Chapter 16: Another Death

Just as Li Yan was still puzzling over what was truly happening, Xue Huaiyuan arrived in the courtyard with a group of men, seething with rage. Upon seeing Li Yan, his fury only intensified.

He pointed a finger at Li Yan’s nose and cursed, "You bastard, you killed my wife! Yesterday, after she received your treatment, she began vomiting blood in the middle of the night. After that, she ran out. I chased after her, but I couldn't catch her. This morning, the servants found her dead in the pond. I am going to have you locked up and call the police. I will have you arrested. You must pay for Qin Lian’s life with your own."

Before Li Yan could respond, Xue Huaiyuan’s men had already surrounded him. Li Yan was so exasperated he laughed. Feeling deeply disheartened, he said with a touch of melancholy, "Have you lost your mind? I have no grudge against your wife. I provided treatment, and you were all fine, weren't you? If I wanted to kill, I would have killed all of you, wouldn't I?"

Xue Huaiyuan paused to think, realizing that Li Yan’s logic held water. He had indeed acted too impulsively, blinded by his desire to seek revenge for Qin Lian. Realizing he was in the wrong, he hurried to Li Yan’s side and asked with an ingratiating smile, "Then, Master, what is your take on this matter?"

Li Yan thought carefully and began to survey the surroundings. He could not sense Qin Lian’s soul here. He searched elsewhere, but to no avail. Returning to the mourning hall, he tried to tap into his intuition to see what had befallen her, but he felt absolutely nothing.

Troubled, Li Yan frowned and asked, "Where is the pond? Take me there." He figured that if he couldn't get answers directly, he would have to examine the site himself. A servant led him to the pond, and once there, Li Yan ordered everyone to leave. He inspected the area closely, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was truly bizarre.

Just as he was struggling to make sense of it, a face-down corpse floated to the surface of the pond, and all the fish in the water were dead. Frowning, Li Yan called out, "Come quickly! Another body has surfaced."

Before long, people arrived and pulled the body out. It was bloated from the water, making it impossible to identify. Li Yan asked Xue Huaiyuan gravely, "Do you recognize this person?" He wasn't sure if Xue Huaiyuan knew the identity or not; he was merely trying to catch him off guard.

To his surprise, Xue Huaiyuan’s expression became highly unnatural. He hesitated and stammered. Seeing this, Li Yan knew he was hiding something. Furious, he lunged at Xue Huaiyuan and gave him a sound thrashing, leaving his face bruised and swollen.

Xue Huaiyuan knelt on the ground, begging for mercy: "Stop, please stop! I'll talk, I'll talk!"

Li Yan ceased his assault but remained wary, given that Xue Huaiyuan had lied to him before. He warned him, "Speak clearly and tell the truth, or you'll regret it."

Xue Huaiyuan nodded and began to explain. According to him, the person who died in the pond was a maid from Qin Lian’s chambers. She was usually quiet and diligent, and he had no idea why she would die there. Li Yan nodded. The body was left in the courtyard.

Li Yan now suspected that Qin Lian’s death was linked to the surviving relatives of this maid. It was very likely that Qin Lian had been the target of revenge.

Li Yan asked Xue Huaiyuan sternly, "Is this maid’s family still alive? Did you consult a doctor yesterday? Is there anyone else in the manor who held a grudge against Qin Lian?"

Xue Huaiyuan shook his head, but his expression remained unnatural—he was clearly lying again. Li Yan didn't waste words and gave him another lesson. Only then did Xue Huaiyuan confess. He admitted that they had called a doctor in the middle of the night, who said Qin Lian’s vomiting of blood was caused by poisoning. As for whether anyone in the manor held a grudge against her, he claimed not to know.

Li Yan nodded and told him, "Gather all the servants and maids in the manor here. I have questions for them."

Xue Huaiyuan complied and left to summon them. Soon, the staff of the Xue household stood waiting. Li Yan looked them over and told Xue Huaiyuan, "You may leave now; I will handle the rest."

Once Xue Huaiyuan was gone, Li Yan paced in front of the servants, staring at them in silence. The staff began to whisper, clearly not taking him seriously. Li Yan made a gesture for silence and asked solemnly, "Who among you knows what happened to this maid on the ground?"

Everyone looked at the corpse, some screaming in fear. Others tried to run, but Li Yan blocked their path. He stared at them sternly and said, "Do not be afraid. You only need to tell me what you know. I will not harm you."

After a moment, someone finally spoke. The maid’s name was Cailian. She was a young maid in Qin Lian’s room. Though she was usually diligent, she was very beautiful, and Xue Huaiyuan had taken a liking to her, intending to make her his concubine. Qin Lian had never agreed to this, but Xue Huaiyuan would often visit Qin Lian’s room just to see Cailian.

Cailian worked hard, but because of the situation, she fell out of favor with Qin Lian. Qin Lian began to make her life difficult, intentionally assigning her strenuous labor that even men struggled with. Refusing to be bullied, Cailian complained to Xue Huaiyuan, who actually confronted Qin Lian on her behalf. However, following that confrontation, Cailian’s life only worsened. Her monthly salary of three silver dollars would be inexplicably docked by two. Her life became miserable, and she began to wither away.

Gradually, Xue Huaiyuan lost interest and stopped visiting. Cailian grew heartbroken and mentally fragile. Seeing this, Qin Lian intensified the bullying, even attempting to marry Cailian off to a paralyzed man. Cailian resisted with her life, avoiding the marriage, but Qin Lian did not let her go. Every day, Qin Lian would drag Cailian into her room and beat her mercilessly. Furthermore, if Cailian didn't finish her work, she was given no food. When Cailian’s family passed away, Qin Lian refused to let her leave the manor. Under the relentless torment, Cailian became increasingly weak and sickly, yet even then, Qin Lian showed no mercy.