Zhang Yuanzong looked at Provincial Graduate Wang. "Is what Song Jinzhao said true?"
Provincial Graduate Wang swallowed hard. "Your Honor, I did not threaten her."
Old Lady Song immediately glared at him and scolded, "Nonsense! You said Qiming wouldn't pass the imperial examination while studying at the Zheng family's private school, and that in a few years he'd have to go study at your family's school."
"You said if we didn't buy the shop, he couldn't study there, but if we bought it, he could go next year."
"My granddaughter saw right through your dishonesty and poor character and refused outright. Then you threatened to have someone beat her up."
Provincial Graduate Wang looked at Old Lady Song with disbelief. "When did I ever say I'd have someone beat her?"
Old Lady Song pointed her finger at his nose, angrily retorting, "If you didn't order it, why would your son hire local ruffians to teach us a lesson? If my granddaughter didn't have some martial skills, who knows what state they would have beaten her into yesterday."
"Hiring six burly men to deal with a young girl—and you call yourself a Provincial Graduate? How can you have so little shame?"
Provincial Graduate Wang gnashed his teeth. "I did not instruct my son to lay a hand on her. I knew nothing about this matter."
Old Lady Song: "Pah! Only a fool would believe that."
"Father and son, two of a kind, snakes in the same hole. Serves you right to be killed, and dying in a place like a brothel—utterly disgraceful."
Seeing Provincial Graduate Wang's face turn livid with rage and the situation threatening to spiral out of control, Zhang Yuanzong hurriedly rapped his gavel. "Order in the court!"
Old Lady Song was startled into silence.
After the courtroom quieted down, Song Jinzhao spoke. "Your Honor, this commoner only taught those ruffians a lesson yesterday. I did not kill them."
"Moreover, I have never seen Provincial Graduate Wang's son. How would I even know he was at Wanchun Lou?"
Old Lady Song immediately added, "Your Honor, I can prove they left unharmed. Not only did I see it, but my three grandsons saw it too."
"They study at the Zheng family's private school. If Your Honor doesn't believe me, you can summon them for questioning."
Madam Wang, supported by her maid, was still in pain from the kick earlier, her waist aching.
"You're family, of course you'd shield her. Why would you tell the truth?"
The court clerk sitting to the side, recording the proceedings, said, "Your Honor, the soldiers guarding the city gate saw Zhao Sandao and his men enter the city. If Miss Song did not enter the city afterward, she could not have committed murder at Wanchun Lou in the middle of the night."
Zhang Yuanzong nodded. "Summon the soldiers who were guarding the city gate yesterday."
The guard was from the Jinglei Army. He first glanced at Song Jinzhao, then narrowed his eyes and said, "Yesterday, after this young lady drove her cart out of the city, Zhao Sandao and his men followed closely behind. Thinking back now, it seemed intentional, like they were tailing her."
Zhang Yuanzong asked, "Did Song Jinzhao re-enter the city after leaving?"
The soldier shook his head. "We did not see her."
Provincial Graduate Wang spoke up anxiously, "Could you have missed her?"
The soldier firmly rebutted, "At that hour, few young women come and go. If we had seen one, it would have left a strong impression."
Provincial Graduate Wang shook his head in disbelief, then a thought suddenly struck him.
"Could she have swum in through the canal?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanzong's brow furrowed deeply. Last time, He Lanxiao had planned to escape along the canal after burning the grain stores.
He said sternly, "Impossible. A month ago, I ordered an iron net to be installed below the water gate, and there are constables guarding the banks. Anyone trying to sneak in underwater would definitely be discovered."
One learns from one's mistakes. Once a vulnerability is known, it cannot be allowed to remain.
Madam Wang pointed at Song Jinzhao. "Who else would kill my son but her? We only have a grudge with you."
Song Jinzhao: "To convict someone of murder based solely on motive—if that's the standard, then Provincial Graduate Wang also has a motive for murder."
An eerie silence fell over the courtroom, followed by Provincial Graduate Wang's furious outburst.
"Preposterous! How could I kill my own son?"
Song Jinzhao met his gaze directly. "Yesterday, Zhao Sandao begged for mercy on his knees after I beat him. He said the Wang family was selling the shop because Wang Shizhang lost a large sum of money at the gambling den, which is why they tried to swindle me."
"With a son who frequents brothels and gambling dens, squandering the family fortune bit by bit, Provincial Graduate Wang must be very angry, right?"
"Suppress that rage long enough, and one might wish the other had never been born."
"You instructed Wang Shizhang to hire thugs to deal with me, but then feared the exposure would threaten the official rank you worked so hard to obtain. So you simply took this opportunity to kill him, cutting off the source of trouble."
Provincial Graduate Wang's pupils dilated, his hands gesturing uncontrollably in all directions. "How dare you slander me with such baseless accusations of killing my own son?"
Song Jinzhao: "I am merely making a logical deduction, following normal reasoning. Your Wang family also accuses me of murder without any proof."
"Madam Wang, think carefully. Has Provincial Graduate Wang ever said things like, 'How did I end up with such a useless son?'"
"A son can be had again. If you cannot bear one, he can find another woman. But if his official rank is lost, it's gone for good. How could he let the family fortune, accumulated with such difficulty, be squandered by a good-for-nothing son who only brings him trouble?"
Madam Wang was so shocked she could barely stand. She had heard such words countless times. Just yesterday, he had slapped their son.
For the past two years, he had been wanting to take a concubine. Could it be he wanted to father another son to replace Shizhang's position?
Provincial Graduate Wang stared at Madam Wang's thoughtful expression, unable to believe she would suspect him.
He shouted at her, "She's trying to drive a wedge between us, to ruin our marital bond! There were seven people in that room. How could I possibly have killed them all by myself?"
Song Jinzhao: "Zhao Sandao would do anything for money. You bribed him to kill your son first, then silence the other five, and finally, when he was off guard, you killed him."
Provincial Graduate Wang never imagined that instead of Song Jinzhao confessing, he himself would become the murder suspect.
His face flushed crimson, and he roared, tearing at his throat, "You're talking nonsense, twisting words with a cunning tongue! It's all lies!"
When Song Jinzhao first suggested that Wang Shizhang was killed by Provincial Graduate Wang, Zhang Yuanzong didn't believe it.
But as he listened, it didn't seem entirely impossible. Her reasoning made some sense.
Wang Shizhang had a very poor reputation in Xining City; one could say he was Provincial Graduate Wang's disgrace. Compared to having his official rank stripped after the truth came to light, murder to silence everyone was not entirely out of the question.
The commoners watching the drama outside the yamen were already stunned.
The father turning into the murderer? Could it be true?
The constable standing at the yamen entrance noticed an official sedan chair approaching in the distance, followed by many other officials.
As the distance closed, he could clearly see the ceremonial placard inscribed with "Prefect of Anyang."
He quickly turned and ran inside the yamen. "Your Honor! The Prefect is here! The sedan chair is almost at the gate!"
The commoners gathered at the yamen entrance heard this and turned around.
Seeing the procession, they hastily moved aside, clearing the path to the yamen's main gate.
