Wei Yunzhao was sitting in a wheelchair, checking the breath of these people one by one. After checking everyone, he found that only two old soldiers were still breathing, and the breath was so weak that it was about to disappear.
Jiang Lin gave them some water. “Give it a try, try to hold on. If you can make it through this, you will have hope of survival.”
The two were barely conscious and didn’t hear Jiang Lin’s words, but the fact that they were still breathing showed their incredible will to live.
Doctor Zhu bandaged the guard’s wounds and gave him a hemostatic pill before turning to Su Qiao. Like Jiang Lin, he was at a loss when he saw the extent of her injuries.
“This… young lady, I’m afraid you’ll have to undress for me to treat your wounds. As a man, it might be inappropriate,” Doctor Zhu said awkwardly.
Su Qiao nodded slightly. “Then please prepare some medicine to stop the bleeding and ease the pain.”
After drinking the water Jiang Lin had brought, Su Qiao felt much better, her strength returning, though she was still weak.
However, with her tendons severed, she couldn’t move and could only sit on the bed.
Su Qiao smiled bitterly. She had caused so many deaths, she couldn't atone for it even if she died a thousand times.
Doctor Zhu fed Su Qiao some pills and bandaged her wrists and ankles before taking his medical kit outside to treat the two old soldiers.
By the time the wounded were taken care of, Yin Ji arrived with a group of government runners. The government runners were all ordinary people who had never seen such a scene before, and many of them vomited directly.
Yin Ji’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, he asked Jiang Lin, “What on earth happened here? How could so many people die?”
[脸黑得跟锅底似的 (liǎn hēi dé gēn guō dǐ shì de): lit. face as dark as the bottom of a pot; fig. extremely angry or grim expression]
Jiang Lin shook his head. “When I arrived, these people were already dead. If I had come any later, there might not have been any survivors today.”
Jiang Lin directed him to Su Qiao and the others, each more severely injured than the last. If Jiang Lin had been even slightly delayed, or if the doctor had arrived later, they would have died.
“Who is so bold as to massacre so many people under the feet of the Son of Heaven? Is there no law of the king anymore?”
[天子脚下 (tiān zǐ jiǎo xià): lit. under the feet of the Son of Heaven; fig. the capital or the emperor’s domain.]
[王法 (wáng fǎ): lit. the law of the king; fig. the law or justice system.]
Hearing Yin Ji’s angry outburst, Jiang Lin couldn’t help but chuckle. “Perhaps the law itself is the one committing these murders.”
Yin Ji's body trembled, and his eyes suddenly fell on Jiang Lin. “You suspect…?” He didn’t dare say it outright, but his finger subtly pointed upward.
Jiang Lin replied, “I’m not certain, but I have my suspicions. Even if it wasn’t directly ordered by him, the mastermind behind this is undoubtedly someone of high status.” Otherwise, who would dare to act so brazenly in broad daylight?
Jiang Lin reminded Yin Ji, “Master Yin, haven’t you noticed how eerily quiet the surroundings are?”
At Jiang Lin’s words, Yin Ji also realized something was amiss. The area was densely populated, and the locals loved to gawk at disturbances. Even if they had been too scared to come out earlier, now that the authorities had arrived, it was strange that no one had come out.
Yin Ji immediately pointed at a few government runners. “You, and you, go check the nearby houses. Find out where everyone has gone.”
The government runners who were pointed out quickly ran off to investigate, while the remaining ones continued to move the bodies and clean up the courtyard.
Yin Ji had already taken a seat and began interrogating Su Qiao and the surviving guard.
Su Qiao’s identity had never been disguised. The people she had interacted with on her journey from Jiangnan to Shengjing had never questioned her background, making Yin Ji the first to do so.
Su Qiao said, “My father’s name is Su Yuan, from Jiangnan.”
Su Yuan was a fellow official, a military officer of some rank and reputation. Naturally, Yin Ji knew of him.
“My entire family was massacred, but the local officials refused to investigate the crime. That’s why I came to the capital to seek justice. Could you, sir, help me by reopening the case of the Su family massacre in Jiangnan?”
Su Qiao bowed to Yin Ji. With her hands and feet immobilized, a bow was all she could manage.
Yin Ji, however, was bewildered. “When was the Su family massacred?” He had no knowledge of it whatsoever.
Jiang Lin sat down across from Yin Ji. “Master Yin, now you see how difficult this case is to investigate, don’t you?”
Su Yuan was dead, just like Wei Su. Both were said to have died on the battlefield, sacrificing themselves for the country. But how many people knew that the general who was buried at the border had his entire family wiped out?
Only a daughter remained, and now she was being hunted, reduced to this pitiful state.
Yin Ji turned to look at Wei Yunzhao, who sat expressionless in his wheelchair. “So, originally, the Wei family was supposed to meet the same fate as the Su family?”
Jiang Lin clapped. “Master Yin, you truly are a smart man. But it’s not just ‘originally.’ It’s still happening. Have you forgotten the one who died in prison?”
Yin Ji took a deep breath, realizing just how murky these waters were.
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