It so happened that Li Shen suffered the humiliation, and Cui Meng witnessed it firsthand. The sheer brutality of the household servants ignited the hero’s spirit; his vital energy surged like a mountain, and he spurred his horse forward, ready to intervene. Fearing he would invite trouble, his mother quickly restrained him, speaking through the curtain: “Stop! Has that old habit flared up again?”

Cui Meng was forced to desist, his heart filled with resentment. Upon returning from the mourning rites, he neither spoke nor ate. He ignored his wife even when she tried to engage him. That night, he lay on the bed fully clothed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Suddenly, he sprang up, slipped out the door, and did not return for a long time.

The next morning, a servant reported: a homicide occurred last night. The wicked young master’s entire family was slaughtered—bellies cut open, hearts ripped out, intestines strewn across the ground. Li Shen’s wife suffered collateral damage and was also killed, her naked body found beneath the bed; a pitiable wisp of fragrant soul had vanished into smoke.

Upon hearing this, Mother Cui sighed: “Beauty is so often cursed by fate. That poor young woman, first subjected to the villain’s defilement, and then murdered by villains. What a tragedy, what a pity.”

Cui Meng’s anger boiled over. He roared, “A woman of such loose morals—if she’s killed, she’s killed. What is there to pity? If she truly possessed the virtues of chastity and integrity, she should have taken her own life when she was first disgraced, preserving her innocence and maintaining her reputation!”

Hearing this, Mother Cui said no more, though a suspicion began to gnaw at her heart: With my son so agitated, could he possibly be the principal culprit?

The county magistrate opened an investigation into the young master’s murder, privately surmising: The young master and Li Shen harbored a bitter rivalry over a wife. Li Shen’s wife was insulted, making him a cuckold, which naturally incensed him. He likely decided to commit to the deed completely: kill the wicked master first, then kill his own wife. Yes, that must be it.

With this thought fixed in mind, he immediately issued warrants: Arrest Li Shen and bring him to justice immediately. After a session of intense torture, Li Shen refused to confess. The magistrate, a hard man with an unyielding heart, further compounded by foolish arrogance, had already settled on Li Shen as the killer. He pursued this single path relentlessly, tormenting him day after day, using every conceivable means until a confession was wrung out of him.

Li Shen suffered unimaginable torture; his skin was torn open, revealing the bone in his leg. He could endure it no longer.

Driven by sheer desperation, he was beaten into confessing. The magistrate ordered him to affix his seal, closing the case on the spot: Li Shen committed murder and was liable to be executed by law. He was temporarily imprisoned to await the imperial court’s review.

When Cui Meng heard the news, anxiety gnawed at him; he could neither sleep nor eat peacefully. Soon after, his elderly mother fell gravely ill and passed away. After completing the funeral rites, Cui Meng turned to his wife and declared: “I am the one who killed the wicked young master. While my mother was alive, I dared not reveal it. Now that the great matter is settled, how can I let my own crime implicate others in suffering? I am going to surrender myself now; one life for one life.” His wife pleaded with him to stay, but Cui Meng would not listen. He broke away like the wind, arrived at the county yamen, beat the drum, and shouted, “The murderer is here! Kill me or torture me, as you see fit.”

The magistrate took the bench to hear the case, finding himself in a dilemma. He summoned Li Shen and asked, “Between the two of you, who is the actual murderer?”

Li Shen replied, “It was me.”

Cui Meng shouted, “No, it was me.” They began to argue, each trying to claim the guilt.

Li Shen had not committed the murder, so why was he so willing to confess?

It turned out that Li Shen was a man of great loyalty and fiery spirit. When his wife was taken, he had already sworn deep vengeance against the young master, but he was small and weak, unable to retaliate. Cui Meng had stepped forward and personally slain the villain, earning Li Shen’s profound gratitude. Once in the courtroom, he had already resolved: he would shoulder all the blame, no matter what, he absolutely could not allow his benefactor to be imprisoned.

The magistrate flew into a rage, scolding, “Insolent fools! Is the public court like child’s play? Such noise and commotion—what propriety is this? Li Shen, I ask you: since you claim to be the killer, what type of weapon did you use at the time of the crime?”

Li Shen answered without hesitation, casually saying, “I used a kitchen knife.”

Cui Meng shook his head. “Wrong! The weapon was my bull-ear dagger, which I carried personally. I would not forget that detail.”

The magistrate paused, pondering: “Indeed, it was a bull-ear dagger.” His mind cleared. He seized the gavel, brought it down with a heavy thud, and roared, “Guards! Take Cui Meng into custody and imprison him to await judgment. As for Li Shen, for recklessly lying and deceiving this official, he shall receive twenty heavy strokes of the rod and then be sent home.”

The case was thus concluded.

Not long after, Vice Censor Zhao of the Ministry of Justice arrived at the county yamen. Reviewing the case files, he was startled to see Cui Meng’s name on the list of those condemned to death. He immediately dismissed everyone else and met with Cui Meng alone. It turned out that Vice Censor Zhao was none other than Seng Ge. Brother met brother, a mixture of sorrow and joy filling them.

Seng Ge inquired, “Brother, for what crime are you suffering such a heavy penalty?” Cui Meng explained everything.

Seng Ge mused, “Now that matters have come to this, I cannot stand by and watch my elder brother perish. Allow me to pull some strings and find a way to smooth things over.” He returned Cui Meng to his cell, instructing the jailers: “Treat him well; do not use torture.”

Several days later, the official document from the Ministry of Justice arrived: Cui Meng was charged with manslaughter, but given the benevolent nature of Heaven’s grace, a lenient measure was extended; he was to be exiled to Yunnan and spared execution.

Thus, Cui Meng was banished to the southern frontier to perform hard labor. Later, he was pardoned and returned to his hometown. This was all due to the efforts and careful maneuvering of Seng Ge.