Wife, Protect Me! - Chapter 13 - Butterfly

Chang’an County Government Office, back hall.

A constable strode into the room and said joyfully, “Sir, that Cui Ze has confessed everything. Zheng Yuanwai was killed by him and Zhang Xiaoyun together. They have been having an affair for a long time. According to him, all of this was instigated by Zhang Xiaoyun; he was just momentarily bewitched… After Cui Ze confessed, Zhang Xiaoyun also admitted to everything.”

All of this was within the expectations of the Magistrate of Chang’an.

He glanced at Li Nuo, who was flipping through the Great Xia Law across from him, and sighed inwardly. Truly, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes. How could the son of Li Xuanjing be a fool? On the contrary, he was not only exceptionally intelligent and observant, but his insight into and control over human nature were also exquisite.

Li Nuo had only tried casually; he hadn’t expected the other party to confess so quickly.

He had just been thinking that if the plan failed, he would directly resort to the great memory restoration technique. Once the murderer was confirmed, even if torture was used, they wouldn’t be wronged.

The Magistrate of Chang’an looked at him with a strange expression, but Li Nuo didn’t care at all. He was more concerned about how many days of lifespan this case could add for him and immediately asked, “Can these two be sentenced to death?”

Pei Zhe nodded, casually flipped open the Great Xia Law, pointed to a page, and said to Li Nuo, “According to the Great Xia Law, if an adulterer kills the husband, the adulterous wife or concubine, whether aware or not, shall be punished equally… These two conspired to murder Zheng Yuanwai; both shall be beheaded. However, Cui Ze is an accomplice and confessed voluntarily, so his punishment may be reduced. He shall receive one hundred strokes, three years of penal servitude, and exile three thousand li.”

Li Nuo looked at the legal provision on this page. Compared to later eras, Great Xia’s law in this regard was quite different.

In Great Xia, if an adulterer kills the husband, the adulterous wife or concubine, regardless of whether they were aware or not, would be punished as accomplices. Depending on the specific circumstances, they would be sentenced to beheading or strangulation. Cui Ze and Zhang Xiaoyun had premeditated the murder of Zheng Yuanwai, so according to the law, they should be beheaded.

However, officials had some discretion in sentencing. Considering that Cui Ze was an accomplice and had confessed truthfully, the punishment could be appropriately reduced. But this only temporarily spared him the death penalty. Not to mention exile three thousand li, which was basically a death sentence, just those one hundred strokes alone could take his life. Whether he lived or died would depend on his luck.

The Magistrate of Chang’an wrote the verdict, waiting only for the two to sign and fingerprint it. Li Nuo casually flipped through the Great Xia Law and suddenly noticed another legal provision.

“Any servant or slave who plots to kill their master shall be beheaded. Those who plot to kill the master’s close relatives shall be strangled; if injury is caused, all shall be beheaded.”

The ancients placed great importance on preserving the whole body. Even for capital punishment, beheading was considered more severe than hanging. This legal provision stated that if any servant or subordinate in a household attempted to murder a relative of their master, regardless of whether harm was caused, they would be sentenced to death.

Furthermore, anyone who attempted to harm their master, regardless of whether the master was injured, should be executed by beheading.

According to the Great Xia Law, the female assassin, being a servant of the Li household, had committed the offense of a subordinate assaulting a superior by attempting to harm her master and had already caused injury. By law, she should have been sentenced to beheading.

However, the Magistrate of Chang’an had only convicted her of intentional assault and sentenced her to two years of imprisonment.

Li Nuo glanced at the Magistrate of Chang’an. Given his understanding of the Great Xia Law, it was unlikely for him to make such a mistake. After all, he could accurately point out the legal provisions and flip to the correct page effortlessly. This was akin to a seasoned judge being unable to distinguish between attempted murder and intentional assault—and in this case, there was no room for confusion.

But Li Nuo did not point it out.

Having been educated in modern law, he knew that under modern criminal law, she might be sentenced to three to five years but would certainly not face the death penalty. In the 21st century, everyone was equal; there were no longer servants or slaves, and thus no crime of a subordinate assaulting a superior.

Moreover, the Law Codex also approved this judgment.

Sentencing her to two years of imprisonment meant Li Nuo could live a few more days; sentencing her to death would mean he wouldn’t survive even one more day.

From this perspective, it seemed the Law Codex did not strictly adhere to the current laws. It appeared to have its own logic and reasoning when it came to judgments.

Noticing Li Nuo’s prolonged gaze on a particular section of the Great Xia Law, the Magistrate of Chang’an glanced over and saw which part he was looking at. Beads of cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

Could it be? That legal provision was written in simple, common characters. It was highly likely he had understood it. Did that mean he knew the magistrate had intentionally issued a lenient sentence in the previous case?

Pei Zhe grew increasingly uneasy. Only when he saw Li Nuo finally turn to a new page without saying a word did he wipe the fine sweat from his forehead and lower his head to continue writing the judgment.

Meanwhile.

Deep within Chang’an Street, inside a grand residence.

The scorching sun blazed overhead, tree shadows stretched across the ground, and the courtyard was filled with the chirping of cicadas, yet not a human voice could be heard.

In a quiet room deep within the compound, incense smoke curled upward from a burner, filling the air with a soothing and calming fragrance.

A figure hurriedly passed through the shaded courtyard, breaking the tranquility as he stepped into the room. After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he spoke: “Sir, the Butterfly has been caught…”

In the serene room, a figure seated cross-legged on a cushion slowly opened his eyes and said, “Continue.”

The man spoke slowly: “Zheng Tianxing is dead. Everyone from the Zheng household was arrested and taken to the Chang’an County Office early this morning. But not long ago, everyone except the butterfly and Cui Ze was released. I fear they are in grave danger…”

After a pause, he added, “Cui Ze’s death is of little consequence, but the butterfly was meticulously cultivated by us for over a decade and could still be of use in the future. Sir, should we send someone to…”

The man referred to as “Sir” shot him a cold glare and said sharply, “Fool! If we could afford to make a scene, what was the point of going through all the trouble to arrange her close to Zheng Tianxing in the first place?”

The man’s lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing more. The man remained silent for a moment before asking, “With Butterfly’s cunning, killing a defenseless merchant—even with a burden in tow—should have left no clues or flaws. How could the investigation have progressed so quickly?”

At this, the other person said angrily, “It should have been impossible to trace. With so many people at the Zheng residence last night, the Magistrate of Chang’an would never have suspected Butterfly. The case would likely have been dropped like the others. But someone intervened unexpectedly and helped the magistrate solve it…”

The man took a sip of tea and said, “It’s of no consequence. We’ve only lost one operative. As long as it doesn’t disrupt our greater plans, it’s acceptable.”

Still unable to swallow his anger, the subordinate gritted his teeth and said, “Butterfly was one of their finest—it takes over a decade to cultivate someone of her caliber. She was meant for greater use soon, and now she’s been lost in the Zheng Tianxing case. I can’t let this go! I won’t rest until I’ve torn that person to pieces!”

The man had no desire to complicate matters, but seeing his subordinate’s fury, he deliberated briefly and, to placate him, relented: “Go ahead, but ensure it’s done discreetly. Arouse no suspicion.”

The subordinate immediately brightened, clasped his fists and said, “Thank you, sir!”

The man waved a hand dismissively and casually inquired, “By the way, who is this person?”

As the subordinate turned to leave, he replied, “Li Nuo—the son of Li Xuanjing, the Minister of the Court of Revision…”

“Come back!”

Hearing the sharp command from behind, the subordinate turned back, puzzled. “Sir, what is it?”

The man’s eyelids twitched several times as he rebuked angrily, “You fool! I’ve been doing everything to avoid anyone surnamed Li, and you want to provoke them? Have you grown tired of living?”

The subordinate stared blankly, uncertain. “Sir, is Li Xuanjing truly that fearsome?”

The man took a deep breath to calm himself, then said, “You’re not in the court—you don’t know how formidable he is. Let this matter drop. Do not mention it again, and you are forbidden from causing any trouble for his son!”

The subordinate could only lower his head and murmur, “Yes…”

At that moment, the man rose from his cushion and began pacing the room, occasionally rubbing his temples. He muttered to himself, “Li Xuanjing… Has he uncovered something? Impossible. This affair is too well concealed—it must be a coincidence…”

After some time, he turned to the person behind him and asked, “Is Butterfly reliable?”

The subordinate nodded. “Rest assured, sir. Even in death, she would never reveal a thing about us.”

“Whether Li Xuanjing’s involvement is accidental or not, we cannot allow Butterfly to fall into his hands. Otherwise, Chang’an will run with blood, and even you and I won’t escape death…” After a moment’s thought, the man made a subtle throat-slitting gesture and said, “To be safe… You understand my meaning?”

“Understood.”

The subordinate nodded and asked, “What about Cui Ze? Should we also…”

The man waved a hand. “There’s no need for that. He knows nothing. If anything happens to him, it would only raise suspicions. Since this case involves Li Xuanjing, we must proceed with extreme caution—not a single hint can be revealed…”