Chapter 248: Chapter 248: The Problem Lies with the Birth Date and Eight Characters
These Daoists or Daopos are not only expected to confess the harm they’ve caused, but also to reveal their instigators.
The interrogators discovered that both the victims and the culprits were from official families, indicating a wide-reaching scandal—a major case that required significant figures to oversee.
If this matter were to spread, the entire Capital City would be thrown into chaos.
Daoists and Daopos, both big and small, were interrogated one by one. Heir Pei took charge of some, while Xiao Shiqing handled others. They were responsible for uncovering the details and origins of the affair.
It turned out Lv Daopo couldn’t endure much torture before she confessed to all her misdeeds.
For example, which official family’s lady had invited her and whom they wanted to harm—all confessed, sparing not even the Xiao Family.
Lv Daopo knew she was caught this time, and realizing she couldn’t escape, saw no reason to cover for others. As the saying goes, honesty brings leniency.
Lv Daopo’s popularity had its reasons; she nearly always fulfilled her promises to others.
"As long as you have the birth details, you can harm anyone?" Xiao Shiqing asked.
"That’s impossible," Lv Daopo quickly denied, "My skills aren’t that advanced. I can only harm minor figures, not major ones."
Those in great power possess extraordinary traits, naturally beyond the reach of someone like her.
Not only would she fail, even her master couldn’t succeed, unless there was a grand collective effort, with large-scale rituals that might wield some power.
But targeting what the court hunted, and doing it grandly, wasn’t that just seeking death?
So, some money can be earned, albeit in small amounts, but accumulating little by little is better than risking one’s life for great sums.
After all, without life, no amount of money can be spent, and there’s no meaning to that.
When the Xiao Family’s involvement was mentioned, Xiao Shiqing frowned.
The record officer beside him felt somewhat awkward, and the other accompanying personnel were relieved not to be in charge, otherwise who dared to continue investigating?
"Who in the Xiao Family engaged you?" Xiao Shiqing didn’t let his family’s involvement lead to favoritism, maintaining fairness in the law.
"Sir, I have a stomachache and need to visit the latrine."
"Me too, I caught a chill yesterday."
"I’ve left something important behind; I need to fetch it..."
In an instant, almost all the accompanying officers found excuses to leave the scene. Some matters were not theirs to hear, and they avoided them if possible. After all, the less they knew, the better—something learned from years of case handling.
In any case, even if the Xiao Family was involved, such matters wouldn’t be leaked anyway.
Don’t ask. If asked, it’s the emperor’s will.
Which emperor would allow mishap to befall their valued ministers?
Better not to get involved, or they—the bystanders—might suffer.
Lv Daopo paid no mind to others’ actions; she was busy confessing for a chance, "It was a young lady named Ji from the Xiao Mansion who engaged me. She asked me to perform a ritual on a young lady named Li; I asked for her birth information..."
Xiao Shiqing’s fingers twitched, "That Miss Ji, what’s her full name."
"Ji Nishang; she said she was a cousin from the Pei Mansion."
"Any evidence?"
"No evidence; she was extremely cautious."
As the payment was sufficient, Lv Daopo didn’t intentionally gather incriminating evidence against her, clearly not expecting to be caught one day.
This line of work is quite profitable, yet it’s also a gamble with one’s life. Everyone harbors the hope that they won’t be the unfortunate one caught.
But, as they say, walking by the river often leads to getting wet, an obvious truth realized only after being caught.
Although Lv Daopo harmed others, she had never killed anyone, so she believed that as long as she confessed, while punishment was certain, it wouldn’t cost her life.
"Whose birth details did she give you?" Xiao Shiqing didn’t linger on the small details, continuing with his questions.
"Li Jirou; she gave me Li Jirou’s birth details, saying to perform a ritual to bring her misfortune since she was too successful."
"Li Jirou?"
"Yes, she said this young lady always overshadowed her, and asked for my help."
"And the outcome?"
"It was ineffective; Ji Nishang blamed my ineffectiveness. But my method was correct; as long as the birth details were accurate, it should work. Refer to my records, and you’ll see."
Everything she had engaged in was almost always effective, except in this instance.
Not only was Ji Nishang displeased, she herself was not delighted.
This indicated her inadequacy; she understood her abilities, and it was certainly the birth details that were wrong.
Otherwise, none of her subsequent operations failed, yet this one did?
"What birth details did she provide?" Xiao Shiqing asked word by word.
Lv Daopo recited a birth detail.
Xiao Shiqing raised his gaze.
Pei Ji’an’s side also had all the necessary questions answered.
Indeed, it involved extensive connections, all stemming from official families, and were the clandestine schemes of those women in the inner chambers.
From harming fetuses to ruining lives, each scheme was more sinister than the last.
Of course, not all Daoists and Daopos engaged in deadly harm; some, timid and cautious, only dared to incite minor misfortunes, such as causing an illness or a minor misadventure.
Ultimately, these cases were categorized, with life-endangering ones in one category and non-lethal ones in another, then submitted to the emperor for review.
Since it involved certain ministers’ families, any decision for accountability needed the emperor’s decree.
The emperor was exceedingly disgruntled upon seeing the submitted cases; under strict court regulation, such widespread clandestine manipulation with witchcraft was indeed unforgivable.
However, with so many official families involved, the emperor couldn’t hold all the officials accountable; the Xiao Family being implicated was a point of contention. Could he truly proceed?
Fortunately, the Xiao Family was merely connected to the case with no fatal ties, so Prince Xiao proposed personally handling Lv Daopo, to which the emperor agreed.
As for the rest, all Daoists and Daopos who harmed lives were sentenced to execution.
Families of implicated officials saw two typical examples being dismissed and prosecuted, and other deserving officials were punished but without any public announcement.
Upon hearing that Lv Daopo was arrested by government officials, Ji Nishang was restless day and night.
What if Lv Daopo exposes her?
Ji Nishang was not one to await disaster; she contemplated the worst-case scenario. If exposed, it would surely be grim for her, so she approached her aunt, kneeled, and confessed.
Ji Nishang was now running a clothing business with Mrs. Xiao, and business was thriving. Mrs. Xiao was exceedingly pleased, plus she was never fond of Li Jirou; hearing this from her niece, she didn’t perceive it as significant.
No harm was done, was it? Even if there had been, would it be significant enough to be alarmed over?
Although witchcraft was strictly prohibited by the court, in the homes of officials, which household had no dealings with some Daoists or Daopos?
As long as lives weren’t threatened, there was no issue.
"You don’t worry, I’ll simply claim it was I who did it. Would anyone really hold me accountable?" Mrs. Xiao offered her full protection.