Huddled together in the corner of the opposite cell, Xiao Hu's ten subordinates raised their heads, their eyes gleaming with hope.
Now that their boss had confessed, the authorities would likely spare them from further torture.
Being sentenced to prison or exile was far better than enduring the horrifying, sickening agony of having centipedes burrowing through their bodies.
Xiao Hu shot a shifty glance at Song Jinzhao. Gritting his teeth to swallow his lingering resentment, he confessed, "It was Yan Baoyi. He paid me five hundred taels of silver to take my men and cripple Song Qiming's hand, ensuring he could never hold a brush again and would be forced out of Anyang Academy."
Sitting on a stool with her legs crossed, a dark glint flashed through Song Jinzhao's eyes.
It was exactly as Qiming had guessed; the mastermind who hired the thugs was indeed Yan Baoyi.
Five hundred taels of silver just to ruin a hand—what an extravagant sum. Since the Yan family had so much money with nowhere to spend it, they might as well lose it all.
"Yet later, you didn't just try to cripple my brother's hand; you intended to murder him and Ji Youming."
Xiao Hu lowered his voice. "I didn't expect him to know martial arts, nor did I anticipate two other scholars jumping into the fray. During the fight, my mask was torn off, so my only choice was to silence them for good."
Meng Hechuan furrowed his brows and interrogated, "When did Yan Baoyi approach you? Did he pay you in silver ingots or banknotes?"
Xiao Hu closed his eyes. "Three evenings ago. The banknotes are hidden at the Hongyun Inn. There is a secret compartment beneath the floorboards in my room; I sandwiched the notes between iron plates and stashed them inside."
Meng Hechuan pressed further, "Did anyone else see Yan Baoyi besides you? Are there any other witnesses?"
Xiao Hu shook his head. "I always meet my clients alone when I take a job, and I never bring anyone else along. However, Yan Baoyi brought a servant with him that day, who looked like his study attendant."
"He had a pair of beady, rat-like eyes and spoke in a sharp, mean-spirited tone. Just looking at him was repulsive."
Song Jinzhao stood up. "My Lord, now that we have a witness, can we make the arrest?"
Meng Hechuan nodded and issued orders to his subordinates. "You, personally lead a team to Anyang Academy to apprehend Yan Baoyi and his attendant. The rest of you, go to the inn, retrieve the banknotes, and take them to the money house for verification. Find out who originally withdrew them and trace it back step by step."
A banknote worth five hundred taels was a large denomination. An ordinary commoner could not save that much money in a lifetime; only the wealthy would withdraw such sums from a money house.
By the time the Head Constable and his men arrived at Anyang Academy, the entire grounds were dead silent.
Seeing the approaching men dressed in official uniforms, the gatekeeper hurriedly rose to his feet and asked, "What business brings you officers here?"
The Head Constable replied, "A student of your esteemed academy, Yan Baoyi, is suspected of hiring thugs to commit assault. The Prefect has ordered us to arrest him and bring him to justice."
The gatekeeper's face stiffened. "Are you certain it is Scholar Yan?"
The Head Constable nodded. "Yan Baoyi of the Inner Dormitory. Is he currently in the lecture hall?"
The gatekeeper led the officers to the entrance of the Inner Dormitory courtyard. "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will fetch the master in charge of the Inner Dormitory."
Ding Weiyue listened to the constables with a dark expression. Forcing down the heavy heaving of his chest, he said, "There must be some misunderstanding. Today is the academy's annual examination. Could you perhaps wait until the exams have concluded before summoning him?"
During the exam invigilation, he had noticed that Ji Youming, Hu Fengye, and Song Qiming all bore injuries on their faces and hands, with Ji Youming's being the most severe.
He had initially assumed they had gotten into a brawl over the limited spots in the Upper Dormitory. Never did he imagine that one had been attacked while the other two had come to his rescue—and that the mastermind behind the assault was his own student.
If Yan Baoyi were convicted and word got out, Ding Weiyue's own reputation in Anyang Prefecture would be utterly ruined.
Catching sight of someone eavesdropping behind the bamboo grove out of the corner of his eye, the Head Constable gripped the sword at his waist and charged forward.
Seeing this, the eavesdropper turned and fled, but another constable vaulted over a flowerbed and tackled him to the ground.
Grabbing the man by the hair and wrenching his face upward, he revealed a remarkably ugly pair of beady, rat-like eyes.
