Chapter 80 Grudge Killing of Official, Murderer Executed

Chapter 80: Grudge-Fueled Murders: The Killer Brought to Justice

Shen Fuqing’s investigation method was simple: mostly process of elimination and luring. Elimination involved going through the people around Liu Yao, identifying who had grudges against him. The first sweep turned up several suspects, and Luo Yiqi was one of them.

The next step was luring. At the crime scene, Shen Fuqing not only discovered the little white goose ornaments but also a deep drag mark and some chaotic footprints.

Among those footprints, there was a set of plum blossom-shaped dog paw prints aligned with the drag mark. Combined with the officials’ report that a vicious dog had appeared at the scene, Shen Fuqing ordered some food to be scattered at the site, waiting to "lure the dog into the trap."

Though the method was simple, the results were significant. The grudge check, the white goose ornaments at the crime scene, the big dog they caught, and Luo Yiqi’s lack of an alibi all pointed to Luo Yiqi as the killer.

Meanwhile, various clues and evidence from the "Hu's Kiln Murder Case" also unknowingly aligned, all pointing to Luo Yiqi.

"Your expression tells me this evidence is correct."

Shen Fuqing smiled gently, giving off a fake sense of warmth. "So, tell me—how'd you kill Liu Yao and Zhu Geyong?"

No longer filled with righteous indignation, Luo Yiqi seemed deflated, like a beaten rooster.

"I... Yes, I killed them."

A tear welled up in the eyes of the simple middle-aged man. Just as he clenched his fist and was about to confess, a crackly old voice came from the crowd:

"I'm the one who killed them. It has nothing to do with my son."

"Your Honors, listen up. Liu Yao and Zhu Geyong both died by my hand. Aqi doesn't know a thing."

An old woman with graying hair and a frail build stepped out from the crowd. She was sharp-eyed, and her gaze toward Luo Yiqi was full of love and pity.

"Mother!" Luo Yiqi’s eyes turned red. "Mother, don’t talk nonsense. How can I let you take the fall for me!"

The rugged man's dark face went pale. He looked at Qin Jiao: "Little Master Qin, I'm sorry I lied. I'll own up to it. Arrest me!"

Qin Jiao glanced at Luo Yiqi, then at his mother, then lowered his head without a word.

"My son!"

Luo Yiqi's mother knelt and reached with a trembling hand toward the wounds on Luo Yiqi’s body from the beating.

Tears filled her aged eyes: "When they beat you, I feel it too. Liu Yao and Zhu Geyong bullied you so bad. I hate those bastards!"

As she spoke, she pounded the ground in fury. The old yellow dog, hearing its master’s wails, leaned against her leg. Fresh blood seeped from its collar, staining the hem of her clothes.

"Well, this just got interesting."

Qin Jiao was troubled, but Shen Fuqing looked excited. "Looks like you've got guts, old lady. When you hate someone that much, you kill 'em. No point being a coward."

Luo Yiqi's mother gave a mocking smile: "Your Excellency, we commoners don't think that deep. In this capital, most people live plain, mediocre lives. Even across the whole world, folks just want enough to eat, warm clothes, and a peaceful home. But now? If you don't bow your head, you can't even get by..."

The old woman trailed off, remembering. Luo Yiqi squeezed her hand, his face pained.

Qin Jiao sighed softly. Xie Nai frowned hard.

Luo Yiqi's mother continued: "Our Luo family has made a living by pottery for generations. In previous years, we earned some silver. But in the past half year, the Market Inspectorate has been constantly harassing us small-time vendors. A business permit costs fifty taels of gold. Even if we scraped together enough for the permit, every month we still owe stall fees, management fees, protection fees—over thirty taels of silver.

Our monthly income is only that much. The Market Inspectorate takes it all. Some vendors even have to borrow money to cover the shortfall. Isn't that just driving us to death?"

"Alas, my uncle just returned from selling goods outside the city. He’s often said how hard it is for city vendors to do business."

"Now that I think of it, Luo Yiqi's family used to have a pottery shop."

"It seems business became too difficult, so they sold it. But the buyer couldn’t keep it going either, so it’s been abandoned."

"From shop owner to street vendor—how'd they end up like this?"

"Actually, these small vendors are still better off. At worst, they work harder and sell farther away. The real tragedy is for shop owners in the city."

"Exactly. My aunt opened a restaurant and had to pay over fifty taels of management fees every month. After miscellaneous expenses, she only got a dozen taels. She tried to sell the restaurant, but no one even asked about it for two months."

"Who'd dare take it? They'd have to shell out hundreds of taels before making a penny. I heard transfer fees for shops are also several dozen taels..."

The murmurs from the crowd reached Qin Jiao’s ears, and he was privately shocked.

The abuse of power by the Market Inspectorate in the capital had been mentioned by Jiang Qingrong before. But Qin Jiao hadn’t realized that things had escalated to the point where vendors were "killing officials out of pent-up grievances."

At this point, the motive for Luo Yiqi’s mother’s killings was clear. But everyone was puzzled: both Zhu Geyong and Liu Yao were big, strong men. How could a seventy-year-old woman kill them without a sound?

"So, old lady, how'd you kill Liu Yao and Zhu Geyong?" Shen Fuqing raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Let me pick up a trick or two."

The folks from the Grand Court were used to Shen Fuqing's occasional craziness. However, Luo Yiqi's mother looked at him with some surprise. Her withered hand touched the yellow dog’s head. Her voice was hoarse, like a rusty bellows:

"About ten days ago, Liu Yao came to collect the management fees again. At that time, Aqi was still recovering from the broken ribs Liu Yao had given him. We had no spare money. Liu Yao, enraged by the lack of payment, threatened to go to Dongshao Temple and break Aqi’s limbs, even saying he would stab him to death. What mother could bear hearing that? He hurt my son, and it cut my heart like a knife."

Luo Yiqi clenched his fists so hard the veins bulged on his hands. This was the first time he heard his mother talk about this.

"Later, I put sleeping powder in Liu Yao’s tea. Once he passed out, I pushed him into the kiln over there. The kiln was sealed, so no one outside could hear his cries for help when he woke up.

Too bad the kiln fire was just embers and couldn’t burn his body to ashes. In desperation, I had to haul his half-burnt corpse out and bury it near the old Luo family pottery shop."

"Haul it out?" Shen Fuqing glanced at the kiln.

Luo Yiqi's mother pointed to a device on top of the kiln resembling a well winch.

Luo Yiqi explained: "There’s a crank and an iron rope on top of the kiln. Sometimes I use it to lift pottery in and out."

By manually turning the crank, the charred corpse, having lost some weight, could be moved by even an old woman with weak strength.

"Liu Yao probably never imagined that a nobody like me would dare to murder a capital official."

Luo Yiqi's mother wiped her face in self-deprecation. The neighbors around her were indignant:

"Even a rabbit bites when cornered! I say, Liu Yao deserved to die!"

"Indeed!"

"Not just Liu Yao—all those officials who caused the current chaos in the capital’s markets deserve to be beheaded!"

"Liu Yao’s death is somewhat understandable. What about Zhu Geyong? How did you kill him?" Shen Fuqing asked again.

"At first, I didn’t intend to kill him. I just wanted to scare him away." Luo Yiqi's mother seemed tired, her body suddenly slumping. Luo Yiqi quickly supported her.

"Last night, Ah Huang broke his leash and ran out to play. He’s huge and had also appeared near where Liu Yao was buried. I was afraid he might be suspected, so I went out to find him. On the way, I encountered Zhu Geyong.

He was telling his attendants that he wanted to go to my house to find my son. I knew about the incident at the New Year’s Lantern Festival, when he failed to obtain the Exquisite Hundred-Flower Palace Lantern and was beaten by other officials. Knowing his vengeful nature, if he found my son, Aqi’s life would be forfeit.

Fortunately, I had found Ah Huang by then, so I ordered him to attack Zhu Geyong. My intention was to scare him away, but he ran into Hu’s Kiln and fell into the amber-colored sand, where he was suffocated and roasted to death."

"Karma."

Qin Jiao muttered quietly beside him. Shen Fuqing glanced at him but said nothing.

"Mother, stop covering for me," Luo Yiqi said, his face ashen as tears streamed down. "Everything you said—I did it all!"

Luo Yiqi banged his head on the ground repeatedly as he begged Shen Fuqing, "Your Honor, arrest me! I am the real murderer. My mother is innocent!"

Seeing Shen Fuqing unmoved, Luo Yiqi turned to Xie Nai and Qin Jiao and kowtowed again. "Little Master Qin, please help me. Arrest me, arrest me..." he sobbed.

Luo Yiqi mechanically kept kowtowing like a walking corpse, blood streaming from his forehead and staining half his face. Qin Jiao's heart ached, and he moved to help Luo Yiqi, but his mother held him back. "Aqi, don't cry."

The elderly woman leaned forward shakily, and as she moved, the sole of her shoe was exposed. It was stained with the same yellowish-black amber-colored mud found in Hu's kiln. In contrast, Luo Yiqi's shoe soles were spotless.

The case was now clear.

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