Chapter 412: Who Killed the Earl?

Chapter 412: Who Killed the Earl?

"An illicit affair?" The Prefect of Shuntian was shocked and couldn't help but glance at Yu Yonghuai's expression.

Yu Yonghuai sneered, his eyes filled with disgust: "You two are truly a pair. All you ever think about is that sort of thing! My sister went to help Lady An Ningxin find her kidnapped daughter, and I went to Lady An Ningxin's courtyard to pick up my sister and take her home. Yet you twist it into some kind of illicit affair. If that's the case, then right now, since I'm here with the Countess of Qin'an, does that mean there's something improper between us too?"

The Countess of Qin'an trembled with rage: "You, you—"

The Prefect of Shuntian coughed: "General Yu, please understand that the Countess has just lost her husband..."

"Having just lost her husband doesn't give her the right to slander others," Yu Yonghuai said, clasping his hands toward the Prefect. "...Your Honor, please understand. Earlier, when the Earl of Qin'an saw me picking up my sister and leaving Lady An Ningxin's courtyard, he became agitated and insulted me. I only pushed him against a wall and did nothing else. After that, I took my sister and left the alley... As for why the Earl died in that alley, I have no idea."

The Prefect of Shuntian nodded: "The coroner has already conducted the autopsy. The Earl's time of death was around midnight. What were you doing at that time, General Yu?"

Yu Yonghuai replied: "Naturally, I was already asleep."

The Countess of Qin'an screamed: "You're lying! You must have crept back to that alley and murdered the Earl!"

Yu Yonghuai scoffed but didn't respond.

Even the Prefect of Shuntian couldn't help but cough: "Countess of Qin'an, do you have any evidence for your claim? Also, do you have any idea why the Earl was lingering in that alley until midnight instead of returning home?"

The Countess of Qin'an looked distraught: "It's all because of that seductress..."

The Shuntian officers went to fetch An Ningxin in the dead of night.

An Ningxin had spent most of the night tossing and turning, worried sick about Sister Cheng possibly being kidnapped by bandits, which brought back old memories. She had just fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning when the officers from Shuntian arrived to take her away. The commotion woke up the entire courtyard, even rousing Fan Pingfang in the west wing.

Pale-faced, An Ningxin told Xiao Qi to look after Young Master Hao and followed the officers to the court. When she saw the Countess of Qin'an, furious and ready to attack her, and the Earl's body on the ground, she realized that the Earl had died in the alley outside.

An Ningxin's mind reeled in shock, and she collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.

Even though she had long since cut ties with the Earl, the years of tenderness and affection they shared were real, as were the vows they once made.

But in the end... fate had other plans.

An Ningxin had hoped for a peaceful separation, but she had never wished for the Earl's death!

The Countess of Qin'an lunged forward, trying to scratch An Ningxin's face. Yu Yonghuai's expression darkened, and he stepped forward, blocking the Countess.

The Countess screamed: "Your Honor! Look! He's protecting her! They must be involved in an affair! They must have conspired to kill my husband!"

Tears streaming down her face, An Ningxin was too overwhelmed to speak.

Yu Yonghuai frowned, about to retort, when Xingxing, who had been waiting at the door, suddenly spoke up: "Your Honor, what is the penalty under Great Xia law for slandering a government official in court without proof?"

The Prefect of Shuntian glanced at Xingxing and paused to consider: "...Although the Countess of Qin'an holds a noble title, repeatedly slandering a government official without proof warrants a heavy punishment of ten lashes."

The Countess of Qin'an froze in place, and her previously aggressive hands dropped to her sides.

She gritted her teeth and knelt down in the court, crying: "...Your Honor, please understand. This woman was my husband's former mistress. After they had a falling out, she moved out. My husband went to that alley today because he still had feelings for her. But then he saw General Yu coming out of her courtyard. He was heartbroken and sent his attendants away, saying he wanted to be alone. And then..."

The Countess continued to weep.

"My husband was always kind and had no enemies. The only person he had any conflict with was this former mistress," the Countess sobbed, bowing again. "Now that my husband has died in the alley outside her home, it must be connected to General Yu and this former mistress! Please investigate, Your Honor!"

An Ningxin finally regained her composure. She wiped her tears and gave the Countess a deep look before kneeling and kowtowing to the Prefect: "Your Honor, please understand. I do not live alone in that courtyard; I share it with a friend. General Yu came to my rented courtyard only to pick up his sister. If I truly had an affair with General Yu, why would he bring his sister along?... The Earl of Qin'an did misunderstand the situation, but General Yu had already explained it to him. There were also a few neighbors in the alley who can serve as witnesses."

The Prefect of Shuntian nodded inwardly. This former mistress spoke logically and reasonably, making her account far more credible than the Countess's baseless accusations.

The Countess of Qin'an, her eyes swollen and fierce, hoarsely said, "So you're saying the Earl's death has nothing to do with you?! Then who killed the Earl?!"

An Ningxin's mind was flooded with chaotic thoughts, but in the end, she prostrated on the ground, suppressing her emotions, and addressed the Shuntian Prefect, "...Your Honor, the death of the Earl of Qin'an is indeed suspicious. I am not a constable and do not know how to investigate cases, but this afternoon my daughter was abducted in broad daylight from our courtyard, and now in the middle of the night, the Earl of Qin'an was killed outside. I suspect it might be the work of the bandits that have been roaming the capital recently."

The Shuntian Prefect couldn't help but frown.

These days, he had already been overwhelmed with the bandit issue, even borrowing troops from the Ministry of War to suppress them, but to no avail.

And now, there's another case: the Earl of Qin'an has been killed!

Although the Earl of Qin'an's household is not among the top aristocratic families, it is still a noble family—a noble being killed under the jurisdiction of Shuntian by bandits is enough to make him extremely anxious!

The Countess of Qin'an, remembering something, glared at An Ningxin with swollen eyes and sneered, "You say it's bandits, so it's bandits?! What a coincidence that the bandits abducted your daughter and then killed the Earl outside your door?!"

An Ningxin bit her lip hard, her face ghostly pale, and with great difficulty, she uttered a few words, "...Five years ago, the Earl of Qin'an and a group of friends wiped out a band of mountain bandits and rescued me. At that time, the second-in-command of the bandit stronghold fell off a cliff, his fate unknown. Now with bandits causing trouble in the capital, I fear..."

The Countess of Qin'an thought of something, and her expression slightly changed.

If that were the case, then the bandits seeking revenge and killing the Earl of Qin'an would make perfect sense!