A small window, no bigger than a palm, shone through the stone cell’s roof. The light from the lantern on the cane cast a dim glow.

Li Zhou sat on the stone bed, calmly watching the dim light, his gaze fixed on it.

Just then, the sound of a key clanging against the cell door lock came from outside. Li Zhou lifted his eyelids slightly, then quickly lowered them again, his expression calm.

With a “snap,” the lock fell to the ground, the cell door opened, and someone entered. Along with them came torches lit on the wall, instantly illuminating the entire cell. The dim light was now hidden in shadow.

Li Zhou withdrew his gaze, stepped down from the stone bed, and bowed to the newcomers, saying, “Greetings, esteemed sirs!”

His bow was very gentle.

In fact, when the Dali Temple officials went to arrest Li Zhou yesterday, he maintained this gentle and polite demeanor. This mild and harmless attitude made him seem like a completely different person from the thug who had pulled out a heavy crossbow from the warehouse and killed the official!

“Li Zhou!” The official in the center, dressed in a scarlet robe, called out to him.

Li Zhou looked at the official who had spoken. Although he had never seen him before, it didn’t prevent him from accurately calling him by name: “Lord Lin!”

Lin Fei nodded to him and asked, “Did you do all this yesterday?”

Li Zhou nodded and calmly said, “I did it all! Your Excellency can interrogate my men. I planned everything. I tricked them under the pretense of catching spies!”

Lin Fei glanced at him and said, “I am aware of this matter!” Then, after a pause, he asked Li Zhou, “Why?”

Why? Li Zhou didn’t even lift his eyelids, his tone calm: “Although I am a member of the imperial clan, I doubt you can find a more unfortunate member of the clan in the entire Great Rong! My father was a gambler who squandered the entire family fortune! In my childhood, if it weren’t for the help of the imperial clan members, I would have starved to death long ago!”

“We are both members of the imperial clan, yet they live in luxury, while I wear hand-me-downs and live in dilapidated houses, barely knowing where my next meal will come from!” Li Zhou couldn’t help but sneer at this point, “I’m not reconciled!”

How could he be reconciled? He endured the scorn of others at every turn, possessing only the title of imperial clan member while living the most miserable life!

“I, a so-called member of the imperial clan, live worse than many ordinary people!” Li Zhou said. “How can I accept such injustice?”

“My bloodline in the imperial clan is a joke!” Li Zhou sighed deeply. “A single piece of clothing or a meal from someone of the same clan is enough for me to live on for several years. I feel this is unfair!”

“If they were stronger than me, that would be one thing!” Li Zhou said calmly, glancing at his hands covered in calluses—the result of countless hours of rigorous training. “But as fellow members of the imperial family, in what way are they stronger than me? They spend their days indulging in debauchery, bullying others, and committing all sorts of evil deeds. They are rich but heartless, yet they live such lives. I find it unfair!”

Li Zhou spoke these words with remarkable calmness, but for some reason, Liu Yuantong, Bai Zhu, and the others felt a jolt in their hearts. They subconsciously glanced at Li Zhou’s expression, feeling, for some reason, that these words didn’t seem like lies, but rather, they seemed to be Li Zhou’s true feelings!

Li Zhou lowered his eyes, his expression remaining calm: “So, I sought justice for myself!” he said quietly. “I need money!”

“I know they have money, and they crave to live like that even after death!” Li Zhou said, “So, I joined forces with those who run murder businesses, deceiving them and making money!”

“I want money!” Li Zhou took another deep breath and said, “Since it’s unfair, I’ll seek justice for myself!”

Hearing this, Liu Yuan couldn’t help but speak up: “Have you ever considered that those young women are innocent?”

“What does that have to do with me?” Li Zhou didn’t even raise an eyelid upon hearing this. “Those young women are indeed unlucky, but how many unlucky people in the world are there besides them?”

Li Zhou’s tone was calm and cold: “I am one of them! But this world never pities the pitiful. The lives of the wicked are much better than those of the pitiful! Since I did these things, this is the first time I’ve lived the life of those imperial clan members! Now, I’m just unlucky to have been caught by you!”

Liu Yuan and Bai Zhu exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing slightly.

Lin Fei looked at Li Zhou, his expression unchanged: “So, you did all this just for money?”

Li Zhou nodded, saying, “That’s right!”

This reason was flawless on Li Zhou’s part! He had planned all this because of his childhood experiences and resentment towards injustice; the reason made perfect sense!

If that imperial clan girl hadn’t been the first to be caught, Li Zhou’s answer would have been impeccable!

Lin Fei glanced at Li Zhou in front of him, and without wasting words, directly handed him the dossier.

Li Zhou looked up, puzzled, at Lin Fei.

Lin Fei said, “Your grandmother, Li Yin, was attacked on her way back to her hometown…”

Before he could finish, Li Zhou interrupted him, “I know, Lin Shaoqing, don’t say anymore! My grandmother was just an unlucky and pitiful person! You see, misfortune and pity in this world never have a reason. Since that’s the case, do I need any other reason to do these things?”

Lin Fei glanced at him, pointed to the dossier in his hand, and said, “You’re wrong! Your grandmother’s misfortune had a reason!”

A crack appeared on Li Zhou’s face, which had been completely calm from beginning to end. He looked at Lin Fei in surprise, and when he came to his senses, he subconsciously looked down at the dossier in his hand!

“Your grandmother, Li Yin, was a woman born in what those Feng Shui masters call a ‘yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour’,” Lin Fei said. “Since you’ve become someone else’s tool and dealt with vicious people for so many years, you should understand what such a woman means to those people!”

Li Zhou’s face turned pale instantly, and his lips trembled involuntarily.

“Your grandmother, Li Yin, suffered a series of misfortunes back then, with her father, brothers, and even her husband all meeting their ends! Because of the passage of time and the fact that the matter wasn’t thoroughly investigated at the time, it’s quite difficult to investigate now!” Lin Fei said. “But if we’re not mistaken, even if your grandmother Li Yin died because of the infighting among the perpetrators, those wandering sorcerers wouldn’t have easily let her remains go!”

“So, this morning we went to ‘see’ your grandmother,” Lin Fei said, looking at Li Zhou. “Now that you’re burdened with guilt, it’s inconvenient for you to get involved! So I went to the palace and asked His Majesty to issue an imperial edict to directly exhume the body for examination!”

Li Zhou pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to say something, but after a long pause, he said nothing, only looking up at Lin Fei: “What was the result?”

“Your grandmother was of noble birth, and your family has long since fallen into ruin. Many years have passed, and there are no records of injuries or illnesses left behind, so we can confirm your grandmother’s identity!” Lin Fei said. “We can only confirm that the woman in the coffin is the same age as your grandmother, and the robes she wears are the same ones your grandmother wore when she was buried.”

There were many women of the same age, and clothing could easily be faked. Too much time had passed; what more could they find out?

Li Zhou gave a bitter smile: Indeed, the wicked go unpunished…

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Lin Fei’s voice again: “When your grandmother died, your father had already been born, but the female corpse in the coffin…”

What about the female corpse in the coffin? Li Zhou’s heart tightened, and he looked at Lin Fei.

Lin Fei looked at him, his gaze clear and calm: “That female corpse never gave birth!”

(End of Chapter)

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