TIGR Chapter 92

The Imperial Guard’s Revenge

Chapter 92 Busting the Wife

In the cold autumn, the frost was heavy, and a cloaked figure hurried through the night holding a dim lamp. The surrounding vegetation was lush, and the wind rustled through the trees, carrying what seemed like mournful cries from the depths of the forest.

The shadow appeared undaunted, moving briskly through the increasingly desolate surroundings. The trees formed a canopy overhead, blocking out any light, while the undergrowth seemed to surge like black claws struggling out from the swampy ground, as if trying to grasp something.

A gust of wind blew across the river, carrying the thick, damp smell of green algae. The lamp swayed in the breeze, casting the scene in intermittent bursts of light. Though the area seemed deserted, it felt as though numerous figures stood beneath the trees. Even an extremely large man would have felt weak-kneed in such a place, but the shadow remained oblivious, heading straight for a certain spot, bending over, and searching through the bushes.

After a moment of rummaging, the shadow stood up in frustration and began to search other parts of the underbrush, muttering to itself: “Why can’t I find it?”

“What are you looking for?”

In the pitch-black windy night, a voice suddenly came from behind, startling the figure immensely. The lamp in their hand fell to the ground and went out after a brief clatter. At that moment, flames flared up among the towering tree shadows, and a group of people wielding torches emerged from the darkness, encircling the shadow completely.

The shadow hid beneath their hood, stung by the harsh light and instinctively raised a hand to shield their eyes. The bright light filtered through their fingers, becoming mottled and blurred, making them dizzy and hard to discern any direction. Amidst their blurred vision, the shadow saw a figure stepping into the light. The figure wore the most common of men’s robes but had an aura that easily overpowered the surrounding soldiers that wielded blades, emanating an intensity that made it hard to look directly at him.

The shadow blinked vigorously, suddenly realizing: “You!”

The flames illuminated a snowy white blade, as well as the face beneath the hood. Lu Heng approached with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of calmness. He said casually: “Madam Chang, what brings you here alone in the middle of the night?”

Chang Tinglan glanced at the clearly well-trained soldiers on either side, then at Lu Heng, who stood calmly in front of her, and realized she had been deceived. Such a person could not possibly be an unsuccessful scholar in need of renting a room. Chang Tinglan was momentarily stunned, unable to understand why she was meeting such a character: “You are…”

“Impudent.” Lu Heng had not yet spoken when a nearby soldier interrupted Chang Tinglan with a cold expression, “You face Chief Commander Lu and yet you still don’t kneel?”

Chang Tinglan was initially confused by the title “Chief Commander” but upon seeing the cold and menacing demeanor of the soldiers, she suddenly realized: “You are the Imperial Guards?”

Lu Heng smiled slightly and said nothing. But Chang Tinglan was already drenched in cold sweat, knowing she had guessed correctly. She fell to her knees with a thud, trembling all over: “My lord, please spare me. I haven’t done anything…”

“If you haven’t done anything, why are you begging for mercy?” Lu Heng walked to the place Chang Tinglan had initially rushed towards, looking down at the traces on the ground, “So this is where Han Wenyuan’s body was disposed.”

“My lord, I have been wronged!” Chang Tinglan, who had no idea how a minor case of homicide had involved the Imperial Guards, was terrified by the notorious tortures and extreme punishments rumored to be employed in the imperial prison. Without waiting for Lu Heng to interrogate her, she confessed everything: “I did not kill him. He wanted to assault me, so I pushed him away. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness. I was scared and ran away. I really don’t know how he ended up drowning in the river…”

Chang Tinglan’s voice was urgent and sharp, fearing that any delay would result in severe punishment. Lu Heng, using the back of his blade to clear away the bushes, carefully examined the traces inside and said distantly: “If you knew nothing, why did you come to such a remote place with him?”

Chang Tinglan choked, her eyes darting around quickly as she stammered: “He said he had an important matter to discuss…”

“To discuss how to poison someone?”

Chang Tinglan was startled and looked up at Lu Heng in horror. Lu Heng generally understood the crime scene and signaled for the Imperial Guards to come over and mark the location. Holding his embroidered spring blade, Lu Heng slowly walked toward Chang Tinglan and said: “On the twenty first of last month, you bought arsenic from the black market. What do you have to say about that?”

Chang Tinglan was trembling so much that her hands shook. She stammered: “I… I bought the poison to deal with the rats…”

Lu Heng sneered and said: “Even facing death, you dare to make excuses. You bought arsenic last month, and not long after, Han Wenyuan died. Before he died, the two of you had a secret meeting, and he had your handkerchief with him. I merely mentioned that there might be something left at the crime scene, and you rushed to the scene at night to check. Although the grass on the ground has been disturbed, the roots show signs of being flattened, with a length that fits an adult man’s height. There’s a spot at the bottom of the grass that has been buried with soil and hardened, which should be vomit. If you knew nothing, why did you head straight to where Han Wenyuan fell as soon as you entered the dense forest? With both witness and physical evidence, how can you still deny that you are the one who killed him?”

“I was wronged, it really wasn’t me!” Chang Tinglan collapsed to the ground, her composure completely shattered, tears streaming down her face as she cried, “I made a mistake and bought poison, but I didn’t kill anyone.”

Wang Yanqing carried a lantern and slowly walked over. Lu Heng had set off without a cloak and, fearing that Wang Yanqing might catch a cold, he stretched out his hand to warm hers. His patience had worn thin: “I’m giving you one last chance to truthfully confess everything you’ve done during this period. Otherwise, you’ll have to think about it in the imperial prison.”

“I don’t dare.” Chang Tinglan sobbed, covering her eyes, and began to reveal the truth between her sobs.

It turns out that at the beginning of the year, Ji Huan unexpectedly reunited with a long-lost friend from ten years ago. He got along well with Han Wenyuan and took the initiative to introduce him to his connections, even having Han Wenyuan’s family move into one of his own houses. The two families became neighbors, helping each other out, and initially, everything was quite harmonious.

However, starting from the second month, Ji Huan suddenly became busy and was completely absorbed, showing no concern for Chang Tinglan. Instead, he spent a lot of time next door discussing a book with Han Wenyuan. Chang Tinglan was dissatisfied and attended their meetings, but they talked about things she couldn’t understand. She was often neglected, as even Jian Yun managed to offer a comment from time to time. Gradually, Chang Tinglan stopped attending to avoid feeling out of place.

Ji Huan knew he had neglected his wife but was too busy to care for the family and asked his friend and fellow townsman, Han Wenyuan, to look after her. Han Wenyuan agreed, and as Chang Tinglan felt increasingly neglected by her husband, she was left alone at home. With Han Wenyuan being refined and charming, the two eventually became involved with each other.

Chang Tinglan and Han Wenyuan had an affair for about half a year. Recently, Ji Huan had finally finished his busy work and spent more time at home, gradually noticing Chang Tinglan’s odd behavior. Ji Huan was enraged at first and left to confront Han Wenyuan. Chang Tinglan was terrified and didn’t know what Han Wenyuan and Ji Huan had discussed, but Ji Huan didn’t escalate the situation.

Chang Tinglan thought that her husband wanted to save face and not divorce, so she dropped the matter. Chang Tinglan slowly calmed down, hoping to focus on living a good life with Ji Huan. However, she didn’t expect that Ji Huan would become increasingly indifferent towards her. Doubts began to rise in her mind, and her intuition told her something was wrong. She secretly observed him and discovered that Ji Huan seemed to have an interest in their neighbor, Jian Yun, and even once called out Jian Yun’s name in his sleep.

Chang Tinglan couldn’t tolerate this and continuously cursed Jian Yun. After fuming for a while, Chang Tinglan suddenly remembered a trick she had read about in the novels.

The Chang family ran a small bookstore and had many books. Although Chang Tinglan couldn’t read, she could understand the illustrations. She remembered that in one of the illustrated books, someone poisoned wine to quietly kill an enemy without leaving any trace, and even the authorities couldn’t find out.

The booksellers interacted with all sorts of people, and Chang Tinglan, under the pretext of buying poison for rats, obtained arsenic and forced Han Wenyuan to use it to poison Jian Yun. Han Wenyuan agreed to this to please Chang Tinglan.

Chang Tinglan anxiously and expectantly waited for half a month, but Han Wenyuan did not make a move. Dissatisfied, she took advantage of a meeting Han Wenyuan had arranged with her to secretly confront him while Ji Huan was out.

This secluded spot was a place where Chang Tinglan and Han Wenyuan often met in secret. During their confrontation, Chang Tinglan learned that Han Wenyuan had developed feelings of pity for Jian Yun. He couldn’t bear to poison his cousin who had grown up with him, unless Chang Tinglan poisoned Ji Huan as well, and then married him, so they could be a long-lasting couple.

Of course, Chang Tinglan refused. She had sought solace in Han Wenyuan only because of loneliness and did not truly want to part with Ji Huan. Disagreement arose between Chang Tinglan and Han Wenyuan, and during their argument, Han Wenyuan grabbed her. In anger, Chang Tinglan pushed Han Wenyuan, causing him to fall and lose consciousness.

Terrified that someone would discover her meeting with Han Wenyuan, Chang Tinglan quickly gathered her skirts and fled. After she returned home it was a long while until she calmed down. She thought that since the place was secluded and no one had seen her meeting with Han Wenyuan, and that a fall wouldn’t lead to death, she didn’t worry too much and passed the time peacefully at home.

She didn’t expect that Han Wenyuan would end up falling into the water and drowning.

In the end, Chang Tinglan sobbed: “My lord, please see the truth. I really only pushed Han Wenyuan and did not kill him. I’m just a weak woman, how could I have the courage to murder someone?”

Lu Heng gave a slight smile and said sarcastically: “You claim to lack the courage to murder, yet you have the audacity to use poison and incite others to do the same.”

Chang Tinglan was silenced, crying on the ground and too afraid to look up. Lu Heng was losing patience with the deceitful woman and gave a subtle signal to his subordinates behind him: “Take her away and escort her to the imperial prison. Await her punishment.”

Hearing that she was to be sent to the imperial prison, Chang Tinglan was terrified and hurriedly begged for leniency, but she was quickly gagged and dragged away, her muffled cries fading into the distance. After the Imperial Guards escorted Chang Tinglan away, the forest returned to its previous quiet. Wang Yanqing looked around. Surrounded by trees, with a river nearby, the place was secluded and unlikely to attract passersbys, making it an ideal spot for secret liaisons or even murder.

The wind from the river grew colder. Lu Heng wrapped his arms around Wang Yanqing, enveloping her slender, cold hands, and asked: “Are you cold?”

Wang Yanqing shook her head and asked: “Brother, was it really her?”

Lu Heng did not give a direct answer but instead asked: “What do you think?”

Wang Yanqing considered it for a moment and said honestly: “I don’t think she is lying.”

Whether Jian Yun seduced Ji Huan or Ji Huan’s feelings changed was too subjective. However, setting aside the emotional accusations, Chang Tinglan’s account of the events seemed to be true.

According to her story, she was angry when she went home because Ji Huan was interested in Jian Yun, but she didn’t know Han Wenyuan was dead until the neighbors came looking for Jian Yun and she discovered that Han Wenyuan had drowned.

Reflecting on the events of the day, Wang Yanqing remembered when they first visited the Chang family’s house, Chang Tinglan was proud and irritable, eager to rent the room to Lu Heng so she could drive Jian Yun away. Her demeanor showed dissatisfaction and anger, but she wasn’t afraid until the door next door was knocked on, at which point she suddenly displayed shock and fear.

Her statements and behavior were completely consistent. Even later, when they went to the river to look at the body, Chang Tinglan’s palms were sweating continuously, and her fingers were icy cold. She no longer had any interest in discussing the rental situation and displayed none of her previous arrogance. When others expressed sympathy for Jian Yun, who would be left in widowhood, Chang Tinglan showed disdain but did not speak ill of Jian Yun.

This was very much in line with her nervous and fearful state of mind at the time.

Lu Heng shielded Wang Yanqing from the chilling wind coming through the forest and held her even more tightly. He said: “What was said earlier still needs to be verified, but the person who threw Han Wenyuan into the water was certainly not her.”

Wang Yanqing lifted her gaze and looked up at him. Lu Heng pulled her toward a certain spot and said: “This area has been disturbed, but if you look closely, the traces at the scene are still visible. The area around the grass had creases and was somewhat disordered, with vomit visible on the ground. It seemed that Han Wenyun and Chang Tinglan had fallen during their argument, landing in this direction and he must have been spitting foam, causing the grass to be haphazardly crushed with damp marks on the ground. However, from this point onward, the grass was all bent in one direction, and a patch of moss was scraped off the tree trunk.”

Following Lu Heng’s direction, Wang Yanqing indeed saw the moss that had fallen from the tree and there was a faintly discernible path on the ground. Lu Heng led Wang Yanqing forward and stopped at the riverbank, saying: “This is the route where Han Wenyun was dragged and thrown into the water after losing consciousness. Han Wenyun was a fully grown man. Even if he was a frail scholar, a woman alone wouldn’t be able to drag him over such a distance. Given the height of the moss scraped off the tree, the person who did this must have been a bit taller. After throwing Han Wenyun into the water, the person covered up the drag marks on the ground, lifted the crushed grass, and concealed the foam Han Wenyun had dripped while unconscious.”

Wang Yanqing listened to Lu Heng’s words, and a name began to form in her mind: “Ji Huan?”

Lu Heng stood by the riverbank, his garments fluttering in the evening breeze. He gave a light laugh and gazed out at the vast river, saying: “It seems that Guo Xun’s military and battle strategies weren’t developed in vain. He has indeed learned many tricks to deceive the the local government. Drowning someone while they are unconscious can indeed be done without leaving a trace. But to deceive me, he’s still lacking a bit.”

Wang Yanqing sighed and couldn’t help but admire him: “Did you already suspect Ji Huan when you knocked on the Ji family’s door today?”

Generally, when officials see a body pulled from the river, they would conclude it to be death by drowning if there were no fatal injuries. However, not only could Lu Heng distinguish between a drowning before and after one’s death, but he even deduced that Han Wenyun was thrown into the water while unconscious. When he went to the Ji family in the afternoon to question them, and they hadn’t seen Jian Jun, Lu Heng left a clue about a “piece of tassel on Han Wenyuan” which was indeed the hook that caught Chang Tinglan.

Lu Heng had planted spies in Jian’an Alley, following Chang Tinglan and locating the initial crime scene.

So, from the beginning, Lu Heng must have suspected Ji Huan.

Lu Heng, who usually didn’t explain much, seemed to enjoy showing off in front of Wang Yanqing, just to see her sparkling eyes filled with admiration. He feigned modesty and said: “At that time, it wasn’t known that Han Wenyun had drowned yet, how could I have known Ji Huan was the killer? I just found Ji Huan’s attitude very suspicious.”

Wang Yanqing raised an eyebrow, wondering if Lu Heng was trying to steal her specialty. She quickly asked: “What did you see?”

“I’m not as talented as you. I just approached it from the perspective of a tenant and found Ji Huan’s words illogical.”

Wang Yanqing quickly recalled what Ji Huan had said earlier that day and frowned, asking: “What did he say?”

“When we first entered.” Lu Heng explained, “he claimed that the house next door had already been rented out to a fellow townsman and thus couldn’t be leased, but then he asked us when we wanted it by.”

Wang Yanqing blinked and slowly began to sense the subtle hint in the situation. Indeed, if a person truly did not want to rent out a place, they would not have asked about timing at all. Yet, Ji Huan asked about Lu Heng’s intended rental period, which indicated that he was secretly interested in closing a deal.

Ji Huan’s subconscious indications either meant that he was not in harmony with Han Wenyan, or he actually knew that Han Wenyan was already dead and that the adjacent house would be vacated.

Subsequent events proved that Ji Huan was dealing with both situations.

Wang Yanqing was even more impressed. It was just a casual remark, and Ji Huan probably didn’t realize what he was implying, but Lu Heng noticed something was off. No wonder Lu Heng changed his approach. Their original plan was to use the rental as an excuse, but once inside, Lu Heng suddenly became adamant about renting the place.

Wang Yanqing sincerely sighed and said: “Brother, if anyone around you ever has a change of heart, they won’t be able to hide it from you.”

Lu Heng glanced down at Wang Yanqing, a half-smile on his face: “Qing Qing, are you trying to tell me something?”

“I was complimenting you.” Wang Yanqing replied. “Don’t assume things only for your benefit. I was clearly complimenting your meticulous attention to detail and keen insight.”

“I’d rather not have such a talent.” Lu Heng said, tightening his grip on Wang Yanqing’s hand. His previously good mood suddenly turned dark, “Let’s go catch Ji Huan. The sooner we resolve this, the sooner we can return.”

If Lu Heng was perceptive of people’s hearts, Wang Yanqing was attuned to their emotions. She immediately noticed Lu Heng’s mood had soured and quietly looked at him, asking softly: “Brother, are you upset?”

“Do you think I’d be happy if you said you were going to change your mind?”

“I was just giving an example.”

“Don’t use such things as examples.” Lu Heng’s voice was low and his hand gripped Wang Yanqing’s unconsciously, “Even if it’s hypothetical, I don’t want to hear about it.”

Wang Yanqing responded with a soft “oh.” When the Imperial Guard’s saw Lu Heng return, they stepped forward to ask what to do next. Lu Heng instructed: “Go to the Ji family and arrest Ji Huan. Keep quiet on the road and don’t let others overhear.”

The Imperial Guards clasped their fists, extinguished the torches, and quickly formed a small group and left. Lu Heng pulled Wang Yanqing to the back, where the forest was eerily quiet. Neither of them spoke. After walking for a while, Wang Yanqing quietly asked: “Brother, are you still angry?”

The night breeze grew stronger, and Lu Heng pulled Wang Yanqing close to him, saying: “I’m not angry at you. I’m just…”

He was just scared. Just imagining the possibility of Wang Yanqing regaining her memory and falling in love with Fu Tingzhou again made him feel like he was going crazy. He could possess her body and bind her to himself with marriage, but he couldn’t control her heart.

Lu Heng didn’t mind Wang Yanqing joking about other things because he knew they wouldn’t come true. The only thing he couldn’t tolerate was the thought of her changing her feelings.

Lu Heng seemed to want to say something, hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed softly: “Forget it, it’s nothing. What do you think about the matter with Ji Huan?”

“I’m not as skilled as you.” Wang Yanqing said, “I just sensed that Ji Huan was lying.”

Lu Heng, holding Wang Yanqing’s hand, said slowly: “That’s already quite impressive. Others would have needed to visit multiple locations and check many witnesses to get a lead, but you were able to identify the suspect just by meeting him. Isn’t that impressive enough? When did he lie?”

“It was when the neighbors came to inform him that Han Wenyan had died.” Wang Yanqing said, “Ji Huan’s eyes widened, and his mouth slightly opened, looking very surprised.”

Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and asked: “Isn’t that normal?”

“It’s normal to be surprised when hearing about a familiar person’s death.” Wang Yanqing replied with a slight snort, “But by the time the person delivering the news had already left, Ji Huan was still displaying his surprise. It was too long. Genuine surprise typically lasts only a moment, quick to appear and quick to disappear. If someone’s surprise lasts beyond two blinks, it’s often exaggerated. Later, when we visited the Ji family for the second time, Ji Huan kept suggesting that Han Wenyan fell into the water and died because of his ill health. That made him even more suspicious.”

Wang Yanqing’s soft and delicate “hmph” carried an air of pride, as if to say, “You think such clumsy acting can fool me?” Lu Heng couldn’t help but smile and his earlier frustration dissipated unnoticed: “Qing Qing, your sharp eyes make it really hard to deceive you.”

Wang Yanqing felt a bit embarrassed by Lu Heng’s praise and pretended to stay calm as she changed the topic: “Brother, why did Ji Huan want him dead?”

“Qing Qing.” Lu Heng looked down at Wang Yanqing and said pointedly, “The mere fact that one’s wife might have transferred her affections to another person is enough to drive a man to murder.”

Wang Yanqing sensed there was more to Lu Heng’s words but couldn’t figure out what he meant, so she decided to set it aside for now: “Then how did he know that Han Wenyan was unconscious and how did he find the secret meeting place?”

Ahead was the Han family residence. Lu Heng lifted his gaze and glanced forward indifferently: “We will soon find out.”

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