Chapter 113: Closing the Case

At the entrance to the dungeon, Ji Changge and Ding Wu listened in silence to Wang Erlang’s frantic ranting. Ding Wu’s anxiety grew with every passing moment; sweat trickled down his forehead, and he stood ready to push open the door the second the voice inside fell silent.

"Help! Someone, help!"

Wen Jing’s urgent cry suddenly echoed from within. Ji Changge’s eyes sharpened. He kicked the door open, and the two men rushed inside. Seeing Wen Jing standing safely outside the cell, Ji Changge let out a sigh of relief.

"Quickly, open the cell door," Wen Jing urged.

Ding Wu looked into the cell and saw blood continuously pouring from Wang Erlang’s mouth.

"I... misunderstanding..." Wang Erlang sneered. He muttered something incoherent, laughed, and then collapsed onto the ground.

Ding Wu opened the cell door, and the three of them entered. Wen Jing pried open Wang Erlang’s mouth. "He bit off his tongue to commit suicide."

"What did he say just now?" Ding Wu asked, bewildered, as the mangled state of Wang Erlang’s tongue had made his speech unintelligible.

"He said he would not allow us to judge him, so he chose to end it himself," Wen Jing replied with a sigh.

Ji Changge looked at Wang Erlang’s corpse. This man, who had seemed incredibly cowardly, had chosen such a brutal way to die. Perhaps he was more resolute than anyone else; he had simply hidden himself too deeply. The only people he could ever confide in had been Uncle Wang Qi and Wang Sinian.

With this, the case that had dragged on for nearly six years was finally closed. Five victims, two killers—all were dead. Only the aftermath remained. The dead were gone; the living had to carry on.

***

Carrying a thick stack of case files, Wen Jing and Ji Changge walked into the archives together. Perhaps this would be her last time here. Once the Ministry of Personnel approved her resignation, she would no longer be a member of the Supreme Court.

"Little Liu Gang pays his respects to Magistrate Ji and Evaluator Wen," a young man with a beaming face greeted them.

Wen Jing scanned the room, confirming that Old Man Nian was no longer there. Seeing a flash of melancholy in Wen Jing’s eyes, Ji Changge said to Liu Gang, "You may leave for now."

Liu Gang stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him.

"I heard from Qingliu that you and Wang Jue went together to stop the wedding ceremony that day. Wang Jue went because of those paintings. What about the young master?" Wen Jing asked softly.

Ji Changge pulled a scrap of paper from his person. "Because of Old Man Nian. He left this note, then took his entire family and fled into the night. If he didn’t speak, his conscience would never rest; if he did, his life would be forfeit. So, Old Man Nian chose a middle path."

Wen Jing took the note. It bore only a few simple words: "Go to the Wang residence, save the Seventh Lady."

"The pages missing from the files must have been torn out by Old Man Nian to help Wang Sinian or Wang Erlang. That day at the Nian residence, I discovered that Old Man Nian’s grandson was actually attending the Wang family’s clan school. I suspected he had some kind of deal with Wang Sinian," Wen Jing recalled.

"Later, living in constant trepidation, he realized you hadn’t reported him. His conscience stirred, and he wanted to do something to make amends." Ji Changge retrieved the note from Wen Jing’s hand, closed it between his palms, and applied a slight pressure. When he opened his hands, a pile of dust scattered to the floor.

"I had long suspected it was Old Man Nian; I just wanted to verify my theory. The missing pages recorded that Shen Ying had once had a disagreement with Wang Sinian, but it was downplayed, which is why I didn’t pay attention to it when I first read the files. Old Man Nian had seen those files. For the sake of his grandson, he went to Wang Sinian. He originally just wanted to gain some benefits so his grandson could attend a good clan school and make something of himself in the future—his family was too poor. He didn’t necessarily believe Wang Sinian was the murderer. Later, upon reflection, he suspected Wang Sinian might truly be the killer. If that were the case, then I would be in danger. Or perhaps he knew from the start..." Wen Jing said.

"If he knew five years ago, why didn’t he go to Wang Sinian then?" Ji Changge asked.

"He was afraid of inviting trouble. At that time, he had no desires and no needs, so he kept the secret buried in his heart. Five years later, when the case was reopened and he had a grandson, desire took root in his heart, and he could no longer find peace."

Old Man Nian was always a man of plain temperament, so that was not an impossible scenario, Ji Changge mused.

Wen Jing placed the files into the cabinet. The cases of Shen Ying, He Yunxiu, and Liang Shuxuan were now united in one folder. She had almost become a part of this file herself.

"He..." Ji Changge hesitated.

Wen Jing looked up, surprised.

"He has left."

"Oh." Wen Jing responded coolly. She knew that the "he" Ji Changge referred to was Wang Jue. She had also realized that he was no longer suited to remain in the Wang residence, though given her current status, going to the Wang estate would be quite awkward.

"He should be back in the capital for the spring examinations next year," Ji Changge said with a faint smile.

Wen Jing shook her head. Based on her understanding of Wang Jue, although he did not believe he was in the wrong, there would always be a knot in his heart regarding the Wang family. She feared he would not return. He trusted that even if he were not there, Ji Changge would clear Sixi’s name. Besides, he had no intention of pursuing an official career; indulging in the beauty of mountains and rivers was more suited to his nature.

"Seventh Lady, is there absolutely no way for you to retract your resignation?" Ji Changge asked.

"It is not my desire, but I have no choice," Wen Jing replied calmly.

Ji Changge understood what she meant. Everyone has their own predicaments; Wen Jing’s pressure naturally stemmed from her father and the Wen family.

***

Returning to the Wen manor, Wen Jing saw several familiar carriages parked outside. She wondered if the Clan Head had come to demand an explanation now that the marriage between the Wen and Wang families had fallen through.

Upon entering, she saw the Clan Head sitting in the seat of honor, with several elders seated at his sides.

"The Seventh Lady pays her respects to the Clan Head and the elders," Wen Jing said, bowing.

The Clan Head glanced at her, his expression slightly displeased. "Seventh Lady, it’s not that I want to lecture you, but you are a young lady. Always showing your face in public—what will people think of our Wen family?"

Wen Jing lowered her head. "Seventh Lady knows she was wrong; it will not happen again."

She couldn't even be bothered to explain. The more one says, the more one errs; it was better to simply admit fault.

Wen Qiran glanced at the Clan Head and said, "Today, the Seventh Lady went to resign from her post. She will not be returning to the Supreme Court again."

The Clan Head and the elders nodded, though their expressions remained sour.

"Is Wang Erlang truly the murderer?" the Clan Head asked casually.

*He still hasn't given up, hoping to marry into the Wang family to scrape some benefits?* Wen Jing thought. *Such a person deserves to be a Clan Head.*

"Reporting to the Clan Head, Wang Erlang bit off his tongue and committed suicide in the dungeon just moments ago," Wen Jing said coolly. She watched the shock and resentment flicker in the Clan Head’s eyes, thinking, *Man proposes, heaven disposes.*

"Why did he bite his tongue to commit suicide?" the Clan Head gasped.

"As for that... the Seventh Lady does not know," Wen Jing replied, head bowed.

The Clan Head sighed, his brow furrowed, his face showing a hint of impatience. "Such a good match, how could it turn out like this?"

"The Wang family may be a prestigious clan, but that doesn't mean everything," Wen Qiran said quickly. He was afraid the Clan Head might have a sudden change of heart and betroth Wen Jing to another Wang family member. He wanted nothing more to do with them. A Wang Sinian and a Wang Erlang were perverse enough; who knew if the others were even worse?

The Clan Head had indeed been considering that, but after Wen Qiran’s words, he found it difficult to continue.

Madam Wen glanced at the Clan Head and sighed. "It’s truly a pity about my sister’s dowry. When the Seventh Lady marries in the future, what will she use as a dowry? The household can barely manage its daily expenses now."

The Clan Head’s eyes lit up. "What dowry?"

Wen Qiran shot a look at Madam Wen, signaling her to be quiet, but she acted as if she didn’t see. She wiped away tears and told the Clan Head everything, start to finish.

"Such a thing happened? The Wang family doesn’t intend to return our Wen family’s dowry? Since the marriage is called off, the dowry should naturally be returned to us!" the Clan Head slammed the table in anger.

Wen Qiran and Wen Jing exchanged a look. Where on earth were they supposed to find a dowry that didn't exist?

"Since the Wang family hasn't brought it up, we can't exactly be thick-skinned enough to go ask for it. If too much time passes, I fear..." Madam Wen said to the Clan Head.

The Clan Head nodded. "This matter cannot be delayed. We must find a mediator to drop some hints. I believe the Wang family are not the kind of people to do such things."

"This matter requires careful consideration. The Wang family must be in chaos right now. To go so rashly might be unwise and lead to the opposite of what we want," Wen Qiran said.

The Clan Head pondered for a moment. "Very well, I will listen to you. In any case, the dowry must not fall into the hands of the Wang family. The Seventh Lady nearly lost her life; we cannot be expected to provide a dowry on top of that. This logic holds up anywhere."

"Yes, yes, leave this to me," Wen Qiran said repeatedly, then glared at Madam Wen. *Knowing the Clan Head is obsessed with money, and you still mention the dowry? Are you doing this on purpose?*

Wen Jing didn't mind. She actually wanted to see how Madam Wen would go about demanding it. Old Madam Wang was no pushover either. If those two were put together, the scene would be quite entertaining—one insisting the dowry was in the Wang estate, the other swearing they had never seen it. They would argue until neither could win.

"Whether anyone will dare to propose marriage in the future is still unknown," an elder suddenly remarked.

Wen Qiran asked, surprised, "Elder, what do you mean by that?"

The elder sneered, "Do you think that just because you hid it from us old bones, we don’t know? It’s being talked about everywhere: that the Seventh Lady of the Wen family can perform autopsies and has been acting as a coroner at the Supreme Court. As her father, are you telling me you didn't know?"

Wen Qiran and Wen Jing’s expressions changed. Who had leaked this news?

"What? Autopsies?" Madam Wen exclaimed, and the Fifth and Ninth Ladies looked on in astonishment.

"Coroners are only for those of the lowest social class. Seventh Lady, have you considered the reputation of the Wen family?" the Clan Head looked at Wen Jing earnestly.

Wen Jing sneered in her heart. *How absurd.* She said softly, "The ancients said, 'The dead are to be respected above all.' The art of the autopsy is intended to seek justice for the deceased. How can that be lowly?"

The faces of the Clan Head and the elders turned deathly pale. They had clearly not expected Wen Jing to talk back, and in a way that left them without a leg to stand on.