Da Li Temple - Chapter 6.2

Chapter 6.2
Under The Moon

As expected, Wang Hu lost his voice to the question, stammering. His pair of bloodstained hands gripping the chain in a death grip paled.
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“Wang Hu, listen to me. The Emperor has hand over this case to Lord Su from the Da Li Temple. Lord Su knew you had been wrongly accused. But he can’t intervene further since you confessed to the crime yourself.” Lin Wanqing took a few steps forward, her voice getting softer, “As long as you tell the truth, Lord Su will be able to reverse the case for you.”
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As soon as the words fell, the person in front finally raised his head. A pair of eyes covered in fear and helplessness looked at Lin Waning with trust and skepticism through the messy hair. Those dry lips opened and closed, mumbling.
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“Wang Hu,” Lin Wanqing walked forward, squatting on the ground to be at his level, “Do you know that once you confess to this crime, it will definitely be a death punishment? You won’t even have to wait until the fall ……”
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“What?” Wang Hu’s body trembled slightly. His pair of obscure eyes stared at Lin Wanqing, incredulously replied, “But …… But Lord Li said that as long as I confessed, he would protect me from death. He can even send me out of Sheng City, and Lord Song will never seek trouble from me ……”
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“Wang Hu,” Lin Wanqing came closer, her cold sweat-soaked hands climbing the barrier, “Lord Su is your only hope now.”
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The person in front lost his voice as he had fallen into an unseen heavenly battle. The oil lamp above his head extinguished, and with a soft sound of exploding, a spark glared, yet it quickly doused again. The surroundings were quiet, yet noisy.
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Lin Wanqing heard that thumping in her chest, locking her eyes on Wang Hu as if she wanted to stare two holes out of him.
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After a long time, he finally spoke, “I didn’t kill anyone. When I arrived there, Concubine Zhao was already dead.”
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Lin Wanqing’s heart flinched as she pursued, “Why did you go to the woman’s boudoir in the middle of the night?”
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Wang Hu smiled bitterly, “She was my childhood friend, and before she married into the Song House, she was my fiancee. It is a pity that the will of heaven is not in the right place ……”
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“You went to have a secret meeting with her?”

Wang Hu shook his head and said helplessly, “Since she married into the Song House, we never met again. Until one day, I happened to run into the Song House’s carriage on the street. She gave me a note, begging me to take her out of the city that night. I regarded her action as she had changed her mind and wanted to reconnect, so I agreed. But that night, I was outside the mansion and failed to wait for her. I’m worried about her safety, so I wanted to go to scout — a little.”
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“Unexpectedly, you found her corpse.”
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“Precisely ……” Wang Hu seems to be self-deprecating, laughing: “She lost her mother at a young age, followed by the loss of her father. It was not easy to acknowledge her Marquis’ cousin. But all of a sudden, she was married off to a place like that. Had I known this ……” His tone carried an undisguised self-reproach and regret, and he eventually swallowed the following words.
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Lin Wanqing knew now was not the time to get emotional, so she continued to ask: “Then, have you found any suspicious people in the neighborhood?”
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Wang Hu buried his head in thought and hesitantly said, “It seems that, before I entered the door, I saw a woman.”
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“Oh?” Lin Wanqing became interested, “What kind of woman?”
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“It was far away, so I couldn’t see her clearly. She was not tall, dressed like a maid from the Song House, and seemed to suffer from leg problems, limping. But she only stayed around for a while and left without going in.”
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Lin Wanqing frowned, and her soulful eyes lost a bit of luster. It seemed that Wang Hu wasn’t able to provide any helpful information, but at least it confirmed that he was indeed wrongly accused. As for that woman, regardless of whether or not she was involved, it was an important clue.
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Lin Wanqing pondered for a moment and said to Wang Hu: “I’ll go fetch a pen and paper for you to make a statement. You’ll have to sign and draw a pledge again, and I’ll find a way to deliver this statement to Lord Su.”
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Seeing that Wang Hu nodded his head in agreement, she turned and ran out of the prison.
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At some time, the moon poked its head out, casting a bit of silver magnificence in the silent and cold spring night, inspiring Lin Wanqing’s mood brightly.
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The wind wafted a light fragrance. Lin Wanqing moved her nose. It was the peach blossoms. Under the moon, the peach trees were like a handful of pink clouds, and the breeze carried a light, sweet flavor with a bit of warmth. She happily raised her eyes to look in the remaining light, a touch of red color flowing extremely fast, accompanied by a bit of white.
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Lin Wanqing was subconsciously stunned and then turned to examine, but only saw the peach blossoms rain down. How can there be such color? It must be the flying petals in the air that confused her eyes.
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She relaxed and continued to run to the nearest file room. Halfway there, she met two fellow magistrates on patrol, playing and laughing under the moon, comparing their long swords.
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Perhaps the moonlight was too good, causing that silver glow from the blade to stun Lin Wanqing’s eyes.
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Wait — The hands touching the wooden door suspended in mid-air.
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Lin Wanqing’s eyes were all about that white light under the smoky haze.
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That was not the moon but — A cold sword!
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Her breathing became sluggish, and a shiver rose in her spine. Lin Wanqing didn’t bother about the pen and ink, lifting her robe and running towards the death cell.