Farewell Flower Festival

In a shabby little courtyard, the flickering light of torches illuminated the simple wall. Captain Yu had already surrounded the house from all sides, making it impossible for the people in the house to escape.

However, the other party did not have the strength to escape. In fact, he was already on his last legs and unable to recover.

Mu Tianling asked Chaoyan to wait in the yard. She insisted on going into the house with him, and he couldn't persuade her.

After entering the room, Chao Yan saw a person lying on the simple wooden bed. She bravely followed Mu Tianling to see what the other person looked like and was a little surprised.

There was no murderous ferocity or violence on that face, nor was there any regret and frustration at being caught. There was only calmness, a calmness that came from a great revenge.

Mu Tianling sat down on the only stool in the room and said, "Tell me why you killed someone."

The person on the bed raised his hand with difficulty and stretched it towards him, speaking with difficulty, "Hairpin, can you give it back to me?"

Mu Tianling gestured to Qianfeng, and he took out the ordinary hairpin from his arms. At Mu Tianling's nod, Qianfeng put the hairpin in the other's hand.

"Thank you." The dull eyes regained some of their brightness the moment they saw the hairpin.

"Can you tell me now?" Mu Tianling asked.

The other party raised his hand with difficulty, took out a folded confession from his arms and handed it over. Qianfeng took it, opened it and handed it to Mu Tianling.

Just at this time, the person that Mu Tianling asked Captain Yu to invite arrived.

The other party was none other than Governor Yan, who was in charge of West City. His thick beard was particularly eye-catching, and his bright eyes were quite intimidating.

"Everyone is here, let's read it."

Qianfeng read out the contents of the letter. After listening, no one in the room spoke.

Xu Xuan, 27 years old, is from Tong County, Yuzhou. He married his wife Xu three years ago.

Two years ago, Wei Chang led his troops through Tong County. Seeing Xu's beauty, he had evil intentions. In order to please him, two of his generals forcibly abducted Xu and set fire to her house. Xu Xuan narrowly escaped and went to the county government to file a complaint, but the legal advisor in the government told him to accept his fate, saying that those were officials from the capital and he, a poor scholar, could not defeat them.

He refused to accept his fate. He followed the army's route out of the city and discovered the army stationed near the woods in the evening. He broke into the camp alone to rescue Xu, but how could a poor scholar like him be a match for this group of warriors? He was beaten all over and tied up like an animal.

The two generals who set fire to the house took pleasure in torturing and humiliating him, and even took him to Wei Chang's tent and made him listen to the noise inside.

Under day after day of torture and humiliation, he gradually became numb, as if he had really become an animal that could be beaten and scolded at will.

Until one day, one of the generals dragged the equally numb Xu in front of him and threw a silver ingot at him, "The general is tired of playing with you, and he is merciful enough to let you and your wife reunite. Take the silver and get out of here."

He obediently went to pick up the silver on the ground, but just as he stretched out his hand, a foot stepped on the ground fiercely. The opponent stabbed Xu's body with a sword, and blood gushed out. The piercing laughter echoed in the noisy cicadas at night...

He and his wife were thrown into a mass grave. Instead of killing him with a sword, the enemy broke his hands and feet and left him to die.

He didn't know how long he had been lingering in the mass grave. He heard someone talking. The other person asked him if he wanted to live. He nodded numbly.

He was rescued.

Two years later, he finally avenged his wife Xu.

Die without regrets.

When Qianfeng finished reading the last word in the letter, the person on the bed closed his eyes with a peaceful expression. In his hand, he held the hairpin, which was the first gift he bought for his wife, Xu, after they got married.

No one spoke in the room and the atmosphere was quiet and depressing.

Chaoyan suddenly turned around and left. Mu Tianling looked back at her back and gestured to Feiyu, who followed her out.

"Fuck it!" Commander Yan cursed and punched the table. The oil lamp on the table jumped up, and the light and shadows in the room flickered, as if the calm surface of the water was suddenly disturbed.

Mu Tianling said: "There is no handprint on it. If you were not here to bear witness, I am afraid no one would believe that this person is the murderer."

Governor Yan snorted and said sarcastically, "Your Highness is very thoughtful." He walked over and checked the body of the deceased. No obvious external injuries were found, but the lips were dark blue, which showed that the person had been poisoned.

Mu Tianling took out a hidden arrow from his sleeve and said, "It is coated with a deadly poison. He should have a wound on his right shoulder."

Commander Yan glanced back at the hidden arrow, then checked Xu Xuan's right shoulder, and indeed there was a wound. He said, "If it was a deadly poison, how could he have lived for two days?" He added, "A scholar who has never practiced martial arts has become a top assassin in just two years, and killed three people in one night. Someone must have helped him."

Mu Tianling said intriguingly, "Unfortunately, I still couldn't save his life." He added, "The case I'm working on has been solved. As for the person behind the scenes, you can check it out if you're interested."

After the group came out, Mu Tianling caught a glimpse of Chao Yan squatting beside them. He walked over and said, "Life and death are determined by fate, so just take it easy." Chao Yan didn't say anything.

……

At the morning court the next day, Mu Tianling presented Xu Xuan's confession to Emperor Mu. Immediately, a minister jumped out to express doubt and demanded to see the murderer himself. Mu Tianling said that the person was outside the palace.

Emperor Mu gave an order, and Eunuch De said loudly: "Announce~"

Then Qianfeng and Feiyu came in carrying a stretcher with a person covered with a white cloth on it.

Seeing that it was a dead person, Emperor Mu's face turned a little dark.

Then some ministers jumped out and said that there was no evidence to prove the crime, and once again questioned the authenticity of the confession.

Mu Tianling said there was a witness outside the hall.

Eunuch De observed the emperor's expression, then shouted again, "Xuan~"

This time, the person who came in was a living person, and Emperor Mu's expression eased a little.

Commander Yan reported exactly what he had seen last night.

Some ministers still expressed doubts.

Then Mu Tianling presented a thick stack of account books, which recorded Wei Chang's numerous crimes such as embezzling money, accepting bribes, seizing people's land, and squeezing people's money.

Emperor Mu only flipped through the top book and immediately became so angry that his face turned blue. He ordered the Nine Punishment Department to thoroughly investigate the matter.

After the court was dismissed, Zhao Zhong was stopped from behind. Mu Tianling walked over and said, "I have cut off one of your sources of income, please forgive me." Zhao Zhong responded with a fake smile, "Your Highness the Fourth Prince is joking." After that, he bowed slightly and turned away, and the fake smile on his face disappeared.

Mu Tianyuan and Mu Tianqi stood not far away and saw this scene. Mu Tianqi said, "Fourth brother has made great contributions this time. I believe that he will be able to serve in the court with us in the future and share the worries of the emperor." Mu Tianyuan snorted coldly and said, "It's just a blind cat catching a dead mouse. There is nothing to be proud of. Let's wait and see."

……