Da Li Temple - Chapter 6.1

Chapter 6.1
Under The Moon

The spring breeze on the night was cold but not harsh. Damp vapor from the day makes it stuffy and heavy, causing breathing difficulty.
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Liang Weiping looked at the pretty boy before him and heavily inhaled to keep himself from fainting. Even his questioning voice could not stop trembling.
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“What did you …… you say?”
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Lin Wanqing hid the fists under the wide sleeve, squeezed them tightly, ready to fight with whoever, “I said I’m going to go interrogate Wang Hu.”
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As soon as the words fell, her sleeve was tugged tight by Liang Weiping. “Ancestor …… Just treat as I beg you, don’t make any more disasters ……”
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She looked at Liang Weiping’s tearful appearance. But as though she hadn’t heard his words, she drew back her sleeve and walked briskly toward the Capital Government Office.
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“Lin Wanqing! Lin Wanqing, you stop right there!” Liang Weiping chased furiously.
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But Lin Wanqing didn’t turn around at all, not even a hint of sluggishness in her steps.
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Liang Weiping felt the veins at the corners of his forehead popping, “Do you know what crime it is to trespass on the death prison of the Capital Government Office?!”
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“I’m originally a member of the Capital Government Office. How can I trespassing?” Lin Wanqing asked back with a straight face.
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“But you were suspended.”
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“Official Li’s sentence starts tomorrow. That means I’m still a member of the Capital Government Office until midnight tonight.”
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“…… ” Liang Weiping choked as if he could never win over Lin Wanqing over logic.
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“Do you must go?” His breath was weak, and he asked in despair.
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“Uh-huh.” A firm single word falling into the night, extraordinarily resonant.

The night was as heavy as water, hiding things around them. Under a patch of dim streetlights, he looked at Lin Wanqing’s overly thin side face and her eyes that reflected shimmering light. Suddenly, he felt something become clear.

Forget it. When this person’s stubborn donkey temper comes up, even ten horses can’t pull her back. This point of hers is annoying. But also this point that makes people love her most.
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Liang Weiping stopped his footsteps, watching the light gray figure move farther into the night, and sighed hopelessly, “I’m at the Qingya Residence.” He doesn’t want to follow her to death, but Lin Wanqing has to know where to look for him if something happens.
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Lin Wanqing jogged all the way. The sound of splashing water was all around her ears. The accumulated rainwater on the green-stone path was mixed with mud and quickly stained the corner of her robe, leaving a deep and shallow mark.
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Su Moyi said that she didn’t understand Wang Hu’s case. She indeed didn’t understand. What case has to be explored at the cost of wrongly accusing someone? Moreover, the wrongly accused person was not only Wang Hu but also her. It took her ten years of hard work and time. If she must give up all of this, she must get to the bottom of this matter. Not only a sentence ‘you don’t understand’ and then dismissed her.

No one would be willing.
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Lin Wanqing’s thoughts fluttered. Her feet created wind, and in the blink of an eye, she had already arrived at the entrance of the Capital Government Office.
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With a turn of the foot, she walked in through the side door.
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Capital Government Office has numerous servant boys. Although the jailer and the officials didn’t interact frequently, Lin Wanqing often helped record the statements, so she often ran to the jail. Hence, she has some fellowship with the jailers.
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Now, she wore the official uniform of the Capital Government Office and a wooden plate that indicates her identity. In addition, in the morning, she followed Official Li to meet Su Moyi. She only needs to say that some of the files were not complete, and she has to go in and make up a statement. It shouldn’t be too difficult.
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Moreover, it was the time for a shift change at night. With fewer people, it was easier to deceive. As expected, the jailer at the prison entrance looked at the wooden nameplate and saw that she was in a sorry state. They felt it must be an urgent matter arranged by the boss, so they didn’t dare to delay and let her in.
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Inside the dark and cramped death cell, black smoke comes from the burnt oil lamp, leaving mottled traces on the wall, one circle after another, like a ghost. The atmosphere in the tiny space was stuffy, filling the breath with the moldy stench of hay and a faint fishy smell.
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The sound of empty footsteps ringing in the ears, one after another, made Lin Wanqing tense up for no reason. Under a dim oil lamp at the end of the death cell sat a disheveled man in rags with messy hair that blurred his face. In contrast to the filthy surroundings were the half-dried bloodstains on his clothes. It was so conspicuous that it dyed the plain white prison clothes reddish brown.
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“Wang Hu?” Lin Wanqing tried calling out.
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The first thing that responded to her was the startling clang of chains. The man was like a frightened beast, only focusing on holding his head and dodging between fear and ignorance.
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Lin Wanqing did not expect him to react this way and hesitantly backed up a few steps before seeing him quiet down in the corner, looking down at her with his eyes. The corners of his mouth kept mumbling to make some noises.
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What Lin Wanqing heard was: I confessed, I confessed all —
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Lin Wanqing was stunned. Only after a long time did she ask softly, “What have you confessed?”
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The person before her paused and sounded a few points louder, with fear, anger, and resentment.
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“It was me who killed Concubine Zhao. It was me who killed her. It was me who killed ……”

By this point, Lin Wanqing finally understood why Wang Hu would admit to this unfounded crime. Of all the wrongful deaths in the world, there are only two situations. Difficult to confess or beat into submission. In front of her, this must be the latter.
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He knew he got caught on the spot, and the deceased was the favorite concubine of a third-ranking official. It was difficult for him to get out of this situation. Official Li must have said something to him that cut off all his hopes and thoughts. Coupled with the torture and pressure of being locked in the dark, the initially panicked people would lose their mental defenses easily and become fools.
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Lin Wanqing had to go along with the question, “You said you killed Concubine Zhao. Then, can you remember what murder weapon you used?”
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The person on the other side was in a trance, trying to search for something in his mind before he said, “A knife, a …… short knife.”
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Lin Wanqing frowned slightly and asked again coldly, “You brought a sword during your night patrol.”
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Bringing a sword, but using a knife. That was not in line with reason.