The Marquis Mansion’s Elite Class

Liu's ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍Mother said coldly, "I don't acknowledge it. He's lying. Liu Wu had two wounds on his head from being struck."

"You!" Zhao Kun was furious.

Seeing her determined to seek death, he spoke harshly, "Yes, there were two wounds. One was struck by her while Liu Wu was unprepared, but she's a woman, and especially Liu Wu's mother, so of course, she couldn't bring herself to deliver a fatal blow. It was me who, fearing Liu Wu would cause trouble for us if he woke up, used a hammer to send him on his way with a heavy blow."

"Zhao Kun, stop talking nonsense. This matter has nothing to do with you," Liu's Mother scolded.

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple also sensed something amiss and continued to question, "In that case, describe the size of the hammer."

Zhao Kun: "Just an ordinary hammer, the most common size, nearly two feet long."

"Where is the murder weapon?"

"It's at home. I was too scared after killing him, so I dropped it and ran away."

"Where did Liu Wu fall after he died?"

Zhao Kun: "..."

All his information had been heard from rumors in the neighborhood. Who would pay attention to where a corpse had fallen?

He stammered, "By the bed, no, perhaps by the door. I was in too much of a hurry when I ran, maybe she moved it somewhere else afterward."

The Chief Justice's gavel slammed down heavily: "Nonsense!"

Zhao Kun was so frightened that he immediately prostrated himself on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

The little devil thought to himself: This is truly nonsense, the more he fabricates, the more holes appear in his story.

Liu Wu had died in the kitchen. From the bloodstains and traces on the ground, there had been no movement of the body. The murder weapon was indeed a hammer, but it wasn't nearly two feet long—it was a small hammer, just over a foot in length.

"I'll ask you one more time. Where were you on the afternoon of the day before yesterday?" the Chief Justice asked through gritted teeth.

Zhao Kun was terrified, too cowardly to even lift his head, but he still spoke boldly with his head down: "At... at the Liu household. Your Honor, even if you ask me a hundred times, my answer will remain the same. I killed him, it has nothing to do with her."

The Chief Justice wanted to curse.

Without evidence, why are you confessing to a crime? You're practically begging for death.

This scoundrel...

If it weren't for the Crown Prince sitting here, he would have already ordered Zhao Kun to be beaten with a few heavy strokes.

Infuriating. It's so hard to play the role of a polite and reasonable civil official...

"Summon Liu Wu's wife, Madam Wang."

Madam Wang had the appearance of an ordinary woman, dressed simply. She had been crying for two days since Liu Wu's death, her eyes so swollen they could barely open. According to the neighbors, the couple had been very loving, and Liu Wu's death had hit her hard.

Zong Jincheng whispered, "Your Highness, it's only early autumn, the weather isn't cold yet. Why is she wearing a scarf? Is she trying to hide something, like injuries on her neck?"

The Crown Prince was taken aback.

Suddenly, he didn't know how to explain it to him.

It was something that married people would understand, but no matter how clever Jincheng was, he was still just a child. The thought of explaining such a thing to a child was too embarrassing.

The Crown Prince awkwardly replied, "It's nothing. We've already checked; the marks on her body aren't from abuse."

"Huh? Marks? What marks?" The little devil was even more confused.

The Crown Prince: "..."

He raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then lightly patted the child's shoulder, saying helplessly, "Just focus on listening to the trial."

"Oh..." The little devil reluctantly agreed.

But in his heart, he was muttering: What on earth is this strange thing?

His Highness won't tell me. Hmph, I'll ask my mother when I get home.

The Chief Justice continued his questioning: "Madam Wang, have you seen the man below the stage?"

Madam Wang looked at Zhao Kun, her eyes flickering.

She had seen him.

"Your Honor, I haven't..."

The Chief Justice interrupted: "You have."

When faced with a stranger, one's gaze is either blank or puzzled, but Madam Wang's reaction clearly indicated she had seen him before.

Madam Wang lowered her head deeply, her voice trembling with tears: "Your Honor, spare me. I... I can't remember clearly. I might have seen him at some point, he looks familiar, but I truly have no impression of him."

The case became even more perplexing. Zhao Kun was full of lies, and if Madam Wang said she hadn't seen him, it would have almost cleared him of suspicion. But Madam Wang had indeed seen him.

"Guards, take the three of them into separate custody for individual questioning," the Chief Justice ordered, and they were taken away for further interrogation.

The Crown Prince took the opportunity to explain to the little devil: "Separate interrogations prevent collusion. Also, it allows for the use of deceptive tactics to make the culprit reveal their flaws."

Zong Jincheng let out a long "Oh," gaining another insight. He quickly asked, "Can I go listen to the deceptive questioning?"

The Crown Prince smiled, "Whose do you want to listen to?"

"Madam Wang!" The little devil exclaimed excitedly. "She seems the easiest to deceive."

This was the kind of person his brother had told him about—the simplest type in the art of reading people, wearing their thoughts on their face.

The Crown Prince couldn't help but laugh. He teased, "You sure know how to pick your targets."

The little devil puffed up with pride: "Of course! You always pick the softest fruit to squeeze. Liu's Mother is too tough, Zhao Kun is just spouting nonsense, but Madam Wang is simple. Even though she's lying, it's easy to see through her."

The Crown Prince nodded with a smile: "Indeed. Let's go, I'll take you to have a look."

The interrogation room was located in a building within the Dali Temple. There was a hidden chamber where one could observe the proceedings outside without being seen.

Madam Wang knelt on the ground, recounting everything she knew: "I have seen him. He came to the house once to ask my mother-in-law to remarry. But she refused. She said she wanted to stay and protect this family and wouldn't go with Zhao Kun."

"Did Zhao Kun ever meet Liu Wu? Did they have any arguments?" the Chief Justice questioned her individually.

Madam Wang replied weakly, "No, they didn't meet, at least not as far as I know. But my mother-in-law is very discreet. She wouldn't do anything improper, so Liu Wu probably wouldn't have noticed their past relationship."

The Chief Justice quickly seized on the key point: "Past relationship? You know about the history between Liu's Mother and Zhao Kun?"

Madam Wang's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately corrected herself: "I... I don't know. I was just guessing. As a married woman, I'm particularly sensitive to matters between men and women. I noticed the way Zhao Kun looked at my mother-in-law was different. I... I was just making assumptions... Yes, just assumptions."

The little devil in the hidden chamber almost laughed. Madam Wang was as simple as a blank sheet of paper. They hadn't even reached the deceptive questioning stage, and she was already spouting a series of contradictory statements.

But the officials of the Dali Temple were all sharp. They quickly realized Madam Wang was the key to breaking the case and pressed her further: "Where were you on the afternoon of the day before yesterday, when Liu Wu died?"

"I... I was napping with my son..."

"Did you hear any sounds of fighting or arguing?"

"No... Your Honor, haven't you already asked this? Why are you..."

The Chief Justice turned fierce in an instant: "Answer the question. No unnecessary talk."

Madam Wang shrank back in fear and continued, "No... I didn't hear anything. When I woke up, my mother-in-law had already turned herself in. My son and I were at home, crying in fear..."

Zong Jincheng, in the hidden chamber, looked at the Crown Prince in confusion, not understanding the purpose of these two actions by the Chief Justice.

The Crown Prince smiled and explained, "Repeating the same questions can easily make liars slip up. Also, when people are frightened, they're more likely to blurt out the truth. These are common interrogation tactics, and they can be applied in other situations as well."