Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 170
Chapter 170: Reasonable Doubt
“What suggestions could I have? Our priority is to look for the eye-witness, dead or alive. Until we find him, we will never be able to conclude this case,” Fang Chen replied with a smile.
The surroundings fell eerily silent.
The civilians standing at the entrance were stunned and enraged, but they dared not to voice their complaints, for the one who had said those words was the Xia Imperial Duke, Great Xia’s one and only transcendental-grade noble!
The Auspicious King fell into deep thought.
Commandery Chief Ouyang and the other officials dared not to carelessly run their mouths, given that both the Auspicious King and Fang Chen were here.
The purging of the southern region’s Nine Commanderies was fresh in their minds; many of their colleagues had been captured and executed. The last thing they wanted was for it to happen to them too!
Seconds later, Yu Zhang suddenly turned to Fang Chen and clasped his fist, “Imperial Duke Fang, I am the South Mountain School’s Yu Zhang. If you permit, I’d like to say a few words regarding this case.”
“Go ahead.” Fang Chen nodded.
The crowd turned to look at Yu Zhang.
Upon catching everyone’s attention, Yu Zhang slowly spoke up, “This case has been hanging for years now since Zhao Yan escaped under Chiliarch Jue’s watch. The victims are unable to rest in peace, and their families are still awaiting justice. They want to see Zhao Yan receiving the punishment he deserves.
“Some of the victims’ families have passed away in the meantime, and there are some who are struggling to hold on despite being on the verge of death. All of them simply wish to see karma befalling Zhao Yan. I don’t think it’s wise to allow Zhao Yan to live on over such trivialities.”
Jue Panshi glared at Yu Zhang. It’s one thing for you to speak up, but why do you have to arrow me too? Just you wait!
The civilians nodded in agreement upon hearing Yu Zhang’s words. Whispers voicing their agreement could be heard.
“Trivialities?” Fang Chen asked with a raised eyebrow.
Yu Zhang calmly explained, “It was indeed Huang Xin who discovered one of the victims’ accessories in Zhao Yan’s cloth bag, but he’s just an informant whereas the key lies in the accessory. Whether Huang Xin is here or not doesn’t dispute the evidence’s legitimacy. It was also this trail that led the Valiant Defenders to Zhao Yan’s house, where they found the victims’ bodies.”
He paused for a brief second before adding, “Regardless of whether Huang Xin is here or not, the evidence is already in place. There’s no disputing the case.”
He then turned to the Auspicious King and asked, “Your Highness, may I know if the evidence is still in the magistrate court?”
“It is.” The Auspicious King nodded as he lifted a wooden brooch on the evidence tray.
Seeing that, the crowd nodded in agreement. The fact that one of the victims’ accessories was in Zhao Yan’s cloth bag should be enough to cast suspicion on Zhao Yan.
Yu Zhang then turned back to Fang Chen and asked questioningly, “Imperial Duke Fang, the evidence is in place. The rage of our South Immortal Commandery’s civilians will not be quelled if you don’t execute Zhao Yan today! People might ask why you are protecting Zhao Yan.”
“Audacious!” The Auspicious King and the others berated Yu Zhang.
Master Chen kept his head lowered and didn’t say a word.
Yu Zhang paid no heed to the reprimand. His eyes remained firmly locked on Fang Chen.
“As expected of the South Mountain School’s chief student. He’s speaking up for us civilians!”
“Mister Yu dared to speak such words even in front of Imperial Duke Fang! He’s truly a brave person with the people’s interest in heart. It’ll be our blessing if he becomes an official for our South Immortal Commandery.”
The civilians murmured among themselves.
Even the old man on the stretcher also spoke with difficulty, “Mister Yu, if Zhao Yan is executed today, I’ll put up a token of you in my house and pray for you every day.”
“Everyone, I just cannot stand watching such injustice in the world. What will become of this world if we spare Zhao Yan after what he has done?” Yu Zhang clasped his fist toward the sky as he spoke with an imposing air.
The South Mountain School’s students were won over by Yu Zhang’s guts.
“You’re the South Mountain School’s chief student?” Fang Chen casually asked.
Yu Zhang was startled by the question, but he quickly nodded in response. “Yes, I am.”
Fang Chen glanced at Zhao Yan. “If my memory doesn’t fail me, I believe the South Mountain School’s chief student is chosen via an election, and the chief student will receive the principal’s recommendation to enter the capital and become an official.
“These people are given an edge over their peers, starting off as a grade-5 official. That’s one of the privileges accorded to the southern region. It’s no easy feat to survive in the southern region in view of its climate, and those who become scholars here are usually cream of the crop.
“Given your wits, Zhao Yan, why didn’t you become the chief student back then?”
Yu Zhang’s eyes widened upon hearing those words, but he quickly calmed and replied before Zhao Yan could say a word, “Zhao Yan committed this major crime ahead of the election, or else he would have become the chief disciple. It’s a pity that he’s a beast cloaked in human skin!”
“In other words, you benefited from this case?” Fang Chen asked.
Benefited from this case? The crowd spent seconds pondering upon those words before their eyes widened in astonishment. They quickly turned to Yu Zhang with doubtful eyes.
“Indeed,” Yu Zhang frankly admitted to it. “It was only due to this case that I had a chance to become the chief disciple. However, that has nothing to do with this case. Imperial Duke Fang, I’m afraid you’re beating on the wrong bush.”
“Cough cough!” Master Chen coughed. He looked at the crowd and said, “Milords, Yu Zhang joined our South Mountain School at a young age. He might not be as intelligent as Zhao Yan, but he isn’t lacking either. Even if Zhao Yan becomes the chief disciple, I would have still given Yu Zhang a recommendation to enter the capital as an official.
“He has no reason to kill those innocent women and frame Zhao Yan over such a mere title. That wouldn’t make sense at all.”
Then, Master Chen turned to Fang Chen and said, “Imperial Duke Fang, I have considered similar possibilities before, but I shrugged them off after careful consideration.”
“Indeed! Senior Yu wouldn’t frame Zhao Yan over such superficial titles!”
“Just imagine the sheer effort required to put this off. He would be putting himself a great risk! Senior Yu is a kind person who can’t even bear to kill an ant, let alone kill a person!”
“With Senior Yu’s intelligence, he’s bound to become an official in the capital, a grade-6 official at least if not a grade-5. He has a bright future ahead. There’s no reason for him to frame Zhao Yan over a mere chief student position!”
The civilians thought those words made sense. A normal person wouldn’t go so far to kill several women just to frame their classmate, even if they could benefit out of it.
Fang Chen chuckled in response and said, “There’s something in this world known as an impulsive crime. Never underestimate what a person is capable of in the heat of a moment. There are times when a person abandons all heed to logic just to achieve a single goal.
“What if the chief student position is just a bonus, and his goal is to kill Zhao Yan? That makes more sense, right? And the reason why he wants to kill Zhao Yan doesn’t have to be anything huge. It could be something as minor as Zhao Yan accidentally stepping on his foot, Zhao Yan saying the wrong things, or even because he doesn’t like Zhao Yan’s appearance.”
“…”
The crowd fell into deep thought, including the Auspicious King, Commandery Chief Ouyang, and Jue Panshi.
What Fang Chen had proposed was just a speculation, but it overturned their assumption of criminal intent. At the very least, they recognized that a criminal need not have a rational reason to commit a crime.
