"Governnt officers, where is Duan Siyuan?"
"He's being held here, and will be taken to the county tomorrow."
The Li family, known for their wealth in the town and nearby county, as well as their scholarly accomplishnts, commanded the respect of the stationed patrol leaders who had to speak courteously.
Chen Yi spoke up, "Who is being held inside?"
"The whole Duan family is in the mansion, more than thirty people,"
said the patrol leader with a long horse-like face, sizing up Chen Yi,
"Young man, you must be from out of town."
"Just passing through. Can I go in to see the people inside?"
Chen Yi gazed at the mansion before him. The town wasn't a county, so there was no county jail to hold people; those caught typically had to be confined locally and then sent to the county the next day.
The constables were known for their strict adherence to rules and, seeing that Chen Yi wanted to see soone without offering a bribe, their stance beca uncompromising.
"Murder is a serious matter; official duties must be observed. Before the County Magistrate interrogates, you can't just visit people at will."
Chen Yi said directly, "I have money."
"The law is not swayed by emotions; since you're pleading earnestly, just this once then."
Chen Yi tossed the rope he was holding to Li Chenghang, who took the lead with the sheep, and stepped into the courtyard, with Yin Tingxue hurrying to follow him.
The Duan residence wasn't large, unlike the Li residence of Li Chenghang. It had a courtyard but no exquisite garden, just an ordinary mansion. After Duan Siyuan's matricide was exposed, the constables surrounded it, confining the entire Duan family within, forbidding any exit or entry.
Yin Tingxue glanced sideways.
There seed to be movent from inside the yard, a shadow skipping past the window, as if watching towards here.
Chen Yi boldly pushed open the door and heard a startled voice inside,
"Who—who is it?!"
"Li Chenghang sent . I wish to see Brother Duan."
"...What do you want with my husband?"
A woman ca out from behind the screen, her deanor serene and stately, her hair coiled black atop her head. Despite the pallor, her form seed ethereal, with fine lines at the corners of her eyes, as if having aged overnight.
Chen Yi clasped his hands and asked, "May I know how to address Madam?"
"My surna is Zeng; you can call Mada Duan, or Lady of the Duan's," said Madam Duan, gazing deeply at Chen Yi with doubt and a hint of bewildernt in her eyes.
Chen Yi could empathize with her current turmoil. With her husband having killed his mother and their ho surrounded by governnt officers, anyone would be unsettled by such upheaval. More so, in the traditional society where filial piety governed the ages, such heinous deeds could result in Duan Siyuan's execution, followed by the exile of the entire family.
He spoke gently to reassure her: "There seems to be sothing peculiar about this case. Allow to conduct an investigation first."
Madam Duan's face grew even paler, and after a long mont, she nodded heavily, studying Chen Yi as she did so.
Yin Tingxue noticed Mada Duan's actions and jumped in fright...
Despite her wan appearance, regardless of the circumstance, this was a married woman.
She imdiately beca vigilant.
Unaware of Yin Tingxue's thoughts, Chen Yi beca increasingly curious about the situation in the town. He felt as though a dense fog enveloped the small town.
Mada Duan pointed a direction, and after moving past the screen, Chen Yi saw Duan Siyuan sitting dejectedly on the floor, hair disheveled.
Just yesterday, they'd gathered for poetry at a banquet. In the blink of an eye, everything had changed. Duan Siyuan sat on the floor, emanating a sense of despair, as though struck by an unbearable blow, devoid of strength.
At the sound, he lifted his head to see Chen Yi and murmured, "Daoist..."
"It's ."
"Why have you co..." Duan Siyuan's shoulders trembled, he shuddered heavily for a while, then regained so composure and said: "Last night we drank fine wine, idly making poems, speaking of ghostly matters, how can it be!"
"First tell what happened, maybe I can help you."
"...This...I...I killed my mother..."
"And the body?"
"The governnt officers took it away," Duan Siyuan said, his pupils quivering, as if unable to believe he had done it, "How could I have done such a thing."
"Calm down, tell what happened last night."
"Last night... after asking you Daoist for a talisman, I went ho and burned it under the bed. I was anxious, not knowing if it would work, so I placed a short sword by the bedside and didn't dare to sleep all night."
"Did you hear the weasel asking for a title again?"
"...Yes... the weasel spoke again, asking for a title, but it sounded very weak and threatened repeatedly. I steeled myself and stabbed with the sword, and after stabbing... I felt sothing was wrong, then I heard sothing like my mother's voice. I quickly lit the lamp... and found it was indeed mother..."
By this point, Duan Siyuan was trembling violently, as if on the verge of collapsing from the burden and taking his own life.
After listening, Chen Yi asked: "Why was your mother in your room?"
"I don't know, I don't know... the weasel's voice also disappeared..." Duan Siyuan hesitated to speak.
"Was your mother a spirit weasel?"
Duan Siyuan fell silent imdiately, looking like a frost-beaten eggplant, his head hung low, "I don't know, I don't know, I hadn't thought about it, I hadn't thought about it..."
Chen Yi pondered for a mont, then asked: "Were you adopted?"
Duan Siyuan's eyes widened in disbelief, "How did Daoist know..."
It seed he had guessed correctly. Chen Yi slowly stated: "The tales of weasels asking humans for title have long existed. Once people learned to stay silent upon hearing it, the weasel would get nothing and even risk losing its hide. But the weasel grew wise as well; rather than seeking titles from strangers, it would adopt a child, raise him to adulthood, and then ask him for a title."
Duan Siyuan's pupils shrunk, his entire body stiffened, as if his blood had stagnated.
After a long ti, in a quavering voice, he whispered to himself: "Impossible, impossible, mother is not....."
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