Chapter 105: Another Verdict!

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When Li Yi woke up, it was already evening! And he was not in the Han Prince’s mansion, but in the Ministry of Justice’s prison! Without a doubt, Li Yi knew it was Li Yuanchang who had thrown him in there!

“Snap! This time things have really gotten out of hand! I wonder what dirt Li Yuanchang has thrown on me this time!”

As Li Yi was pondering, he heard a sound near the prison door. He quickly got up and saw a somewhat familiar figure approaching from afar.

“Hmm? Lord Dai, is that you? What are you doing in Chang’an?”

“Haha! Nephew, it’s been a long time! I heard you’ve been living quite freely lately!”

The visitor was none other than Dai Shunde. When Li Yi was handling cases in Luoyang, Dai Shunde had always been a great help. In fact, Dai Shunde’s son, Dai Chunlin, had died indirectly because of Li Yi. Yet Dai Shunde bore no grudge against him—perhaps because Li Yi never held a grudge over the Yibin Tower incident, or maybe because Dai Shunde never really liked his own son, or perhaps because he admired Li Yi’s investigative skills. Above all, Li Yi believed it was Dai Shunde’s integrity, straightforwardness, unwavering sense of justice, and clear sense of right and wrong that earned his respect. Li Yi had always remembered Dai Shunde and deeply admired him. At the very least, Li Yi admitted that he could never be like him. In fact, they were something of an unlikely friendship despite their age difference. Li Yi recalled that when he left, he had copied the "Record of Justice" for him.

“Living freely? I’m still locked up in a cell! Sigh! So why are you in Chang’an? Judging from that official robe, did you get a promotion?”

“Haha! Yes, a promotion! I owe it to you leaving me the Record of Justice back then. Ever since I got it, I’ve been studying it day and night! Thanks to that, I cracked several big cases, which pleased the Emperor greatly and led to my promotion to Vice Minister of Justice, a fourth-rank official! I just took office the day before yesterday, finished the handover, and then His Majesty sent me here to handle your case. I must say, brother, you really know how to stir up trouble!”

“Damn! You think I want this? I was forced into it! Enough chit-chat, tell me what crime I’m accused of! I still don’t even know how I ended up here!”

“Nephew, if I didn’t know you so well, I might have believed it. The evidence is rock solid. Around noon today, the Ministry of Justice received a report from the Han Prince’s mansion accusing you of raping and killing the Han Prince’s concubine. At first, I didn’t believe it, but when I came to investigate, the evidence was overwhelming. You were found sleeping soundly next to Li Yuanchang’s concubine! Sigh, nephew, you’re in deep trouble this time!”

“What?! Raping and killing? Tell me, when you saw me, was I wearing clothes?”

“Well, you had on just a pair of underpants.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. At least Li Yuanchang had some conscience and didn’t let me lose my honor! Bah! What conscience? His conscience is rotten through and through. Damn it! Using such a cruel tactic against me!” Li Yi cursed Li Yuanchang bitterly, to the point that Dai Shunde felt embarrassed to listen—it was too harsh!

“Nephew! Hey! Calm down! We have to focus on the matter!”

After Dai Shunde’s urging, Li Yi gradually calmed down.

Dai Shunde asked, “Nephew, from what you say, this is the Han Prince framing you?”

Li Yi replied, “Yeah... well, forget it. You’d better not get involved in this—it’s complicated and won’t do you any good. Just focus on your investigation. By the way, did you survey the scene? Any findings?”

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Dai Shunde’s face flushed, “I did, but you know my skills aren’t quite up to par!”

Li Yi said, “Alright, that’s understandable. That sly old fox wouldn’t leave any traces if he wanted to frame me. Listen, Li Yuanchang wouldn’t entrust this to someone else because he fears leaving clues. Since he knows my abilities, he’s handling it personally. He’s got nothing to lose now. Anyway, tell me—who was the victim?”

Dai Shunde answered, “It was one of the Han Prince’s concubines, named Xu Chunlan. She was extremely beautiful, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and Li Yuanchang had taken her as his wife.”

Li Yi asked, “What kind of person was Xu Chunlan?”

“I investigated. She was a terrible woman—born into a merchant family, with a very bad character. She frequently beat and scolded her maids and was rumored to have even killed someone! Now that she’s married into a noble family, her relatives are local bullies. You could say she got what she deserved.”

“Hmm, at least she wasn’t an innocent victim. How did she die?”

“Inspection showed she was strangled to death with two hands.”

“So there must be two handprints on her neck, right? Is one deeper than the other?”

“I... didn’t look closely. Does that matter?”

“Of course it does! You obviously didn’t study the Record of Justice properly. Let me tell you, in investigations, details matter most. Since the victim was strangled with two hands, the killer must have used full strength. Because the force applied by each hand differs, the handprints would be uneven—one deeper, one lighter. And the Han Prince is left-handed, so if I’m right, the left handprint would be deeper. If that’s true, I can clear my name because I’m right-handed!”

“That... sigh, my investigative skills still fall far short of yours. Nephew, honestly, I truly admire you.”

“Don’t flatter me. This alone isn’t enough to prove my innocence. The evidence is still insufficient. Hmm, the Han Prince is framing me for a drunken assault, right? Then there should be a smell of alcohol in the room. But I didn’t drink a drop and there’s no trace of alcohol on me. Probably none in the victim’s room either. Check that for me. By the way, what about the victim’s clothing?”

“Oh! Her clothes were intact. That was the only suspicious thing I found!”

“Damn! That’s not suspicious—that’s evidence! Think about it: if I had killed her, it means she resisted me, so her clothes wouldn’t be intact. The only explanation is that she willingly slept with someone else before being killed!”

“Exactly! Haha, nephew, does that mean you can get out now?”

“No, it’s not like the Han Prince’s style to leave so many loose ends. Given his cunning, he wouldn’t make so many mistakes. Could it be just to disgust me? That doesn’t make sense either. Then why?”

Li Yi was lost in thought and suddenly went silent.

“Nephew?”

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“Hmm?”

“Are you going to get out or not?”

“Hmm. Let me stay here a little longer. Until I figure out what the Han Prince is up to, I can’t leave. Sometimes it’s better to stay still.”

“Alright.”

“By the way, does the Emperor know about my case?”

“Yes, he’s already been informed.”

“What about my family?”

“Don’t worry! The Emperor has sent people to comfort them. They all know you’ll be fine.”

“That’s good. Here’s what I want you to do: tell the Emperor my analysis. Also, notify Cheng Chumo of the Cheng family, and tell him to take action at Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Don’t let anyone escape, especially the two I mentioned. But be careful not to harm any innocents.”

Dai Shunde took notes carefully. “Nephew, rest assured, I’ll handle it well. Anything else?”

“Well...” Li Yi suddenly jumped up. “Can you get me moved to a different cell? Why do all ancient prison cells have the same look—small windows, straw beds, wooden bars? No variety at all! I want a big bed, a rocking chair, roast chicken, roast duck! I want—”

“Cough cough, nephew, you’ll have to make do for now. Anyway, you won’t be here long. I’ll be going now.”

“Hey, wait! Don’t leave! Hey!”

[End of text]