty-year-old mother above him and three children below, all relying on him to earn money for food. His medical skills were mediocre, so he couldn't make a living in the city and instead traveled to the countryside to earn enough for sustenance.
When Yan Tongshu asked him about Zhao Gengtian's condition, Doctor Wang stroked his beard: "Zhao Gengtian? I think I have some impression of him. Isn't he the one who loved to curse, always saying things like 'son of a bitch' or 'little bastard,' with a filthy mouth?"
Yan Tongshu: "That's him. What illness did he have?"
Doctor Wang: "His illness… it's hard to say. I couldn't quite figure it out. At first, he said his vision was blurry and unclear. I thought it was just due to old age, so I casually prescribed some herbal medicine for regulation and told him not to worry too much. He accused me of cursing him to death, scolded me, and didn't pay.
Hah, what a shameless fellow. Half a year later, he came to me again, saying he often felt weak in his hands and feet, occasionally numb and unable to move, with headaches and a stiff neck. Sometimes he would vomit even without drinking. I told him it's just how it is when you get old. Well, he scolded me again and still didn't pay."
Yan Tongshu rubbed his forehead—Zhao Gengtian really was a nuisance.
Doctor Wang grew more indignant as he spoke: "Three months later, he came to me again. This time, he said he had collapsed into a field ridge early in the morning, convulsing all over. I knew this time the old scoundrel probably had no intention of paying either, so I didn't want to treat him. I just made up a few random things and sent him away."
Yan Tongshu carefully pondered Zhao Gengtian's appearance and symptoms before his death, asking, "Zhao Sheng said he couldn't see things completely. Could it be a visual field defect?"
Doctor Wang: "Visual field? I don't know. But Zhao Gengtian did say he saw much less than before, couldn't even see all of his family's land, and had vegetables stolen right under his nose."
Yan Tongshu was instantly delighted, feeling she had grasped the truth, and urgently asked, "Then did he see double?"
Doctor Wang nodded.
Yan Tongshu suddenly felt clarity in her mind. She clenched her fist, slapped the table, and stood up: "So that's how it is. Zhao Gengtian brought this upon himself. It truly fits those two words."
Author's Note: