I want to die!

The night was deep, and the lights of the inn flickered slightly in the wind.

Crown Prince Murong Ying was still handling court affairs in his room.

As the Crown Prince regent, even when he was not in the southern capital, political affairs continued to come in like snowflakes, and staying up all night was the norm.

The guards in blue robes had just left.

Another figure hesitated at the door before finally knocking on the prince's door.

Crown Prince Murong Ying looked up and saw that it was the hostage Zhou Chen standing at the door with a forced smile, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Your Highness," the hostage Zhou Chen said cautiously.

"Actually, in my opinion, although Li Yingcai wiped out his entire family, he was a humble and honest man..."

Murong Ying was taken aback: "You want to protect him?"

"Your Highness is joking," said Zhou Chen, the hostage, with a wry smile.

"I am currently just a hostage detained in Da Mang, powerless and without influence. How could I possibly have the connections to protect someone? I just believe Li Yingcai is an honest man..."

"He wiped out an entire family and he's still an honest man?" Murong Ying shook his head inwardly.

Patiently listening at the door, I heard a long string of pleas from Zhou Chen, the hostage, and even the way people looked at him changed.

This crown prince of Southern Zhou is rather naive in his handling of affairs.

It is true that he has no power or influence, but he still holds the title of "Crown Prince". Although he is a hostage, he will naturally satisfy any reasonable request he makes.

So he used it to plead for the eunuch who had served him for a few days?

"Alright, alright." Murong Ying waved his hand.

"I will make a decision on this matter later, but he is, after all, a criminal who committed the massacre of an entire family, and cannot be pardoned openly. For now, we just need to thoroughly investigate Li Yingcai."

"Okay...okay." Zhou Chen left satisfied.

Murong Ying stood at the door, watching Zhou Chen's figure disappear into the night, and only shook her head slightly.

............................

Three days later.

Inside Qingshui County.

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale!"

"Why was Zhao Shanren, a philanthropist from eight townships, brutally murdered? The intricacies are all revealed in today's morning paper!"

Newsboys hawked their newspapers on the street.

The second-floor window of a shop facing the street was open. Zhao Weiming, the third young master of the Zhao family, leaned against the windowsill, his gaze fixed on the newsboys running around on the street. His face was pale.

He was terribly frightened that night.

First, his elder brother was beaten to death by Li Yingcai, a townsman. He fled home on horseback, only to find something amiss in his house.

The gatekeepers had vanished without a trace, and there wasn't a sound in the entire large mansion...

Zhao San was easily frightened, so after riding his horse around the house once, he spurred his horse directly to the county town to seek refuge with a cousin who ran a rice shop there.

He didn't sleep a wink that night, only falling into a deep sleep as dawn broke.

When he woke up, the news of the Zhao family's massacre had even been published in newspapers by a newspaper that had caught wind of it, and it was circulating in the town and the city!

He was naturally filled with lingering fear, grief, and rage... but he didn't know what to do.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, and a middle-aged man with a square face walked in, his expression grave.

"Uncle, have you found out anything about Li Yingcai?" he couldn't help but ask.

My uncle, Zhao Shun, was a rice merchant in the county town, and he often had business dealings with Zhao Shanren, a local landlord and gentry.

Although he didn't have the same deep-rooted influence in the town as Zhao Shanren, who almost became a local tyrant, he was still a businessman with a wide network of connections.

"I couldn't find out." Uncle Zhao Shun shook his head with a grave expression.

"He wasn't in the county prison... The soldiers didn't even escort him there that night!"

"It is said that Magistrate Zhao intended to interrogate the suspect himself... so he was taken by the soldiers to the residence behind the county government office."

Zhao San immediately stood up:

"How could this happen... He wiped out an entire family, how could he not be imprisoned? Does Li Yingcai have some kind of powerful connection behind him?"

Although the county magistrate Zhao Anguo also shared the surname Zhao, he came from the prestigious Zhao family of the capital, making him worlds apart from the local gentry of the eight townships.

Even Zhao Shanren, a local gentry, didn't have the ability to get in touch with the county magistrate...

"Yes, I don't think this matter is that simple," Uncle Zhao Shun said indifferently.

"The deceased is gone, and we have no power to influence how the magistrate decides the case."

"Moreover, that Magistrate Zhao is no pushover either. I advise my nephew to just wait quietly for news."

"If the county magistrate really wanted to, he could have made such a case of annihilation as a complete extinction of the family line, leaving no survivors."

This attitude surprised Zhao San for a moment: "...Thank you for taking me in these past few days, Uncle."

"You're too kind, my dear nephew," Uncle Zhao Shun said politely, but stood calmly at the door.

Zhao San's heart sank.

People change as they leave, even so-called clan uncles of the same surname are no exception.

The Zhao family was wiped out, the house was seized, and the guards and servants they had hired at great expense also died.

But to say that he swallowed his anger and pretended nothing had happened is an overstatement.

She even imagined seeing Li Yingcai walking out of prison once the storm had passed.

He immediately shuddered.

"Things shouldn't be like this!" He packed his money but didn't return to town.

Instead, they headed towards the county government office in the center of the county town.

Two yamen runners, who were guarding the gate, were sitting idly by the grievance drum, dozing off.

Zhao San walked past the two yamen runners, but instead of entering the county government office, he took a deep breath, picked up the drumstick, and struck it hard.

"I'm innocent!~~~~"

"My entire family was brutally murdered, and I am the sole survivor. The culprit who wiped us out has yet to be punished..."

Zhao San plopped down on the ground, banged on the drum once, and cried out.

The yamen runner who was dozing off nearby was startled awake, and many pedestrians on the street looked over.

The inn where Zhou Chen and Crown Prince Murong Ying stayed was located in the alley behind the county government office.

The sound of the grievance drum naturally drifted into the post station.

.............

"The third son of the Zhao family has come to cause trouble." Magistrate Zhao paced back and forth in the hall, his face grim.

On one hand, the Crown Prince wanted to personally interrogate the wanted criminal, so he naturally dared not refuse and escorted Zhou Xing to the post station overnight.

On one hand, the surviving orphans of the massacre are causing trouble... Two days have passed and the government hasn't issued a single report, naturally wanting to see what the Crown Prince thinks before acting, and daring not to make a private judgment.

In this way, it becomes understandable that the surviving orphans would cause trouble.

While I was hesitating and deliberating.

But then several figures walked in from outside the county government office.

Magistrate Zhao looked up and was immediately shocked, so he knelt down:

"Your Highness's personal arrival fills this humble subject with trepidation—"

Surprisingly, the drum that was used to appeal for justice also alerted Prince Murong Ying in the back alley, who came over in person.

"Since the drum of grievance has been sounded, let's seize the day and interrogate Li Yingcai today," Murong Ying said casually.

Magistrate Zhao was taken aback, looked at the Crown Prince, and said cautiously:

"I wonder if it is your humble servant who is here to interrogate, or...."

"You may sit in the hall, and I, as the 'imperial envoy,' will simply listen in."

Magistrate Zhao immediately understood and breathed a sigh of relief, ordering his constables to escort the person away.

....................

In a small inner room inside the inn.

Zhou Xing lay listlessly on the wooden bed and yawned.

He was imprisoned for three days.

But he was not imprisoned, nor was he interrogated; he was simply confined to a small room in the inn and could not leave.

Counting the time, it has been 6 days since he possessed Li Yingcai's body.

If you calculate your lifespan to be seven days, you're almost at the end of your life.

"Exterminating the entire family, shouldn't they be facing the death penalty by now?" Zhou Xing muttered.

Just as I was wondering to myself, I heard the sound of drums coming from outside the door, followed by footsteps.

But it was Zhou Chen, the hostage, who walked to the door and looked at him through the window.

"Does Your Highness have any instructions?" he asked.

Zhou Chen stopped at the window, looked around nervously for a moment, and then spoke:

"Actually, His Highness thinks highly of you, but he just wants to test you out. You don't need to worry."

"What, Your Highness?" Zhou Xing was completely confused.

How many people can be called His Highness these days? And in this very county town, could there possibly be a second one...?

"It's about the Crown Prince of Da Mang... I don't think I should have said that." Zhou Chen blurted out, and quickly reminded him:

"You must not spread this matter. If it is leaked, it will be a capital offense," Zhou Chen said to the criminal who had been convicted of wiping out an entire family.

Zhou Xing was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

To be honest, this hostage prince is really a bit dim-witted, isn't he?

It seems that it was after he woke up in bed that day, dealt with the guards who came to check on him, and resolved the social crisis of the murder of the eunuch.

The hostage prince treated him as one of his own.

At this moment, he even secretly told her about the Crown Prince Mang.

Zhou Xing was deeply moved: "Your Highness is grateful for your concern. I am willing to die for Your Highness."

"Come on, what's all this talk about dying for someone? Let's see if you can survive this time," Zhou Chen said calmly.

"I am going to the capital of the Great Mang Kingdom, alone as a hostage, and I am in dire need of trustworthy people."

"If you have the will, then do your best to live."

Before Zhou Xing could answer, several guards from the post station led a group of yamen runners over.

"The criminal is Li Yingcai," the head clerk announced.

"The drum for appealing for justice has sounded. Magistrate Zhao will interrogate you together with the imperial envoy from the capital."

"take away!"

Zhou Xing raised an eyebrow but did not offer any resistance.

Instead, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

After waiting for several days in vain, it seems his death day is finally approaching.

........................

The hall of the government office.

A large crowd had already gathered there, including newspaper reporters who were waiting patiently with pamphlets in hand, their eyes shining.

The trial for the murder of an entire family has begun; this is big news that could sell out.

The crowd outside the hall was dense, and people were standing on tiptoe to peer inside.

County Magistrate Zhao Anguo sat in the main seat, while the imperial envoy Murong Ying, who wished to remain anonymous, sat to the side. The yamen runners on both sides leaned on their disciplinary sticks, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Several people below the hall had already been escorted over by the yamen runners.

The murderer, Zhou Xing, and two members of his family.

Zhao Weiming, the third son of the Zhao family, is the orphan of a family massacre.

Zhao San began to recount his grievances in a rambling manner.

He said he came to visit because Li Yingjie had arranged a marriage for him.

They argued because the matchmaking failed, and Li Yingcai beat them to death on the spot. He even went to the Zhao family's house and slaughtered everyone in the house.

Zhou Xing did not explain.

Because explanations are useless.

The Zhao family also managed to escape with Zhao San. Even if the neighbors heard Zhao San trying to force his wife and daughters to marry him, they probably wouldn't dare to testify.

And... why did he even bother explaining? Was he trying to exonerate himself and save his life?

LOL, this is just a way to appease Zhou Chen, don't fool yourself.

Zhou Xing's soul transmigrated here specifically to die.

Just as Magistrate Zhao was about to speak, he subconsciously glanced at the "Imperial Envoy" Murong Ying sitting to the side.

Seeing that the other party shook their head slightly, they spoke:

"This is illogical."

"To exterminate an entire family simply because a matchmaking attempt fails is utterly absurd."

"Zhao Weiming, this is the courtroom. If you downplay your crimes, conceal information, or mislead this official, it will be a serious crime."

"This humble subject dares not conceal the truth," Zhao San said, sweat beading on his forehead, but he still insisted.

"It seems that Li Yingcai had a long-standing feud with my family."

"My father was known in the countryside as Zhao the Benevolent Man because he was charitable and often lent money to nearby farmers."

"But my family is just a small household in a small town, with little resources and strength. In recent years, there have been repeated famines, and we don't have much surplus food. So I want to collect some old debts."

"The rift with the Li family must have stemmed from this... It's often said that his eldest son, Li Xuanqing, died ten years ago due to debt, hence Li Yingcai's resentment!"

Zhou Xing listened quietly, without any desire to refute. In the courtroom, he seemed like an indifferent bystander watching the spectacle.

The onlookers outside the hall whispered among themselves.

Zhou Xing remained standing, his gaze fixed on a certain point in the void, as if he were lost in thought.

Magistrate Zhao glanced to the side again.

This time, the "imperial envoy" didn't shake his head; he simply picked up his teacup and gently blew on it.

After listening, Magistrate Zhao glanced sideways at the imperial envoy beside him again before chuckling and saying:

"Eloquent as a tongue... well, what if I have witnesses?"

"Did the Li family's neighbors hear your astonishing words that day?"

Zhao Weiming's expression changed slightly.

"Summon witnesses."

Several middle-aged men and women were brought into the hall; they were all neighbors of the Li family. They hung their heads, not daring to look at Zhao Weiming, much less at the "imperial envoy" in the hall.

Magistrate Zhao said gently, "What did you hear when the Zhao brothers came to our door that day? Tell us the truth."

The neighbors exchanged glances, and one of the middle-aged men spoke first: "Reporting to Your Excellency... that day, I was at home when I heard a commotion next door, so I went to listen at the wall..."

"What did you hear?"

"I heard Young Master Zhao say... he wants to marry someone from the Li family." The man paused, his voice trailing off, "He said he wants to marry Li Yingcai's wife and daughter... and he also said... and he also said..."

"What else is there to say?"

The man gritted his teeth and said, "They even said that although Li Yingcai is a eunuch, he can still be taken as a concubine!"

There was a commotion outside the hall.

The newspaper reporter stared wide-eyed, his pen flying across the booklet.

They were so excited their faces turned red. "There's more to this than meets the eye?"

Seeing several of Li's neighbors enter as witnesses, and testify tremblingly in front of Young Master Zhao's astonishment.

Zhao San didn't understand.

The Zhao family isn't extinct; even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. How dare these people testify against it?!

There must be something fishy going on here!

Following the trembling gazes of the witnesses, Zhao San looked at Magistrate Zhao and the imperial envoy sitting to the side, and felt a chill run down his spine.

If the county magistrate were truly under pressure, could a mere orphan of a local gentry face more pressure than the county magistrate?

Could it be that Li Yingcai has actually climbed the social ladder by currying favor with the county magistrate, thus putting pressure on the witnesses to uphold justice?

Zhou Xing didn't understand either.

But he didn't look at Magistrate Zhao; instead, his gaze fell on the imperial envoy who was listening in.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this should be the so-called Crown Prince.

According to his observation, Magistrate Zhao would almost always glance at the Crown Prince before speaking, so Magistrate Zhao's attitude was essentially the Crown Prince's attitude.

Did the Crown Prince reveal these things in an attempt to protect him, a criminal wanted for the extermination of his entire family?

Zhou Xing was puzzled.

For some reason, this old man seemed to want to protect him and prevent him from dying a good death.

"The criminal Li Yingcai killed his entire family, a total of seventeen people, for some reason. This is certainly a serious crime, but there are other circumstances involved, therefore—"

It was clear that this heinous case of wiping out an entire family was rapidly heading towards a lenient sentence with no turning back.

Zhou Xing, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.

He took a step forward, his shackles rattling.

"Your Excellency, I have an objection!"