Chapter Thirteen: Quick Wit

Lu Yun’s lips trembled as she asked again, “How did Master Qiu die? Was it sudden?” Noticing their puzzled looks, she quietly explained, “Among those kneeling youths, one is my younger brother. If you gentlemen know anything, please, I beg you to tell me.” With that, she bowed to them once more.

Her words stirred sympathy among the scholars; one of them replied in a low voice, “We don’t know the exact details. We only heard that as the boys were talking with Master Qiu, he suddenly fell, a short sword plunged into his chest. It all happened so fast—everyone surrounding Master Qiu was immediately seized.”

He glanced at Lu Yun, whose face was pale but whose eyes remained calm and dark, and spoke earnestly, “Miss, Master Qiu’s name is renowned in the scholarly circles. This matter cannot be taken lightly. You should hurry back and inform your elders and kin, let them intervene and handle it.”

Though he said so, he shook his head afterward, sighing deeply, clearly without hope for Lu Yun’s escape from this predicament.

Lu Yun lowered her head. After a moment’s thought, she raised it and asked, “May I ask, gentlemen, what manner of people lead these Imperial Guards? And who is in charge of Master Qiu’s case?”

The three scholars spoke with elegance and propriety, clearly learned men, so Lu Yun posed her question. She did not realize that her query made their expressions turn serious as well. To remain so composed in the face of tragedy was rare enough; to immediately ask the key questions, rarer still.

Unconsciously, the three became more courteous. The slender scholar answered, “These Imperial Guards are followers of Master Qiu, brought here by Ruan Cheng, son of Ruan Xiu from Jinling. As for who is handling Master Qiu’s matter, it’s two noblemen.” He stopped there, unwilling to say more.

Yet Lu Yun had learned what she needed. After bowing again to express her gratitude, she turned and made her way toward the crowd. Though her figure retained a hint of youthful awkwardness, her steps were steady and assured. Watching her go, the slender scholar remarked, “Let’s go see as well.” “Yes, that young lady seems clever—who knows what she might do?”

Lu Yun returned to the edge of the crowd. She cast a glance at Lu Yun, kneeling with his head bowed, his body trembling, then looked around.

Soon, she spotted the nearby carriage, and beside it stood a middle-aged man, listening to several Imperial Guards.

Just then, whispers reached her ears, “Those children are done for.” “Indeed, luck has turned against them.”

“And who could have done such a thing?” “Ah, what a pity.”

Hearing this, Lu Yun looked back at her brother. Her only kin, kneeling like a criminal in the mud, his thin body shaking uncontrollably. She didn’t need to look to know his face was surely painted with despair.

The scholar advised her to seek help from her elders, but she had none to turn to. As for the Ping family, not only did they lack the power, even if they possessed it, they would never use it to save Lu Yun.

Her brother could only rely on her. There was no time to waste—who could say whether this was a plot? If Lu Yun truly ended up in prison, the mere cost of bribery would be enough to ruin the hard-won happiness she and her brother had managed to find.

With this in mind, Lu Yun took several dozen steps to the outskirts of the carriages, drew a breath, and raised her head to call out clearly, “Honorable sirs, I know who the murderer is!”

At that moment, her voice was like water dropped into boiling oil—a sizzling sound, and the entire pot erupted.

All eyes turned to Lu Yun!

Amid the astonished gazes, Lu Yun stepped forward. As she moved, the crowd hastily made way, even the Imperial Guards blocking the path let her pass.

Upon entering, Lu Yun did not go directly to the noblemen as she’d claimed, but hurried to the kneeling youths, lowering her head to examine them.

From head to hand to foot, she scrutinized each boy. Then, disregarding all etiquette, she stepped forward, bent down, and lifted the chins of the kneeling boys, studying their faces closely.

Seeing her actions, many exchanged bewildered glances; a richly dressed middle-aged man frowned, “What is this young lady doing?”

From inside the carriage came a low voice, tinged with laughter and inherent gentleness, “This girl—she made up her words just now. Now that she’s managed to get in, she’s busy searching for the murderer!” The tone softened, half amused, half not, “Truly bold!”

The middle-aged man had been about to lose his temper, but hearing the voice from the carriage, he paused, exchanged a look with another nobleman, and both refrained from the rebuke that almost slipped out.

By now, Lu Yun had examined more than a dozen boys, deliberately skipping over Lu Yun.

After surveying the youths, she hurried to the carriage, where Master Qiu’s body lay, with two coroners examining it.

Lu Yun glanced at the short sword planted squarely in Master Qiu’s chest, then moved aside to open his right hand for inspection.

A girl not yet of age, first resorting to deceit, now brazenly adopting the posture of an investigator, treating the crowd as if they were nothing. Finally, the middle-aged noble’s face turned cold, and he called sternly, “Guards, take this girl away for her reckless claims!”

“Yes!”

The sound of boots thudded closer; in a blink, two Imperial Guards stood behind Lu Yun, hands outstretched to seize her.

Just then, Lu Yun lifted her head and called out loudly, “Gentlemen, Master Qiu lived with dignity, and died with nothing to hide—yet now, must we add the weight of innocent lives to his name, tarnishing his legacy?”

Her words made the two noblemen frown, and even the guards behind her froze in their tracks.

Head held high, Lu Yun’s clear gaze met the nobles’, her voice solemn, “I believe that in this world, whether for gain or for murder, there must be a motive. Most of these boys have none. Whether they are innocent, you sirs know as well as I. Without waiting for their response, she turned abruptly, stepping past the guards, striding to the kneeling youths.

She understood well: to those in power, innocence is not a concern. The lives of the lowly are but grass. To persuade them, lofty ideals were useless—the only thing that mattered was finding the real culprit.

Lu Yun, lost in despair, suddenly lifted his head. Seeing his sister, his eyes widened, and tears rolled down his cheeks in great drops.

Lu Yun did not look at her brother; instead, she stepped toward one of the youths, fixing her gaze on him and asking in a steady voice, “Sir, may I know your name?”

Seeing her single out one youth, the crowd paused, the two noblemen frowned, and one shook his head, halting the guards who had begun to move toward Lu Yun.