Chapter 486 - 485: I Have Your Son

Chapter 486: Chapter 485: I Have Your Son

"Who was that?"

"Theoretically, he’s one of your subordinates."

"I’ve never heard of him, nor do I know him."

Then came the key question: "If you didn’t do it, who forced you to confess?"

"The day after I was thrown in jail, someone came in," Fu Songhua said. "He had my son’s toy and used it to force me to confess. If I didn’t, my son would die. I made that toy with my own hands; I recognized it instantly."

He let out a breath, saying dejectedly, "My past attempt to assassinate Zhang Guangyi was already a capital offense. A few more charges don’t make much difference. How many times can one man die? As long as they don’t hurt my son."

Hee Lingchuan quickly reassured him, "Your son is in my hands now. He’s very safe."

’Uh, why does that sound a little off?’

Fu Songhua’s face twitched as well.

"This person wasn’t Zhongsun Mou?"

"No!" Fu Songhua shook his head. "I don’t know him."

’Just as I expected.’

"Then, the man went over the testimony with me," he continued. "He said I was going to be tried in Lingxu City and that I had to memorize the confession until I knew it by heart, without a single mistake."

"Was there anyone else in the jail at the time? The Prison Chief or other inmates?"

"No, it was a death row cell, and I was the only one in it. After I finished memorizing the testimony, the man left. I didn’t hear him talk to anyone, but I heard the sound of keys at the door—the jangling of a large ring of keys. Someone must have opened the door for him. Half a day later, the Inspector took me to an inn to be held."

"This man wanted you to confess to being a spy and take the blame for ambushing the Messenger?"

"Yes, and he fabricated all sorts of details for me." Fu Songhua gave a bitter smile. "Honestly, if my memory were any worse, I wouldn’t have been able to memorize that confession. It was so convoluted."

Hee Lingchuan took out a pre-prepared brush and paper from his Storage Ring. "Write down the confession."

He personally ground the ink for Fu Songhua.

At this point, Fu Songhua didn’t refuse and began writing, his brush flying across the paper.

A little over a quarter of an hour later, he finally stopped his brush. "It’s done."

Six large sheets of white paper were completely filled with small characters.

"Now, write down what happened to you over the past few days."

Fu Songhua wrote another half a sheet.

Then he bit his finger and pressed a bloody thumbprint on each page to sign it.

Hee Lingchuan gave him a thumbs-up. "Your memory is truly excellent." He blew the ink dry, tucked the papers into his robe, and said, "Remember, don’t tell anyone we did this."

He had rented this room in advance for this very purpose.

"Also, you know I’m here to investigate the murder of the Lingxu City Messenger. You and that White-shouldered Eagle may not be connected, but you might have crossed paths with the real culprit."

Fu Songhua’s expression changed slightly. He sighed. "After all I’ve said, you still don’t believe me."

"This isn’t about trust. You might not even be aware of this connection yourself. Otherwise, with so many people hiding their identities in Baisha Jue, why did they specifically choose you?"

"I..."

"The intelligence we’ve gathered from elsewhere also points directly to the Northwest of Baisha Jue. In other words, the real culprit might be living right near you."

Fu Songhua started to understand. "You’re saying the real culprit also lives in the Northwest of the city, but all the evidence was tailor-made to frame me?"

"They must have recognized you as a wanted Imperial Criminal long ago but didn’t report you. They were saving you for a day like this, so when a crime occurred, they could pin all the blame on you and use you as a scapegoat!" Hee Lingchuan had also read Fu Songhua’s coerced confession. The testimony fabricated by the mastermind was so meticulous it made even his skin crawl, and it all pointed unequivocally to Fu Songhua.

If he hadn’t experienced the events firsthand, he might have believed the confession just from reading it.

If the criminal and the evidence were sent north like this, even the chief judge in the distant Capital City would have a hard time finding any flaws.

Besides, Fu Songhua already had a prior record as a spy, making it easy to nail him as the main culprit.

Hee Lingchuan knew very well that to make one lie seem seamless, you often have to cover it with a hundred more.

This was a systematic undertaking—time-consuming, energy-draining, and possibly even life-threatening.

Therefore, designating Fu Songhua as the scapegoat was no whim; it was a deeply calculated move.

"Do you know all the powerful and wealthy families living in the Northwest of the city?"

"I do." Fu Songhua was a fugitive; familiarizing himself with his surroundings was a necessary task. "There are seventeen powerful families, mostly Retired Officials from Chiyan, as well as some influential figures from other Vassal Demon Kingdoms and even Lingxu City. As for the wealthy, there are many more—forty-seven families, scattered all over. There are ordinary merchants like myself, and also some major Official Merchants."

Wherever the "top tier" lived, local officials and merchants of all levels would gather, making it convenient for networking and getting things done.

Besides, being able to live in the wealthy district was a status symbol in itself.

"There are too many suspects. Can you help me narrow it down?" Hee Lingchuan asked him. "Who do you think it could be?"

Fu Songhua thought for a long time, then shook his head.

"I haven’t had any deep interactions with anyone."

"Alright, then..."

Suddenly, Fu Songhua recalled a detail. "But the man who came to coach me on my testimony had a square face, thick eyebrows, and was in his early thirties."

Hee Lingchuan said bluntly, "Half the men in Baisha Jue look like that."

"His face was indeed unremarkable, but I noticed some pollen on the brim of his hat. A rat jumped in through the window and startled him. When he adjusted his hat, a few grains of pollen fell to the ground. I picked them up later."

Hee Lingchuan waited, knowing he wouldn’t bring this up for no reason.

"It was oleander pollen," Fu Songhua said slowly. "There are quite a few oleanders in Baisha Jue, but they all grow on the east bank of Blue Lake."

"And Blue Lake is in the northwest corner of Baisha Jue?"

"Correct."

Hee Lingchuan nodded. "Write down the powerful families living on the east side of the lake for me. It would be best if you could draw a map and mark them."

Fu Songhua did as he was told.

His artistic skills were on par with Hee Lingchuan’s—they were both "soulful artists." The so-called "Blue Lake" was just a flattened circle with a missing corner in the top left, and the surrounding mansions were all just circles with surnames written inside.

’The important thing is the location, the location. Don’t worry about the details.’

"Not bad. The list of over sixty suspects might have just been cut down to twenty-two," Hee Lingchuan said with a smile. "You’ve really saved me a lot of trouble."

"Twenty-two is still not a small number. How are you going to investigate them?"

"We’ll see."

Fu Songhua tossed the brush aside. "My son, he..."

Hee Lingchuan put his mind at ease. "You’ll be able to see him after you’re cleared of the espionage charges."

Fu Songhua asked doubtfully, "You didn’t defy the Inspector just to help me get exonerated, did you?"

"Of course not." Hee Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "Don’t flatter yourself."

"Right. Why did you try to assassinate Zhang Guangyi back then?" At least that major crime was confirmed, and Fu Songhua hadn’t denied it.

"When he was an official in my hometown, he was responsible for the deaths of my entire village, including my parents and uncles. I couldn’t believe someone like him could keep getting promoted. If the heavens wouldn’t take him, I would!" As he spoke, Fu Songhua’s expression grew complicated. "I originally thought I’d just live on the run, one day at a time. Who knew the Official Family would never catch up to me, but General Hong Chenglu would suffer because of me instead? Then I unexpectedly had a son... sigh..."

He looked at Hee Lingchuan, also a little curious. "How did you find my son?"

"You often went to Shalun Town under the pretext of buying lacquer, and you always stayed at the same inn. So, I had my men ask around near the inn, looking for a widow within a one- or two-mile radius who was beautiful, wealthy, and had a son under the age of nine. Hmm, and you weren’t married when you started your life on the run."

"With such specific criteria, it wouldn’t take long to narrow it down."

Fu Songhua asked, amazed, "How did you know the child’s mother was beautiful, and a widow?"

"Would you have picked her if she wasn’t beautiful? Besides, rich women are rarely ugly."

"..."

"Would you tolerate her taking your kid and spending your money while sleeping with another man?" Hee Lingchuan chuckled. "She had to be a widow, at least on the surface."

"...Why did she have to be wealthy?"

"You grew up in the countryside; surely you know what kind of situation a young, poor widow faces in a small town, what sort of sordid troubles she might encounter?" Hee Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. "Money is the best and simplest shield."

Fu Songhua was stunned for a long moment before letting out a low sigh. "Impressive... I did indeed hire a few Demons to serve as guards for her, but they could only fend off the rough brutes in town, not determined people like you."

***

The Special Envoy from the Chiyan Kingdom had already departed. Marshal Lu cupped his fist to Zhongsun Mou and said, "My apologies. We are also on official business."

Then he led the Chiyan Soldiers out of the inn and rushed to the County Yamen in a flurry of activity.

The Baisha Jue County Magistrate didn’t dare to stay behind and left with them.

The courtyard was suddenly empty, leaving only the trampled, broken gate, mud, and branches on the ground, and the other inn guests peeking out from outside.

Zhongsun Mou’s face was ashen, the fury in his eyes practically bursting forth.

’Where did Fushan Yue find such a subordinate? His unreasonable meddling completely ruined the plan.’

He ordered his Guards to secure the door, then went into the inner room, closed the door and windows, and walked over to the washstand. He tossed a pale blue Crystal into the basin of water.

The object dissolved the moment it hit the water, dyeing the entire basin blue.

Zhongsun Mou silently chanted a few words and stirred the water with his hand.

When the surface of the water calmed, it became clear again. However, the reflection in the basin was not Zhongsun Mou’s.

It was another person’s face.

This Water Mirror Technique allowed Zhongsun Mou to communicate briefly with someone within ten li. Although it had many restrictions and only lasted for thirty breaths, its advantage was its security and secrecy.

Far outside, a Cangying was perched on a high branch, its sharp gaze fixed on this spot, but Zhongsun Mou hadn’t even left the room.

He spoke to the person in the Water Mirror: "A Special Envoy of Fushan Yue appeared out of nowhere. He convinced Fu Songhua to turn on us and retract his confession, then abducted him. Now he’s been sent to the County Yamen for a retrial. They intend to investigate the Messenger case to the very end."

Time was precious, so he spoke quickly.

The person in the mirror was shocked. "How could you let him!"

"He mobilized the nearby troops. This matter is no longer so simple."

’If we were in Lingxu City, I could have that little bastard killed a hundred times over,’ Zhongsun Mou thought. ’But in Baisha Jue, I only have a dozen or so guards with me. When it comes to brute force, I can’t compete.’

As for his status as an Inspector, if the other party was willing to risk severe punishment later, what did it matter if he ignored his authority now?