inspire-indiana Chapter 165 Lost Face
Chapter 165 Lost Face
"Sweet words and flattering manner! Your Highness, don't believe a word he says and deal with him immediately!"
Prime Minister Qin did not expect that the youngest and most disappointing son of the Xie family could have such eloquence.
However, no matter how good his eloquence was, he would never let him go. Regardless of whether he was the murderer of his son or not, he would kill him.
"Your Highness, my Lord! Someone has come to surrender himself! He says that he is the murderer who killed Young Master Qin!"
A bailiff suddenly came in and reported:
"Your Highness, how come a murderer suddenly appears? This murderer didn't come earlier or later, but suddenly showed up at this time. It must be unbelievable!" Prime Minister Qin wanted to deal with Xie Shiyu quickly.
The prince said, "Prime Minister, please don't be too anxious. We still need to get to the bottom of this matter. You certainly don't want the real murderer who killed your son to go unpunished!"
The prince looked outside and said, "Bring that man in."
"Yes! Your Highness!"
The bailiff hurried out and after a while brought in a middle-aged man who looked a little disheveled. The man had a broad build and looked like someone who did heavy work.
"You said you are the murderer, so tell me your name and tell me exactly how you killed him. You must not lie!" The imperial yamen official apologized sternly.
"Yes, sir!" The man paused and said, "My name is Ding Shouren, and I am a butcher in Anlin Box on Changping Street. I make a living by selling meat. I followed Qin Jigui because I hated him. I followed him to the inn, climbed in through the window, killed him with a dagger, and then ran away."
"You said you killed my son? But since you ran away, why did you come back?" Qin Xiang said coldly, "Do you know that if you confess, you will be beheaded."
Ding Shouren said: "I know, I have no desire to live, what is the point of living?"
"You said you had no desire to live, so why did you run away? Aren't your words inconsistent? Do you know who is sitting in front of you? It's the current crown prince. How dare you lie in front of His Royal Highness? Tell me! Who ordered you to come and convict me!"
After Prime Minister Qin scolded him, Ding Shouren suddenly kowtowed and said, "Your Highness, I never lied, and I am not here to convict you. I was the one who killed him, and I did not run away. I just wanted to burn incense for my wife and parents. I was planning to turn myself in, but who knew that you would mistakenly think that someone else killed Qin Jigui! It was not someone else who killed him. Qin Jigui was killed by me. I was so cruel to him that I wish I could cut him into pieces!"
When Ding Shouren raised his head again, his eyes were full of resentment.
The Imperial Court Commander frowned and looked at Ding Shouren, asking, "You said you were cruel to Master Qin. Do you have any grudge against Master Qin?"
When asked about this, Ding Shouren's eyes suddenly became fierce, and he said in a stern voice: "Qin Jigui is worse than pigs and dogs. He was so audacious that he set his eyes on my new wife. He took advantage of my absence and broke into my house with his men, trying to rob a married woman. In order to stop Qin Jigui, my parents were beaten severely by his men, and my wife was taken away and defiled by him. My wife couldn't bear to see me because her reputation was defiled. She hanged herself on the tree in front of the house, and my parents died a few days later because of their serious injuries. I have lost my wife and parents, and there is no hope for me to live. But before I die, I must take Qin Jigui, the beast, with me!"
Ding Shouren, who was full of resentment, suddenly paused while talking, laughed loudly, looked at Qin Xiang and said: "I didn't expect that I would do it so easily. It's all Qin Jigui's fault. And you, Qin Yi, you didn't teach your son well. You deserve to lose your son in your old age. It's all your fault! Dad and Mom, Xiao An, I have killed my enemies with my own hands, and I can come to see you now!"
After saying that, Ding Shouren suddenly stood up and was about to crash into the pillar!
Qin Xiang suddenly saw his movements and shouted sternly: "Stop him! Don't let him die!"
Prime Minister Qin's eyes were filled with hatred, and he wanted to immediately cut the man who caused him to lose his son into pieces. However, no matter how much hatred he had, he still retained some rationality. There were still many doubts, and he still had to interrogate him thoroughly.
The man said that he followed his son all the way to the inn, but Qin Jigui usually went out with various guards. How could he get into the house and kill someone so easily?
He must get to the bottom of this matter, and he must hunt down the enemies who killed his son one by one. It is really difficult to eliminate the hatred in his heart by only punishing a butcher.
Ding Shouren was about to hit his head against the pillar, and the yamen runners were very quick to catch him, but Ding Shouren was so fast, and because he had been slaughtering pigs and selling meat for many years, he was very strong. He hit the pillar with a bang and fell down. His head was covered with blood, and it was very pitiful to see.
If there was no real hatred, how could he have said such tearful words just now? How could he have no will to live and resolutely hit the pillar to die, leaving no way out for himself.
The courtroom fell into silence for a moment, a silence that was even more frightening than the noisy confrontation just now.
The yamen runners all lowered their heads and dared not look any longer, for fear that they would become the victims of the disaster.
The prince looked at the scene and spoke: "Now that the murderer has been brought to justice, the matter seems to be very clear. Jing Yaling, announce the result quickly!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Your Highness! This matter is suspicious! This man's appearance is too coincidental. He is now dead suddenly. His testimony cannot be verified at all. It is unknown whether what he said is true or false!"
Prime Minister Qin still felt that the matter was not that simple. Even if the butcher was the enemy who killed his son, Xie Shiyu was also not unrelated. Who knows what other tricks he had done behind the scenes that caused his Jigui to die early before the doctor arrived.
The prince nodded to Prime Minister Qin and said, "Prince Qin, you are right. We should investigate the people around Ding Shouren and ask them whether what he said is true or false. Come here! Bring all of Ding Shouren's neighbors and ask them if they know what Ding Shouren said."
"Yes!" The bailiff immediately went to do it.
"Slow down!" But suddenly, a young man stood out. This young man had been standing behind Prime Minister Qin and had been ignored. Now he walked out and stood beside Prime Minister Qin. Just by looking at his appearance, one could tell that he was Prime Minister Qin's son.
Qin Jiwei pulled Qin Xiang and whispered, "Dad, this is a Qin family scandal and cannot be publicized!"
"Your Highness, since the murderer has been brought to justice, I think it is better not to investigate this matter any further! Let's just leave it at that, so as not to disturb the people any more."
Prime Minister Qin frowned and looked at Xie Shiyu fiercely. He wished he could kill Xie Shiyu as well, but he couldn't. If this matter got out, his Qin family would lose all face.