The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 264: Set up a stall for years

Chapter 264: Set up a stall for years

Without the need for other Taoist priests to verify, Elder Cao could already guess the truth of the case from the small official’s panicked expression.

Although the small official wasn’t his student, he was also from the commoner faction and had a good relationship with Sun Yaozu. Elder Cao felt deeply distressed and ashamed. "Yaozu and Chu Huan haven’t wronged you. How could you do such a despicable thing?"

Due to his bias against the noble faction, he had been forceful in handling the case, almost causing another life to be lost.

The small official trembled, still denying, "Elder Cao, I didn’t do it! Even if that talisman was mine, it’s not enough to prove that I cursed someone. Sun Yaozu was like a brother to me. How could I harm him? They’re trying to shift the blame onto me for Chu Huan’s sake."

"We commoners have no power or influence. If even you are deceived, then I have no hope of pleading innocence!" The commoner factions outside the courtroom clamored in support. They didn’t care how Sun Yaozu died; they just resented the privileged aristocrats who effortlessly excelled in officialdom.

Elder Cao was taken aback by their audacity, realizing that even as the truth of the case became clearer, they remained so radical.

But their boldness lasted only a few seconds. The Black Armor Guards drew their swords, the cold light gleaming, and everyone immediately fell silent, shrinking back two steps.

Both inside and outside the courtroom, silence fell.

One of Elder Cao’s confidants finally dragged in a fortune-teller. "Your Honor, this person has been running a fortune-telling stall on the street corner for a long time. He’s definitely trustworthy."

Elder Cao had seen him a few times on the street and believed he had no connection to the Prince Yu Mansion or the An’yang Marquis Mansion.

But...

He asked, "He’s just a fortune-teller. Can he recognize occult symbols?"

The fortune-teller bristled at being underestimated. "Nonsense! I’ve studied the Dao for decades, and I’m proficient in all aspects! What occult symbols?"

"But I must inform you beforehand that examining symbols is more expensive than fortune-telling, requiring three taels of silver!" the fortune-teller said.

Ye Siheng couldn’t help but glance at Nanli. This person’s actions and speech were somewhat similar to hers.

Elder Cao hurriedly said, "Alright, alright. Please take a look, sir."

The fortune-teller reached for the torn talisman.

Unexpectedly, the talisman suddenly burst into flames!

He was startled. "Why is it on fire!"

The flames engulfed the talisman, almost devouring it entirely.

Nanli felt a sense of impending danger but didn’t stand idle. She quickly formed a hand seal and dispersed the flames on the talisman. However, since the talisman was already torn, only a small piece remained after being burned.

Her face darkened as she looked at the officials and scholars outside the court.

A glimmer of joy flashed across the small official’s face as he shouted, "This is just a fire talisman that burns automatically. It’s not some sinister curse! Everyone saw it with their own eyes. You must testify for me and not let others wrongly accuse me."

Now that the talisman was gone, the fortune-teller could no longer identify or testify to its nature.

As for Nanli’s statement, it was useless because she had to avoid suspicion.

The commoner factions also shouted, saying that curses were nothing but fiction, and the small official should not be made a scapegoat.

The fortune-teller picked up the remaining talisman and squinted. "I’ve been running a stall on the street for several years. If I didn’t have any skills, how could I have regular customers?"

With a twist of his wrist, he gathered the cold aura from the talisman.

Witnessing this scene, both Nanli and Master Lingzhen were amazed.

Elder Cao hastily asked, "Sir, the talisman has been burned like this. Can you still see anything?"

"I can see," the fortune-teller replied, turning around with a serious expression, "but it’ll cost an extra three taels of silver!"

Elder Cao’s facial muscles twitched for a moment, but he could only say, "Any amount of silver is fine."

As long as the truth could be revealed.

The fortune-teller smiled happily upon hearing this, saying, "It’s a cursing talisman. It uses the soul of the deceased to lead, and when the talisman breaks, the person dies. The method is indeed vicious."

The smile on the small official’s face faded.

Elder Cao’s heart trembled as he pointed to the body. "Can the gentleman determine the cause of his death?"

Although the incision in the abdomen had already been sewn up, the fortune-teller only needed one glance to say, "It’s just that he was cursed to death. There’s still a little bit of vitality left in him. His heart ruptured, but he didn’t suffer much."

Nanli nodded admiringly. "Impressive, sir."

"You flatter me," the fortune-teller said casually, waving his hand, "but there’s still room for improvement with this talisman. If I had made it, the talisman would turn into smoke when torn, leaving no trace of the curse on the living. Ah, those who made this talisman still lack skill."

Suddenly, he waved his hand at the crowd. "Although I’m skilled, I don’t do these immoral things. You can find me for anything else, but no amount of money will change my mind."

Elder Cao was shaken and looked at his confidant.

Understanding his meaning, the confidant quickly shook his head, indicating that he hadn’t said anything.

At this moment, Elder Cao was certain that Sun Yaozu hadn’t been beaten to death but had been cursed to death!

"What else do you have to say?!" he exclaimed angrily.

The members of the commoner factions looked at each other. Even an itinerant fortune-teller dragged in from the street was saying the same thing. They couldn’t find anything to refute anymore.

The small official was now terrified. He wanted to escape, but the paralysis talisman prevented him from moving.

Chu Huan angrily asked, "Do you have a grudge against me or Sun Yaozu?"

If it weren’t for Liu Mei here, he would have thought he had killed someone, and even if he didn’t lose his life, he would have been plagued with guilt for the rest of his life.

"I..." The small official’s eyes darted around, and he couldn’t say a word.

"Enough dawdling, A’Li, use the True Word Talisman?" Ye Siheng didn’t want to waste any more time.

Nanli approached a few steps and observed the small official. "Someone has done something to him. The True Word Talisman won’t work."

The fortune-teller also praised, "The princess is skilled."

Her eyes were quite sharp.

"You flatter me," Nanli imitated his speech, then looked at the small official again. "This should be a precaution against me. The curse is not easy to break. It seems you have no grudge against Sun Yaozu; you just wanted to use his life to put my third brother in a difficult situation."

The small official’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat, and he swallowed hard. "Princess, spare me. Someone paid me a large sum of money to do this."

At this point, he could no longer defend himself. It was better to speak the truth. Even if he couldn’t fight for a glimmer of hope, he could still protect his family.

Ye Siheng and Nanli weren’t surprised. This sinister curse talisman was worth a lot of money on the black market. With such a small official salary and a humble family background, how could he afford it?

Nanli asked, "Who was it? Do you know their identity?"

"That person came to find me under cover of darkness. I couldn’t see their face clearly. They only gave me a deposit and the talisman, and taught me how to use it." The small official spoke rapidly, fearing they wouldn’t believe him. "The remaining one thousand taels of silver notes are still hidden under my bed at home. Your Highness, the remaining details I truly don’t know!"

He took on such a business, naturally knowing not to ask too many questions. After all, knowing too much wasn’t beneficial.