The Heir

Сhарtеr 157: Тhe Truth

Zhеn Niаng hаd сhаsed after Gе Sаn Er.

"San Еr, wait. Let's tаlk bу thе rivеrbаnk. I'll trеat yоu to some tofu pudding," she sаid, сatсhing up tо him.

Gе Sаn Еr loоkеd аt Zhеn Niаng, tilting his heаd as he thought fоr а momеnt. Just then, his stomaсh rumbled loudlу. He раttеd his bеllу аnd sаid, "Alright then. Вut lаter, I wаnt tо bring а bowl fоr my sistеr."

Zhеn Niang askеd Gе San Еr to wait by thе riverbank while shе hurriеd tо a strеet vendor sеlling tоfu рudding. "Unclе, оnе bоwl оf tоfu pudding, рlеasе."

"Cоming right up!" Thе old mаn sеlling tоfu pudding bеаmеd with dеlight. He lifted thе lid of the steaming pоt, ladled out а bowl of tоfu pudding, аnd sрrinkled it with vаrious seasonings. The aroma was mouthwatering.

"Uncle, I'll take it to the riverbank to eat. I'll bring the bowl back later," Zhen Niang said as she took the bowl and paid.

"Sure thing," the old man nodded. Zhen Niang had already paid extra, and the coarse bowl wasn't worth much anyway. Even if she didn't return it, he wouldn't mind.

Zhen Niang smiled and carried the tofu pudding to the riverbank. Ge San Er seemed impatient, snatching the bowl from her hands and squatting down to eat with great relish.

Zhen Niang sat by the riverbank, watching him eat. In no time, Ge San Er had finished the entire bowl. He then glanced sideways at Zhen Niang and asked after a moment, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"You know who killed Huang Lang, don't you?" Zhen Niang finally spoke up.

"Yeah," Ge San Er nodded emphatically. He gave her another sidelong glance before adding nonchalantly, "I killed him. It's fine. Buy me another bowl of tofu pudding, and I'll go find my sister. Once I explain everything, my sister will be fine."

Hearing this, Zhen Niang's expression revealed that she had expected as much. In truth, if she hadn't been entirely certain at first, the words of the woman named Lü Ping had confirmed her suspicions. (In the last paragraph of the previous chapter, I added a bit of Lü Ping's questioning, which was initially omitted when uploading but later included.)

Ge San Er was the one who had killed Huang Lang. It was just that everyone had overlooked him because he was always seen as a simpleton.

"But do you know you could be beheaded for this?" Zhen Niang looked at Ge San Er's foolish expression, realizing that this naive boy didn't grasp the severity of the situation.

"Why should I be beheaded? That Huang guy wanted to kill me first. I only killed him in self-defense," Ge San Er retorted angrily.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Zhen Niang asked, growing more curious.

"Why should I tell you? You're not the magistrate," Ge San Er replied bluntly. Because of his sister Ge Qiu Jie, he naturally held no favorable attitude toward Zhen Niang.

"If you don't tell me and just go like this, not only will you fail to save your sister, but you'll also lose your own life. If you tell me, I can at least help you come up with a proper plan to ensure your sister gets out of this safely," Zhen Niang responded.

After the commotion at the Huang residence earlier that day, she suspected that she wasn't the only one who had doubts about Ge San Er. At the very least, the concubine named Lü Ping had already grown suspicious. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked those questions in the end.Another person was the third uncle of the Huang family. At the time, his conversation with Ge San Er had been interrupted by Zhen Niang, but afterward, he would surely realize the suspicious points. After all, Ge San Er was somewhat foolish and didn’t know how to hide things.

So, even if Ge San Er didn’t go to the yamen on his own, it probably wouldn’t be long before the yamen came to arrest him.

Originally, once the real culprit was exposed, Ge Qiu Jie and Li Zheng Ping could have been cleared of suspicion regarding the account book. But now, it happened to be Ge San Er. Since Ge San Er was closest to Ge Qiu Jie, this wouldn’t help Ge Qiu Jie and Li Zheng Ping shake off the suspicion of possessing the account book. At worst, it could lead to accusations of the three conspiring together.

That would be troublesome. Therefore, after suspecting Ge San Er earlier, Zhen Niang had been pondering this matter. She believed that Ge San Er shouldn’t go to the yamen on his own. After all, if a foolish person voluntarily turned himself in, people might suspect that someone was using him as a scapegoat, which would complicate things further.

So, Zhen Niang thought it would be better to let the yamen officials come to arrest Ge San Er first.

Additionally, she wanted to understand the specific details of that day to make arrangements regarding the account book in advance.

Although she had already handed the account book to the princess, outsiders didn’t know this and still believed the account book was in the possession of Ge Qiu Jie and Li Zheng Ping. As long as Ge San Er’s testimony was handled well, there would definitely be a way to clear up the matter of the account book. After all, if a foolish person told a little lie, others might not immediately suspect it, much like how children’s words are taken at face value.

Of course, the specifics would depend on what Ge San Er said.

So, Zhen Niang asked Ge San Er about the specific details of that day.

Hearing Zhen Niang’s words, Ge San Er, though foolish, wasn’t a complete idiot. He understood matters of life and death, so he recounted everything truthfully.

It turned out that on the afternoon of the fourth day, Huang Lang went to Wei Bai Wan’s mansion to drink but secretly met with Wei Bai Wan’s concubine. That night, the concubine secretly handed the account book to Huang Lang. At first, Huang Lang didn’t pay much attention, thinking it was just some personal item the concubine was giving him. He kept it and continued drinking and carousing with courtesans, enjoying himself until midnight. It was during this time, when he went to relieve himself, that he heard about the concubine being captured and beaten to death. Only then did he realize that the item the concubine had given him might be problematic. He unwrapped the red cloth and saw it was an account book. Immediately sensing disaster, he pretended that his wife was jealous and he couldn’t stay out all night, so he excused himself and left at midnight.

Because of this account book, he felt he couldn’t stay in Nanjing any longer. So, he decided to go home first to gather some belongings and then head to the capital. With this account book, he might even secure an official position. Thus, he quietly returned home.

Of course, Ge San Er, the foolish lad, knew nothing of this.

It was only because, late at night, Cao Shi noticed Huang Lang hadn’t returned and was worried he had drunk too much and fallen asleep somewhere along the way—something Huang Lang had done before. So, Cao Shi decided to send someone to fetch Huang Lang. However, she didn’t dare send her maidservants, as that would give Huang Lang an opportunity to fool around. Therefore, Cao Shi woke Ge San Er and asked him to go fetch Huang Lang.However, Ge San Er was dead asleep and, despite being roused by Cao Shi, stubbornly refused to get out of bed. Seeing that she couldn’t make him budge, Cao Shi cursed and grumbled before giving up.

In truth, Ge San Er wasn’t being defiant—he was just slow to react. After groaning for nearly half an hour, he finally stirred, threw on a jacket that had belonged to the late Ge Dana, and went out to wait by the gate.

Just then, Huang Lang returned. To be honest, Huang Lang hadn’t intended to alert anyone in the household, fearing that Wei Bai Wan might come after him. He only wanted to grab some money and flee. Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the gate, it swung open, and Ge San Er stepped out.

In the dead of night, the darkness was thick, and even the gate lantern had nearly burned through its oil, its light flickering dimly like a bean. Ge San Er was wearing Ge Dana’s clothes, and Huang Lang, having spent the evening drinking and carousing, was still under the influence. Though his mind was clear, his vision swam unsteadily. Mistaking Ge San Er for Ge Dana come to confront him, Huang Lang wasted no words and drew his knife, lunging at Ge San Er.

Ge San Er was startled. Though slow-witted and foolish, he possessed considerable strength. Moreover, Huang Lang was drunk and sluggish. As a result, Ge San Er managed to seize Huang Lang’s wrist.

Enraged—after all, his mother had sent him to greet someone, only to be attacked—and remembering his sister’s words that this Huang fellow was their father’s killer, Ge San Er’s stubbornness flared. He wrested the knife away and stabbed Huang Lang three times in quick succession, venting his fury. He then snatched the money pouch from Huang Lang’s chest and, without a second thought for whether Huang Lang lived or died, returned inside and shut the gate. In Ge San Er’s mind, he was simply keeping Huang Lang out—it never occurred to him that Huang Lang might already be dead.

As for the account book, Huang Lang had grabbed it in his struggle, trying to use it as a shield, but Ge San Er knocked it aside, and it fell to the ground.

Back inside, Ge San Er felt uncomfortable, covered in sticky blood. He went to the well and, being stout and strong, unafraid of the cold, washed himself with cold water, rinsing off the blood. Then, he bundled up the bloodstained jacket and the knife, carried them back to his room, and simply tossed them under the bed before going back to sleep.

Ge San Er made no attempt to conceal his actions, leaving behind plenty of traces. However, early the next morning, someone discovered Huang Lang collapsed at the doorstep and raised the alarm. Cao Shi was the first to rouse Ge San Er from bed, ordering him to carry Huang Lang inside. They even summoned Physician Gong to see if there was any hope of saving him.

Thus, any suspicious traces were easily explained away.

Moreover, the boy was so dim-witted and foolish that no one even considered him a suspect.

Still, having killed a man, Ge San Er began to feel uneasy after learning of Huang Lang’s death. That very night, he lit a bonfire in the courtyard, roasted some sweet potatoes, and openly pulled the bloodstained clothes and trousers from under his bed, burning them right there in the yard.

Passing by, Lü Zhu even joked that he was celebrating Ge Dana’s death in the underworld by reporting the good news of Huang Lang’s demise.

And so, no one ever connected Huang Lang’s death to Ge San Er.Ge San Er himself didn't care much either. Although he felt somewhat uneasy, Huang Lang deserved to die—he had struck first. Even when Ge Qiu Jie was arrested, Ge San Er didn't pay it much mind. In his thinking, since Huang Lang wasn't killed by his own elder sister, she would naturally be fine. It wasn't until these past few days, when everyone started spreading rumors that Ge Qiu Jie was to be beheaded, that he began to feel something was wrong. So he declared he would go to the yamen to explain clearly.

Hearing Ge San Er say all this, Zhen Niang finally understood the whole story from beginning to end. It truly was just a small misunderstanding that had sparked it, but it was also the result of multiple conflicts and entanglements.

If Huang Lang hadn't first caused Ge Dana's death, then grown overly nervous while carrying the account book and directly attacked Ge San Er, Ge San Er wouldn't have killed Huang Lang. It could only be said to be fate.

In the whole incident, Ge San Er was guilty, but his crime was absolutely not deserving of death. If Ge Dana's case were brought into it, Ge San Er's punishment might even be lighter.

"How about this: you don't need to go to the yamen yourself to explain. I think the yamen officials will definitely come looking for you in the next couple of days. When they do, you should say this..." Zhen Niang lowered her voice and taught Ge San Er a series of words, concluding, "This way, your sister can be released, and you won't lose your life either."

Ge San Er stared blankly at Zhen Niang, then said, "Alright, let's do it that way."

With that, he swung his shoulders and walked away, swaying with each step.