“When I returned to the village that year, my sister wasn’t home. I knew she came to the station every two or three days to deliver vegetables, so I ran here to ask about her. The guards said she had come the previous night, delivered food, and then left.”
“I went around the village asking acquaintances, but no one knew her whereabouts. I grew anxious. That night, I slipped in through the back gate of the station. Somehow I felt—if something had happened to her, it must be tied to the station.”
“I had been here before with my sister, so I knew the place. That day the station was hosting several officials and receiving military grain. Most runners were busy at the western warehouses. I searched the eastern side for her.
“I encountered five men—Yu Ming, Qi Ran, Xin Yuanxiu, Yang Fei, and Xue Mingli. The first four had just passed the imperial exams, carrying Ministry of Personnel documents on their way to new posts. They were full of pride. Xue Mingli, though also bound for office, trailed behind like a lackey. They asked who I was. I dared not lie, so I said I was looking for the girl who delivered vegetables.”
“The old stationmaster had seen me before. Even if I had sneaked in, saying I sought my sister would not bring punishment. And these officials, so lofty, why would they question me further? But when they heard I was looking for my sister, their expressions turned strange. I remember clearly—Qi Ran asked if I had any other family.”
“I answered honestly—only my sister and me. He seemed relieved, then told me to leave. I wandered the station. In a courtyard, I found a key on the ground—my house key. I could not mistake it. My sister was missing, and her key lay here. I went straight to the old stationmaster.”
“I explained. He summoned runners and questioned them. Their answers were the same as before. It was late. I couldn’t stay longer. I returned home, planning to search again next day. But that night, Xue Mingli came to my house.”
Song Huaijin frowned. “Xue Mingli came to your home?”
Xu Li gave a cold smile. “Yes. He came to silence me.”
“They feared I would return to the station and cause trouble. They sent Xue Mingli to kill me. If I vanished, the station would forget us. At most, they’d find another family to deliver food. I was just eighteen, frail, easy prey. They thought Xue Mingli alone could kill me.”
“He knew some martial arts. He came saying he knew where my sister was. I let him in. Then he showed his true face—lunged at me with a dagger. But he didn’t expect me to know martial arts, and to be quicker than him. He had a fatal flaw—”
“One ear was deaf. His reactions were slow. We fought briefly. I subdued him. I was terrified, but to save myself, I struck hard. I wounded him. Then he panicked. He begged me to spare him, said he could tell me where my sister was. Only then did I realize why he had come.”
“I pressed him. He said my sister had been seized the previous night by Yu Ming and the others, dragged into a room and violated. Something went wrong, and she died in the station. They disposed of her body.”
“My hands clenched tight on my knees. He was dying. He couldn’t lie. I hated him. I forced him to name the others, to tell me where her remains were, if he had joined them. He was in agony, bleeding, too afraid to deceive me.”
“He said he had witnessed it. Yu Ming and the others knew of his deafness and used it to blackmail him. His deafness had been exposed once before. He dared not resist, or he’d lose his hard-won degree. He said he saw them carrying a box toward the mountain, but didn’t know where they hid it. He told me of their noble families, their power, warned me not to fight them.”
Xu Li gave a bitter smile. “From childhood I never left my sister’s side. Even when I followed my master to the capital, I was still just a servant among the powerful. I knew too well the consequences of offending nobles. I was afraid—but I hated more. I thought of reporting to the authorities, but Yu Ming and the others *were* the authorities. Four of them, and I had nothing. I didn’t know what to do.”
“At that moment, Xue Mingli threatened me again. He said Yu Ming and the others were waiting for him to return. If he died, they would never spare me. I panicked, knowing I could delay no longer.”
Song Huaijin asked gravely, “So you killed him?”
“I had no choice. If I let him go back, he would tell them I knew the truth. Then they would kill me. And was Xue Mingli innocent? He saw my sister assaulted and did nothing. Worse, under their coercion, he came to take my life. If I hadn’t learned martial arts from my master, I would already be dead by his hand. In the end, he was no different from Yu Ming and the others—treating the life of someone like me as worthless.”
“I did not save him. I watched him bleed to death. Later, I thought—if I fled, they might still hunt me. So why not let myself ‘die’? I dressed him in my clothes, hung my house key on him, and, to be sure, I slashed his face. I knew the pond was full of mud and rot. A body thrown in would decay quickly. I tied stones to him and sank him.”
“It took me all night. The next day, I dared not go far. I still hoped to find my sister’s remains. I searched the mountain for half a day, found nothing. I saw Yu Ming and the others send men to look for Xue Mingli and me. When they found us both gone, they grew uneasy, left two attendants, then departed the station.”
Xu Li shook his head. “I knew they wouldn’t give up. Leaving attendants meant they wanted to track us. I hid in a nearby county. After five or six days, I returned secretly to the village. By then, villagers were already spreading news of my death, even reporting it to the authorities. I felt relieved.”
“After that, I dared not return to Tanzhou or the capital. I went west to Linzhou. Bandits plagued the mountains there. The garrison conscripted all able men. I invented a name and joined.”
“I stayed in the Linzhou garrison seven years. Under the name Xu Li, I did the hardest, dirtiest work, just to avoid suspicion. But one day, I learned Yu Ming had become a high official. I even saw Xin Yuanxiu once, on duty from Suzou. Seeing him, I realized—I shouldn’t live like this.”
His voice trembled. “My sister’s remains were still missing. The elders said that without a burial, she was a wandering ghost. Yet those who harmed her had risen to power. And I—knowing their crimes—hid like a coward, not daring to avenge her. I was no man.”
Song Huaijin sighed. “So many years have passed. They are powerful now. Did you never think to live your own life?”
Xu Li shook his head. “I could never live in peace. I feared questions about my past, feared Xue Mingli’s death exposed. I dreamed of my sister, sleepless for days. I wronged her. I wronged myself. I was not Xu Li. I never wanted to be Xu Li…”
His voice grew hoarse. He wiped his face before continuing. “I left Linzhou. Years in the garrison had changed my appearance. I returned to the capital and found my master’s troupe. Even my master and old brothers didn’t recognize me. I felt safe. Then I went back to the village.”
“Yu Ming and the others were officials across the north. I couldn’t hunt them one by one. Then I thought—the crime began at the station. And when they traveled south to the capital, they must pass through the station. There was no better place.”
Xu Li’s voice suddenly grew firm and resolute. “When I entered the station as a runner, I checked the records. I discovered that Yu Ming and Xin Yuanxiu had never come to the station in all those years. Qi Ran and Yang Fei had only come once. I didn’t want to wait endlessly—I had to find a way to draw them here.”
Song Huaijin and Qi Xun exchanged a glance. Qi Xun asked, “The curse of the Guanyin Temple—you stirred it up? Hu Li’s accident, and your own injured foot—were those deliberate?”
Xu Li looked at her. “Soon after I arrived, I heard the tale of the eldest sister in Lotus Village praying to Guanyin for a child. Before that, the temple had already suffered a fire. I knew the villagers believed deeply in such things, so I began spreading the story in the station. Later, I realized mere rumors weren’t enough. So I used my horse-taming trick to make a horse injure Hu Li. Still, I felt it wasn’t enough. So I injured myself as well.”
His eyes glinted. “I was too impatient then. I thought if the temple’s name spread, they would feel guilty—because they buried my sister’s bones behind the temple. But I waited one year, two years, and they never came. Only then did I realize I couldn’t rush. Until the temple was to be expanded.”
“When the temple expanded, land nearby was needed. That was when Yang Fei appeared. But he came with many guards, inspecting as governor. I couldn’t get close. I endured. But I guessed my sister’s remains must be near the temple. From then on, I spread Buddhist devotion more fervently. Villagers, hearing that even station officials believed, flocked to the temple. Its reputation grew.”
Qi Xun’s heart tightened. “The incidents in the village—were they connected to you?”
Xu Li pressed his lips. “Yes. I knew the villagers well. Wife-beaters, unfilial sons, habitual thieves—I used small tricks to punish them.”
“The man who beat his wife—you pushed him off the cliff to his death,” Qi Xun said.
Xu Li lifted his chin. “That was an accident. I only meant to break his leg. I didn’t expect him to die.”
Song Huaijin couldn’t help but say, “He was guilty, yes. But to kill him with trickery—did you feel no guilt? His crime wasn’t worth death.”
Xu Li’s eyes narrowed. “Guilt? For such a man, why should I feel guilt? If I hadn’t played tricks, no one would punish him. Why don’t you ask if *he* felt guilt?”
Qi Xun pressed, “And old Zhang? Do you feel no guilt for him?”
Xu Li faltered, then lowered his gaze. “I had no time. If he told you I helped him with work, I’d lose the chance to kill the remaining two. I didn’t want to kill him.”
Song Huaijin asked, “How did you plan it?”
Xu Li turned his eyes to the stone floor. “I never expected them all to come together. The temple’s fame grew, and expansion continued. I guessed one day someone would come. But they all came at once. I first wanted to kill Qi Ran. But the night Yu Ming arrived, he pretended to be drunk. Later, he and Xin Yuanxiu went to the mountain to search for my sister’s remains. Then I knew—it was they who buried her.”
“That night, I followed them. Yu Ming and Qi Ran went into the pine forest. When they returned, I imitated Qi Ran’s voice and lured him out again. Yes—this was the vocal mimicry I had hidden for years. Later, I subdued Yu Ming and finally forced him to confess what had happened—”
“Back then, the four of them were drunk, arrogant, saying this place was no capital where they could indulge. When my sister arrived, they saw her and grew covetous. As she left, they wagered who could keep her. Xin Yuanxiu, trained in martial arts, dragged her into a room by force…”
“Xin Yuanxiu was coarse, from a wealthy Suzhou family. Yang Fei, heir of a Lingnan clan, was the most arrogant. To them, a village girl was nothing—just someone to be dismissed with silver. He and Xin Yuanxiu violated her. Yu Ming and Qi Ran kept her from escaping. In the struggle, one of those beasts struck her dead.”
Xu Li’s fists clenched, knuckles cracking, hatred still burning in his eyes.
“My sister died. Only then did they sober. Quickly, Yang Fei decided all four would share the burden. At that moment, they discovered Xue Mingli. They dragged him in, threatened him. The coffin box to hide her body—that was Xue Mingli’s doing.”
Who struck the fatal blow was unclear. But Yang Fei and Xin Yuanxiu committed the assault. Yang Fei forced them all to share guilt, to seal their mouths.
Xu Li continued: “Their crimes differed. So I would give them different punishments. After Yu Ming’s death, I knew the court would send men, and Yang Fei would come. I knew this was the best chance. In those four days, I planned everything. Only Qi Ran lured me out deliberately. The rest was my design.”
He paused briefly. “I never expected you to discover that corpse wasn’t me.”
Qi Xun asked, “What did you write in the letter to Xin Yuanxiu?”
“I wrote of the day twelve years ago when they murdered my sister. I wrote her name. At that time you hadn’t found her remains, hadn’t guessed why I killed. Seeing her name, he panicked.”
Qi Xun pressed, “Did you hide the incense tools and Drunken Immortal Peach seeds in the Drum Tower from the start?”
“No.” Xu Li shook his head. “At first, I hid them in the hay of the stables. The Drum Tower’s lock was rusted and hard to open. But I knew there was a bronze drum inside. To let Yang Fei taste hell itself, I chose to lure him there with the peach seeds.”
“That day, as I guided him, I feigned ignorance and asked what the incense tools looked like. He was of noble birth and had seen everything. When he described them, I said I had seen such things in the Drum Tower. He grew wary, dismissed the others, wanting to find clues himself, to trace the tools to the killer and destroy him.”
Song Huaijin thought of Yang Fei’s gruesome death, and of Xu Li’s sharp mind wasted on murder. A heavy sorrow filled him. “You sought revenge, justice. There were other ways. You are clever, devout, preaching Buddhism daily. Buddhism teaches ‘let go.’ Did you never once restrain yourself? You now bear five lives. You know the consequences.”
Xu Li gave a bitter laugh. “Restrain myself? When I think of my sister’s suffering, I only want them in hell. No—even now, I cannot be appeased. I keep asking—why?”
His eyes reddened, but his gaze hardened. “Why us? My sister and I never harmed anyone. Yet misfortune struck her. I prayed daily, but never truly believed. The Buddha is blind. He never saw our suffering. He took our incense in vain!”
“Buddhism says good and evil are repaid. But they lived free for years, high officials, praised by all, with wealth and glory. Where was their retribution? Laughable! Go to that Guanyin Temple—you’ll see only the suffering poor begging. The wicked sit high above, treating you like ants. Buddha? Where is Buddha? Has power and wealth blinded even his eyes?!”
Song Huaijin started to speak but stopped.
Xu Li’s voice was hoarse: “You won’t understand. None of you will. You’ve never had your own blood kin murdered like this. You’ve never tasted dying once, then living again. You don’t understand…” He choked, head bowed low.
Song Huaijin was silent. Outside, Liu Yishan and the others didn’t know how to respond. Qi Xun looked at Xu Li, her throat tight.
Song Huaijin drew a deep breath. “Fine. Since you’ve thought it through, then bear the consequences. The Court of Judicial Review needs every detail of your crimes.”
He signaled Zhou Wei and Xie Nanke to record a full confession.
Xu Li lifted his head and asked: “I can tell you. But Yu Ming, Qi Ran, Xin Yuanxiu, and Yang Fei—their crimes will be made known to the world?”
Song Huaijin answered firmly. “Of course. Qi Ran still lives. When he wakes, he will be questioned about his guilt.”
Xu Li’s tense shoulders eased, as if a burden had fallen away. He said, “I want to see my sister’s remains. Before I leave here, I want to build her a grave. May I?”
His tone no longer carried anger or obsession, only pleading.
Song Huaijin hesitated, then said, “Your sister’s remains are not tied to this case. They will be handled properly.”
Xu Li wanted to beg again, but Zhou Wei stepped forward, hearing Song Huaijin’s concession. “Xu Li—no, Wu Yue—confess everything first. When you’ve finished, you’ll have your wish.”
Xu Li looked uncertainly at the others. When he saw Qi Xun nod, he steadied himself. He knelt quietly, head bowed, his hunched back making him look older than his years.
Xie Nanke asked, and he answered, one by one. Outwardly, he seemed like a weary, gentle man in his forties.
They had caught him before midnight. By the time the case and the twelve-year-old events were fully recorded, it was already past midnight. Qi Xun helped compile the documents. Turning back, she saw Lin Wei still there.
Leaning against the doorframe, Lin Wei had listened throughout. When Qi Xun looked his way, he grinned as she had once done, then explained: “My lord cares about the case’s progress. I listen so I can report back.”
Qi Xun nodded, thinking of the heir of Marquis Linjiang. Indeed, he seemed perceptive. Though not the chief investigator—and once even suspected as the killer—the case’s progress seemed always within his grasp. His foresight in sending men to the capital to investigate Yu Ming and Xue Mingli had greatly aided the Court.
By the time Xu Li’s plot against Yang Fei was fully recounted, it was past midnight. Xie Nanke and Zhou Wei finished writing the confession, sighing with relief. Then Song Huaijin returned from checking on Qi Ran. “Qi Ran woke once tonight. His life seems saved. But he won’t be able to speak until tomorrow.”
Hearing Qi Ran lived, Xu Li frowned deeply. Song Huaijin shot him a cold look. “Don’t even think of mischief!”
Xu Li tilted his head, thought a moment. “No. I won’t. Living is harder for him than dying.”
The chill of the late night deepened. His words made everyone’s hearts jolt. Song Huaijin glared at him. “Take him away. Guard him well. No carelessness!”
Xu Li was shackled hand and foot, dragged off. Only then did Song Huaijin exhale. “His life was tragic. But in killing, he showed no mercy. Be cautious, all of you.”
He paused a moment. “Qi Ran is gravely injured. I’ve discussed with Post Master Liu—we’ll wait two days before sending him back to the capital. Tomorrow, Yu Ming and the others’ corpses will be sent first. The rest will remain here to collect evidence. Nothing must be overlooked. Once back in the capital, the case will go directly to trial.”
It was late. After acknowledging the orders, everyone returned to their quarters. On the way, Zhou Wei was still sighing over Xu Li’s story. “Was there truly no other way? He had already become Xu Li, no longer Wu Yue. Must he really choose to shatter himself rather than live quietly?”
The night wind was biting. Qi Xun pulled her cotton robe tighter. “This was a blood feud carved into his bones. With his status and position, there was no better path. People’s circumstances differ, so do their choices. No one willingly abandons their own name to live as another. When he used Xue Mingli’s corpse to impersonate himself, perhaps he never intended to cling to life.”
Zhou Wei sighed. “It’s just as he said—without his experience, one cannot truly empathize.”
At the same time, in a northern courtyard, Lin Wei was reporting Xu Li’s confession to Fu Jue. After recounting everything, he clicked his tongue. “My lord, you didn’t see Yang Fei’s state. It was like the battlefield wounds we’ve seen—his lower body crushed to pulp. That Miss Qi was bold. If I hadn’t stopped her, she would have rushed up the tower with Song Huaijin.”
He caught his breath, then continued. “I never expected Xu Li to be so clever. Years ago, he escaped by using Xue Mingli’s corpse. Even he didn’t expect the old case to be uncovered now.”
Fu Jue, having heard the case, showed little interest in the details. He said calmly, “Prepare. We leave at dawn tomorrow.”
Lin Wei was startled. “What? Not waiting for the case to conclude?”
Fu Jue adjusted the thick blanket over his legs. “We are not the chief investigators. Why wait for the end?”
Lin Wei glanced at Shen Lin, speaking meaningfully. “The case isn’t finished. I thought my lord would want to return to the capital with the Court of Judicial Review.”
“No need for trouble.” Fu Jue’s lips curved faintly. “We will meet again.”