Chapter Fourteen: The Scapegoat Princess Is Sentenced to Death (14)

Zhao’an Prefecture, County Magistrate’s Office, Xuanyang Pavilion.

Zhai Hongxia, the newly appointed county magistrate who had only just taken office, sat alone in the pavilion, gazing at the moon and drinking wine. Despite his recent promotion, he felt little joy. At this moment, he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

The reason for his melancholy was clear.

The very cause of the downfall and destruction of the previous magistrate’s family still remained—a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment and drag him down with it.

Indeed, that was none other than Prince Lu.

Because of the Prince Lu affair, at least half of the core officials in Zhao’an Prefecture had been replaced. Most met grim fates, with no happy endings. This had made many officials wary of serving here; even taking a minor post in a remote region was preferable to holding office in this troubled prefecture.

After all, who could say what further disgrace or calamity Prince Lu Zhu Qin might cause? The prince himself might remain unscathed, but anyone who either concealed his misdeeds or exposed them faced dire consequences.

The inspector who exposed the matter had his entire family burned alive. Those who helped cover up the crimes were inevitably charged with dereliction of duty and corruption, ultimately meeting similarly dreadful ends.

Thus, many believed the Emperor’s message was unmistakably clear: no matter what sins his son committed, they must be covered up. Quietly reporting behind the scenes was permissible, but outright exposure was forbidden.

It was a matter of preserving the imperial reputation.

Understanding this well, Zhai Hongxia felt only frustration and dissatisfaction, rather than fear. His vexation stemmed from knowing that to live peacefully in the future, he would have to shield Prince Lu and prevent anyone from leaking the truth.

Only by doing so could he protect himself.

Yet, such actions conflicted deeply with his conscience.

Hence, his gloom and his reliance on wine to soothe his troubled mind.

At the third watch, shortly after the first night watch began, Zhai Hongxia’s trusted aide, Zhou Hui, hurriedly arrived. Seeing Zhai slightly intoxicated but hearing the gravity of the news he brought, Zhou leaned in and whispered urgently:

“Magistrate, there’s trouble at Prince Lu’s residence!”

Being a trusted confidant, Zhou knew exactly how to rouse his master. The half-drunk Zhai Hongxia was instantly jolted awake, his intoxication fading sharply.

“What happened? What’s the matter?”

He had long expected that the greatest danger of his appointment would be some trouble caused by Prince Lu Zhu Qin. The very reason he had been drinking was out of worry for just such an event. Hearing Zhou’s words, even if he were drunk, he would have been startled fully awake.

Fortunately, the pavilion’s bench was broad enough to prevent a fall. Though no accident occurred, cold sweat dripped down his back as his heart raced and his hands trembled with tension while he asked:

“Prince Lu is possessed?”

Zhou Hui was succinct: “Yes, possessed.”

“Possessed? Are you joking or trying to make light of this? Superstition and sorcery have no place in our world. You’ve been with me long enough—how many cases have we solved at the Court of Justice? Every time, it was just people pretending to be possessed or bewitched!”

Though inwardly skeptical, Zhai Hongxia remained vigilant. Even if the possession was feigned, it meant Prince Lu was indeed in trouble—his symptoms mimicking possession. If the prince died or was crippled, Zhai would be implicated.

Yet soon, Zhai saw from Zhou’s expression that he was serious, not joking at all.

“Have you confirmed this? Do you have evidence?”

“Magistrate, you know my character. I would never say such a thing without certainty. When you first arrived, you instructed me to keep a close watch on Prince Lu’s residence. So I stationed people to monitor all comings and goings, and I even bribed several servants inside the mansion to verify the information.

“Two hours ago, the mansion was suddenly placed under lockdown. Several people left and forcibly took away the abbots and heads of several local Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries.

“About two incense sticks’ time later, four eunuchs disguised and sneaked out through a doghole at the back of the mansion, near where the waste and manure were temporarily stored for removal. They quickly bought four donkeys and hurriedly left. This alone confirms something is amiss—if everything were normal, they wouldn’t need to sneak out like thieves.

“Then, about an hour ago, a great rumbling was heard from inside the mansion, like an earthquake with stones falling, though the noise was not too loud. Only someone with keen hearing could discern it clearly.

“These are all reports from outside the mansion, plus information gathered from inside.”

Zhou was cautious. In fact, he had heard of the possession an hour earlier, but like Zhai, he was skeptical and had investigated further to uncover the truth before reporting back.

He gathered more details to clarify the situation.

Then he relayed what he had learned from inside the residence. Though not very detailed, the account was precise enough.

For instance, Prince Lu’s body had developed blue, purple, and black spots; his tongue had swollen until it blocked his mouth, making breathing difficult and eating impossible; his hands and feet had turned into pig hooves. Moreover, several hundred buried corpses beneath the garden had mysteriously vanished, causing the entire garden to collapse.

Too many witnesses had seen these events. Even with the mansion sealed off, the news leaked through internal and external collusion.

Spreading the word was not too difficult.

“Are you certain his hands and feet really became pig hooves?” Zhai, who had once served at the Court of Justice, quickly asked the critical question. Various spots and a swollen tongue could indicate illness—he had seen similar symptoms before. But hands and feet turning into pig hooves defied medical explanation; that was the key to whether this was possession or not.

“Absolutely, every informant says so!”

“And the mansion has imperial physicians. If it were merely illness, they would have diagnosed it.”

Though none had seen it firsthand, with so many reporting the same and so many strange occurrences in the mansion, Zhou had no choice but to believe it.

“This is trouble.” Zhai Hongxia’s face fell. He had been on guard against Prince Lu’s mischief, but now the prince had become the victim. Yet the trouble for Zhai was no less severe—how could he escape blame if possession occurred under his jurisdiction, even though he had only recently arrived?

If this were true, it would surely be another calamity born of sorcery and witchcraft.