Read the judicial record?
In Qin, only those within the judicial system could view judicial records, and for some major cases, only the presiding officials could access them.
So, that senior official must also be part of the case’s adjudication team? Perhaps… he might even be the reviewing official, Wen Wuhai.
Thinking this, Tuqiu Jiu inexplicably felt a wave of relief.
Although the other’s identity remained unclear, there must be some connection between them—otherwise, why would he send clothes for no reason?
After a moment of thought, Tuqiu Jiu cautiously asked, “How were the testimonies of Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei recorded in the judicial record?”
The slave-official smiled. “This slave does not know.”
Tuqiu Jiu felt a pang of disappointment. He was truly desperate, grasping at straws. Wen Wuhai would never allow a slave to view the judicial record alongside him.
So, how could he learn the full details of the case?
Just as he frowned in thought, the slave-official suddenly whispered, “My master knows the young master is concerned about his family, so he ordered this slave to relay a message. Whether the young master knows or not is irrelevant—just listen patiently.”
Tuqiu Jiu was puzzled but nodded in acknowledgment.
The slave-official spoke softly, starting with the current situation of his parents and younger brothers.
To be honest, Tuqiu Jiu cared little about their well-being. However, he knew that Qin placed great emphasis on filial piety. If children were disrespectful to their parents and the parents reported them for disobedience, the children could be punished, even severely, up to execution.
Yet, if parents killed their children, it was not considered a crime.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do—especially when it concerned his life. So, despite his unfavorable impression of the couple, Tuqiu Jiu put on a worried expression.
Even if the memories were filled with hatred, they were not his own emotions, so maintaining composure was not difficult.
During this, Zhi Yuli passed by on patrol, paused to listen for a moment, then turned and continued his rounds. Once he was out of earshot, Tuqiu Jiu was about to express relief that his parents and brothers were safe when the slave-official abruptly changed the subject. “The young master’s two brothers also entrusted this slave with a message.”
Tuqiu Jiu found it strange. The original owner had always had a poor relationship with his half-brothers, who treated him more like a servant than an elder brother, ordering him around. Why would they send him a message now?
Without waiting for a response, the slave-official relayed the message. As Tuqiu Jiu listened, he suddenly realized: this was not just a message but a pretext to recount the entire case, including the autopsy findings.
Tuqiu Jiu listened intently. Although this was the Warring States period, the methods for investigation and autopsy were already quite sophisticated, following the procedures outlined in Fengzhenshi (The Manual of Forensic Medicine).
The slave-official’s account helped fill in some details about the crime scene.
At the same time, he learned that the case had been resolved quickly because the murder weapon was found in Tuqiu Zhi’s hand, while fragments of a vase were scattered near Tuqiu Fei.
According to the crime scene investigation, the victim, Li Bu, had not only a fatal wound to the chest but also an injury to the back of his head.
The analysis concluded that the three had gotten into a conflict: Tuqiu Fei knocked Li Bu unconscious with the vase, and Tuqiu Zhi, fearing punishment if Li Bu woke up, decided to finish the job by stabbing him to death.
This also somewhat blurs the issue of why Li Bu didn’t cry for help when he was stabbed—after all, if someone is already unconscious, how could they possibly call for help?
This conclusion left Tuqiu Jiu wanting to criticize but not knowing where to start. Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei’s actions were completely illogical.
Li Bu’s punishment might not have been fatal, but killing Li Bu would definitely lead to their deaths. Even as minors, they couldn’t escape this fate. This was evident from the fact that their prison cells differed from his—they were held in death row cells, while Tuqiu Jiu was in a cell designated for exiled prisoners.
As for escaping, it might have been possible in other states, but in Qin… even Shang Yang couldn’t escape back in the day. He was captured and brought back because he lacked the proper travel documents. Could Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei possibly be more capable than Shang Yang?
Moreover, the two of them didn’t even manage to escape—they fainted right at the scene.
Tuqiu Jiu asked curiously, “Isn’t it strange that they didn’t run but fainted on the spot? Did no one notice this?”
Such a major case shouldn’t have been handled so carelessly, right? Or did someone overlook these details just to wrap up the case quickly?
The slave-official bowed his head and replied, “The two young masters claimed they fainted from the sight of blood, which is why they collapsed on the ground.”
Tuqiu Jiu’s mind stirred: “They admitted it was their doing?”
The slave-official confirmed, and Tuqiu Jiu clicked his tongue, feeling troubled. He asked again, “Then did they explain how they brought the murder weapon inside? When I was taken into the villa with them, the search didn’t reveal any weapons on them.”
The slave-official said softly, “This servant does not know.”
Tuqiu Jiu immediately understood: Ah, this detail was overlooked and never asked.
From this perspective, how the murder weapon appeared was the most critical point.
As for Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei confessing, it didn’t dampen Tuqiu Jiu’s enthusiasm. After all, interrogations in this era could involve torture. Even the esteemed Chancellor Li Si, unable to withstand the torture, confessed to the grave crime of treason. Wouldn’t he have known that confessing meant death? But for him at that time, death was a form of relief.
Tuqiu Jiu didn’t ask anything more. Instead, he sat there piecing together the entire case. The slave-official beside him remained silent, quietly keeping him company.
Before long, Zhi Yuli came over, opened the cell door, and said, “Come with me to see Wen Wuhai.”
Tuqiu Jiu quickly stood up, but the moment he did, his vision went dark, and he felt dizzy. Fortunately, the slave-official reacted swiftly and supported him, or he might have collapsed right then and there.
The slave-official held him carefully and asked, “Is the young master feeling unwell?”
It took Tuqiu Jiu a while before his vision gradually cleared. He took a deep breath, coughed twice, and said, “I’m fine.”
He truly was fine—it was just his body being too weak.
Once again, he worried that even if he could overturn the case, his body might not last long.
He straightened up and no longer let the slave-official support him. To be honest, he was mainly worried about dirtying the other’s hands and clothes.
Although the other was a slave-official, he looked much cleaner and tidier than Tuqiu Jiu was at the moment.
Tuqiu Jiu’s hands were streaked with black and white marks, and his body was even worse. Clearly, no one in the prison bothered to fetch water for the prisoners to wash.
He followed the prison official out of the main cell block. As he stepped out of the prison, the sunlight outside was so blinding that he couldn’t help but close his eyes. The slave-official behind him stepped forward and shielded his eyes with a hand.
Having not seen sunlight for so long, the moment he felt its warmth, Tuqiu Jiu couldn’t help but take a deep breath. The fresh air outside only strengthened his resolve to find a way to overturn the case.
Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he opened them, turned to the slave-official with a smile, and continued following the prison official outward.
As he walked, he suddenly realized something—his vision was perfectly fine. In fact, it seemed even sharper than before.
Yet in the cell, everything had indeed appeared blurry, and in dim light, he had been nearly blind.
So… it wasn’t his eyesight that was poor, but night blindness?
If that were truly the case, Tuqiu Jiu felt somewhat relieved. Compared to permanent eye damage, mere night blindness was nothing. As long as he paid attention to supplementing vitamins, it could still be managed.
With a slight easing of the pressure in his heart, he followed the official to the courtroom. The middle-aged man he had seen earlier—the official who also served as the judicial inspector, Wen Wuhai—was seated at the head of the room, reviewing bamboo slips.
After entering, Tuqiu Jiu stood quietly, waiting. He took the opportunity to anticipate the questions the man might ask and mentally prepared his responses.
In Tuqiu Jiu’s estimation, the other might ask why he had retracted his confession, or perhaps repeat the standard interrogation procedure once more.
Those questions existed in the original owner’s memories. This time, when answering, Tuqiu Jiu would definitely need to change his approach, ideally guiding the other to take him to the crime scene for a look.
In his memory, he had only visited the scene when Li Bu’s body was discovered, and his recollection of it was extremely vague—because the original owner had fainted from fright at the time.
Without visiting the scene, it would be nearly impossible to gather more information. The only thing that worried him was that the case had been closed for some time, and the verdict had already been passed. The villa that served as the crime scene might no longer retain its original traces.
But regardless, he had to go and see for himself.
As Tuqiu Jiu calculated his next steps, he straightened his back, ready to face Wen Wuhai’s questioning.
What he didn’t expect, however, was that Wen Wuhai’s first question to him was: “You seem different from before. Why have you suddenly undergone such a change in temperament?”
Tuqiu Jiu: ??? How could you tell?
Caught off guard, he froze on the spot, let alone formulating an immediate response.
As he remained silent, Wen Wuhai simply watched him quietly, his gaze sharper than before.
Tuqiu Jiu blinked and asked, “Is this related to the case?”
Wen Wuhai nodded. “Naturally, it is. If I were to rely solely on the judicial record, I would find no grounds for doubt. Without other issues, this petition for retrial would not stand.”
Tuqiu Jiu’s expression shifted slightly. So, the earlier question was the “other issue” that could determine whether the petition for retrial would proceed?
He asked, somewhat puzzled, “Does the judicial inspector know me quite well?”
If not, how could he have used the phrase “change in temperament”?
Yet there was no such person in his memories, which left Tuqiu Jiu feeling uneasy.
Wen Wuhai waved a hand dismissively. “That matter is unrelated to the case. You need only answer my question.”
Tuqiu Jiu had no choice but to say, “This lowly one has not changed. It is merely that fear has given rise to a sliver of courage. Even in death, I wish to understand clearly.”
Wen Wuhai, however, shook his head and said, “No, that is not right. If you possessed such courage, you would not have waited until now to petition for a retrial. Were you not afraid during the sentencing reading?”
Tuqiu Jiu fell silent at once. He did not know the original host’s personality, only a vague impression that he was timid and cowardly. Moreover, even if he had known, he could not have imitated it—he was no actor, and with his life at stake, he had no time to mimic the original host’s behavior and habits.
So how should he answer this question?
He himself did not know whether he was dreaming or had truly crossed over. Of course, the main issue was whether the other party would understand if he spoke of transmigration.
What if they interpreted it as possession by a wandering soul?
In a flash of inspiration, Tuqiu Jiu let out a long sigh and said, “This lowly one originally harbored some hope of luck, but now it seems I cannot conceal it. In that case, I have no choice but to speak the truth.”
After saying this, he looked up at Wen Wuhai with a sincere expression and said, “Wen Wuhai may not believe this, but two days ago, when this guilty commoner fell unconscious, I suddenly felt my body light and floating, as if my soul had left my body. I originally thought my end was near, but unexpectedly, someone arrived treading on seven-colored auspicious clouds, claiming to be Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun (The Most High Celestial Worthy of the Thunderous Resonance of the Nine Heavens), responsible for rewarding good and punishing evil. Sensing a great injustice upon this guilty commoner, he descended to offer guidance so that my wrongful grievance might be cleared.”
Wen Wuhai likely did not expect him to spin such a tale. After listening, he paused before asking, “Clearing a wrongful grievance… what does that mean?”
Tuqiu Jiu: “…”
He had forgotten—this phrase originated from the Tang dynasty’s “Ling Ying Zhuan,” whose specific author is unknown. Now, in the Warring States period, such an idiom naturally did not exist yet.
Feeling somewhat weary, he said, “This guilty commoner also asked Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun about this. He said it came from a legendary and fantastical tale in the immortal realm, meaning that a long-standing grievance is washed clean.”
Wen Wuhai nodded slightly and asked further, “Did that Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun mention what was amiss in this case?”
Huh? He believed it just like that?
Tuqiu Jiu suddenly felt that this era might not be so difficult to navigate after all. After all, feudal superstitious activities were rampant from top to bottom. Even the emperor… well, it was still the king now—even the king led the search for immortals, so it seemed no surprise that the common people believed in such things.
Steadying himself, he said, “The biggest issue in this case lies in how the murder weapon was brought into the mansion. Tuqiu Zhi and Tuqiu Fei were thoroughly inspected upon entering the mansion, so it was certainly impossible for them to have carried the weapon inside. Therefore, the murder weapon might have been brought in by other noble youths or was an item from within the mansion itself.”
Wen Wuhai raised an eyebrow slightly. “The Celestial Worthy did not directly tell you how to solve the case?”
Tuqiu Jiu blinked. Indeed, if an immortal were to help, they would surely have told him directly what was wrong.
A lie told must be upheld, even if it means kneeling to do so!
Gritting his teeth, he said, “The Celestial Worthy stated clearly that the crime scene was fabricated!”
Wen Wuhai leaned forward slightly, a glint of interest in his eyes. “Fabricated? How so?”
Seizing the moment, Tuqiu Jiu said, “This guilty commoner is clumsy with words and fears an incomplete account. Might Wen Wuhai take me to the scene to explain in detail?”
A faint smile appeared on Wen Wuhai’s otherwise stern face. “Very well.”
Author’s Note:
Tuqiu Jiu: Starting off on the path of a charlatan from the very beginning, feeling mentally exhausted.jpg