《The Delicate Lady Coroner》


 CH 1

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    A new novel I picked up~


    (And was anxiously gnawing my nails in hopes that no one has done so)


    General Translator¡¯s Note (Please Read):


    This was the first time B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped into the Marquis Anqing Residence.


    The heavy snow was beginning to clear; the cloudless skies were akin to green jade. Continuous buildings ¨C of kiosks and pavilions ¨C were in rich red lacquer, its grandeur befitting of descendants of feudal aristocrats. In the distance, the elegant branches of the pine and cypress trees were being pressed down by the snow which hung like jade, whereas in the vicinity and underneath the white wall, wintersweet flowers, once frozen in ice, burst forth, assaulting olfactory senses with its delicate fragrance.


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u examined the wide and graceful residence which belonged to high officials, she kept pace and followed behind the Qingzhou Prefectural Magistrate H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng.


    Today was the thirteenth in the first month of the lunar new year. The weather was especially cold, but H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng took out a square handkerchief and wiped the thin sweat on his forehead as he walked. ¡°You were called over during the great New Year only because there was really no other recourse. This case is terribly troublesome, and in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture, I can¡¯t think of a second person who can be of help apart from you.¡±


    Two days ago, a constable from Qingzhou government office had arrived at Qingshan County, and that same night, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u proceeded to get on a horse carriage heading towards Qingzhou City, travelling through the day and night without stopping for two days, and she had just arrived at the Marquis Residence moments ago.


    Needless to say, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had encountered another irksome case.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was 5¡¯5 feet in height, growing stout in his middle age, and since he was wearing a big coat with a fur-lined collar, he appeared rounder when he walked, ¡°The deceased is the Marquis Residence¡¯s Lao Furen, on the eve of the New Year, she was staying up late to see the New Year in the Buddha-worshipping Hall, and on the morning of the first, she was unexpectedly found dead in the middle of the Buddha-worshipping Hall. By the time she was discovered, she was already rigid, and now it has nearly been half a month, but the cause of death hasn¡¯t been found. Not just that, strange things have been occurring in the residence¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not expect that the deceased was the Marquis Residence¡¯s Lao Furen (the old matriarch of the family).


    Qingzhou was a place of strategic importance for Jiangnan in the Great Zhou dynasty; though it was several hundred kilometres away from the Capital, it was the ancestral land of numerous prominent old families. The Marquis Anqing Residence belonging to the Zheng clan was one of Qingzhou¡¯s aristocratic families. Owing to the fact that she had never heard of the Lao Furen¡®s passing ever since she set off and entered the city, it was apparent to her that the Marquis Residence had hidden this matter with extreme stringency.


    Seeing that H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng did not continue to speak further, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asked, ¡°Strange things have occurred?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u opened her mouth, her tone mild and clear. When H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng turned his head back to look at her, he only saw her eyes which were as bright as stars, her seemingly drawn and refined eyebrows, and the moon-white cloak ¨C which was patterned with the embroidered veins of bamboos ¨C that was covering the cyan long skirt (tied up to her chest) and shirt jacket beneath. Her entire person spoke of calm intellect and solemn serenity, her strength of character rather allusive of tall bamboos.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng retracted his gaze, his tone carrying a sigh, ¡°Examine the corpse first. Lao Furen¡®s death is very strange; the elderly woman didn¡¯t have any old illnesses, there were no perceivable external injuries after death, nor was she poisoned. As you know, if we can¡¯t find the cause of death, and there are no clues, there is no place [for us] to start with in the case, and I¡¯ve really been struggling with a headache for the past few days.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only felt that H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was not done talking. Upon noticing the heavy perspiration on his head, she proceeded to comfort him: ¡°But the death of an ordinary person will definitely have a cause of death. Daren, set your heart at ease, min¡¯n¨¹ will do everything that is within her power.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng laughed bitterly, ¡°I do believe you, but it must be quick.¡±


    Having spoken to this point, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s voice became even heavier, ¡°You are on your own, so I won¡¯t hide it from you. You are aware that the Marquis Anqing Residence has a respected and noble position, and Lao Furen herself came from the Marquis Xinyang Residence, and tracing back further would show that she was also the biological, paternal younger female cousin of the late Empress Dowager Xiaoyi. Hence, the matter of Lao Furen¡®s death is of paramount importance, and once the Capital received the news of this case, Marquis Xinyang Residence promptly dispatched someone to Qingzhou, and one fears that they will arrive by tonight.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng exhaled through his mouth, ¡°The information concerning this case has been sealed tightly, and according to the Marquis Residence¡¯s intentions, it¡¯s best to find the culprit without causing any noise. Presently, you will be brought inside to autopsy Lao Furen¡®s corpse first, and it would be best if you procure results before dusk, no, [we] can¡¯t afford to wait till dusk, it would be best if you find the cause of death within a double-hour¡ª¡±


    It was only then that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u understood why H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was being this flustered.


    Although she was not native to Qingzhou, she had grown up in Qingshan county which was being administered by Qingzhou, and she later became a coroner at Qingshan county¡¯s government office out of sheer coincidence. Under normal circumstances, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng would only invite her when either the unresolved case had been dragging on for too long, or it had been a massacre which resulted in too many deaths and injuries.


    Seeing that the fire was singeing H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s eyebrows, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u roused her spirit as well. The pair wound around two flower nurseries, and the deeper they traversed, the more remote their location became. Just as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was about to open her mouth and ask how much further they were from the temporary morgue; a secluded small courtyard came into view.


    The small courtyard was made of white walls and ash tiles, the snow accumulated outside the walls had yet to melt, and the two clumps of verdant, black bamboo were like umber-black dye used for painting. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stated: ¡°This is the place where Lao Furen rests in a coffin temporarily.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u through the courtyard doors, and once they entered, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u scrunched her eyebrows.


    White mourning apparel and funeral banners were hung within the courtyard, but the bizarre thing was that, there were two cinnabar-smeared wooden bottle gourds hanging down from the veranda, and there was a copper, three-legged large cauldron of primitive simplicity right outside the main doors. Joss sticks were stuck into the copper cauldron, and above the front doors, two yellow talisman papers were firmly stuck on.


    There were only two government hirelings standing guard inside the courtyard, and once they noticed H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng bringing over a young lady, not only did they not find it strange, but they also cupped their hands towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    Since B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had gone to the prefectural government office to autopsy the corpses numerous times, she was already visually familiar to these government hirelings.


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u inclined her head as H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng questioned: ¡°Did anyone come here today?¡±


    The government hirelings shook their heads, which made H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng settle his heart. Then, he led B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u into the main room, and upon reaching the front door, he stopped, his round and rolling body swelling as he took a deep breath.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    It had been many days since the case occurred, why was H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng still afraid of an elderly woman¡¯s corpse?


    This thought had just landed when the affixed doors were pushed open by H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u naturally saw what was behind the door¡ª


    In the next moment, her complexion stiffened slightly.


    She came to understand why H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had taken that deep breath.


    The central room was neatly squared, dim, and lustreless, and the coffin platform holding the dead body was placed in the centre. The Lao Furen of the Marquis Residence laid there quietly, wearing black funeral clothes that had ¡®good fortune and long life¡¯ (¸£ÊÙ) patterned into the fabric, which was probably in the design of five links and three layers. Though the weather was cold, Lao Furen had already been dead for nearly half a month, and the head that was exposed above the collar of the funeral clothes and the hands that were revealed by the sleeves were already bluish-purple and swelling, fully scattered with splotches, and she was already beyond human recognition.


    But what made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s complexion change was not all these.


    The room was originally wide and bright, and would have appeared somewhat empty with the coffin platform in the middle, but at the present moment, more than ten paper figurines featuring young boys and girls dressed in gay colours were stuck into the ground on the left and right of the coffin platform.


    These paper children were at half a human¡¯s height: the boys were wearing bright red brocade clothing, the girls were in deep green gowns, and they were surrounding the coffin platform like actual children. If it was a living person, then it would imply that she was enjoying the domestic bliss of playing with her grandchildren, but unfortunately, the elder was dead, and the grandchildren were fake.


    This situation would make hairs stand on their ends upon witnessing it.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u tightened her cloak, ¡°Daren, this¡­¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng seemed very helpless as well, ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s all fake, examine the corpse first.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt that if it was real, it would still be equally terrifying.


    As she crossed over the threshold, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s nostrils twitched. She first smelled the faint scent of blood, then adjusted her eyes. Amidst the dimness, the coffin platform was completely pasted with talismans, and on the bodies of the boys and girls, blood-red cinnabar was used to draw strange talisman scripts. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u frowned, ¡°Daren, do the people in residence feel that Lao Furen passing away during the celebration of the New Year is rather inauspicious?¡±


    The blood she smelled was dog¡¯s blood, and in addition to the bottle gourds and copper cauldron, the cinnabar-drawn talismans and paper figurine children, it was no longer as simple as warding off evil spirits from the deceased. The lengths they were taking was basically akin to suppressing some demon or evil spirit.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng heaved a long sigh, ¡°If it was only that, it would be simpler. Check the corpse first, Xiao B¨® ah, this instance really depends on you. If I don¡¯t have the slightest gain by the time the Capital people arrive, there¡¯s really nothing that can be said.¡±


    The tools had already been prepared so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could begin the autopsy at any given time. However, having to look at these children still made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u slightly repulsed, ¡°Daren, can these things be moved away?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng wore a pained smile. It was evident that he was also feeling apprehensive towards the paper figurines, but he said: ¡°These cannot be moved¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sighed helplessly. ¡°Then Daren is asked to add two lamp lights.¡±


    The lamps were lit very quickly, and once there was illumination from the fire light, these paper-crafted boys and girls exhibited a few parts of its terrifying gorgeousness.


    Making paper craft was also called ¡®a business that earned the money of the dead¡¯, and it was the most yin energy intensive. The paper humans had the rule of drawing the eyes but not dotting the pupils, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was currently being stared at by more than ten pairs of black abyssal eyes. Although there was a bit of terror at the bottom of her heart, she was still steady and determined on the surface. She first ignited the black atractylodes rhizome to get rid of the filth and odour, then contained gum storax in her mouth, before walking up to the coffin platform to examine the corpse.


    Once her gaze landed on the corpse, the distinct style from B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s entire body changed.


    The gentleness receded, allowing a solemn quietness and focused intensity to emerge from the bottom of her eyes. The beauty and intelligence from her whole body were connected intimately, and a layer of estranging austerity seemed to wrap around her in an instant, such that even H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had to hold his breath, not daring to interrupt her.


    As he looked at this version of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng unconsciously recalled the first time he summoned her to conduct a post-mortem autopsy.


    That was in the winter of two years past. A tragedy that exterminated the entire family had taken place within Qingzhou City, and the coroners in the prefectural government office had failed to find the cause of death despite working for numerous days. The government office had conducted numerous rounds of inquiries, but it was still difficult to find clues. While he was wearing a worried frown, he heard that there was an amazing female coroner in Qingshan County who could help the dead open their mouths, hence he summoned her, half believing and half doubting.


    After waiting for five days, he finally met the female coroner from the rumours. When he saw a young lady with moon-like features and the countenance of a flower, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had flown into a great rage, only feeling that the rumours had swindled him. However, the well-practiced B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u proceeded to autopsy ten rotting corpses through the night, and established the murderer¡¯s modus operandi very quickly, going as far as deducing the murderer¡¯s appearance by seven to eight parts. Afterwards, the case was solved in three days, and the credit was penned to him in thick and heavy colours during the end-of-year achievement evaluation!


    At that time, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was only sixteen years old, and yet she was as steady and determined as she was today.


    With a deep and serene gaze, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u swept across the minutest details that were apparent on the corpse. The funeral clothes were clasped together very tightly at the seams, the corpse water from the decay around the neck had already saturated the collar, her countenance was beyond human recognition but there were no signs of external wounds. As she muttered irresolutely to herself, she bent over and undid the funeral clothes.


    The corpse¡¯s decay exceeded B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expectations, because the room had been lit up with candles prior to this.


    The warmer the room was, the faster the decay of the corpse; in her perception, not only was the head, face, lips, and nose afoul with corpse water, her chest, abdomen, and vulva were already breeding green fungi and small maggots, while other areas of the corpse were visibly corpse green and bloated to the naked eye. Borrowing the lamp light, she could also discern the exposed reddish-purple veins underneath her skin.


    Despite all those details, it was apparent that the carcass was intact: there were no bruises on her neck, her chest, abdomen, legs, back, etcetera, nor were there any suspicious vestiges, and her hands and legs were merely putrefying into a foul green as was the norm. For the most part, putrefaction was bound to proliferate after humans died, and there were no abnormalities that could be found from just looking at these. After examining the appearance of the corpse, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u proceeded to carefully press on the five organs (heart, lungs, spleen, liver, and kidney), and lastly checked the calvarium which was beginning to rot and experience tonsure.


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    Two pillars of incense (one hour) burning into the double-hour later, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u straightened her body and state respectfully: ¡°Certainly, there are no signs of poisoning, nor are there any external injuries; whether it is the vulva, top of the head, or anywhere else, a man-made cause of death does not exist.¡±


    With each word B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u uttered, the dejectedness on H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s visage deepened by another layer, and by the time B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was done talking, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was on the verge of tears. ¡°This means¡­ you can¡¯t find the cause of death either?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not these causes of death, but it does not represent that there is no cause of death.¡± After giving a small pause, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said resolutely, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ suspects that Lao Furen died because an invisible illness suddenly flared up. If verification is required, then a dissection is necessary.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was stunned, ¡°Lao Furen¡¯s body has always been very healthy whilst she was alive. Moreover, Lao Furen¡¯s identity is respected and noble, how could her corpse be dissected?¡±


    The Great Zhou Dynasty¡¯s social customs for burial were not open-minded at all. Since one has already passed, their body, hair, and skin could not be damaged in the slightest, and given that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had been doing autopsies for a long time, if she hadn¡¯t encountered this situation a hundred times, then it had to be eighty at least, so she was not surprised.


    Calmly and without stress, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°A lot of invisible illnesses don¡¯t exhibit any visible symptoms, but can lead to a person¡¯s sudden death. If confirmation is required, the corpse must be dissected. Lao Furen was getting on with her years, and it¡¯s more than likely that her body and internal organs had invisible illnesses. However, it¡¯s difficult to determine which invisible illness it was just from looking at the corpse¡¯s appearance alone, and once which invisible illness is known, the circumstances surrounding the day of her death can be inquired about, and then deductions can made as to whether Lao Furen¡¯s death had any relation to the people at the side.¡±


    The method of dissection was not something every coroner was capable of. In the entire Qingzhou City, only B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u dared to dissect and inspect the internal organs and bones of the corpse regardless of how long they had been dead for. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was aware that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was speaking logically, but he had his own difficulties as well, ¡°Whether or not the corpse can be dissected is not up to me to decide. The decision makers of this current Marquis Residence are the few Masters, their permission needs to be obtained before the corpse can be dissected.¡±


    Upon noting the blankness filling B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng became aware that she did not understand the Marquis Anqing Residence, so he explained: ¡°After Lao Furen married the old Marquis, she had five sons at her knees. The oldest son inherited the Marquis title after the late Marquis passed away, but he died of an illness three years later. Owing to the lack of sons at his knees, the position of the Marquis was never conferred to someone else, hence Lao Furen took charge of the residence, while the other four Masters stayed together in the Marquis Residence. After Lao Furen passed away some days ago, the Third Master and Fifth Master are now controlling the household, and it¡¯s quite likely that they will disagree.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u subconsciously asked: ¡°What of the Second Master and Fourth Master?¡±


    Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u issued that question, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s gaze became slightly strange. His line of sight swept past Lao Furen¡¯s corpse, and he unconsciously retreated a step back towards the door, as if he was afraid that Lao Furen¡¯s corpse would abruptly stand up.


    ¡°The Fourth Master is travelling outside, and he is currently rushing back, on route.¡±


    After speaking about the Fourth Master, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was supposed to continue talking about the Second Master, but his words halted as he retreated towards the exit by another half-step. ¡°Previously I mentioned that after Lao Furen died, a strange thing happened in the residence¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not understand why H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was bringing up an old topic again, but she wanted to know if any other accidents had happened inside the Residence as well, so she looked at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quietly.


    He Cheng¡¯s lips pursed tightly as some of heart-rendering fear seeped into his eyes. ¡°Lao Furen was discovered on the morning of the first. After the coroner examined the corpse, he deduced that Lao Furen should have died between zi shi and mao shi (11PM to 7AM). Back then, the Third Master and the other people of the residence stated that the Second Master was definitely involved in Lao Furen¡¯s death, because for the entirety of last year, the mother-son relationship between the Second Master and Lao Furen have been exceedingly bad because of the continued inheritance of the title, and on the night of New Year¡¯s Eve, they even got into a huge argument.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u subconsciously remarked: ¡°Then presently¡­ the Second Master has been taken into custody?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s pupils dilated, ¡°No, he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Not only did he die, but he was also pushed off from the third floor of the residence¡¯s Moon-viewing Pavilion right in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knitted her brows instantaneously, ¡°But Lao Furen is already¡­¡±


    ¡°That day was the seventh of the first lunar month, the seventh day since Lao Furen¡¯s death.¡± H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s eyes could not help but shift towards Lao Furen¡¯s corpse, ¡°Which is why the people within the residence are all saying that Lao Furen came back to murder the Second Master for the sake of revenge.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u currently had her back facing Lao Furen¡¯s corpse. No matter how unperturbed she usually was, she still felt a chill run down her spine after H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was done speaking. In a short moment¡¯s work, she understood why there were so many paper children. The shifu that conducted religious ceremonies had a saying: after the elderly dies and their soul is unrest, it will give rise to evil tendencies, and offering young and yin-heavy children can comfort or suppress them.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u composed herself, ¡°Therefore, there are two dead people in this case. Does Daren believe that the ghost committed the murder then?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng smiled bitterly, ¡°If [I] believed it, many of the earlier cases would have its excuse, why would there be a need to call you during times of difficulty?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u murmured in a low voice: ¡°I do not know if ghosts can kill people, but people harming people under the pretence that Gods and demons are at work is incredibly easy. Daren, does the Second Young Master¡¯s corpse need to be examined altogether?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng sighed, ¡°It needs to be examined, but it¡¯s proving to be slightly difficult right now. After the death of the Second Master, Zhen san¡¯ye (3rd) has bitten down on the fact that the Second Master is the culprit. Currently, the Second Master¡¯s corpse is resting temporarily elsewhere, and he only wants the authorities to find the evidence of the Second Master harming Lao Furen. Thus, no official has yet to inspect the Second Master¡¯s corpse.¡±


    Qingzhou City had numerous old and prominent families, with Marquis Anqing Residence being especially venerable. While H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was the magistrate of the prefecture, he came from a poor and humble family and had no backing, thus he had no choice but to be prudent and all the more cautious as the magistrate, even to the point where he completely impeded in this case.


    Sweat oozed out H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s forehead ceaselessly, making his overwhelming anxiety more apparent. Upon noting that the sun outside was already slanting towards the west, he knew he could not continue hesitating because the people from the Capital would be arriving once the sky darkened, and there would only be more trouble then. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go and look for the Third Master to negotiate right now. If permission is given, I can be assured on where your post-mortem autopsies are concerned¡ª¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was overly cautious and timid at times, but he was seldom negligent or irreverent when it came to official business, and he could be considered as a good official that worked for the people. Hence, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Alright, min¡¯n¨¹ will wait here.¡±


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    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng nodded, pointing towards the wing-room at the side. ¡°Go to the side and wait, it¡¯s warmer there.¡±


    Having said that, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng turned around and stepped out the door, giving the government hirelings terse instructions before bringing away one of them and departing from the courtyard.


    Now that H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had left and the other government hireling was outside the room, the only person remaining in the room was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. But now that she understood why the mourning hall was being arranged in such a manner, she became less fearful instead.


    She turned around and studied Lao Furen¡¯s corpse.


    She had never seen a ghost, nor did she believe the explanation that a ghost had killed someone. She was merely pondering, in this magnificent Marquis Residence, who could have pretended to be the Lao Furen and harm the Second Master, then disappear while everyone was none the wiser, such that it impressed upon everyone that it was a ghost who killed him¡­


    And Lao Furen, whose cause of death was hard to discern, did she die from an invisible illness, or was she harmed by someone else?


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s departure lasted longer than B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had imagined. She waited until the sun slanted towards the west, and watched as heavy clouds covered the sun that was lowering in the west. The courtyard rustled with the cold wind, and it seemed like snow was going to fall again.


    The courtyard was layered with white snow as if white damask was touching the ground, and with the spirit banners acting as contrast, it made the small courtyard appear sombre and dismal for no reason at all. Moreover, realising that H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was failing to appear, made her heart sink to the rock bottom as well.


    Since H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had been delayed for so long, it must be because he had failed to persuade the two Masters.


    Apart from dissection, was there any other way?


    As she was deeply immersed in her thoughts, the sound of footsteps finally resounded from outside the courtyard.


    The footsteps sounded complicated, there were numerous people arriving!


    With a shaky expression, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u swiftly headed towards the courtyard entrance to welcome them, but just as she reached the courtyard entrance, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s footsteps proceeded to halt.


    Indeed, there were a lot of people approaching, but before she saw H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, she collided with a pair of cold and deep phoenix eyes first. The owner of the phoenix eyes had a heroic and straight stature, his facial features were handsome and resolute. Clad in a black brocade robe that added to his frame, his entire person was suffused with a threatening imposing manner that conveyed his cruel pride and the pedigree of a feudal aristocrat.  Cold winds swept up the snow powder on the ground, causing it fly, while simultaneously hoisting the coiling gold dragon on his robes.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart jolted once, it was the Royal Clan!


    In the midst of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s preoccupation, the pair of phoenix eyes she was looking at had already sunk down the instant it saw her. Following closely, a voice that could incite fear in people rang out gloomily, ¡°Why is there a woman here?¡±


    The voice was carrying obvious displeasure. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stepped up from the rear at a hurried pace, his tone sounding somewhat alarmed. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, please calm down, please came down, this is the coroner that xiaguan invited over.¡± As he said that, he looked towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, eyes harbouring a warning, ¡°Why are [you] standing in a daze, this personage is Marquis Wuzhao, not greeting the Marquis yet?¡±


    The change came too suddenly, but the fortunate part was that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had always been self-composed. She snapped back from her reverie instantaneously, lowering her eyes as she knelt down.


    In the instant she knelt down, her expression became solemn.


    It was actually Marquis Wuzhao!


    Since she grew up in Qingshan County, she was sorely lacking in the knowledge of influential officials, even if it was just concerning the influential officials in Qingzhou City, but towards the three words ¡®Marquis Wuzhao¡¯, it was like thunder piercing her ears. He seemed to be sun and moon in the skies, rising high and illuminating every inch of Great Zhou¡¯s territory.


    Marquis Wuzhao Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, his mother was the Eldest Princess in the current reign, his father was Duke Ding by inheritance. He was conferred the title of ¡®Marquis¡¯ at eighteen for his military achievements, and later wielded the embroidered emissaries that diligently served the Son of Heaven on the Emperor¡¯s behalf, investigating the hundred officials and concurrently took charge of the Court of Punishments.


    He was a single person that was above the everyman whilst serving beneath one; let alone the common masses being afraid of him, everyone in the officialdom feared him like he was the King of Yama. Allegedly, just a year ago, simply because all of the officials were ineffectual in handling official business, they were sacked and nearly a hundred people were investigated¡­


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was very much astonished at the bottom of her heart. At this moment, she heard Hu¨° W¨¥i Lou ask in heavy tones: ¡°The coroner from your Qingzhou government office, is a young girl?¡±

 CH 2

    In the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty, no one was unaware of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s innate disposition.


    While the aforementioned person was the sliding weight on the steelyard of power in all levels of society, he stayed away from female charms, and his greatest taboo was mixing women into official business, because the people who had been involved with the two words ¡®female charms¡¯, and were consequently investigated by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, only to be dealt with accordingly were innumerable.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s courage immediately broke down in fear, ¡°No no no, she¡¯s not a coroner from the Qingzhou government office, she¡¯s a coroner from Qingshan County which is being administered by this prefectural office.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was just a young man around his twenties, but as he stood in front of everyone, he had an oppressive momentum that was akin to a peaking and lofty mountain. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice was more forceful from the cold winds of this wintry day. ¡°That poor and feeble small county that has been decreasing in taxes paid yearly in Qingzhou?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was stunned, not expecting that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would actually have such a deep understanding of Qingzhou. Afraid that he was sabotaging his subordinate, he quickly added: ¡°While B¨® guniang works as a coroner in Qingshan county¡¯s government office, she really isn¡¯t from the lowest social strata, nor does the government office use her freely, she¡­ because she has some medical expertise, and is highly skilled in post-mortem autopsies, she has consistently helped the government office¡­¡±


    Not part of the untouchables, and yet claiming a base profession, to say nothing of how she was a woman. It was basically unheard of.


    It was hard to distinguish the emotions on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s face, and he merely put down a line: ¡°Benhou is conducting official business in this space, women are not allowed.¡±


    Once those words landed, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u lifted his feet, directly walking past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, neither allowing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to rise nor sparing her another glance. He was the Marquis Wuzhao who accepted the kneeling of all commoners. To him, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was akin to a speck of dust on his shoe that didn¡¯t even have to be brushed away, and it only required a soft huff from the wind before she would drop into the dirty snow.


    Since Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was acting in such a manner, how could the others acknowledge B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u? The rest of the group kept quiet out of fear and followed in his footsteps apace. Although H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s eyes were full of apology, he did not dare to plead for her case. The group arrived like a mountain¡¯s howl, and left like a tsunami, leaving B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to kneel in the world of ice and snow alone.


    Although B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s identity was inferior, she had never been belittled and scorned like this. She honestly felt that even if she were to get up and leave right now, it would not shock or move that Marquis Wuzhao who held himself aloof and apart from the common masses.


    However, she did not have the audacity to carry through with her thoughts in the end.


    The lights in the sky gradually dimmed, the northern wind rolled across the ground and rose. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head to look at the sky dome of falling snow, and before her sigh could drift any further, it was scattered in the wind.


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    Upon entering the courtyard entrance, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes darkened as he absorbed the talisman papers and bottle gourds into his retinas before he strode into the central hall. Since the door was half-open, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw the terrifying scene inside at a glance, but his complexion did not change in the slightest as he went through the doors. Then, he stopped in front of the coffin platform, sweeping past the corpse and paper crafted yin children as if they were ordinary and mediocre.


    ¡°When the second deceased Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n was pushed out of the building, how was it concluded that it was the doing of Lao Furen¡¯s ghost?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had barely been in the residence for the time spanning two cups of tea (20 minutes), but he had already asked for all the case details, and now that he was inspecting the corpse, he promptly asked about key points.


    At this moment, a man in splendid robes stepped forward and said respectfully: ¡°That day was the seventh day after Mother¡¯s death. There was a religious ceremony happening in the residence which required the presence of all sons and grandsons. Everyone had arrived except Second Brother who had gone missing. The servants went to search for him later, reporting that Second Brother had gone to the Moon-viewing Pavilion, and that the door was locked from the inside.¡±


    The person talking was precisely the Third Master of the Marquis Anqing Residence, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n.


    He continued to state: ¡°We felt that something was amiss once we heard it, since we were suspecting that he was involved in Mother¡¯s death then. Hence, all of us travelled towards the Moon-viewing Pavilion to investigate, and just as we reached the bottom of the building, Second Brother was seen standing beside the third-floor railing, and behind him, was a human shadow that was shrouded in the darkness. Just as we were finding it strange, we proceeded to see that shadow push Second Brother, and that shadowed figure was wearing robes that happened to be the same as the one Mother was wearing when she passed away.


    ¡°Mother believed in the Buddha, and that silk jacket in crow green with embroidered magic clouds was made to imitate a Buddhist monk¡¯s gown, this world only has one of such apparel, unique of its kind! Because Mother was wearing it when she died, the robe has already been taken away and burned as per the custom after she was changed into funeral clothes and temporarily placed to rest in a coffin. The bright moon was suspended high that night, and though it was at a higher elevation, we could still clearly perceive that the shadow¡¯s stature was the same as Mother¡¯s. Mother was getting on with her years, so her back had an additional hunch, and that shadow was the same.¡±


    After Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n finished speaking, he released a long sigh, profound grief surging up to his brows and eyes as if he was going to weep sorrowfully. ¡°The rumours say that the appearance of a person during their time of death, would be the ghost¡¯s appearance. Mother has worked hard her entire life, but she was harmed by her own flesh and blood in the end. This must be the reason why her soul is having trouble finding rest, thus giving rise to evil slaughter.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked sideways, giving him a glance.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s appearance could be considered as mild and cultured. Since he came from a Marquis Residence, the way he treated people conformed with the etiquette of his social status, but when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at him, he swiftly lowered his head, as if his profound grief was a layer of thin paper that was quick to tear once it was lightly pricked by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u retracted his gaze, ¡°Therefore, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n died from the fall?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n hurriedly replied. ¡°Precisely so. His head bled on impact, and he stopped breathing right then and there. The corpse is currently resting temporarily in the side room of the western courtyard. If Hou¡¯ye wishes to see it, [we] can go now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not move, looking at Lao Furen¡¯s corpse again. ¡°Prefectural Magistrate H¨¨, talk about it.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was the main official of this case, and he shivered when he was called upon, then he immediately replied: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, xiaguan believes that the ghost killing someone is actually a deliberate exaggeration to scare people; though it was personal witnessed, much doubt remains since Lao Furen was already deceased then. The Second Master¡¯s death bears the possibility of another person¡¯s conduct, as for Lao Furen¡¯s demise¡­ it¡¯s possible that it was caused by an invisible illness suddenly acting up.¡±


    Despite finishing his words, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was still scared witless. He originally went to the front hall for the sake of negotiating the matter of a surgical autopsy, but just when he reached the front courtyard, he proceeded to hear that the person dispatched from the Capital had arrived. He was already panic-stricken then, and what he expected even less was that, it was not someone from the Marquis Xinyang Residence but Marquis Wuzhao, the individual whom all the officials and commoners in Great Zhou feared!


    Since he had to receive the entourage and pay his respects, he was delayed for quite some time. Fortunately, Marquis Wuzhao started asking about the proceedings of the case very quickly, and came over straight away, so he did not have a chance to bring up the request for a dissection autopsy.


    Sure enough, Marquis Wuzhao frowned, ¡°Invisible illness?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was about to answer when Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n cupped his hands and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, allow this report, Mother has always been safe and healthy in body, and she was not burdened with sickness or disease, otherwise, she would not have stayed up overnight till daybreak to see the New Year on the thirtieth. Hence, the Prefectural Magistrate daren¡¯s words are absolutely impossible.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng glanced at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n with some disagreement, ¡°Third Master, Lao Furen is already of old age; while she looks healthy, it¡¯s highly likely that there were hidden illnesses in the internal organs of her body. The illness is hard to perceive when one typically lives like a prince, but the illness suddenly flaring up and causing an abrupt death at a certain time isn¡¯t necessarily impossible.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n stared at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, ¡°This case has been handed over to Daren for almost a half-month, and Daren has consistently said that Mother¡¯s cause of death cannot be concluded. Now that the Marquis has arrived, a theory of invisible illness surfaces; one wonders what justification that has?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n said everything with a level of refinement and courtesy, but H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng instantaneously felt that a knife had been placed at his neck. He hastily shot a look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Third Master has erred in his words, these words are not crazy nonsense that I invented in my anxiety, but the results of a coroner¡¯s examination!¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n spluttered out a laugh: ¡°And which coroner would that be?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng raised his hand and pointed towards the B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u outside. ¡°B¨® guniang! It was what B¨® guniang said!¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s bemusement increased as he thought about the rumours relating to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and he became even more unbridled. ¡°The words of a mere lowly woman and yet Daren actually believes it! This courtyard is where Mother¡¯s remains rests, Daren allowing an outsider to come here is already a loss of courtesy. And today, you actually want to report a girl¡¯s complete nonsense to Hou¡¯ye, did that girl, perhaps, douse Daren in some kind of bewitching drug?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng would usually plaster on three parts of prudence in front of these influential officials, and in addition to the fact that he was clumsy in speech, how could he possibly fend off these soft knives?


    At this moment, he could not help but retort: ¡°How is it complete nonsense? Although B¨® guniang is a woman, she has helped benfu crack numerous unsolved cases! Benfu has served as an official in Qingzhou for so many years, and there has never been a case that accumulated without being dealt with! All the cases in the past two years were basically solved with the help of B¨® guniang!¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was angry to the point where he was glaring with his cheeks puffed. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n peered at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, who was wordless and unmoving, before he laughed and said: ¡°Fine then, tell us, Prefectural Magistrate daren, what invisible illness took Mother¡¯s life?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had answered with the courage of his own conviction just now, but once that question was issued, he found himself in a predicament which made his expression turn sluggish. ¡°That¡­ speaking of this, there is something I would like to request Third Master¡¯s permission for. B¨® guniang did deduce that Lao Furen died from an invisible illness, but the specifics of which invisible illness it was, requires another post-mortem autopsy before she can ascertain it. But this additional examination happens to require a dissection, would Third Master¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Dissection?¡± Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s volume abruptly rose, eyes sweeping past Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u before he forcibly suppressed his voice, but his anger and agitation could still be perceived. ¡°What identity does the family matriarch have! How could your dissection be tolerated! Moreover, Mother¡¯s departed spirit has been demanding vengeance for her grievances and has yet to find peace; if all of you make it difficult for her resentment to disperse, and she evilly slaughters again, who will be responsible then?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n gritted his teeth, asserting, ¡°Disregarding the fact that she is a little girl, even if the Emperor or Lao-tze came! They can dream on about touching Mother¡¯s remains!¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said helplessly, ¡°Third Master, everything is for the sake of solving the case. Don¡¯t you wish to know how Lao Furen died? Only when you truly find the real truth behind Lao Furen¡¯s death, can you tell and console Lao Furen¡¯s soul and deceased spirit.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n barked out a cold laugh, wanting to berate him further, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u abruptly stood up and strode out of the door before coming to a standstill under the eaves of the veranda, his line of sight gazing towards the courtyard¡¯s entrance.


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    The cold winds whimpered; the dark clouds weighed down heavily. Amidst the world of ice and snow, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was still kneeling, but her posture was similar to the bamboo on her cloak, not bending or breaking in the slightest.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°She¡¯s doing the dissection?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quickly responded, ¡°Yes, Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n stood behind him and harrumphed. ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye also find it implausible as well? That girl looks so tender of age. I see that H¨¨ daren has been enthralled by that girl¡¯s appearance, and he actually believes her! Furthermore, there are many and varied methods for a government office to investigate a case, how is a dissection necessary?¡±


    ¡°Let her dissect.¡±


    The heaven, the earth, and all living things became quiet.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n gawked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, unable to believe the three words that had just spilled from his mouth.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng froze, similarly incapable of reacting.


    After all, just moments ago, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had said¡ª In the space where he was conducting official business, no women were allowed.


    Each word uttered by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was placid, but his words were akin to thirty thousand catties, unquestionable. ¡°Benhou was charged with Marquis Xinyang¡¯s trust prior to this. If there is truly doubt in Lao Furen¡¯s death, the cause must be investigated clearly, and for this, any price can be paid.¡±


    The extant Marquis Xinyang was also the legitimate, biological oldest brother of Lao Furen.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n opened his mouth but he did not utter a single word for a long moment. Irrespective of whether Marquis Xinyang had given his trust, who among those present would dare to say ¡®no¡¯ if Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u allowed the dissection?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s statement was the ultimatum. In an indifference voice, he instructed: ¡°Bring her over.¡±


    Most of the people following behind were Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s close subordinates who were like a fluttering of crows, but among them was a person with grizzled hair on his temples, looking like he was getting on with his years, but his face was pale and beardless, and even his brows were extremely faint. Compared to the young, cold, and severe guards that were armed with blades, he appeared particularly attention-grabbing by comparison.


    Just as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice landed, he proceeded to smile and step forward. ¡°Laonu will go and invite [her], it¡¯s quite pitiful to see her kneeling for so long.¡±


    The voice of the person speaking was slightly tapered, and it was a gonggong.


    If it was anyone else, they would never dare to act on their own initiative in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u unless he had passed down an order, but when this person acted in such a manner, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression conveyed that it was normal. He turned his head back towards the hall. ¡°Move those things away and bring a chair over.¡±


    After saying that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stepped into the room, bringing the neat file of sword-carrying guards through the doors with him. Very quickly, the paper crafted yin children were moved out of the room.


    These were the yin children that were supposed to suppress Lao Furen¡¯s ferocious spirit ah!


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and the Fifth Master Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n stood outside the door, eyes teeming with alarm, but they did not even dare to breathe a word.


    These sword-carrying imperial guards each had the three-legged and one-eyed golden crow embroidered with silver threads in a dark pattern in front of their lapels. Precisely speaking, they were the embroidered emissaries who diligently served the Son of Heaven by being a check-and-balance to the hundred officials. These people did not have to kneel to the aristocrats, and the Zheng Family brothers did not dare to stop them even if their courage was increased by a hundredfold.


    Outside the courtyard entrance, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s whole body was frozen stiff. With some helplessness, she thought about the rumours that had been passed around bookstores about this renowned Marquis Wuzhao. They said that he stayed away from female charms, and while he was past his twenties, he did not have a single female servant by side, and some whispered that he had a hidden illness, while others claimed that he was fond of dragon suns¡­


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not tell if Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had any hidden illnesses, or if he was a good homosexual, but she could perceive that he really hated the involvement of women in official business.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u rubbed her kneecaps. Just as she thought that she was going to kneel until the skies went dark, a set of footsteps approached her from behind. Following closely, a slightly peculiar voice rang out, ¡°Guniang, one truly apologises for making you kneel for so long¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shifted her pupils, and an amiable visage appeared before her eyes in the next moment. The newcomer sighed, ¡°Our Hou¡¯ye is good at everything, but he just doesn¡¯t know how to take good care of young girls, quickly stand up¡­¡±


    The man in front of her was wearing a warm smile, his soft tone lined with an apology, which startled B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u slightly. ¡°?ou are¡­¡±


    ¡°My surname is Fu, the eunuch that serves Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u suddenly saw the light, but asked: ¡°Did the Marquis order me to leave the residence?¡±


    Fu gonggong spluttered out a laugh, ¡°Leave what residence! Hou¡¯ye is allowing you to examine the corpse, hurry up and get up.¡±


    This was honestly outside of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expectations. While she was in the middle of shock, Fu gonggong supported her to her feet, his tone becoming stricter by three parts. ¡°Guniang, this is your only chance, if it fails, [you] really have to leave the residence.¡±


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed Fu gonggong into the central room, she noticed that the candle flames were big and bright and the paper crafted yin children had been moved away, while Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sat on a wide chair like a battle-ready horse and horizontal sword, his deep and unfathomable eyes fixed on Lao Furen¡¯s corpse.


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    Upon hearing the movement, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes swept over.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u happened to be looking at him, and unexpectedly, her eyes met his.


    Heart lurching, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly lowered her eyes to assume a deferential posturing, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u arched his eyebrows slightly instead.


    She was rather intimidated by him, but her eyes were devoid of terror, nor was there any resentment or anger. Now that was hard to come by.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was standing behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and he spoke at this moment: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, B¨® guniang is an expert at dissection autopsies, as long as she¡¯s allowed to conduct a dissection, Lao Furen¡¯s cause of death will definitely become known.¡±


    Neither joy nor displeasure could be discerned on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s face, but his following words made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s complexion change simultaneously. ¡°If she truly capable, then she will stay, if she fails to find the cause, benhou will not listen to any excuses.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s vision darkened, and he nearly knelt on the ground. He understood what he was hearing: if she could not find the cause, then the person he was using had failed to meet their obligations, to say nothing of how he had used a woman. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was callous and unfeeling in the officialdom and had the moniker of the ¡®jade-faced King of Yama¡¯. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng vaguely sensed that perhaps his black muslin could not be protected.


    In contrast, it was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u who could stay calm. Her refined brows seemed to raise slightly, but she recovered her composure very quickly.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u absorbed the sight into his retinas, then pointed towards the corpse. ¡°Go ahead.¡± After giving a pause, he added, ¡°Those without fixed duties may withdraw.¡±


    The two brothers exchanged glances. Fu gonggong advised, ¡°Go outside and wait please, both of you won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n looked at each other. Subsequently, they cupped their hands and bowed to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u before retreating outside.


    Meanwhile, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had unfastened her cloak and rolled up her sleeves before picking a few knives from the prepared tools. When she stood beside the coffin platform again, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes furrowed lightly¡ª because on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s person, an almost callous-feeling, single-minded focus that was vested with solemnity which he was infinitely familiar with, appeared.


    The skies outside were dim, but with the addition of several oil lamps inside the room, it illuminated everything clearly, down to the smallest details.


    Under the irradiance of the fire light, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s soulful and graceful countenance was also shined upon. Standing behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, Fu gonggong clicked his tongue, ¡°Rare, truly rare, the beauty seen under the lights is beautiful, and even with a corpse at the side, the beauty has become even prettier.¡±


    His tone of voice was exceedingly low, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not hear it because she was focusing on the autopsy, but H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u heard him.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was so nervous he was sweating profusely because of that line. He casted a sidelong glance, only to see that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s deep gaze had landed on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s visage, which stunned H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng at the bottom of his heart. Even when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s countenance was placed in Qingzhou City, the people that can hold a candle to her could be counted with his fingers, and no matter how ascetic and self-controlled Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was, he was still a matured man, could it be that¡­


    Just as that thought emerged, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s line of sight slid down, landing on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s knife without any fluctuations or fear. It was quite evident that compared to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s face, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was more interested in watching how she was going to dissect the rotting corpse before her.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was dumbstruck from his observation. In his heart, he thought, As expected, the rumours are not fake!


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s first incision followed the curve of the corpse¡¯s lower ribs in a precise manner, cutting three inches down.


    By virtue of Lao Furen being dead for many days, her corpse was decaying and bloated, and her chest and abdomen were especially swollen. Now that her skin and flesh had been cut open, the accumulated putrid smell in the abdominal cavity spewed out instantaneously. Both H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and Fu gonggong furrowed their brows subconsciously, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression remained unchanged, and her gesture of cutting the corpse¡¯s skin and flesh seemed as ordinary as cutting tofu to her.


    Once the belly was slit open, it revealed the rotting and discoloured internal organs. If a normal person were to look at it, they would only feel that the clump of filthy organs was hard to distinguish, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was carefully lifting and examining the contents, her expression strict and inky pupils like knives, as if no abnormality could escape her eyes. This kind of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, basically made people feel the dignity and solemnity befitting of a God.


    There were no ghosts in this world, but even if there were truly ghosts, they would never dare to tread close to her person.


    The flames in the hall room dimmed and brightened, while outside the door, the night¡¯s curtain had completely dropped down, shrouding the space. In a very small courtyard that was gradually vanishing in the snowy night, there was a sense of heart rendering terror for no reason at all.


    A thin layer of sweat hung on her forehead, making it evident that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was slightly exhausted. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng asked anxiously, ¡°Xiao B¨®, how was it?¡±


    ¡°Lao Furen did indeed die from an invisible illness.¡±


    Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u opened her mouth, she confirmed the manner of Lao Furen¡¯s death.


    ¡°A large volume of blood was discovered on the abdominal wall of the corpse, and this was because blood clots had formed around the abdominal area which blocked up the blood flow, and after the blood vessel swelled up, the rupture occurred. This invisible illness has been around for two to three years, but there were no visible symptoms at the onset so it¡¯s exceedingly hard to notice. But within these three months, Lao Furen should have experienced symptoms like back and waist pains. However, given that waist sores and back pains are very common in elderly people, one reckons that it was overlooked by the people within the residence.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng swiftly asked: ¡°Therefore, was Lao Furen murdered?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyebrows knitted together tightly, hesitation lingering in the bottom of her eyes.


    Despite having kept his silence the entire time, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u actually spoke up at this moment: ¡°There is no harm in speaking directly.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pursed her lips. ¡°Judging from the amount of blood in Lao Furen¡¯s abdominal cavity, the severity with which the blood vessel ruptured, and the size of the blood clot, it shouldn¡¯t have gone as far as rupturing on its own. The medical books once recorded, the blood vessel can swell up to the size of a teacup, and by that stage, it is still liable to rupturing and triggering the illness even if one is lying down, but Lao Furen¡¯s abdominal blood clot was only the size of a walnut at most. If there were no accidents, her illness should not have acted up and caused her sudden death.¡±


    After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u described the specifics, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u questioned: ¡°What circumstances can lead to the illness flaring up?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought about it, ¡°Over exhaustion from manual labour, extreme rises in anger, or sudden collisions with people, if she was shoved, bumped into, had tumbled, or something along those lines, all of these conditions bear the possibility of inciting an outburst of the illness¡­¡±


    It was practically impossible for Lao Furen to experience over exhaustion from manual labour, but if it was the latter two conditions, then it was extremely suspicious.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at the door, ¡°Have Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n come in.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started to tidy up the corpse in a considerate manner, and very quickly, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n entered the room. Before they had the time to look at Lao Furen¡¯s corpse, they heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u inquire: ¡°The events leading to and after Lao Furen¡¯s death, recount them in detail again.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was still unaware of the autopsy results, and when he heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s question, he quickly replied: ¡°On New Year¡¯s Eve, Mother insisted on seeing the New Year. Since she believed in the Buddha, there were times where she would stay in the Buddha-worshipping Hall to copy scriptures, so we have never attempted to obstruct her after slight persuasions. We originally thought it was just a normal night, but none of us expected that on the morning of the second day, we would discover her dead inside the Buddha-worshipping Hall.


    ¡°The night before was New Year¡¯s Eve, and whenever Mother was in the Buddha-worshipping Hall, she would not allow the maidservants to serve her. Hence, Mother was the only person in the Buddha-worshipping Hall that night, and it was the maidservant that opened the Buddha-worshipping Hall doors on the second day who discovered that Mother had met her demise. Back then, Mother was lying in front of the statue with neat and tidy clothes, like she was merely sleeping. But when she walked up to her, she promptly discovered that she had stopped breathing, and her body was already rigid and cold¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression became somewhat difficult all of a sudden. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s seemed to have vision in all eight directions because he noticed her change instantaneously. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said with a lower voice: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Daren, this invisible illness acts up exceedingly fast, arriving quickly and violently; the patient would feel like their stomach was being wrung, and the pain is near unbearable. If Lao Furen has such symptoms, she had to be in pain for at least two cups of tea (20 minutes) before she stopped breathing. Since no one was guarding outside the room that night, Lao Furen died in excruciating pain.¡±


    An elderly, dying in her throes of pain while no one knew, that was truly pitiful.


    However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not done speaking yet, ¡°When pain bores into a person¡¯s heart, any human would struggle and cry for help. But on the morning of the second day, Lao Furen was lying on the ground with neat and tidy clothes¡­ If the Third Master¡¯s words are the truth, then, there must be a second person inside the Buddha-worshipping Hall that night.¡±


    When she reached the end of her speech, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s voice became colder.


    ¡°That person, watched Lao Furen suffer from the pain with open eyes. Not only did they not save Lao Furen, but it¡¯s even possible that they stopped Lao Furen from crying for help. After Lao Furen died, they helped her tidy her clothes, and arranged her into a slumbering appearance.¡±


    The room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, some warmth seeping into the bottom of his eyes for the first time.

 CH 3

    The maidservant who discovered Lao Furen¡¯s dead body was called over very quickly.


    The weather was cold, the ground was frozen over, and it was in the mourning hall, thus the maidservant by the name of M¨° Xi¨¡ng was trembling as she knelt on the ground.


    ¡°Whenever Lao Furen chants her prayers, she would never allow the maidservants to wait upon her inside, and [we] would usually stand guard outside the door. But that night was the New Year¡¯s Eve, so Lao Furen ordered all the maidservants to go back to rooms and have a New Year¡¯s dinner with our fellow sisters and resume our duties on the second day. Therefore, the maidservants proceeded to leave halfway into hai shi (10PM) that night. On the morning of the second day, nubi was the first to reach the Buddha-worshipping Hall, and upon arriving, the Buddha-worshipping Hall¡¯s large doors were closed tightly, and the room was very quiet inside. Back then, nubi was wondering if Lao Furen was taking a nap on the couch inside the Buddha-worshipping Hall, so the doors were pushed open lightly¡ª¡±


    As though she was recalling the scene from that day, M¨° Xi¨¡ng was frightened to the point her voice was quivering, ¡°At¡­ At that time, Lao Furen was lying on the soft cushion in front of the statues, clothes worn and eyes closed, as if she really was asleep. Nubi was still pondering why Lao Furen was sleeping on the ground, so nubi walked up and nudged Lao Furen, but with that one push, Lao Furen was already rigid¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°For the past three months, did Lao Furen exhibit symptoms of back pains and soreness at the waist?¡±


    M¨° Xi¨¡ng was slightly confused, but she quickly reacted and said: ¡°Yes, there was a few instances where Lao Furen would remark that her waist and back were slightly sore after her religious prayers. The maidservants all felt that she must have been kneeling for too long, and it was only after repeated persuasions that Lao Furen changing to a sitting posture to copy her scriptures.¡±


    Sure enough, it was similar to what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u mentioned, Lao Furen¡¯s irregularity had been overlooked.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed another question: ¡°That night, did Lao Furen copy any scriptures?¡±


    M¨° Xi¨¡ng nodded, ¡°She did. When nubi left, she had already copied one page. When nubi was cleaning up what Lao Furen left behind afterwards, two whole pages that Lao Furen copied were discovered, and those scriptures are still being kept in Lao Furen¡¯s warm room right now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked towards Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, ¡°Bring the copied scriptures from that night over.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n immediately dispatched a servant to fetch it as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to dish out the questions. ¡°Under normal circumstances, how long does it take Lao Furen to copy one page of scriptures?¡±


    M¨° Xi¨¡ng promptly said: ¡°Whenever Lao Furen starts copying, she usually doesn¡¯t stop, though she writes very slowly. An entire page of scripture requires an hour at least.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not ask any further. Very quickly, a servant brought over the scripture, and then Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u questioned M¨° Xi¨¡ng again. ¡°Take a look, did Lao Furen copy this that night?¡±


    M¨° Xi¨¡ng studied it briefly, ¡°Yes, it is indeed what Lao Furen copied that night.¡±


    The scriptures were written on top-notch shou xian ¨C a thicker type of writing paper ¨C with an absolutely graceful regular script, though each and every brushstroke was powerful and vigorous. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u examined it meticulously, ¡°The scripture did not change in writing or ink hue from start to end; the fine work was uninterrupted. When you left, it was halfway through hai shi, and one hour later makes it chou shi (11PM), which also means to say that, it was at least after chou shi when Lao Furen saw the second person in that Buddha-worshipping Hall.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u handed the scriptures to Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, asking: ¡°You¡¯ve been biting down on the fact that your second older brother harmed Lao Furen. Therefore, where was he after chou shi that night?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n responded swiftly, ¡°That night, Second Brother said that he was alone in his study, and he claimed that he never left the study for the entire night. But during the single instance where I dispatched my servant to the study to deliver some wine and dishes to Second Brother, his study was completely dark, and no one answered. There was no one there at all. But when I questioned him after the accident happened, he said that he had fallen asleep whilst intoxicated, and how could I believe those words? I suspected that he went back to look for Mother again!¡±


    ¡°Why did you send him wine and dishes in the middle of the night? And why was he staying alone?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n said: ¡°The entire family was supposed to partake in the New Year dinner happily and harmoniously that night, but at the dining table, Second Brother and Mother started arguing and it ended up on bad terms, so Mother went to the Buddha-worshipping Hall without eating. Once Mother left, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for the rest to stay behind and eat, which also meant that everyone could not eat the New Year¡¯s dinner that night. Mother had been taking charge of the family for the past two years, while I played the supporting role at the side. Afterwards, I instructed the kitchen to make the New Year¡¯s meal again and sent it to each courtyard so they could eat on their own. Second Brother was staying alone, because after he went back that day, he got into an argument with second older sister-in-law as well, and he even raised his hand against her, which was why he went to the study afterwards¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n paused, before he supplemented, ¡°The dishes for Second Brother¡¯s study were the last to be individually prepared, hence why it was the latest to be sent over, and more than half of zi shi had passed by then (after midnight) and Second Brother was no longer inside the room.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u listened to his entire explanation with congealed eyes before he continued to ask: ¡°What were your Second Brother and Lao Furen arguing about?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n exhaled audibly, ¡°It was about the noble title that Oldest Brother left behind.¡±


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye should be aware that when Oldest Brother passed away due to his illness three years ago, he only had his daughter, Y¨²n N¨ª, below his knees. Hence, the continued inheritance of the Marquis Anqing title can only be requested by us brothers. Second Brother felt that since he was lined up behind Oldest Brother, it was only logical that he inherited the title, but Mother did not settle on a decision for a long time. If it was according to the principle of seniority, Second Brother should be inheriting the noble title for certain, but Second Brother was short-tempered, and he didn¡¯t possess the patience for managing the household affairs, nor did he have a knack for business, to say nothing of scholarly honour. Hence, Mother did not view Second Brother favourably.


    ¡°Previously, the mourning period for Oldest Brother had yet to pass, thus the discussions concerning the title succession only started last year, and because Mother did not verbally agree to allow Second Brother inherit the title, Second Brother argued with Mother for the whole year, sometimes going to the point where Mother nearly became ill in her anger. On the night of New Year¡¯s Eve, Second Brother brought up this matter again, saying that they should take advantage of the fact that New Year congratulatory cards of respect were being sent into the palace, and asked Mother to send the memorial for the inheritance bestowal to the Emperor altogether, except Mother responded by berating him and Second Brother started kicking up a row.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s irises were dark and obscured, but he did not ask any further. He had some understanding of Marquis Anqing Residence, especially the veins of the main branch. Moreover, aristocratic and influential families having conflicts because of the noble title was not rare. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s temper was quick to rile, and there was an hour between the half mark of zi shi (12PM) and chou shi (1AM). If Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n could not get over it and he went to look for Lao Furen to argue again, thereby causing Lao Furen¡¯s illness to act up, well, that was not impossible.


    And if he detested Lao Furen in his heart, choosing not to save Lao Furen when her illness flared up could be explained as well.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes. Even if Lao Furen¡¯s death was related to Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n, how did Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n die then? A ghost killing someone was purely nonsense; for being able to use Lao Furen¡¯s death to kill Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n, his murderer was undoubtedly part of the residence.


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s sharp gaze swept past the Zheng brothers before he abruptly stated: ¡°Lead the way to Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s corpse.¡±


    The night colours were already deep, and the cold winds outside the funeral hall were whistling. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n glanced at the weather outside and he could not help but say: ¡°Hou¡¯ye arrived travel-worn today, and the guest rooms within the residence have already been prepared, perhaps some rest is due first before continuing the inspection tomorrow?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not utter a word. At his side, Fu gonggong said smilingly, ¡°Third Master need not worry, Hou¡¯ye has always been impervious to fatigue when he¡¯s on official business. Furthermore, there are a lot of points of suspicion in this case; it would be better to see the corpse earlier, lest Hou¡¯ye gets hung up over it.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n knew that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s decisions could not opposed, so he quickly said: ¡°Alright, may Hou¡¯ye come this way¡ª¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was the first to walk out of the doors, with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u taking a step next. After he crossed the threshold, he abruptly turned and looked into the hall, towards the side of the coffin platform where B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing without moving.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned, and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said hurriedly, ¡°Xiao B¨®, not following along yet? Didn¡¯t you wish to examine the Second Master¡¯s corpse during the day?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u came to her senses and quickly responded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The complexions of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and the rest changed slightly, casting confounded gazes towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Everyone was cognizant of the fact that there was not a single female servant at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s side, but today, he unexpectedly allowed this female coroner to follow along to conduct the post-mortem autopsies. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n kept away any thoughts of irreverence, his cautiousness and prudence heightening.


    The cold winds were bone-piercing, the night colours were like splashed ink. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n personally held the lantern and led the way for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    ¡°After Second Brother passed, a funeral hall was set up in the west courtyard because everyone witnessed him falling from a tall building to his death nearby, and owing to how it wasn¡¯t appropriate to hold a funeral wantonly, [we] were planning to allow his corpse to rest temporarily in a coffin and see through the seven-seven forty-nine days of mourning.¡±


    After leaving the small courtyard, they took a small path that led westwards, only to see that the Marquis Anqing Residence was brightly lit.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n said: ¡°Because of Hou¡¯ye¡¯s arrival, the lamps were made to burn through the night. For the past few days, we would always go to bed early once the night arrived.¡±


    The residence was in an uproar from a ghost killing someone, and everyone was naturally afraid. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u swept past the surrounding kiosks and pavilions before he suddenly asked: ¡°Has the arrangements for the marriage been prepared?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, who was walking behind, raised her head when she heard that.


    At her side, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng explained in a timely manner: ¡°The Marquis Residence¡¯s Oldest Young Lady is engaged to His Second Highness, the Emperor officially bestowed the marriage the last year, and the date is set for the seventh day of the third month this year. It¡¯s quite unfortunate, Lao Furen was originally capable of witnessing her granddaughter exit her boudoir and marry into the Imperial Family.¡±


    The Oldest Young Lady of this Marquis Residence was Y¨²n N¨ª, of whom Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n previously mentioned. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u peered at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tall and stalwart back figure, not expecting that such a reason existed, as such, Marquis Wuzhao personally paying a visit could not be regarded as strange.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n said: ¡°It has all been prepared. The dowry was sent into the Capital last year, and the compound in the Capital has been put into order. If it were not for Mother¡¯s demise, [we] would have started journeying towards the Capital at the beginning of the next month. It is fortunate that the Emperor appointed the marriage, or else with the current mourning period, it is unknown when this marriage will be delayed to.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u issued a short, inaudible sigh as she listened, whereas Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not continue pursuing the topic.


    Since Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not ask, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n did not dare to speak more. Prior to this, he did not have any comings and goings with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, but in a short day¡¯s work, he had come to understand that the rumours circulating outside were not lies. Hence, he held his breath and stayed quiet, only leading the way at the front.


    The west courtyard was also situated in a remote location. Without needing much time, the group reached the front of the courtyard. Compared to Lao Furen¡¯s place of temporary rest, which was slightly queer, this place was quite normal. Mourning spirit banners made from white silk were similarly hung up around the courtyard, and the mourning lanterns on the underside of the veranda eaves were presently lit up, thus casting a sombre shadow, but shortly thereafter, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s footsteps came to a halt at the front.


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    There were actually people inside the mourning hall!


    A pitch-black coffin was placed in the centre of the mourning hall, with simple offerings placed in front of the coffin. Two black figures were kneeling before the coffin as they burned paper money in a porcelain basin. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n flexed the wrist at his side. ¡°Second Sister-in-law, Xi¨¡o¡¯er, why are you still here when it¡¯s so late?¡±


    Once his voice resounded, it scared the pair into turning their bodies around.


    The pair were in morning whites. The little young master looked like he was just seven- or eight-years-old, and the woman by his side, who was currently wearing a panicked expression, had a goose egg shaped face that was a palm wide, and elegance could still be perceived from her countenance. At this point in time, however, her entire face seemed haggard like there was only a layer of skin plastering on bone, her eyes were bloodshot and full of veins while bruises underlined her eyes. Owing to the flames that were being fuelled by underworld money reflecting on her, she appeared slightly frightening.


    ¡°Third¡­ Third younger brother¡­¡±


    Upon seeing Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, terror flitted past the depths of the woman¡¯s eyes. She seized the child beside her with one arm and stood up hastily.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n seemed to be restraining his anger, ¡°Hou¡¯ye and H¨¨ daren are here to examine Second Brother¡¯s corpse. It¡¯s terribly late, Second Sister-in-law and Xi¨¡o¡¯er should be going back earlier to rest, lest the government office¡¯s official business is hindered.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ We will leave now.¡±


    The Marquis Residence¡¯s Second Furen¡¯s voice was hoarse. She held onto Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o as she walked outwards, and when she moved past Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, her head lowered even further. On the other hand, it was the little noble son by her side who looked at everyone curiously, and when he was walking past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, he stared at her with especially wide eyes.


    Soon after, the pair disappeared into the cold winds.


    This small incident made Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s back somewhat stiff. But when he turned around, he pretended nothing had transpired as he stated: ¡°Hou¡¯ye please, Second Brother has already been shrouded, and a religious ceremony was carried out two days ago as well.¡± Seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was looking at the porcelain basin where the underworld money was still burning, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n could only say: ¡°Just now was my Second Sister-in-law and Second Brother¡¯s only son. Ever since Second Brother met his demise, I was afraid that more accidents would happen, so no one was allowed to randomly move around once the night had fallen, hence my slight anger when I saw them just now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u strode into the mourning hall. There were no paper crafted figurines here, and while there were offerings, the entire funeral hall was pervaded with a simple and crude quality. If an outsider were to come over and look, no one would believe that a Marquis Residence¡¯s noble son was lying inside the coffin.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u pointed at the coffin, ¡°Lift him up.¡±


    The body was already placed in the coffin which made it inconvenient to conduct a post-mortem autopsy. Once his voice landed, two embroidered clothes emissaries came forward, bending their bodies to dredge up the corpse from the coffin. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n had only been dead for six days, and in addition to the cold weather and the lack of lengthy joss sticks burning, the corpse was relatively well-preserved, and judging from the head and face protruding from the funeral clothes, rotting could scarcely be discerned.


    Once the corpse was placed on a rug, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned his head back, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lifted the wooden box where the autopsy tools were stored and stepped forward.


    She had previously examined a female corpse, but it was a male corpse now. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression was calm, and after doing a brief preliminary inspection, she started to undo the corpse¡¯s funeral clothes. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n faltered momentarily, and without needing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s verbal instruction, he proceeded to turn around and go outside.


    In the quiet room, only the chaffing noise of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u peeling off the corpse¡¯s burial clothes remained. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was unsurprised by the strange sight, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not exhibit the slightest fluctuation, whereas Fu gonggong squatted down beside B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u with much interest to watch. ¡°Guniang, how old are you? Where did you learn this skill from?¡±


    Fu gonggong was under Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and unlike most people, he did not fear Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u that much which sufficiently conveyed that his position was not low. Therefore, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied: ¡°One will be turning eighteen in the winter of this year, and the skill of examining corpses was learned from Yifu, Yifu works as a coroner in Qingshan county.¡±


    Fu gonggong tossed out another question, ¡°Then how did your parents steel their hearts to allow you to do this?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hand movements stagnated, then she said in a low voice, ¡°My father and mother have passed away for many years .¡±


    Fu gonggong became speechless in the moment, unable to ask the rest of his questions. On the converse, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only stopped for that single second, and her following movements were akin to moving clouds and flowing water, nimble and experienced. Very quickly, the corpse¡¯s appearance was revealed.


    Even though obvious rotting could not be discerned on the corpse, the purples from the putrefaction were littered everywhere on the epidermal surface which looked rather dreadful. There were a few areas of conspicuous external injuries like on the right shoulder and forehead, while other areas had less apparent bruises. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u examined it briefly, then took out the prepared white vinegar from the wooden box and wiped down the suspiciously bruised areas at great speeds. Not long after, the injuries that were hidden underneath the corpse¡¯s skin were exposed.


    It was not difficult to autopsy a corpse with apparent causes of death, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u swiftly summarised: ¡°The corpse¡¯s right shoulder and the right of his forehead have injuries from brunt force trauma, his right arm and right pelvis have differing sizes of contusions and abrasions. These injuries were formed when the deceased fell down from the Moon-viewing Pavilion, and the fatal wound is on the right of his forehead, the skull in that area has caved in and shattered into pieces, and because it was exceedingly close to the temples, he perished almost immediately on impact.¡±


    As she said that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head, ¡°All of these are antemortem wounds.¡±


    The meaning of antemortem wounds was that they were formed while the victim was alive, which also signified that under the circumstances where Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was still alive, he had been pushed off the Moon-viewing Pavilion, thus falling to his death.


    ¡°Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n previously mentioned that when Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n was being shoved off the Moon-viewing Pavilion, he neither shouted nor screamed. With the possibility of a ghost killing a human eliminated, how did the murderer make Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n walk up to the third-floor landing obediently, and how did they push him off the building without him putting up a struggle?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice was severe, but the gloomy frigidity from the past was gone. In truth, his voice was quite pleasant to the ear when it was lowered slightly. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u immediately understood Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s thoughts upon hearing his words, and she scrutinised the corpse all over. Not long after, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u inserted a cotton cloth that was rolled around a bamboo stick into the Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n ¡®s nostril. When she took it out again, there was quite a bit of filth contaminating the material.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u brought it closer to light and inspected it for a short beat. Her voice sank. ¡°It¡¯s Datura stramonium.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression distorted a little as Fu gonggong asked: ¡°And what is Datura stramonium?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u answered, ¡°It¡¯s an analgesic. In the army, it was also used as an anaesthetic drug.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did another inspection. This time, she focused on checking his heels, the back of his legs, waist, and back. ¡°On the back and side of the corpse¡¯s heels, there is a line of chaffing, and there is a horizontal and linear bruise running across his waist and buttocks, it seems like he was dragged by someone before.¡±


    With the knockout drug and the traces of him being dragged before, the truth was on the verge of being disclosed.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said: ¡°Therefore, someone had scattered a knockout drug in the Moon-viewing Pavilion which knocked the Second Master unconscious, and the murderer took advantage of the fact that the rest had just arrived to push him off the building, and they even pretended to be Lao Furen¡¯s departed spirit?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded her head, ¡°Certainly, that does seem to be the case tentatively.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s eyebrows scrunched together tightly, ¡°There was a second person next to Lao Furen during her death, and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n was pushed off the Moon-viewing Pavilion after he was knocked out by an anaesthetic. There are two dead bodies, but what of the murderer? The manner of their deaths is totally different, and no common points can be distinguished from them. Did someone first witness the dying Lao Furen and chose not to save her thus causing her death, and then another person made use of that event to conspire against Zheng er¡¯ye (2nd), or is the person inside the Buddha-worshipping Hall, and the person who killed Zheng er¡¯ye, the same person?¡±


    If they could answer all of H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s questions, this case would be solved. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated for a moment, ¡°There¡¯s another question: that day was the seventh day after Lao Furen¡¯s death, but why did Zheng er¡¯ye choose to go to the Moon-viewing Pavilion alone so unexpectedly? Even if the culprit used an anaesthetic within the Moon-viewing Pavilion, Zheng er¡¯ye had to go there on his own first.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u a sweeping glance, ¡°This suspicion requires the inspection of the Moon-viewing Pavilion.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u mulled over it before stating: ¡°Does Second Master¡¯s corpse require a dissection? Although the cause of death has been found, the accident occurred a mere six days ago, perhaps something stands to be discovered.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had just dissected Lao Furen¡¯s remains, and she had to bend her waist for more than a double-hour. Currently, her slender fingers were already frozen to the point they were red, and it was highly likely that she had been poisoned by the corpse water. Fu gonggong felt anguished just from looking at her hands so he shot a few pointed looks at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Finally, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in a faint voice: ¡°The hour is already late, we will end here for tonight.¡±


    Despite the case having dragged out for so long, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had only been here for half a day and the causes of the death for the two victims were already out in the open. It could be considered as a huge improvement, but the night had already fallen which inconvenienced a great deal of things. Although Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u passed like thunder and moved like the wind when it came to official business, unafraid of hard labour, he had to adapt to the circumstances as well.


    After uttering those words, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u twisted his body and headed for the door. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was shivering from the cold outside, and once he caught sight of him, he quickly greeted him.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instructed: ¡°From now onwards, the embroidered emissaries and government hirelings will be assuming control over the Marquis Residence, all the residents, including you, are not allowed to randomly move around the Marquis Residence.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s lips moved, ¡°Then the post-mortem autopsies tonight¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Gather everyone within the residence tomorrow morning, and the causes of death for your Lao Furen and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n will naturally be divulged. Everyone will be staying in the residence tonight, and you will be arranging the accommodations. Prefectural Magistrate H¨¨¡ª¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stepped forward in a hurry and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Arrange the government hirelings and ensure that they are standing guard at all the various entrances.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately complied, turning around to order his government hirelings, while Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n said, ¡°Hou¡¯ye can rest assured, ?our courtyard has already been prepared, Prefectural Magistrate H¨¨ and the others can share a guest courtyard to rest, as for Coroner B¨®¡ª¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n looked towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, but his eyes were trained on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u from beginning to end. Seeing that his expression did not change, he understood that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u also wanted B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to stay. The others were male after all, and only B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was a lady, so Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n hesitated momentarily before he said: ¡°Coroner B¨® will be staying in the courtyard beside Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s, which happens to be rather close to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u declined to comment. Then, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n swiftly called for the steward to dish out the instructions and returned to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u very quickly. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, I will bring ?ou to rest.¡±


    Once Fu gonggong heard that, he promptly said: ¡°B¨® guniang, are you coming with us?¡±


    Since B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was still inspecting the corpse, she raised her eyes after hearing that. Just as she was wavering, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n already intercepted, ¡°Gonggong can rest assured, I will specially arrange for someone to bring Coroner B¨® back.¡±


    Just as those words landed, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had taken his leave first. Fu gonggong revealed a disgruntled expression as he waved his hand at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u in an apologetic manner, and then he lifted his feet to catch up.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, not minding those details at all. She stared at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s corpse blankly. She was slightly tempted to see the state of the robes that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n had been wearing when he died. Unfortunately, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated that they would end here today, so she could only suppress that thought first.


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    After bidding farewell to H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng first, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed the guard guide to leave the west courtyard.


    ¡°B¨® guniang, ?our courtyard is northwest of the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s courtyard and it has been decorated incredibly well. The meal and hot water have been sent over, if ?ou have any other orders, there will be a maidservant to serve ?ou in the courtyard, so free feel to open ?our mouth and ask.¡±


    The guard¡¯s courtesy was comprehensive. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thanked him and stopped talking.


    Presently, she was walking along the Marquis Residence¡¯s corridor alone. By virtue of the official residence¡¯s lavishness, and the brightly lit lanterns, it did not feel eerie or terrifying. It was also at that moment where she finally noticed that lanterns along the corridor were not the same. These lanterns had the pattern of a pomegranate bursting open with a hundred seeds in them, and she reckoned that it was prepared for the Marquis Residence¡¯s Oldest Young Lady¡¯s grand marriage.


    The happy occasion was approaching but a tragedy occurred.


    After winding around two flowerbeds and high buildings, the guard pointed towards the ramrod straight, cloistered corridor as he said: ¡°B¨® guniang, [your] courtyard is at the end of the corridor where the illuminated area is, please do as ?ou please, xiaoren will be withdrawing first.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thanked him again. She waited for the guard to leave before she turned around and walked forward.


    This corridor was straight and her destination looked rather close by. As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u trudged towards it, she thought about Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s death. On the eaves of the veranda, the lanterns rocked and swayed due to the freezing cold wind, with the lights and shadows flickering erratically. Out of the blue, a hand slanted and thrusted outwards, grabbing hold of her wrist.


    This unexpected hand made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u jump in fright. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u immediately pivoted her body, and what entered her vision was a child-like face.


    It was actually Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o!


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o was clad in mourning whites. When confronted with sudden appearances, it was typical that anyone would be slightly frightened. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took a deep breath to compose herself. ¡°Xiao gongzi?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already imposed martial law on the residence, how did Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o manage to run out?


    ¡°Jiejie looks really pretty.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o started with such a flattering line once he opened his mouth. Grabbing hold of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hand, he continued to speak with some childishness: ¡°Jiejie, did you come together with Marquis Wuzhao? Is Jiejie the Marquis¡¯ wife?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was split between laughter and tears once she heard that. ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m only helping the government office with something¡­ What are you doing here? The skies have darkened, you should be going back to rest.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o sniffled, probably because he was very cold. Noticing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not throw off his hand at all, he proceeded to stare at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u with wide eyes. He stared and stared, then he suddenly cried out with a loud ¡°Wah¡±.


    ¡°Jiejie, jiejie, please help us, my father didn¡¯t hurt Zumu, the baddest person in this residence is actually Third Uncle!¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knitted her brows together as Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o sobbed on, ¡°After Father died, Third Uncle forced my mother to hand over the folded booklet that Zumu sent to the Capital, but Mother and I have never seen any folded booklets. It must be Third Uncle, Third Uncle knew that Zumu wanted to allow Father to inherit the title, which was why he harmed Zumu, and harmed Father¡ª¡±


    Hand over the folded booklet? Was it the folded booklet for the title inheritance?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only felt that Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o¡¯s words had revealed an inside story that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was deliberately hiding. Just as she was about to ask for more details, Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o continued to plead her, ¡°Mother said, Marquis Wuzhao has never kept a lady by his side, you came with Marquis Wuzhao, you must be his Furen. Jiejie, please tell this to Marquis Wuzhao, my father isn¡¯t a bad person, he¡¯s the one who was harmed by someone else¡ª¡±


    Tears were streaming down Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o¡¯s face, and the sight of him crying was distressing. He stubbornly clung to the assumption that anyone who followed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u must be his legitimate wife.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sighed helplessly, squatting down and taking care of what was important first as she said: ¡°Xiao gongzi, I¡¯ll bring you to see Marquis Wuzhao. Whatever you just told me, repeat everything to Hou¡¯ye in greater detail, is that alright?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o bobbed his head, ¡°Jiejie, you have to help me speak too, you look so pretty, Marquis Wuzhao will definitely listen to your words¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt slightly embarrassed when she heard that, and she was going to explain it to him seriously when she abruptly felt that something was wrong. Spurred by instinct, she raised her eyes, and in the next second, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u went rigid as if she had been struck by thunder.


    At the byway entrance in the distance, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was standing under a red lantern, staring at her with deep and unfathomable eyes. Judging from his expression, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was certain that he overhead the last two lines Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o said.


    But contrary to all reason, her denial was in the line after.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought in her heart, she was done for now, she was truly audacious for daring to recognise herself as Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s Furen!

 CH 4

    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sauntered towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    The lantern shadows were dim and yellow, and yet he seemed like he was draped with the wintry night as he came over. His phoenix eyes were emitting a chill, as if the stars in the pitch-black sky had landed in the bottom of his eyes. When their eyes met, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt like she was on the verge of being sucked into the abyss that were the depths of his eyes.


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o was so scared that he had forgotten to cry, and his first reaction was to hide behind B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u rose to her feet, her thin lips parting, but she chose to lower her head respectfully in the end, ¡°Greetings to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ambled up to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and stood still, his deep gaze sweeping across her face before it went past her, looking towards Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o who was hiding behind her. ¡°What did you say just now?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o held onto B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s tightly, refusing to let go, and he did not dare to walk out from behind her. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyebrows furrowed, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly turned around to coax Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o. ¡°Xiao gongzi, don¡¯t be afraid. Just now, you agreed that you would repeat whatever you said to the Marquis, and the Marquis is here now. For the sake of your Father, be more courageous, tell it to Hou¡¯ye?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s tone of voice was low, gentle, and intimate, as if she was coaxing her own younger brother instead of a stranger. Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o raised his head, looking at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u once before he nodded hesitantly.


    However, he was still holding onto and refusing to let go of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u as he peered at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u in a timid manner. ¡°My¡­ My father isn¡¯t a bad person, that¡¯s Third Uncle. He wants to inherit the title too, and after Father died, Third Uncle told Mother to hand over the folded booklet that was supposed to be delivered to the Capital, but it¡¯s not like Mother and I knew about that folded booklet. Third Uncle even dispatched people to search Father¡¯s study, he must be aware that Zumu had the intention to pass the noble title to Father, which was why he harmed Zumu first, and then harmed Father¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u listened with rapt attention before he questioned: ¡°Your paternal grandmother had the intention of passing the noble title to your father?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o nodded his head hastily, ¡°Zumu frequently argued with my father, but Zumu once confided to Father in private, saying that my father¡¯s temper was irascible, she was late in officially inaugurate his noble title simply because she wanted to grind down his temperament.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o uttered: ¡°Furthermore, even if Zumu didn¡¯t pass the position to Father, she would never pass it to Third Uncle.¡±


    Having listened to this point, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u frowned. From what she saw today, even though Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) and Zheng wu¡¯ye (5th) were masters in the residence, Zheng san¡¯ye had evidently become the patriarch of the Marquis Residence by comparison. He was much more attentive, considerate, and sophisticated, while Zheng wu¡¯ye barely spoke two lines throughout the entire day, which made it apparent that he was merely accompanying Zheng san¡¯ye.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be passed down to your Third Uncle?¡±


    This question was posed by B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, so Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o glanced at her and said: ¡°Because he¡¯s an inauspicious person, Zumu has never been close to him ever since he was young, and if it were not for Oldest Uncle passing away from his illness, Third Uncle would not be exercising control over the residence right now.¡±


    ¡ª An inauspicious person?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s pupils dilated as she observed Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o doubtfully.


    At this moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u inquired: ¡°These words, who taught you to say them?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o¡¯s gaze flitted slightly, but under Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s stare, even an adult would find it hard to hold on, to say nothing of how he was a child. In the end, Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o surrendered, answering in a lowered voice: ¡°It was¡­ It was Mother who said it, but it¡¯s all true! If Hou¡¯ye doesn¡¯t believe it, he can go and ask the other older servants in the residence, go and ask Momo Yu, they know everything¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o was very smart; though he was young of age, he knew how to ingratiate himself to people, and he could distinguish who was easy to talk to and who was hard to get close to, and his ability to speak was all the more quick-witted. However, there was a large quantity of inside information in his speech, and a child like him should not be capable of perceiving them. Thus, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u assumed that there were adults acting behind the scenes.


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o¡¯s head lowered even further, and it was at this moment where several sets of footsteps resounded. Fu gonggong and two embroidered emissaries strode over from the byway hurriedly, the former gasping as he said: ¡°Why is Hou¡¯ye here, guards have already been arranged to watch over the Moon-viewing Pavilion¡­¡±


    That would explain why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had reached the byway one step after her despite taking his leave first; it was because he was heading towards the Moon-viewing Pavilion.


    Fu gonggong glanced at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o, ¡°What is going on here?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gestured at Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o, ¡°Send him back first.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o¡¯s complexion changed but an embroidered emissary had already stepped forward, neither light nor heavy in strength as he gripped his wrist. Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o tried to escape but to avail, so he pulled harder on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hand and sent a pleading look her way. Without missing a beat, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Xiao gongzi, the night is already late. Hou¡¯ye has been made aware of everything you said, and he will investigate it tomorrow. Your father was undoubtedly murdered, but you have to believe that the Marquis will find the culprit.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s affirmation made Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o settle down by two parts. Despite his brief hesitation, he leaned closer to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and said in a quiet voice: ¡°Thank you Jiejie, Jiejie must help me oh¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o took an exceedingly quick glimpse at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. When all was said and done, children could not conceal their thoughts; his face clearly wrote that there was some kind of special relationship between Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, which caused B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s back to stiffen momentarily.


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o turned his head back once every three steps, but he still left with the embroidered emissary in the end. Fu gonggong looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, then looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, feeling like something must have happened while he was otherwise occupied.


    Just as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was stuck in a dilemma about how she should explain the misconception, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u unexpectedly turned and walked away while instructing the remaining embroidered emissary, ¡°Monitor Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s courtyard closely tonight.¡±


    On the other hand, Fu gonggong did not leave immediately. He cracked a smile at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°B¨® guniang, don¡¯t find it strange. The personality of my family¡¯s Marquis has always been like this, he never talks about sentiment like a King of Yama whenever he¡¯s on official business. Since we arrived in a hurry this time around, the coroner that Hou¡¯ye frequently employs wasn¡¯t brought along, and it¡¯s fortunate that B¨® guniang is assisting. Although Hou¡¯ye looks estranging, he is a person who treasures talent, you don¡¯t have to be afraid.¡±


    Even though B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt some fear in the face of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, there really wasn¡¯t much terror or dread to speak of; she was not part of the officialdom, and she did not have a black muslin for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to take off, why should she feel afraid?


    ¡°Many thanks to gonggong, gonggong can be at ease, I¡¯m not afraid.¡±


    Fu gonggong nodded smilingly, which made him appear all the more benign. ¡°Rare, this is truly rare. Go and rest, it will be a busy day tomorrow.¡±


    After bending her knees and bowing, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pivoted her heels and made her way towards the small courtyard at the end of the corridor. Let alone being afraid of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, she had never placed him within her sights at all. Much of the arteries and veins of this case had already emerged, and once this case was solved, perhaps Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would never return to Qingzhou again in this lifetime; they would not have the affinity of meeting for the second time, so what did Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s current threatening posture count for?


    Furthermore, in the face of an influential nobility like the Marquis Anqing Residence, only Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ¨C someone with a corresponding status and honour ¨C was capable of suppressing them with his thunderous tactics and lack of sentiment, both of which he liberally used. It was easy to understand why those tactics were necessary just by looking at how H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had been impeded on all fronts for half a month.


    In the midst of her flowing and turning thoughts, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u reached the entrance of the small courtyard. The courtyard door was half-open, allowing the faint fire light to seep out from the room. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was just about to call for the door when the courtyard¡¯s door was pushed open, revealing a round face with almond eyes and peach cheeks.


    ¡°Maidservant Ch¨±n T¨¢o, pays her respect to guniang, nubi is meant to serve guniang in her everyday needs within the courtyard.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o was wearing a cyan and unadorned lined robe, looking around the age of eleven or twelve, and judging from her appearance, she seemed to have a genuine personality. Firstly, she guided B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to the warm room and bedroom for viewing in a polite manner, then attended to her as she partook in dinner. Though B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was verbally routing her imperceptibly, Ch¨±n T¨¢o merely felt that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was gentle and amiable, thus she said everything she knew without any reservations. In spite of how they had only interacted for less than a double-hour, they looked like an actual pair of master and servant.


    After taking a bath, Ch¨±n T¨¢o praised B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s inky black hair which was like a waterfall as she said: ¡°Nubi originally wanted to serve Lao Furen for a longer period of time, and request for a better way out later, but one did not expect that such a tragedy would occur.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o had arrived at Lao Furen¡¯s courtyard half a year ago, and she was just a third-ranked maidservant who didn¡¯t manage anything. After Lao Furen passed away, the servants from her courtyard were re-distributed to other areas. Being as young as she was, and without the possession of any special skills, Ch¨±n T¨¢o was not arranged to the other courtyards, and because this guest courtyard was lacking in a servant right now, the steward transferred her here.


    Upon hearing her take the initiative to bring up the Lao Furen, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u proceeded to ask: ¡°After Lao Furen passed away, the Third Master has been taking charge of the family?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded, then shook her head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t really the case at the beginning. During the first few days, the Second Master was handling the household affairs, but someone said that the Second Master was involved in Lao Furen¡¯s death, and gradually, the Third Master started taking charge.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u narrowed her eyes, ¡°I see that the Third Master is extremely comprehensive in his treatment of people. Lao Furen has five sons at her knees, she must have doted on the Third Master the most while she was alive, yes?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o pondered, ¡°That has never been the discernible impression. Lao Furen worships the Buddha, and her temper is very thin, she treats the Masters more or less the same. It¡¯s just that the Second Master has a bad temper, and he would occasionally come into a conflict with Lao Furen. As for the Third Master and Fifth Master, it¡¯s not that much different.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o had only been in the Marquis Residence for two years, and Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o previously stated that they had to ask the older servants in the residence about Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s inauspiciousness since only they were cognizant. Internally aware that she would not be getting any answers from Ch¨±n T¨¢o regarding this matter, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asked, ¡°Were the preparations for the marriage of the Marquis Residence¡¯s Oldest Young Lady made very early on?¡±


    Once this topic was brought up, Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s interest was immediately roused, ¡°Indeed, the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s marriage is the most important affair in the residence. The Oldest Young Lady¡¯s wedding dress was only done embroidering after more than ten seamstresses worked on it for half of last year. Our Oldest Young Lady will be marrying His Second Highness, and there was hearsay that her marriage dowry required over a dozen boats to send it to the Capital¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, the Oldest Young Lady and His Second Highness¡¯ engagement is a story that captures the imagination and has spread far and wide. According to the rumours, Da Furen had just become pregnant with the Oldest Young Lady that year in the capital, and during one of the palace banquets, she saved His Second Highness from drowning in a lake. Back then, His Second Highness was only four- or five-years-old, and he remained in a long coma after he was brought ashore. The imperial physicians were helpless in the face of crisis, and the Guifei was out of ideas, so she invited a respected imperial astronomer to divine his fate. This divination actually claimed that the person who saved His Second Highness was the lucky star of his life; as long as that person was by His Second Highness¡¯ side, His Second Highness will definitely wake up.


    ¡°Afterwards, our Da Furen stayed with His Second Highness for an entire night. Guniang, guess what happened, His Second Highness really woke up! Guifei niangniang was incredibly touched, and upon noticing that Da Furen was pregnant, she claimed that if she gave birth to a daughter, a betrothal with His Second Highness will be arranged upon birth, and she even invited the Emperor to witness it. Later on, the Oldest Young Lady was born, and the arranged betrothal came into effect. The Emperor officially bestowed the marriage last year, and the preparations for the marriage immediately began. Guniang, isn¡¯t it simply miraculous?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was slightly surprised, since she did not expect that this marriage where the families were already well-matched in terms of social and economic status, would have such a story. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Certainly, it¡¯s like they were fated.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded happily, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? It must be an opportune marriage fixed by the Heavens.¡±


    ¡°Then for matters concerning the marriage, who is helping to oversee it?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o faltered, ¡°It should be the Third Master. It is undeniable that the Third Master usually looks steady. Nubi heard that when the marriage dowry was being sent, he accompanied it for half the journey.¡±


    Zheng da xiaojie¡¯s (Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s) marriage to His Second Highness was of paramount importance, and the fact that Lao Furen handed this matter to Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n sufficiently proved that she had some faith in him. Therefore, when Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o stated that Lao Furen and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n were not close in the past, and that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was an inauspicious person, was that real or fake?


    ¡°Does the Third Master have a good relationship with his brothers?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o hesitated momentarily, ¡°It should be good, the Third Master looks like he has a very good temper on most days, and he treats everyone well.¡±


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u mulled over it, she abruptly recalled the Fourth Master whom she had never met in the residence, and asked: ¡°The Fourth Master has yet to return from his travels, what kind of person is he like?¡±


    That question really placed Ch¨±n T¨¢o in a difficult position, because she replied: ¡°Nubi does not know, because in the two years nubi has been in this Marquis Residence, she has not seen the Fourth Master once, but from what others have said, the Fourth Master has not stayed in the residence ever since he was young. It has been so many years, and the number of times he returned can be counted with one¡¯s fingers.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u furrowed his brows once she heard that. A noble son of the Marquis Residence, and yet he did not stay in the residence ever since he was young?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was simply of the opinion that the Marquis Residence had a huge family and business, had a flourishing population, and yet it was also hiding a few unknown secrets which were rather suspect, but the case had occurred while the Fourth Master was travelling outside, so it was probably unrelated to him. She stopped making inquiries, and in addition to an entire day¡¯s worth of fatigue, she fell into restful sleep after getting on the bed.


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    In another guest courtyard a short distance away, Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°Hou¡¯ye was not planning to prolong his stay here when he first arrived, but now it seems that the case needs to be solved before departing again?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said, ¡°One H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, wanting to solve this case, is as difficult as ascending to the Heavens.¡±


    Since he had just finished bathing, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u changed into loose robes that were draped over him, and his damp hair was hanging down his shoulders, which diluted the cold and severe temperament on his body by three parts. He flipped through the documents in his hands, a tinge of fatigue faintly creasing the space between his brows.


    Fu gonggong replied, ¡°Prefectural Magistrate H¨¨ does have some heart to get things done, but he¡¯s still incapable of suppressing aristocratic families like the Marquis Anqing Residence, and it is only with the arrival of Hou¡¯ye that Zheng san¡¯ye became much more well-behaved.¡±


    Having said that, Fu gonggong suddenly remarked, ¡°But Prefectural Magistrate H¨¨ being able to discover such a valuable coroner like B¨® guniang is truly hard to come by.¡±


    The hand that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was using to flip the documents stilled. ¡°What is she called?¡±


    Fu gonggong immediately smiled, saying: ¡°Ru¨° Y¨­u, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, her person does match her name. She said she¡¯s from Qingshan County, but it¡¯s rather apparent that she has the style of a member from a prominent old family, and she is beautiful as well.¡±


    It was unknown what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was thinking as his brows became more tightly knit, whereas Fu gonggong said: ¡°A woman that is similar to a young lady from an influential family, with such highly skilled techniques in post-mortem autopsies, truly, it makes people gasp in amazement. But most importantly, she¡¯s actually unafraid of you, Hou¡¯ye. It has been many years since laonu encountered such a courageous person, though it¡¯s unfortunate that she lost her parents a long time ago, she¡¯s quite pitiful too.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze finally lifted from the documents. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Fu gonggong chortled out loud, stepping forward to extract the documents from Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s hands, ¡°Laonu is trying to say: the whole journey has been terribly exhausting for Hou¡¯ye, and it is time to rest, lest laonu has no way of justifying himself in front His Majesty.¡±


    The current Emperor Jianhe was Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s biological maternal uncle. Upon hearing Fu gonggong utter those words, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his hand and kneaded the space between his brows before he rose to his feet and moved towards the inner room. Fu gonggong could not be more satisfied.


    However, it was unknown what was going through his mind as he whispered the next line in a quiet voice, ¡°If [that person] was still alive¡­ would be as old as her¡­¡±


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    Just as the skies brightened on the next day, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u woke up based on her daily habits. She pushed open the window to see that another layer had been added to the accumulated snow, and promptly realised that more snow had fallen in the middle of last night. Presently, the skies were still dark and heavy, without any intention to clear.


    Since Ch¨±n T¨¢o was still sleeping soundly in the warm room, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u ate some of the pastries from last night and went out of the courtyard. She followed the road she memorised, wanting to go back to Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s mourning hall to examine his corpse again before H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had instructions for her.


    She did not encounter anyone along the way, because the hour was still early for one, and secondly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had imposed martial law on the residence with frigid oppressiveness. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u exhaled on her hands, and just as she turned the corner, her footsteps came to an abrupt halt. From the distance, she saw a three-storey building in the southwest direction.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could basically confirm that it was the Moon-viewing Pavilion where Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n fell to his death.


    Her heart moved and she started to feel her way towards the Moon-viewing Pavilion. Upon reaching the front of the Moon-viewing Pavilion, there were two embroidered emissaries standing guard as she had expected. She observed from the distance, only noting that this pavilion was towering: its floors were much higher than regular wooden buildings, and the lowest floor was made out of white jade tiles. Therefore, it would be difficult for someone to survive once they fell off the third floor.


    With the embroidered emissaries standing guard, entering the building right now was completely out of the question. Hence, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u made a detour to the back of the Moon-viewing Pavilion. She did not believe that ghosts could kill people, but how did the murderer enter the Moon-viewing Pavilion? And how did they manage to leave after killing someone right in front of so many watching eyes?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u believed that perhaps there were clues outside the building.


    After winding around to get to the back of the Moon-viewing Pavilion, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head to have a look, only to see that there was a deck (unroofed platform) wrapping around the third-floor pavilion room in a circle, with red lacquered and cloud patterned railings enclosing it in an equidistant fashion. The hexagonal windows on the second floor that had been sealed off and there was a circle of slanting rooftops outside. Without needing much time, however, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u discovered an irregularity on the outer circumference of the roof eaves with her keen eyesight.


    On the outer circumference of the delicately modelled roof eaves, two ash tiles were unexpectedly missing!


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u swiftly lowered her eyes and searched the ground. Owing to the layers of accumulated snow, she even had to stoop down to excavate the snow, but it was at this moment where a creaking noise came from above her head. The beginnings of the cold wind covered the creaking noise by half, so she did not pay attention to it, but very quickly, an ominous hunch surged within her.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u abruptly raised her head, and what entered her vision was a section of the broken off beam descending from the third floor. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could basically feel that the wind generated by the plummeting beam was more frightening than the cold wind, but she could only close her eyes reflexively. It was falling too fast; she could dodge it at all!


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had already prepared herself for impact, but in the instant she closed her eyes, a gust of wind assaulted her from the back, and in the next, a long and strong arm wrapped around her waist, yacking her backwards.


    ¡°BANG!¡± A loud noise erupted, and a beam that a person could hug with their arms around, grazed past the tip of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s nose and crashed to the ground.


    The snow powder flew up, the lingering echo thunderous in her ears. Body rigid, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u opened her eyes, only to see that a huge pit had been smashed into the snowy ground in front of her, and when she turned back subconsciously, she proceeded to fall into the wintry phoenix eyes from last night.

 CH 5

    ¡°Men come hither¡ª¡±


    An iron arm was looped around her waist, it was a posturing that should never be maintained, and yet Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u immediately called for his men in a deep voice!


    The few embroidered emissaries in front of the Moon-viewing Pavilion were shocked by the deafening noise. They immediately moved upon hearing the order, but after they turned around the corner, all of them became trapped in a daze.


    Their Marquis, and the lady coroner, why were they¡­ hugging?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u pointed at the third floor, ¡°The beam fell down without cause or reason, and it nearly harmed someone, go upstairs and take a look.¡±


    That would explain the sound of something heavy smashing into the ground just now. It was actually the beam that dropped down from the third floor, and it had the circumference of a person¡¯s hug. If it were to smash onto someone, blood was bound to splatter, no matter how steel-muscled or iron-boned a person was. Although they could guess that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was only in that position because he had saved her, the embroidered emissaries present could not resist doing a double-take before they turned around and left.


    Honestly, it was too strange!


    Their Marquis did not even have a female servant, and now a beautiful woman was in his arms. Truly, it was an unprecedented sight.


    It was only after the sound of their footsteps turned the corner and entered the building, that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u lowered his eyes again to peer into his arms.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was stiff against his chest, her fears still lingering on her small face which had been drained of blood. Her eyes ¨C so clear and light the depths could be perceived ¨C was presently displaying the shakiness of her mind and soul, as if she was a startled fawn. It was a nurtured and refined pretty-looking countenance to begin with, and with her current expression, a lovely and pitiable disposition that could shake a person¡¯s core seeped out. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes sank, ¡°Received a scare?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice could not be more normal, but now that the callousness and deterrence, which weighed down like Mount Tai, was missing, it sounded like a breeze carrying fine rain. Subconsciously, she replayed the moment in her mind, unable to stop herself from dropping her eyes and looking at that cinnabar-lacquered beam. With just one look, cold sweat poured down her back.


    If it were not for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s timely rescue, it was more than likely that her skull and spinal column would have been smashed into pieces, thus resulting in her death. Not just that, her sternum and ribs would all break, and the broken bones might pierce into her heart directly, and even a divine being would be hard-pressed to save her then.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u swallowed her saliva with fear lingering in her heart.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was still holding her in his arms, and once his grip loosened, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s body proceeded to stagger, and she nearly lost her balance.


    Hence, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could only support her again. Upon hearing the footsteps in the building go higher and higher, he pulled her back by a few steps. It was an unexpected accident just now. If there was someone upstairs, it would be attempted murder; if there was no one, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was merely wary that another heavy object might smash down.


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was backing away, he slanted B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u towards the side. This was a protective posture; if another object fell down, and with his tall stature and broad shoulders and body, he could shield her completely.


    The cold wind suddenly disappeared as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was shrouded in his shadow. When she lifted her eyes again to look over, she only saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s silhouette that was akin to a paring knife or cutting hatchet, steeped with a compelling valour that was harsh and cold. Usually, it would cause people to cower, but at this moment, it harboured an unfathomable ability to calm her heart.


    The rigidity of her lungs loosened, as though her frozen blood was finally flowing through her four limbs and hundred bones again. Upon realising that she was still leaning on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, she hastily took a step back and forced herself to stand stably, and then she huffed out and said: ¡°Many thanks for Hou¡¯ye¡¯s saving grace.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze was mostly fixed on the top of the tall building, and he did not reply immediately. Very quickly, a few human figures poked out from the railing and yelled towards the ground: ¡°Reporting to Hou¡¯ye, there is no one upstairs, the beam fell because the mortise and tenon (the joints connecting two pieces of wood) has been rotting for years.¡±


    After retracting his gaze, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hands were overlapped in front of her body and wrung exceedingly tight. Her head was slightly lowered, revealing a portion of her graceful neck outside her lapels, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could discern that her lingering fears had yet to recede. He only asked: ¡°It¡¯s still early, what were [you] doing here?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sucked in a breath before she raised her head, pointing towards the edge of the curved eaves. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u followed her gaze, and just as he looked over, his irises darkened. Even though it was being covered by a layer of snow, he could still determine that the outer periphery was missing two ash tiles.


    The Moon-viewing Pavilion was in the northeast direction of the Marquis Residence: it was surrounded by flowers and trees, had white jade for stairs, its carvings were exquisite, and its height allowed for a long and broad view from spring to autumn, but it was currently midwinter in the first month of the lunar new year, so this place was practically devoid of visitors.


    All of the curved eaves on the second floor were undamaged, except for the two ash tiles that had fallen. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, then looked at where B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was previously standing. ¡°You were looking for the two ash tiles?¡±


    With the passing of time, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had already forced herself to calm down. ¡°Yes, for the past month, the Qingzhou Prefecture experienced snowfall three to four times, with each instance being a few days apart from one another. The current, accumulated seasonal snow has yet to melt, and if the tiles can be found in the layered snow, perhaps a rough approximation of when it dropped can be calculated.¡±


    After saying that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sighed audibly as she looked at the fallen beam. Trying to gauge the snow layers was not an easy endeavour to begin with, and now that it had been smashed, she reckoned it would be very difficult to estimate it. A miserable expression flitted across her face as the gaze that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u regarded her with gradually deepened.


    Soon after, the embroidered emissaries upstairs came down, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gestured at the fallen beam on the ground. ¡°Move it away, and search if there are any tiles underneath.¡±


    A few embroidered emissaries came forward and immediately moved away the fallen beam before they searched the snow pit for a period of time. Sure enough, they found a few pieces of broken tiles. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u examined the disorderly snow pile, brooding that the timed method could no longer be used, and some helplessness seeped into her visage. At the side, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u took a few pieces and examined them, ¡°It has fallen for five to six days.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly searched for the voice once she heard that and looked over. Noticing the curiosity in her eyes, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said with great charity: ¡°There was moss growing on the tiles, and this type of moss can survive for eight to nine days at most after leaving its soil.¡±


    The curved eaves had been there for a long time. With the accumulated dust between the tiles becoming mud, it would grow a kind of moss that was reliant on clay, and presently, the moss on the tile had withered by half, which was enough to prove that it had fallen off six to seven days prior. That timing happened to coincide with the day that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n was pushed off the building.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes brightened slightly, but when her gaze swept past that cinnabar-lacquered beam, her eyebrows furrowed. She walked up to it, carefully scrutinising the cinnabar on the beam. Relatively speaking, the cinnabar paint was re-applied a year ago, and while the colour was slightly damaged, it has yet to reach the point where it was dropping off. However, in the dead centre of the beam, there was a strip where the paint had peeled off. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u extended her hand to touch it, ¡°This beam, perhaps it isn¡¯t as simple as the mortise rotting after a long time¡­¡±


    It could not be denied that the mortise on one side of the beam was rotting slightly, but the other side was whole. Now that she saw the area of peeled paint, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started: ¡°It seems like this area was abraded by something, this shape looks like¡­¡±


    ¡°A rope.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave a verdict confidently. He raised his eyes and looked towards the third-floor railing. ¡°If the rope was wrapped around the beam, anyone with a bit of skill is capable of jumping down without anyone knowing about it. For the same reason, the fallen tiles have their explanation as well.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded in agreement. The surrounding flowers and trees were densely packed, if someone took advantage of the chaos and ran away, no one would notice it at all.


    And by doing so, the illusion that a ghost had killed a human was created.


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    After inspecting the beam, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned and headed towards the front door. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knew that he was going upstairs, so she caught up with him quickly. When he saw her following, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had no choice but to admit that not only was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u skilled at post-mortem autopsies, but her observation skills were extremely keen as well. He did not mind making full use of it.


    The first floor was a hall with a few famous paintings of mountains and rivers. Owing to the fact that no one had been here for a long time, dust had fallen on the table and stools. The stairs were on the right side of the hall. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was the first to climb up the stairs, with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u one step behind him. Once she raised her eyes, she could see Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s back figure, and inexplicably, she actually felt that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s frame had become more imposing, and that it inspired a sense of trust and relief in people just by looking at it.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pursed her lips. Prior to this morning, she had asked for nothing ¨C not even credit ¨C besides the resolution of the case. Regardless of how overpowering this Marquis Wuzhao was, or cold-blooded and alienating, it was none of her concern, because it was more than likely that they would never meet again in the future. That timely rescue, however, genuinely filled her heart with gratitude.


    Just as she reached the second floor, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u halted in her footsteps as her nostrils twitched slightly. Instead of continuing forward, she moved towards the warm room which was lined with numerous layered and asymmetric shelves.


    The first floor was an expansive hall, the second floor was a library room, and any vision of the stairs was cut off by the layered shelves. Upon going inside, you could see bookshelves propped up against the two walls, and the bookshelves were packed to the brim with ancient texts. A writing desk and zither platform were available as well. Under the west window, there was a long couch and short table, and at the corner of said window was an unremarkable censer that had been placed on the ground.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u strode towards that censer.


    The censer was made out bronze, all compact and exquisite. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u picked it up, studied it, and took a light sniff, before she revealed an expression that conveyed that she had expected this answer. She surveyed her surroundings, and very quickly, she walked up to the south side of the layered shelf and placed the censer in one of the empty compartments.


    Dust had settled on the compartment as well, and yet there were three spots where the accumulated dust was lighter. Once the censer was placed on top, it happened to match the censer¡¯s legs.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walked over in slow steps, to which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u offered the censer and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the tranquillising incense was inside this censer. The murderer used the censer to light the incense and placed in the corner, so when Zheng er¡¯ye (2nd) arrived later, it¡¯s highly likely that he was knocked out while he was completely oblivious.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u put down the censer, and then went to look at the stairs between the second and third floor. ¡°There were lines of bruises and abrasions on the corpse, and it can be assumed that it was left behind when he was being dragged up to the third floor. While Zheng er¡¯ye is a male adult, his stature is neither tall nor large; an ordinary person is capable of moving him without much trouble.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s height was below 6 feet, and his body figure was slender and thin. He would be around 55 kilograms at most.


    Moreover, there were furniture and decorations of many different kinds in this place, and yet all of them were in proper order, not a single one knocked to the ground, which made it apparent that no physical conflict had occurred. But why did Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n come to this place? And did he see the murderer before he was knocked out? Or did he already meet the murderer face-to-face before that?


    There were so many questions at the bottom of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart. However, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n had already died seven days ago, and since they couldn¡¯t investigate the area at the very first moment, a lot of evidence might have disappeared. As she was contemplating this, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already gone up to the third floor, so she quickly went up.


    Upon reaching the landing, it could be seen the third-floor hall was quite small. There were hexagonal windows on four sides, except the north face had a portrait of the late Marquis Anqing hung up. Moreover, the dust on the floor supported what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u previously deduced: there were traces of someone being dragged and moved along the floor. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u came out from the open small door, thus reaching the deckthat Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n fell from.


    The view from her position was wide; whether it was the place where Lao Furen was temporarily laid to rest, or the courtyard she stayed in last night, she could observe it all with one sweeping glance. The only downside was that the roof eaves were slightly low. Though there was moonlight that night, it was not hard to imagine the murderer hiding behind Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n, which would make it very difficult for the people below to recognise their head and face clearly.


    Pulling their victim upstairs, and then pushing him up and bracing him against the railings. Wait for the people to arrive downstairs, then push down Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n, before winding around to the back¡­


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u tracked the pathing as she was sorting through her thoughts, and then she saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u standing under that fallen roof beam at first glance.


    The beam was heavy, but it was jointed on both sides to complement and support each other. Even if one of the mortises broke off due to rotting, there was still another side that could support the weight. However, someone had wrapped a rope around the beam and scaled up and down. The human¡¯s weight became the other reason why the beam completely broke and splintered, and out of sheer dumb luck, the beam happened to fall at this very instance. Although more than a cup of tea¡¯s worth of time (10 minutes) had passed, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u still felt a chill running down her back whenever she thought about the scenario just now.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was about to step forward when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned his head back and said: ¡°Stand there.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stopped instantaneously and watched as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instructed the embroidered emissary beside him. ¡°Go and inform Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n that it¡¯s best if he repairs and inspects the entire third floor. All of the mortises and tenons here have become slightly slack, and if more people come upstairs, it¡¯s highly probable that an accident will occur.¡±


    The embroidered emissary complied. Then, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u pivoted his body, talking as he walked: ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed him downstairs. Since she was behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, she started to scrutinise him again, albeit unconsciously. She did not know how old Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was, but everyone knew that he was titled Marquis at eighteen and his famous reputation started to proliferate soon after. The rumours had been circulating around Great Zhou for four to five years, and based on those calculations, he would just be twenty and three right now. However, the impression that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave was that he possessed a shrewdness that weighed ten thousand jun, had wisdom and experience that made him seem much older, and during their first encounter, he even called her a ¡°young girl¡±.


    Moreover, he was accustomed to pulling a long face, as if he was always repressing something heavy and upsetting in his heart.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u heaved a sigh. As a person who served beneath one and was above the common masses, he was responsible for and burdened with a thousand jin too; he was like a dangerous building scaling up to a hundred feet, endlessly solitary.


    Just as they came out of the building doors, they saw Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng waiting outside.


    When H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng realised that Marquis Wuzhao was already attending to official business so early in the morning, he felt very guilty in his heart, ¡°Hou¡¯ye reconnoitring the crime scene so early in the morning truly makes xiaguan blush with shame, with Hou¡¯ye overseeing¡­¡±


    ¡°Benhou was not the earliest.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u interrupted H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s praise, directly looking to his right.


    At this moment, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u who was behind him. ¡°Xiao B¨®, you¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u blinked her eyes, the corners of her lips raising slightly. ¡°Daren, morning.¡± As she said that, she saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u taking off again, so she could not resist asking: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, where to?¡±


    How would H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng know? Fu gonggong smiled with crinkled eyes and stated: ¡°He¡¯s going to the Buddha-worshipping Hall, B¨® guniang, not catching up with H¨¨ daren yet?¡±


    Upon hearing that, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng hastily followed in their footsteps. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed towards Fu gonggong and tagged along as well. Fu gonggong was about to leave when an embroidered emissary abruptly came forward to whisper into Fu gonggong¡¯s ear.


    Once Fu gonggong heard it, his eyes widened, issuing a delighted noise, ¡°My goodness, our iron tree of a Marquis has flowered?!¡±


    That embroidered emissary added another line, which made Fu gonggong¡¯s brows twist bitterly, ¡°Like I was saying¡­ how could it be possible¡­ he¡¯s an old iron tree, who knows when he will flower!¡±


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    The Buddha-worshipping Hall was in the west of the Marquis Residence, and by virtue of its remoteness, it was extremely quiet. The old iron tree Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stepped into the Buddha-worshipping Hall, and before he even felt the slightest need to meditate, he sensed the self-afflictions from the Buddha-worshipping Hall instead.


    The Buddha-worshipping Hall was large enough to form a courtyard on its own, but the central hall of the Buddha-worshipping Hall was extremely empty: a writing desk for copying scriptures was on the left-hand side with a complementing short cushion on its right, and the space was bereft of anything else; it was an arrangement that was practically unheard of unless they were monks and nuns cultivating in Buddhism. In the entire room, only the centremost area had simple and unadorned statues that was exquisitely made, offering to the Three Saints of the West, ¨C Bodhisattva Da Shi Zi, Buddha Amitabha, Bodhisattva Guan Yin ¨C and their bejewelled appearances were dignified.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng felt strange once they stepped in. Most aristocratic and influential families had Buddhist Halls that worshipped the Buddha which were decorated in a classically tasteful, peaceful, and beautiful manner. They would either hang a treasured senior monk¡¯s calligraphy or suspend scripture draperies, and prepare a space where classics lectures and tea tasting could be conducted. Since it was meant to cultivate one¡¯s moral character and spirit, it was turned into something joyous and interesting as well. However, this Buddha-worshipping Hall was genuinely austere and stringent, which made it hard for H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng to imagine the Lao Furen frequently praying to the Buddha through the night here.


    The Buddha-worshipping Hall was vacant to the point where it could be surveyed in one glance, and no anomalies could be found. Alas, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u walked towards statues, and stared at the incense burner in front. She raised her hands to nip the ashes of the burnt incense, and it was at this moment when an angry shout suddenly rang out.


    ¡°Stop, stop right now, that¡¯s an object to make offerings, how could it be casually touched?!¡± Having rushed to the Buddha-worshipping Hall in a hurry, the first thing that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n saw was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u touching the incense burner, and he started yelling loudly.


    With how agitated his emotions were, even Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng looked over. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n compressed his expression slightly, cupping his hands as he said: ¡°Reporting to Hou¡¯ye, the Three Saints from the West that Mother worshipped were brought over from the Capital¡¯s Xiangguo Temple, and a senior monk had added his mark to it. Underneath the seat for the Buddha of boundless life is a Buddhist relic that a senior monk left behind after his death, it is genuinely and incomparably valuable!¡±


    As he finished his speech anxiously, shock spread across B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s visage as if she had discovered something. After she confirmed it numerous times, she finally turned around and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there is Datura stramonium present in the incense ashes.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows scrunched, it was Datura stramonium again?

 CH 6

    Before Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n could comprehend what Datura stramonium was, he heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ask: ¡°After Lao Furen died, did anyone ignite any incense in the burner?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n shook his head jerkily. ¡°After Mother¡¯s death, [we] were busy holding Mother¡¯s funeral. Out of all the items inside this Buddha-worshipping Hall, only some of Mother¡¯s remaining belongings were kept, the rest were not touched at all.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows knitted together instantaneously. There was Datura stramonium in the Moon-viewing Pavilion, and there was Datura stramonium in the Buddha-worshipping Hall too, could be it the same culprit?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, ¡°When you searched the Buddha-worshipping Hall previously, why was none of this discovered?¡±


    Although Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n held onto Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s corpse and objected to any examination of that corpse early on, he was still given access to the places related to Lao Furen. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng wiped away his sweat, ¡°When the government hirelings came here to investigate, the incense ash was completely burnt, and no anomalies were discovered.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated for a moment before stating in a low voice: ¡°Datura stramonium is basically odourless after it has been completely burnt out, and only the colour of the incense ash is different. Unless someone had some medical knowledge, it¡¯s quite unlikely for an ordinary person to distinguish it.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shot a look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, desiring to say something but he suppressed it in the end. Then, he proceeded to ask Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n: ¡°Has everyone in the residence gathered?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u arrived at the residence last afternoon, and the inspection of the corpses took quite a bit of time, so he had yet to meet all the people within the residence. In light of the present circumstances, the majority of the people in the residence had the environment to commit the crime, but what their motives were, warranted some in-depth investigation.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n hurriedly said: ¡°They have all been gathered, they are waiting in the reception hall right now.¡±


    ¡°Bring away the incense ash.¡± After instructing H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u told Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, ¡°Lead the way.¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not follow him this time around. She was a coroner; adept at examining corpses and looking for evidence of crime, but she rarely met the suspects. She flipped through the incense ash inside the burner again, and upon noticing the small quantity of incense ash, it was unknown what she was thinking, but she suddenly made her way towards the tall windows to check them one by one. Sure enough, in the northwest corner where Lao Furen copied her scriptures, she discovered that a part of the window paper was broken.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng trailed after her, and similarly noticed the small hole which bore the black stains that came from fumigation.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°When that person arrived, they learned that Lao Furen was copying the scriptures, so they used the knockout drug first, but Lao Furen was not fully incapacitated. The fact that Lao Furen doesn¡¯t have any external injuries on her body is sufficient in proving that the murderer never used any physical force, and they probably provoked Lao Furen first, and then watched as Lao Furen¡¯s illness acted up, which saved them the trouble instead.¡±


    Having said that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asked: ¡°Daren, is there a medicine storehouse in the residence?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng replied tersely, ¡°There should be.¡±


    Most aristocratic and influential families had a medicine storehouse to prepare for a possible period of want or need. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asserted, ¡°Datura stramonium is expensive, and the treatment of common ailments doesn¡¯t require this drug. Supposing that someone specifically went out to buy it, it is likely to draw the attention of others, but if the medicine storehouse already possesses that drug, it would be much easier for the culprit to act.¡±


    After pausing momentarily, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to say: ¡°Actually, the usage of Datura stramonium is somewhat clumsy on the culprit¡¯s modus operandi. This tranquilising drug isn¡¯t that hard to discover, but once it has been discovered, the belief of a ghost killing people is no longer tenable. What else did that murderer do under the guise of Lao Furen?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng issued an order to a government hireling, ¡°Go and ask if there¡¯s a medicine storehouse in the residence.¡±


    The government hireling immediately went to make inquiries with his order. The existence of a medicine storehouse was known by everyone, so the government hireling received an affirmative answer once he asked a managerial boy servant. He returned after a short moment: ¡°Daren, the residence has a medicine storehouse.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng became firm in his heart, ¡°Go, to meet the Marquis.¡±


    Since Marquis Wuzhao was currently in the residence, Marquis Wuzhao naturally had to be informed of this matter. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u then followed H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng to the Marquis Residence¡¯s reception hall.


    Just as they reached the reception hall, they promptly saw the room teeming with people in vast blacks. These people were all clad in white silk mourning robes, and they were all masters within the residence.


    They had just reached the door when they heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s deep voice asking: ¡°Where is Da Furen?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u observed the hall in a sweeping motion. The Second Furen and Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o whom she saw last night were present. Behind them was Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and another woman, and that woman had a seven- or eight-year-old child beside her, which she guessed was the Third Furen and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s son. Standing right at the back was Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and his wife, whereas a single fifteen- or sixteen-year-old lady stood right at the front. Judging from her side profile, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt that this lady was tall and penetrating in expression and disposition, with an honest countenance to match. She reckoned that she was the Marquis Residence¡¯s Oldest Young Lady Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, who was about to marry His Second Highness.


    ¡°Replying to Hou¡¯ye¡¯s words, Mother is gravely ill, and it¡¯s not convenient for her to come out and appear before guests.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s tone of voice was elegant; though she was a female and a junior, she played a critical role in the family.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scowled slightly, turning to glance at the embroidered emissary at his side. That embroidered emissary had already investigated everyone in the residence, so he inclined his body to murmur something into Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s ear. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s knitted brows eased a little, and he did not pursue the question further.


    ¡°Lao Furen and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s death, it can be assumed that all of you are aware of it. It was hard to determine if this case was a homicide early on, but now it has been confirmed that the pair had died because they were conspired against, and everyone here has the opportunity to commit the crime if they have no alibi.¡±


    These words caused all of their complexions to change slightly. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, putting aside Zumu¡¯s death first, but on the night of Second Uncle¡¯s death, all of us were by Zumu¡¯s temporary resting coffin, and we can testify for each other.¡±


    The others nodded in agreement. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, expression serene and deep.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s posture was erect; because she had something to rely on, she did not fear Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u as much as Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n. After all, if she became the Second Prince¡¯s principal consort, she did not have to kneel and bow to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u when she met him, and it was common knowledge that the current Emperor Jianhe favoured the Guifei¡¯s son. If His Second Highness was canonised as the Crown Prince in the future, perhaps there might be a day where Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had to kneel to her.


    At this moment, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng entered the reception hall, sidling up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to whisper two sentences in his ear. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shrank, and in the next moment, he looked towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. For the sake of etiquette, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had stopped in front of the hall¡¯s doors without going in, and now that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was looking over, it made everyone look over as well. Once they saw a beautiful woman standing outside the hall, their expressions contorted.


    Then they heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ask: ¡°The residence¡¯s medicine storehouse, who is in charge?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n stepped forward at this moment. ¡°Replying to Hou¡¯ye, it is being managed by zaixia.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at him deeply, then looked towards H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng again. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng beckoned Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n with his hand, ordering him to step out of the reception hall. It was unclear what he said in a lowered voice, but Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s expression changed as he said: ¡°I remember now, the residence¡¯s storehouse certainly possesses this drug, but the keys to the medicine storehouse is usually with me, and without my keys, it¡¯s not possible to open the medicine storehouse.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately replied: ¡°One will be troubling Third Master to dispatch someone to retrieve the keys as soon as possible, I want to bring my men over to inspect the medicine storehouse later.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n gestured towards his personal servant, issuing a tart instruction before that servant turned around and left. Inside the hall, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°From now onwards, everyone will be entering the side hall in succession, benhou has questions to ask.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood up and headed into the side hall, with Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng trailing after him. The embroidered emissaries who were left behind watched over the reception hall, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u intuitively felt the inferiority of her identity so she stood outside the door waiting. But very swiftly, Fu gonggong came out of the side hall and waved his hand at her. ¡°B¨® guniang, come¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was somewhat surprised, and she entered the side hall under the attentive gazes of the Zheng family members.


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    Just as she came to a standstill, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª walked in. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wore his cold intent like a cloak as he sat in the main seat, with Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng flanking him on the left and right respectively, but the person asking questions wasn¡¯t him.


    Smiling, Fu gonggong said, ¡°Oldest Young Lady, on the night of Lao Furen¡¯s death, where were ?ou?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s countenance was clear and pretty, her deportment elegant. Every gesture and smile exhibited the fact that she had received the best education, she could be considered as tall and pert among her female peers. She stood inside the hall, high-browed and lower jaw raised. Even though Fu gonggong was the one asking the question, her eyes were trained on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, as if only Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had the right to question her, ¡°That night, Second Uncle and Zumu got into an unpleasant argument, and I returned to my courtyard without partaking in the New Year¡¯s dinner. Afterwards, I bathed and rested, not leaving my room¡¯s door for the entire night, and it was only the early morning of the next day where I learned that something bad had happened to Zumu, which prompted me to rush towards the Buddha-worshipping Hall. This fact can be testified by my maidservants M¨° Sh¨± and Hu¨¤ Y¨¬, the other younger female servants within the courtyard can testify as well.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not looking at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª. He was wearing a black jade ornamental ring on his left thumb, and presently, he was playing with the black jade ornamental ring in a careless manner.


    Fu gonggong continued to ask: ¡°What about the night Second Master met with his demise?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª glanced at Fu gonggong, a touch of impatience lining her tone, ¡°I¡¯ve already said just now that all of us were at Zumu¡¯s mourning hall, because it was the seventh day after her death, a religious ceremony was about to take place.¡±


    The smile on Fu gonggong¡¯s visage did not fluctuate in the slightest. ¡°All of us? Has the Oldest Young Lady thought through this clearly?¡±


    A dark glint flashed past the bottom of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s eyes, but once she caught sight of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, she did not dare to be insolent. ¡°That night, Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt were the first to arrive, followed by me, with Second Aunt and Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o coming after, then Third Aunt and Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o, and last being Third Uncle. Second Uncle did not appear the entire time, which we found to be strange. Third Uncle proceeded to dispatch someone to search for him, and not long after, someone came to report, stating that Second Uncle had entered the Moon-viewing Pavilion with a strange expression, going as far as locking the door from the inside, and he would not respond no matter how they called out to him¡ª


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to care about it at the start, but the boy-servant¡¯s narration was queer; the religious ceremony needed Second Uncle to be present, so I travelled towards the Moon-viewing Pavilion together with the rest¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong inquired, ¡°Did everyone go together then?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª knitted her brows, ¡°No, Third Uncle stayed behind, because the various shifu doing the religious ceremony were still around, and he needed to take care of the shifu. However, when the accident happened at the end, Third Uncle was present as well.¡±


    Fu gonggong reiterated his question again, ¡°Oldest Young Lady has to state it clearly, did the Third Master arrive before Second Master fell, or did he arrive after Second Master fell?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª furrowed her brows even tighter and looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u again. She said with much restraint: ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. I was standing at the front, and everyone was badly shaken after the accident happened. Once I turned my head back, Third Uncle was already there, I don¡¯t know when he arrived.¡±


    Pursing her lips tightly, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª raised her chin even higher.


    Fu gonggong peered at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, then twisted his head and said smilingly, ¡°Alright then, Oldest Young Lady¡¯s questioning will end here. After leaving, please ask Second Furen and Da gongzi to come in.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª glowered at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u who hadn¡¯t looked at her from the beginning to the end, seemingly displeased. In the end, however, she still bent her knees and bowed before walking outwards.


    Once she left, Fu gonggong exhaled through his mouth, some helplessness seeping into his smile. At that moment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sensed a bit of mockery.


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    The Second Furen and Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o came in.


    Compared to last night, Second Furen¡¯s complexion seemed to be worse, whereas Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o could not stop his eyes from sweeping towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyes at this moment to observe them, and Second Furen¡¯s expression became even more flustered.


    Fu gonggong still appeared as affable as always. ¡°Second Furen does not have to be afraid, only a few simple questions will be asked. If [you] wish to know how Second Master died earlier, [you] just need to answer the questions truthfully.¡±


    Second Furen nodded. Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o held onto Second Furen¡¯s skirt tightly, shrinking half of his body behind Second Furen.


    Fu gonggong did not pay any heed, only saying: ¡°On the night of Lao Furen¡¯s death, what was the time when Second Master left both of you? When he left, what was his mood like?¡±


    Second Furen did not look at Fu gonggong, nor did she look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the ground two feet in front of her, spirit weary, and her volume was akin to a fly¡¯s buzz, ¡°He¡­ He left at hai shi (9PM), and when he left, he was angry¡­¡±


    ¡°Did he speak any words of agitation?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ He only said why did Mother have to go back on her words¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his head while Second Furen thinned her lips and said: ¡°He said Mother once told him that she would pass him the noble title, and wanted him to change his personality. The request for his title was supposed to be in the folded booklet that was going to be handed up for the New Year, but Mother had yet to make any movements, so he said that Mother had gone back on her words.¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s expression became stricter by a smidgen, ¡°And afterwards?¡±


    ¡°He later shoved open the door and left. It was only till the morning of the second day where we saw him at the Buddha-worshipping Hall after we learned that Mother had met with her demise. He looked dispirited, as if he was still waking up from a hangover. Third Younger Brother asked him where he was last night, and he stammered out that he was in the study. Third Younger Brother then said that there was no one there when he sent the wine and dishes to his study, claiming that he was lying. Hence, both of them started arguing, and they reported it to the officials afterwards.¡±


    Having spoken to this point, Second Furen suddenly raised her eyes. Because the bottom of her eyes was full of blood vessels, it gave the feeling that she was going to cry tears of blood. ¡°But he would never kill. Third Younger Brother bit down on the fact that it was him only because he was vying for the noble title, and he even told us to hand over Mother¡¯s folded booklet. This proves that Mother was genuinely preparing to offer up the folded booklet to request the title for Husband. The person who should be anxious is Third Younger Brother; if someone is really conspiring to murder, it shouldn¡¯t be Husband¡­¡±


    As she continued to speak, tears started to stream down from Second Furen¡¯s eyes. Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o¡¯s mouth became a line as if he was going to cry as well. It was at this moment where a government hireling appeared at the entrance, and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quickly stepped forward in response. After hearing the government hireling¡¯s message, he returned to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s side in quick strides.


    With a heavy expression, he said: ¡°The Third Master can¡¯t find the keys to the medicine storehouse, he said the keys are missing.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stopped fiddling with the ornamental jade ring on his hand, lifting his eyes abruptly to ask: ¡°Last night, why did Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o say that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n is an inauspicious person?¡±

 CH 7

    Second Furen¡¯s previous speech explicitly blamed Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n for slandering Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n, and for having the motivation to kill, but once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u voiced that question, Second Furen exhibited obvious panic on her expression, even going as far as lowering her head to hit Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o once, ¡°Xi¨¡o¡¯er, what nonsense did you spout!


    ¡°Third Younger Brother only harbours the intention of snatching the noble title, there is no saying of inauspiciousness.¡±


    Second Furen lowered her eyes, gaze evasive, and her tone was tinged with fear. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, ¡°Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n lost his life to someone who conspired against him. If you are hiding something, it might allow his murderer to hide even deeper, have you thought about that?¡±


    The space between Second Furen¡¯s brows wrinkled together, and she nodded her head. ¡°Every word that min¡¯fu has uttered is the truth, she does not dare to hide anything from Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at Second Furen for a moment, then shifted his eyes to signal for Fu gonggong to continue.


    Thus, Fu gonggong said: ¡°On the night of Second Master¡¯s death, why didn¡¯t you go to Lao Furen¡¯s mourning hall together?¡±


    Once Second Furen recalled that night, anguish rose from the bottom of her eyes again. ¡°That night, we were supposed to go together, but Husband resented having to go early, and he was in a difficult predicament. After Mother passed away, Third Younger Brother suspected that Mother¡¯s death was related to Husband. Almost immediately, rumours about how Husband murdered Mother circulated through all levels of the residence, and even the servants looked at Husband differently. Husband had flown into a rage because of that, but it did not turn for the better in the slightest. After the first few days, he would stay in his room all day, refusing to go out, and on that night, he wanted to arrive at the mourning hall last.


    ¡°Husband was not willing to go early, but min¡¯fu did not want to be improper. Our second branch was already in a difficult position; min¡¯fu wasn¡¯t just doing it for herself, she was forbearing it for the sake of Xi¨¡o¡¯er, so she left with Xi¨¡o¡¯er first, afterwards¡­¡±


    Second Furen wiped the corners of her eyes. ¡°Since it was said that Husband went to the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, min¡¯fu brought along Xi¨¡o¡¯er and rushed there first under a maidservant¡¯s lead. Upon arrival, [we] saw Husband standing in front of the third-floor railing. Min¡¯fu was about to puzzle over it when she saw a person behind him¡­¡±


    Fear emerged from Second Furen¡¯s eyes, ¡°Back then, [I] didn¡¯t have the time to contemplate who it was before [I] watched with wide eyes as Husband fell down from the building, and just like that¡­ Just like that¡­ He fell to his death right in front of min¡¯fu and Xi¨¡o¡¯er¡¯s eyes.¡±


    Tears poured down, and Second Furen could not help but choke up again. Since she was in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and the rest, she repressed her wails as much as she could, but the more she acted this way, the more distressed the others felt. Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o buried his face behind Second Furen, sobbing quietly as well.


    ¡°If¡­ If it were not for Third Younger Brother suspecting Husband, Husband would not be confronted with everyone¡¯s suspicions, and he wouldn¡¯t have dragged until the last moment before going, and he wouldn¡¯t have died¡­¡± Second Furen clenched her eyes shut, the soft trembles of her cries brimming with pain and grief, but her resentment remained scarce, as if her slender body was a lamp nearly exhausted of its oil, and it no longer had the strength to harbour hate.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°Do you know why he went to the Moon-viewing Pavilion?¡±


    Second Furen wiped away her tears as she shook her head. ¡°Min¡¯fu does not know, the Moon-viewing Pavilion is a place to admire the scenery. When Oldest Brother was still around, he would go there frequently, but once Oldest Brother passed away, he would occasionally call for everyone to admire the scenery and have a small gathering, though it premised on Mother being present and there being a good view first.¡±


    Which made it even stranger; it was the night seven days after Mother¡¯s passing, he clearly knew that the religious ceremony was about to begin, and yet he went to the remote Moon-viewing Pavilion alone.


    The Moon-viewing Pavilion had not received visitors for a long time and dust had sheeted every surface. It was not plausible that he went there to get tipsy and admire the scenery. The only possibility was that he was invited or lured over, but Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n had a temper that was quick to rile, and his position in the residence was respectable as well, so what could have compelled him to go there?


    ¡°In the residence as a whole, is there anyone you suspect?¡±


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked that, Second Furen¡¯s shoulders shrank, and fear was clearly written on her face in large letters, ¡°Min¡¯fu¡­ Min¡¯fu does not know. To say that someone hates and has a desire for revenge against Husband is out of the question, and the only possibility is the noble title¡­¡±


    Second Furen used a tremendous amount of strength to finish saying those words, though she did not dare to point at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n directly.


    ¡°On the seventh day of passing, when did Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n arrive at the mourning hall, and did he leave in the middle? And when Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n met with his demise, when did he appear?¡±


    Owing to the nature of the questions, Second Furen promptly raised her head, and as she was trying her best to recall the details, her eyes brightened slightly. ¡°He arrived after Third Younger Sister-in-law; they didn¡¯t come together. After waiting for [my] Husband for an extended period of time, he commanded the servants to look for Husband while he departed. He was managing the family then, there were many and varied miscellaneous matters to attend to, and he was not obligated to inform everyone where he was going. Min¡¯fu is unaware of where he went, and after the boy-servant reported that Husband had gone to the Moon-viewing Pavilion, min¡¯fu had rushed there in a hurry, and didn¡¯t notice when he arrived, but impressionistically speaking, he should have arrived at the last moment¡ª¡±


    Her account corroborated with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s statement. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes congealed, ¡°When did Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n force both of you to hand over the folded booklet?¡±


    A shred of hatred rose from the depths of Second Furen¡¯s eyes at this moment. ¡°The third day after Husband¡¯s death. Husband has Xi¨¡o¡¯er after all, if Mother truly wrote the folded booklet, and as long as Mother personally wrote it and used the legally binding seal, min¡¯fu can have it sent into the Capital, and the noble title will be inherited according to stated priority and land on Xi¨¡o¡¯er¡¯s head then. It¡¯s precisely because of this that he tried to force [us], he¡­ even went as far as having his servants search our courtyard, but if we really had the folded booklet, why would we keep it instead of sending it into the capital? He didn¡¯t manage to find anything, and I¡¯m his second older sister-in-law when all is said and done; with so many people in the residence watching, he could only return without any gains.¡±


    There were no other questions for the time being, so Fu gonggong said: ¡°One will be troubling Second Furen to call in Third Furen and Third Master.¡±


    ¡°Call for Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n instead.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u spoke, but it was to change the order of the interrogations. Fu gonggong faltered before coming to a subsequent understanding.


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    The Fifth Master Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n had a warm and generous countenance. Once he stepped through the doors, he bowed respectfully, looking very much like a conformist of the rules and customs.


    Fu gonggong asked the usual questions first, like the night of Lao Furen¡¯s death, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was staying together with his wife, and seven to eight of their servants could testify, and on the night of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s death, the married couple had reached the earliest, and they later headed to the moon-viewing pavilion with everyone else to search for Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n. With all that was said, the pair could be ruled out.


    Fu gonggong then asked: ¡°Does Fifth Master hold the suspicion that Second Master conspired against Lao Furen?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n hesitated monetarily before saying: ¡°Zaixia does not hold that suspicion.¡±


    Fu gonggong raised his brows. ¡°One would like to hear the details.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n replied, ¡°When Mother gave birth to Second Brother, it wasn¡¯t easy, hence why she doted on Second Brother more ever since he was young, which led to Second Brother cultivating a somewhat disagreeable temper. When Oldest Brother was still around, it was better, since there was someone to suppress him, but after Oldest Brother left, Second Brother started balking at attempts to discipline him a little. However, irrespective of his short temper, he¡¯s a cowardly person, he wouldn¡¯t dare to kill someone.¡±


    ¡°In your residence, has the saying that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n is an inauspicious person been circulating around?¡±


    In the face of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s unexpected question, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s eyebrows raised, as if he was slightly surprised, but he came back to his senses very quickly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, why is that a question? How was the saying phrased?¡±


    He seemed to be completely out of the loop. Fu gonggong stared at him for a long while, before glancing at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u again. Upon seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was simply unaffected, he said: ¡°Fifth Master may leave, please invite Fifth Furen inside.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n cupped his hands withdrew, while Fu gonggong murmured in a low voice: ¡°Wasn¡¯t it rumoured that Zheng er¡¯ye (2nd) would raise his hand against his wife?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u responded in an apathetic voice: ¡°Only a cowardly and powerless man would raise his hand against his own wife.¡±


    The Fifth Furen Liu-shi came in shortly after. Her account was no different from Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s, and the questions were quickly exhausted. Fu gonggong said: ¡°Please invite the Third Master.¡±


    When Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n entered the room, his expression was already slightly unwell. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u opened his mouth and questioned: ¡°Why have the keys to the medicine storehouse disappeared?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s mien became bitter, ¡°Reporting to Hou¡¯ye, the residence has a reporting hall where household matters are dealt with, and the most important keys are always on [my] person, while less important storehouse keys are placed in a small study within the reporting hall, and the keys to the medicine storehouse were the same. The medicine storehouse has not been open for many days, zaixia has never checked to see if the keys were still there. When the Prefectural Magistrate said that he wanted it today, it was only then that someone was dispatched to retrieve it, but one did not expect that the keys were missing.¡±


    Without beating around the bush, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°On Lao Furen¡¯s seventh day of passing, you arrived the latest, and then you left again, what were you doing?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n hurriedly said: ¡°The late arrival was because I had to arrange the courtyard for the shifu who were conducting the religious ceremony, and I left again afterwards because I heard that Second Brother couldn¡¯t be found anywhere. After giving orders to the servants, I suddenly remembered that Second Brother said that he didn¡¯t hear anyone calling him from the outside whilst he was in the study last time, so I personally went to Second Brother¡¯s study to find him. After I reached the place, I saw the study door open, but there was no one inside. Just as I came out of the study, I heard that he was seen going to the Moon-viewing Pavilion and I hurried over, but I didn¡¯t expect that the accident had already happened.¡±


    ¡°Can anyone testify for you?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n revealed a difficult expression, ¡°This¡­ After I came out from the study, I encountered Steward Lin at the northwest flower bed¡­¡±


    However, the northwest flowerbed was rather close to both the Moon-viewing Pavilion and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s study courtyard, and even if the witness saw him, it could not prove that he did not go to the Moon-viewing Pavilion during that period of time.


    ¡°Did you go Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s study to look for Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n, or were you looking for the title succession folded booklet that your mother prepared for Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze was like a knife, and after he fully verbalised the question, a layer of cold sweat appeared on Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s face. He gritted his teeth and said: ¡°Zaixia does not understand Hou¡¯ye¡¯s question, I really went to look for Second Brother.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze was unwavering, still mighty, oppressive, and dreadful.


    With due haste, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n replied: ¡°The night Mother died, zaixia was in his courtyard the entire night, zaixia has an alibi, Hou¡¯ye shouldn¡¯t be suspecting zaixia¡ª¡±


    Despite that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u rose to his feet. ¡°Go to the medicine storehouse.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n wiped away a handful of sweat and agreed in a respectful manner. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u lifted his foot and walked out, and as he was walking past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, his gaze swept past her face, ¡°You¡¯re following.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u verbally complied, following behind Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng as they stepped out.


    The group walked out of the side hall, and only saw that everyone inside the reception hall were wearing heavy expressions. Upon seeing the profusely sweating Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n lead Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s entourage to head outside, they wanted to follow along, but they were stopped by the embroidered emissaries.


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    The medicine storehouse was in the north. Because it wasn¡¯t frequently used, the entire courtyard appeared a little desolate.


    Once they entered the courtyard, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n pointed at the left wing-rooms and said: ¡°These three rooms are the medicine storehouses. Hou¡¯ye, look, the locks are still in place, it¡¯s just that the keys are missing.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u signalled to the embroidered emissary behind him. That embroidered emissary came forward, and it was unknown how he fiddled with it, but the lock was opened. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was the first one through the door and he strode towards a row of medicine compartments on the left, homing in on the medicine drawer labelled as ¡®Datura stramonium¡¯ and opening it. ¡°The Datura stramonium is placed right¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish saying ¡°here¡±, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s voice was cut off, because the medicine drawer was empty. Why wasn¡¯t there the slightest bit of Datura stramonium in there?


    ¡°This¡­ This isn¡¯t possible¡­¡±


    He pulled open five to six medicine drawers that were conveniently within reach, only to see that it was full of ginseng, reishi mushrooms, so on and so forth.


    The more valuable medicinal herbs were still present, and yet the Datura stramonium was gone.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, ¡°It looks like you owe a proper explanation.¡±

 CH 8

    Thin perspiration oozed out of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s forehead. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, this medicine storehouse is really only opened once every blue moon, and I¡¯ve never carried the keys on my person. Although the doors to the study in the reporting hall are locked, quite a number of people go in and out on a daily basis. Hou¡¯ye, no matter how anxious zaixia is, he would never conspire to murder his own older brother¡¯s life.¡±


    Upon seeing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression chill, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n hastily said: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true that I went to Second Brother¡¯s study that night for the sake of looking for that folded booklet. Before the New Year, I once witnessed Mother writing the folded booklet in the warm room, and when she saw me approach, Mother kept the folded booklet immediately. I didn¡¯t find it appropriate back then, but Mother didn¡¯t bring it up, so I didn¡¯t ask. Afterwards, Mother suddenly passed away and I panicked, when I was putting Mother¡¯s remaining effects in order, I searched Mother¡¯s bedroom and study, but I didn¡¯t manage to find that folded booklet.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n wore a difficult expression, like he was going to cry soon, ¡°I was thinking, did Mother already hand the folded booklet to Second Brother? [I] was busy with Mother¡¯s funeral for the first few days, while Second Brother stayed behind closed doors all day long, so I didn¡¯t have a chance. That night, Second Older Sister-in-law and Xi¨¡o¡¯er were outside, Second Brother was nowhere to be seen, and I finally had a chance to search for it.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n rushed to justify himself, not daring to hide the details any longer. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression was still hard to distinguish as he listened, and he only surveyed the entire medicine storehouse, ¡°Search, see if there are any clues left behind.¡±


    Some of the embroidered emissaries searched the place after receiving their orders. After some time, there were no gains.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes became heavier, ¡°Ask all the servants and stewards from the various courtyards to come for questioning, ensure that there are no leaks in personnel.¡± After giving his instructions, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seemed to suddenly recall something as he asked: ¡°Who is Momo Yu?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n stilled, replying with some hesitation, ¡°She¡¯s a personal maidservant that Mother brought from the Capital, she can be considered as someone Mother places a great deal of trust in. However, she committed a mistake more than ten years ago and she was chased to the ancestral hall to guard the ancestral hall for the Zheng clan.¡±


    ¡°She committed a mistake more than ten years ago?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n nodded, ¡°Yes, roughly fifteen or sixteen years ago, though the specifics are unknown. The ancestral hall is in the northwest direction of the residence. Momo Yu has barely stepped out of the ancestral hall for the past few years, and Mother would only see her whenever she has to go to the ancestral hall to offer incense during the New Year festival. She¡¯s a cold-feeling person, even when Mother passed away, she did not appear at all.¡±


    A trusted aide that was brought from the Capital, and yet she was punished to guard the ancestral hall for more than ten years.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, ¡°Dispatch someone to check the ancestral hall to see if that¡¯s the truth.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng nodded and complied. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then said: ¡°Since you have no alibi, from this moment onwards, return to your own courtyard and refrain from randomly moving around. The words that you spoke just now, benhou will naturally seek proof.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was in slight dilemma, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, today is the second seventh of Mother¡¯s passing, there will be a small religious ceremony later.¡±


    After muttering to himself irresolutely for a brief moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u pointed at one embroidered emissary, ¡°You¡¯re following him.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n sighed in relief. Very quickly, there was an embroidered emissary reporting, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, all of the servants in the residence have been gathered.¡±


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    There were a lot of servants in the Marquis Residence and wanting to interrogate all of them needed quite a bit of time. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not falter in the slightest as he ordered someone to lock up the doors of the medicine storehouse and doubled back to the front courtyard. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, however, sidled up to H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, ¡°Daren, I want to examine a corpse.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng dithered, ¡°Examine whose¡­¡±


    ¡°Examine the Zheng Second Master¡¯s.¡±


    After giving a pause, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°The reason why Zheng er¡¯ye went to the Moon-viewing Pavilion is still inconclusive, and while his cause of death is known, there are still a lot of contentious points. I would like to see if there are any other clues on the corpse.¡±


    The volume of her voice was not loud, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u still came to a halt and looked over even though he was at the front.


    Once Fu gonggong saw him react that way, he immediately said with great zest, ¡°B¨® guniang! I¡¯ll go with you!¡±


    After Fu gonggong was done speaking, he looked towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, asking for his opinion. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded slightly, and then brought the rest of his entourage to leave.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng commented, ¡°Since Fu gonggong will be going together, I will accompany Hou¡¯ye for the interrogations then.¡±


    Fu gonggong waved his head smilingly, and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quickly chased up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Once they departed, Fu gonggong turned his head and told B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°Let¡¯s go, B¨® guniang, zajia really likes watching your post-mortem autopsies.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was split between laughter and tears, ¡°This is the first time one has heard someone say that they like watching post-mortem autopsies.¡±


    Fu gonggong issued a long sigh, ¡°Truthfully speaking, zajia came from the inner palace, and how could he have possibly witnessed such scenes at the start? Ever since the Emperor ordered zajia to follow Hou¡¯ye, he became used to it. Beyond being accustomed to it, zajia even has the routine questions for interrogations more or less memorised. Haa, it is truly hard on these old bones of zajia; it really isn¡¯t easy to follow Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    The pair had already turned towards the west courtyard, and Fu gonggong questioned her as they walked: ¡°How many corpses has B¨® guniang examined?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought about it, ¡°Having gone in and out of charnel house since the age of twelve, it should be above the hundred mark presently.¡±


    Fu gonggong clicked his tongue, ¡°Will B¨® guniang continue being a coroner in the future?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said smilingly, ¡°It will be continued, yes.¡±


    Fu gonggong gazed at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u with some worry, which gave B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u some goosebumps. She said: ¡°Gonggong does not have to worry for me, although coroners are lowly and subservient, the skills of a coroner can help the deceased speak. The common people believe in Buddhism and the Taoist philosophy, but I believe in the blade in my hands more. Since I am of this opinion, I do not find it exhausting, and I won¡¯t ever self-deprecate or pity myself.¡±


    Just as her voice landed, they saw a few servants from the Marquis Residence carrying big and small ritual offerings towards Lao Furen¡¯s place of temporary rest for the religious ceremony. Fu gonggong immediately grinned, ¡°B¨® guniang¡¯s words are indeed genuine; when a falsely accused person dies, believing in the Buddha and Tao is ineffectual.¡±


    As he was saying that, he noticed a maidservant at the back suddenly tripping on something and falling, which made the fruit platter she was holding tumble and fall to the ground instantaneously, and one of the fruits rolled to Fu gonggong and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Stupid girl! What are you doing! Those are ritual offerings for Lao Furen!¡±


    The steward in front yelled at her, but when he caught sight of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Fu gonggong, his complexion changed instantaneously. Suppressing his voice, he said: ¡°Hurry and pick them up, are you trying to startle the noble guests?¡±


    The stupid girl clambered to her feet, hobbling towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stooped down and picked up the fruit, and when that stupid girl tottered up to her, she handed her the fruit.


    The stupid girl kept her head lowered the entire time, and it was only when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u placed the fruit in her palm that she swiftly raised her head to look at her.


    Once she lifted her head, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s breathing stagnated. The stupid girl had a pair of light almond eyes, but the left side of her face had a purplish-black scar that was the size of a palm which basically covered the left half of her whole face. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u discerned that this was an old scar left behind by a burn wound.


    Only nodding her head to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, the stupid girl held the fruit, twisted her body, and walked away. Once she had her back turned, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows knitted together again.


    The stupid girl was still hobbling. When she was approaching, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had presumed that she injured a certain area when she fell, but as she was going back, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u realised that the stupid girl was actually lame.


    Once that group had walked away, Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°She doesn¡¯t look old, but she was burned and crippled, she is truly pitiful.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hummed in response, ¡°It is surprising that the Marquis Residence still chooses to use her.¡±


    In most aristocratic and influential families, there were strict requirements for the servants; if their bodies or appearance was ruined, it was more than likely that they would not be kept.


    Fu gonggong replied, ¡°She¡¯s technically fortunate as well.¡±


    While the pair were conversing, they reached the front of the west courtyard. The courtyard was being watched over by the government hirelings, and once they saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Fu gonggong arriving, they immediately welcomed them. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had examined Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s remains last night, but she was going to dissect him today, so she still needed to exert some effort.


    After entering the mourning hall and making the preparations, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u picked up a small and trusty scalpel. As he watched her precisely cut open the corpse¡¯s belly like yesterday, Fu gonggong had to pinch his nose and take a step back, ¡°Zajia has been following Hou¡¯ye for a long time but meeting a coroner that makes an all-out effort like B¨® guniang is quite rare.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s demeanour was cold and severe, and despite hearing his remark, she did not raise her head as she stated: ¡°As more time elapses, it becomes harder to solve the case.¡±


    ¡°That is true for certain.¡± Fu gonggong heaved a sigh. ¡°One only hopes that useful information can be garnered from the questionings happening in the front courtyard.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said, ¡°One fears that it won¡¯t be easy. However, any discovery made on the corpse is more useful than a hundred lines of testimony.¡±


    Today was the seventh day after Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s death, and putrefaction had disseminated even more. The exterior of his four limbs had become a frightened bruised-purple colour, there were tiny fungi around his mouth, nose, and nether regions, and his abdominal cavity was rotting. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her head as she meticulously inspected his stomach, and without needing much time, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u brought over a porcelain platter meant for storing offerings, and carefully placed a ball of filth that she had extracted from the corpse¡¯s stomach.


    Fu gonggong pinched his nose, ¡°What is that?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°It is unclear. The deceased has been dead for seven days. There is no longer any food in his stomach, but this stuff has yet to be digested fully.¡±


    After hearing that it was taken out from the corpse¡¯s stomach, Fu gonggong strode over the entrance to take a deep breath. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stitched and put the corpse back into proper order, and then carried the porcelain platter towards the smaller corner room at the side. After washing her hands first, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u poured some water into the porcelain platter, and once the filthy liquid was diffused by the water, the dirty object that had been scrunched together into a ball opened up.


    Fu gonggong walked closer in a hurry, ¡°What is it?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u retrieved the bamboo tweezers from her wooden box and carefully clipped the object up. After scrunching her eyebrows a few times, she said: ¡°It¡¯s paper.¡±


    ¡°Paper? What paper?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u frowned, ¡°It¡¯s gold dusted paper.¡±


    While gold dusted paper was considered expensive, this was an aristocratic family, it was still common enough.


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    All of a sudden, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u spoke again, ¡°There are words on it.¡±


    Before Fu gonggong had the time to ask, a deep voice suddenly appeared behind them. ¡°What words?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u froze, raising her eyes to look towards the door. Just as she had expected, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had arrived.


    She straightened her back and shook her head, ¡°The ink has become exceedingly faint, it can¡¯t be seen for the time being.¡±


    As Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u moved closer, his back was facing the light which hid his facial features in the shadows, and only his pair of eyes were glinting like cold stars. Instead of evading or shifting away, she met his eyes, ¡°However, min¡¯n¨¹ has a way.¡±

 CH 9

    ¡°Gold dusted paper is a common fine writing paper, it¡¯s just that when the fine writing paper is being manufactured, gold and silver ¨C either in fine powder or foil form ¨C will be adhered to the surface with gum powder, which gives rise to the lustre of gold and silver on the coloured wax paper. Hence, it is called gold- and silver-dusted multi-coloured wax paper.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u used two bamboo tweezers to carefully manipulate the paper in the porcelain platter. ¡°Consequently, gold dusted paper is much thicker than ordinary fine writing paper, and the ink doesn¡¯t bleed as easily, which is why many people are fond of reciting poems and drawing on it, since it appears more antiquated and loftier. In a Marquis Residence, it should be a frequently seen item. However, this item was swallowed by the deceased and remained in his stomach for a long time, so the ink stains have been mostly digested, but the fortunate part is that the paper material is thick, and there¡¯s a method to salvage it at least.¡±


    Having said that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ needs a type of blue grass.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bent over, rolling her robe sleeves up which revealed a section of her jade-like arms and luminous wrists, her slender body and waist becoming fuller as she held that particular position. It was evident that she was wholly absorbed in her work, but she was suffused with an indescribable gentle elegance.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at her, ¡°What kind of blue grass?¡±


    ¡°Persicaria tinctoria, isatis tinctoria works too.¡±


    Blue grass could be used to apply colour, and it was frequently used in the dyeing of common fabrics. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, going out of the door to issue a command.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her eyes again to fiddle with that small ball of gold dusted paper.


    The gold dusted paper was only the size of a palm, which had been squeezed into a ball before it was swallowed into the stomach, and then slowly digested in the stomach for a few days, starting from the outermost layer. Currently, only a thin translucent layer remained, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not dare to be negligent, genuinely afraid that the word traces would be removed if it was torn.


    After changing the water twice, that wrinkled paper ball gradually showed its original form. Fu gonggong was also standing at the side and he said in surprise: ¡°It really is gold dusted paper.¡±


    After it was cleansed with water, the faint gold and silver fine powder revealed its lustre; the entire paper became thin and slack, and an occasional downward or curved inked brushstroke could be perceived on its surface.


    Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°How are we supposed to distinguish it?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°Wanting to distinguish every character is impossible, but min¡¯n¨¹ will try her best.¡±


    Fu gonggong shifted his pupils to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Did Hou¡¯ye gain anything from the questionings in the front courtyard?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression was grave, ¡°It did not differ much from Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s account.¡±


    Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, ¡°Therefore, there is no way of confirming if Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) had lied. Although his intentions are slightly dishonourable, there is no evidence, and it¡¯s not possible to determine if he has harmed someone.¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s bright eyes landed on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s person, ¡°It will depend on whether B¨® guniang can bring out the word traces.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u as well.


    Among the numerous instances where he arrived at a prefectural government office to handle a case, this was his first time encountering someone like B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, a small coroner who was more hardworking than the main official, and the most important part was that she had the skills to match. Had she been a man, she could be subordinated.


    A trace of regret emerged from the depths of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes uncontrollably, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u happened to be wiping the sweat off the back of her hands when she raised her eyes slightly and collided with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s peculiar gaze, which made her stiffen slightly, somewhat confused.


    The emotions in Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes were only there for a fleeting moment. Frowning, he asked: ¡°How long will it take for the word traces to appear?¡±


    His tone of voice was strict again, as if that instant was just B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s vision playing tricks on her. She mulled over it, ¡°By tomorrow perhaps.¡± She looked out of the window after saying that, only to see that the rising sun was going to reach the middle of the sky soon, and she added, ¡°And it needs to be sunny today.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u furrowed his brows, as if he was not very satisfied with the time necessary. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not know why, but she abruptly recalled that during their first meeting yesterday. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had been displeased when he learned that she was actually the coroner that H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng invited, which caused the thought that ¡°Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u denigrated women¡± to flow past her mind, and she subsequently changed her words, ¡°When the sky darkens, in the best-case scenario, it will manifest this evening.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows relaxed slightly, and his eyes cleared up like the clouds dispersing too. Which superior in the world didn¡¯t like having a subordinate like this?


    A trace of regret emerged from the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s heart again, except there was not the slightest indication on his face.


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    ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    The voice abruptly rose. It was H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng rushing over. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned around, and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately spoke after he stepped through the door: ¡°Xiaguan has already dispatched someone to the ancestral hall and has met with Momo Yu. She lives in the ancestral hall alone, and according to what she said, she has not exited the ancestral hall¡¯s doors at all in the past few years. With regards to the happenings in the residence, she only knows that Lao Furen has passed, and she didn¡¯t even know that Zheng er¡¯ye fell off a building.¡±


    Having said that, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s expression became a little queer, ¡°This individual is rather strange.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, causing his obese face to wrinkle into a ball, ¡°Xiaguan does not know how to describe it either, he simply feels that a person staying inside the ancestral hall for so many years without setting a foot outside once, seems quite impossible. Moreover¡­ Hou¡¯ye didn¡¯t see her, she looked like, she could invoke fear in the hearts of others. Gloomy, she¡¯s incredibly gloomy¡­¡±


    After pondering for a moment, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng used the word ¡®gloomy¡¯.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knitted his brows, ¡°Where is this person right now?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng replied, ¡°She¡¯s still in the ancestral hall.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u swept a glance in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s direction before saying: ¡°Bring benhou over to have a look.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng nodded without missing a beat, while Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Fu gonggong again, to which Fu gonggong promptly stated: ¡°Hou¡¯ye may be at ease, laonu will stay.¡±


    Conversation closed, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then departed from the mourning hall.


    Once he stepped out, he sensed that while the sun was out today, the wind that blew past his face was particularly cold. At this moment, there were two servants carrying over heavy furniture in the distance, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u noticed that the hands they were using to lift those objects had been frozen to the point where they were red. His phoenix eyes became a little profound, suddenly recalling how B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s fingers had looked like as she was holding the bamboo tweezers. Her slim, jade-like fingers were slender like peeled scallions, as if they had been covered by the snow once.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u retracted his line of sight.


    He did not verbalise any of his thoughts, only scrutinising the Marquis Residence¡¯s Garden. Because the ancestral hall was far removed from the Marquis Residence¡¯s main body, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had to travel further north, which made him realise how big the Marquis Residence was. ¡°This garden was built by the Zheng clan?¡±


    As H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng mulled over the implications of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s question, he could only answer with the facts: ¡°It wasn¡¯t. This garden was a travelling residence of qinwang from the previous dynasty, and when it was being constructed, it drew over the flowing waters from Huanhua Brook which was located south of the city, and three lakes were constructed inside the garden. Later, the previous dynasty changed over, the garden was abandoned, and even the lakes dried up. It was roughly sixty to seventy years ago when the former Old Zheng Patriarch purchased it, thus turning it into the ancestral residence after it was renovated.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u absorbed the entire scenery into his eyes. The further north they went, the more hundred-year pine and cypress trees he could see. If this garden was built by the Zheng clan, then they would have spent quite a sizeable amount of money. Since he was vested with the duty of checking the hundred officials, it was natural that he would pay attention to these minor details.


    Once they traversed through a moon gate, they truly left the main body of the Marquis Residence. In front of them was a dense bamboo forest, where the sunlight being cast down became a mottled area of light and shadow. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u passed through the secluded path with his entourage, and he caught sight of the Marquis Residence¡¯s secluded ancestral hall which was being cloistered by pine and cypress trees.


    The accumulated snow was akin to jade, the luxuriant pine and cypress that reached high into the sky formed an umbrella canopy which seemed like a sky dome, thus shrouding the entire ancestral hall. Despite standing at the periphery of the ancestral hall, he still felt that this place rarely saw daylight, and the gloom was exceedingly heavy.


    Although pine and cypress were frequently planted beside ancestral halls to manifest a solemn and serene atmosphere with the intent of respecting their ancestors, the scene before them truly conformed with H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s shortly worded description of ¡®gloomy¡¯.


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    The group entered the courtyard gates. The accumulated snow covered the ground inside the courtyard, and there were only a few sets of evenly-spaced footprints that were left behind a while ago. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng walked over in quick strides and called for the door: ¡°Momo Yu? The Marquis has arrived, open the door¡ª¡±


    It was so quiet inside the room a pin drop could be heard. Just as H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was wrinkling his eyebrows, the door was opened without any warning. Prior to this, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng did not hear a single sound of footsteps approaching.


    A face, which appeared ghastly pale because it barely saw the sunlight all year round, appeared behind the door. Momo Yu was fifty years old, and her visage was originally withered like chicken skin, and now with brown spots and a pair of lifeless, black and penetrating eyes joining the mix, it was slightly frightening.


    After her face appeared behind the door seam, and saw the people outside, her gaze focused on the space behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    It was unknown what she was thinking, but her expression suddenly contorted a little. The corners of her lips pursed before she opened the door.


    She was wearing black robes instead of a white silk mourning dress. The room was dim, and her entire body looked like it was hidden in the darkness as well. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng wavered on whether he should go through the door, while Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stepped into the ancestral hall with large strides.


    There was a large central hall after he stepped through the door. The memorial tablets of the Zheng clan¡¯s forebears were placed in the truth north, and the flames of the altar lamps below were dim. There were wing-rooms on both sides; one side stored the incense and offerings, the other was Momo Yu¡¯s room. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u surveyed the room with widened eyes before shifting back to stare at Momo Yu, who had her hands crossed behind her back as she stood, and she did not look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u face-to-face since her head was lowered.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°How many years have you been here?¡±


    ¡°Nubi has been here for fifteen years.¡±


    When Momo Yu spoke, it was pervaded with a sense of rigidity, like she had not spoken to another human for a long time, and in addition to the hoarseness of her voice, it sounded a little strange.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to ask: ¡°Why were [you] sent here?¡±


    Momo Yu pursed her lips, ¡°Nubi had erred, she came here to atone for her crime.¡±


    Momo Yu lowered her head. If the doors were closed, she would be akin to a human puppet hiding in the darkness, for her whole body was devoid of any vitality. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u remained silent for a moment before asking: ¡°What crime?¡±


    Momo Yu¡¯s head kept her head lowered, unwilling to answer that question up until now.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scowled. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stated: ¡°The personage asking these questions is Marquis Wuzhao. Momo Yu, there are currently doubts about Lao Furen¡¯s death in the residence. Benguan advises you to speak of everything you know without reservation, and seek justice for Lao Furen at least, to fulfil your long-standing relationship as master and servant.¡±


    Momo Yu¡¯s head was still lowered, ¡°Lao Furen¡¯s mortal age is above half-hundred, and she has died of old age. In the next few days, nubi will follow her too, till the depths of the earth, and nubi will surely sustain the relationship of master and servant with Lao Furen.¡±


    After she uttered those words, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng could not help but fight a shudder.


    Not only did she say that she was also going to die in the next few days, but she even declared that it was to the depths of the earth¡­


    Amidst the darkness, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u issued a cold laugh, ¡°Momo does not fear death, but has she ever thought about the other sons and grandsons within the Maquis Residence? Momo is an old servant by Lao Furen¡¯s side, and since [you] refuse to answer what the crime was, why don¡¯t [you] talk about the matter of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n being born inauspicious?¡±


    Momo Yu¡¯s shoulders clearly shrank. All of a sudden, she raised her eyes to look behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, as if someone was hiding behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. That gaze made H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng shiver internally, and he quickly looked behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s body as well. A short distance away from Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s person, however, was merely a portrait of an ancestor of the Zheng clan, though it was unknown who he was.


    ¡°Fifteen years ago, one of the Marquis¡¯ concubines was giving birth to a child, but nubi¡¯s care was ineffectual which led to the deaths of the mother and child. It was supposed to be a death by cane flogging, but Lao Furen remembered [our] master-servant relationship and ordered nubi to come to this place to atone for her crime, and that is the reason why nubi is here.¡±


    After Momo Yu was done speaking, she turned around, walking up to the front of the columns of Zheng clan¡¯s ancestors and knelt down, reciting the scriptures out loud.


    Her back figure was like a stone carving. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng wanted to step forward and continue interrogating her, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his hand to stop him. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knew that this Momo Yu would not be opening her mouth again today.


    A sardonic smirk, however small it was, hung on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s lips as he twisted his body and walked outwards. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng trailed after him, and he could not resist rubbing his arms after coming out because they were strewn with goosebumps. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, someone like her is really too strange. When xiaguan came over just now, she merely opened half of the door, and she replied from behind the door, it was truly terrifying. Hou¡¯ye, what should be done now?¡±


    ¡°Check the servants in the Marquis Residence and see if there¡¯s anyone who has stayed in the residence for more than fifteen years and verify if she¡¯s speaking the truth or not. Furthermore, ask all the old residents in the Marquis Residence about the rumour regarding Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s inauspiciousness, one by one.¡±


    Just as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u reached the courtyard exit, he abruptly halted. When he turned around to look at the hall doors again, a harsh tint appeared in the bottom of his eyes once more, ¡°The more [they] dress up as God and play the Devil, the more it seems that the inauspicious rumour has some deeper meaning.¡±


    Then, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u departed from the ancestral hall without sparing another glance.


    Inside the mourning hall of the western courtyard, an embroidered emissary brought over the persicaria tinctoria he had found. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was currently submerging the thin gold dusted paper in the colourless juice water. Fu gonggong was visibly intrigued, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u explained: ¡°This juice water looks colourless, but after it saturates cloth or paper, and is exposed to the sun, colour will be applied. This gold dusted paper is already incredibly thin, and the applied colour will be of the worst quality, but colour will nonetheless appear on the areas with ink.¡±


    Surprised, Fu gonggong asked: ¡°How did you come to know this?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled, ¡°Yifu taught it once. Two years ago, there was a case in the county government office where the murderer sank a letter to the lake bottom. The handwriting was faint and hard to recognise, so Yifu used this method to make the words appear.¡±


    Fu gonggong replied, ¡°Then your foster father is a highly skilled person as well.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only smiled wordlessly. After letting that gold dusted paper soak for an hour, she dredged it up and spread it out on a handkerchief, then brought it to a sunnier place to dry. Fu gonggong stared at that gold dusted paper without blinking, only to realise that as it was being exposed under the sun for a longer duration, the originally brownish-yellow paper started to change in colour as expected, and those inked traces started to show some form.


    As the sun gradually slanted to the west, the written characters increased, but there were one or two words that were barely recognisable. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s visage darkened, and she brought the handkerchief and paper into the morning hall before asking a government hireling to kindle a fire brazier to bake it.


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    In the evening, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u brought H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng to the mourning hall again. When they were speaking of their experience in the ancestral hall, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was full of laments, while Fu gonggong clicked his tongue in wonder as he listened, ¡°A proper aristocratic and influential family, why is it pervaded with oddities in every corner?¡±


    The night was about to descend, and while Fu gonggong might have forgotten how B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had said that the words would appear by evening, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not. She held onto the paper ¨C not too near or it would burn to a crisp; not too far or else it would not be effective ¨C at a distance that was neither near nor far, which broiled her small face to a bright red. Yet, as her bright eyes reflected the fire light, the inundating and blooming colours caused by each leaping flame flowing between her brows and eyes, unexpectedly giving rise to a distinct, flattering and coquettish flavour.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood at the entrance, initially stunned by a single glimpse of the beauty, though his gaze continued to linger unconsciously.


    At this moment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s refined eyebrows arched, her beautiful eyes sparkling and her lip corners raising high, ¡°The words can be seen¡ª¡±


    This was the first time Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u witnessed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiling like this. Her flowing and inundating charms became all the more vivid in a split second, and in that instant, it was like a ray of light piercing through the dark, gloomy, and indistinct mist of dawn, shocking his state of mind. He was used to only focusing on official business, and owing to this momentary sluggishness, Fu gonggong stepped across the threshold first despite being one step behind him.


    In the faint fire light, Fu gonggong could not help but recite the visible words out loud.


    ¡°On my first seventh, thus death is due.¡±


    ¡°Yin Year Yin Hour, for I¡­ What is that character?¡±


    Some of the handwriting had lost its form, and Fu gonggong struggled to discern it in the moment, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u recognised it.


    ¡°Yin Year Yin Hour, for I pay with life.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u recited the nine words in a cold and deep voice. Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng shuddered right then and there, whereas B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u suddenly frowned, ¡°Today¡­ is the second seventh of Lao Furen¡¯s passing¡­¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and Fu gonggong did not understand B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s words, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u rose to his feet instantaneously. It was also at this moment where an embroidered emissary sprinted into the mourning hall, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, something bad has happened to Zheng san¡¯ye!¡±


    Translator¡¯s Notes:


    The actual two-line and four-character poem is actually this:


    Îá֮ͷÆߣ¬¶ûÖ®ËÀÆÚ¡£ (wu zhi tou qi, er zi shi qi)


    ÒõÄêÒõʱ£¬ÎªÎá³¥Ãü¡£(yin nian yin shi, wei wu chang ming)


    It actually flows and rhymes rather well in Mandarin, and it should be noted that the last part of the poem ¨C ¡®for I pay with life¡¯ (ΪÎá³¥Ãü) ¨C can also be interpreted as ¡®pay with your life for me¡¯.

 CH 10

    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n died in his own study.


    The night¡¯s curtain had completely descended. When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to the study, the lamps within the study were brightly lit.


    The Third Furen Liu-shi brought Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s son, Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o, with her to the ground, weeping, and little Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o had a pale face as he leaned into Third Furen¡¯s embrace, crying and trembling at the same time, as if he had suffered from a fright.


    The embroidered emissary watching over this place said: ¡°After Lao Furen¡¯s religious ceremony ended in you shi (5-7PM), this subordinate was following Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) the entire time. Afterwards, Zheng san¡¯ye personally escorted the various shifu who conducted the religious ceremony out of the Marquis Residence, before returning to his own courtyard. This subordinate was standing guard at the courtyard entrance, and not even an hour after Zheng san¡¯ye returned to his courtyard, he suddenly left with a heavy expression, directly heading for this place.


    ¡°This subordinate does not know what happened to Zheng san¡¯ye, and only witnessed him entering the study without coming out again, so he stood guard at the courtyard door. Approximately one hour later, the Zheng family¡¯s er gongzi (his son Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o) came looking for Zheng san¡¯ye, and he entered the courtyard alone. This subordinate first heard the door being knocked, and er gongzi knocked on the door for a long time but no one responded. Just as this subordinate felt that something was amiss, he heard er gongzi screaming inside.


    ¡°This subordinate quickly entered the courtyard, and promptly saw er gongzi falling to a sitting position underneath the edge of the window with a snow-white complexion, yelling the two words ¡®Zumu¡¯ from his mouth. This subordinate realised that er gongzi had pierced through the window paper, so he quickly looked inside through that hole, and immediately realised that Zheng san¡¯ye lying on the writing desk, and could smell the blood. This subordinate was cognizant that this was bad, so he used his personal dagger to break open the door latch. But after going through the door, Zheng san¡¯ye had already stopped breathing.¡±


    After saying all these, that embroidered emissary knelt on the ground and asked for his punishment. ¡°This subordinate has been ineffectual in his overwatch, may Hou¡¯ye mete out the punishment.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had ordered this embroidered emissary to follow Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n at dawn. For the entire day, he did indeed follow him closely, and it was only much later that he stood guard in the courtyard that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was situated in. In the summary of his whole account, there was no dereliction of his duty.


    Two cases of homicide had already occurred in the Marquis Residence, who could have predicted that a third person would die?


    Precisely because of this, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave that subordinate a sweeping glance, still wearing a strict expression, ¡°Go and receive your punishment.¡±


    Though the embroidered emissary¡¯s complexion was slightly pale, he seemed to sigh in relief as he complied and withdrew.


    Third Furen and Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o had arrived the fastest, and they were currently being supported by two slave-servants as they cried until they were struggling to breathe. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was internally aware that he would not be able to gain any answers from them, so he brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u into the study.


    The Marquis Residence was expansive, and the few masters had their own independent small courtyard to act as their study. Upon entering the extant courtyard, there was a small wing-room on the left and right, with central room being especially large since it was three rooms joined into one, only partitioned off with numerous asymmetrical and layered shelves. A tall and large bookshelf was placed on the right side, containing a great number of books until the shelves were basically packed to the brim, and on the left was the area where Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n entertained his guests and advanced his learning.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was lying on the writing desk, an exquisitely shaped demon-capitulating pestle impaled into his heart from the back. Blood was flowing down his spine, thus soaking the entire desk, seat, and the floor under, into a puddle of scarlet.


    The assailing smell of blood could make scalps numb. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was clearly standing in the spot where the lights were flourishing the most, but his entire body was so saturated with darkness and cold harshness that even the lights could not shine through. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knew, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was infuriated.


    In a place where he was keeping watch, the murderer actually dared to kill someone.


    The cold perspiration on H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s forehead dripped out, and he could not stop himself from constantly wiping his sweat with the handkerchief he was holding. Fu gonggong looked at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s corpse, revealing indignation on his face, ¡°He was still a living person in the day, and now¡­¡±


    ¡°Examine the corpse.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly issued the order.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u responded in the affirmative, lifting her feet to walk towards Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s side.


    The corpse¡¯s temperature had yet to fully recede, nor had his wound scabbed over. After supporting him slightly, she discovered that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s body was particularly slack and soft, his mouth was slightly parted, and his eyes not fully lidded. Since he was lying on the writing desk, the traces of pressure could be clearly perceived, and then she checked the arms that had landed on the writing desk, the soles of his feet which were flush with the ground and more. Not once did she discover the manifestation of livor mortis.


    All of this proved that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s time of death was within an hour.


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was inspecting the corpse, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was scrutinising the room. The hall was wide, the hexagonal windows in all four directions would have allowed for ideal day lighting, but all of the windows in this whole room were locked shut.


    The windows were locked from inside, and the doors were latched, so how did the murderer kill him?


    What was even stranger was that the murder weapon was the demon-capitulating pestle stabbing into Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s heart from the back.


    The room was so quiet a pin drop could be heard. At this moment, however, the whiz of approaching footsteps that later stopped travelled over from outside the courtyard. The voices of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and the rest rang out, with Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n consoling Third Furen first before he dashed towards the study entrance.


    Once he saw Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n lying on the writing desk, and the eye-piercing colour of blood beneath his feet, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n exclaimed with overwhelming grief, ¡°Third Brother¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u commanded Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n to step through the door before pointing at the demon-capitulating pestle in Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s back. ¡°Do [you] recognise this object?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n looked at that demon-capitulating pestle, expression distorting, ¡°This¡­ This was a ceremonial tool that was used during the religious ceremony today for Mother. The shifu were originally planning to bring it away, but Third Brother asked for it to be left behind, stating that it could be placed in the mourning hall to ward off evil.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scowled, ¡°And this object was placed in the mourning hall?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n shook his head, ¡°Not yet. It was kept with the offerings and the other ceremonial tools before this, since we were going to re-decorate Mother¡¯s mourning hall tomorrow, lest it appeared horrendous. Third Brother also said that the case hasn¡¯t been solved anyway, and since we were planning to allow Mother to rest temporarily in a coffin for seven-sevens forty-nine days, it will be buried altogether after seventh seven has passed and all the religious ceremonies have been completed.¡±


    After Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n finished speaking, his nose soured, ¡°He was fine this afternoon, why did¡­¡±


    As he was saying that, human voices rang out in the courtyard again, and very quickly, a delicate and dignified figure appeared at the entrance!


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª stood at the entrance, her visage pale and shell-shocked. Her pretty eyes fluttered a few times, and the tears were already welling at the corner of her eyes, ¡°Third Uncle¡­¡±


    Within a month, three people had unexpectedly died in the Marquis Residence, and all of them were closely related. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s body swayed, and she only managed to stand stably by holding onto the door frame. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n caught sight of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª once he turned his head, and spoke with concern: ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª, don¡¯t look, go and accompany your Third Aunt.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª choked out an affirmative reply, staying rigid for a brief moment before retreating outside.


    Upon seeing Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, Third Furen¡¯s wails became even louder. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª comforted her in a small voice, and it was only after half a minute that Third Furen finally quietened down by a little. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was currently ordering the embroidered emissaries and government hirelings to search the courtyard, before he strode over after noticing the change.


    Third Furen¡¯s eyes were completely red from crying, and when she saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walking over, she still had some fears. She mumbled: ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡­ Husband died unjustly, please ?ou must find the murderer that hurt him, and redress the injustice for Husband ah¡­¡±


    She started crying again as she spoke. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked in a stern voice: ¡°Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n originally went back to his courtyard, why did he suddenly go to the study?¡±


    Third Furen froze before wiping her tears and saying, ¡°Min¡¯fu does not know either. Husband was exhausted from Mother¡¯s religious ceremony, and he was supposed to go back and rest, but for some unknown reason, just as he changed out of his clothes, his expression changed drastically, and he walked out of the courtyard doors in a hurry. Min¡¯fu called out to him, but he didn¡¯t even turn his head back. At that time, min¡¯fu was about to prepare the meals, so he was left to his own devices. When the food was fully prepared, but he had yet to return, min¡¯fu told H¨¤o¡¯er to go and look for his father. It was minutes after H¨¤o¡¯er left that min¡¯fu learned that something had gone wrong.¡±


    Third Furen peered inside the room door, her sobs rising again, ¡°Husband is no more than thirty, H¨¤o¡¯er is just seven-years-old, how are we, an orphaned child and widowed mother, supposed to live in the future ah¡­¡±


    As Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª listened to her, tears clung to her eyelashes, and she consoled Third Furen while coaxing Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o.


    Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o had his head buried in Third Furen¡¯s arms and his body was still trembling. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o, ¡°What did you see just now?¡±


    If you were attentive enough, you would realise that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice was much gentler, but for Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was frightening enough on his own, regardless of what tone he used.


    In a moment¡¯s work, Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o became more terrified. Third Furen sobbed out, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, H¨¤o¡¯er said that he saw Mother¡­ he said he saw Mother¡¯s departed spirit.¡± Third Furen revealed a fearful expression on his face, ¡°The doors and windows were locked, if it wasn¡¯t a ghost, how did they manage to go inside and kill someone? But why would Mother kill Husband, Husband has never done anything to harm Mother ah¡­ Second Brother died on Mother¡¯s first seventh, today is Mother¡¯s second seventh¡­¡±


    Third Furen muttered to herself, the dread on her expression becoming more intense the more she talked. She only hugged Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o tighter, like she was genuinely afraid that a ghost would harm them. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª shook Third Furen, ¡°Third Aunt, don¡¯t speak of such nonsense, there are no ghosts or gods!¡±


    In spite of how the entire courtyard and everywhere else was being submerged in the fear of a ghost killing humans, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª appeared extremely calm by comparison. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave her a fleeting look before questioning Third Furen again, ¡°What was Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n doing before he left? Did he meet anyone, or hear anything?¡±


    Third Furen¡¯s expression was vacant as she tried to remember, the knit of her brows becoming tighter and tighter the longer she was immersed in her thoughts. It was evident that she could not think of anything useful, and it was at this moment where B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s voice resounded from inside the room, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, please come inside¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned around without any hesitation, entering the study with quick strides, only to see B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u standing under the hexagonal window that was left of the writing desk, holding out an object as indication, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the reason for Zheng san¡¯ye¡¯s abrupt departure has been found.¡±


    Her tone of voice was somewhat heavy, and it was also at this moment where Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had a good look of what she was holding in her hands. It was a piece of paper that had been burnt into half.


    A gold dusted paper.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stalked over, hardly surprised when he saw the four words ¡°On my second seventh¡± on top.


    On my first seventh, thus death is due.


    Yin Year Yin Hour, for I pay with life.


    On the other gold dusted paper he saw moments ago, the same expression was written, except ¡°first seventh¡± had turned into ¡°second seventh¡±. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes met, a hint of sternness seeping into the depths of their eyes.


    The murderer was using Lao Furen¡¯s seventh days of death as a time marker, killing under the disguise of a ghost. Based on these words, during the next seventh day, perhaps another person would perish. Moreover, why was the murderer going to such great lengths? Was it just for the sake of killing them, or were they conspiring for something else?


    Almost simultaneously, a premonition rose within Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Underneath this strange Marquis Residence of feudal aristocrats which was pervaded with strangeness everywhere, there was a secret which had been hidden for many years that was about to emerge above the water surface.

 CH 11

    ¡°This gold dusted paper was discovered in the inner corner of the inkstone, and instead of burning it elsewhere, it was burned inside the inkstone, which indicates that Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) was very panicked, and although the paper was not fully burnt, he did not notice it at all, which also supports this point. The ashes of the portion that was burnt is extremely complete, which shows that he did not care about it again after he placed it in the corner of the inkstone.¡±


    After saying that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to state, ¡°A preliminary inference: Zheng san¡¯ye died because of the excessive blood loss caused by the demon-capitulating pestle piercing his heart open from the back, and judging from pressure marks on his arms, neck, chest, waist, and abdomen, he was knocked out first and was lying on the table, before the murderer stabbed the demon-capitulating pestle into his heart from the back without needing much effort.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned, ¡°Knocked out?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, picking up a square and white handkerchief. There was a small black clump of filth on the handkerchief, ¡°This was found from Zheng san¡¯ye¡¯s nostrils, it¡¯s still Datura stramonium.


    ¡°The body of Zheng san¡¯ye has yet to show signs of rigor mortis, nor has livor mortis started to disseminate. After a person dies, the fastest symptom to show is the loosening of the skin and meridians, and Zheng san¡¯ye happens to be in that state, plus his body is still warm, which indicates that his time of death should be within the past hour. This also means that shortly after he came to the study and burned that gold dusted paper, the murderer arrived.¡±


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u spoke, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u went to the back windows to inspect it. Very quickly, in the seam of the north-facing window, he noticed that there were small marks caused by the fire and smoke. This place was not far from Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s writing desk, and yet it was slanting towards the back of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s writing desk; even if there was obvious smoke, perhaps Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n would not have noticed it in the moment.


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had never been one for many words, and he personally brought the embroidered emissaries to the back of the back window.


    From the roof eaves to the back wall, all it took was ten steps at most, and it was all being covered by the accumulated snow at the moment. The day was already late, so the embroidered emissaries were illuminating the path with torches, and just as they walked closer, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u noticed the erratic footprints on the ground.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised a hand, pointing at the ground and back window. Immediately, there were embroidered emissaries stepping forward to investigate it.


    Very quickly, the embroidered emissaries returned, saying: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the footsteps came and left, and it only belongs to one person. The snow on the back wall has traces of someone pressing down and shoving it as well, the perpetrator should have flipped over the wall and entered.¡±


    Because it was pavilion-esque courtyard, the walls of the courtyard were not tall, and when it was placed under the eyes of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and the embroidered emissaries, it was practically tantamount to nothing. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Follow the tracks and continue searching.¡±


    Inside the study, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was originally inspecting the corpse, but she suddenly heard the noise in the back courtyard. While the back windows were shut tightly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice was still extremely distinct as it travelled over.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u found it slightly strange, her line of sight rising. Then she raised it even higher, suddenly noting that beyond the back window, and just above the study room¡¯s beam, there was actually a shape that resembled a ventilation window. Her heart moved.


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came inside again, he saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u standing on a chair.


    Currently, the embroidered emissaries and government hirelings were dispatched outside, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was questioning Fifth Furen and Second Furen who had just arrived, Fu gonggong was coaxing Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o to speak, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was the only person inside the room. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s height was not considered short, but even as she stood on the chair, it was still not enough to reach the beam. Hence, she could only tilt her neck upwards, trying her hardest to look outside the ventilation window.


    Despite her best efforts, she was still incapable of seeing whether that ventilation window was opened or closed. Thus, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u braced one of her hands on the wall and leaned her body backwards. If she shifted back a little more, she would have seen it, but at this moment, the chair underneath her feet moved, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not react fast enough to stabilise her body. She was going to tumble off the chair when suddenly, a hand supported her waist.


    This danger was different from the last time he saved her life; Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was just supporting her lower back. His large palms were as hard as steel, and his ten fingers were slender and strong. As he supported her in that particular posture, he unexpectedly discovered that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s waist could be covered with one hand, which caused his fingertips to curl slightly, as if it could still hold more than just her waist.


    This was the first time Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u learned that a woman¡¯s waist could be so slender and frail.


    Her waist was flowing water, full but boneless.


    The curve of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s arms numbed, suddenly remembering the sensation of that slender waist being seized by the crook of his arm.


    When the beautiful woman was in his arms earlier, he did not feel restless at all, but it was at this moment where his state of mind was slightly unsettled from the belated realisation.


    Concurrently, he heard B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u huff softly, ¡°The ventilation window is open!¡±


    After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u uttered those words, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s palms lightened. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had gripped onto the back of the chair and straightened her body, before turning around to jump off the chair skilfully. Subconsciously, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u tried to support her, but it was apparent that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not that delicate since she managed to land on the ground stably. When she pivoted on her heels, she was wearing an excited expression, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the ventilation window is open, one asks Hou¡¯ye take the trouble to dispatch someone to check it.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes were glittering, carrying a zealous dedication that came from discovering a clue. Quite evidently, that short contact, which was akin to a dragonfly touching the water surface lightly, did not cause the slightest ripple in her heart. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had more than enough reason to suspect that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not even realise that he had supported her just now.


    He looked at her deeply before pulling up his robes and standing on the chair.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s height only reached Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s shoulders, and she usually didn¡¯t think much of the difference, but now that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was standing on a chair, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had to strain her neck to look up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, since the top of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s head was touching the beam.


    There were a great number of books stored in the study and the windows would typically be open to ventilate the room during midday, and it was also dependent on the weather. Hence, only the ventilation above the room beams would be half-opened throughout the year. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u climbed off the chair swiftly, ¡°The ventilation window is indeed open.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°The doors and windows are locked, is it possible that the murderer entered from there?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced towards the ventilation window above head. ¡°The ventilation window¡¯s position is exceedingly high; using it as an entry point requires the murderer to have some climbing skills. Additionally, while the ventilation window is open, the diameter of the opening is around ten inches, give or take a few. Unless it¡¯s a child below the age of ten, it¡¯s not possible for them to enter through that window.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes darkened again, ¡°Then how did the murderer enter, and how did they escape? An embroidered emissary was standing guard outside the courtyard, and the murderer wouldn¡¯t dare to be careless either. Moreover, when er gongzi (Zheng Hao) arrived, he saw the murderer, and after he screamed in shock, the embroidered emissary immediately rushed to the room door. A few feet¡¯s worth of distance only takes a few breaths, how did the murderer manage to disappear into thin air?¡±


    After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was done speaking, she seemed to genuinely sink into the contemplation of these questions. Her refined brows were knitted together as she raised her head to look in the direction of the ventilation window again.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u exerted a huge amount of physical and mental effort on official business, but he would never write his deep worries on his visage, which made any heavy burdens that were placed on his person seem light, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was different, she had never bothered to hide her own emotions.


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    At this moment, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng walked in from outside. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the two Furen have been questioned, and there is no cause for suspicion thus far. Apart from Second Furen and Da Gongzi (Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o), Third Furen and Fifth Furen went to Lao Furen¡¯s mourning hall for the religious ceremony, and all of them dispersed afterwards, parting on harmonious terms. Second Furen¡¯s body was unwell, and in addition to Second Master¡¯s funeral, she did not go anywhere, and she stayed in her courtyard for the entire duration, there were a lot of witnesses.¡±


    Having said that, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s complexion sank slightly, ¡°Additionally, a report came from the front courtyard just now, saying that all of the servants within the residence have been inspected and questioned. In the entire Marquis Residence, not a single person had worked in the Marquis Residence for more than fifteen years apart from Momo Yu.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows scrunched together, ¡°None of the stewards have worked here for more than fifteen years?¡±


    Within aristocratic and influential families, the servants starting a family and having children among themselves was an extremely common occurrence. Let alone saying fifteen years, it was even possible that a few generations worth of people had worked as servants within the same Marquis Residence, but H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stated otherwise: ¡°There¡¯s none. The oldest among the stewards only arrived thirteen years ago, and there¡¯s no fixed number for the other servants who came and went. As for families giving birth to children within the residence, they do exist, but most of them manage the farmsteads, and none of them have consistently served within the residence.¡±


    Frowning, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng remarked, ¡°The impression it gives xiaguan is that more than ten years ago, the Marquis Residence seemed to have gone through a great cleansing which swapped out all the servants at once.¡±


    It was not possible that all the servants were changed without any cause or reason.


    Phoenix eyes narrowing, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced past the inkstone at the corner and instructed: ¡°Go and invite a decently renowned Taoist practitioner in Qingzhou city.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said, ¡°Hou¡¯ye is intending to investigate the meaning behind Yin year and Yin hour?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°Out of the four phrases on the paper, only that phrase is unusual. As for the phrase about ¡®paying with one¡¯s life¡¯, the actual truth will not be far off once the meaning behind Yin year and Yin hour is understood.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately turned around to give the order. Yin year and Yin hour, it was clearly related to Taoist school of thought of good and bad luck fate divinations just from the mention of it.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Lao Furen died in the Buddha-worshipping Hall, but Zheng er¡¯ye and Zheng san¡¯ye departed from their courtyard first, and then lost their lives unnaturally. Does Hou¡¯ye feel that the murderer used these four phrases to lure them into leaving?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°Zheng er¡¯ye¡¯s pathing, in particular, is the strangest.¡±


    Instead of attending the religious ceremony for his mother¡¯s first-seventh day of passing, Zheng er¡¯ye went to the remote Moon-viewing Pavilion. If it wasn¡¯t the murderer who deliberately lured him there, then there would be no other explanation. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to say, ¡°After Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n saw these four phrases, he would definitely order someone to investigate it if it was just an ordinary but deliberate mystification. However, he swallowed it into his stomach, and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n chose to burn this paper slip, because he didn¡¯t want another person reading it as well.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said confidently: ¡°These four phrases, perhaps it involves an old issue in the Marquis Residence, and these two brothers were aware of it, which was why they wanted to conceal it for the Marquis Residence after they saw it, but they were killed by the murderer instead.¡±


    Having said that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his voice, declaring: ¡°Call Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n inside.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n came in with due haste. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at him, asking: ¡°Does the residence hold great belief in gods and ghosts?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n stiffened slightly, then shook his head. ¡°Not particularly, it was just Mother who believes in the Buddha.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at him, not missing a single detail, ¡°Your two elder brothers read a piece of gold dusted paper before they died, and a few sentences were written on it. There was a line that goes ¡®Yin Year and Yin Hour, for I pay with life¡¯, and after the two of them saw those words, one of them went to the Moon-viewing Pavilion, the other left his courtyard for the study, and then they were both murdered by the culprit. Do you know what this sentence means?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s eyes swiftly lowered, but he raised it again shortly after. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, on the day Mother departed, which was also the first day of the lunar new year, it wasn¡¯t a very auspicious day. A few shifu were invited to conduct the religious ceremonies after Mother died, and when they calculated the possible dates for a burial, the shifu once said that the first day was a yin day, and there were no good days close by, but if we allowed Mother¡¯s departed spirit to halt temporarily for seven sevens ¨C forty-nine days ¨C there would be a few good days afterwards. Hence, Third Brother promptly decided to allow her soul temporarily rest for forty-nine days.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s pupils shifted back and forth, shock climbing up his visage as well, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, could it be that it was really Mother¡¯s departed spirit who had been committing these murders?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n coldly. ¡°Your Second Brother and Third Brother died in consecutive order, so why don¡¯t you take a guess, who will be the next person to die if the murderer isn¡¯t caught in the next seven days?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s complexion paled, the corners of his mouth pulling stiffly, ¡°No¡­ No way, zaixia is Mother¡¯s youngest son, and he has always been filial, she would never¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u curled his lips too, saying in a faint voice: ¡°That best be the case. [You] can withdraw.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n cupped his hands and bowed. When he trudged outside, his footsteps were heavy, and even his back were hunched over by two degrees.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s smile completely disappeared in an instant, his gaze so sunken it was frightening, ¡°What a good performance. Dispatch a few more men for surveillance, benhou reckons that he will be looking for that Momo Yu tonight.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng complied in a hurry. With how oppressive Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s imposing manner was, it was hard for the officials under him to guess his thoughts. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng started sweating out of nervousness again.


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Daren, Zheng san¡¯ye¡¯s corpse still requires a closer examination.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u proceeded to instruct the embroidered emissaries at the door, ¡°Move the corpse to the west courtyard and place it together with Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s corpse.¡±


    The embroidered emissary verbally obeyed, stepping through the door to lift the corpse. Just as the corpse was lifted out of the doors, Third Furen started wailing as she held Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o who had thrown himself at her again. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not stop them upon seeing that, only lifting his feet and bringing away B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to go to the west courtyard first.


    They were about to leave through the courtyard entrance when suddenly, a woman with disorderly hair scattering down her temples rushed in. Since that woman was not looking at where she was going, she slammed into Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s body heavily. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came to a halt while that woman fell to the ground instead. For a moment, everyone¡¯s breathing stagnated, their necks snapping towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u because they were genuinely afraid that he would be angered by this.


    However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u merely looked at the woman on the floor in silence.


    And that woman took a glimpse at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, before she looked towards the distant corpse of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n. Not only was she not afraid, but unsparing and hysterical laughter also burst out from her throat as she gawked with wide eyes.

 CH 12

    ¡°Mother¡ª¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª cried out softly, running towards that woman¡¯s side with due haste.


    As she supported that woman to her feet, she turned her head back to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Upon seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not angered, she breathed out in relief.


    ¡°Mother, why did ?ou come out?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª asked in a gentle voice, but that woman was still giggling as she stared at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s corpse.


    At the side, Fu gonggong gaped in shock, because the woman that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª called her mother was clearly mentally unstable. He could not resist throwing a glance at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, only to see Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u observing the Marquis Anqing Furen with a profound and unfathomable gaze.


    Fu gonggong stepped forward, ¡°Oldest Youngest Lady, this person is [your] esteemed mother?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª hummed in response. At this moment, two maidservants that were losing their heads out of fear ran over to the courtyard entrance. Once Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª saw them, the gentleness on her face faded and she berated them in a strict voice: ¡°How do you attend to your duties? How could you allow Mother to come out alone? What if something happens?¡±


    The two maidservants knelt on the ground with a loud bang. ¡°Oldest Youngest Lady, please appease [your] anger. Furen refused to drink her medicine at night, and insisted on going out to see the snow. In the end, she threw off the cloak and the older woman-servant in charge of her medication, running away once she stepped out of the door, and the maidservants couldn¡¯t catch up to her¡­¡±


    Perhaps in consideration of the fact that there were outsiders at the scene, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª spoke with much restraint: ¡°It¡¯s so cold right now, not sending Mother back yet?¡±


    The two maidservants stood up quickly, pulling on Marquis Anqing Furen¡¯s arms to walk outwards, but Marquis Anqing Furen refused to leave, strange laughter spilling from her mouth ceaselessly. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was only afraid that things would get ugly if the commotion was prolonged, so she said in a low voice: ¡°Where¡¯s the stupid girl? Go and call the stupid girl¡ª¡±


    As she said that, she went forward to coax Marquis Anqing Furen softly. Marquis Anqing Furen stared at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, as if she had come to her senses for a second. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª quickly seized the chance, bringing away Marquis Anqing Furen with the help of the two maidservants, even if it meant having to resort to dragging and pulling.


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    In an instant, the courtyard was so quiet a pin drop could be heard. Third Furen¡¯s wails had stopped, and the others did not even dare to breathe loudly.


    Fu gonggong¡¯s lips twitched upon seeing that, and as though he was trying to ease the atmosphere, he walked up to Second Furen, ¡°Second Furen, why is the stupid girl being called upon¡­ when Da Furen¡­ is like that?¡±


    Having encountered the stupid girl once, Fu gonggong could remember that child¡¯s appearance and her inferior status, so he could not avoid becoming a little curious.


    Second Furen heaved a sigh, ¡°Oldest Sister-in-law has been sick for many years. That stupid girl was picked up by Oldest Sister-in-law from the roadside when she went outside once. Maybe it was because she found her pitiful; that stupid girl is somewhat foolish and stupid too, and she doesn¡¯t really talk on most days, but Oldest Sister-in-law likes her either way. Therefore, whenever her illness flares up terribly, Y¨²n N¨ª will order that stupid girl to stay with Oldest Sister-in-law for a while.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u issued a small sigh when she heard that. It turns out that terrible illness that kept Da Furen from meeting any guests was actually an affliction of madness. And that deranged Da Furen, had an unexpected fondness for a foolish and stupid girl¡­


    A vestige of strangeness slowly rose up her heart, which made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u think of the case subconsciously, but when she remembered how one of them was insane while the other was muddleheaded, it made her feel like she was treating every tree or bush as an enemy soldier.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression was still dark and impossible to read. At this moment, he spoke out: ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    Without missing a beat, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u kept pace with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u behind him, heading straight for the west courtyard from the current courtyard entrance. On their way there, Fu gonggong noted that neither of them was talking, so he coughed lightly and said: ¡°One wonders how long Da Furen has been ill for.¡±


    ¡°There was hearsay that she has been ill for more than ten years.¡±


    Evidently, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had been aware of this early on. Fu gonggong¡¯s lip corners twitched a few times before he chose to remain silent as well.


    Their group reached the west courtyard, and because the injury was at the back, the corpse was promptly placed on his stomach on the rug, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u immediately started examining the corpse.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s robes were very tidy, without the slightest trace of pulling, tugging, or physical conflict, which was besides the creases that had been formed after he was lying prone on the writing desk. Owing to the murderer¡¯s modus operandi of always using a tranquilising drug first, they managed to ensure that they would leave the least amount of traces at the crime scene.


    There were no bruises on the corpse as well, and after B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u carefully examined the corpse, she pulled out the murder weapon.


    ¡°The length of the demon-capitulating pestle is approximately four inches long, and roughly two and a half inches of its length was pierced into the back of the deceased¡¯s heart. A large volume of blood flowed out from the wound, and he consequently died from the excessive blood loss caused by the wound in his cardiovascular organ. There are no other injuries on the corpse¡¯s exterior, except the slight gaping of the skin edges outside the stab wound. The wound is deep, the inner walls are smooth, and the weapon was only inserted once. Judging from the angle in which the weapon was impaled, the murderer should have stood behind the deceased when the stabbing occurred, and because the deceased was lying on his stomach and facing downwards, the murderer directly pierced the demon-capitulating pestle into the back of his heart.¡±


    Having spoken to this point, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she subconsciously looked towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared back at her as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stated: ¡°The deceased¡¯s height does not surpass 6 feet, which makes him slightly shorter than Hou¡¯ye, and he was lying on the writing desk back then. If the murderer was as tall as Hou¡¯ye or Fu gonggong, the angle of the incision should go down straight and vertically.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u displayed the demon-capitulating pestle, ¡°Zheng san¡¯ye was completely defenceless after he was knocked out, and the murderer only stabbed him once. Anyone in those circumstances would definitely choose the angle that is the easiest to exert force: if they are tall, and yet they choose to stab in an oblique angle, then the hand holding the demon-capitulating pestle would be in a very strange posture, and it would become difficult to cause a deep wound instead. If it was someone around min¡¯n¨¹¡¯s height, it¡¯s more likely that they could try for a downwards or horizontal stab, but the current wound, is slightly angled¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s words reached its conclusion, ¡°Unless, the murderer is shorter than min¡¯n¨¹ by two parts.¡±


    Lao Furen died because her illness flared up violently, whilst Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n died from falling off a building; on the former two victims, there were no fatal wounds that the murderer directly left behind. Although Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s robes were neat and there were no other injuries on his body, the murderer chose to use a demon-capitulating pestle to kill him. This wound was iron-clad evidence of a crime, but how could the murderer have realised that a normal method of killing someone could actually expose their stature.


    A faint glint appeared in the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes. ¡°The murderer¡¯s height is only around five feet.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded her head. At this moment, an embroidered emissary stepped in from outside, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there¡¯s a discovery outside the courtyard.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyebrows arched minutely, and Fu gonggong immediately said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye should go, laonu will stay.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u swept a look towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, before turning around to leave. Once he departed, Fu gonggong sighed as he watched his back figure. Feeling perplexed, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asked, ¡°Gonggong, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Fu gonggong turned and said smilingly, ¡°This case is becoming more incomprehensible as it progresses, and it is unknown when it can be solved.¡±


    Seeing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes were still trained on him, Fu gonggong added, ¡°Truth to be told, when Hou¡¯ye arrived at the Marquis Residence, he was merely planning to take a look before leaving, but he did not anticipate that Lao Furen¡¯s death would be so contentious, and that the Second Master would be dead. After all that has been said and done, Marquis Xinyang went out of his way to ask for a favour despite being at his age prior to [our] departure, so he stayed. However, Hou¡¯ye still has another official business attached to his person, and the more it is delayed, the more disadvantageous it will be.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u suddenly saw the light, offering a hasty reply, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ will give her utmost effort.¡±


    Fu gonggong laughed out loud, pulling over the wide lounging chair to sit down. ¡°Zajia is not trying to urge you, zajia can see that you are a good lady who does her utmost.¡±


    Lips curling slightly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not utter another word, only lowering her eyes to continue examining the corpse.


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    The cause of death was already clear since the murderer¡¯s method of killing was not complicated and there wasn¡¯t a need to dissect the corpse, but once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought about how Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had pressing official business to attend to, she wanted to find more clues. The timely rescue in the morning had already been placed deeply in her heart.


    However, regardless of how B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u tossed and turned the corpse to examine it, no new clues surfaced from the corpse. She was slightly anxious in the moment, and as she stared at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s face, which seemed to be alive, she could not help but sigh. Upon turning her head back, she saw that Fu gonggong was reclining on the back of the chair, having fallen into a drowsy nap out of sheer exhaustion. It was only then that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u realised that the night colours had deepened.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not return at all, perhaps because a clue of greater importance was discovered outside the courtyard. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u tidied up Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s remains before stepping out of the door with light footsteps. Outside the doors, a mourning lantern underneath the eaves casted a spot of white light, and once the night wind blew by, the lantern¡¯s shadow mottled and shook. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u tightened her cloak, and she was about to go back inside to wake up Fu gonggong lest he caught a cold, but in one careless glance, she caught a glimpse of a person standing in the darkness near the courtyard entrance.


    Frowning, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started walking towards the centre of the courtyard. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u vocalised her question after coming to a standstill. Very quickly, a figure dressed in white robes stepped out of the darkness.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u fixed her eyes in that direction. In the next moment, she retreated one step back as if she had seen a ghost.


    Because she saw Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, who she had been carefully examining just prior. At this moment, he was actually standing upright in the darkness, and his pair of dark and deep eyes were staring at her¡­

 CH 13

    The only reason why B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u managed not to scream was because she forced herself to stay calm.


    There were no ghosts in the world; the person in front of her was human, he was a man that looked exactly the same as Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n.


    Just as that thought formed, a young male servant trailed after the newcomer. ¡°Fourth Master, this is the place where the departed spirits of Second Master and Third Master temporarily rest. Lao Furen¡¯s mourning hall is further in the northwest direction.¡±


    Zheng si¡¯ye (4th) stood there without moving. At this moment, a soft gasp sounded from behind B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Fu gonggong had been startled too. ¡°Dear gods, has zajia¡¯s eyes become dim?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked over her shoulder and saw Fu gonggong with one foot across the threshold while his other foot was still stuck inside. Owing to the fact that he had just seen Zheng si¡¯ye, half of his body was propped against the doorframe, his expression coloured with trepidation.


    Zheng si¡¯ye looked at Fu gonggong, then looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. With this comparison, it became more apparent that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was overly composed. He cupped his hands towards the pair, ¡°This humble one is Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng.¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s expression changed a few times before he finally moved his body away from the doorframe. He let out a light cough as he walked over. ¡°You are the Fourth Master of the Zheng Family?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng nodded, to which Fu gonggong¡¯s visage turned dark and indecipherable.


    Now that he was standing closer, he could perceive that while Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng shared similar facial features, the temperament that enveloped their body was somewhat different. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s appearance was a touch older than Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, his overall temperament was serene and quiet, eyes were devoid of great billows or any ripples of shock, and since he was wearing a white, wide-sleeved Taoist robe, it added some flavour of an immortal cultivator¡¯s bones to him.


    They were both noble sons from a Marquis Residence, but this Zheng si¡¯ye seemed like an honest and eminent travelling Taoist devotee in dire straits.


    The young male servant behind him spoke again: ¡°Fourth Master, do [you] want to offer sacrifices to Lao Furen first?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng hummed in response, cupping his hands towards Fu gonggong and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u again before turning around and leaving.


    His expression was sparse; while he possessed the etiquette and decorum, it was like he did not consume the food of common mortals with his lack of superfluous emotions. Fu gonggong¡¯s eyes deepened with meaning, ¡°This dynasty always had the saying that having twins is inauspicious. As it turns out, the reason why Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) was deemed as inauspicious originated from this¡­¡±


    Having twins born into the world was a rare occurrence; once a pair of twins appeared, there was bound to be rumours of a trouble-causing evil thing splitting its soul into half to become yin foetuses, and if someone from the imperial family gave birth to twins, then there would be the danger of a demonic star of calamity emerging in the world which would cause disorder the court. Or there could be rumours such as an evil spirit cursing the mother, which has been circulating for an even longer period of time. Therefore, regardless of whether it was the common folk or the imperial clan, there was a custom where one child would be reduced and one child would be returned, if twins were ever born. However, a lot of parents in the streets could not bear to do it, so they would send the weaker or younger child to another place for raising, because at least they would be able to keep their lives.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u furrowed her brows tightly in the direction that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng left in. ¡°Could this be the secret that the Marquis Residence tried to keep? Now that Zheng si¡¯ye has returned, it can¡¯t be concealed any longer.¡±


    Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°Lao Furen has passed away, and such things have occurred in the residence, it would be too unfilial if he chooses not to return.¡±


    Just as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was mulling over it, an embroidered emissary came over, ¡°Gonggong, B¨® guniang, Hou¡¯ye invites the two [of you] over.¡±


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    With the embroidered emissary leading the way, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u met up with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u very quickly. There was a wintersweet flower forest outside of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s study courtyard. It was currently in the first lunar new month, the wintersweet flowers were blossoming; its dark fragrance assailing, and it was in this forest that the embroidered emissaries found traces of the murderer.


    Upon noticing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had arrived, he pointed at the trunk of a wintersweet tree. ¡°Take a look.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u inspected the set of footprints (going back and forth) that were left in the snowy ground first, and on one side of the wintersweet tree bark, there was a smear of bright red blood.


    The bloodstain was human blood. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked left and right, before asking Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Did Hou¡¯ye discover any bloodstains in the courtyard?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shook his head, ¡°Not at all.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°Then it must be the murderer¡¯s own blood. The bloodstains within the study did not sputter, nor did it splatter onto another surface, unless the murderer accidentally stained themselves with Zheng san¡¯ye¡®s blood. But they didn¡¯t leave any traces within the courtyard when they were leaving, so the blood here can only be theirs. The bark of a wintersweet tree is coarse, and judging from the amount of blood and the height of it, it is highly likely that it came from a scratch, the wound being on the upper half of their body. Their hands and arms are the most likely contenders, and the wound would be obvious¡­¡±


    After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was done inspecting it, she could not help but study the footprints on the ground. She stretched her hand out to measure the size of the footprint. The indents of the front and back footprints were even, and it was slighter bigger than what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had imagined, which caused her brows to lock tightly as she sank into deep contemplation.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils congealed, ¡°What of it?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stated, ¡°Yifu once said that the size of a person¡¯s foot is greatly related to their height, and under normal circumstances, a person¡¯s height would be around seven times of a foot¡¯s length, give or take a bit. This foot length is nine inches, and upon calculation, they are slightly taller than what was initially deduced.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows scrunched together as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed the footprints to walk a few steps. With the comparison, it was clear that the footprints that the murderer left behind was no different from her size, and yet it was shallower than her footprints by a bit¡­


    ¡°The murderer is thinner than min¡¯n¨¹, but the footprints are no different. Logically speaking, they should be around min¡¯n¨¹¡¯s height, though there is a possibility.¡± Half-kneeling on the ground, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head to gaze at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u as she spoke to this point, ¡°It¡¯s highly possible that they were sick before, or they had a destitute livelihood without proper nutrition or meals, which led to their stature being thinner and shorter, despite having the same foot size as min¡¯n¨¹.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then said: ¡°The murderer¡¯s height is around 5 feet with a slender figure, perhaps due an illness or insufficient nutrition, and when they left the crime scene tonight, they were inflicted with an obvious superficial injury. Additionally, the murderer is good at using knock-out drugs, understands the layout of the residence, and has a certain level of skill in wall climbing. Call and gather everyone in the residence immediately, and conduct an inspection according to these criteria.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u made a prompt decision, and a few embroidered emissaries responded in the positive, immediately moving towards the front courtyard. Then, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looking in the direction of where the footprints extended to, saying: ¡°After exiting this patch of wintersweet trees is the main road of the residence. The snow has been swept away completely, and the foot trail broke off.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stood up with some regret. ¡°Zheng san¡¯ye¡¯s corpse has been carefully examined once more, but there were no other clues. That demon-capitulating pestle only had soot from the candle flames as well. The demon-capitulating pestle was used for the religious ceremony, so it¡¯s extremely normal.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows scrunched together, her complexion heavy and helpless, as if she had done her job ineffectively because she could not find more clues. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was on the verge of saying something when Fu gonggong stepped forward and said: ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye know that the residence¡¯s Zheng si¡¯ye has returned?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, his tone of voice becoming two parts colder in an instant. ¡°Yes, he and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n are twin brothers.¡±


    Since Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had ordered the embroidered emissaries to watch over the crucial roads within the residence, he was naturally informed of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s return to the residence. Fu gonggong frowned, saying: ¡°It was hard to comprehend Momo Yu¡¯s previous words, and when she was asked about why Zheng san¡¯ye was called inauspicious, she concealed it for the most part, but does the fact that the brothers are twins have any relation to the case?¡±


    The wintersweet forest was cold and desolate. Underneath the starless and moonless sky, only the torches were causing mottled lights and shadows. Fu gonggong¡¯s words echoed in the cold winds, but no one gave him an answer. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in a deep voice, ¡°If only that was the case, then it would be simpler. If there is anything to worry about, it is that there is another matter too embarrassing to mention.¡±


    Although having twins in a Marquis Residence did not sound good in public, it would not harm their roots. Despite the current chain of homicides and Marquis Wuzhao personally conducting the interrogations, they still had the gall to conceal it. If they were just concealing the matter of the twin brothers, let alone Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u being sceptical, even B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt that it was not possible.


    The murderer behind the scenes killed three people in succession. Furthermore, the sentence ¡®pay with one¡¯s life¡¯, why would it be related to the twin brothers, and if yes, how so?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not stay in the forest for long, and he quickly led his subordinates out of the wintersweet forest to search for possible suspects. At this moment, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng came over from the front courtyard, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the Taoist priest has been invited over, he¡¯s a Taoist priest from Sanqing Temple which is located outside the city, and he is rather well-known. After he did a rough calculation, he confirmed that this year did belong to a yin year, and as for yin hour, starting from first (of January) until today, only the New Year¡¯s Day belongs to that category. As for Lao Furen¡¯s first seventh and second seventh, neither were yin days.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned, though what he was thinking was unclear. He spoke up: ¡°Continue counting backwards, starting from this year¡¯s New Year Day, until fifteen years back. Additionally, calculate the birthday of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n and his brothers.¡±


    Since he wanted to calculate the hours and days, tracing backwards by more than a dozen of years, it was bound to take up a lot of time. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng complied, and then he learned that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had obtained new clues and was planning to inspect everyone, so he followed him to the front courtyard.


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    The front courtyard was packed to the brim with people. The masters of the Marquis Residence were standing inside the hall while all the servants were standing outside the hall.


    An embroidered emissary said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, apart from that old Momo and Da Furen, the rest are here.¡±


    Momo Yu refused to step out of the ancestral hall, Da Furen was suffering from madness, and their statures did not conform to the criteria either. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded and strode into the main hall. All of the Furen and Young Masters, Third Furen included, were present. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sat on the main seat, cold and oppressive in expression. Without Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n became the main host, so he stepped forward and asked respectfully, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, is there a new clue?¡±


    Third Furen was still crying, and Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o was holding onto Third Furen¡¯s robe sleeve tightly as he continued to struggle with his trauma. Upon seeing this battle array, he was terrified to the point where his small face was deathly white.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u swept across the people inside the hall with his eyes, ¡°Where is Zheng si¡¯ye?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s complexion changed slightly, ¡°Fourth Older Brother just returned to the residence tonight, there¡¯s no doubt that it¡¯s impossible for him to harm anyone, he¡­ doesn¡¯t need to be here, right?¡±


    Outside the hall were all the servants in the Marquis Residence, from the stewards down to the sweeping, coarse labour female servants. When Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was speaking, his volume was suppressed, which was more than enough to prove that he was not willing to allow Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng make an appearance right now. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at him with deep eyes, which caused Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n to reveal a beseeching expression. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, if ?ou wish to meet Fourth Brother, call for him after the servants are dismissed, please¡­¡±


    As Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n uttered those words, he pulled up his robes and knelt down to genuinely beg him. However, before Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could even speak, a sudden shock-induced clamour broke out in the courtyard outside the hall. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n looked outside hastily, and just one look nearly made Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n keel over with darkened vision.


    Because Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng came on his own!


    His gait was slow as he headed for the main hall directly. When the servants saw a person who looked exactly the same as Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n appear, the more timid ones were scared to the point where they collapsed to the ground. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n closed his eyes in palpable despair, and Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, who standing right at the front, glared at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng coldly, like she loathed the fact that she could not swallow Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng into her stomach right then and there.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing beside Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and she could not help but sigh a little upon witnessing this scene. It turns out the Marquis Residence¡¯s Oldest Young Lady was also aware of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng being twin brothers.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was about to move her gaze away when her refined brows abruptly creased. On the back of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s tightly curled hands, was actually a streak of injury that was eye-piercingly bright in red¡­


    Previous Chapter  |   TOC   |  Next Chapter


    MAIN CHARACTERS


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u (±¡ÈôÓÄ)


    The female protagonist of the novel, who is a coroner. During conversations, she is typically addressed as B¨® guniang or Xiao B¨®.


    Her parents and younger brother passed away when she was younger, and she is currently being raised by her foster father, Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨©.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u (»ôΣ¥)


    The male protagonist of the novel, with the official title of Marquis Wuzhao, hence he is typically addressed as Hou¡¯ye (which means Marquis), and he refers to himself as benhou.


    His mother is the Eldest Princess, his father is Duke Ding (deceased), which makes the current Emperor Jianhe his maternal younger uncle. He holds control over the Embroidered Emissaries ¨C who are special check-and-balance officials/soldiers appointed by the Emperor ¨C and oversees the Court of Punishment.


    Fu gonggong (¸£¹«¹«)


    A personal eunuch who has served Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u for a long time.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng (ºØ³É)


    The Prefectural Magistrate of Luozhou, the main official in charge of this case.


    ZHENG FAMILY (or the Marquis Anqing Residence)


    ? Old Marquis Anqing & ? Marquis Anqing


    Old Marquis Anqing is the father of five sons, which includes Marquis Anqing.


    Marquis Anqing is the father of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, the oldest son of Lao Furen, and the husband of Da Furen, though he died of an illness three years after he inherited his title.


    ? Lao Furen (ÀÏ·òÈË)


    The old matriarch of the family, the first deceased of the case, having died from a flare-up of an invisible illness in the Buddha-worshipping Hall. The mother of five sons (listed below).


    ? Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n (Ö£ÎÄå·)


    The second son of Lao Furen, the second deceased of this case. He was knocked out with Datura stramonium and pushed off the Moon-viewing Pavilion.


    Typically addressed as Second Master or Zheng er¡¯ye. The father of Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o, his wife being Second Furen.


    ? Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n (Ö£ÎÄÑç)


    The third son of Lao Furen, the third deceased of this case. He was knocked out with Datura stramonium, and was later stabbed in the heart from the back with a demon-capitulating pestle in his courtyard-study.


    Typically addressed as Third Master or Zheng san¡¯ye. The father of Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o, his wife being Third Furen.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng (Ö£ÎÄÈÝ)


    The fourth son of Lao Furen. Typically addressed as Fourth Master or Zheng si¡¯ye.


    He was sent away from the Marquis Residence ever since he was young to be raised in a Taoist temple. The younger twin brother of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n (Ö£ÎÄ°²)


    The fifth and youngest son of Lao Furen. Typically addressed as Fifth Master or Zheng wu¡¯ye, his wife being Fifth Furen.


    Da Furen (´ó·òÈË)


    The wife of the deceased Marquis Anqing, and mother of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª. She is otherwise known as Marquis Anqing Furen in an official capacity.


    She has suffered from hysteria for many years, her condition worsening over the years.


    Second Furen (¶þ·òÈË)


    The wife of the recently deceased Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n, the mother of Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o.


    Third Furen (Èý·òÈË)


    The wife of the recently deceased Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n, the mother of Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª (Ö£ÔÆÄÞ)


    Daughter of Marquis Anqing and Da Furen, who is currently engaged to the Second Prince after a marriage bestowal by Emperor Jianhe. Being the first-born daughter in her generation, she is typically addressed as the Oldest Young Lady or Zheng da xiaojie.


    Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o (Ö£äì)


    Son of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n and Second Furen. Being the first-born son in his generation, he is typically addressed as Da Gongzi by others, or Xi¨¡o¡¯er by his mother.


    Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o (Ö£ºÆ)


    Son of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and Third Furen. Being the second-born son in his generation, he is typically addressed as Er Gongzi by others, or H¨¤o¡¯er by his mother.


    Stupid Girl (ɵ¹Ã) ¨C Dim-witted girl with a notable burn scar on the left side of her face, of whom Da Furen picked up from the roadside years ago.


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o (´ºÌÒ) ¨C B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s temporary maidservant during her stay in the residence.


    M¨° Sh¨± & Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ (Ä«Êé & »­Òâ) ¨C Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s close maidservants.


    M¨° Xi¨¡ng (Ä«Ïã) ¨C a close maidservant of Lao Furen.

 CH 14

    Upon seeing Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng, Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o hid behind his mother out of fear, and Second Furen shielded him with a hand, though she did not look very surprised expression-wise. Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o stiffened first, and then he could not help but shout, ¡°Father¡ª¡±


    Third Furen covered Zh¨¨ng H¨¤o¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s Fourth Uncle.¡±


    As Third Furen looked at the face that was identical to her husband¡¯s, tears started to well in her eyes again uncontrollably. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª took a step forward, ¡°Why has Fourth Uncle come to this place?¡±


    There was interrogative intent lining her words, but Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s visage remained unperturbed, as if he did not notice the repulsion and blame at the bottom of their eyes. ¡°A chain of homicides has taken place in the residence; Mother, Second Brother, and Third Brother, even they have lost their lives. Is the rest even important anymore?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng shifted his gaze heavily before cupping his hands and bowing, ¡°One pays his respect to Hou¡¯ye, if Hou¡¯ye has any questions, zaixia can be questioned too.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng had not returned to the residence for many years, and his general aura was completely unlike a son of an aristocratic and influential family. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at him momentarily, before turning towards an embroidered emissary again. ¡°Check the servants outside first.¡±


    That embroidered emissary complied verbally, immediately bringing some men out with him.


    The murderer¡¯s traits were already explicitly stated, they only needed to match them with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s criteria one by one. There were a lot of servants, but only those who were similar to the murderer¡¯s appearance remained while those who didn¡¯t were allowed to leave. Then, those who were left behind had their alibis checked, if they had an authentic witness testimony, they would be ruled out. Through a process of elimination, only low-ranking young male servants with weak and frail statures remained.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, among these three people, Li¨² Zh¨­ng Yu¨¢n is only fifteen, he is the gardener of the residence, had a fever when he was younger, has a shorter and smaller figure, and because he¡¯s considered nimble when doing odd jobs, the people in the residence said that whenever he trims the taller tree branches, he never uses the stepladder and climbs up on his own.


    ¡°The person in the centre is called Zh¨¤o W¨³, a guard in the residence, he looks skinny and small, but he practices martial arts, and is proficient in the bow and horse-riding.¡±


    ¡°The person from the right is called H¨¦ L¨¬, a shift man who only does coarse labour, he was bought by the residence last year. He was originally a refugee who was later kidnapped by a middleman and sold to the Marquis Residence.¡±


    ¡°There are external injuries on their hands, and though they have given excuses, no one can testify for it.¡±


    After the embroidered emissary was done speaking, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u swept past them with a deep gaze. The three that were being made to stay were already wearing panicked expressions right now, but that panic was not necessarily derived from having guilt on their conscience, but a simple fear of Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s reputation.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u internally thought about how they had gained nothing from their extended troubles, but he still turned his head to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded and walked out of the hall doors, coming to a standstill in front of the three. ¡°Where are your injuries?¡±


    Once she asked the question, the trio promptly stretched their hands out. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u glanced past them, her irises darkening slightly. She studied them briefly, then scrutinised their physique and expression before finally returning to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s side with furrowed brows. Shaking her head, she said: ¡°Li¨² Zh¨­ng Yu¨¢n and H¨¦ L¨¬¡¯s injuries are old injuries, from two days past at least; while Zh¨¤o W¨³¡¯s injury is new, it was caused by a sharp weapon and the wound is rather big. Moreover, Zh¨¤o W¨³ might be short, but his physique is robust, so he¡¯s definitely heavier than the murderer.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°Is everyone in the residence really accounted for?¡±


    The embroidered emissary quickly said: ¡°There are a total of sixty-six people recorded in the servant registry, everyone is here apart from Momo Yu.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows knitted together, waving his hand at the embroidered emissary to signal him to release them. The three servants outside the courtyard bowed and retreated with due haste. The courtyard, which was once teeming with black, emptied out in an instant. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shifted his eyes towards the masters of the Marquis Residence, saying in a cold voice: ¡°The murderer kills once every seven days, as of right now, [your] mother and older brothers have been harmed by the murderer. Who will be the next victim in seven days?¡±


    These words made everyone¡¯s complexion change, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was wearing an indifferent expression as he said: ¡°Fourth Zheng stay behind, the rest may withdraw.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u arched her eyebrows slightly, and she could not hold herself back in the end as she said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, tarry a moment.¡±


    She was a small and insignificant coroner, and yet she spoke without Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s command. Although they turned their attention towards her, the tinge of irreverence was apparent at the bottom of their eyes. Having expected it, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u merely looked at her faintly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°The Oldest Young Lady has a new injury on the back of her hand, and one wonders how it came about.¡±


    In an instant, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s gaze shot towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s face like an arrow, the hands underneath her sleeves shrinking inwards subconsciously. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u noticed her small movement at a glance. He did not ask any questions, only staring at her with an impenetrable gaze.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª gritted her teeth, ¡°Could it be that Hou¡¯ye suspects me? The injury on the back of my hand¡­ was scratched by Mother. All of you saw it just now, Mother was in the throes of her illness, so I sent her back, it¡¯s just an injury that was left behind during the pulling and tugging.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª glowered at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u as she sneered coldly, ¡°You¡¯re not going to accuse me of a crime based on this alone, are you?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was like a cat with its hackles raised, but her hateful words and severe tone were akin to an ant trying to shake a big tree in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. ¡°Stretch the hand out.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª scowled at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u viciously, extending her hand in a rustle of fabric. The injury ran horizontally across Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s exquisite back hand, all crimson red and glaring, making for a horrible sight with its inflamed state. The amount of strength that Da Furen exerted during infliction could be well-imagined. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward and inspected it. Indeed, it was a wound from a scratch, and beside that, a few marks of fingernails finding purchase in her skin were also left behind.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u retreated, nodding towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª snorted in response. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave the people present a sweeping glance, albeit attentively. ¡°The murderer has murdered thrice and has an exceedingly deep understanding of the residence¡¯s layout. Perhaps, they are hiding in your midst, and if you¡¯re lucky, a murder case will happen again without needing to wait for seven days. Therefore, if anyone has thought this through, they can look for benhou at any time.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª pursed her lips, a glint of fear flashing past the bottom of her eyes, and the others revealed terrified expressions as well.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u only advised them to this point, ¡°All may withdraw.¡±


    When Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was leaving, he looked back once every three steps, deeply unsettled by Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s general presence. Upon walking to the middle of the yard, he realised that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was waiting for him at the courtyard entrance, so he strode over quickly, only to hear Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª say: ¡°Fifth Uncle should go and see Momo Yu. Now that the matter has developed to this stage, one fears that only she, an elderly, knows what is going on.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s visage changed a few times, ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª, you¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª narrowed her eyes, ¡°The seventh of March is arriving soon, and we should be setting out on a journey towards the capital by the middle of February. There¡¯s less than a month left, and Fifth Uncle is well-aware that we¡¯ve been waiting for this for so many years, how could it possibly be ruined in one day?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n revealed a difficult expression while Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª turned her head back to look at the brightly lit central hall, throwing down the next line sarcastically, ¡°Fourth Uncle should not have returned.¡±


    She left after saying those words. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n stood there for a long moment, but he still turned around and headed north in the end.


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    Inside the hall, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng said: ¡°Zaixia is one part of the twins with Third Brother, whom were thought to be inauspicious upon birth. Mother chose to have Older Brother stay in the residence, while zaixia was sent to a Taoist temple to be raised, and then an inconspicuous time would be chosen every year, wherein I would come back to stay in the residence for half a month. However, the last time I returned to the residence, was ten years ago¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s gaze became mournful all of a sudden, ¡°Perhaps the saying about the inauspiciousness of twins is true; Mother allowed me to stay for five more days during that instance, just a mere five days, and something bad happened in the residence.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng heaved a sigh, ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª became gravely ill; she was unable to speak, and unable to recognise anyone, as if she had become a fool. Doctors were sourced to no effect; Taoist priests and senior monks were invited, and they only said that she might have been touched by an evil spirit and was afflicted with hysteria as a result. Oldest Sister-in-law was ill to begin with, and her illness worsened after that, and she never became better afterwards. From then on, I never returned to the residence again. It was only when Mother brought my older brothers and older sisters-in-law to the Taoist temple to cleanse and cultivate five years ago, that I was reunited with my huge family once again.¡±


    ¡°Why do you feel that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s illness was related to you?¡±


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed that question, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng laughed bitterly, ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª was gifted and intelligent ever since was young and learned how to speak early too. She was betrothed to His Second Highness from birth, and though there was no imperial edict, Guifei niangniang would dispatch someone to make inquiries every year, and the marriage was an indisputable conclusion. Mother did not dare to be negligent in her education either, and she began schooling at four years old. She learned how to read the entire Thousand Characters Classic in only one year, was even more talented in the four arts of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, to the point where Mother even hired a few renowned teachers¡­


    ¡°When I returned to the residence to stay for a short duration, she was already six-years-old, and it¡¯s precisely because I taught her how to paint that she became ill without any cause or reason. Not only she was muddleheaded and stupid, but she even lost the ability to speak, only slowly turning for the better after a full year, except she was no longer interested in a single discipline of the four arts, nor did she have the cleverness she possessed at four-years-old. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t return to the residence afterwards, and she managed to grow up smoothly.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng seemed to really blame himself for it, ¡°For the same reason, her agitated reaction after seeing me is technically normal.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Whenever you returned to the residence ten years ago, they allowed you to interact with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª?¡±


    As Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng recalled the past, his sighs became more frequent, ¡°They didn¡¯t allow it at the start, but Y¨²n N¨ª was different from the others. Whenever someone saw that I looked identical to Third Brother, they would only feel fearful, but every time Y¨²n N¨ª saw me, not only could she distinguish between us clearly, but she wasn¡¯t even afraid, and she liked listening to me talk about the novel things outside. Moreover, since I had some cumulative experience in terms of calligraphy and painting, she would frequently ask me to teach her. She was really very smart, and she already understood what the negative spaces in paintings meant¡­¡±


    Even as Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng talked about it now, he was full of exultation for that shockingly talented and utterly admirable little girl, ¡°That is how it was for zaixia. My return to the residence this time around was to attend Mother¡¯s funeral, but I did not think that so many tragedies have happened with the residence. I am aware that no one wishes for my return.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes congealed, ¡°Are you aware of why all the servants were changed fifteen years ago?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng faltered slightly. He was just a young man fifteen years ago, and with how far back it was, it was a genuine struggle for him to remember it clearly, ¡°Fifteen years ago¡­ I don¡¯t have an impression of it anymore. Every time I returned, I didn¡¯t go out much, and most of the time, only a scarce few within the residence knew of my return. Hence, it¡¯s hard for me to know about any changes in the servants whilst away.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked another question: ¡°Your Oldest Brother, once had a small concubine that died during childbirth, are you aware of this?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng paused again, ¡°My Oldest Brother¡­ I don¡¯t have knowledge of this matter either, but Oldest Brother is a loyal and honest man, I never knew that he had admitted a concubine, or when he did so.¡±


    ¡°When did Da Furen become mad?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was barely in the residence and there were too many things he didn¡¯t know, but with regards to this matter, he was actually aware, ¡°It was the year after Y¨²n N¨ª was born. I returned to the residence for a small stay that year, and Oldest Sister-in-law no longer partook in a meal with us. I asked about it, and Mother said that Oldest Sister-in-law was ill.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why she was ill?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng shook his head, ¡°I do not know.¡±


    There were too many oddities in all levels of the Marquis Residence, and yet, contrary to all reason, the only person who spoke about everything without any reservations was the one who knew exceedingly little.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u tossed out his final question: ¡°When is your birthday? Do you know what Yin year and Yin hour means?¡±


    ¡°My birthday is on the Third Year of Jianhe, April the Second, hai shi (9-11PM).¡± Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s eyebrows creased slightly, ¡°Yin year and Yin hour? I¡¯m confused by Yin year and Yin hour¡­. If I was born on a Yin year and during a Yin hour, I fear that I wouldn¡¯t be able to live.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng laughed bitterly, ¡°Being born as twins is already inauspicious as it is; if one were born in a Yin year and Yin hour, it would truly be a yin foetus coming to wreak havoc in this world.¡±

 CH 15

    ¡°Are you informed of why Momo Yu was sent to the ancestral hall?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s visage turned blank, as if he could not remember who Momo Yu was at the moment. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u supplemented, ¡°A maidservant that your mother brought from the Capital. She¡¯s a trusted aide, and yet she was punished to watch over the ancestral hall for fifteen years.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s eyes brightened slightly, ¡°Her, huh¡­. She was indeed the most trusted person by Mother¡¯s side. In the first few years, she would always be the one arranging my return to the residence, and it was changed to another steward later. While Mother allowed me to return to the residence for a short stay, it was just to make it up to me a little. I was still being hidden from the public with great rigour, but I don¡¯t know why she was changed for someone else.


    ¡°However, I have an impression of that Momo. She came from the Capital, received the best education from Marquis Xinyang Residence with Mother, and was deeply familiar with all the etiquette and practices of an aristocratic and large family. Every matter that Mother had to attend to, she would be at the side scheduling and arranging everything, the servants were also personally taught by her, her conduct and behaviour in society was more than thorough, and she has never committed a mistake.


    ¡°My Father was still in the world back then, and Mother was not the only person in the back courtyard, but with her aiding Mother, Mother has never been threatened within the back courtyard. However, she was rather cheerless and mechanical, and also harsh to those under her. I was still quite young back then, and every time I saw her, I would feel slightly afraid.¡±


    A person who had received the best education with her master; a person who handled her duties while ensuring that not a single drop of water could leak out, and yet she erred and was negligent on a matter as huge as a small concubine delivering a child, such that it led to the death of the mother and child, how was anyone supposed to believe that?


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng then said: ¡°Has she gone to the ancestral hall? I haven¡¯t been to the ancestral hall for many years, perhaps¡­ only after death, will I be able to enter the Zheng clan¡¯s ancestral hall¡­¡±


    Misery lined his words to some degree.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at the night colours outside, ¡°The questioning will stop here for tonight, you may withdraw.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was about to bow, but he could not resist asking: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, is the murderer someone within the residence?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shrank slightly, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Bitterness coloured Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s eyes as he sighed audibly. After a prolonged bow with clasped hands raised, he turned around and left the hall. He arrived like he was framed with bones of an immortal cultivator, now that the cold winds were hoisting his sleeves and robes, his strength of character was intact, but he still returned to the mortal world of chaos; his footsteps were sluggish and laden.


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    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said with a sigh, ¡°Xiaguan has been an official in Qingzhou for numerous years, and has been to the Marquis Residence numerous times, and yet he was genuinely unaware that the Third Master and Fourth Master were twin brothers. For many years, one had merely heard that the Fourth Master was gravely ill or travelling outside, but for it to stem from this reason was unexpected. Speaking of which, was it necessary to go so far? The Marquis Residence is not in the Capital, and having a pair of twins would merely result in a rumour or two, why did they have to separate a mother and child like this?¡±


    Fu gonggong said: ¡°H¨¨ daren is unknowing to some extent; the more influential and noble a family is, the more they will believe in such sayings. While Marquis Anqing Residence has stayed in Qingzhou for a long time, they wholeheartedly wish that they can return to the Capital. Therefore, regardless of whether it was the old Marquis Anqing or Lao Furen, they dare not be careless.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s origins were rather humble, and it was natural that he was not cognizant of the beliefs that old prominent families subscribed to. After hearing Fu gonggong utter those words, he could not help but feel modest as he received his instruction.


    At this moment, an embroidered emissary stepped inside and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Zheng wu¡¯ye (5th) headed to the ancestral hall one pillar of incense (30 minutes) ago, and he has yet to come out up until now.¡±


    This was within Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expectations, ¡°Is it possible to eavesdrop on the conversation?¡±


    The embroidered emissary shook his head, ¡°We have men close by, but there is no sound or noise coming from the building.¡±


    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u heard those words, his eyebrows rose. No sound or noise? Even if it was difficult to hear the words and phrases of two living people speaking inside a room, the embroidered emissaries were all trained, how was it possible that they didn¡¯t even pick up on a single sound?


    ¡°It looks like the Zheng clan¡¯s ancestral hall is more than what meets the eye as well.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u fiddled with the black jade ornamental thumb ring on his hand as he stood up, ¡°Continue to watch that ancestral hall, and dispatch someone to watch Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n after he leaves,¡± he said as he looked towards that embroidered emissary, ¡°Monitor with greater scrutiny.¡±


    The embroidered emissary complied with due haste, then Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instructed H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, ¡°Continue to oversee the crucial paths in the residence and deploy more government hirelings over.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quickly agreed, ¡°Hou¡¯ye can be at ease, more men have been deployed. That Taoist priest is currently doing the calculations, and the results should be out by tomorrow.¡±


    In the end, he had to calculate fifteen years¡¯ worth of double-hours and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not want to urge him at all. He was going to leave the hall but after a sweeping glimpse, he noticed that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was contemplating deeply with knitted brows, her thoughts unknown, which made his eyes focus slightly.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng coughed lightly, ¡°Xiao B¨®¡ª¡±


    Upon raising her eyes, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u realised that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u staring at her, and she could only respond: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ was pondering if min¡¯n¨¹ had deduced wrongly, since none of the people within the residence who were inspected bore a resemblance to the murderer.¡±


    In response, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said in a difficult and astringent manner: ¡°This¡­ Apart from Da Furen and Momo Yu, it¡¯s true that everyone was here, and it¡¯s not possible that it¡¯s either of them since the murderer needs to have some skill in climbing.¡±


    Since the murderer could rappel down from the Moon-viewing Pavilion via rope, flip over the wall and climb into the courtyard, it was not possible that it was a half-century-old elderly or a severely ill woman who even had issues recognising the road. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng did not blame B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, but he was very confused as well. Perhaps, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did deduce wrongly? The murderer¡¯s stature and characteristics were obtained from her post-mortem autopsy, and once there was an error, the trajectory of the inspection would be wrong from the very start.


    ¡°The employed should not be doubted.¡±


    The employed should not be doubted. (ÓÃÈ˲»ÒÉ)


    These four words also had the strength of thirty thousand catties, which tugged and shook B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heartstrings.


    The fists in her sleeves curled gently, but only a trace of a sweet-tempered smile appeared on her visage.


    Fu gonggong then said: ¡°It is getting late, B¨® guniang should head back and rest first before convening tomorrow. It can¡¯t be rushed, the more anxious we are, the messier it will become¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was hesitating when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seemed to hear the conversation inside the room from outside. He pointed at an embroidered emissary, ¡°Send her back.¡± He paused and added, ¡°Stand guard outside her courtyard tonight.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was about to say that it wasn¡¯t necessary but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already looked over, ¡°The murderer¡¯s pathing is hard to determine, and they are exceedingly skilled at hiding themselves. The people handling this case must not be harmed by the murderer, especially you.¡±


    Especially you.


    Heart warming, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her eyes and said: ¡°Yes, then min¡¯n¨¹ will take her leave.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded before turning back to the embroidered emissary he was previously speaking to. In the middle of their conversation, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u seemed to catch the two words ¡°Luozhou¡±, Luozhou was northwest of Qingzhou, could that be the official business that Fu gonggong was talking about?


    The murderer used the seventh death day as a marker; in the next six days, there might be another homicide. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knew that this case had to be solved within six days. Furthermore¡­ Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u must be in a great rush.


    With an additional embroidered emissary sending her all the way back to the guest courtyard, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u still felt very safe despite walking along the small path under the dim shadows of the lanterns. The night was already deep, and though there were guards on the crucial paths of the Marquis Residence, the murderer could conceal themselves in the darkness of the expansive and uninterrupted buildings and courtyards.


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    Once she returned to the courtyard, Ch¨±n T¨¢o, who had dozed off from waiting, immediately welcomed her. After washing up and having a meal, Ch¨±n T¨¢o could not help but remark: ¡°Guniang, nubi saw guniang at the front courtyard today. When guniang was standing beside Marquis Wuzhao, it was truly imposing in style, and guniang is helping the government office with the case? Guniang is truly amazing!¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked at Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s adolescent face, and she did not have the heart to tell her that she examined the corpses. Instead, she replied: ¡°Then you must have seen Zhen si¡¯ye.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s expression changed instantaneously, ¡°Yes, nubi was badly frightened, and thought that the Third Master¡¯s corpse had reanimated. Nubi didn¡¯t expect that the reason for the Fourth Master not returning to the residence for so many years was because he and the Third Master were twins. Guniang, did you know that twins are extremely inauspicious.¡±


    ¡°I am aware,¡± B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not continue this topic. Rather, she turned around and said: ¡°I met Da Furen tonight as well.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s pupils dilated as she said in a low voice: ¡°Isn¡¯t it very scary? Da Furen has been ill for many years, never breaking off from her medication all these years and yet it still hasn¡¯t turned for the better, but the strangest thing is that¡­ Da Furen stops being insane once she sees the residence¡¯s stupid girl.¡±


    Before B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could ask, Ch¨±n T¨¢o talked about it first, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u casually asked: ¡°The stupid girl?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o wrote all her emotions on her face, and there was a glint of fear and disgust flitting past the bottom of her eyes, ¡°Guniang hasn¡¯t met her? When everyone was in the front courtyard, she was there too. There¡¯s a huge scar on her face, and it¡¯s said that she already had it when Da Furen picked her up.¡±


    ¡°When did Da Furen pick her up?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o thought back for a moment, ¡°Nubi entered the residence much later, so she is unaware of the specific timing, but it was around six to seven years ago? Based on the stupid girl¡¯s appearance, it¡¯s impossible for her to stay in the residence. There was hearsay that during an instance where Lao Furen was bringing Da Furen to see a senior monk, in hopes that the senior monk could treat Da Furen¡¯s illness, she picked up a stupid girl that had fainted from hunger along the roadside as they were making their way back. Da Furen descended into a fit of madness and no one could not stop her, not even Oldest Young Lady, and she persisted in wanting to bring the stupid girl back. Lao Furen had no other alternative so she could only be brought back.


    ¡°Afterwards, Da Furen became extremely intimate with the stupid girl, treating her like she was her own daughter, and whenever the stupid girl is present, Da Furen¡¯s illness becomes much better, and apart from her inability to remember things, she can speak, eat, and drink medicine. Hence, Lao Furen decided to let the stupid girl stay. When Da Furen did not need the stupid girl, the stupid girl would run some maidservant errands; if her illness relapses, the stupid girl would be made to stay by Da Furen¡¯s side for a few days. Look at that, this is the fortune that each person has, and it¡¯s unknown how many people within the residence envy her¡­¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o spoke in an unceasing torrent, though she sighed when she reached this point, ¡°But she¡¯s pitiful too. Her face was ruined, she¡¯s muddleheaded, foolish, unable to talk, and even her foot was broken from a fall. If it were not for Lao Furen¡¯s kindness, maybe she would be dead.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised an eyebrow, ¡°Her leg, it was broken from a fall after she entered the residence?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded, ¡°Yeah, it was roughly two to three years ago. She dropped into the dried up well in the east of the Marquis Residence, and she nearly lost her life because she was stuck at the bottom of the well for a few days. Back then, everyone thought that she had run away, and it was an old servant who was passing by as he was running errands that saved her. Her leg was broken in that fall, and Lao Furen sought medical advice and medicine to treat her.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt slightly sombre as she thought about the injury on the back of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s hand, and the unexpected and palpable tender affection that Da Furen had for a stupid girl, only feeling that something was rather strange. Although she wanted to inquire about events that happened even earlier, Ch¨±n T¨¢o was clueless, going to the extent where she had never heard of a person like Momo Yu. Deeply aware that she would not be extracting more information, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u went to bed first.


    Just as she was about to slip into her dreams, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u heard the sound of firecrackers in the distance in her drowsiness. A vague thought flowed past her mind, the Lantern Festival, which was on the fifteenth of the first lunar new month, was here.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not sleep deeply that night, and she woke up before the skies brightened. Her head was woozy from just waking up when she suddenly heard human voices coming from outside the courtyard. Her heart moved, and she hastily got off the bed and changed her clothes to dash out of the courtyard doors to investigate.


    Once the courtyard doors were opened, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was promptly stunned.


    Presently, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was leading more than a dozen servants towards the Marquis Residence gates, and those dozen servants were each carrying clothed bundles on their backs and lifting chests¡­ This array, were they trying to run out of the residence in secret?

 CH 16

    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª did not manage to leave of course.


    Before she could even reach the gates, she was stopped by the embroidered emissaries, and she was brought to the front courtyard soon after.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sat on the main seat calmly. No anger could be perceived on his visage, but his cold eyes were enough to make people prostrate in fear.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª raised her chin slightly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, ?ou should be aware that the seventh of March is the day of chen¡¯n¨¹ and His Second Highness¡¯ big wedding, and this is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. If Zumu hadn¡¯t met with her demise, [we] should be entering the Capital with Zumu in the next two days.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u toyed with his black jade ornamental thumb ring, his expression impossible to decipher. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª gnashed her teeth, ¡°Although three people have died in the residence, these people are unrelated to chen¡¯n¨¹. Does Hou¡¯ye want to detain chen¡¯n¨¹ because chen¡¯n¨¹ bears the possibility of being the murderer or something?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze deepened, wordless. Fu gonggong comforted her with a crinkle-eyed smile, ¡°Oldest Young Lady, the marriage is on the seventh of March, it is only the fifteenth of January right now. Travelling to the Capital from this location via the water road only requires half a month, there¡¯s no need to be so anxious.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª did not dare to offend Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, but she had never placed Fu gonggong in her eyes, ¡°Gonggong, the big wedding for the imperial clan is riddled with etiquette; it is not as simple as you presume it to be.¡±


    Fu gonggong was still smiling with crinkled eyes, ¡°Although it isn¡¯t simple, it isn¡¯t that complicated either.¡± After giving a pause, Fu gonggong said warmly, ¡°During the current Emperor¡¯s big wedding, zajia led the horse for His Majesty, hence he has some knowledge of it.¡±


    Emperor Jianhe was established as the Crown Prince in his youth. For being able to lead the horse for the Crown Prince, he could only be a trusted aide and nothing else. When Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u bringing along a personal servant by his side, she merely assumed that he was a servant from the Eldest Princess¡¯ Residence, but she never expected that Fu gonggong would be the Emperor¡¯s subordinate.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª pursed her lips tightly, her small face paling slightly.


    Thin perspiration sheeted Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s visage as he said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, please forgive us, it is not that we don¡¯t want to abide by the rules, it¡¯s just that the murderer hasn¡¯t been caught up until now. Hou¡¯ye is also aware that Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s status is much more high-born, it is only out of the fear that something would happen to her that we thought it would be better if she entered the Capital earlier.¡±


    She was the unwedded Huangfei of His Second Highness; what a good high-born she was. Fu gonggong¡¯s brows raised slightly, his smile softening even more.


    On the other hand, the tips of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows did not move at all. ¡°Before the case details are clear, no one is allowed to leave.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s brows knitted together, forcibly suppressing her urge to say something. A few moments later, she spat out a few words from between her clenched teeth, ¡°Fine¡­ then [we] shall listen to Hou¡¯ye¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª bowed after saying that, then turned around and departed from the front courtyard.


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    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n wiped his sweat as he said, ¡°Hou¡¯ye please forgive her, Y¨²n N¨ª has the temper of a child, she isn¡¯t trying to offend Hou¡¯ye on purpose.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyes and looked over, ¡°Allowing Y¨²n N¨ª to enter the capital in advance, was that the suggestion that Momo Yu gave you?¡±


    That startled Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, his mouth opening wide although he did not know how to reply, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡­ this¡­ this was a decision that zaixia made after careful deliberations¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n lowered his eyes, fear apparent in his expression. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at him with frigid phoenix eyes, ¡°With how things are right now, you should learn from your Fourth Brother instead. Marquis Anqing Residence used to be a family of hats and ornaments, and yet it is an arrow at the end of its flight these days. Your three older brothers have already met with their demise, and if your vision is still lacking despite that, then even if His Second Highness truly becomes the Crown Prince, how many days of light basking would your Marquis Anqing Residence stand to have?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s cold sweat dripped down like rain. Emperor Jianhe had yet to canonise a Crown Prince, which made discussions about the Crown Prince taboo in court. However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had the audacity to speak of it so directly, and he wasn¡¯t wrong either. The past few generations of Marquis Anqing Residence were all mediocre, and their lot was going to be exhausted soon. Their only chance was His Second Highness being established as the Crown Prince, and Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª becoming the Crown Princess and the Mother under the Heavens in the future.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n swallowed with much difficulty, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, zaixia is cognizant, everything¡­ everything has been said.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u threw a sidelong glance at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n. Subsequently, he waved his hand and ordered him to withdraw.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n cupped his hands and bowed. When he was leaving, his back was visibly hunched, and Fu gonggong only felt like sighing as he observed him. ¡°This Fifth Master is not good at concealing; even laonu can perceive that he¡¯s hiding something¡­ If this drags on, isn¡¯t he afraid that variables will truly arise in the marriage between the Oldest Young Lady and His Second Highness?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes sank as he listened.


    For the Marquis Anqing Residence, nothing was more important than the big wedding between Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª and His Second Highness, and only by solving the case early, would the Marquis Anqing Residence be spared from criticism during Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s big wedding. However, since they remained close-lipped, it was obvious that whether it was Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n or Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, they had a lot to hide.


    Could it be that whatever the Marquis Residence was concealing was more important than Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s big wedding?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u pondered deeply for a brief moment before summoning the embroidered emissary who had watched over the ancestral hall last night. The embroidered emissary stated: ¡°Zheng wu¡¯ye (5th) went to the ancestral hall last night, and he only left after a double-hour. During this period of time, there was not a single sound coming out from the ancestral hall. After Zheng wu¡¯ye left, Momo Yu chanted scriptures in front of the Zheng clan¡¯s memorial tablets all the way till dawn before her voice disappeared. However, the silence only lasted for a pillar of incense (30 minutes), since Momo Yu returned to the left side room to rest.¡±


    After giving a pause, that embroidered emissary continued, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the Zheng clan¡¯s ancestral hall must have a secret room, does it require a search?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s fingertips knocked on the armrest before his eyes firmed up, ¡°Pass down the¡ª¡±


    Before Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could utter the word ¡°order¡±, another embroidered emissary suddenly entered the front courtyard in large strides. His gait was exceedingly fast, his expression heavy, and once he stepped through the hall doors, he exclaimed in a deep voice: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the ancestral hall is on fire!¡±


    ¡°On fire?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shrank. The development was sudden, but the spoken words were still calm and steady.


    The embroidered emissary nodded, ¡°Yes, it caught fire, and the fire is incredibly intense, it can¡¯t be put out.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was planning to search the entire Marquis Residence rather than the ancestral hall alone, but before he could issue the order, the ancestral hall caught fire. A dark lustre emerged from the bottom of his eyes. He stood up, lifting his foot to head outside.


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    Marquis Anqing Residence had more than a hundred years¡¯ worth of history, and it was originally the travelling residence of a Qinwang from the previous dynasty before it was bought by the Zheng clan after several twists and turns. It was only after repairs and renovations that it took on its current appearance, and the Zheng clan ancestral hall in particular, had been rebuilt before.


    The lush and verdant hundred-year pine and cypress were akin to an overspilling canopy, but today, with the tongues of flames and thick smoke rising above the ancestral hall roof, even the pine and cypress were set aflame and razed. Just as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and his entourage reached the outer periphery of the bamboo forest, they knew for certain that this fire could not be put out.


    By the time he traversed through the bamboo forest and stood in front of the doors to the ancestral hall¡¯s yard, the accumulated snow in his surroundings had been melted by the oncoming waves of heat, thus muddying the entire trail. Momo Yu fell to the ground with disorderly hair under an old pine tree, her soot-covered face streaked with tears.


    ¡°Nubi has sinned, nubi is ashamed to face the forefathers and ancestors of the Zheng clan¡­¡±


    Momo Yu only repeated this line again and again, shock and guilt intermingling on her face. Very quickly, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and the rest of the Marquis Residence rushed over with panicked expressions. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u brought along Ch¨±n T¨¢o and reached the site of fire after Second Furen and Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o.


    In the crowd, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u singled out B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u at a glance. There was a hint of shock on her perpetually serene face, which made it quite evident that she did not anticipate that a place as important as the ancestral hall would catch fire, but that was quick to change as she used an investigative gaze to scrutinise the fire and its surroundings.


    Regret emerged from the depths of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s heart again.


    At this moment, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n stalked up to Momo Yu in a fit of rage, ¡°Momo! How did it catch fire?¡±


    Hastily, Momo Yu knelt in front of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, kowtowing as she said, ¡°Nubi has sinned, nubi was praying for Lao Furen¡¯s good fortune until daybreak before she rested, and then a fire suddenly started. Nubi wanted to stop it, but the fire was way too big¡­¡±


    Momo Yu choked and swallowed as she spoke, and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n could not even unleash the scolding that was at the tip of his tongue upon seeing her like this. He could only walk up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and say: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, an altar lamp that burns through the day and night is lit in the ancestral hall all year round. The weather and things are rather dry, and it probably caught fire because of Momo Yu¡¯s negligence. It must have shocked ?ou, please return to the front courtyard to rest first, and leave the clean-up to zaixia.¡±


    Grief coloured Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s countenance, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not spare him a glance. ¡°The fire started burning from the back wing-room, is the back wring-room also the place where the altar lamp was located?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had been inside the ancestral hall before, so he knew that the memorial tablets were placed in the central hall, as was the altar lamp. However, the tongues of flames were devouring, spitting, and rising high, after collapsing a part of the roof above the back of the central hall, and that was probably because it was the earliest to catch fire.


    The intense fire had already spread out, giving the overwhelming perception that it had been deliberately torched. When Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n heard those words, the smoke and ash scattered in the whole sky could not hide the terror at the bottom of his eyes. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u started instructing the embroidered emissaries, ¡°Search the surroundings.¡±


    The embroidered emissaries moved according to their orders. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wanted to go closer upon hearing that, but just as she took two steps forward, she heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice coming from the back right direction.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s shoulders and back numbed inexplicably. Without needing to turn her head back, she knew that it was Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u calling her.


    She turned around. Sure enough, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was glowering at her.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sidled up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and bowed, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not issue another utterance as he shifted his gaze back to the fire again. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was baffled at first, but subsequently understood Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s intentions. Heart throbbing lightly, she did not step forward again, merely standing further back in a quiet manner.


    The cold winds howled, and the inferno burned according to the wind direction. With a loud bang, even the central hall¡¯s roof was burnt to the point it caved in. This noise made the spectators release alarmed cries and recoil out of fear. Amidst the smoke and dust, however, the broiling and heated winds coming towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u were dulled.


    She raised her eyes, only to see Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u standing in front of her, his shoulders high and mighty as though it could hide the skies and cover the earth. A wisp of black ash swaying and floating in the wind happened to land on his shoulder quietly then, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s thoughts moved, almost tempted to extend her hand to help him brush it off.


    But at this moment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s nasal cavity caught a faint whiff of an exceedingly faint but acrid smell. With attentive eyes, she turned, and saw Momo Yu, who was standing at an isolated, inconspicuous, and distant position, as she stared at the burning ancestral hall, her gaze obdurate.

 CH 17

    This big fire burned for an entire day.


    When evening arrived, the solemn and respectful ancestral hall had turned into a scorched pile of crumbling fences and dilapidated walls. The majority of surrounding pine and cypress trees had been burned down as well. Dusk domed the skies, and remnants of surviving wisps of smoke rose up in spirals.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood near the site of the fire, the space between his eyebrows creased with a heaviness similar to the beckoning of mountain rain.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stood behind him and his voice softened unconsciously, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the fire started burning from the inside, and there is presumably no other reason for it, but one fears that it will take six to seven to clean up this place.¡±


    The area of the ancestral hall was not small; apart from the central hall, there were a total of ten or more houses at the front and back. Presently, the broken walls and rubble, the still-burning beams, pillars, and rafters have collapsed into a small hill, surrounded by flames and smoke. The depths of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes was dark and deep, and with a sidelong glance, he saw Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n standing at the side, his expression distressed.


    ¡°Gather all the servants in the residence and deploy more hands from the government office, ensure that this place is cleaned out within three days.¡±


    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s utterance landed, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n came back to his senses. He came a step closer and said: ¡°The people in the residence are feeling trepid right now, perhaps the case should be solved first before cleaning up this place¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, causing Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s mien to change a few times. In the end, he still complied, ¡°Yes, zaixia will arrange it now.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n waved his hand to call over a few stewards and passed down what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had instructed just now. Similarly, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng ordered a constable to deploy more government hirelings to this place. The curtain of night was going to descend soon, and the chilly wind was bone-piercing. Hu¨° W¨¥i Lou fixed his gaze, and abruptly realised that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s thin figure was currently climbing on a pile of scorched beams and pillars.


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    Frowning, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sauntered over to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    The intense fire was already gone, but in the middle of the crumbling fences and dilapidated walls, a star of smoke and fire still remained. As she moved closer, there seemed to be residual warmth underfoot. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not understand what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was trying to do by climbing up there, and the hems of her skirt were stained with black soot and dirt.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u issued a question with his deep voice, which sounded quite displeased.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u turned her head back. Instead of feeling any fear, she returned a question: ¡°Can Hou¡¯ye smell some kind of odour?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u furrowed his brows as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped off that pile of scorched wood. Her hands were also stained with black soot, to which she brushed her hands against each other as she said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, it¡¯s tung oil. Although it has been completely burnt, a faint odour still lingers in the smoke and dust¡ª¡±


    Since Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had been in the army since a young age, he naturally knew what tung oil was. Most of the fire reconnaissance on the battlefield used tung oil, only because tung oil burned quickly and violently, wasn¡¯t easily extinguished by water, would give rise to thick smoke when burning, and in thick concentrations, the smoke was poisonous.


    At this moment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u also stated: ¡°The lamp oil typically used as an offering to the Buddha and memorial tablets in the Buddha-worshipping Halls and ancestral halls is butter oil. While butter oil is expensive, it produces less smoke, has a fainter smell, and burns for a longer period of time. Tung oil shouldn¡¯t have appeared in this place. Moreover, min¡¯n¨¹ discovered that there was the smell of tung oil on Momo Yu¡¯s person early on.¡±


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u spoke, she used the back of her hand to brush away the scattered tendrils of hair on her cheek, ¡°The fire started suddenly, its intensity was swift and violent, and it is reckoned that Hou¡¯ye has guessed that it¡¯s abnormal. Min¡¯n¨¹ can now affirm that someone had deliberately started the fire with tung oil.¡± She slanted her eyes to take in the full view of the destruction, ¡°The ancestral hall is of great importance to a clan; if it was not out of a pressing need, they would never consider starting a fire and burning it down. Zheng wu¡¯ye came here last night, the Oldest Young Lady wanted to enter the capital early this morning, and the back of the ancestral hall caught fire. Min¡¯n¨¹ feels that there must be something peculiar about this ancestral hall, and all of this was decided by Zheng wu¡¯ye and Momo Yu last night. They want to conceal something, which is why they acted with such callousness.¡±


    Despite finishing her speech, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not hear Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s response. She was worried about whether she had spoken too much, but when she turned around, she only saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looking at her with an indecipherable expression, which made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u feel like something was awry¡­


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u first looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s ash-stained face, then looked down at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hands.


    Her considerations when conducting post-mortem autopsies were scarce to none; she did not hesitate at all in the face of rotting flesh, her fingers had dipped into corpse water, and had been frozen before, all of which caused some of her fingers on her left hand to redden and swell slightly, and now that it was stained with soot and ash, it was honestly an unbearable sight.


    ¡°The ancestral hall certainly has its oddities. Luckily, the sudden fire does prove this point, and men have been ordered to clean up and search this area.¡± Pausing momentarily, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone became milder by a degree, ¡°There are no corpses to examine today, you don¡¯t need to be here.¡±


    That sentence was a command for her to withdraw, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wavered momentarily, trying to test it as she said: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ would like to stay here to inspect more.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze became heavier, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hurriedly said: ¡°Though min¡¯n¨¹ is a woman, her mind is meticulous, she definitely won¡¯t make a botch of things¡ª¡±


    A glint flashed past the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes. He heard it clearly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u still remembered how he said that he did not like women in the space where he was handling official business. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scanned the fire site, ¡°With these conditions, what can be discovered? When it is time to use you, you will naturally be called upon.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed his line of sight to look over, only seeing the scorched, wide-girthed beams and pillars littering the ground everywhere, and debris and broken walls were strewn around in a similar disarray. Undeniably, most of it involved physical labour. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u came to an understanding. Before these thick and heavy objects were removed, it would certainly be difficult to discover anything.


    Somewhat helpless, she sighed audibly, ¡°Then¡­ Then min¡¯n¨¹ will take her leave.¡±


    Her tone of voice seemed to harbour some regret. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had gotten used to the sight of people shirking their duties and shying for their work in the officialdom. Now that he was looking at her, he quintessentially felt that her countenance was becoming more emotionally stirring the longer he observed her. Even though there was soot smeared on her face, it did not reduce her blossoming countenance and bones of jade.


    Once that thought arose, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows knitted together lightly. He had abstained from womanly charms for many years, and no matter how devastatingly beautiful a woman was, they were just ordinary rouge and vulgar powder in his eyes, and yet he was starting to find B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u slightly pleasing to the eye today.


    It must be because she was diligent and attentive during work and was skilled at her profession.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s thoughts settled. When he looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u again, he could not avoid feeling some regret again. He hummed faintly in response, to which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pivoted on her heels to leave. At this moment, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng approached them, and upon seeing the smear on her face, he revealed some astonishment, ¡°Xiao B¨®, you¡­¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng pointed at her cheek, unable to hold back the urge to laugh, ¡°Why is your face smeared?¡±


    It was only then that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u understood why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u regarded her with that gaze. Although she did not feel embarrassed, it was still a slight loss of etiquette in the end, so she offered a fleeting, bitter smile before departing in quick strides. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng clicked his tongue audibly as he peered at her fading back figure. Aware that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was satisfied with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s performance for the past two days, he remarked, ¡°One has allowed Hou¡¯ye to witness a joke. Xiao B¨®¡¯s conduct has always been more dependable than those youngsters, and during the few instances where she was assisting in a case, she has never found it laborious or tiring.¡±


    Having said that, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng lamented, ¡°All thanks to Xiao B¨®¡¯s aid, Qingzhou didn¡¯t have a pile-up of unresolved cases for the past two years and more, the Heavens really treat xiaguan decently. Seeing as to how Hou¡¯ye does not doubt those he employs, xiaguan has benefitted from the advice as well. Although she can¡¯t be appointed to a position in the government office¡¯s documents, but one has heard that Hou¡¯ye has quite a few talents under his combine as well, and this heart of cherishing talents, makes xiaguan feel admiration. That being said, xiaguan will start treating Xiao B¨® as a specialist as well, and allow her to stay in Qingzhou City altogether, so it will be more convenient for her to aid the prefectural government office in the future¡­¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng complimented B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and flattered Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, personally feeling that this torrent of praise had flowed smoothly, without any trace of deliberateness. However, before he could finish his words, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s complexion sank down for unknown reasons. Amidst the oppressive chill, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng fished out his handkerchief again and started wiping his sweat.


    Emperor Jianhe came into power enlightened, and he would always have people that served in another feudal court present during court. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was under one person and above ten thousand; having received Emperor Jianhe¡¯s trust in no small measure, he also helped him recruit talents numerous times. Hence, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s praise was not abrupt, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was a little unhappy after hearing it. When he returned to his guest courtyard later at night, he was still gloomy.


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    Fu gonggong simply assumed that he was frustrated because he lost the chance to search the ancestral hall since it was destroyed in the fire, so he said: ¡°This fire started abruptly, and that Momo Yu is the most suspicious. As expected, she is the most trusted aide of Lao Furen in the past, never careless even when she was setting fire to the ancestral hall. So what if the ancestral hall is burnt? Hou¡¯ye is wise, and great in skill and strategy, in a few more days, he will undoubtedly find the truth¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember that the country of Western Liang once offered an item as tribute last year.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Fu gonggong froze, not knowing why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly brought up this matter. He mulled over it before nodding, ¡°The main pieces that Western Liang offered as tribute this year were unique weapons, which one is Hou¡¯ye referring to? That godly mechanical bow and crossbow?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had served the army since a young age, and Fu gonggong¡¯s first thought was that set of divine mechanical bow and crossbow. The diplomats from Western Liang had stated that the godly mechanical bow and crossbow was capable of firing a number of arrows simultaneously with a range of a hundred li. If it was utilised, it would definitely become an important weapon that could obtain victories for Great Zhou.


    On the contrary, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s a pair of protective gloves that was weaved out of exceedingly thin copper threads.¡±


    Fu gonggong thought hard for a few moments, but he could not remember which item that was, and yet Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instructed: ¡°Use a flying pigeon to send a letter back to the Capital, asking someone to retrieve the item and send it over.¡±


    Fu gonggong left to pass on the message, half-believing and half-doubting, and when he returned, he saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looking through his documents. Clueless as to what the use of the item was, Fu gonggong sighed, choosing not to ask more since he could not fathom Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s thoughts.


    At this moment, the embroidered emissary responsible for protecting B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u returned, and once he reached the door, he hesitated about whether he should enter.


    Fu gonggong stepped out and asked: ¡°Why are you back? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be guarding B¨® guniang?¡±


    In a predicament, that embroidered emissary said: ¡°B¨® guniang went to the bamboo forest in the east, and she didn¡¯t allow this subordinate to follow. This subordinate felt that it was improper, so he came back to report it.¡±


    Before Fu gonggong could even speak, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice travelled over from inside.


    ¡°Why did she go to the bamboo forest?¡±


    The embroidered emissary replied: ¡°This subordinate does not know, except B¨® guniang asked for some joss sticks, candles, and Underworld money from the servants in the residence, as though¡­ she wants to offer sacrifices to the deceased.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyes from the document, his brows creasing together lightly.


    ¡­¡­


    The author has something to say: The old iron tree is starting to germinate.

 CH 18

    To offer sacrifices in someone else¡¯s residence was rather lacking in manners, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had the initial thought of going out of the residence gates, but with the martial law imposed on the residence, she did not want to cause any trouble or be an inconvenience. After pondering for a brief moment, she wrote a funeral oration, having decided to burn it with some Underworld money, which could be considered as fulfilling her intentions.


    After asking Ch¨±n T¨¢o, Ch¨±n T¨¢o said that the most remote area of the residence was the bamboo forest in the northeast. The Marquis Residence had quite a number of garden sceneries, and there were several bamboo forests as well. By virtue of how the northeast bamboo forest was really too far removed, the gardeners took care of it very infrequently, and it was awfully overgrown right now.


    The night had arrived, and the chill was pressing. She asked for clear directions, held a night lantern and thanked the embroidered emissary who was following her before heading northeast. The cold wind hoisted her skirts, and the Underworld money in her hand rustled audibly.


    Soon after, she arrived at the bamboo forest.


    The weeds outside the forest were breaking out everywhere, and the trails leading into the forest could barely be distinguished under the lantern light. Looking further into the forest only yielded an inky, pitch-black darkness, and as the wind travelled through the forest and passed through, the bamboo swayed slightly, causing rustles to sound. The shadows on the ground were mottled, giving the impression that there were irresolute and unsettled ghost shadows.


    Since B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was alone, she still had some vigilance in her heart, so she walked over to a stone tablet. There was moss strewn all over the surface of the stone tablet which covered most of the words, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not interested in probing what was etched. Instead, she merely lit two candles at the back and against the wind.


    The funeral oration was written quickly, and it was just a few lines. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u unfurled it to read it again, a sense of gloominess rising between her brows and eyes.


    With the passing of days and years, the sorrow and pain have become fainter, but the things that were heavier than sorrow and pain had quietly seeped into the marrow of her bones, thus making her heart as hard as iron during certain times. With a sharp crackle, the funeral oration caught fire and landed on the ground. She threw the Underworld money on top piece by piece, allowing the fire to flourish, but the growing light only served to irradiate the apathy and pain on her graceful countenance further.


    There were only lingering echoes of the cold wind travelling through the forest and brushing against the leaves. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u squatted beside the fire, bright eyes staring at the fire pile, but her gaze seemed to go through the flames and see a more distant place. Her pupils trembled lightly, and like she had been frozen over in a world of ice and snow, she held the paper money by its corners, not even feeling any pain when the tongues of flame licked at her fingertips.


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    It was unknown how much time had passed when all the Underworld money had been burned and only half of the candles¡¯ length remained. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her hand to wipe her face, wanting to stand up when she realised that her legs were numb. Sighing, she was going to take it slow, but she abruptly sensed that something was wrong.


    Like a sense of unease that came from being spied upon at the back.


    Pupils dilating, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked towards and into the bamboo forest, but that one look, made cold sweat pour down her back instantaneously.


    Inside the bamboo forest of blotched ghost shadows, stood a person.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was only startled for an instant. She gripped onto her lantern tightly and rose to her feet abruptly, ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡±


    Once her sharp shout was issued, that person moved, and once that person whipped around, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u saw the silhouette of the clothing that person was wearing with great clarity. It was a lined jacket and skirt that imitated a monk¡¯s gown.


    ¡°Mother believed in the Buddha, and that silk jacket in crow green with embroidered magic clouds was made to imitate a Buddhist monk¡¯s gown, this world only has one of such apparel, unique of its kind¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u recalled the words that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n once said.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s breathing became urgent all of a sudden as her eyes sharpened, raising her feet to sprint into the forest. The murderer was just in front of her, she would most definitely not let them escape¡­ She was starting to regret not allowing the embroidered emissary to follow her.


    Just as she took a few steps into the forest, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u halted in her tracks.


    The weeds inside the forest went past her knees, and the black bamboos were also densely packed. It had just been a second and it was already difficult to distinguish that person¡¯s tracks, and the dim lantern in her hands could only illuminate what was up close. If she continued to chase them into its depths, there would be no advantages whatsoever.


    Gritting her teeth, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pivoted on her heels and exited the bamboo forest in the resolute manner. She could not care about the accumulated snow and slippery ground; lifting up her skirts, she ran towards the front courtyard. She had to find Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u!


    Because she was running too quickly, the lantern in her hands followed by shaking. All of a sudden, the lantern was extinguished¡ª


    Her surroundings were dim to begin with, and now it was completely plunged into darkness. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s breath hitched, the terror that arose from the scene just now surging in her heart without any warning, transforming into a deeper fear that trapped her. The rustling noise that arose from the wind behind her seemed to imitate a person¡¯s breathing. In that moment, she only felt that the person behind her was giving chase.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not dare to stop at all, seized by a panic that she had never experienced before, which made differentiating any direction difficult for a time. Just as she felt like she was going to meet with her demise tonight, there was a loud ¡°thud¡± as she slammed into a person¡¯s embrace just as she rounded the corner.


    The sudden appearance of light put B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u in a momentary daze. In the midst of her panic, her first reaction was to push away the person in front of her, but in the next second, her hand was held by that person.


    ¡°It¡¯s me¡ª¡±


    The low and deep voice was both familiar and intimidating. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s fear-addled mind was immediately pulled back. She lifted her eyes, only to see Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes staring at her deeply. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stiffened, only feeling her nose sour.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, I saw it, I saw the murderer!¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not stop, ¡°The murderer is in the eastern bamboo forest, may Hou¡¯ye dispatch someone to catch them immediately!¡±


    After finishing the two lines in one breath, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s erratic and intense breathing started again, even to the extent where she choked and coughed from drawing in the cold air. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked behind him. Following closely, the embroidered emissaries moved out in full force, rushing for the bamboo forest, while Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to stand there, gazing at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


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    After receiving the embroidered emissary¡¯s report, he did not leave immediately.


    Although B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s professionalism pleased him, he was the dignified Marquis Wuzhao; how could a word or gesture from a small coroner like her prompt him into action? After he was done reading the documents in his hands, Fu gonggong kept harping about how B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u might be in danger when she was alone endlessly, and since he had the intention to patrol the Marquis Residence at night, he brought a few men out to take a look, but he did not expect that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would slam into his arms in such a flustered state.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s trepidation was obvious to him. She was just a seventeen-year-old girl; regardless of how unafraid of corpses, or disbelieving of ghosts and gods she was, she would still be shaken to her core when she met a murderer who had taken three lives face-to-face.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u held onto B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hands and watched as she coughed until she had to bend over, and he only let go of her after hesitating for a moment. Her visage was completely devoid of blood, her palms were also soaked in sweat, and the space between her brows became a ¡®´¨¡¯ character as her coughs wrecked her frame, and she looked like she was in great pain.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes darkened, he should have come out earlier.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u covered her heart, taking a long moment before she regained her breath. By the time she straightened her waist, glistening teardrops rimmed her eyes, but she continued to state: ¡°That person was hiding in the bamboo forest, and the clothes they were wearing was the lined jacket skirt that imitated a monk¡¯s gown which Zheng san¡¯ye once talked about. Min¡¯n¨¹ saw it very distinctly.¡±


    Her voice was ridiculously hoarse. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scanned her face, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you allow the embroidered emissary to follow?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u froze upon hearing that, and she did not know how to make heads or tails of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s question, so she lowered her eyes, hesitating before she mumbled: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is aware of her mistake.¡±


    It was apparent that she was rather pitiful after the fright she suffered, and yet she was still very respectful. Even if Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s temper was a thousand feet high, he could not vent it. Besides, he had never been a person who liked revealing his joy and anger outwardly, so he did not utter another word as he lifted his foot and ambled towards the bamboo forest.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shot him a fleeting look before she caught up to him. Although Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was tall and had long legs, his gait was not fast. By the time they returned to the periphery of the bamboo forest again, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had already regained her unperturbed composure.


    The embroidered emissaries were shuttling through the bamboo forest with torches in hand. Just as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walked over, he saw the thoroughly melted candles by the stone tablet. His brows scrunched minutely, and an embroidered emissary stepped forward at this moment: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there is no one inside the forest.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly stepped forward and said: ¡°Did they run away? My eyes weren¡¯t fooling me, there was someone just now.¡±


    That embroidered emissary proceeded to state: ¡°Certainly, there were traces of someone coming over, but it wasn¡¯t just one.¡± After saying that, the embroidered emissary turned his head to gaze at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°Did B¨® guniang chase them into the forest?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°Yes¡ª¡±


    Just as her voice landed, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at her, ¡°You were alone and yet you had the audacity to give chase?¡±


    That tone of voice seemed discontent, which made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u respond in a hurry: ¡°Not too far in, just a few steps. Min¡¯n¨¹ came out again precisely because she realised she was no match for that person.¡±


    The wrinkles between Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows eased slightly, while that embroidered emissary continued to speak: ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that B¨® guniang chose not to give chase. This forest is rather complicated, and judging from the other tracks, that person hadn¡¯t just been in the forest for a few minutes. Perhaps, when B¨® guniang arrived at the bamboo forest, that person was already present.¡±


    A wave of numbness brushed past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s scalp.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then questioned: ¡°Can the direction of where that person ran to be inferred?¡±


    The embroidered emissary shook his head, ¡°Judging from the tracks left behind, that person has exited and entered through both the east and west. The west exit leads to the ancestral hall, and the east exit is a nearly dried up lotus pond within the residence. Currently, the surface of the lotus pond has frozen over, and no irregularities have been discovered for the time being.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s irises darkened, ¡°Tell H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng to come over, and assemble all the government hirelings to search the entire residence carefully.¡±


    The embroidered emissary left to pass the order, but it was also at this moment where an embroidered emissary came out of the forest at a fast pace from the west. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, a furtive person has been found.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u arched his eyebrows, lifting his foot to trek into the forest. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed as well, her heart moving, and then she heard the embroidered emissary say: ¡°This person was hiding outside the bamboo forest, and she wanted to flee after the other subordinates saw her, so she was taken down.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heartbeat quickened slightly. If this person was truly suspicious, perhaps they could track down the murderer by following the clues.


    Harbouring this thought, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s footsteps became quicker, but once she saw the person who had been arrested outside the bamboo forest in the west, her eyebrows knitted together to form deep creases.


    The embroidered emissaries were standing around with torches in hand. Under the dim fire light, the face, which was ridden with a scar, appeared particularly frightening.


    To her surprise, the arrested person was the stupid girl.


    ¡­¡­


    The author has something to say: The old iron tree continues to germinate.

 CH 19

    The stupid girl was sitting on the snowy ground, her entire person shrinking into a ball as her shoulders trembled, and she kept her head lowered, refusing to meet anyone in the eye. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave the stupid girl a sidelong glance, as if he did not anticipate that a xiao yatou would be arrested as well.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said in a low voice: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, she¡¯s the aforementioned stupid girl.¡±


    When the servants within the residence were being inspected last night, the stupid girl was not conspicuous at all since she was standing in the corner, thus this was the first time Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was meeting her. In a lowered voice, she recounted the predestined relationship that the Da Furen and stupid girl had, which made Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knit his eyebrows even tighter.


    All of the embroidered emissaries in the vicinity were standing erect with sheathed swords, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was even more oppressive with his imposing manner, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward and crouched down, speaking to her in a gentle voice: ¡°Stupid girl? Why are you here?¡±


    The stupid girl curled into herself even more, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Look at me, you¡¯ve previously met me.¡±


    The stupid girl went still, and only then did she slowly raise her eyes to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, but her gaze was slow-witted, her expression vacant, as if she had completely forgotten when she met B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    It was common knowledge that the stupid girl was foolish and muddle-headed, hence B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not surprised by the fact that she could not recognise her. However, as she stared into those pair of eyes, she felt that it was lacking the spiritedness it possessed that day. Even though it was still pretty, it was also inexplicably familiar underneath the fire¡¯s illumination. That scar was still cutting across her face, of which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had merely caught a glimpse of that day, but now that she was inspecting it carefully, she felt that it was more frightening than their previous encounter.


    A peculiar inkling slid past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart as she asked again in a soft voice: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Even though this was close to the ancestral hall, it was desolate. Moreover, since the ancestral hall had just been torched, the air was pervaded with the smell of fire and smoke; why did she run here when she had no business being here?


    The stupid girl lowered her eyes again, shrinking her shoulders without uttering a word.


    This was going to be slightly difficult; it was quite evident that she was more afraid of people than before.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gave her a one-over. She was still wearing that plain and unadorned robe from the last time, and her shoes were stained with snow and mud. It could not be denied that there were no perceivable anomalies from her, and her legs were not nimble; it was unlikely for her to commit a violent act.


    Only the footprints of the embroidered emissaries and stupid girl were here. By comparison, the stupid girl¡¯s footprints were extremely distinct since her left leg was injured, which caused her footsteps to consistently alternate between deep and shallow, and her footprints were much smaller than the embroidered emissaries. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u went to the side of the bamboo forest to have a look, then looked at the trail that the murderer left behind once more.


    The wormwood grass was withered and yellowed, and the snow was accumulated in layers, which made the tracks that were going back and forth extremely obvious. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did a meticulous comparison, only feeling that it was the same as the footprints she saw outside Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s study courtyard. Of course, she could also see how it differed from the stupid girl¡¯s footprints.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u frowned briefly, ¡°The person min¡¯n¨¹ encountered just now did not appear crippled, and they were wearing a winter lined robe of a different design. It probably wasn¡¯t the stupid girl, but she¡¯s not willing to speak, and she will not answer why she was here.¡±


    Out of all the possible suspects, the most troublesome type was the likes of the stupid girl who were dull-witted or suffering from insanity. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u made a prompt decision and said: ¡°Bring her to the front courtyard and ask the stewards who stays with her.¡±


    The embroidered emissary complied verbally, and it was also at this moment where H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng rushed over. Having learnt that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u encountered the murderer on his way here, he was filled with lingering fears as he chided her on first sight: ¡°Xiao B¨® ah, never come out on your own alone, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly responded in agreement. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u threw a look at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, and an embroidered emissary happened to step forward and say: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the area has been thoroughly searched. There are quite a number of tracks, and they are very complicated and disorderly. All of the crucial roads in the various parts of the Marquis Residence have guards, and this subordinate suspects that the murderer has been making a detour in this desolated area to avoid the lockdown. Further north of this bamboo forest is a plum forest, and beyond the plum forest are the tall walls of the back courtyards.¡±


    Once those words sank in, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u caught a faint of whiff of plums in a belated fashion.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u proceeded to raise his feet and tread towards the plum forest. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u tagged along, and shortly after, a yellow plum forest came into view. The bamboo forest was not being taken care of by anyone, and this area was even further north, so it was all the more desolate. Despite that, it was the winter of the first month in the lunar new year, the winter plums were blossoming; under the illumination of the torches, light-yellow flowers were clustered on branches, its dark fragrance floating and drifting, suffusing an intoxicating and intense scent.


    The embroidered emissary raised a hand to point, ¡°The plum forest also has signs of human activity, but it¡¯s spacious and empty so it¡¯s difficult to hide a person, though there is a dried up well at the northmost side. The subordinates checked it just now, there was no one hiding inside.¡±


    The bamboo forest¡¯s density could still hide someone, but the plum trees of the plum forest were sparse, and it could be surveyed with one sweeping glance. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at the distant tall walls, muttering to himself irresolutely for a while before bringing his entourage back to the front courtyard.


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    With the murderer¡¯s sudden appearance and near-capture, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered his men to search the entire Marquis Residence. After the smaller part of a double-hour, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and the other residents were gathered in the front courtyard¡¯s main hall again, and everyone including Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng had alibis tonight.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª arrived the latest. Just as she stepped through the courtyard entrance, she promptly saw the stupid girl standing outside the hall. The stupid girl had her head lowered as she stood there quietly, but she turned around upon hearing the approaching footsteps. Fear immediately emerged on her features when she caught sight of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, and she retreated a few steps, back knocking into the railing of the corridor.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing at the door so she happened to witness this scene.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª looked at the stupid girl coldly, as if she was dissatisfied with the fact that she was here, but upon noticing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was looking towards the door, her chin lifted, and she stepped into the hall with a graceful demeanour.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, who was in the middle of the hall, was speaking: ¡°Having received Hou¡¯ye¡¯s orders, zaixia has been at the ancestral hall overseeing the clean-up of the fire site the whole time. The stupid girl acts clumsily whenever she runs errands, and all the servants that were called for the physical labour were older servants (that usually keep guard or run errands), zaixia does not know why she ran to that side either.¡±


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye,¡± Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª opened her mouth at this time, ¡°She was going to pick some yellow plum blossoms for Mother. Although the residence has a myriad of plum flowers, Mother solely favours yellow plum blossoms, and only that northern plum forest has yellow plum blossoms.¡±


    Even though they finally had an explanation now, ordering a dull-witted person to pluck flowers in the middle of the night was honestly a little strange.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª a fleeting glance, then looked towards Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n once more, ¡°The clothes that your mother was wearing back then, has it been burnt for certain?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n said hesitantly, ¡°It was burnt by the Mother¡¯s maidservant whom Third Brother ordered. The personal effects of the departed, most people wouldn¡¯t keep it, would they? Furthermore, that gown is neither gold, silver, pearl, nor jade¡­¡±


    His phrasing implied that he did not personally witness the gown being burnt.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng proceeded to leave through the hall door.


    Upon seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u maintain his silence even though he was done speaking, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n asked in a hesitant manner: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, was there another clue?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had searched the Marquis Residence without divulging the reason, and once everyone had gathered, he asked about the stupid girl first. Hence, everyone was still unaware of what happened tonight. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes congealed slightly, ¡°Tonight, the murderer appeared in the eastern bamboo forest wearing that lined robe, though the encounter was accidental.¡±


    Once those words were uttered, everyone¡¯s expressions distorted, especially Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n who stood rooted to the ground, ¡°What¡­ Met the murderer by accident?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª also asked: ¡°Was their appearance clearly seen?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone was heavy, ¡°It was not.¡±


    Standing at the side, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng said, ¡°Then they must be hiding themselves in the bamboo forest. Perhaps they were there for the past few days; the residence has a number of areas that are equally desolate, Hou¡¯ye can dispatch more people to search it.¡±


    Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°Fourth Master, it has already been searched. It¡¯s true that there were a lot of human traces in the vicinity, but that person wasn¡¯t found, nor do we know where they have hidden themselves. Everyone should be more cautious for the next few days, lest they are harmed by the murderer.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s pale fists were clenched around her sleeve cuffs, her expression grave. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was ruminating about something as well, and he looked preoccupied in mind. At this moment, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng entered the hall door, and when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u noticed that he was actively stopping himself from speaking, he ordered everyone to withdraw.


    Once everyone had withdrawn outside, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stated: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, inquiries have been made. The person who burned the clothes that day was Lao Furen¡¯s maidservant M¨° Y¨ª, who handed the clothes to a coarse-labour older woman-servant for burning. That older woman-servant was slightly wary of taboos, so she threw the clothes into the fire brazier and left. According to the older woman-servant¡¯s account, when she went to carry the fire brazier later, quite a few items of little value were also being burnt inside, and she could no longer see the robe, hence she presumed that it was fully incinerated.¡±


    If it was not seen with their own eyes, then there was still reason for suspicion. At this moment, another embroidered emissary stepped through the door and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the stupid girl usually stays in the servants¡¯ rooms, and she shares a courtyard with more than a dozen coarse-labour older woman-servants. Owing to how she is favoured by Da Furen, she has her own small wing-room.¡± After giving a pause, that embroidered emissary added: ¡°The coarse-labour older woman-servant who burned the clothes that day, is also staying in that courtyard.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows twitched, ¡°Bring some men to inspect her room.¡±


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    Similarly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt a hint of bafflement rise in her heart. This kind of coincidence, could it be that she had thought wrongly?


    She gazed outside the hall and saw the stupid girl shrinking herself in the corner, trying to avoid Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª and the rest the best she could. After a moment of hesitation, she walked towards the stupid girl, tugging on the stupid girl to make her follow her into the room. Perhaps it was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s goodwill that made the stupid girl blindly follow suit and enter the hall with her. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u closed the doors and crouched in front of the stupid girl, speaking in a light voice: ¡°Stupid girl, I am a physician, let me see your old injuries, alright?¡±


    The stupid girl stared at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u blankly, as though she was slightly surprised. On one hand, she did not dare to, and on the other, she could feel B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s amiability, so she did not put any resistance. Subsequently, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hand roamed upwards, starting from her ankle.


    Further upwards was her thin shins, and her calves were basically a layer of skin and flesh stuck to the bones. The scar was crude, and under delicate observation, she could feel the vestige of the bone fusing back together after breaking. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was frowning at first, except she exhaled audibly afterwards. She rose to her feet and gently caressed the crown of the stupid girl¡¯s head. ¡°Your injury is all healed, it¡¯s fine now.¡±


    The defensiveness at the bottom of the stupid girl¡¯s eyes relaxed by a degree. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u brought her outside first, and when she crossed the threshold again, she declared, ¡°The injury on her leg is real; her leg being crippled is also a fact. It¡¯s not possible for her to commit a violent crime.¡±


    ¡­


    The author has something to say: When everyone thinks that that it is absolutely impossible to unravel, that is when the truth is close.

 CH 20

    The embroidered emissary who went to search the stupid girl¡¯s bedroom came back empty-handed.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the wing-room is square shaped, only possessing a few changes of clothes and basic necessities, nothing else.¡±


    Since the stupid girl happened to be at where the murderer had appeared, it was natural that it would attract a great deal of suspicion, but her crippled leg was an undeniable fact. Regardless of how strange her pathing was, she could be ruled out for the time being since there was no forthcoming evidence either.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked towards H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, ¡°Is that Taoist priest done calculating?¡±


    ¡°Xiaguan just checked on him in the afternoon, one fears that it will require another half-day.¡± After looking at the sky outside, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said, ¡°The calculation will be done by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What about Momo Yu?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng replied: ¡°After the change in her dwelling, she seems to be in the state where nothing is sadder than a withered heart. She has been chanting scriptures all day long and refuses to partake in food. The government hirelings are watching her, she hasn¡¯t stepped out of the room door once for the whole day.¡±


    The bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes was completely stagnant, ¡°Question the servants in the residence tomorrow morning, and start asking from before tonight and after. Do not spare anything that sounds illogical. The murderer started acting on New Year¡¯s Eve, and left behind such words; surely, they are seeking revenge. Perhaps among the people of this residence, someone did something in the past, it¡¯s just that no one had placed it on their hearts.¡±


    Since most of the masters within the residence had something to hide and they could not pry out those secrets, then they could only start from the servants. Moreover, the murderer had not been hiding in the residence for a short period of time, how could it be possible that they didn¡¯t adopt any measures or do anything prior to this?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart moved slightly, feeling that it was logical as well.


    Then, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood up and strode out of the door to stand under the corridor before he addressed Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and the rest, ¡°The hour of night is already late, everyone can disperse now. Everyone should try and recollect their memories again: before Lao Furen met with her demise, did anything strange happen within the residence? Since the murderer has the audacity to commit homicide time and again, they must have a deep understanding of their targets, even standing before all of you in the past. Anyone could be the next target.¡±


    This speech made everyone¡¯s expression contort. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was standing at the frontmost position, and she looked especially nervous and fearful right now. She did not dare to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u directly, and she subconsciously lowered her eyes to stare at the ground in front of her. She was very ill at ease, and it was also this expression, that rang alarms in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart when she saw it.


    Hastily, she looked at the stupid girl who was in the corner. With one look, an epiphany suddenly dawned on her, like the clouds had dispelled and she saw the sun.


    It was no wonder why the stupid girl¡¯s eyes induced a sense of familiarity at the bamboo forest¡­ It turns out, it was because the stupid girl¡¯s brows and eyes shared some similarities with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª!


    The auras of the two people in question were as different and apart as the Heaven and Earth; the stupid girl was dull-witted and foolish, while Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was haughty and graceful, and in addition to the scar of the stupid girl¡¯s face, it was hard to perceive any similarities from their countenances. But once they were wearing the same expression, the apparentness of those similarities multiplied instantaneously.


    The more B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u internalised this realisation, the stranger it felt to her. Meanwhile, the others started to leave, having received Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s verbal permission. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stared at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, visibly restraining the urge to speak.


    However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned towards her then. ¡°No more travelling alone.¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u came back to her senses and agreed. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not utter another word as he walked out of the courtyard entrance with H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stood there for a long moment, and when she turned her head, the stupid girl was still standing at the corridor. She ambled up to her and said in gentle voice: ¡°Stupid girl, I¡¯ll send you back.¡±


    The stupid girl raised her eyes to give her a brief dazed look, then hunched her shoulders and started towards her own dwelling.


    She was not truly a fool, just slower to react than normal people. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not continue issuing any questions as they walked. Once they had distanced themselves from the crowd, the stupid girl relaxed by a smidgen, and they eventually reached her dwelling. Sure enough, the wing-room was as small as the embroidered emissary had described, and all of her effects could be seen with one sweeping glance.


    The location of the servants¡¯ courtyard was somewhat detached, and while she occupied this wing-room alone, it was close to the eaves gutter, which made the humidity of the room exceeding heavy, and there was the odour of dark sludge drifting in. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sighed, most servants and slaves suffered hardships. ¡°The residence isn¡¯t very safe, don¡¯t run to the plum forest alone at night in the future.¡±


    The stupid girl shrank her neck and nodded, not daring to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u at all.


    The embroidered emissary was standing guard outside, and they were the only two in the room, but it was apparent that the stupid girl was still slightly afraid of her.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s refined brows creased together abruptly. Although she was cowering and afraid to look into her eyes directly on the day she picked up the fruit for her, she clearly remembered that the stupid girl had looked at her when she took the fruit, and even nodded to express her thanks.


    This irregularity caused B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to feel stifled all over. She scrutinised the stupid girl for a second, but she could not comprehend it in the end. She scanned the room, only to see a scent sachet that was made out of silk and satin placed beside the pillow on the stupid girl¡¯s bed. In spite of the expensive material, the overall embroidery was thinly spread and chaotic. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze changed a few times, ¡°Was that embroidered by Da Furen?¡±


    The stupid girl slowly turned her head look over, then nodded her head lightly.


    Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u saw how messy the stitching was, she promptly guessed that it was Da Furen¡¯s handiwork. It looks like Ch¨±n T¨¢o had spoken correctly, Da Furen did feel tenderness towards the stupid girl.


    With her around, the stupid girl was bound to feel suffocated. Hence, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u comforted her with a few more lines before leaving the room.


    On the way back to the guest courtyard, that peculiar feeling lingered in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mind from beginning to end. The stupid girl was clearly timid in appearance, but when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing in that cramped small room, she was filled with an unexplainable sense of unease.


    She returned to the guest courtyard with hundreds and thousands of thoughts circulating in her head. Ch¨±n T¨¢o had been waiting for her for a long time, and upon seeing her return, she welcomed her in a hurry, ¡°Guniang has finally returned. It¡¯s unknown what happened just now, but the residence was searched again.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u responded with a bitter smile. After having a bath, she brought up the stupid girl to Ch¨±n T¨¢o, and Ch¨±n T¨¢o said: ¡°The stupid girl is indeed pitiful. According to rumours, she came to these parts because she was fleeing from a plague, and her parents are gone. If it were not for Da Furen picking her up, one fears that she would not have survived.¡±


    ¡°Because of a plague?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded, ¡°A plague happened in Luozhou seven to eight years ago, does guniang not know this? When Da Furen brought her back, Lao Furen felt that it was improper, so she ordered someone to investigate, and she was only left within the residence because her family background was proven clean.¡±


    Seven to eight years ago, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not even ten yet; she really didn¡¯t have an impression of it.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said, ¡°I also saw the scent sachet that Da Furen made for the stupid girl today.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o replied, ¡°This would be why the maidservants envy the stupid girl. When Da Furen is well, she would do some embroidery work, and not just that, she would make two at once: one for the Oldest Young Lady, the other for the stupid girl. Look at that, this treatment is almost equal to the Oldest Young Lady, and it¡¯s for the same reason that the Oldest Young Lady greatly dislikes the stupid girl.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart jolted, ¡°Makes two at once? The exact same?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded, ¡°Yes, but ?ou can imagine the things that Da Furen makes. The Oldest Young Lady never uses it, choosing to reward it to her servants instead, so the maidservants have seen it from our fellow older sisters.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not help but clench her hands into fists. After remembering Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s words, she questioned Ch¨±n T¨¢o again, ¡°For the past few years, has anything strange occurred in the residence? For example¡­ the masters, have they met with any danger?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o furrowed her brows pensively before shaking her head, ¡°Nubi has only been in the residence for two years¡­ While she hasn¡¯t heard about any of the masters being in danger, they would fall ill on occasion.¡±


    Having said that, Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened, ¡°However, nubi has heard the Momos talk about past matters. If [we] had to speak about which master is plagued with misfortunes, then the Oldest Young Lady was plagued with the most misfortunes. When she was five- or six-years-old, she became gravely ill, like she had been afflicted with hysteria, and before she completely recovered, she nearly dropped into a lotus pond again. The Marquis was still around at that time, and he promptly ordered for the lotus pond to be filled.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o was still frowning as she sifted through her memories, ¡°Allegedly, she was nearly burned by fire¡­¡±


    The space between B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows twisted, ¡°Burned by fire?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o revealed hesitation on her expression, ¡°It happened a long time ago, during the chaos of celebration for the New Year. The Momo who spoke about it also said that she wasn¡¯t clear about it, so nubi is uncertain of its veracity.¡±


    Seeing that Ch¨±n T¨¢o was struggling to remember more, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stopped pursuing the question. Ch¨±n T¨¢o proceeded to talk about the medical history of the other masters, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not perceive any causes for suspicion except the incidents that had happened to Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s person, unable to shake off the feeling that it was queer.


    Those were incidents that happened so many years ago; if the murderer had acted then, it couldn¡¯t be that they even murdered toddlers that were only a few years old, right?


    But contrary to all reason, the stupid girl¡¯s countenance was similar to Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, the Da Furen was suffering from madness and yet she treated the stupid girl with such tender affection. It was plausible that she was treating the stupid girl as Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, but apart from the similarities in their brows and eyes, their face contours were quite different, and with the scar on stupid girl¡¯s face, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was ugly and frightening¡­


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    All kinds of thoughts stirred in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart. Before she went to sleep, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Accompany me to see the lotus pond that the Oldest Young Lady fell into that year¡­¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o verbally agreed.


    After a night of light sleep, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u still woke up before the sky was fully brightened. She rubbed her temples, allowing the drowsiness to recede before she sat up. After washing up and waking Ch¨±n T¨¢o, she asked Ch¨±n T¨¢o to lead the way.


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o kept moving in the east, and it was actually in the direction of the bamboo forest from last night. ¡°After the lotus pond was filled, more black bamboo was planted because it was close to the bamboo forest. If someone was unaware of this, they would assume that this bamboo forest has always occupied this much land.¡±


    There was an embroidered emissary following them today, but when Ch¨±n T¨¢o brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to stand in front of the bamboo forest once again, she still felt a chill slowly creeping up from her soles of her feet. Was it truly that much of a coincidence¡­

 CH 21

    ¡°Guniang, this is it.¡± Ch¨±n T¨¢o pointed at the eastmost part of the bamboo forest, ¡°Allegedly, the lotus pond was already dry back then. The Oldest Young Lady wasn¡¯t injured from the fall, but the late Marquis cherished Oldest Young Lady like a treasure, and immediately ordered for this area to be filled and levelled out.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u frowned, ¡°The Oldest Young Lady was just six-years-old back then, and she was in the throes of her illness, she¡¯s supposed to be properly looked after; how did she manage to fall in?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o shook her head, ¡°Nubi does not know.¡±


    This area was in a desolate place, and while this incident happened ten years ago, an Oldest Young Lady, who once suffered from hysteria and fully experienced the care of her servants, would never arbitrarily drop into a lotus pond. Could it be that the murderer had done something here back then?


    ¡°Are there any slave-servants who have taken care of and attended to the Oldest Young Lady for more than ten years?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o revealed a difficult expression, ¡°Guniang, nubi isn¡¯t informed about this. The older sisters by the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s side have taken care of her for quite some time, but whether it has been more than ten years or not, nubi is honestly ignorant.¡±


    The skies had fully brightened. After rounds of the winter sun climbing up to the clouds, spreading gloom across the upper atmosphere for several consecutive days, they finally ushered in a sunny day today. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her eyes to look at the sky dome, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll ask someone else.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was planning to question the servants today in any case. Therefore, when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u reached the front courtyard, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was already present with the government hirelings. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly went up, inviting H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng to the side before she said: ¡°Daren, have the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s servants been questioned?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said, ¡°Of course they¡¯ve been questioned. For the past few days, the Oldest Young Lady always had someone by her side, the case has nothing to do with her.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u muttered irresolutely to herself for a moment, ¡°[I am] not asking about the witness testimonies or lack of, but asking about the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s affairs when she was younger. Min¡¯n¨¹ heard that the Oldest Young Lady had fallen ill when she was younger, and not long after that, she even fell into a lotus pond once. All these were old incidents that happened ten years ago.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately wrinkled his eyebrows, ¡°Old incidents that happened ten years ago¡­ the Oldest Young Lady was only five- to six-years-old then, no? You¡¯re suspecting that that the murderer had begun moving then?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ doesn¡¯t know how to describe it. But the stupid girl coincidentally appeared at the side of the forest, and although the Oldest Young Lady stated that the stupid girl went there to pick plums flowers, min¡¯n¨¹ can¡¯t shake off how strange it feels. Da Furen picked her up without any cause or reason, and treats her with such immense, tender affection, as if she was taking her for a daughter¡­¡±


    Having spoken to this point, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression abruptly changed, ¡°Daren, Momo Yu once said that she was sent to the ancestral hall because of a small concubine¡¯s death?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not follow them to the ancestral hall that day, so she didn¡¯t personally hear Momo Yu¡¯s explanation. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said: ¡°Yes, she said that when she was taking care of the Marquis¡¯ small concubine during her childbirth, both the mother and child died, hence why there are no sons at the Marquis¡¯ knees, and Lao Furen punished her by making her guard the ancestral hall.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°That¡¯s not right¡­ this explanation isn¡¯t right¡­¡±


    ¡°What isn¡¯t right?¡±


    A deep and low voice sounded from behind them. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u approaching with his embroidered emissaries once she turned around. She bowed, first talking about the scent satchel she saw in the stupid girl¡¯s bedroom last night, then repeated Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s original words, ¡°If Da Furen only made one scent satchel and only gave it to the stupid girl, then it could still be explained as her recognising the wrong person in her illness, but she clearly made two.


    ¡°Momo Yu said that the Marquis once had a small concubine who died during childbirth, but Zheng si¡¯ye (4th) said that the Marquis was a loyal and proper man, who would never admit concubines. Moreover, after Zheng er¡¯ye (2nd) and Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) were met with their demise, min¡¯n¨¹ only saw their wives and no concubines, and added with the fact that there are no servants that have served for more than fifteen years in this residence, no one knows what happened that year. Hence, whether or not this small concubine exists, is honestly a cause for suspicion.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued, ¡°Next are the circumstances of the residence: Momo Yu said that she was sent to the ancestral hall because of the small concubine¡¯s death, but why was it Da Furen who went mad afterwards? Zheng si¡¯ye said that she fell ill the year after she gave to the Oldest Young Lady, and for the same reasons, min¡¯n¨¹ suspects that the accident that Momo Yu was talking about, isn¡¯t about some small concubine, but Da Furen!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes deepened, ¡°Keep talking.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pursed her lips slightly and said: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ suspects that, Da Furen¡¯s son died prematurely, and Da Furen succumbed to her illness because of the child¡¯s premature death.¡±


    After giving a pause, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression changed again, ¡°That¡¯s not right, it wasn¡¯t her son who died prematurely, maybe¡­ Maybe it¡¯s a daughter that died prematurely¡­¡±


    Fifteen years ago, Da Furen had a daughter that died prematurely? Which is why she was afflicted with madness?!


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s complexion distorted slightly, ¡°There is no evidence¡­¡±


    ¡°If the child that Da Furen lost prematurely was a son, one fears that she would be rather tender and affectionate towards a young man of a similar age.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng refuted, ¡°But the stupid girl¡¯s appearance is ugly and frightening¡­¡±


    With regards to this point, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had yet to make sense of it as well, so she could only say: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ realised that the stupid girl¡¯s brows and eyes, share a three-part similarity with the Oldest Young Lady. Perhaps that¡¯s the reason why it gave rise to heartfelt tenderness within Da Furen at first sight.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s tone of voice was wavering slightly, because even she failed to notice the similarities between the two at first glance. With Da Furen¡¯s muddled state of mind, could she discern the similarities clearly from one look alone? Furthermore, there was a crude scar on the stupid girl¡¯s face; if an ordinary person saw it, they would only find it terrifying.


    Unable to make a decision, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng turned and looked towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, who conversely, seemed to be mulling over something deeply, ¡°Where is the Taoist priest?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng replied without missing a beat: ¡°Just in the wing-room, he¡¯s still calculating, xiaguan will go and see him now.¡±


    ¡°Tell him that he must calculate the Sixteenth Year of Jianhe accurately.¡±


    If Da Furen truly lost a female infant prematurely, then corroborating with Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s words, it was the year after Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was born.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately complied, but shortly after, he paused like he had come to his senses, ¡°Is Hou¡¯ye suspecting¡­ that these homicides, are related to that child?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°Coroner B¨®¡¯s words are not without logic. After this case happened, the people within the residence have stayed mute as if their mouths were sealed. Momo Yu has quite a lot to conceal as well, and it must be for the sake of protecting the biggest secret buried in this residence.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s eyes brightened slightly, immediately going out of the door to look for that Taoist priest.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly said to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u: ¡°One asks Hou¡¯ye to question the servants by the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s side, with regards to the illness she had during her childhood, and the accident where she fell into the lotus pond when she was younger. Min¡¯n¨¹ also heard that she was nearly burned when she was young, but the specifics of the situation are unknown. This incident happened after the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s illness, and it is reckoned that the details can be inquired.¡±


    Upon seeing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze deepen, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u recounted Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s words again, and what had happened when she went to see the bamboo forest this morning, ¡°That place is remote, and since the Oldest Young Lady was still sick that year, how did she manage to fall in for no reason at all? Although min¡¯n¨¹ can¡¯t ascertain if that accident is related to the case, she keeps getting the sense that it is all rather strange.¡±


    In truth, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not aware that she had done so much. The gaze he regarded her with became deep with meaning again, then he signalled for an embroidered emissary and passed down the instructions. It goes without saying that someone went forward to make those inquiries, and without needing much time, the embroidered emissary returned and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, all of the maidservants by the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s side entered the residence eight years ago, and they are unaware of what happened that year.¡±


    Once that answer was given, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows arched a little. Most of the maidservants of the young ladies from influential families would usually start serving and taking care of their mistresses starting from their childhood, while Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s maidservants ran contrary since all of them entered the residence eight years ago. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze became resolved, ¡°Call for the steward who has served the residence for thirteen years, and anyone who has served the residence for more than ten years, call for them as well.¡±


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    The steward arrived at the main hall very quickly. Inside the hall, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was sitting on the main seat with heavy eyes and an oppressive imposing manner. After the steward bowed, he wiped the sweat on his forehead and heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ask: ¡°Ten years ago, were you on duty within the residence?¡±


    The steward nodded, ¡°Ten years ago, xiaoren was responsible for the purchases in the Marquis Residence.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said. ¡°Are you aware of how the Oldest Young Lady succumbed to hysteria that year?¡±


    The steward frowned as he did a brief recollection, saying: ¡°That was during a wintry day, halfway through the winter months, give or take. The Oldest Young Lady was lost for an entire night at first, and after she was discovered, she became slightly off-kilter¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knitted his brows, ¡°Lost for an entire night?¡±


    The steward nodded, ¡°Although it happened a long time ago, it caused a huge uproar that year. The Oldest Young Lady is as precious as a thousand pieces of gold, and not a single mistake can be tolerated. When the Oldest Young Lady disappeared that night, everyone in the whole residence was looking for her, and she remained missing for the entire night. In the end, it was the morning of the second day where the Oldest Young Lady appeared on her own, but she had succumbed to hysteria.¡±


    ¡°How did she come back on her own?¡±


    The steward thought about it again, ¡°It seems like she was discovered in the eastern bamboo forest. When she was discovered, her body was frozen stiff, and her body was dirty, but that forest had been searched the night before and the Oldest Young Lady was nowhere to be seen. No matter how the Oldest Young Lady was questioned later, she couldn¡¯t seem to remember where she went that night¡­ this incident is known by many, and it was unavoidable that gods and ghosts were dragged into the topic. Afterwards, Lao Furen forbade everyone from bringing up this matter again, and no one dared to speak of it again.¡±


    It was the eastern bamboo forest again.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s pale fists curled tightly underneath her sleeves.


    Likewise, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes sharpened momentarily. He asked him: ¡°Shortly thereafter, she fell into the lotus pond again before she fully recovered from her illness, are you aware of this incident?¡±


    The steward revealed some trembling fear on his visage as his voice became distant, ¡°Speaking of this matter, it was even stranger¡­¡±


    ¡­..


    The author has something to say: the truth is in front.

 CH 22

    ¡°That lotus pond has actually dried up a long time ago ¨C oh right, it was just after the New Year too ¨C and the Oldest Young Lady managed to fall inside somehow. When the Oldest Young Lady was found, she was looking at that lotus pond, crying and screaming that there was a ghost inside. At that time, the Marquis was very angry because the Oldest Young Lady had yet to recover from her hysteria and she could barely speak in a coherent manner. The Marquis felt that there was some evil spirit inside the lotus pond which had caused the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s hysteria, so he immediately ordered for the levelling of the lotus pond.¡±


    A hint of fear, albeit restrained, appeared at the bottom of the steward¡¯s eyes, ¡°This compound was the travelling residence of a previous dynasty¡¯s Qinwang many years ago; the residence was filled with high buildings and water pavilions, which was incredibly extravagant and befitting of a feudal aristocrat. Since the social status of the compound¡¯s owner was respected and noble, the servants must have been plentiful in the deep residence with big courtyards. It¡¯s more than likely that in the dried-up lotus ponds and wells, someone had died in there before¡­¡±


    Upon seeing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u listen with an attentive gaze, the steward continued to speak: ¡°Before the Oldest Young Lady fell ill, she already possessed the demeanour of a daughter from a noble house despite being young of age, but she seemed to become a different person altogether after falling ill. Her entire person was inarticulate, far gloomier, and even afraid of light and fire; as long as there was no one by her side, she would slip under the bed or into the closet or run out of the room to find a pitch-black hole in the fake mountains to hide. Because of this, the wetnurses, Momos, and servants by her side were changed a few times. Later on, this issue was corrected, and she became slightly picky with regards to her choice in personal servants. In those two years, xiaoren even helped the Oldest Young Lady buy a large quantity of young maidservants, but only a scarce few were retained in the end.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u furrowed his brows, ¡°She was scared of fire back then? But benhou heard that was nearly burned by fire that year, did that occur?¡±


    Without needing to recall his memories, the steward replied: ¡°That incident did occur. After the Oldest Young Lady fell ill, she was exceedingly afraid of fire at the start, to the extent where she would fear it whenever the candles were lit up in her room at night. However, after a month approximately, the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s hysteria turned for the better by two parts, and she started to absolutely adore things that emitted light. It was going to be the New Year then, and Lao Furen wanted the New Year¡¯s celebration to be livelier, so she purchased a lot of fireworks and firecrackers. The Oldest Young Lady saw it being released twice, and it¡¯s unknown what she was trying to do, but she toppled the lantern oil in her room, and ignited a folded notebook with said flame¡­


    ¡°That fire burned away the draperies in the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s room, and a terrible accident nearly occurred. When the Marquis asked the Oldest Young Lady why she did that, the Oldest Young Lady instead questioned if the fire could burn someone to death, which frightened the Marquis, and he even went as far as inviting a Taoist priest to conduct a religious ceremony¡­¡±


    The steward heaved a sigh, ¡°Truth to be told, what Oldest Young Lady experienced that year while she was lost for the whole night is still a mystery even now, which led to that series of frankly bizarre behaviour. The Oldest Young Lady was only six-years-old back then; she was quite pitiful in all honesty.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u found it stranger the more he listened, ¡°How long did it take her to recover from her illness?¡±


    The steward thought about it, ¡°The fire incident happened at the end of the twelfth lunar month, the falling into the lotus pond happened after the New Year¡­ It was in February at the beginning of spring that the Oldest Young Lady became more normal, except she still couldn¡¯t speak, and it took almost a full year before she recovered her ability to speak normally.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u remained wordless though his eyes were heavy. It had already been one day and two nights since Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s death, and he initially assumed that this was just a case of brothers vying for the noble title, but now, it was dredging up old, past events. He posed another question: ¡°You¡¯ve been in the residence for many years, but have you ever heard of the Marquis admitting concubines, or rumours of Da Furen having more than one daughter?¡±


    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u voiced that question, the steward looked visibly surprised, ¡°The Marquis admitting concubines? That has never happened, Lao Furen doesn¡¯t like the male masters having concubines. Moreover, Da Furen came from a prestigious household, and Oldest Young Lady was engaged to His Second Highness from childhood. The Marquis has always been inviting renowned doctors to treat Da Furen¡¯s illness, and the thought of admitting concubines had never occurred to him. Since Da Furen did not have any auspicious news for the years that followed, it¡¯s natural that there were no other children.¡±


    Fifteen years ago, the servants of the Marquis Residence were cleaned out and changed, and this steward was the person who had worked in the Marquis Residence for longest period of time afterwards, and yet he knew nothing, which was more than sufficient to prove that the change in personnel was for the purposes of concealing past affairs. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u commanded him to withdraw, then called for the other servants who had worked for more than ten years to enter the room for questioning.


    He personally questioned them, and the remaining old servants in the Marquis Residence answered like they were pouring beans, genuinely afraid that they would invoke Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s ire if they spoke too slowly. Despite their many recollections, it merely added details to the first steward¡¯s account, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not find any traces or hints that supported Da Furen having another daughter from start till end, and the matter of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª falling ill and running into misfortune was also shrouded in dense and heavy fog.


    By the time the last steward departed, there were still no gains. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pursed her lips slightly before she spoke hesitatingly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Zheng da xiaojie met with an accident ten years ago, perhaps¡­ it is unrelated to the homicides¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was merely afraid that having a wrong trajectory would delay Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s business, but who could have expected that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would turn around and look at her instead, ¡°There is no need to disparage and doubt yourself. The deceased in this case might be people from a Marquis Residence, but they are no different from the ones you have witnessed in Qingshan County. The command and understanding of wounds, observation, analysis, judgement, and extrapolation, are all your strengths; since there is a cause for doubt, be firm and unwavering about them.¡±


    There were no clear leads right now, and when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u remembered that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had official business attached to his person, she did not dare to be overly confident about her conjectures in the end. However, when she heard that speech from Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, she felt each and every word of his reverberate, as if he had everything within his grasp; not only did he refuse to tolerate the doubts of others, but he had never doubted himself as well. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sighed, her nature could not stand against his contingencies.


    Upon seeing her heavy expression, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u assumed that she had etched his words in her heart, and was living in constant fear, so he stated: ¡°It is undeniable that benhou dislikes women being involved in official business, but your post-mortem autopsies have been satisfactory, and even if you have erred in terms of deduction, benhou will not censure you.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s position was low and her words held no weight. In the past, she could speak more freely when she was helping H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, but now she was working under Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s eyes, it was unavoidable for her to hope that this case could pass without any credit or transgressions at the start. It was just that after Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saved her life that morning, she felt indebted in her heart, which was why she was sparing no effort, and it was even reaching the point where she was unable to change how much she was invested in this.


    Her current hesitation, was not because she was afraid of censure.


    However, there was no need for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to hear about that. Hence, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied in respectful manner: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ understands.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shot a look at her, only seeing her lowering her eyes respectfully, thus exposing the graceful arc of her neck, while a strand of dark hair cascaded down the side of her face, the resulting contrast making the porcelain skin at the side of her face and neck luminously white and exquisite. Since she was not wearing a cloak today, her delicate shoulders and back appeared frailer and thinner.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u retracted his line of sight, ¡°You have attended to your duties diligently and attentively, your post-mortem autopsies can be considered adept as well. After this case is solved, is there anything [you] wish for?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was a little perplexed, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹¡­ has no requests.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked over again. Even if it was a coroner recorded in the government office¡¯s documents, the monthly official salary was mediocre at best, to say nothing of how B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not a bailiff in the government office. Owing to H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, she would never lack in transportation money, but it would not be in surplus. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not fathom why B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continuously helped H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng; no matter how much assistance she offered in the case solving, it would be difficult for her to gain any credit, and it couldn¡¯t possibly be that she was genuinely doing it all for the sake of redressing the injustices the deceased suffered.


    ¡°Every person has demands to some extent; you are a woman, and working as a coroner is even more challenging, how could you be without requests?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes seemed like it was capable of seeing through the hearts of humans. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her eyes, but her pupils were trembling fiercely.


    Upon seeing her purse her lips wordlessly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to say: ¡°H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng mentioned that you helped him solve numerous unresolved cases, and it can be considered as exerting a great deal of physical and mental effort for the common people. Barring the fact that women cannot serve as officials, if you have any wishes, benhou can grant you one request.¡±


    Being the Marquis Wuzhao who served under one while being above tens of thousands, even the hundred officials of the imperial court might not be able to earn a single allowance from him, and yet she was in possession of a golden opportunity that was being bestowed by the heavens. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u went quiet for a moment, ¡°Hou¡¯ye saved min¡¯n¨¹ once, min¡¯n¨¹ does not dare to be negligent for the sake of repaying Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyebrows since he did not expect that she would have such thoughts. For him, it was just the exertion of lifting his hand, and he essentially forgot about that particular incident. Furthermore, as someone who was in an eminently high position, what could she possibly repay him with?


    The corners of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s mouth pulled into a smile that was not a smile, and she heard him say: ¡°Repay benhou?¡±


    ¡°What high-sounding sentiments.¡±


    His tone was light and mild, and tinged with light reproach. There was no perceivable arrogance, but these words were asserting that even if the favour was as heavy as Mount Tai, it was merely as light as dust to him; it was not worthy of mention, nor was it worth repaying, and since he was so far removed from the masses such that he could call the wind and summon the rain, wanting to repay him also required having enough weight first; and with how he and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u were as different and apart as the clouds and mud, the word ¡®repayment¡¯ was an object for ridicule.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s back became rigid, and a thin layer of sweat started to form in her palms unconsciously.


    At this moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked another question: ¡°Do you know, what will happen if these words were spoken to anyone else?¡±


    A beautiful and delicate lady with snowy skin and blossoming beauty, who had nothing but her body to her name, what else can happen when she said that she wanted to repay a debt?


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s pupils shrank. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wanted to say more, but Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng happened to walk in right then and there. Fu gonggong¡¯s gaze was keen, and once he noticed that the atmosphere in the room was wrong, he blinked his eyes and asked: ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s back remained taut, nor did she lift her head. As Fu gonggong observed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, however, he inexplicably felt that his current state of mind was rather amused¡­


    But when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced towards the two arrivals, his expression became strict again.


    In a low voice, he asked H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, ¡°What of the Taoist priest¡¯s calculations?¡±


    Some solemnity seeped into H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s complexion, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the Taoist priest calculated all the days in the Sixteenth Year of Jianhe, but, none of them can be ascribed as a Yin year and Yin hour. However¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes focused and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked over as well. Then, they heard H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng say: ¡°However, when the Taoist priest calculated the year before, his calculations showed that there were actually a few days that matched the saying in the Fifteenth Year of Jianhe.¡±


    The Fifteenth Year of Jianhe?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, ¡°Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, happens to be born in the Fifteenth Year of Jianhe.¡±

 CH 23

    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª and His Second Highness were betrothed since childhood, and shortly after her birth, the Eight Characters of her birthdate had been sent into the Capital. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered an embroidered emissary to make inquiries about it, and without needing much time, that embroidered emissary returned and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Zheng da xiaojie¡¯s birthday is on the Fifteenth Year of Jianhe, February the Seventh, the first quarter-hour of mao shi (5:15AM).¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was holding onto a piece of paper in his hand, which was filled with days that matched Yin year and Yin hour. He compared it and frowned, shaking his head, ¡°February the Seventh isn¡¯t listed ah, the nearest is¡­ February the Fifth, halfway past yin shi (4:30AM).¡±


    ¡°And if the Marquis Anqing Residence reported a false birthdate?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s complexion contorted slightly, ¡°This¡­ That would be the crime of deceiving the monarch, and Yin year Yin hour is fiendishly inauspicious. Moreover, the reason why Guifei niangniang had attached great importance to Da Furen back then, and her willingness to arrange a childhood betrothal, was because Da Furen is His Second Highness¡¯ lucky star¡­¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was scared witless the more he spoke, ¡°That would explain why the male masters are constantly hiding something, they¡¯re afraid that it would drag out this matter, hence why they remained mute as if their lips are sealed. The murderer also used these four phrases to make them fall for their scheme!¡±


    If it was just infighting for the noble title, it could be considered as normal at least, but now that it was suddenly involving Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª and His Second Highness¡¯ marriage, he became more and more frightened and helpless. He looked towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u unconsciously, not knowing how Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would proceed.


    Fu gonggong¡¯s complexion was slightly ugly as well, ¡°The Marquis Anqing Residence falsely reporting a birthdate for the sake of ensuring this marriage agreement is exceedingly possible. Guifei niangniang attaches great importance to such things too, Hou¡¯ye, should a letter be sent back to the Capital to ask for the imperial palace¡¯s opinion? The big wedding is happening in three months, and it¡¯s a marriage the Emperor personally bestowed¡­¡±


    The Emperor bestowed the marriage, and this matter concerned the most favoured Second Prince. Regardless of who it was, all of them needed to take a moment to calm down. If they really investigated something they shouldn¡¯t have, and had results to show for it, the matter of Marquis Anqing Residence losing their prestige would be minor compared to the disaster that was the royal family being confronted with criticism.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u twisted the black jade ornamental ring on his thumb, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


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    Fu gonggong wanted to speak but stopped himself. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°This is a murder case, and the loss of three lives is no small matter. Although [we] have surmised that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s birthday is fake, there is no actual evidence, and it is unknown if she is related to the homicides. What is the point of informing the Capital now?¡±


    Fu gonggong thinned his lips, saying: ¡°The Emperor¡¯s favour towards His Second Highness is something ?ou are aware of. While it is said that His Second Highness venerates ?ou, it would be more reliable if they are informed in advance¡­¡±


    The meaning in Fu gonggong¡¯s statement was deep and profound, which caused Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to smile insipidly for a moment, ¡°Once the murderer has been found, send it together in a folded booklet. Supposing that the Marquis Anqing Residence has truly hidden a number of things that can¡¯t be seen in the light, Zh¨¤o X¨©¡¯s marriage might as well be cancelled.¡±


    Zh¨¤o X¨© was the Second Prince¡¯s taboo name, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u casually mentioned it, not avoiding it in the slightest. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng panicked upon hearing it, but he was starting to feel incomparably grateful that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was personally overseeing this case. If Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not present, and he could only depend on himself, let alone Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and the others impeding him, even if he managed to investigate to this point, he would not dare to gamble on his black muslin and investigate even deeper.


    ¡°But the Emperor has already bestowed the marriage¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong mumbled another line to himself, as if he was genuinely worried for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. However, when he caught sight of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s countenance which conveyed that his decision was unquestionable, he did not continue speaking in the end.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng then said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, should Zheng da xiaojie and Zheng wu¡¯ye (5th) be called for questioning right now, with regards to this matter?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, ¡°You¡¯ve already said that it is the crime of deceiving the monarch; if there isn¡¯t any iron-clad evidence, why would they admit to it?¡±


    Three people have already died in this case. Despite knowing that he might be the next person to meet his demise, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n still refused to loosen his jaw; he was not even afraid of death, what answers could they possibly extract from him in a normal interrogation?


    ¡°What is the progress of the ancestral hall clean-up?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quickly replied: ¡°Very slowly. It has continued without stopping, but only half of the various debris have been removed.¡±


    Heavy tones emerged in the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes. ¡°Momo Yu knows about what happened that year, and she later chose to burn down the ancestral hall. That ancestral hall must have left behind some evidence.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng heaved a sigh, ¡°The ancestral hall is important to the clan, what kind of evidence was left behind, such that it warranted the burning of the entire ancestral hall? It enshrines and worships the memorial tablets of the forebears and ancestors of the Marquis Residence.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s question was also the question that all of them possessed in their hearts. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u rose to his feet, ¡°To the ancestral hall.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walked out of the doors in large strides, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u remained unmoving. Her eyes were deep and heavy, and she looked like she was immersed in deep contemplation.


    The murderer used the gold dusted paper to lure Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n into taking the bait, and the four explicitly written words ¡®Yin Year Yin Hour¡¯ was sufficient in proving that the murderer was cognizant of what happened that year. However, all of the servants of the Marquis Residence had been purged that year, and based on the Marquis Residence¡¯s intentions, it was more than likely that they would not allow anyone who knew the inside story to live on this earth. Could it be that someone was implicated because of this affair that year, and they came back to take their revenge?


    Then what about Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s accident when she was five- or six-years-old? If the murderer started acting then, why didn¡¯t they make any movements in the ten years between, but if it wasn¡¯t done by the murderer, what exactly happened the night Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª disappeared that year?


    And did Da Furen lose a daughter prematurely?


    There were too many questions, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not make sense of it no matter how she mulled over it. When she lifted her eyes again, she realised that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was leaving the courtyard with H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng. With his departure, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u relaxed entirely, subsequently releasing a soft sigh.


    Like she had anticipated, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u felt that it was beneath his dignity to confer a favour and then pursue compensation, but even if he felt that it was beneath him, her intentions were genuine. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u heaved another sigh, walking outwards from the door.


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    Ch¨±n T¨¢o came out with her this morning, and she was also being questioned by the government hirelings at the present moment. Once she saw her coming out, she immediately greeted her, ¡°Guniang, where are you going to?¡±


    ¡°To the mourning hall to have a look¡ª¡±


    The mourning hall was where the corpses were being stored. Starting from yesterday, her train of thought had been rough and stumped, so she wanted to examine the corpses to see if she could think of anything she neglected. Ch¨±n T¨¢o did not expect that she wanted to go to the mourning hall, and it caused a hint of fear to spread across her face, but she still followed in the end.


    As the pair travelled together, they only saw the warm sun overhead. The thick snow that had accumulated over many days was beginning to melt, and roof eaves were dripping ice water in audible pitter and patters. They had merely covered a short distance when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u abruptly caught a glimpse of a few maidservants hurriedly heading for the east, as if something bad had happened.


    Upon seeing that, Ch¨±n T¨¢o said: ¡°Guniang, they are the maidservants by Da Furen¡¯s side.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her brows, following after them with Ch¨±n T¨¢o. Not long after, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u saw a few maidservants pulling Da Furen back, while one of them was persuading her: ¡°Da Furen, don¡¯t panic, the stupid girl isn¡¯t in the plum forest, she¡¯s in the courtyard waiting for ?ou, we¡¯ll be able to see the stupid girl once we go back¡­¡±


    Da Furen smiled in the silly manner, but she could not resist looking in the direction of the plum forest. When the maidservants saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, one of them gestured for the rest to bring away Da Furen first, while she came forward to bow.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Da Furen?¡±


    This maidservant was also aware that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u arrived with Marquis Wuzhao, so she did not dare to be irreverent as she said: ¡°Since the weather was good today, the maidservants brought Da Furen outside for a stroll. Da Furen was kicking up a fuss about wanting to see the stupid girl, and when she didn¡¯t arrive after she waited for some time, she started running towards the plum forest.¡±


    ¡°She heads to the plum forest when she wants to see the stupid girl?¡±


    The maidservant smiled bitterly, ¡°Furen loves plum flowers, and she would ask the stupid girl to help her pick some plum flowers every time. Perhaps owing to that, she assumes that the stupid girl stays in the plum forest.¡±


    A strange inkling slid past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mind, plum forest, bamboo forest, lotus pond¡­


    Seeing that she had no further questions, the maidservant took her leave, whereas B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gazed in the direction of the plum forest, and she could not resist moving towards it.


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o voiced a question once she saw that, ¡°Does guniang wish to pick plum flowers as well?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Just taking a casual look. [I] saw the stupid girl last night and she was heading to the plum forest to pick flowers. It was so late, and yet she wasn¡¯t afraid.¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o supressed her voice and said: ¡°Guniang doesn¡¯t know this, but the stupid girl is quite unusual too.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u turned her head back towards Ch¨±n T¨¢o, to which Ch¨±n T¨¢o leaned closer and murmured in a soft voice, ¡°In the middle of the night, she frequently runs around the residence in an arbitrary manner, and her temper can either be good or bad at different times; in one moment she may look as timid as a mouse, but she can become vicious in the next. There are some people who even say that she pretends to be pitiful on purpose to gain Da Furen¡¯s tender affection.¡±


    ¡°There are times where she can be vicious?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded, revealing some rue on her visage, ¡°When she¡¯s in front of people on normal days, the stupid girl would usually shrink her head like she¡¯s afraid of them, but she has a temper too. There were some older servants who didn¡¯t give her preferential treatment just because she had Da Furen¡¯s tender affection, and beyond that, they even bullied her in secret precisely because Da Furen takes care of her. There are times where the stupid girl meekly submits to the humiliation, but there are also instances where she will throw a huge tantrum. There was one time she nearly hurt someone, although nubi did not witness it, she heard that the steward didn¡¯t manage to step on the ground for a few days¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyebrows jumped, ¡°She hurt someone?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded, ¡°It was roughly a year ago. She pushed the steward to the ground and used a broom to beat the steward, and by some way or another, she managed to injure that steward all over. The steward called for back-up, but she ran away. When she was found again, however, she was still wearing a face of innocence and pretending to be pitiful. In the end, she wasn¡¯t punished at all because of Da Furen.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u recalled the day she first met the stupid girl. Although she had committed a mistake and she was berated by a steward, her eyes were devoid of fear when she raised her eyes to look at her. Not just that, she even nodded to her in a rather unperturbed fashion¡­


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u found it incredibly strange. At this moment, Ch¨±n T¨¢o tugged on her, ¡°Guniang, this small path doesn¡¯t extend any further, let¡¯s make a detour from the east.¡±


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    In trying to get to the plum forest, the nearest road was the small trail within a flower bed, but most of the accumulated snow had melted today, and this path was quite muddy right now. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded and followed Ch¨±n T¨¢o towards the east, and not long after, the lotus pond that was a short distance away from the bamboo forest entered their view.


    Last night, the embroidered emissary said that east of the bamboo forest was the lotus pond, and the plum forest was in the west¡­


    Subconsciously, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u ambled towards the lotus pond. This lotus pond was not small, but it was dried up, and above the sludge was a layer of ice and snow. Since the snow was melting today, puddles of accumulated water could be seen around the broken ice.


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o saw her staring at the lotus pond so she stated: ¡°This place was originally an internal lake. When the previous dynasty¡¯s Qinwang was still around, he drew the flowing water from Huanhua Brook to the residence, which led to the residence having quite a few internal lakes. However, Huanhua Brook later dried up, so the internal lakes within the residence dried up along with it. After the Zheng clan¡¯s ancestor bought the compound, most of it was filled, and only a few lotus ponds were left behind. This was one of them, but because it was too remote and no one tended to it, it has been left dry for many years.¡±


    The origin of this compound was not small, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had been made aware of this early on. Thus, she was not surprised when she heard it. She followed the flagstone path that edged the lotus pond to head towards the plum forest, but as she continued walking, she noticed something strange as she casually surveyed the lotus pond.


    The embankment of the lotus pond was currently gathering a small body of water, and because the water came from the melting snow, it was extremely clear. At this moment, the gleaming reflection of the clear and crystalline water surface rippled faintly, and there seemed to be undercurrents beneath. Having undercurrents could be ignored, but something had sunk to the bottom of the water.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u went forward, following the wayside slope to slide down a few steps. Now that she was closer, she discerned what had sunk to the water bottom with crystal clarity.


    Yellow petals and white pistils. Unexpectedly, there was a large quantity of yellow plum blossoms in the water.


    A short-lived breeze brushed past, and only the scent of bamboo lingered in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s nose. Her refined brows scrunched slightly. The yellow plum blossom forest was so far away, and she couldn¡¯t even smell the plum fragrance from where she was standing. That being said, why were there plum blossoms in the water here?

 CH 24

    The gleaming reflection of the water surface rippled slightly. The yellow plum blossoms that had sunk to the bottom were only the flowers, not the branches. It was unlikely that someone had plucked off the plum blossoms and threw it inside the water, flower by flower. Moreover, all the remains of the flowers were flourishing as opposed to having reached the end of its lifespan, then carried over by the wind.


    Similarly, Ch¨±n T¨¢o clearly discerned the things beneath the water, and she remarked with a touch of surprise, ¡°There¡¯s actually plum flowers in the water¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked at the lotus pond in front of her, then glanced towards the plum forest in the north, ¡°Is this lotus pond dried up all year round?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o thought about it, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be strictly accurate. When it rains frequently during the spring and summer seasons, the lotus pond does accumulate some water, but once autumn and winter arrives, it dries up again. The gardeners tend to throw in some lotus pods inside during the rainy spring season. If luck holds, then some flowers will bloom during summer, but if the conditions are less than optimal, it will remain empty. This place scarcely receives any visitors for the most part, so it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s unsightly.¡±


    It was unknown what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was thinking since she suddenly asked: ¡°When the residence was drawing over the flowing water from Huanhua Brook, how was the ditch constructed?¡±


    When the Qinwang of the previous dynasty was around, the residence had three internal lakes; since the water could converge enough to form a lake, it shouldn¡¯t be as simple as just drawing over the water. In all likelihood, a buried culvert was constructed.


    However, Ch¨±n T¨¢o was at a loss as she said: ¡°This¡­ Nubi doesn¡¯t know, she only heard that a lot of craftsmen were employed, and it generated tremendous amounts of noise.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked into the lotus pond again, though she was quick to turn around and march towards the plum forest. She just came to the plum forest last night, but she only surveyed it from the periphery. This time round, she plunged into the forest directly.


    The other remaining areas of the residence were wintersweet trees, with this piece of land being the only place with yellow plum blossoms, and between the plum forest and the lotus pond was the huge bamboo forest. She did not see any bamboo leaves inside the lotus pond, and yet she discovered yellow plum blossoms, why was that?


    The plum forest only felt heavily scented at night, but during the day, an expanse of yellow plum blossoms was flourishing, and the scenery was very pleasing to the eye. It was currently halfway into January; with the weather gradually warming, there were flower petals as she had expected, for the first batch of plum flowers that had blossomed was already starting to fall.


    The embroidered emissaries had combed through the area last night, and she could perceive that the tracks on the ground were somewhat disorderly as she scanned it. Furthermore, the embroidered emissary reported that there were marks left behind by humans, so the murderer must have paced around the forest before.


    Thoughts moving, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u trekked deeper into the plum forest. The plum forest was not as dense as the bamboo forest which made it harder for people to hide. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started and stopped, causing the fragrance of the plum flowers to eventually fumigate her body. Just when she was struggling to organise her thoughts, she saw a well in the distance.


    The embroidered emissary also mentioned the well last night.


    Since the well had been abandoned for many years, the well walls had long collapsed, and it was completely surrounded by moss and weeds. If it was only given a sweeping glance, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be recognised as a well at all. However, what attracted B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s attention were the two stumps of plum trees beside the well. The flowering branches of those two plum trees were extended horizontally, and if the flower petals fell, it could land inside the well. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u walked over to the well in quick strides.


    The well walls had long collapsed, but the well opening which was large enough to fit a water bucket was still perfectly accessible. As she stood by the well entrance and looked down, it was pitch-black inside, so it was hard to perceive anything. Besides that, there was also a dark and moist smell of sludge drifting out from the well, which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u found inexplicably familiar.


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o stood at the side, somewhat perplexed. ¡°Guniang, most of the wells in this forest were dug for the sake of watering the garden, it¡¯s not used for drinking or cooking, and the well on this end has long been abandoned.¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded. The snow at the periphery of the well walls were beginning to melt, causing the snow water to follow the well walls and flow into the darkness. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u leaned over to look down further, but she could not see anything. Feeling slightly anxious in her heart, she placed a palm on the collapsed well border that barely reached her knees, poking her body inside to take a look. The more her body leaned forward, the heavier the pressure exerted on the well border was. All of a sudden, one of the bricks loosened, and her body immediately fell forward¡­


    ¡°Guniang!¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o screamed in shock, grabbing hold of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s arm. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was similarly frightened, propping up her body and taking a step back. Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s small face was slightly pale, ¡°Guniang should be more careful, if [you] fell down, [your] legs would still be broken even if [you] got off easy!¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu upon hearing that, and then she heard Ch¨±n T¨¢o say: ¡°[I¡¯ve] heard that this was the well that the stupid girl fell into that year.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart jolted, expression tightening as she asked: ¡°The well that the stupid girl fell into back then, was this well opening?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded, ¡°Yeah, which is why this place is very dangerous.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s voice was wrought with more anxiety, ¡°And you said that she remained in there for several days back then?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o nodded again, ¡°Yes, allegedly it was three to four days.¡±


    ¡°How was she discovered then?¡±


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o pondered briefly, ¡°It seemed like there was a young male servant who came to the forest to do something, and he heard movement inside the well. Back then, everyone knew that the stupid girl had disappeared and had assumed that she ran away. Subsequently, the young male servant called for back-up, but because this well opening is narrow, most men can¡¯t go down. Hence, they could only lower a rope and let the stupid girl bind herself, then have the others pull her out together.¡±


    The loud noises next to her ear were like claps of thunder; her heart seemed to be palpitating like a beating drum. As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stared at the ominously black well opening, a terrifying thought suddenly emerged from the bottom of her heart. Ch¨±n T¨¢o could not decipher what she was thinking, but she could see her complexion paling as palpable fear overwhelmed her eyes, as if she had thought of something dreadful, and Ch¨±n T¨¢o could not help but become scared as well.


    ¡°Guniang, what¡¯s wrong, did nubi say something wrong?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not respond, only shaking her head. Without any rhyme or reason, she slowly pivoted on her heels, gaze searching their surroundings. She was certain that there must be traces near the well, but she did not know where the traces were. She continued to aimlessly scan her surroundings in a clockwise fashion, and suddenly, her eyes fixed itself on the plum tree east of the well.


    The plum forest was rather old, and the thinnest plum tree was the circumference of a bowl at least, whereas the plum trees near the well opening, perhaps by virtue of its proximity to water, were much sturdier than the others. The girth of the plum tree in the east was thick enough for one person to hug it, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u discovered several faint streaks on the bark. With tightly knitted eyebrows, she went forward and circled around the tree.


    The plum tree¡¯s bark was a coarse dark brown with lines of cracks, and around the height of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s waist was a few circles of faint marks, like they had been worn down before. Moreover, these marks were distributed unevenly, with the face that were closer to the well being lighter as compared to the other side which was deeper. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression changed a few times, and when she looked at the well opening once more, the depths of her eyes were filled with barely restrained fear, as if some man-eating monster was hidden at the bottom of the well.


    The breeze carrying the odorous sludge drifted out. The ends of the plum trees were rustled by the wind, causing a few petals to fall. The petals swayed as they slowly entered the well opening, descending into the darkness without a sound.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u abruptly whipped around and stalked off, with Ch¨±n T¨¢o quickly keeping pace with her, ¡°Where is guniang going?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u originally wanted to go to the ancestral hall, but once Ch¨±n T¨¢o asked that question, she unexpectedly veered into another direction, towards the front hall where they came from.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gait was brisk, to the point where Ch¨±n T¨¢o had to break into a small jog to keep up with her, ¡°Guniang, whatever is the matter?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, not forthcoming with any answers. Once the gentle temperament around her body weakened, it actually brought forward some sharp momentum. Ch¨±n T¨¢o had gotten close to her and spoken without any reservation precisely because of her gentleness and goodwill, but upon seeing this other side of her, she was astounded, and she no longer dared to speak more.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u arrived at the study where Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n was murdered.


    Because this was a scene of the crime, there were government hirelings standing guard at the entrance. When they saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u approaching, the government hirelings did not stop her, which allowed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to enter the study directly. She stopped in front of the ventilation window she discovered earlier, then moved over a stool to stand on it.


    Her stature was not tall, and it was very difficult for her to see its full appearance. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze swept across the room, landing on the tea table at the side. After jumping down from the stool in an agile manner, she called for Ch¨±n T¨¢o¡¯s help to drag over the tea table, then she stepped on the chair and stood on the table. Ch¨±n T¨¢o, who witnessed the entire process, was wide-eyed and dumbstruck.


    Now that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing on the table, she finally saw the full appearance of the ventilation window clearly.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took two additional glances before getting off the table. After putting the table and chair back into its original position, she stepped out of the study courtyard¡¯s doors and made her way towards the ancestral hall.


    She needed to find Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    ¡­¡­


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u departed from the front courtyard, he headed for the burnt ancestral hall, with Fu gonggong trailing after him, who was under the inexplicable impression that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was in a good mood today. He stepped closer and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, His Second Highness¡¯ marriage is going to be met with a setback, ?ou seem quite happy.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned, ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, ¡°His Second Highness is three years younger than ?ou, and not only was he betrothed since an early age, but he was also bestowed a marriage by the Emperor last year. Once this case ends, and if there are no huge changes, he will be getting married in March. Laonu sees that while ?ou don¡¯t say it with your mouth, ?ou are actually quite jealous in [your] heart.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong exhaled audibly, lowering his voice as he mumbled: ¡°The Emperor has tried to confer marriages to ?ou numerous times, but it was fended off by ?ou time and time again. ?ou are not getting younger anymore, yet there is no one for company, ?ou don¡¯t even know what others having been saying about ?ou¡­¡±


    Unable to tolerate it any further, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u halted in his footsteps, but before he could turn around, Fu gonggong started to slap his own mouth, ¡°Aiyo, look at this mouth of laonu¡®s, it only knows how to spout nonsense. Hou¡¯ye is serving the country and its people, what does marriage count for, if laonu has to give his opinion, a woman that is well-matched with Hou¡¯ye is hard to find.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scowled as he gave Fu gonggong a sweeping glance, then raised his foot to continue walking forward. Fu gonggong chortled as he trailed after him, ¡°Laonu is just cracking a few jokes, laonu gets the sense that Hou¡¯ye is in a good mood today, and perhaps, the case might be solved in one breath today.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyebrows, he was in a good mood? Since when was he in a good mood?


    Fu gonggong had been attending to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u for so many years, so how could he be unaware of what he was thinking? He said: ¡°Laonu noticed it when he stepped into the room just now, and on the contrary, it was B¨® guniang who was slightly nervous. Sigh, it has already been a few days, and yet B¨® guniang is still afraid of ?ou.¡±


    Afraid of him?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u issued a light snort, she was hardly afraid of him.


    In an instant, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u remembered B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s appearance when she said that she wanted to repay him. She actually felt that putting in effort to investigate the case was repaying him.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u chuckled internally. If everyone thought like her, then why would there be a need for him to use thunderous tactics in the officialdom? If it was that simple, they would only need to confer favours to the hundred officials, both military and civil alike. She was truly childish and naive to a worrying extent.


    Although that was what he thought in the depths of his heart, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not realise that his countenance had softened by a degree.


    Fu gonggong then remarked: ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s quite a pity. B¨® guniang is a lady, and yet she¡¯s planning to be a coroner for the rest of her life. If this goes on, it will be difficult for her to marry¡­¡±


    A coroner had a low social position to begin with, and they frequently kept the dead as company, which ordinary family would be willing to marry a woman like that?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s focus was on the first line, ¡°When did she say that she wanted to be a coroner for the rest of her life?¡±


    Fu gonggong replied: ¡°The day Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) met with his demise, when laonu was accompanying her to examine the Second Master¡¯s corpse and the question was casually thrown out along the way. She said that she didn¡¯t believe in Gods or the Taoist philosophy, and since she has the skills of a coroner, she trusts the blade in her hands even more. Once this case is solved, she intends to continue being a coroner.¡±


    Doubts emerged from the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s heart again.


    He had seen high-ranking military officials who have campaigned for more than ten years, seen good officials who planned for the commoners¡¯ good fortune; they were either deeply loyal, were fuelled by righteous bravery, or selfless, but no matter how devoted they were to righteousness to the extent where it inspired reverence, they still had something they wished for. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was a lady, both intelligent and beautiful, and yet she chose the most challenging profession. If she didn¡¯t have any requests, then she must surely be a saint.


    ¡°Did she say anything else?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed another question, to which Fu gonggong shook his head. ¡°That she didn¡¯t. Laonu was thinking that since we will be heading for Luozhou in a few days, there was no need to ask more. It¡¯s just that laonu is slightly worried for her, and it¡¯s unclear if she has ever contemplated these issues before.¡±


    The world was more difficult for women; if she persisted in being a coroner, it would genuinely be difficult for her to find a good husband.


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    It was unknown what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was thinking since he did not make a single utterance. Shortly after, they arrived at the ancestral hall.


    The accumulated snow was beginning to melt and the area around the burnt ancestral hall was muddy. The government hirelings, alongside the guards and young male servants from the residence, were busy at work while some embroidered emissaries were supervising at the side. Once they saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u coming over, the embroidered emissary standing guard at this place greeted him.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°How is it going?¡±


    The embroidered emissary said a deep vice, ¡°Very slowly. Most of the lumber was burned until there was practically none left, to say nothing of remaining books, silks and fabrics which had been turned into ash; wanting to find clues won¡¯t be easy at all.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u moved closer. The timber and other materials at the outermost periphery had been moved away, hence only a few scorched black and broken could be seen left standing. Suddenly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyebrows twitched as he looked towards what was supposed to be the back of the central hall, ¡°They¡¯ve started smashing the walls?¡±


    The broken walls that were not completely destroyed in the fire had to be demolished, but the embroidered emissary said, ¡°Not yet, the cleaning up of the various debris is still ongoing right now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes squinted slightly. When buildings were being constructed, the brackets for the wooden rafters and/or beams would be set aside above the wall first, but presently, the brackets in this particular wall body were clearly lower than the others. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u immediately strode over to the broken wall and stopped in front of it. Although the wall was utterly scorched, it only emphasised the fact that it was indeed different from the rest.


    Underneath the wall, there was a large pile of rubble and wood that was not removed yet. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated, ¡°Clean up this area first, this area underneath the wall seems to have caved in, check if there¡¯s anything buried there.¡±


    This building had been built for many years. The location of the ancestral hall was of utmost importance; thus, it would never collapse without any cause or reason. When he remembered how his embroidered emissaries had guessed that there was a secret room inside the ancestral hall, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression became grave immediately.


    Upon seeing that, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said: ¡°Cleaning up this area will probably take a day and night, there will be more waiting again.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s no need to wait that long.¡±


    The voice that suddenly rang out made Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and his entourage turn their bodies, and they promptly saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sprinting over. Because she was running too fast, even her breathing was slightly laboured. She bowed, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Daren, min¡¯n¨¹ has made a discovery.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils dilated, ¡°What discovery?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u swallowed her saliva before saying: ¡°It is more than likely that there is a secret room underneath the ancestral hall. Not only that, but the secret room might also be linked with the buried culvert that was left behind in the residence in its early years. Zheng da xiaojie¡¯s disappearance that year, the stupid girl being rescued out despite her broken leg, it¡¯s possible that they are both related to the buried culvert.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng furrowed his brows, ¡°Buried culvert? Why is a buried culvert being brought up without any rhyme or reason?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pursed her lips slightly, ¡°Because¡­ Min¡¯n¨¹ deduces that, the murderer who killed Lao Furen, Zheng er¡¯ye, and Zheng san¡¯ye, is currently hiding in the culvert.¡±


    The murderer was hiding in the culvert?!


    Up until now, though there had been many points of suspicion, the murderer¡¯s identity had never been confirmed, and yet B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was now stating the place where the murderer was hiding. How did they even get to this point?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes grew heavy. Fu gonggong could not help but say: ¡°B¨® guniang, is there any evidence?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°There is evidence. Please follow min¡¯n¨¹, it¡¯s in the north-facing plum forest.¡±


    The plum forest had been searched last night and there were clearly no yields. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was now declaring otherwise, stating that there was evidence left behind in the plum forest. Although Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s visage was grim, he did not doubt her. He first ordered the embroidered emissary to clean up this collapsed portion of the ground before following B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to the plum forest. They travelled straight from the ancestral hall to the plum forest by using a laid-out path that cut through the pine and cypress trees which stood in great numbers.  Outside the small path was an abandoned grass hut, and the plum forest was east of the grass hut.


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u spoke as they walked, ¡°Prior to this, min¡¯n¨¹ discovered that the lotus pond in the eastern bamboo forest had flowing water, with fallen yellow plum flower petals inside said flowing waters, and the quantity was not little, which min¡¯n¨¹ found to be strange. Subsequently, min¡¯n¨¹ went to the plum forest and realised that there was a well opening in the middle of the plum forest with plum trees growing at the side, and the flower petals happened to fall inside the well.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng said, ¡°That well opening was checked last night, and it has been abandoned for many years¡­¡±


    ¡°Daren¡¯s words are not wrong; this is all thanks to the sun being out today.¡±


    At this moment, the sun was already inclining towards the west, and most of the snow in their surroundings were melting. As they walked underneath the pine and cypress trees, some of the snow water was even dripping down.


    ¡°The snow started to melt and flowed into the well, and with the existence of flowing water beneath, the water carried the flower petals and flowed into the lotus pond, which was then discovered by min¡¯n¨¹. Once min¡¯n¨¹ learned that there used to be internal lakes within the residence, and the lakes were formed from the flowing waters that was channelled from Huanhua Brook, she ascertained that a buried culvert must have been constructed to accomplish it.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in a deep voice: ¡°Even if that was the case, how was it deduced that the murderer is hiding in the culvert?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u answered, ¡°Because of the stupid girl. The stupid girl is of a low and inferior identity, was supposed to be an irrelevant person, but she appeared at a place where the murderer appeared last night, and in a place where the plum forest and bamboo forest intersected. Just prior, min¡¯n¨¹ was made aware that when the stupid girl accidentally fell into the plum forest¡¯s well two years ago, she remained in the well for three to four days before she was rescued. Given that min¡¯n¨¹ has diagnosed her leg injury before, she can affirm that while the injury has healed now, her legs didn¡¯t just break, it must have seen blood back then. She is a muddle-headed and feeble person to begin with; the fact that she can still cry for help after three to four days in those conditions, is honestly strange.¡±


    After giving a pause, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ believes that, it was made possible because someone helped her at the bottom of the well.¡±


    When an ordinary and debilitated woman fell inside a well, let alone being injured, even if they weren¡¯t injured, it would be hard for them to survive after being starved for three to four days. However, the stupid girl managed to endure for three to four days while being injured, and the only explanation for it was that someone at the bottom of the well gave her food, and even went as far as helping treat her injury.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s words made H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng shiver all over, though not from cold, ¡°What you mean to say is¡­ The buried culvert hides a¡­. person who cannot be seen in light, and this person killed Lao Furen and the Zheng brothers?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not hesitate in the slightest, ¡°Yes. The stupid girl might be dull-witted, but she¡¯s just very slow to react. Since this person saved her, the stupid girl would have the intent to repay this debt of gratitude. Afterwards, it¡¯s highly likely that under the stupid girl¡¯s assistance, this person managed to come out from the buried culvert.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng felt his hair standing on its ends just from listening. The stupid girl falling into the well happened two years ago. This Marquis Anqing Residence appeared to have the glory and splendour befitting of feudal aristocrats, but underneath this official residence with uninterrupted pavilions and buildings, actually lived a person?


    Was this person a human or a ghost exactly?


    Once she caught sight of H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s pallor, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stated: ¡°Certainly, this conjecture is hard to believe. Min¡¯n¨¹ didn¡¯t think towards this trajectory at the beginning, but the stupid girl managing to survive with little hindrances after falling into a well and suffering from a heavy injury, Momo Yu unexpectedly setting fire to the ancestral hall for the sake of concealing the evidence, and the caving in of the ancestral hall, allowed min¡¯n¨¹ to conceive of this possibility.¡±


    Fu gonggong said, ¡°If someone is truly hiding underneath the Marquis Residence, who would that person be?¡±


    At this moment, their group had reached the fringe of the plum forest. Fu gonggong¡¯s question made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u halt in her footsteps momentarily. With a short pause, she replied, ¡°It should be a person who cannot be seen in the light because she was hidden away by the Marquis Residence.¡±


    Incomprehension spread across Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s face, whereas Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was staring at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u because he understood what she was implying, ¡°You are saying that the Marquis Residence didn¡¯t only falsely report Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s birthdate, but they are also hiding something more important than that?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly nodded, ¡°Da Furen¡¯s tender affection for the stupid girl was something min¡¯n¨¹ couldn¡¯t make sense of at the start. Why wasn¡¯t it someone else, but the stupid girl? Now that it has been linked to the great efforts that the Marquis Residence expended for the sake of securing the Oldest Young Lady and His Second Highness¡¯ marriage, however, min¡¯n¨¹ thought that, perhaps, what the residence wants to conceal, isn¡¯t necessarily just the fact that the Oldest Young Lady was born on an inauspicious day.


    ¡°On the night Zheng si¡¯ye (4th) returned to the residence, he once said this line, ¡®Being born as twins is already inauspicious as it is, and if one were born in a Yin year and Yin hour, it would truly be a yin foetus coming to wreak havoc in the world¡¯. The Oldest Young Lady¡¯s birthdate is already inauspicious, but if Da Furen also delivered a pair of twin daughters, then Lao Furen must have understood that the Marquis Residence could no longer be tied in marriage with His Second Highness, which was why she made the decision to keep one while hiding another, and it also on these same grounds that Da Furen¡¯s insanity becomes fair and reasonable. Moreover, her tenderness towards the stupid girl, the similarities in her brows and eyes that she shares with Zheng da xiaojie, and the scent satchels she made for her daughters, are exactly the same as well.¡±


    ¡°Twin daughters¡­¡± H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s pupils trembled lightly, ¡°This¡­ If that is true, then the Marquis Residence is genuinely guilty of deceiving the monarch!¡±


    Fu gonggong was somewhat surprised, but he was not as shocked as H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, who had become unlike himself. ¡°In order to protect their high position and great wealth, the more they are influential families with centuries-old foundations, the more unscrupulous they are capable of becoming. If it is explained this way, then everything makes sense.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng frowned and said: ¡°But the stupid girl is ugly, and you also said that she only bears similarities to the Oldest Young Lady in her brows and eyes¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wavered for a moment, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ has not apprehended this point either, except min¡¯n¨¹ reckons that there must be anomalies underground, and if she can go down to investigate, find the murderer¡¯s hideout, and capture the murderer, then the reasons will be elucidated.¡±


    Having reached the well opening, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u first ordered an embroidered emissary to bring more men before asking: ¡°Where was the evidence left at?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u walked towards the plum tree in the east swiftly, ¡°This section has traces that a tethered rope left behind. The stupid girl was pulled up by the servants with a rope back then, and min¡¯n¨¹ presumes that she learned that method from her experience with it, and she proceeded to use the same method when she was saving the person below. And when the murderer killed Zheng er¡¯ye, the method of rappelling down from the Moon-viewing Pavilion was also utilised.


    ¡°Additionally, min¡¯n¨¹ also went to the study where Zheng san¡¯ye was murdered just now. It¡¯s true that the ventilation window is quite small, but min¡¯n¨¹ theorises that the murderer might be slender, which enabled her to climb through the window opening.¡±


    Seeing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had done so many things without saying anything, Fu gonggong gasped with visible admiration, ¡°B¨® guniang, you are truly attentive to even the finest hair, for being able to notice these. Many of the side branches and minor details appear to be completely unrelated, but who could have thought that once they have been linked together, everything would have its due explanation instead.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u glanced at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u before lowering her eyes and saying: ¡°It¡¯s just a conjecture, one only hopes that the conjecture isn¡¯t wrong.¡±


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    The embroidered emissaries brought ropes and other tools to the well opening. However, the well opening was only the size of a water bucket. A water bucket could be lowered, but these embroidered emissaries were all broad, wide, and tall; in essence, it would be very difficult for them to go down.


    After a moment of hesitation, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, maybe the guard with a smaller stature can be called upon, and in addition to min¡¯n¨¹, [we] can go down to investigate.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s body figure was slender and she could naturally go down, except she did not dare overestimate herself, which was why she made the suggestion to call the guard by the name of Zh¨¤o W¨³. Zh¨¤o W¨³ was previously suspected because he had a small and short figure and was proficient in martial arts. He was never seen again after he was proven to be unrelated to the case, but since it was difficult for a normal man to go down, he could be deployed for this particular task.


    However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scrutinised her for a moment, ¡°If there is really a mystery below, both of you going still would still be inadequate.¡±


    Having said that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u retracted his line of sight, ¡°Bore the well.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wanted to speak but stopped herself. As Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u commanded the embroidered emissaries to bore the well, he passed down another order: ¡°Go and arrest the stupid girl.¡±


    If there were no mistakes in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s deduction, then it was highly likely that the stupid girl was the murderer¡¯s accomplice, which made her arrest a matter of course.


    Even though digging a well took some time, it was the most dependable method in the end. Moreover, if there really was another world under the Marquis Residence, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had to personally see it as well. Since the embroidered emissaries each possessed Herculean strength, and were clean and efficient, they managed to dig up the protruding border of the wall without needing much time, and they started to dig a huge pit around the well opening.


    Owing to the fact that it was used to irrigate and water the garden, it was not as deep as they imagined. By the time the last shred of twilight settled over the horizon, the large pit had turned into a large funnel shape, and an embroidered emissary had already jumped to the bottom of the well.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there is indeed a half-person tall culvert below.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had her fists clenched as she waited, and when she heard those words, her heart finally relaxed.


    At this moment, the embroidered emissary who was dispatched to arrest the stupid girl returned to the well, but he said, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the stupid girl has disappeared.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knitted his brows, to which the embroidered emissary said: ¡°The last person to see her was Da Furen¡¯s maidservant. During noon, Da Furen called for the stupid girl to converse with her, and after she stayed with Da Furen for a double-hour, she took her leave. She was supposed to return to her courtyard, but she has vanished since then. All of the government hirelings responsible for watching over the crucial roads of the residence said that they didn¡¯t see her at all.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s sword eyebrows bunched together as he turned around to look at the black well bottom. The stupid girl had disappeared, was she together with the murderer?


    ¡°Her disappearance is not worrying; it is only worrisome when the murderer disappears as well.¡±


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was done speaking, he ordered the embroidered emissaries to light the torches before he started to make his way to the bottom of the well with skilful agility. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quickly followed him upon seeing that, but his round body proceeded to slip when he stepped on the slope. Subsequently, he slid to the bottom, which was accompanied by the sound of chafing friction before a loud thud was heard. At the bottom, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng landed on his butt right in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes, and he was in so much pain he was baring his teeth, but he did not dare display more awkwardness, so he clambered to his feet hastily. On the other hand, the embroidered emissaries who were watching from the side lines had to suppress their laughter by coughing lightly.


    Fu gonggong was getting on with his years, so it was inconvenient for him to go down and torment himself, whereas B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was unwilling to pass on her responsibility to someone else.


    At the bottom, there were embroidered emissaries who had gone ahead to scout the road first, and they returned to report: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, thirty feet from this position is a fake mountain rock at the bottom of a lake, and there used to be an exit, but it has been blocked up by a large quantity of sand and stone which had been poured in. As of now, only the lower half is still accessible to water, the yellow plum flowers that B¨® guniang that noticed had flowed into that entry way, and its final destination should be that lotus pond in the east.¡±


    The culvert was made out of huge stone steps, and it was only half a person tall. Wanting to move in this space would require them to bend their bodies. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u used the fire torch to illuminate it, and only saw that there were rivulets of water flowing at the bottom of the culvert, which was expected, and most of it was from the snow water within the sludge.


    He nodded his head, ¡°Continue searching west.¡±


    Someone started heading west once his words landed. The embroidered emissary holding a fire torch then said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, please¡ª¡±


    But Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did move. He raised his eyes and looked to the surface, as if he was waiting for something.


    The embroidered emissary looked over as well, and promptly saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u walking down from that slope. She was walking cautiously, but the snow and sludge was wet and slippery, and the sight of her was anxiety-inducing. When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was finally near the well bottom, she jumped down, and while she stumbled slightly, she managed to find her balance in the end. It was only then that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u personally held the torch and headed west.


    That embroidered emissary blinked owlishly, ¡°B¨® guniang, please go ahead first¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not find it unusual as she went ahead to catch up. Since she heard what the embroidered emissary reported just now, she commented, ¡°The place that was blocked in the east should be the lotus pond that was levelled out.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hummed in response. Behind them, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng rubbed his lower back hipbone as he trailed after them.


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    As they moved towards the west, all of them were bent over, and they merely noted that this buried culvert had been abandoned for many years. Green moss was scattered everywhere, with a rat or worm scuttling past from time to time. It was fortunate it was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u who was following them, because if it was a normal young lady from an aristocratic family, they would probably flee with changed complexions. Although there was an occasional spider, spiderwebs were seldom seen in the entire culvert, since someone was frequently moving around this space.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u borrowed the light from the fire torch in Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s hand to carefully examine this culvert. The more she looked, the more human traces she discovered. As they continued to walk, she even saw old clothing percolating in the snow water, although she could not discern the colour. Concurrently, the malodour of putrefying sludge that was impossible to ignore hovered around B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s nostrils.


    When this odour appeared again, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression was hard to fathom in the moment.


    Since the buried culvert was pitch-black, all the illumination was reliant on the fire torches; the deeper they travelled, the gloomier and colder it became, to a suffocating extent. Very quickly, the embroidered emissaries at the very front doubled back, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there¡¯s an iron door in front, and a few byways beyond it, but only one path has more human traces.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instructed: ¡°Lead some men to investigate the other paths.¡±


    The embroidered emissary complied while Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u led B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng towards the iron door.


    Although it was called an iron door, it was merely an iron fencing with exceeding small gaps which was rusted and full of stains. There was a large lock on the iron door, which was locked shut, but the chain was forcibly broken. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stared at the lock and broken chain pensively.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned his head back to gaze at her, ¡°What of it?¡±


    Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u heard his question, she subconsciously straightened her waist to answer, but she forgot that she was currently inside a culvert. Just as she was about to knock the top of her head into the stone, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly stretched his hand out to block it¡ª


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only felt Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s palm pressing down on the top of her hair, which made her stiffen momentarily before she reacted by quickly bending her waist again. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u withdrew his hand indifferently, and because his body was also bent forward, the distance between them appeared incredibly close. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wanted to retreat backwards, but H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was behind her. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had fallen down and was being made to stoop over, so his waist and body were suffering for it, and his head was dripping with heavy perspiration from the exertion.


    Unconsciously, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her eyes, ¡°The buried culvert was meant to channel the flowing water from outside. The fenced door was set up to fend against anyone trying to gain access to the residence with this path for one, and secondly, if it ever floods, it can prevent various junk outside from flowing into the internal lakes¡ª¡±


    Pausing, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lifted her head to look upwards. There was only cold and hard stone at the top of her head, of course, but they had been travelling west ever since they descended into the culvert, so they were probably under the pine and cypress forest which was between the plum forest and ancestral hall, ¡°¡ªBut since this location is within the residence, perhaps this iron door only serves to stop some water plants.¡±


    Conforming to her assumption, there was a huge amount of rotting water plants and branches on both sides of the iron door. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wrinkled her brows again as she looked back and forth, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is contemplating, when was this locked chain break off.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u replied: ¡°If your words are true, then it must have broken off at least two years ago.¡±


    It was only when this iron door was open, that the stupid girl had the possibility of being saved by someone.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded without uttering another word. Then, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u followed the culvert path which bore the most human traces and continued walking forward. As they moved deeper and deeper, the snow water beneath their feet started reducing more and more. When they neared the end, only sludge that had been dried up for many years remained beneath their feet. Very quickly, a section with a gradual slope appeared before their eyes, and at the end of the slope, was the appearance of another semi-covered iron door.


    The iron door was still open, and its general structure was no different from the iron door just now. There was also a huge lock on it, but because this iron door was situated above a gradual slope, it was only affected by the damp and cold instead of water, so the rust was much fainter. Additionally, the chain on the door was broken as well.


    Except this lock did not break off due to rust, but because it was forcibly smashed and it snapped off.


    The chain was as thick as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s thumb, and yet it was forcibly broken by someone. She could not begin to imagine how long it must have taken to break off this chain.


    The iron door opened with a loud creak. Stone steps that led upwards appeared behind the door, and the ceiling of the walled-in path was raised up, which enabled Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to straighten his waist. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u held onto the fire torch as he climbed the stone steps to keep going upwards, but they barely had to walk up ten steps before a secret room immediately entered their view.


    In just one glance, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could discern that this was a woman¡¯s dwelling. The room was furnished with the simplest furniture: a raised bed was placed in the true north direction, but whether it was the bed curtains or brocade quilt, it looked extremely old, and in addition to how this place was untouched by light, the moisture was terribly heavy, and spots of mould could be seen on top.


    On the west and leaning against the wall was a desk which had an oil lamp that was completely exhausted of its fuel resting on top. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward to take a look, only getting the sense that this oil lamp had not been ignited for many years.


    There was another door in the northwest corner of the secret room. After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u surveyed this secret room, he started towards that corner door, but his footsteps immediately ceased when he pushed open the door. In response, confusion rose within B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart, so she closed the distance between them, though her gaze sank slightly after she stopped beside Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    It was a partitioning door, but behind this door was a room teeming with collapsed and broken stones, like the sky and earth had abruptly collapsed on a perfectly sound house. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not help but say, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°This location resides under the ancestral hall.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u spoke, his tone of voice brimming with sternness. ¡°As expected, there was a secret room beneath the ancestral hall, and someone was hidden here, but because they feared our discovery, they destroyed this place.¡±


    Although the room behind the door was choked full of bricks, they could still perceive that it used to be rather large, and it had furniture and books. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sidestepped away from the door, and she happened to notice that a red brick was pressing down paper half.


    It was an old and faintly yellow fine writing paper, which had a seven-line poem written on it. The ink was growing faint, and only the last two lines could be distinguished right now. The handwriting on the parchment was basically the same as the handwriting on the gold dusted paper.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u handed it to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u with due haste, and once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at it, he knew that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s conjecture was probably correct. He twisted his body to look at the remains of this secret room, ¡°The ancestral hall caught fire yesterday, you encountered the murderer last night, and there¡¯s no one here right now; one fears that the murderer didn¡¯t return to this place at all.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied in a lowered voice, ¡°Even the lock on the iron door that is linked to the buried culvert is opened. It is plausible that those above are unaware, or perhaps they have their guesses, but they don¡¯t dare to search with great fanfare, and because they were afraid that Hou¡¯ye would find out what happened in the past, they chose to carry it through, regardless of the consequence.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was similarly shellshocked as he stared at this room, ¡°Xiao B¨®, your conjecture really wasn¡¯t wrong, it¡¯s just that the murderer isn¡¯t here, and one fears that she is hiding on the surface¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart lurched upon hearing that, ¡°Since we have come searching for this place, it¡¯s highly likely that the people in the residence have received the news, and worse still, the murderer will be made aware of this too. The embroidered emissary that reported just now said that stupid girl is missing, will something bad happen?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scanned the entire room, his eyes becoming increasingly heavy. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing at his side, and she could feel the chill radiating off him in waves. Disregarding how the room was always damp and cold, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not begin to imagine how someone managed to survive in this kind of environment. At least a prisoner in jail could still see the sunlight; in this place, it was basically akin to a dead man¡¯s tomb.


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was in the middle of her observation, she suddenly noticed that something was placed at the head of the bed. She went forward to take a look, and unexpectedly saw two brand-new cloth tiger shoes and a moon rabbit lantern that was accumulating dust. The tiger shoes were toys given to children, and the moon rabbit lantern was the most commonly seen lantern during the mid-autumn festival in Jiangnan. These two items were only brought here within these two years.


    When that thought occurred to her, not only did B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u feel a chill run down her spine, but heavy sorrow also gushed out from the bottom of her heart.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u directed a look towards her, ¡°Let¡¯s leave. Those items, someone will be dispatched in a short while to seize everything as material evidence.¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded her head, following Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u back to the original road and returning to the dark culvert again. Everyone bent their waists, remaining silent for the whole journey. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had the heart to search for clues when they were arriving, but now her lips were pursed, and she could not utter a single word as she was going back. The culvert path was low and short, and she initially felt that it was very inconvenient to keep her waist bent, but in the time that it would have taken to consume a cup of tea ¨C a short interval between coming and going ¨C the inconvenience of movement was nothing compared to the boundless and never-ending darkness and frigidity; that was most oppressive, and what caused the most despair.


    When they crossed the first iron door to return to the well opening, they were greeted with the cold wind that was blowing in from the outside, and it was only then that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt the sense of oppressiveness dissipate by three parts. Fu gonggong heard the movement from above so he asked: ¡°How was it? Was anyone there?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said with a constricted voice, ¡°There was a place where someone stayed, but there was no one.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was standing beside her, ¡°Go up and speak.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u moved aside hastily to allow Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to go first. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at her before leaping up nimbly. Since the funnel was not dug to the bottom, there was a ledge that was half a person tall which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had to climb. She was fretting over it a little when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stretched his hand downwards from above, and while he did not speak, his phoenix eyes were staring at her from a higher point of elevation, its intention clear.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already handed his fire torch to another embroidered emissary. Presently, the night colours had already fallen deeply outside the buried culvert. Fu gonggong was standing at the top and he only hear their voices rather than see them, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was bent over and panting behind her, and the other embroidered emissaries were still stuck inside the culvert. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knew that she had to make space for them as soon as possible, but she did not expect that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would pull her up.


    The light in their surroundings were dim; in a place where no one could see, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u extended his hand towards her.


    After hesitating for a moment, she offered her hand to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s palm was wide and calloused, but it was quite warm. He grabbed hold of her hand, and before she could react, he pulled her up as his other hand supported the side of her waist, basically hauling her entire person out of the well bottom. When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u finally reacted, she was already standing beside Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    In a panicked state, she took a step back, ¡°Many thanks to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    After releasing her, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly said: ¡°How will [you] repay benhou this time?¡±


    The lights were still dim. His manner of speaking gave the impression that he was occupying the high ground while looking down, but his voice was rather pleasant to the ear. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s back went rigid from his question, and when she eventually raised her eyes to look at him, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already turned around to move upwards.


    She was cognizant that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was mocking what she said in the morning. Her mouth corners thinned as she climbed up.


    Fu gonggong had been waiting for a long time, and once he saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u coming up, he welcomed him immediately, ¡°Was someone really hidden underground?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded before asking again, ¡°The stupid girl hasn¡¯t been found yet?¡±


    Fu gonggong nodded, ¡°She hasn¡¯t been found.¡±


    When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u reached the top, she happened to hear these words, which caused the knit of her brows to tighten even further. The unease at the bottom of her heart was only intensifying, and just as she tried to open her mouth, an embroidered emissary arrived from the forest, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the stupid girl still hasn¡¯t been found, but in addition to that, a servant just reported that the Marquis Residence¡¯s Oldest Young Lady has disappeared as well!¡±


    Once they heard those words, the expressions of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u changed simultaneously.

 CH 25

    ¡°Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª is missing?¡±


    The embroidered emissary nodded before turning back to look towards the plum forest.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced over with narrowed eyes. Sure enough, he saw an anxious maidservant standing outside.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u immediately said: ¡°Call for Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng.¡±


    The embroidered emissary departed with his order. By then, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and the other embroidered emissaries had climbed up from the well bottom, and the embroidered emissary responsible for investigating the other byways said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the other byways lead southwest of the residence, there are two lotus ponds in the northwest, and the northern path connects to the residence outside, though it has already blocked off with sludge, and there weren¡¯t a lot of human traces found at these exits.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°Seize everything inside the secret room under the ancestral hall and bring it up.¡±


    At that moment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward to speak: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Zheng da xiaojie would never disappear for no reason at all.¡±


    When the murderer killed Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n the previous two times, both of them had been lured away from their usual dwellings before she dealt with them. And with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s sudden disappearance, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was very worried in her heart, whereas Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s countenance was still an image of self-composure. He instructed a few embroidered emissaries to stand guard here before bringing the rest of his entourage out of the plum forest.


    The close maidservant of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was called Hu¨¤ Y¨¬, and upon seeing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u approach in quick strides with his men, she immediately knelt on the ground: ¡°One pays her respect to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at her from a higher point of elevation, ¡°When did Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª go missing?¡±


    On the verge of tears, Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ responded with red eyes: ¡°Just two double-hours ago. The Oldest Young Lady said that she wanted to take a stroll outside on her own, and she refused to allow the maidservants to follow her, so the maidservants stayed behind in the courtyard. It was only when the skies became dark whilst the Oldest Young Lady still remained outside, that the maidservants went out to search. Who could have thought that when [we] went out of the door to ask the government hireling older brothers who were stationed along the roads, all of them would say that they didn¡¯t see the Oldest Young Lady at all? The Oldest Young Lady disappeared shortly after she left the courtyard¡­¡±


    Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ wiped away a handful of tears, fear brimming in her eyes as she looked at the abysmally dark forest around her.


    ¡°Was she acting oddly before she left?¡±


    Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ shook her head, ¡°No, there were no oddities¡­¡±


    Although Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ expressed that with her mouth, her eyes drooped down. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice became frigid, ¡°The murderer is currently hiding in the residence, and it¡¯s extremely likely that your Oldest Young Lady is in danger. If you are hiding something, do you know what the consequences are?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was imposing and oppressive to begin with, and now that his manner of speaking was glacially cold, Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ only felt that his gaze was akin to a knife dangling above her head.


    Shoulders quivering slightly, Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ pursed her lips and raised her head, ¡°Oldest Young Lady¡­ Oldest Young Lady¡¯s temper has been terrible for the past few days. After the Third Master died, Oldest Young Lady said that the murderer was going to kill her next and told the maidservants to stay in the same room together with her for two consecutive nights. This afternoon, after Oldest Young Lady was informed that Hou¡¯ye had led his men to dig this well opening, her complexion changed instantaneously. She stayed inside the room anxiously for a while, before saying that she was going to see Da Furen, and with this departure¡­. With this departure, she did not return again.¡±


    She heard that they were digging the well before she chose to leave.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows scrunched, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª actually knew about the existence of the underground secret room?


    Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ shrank her shoulders, her visage coloured with dread. At this moment, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng rushed over from the distance. When the pair reached Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, they cupped their hands and bowed first. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was merely wearing a grave expression, but Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n looked past Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s shoulder to scrutinise what was behind him, his complexion distorting slightly soon after.


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    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, one wonders what instructions Hou¡¯ye has?¡±¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n kept his head lowered, some nervousness lining his tone. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gazed at him, ¡°Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª has disappeared.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n snapped his head up, a hint of fear emerging on his typically good-natured face. ¡°Why would Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª disappear¡­ Could it be¡­ Hou¡¯ye please save Y¨²n N¨ª, it must be¡­ it must be that the murderer wants to hurt her!¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was slightly anxious as well, ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª was perfectly all right, how did she disappear¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would the murderer hurt her?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glowered at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n with eyes that were akin to cold swords.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s back stiffened, the hands that had fallen by his side curling and relaxing, loosening and clenching into fists. In the end, he said: ¡°The murderer¡­ The murderer has enmity towards the people within the residence. Y¨²n N¨ª is the Oldest Young Lady, it¡¯s a matter of course that she would be one of the murderer¡¯s targets.¡±


    A chilling glint rose from the depths of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wrinkled her brows too. Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, but his gaze became indifferent as well.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s lip corners curved into an ice-cold arc, ¡°It has already reached this stage and yet you still refuse to confess. The reason why you believe that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª will be harmed by the murderer, is because¡­ Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s birthday is not February the Seventh at all, but February the Fifth.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s pupils trembled violently, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡­ What does Hou¡¯ye mean by those words, Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s birthdate was sent to the Capital early on, it¡¯s not¡­ not possible that it was falsified¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was slightly doubtful; he looked at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, then looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, but he did not open his mouth to vocalise his questions.


    However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not done talking. He expounded on each word as he said: ¡°And in the Fifteenth Year of Jianhe, on February the Fifth, halfway past yin shi, it happened to be a Yin year and Yin hour.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s complexion changed, but he continued to hear Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u say: ¡°Furthermore, not only was Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s birthdate falsified, but she also has a twin sister.¡±


    The words were like deafening thunder as it left Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n dumbstruck.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was shocked, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was petrified.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s utterance was cold and hard like iron. No matter how Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n tried to conceal it, he still could not resist lifting his head, panic and disorder brimming in his eyes. His lips were trembling, but he could form a proper sentence, ¡°How¡­ How could¡­¡±


    The expression that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u regarded Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n with became even colder, ¡°Sixteen years ago, because of the birth of the twin daughters, all of you changed all the servants in the Marquis Residence. After learning that the murderer left behind the four words ¡®Yin Year Yin Hour¡¯ as the case progressed, you knew that the murderer must be aware of the inside story that took place in the past. After having a discussion with Momo Yu, both of you decided to destroy the secret room underneath the ancestral hall to ensure that we couldn¡¯t investigate it, because there was evidence there; not a piece of paper or an article of clothing, but an entire house of rooms where a living person was once trapped in. Your family couldn¡¯t get rid of all the traces in time, so you could only burn down the ancestral hall.¡±


    The blood in Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s face receded completely, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, without any evidence¡­¡±


    ¡°You want evidence?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice was devoid of emotions, but the more emotionless it was, the more chills it induced, ¡°The ancestral hall was deliberately burned down, and the majority of the secret room underneath has collapsed, but none of you expected that the secret room was linked to the buried culvert that was left behind in the earlier years. Not only did the person that your family try to hide not die, but she even escaped on her own. And she, has come seeking revenge against her cold-blooded kin.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n abruptly raised his eyes to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, fear and dread evident in his eyes, as if his most terrifying conjecture had been confirmed but was incapable of accepting it. The bend of his knees softened, and he retreated two steps, wanting to collapse to the ground.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng, being keen sighted and deft handed, supported him with his arm. ¡°Fifth Younger Brother, what on earth is going on?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n swallowed his saliva with much difficulty, his pupils shifting rapidly, but he did not utter a single word from start to end. Cold sweat dripped down from his forehead, and his entire person was pervaded with a sense of exhaustion like he had reached the end of his allocated lifespan. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know anything¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng, ¡°You once said that, being born as twins was already inauspicious, but if they were born during a Yin year and Yin hour, they would wreak havoc. Your mother, and your older and younger brothers, chose to hide a person in a dark room underground, for the sake of protecting the Marquis Residence¡¯s high position and great wealth. For all these years, she has lived without daylight, and she is far more miserable than you.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was born a twin, and he, who had never enjoyed a single bit of the riches and honours that a Marquis Residence¡¯s noble son deserved because he was sent away from birth, had once lamented that fate was unfair, but he never thought that the child which Da Furen delivered sixteen years ago, was actually a pair of twin daughters, and that in order to secure the marriage with His Second Highness, the Marquis Residence would choose to hide one of them in a secret room underground, and lock them up for a full sixteen years.


    When he thought about how Da Furen had gone insane that year for no apparent reason, the doubts that had lingered with Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng for many years finally had an answer as well. Waves raged and seas stormed at the bottom of his eyes as he turned to observe at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s visage. Even if he persisted in being hard-mouthed, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng could perceive that everything that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said was true.


    He gnashed his teeth hard, ¡°Then right now, she¡­ Where is that child?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said, ¡°There was no one underground and it can be assumed that she is still hiding in the residence right now. Since this place has been discovered, she¡¯s bound to suffer a shock as well. Concurrently, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª left her courtyard on her own and vanished after learning that we were digging the well.¡±


    He peered at the two brothers, ¡°Speak, the both of you. Where did she go? What is she trying to do?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n immediately said: ¡°This matter is unrelated to Y¨²n N¨ª, she doesn¡¯t know anything.¡±


    As Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n spoke, the rims of his eyes were red, though it was unknown if he was feeling guilty as he remembered what had happened in the past, or he was heartbroken as he thought about how the Marquis Residence¡¯s glory and splendour could not be protected. ¡°What happened that year, was only known by the older generation, she doesn¡¯t know anything, it must be because the murderer wants to hurt her¡­¡±


    It was at this point where Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n finally stopped being hard-mouthed, practically confirming everything that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had said just now, ¡°One entreats Hou¡¯ye to dispatch his men immediately to conduct a search, and stop any harm from befalling her. This matter has nothing to do with her, I¡­ I don¡¯t want to see another person die in the residence ever again.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s voice was low and hoarse, his expression mournful, as if he was going to cry in the next second.


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    Seeing that he was genuinely unaware of the inside story, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scrunched his brows, ¡°Get someone to search the stupid girl¡¯s dwelling, the stupid girl also disappeared without a trace in the afternoon, she needs to be investigated as well, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was commanding the embroidered emissaries when his eyes carelessly swept past Hu¨¤ Y¨¬, who was still kneeling on the ground. After he stated that the stupid girl had also disappeared, he noticed that Hu¨¤ Y¨¬¡¯s expression went through a visible change. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u directed his gaze towards Hu¨¤ Y¨¬, ¡°You know something, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Hu¨¤ Y¨¬¡¯s whole body was shaking nonstop, and her mouth parted several times, as if she was hiding a huge secret but she didn¡¯t dare to divulge it. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng became anxious as he said: ¡°What do you know exactly? Do you want to see something bad happening to your Oldest Young Lady?¡±


    Hu¨¤ Y¨¬¡¯s tears dripped down immediately as she cried: ¡°Nubi¡­ Nubi thought that, if someone was going to harm the Oldest Young Lady, maybe it¡¯s the stupid girl¡­ it¡¯s the stupid girl who wants to seek vengeance against Oldest Young Lady¡­¡±


    The stupid girl wants to seek vengeance against the Oldest Young Lady?


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng said in surprise, ¡°Why would it be the stupid girl? The stupid girl was a child picked up from the roadside. Although she gained Oldest Sister-in-law¡¯s tenderness through a freak combination of factors, it would be going too far to say that she¡¯s the person who was hidden away¡­¡±


    Similarly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knitted her brows in response. The stupid girl¡¯s family background had been investigated by Lao Furen before. If the stupid girl was the child from that year, how could she be allowed to stay inside the residence? Furthermore, her leg injury was real, it was not possible for her to commit a violent crime, and Da Furen¡¯s logic behind bringing her back was simply because she remembered that she had twin daughters in her heart, which was why she treated her as her other child.


    Additionally, the stupid girl had fallen inside the well and miraculously survived, and the marks on the plum tree beside the well also indicated that someone frequently tethered a rope there to get up and down. Since the rope needed to be tied to the tree and someone was climbing up and down, who tied the rope above the well? And if someone went down to the well, who kept the rope that was being tied to the tree? After considering all the options, only the stupid girl bore that possibility. Under the pretext that she was picking plum flowers for Da Furen, her regular trips to the plum forest would draw little to no suspicion, and what strengthened this point was the fact that she was also the one who appeared to draw away the embroidered emissaries¡¯ attention, which aided the murderer in her escape.


    Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ cried and shook her head: ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s because¡­ it¡¯s because when the stupid girl dropped into the well two years ago, it¡­ it was Oldest Young Lady who pushed the stupid girl down¡ª¡±


    Once those words were uttered, the expressions of everyone present changed collectively. Having revealed her master¡¯s secret under the forceful questioning, Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ was scared to the extreme. She prostrated herself on the ground and said: ¡°Nubi isn¡¯t lying, the stupid girl managed to win Da Furen¡¯s favour for some unknown reason and Oldest Young Lady wasn¡¯t happy about it at the bottom of her heart. That time¡­ That time, the stupid girl happened to arrive at the plum forest to pick flowers, Oldest Young Lady was seized by a cruel impulse and she pushed her down. Nubi was following Young Lady then, this incident¡­ this incident is only known by nubi and the Young Lady.¡±


    After finishing her speech in one breath, Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ was already terrified to the point she went limp on the ground. Since those words had been spoken, it was no longer possible for her to stay in the Marquis Residence and serve by the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s side.


    A chill swept through the bottom of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart. The stupid girl was ugly and dull-witted, and apart from Da Furen¡¯s occasional tender affection, she was practically struggling to eke out a living. If Da Furen hadn¡¯t been ill then it would have been fine, but her madness was hard to treat, and her loving care, scarcely gave any benefits to the stupid girl, and it might even incur disasters and troubles. Not only did the servants bully her because of this, but even the high and mighty Oldest Young Lady of the Marquis Residence harboured murderous intentions towards her.


    When Ch¨±n T¨¢o previously mentioned that the stupid girl dropped into the well, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u naturally assumed that it was a result of the stupid girl¡¯s clumsiness, but the thought that she had been a victim of deliberate cruelty had never occurred to her, and that the perpetrator would be Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª. Did she want to kill her only because Da Furen showered her with a lot of affection?


    ¡°You¡­ what drivel are you spouting? How could Y¨²n N¨ª act against a lowly slave?¡±


    Up until now, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was still protecting Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was someone who was going to marry His Second Highness, and she was like the moon that was cupped by stars ever since she was born. Even if the plot was exposed, and this marriage had become an unknown variable, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n still insisted on protecting Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª till the end.


    Hu¨¤ Y¨¬ cried and shook her head, ¡°Nubi hasn¡¯t lied once, nubi is doing this for the sake of saving Oldest Young Lady as well. When the entire episode happened, the stupid girl saw the Oldest Young Lady, and when she was rescued later, Oldest Young Lady had assumed that she would out her, but she seemed to have forgotten about that incident, which allowed the Oldest Young Lady to eventually settle her heart. But it was never clear if she had truly had no memory of it, and suddenly giving rise to the desire for revenge is not completely impossible.


    ¡°Oldest Young Lady¡¯s identity is respected and noble. If [you] are asking who might harm the Oldest Young Lady, nubi can only think of the stupid girl, or¡­ or that murderer¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows scrunched slightly. It wasn¡¯t that the stupid girl had forgotten that memory; rather, she didn¡¯t dare. Her position was low and inferior, how could she possibly have the courage to admit that the Oldest Young Lady had committed a violent crime?


    That being said, not only did the stupid girl know who the murderer was, but she also had this unsettled grievance with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, and the latter was in actual danger. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u beckoned H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng with his hand, ¡°Recall the government hirelings from the ancestral hall, and start searching outwards from Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª and that stupid girl¡¯s courtyard. Do not dismiss a single place, especially the corners and deserted areas.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng verbally complied. Now that the truth of the case was gradually emerging above the water surface as the Marquis Residence¡¯s old affairs were exposed, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was honestly out of his wits as well. However, with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u overseeing the situation, he just needed to be a good lackey.


    When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u saw H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng instructing the government hirelings, she stepped forward and said to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, min¡¯n¨¹ would like to go to the stupid girl¡¯s dwelling again to look around.¡±


    She was insinuating that she could just follow the government hirelings, but who could have anticipated that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would glance at her and say, ¡°Come along with benhou.¡±


    Regardless of how much was left in doubt, asking more was redundant. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª left her courtyard on her own, the stupid girl had also vanished in thin air, and that murderer ¨C whose entire life experience was full of frustrations and dashed hopes, and yet so vicious and merciless ¨C was hiding within the residence somewhere. The cold night was dark, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was also unwilling to see another person die in the Marquis Residence.


    Since Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wanted to personally visit the place, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed along, of course. He ordered the embroidered emissaries to guard the well rigorously once more, then made his way towards the servants¡¯ courtyard with large strides. When Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n saw that, they followed in his footsteps as well.


    The sudden changes mobilised all of the government hirelings and embroidered emissaries with the Marquis Residence as they searched everywhere in a strict and urgent manner. Most of the servants were constrained to their various courtyards and pavilions, and they were currently looking outside through the door seams.


    The cold night was vast, it was a clear and boundless sky during the day and yet not a single star could be seen right now. The embroidered emissaries were holding fire torches as they went forward, lighting up a few metres of their surroundings like it was daytime, but any further than that was dim, akin to the irresolute shadows of evil spirits, as though it was hiding something.


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    Upon reaching the servants¡¯ courtyard, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u saw the wing-room she visited last night again. An embroidered emissary stepped forward to open the door, but the room was quiet and uninhabited. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u took the lead in entering, his gaze scanning the space in a clockwise motion. The bed, table, and chair inside the room could be covered at a glance. Certainly, nothing abnormal could be observed.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed him inside, her gaze landed on the bed once more. That scent satchel with crude needlework was still lying next to the pillow on at the head of the bed, but apart from this, nothing else in the room seemed to be the stupid girl¡¯s personal possession. Eyebrows slightly furrowed, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u caught sight of a slightly shabby and old cupboard on the left of the bed.


    It was the only cupboard in the room, there was a crack above the cupboard door, and what was stored inside was unknown. The stupid girl was not suspected last night, but it was vastly different tonight. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward and opened the cupboard door.


    Once the cupboard door opened, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze proceeded to change slightly, since she saw some old clothing being stored inside, and placed in the topmost compartment, was actually a lantern that was identical to the moon rabbit lantern which had been found inside the secret room just now. The stupid girl had one, the secret room had another. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pursed her lips, a shred of a complicated and indescribable feeling inundating in the recesses of her heart.


    She was becoming increasingly certain that stupid girl had been saved at the bottom of the well.


    As someone who lived underground all year round, it was natural that she had never seen such lanterns. The common moon rabbit lantern was still considered a treasure to her even if only children would be fond of them.


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was squatting in front of the cupboard without moving, he walked over, and his gaze changed too. He originally assumed that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would feel sentimental for a few seconds, but she regained her composure at swift speeds, taking out the moon rabbit lantern before she started flipping through the old clothing in the bottom compartment.


    There were just seven to eight articles of clothing, with all four seasons accounted for. After flipping through them briefly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not discover any oddities, but just as she was going to stand up, her pupils shrank a little. She saw a plain cyan lined robe.


    The plain lined robe was collectively worn by the servants of the Marquis Residence. Ch¨±n T¨¢o had been wearing a similar winter lined robe for the past few days, and during her first encounter with the stupid girl, the stupid girl was also wearing this winter lined robe, but when she saw the stupid girl again later, she was clad in an indigo blue winter lined robe instead.


    A thread of peculiarity slid past the back of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mind. Subconsciously, she flipped and turned that winter lined robe, but she didn¡¯t manage to unravel anything. However, without any prior warning, her nose caught a faint whiff of a dark and moist odour¡­


    A spark flickered past her mind, causing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to freeze on the spot.


    This smell was exceedingly faint, but she had just come out of the underground culvert, so she could not be more familiar with this smell. She froze for a short moment, then abruptly rose to her feet and stood in front of the back window of the stupid girl¡¯s wing-room, pushing open the back window with one hand.


    Once the back window was open, an open space filled with junk entered her view. The accumulated snow was half-melted which made everything wet and cold, but that nose-assailing smell of sludge wasn¡¯t present.


    Where did the odorous sludge she smelled yesterday come from then?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart shook lightly, her gaze pacing back and forth unconsciously. Suddenly, her gaze slid downwards, shifting below the back window, close to the soil ramparts of the steps that were next to the foot of the wall. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s breath hitched, and she belatedly realised that her hands and legs had gone cold.


    Because of the shelter provided by the eaves, the steps had yet to dry. At this moment, there was a pair of muddied footprints on top, and those footprints were the same size as the footprints that she carefully measured in the wintersweet forest behind Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n¡¯s study courtyard. As she stared at those footprints, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could imagine that when she entered the room last night, someone was leaning against the window trim and standing under the back window.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only felt the hair on her arms standing.


    And very quickly, she abruptly conceived another possibility that could make all her hair stand on its ends.


    Ch¨±n T¨¢o once said, the stupid was very unusual as well.


    The details of her first encounter with the stupid girl surged into her brain again. In a short moment¡¯s work, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only felt a formless and large hand strangling her throat, lodging the air in between.


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    It was at the same moment where footsteps sounded outside the door, but it was the embroidered emissary who was in-charge of searching the outer areas that stepped across the courtyard threshold in quick strides.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the Oldest Young Lady has appeared! She went to Da Furen¡¯s place, saying that she wanted to bring Da Furen to pick plum flowers.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u snapped back from her reverie, and when she reached the door, she heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u reply with a deep voice, ¡°Pick plum flowers? Did she explain where she went just now?¡±


    The embroidered emissary shook his head, ¡°No. This subordinate did not personally see Zheng da xiaojie just now, it was Da Furen¡¯s close maidservant that made the report because she knew that a search had commenced for the Oldest Young Lady. Currently, Da Furen has been led away by the Oldest Young Lady, and the maidservants originally wanted to follow, but the Oldest Young Lady refused to let them follow.¡±


    Everything was fine and well, but why was Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª bringing Da Furen to the plum forest to pick flowers on her lonesome?


    When Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n heard that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª had re-appeared, his heart eased, ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª is extremely filial towards Oldest Sister-in-law. Oldest Sister-in-law has a predilection for plum flowers, there¡¯s nothing wrong with her bringing Oldest Sister-in-law to pick flowers.¡±


    On the contrary, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asserted, ¡°Dispatch someone to the plum forest to have a look and tell them not to leave their dwellings without authorisation again.¡±


    That embroidered emissary responded in the affirmative and departed. Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned around, he noted that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s complexion was slightly pale, which made his brows wrinkle, ¡°What did [you] discover?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mouth corners thinned, as if she did not know how she should phrase it, but when she was confronted with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s dark and deep pupils, it made her stuttering heart calm slightly. Thus, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Last night, might not necessarily be the first time min¡¯n¨¹ saw the murderer.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyebrows raised instantaneously, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u rasped out with much difficulty, ¡°On the morning of the day Zheng san¡¯ye (3rd) was murdered, min¡¯n¨¹ might have already seen her.¡± Her eyes drifted towards Fu gonggong, who was standing outside, before she added, ¡°Fu gonggong saw her too.¡±


    When Fu gonggong heard the latter sentence, he immediately stepped forward to stand at the door entrance as he asked: ¡°Zajia saw her too?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and Fu gonggong were both looking at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, and she said: ¡°From the very beginning, there was something min¡¯n¨¹ could never comprehend: although the stupid girl¡¯s brows and eyes shared a three-part similarity to Zheng da xiaojie, her scar is so big, and no matter who it is, it would never occur to them to link her appearance to Zheng da xiaojie, and Da Furen should never have brought her back to the residence, and cherish her like a daughter.¡±


    Let alone B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, even the others could not make sense of this question.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u paused, ¡°But what if, in Da Furen¡¯s heart, the other daughter already possessed a scar on her countenance?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression contorted instantaneously as he twisted around to glare at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, ¡°When Da Furen gave birth to a pair of twin daughters, and all of you decided to hide one, did you specifically ruin that child¡¯s face when you were hiding her?¡±


    Once those words came out, even Fu gonggong revealed intolerance on his face.


    A small infant that was just born, how could they be so heartless as to ruin the child¡¯s face?


    But Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n shook his head, ¡°No¡­ We didn¡¯t. Our residence doesn¡¯t only have one pair of twins, in our great-grandfather¡¯s generation, there was a pair of twin sons too. In the past, they would always be sent away, but when it came to Y¨²n N¨ª, we didn¡¯t dare to send her away¡­ if someone discovers that they looked identical after they grew up, we would be guilty of deceiving the monarch, so we chose to hide the child.


    ¡°When Oldest Sister-in-law was pregnant, she managed to obtain an early marriage betrothal with the Guifei niangniang in the Capital, and she arrived further south in Qingzhou later. Guifei niangniang would frequently dispatch someone to visit, and after being made aware that Oldest Sister-in-law was on the verge of giving birth, she dispatched a Momo to take care of Oldest Sister-in-law. Seeing that the Momo was going to arrive soon, and with no other recourse, we could only choose to hide the child in the ancestral hall, we didn¡¯t ruin the child¡¯s face¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s voice became lower the longer he spoke. It was quite apparent that he found it slightly difficult to speak about, but if they didn¡¯t ruin that child¡¯s face, where did the scar that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was talking about come from?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ has yet to figure out this point, except¡­¡±


    Before B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could finish her words, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng entered the room hastily with two government hirelings, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the stupid girl has been found! The stupid girl was hiding in the kitchen in the south, she was actually stealing food¡­¡±


    Before H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng finished his words, another embroidered emissary walked in from outside.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the Oldest Young Lady and Da Furen didn¡¯t go to the plum forest, the comrades standing guard at the plum forest said that Da Furen and the Oldest Young Lady did not go over at all. Additionally, two government hirelings in the east saw the stupid girl, and when they went up to question her, the stupid girl said that she was going to look for Da Furen and the Oldest Young Lady¡­¡±


    After the embroidered emissary was done recounting, he suddenly realised that everyone¡¯s expression had changed. He was slightly baffled, but H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng could no longer suppress the urge to speak: ¡°Where did you just say the stupid girl was seen? The government hirelings under me found the stupid girl in the south, and the stupid girl was stealing food in the kitchen. She has already been arrested, soon to be detained in the front courtyard. How did you manage to see the stupid girl in the east?¡±


    The embroidered emissary was also visibly surprised when he heard that, ¡°It was two government hirelings from the east side who reported it¡­¡±


    Everyone was stunned, how did two stupid girls manage to appear at the same time?!


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Daren, it¡¯s because there are indeed two stupid girls.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u suddenly interrupted, which caused Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to glance back at her. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stated: ¡°This was what min¡¯n¨¹ meant just now. The person hidden underground, is also a girl who has a burn scar on her face like the stupid girl. Their physiques are similar, and owing to the scar on their faces, it¡¯s enough for her to pass off as the genuine.¡± She directed her gaze towards Fu gonggong, ¡°Gonggong, the stupid girl we met the first time, probably wasn¡¯t the real stupid girl, but the murderer who was hidden underground.¡±


    It was only then that Fu gonggong¡¯s complexion changed a few times, ¡°Back then¡­ Back then, she was following the other servants to deliver funeral offerings. She was helping out in Lao Furen¡¯s mourning hall that day, which was how she managed to steal the demon-capitulating pestle ceremonial tool?!¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, and Fu gonggong responded by covering his mouth, ¡°Skies above, zajia actually met the murderer face-to-face so early on¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes were severe, and he did not have the mind to acknowledge Fu gonggong¡¯s retrospective fear. ¡°The stupid girl that was looking for Da Furen and the Oldest Young Lady, where is she right now?¡±


    One stupid girl was stealing food in the south, while the other stupid girl was looking for Da Furen and Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª. The real stupid girl feared Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª so much that she couldn¡¯t avoid her fast enough, so why would she go and look for her? Furthermore, judging from how the murderer would stop at nothing to harm people, it goes without saying that the one in the east was the fake stupid girl.


    The embroidered emissary said: ¡°She was found in a byway in the east which was leading towards Moon-viewing Pavilion, it¡¯s highly likely that she¡¯s heading for Da Furen¡¯s courtyard right now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u marched outwards without missing a beat, ¡°The murderer has appeared, order the government hirelings in the other directions to scatter towards the east, in preparation of taking down the murderer.¡±


    Upon seeing him depart, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u immediately followed in his footsteps hastily. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gait was fast, and she basically had to break into a small jog. After coming out of the courtyard, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u immediately headed towards Da Furen¡¯s courtyard. The murderer knew the residence¡¯s layout like the back of her hand, and she naturally knew where the watchmen were. If she wanted to evade the eyes of the government hirelings, it would not be very difficult for her, and she had the night to act as her concealment. If they allowed her to escape tonight, it was unknown how much time they would have to waste again. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s countenance became strict, and his hand grazed past the dagger at his waist reflexively.


    Since his pace was extremely fast, the others did not dare to be negligent in keeping up with him, to say nothing of the Zheng brothers, whose hearts were alarmed as they trembled with fear. As they were visibly closing in on Da Furen¡¯s courtyard, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came to a sudden halt. His cold and strict phoenix eyes first glanced past Da Furen¡¯s courtyard in the distance, then he looked in the direction of the Moon-viewing Pavilion.


    With the byway that the stupid girl was discovered in acting as the central axis, Da Furen¡¯s courtyard was inclined east, the Moon-viewing Pavilion was inclined northwest, and between the Moon-viewing Pavilion and Da Furen¡¯s courtyard, was the most convenient escape route since it was a small path leading into the eastern bamboo forest.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s heroic stature slanted as he peered in the direction of the bamboo forest.


    Amidst the night colours that was like ink, the entire northeast corner of the Marquis Residence was shrouded in darkness. Apart from the plum forest which had people stationed there, the huge bamboo forest and empty lotus pond was not being watched over by anyone right now, and the bamboo forest was adjacent to the plum forest. The most dangerous place was the safest place; hiding someone inside the densely packed bamboo forest could not be more opportune.


    ¡°Go to Da Furen¡¯s courtyard to take a look, the rest will continue towards the bamboo forest.¡±


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    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s words landed, an embroidered emissary accepted his order and left, while the rest followed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u towards the east.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked in that direction as well, an ominous sense of the foreordained emerging in her heart inexplicably. It was the eastern bamboo forest again¡­ Then she thought about those two unlit moon rabbit lanterns, which made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u feel more distress. Was the murderer chasing after Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª and Da Furen because she harboured loathing in her heart towards her mother¡¯s inability to protect her, and she was dissatisfied with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª who was completely different from her ¨C like they were heaven and earth ¨C despite being sisters, hence why she wanted act against them?


    A gust of cold wind suddenly curled up and rose, lifting Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s robes as he walked at the very front. The gold-coloured dark patterns on the robes were intermittently visible, and under the flickering fire torches and night lanterns, his broad back figure appeared all the more powerful and threatening. No one knew what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was doing or thinking, nor did he bother to explain why he was searching in this direction, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u never once questioned whether his directional decision was right or wrong, as if she had always trusted Marquis Wuzhao from the very start.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was very familiar with the road in the east, but once they turned around the corner, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s footsteps came to an abrupt halt in front. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u killed her momentum too late, and she nearly slammed into Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s back. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was a lot taller than her, and she couldn¡¯t understand why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had stopped in the tracks in the moment, but once she looked past Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s shoulders and at the eastern sky, she first saw that underneath the eastern sky dome, thick smoke was rising from the tongues of flame that were flying everywhere¡ª


    ¡°Put out the fire.¡± (¾È»ð)


    Before B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could come to her senses, she heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u put down those two heavy words.


    He lifted his feet and ran forward, with the embroidered emissaries behind him mobilising in full force. After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u took a few steps forward, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s range of vision was no longer restricted, and she finally saw a scene that shocked her.


    Inside the eastern bamboo forest, a huge fire had started burning some time ago, and the intense fire was engulfing the dried leaves and weeds to rise up, and in addition to the fact that most of the accumulated snow had melted, half of the bamboo forest had become a sea of fire with the aid of the wind.


    Fire! Unexpectedly, there was another fire!


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already darted into the fire forest, and Fu gonggong and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng were similarly dazed. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately ordered the government hirelings to mobilise and put out the fire, and then he shot a look at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, ¡°Not calling for the young male servants in the residence yet, if this fire spreads out, the ancestral hall will be nothing compared to¡­¡±


    The ancestral hall was practically isolated from the front courtyard; besides the hundred-year pine and cypress trees wrapping around it, there were no buildings constructed at the side. This bamboo forest, however, was different; the bamboo forest was close to the front courtyard, and once the fire picked up momentum and spread outwards, the surrounding rockery, forests, plus the winding corridors and high buildings, was enough to allow the huge fire to spread across the entire Marquis Residence. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s expression underwent a huge change simultaneously, but Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was steadier than Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n as he immediately pivoted on his heels to call for the servants, while Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was staring at the huge fire stupidly, unable to react.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, and the others rushed towards the periphery of the forest fire. Just as they got closer, they saw the embroidered emissaries from the plum forest gathering outside the bamboo forest. The cold winds of the night were strong, and the fire¡¯s intensity was going to be hard to contain, and in addition to the fact that there was no water in the buried culvert and lotus pond, how this fire was supposed to be put out, was honestly a difficult problem.


    Yet, they heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u speak in a deep voice: ¡°First excavate and break the forest trees in the east and west, using the sandy soil as a barrier, then order the servants within the residence to bring water, and douse the fire from an escape point upwind.¡± As he said that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyes to look at the sky, ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that it¡¯s a western wind today.¡±


    If the wind direction changed, it would bring the fire towards the residence, and that would be much harder to control. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was staring at the blazing bamboo forest, but she was wondering how the fire started. While it was true that the bamboo forest had a lot of dried leaves, most of the accumulated snow had melted during the day today, hence most of the dried leaves were wet, and even if a meteorite dropped on it, it might not even ignite. But right now, a huge fire had started in the forest.


    Just as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was processing that thought, a figure suddenly flashed out from the fire forest. Her surprise was setting in when she realised that the person running out of the forest was actually Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª! In the next second, the expressions of all the people standing outside the forest altered greatly.


    ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª?!¡± Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was the first to step forward and yell in shock.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Y¨¤n had brought Da Furen to pick plum flowers, but she disappeared halfway through and never made it to the plum forest. But at this moment, she was actually running out of the fire. Let alone Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, even B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could barely contain the urge to exclaim in surprise.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was essentially carrying the fire with her as she ran out of the bamboo forest: there was black soot on her face, the jacket and skirt on her person had big and small holes from the sparks, some strands of her hair had been singed. Just as she ran out, she promptly collapsed to the ground, and when she raised her head, her face was full of tears. ¡°Fifth Uncle, save Mother quickly, that person¡­ That person wants to burn me and Mother to death, Mother was forced to stay inside the forest in order to save me!¡±


    Her voice was hoarse, her visage was coloured with dread, and she was trembling as she spoke, looking all fearful and miserable. It was essentially pity invoking on first sight. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n turned pale with fright as he looked into the fire, ¡°What? Oldest Sister-in-law is inside?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glowered at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª from a higher point of elevation, raising his hand towards the two embroidered emissaries by his side. The pair immediately entered the fire from where Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª ran out from. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was still limp on the ground, sobbing to near incoherence, ¡°Yes¡­ Mother is still inside¡­¡±


    She turned her body back, her tears falling like rain as she stared into the forest, ¡°Mother is still inside, please save Mother quickly ah¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n looked rather distressed, and he went forward to help her up, ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª, what happened exactly? Why did both of you come here?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª cried as she said, ¡°I was bringing Mother to pick the plum flowers, but as we were walking there, there was fire light flickering inside the forest and Mother was drawn to it, and she started running towards this side. I couldn¡¯t pull her back on my own, so I could only chase after her. Just as we entered the forest, I caught a whiff of a strange smell inside the forest, and that was when that person appeared¡­¡±


    ¡°Which person?¡± Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n asked anxiously.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s voice was trembling, ¡°It was¡­ It was Zumu¡¯s departed spirit ah¡­ That person was wearing Zumu¡¯s gown as she stared at us with dead eyes. She said that she had been waiting for us for a long time, and before she finished speaking, she threw the fire-starter on the ground, and that was when I realised that the surrounding forest was actually full of tung oil¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was crying like her heart and lungs were being torn apart. Although she was being supported by Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, she could barely stand on her own. Presently, she was gripping onto Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s arm tightly, ¡°Fifth Uncle, hurry up and save Mother ah¡­¡± As she spoke, she turned around to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u again, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Hou¡¯ye please save Mother, Mother is currently ill¡­ she¡­ how is she supposed to run out ah¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s tears were akin to a bursting dam, the pain of each and every uttered word heart-rendering and soul-wrenching. For starters, she was born pretty and magnificent, at the peak of her blossoming years, and now that she had fallen to the floor, her pretty eyes red from crying, and in addition to the grime of her face, she appeared all the more feeble and pitiful. Moreover, thinking about how she had just escaped from a terrifying forest fire while her birth mother remained in the fire forest to save her, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was already moved to the point his nose was slightly sour.


    ¡°Oldest Young Lady, the embroidered emissaries have entered the fire, don¡¯t be afraid, Da Furen will definitely be saved and brought out.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was busy leading the stewards and young male servants who were carrying water buckets to rush over with due haste, and when he saw Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª on the ground, looking like she had just escaped a disaster, he was immediately stupefied. Once Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n told him that the murderer wanted to burn her and Da Furen to death, cold sweat oozed out of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s body out of fear.


    Meanwhile, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was weeping so much she had become possessed; genuinely afraid that Da Furen couldn¡¯t be saved, she even crawled two steps to pull Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s robe hems, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, begging Hou¡¯ye to dispatch a few more men, dispatch a few more men to save Mother, Mother was just trying to save me, save her, please save her ah¡­¡±


    Her hoarse voice was heart-breaking, and her countenance which conveyed that was doing everything she could, was scrawled with despair and pleas.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, and suddenly knelt down on one knee.


    The distance between them closed instantaneously, as though the aloof and lofty demon king was casting down mercy to mitigate this human tragedy. No one was surprised when they witnessed this scene. Who wouldn¡¯t be moved by this tear-shedding beauty who was wholeheartedly trying to save her mother?


    ¡°A woman¡¯s tears can never move benhou.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice was apathetic and lined with frigidity, and his following words, made everyone¡¯s complexion change greatly.


    ¡°Your mother didn¡¯t manage to run out not because she was trying to save you. It was you, who left her inside.¡±

 CH 26

    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s wretched expression stagnated, ¡°What is Hou¡¯ye¡­ saying?¡±


    Everyone stared at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, equally surprised. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was crying so mournfully, and pleading so loudly for him to save her mother, how did he manage to discern that she left Da Furen in the fire?


    Da Furen was her biological mother.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was right beside Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, and he frowned once he heard those words. He asked: ¡°What does Hou¡¯ye mean by those words?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª with a deep and cold gaze, then glanced past the back of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s hand. Because Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was pleading Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, one of her appendages was pulling on his robe hem, and it was on the back of this hand where several eye-piercing injuries were laid. Those injuries were red, swollen, and trickling with blood since it had yet to scab over; anyone could see that these injuries were made recently.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª followed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s line of sight to look towards her own hand, her complexion changing instantaneously. She immediately retracted her hand and continued to sob, ¡°These scratches were from the bamboo branches when [I] was running out just now, chen¡¯n¨¹ does not understand what Hou¡¯ye is trying to imply, and only begs Hou¡¯ye to please save Mother¡­¡±


    Rising to his feet, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not even turn his head back as he said: ¡°B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, come here.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing some paces behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and she immediately walked over once she heard that. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glowered at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª from a higher point of elevation, ¡°Stretch that hand out.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s weeping countenance was like a pear blossom with raindrops, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seemed to be completely blind to it. His manner of speaking was ice-cold and harsh, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª sniffled twice, but she still stretched out her hand while trembling and shaking.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u borrowed the fire light to inspect Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s hand, and very quickly, she stated in a heavy tone, ¡°The Oldest Young Lady¡¯s hand was scratched by someone. The three streaks on the back of her hand are bleeding, and the other streak of injury on her palm is also red and swollen. The Oldest Young Lady¡¯s injury is on her right hand, and the perpetrator who harmed her, was using a claw grip motion, and they were using their left hand. Because the little finger is lacking in strength, it did not leave a mark on the back of the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s hand.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s voice was melodious and completely undaunted, her description all the more careful, and she even used her own left hand to demonstrate it on the back of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s hand. In a short moment¡¯s work, everyone could imagine how the two had pushed and pulled.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª sobbed and immediately said: ¡°Chen¡¯n¨¹ remembered wrongly, this injury was left behind by Mother. Mother wanted to run into the forest to chase that fire light, and when chen¡¯n¨¹ was trying to pull her outwards, Mother scratched and injured chen¡¯n¨¹¡¯s hand¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s pupils dilated, ¡°Oldest Young Lady is lying again, if you were pulling Da Furen, then Oldest Young Lady would be the one grabbing Da Furen¡¯s hand, and correspondingly, the wound should be left on the back of Da Furen¡¯s hand, and Oldest Young Lady¡¯s fingernails should also be stained with Da Furen¡¯s blood.¡±


    It was only when someone was being grabbed and a struggle ensued, that injuries would usually be left on the back of their hands. This type of scenario happened frequently, and once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u uttered those words, everyone came back to the senses. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n could not help but ask: ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª, what happened exactly?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s hand stopped at the corner of her eye, in the midst of wiping away her tears. Despite being exposed in a few consecutive times, she was not anxious or panicked yet. Upon seeing Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n pose the question, she looked at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n miserably, ¡°Fine¡­ Since it has been seen through, then there¡¯s no need for me to continue hiding it. I even want to ask Fifth Uncle, who exactly is the murderer? Why is it that when Mother saw her, not only was she not afraid, but she even treats her like an old friend? The murderer clearly tried to burn us alive, and yet Mother insisted on chasing the murderer, heedless of the fire burning around her. She didn¡¯t just want to follow the murderer, she even went as far as dragging me along, I¡­ if I didn¡¯t break away, then I would have burned to death¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was crying as she said: ¡°I didn¡¯t intentionally leave Mother behind, it¡¯s really because she didn¡¯t want to leave. If I stayed, wouldn¡¯t I be burnt alive? Fifth Uncle, who is that murderer exactly? Does Mother and the murderer have some relationship that can¡¯t be publicly known?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª still changed her tune in the end, except Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n did not know how to answer her questions in the moment. He raised his eyes to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, voice choked and rough, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Y¨²n N¨ª doesn¡¯t know about what happened in the past¡­¡±


    When Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª heard that sentence, bewilderment emerged in her tear-rimmed eyes. ¡°Fifth Uncle, what happened back when? I realised that there was something wrong with the situation, so I tried to conceal it, Fifth Uncle, could it be¡­ could it be that everyone already knows about it, and only I don¡¯t?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n did not dare to meet Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s questioning eyes, and he could only lower his head and sigh.


    During Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s tearful complaint, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was also scrutinising the other parts of her body apart from her hand. She was wearing a bright and splendid red skirt which was currently mired with mud everywhere, and her hair was in a mess from running. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes became deeper and heavier the more she observed.  The fire in the forest started spreading outwards from the east, and would a person who lived in darkness for years use fire as a means to kill someone?


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not acknowledge Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s questions at all, simply looking at her and asking: ¡°You said that there was drizzled tung oil in the forest?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª sobbed and nodded, ¡°Yes, the scent smelled off to chen¡¯n¨¹, and when [I] finally reacted, it was already too late¡­¡±


    If there was tung oil, then the current intensity of the fire was within expectations.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then asked Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n: ¡°Where is tung oil stored within the residence?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n stilled, ¡°In the southeast storehouse¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª immediately said: ¡°It must¡­ must be the murderer who stole the keys to the residence storehouse again. Since she can steal Datura stramonium, what does stealing tung oil even count for?¡±


    Certainly, the murderer used Datura stramonium as a knock-out drug every time she committed a homicide, and she would always arrive without a shadow and leave without a trace; entering the residence storehouse once more to steal the tung oil could not be considered as outlandish, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shrank, ¡°You said that Da Furen chased after the murderer, and where did the murderer flee to?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª pointed towards the east, ¡°Towards that side¡ª¡±


    Presently, the wind was blowing towards the west, and the fire started blazing from the east. The murderer had employed fire to commit the crime, and yet she couldn¡¯t judge even the wind direction, choosing to run towards the more dangerous place instead? Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows creased slightly. He was about to speak when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stood up and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, please borrow a step to speak.¡±


    The arch of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyebrows proceeded to raise slightly, then he turned around and walked to the side. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed, sidling up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u before she started murmuring in a low voice.


    The group could only see that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was talking the entire time from their distant position. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u listened with rapt attention but he did not verbally respond, only occasionally nodding to express his agreement. Very quickly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u slanted his body to call a few embroidered emissaries to his side, issued a few instructions, and those people immediately bounded towards the southeast direction, while the remaining person turned around and left.


    After the subordinates left, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to converse with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u in a low voice, except with the whistling winds, crackling fire, and the long distance, no one knew what they were talking about. After waiting for a short while, the stray embroidered emissary returned, with a government hireling by his side.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u questioned that government hireling briefly with a frown, to which that government hireling nodded and answered in a respectful manner. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded his head after hearing his answer, then told the government hireling to leave.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said another line to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seemed to exhale inaudibly before walking back with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, only choosing to speak when he was in front of the group: ¡°Since tung oil was used to light the fire, the murderer must have gone to the residence storehouse to steal the tung oil. Benhou has already dispatched some men to the storehouse to investigate, and see if they can find any clues.¡±


    Having said that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shifted his gaze towards the fire, ¡°The most urgent task right now, is to save the people first.¡±


    The fire was becoming bigger, but the two agile-looking embroidered emissaries who entered the fire site just now had yet to come out. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows knitted together tightly, and the others had their hearts similarly suspended, genuinely afraid that the two embroidered emissaries had sent themselves to their ruin.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s tears had yet to dry, still wearing a mournful expression as she gazed at the fire, but she was also paying attention to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u in her peripheral vision, as if she was appraising what the pair were discussing just now. After returning to the group, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression was self-composed, whereas B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze was deeply pensive, as if she was suspecting something.


    All of a sudden, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze turned towards her.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s pupils trembled slightly, but she forced herself to feign calmness, not allowing her line of sight to move. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then asked: ¡°Did you catch a clear view of the murderer¡¯s appearance just now?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª immediately said: ¡°Of course, her body figure was thin and weak, and very short and small as well. She was wearing Zumu¡¯s robe and was extremely sinister and terrifying in appearance. After seeing that chen¡¯n¨¹ and Mother fell for her scheme, she issued a nasty laugh and said that she had been waiting for us for quite a long time, and then she lit the fire¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª gave a detailed description, and it did sound believable as a whole. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed another question: ¡°Where did you go in the afternoon? The murderer was waiting for both of you after setting up the ploy, or perhaps, she was already following by then.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª replied coolly, ¡°In the afternoon, chen¡¯n¨¹ went to the Buddha-worshipping Hall.¡±


    In an instant, everyone¡¯s gaze landed on Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s person, and Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª said: ¡°After Zumu died, the Buddha-worshipping Hall was closed off, and Second Uncle and Third Uncle were murdered later, so I was incredibly scared in my heart. I wanted to go to the Buddha-worshipping Hall to pray since yesterday, but I didn¡¯t dare to move around arbitrarily. It was only this afternoon that I went to the Buddha-worshipping Hall to chant a roll of scriptures.¡±


    The Buddha-worshipping Hall was remote. After the officials inspected it, no one had gone to the Buddha-worshipping Hall for many days, and this also meant that while no one could be a witness for Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, no one could definitively say that she was lying.


    But Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wrinkled his brows when he heard that, as if he had discovered something suspicious, ¡°You said that the murderer saw you, and she said something, was her spoken language coherent? What kind of voice did she use to speak?¡±


    With trepidation remaining from the trauma, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª uttered: ¡°She spoke very fiercely, all in one breath, voice¡­ her voice is a girl¡¯s voice¡­.¡±


    ¡°Apart from that sentence, did she say anything else?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª nodded, ¡°She seems to have a deeply-seated hatred towards us, as if she had been waiting for this very moment, I don¡¯t know who she is, but she doesn¡¯t look very old¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u questioned: ¡°Was there a scar on her face?¡±


    In all consideration, this was the first time Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª met the murderer face-to-face in such close proximity, and she escaped from right underneath her hands. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª jerked her head, looking more fearful, ¡°She¡­ She does¡­ that face is way too terrifying, it¡­ it¡¯s just like the stupid girl¡¯s face, it gives the impression that she¡¯s a vicious and merciless person just by looking at it.¡±


    Once those words settled, it basically confirmed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s theory about how there were two stupid girls within the residence.


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    Out of the blue, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated: ¡°You¡¯re lying again.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª froze, and everyone¡¯s expression distorted slightly as well. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Speaking more results in more flaws, but you¡¯ve already thought about how you were going to answer, which is why it can¡¯t be considered as a panicked response. However, benhou has met countless heavy offenders; whether a person is speaking the truth or spouting falsehoods, it is obvious to benhou at a glance. From the moment you ran out from the fire, you were simulating an attitude, if it was truly what you said later, of how your mother proactively chased after the murderer, you could have omitted the details in between and first plea benhou to save her, but you emphasised that she was left behind for the sake of saving you from the start till end.¡±


    ¡°In the moment of life and death, you just ran out of the inferno and was wholeheartedly begging for [your] mother¡¯s safety, and yet you managed to think of so many reasons in that short timespan to prevaricate us. The only explanation for it is that you¡¯re lying. You had so many reasons at your disposal, and yet you used this excuse, simply to show that the mother and daughter had deep feelings for each other, if nothing else. You feel guilty and ashamed in your heart, hence your eagerness to save your mother.¡±


    As Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, his countenance was strict to the point where it was pressuring to the heart and soul, ¡°Appearing eager to save your mother while also crying miserably garners sympathy, which makes people treat you as a victim and believe your words, thus removing any doubts from you.¡±


    The tears at the corners of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s eyes had yet to dry, and once she heard those words, her tears started streaming down again, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡­ Hou¡¯ye is actually doubting chen¡¯n¨¹? Does he suspect that chen¡¯n¨¹ genuinely fled for her life alone, and told Mother to stay in the sea of fire?¡±


    In addition to those tearful eyes, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s face of innocence genuinely made it difficult for people to imagine that she was acting.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°That is not the only thing you are lying about. The first series of lies was exposed by the coroner, so you found a second set of excuses at great speeds, and you also said that the murderer spoke to you viciously, but when benhou questioned the government hireling who just met the murderer, the government hireling said that when he encountered the murderer tonight, the murderer suffered from a loss of speech and stammering, which means she¡¯s basically incapable of forming a complete sentence.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª coldly, ¡°Since she can¡¯t say a complete sentence, how did you manage to hear her speak those words in one breath? The only possibility is that you¡¯re lying, you¡¯re framing the murderer as someone who is poisonous and vengeful on purpose, but in doing so, you happen to echo the conjectures that everyone has about the murderer. For a time, no one doubted you, but your mistake is that you have never heard the murderer speak.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª suddenly stiffened as she stared at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u who was a standing a few meters away, even forgetting to cry in the moment. There was clearly a raging fire behind her, but she could not sense the scorching heat in the slightest. All the living things in the heaven and earth suddenly went silent, and it was as if she was inside an icy cave in the middle of winter.


    ¡°I¡­ I heard wrongly¡­. I was extremely afraid then, I only saw the viciousness and cruelty that was displayed all over her face, I didn¡¯t hear her very clearly. Yes, Hou¡¯ye is right, her speech was indeed broken apart, it was just her visage that was malevolent to the extreme.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s demeanour was distressed and terrified, but even until this point, she was still biting down on the fact that she had heard wrongly.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and rest trusted Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and they naturally understood his suspicions which made it all the more convincing, but Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng were looking at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, then Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, not knowing who they should trust in this instance.


    At this moment, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª cried again and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye is saying that I¡¯m lying, but why would I lie. Without any rhyme or reason, why would I come here? I escaped from a fire, and I nearly lost my life ah¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes grew heavy, ¡°Because, this fire was started by you.


    ¡°It is not the murderer who lured you over, but it was you who lured the murderer over.¡±


    The hand that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª had placed on the side of her face stiffened, and her expression stagnated slightly as well, but she issued a wretched laugh, ¡°What is Hou¡¯ye saying? The murderer is so vicious, and I couldn¡¯t avoid her fast enough, so why would I lure her over?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, who proceeded to step forward and state: ¡°Because you don¡¯t want her to land in Hou¡¯ye¡¯s hands. In the afternoon, Hou¡¯ye was digging the well, and you knew that Hou¡¯ye had made an important discovery, which meant the murderer could no longer hide, so you would rather kill the murderer with your own hands than allow the murderer to land in Hou¡¯ye¡¯s grasp.¡±


    Against B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, some ferociousness immediately seeped into the bottom of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s eyes, ¡°What are you saying? I am the Oldest Young Lady of the Marquis Residence, and that murderer, is just a criminal that can¡¯t be seen in the light. Her offences overflow the skies, and why should I brave such a huge risk to kill her? You said that I was the one who started the fire, but where¡¯s the evidence?¡±


    She fired back this question; chest braced with bamboos. And it was at this moment where the embroidered emissaries, who had left just now, returned together.


    One of them was holding an object in his hand as he walked up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s side to murmur something in a low voice. Subsequently, he handed the object to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and it was at this instant where everyone clearly witnessed that it was a white jade earring.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gazed at the earring in his palm, then examined Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, his eyebrows bunching together, ¡°You said that you went to the Buddha-worshipping Hall this afternoon, but why did your earring appear in the southwest storehouse?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s complexion changed greatly. Her hair around her temples were in disorder, with tendrils of inky hair falling down next to her ears, so the bystanders couldn¡¯t see if her earrings were still there. But when she touched her own ears hastily, they discovered that the earring on her left ear had gone missing.


    If it was prior to this discovery, she could grit her teeth and deny it, but her earring was iron-clad evidence that she had been to the residence storehouse, and she had no choice but to admit it.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s eyes were completely red. As she mumbled, she rolled her eyes with a flustered expression. All of a sudden, she raised her head like she was going for broke, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, I started the fire, but it¡¯s only because I was disdaining all of you for being ineffectual in the handling of the case. My Third Uncle has already been dead for two days, and yet all of you couldn¡¯t take down the murderer. Since none of you can catch her, I decided to avenge Zumu, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle with my own hands. I knew that the murderer was definitely looking for her next target, which was why I specifically lured her out, and then tried to burn her to death. She took the lives of my paternal grandmother, and my second and third uncle, what¡¯s wrong with wanting her to pay with her life?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng paled with fright upon hearing that speech, since they did not expect that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª would be so daring at such a young age, to the extent where she took the risk of finding the murderer just for revenge. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s eyes were red too, ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª, why did you have to take such a risk¡­¡±


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u heard Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s words which declared her awe-inspiring devotion to righteousness, his eyebrows narrowed slightly. He was only certain that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was putting up a show, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had confirmed his suspicion that she had committed arson beforehand. Although she was openly admitting that she started the fire now, he could not shake off the feeling that something was amiss.


    With Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s mindset and tactics, how could she possibly risk her own safety to simply avenge her paternal grandmother and uncles?


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    It was at this moment where he heard B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You wanted to take the murderer¡¯s life, not because you wanted to avenge your paternal grandmother and uncles.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u opened her mouth once more, staring at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª with deep and serene gaze, and unexpectedly, there was a vestige of pity and grief in the depths of her eyes. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª turned to look back at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, plastering a tearful and cold smile on her whole face, ¡°It¡¯s you again¡­ What did you guess this time? You¡¯re just a small and insignificant coroner, I¡¯ve already allowed you to check my injury, what else do you want to say?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was half-crying and half-smiling, looking somewhat deranged and possessed at the same time. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really avenging Zumu? Then what did I do it for? She disturbed our Marquis Residence by causing a pandemonium, and took three lives, doesn¡¯t she deserve to die?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n seemed to be absolutely supportive of these words as he sighed deeply, ¡°Had [we] known earlier, [we] wouldn¡¯t have kept her back then.¡±


    Once those words landed, the expression on Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s visage stiffened momentarily for some bizarre reason.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u observed her, ¡°Did you hear that? That¡¯s what they¡¯re thinking, if they didn¡¯t keep you back then, none of this would have happened¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s voice was tinged with melancholy, though it was extremely serene and confident. Everyone looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, but they were visibly stunned, as if she had gone insane as well.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n opened his mouth, ¡°I¡­ I was talking about that child¡­¡±


    The witty Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª seemed to turn into stone at that moment. Her eyelids jumped violently, and she didn¡¯t know what kind of expression she should be displaying in response. She managed to squeeze out a smile after much difficulty, but it was rigid and strange, and it was uglier than a crying expression.


    ¡°You¡­ What are you saying¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gazed at her, eyes brimming with pity, ¡°I wasn¡¯t entirely convinced at the start, but with how you have staked everything in one throw today, and how your reasons and excuses happen to match up, it finally allowed me to understand.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something to stop B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u from talking further, but it felt like the strength in her body had been siphoned away, nor did she have any idea on how she should begin salvaging the present situation. Furthermore, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not going to give her another chance to quibble or cover it up.


    ¡°You are clearly unaware of the past affairs, but when you were fabricating your excuses, you stated that the murderer said that line to you, because you understood that the murderer has been harbouring this hate towards the people in the residence for many years. You brought along your mother today because you knew that the murderer and your mother have the most direct relation. You and your mother both, would definitely suffice in luring over the murderer, and you said that your mother chased after the murderer, because, you have always known the murderer¡¯s identity¡ª¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s complexion changed a few times, ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not possible¡­ it¡¯s not possible for Y¨²n N¨ª know about that¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s tone of voice chilled. Her delicate figure reflected the flames that were rushing to the skies, and there was an unexpected sternness exuding from her as well, ¡°If she was the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, then it¡¯s natural that she wouldn¡¯t know about what happened that year. But what if, she was the child that was hidden in the secret room ever since she was born?


    ¡°She personally experienced it, no one is clearer about what happened that year than her.¡±


    Everyone was stunned speechless, and it was also at this moment, where Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, who had been crumpled on the ground the entire time, suddenly found the strength from somewhere to climb up, pulling the hairpin from her hair coils to thrust it towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡ª


    The change was too abrupt; no one could have anticipated that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª would dare to leap up and harm someone in front of a crowd. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not standing far away, the others had been collectively horrified by B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s short statement, and that included Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n who was the closest to Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, and even he couldn¡¯t stop Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª in time.


    Only B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s complexion changed as she back away quickly, but with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª suddenly pouncing on her like she had gone insane, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stumbling over a dried-up branch underneath her foot, she nearly failed to dodge in time. In the instant where the flint and stone sparked, a figure shielded her at the front¡ª


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seized Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s wrist in one strike, and only a snapping noise was heard before she was flung backwards. In the next second, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª collapsed to the ground in pain, her body curled together as cold sweat poured down her face instantaneously.


    The hairpin left her hand and her dark hair danced with the wind. Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª steeled herself, and when she raised her head again, her countenance was full of frenzy. She was grimacing from the pain, but she still enunciated every word to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u: ¡°Shut your mouth¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not the one who was hidden away¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned his body to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, and only saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u recovering her composure, though she was not frightened. Then, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°How did you know that she was the one who was hidden away that year?¡±


    Since B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was saved by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u again, her eyes were harbouring three parts of gratitude as she looked at him. Upon hearing that, she replied: ¡°The bona fide Zheng da xiaojie was astonishingly clever at four-years-old, and exceedingly talented in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But when she was six-years-old, she was so severely afflicted with hysteria that she lost the ability to speak. When min¡¯n¨¹ initially heard about it, she only felt that the illness had damaged her, and was later made aware that the reason why she succumbed to hysteria was because she was lost during a winter night that year.


    ¡°While the Marquis Residence is large, the Marquis Residence put in an all-out effort to search for the Oldest Young Lady when she was lost. Despite that, the search was completely fruitless; no one knew what the reason was that year, but now that a buried culvert underneath the Marquis Residence has been discovered, then everything makes sense.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned, ¡°She entered the buried culvert? Did she go in from the well opening? But the well isn¡¯t shallow, and how did she come out?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said with some prudence, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ couldn¡¯t figure it out at the start, but there was a lotus pond that was filled later on. Min¡¯n¨¹ surmises that the entrance underneath the mountain in the lotus pond is usually out of sight, but it was coincidentally discovered by the real Oldest Young Lady. She entered the buried culvert, met the other Young Lady that was being hidden away, and the hidden person proceeded to lock the real Oldest Young Lady inside, whilst she walked out on her own.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u peered at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, ¡°Which was why she didn¡¯t know how to talk or recognise people when she just came out, like she had been afflicted with hysteria. It can be assumed that no one taught her how to talk because she was being raised underground, and her fear of light and proclivity to slip into cupboards, all these are also because she has been living in the darkness ever since she had a consciousness; she¡¯s accustomed to the darkness and is thereby naturally afraid of light.¡±


    Cold intakes of air sounded from time to time, and as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u listened to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s utterance, his eyes were dark and unfathomable. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng did not dare to believe at the beginning, but perhaps because they were recalling all kinds of details from that year, they sank into a confounded stupor.


    On the other hand, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was neither smiling nor crying as she listened to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u speak, though her gaze was strange and crazed, as if she could become completely insane in the next second, ¡°Truly good at guessing ah, but¡­ do you have any evidence?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, when we went to that underground hidden room, we found a verse manuscript that was extremely similar to the murderer¡¯s handwriting, that was a seven-character poem from the previous dynasty, and Hou¡¯ye has seen the handwriting in person. While it can¡¯t be considered as the best quality, it still has a shape and form. They didn¡¯t even teach the hidden child how to speak, so why would they teach her how to recite verses or write characters?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Unless the real Oldest Young Lady had been swapped inside, because she started her education at four-years-old, and she had extraordinary talent.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª abruptly sneered, ¡°What kind of evidence is that? I am Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, what buried culvert and secret room, I don¡¯t know anything. It will be my and His Second Highness¡¯ big wedding next month, how dare you treat me like this?¡±


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    Fu gonggong had been astonished at the side lines, and he never had the opportunity to speak then. At this moment, however, he chortled and said: ¡°Oldest Young Lady¡­ Ah no, fake Oldest Young Lady, just a false birthdate reporting alone constitutes as a crime of deceiving the monarch, to say nothing of how ?ou are a fake. ?ou still want to marry His Second Highness? What a great spring dream that is¡­¡±


    Once Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª heard those words, her expression became more crazed. But it was at this moment where H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, who was standing and facing the fire, pointed towards the fire and exclaimed in alarm: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, they have been saved¡ª¡±


    Everyone turned around to look over in succession, only to see that amidst the flame and smoke, the two embroidered emissaries that had entered the fire, were each holding onto a person they had monopolised by force to rush outside. The embroidered emissary at the front was the first to come out, and he was holding Da Furen ¨C whose entire back and clothes had been scorched ¨C in his arms, and in the arms of embroidered emissary behind him, was a scarred-face girl in ordinary lined robes.


    She was witheringly thin like firewood, her visage was unnaturally pale, and the burn scar on the left side of her face was purplish-black. At first glance, she was practically identical to the stupid girl, but when the night wind lifted the hair that was blocking the right side of her face, everyone present could distinguish the fact that even her bone structure shared an eight-part similarity with Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡ª


    As Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª watched her biological sister who had murdered three people being rescued, a grin ¨C full of bizarreness and hateful resentment ¨C emerged on her already crazy face. She smiled cruelly; her staring eyes never straying from the scar on the girl¡¯s visage.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart lurched and plummeted, ¡°Did you go back to the secret room afterwards? The scar on her face, was burned by you?!¡±

 CH 27

    The strange grin on Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s face did not recede. In fact, she even raised an eyebrow and looked towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u provokingly. Even though she was not speaking, the implications in her gestures were already clear. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze chilled slightly, ¡°You were initially afraid of light, but you realised that this was how normal people lived their days very quickly. Hence, you were afraid at the start, afraid that they would discover that you were the fake, which was why you returned to the secret room to ruin her face.¡±


    She took a slight pause, the steward¡¯s full account from that day emerging in her brain before B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u uttered: ¡°You started a fire with lantern oil for the sole purpose of practising your hand, curious as to whether a fire instigated by the lamp oil could burn someone to death, which was why when your father later asked you why you started a fire in your own room, you proceeded to ask him if that fire could burn someone to death¡ª¡±


    During the day of the steward¡¯s questioning, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and Fu gonggong were both listening, and they merely felt that the hysteric Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was ill-mannered in conduct. It was only now that they realised to the malice contained in each and every word and action.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª continued to listen to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u speak, only covering her injured and smiling strangely, as if she knew that her huge momentum was gone. At the side, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n finally came back to his senses from his shock. He looked at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, then at the girl the embroidered emissary had saved, his tone of voice difficult and astringent to the extreme: ¡°Y¨²n N¨ª¡­ Everything that B¨® guniang said, is it real or fake?¡±


    When Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª heard that question, the rims of her eyes suddenly reddened. She looked at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n, hate and ridicule intermingling on her visage, ¡°Is it real, is it fake¡­ Fifth Uncle, why don¡¯t you ask yourself, ask Zumu, or ask Father¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n¡¯s complexion changed a few times. At this moment, the Da Furen who had just been rescued by the embroidered emissary coughed a few times, waking up almost immediately. She squirmed, wanting to be on the ground, so the embroidered emissary put her down. However, how could she have the strength to stand? Thus, she immediately collapsed to the ground.


    Her gorgeous outer jacket was a piece of ash and filth right now, and her back was even scorched black and ragged, such that blood from her burns could be vaguely discerned. Additionally, her originally delicate and boneless hands were full of blood blisters, but she seemed oblivious to the pain as her eyes frantically scanned her surroundings, and she caught sight of the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª who was being carried out after her by another embroidered emissary at a glance.


    The real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was different from the burned Da Furen; there was only soot and dirt on her face, and apart from the numerous holes that errant sparks had burned into her robes, she was otherwise unscathed. Furthermore, she was wrecked with a wave of intense coughing just after she exited the burning forest, and when the embroidered emissary let her go, her entire person also collapsed to the ground in a fit of coughs.


    Despite her injuries, Da Furen crawled towards her, trying to hold her hand with much caution.


    However, she cowered back, hastily retreating backwards. If it were not for the overpowering and intense fire at her back, it was highly likely that she was going to turn around and flee into the forest again, but one surveying look informed her that were a lot of people in her vicinity. With palpable discomfort, she shrank her shoulders, but in the short instant she caught sight of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng, her gaze stagnated slightly, and in the next, saturated defensiveness emerged from the bottom of her eyes, her entire body becoming taut. She tucked in her lower jaw, her eyes brimming with cold viciousness, glaring at everyone through a veil of dark hair. This angle made her the whites of her eyes more prominent than her pupils, which made her appear all the more sinister and frightening.


    Da Furen suddenly wailed. She habitually smiled because of her madness, and although she was crying right now, her voice was hoarse which made it hard to distinguish if it was a cry or laugh. Only those who were in view of her side profile could see large drops of tears rolling down her face as she stared at Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª ardently. Her lips parted and she clearly wanted to say something, but she could not utter a single word. Her expression was miserable in one moment, and vacant in another, as if she was grieving and heartbroken in the former but had forgotten why she was even crying in the latter.


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    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, when the subordinates found them, Da Furen was hugging her and hiding behind an inscribed stone tablet in the forest. Da Furen was burned because she was protecting her.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at the mother and daughters on the ground, small ripples appearing at the bottom of his eyes, ¡°Call for a physician.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng promptly ordered a government hireling to invite a physician. When he turned his head back, he saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u fixing his gaze on the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª.


    It was quite apparent that she was guarding against everyone, but her gaze was very fierce. Moreover, she was slowly backing away like she was planning to plunge into the fire again in the next second, as if she would rather burn than be unwillingly rescued. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at the two embroidered emissaries, and the pair moved a few steps closer to her, thus blocking her only way of escape. It was only at that moment where she finally recognised that she had nowhere left to run.


    But apart from the severity colouring her face, there was not the slightest bit of fear.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng sighed audibly, ¡°She¡­ Can she still recognise people? Can she speak?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied: ¡°She recognises. Min¡¯n¨¹ surmises that the first time she came out of the buried culvert might be two years ago, and within those two years, it can be assumed that she came out frequently to wander around the residence. Speaking¡­ one fears that it will be slightly difficult.¡±


    A six-year-old child was locked inside an underground secret room for nearly ten years; even if she didn¡¯t go insane, it would be impossible for her to speak and think like a normal sixteen-year-old, and judging from her appearance, it was more than likely that she was not an ordinary person in mind and consciousness.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng shot a look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, should she be directly taken away then? With how she is, one fears that the interrogation will be difficult.¡±


    The space between Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows were slightly creased, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a wave of commotion coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder, and unexpectedly saw the stupid girl standing in the distance with red eyes. She wanted to come over, but she was being stopped by the embroidered emissaries, and her eyes were hazy with tears.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Let her inside.¡±


    The stupid girl was the most afraid of people in normal circumstances, but in this instance, she actually brought out an air of lonely bravery. Her shoulders were hunched, and she still looked timid, but once she saw the embroidered emissaries allowing her entry, she straightened up and walked towards the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª.


    In that split-second where the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª saw the stupid girl, the fierce and severe tint that was frozen into her face seemed to stagnate slightly as well.


    The stupid girl ran over to her side, and just as she crouched down, she took out a chestnut cake ¨C which was only a crushed half-slice ¨C out of her sleeve whilst trembling, and then she carefully offered it to the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª.


    She hesitated briefly before she extended her hand to accept it, and she actually started to eat it in small mouthfuls in these unescapable circumstances.


    The flame illuminated half of the sky dome in blood reds. Two equally thin little girls with similar burn scars on the same side, leaned into each other intimately as if they were the real twin sisters. After the chestnut cake was eaten, the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª curled her body, staring at everyone with unfaltering vigilance, whereas the stupid girl slanted her body, looking helpless and panic-stricken.


    They seemed oblivious to consequences that the taking of lives would have, and they only felt that the disposition of forces in front of their eyes was too big and therefore frightening. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u furrowed his brows, ¡°Bring the two of them away.¡±


    The embroidered emissaries stepped forward to arrest them. Instantaneously, the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was like a small beast that smelled danger; her petite and witheringly thin stature springing up from the ground all at once, turning around in attempt to flee. The embroidered emissary trying to grab her had internalised her diminutive size, but he never expected that she would be so nimble. He actually stilled for a moment before throwing himself forward, and because she was being enclosed by the fire, an embroidered emissary managed to land a palm ¨C as opposed to a fist ¨C on her shoulder very quickly, striking her heavily to make her figure collapse to one side, while the other grabbed her arm and trussed it behind her back.


    The pain made her bare her teeth, and the viciousness on her face became more pronounced as she glared at people in her surroundings, like she was going to pounce and bite them at any given moment. Her thin and weak body did everything in its power to struggle free, and it took a bit of effort from the two embroidered emissaries to completely subdue her movements.


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    The stupid girl became dazed, her shock and fear compelling her to stand up, but she didn¡¯t dare to get close. She could only stand at the side helplessly and shed silent tears. Da Furen was also struggling to stand up, she looked at the stupid girl, then looked at the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, as if she was puzzling over why she had another daughter with a scar. Despite hesitating for a moment, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng still stepped forward hastily to stop Da Furen from going any further, ¡°Oldest Sister-in-law¡­ She¡­ She killed quite a few people¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was still submerged in the shock of knowing that the person right in front of his eyes was the actual Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª. As he stared at that crude and ugly face, remembering how he had taught Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª to write and paint, his heart was grieving and in turmoil at the same time. His lips opened and closed, but he did not know what he should say to her, whereas Da Furen¡¯s struggling became more and more intense, the wails spilling out from her mouth becoming louder, and anyone witnessing this scene felt emotionally moved.


    ¡°Hah¡ª¡±


    It was also at this moment where Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª suddenly issued a short and sharp laugh from her position on the ground, as if she was watching some kind of joke. She fixed her eyes on Da Furen¡¯s back figure, the flame¡¯s illumination blazing in her eyes, embellishing it with a lustre that looked like blood tears.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned, ¡°Take her away altogether.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s expression distorted as she shrieked: ¡°On what basis? Even if I wanted to hurt her, did she die?! She¡¯s still living, she took three lives in three days, how does it have anything to do with me¡­¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng could not help but say: ¡°Your attempt to harm someone via arson was unsuccessful, and you nearly implicated your mother, it¡¯s enough to arrest you based on these charges alone. That year, you even locked up the real Oldest Young Lady, and scarred her face, all these are crimes as well¡ª¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª threw out an exaggerated, sharp grin as she brusquely raised her hand to point at Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n: ¡°What about him then? Is he without guilt? What about the dead Second Uncle and Third Uncle! And Zumu! Are they not guilty! I¡­ I didn¡¯t have to do these things in the first place¡­ Who was it that made me like this?!¡±


    Her tears gushed out, as if it was only at this moment where she was genuinely weeping with grief, ¡°So what if it¡¯s real, so what if it¡¯s fake, ever since the moment I was born, everything was already wrong. Zumu could have chosen to not want the marriage with His Second Highness, they¡­ They could have disallowed Zumu and Father from hiding one and keeping the other¡­ But they didn¡¯t¡­ No one ever spoke for me¡­


    ¡°Just because I¡¯m the younger one, so I deserve to be sent to that dark and dayless place?!¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s tears fell like a string of pearls, but a mournful smile tugged at the edges of her lips. She suddenly looked towards the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, ¡°Me and her were originally twin sisters, but why should I never be able to see the daylight for my entire life, while she is treasured like gold and precious jade, enjoying glory and splendour for the next half of her life? Even the Heavens couldn¡¯t watch on any longer, which was why they allowed her to enter the buried culvert. The moment I saw her, I already knew that a mistake was made, she and I were born identical, but she was layered on with gathered damask, she had the appearance of an actual human being, whilst I¡­ I was but a monster¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª could no longer muster a smile all of a sudden, as if she was remembering those distant and dark memories. Endless hatred and misery filled the space between her brows and eyes, and with those emotions, the sisterly resemblance between her and the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª became more prominent instead.


    She thinned her lips, her tone suddenly chilling, ¡°Since all of you turned me into a monster, don¡¯t blame the monster for being heartless. I¡­ I only wanted to live like a human, does it even matter that I exchanged places with her?


    ¡°She has lived an easy, comfortable, and plentiful life for six years, it should be my turn now¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª stared at the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª with an almost blank and deranged expression, ¡°I¡­ I never thought about leaving her underground forever at the very start, but¡­ but the feeling of being loved and cherished by others was too nice, days of being able to see the light were too wonderful.¡± Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª released her injured wrist to raise her other hand to the upper portion of her face. Her eyes squinted slightly, as if she was blocking the non-existent sunlight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back ever again, I don¡¯t ever want to go back, since one must be left underground, then why can¡¯t it be her?!¡± She suddenly dropped her hand, her visage brimming with ridicule and callous cruelty, ¡°What¡¯s more hysterical is that, these people who flaunt that they love her, didn¡¯t manage to distinguish who was the real her, she was just a tool for the Marquis Residence to seek a high position and great wealth, that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    Having spoken to this point, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª shot a contemptuous look towards Da Furen, ¡°Even my Mother, she couldn¡¯t distinguish between the both of us. She treated me as the original one and cherished me greatly. Although she was mad, she knew that I was lost for a night, she¡­ Not only did she not recognise me, but it was even to the extent¡­¡± As if she was recalling something ludicrous, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª started smiling strangely out of the blue, ¡°It was even to the extent where she followed me back to the buried culvert, and when she saw me set the fire, she didn¡¯t even know that the one burning was her original daughter¡­


    ¡°Consequently, she watched her roll around on the ground with open eyes, it¡¯s truly absurd¡­¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was laughing so much her tears were flowing again. The expressions of the people present went through great changes collectively, and even B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, who hadn¡¯t spoken for a long time, felt her heart chill. She shifted her eyes towards Da Furen, finally finding the answers to the questions that had been lingering in her mind for numerous days.


    The insane mother, personally witnessed her second daughter start a fire, and even if she didn¡¯t understand what was happening then, it still branded an image of her other daughter having a burn scar on her face in the depths of her heart. And the fire that the second daughter ignited, started burning from ten years ago, and continued to blaze to this day, incinerating the entire Marquis Residence until the family was ruined and its members were dead. Everything began on the day the twin daughters were born, or perhaps, in the earlier days where Da Furen saved the current reign¡¯s Second Highness, the tragedy was already being foreshadowed.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s maniacal laughter did not cease as she talked about what happened that year, but the victim of that affair ¨C the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª ¨C scarcely showed any fluctuations in expression on her face. She stood at the side and listened, indifference and hatred filling her countenance from start to end, as if the gloomy darkness of being unable to see light all year round in the buried culvert had already merged into her flesh, bones, and blood.


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    ¡°This happened after your room caught fire?¡± B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asked.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª seemed to understand what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wanted to ask, and she unexpectedly barked out a laugh, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Mother would stumble into that buried culvert with me that night, and I brought her out later. It was fortunate that she was badly frightened and seems to have forgotten everything, but I wasn¡¯t assured since I didn¡¯t know if she had died inside. Hence, I threw a huge fit and Father proceeded to fill and level that lotus pond.


    ¡°At that time, I thought it was the only entrance.¡±


    As that sentence was being uttered, Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s tone gave the particular impression that she was sketching out the details in the lightest shades, but it was precisely because of it, which emphasised her resolution to eternally keep her biological older sister underground, and that realisation was shiver-inducing, though not from the cold.


    In the face of Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s apparent wretchedness and derision, what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said in the end was: ¡°Perhaps, it wasn¡¯t necessarily because your mother didn¡¯t distinguish between the both of you; it¡¯s simply that she recognised you as well. The reason why she succumbed to her illness that year was because you were sent away; regardless of which daughter was by her side, she would love and cherish all the same. However, with this knot that you¡¯ve harboured in your heart for all these years, how much genuine respect and love have you shown her in return?¡±


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s complexion changed slightly, as if she never thought of this possibility, which stunned her momentarily. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u glanced at Da Furen, ¡°Look at her, she hasn¡¯t seen your older sister for so many years, and yet she still protected her subconsciously. How do you know that the love she gave you all these years, was because she was treating you as your older sister?¡±


    Astonishment flooded Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª¡¯s facial features. Her brows twitched a few times, as if she was not willing to believe this possibility, ¡°Then¡­ So what if that¡¯s the case? The calamity that the Marquis Residence is currently faced with was buried by the older generation, the one deceiving the monarch isn¡¯t me, nor am I the person who killed the people of the Marquis Residence. Even if I set the fire, what of it, I¡­¡±


    ¡°None of you will be escaping.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u finally opened his mouth after a long time, ¡°Excluding Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng and Da Furen, everyone else will be arrested and brought into the custody of the Prefectural Government Office¡¯s main prison. This case involves many old and rather complicated affairs, each and every person needs to be thoroughly interrogated before it¡¯s reported to the Ministry of Justice.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng verbally complied. When Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª heard that Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n and the others would be arrested as well, the resentment on her face did decrease by a degree, but she unexpectedly declared: ¡°Let¡¯s see what crimes the laws and regulations of Great Zhou can charge me!¡±


    On the other hand, when Da Furen saw that the government hirelings also wanted to arrest Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, her expression contorted, and she staggered towards her and pulled on her hand. Da Furen gazed at the government hirelings in a blank and alarmed manner, her mouth opening, but only ¡°ah ah¡± sounds escaped, while her tears flowed ceaselessly.


    Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª had been enraged and agitated for the entire night, maybe out of hatred and resentment, or pure misery and resolution. But when this moment arrived, where she saw Da Furen desperately trying to keep her like she was oblivious to the pain her blood-blistered hands were causing, distress flashed past her face in the end, and her lips pursed tightly. However, she still pushed away Da Furen¡¯s hand, tidying her jacket and skirt, before she walked outwards with a raised chin.


    At a loss, Da Furen wanted to follow but she was stopped by Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng again. But upon turning her head back, she saw the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª and the stupid girl being brought away by the embroidered emissaries. ¡°Ah ah¡±, she cried, trying her damnedest to stop it, and because Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng couldn¡¯t pull her back in the moment, it allowed her struggle free and give chase. However, just as she took two steps forward, Da Furen tripped on her own skirt, and collapsed to the ground powerlessly.


    The real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª halted in her footsteps as she was being escorted outwards, turning her head back with a rigid back and set of shoulders to fix her eyes on Da Furen. Upon seeing Da Furen crying with such heartbreak, she seemed to remember something that was incredibly distant, and a trace of gentleness emerged from her eyes. She uttered two syllables, albeit out of practice and with much difficulty, but her voice was hoarse, and she was suffering from a loss of speech; even if she managed to strain out those two words, even the embroidered emissaries that were closest to her could barely hear what she said.


    When all was said and done, she took three lives. The embroidered emissary did not have the slightest sympathy for her; when they noticed that she was standing there blankly and not moving, they shoved her. That seemed to awaken her, since the gentleness in her eyes dispersed cleanly by the time she turned around again.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n was also being surrounded by the government hirelings. The night of changes made it hard to calm the tides in his heart. With Marquis Wuzhao uncovering the old events of that year, there was absolutely no possibility of him concealing it for them. It was apparent that not only did Marquis Anqing Residence fail to protect the marriage between their Oldest Young Lady and His Second Highness, but he couldn¡¯t even preserve the Marquis Residence¡¯s honour and splendour. There was nothing sadder than a withered heart for him now, and when he saw Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng pulling on Da Furen as he tried to console her, he could only croak out: ¡°Fourth Older Brother, the residence will be handed over to you now.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng had been sent out of the Marquis Residence ever since he was a child, he was originally a person that the Marquis Residence refused to acknowledge, but right now, he was ironically the only person who could preside over the current situation. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng nodded heavily, and only then was Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n ¨¡n brought away with a face full of despair.


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    The intense fire was not yet subdued, but no one at scene could have ever imagined that this densely fogged and prolonged case would be solved like this. The huge fire that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª started as she thought herself to be clever, not only exposed her own secret, but it also tied the hands of the murderer and led to her capture. While it could be said that the murderer¡¯s capture would happen sooner or later with the discovery of the culvert, the dredging up of so many old events made it hard for even someone like H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng ¨C who was by all accounts, an outsider ¨C to calm the waves in his heart.


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng was still consoling Da Furen, but when he realised that there was really no other recourse, he ordered the maidservants to forcibly send Da Furen back. On the other end, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was looking in the direction that the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª departed from, trapped in a daze.


    Regardless of whether the fake Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was acting or tearfully complaining as she laid bare all the anger and resentment in her heart in front of everyone tonight, the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª did not issue a single word from beginning to end. Maybe she couldn¡¯t verbalise the words, or she was unwilling to say them, perhaps she was already accustomed to living in the darkness and loneliness. Her person was already brimming with defensiveness and callousness; it was only when the stupid girl offered her the chestnut cake that a thread of human vitality could be perceived, and when she turned around just now, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only saw her open her mouth, but it was hard for her to discern what she said¡­


    ¡°She called out ¡®Mother¡¯.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had walked over to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u at some point in time.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u came back to her senses, supressing the complicated feelings at the bottom of her heart. Calmly, she said: ¡°She is charged with three human lives, according to the law¡­¡±


    ¡°According to the law an execution is due.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not hesitate at all.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u heaved a sigh, not speaking again. Fu gonggong stepped forward and said: ¡°That fake Oldest Young Lady wasn¡¯t wrong either. Everyone in the Marquis Residence is guilty of something, and that child is indeed pitiful, but no matter how pitiful she is, ignoring the laws and decrees in lieu of clandestine murder is not allowed.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u issued a bitter laugh, ¡°Gonggong can be at ease, min¡¯n¨¹ understands these principles. If the laws and decrees are disregarded, and each privately carry out their own punishments, the world will become more chaotic.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng walked over and said in respectful manner: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, all the orders have been issued. Xiaguan will be carrying out interrogations through the night to ensure that dossier is presented earlier to Hou¡¯ye to look over.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, however, waved his hand, ¡°There¡¯s no need to let benhou look over it. From this point onwards, the full authority to hear the case will be handed to you, the subsequent dossier just needs to be presented to the Ministry of Justice as per the norm and that will suffice.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s visage changed slightly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye is leaving Qingzhou?¡±


    Fu gonggong replied smilingly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye had an official business in Luozhou from the very start. Coming to your place is merely because Marquis Xinyang had asked for a favour. Now that the case has ended, the remaining matters, can naturally be handled by H¨¨ daren.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng quickly said: ¡°It is all thanks to Hou¡¯ye for personally making a trip here. If there were not the case, xiaguan really does not know what should be done.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not be bothered to listen to his praise, and he only instructed: ¡°Benhou will send a letter to Marquis Xinyang and His Second Highness to give an explanation, you must be impartial during this hearing, and there is no need for any apprehensions.¡±


    Deep in his heart, what H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was most worried about was the Capital having a lot of opinions about this case. Now that he heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u arranging it in such a manner, his heart relaxed, ¡°Yes, yes, yes, xiaguan will certainly be fair and strictly impartial, many thanks to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    The murderer had been caught and the case had ended. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u occupied a high position, so he did not have to care about the remaining trivial matters. Thus, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng asked: ¡°When is Hou¡¯ye planning to leave the city? Hou¡¯ye has arrived at Qingzhou, and xiaguan has yet to act as a host, perhaps¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes did not stray away, ¡°Departure will be tomorrow, there¡¯s no need to expend that effort of yours.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng did not expect that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would be in such a hurry, and he wanted to speak more, but he was reminded of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s swift and decisive reactions, and how he hated fawning and flattering in the officialdom the most. Hence, he did not dare to retain him any further, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, the hour is already late. Perhaps Hou¡¯ye should rest up early, xiaguan will send Hou¡¯ye out of the city tomorrow.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u declined to comment, merely tossing a glance towards the fire. Having caught sight of Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng gathering the servants to put on the fire, he knew that he did not have worry any further, and promptly turned around to leave the area. After walking a few steps, however, he turned back, noting that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing beside H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng and saying something. The flames were scorching, but it reflected her delicate and straight posture, and her countenance was rather pleasant to the eye.


    He withdrew his line of sight, suddenly sensing that there was still an object in his hand. Upon lowering his eyes, he saw that it was that earring from just now, so he casually threw it towards Fu gonggong. Fu gonggong did not know what it was, and when he caught it, he was slightly surprised. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Zheng da xiaojie¡¯s earring?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly issued a soft chuckle, ¡°It is her earring, but it isn¡¯t the one she dropped today.¡±


    Once Fu gonggong heard those words, his eyes widened, ¡°Ah¡­ Hou¡¯ye commanded the embroidered emissaries to leave, not to search the residence storehouse, but to find an earring¡­Prior to this, when Hou¡¯ye was secretly conversing with B¨® guniang for a short while, could it be¡­¡±


    The smile hanging on the edge of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s lips deepened, ¡°She noticed that Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª dropped her earring and so she conceived of this idea, she¡¯s quite a smart one.¡±


    Although Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª was lying at that time, she was extremely calm as she came up numerous excuses because she came prepared. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was close to her and noticed that she had dropped an earring at glance. However, instead of opening her mouth and questioning her in a hasty manner, she carefully scrutinised her first, and it was only after she verified that she genuinely harboured the suspicion of committing arson from her body, that she asked Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to borrow a step to talk. Afterwards, she concocted a plan, and put up a good song-and-dance with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Fu gonggong suddenly saw the light, ¡°No wonder the conversation took so long. The fake Oldest Young Lady was still slightly flustered, and the questions that Hou¡¯ye asked later completely messed up her rhythm, and then the earring, acting as iron-clad evidence, was brought out in the end, hence she had no choice but to confess. What a marvellous plan!¡±


    The case was just solved, so Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s mood was slightly profound and solemn, but now his brows and eyes relaxed by three parts. He seemed to think of something suddenly as he asked Fu gonggong, ¡°The message that I asked you to send to the Capital, was there a reply?¡±


    Fu gonggong promptly said: ¡°The item is on the way, but judging from the current situation, should it be sent towards Luozhou directly?¡±


    They were going to leave Qingzhou tomorrow, but they would no longer be here when the item arrived at Qingzhou, so it was natural to divert the course to Luozhou.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was supposed to agree or disagree immediately but he suddenly felt that Fu gonggong¡¯s idea was quite decent too, but he could not make the decision right then and there, so he could only return his guest courtyard first.


    Just as he entered the study, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw the two new documents on the table. One of them happened to come from Luozhou, and he picked up the Luozhou document to open and read it. After reading half of it, his brows screwed together, and by the time he was done reading everything, his expression had become grave.


    After a moment of consideration, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered: ¡°Call over B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡ª¡±

 CH 28

    ¡°Daren, the previously unwritten autopsy reports, does min¡¯n¨¹ have to write it up for Daren?¡±


    According to usual practices in the past, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had to write up a report which would be presented as evidence to the court after the post-mortem autopsies. However, owing to the hecticness of the post-mortem autopsies in this case, the bureaucratic procedures had been neglected and delayed until now. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng chortled and said, ¡°That would be for the best. Xiao B¨® ah, it is really all thanks to you this time around. There¡¯s no need for you to rush, stay in the city for two more days, I¡¯ll dispatch someone to send you back later.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u declined to comment, though her eyes swept towards the direction that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was leaving in. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s celerity was something she had already anticipated but leaving after one night was slightly beyond her expectations. After thinking about how Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had saved her twice but there was no way of repaying him, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not avoid feeling like she owed him something, and with this departure, she was afraid that they would not have chance to meet again, so it could only remain as a debt in the end.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng continued to say: ¡°The hour is already late today, there is nothing pressing at the moment, it would be better if you went back to rest.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated momentarily, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is also planning to return to Qingshan County earlier, Daren is aware that min¡¯n¨¹¡¯s foster father is of ill body, and it¡¯s difficult to put one¡¯s heart at ease.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng replied with a sigh, ¡°Apologies for disrupting your filial piety. Forget it, I will order someone to prepare the brush, ink, and autopsy sheets, you can write it up tonight.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hummed in response. At this moment, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng walked over. He was leading the servants to put out the fire just now, so his body was stained with quite a bit of soot and ash, and the fatigue, in addition to the horrifying revelations tonight, made his countenance weary and bitter, completely bereft an immortal cultivator¡¯s air and bones that was pervasive during their first encounter that night.


    ¡°Daren, is it possible¡­ is it possible to let me meet that child?¡±


    There was some fear in his eyes, but it harboured a plea too. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng muttered irresolutely to himself, ¡°She has just been arrested, and it¡¯s not optimal to arrange a meeting so soon. Allow benfu to conduct the interrogations before speaking of this again. She¡¯s burdened with three lives, and a light sentence is nevertheless impossible. Fourth Master is not a person who doesn¡¯t understand the judicial procedures; he should be aware that once the Ministry of Justice makes the final decision, she will be escorted back to the Capital soon after. There is a lot of time in between, there will eventually be a chance to meet.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng continued to ask: ¡°Fifth Brother and Y¨²n N¨ª, what about the two of them?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng exhaled audibly, ¡°That will depend on the Capital¡¯s opinion. Back then, your residence falsely reported the birth date, and even concealed the matter of having twins. To put it severely, it¡¯s deceiving the monarch, to put it lightly¡­.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng laughed bitterly, ¡°Benfu really doesn¡¯t know how to put it lightly.¡±


    Worry flooded Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s face instantaneously, ¡°With what has happened, one does not beg for glory, splendour, riches, or rank, and only prays that the Zheng clan¡¯s bloodline won¡¯t be broken off.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng thought about it, ¡°If Fourth Master really wishes to save them, perhaps a letter should be sent to the Capital directly. The old Marquis Xinyang is currently in charge of the Marquis Xinyang Residence, and he can still speak to the personages in the imperial palace. Currently, only the elder can help with a thing or two.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng¡¯s eyes brightened immediately. Marquis Anqing Residence was in Qingzhou, and its coming and going with its relatives in the Capital were not very frequent. Moreover, he had been sent out of the Marquis Residence ever since he was young, so he was all the more unfamiliar with his relatives in the Capital, but the old Marquis Xinyang was his biological maternal uncle, and apart from pleading him, there really wasn¡¯t any other alternative.


    ¡°Daren¡¯s words are exceedingly useful, zaixia will send a letter to Capital now.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng nodded, ¡°You have to be quick. Marquis Wuzhao will be sending a letter to the Capital as well. You can¡¯t be as fast as him, but you cannot delay either, lest the Imperial Palace learns of the news first and sends down an order before Marquis Xinyang has the time to plead for mercy; by then, even he would be powerless to reverse the desperate situation.¡±


    Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng clasped his hands together, ¡°Yes, many thanks Daren.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng nodded again. By virtue of how he was the main official for this case, it was not good for him to say more, so he brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to the front courtyard. Meanwhile, Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n R¨®ng stood there, watching as the pair became more distant in time, and he unconsciously issued a heavy sigh.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng sighed with some emotions as well. After moving a few paces away, he started talking to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°We have witnessed quite a few cases, but when it comes to homicides in old and prominent families like that of the Marquis Anqing Residence, this is also benfu¡¯s first encounter with it. These illustrious and large families all appear glorious, splendid and high-born, but it¡¯s unknown how many things which cannot be seen in the light are hidden inside.¡±


    After giving a pause, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng then said: ¡°There are still a few details that are unclear in this case, and Momo Yu is among the people who have been taken into custody for further interrogation. You can write up the autopsy reports tonight, and if you¡¯re in a hurry tomorrow, you can return to Qingshan County directly. I have to thank you properly this time around.¡±


    He turned his body to glance at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, only seeing the mildness and kindness between her refined brows and eyes, which stirred some intent to care for her. ¡°What kind of symptoms does your foster father have? I remember that he¡¯s a person who practices medicine as well. If Qingshan County is inconvenient, benfu can look for a compound within Qingzhou City for you, so you and your foster father can stay in Qingzhou City, which makes doctor visits and medicine sourcing much more convenient.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng had the intention to allow B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to stay by his side and help him some time ago, and he even revealed this idea in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took some time to think after hearing that, but she said: ¡°It will depend on Yifu¡¯s intentions, moreover¡­ It¡¯s more than likely that we won¡¯t be staying in Qingzhou for long.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s heart jolted, ¡°Not staying in Qingzhou for long? Where to then?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled faintly, ¡°Returning back to the homeland. Min¡¯n¨¹ is not a native of Qingzhou.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was aware that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had resided in Qingshan County for many years, but he did not know where her clan grounds were, so he questioned: ¡°Where is your homeland?¡±


    ¡°In¡­ the north side.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng bopped his head. Once he thought about how B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would be leaving Qingzhou in the future, he could feel the sky darkening by a few shades, though he did not specifically ask which north side she was referring to, ¡°Xiao B¨® ah, once you leave, I¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled lightly, ¡°Daren has devoted his heart to the commoners, and will definitely rise straight into the clear sky, perhaps [you] won¡¯t be staying in Qingzhou for long either.¡±


    Those words reached H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s heart deeply, and as if she was also afraid of H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng asking more, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u turned the topic towards the case, ¡°For the inside story of this case, it will probably be necessary to ask Momo Yu. When one of the children was being hidden back then, she was just an infant. Who took care of her during that time, who trapped her in the secret room after she grew up, and how she was taken care of, it¡¯s highly likely that only Momo Yu is cognizant of those details.¡±


    After mulling over it, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to state: ¡°The material evidence inside the secret room has already been seized and brought up, but it¡¯s unfortunate that other rooms were destroyed, or more exhibits would have been found. However, now that the facts have been confirmed, it can be assumed that Momo Yu won¡¯t dare to continue concealing it.¡±


    The pair reached the front courtyard as they were conversing. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng ordered a government hireling to find and bring over the autopsy sheets, brush, and ink, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started to write up the autopsy reports in the front courtyard¡¯s wing-room. Just as she wrote a few characters, an embroidered emissary suddenly arrived, ¡°B¨® guniang, Hou¡¯ye asks ?ou to make a trip.¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u faltered slightly, and H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng thought that something bad happened after hearing that, ¡°Is it because there are still leaks in this case?¡±


    The embroidered emissary¡¯s eyes remain trained on them as he said: ¡°This subordinate does not know, Hou¡¯ye only said that he wanted to see B¨® guniang.¡±


    Hurriedly, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng took away the brush from B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hand, ¡°Stop writing, stop writing, let¡¯s go, move, move, to see Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    Although it was not stated that he wanted to see H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng did not dare to be careless either and he tagged along for the entire road there. Upon reaching the guest courtyard, he only had the part of waiting outside the courtyard as one might expect.


    Fu gonggong chuckled as he brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u across the threshold, ¡°We will be leaving tomorrow, when is B¨® guniang returning to Qingshan County?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°It should be the day after tomorrow. If H¨¨ daren doesn¡¯t have any other instructions, min¡¯n¨¹ hopes to return earlier as well.¡±


    Fu gonggong nodded, and the pair entered the study.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed with womanly obeisance, ¡°Greetings to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was still clad in a black robe as he sat behind the writing desk. His expression was dark and unfathomable as he scrutinised B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u before he suddenly asked: ¡°Planning to go back the day after tomorrow?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°Yes, Yifu is still in the throes of illness, he needs someone to take care of him.¡±


    After hearing those words, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression darkened momentarily. His half-lidded phoenix eyes gave B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u a side-long glance, as if he was hesitating about something. Fu gonggong found his appearance to be rather suspect, but in the next moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Ever thought about going elsewhere to be a coroner?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head with some surprise. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was ennobled as Marquis Wuzhao, and while he commanded the Court of Punishment, the judicial cases that passed through his hands were scarcely ordinary cases of homicide. He might have asked this question, but it was unclear what he was considering.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s thoughts turned and doubled back hundreds of times. In the end, she still lowered her eyes, ¡°For the time being¡­ There has been no such considerations.¡±


    Fu gonggong widened his eyes instantaneously.


    Although Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s sentence was phrased as a question, the meaning present within was obvious. If it was exchanged with a normal person, they would only be itching to serve like a dog or horse for Marquis Wuzhao, but this little B¨® guniang actually responded with a rejection upon opening her mouth.


    Heart alarmed and trembling in fear, Fu gonggong casted a look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Sure enough, Marquis Hu¨°¡¯s irises had already darkened slightly.


    Fu gonggong wiped away a handful of sweat for B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, coughing lightly as he said: ¡°B¨®¡ª¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly interceded before asking, ¡°Prior to this, benhou mentioned that a single request will be granted once the case is solved, are you done thinking?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ has no requests.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, his brows furrowing a little. Out of all the people he had met, all of them had their own desires, and knowing the desires of a person was akin to accurately pinching seven inches of a snake. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was proving to be slightly difficult to fathom. Let it be known that after they parted ways today, it would be hard for her to gain this chance again.


    ¡°Forget it, [you] may withdraw.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice was calm and without fluctuations, and only Fu gonggong could hear that he was slightly frustrated.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sighed in relief at the bottom of her heart as she quickly bowed, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ will be taking her leave.¡±


    She turned around and left, her footsteps quick, as if he was some kind of high-magnitude flood or fierce beast, which made Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raise an eyebrow subconsciously.


    It was only after B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped out of the door that the oppressive gaze was obstructed. She spat out a deep breath. She was not afraid of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, but after all that was said and done, it had been a struggle to breathe in that study just now.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u voiced that question probably because there was some business that he wanted her to attend to, but her body was like duckweed, and she had her foster father who needed to be taken care of; it goes without saying that she could not go elsewhere to be a coroner.


    Despite that, there was an inexplicable thread of novelty in the recesses of her heart.


    What kind of business was it, such that it could make Marquis Wuzhao openly request for a small and insignificant coroner like her?


    This thought was pressed down by B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u as it flickered past. There were some bumps in her childhood, so she grew up beside her foster parents, and her temper was rather placid. If she desired a reputation or benefits, she could have already made use of the fact that the Qingzhou Prefectural Magistrate H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was quite appreciative of her, but she had her ambitions elsewhere in the end.


    Upon seeing her come out, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng immediately stepped forward to ask: ¡°Xiao B¨®, what did Hou¡¯ye say?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Hou¡¯ye asked min¡¯n¨¹ if she wanted any rewards.¡±


    The bottom of H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled bitterly, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ was just fulfilling her own duties, she does not dare to want any rewards.¡±


    The excitement in the depths of H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s eyes extinguished immediately, ¡°You¡­ Why can¡¯t you grasp the point ah, this is the Marquis Wuzhao, do you know what kind of benefits he can give you, just by opening his mouth?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u cocked her head and contemplated briefly, ¡°Could he make min¡¯n¨¹ a Huangfei as well?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was aware that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was jesting, so he sighed helplessly. Seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not have any intention of meeting him, he started to walk outwards with her. Just as they stepped out of the courtyard doors, a young male servant from the residence approached them. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng presumed that he was looking for him, so he asked: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Was there an accident in the front courtyard?¡±


    That young male servant shook his head, turning to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u instead, ¡°B¨® guniang, someone is looking for you outside the residence gates.¡±


    Even H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was slightly surprised when he heard that. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would always return to Qingshan County after finishing up a case, and inside Qingzhou City, it was highly probable that she was only familiar with the government hirelings. At this moment, that young male servant continued to state: ¡°He¡¯s a lame person.¡±


    Once those words landed, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression changed slightly, ¡°Yifu is here.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was shocked, ¡°Ah? Isn¡¯t your foster father seriously ill¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was slightly anxious, ¡°It isn¡¯t clear why he has come to this place. Daren, min¡¯n¨¹ will go and see Yifu first.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng waved his hand before telling that young male servant that he must not neglect B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s foster father, and then he watched her depart at a brisk pace.


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u met Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© inside the tearoom of the Marquis Residence¡¯s gatehouse.


    Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨©, who was close to half-hundred, was dressed in a coarse and unadorned robe, with the hair at his temples greying. Owing to his long-term illness, his countenance was wan and sallow, which made him appear older than his actual age, and in addition to the walking stick he was leaning on, his entire person seemed to be dire straits, and he was only welcomed into the tearoom to wait after the gatekeepers heard that he was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s foster father.


    Upon catching sight of Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨©, worry spread across B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s face, ¡°Why has Yifu come here?¡±


    Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨©¡¯s leg was cumbersome, so he had never left Qingshan County for the past ten years, and now that he had broken the precedent and entered Qingzhou City, it genuinely shocked and worried her.


    Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© surveyed the tearoom door, and once he saw that there was no one outside, he asked: ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u, did the embroidered emissaries come to the city?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was a touch surprised, ¡°How did Yifu know?¡±


    Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© replied, ¡°Someone in the county saw them, and thought that it was some astounding personage, and he brought it up once he returned. After hearing him talk about it, I was made aware¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stared at Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨©, ¡°Yifu knew that it was the embroidered emissaries just from hearing about it?¡±


    Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© waved his hand, ¡°That¡¯s not important. I¡¯m only asking you, has the case been solved?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°Just an hour ago, in fact. The murderer has been arrested; I was originally planning to go back tomorrow.¡±


    However, Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© asked: ¡°The embroidered emissaries are being controlled by Marquis Wuzhao right now, and since the embroidered emissaries have been mobilised, was it Marquis Wuzhao who arrived?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u responded in the affirmative, which caused Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© to sink into deep contemplation. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not fully grasp what Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© was trying to imply, so she could only ask probingly, ¡°What does Yifu mean by that?¡±


    Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© raised his head, his muddy-looking eyes not straying away from B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u once, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, we should be going back.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Inside the guest courtyard, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u picked up the documents that had been sent from Luozhou over the past few days again. His visage was as deep as water, and Fu gonggong waited for a full pillar of incense (30 minutes) before he stepped forward to ask in a soft voice, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡­ did something bad happen in Luozhou?¡±


    With a loud slap, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u threw the documents on the writing desk, strength neither light not heavy. Fu gonggong¡¯s eyebrows twitched when he witnessed it, picking up those documents to have a look as he mumbled, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just being rejected by B¨® guniang, although it is the first time, there¡¯s no need to be so angry¡­ What?! A perfectly alright person suddenly died?!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u simply pretended not to hear Fu gonggong¡¯s mumblings as he remarked in a deep voice: ¡°A person dying at this critical juncture; if it was said that there is nothing dubious going on, it would truly be difficult for anyone to believe it.¡±


    Fu gonggong made an ¡°oh¡± noise, ¡°Which is why Hou¡¯ye wants to ask B¨® guniang to head to Luozhou together?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows arched up, to which Fu gonggong coughed lightly before saying: ¡°Maybe¡­ ?ou should forgo asking, and just issue an order? It¡¯s not like B¨® guniang can go against an order?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u swept Fu gonggong with a faint look. Fu gonggong said: ¡°As a matter of fact, the Ming Family¡¯s Da Gongzi is already on the way, there is no need for Hou¡¯ye to insist on having B¨® guniang go to Luozhou.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u retracted his line of sight, and it was still hard to distinguish joy and anger in his expression.


    Fu gonggong only found it slightly funny. It was not that they had never encountered talents that could be used but could not be subdued when they were handling business elsewhere, and he never saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u being affected by it. However, a myriad of his emotions was being expressed externally right now, even if it was barely perceptible.


    Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, ¡°Honestly, it makes sense in retrospect. A little guniang travelling to Qingzhou City from Qingshan County is not an easy endeavour in itself, how could she follow us? The people ?ou bring along are matured men, and each and every one of them are like fiends. If there¡¯s anyone who dares to follow us, they either ate a bear¡¯s heart and a leopard¡¯s gall, unless they are conspiring for something from ?ou, Marquis Wuzhao¡ª¡±


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    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, B¨® guniang asks for an audience.¡±


    Before Fu gonggong could finish speaking, an embroidered emissary was already making a report from outside.


    Fu gonggong was astonished, ¡°Why did she come back so quickly.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u fiddled with the black jade ornamental ring on his hand, pausing before he said: ¡°Let her come in.¡±


    Very quickly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s delicate figure appeared at the door again. When she was leaving, she could not wait to flee, but she was very slow in arriving. Some hesitation was visible on her face as she walked in, as if she was being pushed into coming here by someone from the back.


    ¡°Greetings to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    After bowing first, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her eyes, at a slight loss about how she should begin.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at her with deep eyes, but he did not ask about anything either.


    Pursing her lips, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u toughened her scalp and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, min¡¯n¨¹ can go somewhere else to be a coroner, may Hou¡¯ye issue his command.¡±


    Fu gonggong could not resist laughing out loud, ¡°Why has B¨® guniang changed her mind?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u also felt her face heating up. However, her following words proved to be a greater surprise. Her voice deepened as she stated: ¡°Because¡­ Because min¡¯n¨¹ has something to ask of Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s respectful and clever appearance with a smile that was not a smile. He sneered faintly, her character was quite unyielding a moment ago, and now she had sent herself to his door. Did she think that his place was somewhere she could come and go as she pleased?


    ¡°What is that request?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated for a moment, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ does not dare to make presumptuous demands, nor does she know why or what Hou¡¯ye will command. If the handling of the business satisfies Hou¡¯ye, only then will min¡¯n¨¹ have the courage to make a request to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Fu gonggong looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, then looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Just as he was thinking that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was going to suffer some hardship for leaving and returning, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly opened his mouth and said: ¡°Tomorrow, [we] will be leaving for Luozhou, there is an old case that happened ten years ago which you will be made to investigate.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s pale fists clenched within her sleeves as she responded: ¡°Yes, min¡¯n¨¹ will definitely do her utmost.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seemed like he did not want to exchange another sentence. With some impatience creasing the space between his brows, he waved his hand, ¡°Withdraw.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u exhaled through her mouth, not expecting that it would be this easy and simple. Just as she stepped out of the room, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression became slightly stern, ¡°Go and check, who did she talk to just now after leaving.¡±


    Fu gonggong found it rather strange as well. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not the type to possess a fickle temper; for her to have such a huge change in her decisions was really quite strange.


    The embroidered emissary stepped outside to make the inquiry, obtaining the precise information very quickly before he returned to make the report: ¡°It was B¨® guniang¡¯s foster father who arrived. He said that B¨® guniang has left home for a few days, and he was worried about her, so he came over to take a look. He just departed from the Marquis Residence moments ago.¡±


    ¡°Her foster father?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows were wrung together.


    Fu gonggong supplemented, ¡°B¨® guniang was raised by her foster parents.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s fingers knocked on the armrest subconsciously, and after a short while, he uttered, ¡°Go and investigate who her foster father is, then check her family background. Since she will be used for a few days, her origins cannot remain unknown.¡±


    After giving a pause, he continued, ¡°Have the item that is being sent over from the Capital turn towards Luozhou.¡±


    Fu gonggong understood these tasks, so he personally went out to issue those instructions.


    ¡­¡­


    When H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng learned that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was going to follow Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to Luozhou to investigate a case, it was already the morning of the second day. After interrogating the offenders for the entire night, bruises had formed under his eyes and his face shined with oil. Upon hearing this news, his entire person was shocked awake from the fatigue.


    By the time he reached the Marquis Residence to send off Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, he noticed that there was an additional horse carriage to the group of horses, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was already standing outside the residence¡¯s entrance and waiting there in a very sensible manner. She was still as elegant and self-composed as when she first arrived; the first glimmers of dawn were draped over her shoulders, and her whole body was exuding a steady serenity that did not conform with her age.


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng greeted her, ¡°Xiao B¨®, you¡¯re going to follow Hou¡¯ye to Luozhou?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed with womanly obeisance, ¡°Yes. After this trip, it¡¯s more than likely that min¡¯n¨¹ will not be returning to Qingzhou again. One thanks Daren for his consistent concern all these years.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng was informed that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would be leaving Qingzhou sooner or later, but he did not expect that this change would arrive so quickly. When he recalled the fact that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had helped him solve quite a few difficult and unresolved cases, he felt all kinds of complicated flavours at the bottom of his heart, ¡°Since when was it me looking after you? It¡¯s more like you have assisted me quite a bit. With the suddenness of your departure, I don¡¯t even have the time to prepare a reward gift.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u laughed out loud, ¡°Daren does not have to take the trouble. Daren is wearing a face full of fatigue, did the interrogations last all night long?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng heaved a sigh, ¡°Indeed, the stupid girl was the first to confess last night, and then it was mainly the interrogation of Momo Yu. It was originally assumed that she would no longer refute, but who could have thought that she would be ridiculously obstinate, and she only confessed at daybreak. There¡¯s a mechanism in that ancestral hall, and she personally took care of the hidden child before she was five years old. Afterwards, she would only go down to the secret room once every few days to deliver water, food, and clothes through the secret window. She didn¡¯t even meet the child face-to-face, which was why she never realised that the person inside had been swapped. Afterwards, she said that after seeing Hou¡¯ye arrive, she proceeded to destroy the mechanism to the dark room, completely disregarding the child¡¯s life and death¡­¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng continued to sigh. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought about everything she had seen and heard in the residence the past few days, her heart similarly heavy. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng then said: ¡°That Zheng wu¡¯ye (5th) actually confessed too. However, his crime is simple; it¡¯s nothing else besides knowing about the twins that year, and how she was hidden in the ancestral hall with Momo Yu watching over her. All these years, he didn¡¯t meet the child once, and everyone seems to have deliberately forgotten about her existence, and he also said that they originally wanted to wait for the big wedding with His Second Highness to pass before sending her away, since they were afraid that her face being exposed would give rise to variables¡­¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took a tangent and asked: ¡°What did the stupid girl confess to?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng¡¯s expression relaxed slightly when he heard that, ¡°The stupid girl spoke about anything she was asked. Two years ago, the Oldest Young Lady saved her, and she saved the Oldest Young Lady from the well because she harboured gratitude in her heart. She felt that since she and the Oldest Young Lady had a scar on their faces, they appeared extremely similar, and in wanting to repay the debt of gratitude, she treated her like her kin. In the past two years, the Oldest Young Lady moved around the residence like an apparition, and she originally wasn¡¯t used to life above since she had been living underground for so many years, but the stupid girl was a sincere one. She would always help her, and she gradually became an ordinary person.


    ¡°She might look frail and small, but she has lived more like a savage that had stayed in the forests for too long during her many years underground; she¡¯s dauntless, ferocious and without fear, capable of fighting tooth and nail for her life at any given time. When she was being locked inside the prison cell, she actually hurt a government hireling by breaking his wrist.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng sighed loudly again before saying: ¡°But when it comes to sisterhood, I¡¯m more inclined to believe that the stupid girl and the Oldest Young Lady are more like sisters. The stupid girl said that after the Oldest Young Lady was brought to the surface, she started to remember a lot of things, and began recognising the people gradually. Subsequently, she learned of the changes in the Marquis Residence in the past few years, playing witness to how the masters in the residence were living well, as if they genuinely believed that she did not exist in this world, and with all levels of the residence worrying over the marriage between the younger one and His Second Highness, a large amount of hatred started swelling from the bottom of her heart.


    ¡°Later on, she would frequently pretend to be the stupid girl to move around the residence, and there were even two instances where she privately interacted with Da Furen. The people in the residence all disdained the stupid girl, so they didn¡¯t pay too much attention to her, and they managed to deceive everyone. The stupid girl said that the Oldest Young Lady¡¯s temperament is extremely cold, and apart from her and Da Furen, she guards against and abhors everyone else, especially Lao Furen.


    ¡°Before the New Year, and after they learned that that the masters would be heading the Capital at the beginning of spring, the stupid girl realised that something was wrong with her. During the past two years, she grasped all the personnel and terrain of the residence, and she was even clear about when the servants changed shifts. On New Year¡¯s Eve, the stupid girl saved some of the New Year¡¯s meal and waited for her to come out to eat. After they finished the meal, she proceeded to slink towards the Buddha-worshipping Hall, and on the morning of the second day, Lao Furen was met with her demise. The stupid girl said that she already guessed that Lao Furen¡¯s untimely demise was related to her back then.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes congealed, ¡°The fake Oldest Young Lady and His Second Highness¡¯ marriage was fast approaching, and the entire Marquis Anqing Residence was going to the Capital. This time, it¡¯s highly probable that the entire Zheng clan will be settling in the Capital, and they will not be returning to Qingzhou for the next few decades, which means that she, as the person who had been hidden away, would inevitably be left inside that underground room for the rest of eternity, so she could no longer repress herself.¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng nodded his head, ¡°The stupid girl did ask about it later, but the Oldest Young Lady didn¡¯t explain it to her detail. She had no choice, and she could only continue to help her. But for some unknown reason, she originally had the chance to act against Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª, but she did not do so during those instances¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knitted her brows upon hearing that statement, contemplating for a short while before stating: ¡°It looks like her human nature was obliterated, but she¡¯s still capable of distinguishing the main culprits. She saved the stupid girl, and the stupid girl saved her, so she also treated the stupid girl as her trusted aide. She has been locked up for so many years, and it¡¯s plausible that she remembers that this younger sister of hers was once locked up for numerous years, or perhaps, she wanted to leave her for last.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head as she said that. In the end, she could not comprehend how a heavenly gifted and utterly admirable person like her would feel after being locked underground due to an accident that arose from many causes, hence, she had no way of completely understanding everything. When she thought about how a pair of twin sisters who could have originally got along joyously and harmoniously had fallen on this piece of land, she could only sigh mournfully. The originator that buried the funerary dolls had never been the two of them.


    The real sisters never became sisters, and yet they had quite a bit of affinity with the stupid girl instead. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not doubt the stupid girl¡¯s words at all. During the frightening scene last night, the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª did not open her mouth to speak; she merely impressed upon people that she was cold, severe, and merciless, as though she did not possess the fear and soft-heartedness that ordinary people would have.


    But B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt that this definitely wasn¡¯t her full appearance, and in this world, perhaps only the stupid girl would know what kind of face the real Zh¨¨ng Y¨²n N¨ª had.


    Feeling slightly suffocated in her heart, she asked another question: ¡°Did the sisters open their mouths then?¡±


    H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng smiled sourly, ¡°The older one stopped speaking once she entered the prison cell. She understands what she¡¯s hearing, but she¡¯s unwilling to open her mouth. Her person is wooden and dazed for the most part, and she immediately displays vigilance and severity once someone steps closer, which is rather frightening, as if she isn¡¯t scared of being given a heavy sentence, and she can¡¯t be bothered to dispute it as well. The younger one is somewhat insane and possessed, her words oftentimes lined with resentful phrases, but when she was asked about the details from that year, she¡¯s barely coherent, and one fears that she has to be locked up for two more days to let her fully internalise her present circumstances.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u became silent as she ruminated over the Da Furen, finding it all the more lamentable at the bottom of her heart. Both of her daughters had made their mistakes, but this mother was wholly innocent; she was the figure that invoked the most heartache. In that moment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u even went as far as hoping that her illness would become more severe, severe to the point where she could completely forget all these heart-rendering issues, for it would be better if she could live out the rest of her life madly and foolishly, but at least it would be transiently happy.


    The pair were looking at each other wordlessly when they saw the Marquis Residence¡¯s gates open, only for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to walk out with a group of embroidered emissaries trailing behind him.


    Hastily, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng stepped forward to welcome him, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, xiaguan is here to send Hou¡¯ye out of the city¡­¡±


    Waving his hand, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u flipped onto the horseback once an embroidered emissary led his horse over, ¡°There¡¯s no need for a far send-off, parting ways here will suffice.¡± After giving a pause, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u added, ¡°Qingzhou¡¯s style of governance has received an excellent evaluation for the past three years, which indicates that H¨¨ daren has expended some effort and thought for Qingzhou¡¯s common folk. The path of an official should be as such; if the excellent evaluation is maintained for another two years, perhaps one might have the chance to meet benhou in the Capital.¡±


    These words happened to hold the same view as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s statement that he would have a meteoric career, and in addition to how this praise personally came from Marquis Wuzhao, it made H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng exceedingly happy. He immediately lifted his robe hems and knelt down, ¡°Xiaguan will never forget Hou¡¯ye instructions¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not utter another word. He swept a glance towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, then raised his horsewhip to ride to the south of the city first.


    Fu gonggong climbed onto his horseback as well before he said smilingly, ¡°B¨® guniang, what are [you] waiting for, we are setting off.¡±


    The horse carriage was prepared for B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, so she climbed on the horse carriage in a hurry, and she waved her hand at H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng before the group started moving forward.


    When the multicoloured sunlight broke through the first layer of clouds, only a mirthful question that Fu gonggong was directing towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could be heard, ¡°B¨® guniang, [you are] following us towards an unfamiliar land, do [you] feel afraid?¡±


    At the carriage window, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled and shook her head, then Fu gonggong peered at the frontmost, erect and broad back figure of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Then¡­ B¨® guniang, what do you think of our Hou¡¯ye¡­¡±

 CH 29

    Luozhou was northwest of Qingzhou and travelling there via horse carriage required five to six days. However, since an urgent case was being held up, and based on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s nature of passing like thunder and moving like the wind, it was highly likely that he wanted to spur the horses at full speed through the day and night, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s horse carriage could not go any faster.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, will [we] be stopping for the night?¡±


    Ever since they set off at daybreak, they did not stop to rest at all apart from feeding the horses. Upon seeing that the sun was lowering in the west, an embroidered emissary stepped forward to ask the question, to which Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wrinkled his eyebrows slightly.


    Fu gonggong said: ¡°One fears that there is no need to rush for the next two days. Ming gongzi and Xiao Shizi are still on the road, and the Ministry of Justice¡¯s Assistant Minister L¨ªn daren is terribly slow on the water route, so what¡¯s the point of us arriving early?¡±


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u listened to Fu gonggong¡¯s words, her brows twitched minutely. She did not know who the Gongzi and Shizi were, but she understood the term Ministry of Justice¡¯s Assistant Minister perfectly well. Therefore, this Luozhou case was not only being presided over by Marquis Wuzhao, but also the Assistant Minister of Justice, who was coming down south from the Capital, which amply displayed the gravitas of this case.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shifted his pupils, gaze landing on the horse carriage with a vermilion lacquered roof. The carriage was exquisite and sturdy, and while they hadn¡¯t stopped once for the whole day, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not issue a single word despite her paling complexion, and when they were eating in the afternoon, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was aware that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only ate a small half of a millet pancake. His gaze sank slightly, ¡°Upon reaching a hamlet at the front, search for a place to rest [our] feet.¡±


    Fu gonggong chuckled and responded, ¡°Not bad, not bad, laonu is on the verge of collapsing from fatigue after following Hou¡¯ye from the Capital to Qingzhou, and now [we] can slow down the pace a little. When all is said and done, the case happened ten years ago, what difference would it make even if it¡¯s delayed for a few days?¡±


    The space between Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows creased lightly. He raised his horsewhip, speeding ahead at an even faster pace.


    Fu gonggong smiled as he urged his horse to keep pace with the horse carriage so he could continue talking to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Travelling on the road was genuinely boring, and when they were travelling down south early on, he only had capable but reticent embroidered emissaries for company. He could forget about the exhaustion, but there wasn¡¯t even a single person that he could properly talk to. Now that there was the addition of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, Fu gonggong was genuinely happy, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u, you said that you had something to ask of Hou¡¯ye, what is the request you¡¯re going to make? Why don¡¯t you tell zajia, zajia can offer a few words of praise for you when the time comes around¡­¡±


    With the passing of the day, the goodwill that Fu gonggong felt towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had increased, going as far as asking her what her foster father called her during wu shi (11AM-1PM). Having considered himself her elder, he proceeded to call her Y¨­u Y¨­u.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s lips curved slightly upon hearing that question, ¡°One does not dare to trouble Gonggong. Because it isn¡¯t an ordinary request, it isn¡¯t exactly appropriate to state it explicitly before the business is resolved.¡±


    Fu gonggong raised an eyebrow, ¡°The business must be handled appropriately before one can speak, could it be that it is related to your coroner profession?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her head and smiled faintly, ¡°Gonggong thinking that way isn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    The evening sun was setting in the west, causing the golden twilight to spread across the mountain range. The further northwest they travelled, the thicker the remaining snow of the winter days were; the white snow on the two sides of the main road were more layered, extending outwards continuously. Sitting up high on the horseback, Fu gonggong chose not to continue pursuing the question since he could tell that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was being taciturn about the topic. He merely felt that her smile was sweet and clever, while her eyes were wrapped in ice and snow, which made his gaze soften even more in the moment, ¡°Your way of thinking is correct. Hou¡¯ye has always evaluated the merits before rewarding, but¡­¡±


    After hesitating briefly, Fu gonggong¡¯s tone of voice became stricter by a few degrees, ¡°But this case, it isn¡¯t easy to resolve ah.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head, her doubts apparent in her eyes. However, Fu gonggong glanced at the frontmost Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u before saying: ¡°When it comes to the official business, it¡¯s better to allow Hou¡¯ye to brief you, but there¡¯s no need for you to worry either. Since Hou¡¯ye brought you along on this trip, [your] chief duty is still examining the remains.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hummed in response, the seriousness at the bottom of her heart heightening by a smidgen. Although she had anticipated that this case would be different from normal cases, Fu gonggong¡¯s manner of speaking made her realise that it was going to be much harder than she initially estimated.


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    When the last shred of the evening sun lowered beneath the horizon, their group entered a small town.


    The embroidered emissary who recced the road said, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, this place is called Xiushui Town which has around a hundred households and two inns. Xiaoren has already booked the Laifu Inn, which has more empty rooms.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded wordlessly, then urged his horse to trot into the only long street in Xiushui Town.


    Xiushui Town was remote and most of the households were native commoners to this land. When they suddenly saw strangers appearing, all of them stepped out of their doors to take a look. Fortunately, all of the embroidered emissaries had changed into normal clothes today, so they were not as frightening. In the eyes of the public, they merely felt that some rich and honourable family was passing through the area again.


    They arrived at Laifu Inn very quickly. The large wine banners fluttered in the wind, outside was a large courtyard for the horses to rest and going inwards led to a two-storey building. Although it was simple and unadorned, the grey roof tiles and white walls were clean and tidy. When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s horse carriage went through the courtyard entrance, a young manservant immediately welcomed her.


    Once the hanging screen was raised, the young manservant had already placed down the step stool, ¡°One greets Furen¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was about to lower her body to alight the horse carriage when her complexion changed slightly due to that sentence. Meanwhile, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already reached the main hall¡¯s entrance, but he unconsciously frowned and looked over when he heard that address.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hurriedly said: ¡°I¡¯m not a Furen.¡±


    The young manservant was incredibly quick-witted, ¡°Ah¡­ Then Shao Furen¡­¡±


    The inn was located at the top of the town, accepting guests that were heading further north from the south. Whenever there were womenfolk, they would usually be accompanying family members, which was why the young manservant presumed that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u must have a respected and noble identity since she was sitting in the horse carriage, and that she was either a Furen or Shao Furen.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u furrowed her brows helplessly, whereas Fu gonggong nearly fell over laughing from the entire proceeding. He coughed lightly before he said: ¡°Do not randomly recognise people, this is our family¡¯s xiaojie (Young Lady).¡±


    The young manservant¡¯s complexion became awkward for a second, ¡°Gongzi moves like a dragon and has the posture of a phoenix, and xiaojie is elegant and pretty, they genuinely look like¡­ Xiaojie, please forgive, it was xiaoren whose eyes are dull, please come inside¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood at the hall entrance, the knit of his brows becoming even tighter as he continued to listen, but he did not say a single word as he stepped into the hall after shooting Fu gonggong a terse look. Of course, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not dare to answer to the ¡®xiaojie¡¯, and she looked at Fu gonggong with some wariness after getting off the carriage.


    On the other hand, Fu gonggong stepped forward and took her arm in a humble manner, ¡°If it isn¡¯t stated that way, people are going to start treating you as our Shao Furen on this journey.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was suddenly reminded of the scene where Zh¨¨ng Xi¨¡o insisted on saying that she was the Marquis¡¯ wife. This comparison did make Fu gonggong¡¯s address of xiaojie appear less frightening, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s stern gaze had landed on her face just now, and she knew that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u must have felt offended. In all honesty, did she look like she was very happy to hear it?


    After entering through the hall doors, she saw the manager of the inn speaking solicitously in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°There are three principal rooms, which happens to allow gongzi and xiaojie to occupy one room each, that¡­ elderly, can stay alone too. There are five other second-grade rooms, and it should be enough to accommodate the older brother guards. Should dinner be sent to the rooms, or will it be eaten outside?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was already walking up to the second floor, ¡°Send it to the rooms.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gait was fast enough to cause wind, and Fu gonggong hurriedly brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to catch up with him. Once they reached the second-floor landing, they saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stopping in the middle of the principal rooms before he pointed at the room at the end, ¡°You can stay there.¡±


    This sentence was directed to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and she verbally complied. Upon shifting his eyes, they saw the manger wearing a strange expression as he looked at them, as if he felt that their relationship was not very sibling-like. Fu gonggong pointed at the room at the end, ¡°Move, move, move, go and have a look¡ª¡±


    It was also at this moment where a male and female walked through the main doors downstairs. The pair looked like they were a married couple in their early thirties. The woman was wearing a small, worried frown on her face as she uttered, ¡°A perfectly alright Buddhist Conference, and yet it was cancelled just on word alone, how is this acceptable?¡±


    The man at the side supported her waist as he comforted her, ¡°We can only come again next year, if that doesn¡¯t work, we can just go to the Capital¡¯s Xiangguo Temple¡­¡±


    The pair had a foreign dialect, and their volume was loud as well. After they said those words, they realised there were a lot of people inside the hall, and when they noticed the two sword-carrying embroidered emissaries standing near the stairs, their expressions changed, and they quickly returned to their room.


    The manager turned his head back, only to see B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Fu gonggong standing there, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had yet to enter the door as well, so he smiled and explained in a low voice, ¡°The pair checked in yesterday, and they were planning to go to the Famen Temple in Xixia Mountain to pray for a son, but they only learned that the Famen Temple¡¯s Buddhist Conference wasn¡¯t going to be held this year after they reached this area today. They stayed behind for a day, wanting to see if the news will change, but it looks like they are planning to go back soon.¡±


    The manager sighed when he spoke to this point, ¡°When the Famen Temple holds a Buddhist Conference every year, this inn of zaixia will be fully occupied every day as well, but because the Buddhist Conference isn¡¯t being held this year, zaixia¡¯s inn has become quieter as well.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had stayed in Qingzhou for ten years, so she was naturally aware of the famous reputation that the Famen Temple in Xixia Mountain boasted.


    The Great Zhou Dynasty placed great importance on Buddhism and was lighter on the Tao, which was why there was not a single aristocratic family who did not pray to the Buddha, to say nothing of the Imperial Family who had the habit of making offerings to Buddhist Temples. The Capital¡¯s Xiangguo Temple was built a hundred years ago by craftsmen on a Great Ancestor¡¯s orders, and presently, it had already become the most well-known Buddhist Temple in Great Zhou.


    Whereas this Famen Temple had a more far-reaching reputation before Xiangguo Temple was built; Famen Temple had the name of being the best Buddhist Temple underneath the Heavens back when the previous dynasty placed less importance on Buddhism, and its annual Ten Thousand Buddhist Conference was a tradition that had been passed down for more than a hundred years. Not only did worshippers both near and far from Luozhou come over, but even the people from the Capital and neighbouring countries would travel over to pray for blessings.


    But why was it being cancelled without any rhyme or reason this year?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had some suspicions, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had turned around and entered his room. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated, but she did not say more in the end. She was following Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u on this trip and she had to be prudent with every uttered word and phrase; she should not inquire about things that she should not be prying into.


    Fu gonggong patted B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s arm, ¡°Go and rest, Y¨­u Y¨­u.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed, pivoting on her heels to enter the room at the end of the corridor.


    The shroud of night colours had descended. Upon pushing open the windows, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could see the residual snow in the back and front courtyard, and a few old willow trees with interweaving branches that rooted beside a pond, if she was closer, perhaps she could perceive the soft shoots on the branches.


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    Dinner was sent over very quickly and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u finished all of it in an efficient manner, and because Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hadn¡¯t called for her, she decided to take a bath and rest up. However, before she could finish her bath, knocks suddenly rang out at her door, which made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u abruptly plunge into the bathtub, and even her heartbeat was slightly panicked.


    Outside the door, Fu gonggong said, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u, come over for a bit.¡±


    Heaving a sigh of relief, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hastily responded in the positive before she swiftly climbed out, wiped down her body, and changed into her clothes. When she eventually reached Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s room door, her hair was loosely coiled, and the ends were still dripping water.


    She knocked on the door, and in the next second, the door opened.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s lapels were slightly loose and he was still in a comfortable and leisurely black overcoat. In the instant where he caught sight of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, the arch of his eyebrows twitched.


    Since she had just bathed, even her eyelashes seemed to be damp. Her cheeks were faintly dusted with a pinkish hue, her lips in light reds, and a few strands of ink-dark hair which wasn¡¯t pulled together, had fallen on the sides of her cheeks, thus contrasting with her bright eyes and white teeth. The skin on her cheeks and sides of her neck appeared to have a dewy and gem-like lustre, and a dark fragrance was being faintly emitted.


    By no jest, she had flesh of ice and bones of jade, cut out of snow in tribute to God.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s clothes were worn in an exceedingly tidy fashion, and because she left her room in a rush, her expression still harboured some anxiousness. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s grip on the door tightened slightly before he retracted his line of sight, turned around, and walked inside.


    ¡°Skies above, why isn¡¯t [your] hair dried yet.¡± Fu gonggong was busy keeping the documents that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u brought on his person, and upon seeing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u walking in while she was dripping wet, he immediately sighed, ¡°It¡¯s so cold outside, you¡¯re going to harm yourself from the chill by doing this.¡± As he said that, he unexpectedly moved to the side to pick up a square towel before he pointed at the stool beside the round table, ¡°Sit down¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had just closed the door, and she was slightly hesitant upon seeing that. It could not be denied that she felt cold; although the weather had been warming up over the past few days, the remaining snow was not completely melted yet, and the night happened to be the coldest period. Her hair was still dripping water because she did not have the time to dry it, and she only felt that it was very lacking in manners, but she did not expect that Fu gonggong would show her such concern.


    However, she did not dare to move, only looking at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, who was standing in front of the window, with some fearful reverence.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s side profile was facing her, and his gaze had also landed outside the window.


    Fu gonggong smiled helplessly, going forward to pull her towards the stool to make her sit down, ¡°What are [you] being afraid of Hou¡¯ye for? Who was the person that said that she wasn¡¯t afraid of Hou¡¯ye?¡±


    Having her secret exposed in said person¡¯s presence caused B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to become slightly fidgety, but who could have anticipated that Fu gonggong would dry her hair as he remarked: ¡°When zajia was taking care of the Elder Princess back then, the Elder Princess praised zajia for having the best hand at hair brushing¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt a sword at her back.


    The Elder Princess was also Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s birth mother, and the biological younger sister of the current Emperor. Fu gonggong had taken care of the Elder Princess, but what virtue and capability did she have?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was about to stand up when Fu gonggong pressed her down. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, zajia regards you like a little niece, there¡¯s no need to be a stranger to zajia¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was rather embarrassed, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ does not dare to accept that honour.¡±


    Fu gonggong laughed wordlessly, only continuing to help her dry her hair. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u glanced at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s back figure, ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye have any instructions?¡±


    It was only then that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned his body with narrowed eyes, peering at her with an unfathomable gaze. This kind of gaze was oppressive and compelling, and the sense of aggressiveness was almost tangible, which threw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart into a mess.


    ¡°Able to ride a horse?¡±


    With that question, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u immediately came to an understanding. The horse carriage was still too slow, she was dragging down everyone.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s lips thinned slightly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u replied, ¡°[We] will be riding horses tomorrow, it is not good to delay the Luozhou case.¡±


    Fu gonggong also chimed in at this moment: ¡°Although this case is an old case, someone died recently, and it is incredibly urgent.¡±


    Fu gonggong was rather unhurried during the day, and perhaps because they had received another piece of news at night, it had similarly compelled him into thinking that they should pick up the pace. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u responded, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ understands, min¡¯n¨¹ knows how to ride a horse.¡±


    It seemed like she was called over for this issue, and since the command had been given, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started to hesitate if she should take her leave. However, Fu gonggong said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, perhaps the details of the case should be laid out?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u pondered briefly before he walked over to the writing desk and sat down, ¡°You should have heard it just now, the Famen Temple¡¯s Buddhist Conference will not be held this year.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart moved as Fu gonggong continued to speak for him, ¡°For this case, the place that we are going to is the Famen Temple.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed another question, ¡°Are you aware of the relationship between the Famen Temple and the Imperial Family?¡±


    Some circulating rumours flashed past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mind, but she was not certain about any of them. Hence, she shook her head, to which Fu gonggong explained: ¡°The Famen Temple was the Buddhist Temple with the most famous reputation in the previous dynasty. Besides its long history and the numerous senior monks it has produced, it is also because it has an underground palace, and within that underground palace, is where the ?ar¨©ra ¨C Buddhist relics which have been found among the cremated ashes of a Buddha ¨C is being enshrined and worshipped.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s refined eyebrows raised slightly, she heard about this.


    Fu gonggong continued to say, ¡°When the previous dynasty perished, the underground palace was nearly destroyed by bandits, and it was only until our dynasty where the Great Ancestor ordered for the renovation and repairing of the underground palace. Moreover, the underground palace is only opened once every three decades, and borrowing the true effigy of the Buddha, a religious assembly to pray for blessings will be held, to pray for the peace and prosperity of our Great Zhou and its people.


    ¡°The last time the underground palace was opened was ten years ago. His Majesty went there in person back then, and he even brought half of the hundred civil and military officials of the court to this very temple. The entire religious ceremony went by very smoothly, but when the ?ar¨©ra was supposed to be placed back in the underground palace on the last day, the ?ar¨©ra disappeared. That pearl-like ?ar¨©ra is rumoured to be the true effigy of the Buddha, and the religious ceremony has always possessed the intent of praying for the country¡¯s peace and prosperity, but the ?ar¨©ra was lost in the end. Back then, His Majesty had flown into a great rage, and even fell ill because of it.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not help but ask: ¡°Could it be that this trip is being made for the sake of chasing down that ?ar¨©ra?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said, ¡°For the past ten years, there has been an ongoing effort to track down the ?ar¨©ra, except disappearing together with ?ar¨©ra that year, was Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng, who was in charge of Famen Temple. Hence, for all these years, it has been rumoured that Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng had selfishly stolen that pearl-like ?ar¨©ra because he wanted to seek the Buddha¡¯s origin. However, just a month ago, Famen Temple discovered a set of skeletal remains, and according to his disciple¡¯s account, that set of skeletal remains probably belongs to Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng who had disappeared ten years ago.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u came to a sudden epiphany. Luozhou reported this to the court a month ago, which prompted Emperor Jianhe to order Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to personally investigate this matter. Later on, he was entrusted with Marquis Xinyang¡¯s faith so he made a detour, but everything was ultimately for the Luozhou case.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice became a degree stricter, ¡°If the skeletal remains truly belong to Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng, then the timing of his death is a cause of suspicion. If the events which happened that year can be fully elucidated, perhaps the long lost ?ar¨©ra can be found. For all these years, the outside world has been completely unaware that the ?ar¨©ra was lost, and the annual Ten Thousand Buddhist Conference continued to be held as per normal, but it was cancelled this time around because the skeletal remains were discovered. Keep this knowledge to yourself, do not tell it to anyone else.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u immediately complied, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to state: ¡°Apart from benhou, there are still a few court officials that were in-charge of arranging the Grand ?ar¨©ra Religious Praying Ceremony. After that incident happened that year, they were included in the list of suspects, but nothing came out of the investigation, and it wasn¡¯t desirable to blow the matter out of proportion, so it was concealed first. After the information was sent back to the Capital, they have already been ordered to rush to Famen Temple together.¡±


    Unconsciously, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression became more solemn by two parts.


    That would explain why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u travelled a thousand miles south, it turns out it was for this case. There had always been rumours about the Famen Temple¡¯s underground palace enshrining relics from the cremated ashes of a Buddha, although it would only be used by the Royal Clan and Imperial Family during the religious praying ceremony which happened once every thirty years. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to attend, and in addition to how it was only opened once every three decades, the reputation of the event was not as big as the annual Buddhist Conference. However, this matter was related to the Imperial Family, the ?ar¨©ra was lost, and the senior monk who was presiding over it might have died a long time ago; when all the factors were considered, this case genuinely needed Marquis Wuzhao to personally oversee it.


    Upon seeing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes had congealed, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Your main task is to examine the bones. The person has been dead for many years, and the final conclusion as to whether it is Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng has not been made.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u responded in the affirmative, but she could not resist asking, ¡°But Gonggong previously mentioned that someone just died?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes sank slightly, ¡°The person directly responsible for this case was the old Prefectural Magistrate of Luozhou, and he was later promoted to take up a post in the Capital as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice. He originally declared that he was returning to his homeland three years ago, but after learning that Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s bones had been found, he was called to Luozhou again. A piece of news was delivered last night, stating that two days after his arrival to Luozhou, he fell off the back mountain of Famen Temple and died.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mind tensed. She had yet to see the corpse, but she could perceive that something was awry just from hearing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s speech. The old Prefectural Magistrate was perfectly fine and yet he died from falling off a mountain precipice; was this an accident or man-made?


    ¡°This case might be more complicated than the case of Marquis Anqing Residence, since it involves the Imperial Family and several court officials, and it can be considered a national affair. You have to be cautious.¡± After giving a pause, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u uttered, ¡°If nothing can be concluded, benhou will not blame you either.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hands curled tightly within her sleeves, ¡°Yes, min¡¯n¨¹ understands.¡±


    She was fully informed of the case details, but Fu gonggong was not done drying B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hair. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glowered at Fu gonggong for a moment, his eyebrows knitting together impatiently, which unsettled B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quite a bit. Attending her duties at Marquis Anqing Residence and following Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u were two vastly different things; since she was following him at every moment, she was becoming increasingly aware that the rumours about his temperament and unfathomable nature were true.


    ¡°Many thanks to gonggong, if Hou¡¯ye has nothing else to instruct, min¡¯n¨¹ will take her leave.¡±


    In a sensible manner, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stood up, and only heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hum in response. She bowed with womanly obeisance, thanked Fu gonggong again, and then she turned around to depart, even making sure that door was closed properly.please read this on yuulation dot wordpress dot com


    Fu gonggong looked at the towel in his hands with a sour expression, ¡°Why does Hou¡¯ye have to be so frightening?¡±


    On the contrary, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shot him a cold look, ¡°If Mother heard that ¡®xiaojie¡¯ address of yours, do you know how she will react?¡±


    Fu gonggong put down the towel as he sighed, ¡°Is Hou¡¯ye trying to berate laonu? Laonu merely feels that her age is similar, which is why some thoughts stirred¡­¡±


    Despite his explanation, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression did not relax at all, ¡°She has nothing to do with you and I; after this business ends, she will go elsewhere, and what will you do when the time comes around? It¡¯s fortunate that she has a sense of propriety, otherwise the goodwill that you are showing her will only harm her.¡±


    Although Fu gonggong was a slave, his status was far greater than an ordinary person. If a normal girl were to receive his concern as an elder, most of them would definitely feel touched, and in addition to how he was a trusted aide of Marquis Wuzhao, it was highly likely that they would start having other thoughts.


    Fu gonggong said smilingly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye is the best at perceiving a person¡¯s heart; since it has been realised that Y¨­u Y¨­u is clever and abides by the protocol, why is there the need to worry about these? Laonu keeps getting the sense that he has an affinity with her, and since [we] will be going separate ways after this case, wouldn¡¯t it only make sense for laonu to treat her with more kindness for the next few days? Furthermore, she isn¡¯t Hou¡¯ye¡¯s subordinate, not in the sense of the word, and it¡¯s not as though laonu can order her around by pointing at her chin?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scowled since he was being blocked by those words, whereas Fu gonggong stepped forward, and his manner of speaking was more intimate and softer than when he was speaking to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°My Hou¡¯ye, this place is neither the court nor the battlefield; she is just a little girl, there is no need to weigh each and every thing.¡±


    After hearing those words, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not exhibit any severeness or speak tersely even if he wanted to. He shook his head helplessly, ¡°Garrulous¡ª¡±


    After saying that, he rose to his feet and went to rest. His back figure was still erect, broad, and robust; able to support both the heaven and earth with his indomitable spirit, causing winds with every step, but there was still some dim, youthful air. Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, his family¡¯s Marquis was just twenty and three ah.


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    After a night of shallow sleep, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly woke up just as movement sounded in the room that was next to hers. She got out of bed and freshened up in an efficient manner, and by the time she carried her clothed bundle and exited the door, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was also coming out from his room. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly bowed and paid her respects.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u inspected her from head to toe, wanting to say something only to suppress it in the end. After they had their breakfast downstairs, the group moved out of the hall and prepared the horses before setting off on the journey again.


    A docile black horse ¨C which was well-built but not overly tall ¨C was prepared for B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u flipped his body to straddle the horseback before he turned his head to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. With his pointed look, the other dozen embroidered emissaries including Fu gonggong, also looked towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u in succession.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gritted her teeth, trembling and faltering as she climbed on the horseback. Although her movements were slightly rigid, she could still sit stably on top, and her grasp of the whip and reins could be considered as adept. After making those observations, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u finally withdrew his gaze and urged his horse forward.


    Without the horse carriage, their footpace was a lot faster, but just as they hit noon, cold sweat was already starting to form on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s forehead.


    Her horsemanship was decent, but she had never ridden a horse across a long distance. It was just half a day of travelling and her arms felt like they weighed down by lead and her inner thighs were stinging with pain; by the time dusk arrived, she basically felt like her entire body was no longer her own. However, at that time, the embroidered emissary reported something that turned all her hopes into dust.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there are no villages or hamlets fifty miles from this point, one fears that it will be difficult to find a footfall tonight.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said indifferently, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, [we] will continue on the road through the night.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only felt that she was being blasted with a huge impact. At this moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked over, ¡°Able to persist?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s face was dripping with sweat. Her heart squeezed as she nodded heavily, ¡°Yes.¡±


    For some unknown reason, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u took two additional glances at her before he shifted his gaze away. He raised his whip swiftly, ¡°Within three days, [we] have to reach Luozhou!¡± Before his voice fully landed, he was already speeding along like an arrow.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sucked in a mouthful of cold air, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped onto the reins. Her thighs were in so much pain that it had gone numb, and she was struggling to step on the pedals properly. However, an arrow fired from a bow could not be retrieved; if she said that she could not persist right now, it was unknown what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would do.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to grit her teeth without relaxing once, and even when the curtain of night had fallen, the group¡¯s speed did not decrease at all, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would only slow the horse¡¯s speed whenever he had commands, or he was talking to the embroidered emissaries. Apart from that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u scarcely saw his back figure, and unbeknownst to her, a clear moon had risen to the middle of the sky. Cold sweat was rolling down her cheeks, and even her lapels were soaked with sweat.


    She did not know how much time had passed, but she abruptly snapped back to her senses when she heard Fu gonggong calling her from a distance. She raised her head to look. It turns out that she had unknowingly fallen behind by a wide margin, and she immediately tried to raise her whip to move faster, but the hands that had fallen to her side seemed to be broken because she could not raise it. Her body on the horseback swayed, noise pounded beside her ears, and she could not even hear what Fu gonggong said next.


    Just as she felt her vision darken sporadically, she saw a human and horse galloping towards her. They were moving exceedingly fast, and in a few moments¡¯ work, they arrived in front of her. Borrowing the bright moonlight, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u finally managed to discern that the person was Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows were furrowed as he looked at her, ¡°Can [you] still persist?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u panted roughly as she nodded her head subconsciously. However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not move as he stared at her for a few seconds. All of a sudden, he said: ¡°Get off the horse.¡±


    At that moment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s typical agile response had fled her. Looking dazed, she opened her mouth a few times, trying to process Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s words before she eventually released the reins in an attempt to get off the horse. However, just as she moved, a piercing pain shot through her thighs, hurting so badly that it made her small face scrunch into a ball, and uncontrollable tears started to well at the rim of her eyes¡ª


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not realise that her eyes were wet because her hands could not hold the saddle. In the next moment, her body lost its equilibrium, and just as she was about to take the fall, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, being keen-sighted and deft-handed, supported her, but the pain that the chaffing caused genuinely squeezed out a tear from her eye corner.


    The clear illumination flooded the earth, and with her body half-raised, even Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could see that single teardrop at a glance. His irises darkened and the hand he was using to support B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stiffened momentarily. However, when he noticed that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s legs were still oddly deadlocked in its initial appearance, his brows abruptly twitched. Unexpectedly, he stretched his hand out and lifted B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hemline.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was on the brink of fainting due to the pain, but she never expected that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would turn into a lecher at this time. Her eyes widened abruptly as she gripped onto Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s wrist, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u completely ignored her resistance, only taking heed of what was below her hemline. Upon seeing traces of bloodstains on her snow-white undergarments, he wrinkled his brows.

 CH 30

    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s wrist seemed to be as hard as iron; although B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s delicate fingers proved to have little effect when it curled around him, her eyes were filled to the brim with intermingling shock and anger. The gentleness on her countenance disappeared instantaneously, and she appeared rather cold and imposing.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u put down her hemline with a rustle, ¡°When benhou saw your get-up in the morning, [I] already knew that it was inappropriate, and originally assumed that you wouldn¡¯t be able to persist for too long, but you actually endured through the entire journey.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u relaxed her grip on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s hand, quickly gasping for air again. It was too painful, she was really in too much pain; it was to the extent where she could feel the skin that had been rubbed off, and how the blood from the injury was sticking to her undergarments, only to be forcibly peeled apart just now.


    A teardrop was still hanging at the corner of her eye, and her face proceeded to lower when she heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s words as if she was blaming herself, but she was still pursing her lips with some stubbornness. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at her for a second before he hauled her from her saddle to his front.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s weight was close to a hundred, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s arm strength was shocking since he managed to make her sit sideways on his horseback as effortlessly as blowing dust away. He urged his horse to trot a few steps as he shouted, ¡°Bring over the ointment¡ª¡±


    He had served in the military since he was a youth, was later titled as Marquis Wuzhao and controlled the embroidered emissaries. For the bigger part of the year, he would always run around for Emperor Jianhe, and consequently, the preparations he had at hand whenever he was travelling were very thorough. Soon after, a bottle of ointment was handed to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked left and right before bringing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to the forest at the side on the horse.


    There was a pine forest at the side of this road and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u moved deeper into the foliage by thirty metres or so before he stopped the horse in front a scattering of bluestones. Then, he flipped off his horse and held onto B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s waist to haul her down.


    The word ¡®haul¡¯ was used only because he really did not feel much weight in his hands. Just as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s feet touched the ground, he proceeded to loosen his hands, and she staggered, nearly falling down again. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his hand, revealing the ointment that was lying in his palm. ¡°Apply the medicine quickly.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u blinked owlishly as she looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, which caused Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows to furrow, ¡°You have some medical knowledge, could it be that you also want benhou to help you¡ª¡±


    Without waiting for him to finish speaking, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u grabbed the ointment and started to limp behind the bluestones.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood at the side of the bluestones, his expression indecipherable.


    He was not surprised that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was injured; let alone a pampered and delicate lady, even new soldiers who had just stepped on the battlefield had to go through this experience before their muscles scabbed over and formed calluses, which spared them from the same degree of hardship. It was not that there were no methods to take tender care of her, it was just that he had been in power for many years and the people following him were also iron-blooded men; to make him, the dignified Marquis Wuzhao, worry and trouble himself over such a trivial matter, well, there really wasn¡¯t any reason for him to go so far.


    The moon¡¯s splendour was quiet and serene like water, casting down the dark shadows of the leafed canopy. The smell of pine rosin assaulted his nose, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u kept catching a whiff of another kind of floral fragrance. He knew that this was B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s bodily fragrance.


    For a moment, the image of the bloodstains on her moon-white undergarments emerged in his mind again. Although this small injury was not worth mentioning to him, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was a girl, she was wearing an agonised expression just now, and she even shed a tear.


    Rather than describe her as sad and beautiful in her grievance, she was very restrained instead, and it was more than likely that she was not even aware that she was crying. However, the way she gritted her teeth and endured the pain made him remember some snippets of the long past, of uproars and pervasive blood air.


    Suddenly, amidst the silence where a pin drop could be heard, the rustling of female clothing which was incomparably distinct suddenly rang out. The pair were only partitioned off by a rock, and he was naturally cognizant of what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was doing right now.


    Turning his head, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at the gigantic bluestone that was nearly one person tall, the depths of his eyes glinting with uncertainty.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s injury was in a private area, and when she thought about how Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had casually hoisted her skirt like he was lifting a hanging screen, anger surged from her heart. Who would believe that the impressive Marquis Wuzhao who was famous for his fighting prowess, would actually be this improper!


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u applied the ointment as tears sprung from her eyes, but she remembered that there were people waiting outside, so she did not dare to delay. She finished applying the medicine while gritting her teeth, causing more cold sweat to sheet her body. Very quickly, she limped out from the bluestone again.


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    When she came out, she discovered that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was unexpectedly gone.


    The forest was quiet, the moonlight limpid. Even though she was slightly angry at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, he did give her medicine and bring her into the forest instead of leaving her to fend for herself. Now that his person was gone, she could not help but panic in her heart.


    ¡°Can [you] still walk?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice rang out from another direction.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked over swiftly. When she saw that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was holding a waterskin, she immediately understood that he went to fetch some water just now. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came to a stop in front of her, his brows wrung together, ¡°Even if it was beyond [your] limits just now, were [you] just going to grit your teeth and endure?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s face lowered, only feeling that she was slowing everyone down.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u simply offered her waterskin before taking out another medicine pill with an indistinguishable colour and lustre, ¡°Eat it.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head to peer at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u before she swallowed the medicinal pill with two mouthfuls of cold water in one smooth motion. A hint of satisfaction seeped into Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s countenance, then he turned and walked to the horse¡¯s side to hang the waterskin before flipping onto the horse.


    He was seated on an entirely glossy black, tall and divinely spirited horse that was at the peak of its health, and it was currently snorting through its nose. Although it had been galloping for the entire day, it did not show the slightest sign of fatigue. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sat on its horseback, all tall and lofty, and when he saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u walking past him to head outwards, he said impatiently, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u halted in her footsteps to look back at him. Narrowing his eyes, he urged his horse two steps forward, and upon reaching B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s side, he leaned over and scooped her up, thus hauling her to his front. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s pupils dilated, her words hitting the tip of tongue, but she heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u speak first: ¡°Are you planning to walk to Famen Temple on your own?¡±


    He was already whipping his horse forward as he spoke, and the pair exited the forest very quickly. During that period of time, all the embroidered emissaries had gotten off their horses to rest, and it was a rare chance to take a breather. Upon seeing the pair come out, Fu gonggong greeted them in a hurry, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Y¨­u Y¨­u is injured?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt slightly stifled, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stupid to the extreme,¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u interrupted with palpable displeasure.


    Fu gonggong¡¯s brows raised, his eyes shifting, ¡°Then¡­ Hou¡¯ye is¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue in such a manner. The night is already deep, and it will be hard to find a place to rest [our] feet.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u lowered his eyes after saying that, and like he had expected, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was hanging her head down. From his perspective, he could only see her lashes fanning out from her eyelids to form shadows underneath. Her emotions could not be perceived from her eyes, but the tip of her nose was pale from the cold, her thin lips were tinged green, and her mouth corners were tightly pursed.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hit the horse and sped forward, and Fu gonggong and the embroidered emissaries followed suit by getting on their horses. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s horse was freed from any burden, so it became happier instead.


    This was the first time B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was this close to a man; even the foster father who had raised her for more than ten years only hugged her when she was a child. Hence, when she was enveloped in Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s valiant aura which was akin to a lofty mountain, her breathing became lighter by three parts.


    She was seated sideways in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, back and shoulders rigid, and her visage stretched taut. Owing to how she did not dare to lean on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, her body was straightened like a wooden pestle. Without any reliance or place to settle, she jolted and swayed with the horse, and not a moment later, she heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in a chilly voice: ¡°Is benhou going to eat you or something?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only felt her scalp numb, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is stupid¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u essentially felt that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was using his words to silence him, and he unexpectedly barked out an irritated laugh in response. His gaze lowered again to see B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows and eyes drooping down a little, and her delicate ears and fair neck were exposed to him. His phoenix eyes squinted slightly, and in the next second, he raised his hand to pull the hood of her cloak over her head, instantaneously covering her whole head in a firm and thorough fashion before he adjusted her posture in his arms, so that there was less of a swaying and rocking hard figure in front of him.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not utter a word, and he could not see her demeanour, nor did he know what expression she was making. He only sensed that the person in his arms was tense at first, but she did not have the strength to keep it taut for a long duration, so her body proceeded to soften and lean into his chest.


    When the cloak covered her, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u exhaled in relief immediately, as if it was a curtain that blocked out Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s aura. With this curtain, her body and mind relaxed by half. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s chest was broad and warm, and while his entire person appeared gloomy and callous, his arms were neither loose nor tight as it wrapped around her, protecting her in its confines, which inexplicably brought her peace.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sighed in the bottom of her heart. Forget it, forget it, what could she do? He was ennobled as Marquis Wuzhao, and he saved her life; she should not excoriate him for his improper conduct, and she feared that raising a woman¡¯s skirt hem was no different from taking off a man¡¯s clothes in the depths of his heart.


    After persuading herself for a short while, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u leaned into Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u without any burdens and started to laze off secretly. Disregarding everything else, she could at least endure through the night with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u bringing her along.


    The pair were riding the same horse and they were travelling through the night, so Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u decreased the galloping speed slightly. After a smaller part of the double-hour passed, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u realised that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was leaning even closer to him, and upon listening in carefully with rapt attention, he discovered that her breathing was soft and drawn-out, she actually¡ª fell asleep!


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u felt like he was going to laugh out of anger because of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u once more. Just  moments ago, she looked utterly unwilling, and now she was leaning on him and sleeping without any qualms, she truly had a courageous spirit!


    Involuntarily, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u reduced the horse¡¯s speed more before he raised his eyes to look at the bright moon at the side of the sky. Suddenly, he felt like he hadn¡¯t hastened on his journey like this in a very long time; even when there were stars out at night, he would be travelling at double speed, since all the cases were of paramount importance. He did not know what toil was, and the people that followed him, gradually became cast iron as well. He lowered his eyes again, the person in his embrace was not forged out of iron, and not just that, he came to learn that women being delicate and boneless was not said in jest.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s arms constricted even more.


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    When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u eventually woke up, she could already see the light of day breaking out of the clouds, since they were currently passing through a mountain summit. Just as she rubbed her sleep hazy eyes, she saw the morning sun spilling out from the horizon, like a bright red smear that ignited the sovereign dawn clouds, the continuous green jade mountains, and the distant, wide and open plains. In that moment, everything in thirty thousand fathoms was illuminated.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pulled down her cloak, raising her face to welcome the multicoloured lights of sunrise, ¡°How beautiful¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where is its beauty?¡±


    ¡°The morning sun is like fire, the mountains and rivers are pure and quiet, and we can admire it from the summit. It must be the work of Gods that can make the human heart and soul tremble, I have never¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s awe-filled praises broke off, her complexion becoming slightly rigid all of a sudden. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u issued an ¡°oh¡±, indescribably dark and contemplative, ¡°Never what? Why did [you] stop talking?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s hot breath landed on the top of her hair as he talked, which caused a wave of numbness to go down her back. She must have become muddled in her sleep, she actually forgot that she was on Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s horseback. What ¡°we¡±, what ¡°I¡±, she was honestly too impudent!


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u tensed her neck as she said cautiously, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹¡­ has never admired the sunrise. Although she frequently sees the morning sun, standing on the summit among a range of mountains widens the field of view, and it is vastly different.¡±


    She straightened her body as she spoke, and her tone of voice was bereft of its excitement.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said faintly, ¡°How is it different?¡±


    His manner of speaking was unfluctuating, but it gave the impression that he was testing her, like he was searching for a gap in her speech. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was nervous for a moment, ¡°Apart from the meteorological features of the Heaven and Earth being the work of Gods, min¡¯n¨¹ is capable of having the heart to admire the scenery because Great Zhou and its people are peaceful and prosperous; with regards to the calmness of the seas and the limpidness of the rivers, the contributions that Hou¡¯ye has made cannot go unnoticed, min¡¯n¨¹ feels rather fortunate for the common masses of Great Zhou.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u let out a short laugh, ¡°Smoothing the whiskers and patting a horse¡¯s bottom, was it H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng who taught you that?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u blinked her eyes, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is speaking from the bottom of her heart.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice relaxed by three parts as he opened his mouth to sneer faintly, ¡°A young woman like you, what do you know of a country¡¯s prosperity and the commoners¡¯ peace?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not resist raising her eyes to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u happened to lower his eyes to glance at her as well. Their eyes met, their breaths intermingled, and the shocked B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly lowered her eyes again. However, she composed herself and said: ¡°A young woman like min¡¯n¨¹ might have experienced the early passing of her parents, but she has grown up smoothly; the skills that she learned are not ordinary, but it has been put to full use as well. Min¡¯n¨¹ is neither from great wealth nor high nobility, but she knows contentment, peace, and happiness; she does not blame the sovereign king above, nor does she detest those close and adjacent; now she rides on top of the Marquis¡¯ horseback, with the heart to admire the broad and mighty morning sun, while feeling content for the people of Great Zhou because of it, isn¡¯t that precisely because the country is prosperous and at peace?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not utter another word of scrutiny or ridicule.


    Noticing that he was keeping his silence, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not resist raising her eyes to peer at him. From her lower perspective, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s facial features were handsome, resolute, and without competition; his phoenix eyes were staring at the horizon in a profound manner, the red clouds reflecting into the depths of his eyes, like the magnificent mountains and rivers that had also fallen into his eyes.


    Like it was within his grasp.


    Before B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had the time to retract her line of sight, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already lowered his eyes to look at her, ¡°If everyone thinks like you do, then the country would truly be prosperous and at peace.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not in a hurry to lower her gaze this time around as she stared back at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instead. It had always been difficult to discern emotions in his eyes, but at this moment, she seemed to catch a glimpse of the boundary of those profound depths. Without any preamble, she opened her mouth and asked: ¡°Has Hou¡¯ye read the Lotus Sutra?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not know why she was asking this question, and he merely arched his eyebrows as he asked: ¡°When benhou was serving in the military, corpses floated up the battlefield by the hundred thousand, do you think benhou would cultivate in the path of Buddhism?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not deterred by his words. Rather, she continued to speak in a calm and unhurried manner, ¡°There is a line in the Lotus Sutra that goes, ¡®To pass on one lamp to all lamps, and ten thousand lamps will all be bright at the end¡¯. Hou¡¯ye¡¯s wish is the same.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s beautiful eyes were like stars, bright and glittering. When she was having reservations, the bottom of her eyes seemed to be contaminated with the thin vapour from the Lancang River, or it was like the moonlight that had been caged by smoke, thus making it indistinct. However, when she was free of reservations, and utterly devoted to you, those eyes were akin to a clear, deep pond, of which the bottom could be perceived; it could only, and would only, hold you alone.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was rendered speechless. In the next moment, he abruptly raised his hand to cover B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes, and in the moment after that, he brought the hood up and covered her head again. His whip raised, and he galloped down the mountain like an arrow leaving the bowstring!


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    They spent the entire day rushing on the road, and by the time the sun was lowering, the group entered a small town. The hour was still early but continuing further would mean that they would miss this place, and it was unknown where the next small town was, so they would inevitably have to travel through the night again. Hence, without needing Fu gonggong¡¯s persuasion, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u commanded everyone to rest here.


    At this point, they had already left the boundaries of Qingzhou and entered Luozhou. This inn was larger than the Laifu Inn, and the embroidered emissary booked seven to eight empty rooms on the second floor, with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u staying in the room at the end of the corridor that was next to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s room like before.


    Let alone B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, even the embroidered emissaries looked visibly fatigued after hastening on their journey for two days and one night, to say nothing of Fu gonggong who was bemoaning about the soreness of his waist and back. In the entire group, only Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was tall, straight, hale and hearty.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u entered her room once they reached the inn. The medicine that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave was superb, and the journey today was not as torturous as the first. However, being jolted on horseback was more uncomfortable than being on a horse carriage for the entire day; B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not dare to be careless because she was following along to conduct post-mortem autopsies for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and she would be delaying her duties if she fell ill on the road.


    Therefore, after partaking her dinner in the evening separately and doing a simple wash-up, she informed Fu gonggong that she was going to rest and went to bed.


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u received Fu gonggong¡¯s report, he scoffed lightly, ¡°She was the only one who slept last night.¡±


    Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°Is Hou¡¯ye attempting to use Y¨­u Y¨­u like a man? Speaking of which, perhaps it would be better to source a horse carriage for her.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s steeled expression did not change, ¡°Rejected, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i has already arrived, it can¡¯t be delayed any further.¡±


    Fu gonggong was slightly vexed, ¡°Then it would be better for Hou¡¯ye to continue bringing Y¨­u Y¨­u. One fears that things will turn for the worse if she¡¯s allowed to ride a horse, and if she collapses in exhaustion, Hou¡¯ye won¡¯t have anyone to use then.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hummed faintly in response, as if he wasn¡¯t exactly willing but he had no other alternative.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u slept until the skies were dim and the earth was dark. When she woke up at dawn on the second day, she felt like she had recovered most of her vitality, and after partaking in breakfast, the group prepared to set off again. Internally, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had only carried her for the road because there was no other alternative, but now that she had rested up for the entire night, she probably had to ride the horse on her own, which was why she wore two undergarments.


    When she came out, however, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u beckoned her on his horseback, ¡°Not coming over yet¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stopped in front of him, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, today min¡¯n¨¹ can¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit squandering.¡± He said, leaning over and fishing up B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u again to place her in front of him.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated momentarily, but she did not dare to say more when she saw the other embroidered emissaries looking at her. As the horse galloped out of the inn, she donned her hood in an extremely tactful manner.


    Since the horses rested for the night, their gait was even faster. As opposed to his last trip, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not enter Luozhou City and headed directly for Xixia Mountain instead to economise some time. By the time they reached the foot of Xixia Mountain, the night had just fallen.


    Having known that Marquis Wuzhao would arrive today, there were quite a few people waiting at the bottom of Xixia Mountain. Since Famen Temple was no longer holding the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference, even its mountain gates had closed early on, hence the bottom of the mountain was cold, quiet, and without a single Buddhist worshipper when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u arrived.


    From afar, everyone noticed that there was something in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and they were all cognizant of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s innate disposition, so they initially assumed that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was bringing some kind of object with him, but once the horse drew closer and they gradually made out a human figure, their expressions changed slightly.


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    And when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s horse stopped in front of them, thus exposing the beautiful lady in Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s embrace, all of them widened their eyes in shocks without any exceptions, and it was still L¨´ K¨¥, the captain of the armed calvary among the embroidered emissaries who had arrived five day earlier, that reacted the fastest, and he immediately stepped forward to give his salutations.


    ¡°One pays his respect to Hou¡¯ye, the journey must have been strenuous for Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u got off the horse and threw the reins to L¨´ K¨¥ first, then turned around to see B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u getting off the horse cautiously, so he proceeded to hold her waist and put her on the ground.


    L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s eyebrows twitched a few times, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the other officials have arrived, as well as Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng.¡±


    Once those words landed, the people standing behind him came forward to bow.


    The Ministry of Justice¡¯s Assistant Minister L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, who was cooperating with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to handle this case, was the first to step forward, ¡°One pays his respect to Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    The three people behind him followed suit. They were all middle-aged men, and while their characters were different, they were clad in luxurious clothes.


    The final person wore a solemn expression, and his suit of kasaya marked him as the current Head of Famen Temple, by the name of J¨¬ng M¨ªng. ¡°Amitabha, Benefactor must be weary from travelling so far, this poor monk offers his respectful welcome after a long time.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not practice Buddhism, nor did he believe in the Buddha, so he merely nodded in response.


    Afterwards, he looked towards L¨´ K¨¥ and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, ¡°What are the conditions in the Temple like right now?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i replied, ¡°Xiaguan arrived yesterday, and has inquired about most of the circumstances. However, since the day is already late right now, and Hou¡¯ye is somewhat fatigued from the entire journey, perhaps some rest is in order first?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes did not stray away, ¡°Is L¨ªn daren still unaware of benhou¡¯s practices?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i was established during the New Year, and while he occupied the position of Assistant Minister, the current Minister of Justice had the intention to retire due to his old age, which meant that L¨ªn Hu¨¢i was basically cemented as the Ministry of Justice¡¯s next Minister. It goes without saying that he can be considered as a high official in the Imperial Court, but even then, he was no different from H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng in Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes.


    Without missing a beat, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i smiled apologetically and said: ¡°Yes, xiaguan is muddled, Hou¡¯ye please enter the Temple.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded before bringing his entourage into the Temple. There was a mountain gate installed at the foot of the mountain, and just looking at this alone was enough to perceive the vastness of Famen Temple, especially from its majestic and towering decorated archway where a horizontal inscribed board from the Imperial Family, stating the three characters ¡®Famen Temple¡¯ in iron calligraphy and silver curved strokes, which looked incredibly imposing in style. Upon going through the mountain gates, there were ninety-nine stone steps, and everyone lined up to make the ascent before eventually reaching the main entrance of Famen Temple.


    Famen Temple was located on the halfway point of Xixia Mountain, its Buddhist Halls and Pagodas building up in an uninterrupted chain while half-leaning on the mountain structure itself. The Changming Pagoda, which was situated at the highest point, was reportedly a site that enshrined and worshipped a Buddhist relic as well. Although the night colours had enveloped the entire Xixia Mountain, the highest pagoda bearing the altar lamps was still brightly lit, and from the distance, it was rather meditative.


    Once they stepped through the Temple doors, they saw that there was incense burning at the front, albeit quietly and unadorned, and not a single monk could be seen practising religiously. L¨ªn Hu¨¢i was walking beside Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u as he said: ¡°The Temple has already been closed for half a month, and it is rather quiet right now. All of the monks are inside their monastery, and since they do not have any imperial orders or duties attached to their person, their comings and goings are far and few between.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u directly asked: ¡°Where are the skeletal remains?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i said: ¡°At a side courtyard in the west.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not need to elaborate further before L¨ªn Hu¨¢i started leading him westwards. The Temple Head, L¨´ K¨¥ and the rest trailed after the conversing pair, whereas B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was beside Fu gonggong, though a few steps behind. She was wearing a cloak and her countenance was restrained, but even despite that, the people walking at the front would still turn back to look at her from time to time.


    Fu gonggong was smiling with crinkled eyes as if he did not mind, but his attitude only encouraged them to guess what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s identity was.


    After following the corridor within the temple to head west, they reached the place where the skeleton was being stored very quickly.


    Although it was called a side courtyard, it was just a brand-new Buddhist Hall that was not being used yet. Once they entered the courtyard entrance, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i stated: ¡°This area was used to extend a building in Famen Temple last year, for the purposes of allowing the monks to attend scripture lectures and practice religiously on normal days, it is being used to store the skeleton for the time being.¡± After giving a pause, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i added, ¡°F¨¦ng daren¡¯s corpse has also been placed in a wing-room here.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded faintly, reaching the front of the brightly lit central hall in a few strides. Before he stepped through the doors, however, he immediately caught sight of a two- to three-metre-tall golden statue of an honoured monk placed inside the central hall in a lonesome manner.


    He halted in his footsteps, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly, ¡°This is¡ª¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ came forward and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, this statue of Mah¨¡k¨¡?yapa was modelled ten years ago, and a month prior, the Temple was planning to re-paint the honoured monk¡¯s statue for the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference, but when they were moving it, the statue toppled over and the base split open. It¡¯s suspected that it contained Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeletal remains, and it was only discovered when it dropped out of the golden body.¡±


    Standing at the back, the tips of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows creased.


    The Buddha statue was inside the Temple for ten years, receiving the kneeling and praying of worshippers daily, but inside¡­ actually hid the skeletal remains of an indistinguishable person?!


    In an instant, the solemn and dignified Buddha became strange and sinister.

 CH 31

    Mah¨¡k¨¡?yapa was the foremost disciple of the Buddha, and his golden statue was frequently placed in the Hall of Great Strength ¨C the main hall of any Buddha Temple ¨C right next to Siddhattha Gotama himself. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s irises darkened slightly as he lifted his foot to enter the hall. ¡°The bones dropped out from this honoured monk¡¯s golden statue?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ nodded, ¡°Yes, Hou¡¯ye. The temple was already preparing for the Buddhist Conference back then, and the Buddha statue fell off as it was being lifted out from the framework and the base promptly split open. The artisans and managerial monks were shocked, but they didn¡¯t expect that something would drop out from it. They took a look and came to an unexpected realisation that it was a human bone.¡±


    Pausing, L¨´ K¨¥ then continued: ¡°Allegedly, this Buddha statue was made ten years ago, and for the past ten years, it had always been placed inside the Hall of Great Strength and it was never moved to another place; the monks wipe and clean it, but it has never been damaged.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shrank. It also meant that this set of skeletal remains were already inside when the Buddha statue was fully modelled ten years ago.


    The Famen Temple had a long and extensive history. The temple¡¯s ambience was strict and prayer incense rose in spirals. Upon entering the temple¡¯s gates, anyone could feel that the centuries-old Buddhist Temple did not have an undeserved reputation, but inside the golden figure of an honoured monk which received the daily prayers from its worshippers in this sacred land of Buddhism, actually hid a set of skeletal remains.


    ¡°Have the craftsmen who modelled this statue been investigated?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ shook his head, ¡°It has been difficult. This Buddha statue were in the process of being made during the Grand Ceremony to worship the ?ar¨©ra and pray for blessings. The Buddha statue was fully crafted around the end of the ceremony, the artisans that came to this place to make the statue heralded from Northwest Jizhou, and they are technically considered old artisans. After this subordinate arrived here, he had dispatched some men to head towards Jizhou, but it has been less than a month, and it¡¯s not absolutely certain that the artisans from that year can be found.¡±


    The road to Jizhou was far, and it required some effort to find those artisans, but they could not afford to wait for those artisans.


    As they were conversing, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already entered the main hall. The hall was brightly lit with Buddhist lamps, thus illuminating every minute aspect of the Buddha statue.


    This Buddha statue was around two to three metres tall and was erected on a lotus flower seat. It was casted in copper then gilded with gold, bearing well-rounded facial features and silkworm eyebrows which were half curved, while harbouring a faint smile. Its stance of cupping one fist in the other hand was cultured and benevolent, calling to mind the widely circulated tale of Mah¨¡k¨¡?yapa ¡®holding a flower and smiling subtly¡¯. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u inspected the Buddha statue briefly and subsequently caught sight of the crack on the lotus flower seat.


    The hall was mostly empty; apart from the Buddha statue, there was another meagre coffin, and the discovered skeletal remains had been placed inside. There were seven lit altar lamps surrounding the coffin with simple sacrificial offerings.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u strode towards the open coffin, and while he could only see that it was being covered by a white silk mourning dress, the fact that there was a human skeleton placed underneath could be vaguely discerned. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not have any taboos so he leaned over and pulled away that white silk mourning dress. Sure enough, the skeletal remains that had been deliberately given a human shape was revealed.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i stated: ¡°After the skeleton was discovered, the shifus conducted two redemption religious ceremonies, and owing to the overly strange nature of this matter, they were originally going to report it to the Luozhou Prefectural Magistrate to investigate, but upon realising that this honoured monk¡¯s statue was crafted ten years ago, and the Grand Ceremony was happening then, a disciple of Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng stepped forward and said that this skeleton belonged to Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng, which was why a memorial was presented to the Imperial Court.¡±


    Although Famen Temple was very far from the Capital, it could be considered as the Imperial Family¡¯s Buddhist Temple as well. Since this affair involved the Great ?ar¨©ra Ceremony that happened ten years ago, no one dared to be irreverent. Moreover, a homicide had occurred on a sacred land for Buddhism, and the Temple Head and managerial monks were all aware that if this matter got out, it would inevitably damage the reputation of Famen Temple.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes congealed, ¡°Did the three of you come together?¡±


    Naturally, this question was not directed towards L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and L¨´ K¨¥, but the three people behind.


    At this moment, the person with the tallest and sturdiest physique among the three stepped forward, ¡°Xiaguan arrived on the twelfth of January, xiaguan arrived the earliest.¡±


    Fu gonggong and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing at door, and upon witnessing this scene, Fu gonggong said in a soft voice: ¡°This is the current General Xuande of the Zhenxi Army, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, he was Luozhou¡¯s Commander-in-Chief that year. When His Majesty came down south to participate in the Grand Ceremony, the security and patrolling of the entire Xixia Mountain was handed to him, though that authority excluded the Imperial Guards who personally protected His Majesty. Back then, apart from the courtyard that His Majesty stayed in, the other areas were patrolled and guarded by his men.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u turned to look at Fu gonggong, ¡°Gonggong is very clear about the details.¡±


    Fu gonggong smiled, ¡°Because during that Grand Ceremony, zajia was accompanying His Majesty. Back then, Her Highness the Elder Princess was supposed to come as well, but the journey was genuinely too far. On one hand, zajia used to wait upon His Majesty, and on the other, Her Highness the Princess trusts zajia, and commanded zajia to pray for blessings in her stead, mainly¡­ to pray for Hou¡¯ye¡¯s good fortune, and zajia later requested for several auspicious items and brought it back.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not expect that Fu gonggong personally experienced the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony that year, which meant that there was another person who was familiar with the details. When all was said and done, the affair happened ten years ago, with another person that personally experienced it, they might be able to come up with more clues.


    At this moment, another thin and tall man stepped forward, ¡°Xiaguan arrived at the temple with Wang-xiong on the thirteenth of January.¡±


    Fu gonggong supplemented, ¡°The thin and tall individual is the Minister of Rites¡¯ Assistant Minister W¨² Y¨², the shorter person by his side is W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³. W¨² Y¨² was a Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites ten years ago. That year, he came together with the former Ministry of Rites¡¯ Assistant Minister to arrange the sacrificial offerings one month in advance, and he has a thorough understanding of most of the arrangements that year by technicality. When the ?ar¨©ra was lost later, he was demoted once, but after ten years, he was promoted back up again, he¡¯s a remarkable one. That is W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, he was the Vice-Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices back then, and now he is the Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.¡±


    The Luozhou Commander-in-Chief of that year was now General Xuande, the Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites that year was now an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Rites, and the Vice-Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was already the current Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. These people were fourth-ranked at the very least, which signified that they occupied high positions and held great weight. It was only now that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u vividly understood why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said that this was not an ordinary unresolved case, and it was labelled as a national affair.


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    ¡°What about F¨¦ng L¨²n? When did he arrive?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to ask.


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨² exchanged glances before W¨² Y¨² said: ¡°Old F¨¦ng arrived on the thirteenth of January as well, but he only arrived at night.¡±


    F¨¦ng L¨²n arrived at Famen Temple on the thirteenth of January, fell off a mountain precipice and died on the fifteenth of January. Currently, it was night of January the twentieth, and F¨¦ng L¨²n had already been dead for five days.


    Fu gonggong stated, ¡°F¨¦ng L¨²n was the Luozhou Prefectural Magistrate of that year, and Famen Temple resides within Luozhou. It goes without saying that he was at the beck and call of His Majesty and even personally welcomed him, and he knows how to be an official as well. Later on, he was promoted to the Ministry of Justice¡¯s Assistant Minister, is one full cycle (twelve years) older than Assistant Minister L¨ªn, and can be considered as half a teacher to Assistant Minister L¨ªn.¡±


    Assistant Minister L¨ªn was L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, and when F¨¦ng L¨²n was brought up, some grief emerged on his visage as one would expect, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Old F¨¦ng¡¯s remains are in the wing-room. The Ming Family¡¯s Da Gongzi has yet to arrive, perhaps [we] can look at the remains tomorrow?¡±


    Contrariwise, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said, ¡°Look at it first.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i did not personally attend the ceremony that year, and the current collaborative case handling had nothing to do with him at all. Whereas for the other three, the given situation was rather thought-provoking; amongst them, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was a military official, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨² were both Capital officials, and it could be discerned that the latter pair were exceedingly familiar with each other since they would communicate with their eyes occasionally and mutter in low voices, thus making it evident that they were incredibly friendly. With this comparison, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n appeared a touch solitary.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i led the way. After exiting the doors and taking a left turn, they arrived at the wing-room where F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s corpse was temporarily resting.


    L¨´ K¨¥ said: ¡°This subordinate arrived at Luozhou on the night of January the fifteenth, and upon arriving, he heard that F¨¦ng daren had disappeared. No one could be found in the meditation hall he was staying in, then the night passed and on the morning of the second day, the monks who went down the mountain for their morning routine discovered F¨¦ng daren. This subordinate did a rough examination, and it seems like F¨¦ng daren had fallen to his death from the mountain precipice.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded and strode across the threshold of the wing-room. Once he stepped in, he promptly saw F¨¦ng L¨²n lying on a coffin bed. F¨¦ng L¨²n was past half-hundred in age, and he was still wearing the clothes he died with. There were a lot of bloodstains on his forehead and body, his robes were also very wrinkled, and he looked wretchedly battered. Furthermore, he had been dead for five days, and owing to the lit altar lamps that burned through the day and night, a dense and foul odour was being emitted.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the other two stood at the entrance, not stepping into the room at all.


    ¡°Benhou remembers that all of you were old acquaintances with F¨¦ng L¨²n.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u studied the corpse as he spoke, ¡°Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, you were Luozhou¡¯s Commander-in-Chief that year, F¨¦ng L¨²n was the Prefectural Magistrate, and you were technically colleagues once. Later on, he was promoted to the Capital, thus becoming an official in the same court as W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨². His background cannot compare to all of you, or else, he might not have stopped at the position of Assistant Minister.¡±


    In response to that, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n immediately said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, xiaguan arrived the earliest and the other Daren arrived later. We drank some tea and had vegetarian meals together, and we lived together in peaceful harmony for those few days. At wu shi (11AM-1PM) on January the fifteenth, we even laughed and conversed while celebrating the festival. Then, we used the vegetarian meals prepared by the temple together, and that meal lasted until the evening. Afterwards, we returned to our respective rooms, and somehow, F¨¦ng daren lost his footing and unexpectedly fell off the back mountain.¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ also said: ¡°That¡¯s right, xiaguan returned back to the rooms together with W¨²-xiong, our dwellings are close by, we can testify for each other.¡±


    Once those words were uttered, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n shot him a look. With W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ saying that he and W¨² Y¨² could testify for each other, it was also insinuating that he was giving a one-sided statement. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s complexion darkened, but in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n merely pursed his lips without saying more.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u remained silent for a moment, and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i responded by trying to mediate as he said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, one fears that Ming Family¡¯s Da Gongzi and Shizi will only arrive by tomorrow night. When he arrives, the corpse can be examined, and it will become known if F¨¦ng daren fell off because he lost his footing or if it was some other reason. As for the skeletal remains, one fears that some effort will be required.¡±


    Since the skeletal remains were brought up, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°How did his disciple discern that this skeleton belonged to Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng?¡±


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at the skeleton just now, it was just a set of human bones; even if the stature and height could be measured, it would be difficult to deduce that it was Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng who had disappeared ten years ago.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i replied: ¡°Because besides the bones that dropped out from the golden statue that day, there was also a Buddhist bead. Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disciple saw it, and stated that the Buddhist bead was one of the beads from the string of prayer beads that Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng carried with him that year. That string of sandalwood beads has a total of one hundred and eighty beads, and each bead has a Buddhist hymn carved on it.¡±


    ¡°Where is the Buddhist bead? Was there any other material evidence?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i pointed at the main hall, ¡°The material evidence has been placed in the eastmost corner room of the main hall. There was only one Buddhist bead, and in addition to the Buddhist bead, there was something that resembled a kasaya, and some fabric. However, it has become torn and ragged now, though Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disciple also recognises the kasaya and he said that his shifu was wearing that article of clothing the year he disappeared.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not in a rush to see the material evidence, and his gaze was still fixed on F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s corpse. Regardless of whether it was Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s corpse or not, at least ten years had elapsed for that set of skeletal remains, whereas F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s corpse only died five days ago. If they wanted to search for clues and evidence, they would naturally benefit more by starting with F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s death first.


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    ¡°You come in¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly opened his mouth.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i faltered, not knowing who Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was calling. L¨´ K¨¥, who was standing closest to him, was also surprised. The trio standing at the door looked at each other as well, not knowing which one Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was calling.


    ¡°Troubling the three Daren to move aside.¡±


    A distinctively female voice suddenly rang out. With a flash of understanding, the trio turned around, and saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u standing right in front of their eyes.


    Since they were observing from a distance just now, the trio merely felt that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u possessed a sweet-tempered and elegant character, and they had been guessing what her identity was the whole time. Now that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing before them, the three officials finally realised that the little lady before them genuinely had a countenance that appeared painted.


    Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s reputation for staying away from womanly charms were best known by W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨² who worked as officials in the Capital, and Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was a General, so he had the fortune of meeting Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u a few times and was similarly cognizant of his reputation. None of them could have ever anticipated that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would bring along a little lady after handling a business in Qingzhou.


    Did Marquis Wuzhao, who had been abstinent for many years, finally eat meat again?!


    But the bizarre part was, this was a place where a corpse temporarily rested, why was she going into the room?


    Fu gonggong seemed to guess what W¨² Y¨² and the rest were thinking, so he said smilingly, ¡°The three Daren, please move aside, our Y¨­u Y¨­u needs to go inside.¡±


    Y¨­u Y¨­u¡­ Fu gonggong was addressing her so intimately. Apart from this girl being Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s new inamorata, what other explanation was there?!


    W¨² Y¨² pushed W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, and Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n quickly moved aside as well, thus allowing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to enter the room at last. L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s pupils shifted, and how were his inner thoughts any different from W¨² Y¨² and the rest?


    When he saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u calling B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u inside, he was only thinking: Marquis Wuzhao finally has a woman by his side after so many years. The fatigue borne from a long journey was indisputable, and yet he was calling this woman to his side when the others had not dispersed, could it be that he wanted to retire to bed with her, but it was not convenient for him to say it?


    A few threads of ridicule flitted past the bottom of L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s eyes. He adjusted his expression before he said: ¡°Ming gongzi has yet to arrive, and there is no one who can examine the corpse right now. Perhaps Hou¡¯ye should bring along the guniang to rest first, and continue the discussion tomorrow?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s visage was originally expressionless, but when he heard the sentence about bringing along B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to rest, his brows twitched slightly. He casted a sidelong glance at L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, the meaning in his gaze unfathomable, but L¨ªn Hu¨¢i felt his heart lurch. He must be mistaken¡­


    In the next moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u withdrew his line of sight and said: ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait for Gu¨© L¨¢n to arrive, there is someone who can examine the corpse here.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i froze briefly, and even L¨´ K¨¥ found it strange. Then, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°She¡¯s the coroner that benhou brought along, before Gu¨© L¨¢n arrives, she can conduct the post-mortem autopsy alone.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i sucked in a mouthful of cold air. He had been an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice for three years, and naturally he had seen his fair share of homicides. From what he knew, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u disdained even the coroners working in the Capital, and he would insist on bringing along the Ming Family¡¯s Da Gongzi time and time again. Why was there another coroner by his side all of a sudden¡­? And it was a young lady with fair skin and a blossoming countenance too.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s pupils rolled, shifting towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u before he observed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Subsequently, he came to a sudden realisation.


    What more was there to puzzle about? So what if she was a woman, so what if she was a coroner whose name he had never encountered? In a rare feat that occurred once in a hundred years, Marquis Wuzhao chose her; let alone saying that she was here to examine the corpse, even if he allowed her to investigate the case and interrogate the suspects, did any of them dare to say otherwise?


    Hence, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i reacted quickly as he said: ¡°Yes¡­ Will she be examining the corpse now?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Back and shoulders ramrod straight, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said with a calm expression: ¡°One will be troubling Hou¡¯ye to prepare the autopsy tools.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave L¨´ K¨¥ a pointed look, who promptly went to prepare them.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had been standing far away the entire time, and she didn¡¯t even manage to catch a glimpse of the skeletal remains. Now that she was standing before F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s corpse, it was natural that she checked the corpse first. At the side, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i watched B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, a shred of bafflement rising from the bottom of his eyes again.


    He came from the Capital¡¯s Lin clan, and he was surely used to seeing how the descendants of old and prominent families in the Capital expressed their love to the beauties, but this was the first time he saw someone actually allowing their lover to examine a corpse.


    Just looking at F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s corpse which had a smattering of putrefying patches and a terrible, nose-assailing stench to match was nearly intolerable for him, and yet this young lady of icy skin and jade bones continued to draw closer, and that appearance of hers, did not seem like someone who was examining a corpse for the first time.


    Subsequently, he thought about Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s conduct and style when handling official business, which caused L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s countenance to change a few times. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had never slacked off by a single fraction when he was on official business, could it be that¡­ this young lady was a bona fide coroner?!


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s heart was in turmoil and the chaos of war. L¨´ K¨¥, who had gone out to search for autopsy tools, was finding it hard to describe what he was feeling in the moment as well, and when he saw Fu gonggong standing at the side, L¨´ K¨¥ could not resist going up to him, ¡°Gonggong, that guniang, she¡ª¡±


    Fu gonggong smiled with profound mystery, ¡°Is actually capable of examining corpses, it¡¯s not fake.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s brows twisted together, ¡°For real? This subordinate presumed¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s brows arched up high, ¡°You presumed that our Hou¡¯ye finally started eating meat, and learned how to keep delicate beauties by his side?¡±¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s expression conveyed that those were his thoughts, but Fu gonggong pursed his lips and snorted, ¡°Who is he ah, he¡¯s Marquis Wuzhao ah, is he even capable of such growth?!¡±


    Despite the explanation that Fu gonggong gave, L¨´ K¨¥ was still struggling to level his heart when he stepped through the door again. The matter of his family¡¯s Marquis not disliking womanly charms and the young lady being capable of examining corpses, were both capable of leaving him dumbstruck.


    After putting down the box filled with autopsy tools, L¨´ K¨¥ retreated to the side respectfully. He wanted to get a good view of how this young lady was going to examine this corpse that was already beginning to rot.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u rolled her sleeves and opened the box, catching sight of a pair of protective gloves made for examining corpses that was sewn out of deer skin first. Her eyes lit up slightly and she stooped over to slip the gloves on her hands. This object was not frequently seen, and since the embroidered emissary prepared it, it was probably in consideration of that Ming gongzi. Assistant Minister L¨ªn had mentioned that person numerous times, which signified that everyone present was quite familiar with him as someone whom Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frequently kept by his side, and if he was frequently brought along by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, he had to be an expert in this field.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and L¨´ K¨¥ stared at her with some scrutiny, and the three officials at the door remained unmoving as well. They initially assumed that the young lady that Marquis Wuzhao had brought along was probably someone he kept in his rooms, but who could have expected that, this woman, was actually a coroner that examined corpses?!


    She was clearly born with a face that could tempt hearts and souls, her whole body exuded the soft grace and elegance characteristic of a Jiangnan lady, and yet the dignified Marquis Wuzhao actually used this person to examine corpses.


    Or perhaps, a corpse-examining small coroner by day, at night¡­


    Don¡¯t blame everyone for thinking too much, it was really because Marquis Wuzhao never had any women by his side; now that there was an abrupt addition, anyone would feel that he was violating a precept.


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    After igniting a stick of gum storax, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started examining the corpse.


    Everyone present at the scene were court officials. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u surveyed them in a clockwise fashion, though he did not order anyone to withdraw. Naturally, he could see the shock and doubt lining their expression, but it was precisely because of this, that he wanted them to witness that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s autopsy skills were not a hoax.


    It was also at this moment where everyone realised that the pretty and clever-looking young lady was a little different from before.


    When F¨¦ng L¨²n was discovered that day, he was only roughly examined for his injuries by L¨´ K¨¥. For the same reason, the appearance he had upon his death was quintessentially preserved right now: his once blood-soaked clothes were sticking to his corpse, and in addition to the fact that the corpse was starting to rot, the corpse¡¯s external appearance looked rather frightening, and it was precisely when she touched F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s clothing where B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s refined brows scrunched.


    F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s clothes had quite a lot of wrinkles. There were obvious bloodstains, yes, but some patches were more saturated, while others were lighter, and the lighter areas appeared as though they had been washed but it was not done thoroughly. She went to check the corpse¡¯s footwear again, then his hands and hair. Very quickly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u posed a question without even lifting her head, ¡°The night F¨¦ng daren lost his footing and fell off the mountain, did it rain?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s eyes brightened slightly, ¡°It did rain, around the first watch of the night (7PM-9PM), and it rained for a full double-hour.¡±


    The clothes had become damp from the water before, hence the particularly large number of creases. Furthermore, the mud on his footwear, the heels especially, and the soil that had mixed into his hair, all of these clues pointed towards the fact that it had rained that night.


    Because he was found after the rain, the rate of the corpse¡¯s decay was even faster. After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u inspected the corpse¡¯s head, face, and other extremities, she started to peel off all the articles of clothing on the corpse, which made the eyelids of L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, W¨² Y¨², and the rest jump involuntarily.


    This was a male corpse, was she going to strip him completely?


    Under everyone¡¯s attentive gazes, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took off all the clothes on the corpse in a calm and composed manner.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and W¨² Y¨²: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The corpse¡¯s exterior was strewn with putrefaction, thus becoming purple, and the putrefaction had already started its subsidence with how long the deceased had been dead. It was rather difficult to distinguish what kind of posture the corpse was in when he died, and there were a few areas of severe external injuries, one being the deceased¡¯s front forehead, and the other being the back of the deceased¡¯s head. Moreover, the wounds on his left arm must have seen blood, and the surface area of the bruises were large, the injury was wide and coarse as if he had been grazed by sharp rocks.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u focused on examining the obvious injuries first, and once she was done examining these areas, her brows scrunched together again. She suddenly looked towards L¨´ K¨¥, ¡°You said that it rained that night, starting from the first watch, and it only rained for a double-hour?¡±


    The question came suddenly. The current B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was different from her previous gentle appearance; when her eyes swept towards him, it was frigid and focused to the point that it was coercive. L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s expression stiffened, and he took a moment to think about it before replying prudently: ¡°It did not rain more for more than an hour at most.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded upon hearing those words. She retracted her gaze and continued examining the corpse. The others were unaware of why she asked the question, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was certain that she had discovered something. However, he did not open his mouth to ask, only standing at the side as his gaze stayed on her figure amorously.


    The first time he witnessed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u conducting a post-mortem autopsy, he did not spare B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u an additional glance. Compared to her visage, he liked watching the preciseness of her incisions more, and the absolute professionalism it exuded. But right now, the case was clearly more important, but his gaze would drift towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s face occasionally. If the usual B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was mild and amiable, then the current B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gave the slight impression that she was alienating to others.


    And the delicate brows that were pinched together, would not relax until the examination was completed.


    After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was done examining the external injuries, she first shaved off the deceased¡¯s hair, then smeared white vinegar on the deceased¡¯s four limbs, chest, and abdomen. While she was waiting, she started choosing from the corpse dissection knives that were available to her. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something as she turned around, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, is min¡¯n¨¹ allowed to conduct a dissection?¡± Having said that, she pointed at the corpse again, ¡°Mainly to open the skull.¡±


    Mainly to open the skull.


    When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was uttering those words, her manner of speaking was so normal that it sounded like she was saying that the moonlight was quite decent tonight.


    However, when the surrounding people ¨C namely L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and the rest ¨C heard those words, they felt their scalps numb. In the moment, they only felt that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s exquisite countenance was no longer akin to a moon-like countenance with flower-like features, or icy skin and jade bones, and it was even less elegant and seductive. Not just that, as they watched her select the large and small corpse dissection knives skilfully, they could not suppress the chill that ran down their spines.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded faintly, ¡°Open it.¡±

 CH 32

    In the end, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u selected a dissection knife that was the size of a willow leaf which was extremely sharp and thin.


    Just as everyone was curious as to how she was going to use this object to open the skull, they saw her walk up to the north face of the coffin bed and use that dissection knife to slit open the corpse¡¯s scalp in a deft and accurate manner. In the next moment, she lifted up a piece of scalp that was on the back of the deceased¡¯s head.


    ¡°Vomit¡ª¡±


    W¨² Y¨²¡¯s face became ghastly pale, and he could not help but dry heave. When he saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looking over with wrinkled brows, W¨² Y¨² covered his mouth with one hand, an apology welling in his eyes as he half-clasped his hands as a parting salutation before he turned around and stepped out of the door.


    After stepping out, he breathed in and out deeply through his mouth. At the side, Fu gonggong peered at him with a crinkle-eyed smile, ¡°W¨² daren isn¡¯t accustomed to it, is he?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² was still dry heaving, and he squeezed out a bitter smile upon hearing that remark. At this moment, an additional person joined him which made him raise his eyes, but the fact that it was Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n came as a surprise. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s brows were tightly knit as he hissed out the cold air, and when he noticed Fu gonggong and W¨² Y¨² staring at him, he raised a hand to touch his hair before speaking in a rough voice: ¡°I fucking felt like my own scalp was being peeled away¡ª¡±


    After hearing him describe it that way, W¨² Y¨²¡¯s scalp numbed unbearably as well.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n asked Fu gonggong in a low voice: ¡°Where did Hou¡¯ye find such a character?¡±


    Fu gonggong replied smilingly, ¡°From Qingzhou.¡±


    Everyone was aware that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came from Qingzhou, and Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n wanted to inquire about this topic further, but when he thought about Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s temperament, then recalled the calmness with which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took a knife to slice off a person¡¯s scalp, the internal desire to ask more inexplicably fled from him.


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    At this moment, crisp knocking sounds travelled out from the room.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and W¨² Y¨² exchanged glances before the pair turned around to look inside the room again. W¨² Y¨² shrank back in a hurry while Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s lip corners twitched, before he obediently turned around to stand outside the door.


    In front of the coffin bed, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was holding onto a knife with her left hand and pressing the sharp edge of the blade against the skull as she held a small iron hammer in her right, knocking the hammer on the blade handle in an attempt to pry open the skull.


    ¡°Ding ding ding,¡± the sound of impact was crisp and sonorous, each hit jolting the hearts of the people present. Let alone W¨² Y¨² and his group, even Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was slightly surprised. He had witnessed corpse dissections, but it was really the first time he saw the opening of the skull.


    If a living person had their skulls pried open, their death was without question, but to the deceased, as long as the head was injured, the injury would always be obvious, and most coroners could deduce whether it was the fatal wound by touching the bone. Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n had fallen to his death from a building because his head had taken the brunt impact back at Marquis Anqing Residence, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hadn¡¯t opened his skull then.


    His gaze landed on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s visage, only noting that her dark eyebrows were still knitted together. Because she had been bending over for a long time, a fine layer of sparkling perspiration had gathered on her forehead, but her eyes were narrowed slightly, as if any clues would find it difficult to escape her eyes.


    Those jointed, daintily slender and elegant fingers were extremely steady as they held a knife and hammer, and while the sound of the hammer strikes was clear and melodious, the reality was that the pressure exerted by the knife point was measured and exceedingly precise. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u squinted his eyes, unexpectedly finding a delightful and heart-warming sensation of watching a technique being brought to pin-point perfection, as if it wasn¡¯t a rather horrifying, rotting skull in her hands, but a chunk of fine jade with a roaming tint of green.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression was solemn, her gaze focused to the extent where she could not even sense the almost substantial force in Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze. Her eyes only reflected the bluish-purple scalp and the purplish-red network of veins in his head, her blade edge was jammed inside the skull, and each strike caused it to go deeper. Her body was half-slanted from beginning to end, though the angle of the blade changed a few times, and it took two full pillars of incense (one hour) before a complete piece of his skull was extracted by her.


    Nothing could be perceived when the skull was stuck to the brain, but once it was taken out, obvious cracks could be seen on its surface, and the fracturing on the two sides were uneven, one of the halves going as far as splitting into two separate layers of the top and bottom. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u held that skull and scrutinised it momentarily, then placed it at the side to look inside the brain cavity that was underneath the skull. It was unclear what she saw but it left her deeply pensive for two seconds before she retrieved that piece of skull and pressed it back tightly, then she lifted the scalp to cover it again. In a short moment¡¯s work, only the first incision was visible on his head.


    The wound at the corner of his forehead was extremely similar to Zh¨¨ng W¨¦n Ch¨¦n¡¯s wound, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u refused to be negligent in this examination, and she cut open this area as well to inspect it.  The injury was close to the temple and the bone was badly damaged too, and logically speaking, a bone fracture of this degree should cause the blood vessels lining the membrane of the brain to rupture, thereby causing the blood to clot, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u only discovered a near-negligible outflow of blood at this area.


    Furrowing her brows, she straightened up and checked the other injuries on the deceased¡¯s body.


    The deceased had been dead for numerous days and sporadic spots of fungi could be seen. Owing to the fact that it had been soaked in water before it was dredged up, the wet spots on the robes were gathered around the back, which caused to the back, buttocks, and thighs of the corpse to putrefy the most, and insect eggs were spawning on top. At the very beginning, apart from the wounds and surrounding bruises, the corpse¡¯s outer appearance did not have other obvious injuries, but once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u used the white vinegar, the injuries on the corpse slowly emerged, especially on the back, abdomen, and arms, thus adding to the tally of obvious purplish-black contusions.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u carefully examined the corpse once more, then released a breath as she straightened her body. She gazed at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, min¡¯n¨¹ has completed the examination.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°What is the cause of death?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said with a decisive tone: ¡°There are a number of injuries on the deceased¡¯s body, and there are six to seven external wounds, namely the forehead corner, front chest, left abdomen, left arm and thigh, all of which saw blood, but none of them are mortal wounds. The fatal wound, is on the back of the deceased¡¯s skull.¡± B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing beside the deceased¡¯s head, and she pointed at the injury to punctuate her point.


    ¡°The deceased¡¯s skull had fractured, causing the parietal bone of the skull to cave in and shatter into smaller pieces, the external parietal bone was less fractured than the internal parietal bone because the inner bone is thinner and more fragile, and after both parts of the parietal bone were fractured and caved in, the blood vessels underneath the parietal bone ruptured, thus causing a large volume of blood to pool inside the skull. When min¡¯n¨¹ examined it just now, there was indeed a lot of blood traces in the soft tissues of the brain and between the nerves of the deceased.¡±


    Having said that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pointed at the wound at the corner of the deceased¡¯s forehead, ¡°The wound the deceased suffered here was severe enough to cause death, but the outflow of blood is exceedingly little, and merely a minute amount flowed and stayed between the nerves; therefore, this wound was not fatal.¡±


    After giving a pause, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u glanced at W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ who was still lingering around at the door, like she was hesitating.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated, ¡°There is no harm in speaking directly.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u finally said: ¡°To create this situation, the deceased must have suffered a mortal wound at the back of his head first, thus causing a large outflow of blood, going as far as causing death, before the forehead corner was subsequently injured. Since the deceased was close to his last breath and his heartbeat was becoming sparse, the blood flow slowed, which was why the blood vessels rupturing at the forehead corner near the temple only led to a small amount of blood flowing out.


    ¡°The same situation also manifested on other areas of the deceased.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u walked to the left side of the coffin bed, ¡°The wounds on the deceased¡¯s torso, abdomen, arms, and legs, are all wide and crude, and there are big and small bruises and abrasions surrounding the wounds, and it is likewise accompanied by the breakage of bones underneath. Min¡¯n¨¹ reckons that these open wounds were created by a crude but solid object, and the bruises and bone fractures, were formed from the brunt trauma of falling down from a high place.


    ¡°Which also means that, these injuries were caused after F¨¦ng daren fell off the mountain precipice, and before F¨¦ng daren fell off the precipice, the back of his head was already inflicted with heavy damage. He was first injured by someone, and just as he took his last breaths, he was thrown off the precipice of the back mountain.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n had previously stated that F¨¦ng L¨²n had lost his footing and fell off the mountain precipice, but with a single statement from B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, it certified that F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s death was, unequivocally, a homicide.


    The atmosphere in the room stagnated instantaneously.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice dropped in temperature, ¡°Are there any other clues?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had been observing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u down to the finest detail just now, and he had absorbed every change in her facial features into his retinas. He was naturally aware that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s discovery was not limited to these. Sure enough, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to say: ¡°It started raining from the first watch that night, and it lasted for an hour at least. When min¡¯n¨¹ saw the large number of wrinkles on the deceased¡¯s clothes at the start, she had assumed that he had plummeted off the mountain precipice before it rained, but after inspecting the wounds, min¡¯n¨¹ realised that it wasn¡¯t necessarily the case.


    ¡°The deceased¡¯s clothes, hair, and footwear were all stained with mud, but in some of these external wounds, not a single trace of mud could be found, especially on the deceased¡¯s forehead and chest area. According to the wound vestiges and its arrangement, it is exceedingly likely that he fell into a heap of flagstones and the injuries were subsequently created when he was cut into by the sharp points. Furthermore, the fabric on the chest and other areas have been dampened by water, hence why the bloodstains on the robes became fainter, but the bloodstains at the back of the neck and shoulders of the deceased¡¯s robes did not become fainter at all.


    ¡°The deceased was lying on his stomach and looking down after he fell, and he happened to come into contact with the accumulated water on the ground that was left after the rain, which proceeded to soak the clothing that was closer to the ground. If he descended before it rained, then the fabric at the back of his neck and shoulders should be drenched by the rainwater as well, and in the same vein, the different saturations of bloodstains on his robes should not exist.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ was listening at the side, and seeing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was done speaking, he immediately said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, her words are correct. The place that F¨¦ng daren fell on was a depression, and there were a lot of rocks near it. When we found F¨¦ng daren, F¨¦ng daren¡¯s back was dry, but the rain had stopped for quite some time, and the subordinates merely assumed that the clothes had dried on its own, and the thought that Feng daren had never been rained on did not occur [to us].¡±


    In spite of how L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s statement confirmed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s words to be true, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°No, the bloodstains only prove that F¨¦ng daren had fallen off the mountain precipice after the rain stopped, and that he wasn¡¯t affected by the rain for a long period of time after he was injured, but it doesn¡¯t necessarily indicate that he hasn¡¯t been drizzled on by the rain.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gestured at the robes that were placed at the side, ¡°The outer robes that the deceased was wearing that is made out of first-rate Jiangnan silk, and if this grade of silk isn¡¯t properly ironed after it comes into contact with water, it will definitely leave a lot of wrinkles. Hou¡¯ye, please take a look, the deceased¡¯s hemline, back, and other areas already have wrinkles. This signifies that when it was raining that night, F¨¦ng daren had gotten wet in the rain.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shrank, ¡°Which also means to say, when it was raining that night, F¨¦ng L¨²n was not inside his own meditation hall, and it is exceedingly likely that he had a dispute with someone before he was murdered, and the rain had stopped when the murderer pushed him off the mountain precipice.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°Precisely so. Besides the mortal wound on the back of the deceased¡¯s head, there are quite a few bruises on his body, min¡¯n¨¹ deduces that it was left behind after coming to blows with someone¡­ and on the deceased¡¯s footwear, it was stained with quite a bit of mud. After inspecting it just now, min¡¯n¨¹ discovered that most of it was dark brown in colour, and there was a smidgen of rotting vegetation. Is there a pine and cypress forest in the temple somewhere, or perhaps an old bamboo forest?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ quickly said: ¡°There is a bamboo forest near the back mountain cliff.¡±


    The back mountain cliff happened to have a bamboo forest close by¡­


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°When was it discovered that he wasn¡¯t inside his meditation hall that night? Were there any abnormalities before and after?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ replied: ¡°That night, it began to rain just as this subordinate reached the foot of the mountain, and when he arrived inside the temple, half of the first watch had passed (after 8PM). The other three Daren welcomed this subordinate, but F¨¦ng daren was nowhere to be seen. Since this subordinate was representing Hou¡¯ye, he planned to discuss with the officials about what should be done with the skeletal remains, and upon noticing that F¨¦ng daren had yet to appear, someone was ordered to invite him, but F¨¦ng daren was already missing from his meditation hall. Hence, this subordinate said the night was getting late and the discussion would continue the next day, and the other officials proceeded to depart. During that time, we were seated together for around two pillars of incense (one hour), then Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng brought this subordinate to this area. This subordinate took over the guarding of this area with some men, and checked the material evidence before resting up. [I] went back shortly after the rain stopped, and apart from F¨¦ng daren being absent from his meditation hall, there were no other abnormalities.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ had met W¨² Y¨² and the other two when it was halfway past the first watch, the four had been together for two pillars of incense before they dispersed, and it was already the second watch sharp (9PM) by then. If F¨¦ng daren had yet to meet with his demise when the group dispersed, then the crime must have happened afterwards.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned around to look towards W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, ¡°After the few of you dispersed, where did you go?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ hurriedly said: ¡°Xiaguan and W¨²-xiong went back to the meditation hall today and we did not leave again, W¨²-xiong can testify for zaixia.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² entered through door, ¡°Indeed, Hou¡¯ye, we can testify for each other.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n came in a step later, saying in a rough voice: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, xiaguan returned to his own meditation hall as well. It was still raining back then, and the hour was getting late, so xiaguan went to bed.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°Are there any witnesses?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s complexion changed slightly, ¡°This¡­ there aren¡¯t any witnesses, but xiaguan did not step out of the doors once that night¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at him briefly, to which Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n chuckled bitterly, ¡°When xiaguan was working as an official in Luozhou, he got along with F¨¦ng daren in great harmony, and there was no discord. When xiaguan entered the Zhenxi Army later, F¨¦ng daren was promoted and entered the capital, hence there were scarcely any correspondences afterwards. It¡¯s not possible that xiaguan would harm F¨¦ng daren, and what happened that year, xiaguan has already fulfilled his respective duties¡­¡±


    After giving a pause, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n said, ¡°Apart from us, there are a lot of monks in the temple, especially those disciples of Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng. If they are trying to pin the blame of Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s demise on our heads, they bear the possibility of harming someone.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, unwavering, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been confirmed if that set of skeletal remains is Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng.¡±


    There were a lot of gains from the post-mortem autopsy, and the officials that had come under suspicion had all restrained their expressions, only wanting to get rid of their suspicion as soon as possible. When they thought about how all these case details had been provided by B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s examination, the gaze that they regarded her with became stricter.


    Presently, it was genuinely getting late. L¨ªn Hu¨¢i said hesitantly, ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye want to examine the bones tonight?¡±


    The bones were inside the central hall, and based on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s personality, it could be assumed that he did not want to waste any time. It was just that¡­ L¨ªn Hu¨¢i peered at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, observing as she took off her protective gloves and kept her tools. He was somewhat hesitant because that guniang was wearing undisguisable fatigue on her face, and it was unknown if she could carry on.


    ¡°It will be examined tomorrow.¡± After saying that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and his group with a strict gaze, ¡°All of the personages here possess high positions and heavy authority, and the original intent of gathering here was to investigate the old affair which dates back years ago, and in the best-case scenario, successfully track down the ?ar¨©ra, but the same personages might be related to F¨¦ng daren¡¯s death. For the next few days, everyone will have to be under the embroidered emissaries¡¯ supervision.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and his group did not dare to be irreverent, and they quickly clasped their hands and responded in the affirmative.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then said: ¡°[We] will end here tonight. All of you will be questioned about a lot of details tomorrow, withdraw for now.¡±


    The trio quickly bowed before turning around and withdrawing.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instructed L¨´ K¨¥: ¡°Dispatch some men to stare at them.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ complied, going out of the door to make the arrangements. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was in the midst of cleaning her hands at the side when L¨ªn Hu¨¢i uttered: ¡°Hou¡¯ye should rest as well, it must have been rather tiring on the journey here.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°Where is Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng?¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng had been waiting outside the entire time and he stepped through the room door at the moment. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated: ¡°Tell the inner disciples of the temple to not randomly move around for the next few days.¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng replied: ¡°Hou¡¯ye may be at ease, ever since F¨¦ng daren met with his demise, all of the classes within the temple have ceased.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hummed in response, then surveyed the room again before turning around to walk outwards. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u naturally followed him upon seeing that, and once they crossed the threshold, J¨¬ng M¨ªng started to lead the way as he said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡¯s meditation hall is very near to L¨ªn daren¡¯s, except this female benefactor¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked, ¡°Are there wing-rooms within the meditation hall?¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng nodded, then Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°It will suffice for her to stay in the same hall as benhou.¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng quickly agreed, whereas L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s expression deepened slightly when he heard that. Although the pair were staying in the same hall, they were staying in separate rooms; it could be seen that their relationship was not what they perceived it to be.


    The group walked out of the courtyard entrance, heading towards the prepared meditation hall under J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s lead.


    There were quite a lot of halls built along the mountain incline in the Buddhist temple, extending boundlessly into the distance, and while it was hard to see them distinctively amidst the night colours, its silhouettes could still be distinguished. The entire temple was pervaded with incense fragrance, occasional knockings of the wooden fish could be heard as monks cultivated within their monastery, and it was rather tranquil and peaceful. If it were not for the skeleton hidden within the Buddha statue, and a homicide just occurring within the temple, even B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would be tempted to enter the palace hall to pray.


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    As they travelled towards the meditation halls, the distance from the Buddhist palace halls correspondingly increased. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was just retracting her gaze when, suddenly, she caught sight of a young man holding a night lantern standing outside a courtyard pavilion at the front.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was puzzled, but then she saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u halt his footsteps, ¡°L¨ªn Zh¨¡o is here too.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i said smilingly, ¡°Last year, His Majesty ordered him to compile the Chinese Buddhist Canon. With half of the Buddhist books and records being slated to move to the Capital¡¯s Xiangguo Temple, there was the fear that something would go wrong, so he was asked to come along since he was knowledgeable about this discipline.¡±


    The young man was double-ten in age, clad in a green garment, looking justly handsome and leisurely. Upon seeing their group, he moved towards them in quick strides before he raised his cupped hands and bowed with a smile, ¡°One pays his respect to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    His attitude was bright, devoid of the fear that W¨² Y¨² and the rest had towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw him, his voice was also natural and relaxed, ¡°The fact that you and your father came here together to handle official business, is quite hard to come by.¡±


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o said with a smile: ¡°With Father¡¯s sincere advice, it is reckoned that no mistakes will occur during this errand. Is Hou¡¯ye going to rest up?¡± Just as those words landed, L¨ªn Zh¨¡o noticed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, who was standing behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, at a glance. His complexion changed slightly, ¡°This individual is¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in an indifferent voice: ¡°A coroner that benhou recently found.¡± He did not elaborate further, ¡°The hour is already late, surely a rest is due.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i coughed lightly, saying: ¡°Hou¡¯ye is weary from his travels, you shouldn¡¯t hold him up.¡± Having said that, he pulled L¨ªn Zh¨¡o aside, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, please¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded before lifting his foot and leaving. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u in departing, but L¨ªn Zh¨¡o¡¯s eyes remained on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u with some shock. Slightly annoyed, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i lightly nudged L¨ªn Zh¨¡o with his finger, first sending Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to his meditation hall before doubling back.


    The pavilion courtyard was the father and son¡¯s temporary lodging. By the time L¨ªn Hu¨¢i returned, L¨ªn Zh¨¡o had already recovered his wits, and he asked: ¡°Father, that lady is the Marquis¡¯¡­¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i laughed sourly, ¡°She is what the Hou¡¯ye literally meant, a coroner that he recently found.¡±


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o issued a soft hiss, ¡°She looks like she is just fifteen- or sixteen-years-old, she¡¯s a coroner? A lady as a coroner?¡±


    As L¨ªn Hu¨¢i stepped through the door, he said, ¡°She¡¯s a coroner, and she¡¯s an especially skilled coroner.¡± He sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at the start either, but think about it, for Hou¡¯ye to choose to keep her by his side, how could she be without her own expertise?¡±


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o recalled B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s appearance, shaking his head, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Just now was Assistant Minister L¨ªn¡¯s noble son, he became an advanced scholar after passing brilliantly in the imperial examinations at an early age, and is currently serving in the Hanlin Academy as an imperial compiler. One did not expect that His Majesty is planning to transfer the Buddhist ancient books and records to Xiangguo Temple, it is no wonder why Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s complexion was so unnatural just now.¡±


    After entering the hall, Fu gonggong proceeded to open his chatterbox since Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng had already left.


    Realisation dawned on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u as she thought about how the father and son of the Lin Family had arrived at Luozhou for official business together. Likewise, she felt that it was rather coincidental.


    The meditation hall prepared for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was very large: there were three principal rooms, and adding the left and right wing-rooms, there were more than ten rooms in total. While all the rooms were simple and unadorned, this was a place for Buddhism; they could not forcibly ask for more.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u pointed at the first left wing-room, ¡°You¡¯re staying there.¡±


    Her room was very near the principal rooms. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly responded in the affirmative. After hastening on their journey for the entire day, everyone was at the limits of their exhaustion, and seeing that there were no further instructions, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u went to bed.


    Within the principal room, Fu gonggong said smilingly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye must have admired Y¨­u Y¨­u quite a bit today, no? In the beginning, the few Daren did not believe that Y¨­u Y¨­u was a bona fide coroner, and then they were rendered speechless.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u declined to comment, but his countenance was coloured with satisfaction.


    At this moment, L¨´ K¨¥ came in from outside, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the arrangements have been made. Prior to this, there wasn¡¯t enough manpower, but now that there are enough hands, the whole area has guards, and the three Daren are also being monitored.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then asked: ¡°On the day you arrived, was there anything abnormal about the three of them?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ pondered briefly before shaking his head, ¡°No abnormalities could be perceived. This subordinate has only met W¨² daren and W¨¢ng daren before, and has never acquainted with General Yu¨¨ prior to this. The meeting that day was brief, and nothing can be discerned from it.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to speak, ¡°On the day F¨¦ng daren¡¯s corpse was discovered, how did the three of them react?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ took a moment to recall, ¡°The three of them were coloured with grief, but¡­ the three of them unanimously presumed that F¨¦ng daren had tripped and fallen off the cliff to his own death at the start. It doesn¡¯t mean much if it was during the day, but it was raining the night before, and it was the dead of night; there was no reason for F¨¦ng daren to wander to the bamboo forest at the back mountain alone. Just based on this point alone, F¨¦ng daren¡¯s death became rather suspect.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s irises darkened. W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ were officials within the capital, and whenever he was in the capital, they did meet face-to-face by technicality, but between the two of them, one was in Ministry of Rites while the other was in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; neither of which were part of what he had jurisdiction over, so he was not familiar with them. By comparison, he had a greater understanding of L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, and while he had encountered Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n a few times when he returned to the capital to report his circumstances, they were strangers at best.


    Then there was one F¨¦ng L¨²n. The four personages were supposed to be investigated for the old case, but before they could begin investigating what happened that year, F¨¦ng L¨²n up and died first. In spite of that, it proved that the loss of the ?ar¨©ra and J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disappearance were mysteriously linked.


    However, it was a case that happened ten years ago; it could not be denied that it would be hard to investigate.


    That thought flashed past his mind, before he recalled B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression when she was examining the corpse today. Unexpectedly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s heart did not feel that heavy, as if this case would be easily solved like a bamboo splitting when it met a knife¡¯s edge because B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was present.


    The night was already deep, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u fell asleep very quickly. He had always been a light sleeper, but perhaps because he was overly exhausted, his slumber was extremely deep, such that he actually had a strange dream just as the skies were about to brighten.


    Inside the dream, the morning sun was like fire, and a gentle and soft voice issued a murmur next to his ear¡ª To pass on one lamp to all lamps, and ten thousand lamps will all be bright at the end. Hou¡¯ye¡¯s wish is the same.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u woke up in shock.

 CH 33

    The morning light was breaking through. When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped through the door of the principal room, she promptly realised that something was wrong with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u today, because the gaze he regarded her with was inexplicably deep and profound, as if she had done something to displease him.


    Restraining her gaze, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed in rapt attention, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not verbally acknowledge her. Instead, he continued to use that dark and deep gaze to look at her for a moment, before he rose to his feet and walked outwards, ¡°Follow benhou.¡±


    After everyone had partaken in the vegetarian food, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u headed for the back mountain directly. Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng was the Head of the Temple, and today, he dispatched a managerial monk by the religious name of Li¨£o Hu¨¬ to follow Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng was already half past hundred, and close to his sixties. Since the ¡°Li¨£o¡± style-name generation was after the ¡°J¨¬ng¡± style-name generation, that was the second highest generation within the temple. Li¨£o Hu¨¬ was well after his thirties, and he was Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s oldest disciple.


    ¡°Shifu¡¯s body is not the best, and he has been concentrating fully on practicing Buddhism for the past few years, and he barely gets involved with the everyday matters of the temple. Usually, it is the younger monks and some shixiong who manage the miscellaneous affairs of the temple.¡± Li¨£o Hu¨¬¡¯s figure was slightly plump, and he wore a perpetual smile on his face which gave the impression that he was rather benign.


    The group followed a small path inside the temple that went towards the west, traversing past a quiet Buddhist Hall and a bamboo forest, thus reaching the west side door of Famen Temple. Li¨£o Hu¨¬ pointed at the small road outside the door, ¡°After leaving the door, and making a detour to the back by following this road leads to the back mountain. The back mountain has a black bamboo forest, and within the bamboo forest is an inscribed tablet and a small pagoda that was left behind by the previous dynasty. The tablet has a Buddhist hymn that has been inscribed on top which is rather precious. After the temple disciples complete their morning exercise and morning classes, most of them will take the long way round, going down to the foot of the mountain before making their way back.¡±


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ went out of the door and led the way at the front as he spoke.


    The Xixia Mountain¡¯s topography was not high, and Famen Temple basically occupied the entire Xixia Mountain: the main body of the Buddhist palace halls started from the midpoint of the mountain and scaled upwards, until it reached the Changming Pagoda at the mountain peak, and the west and east doors of the temple could be used to make a detour to the back mountain.


    Owing to the gradual warming of the weather, the remaining snow had completely melted, but a pervasive chill remained within the forest at the mountain waist at dawn. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u subconsciously tightened the cloak around her body as she trudged behind Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and very quickly, they arrived at the black bamboo forest.


    The bluestone tiled mountain path stretched into the middle of the black bamboo forest, and small pagodas could be seen along the side of the road. Once they reached the black bamboo forest, there were even more stone tablets and pagodas, with joss sticks and candle offerings in front of some of the pagodas, and there was a faint sandalwood scent within the forest.


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ pointed towards the north, ¡°There are quite a few small trails within the bamboo forest, the westmost and eastmost ones are roads that lead towards the foot of the mountain, the one in the true north direction goes to the Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff. Li¨£o Hu¨¬¡¯s expression congealed, ¡°That day, F¨¦ng daren probably fell off near the Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not falter, directly striding towards the Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff that Li¨£o Hu¨¬ mentioned.


    As they followed the main path within the forest to head northwards, the fact that the bamboo forest was being separated into two parts became apparent to them very quickly, and a mountain kiosk overlooking the precipice at the very end appeared. The mountain kiosk was constructed on the upper side of the cliff, around ten square feet in area. The underside of the eaves and pillars were lacquered in vermillion with carved patterns that were rather complicated decorating the veranda eaves, its ash roof tiles rested on the mountain top, and the interior railings curved outwards like a beauty to form seats for people to rest their feet on. Leaning on the parapet granted a wide, distant view of the mountain below, and as they approached the kiosk, the louder the whistling mountain wind became.


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ pointed at the railing: ¡°It can¡¯t be seen from here, and it can only be viewed from below the mountain, but below this mountain kiosk is an extremely smooth broken wall. In the previous dynasty, craftsmen carved nearly a hundred Buddha figures on the broken wall, which is how the Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff received its name, though after more than a century, majority of the Buddha images have been weathered down by the wind, and only a dozen or so Buddha images can be distinguished below the mountain now.¡±


    ¡°This area outside the temple can be considered as one of Xixia Mountain¡¯s sceneries, hence whenever there are more visitors during the spring and summer season each year, there are a great number of people who will come here too. However, since it overlooks the mountain precipice, it¡¯s exceedingly likely that something dangerous might occur, thus, there are railings around the sides of the mountain kiosk which is an additional enclosure that the temple added. It doesn¡¯t matter if one admires the scenery from this location, but if one heads into the forest, there is a possibility of falling off.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze surveyed the entire area, stepping forward to shove the railings surrounding the mountain kiosk. Certainly, the railings were sturdy, hence his vision shifted slightly as he pivoted on his heels to head for the bamboo forest on the left. The mountain kiosk was equivalent to a viewing platform and its railings also partitioned off both sides of the bamboo forest, but if someone entered through the bamboo forest, the boundaries of the bamboo forest wouldn¡¯t be fenced in.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u trod on the dried branches and rotting leaves on the muddy ground, with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u following in his footsteps. She was walking and leaning over at the same time to observe the muddy soil, and very quickly, she stated: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the muddy soil here is the same as the mud that was staining F¨¦ng daren¡¯s footwear.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u promptly asserted, ¡°Then F¨¦ng daren must have come to this place before he died.¡±


    However, the crime had occurred at night five days ago; with so many days elapsing, it would be difficult to find any traces. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered his men to search the area, and he personally went to the fringe of the bamboo forest. Upon looking downwards, what he saw conformed with Li¨£o Hu¨¬¡¯s words. Although it was not a perfectly straight steep precipice downwards from his position, it was still an exceedingly steep and tall slope; plummeting to the ground from this height would absolutely cause a certain death.


    The embroidered emissaries were scattered within the different parts of the forest. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward, taking a precursory glance downwards. With a frown, she said, ¡°If F¨¦ng daren fell from this area, his body should have some abrasion wounds, F¨¦ng daren probably fell straight down from the mountain kiosk.¡±


    She leaned her body forward to look down the mountain precipice, and upon seeing that her foot was going to step on the edge, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not resist the urge to hold her arm before pulling her inwards, ¡°Be more careful!¡±


    His severe tone of voice made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to raise her eyes in bafflement, which allowed her to notice that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seemed to be harbouring an unnatural fire today. She took a step back hastily, genuinely clueless as to how she had provoked him again because he was perfectly fine last night.


    ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹¡­ will go to the mountain kiosk to look again.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought that fleeing would be the best plan, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze seemed to be glued to her body as if it was vehemently trying to bore a hole in it. It was only until she left the bamboo forest and entered the mountain kiosk that the oppressive feeling disappeared.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was endlessly perplexed at the bottom of her heart, what was going on?


    Suppressing her confused thoughts, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u started to carefully examine the railings. All of the railings were made out of hardwood, a palm wide and lacquered in vermillion. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stared at it momentarily before turning around to lean on the railing, then slanting her body to rest her stomach on it. With this series of measurements, her scrunched eyebrows loosened a little.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came out from the forest, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied in a hurry, ¡°Last night, a few hidden bruises were discovered on F¨¦ng daren¡¯s body, especially around the back of his waist.¡± She leaned against the railing, as if she was F¨¦ng L¨²n, ¡°F¨¦ng daren¡¯s height is only taller than min¡¯n¨¹ by half a thumb, and his waist injury happens to match the height of the railing. The bruise was purple, and quite a bit of blood capillaries broke underneath the skin, and it was created after someone pinned F¨¦ng daren on the railing and he struggled violently. Concurrently, F¨¦ng daren¡¯s front abdomen also has a bruise, except it¡¯s comparatively fainter¡ª¡±


    Saying that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her own right arm, ¡°F¨¦ng daren¡¯s right arm and shoulder had bruises as well, especially the injury on his arm which has finger marks, which was probably left behind as he struggled against someone¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u knitted her eyebrows togethers slightly. There were too many injuries, it was slightly difficult for her to restore how F¨¦ng L¨²n had wrangled with that person back then. At this moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walked up to her, ¡°Where was the injury on his shoulder?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took a moment to remember it, ¡°On his left shoulder, on his left shoulder and closer to the neck, it was extremely obvious¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes narrowed, suddenly moving even closer as he asked: ¡°Where was the injury on his right hand?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pointed at her own smaller right arm, ¡°Close to the wrist.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded his head. In the next second, he grabbed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s smaller right arm.


    ¡°Do not be afraid.¡±


    He comforted her with a line first before he adjusted her body in a dexterous manner albeit with some force. In an instant, her right arm was loosely folded behind her back, and she, went from having her back against the railing to leaning on the railing on her stomach.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s hand landed on the position that was on her left shoulder and close to her neck, ¡°Was it this area?¡±


    When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was suddenly twisted into this position, she immediately jumped in fright, and it was only when she realised what he was doing that she breathed out in relief. Her right hand was being trussed and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was also using his other hand to press down on her shoulder. Although he was not using any strength, it was enough to stop her from moving; once strength was being exerted, it would naturally be impossible for F¨¦ng L¨²n to retaliate with his older age!


    She was not knowledgeable in martial arts, which was why she couldn¡¯t make sense of it, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u immediately understood once he heard the description.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°That¡¯s the area. So that¡¯s how it was, it completely matches the injuries on F¨¦ng daren¡¯s body¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was holding B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s smaller arm that was as delicate as a lotus root, while his other hand was placed on her thin shoulder. It was unknown if it was intentional or unwitting, but the thumb where his black jade ornamental ring was being worn on unexpectedly slid past the tender skin that was right next to her collar. Her skin was like exquisite porcelain, and despite being affected by the thinning cold of the forest, it felt scalding when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u touched it.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s finger numbed, and he released B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u in the next instant.


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was completely oblivious as she questioned doubtfully, ¡°But what was the murder weapon?¡±


    Since it was for the sake of solving the case, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not find Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s behaviour impolite. Turning around, she stated seriously, ¡°F¨¦ng daren¡¯s mortal wound was the skull fracture at the back of his head, and this sort of fracture is different from the fracture that a heavy blow from an ordinary object would cause. Skull fractures can be divided into linear fractures where a point of trauma leads to fissuring, depressed fractures where the surrounding bone caves in, and even fractures where the inner skull shatters. F¨¦ng daren belongs to the second type, the weapon that injured him is some kind of small blunt weapon¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u searched the ground, but the forest was mainly composed of brown fertile topsoil, and while there was an occasional rock or two, they were all chunks that had sharp edges, whereas the external wound on F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s skull did not have an entry wound.


    ¡°Could it be some kind of armed weapon?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly asked.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not an erudite in armed weapons, ¡°Of all the armed weapons, min¡¯n¨¹ is only aware of knives, spears, swords, and halberds, but these weapons have a sharp edge, and the wounds that it leaves behind after attacking the head area shouldn¡¯t be like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Not all armed weapons have blade edges, like the club or the quad-edged straight mace for instance, which still have frightening lethality. Additionally, there is another commonly seen armed weapon on Buddhist grounds.¡± After giving a pause, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said, ¡°Most martial monks within temples use polearms as weapons.¡±


    The murderer used a polearm to murder him?


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes brightened slightly, but soon after, she shook her head, ¡°When F¨¦ng daren went out alone that night, it doesn¡¯t matter if the murderer tailed behind him or had an agreement with him in advance, it isn¡¯t really possible for him to bring a polearm with him. Moreover, if the murderer was carrying a polearm when he came into conflict with F¨¦ng daren, why would he have to use his hands on F¨¦ng daren, he just needs to directly use the polearm and that will suffice.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u sank into deep contemplation for a moment, ¡°Hence, min¡¯n¨¹ believes that it¡¯s more than likely that the murderer used what was close at hand: either it¡¯s a lethal object that can be carried on his person that isn¡¯t easily noticed, a small object like a seal or jade for example.¡± Having spoken to this point, her brows furrowed with palpable frustration, ¡°But while those small objects are solid, they aren¡¯t really feasible when it comes to killing someone¡ª¡±


    In a few sentences from B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came to thoroughly understand what kind of appearance the object that the murderer used should have, and it naturally couldn¡¯t be from an ordinary armed weapon.  It was also at this moment where Fu gonggong and a few embroidered emissaries came from the east side of the bamboo forest.


    Fu gonggong sighed, saying: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Y¨­u Y¨­u, this forest can¡¯t be more normal, the bluestone tiled path is linked to various places, and there¡¯s nothing strange about the pagodas or the inscribed tablets.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows knitted together, his gaze sweeping across the forest from the east. At that moment, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.


    He could see the east-side railing, the four faces of mountain kiosk were empty, with only the veranda eaves and edges acting as the main body, and while there were parapet seats extending from the outward-curving railings in the north, the east was being sectioned off from the bamboo forest by a row of vermillion lacquered railings. There was nothing amiss with the banisters, newel posts, baluster, and plinths, and only the lotus ornament cap on the newel post attracted Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s attention.


    On the sacred grounds of Buddhism, most of the carvings and decorative patterns were the Buddha¡¯s lotus, and it was normal for lotus caps to appear on the newel posts. The wooden carving was vivid and life-like, like a slender and elegant, budding lotus, and the tips of the lotus flower were sleek in appearance.


    The deceased¡¯s mortal wound was at the back of his head. Relatively speaking, it was normal to assume that the murderer held the weapon to kill the deceased, but what if the murder weapon could not be moved, and it was the murderer who slammed the deceased onto it?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stopped in front of a newel post. In an entire row, there were six newel posts, and they were barely a meter apart from each other. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u leaned closer to the railing and looked down. His phoenix eyes immediately shrank.


    ¡°The murder weapon is here.¡±


    Upon hearing that sentence, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked over, her expression distorting the moment she caught sight of the lotus newel post in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Once she sidled up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, she noticed that while the newel post in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was joined seamlessly, the plinth underneath the newel post was starting to show lines of cracks after being worn down by the years. Even if the bloodstains were wiped clean on the surface, it was highly likely that there were remnants within the cracks.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u straightened his posture, ¡°Men come hither, dismantle this railing.¡±


    A few embroidered emissaries stepped forward, using the blades that they carried on their person to break off the wooden railing. Very quickly, the blood that was left in the cracks of the plinth and banister were exposed.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was overjoyed, ¡°Hou¡¯ye is wise!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at her, the darkness in the space between his brows disappearing. Fu gonggong stepped forward and said: ¡°Therefore, this was the place where F¨¦ng daren was murdered?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded. Perplexed, Fu gonggong commented: ¡°What did he come to this place in the middle of the night for? And he was killed by someone.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes sank slightly, waving his hand to call over L¨´ K¨¥, ¡°Dispatch some men to go down the mountain to search again.¡± After issuing his instructions, he looked at Li¨£o Hu¨¬ who was standing at the side. ¡°Where is F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s meditation hall?¡±


    ¡°F¨¦ng daren¡¯s meditation hall is in the west, and it is rather close to General Yu¨¨¡¯s place, this small monk will bring Hou¡¯ye over now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered his subordinate to bring the dismantled railing back to the temple as material evidence before he started towards F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s place of residence. Presently, the sun had already risen to the middle of the sky, and it was long past morning. Fortunately, the effort that they put in allowed them to confirm the place where F¨¦ng L¨²n was harmed, which meant that the reason why he went to the Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff was of utmost importance.


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ said that F¨¦ng L¨²n and Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s meditation hall were close, and once they reached the edge of F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s meditation hall, everyone could see Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s lodgings as was expected. Currently, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s meditation hall was being guarded by embroidered emissaries, and upon hearing the noise, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n walked out from his hall.


    After coming forward and offering his salutations, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n asked: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, are there any developments?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in an apathetic voice: ¡°You and F¨¦ng L¨²n live close by, when he left his meditation hall that night, did you hear any movements?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n shook his head, ¡°Xiaguan was within his hall. Unless the noise was loud, it can¡¯t be heard.¡±


    Placidly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave him a sidelong glance, ¡°You said that you got along harmoniously with F¨¦ng L¨²n, but on the night L¨´ K¨¥ arrived, you went to meet him and yet you didn¡¯t call F¨¦ng L¨²n to come along?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ were staying close by, so they left together and returned together. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and F¨¦ng L¨²n were old friends, if he was going out to meet L¨´ K¨¥, and under the circumstance where he knew that F¨¦ng L¨²n would definitely be going as well, there was no reason to not solicit with him.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n revealed a brief, bitter smile, ¡°This¡­ Although we got along merrily that year, we haven¡¯t met each other for many years after all. It¡¯s awkward for xiaguan to be overly friendly, and when xiaguan was leaving the courtyard that day, he saw that the lights within his meditation hall were already extinguished, and assumed that he had already left.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u declined to comment after hearing that explanation, lifting his foot to enter the meditation hall.


    The d¨¦cor in the temple¡¯s meditation halls were more or less the same. F¨¦ng L¨²n did not have a lot of personal possessions, and the two clothed bundles on the writing desk next to the window made up all his personal effects; the room was otherwise empty, and it was difficult to find any clues.


    F¨¦ng L¨²n was already dead, and his personal possessions counted as an exhibit. Hence, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not hesitate as he opened the clothed bundles to inspect it, and it was just some clothes and silver notes inside. Besides that, the room was clean and tidy like it was new, as if no one had stayed inside.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brow twisted together because he could not find any direct clues, which made the case more complicated and harder to progress. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n watched on from the side, similarly worried and sick at heart. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shot him a look before commanding, ¡°Call for Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disciples.¡±


    This was a case within a case; before the old case from that year was solved, one of the persons involved had died. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was originally planning to thoroughly investigate this case in the first few days after F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s death in hopes that it would provide some insight into the ten-year-old case, but with how things were right now, he feared that he had to investigate both at once.


    After exiting F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s room, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i was waiting outside. Upon hearing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wanted to meet Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disciples, he said: ¡°Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng only had three internal disciples beneath his seat that year. One of them had departed from Famen Temple five years ago, and only the other two shifu, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦, remain within the temple. In this instance, it was Li¨£o F¨¢n shifu who first asserted that this set of skeletal remains was Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng.¡±


    Since the skeleton was brought up, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not help but become slightly restless. Interrogations were not her field of expertise, and she hadn¡¯t seen the skeleton last night. Seeing that she should be examining bones now, she took a step forward, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s footfall halted. L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and the rest looked towards her as well.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asked: ¡°Is min¡¯n¨¹ allowed to examine the skeleton now?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes squinted slightly as he turned around to instruct: ¡°Tell Li¨£o Ju¨¦ and Li¨£o F¨¢n to go to the western courtyard where the remains are temporarily resting to meet benhou.¡±


    The embroidered emissary complied, then Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u brought B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to the morgue courtyard. Since the bones were ten years old, it was quite improbable for there to be any clues remaining. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was also wearing a slightly sombre expression, though she did not dare to be negligent. Since their group had gone over to the courtyard last night, they made a beeline for the central hall. Upon crossing the threshold, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u strode over to the side of the coffin directly.


    The white mourning silk that had been covering the bones had already been taken off by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, hence B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could see the human-shaped bones at a glance.


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    This was the skeleton of a matured man. Owing to the elapsing of years, the flesh and skin had turned into a light grey wax that adhered itself to the white bones. Whoever had placed the bones had expended some thought and effort since it was conforming to a human shape, and they had essentially fitted the bones together tightly. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze immediately changed at first glance, as if she just witnessed something horrendous and terrifying.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils dilated, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not speak for the time being, only leaning over to fiddle with a few bones to examine them. Very swiftly, she straightened her waist and said: ¡°This deceased¡­ was dismembered before he was placed inside the golden Buddha statue.¡±


    Fu gonggong was standing in front of the golden Buddha statue, and upon hearing that remark, he retreated two steps subconsciously, as if it was still hiding a section of the corpse. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s irises darkened slightly, ¡°It was dismembered before?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°Hou¡¯ye is adept in martial arts, and it is reckoned that he has observed that there is no obvious breakage in this set of human remains. This is because the murderer has a thorough understanding of the human¡¯s vascular system and joints; when the murderer was dismembering the corpse, they didn¡¯t crudely chop the bones, but made incisions from the joints instead. Since not much force was exerted, it gives people the impression that this person has died a natural death after it turned into white bones.¡±


    And as if she was afraid that her words were not persuasive enough, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u added, ¡°It¡¯s like a butcher scraping meat off bones and cutting apart the flesh, they can always find the most precise area to insert the blade.¡±


    Although this comparison was somewhat frightening, it was simple and easy to understand. If the deceased was really Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng, who would treat a Buddhist senior monk like this?


    The murderer¡¯s modus operandi was so cruel that it caused Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s countenance to become frigid, ¡°Just examining the bones alone, is it possible to determine the deceased¡¯s identity?¡±


    No matter who it was, anyone would feel inadequate on what they should do just looking at this set of white bones alone. However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gazed at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u with profound eyes, as if he was expecting something. In the next second, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°Yes, but it will take some time.¡±


    A case that happened ten years ago, what was a few more days?


    Satisfaction seeped into Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes, ¡°You just need to examine it.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hummed in response, then she asked the embroidered emissary to help her move the skeletal remains on a long table in a tidy fashion. Subsequently, she started to inspect the bones. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at her focused expression before he stepped out of the doors with slow steps. At this moment, an embroidered emissary brought over two younger-looking monks.


    These two people were Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disciples, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u met the pair in the right wing-room.


    ¡°Who is Li¨£o F¨¢n?¡±


    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u issued the question, the monk who looked comparatively younger stepped forward, ¡°This small monk is Li¨£o F¨¢n.¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n looked like he was above his thirties and had an honest and eminent appearance, but his expression was extremely strict. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°You were the one who said this set of skeletal remains was your Shifu?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n replied in a deep voice: ¡°It was this small monk who said it. Hou¡¯ye, with regards to Jiashi¡¯s abrupt appearance that year, this small monk has always found it strange, but because the later searches had been fruitless, he could only forget about it. For all these years, this small monk has always been waiting, because Jiashi said that in this life, he would practice the teachings of the Buddha until the day he passes away and attains his true body. Since Jiashi came from Famen Temple, he would never leave Famen Temple to practice elsewhere in this life.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes remained fixed on him, ¡°Your shifu was enthralled by the Dharma, and alongside your Shifu¡¯s disappearance was the ?ar¨©ra. Rumours in the streets circulate that your Shifu was so eager in his religious practice that it incited him into stealing the ?ar¨©ra.¡±


    ¡°All of that is drivel.¡± Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s tone of voice was agitated, ¡°Everything is ever-changing and indeterminate, arising from a compassionate heart. Shifu¡¯s religious practice has already attained great achievement, and even if he was enthralled by the Dharma, he also cultivates in great mercy and great wisdom and knowledge. The ?ar¨©ra is the spiritual bones of the Buddha, which is most revered by our Buddhist disciples, how could we possibly dare to have the heart to possess it?


    ¡°Shifu once said that if it is hard to attain enlightenment in this life, one must enter the Buddhist Halls again in the next life, he was akin to what the Sutra of the Meritorious Virtues of the Medicine Buddha¡¯s Original Vows states, only wishing that his body was like glass, clear and penetrating inside out, clean without any filth, bright and vast. He practiced Buddhism throughout his life, taking it upon himself to emulate the Buddha, treating desires as unwarranted thoughts, since it damages the mind for religious practice, how could Shifu do that¡­¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n spoke urgently, his voice raising. Despite being separated by a wall, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could still hear his grief and indignation. Her hand movements became slower, but she inspected the human bones in her grasp with greater scrutiny as she borrowed the daylight outside.


    In her immense concentration, she only sensed the voice next door rising and falling endlessly, but she did not know when human voices started sounding outside the courtyard as well since she did not have the additional headspace to pay attention to it. In the next moment, however, the light coming from the door was suddenly blocked.


    This forced her to raise her head.


    There were two strangers at the door: one was wearing red robes, had inky hair, and a handsome demeanour, especially his pair of phoenix eyes which unexpectedly bore a two-part resemblance to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, the other person was clad in white robes and had light irises, but he was seated. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze focused, realising that it was a dexterous chair with two wheels.


    She was rather surprised, but then she heard that red-robed man sigh exaggeratedly, ¡°A miracle ah! Older Brother actually secretly found himself such a young beauty¡­¡±


    Translator¡¯s Notes: There¡¯s no exact replica of Chinese railing architecture in English culture, so I mish-mashed the terms into something that made sense, with a picture to match, hope it helped ^^


    In addition, the entire ¡°railing that curves like a beauty to form seats looks something like this:

 CH 34

    The red-robed man¡¯s voice was bright and sonorous. While his pair of phoenix eyes bore some resemblance to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, the tails of his eyes were raised slightly, like it was typically lined with a mischievous smiling expression. His current remark contained even less scruples, as if he was used to being this impertinent even in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and the embroidered emissaries.


    Fu gonggong walked up to the door from the back, smiling helplessly as he uttered: ¡°Shizi¡¯ye, words cannot be indiscriminately spoken on the grounds of Buddhism, Y¨­u Y¨­u is a coroner that Hou¡¯ye found from Qingzhou.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had already straightened her posture, and she bowed with womanly obeisance before she said: ¡°One pays her respect to Shizi.¡±


    She restrained her gaze, already aware of the newcomer¡¯s identity at the bottom of her heart.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s father was originally the heir apparent of Duke Hu¨°, and after he became the Elder Princess¡¯ fuma (husband), he was given the additional title of Duke Ding, and the original position of Duke Hu¨° was given to his younger brother to inherit. The current individual in front of her, was naturally the current heir apparent of Duke Hu¨°, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s paternal younger male cousin.


    ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u?¡± Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s lower jaw raised slightly as he walked inside with crossed arms, ¡°Coroner? This kind of young beauty is actually a coroner?¡±


    Having said that, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng looked at the human remains that was splayed out on the long table, his complexion changing as he leapt out of the door like a rabbit, ¡°Gonggong¡­ what¡¯s that¡­ that couldn¡¯t be human bones right¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s smile deepened, as if he was no longer surprised by strange sights, ¡°Shizi¡¯ye, the official business that Hou¡¯ye came here for, is precisely because of this set of skeletal remains. Apart from this skeleton, this left wing-room is also storing F¨¦ng daren¡¯s corpse. If ?ou are afraid, perhaps going outside to roam around would be better?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s facial colour paled visibly. He stared at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u briefly with furrowed brows, as if he was wondering how a young lady like B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u managed to stand beside a dead person¡¯s bones with such composure.


    Lower jaw lifting, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng raised his head and said: ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, I just feel that these things are not clean. Speaking of which, Gu¨© L¨¢n came down south, wasn¡¯t it to help Older Brother conduct the post-mortem examinations? Why did Older Brother bring another young beauty to act as the coroner? Hey, do you really know how to examine corpses? Examine a corpse for me to see¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s status was respected and noble, his speech unrestrained, whilst B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt her scalp numb. She was not good at dealing with this kind of noble son from a prominent and illustrious family.


    ¡°Once you arrive you start making trouble.¡±


    Suddenly, a deep and low voice rang out.


    Everyone looked towards the right wing-room, and promptly saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walking out from the room before he stood at the entrance to frown at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng. In an instant, the unbridled air that permeated Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s words and actions was extinguished like a flame beaten down by frostlike powder.


    ¡°Older, Older Brother¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng straightened his posture in a well-behaved manner. At this moment, the white-robed gongzi, who hadn¡¯t spoken the entire time, chose to open his mouth, ¡°Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walked towards them, ¡°Gu¨© L¨¢n, this is a coroner I found in Qingzhou. She handled the Marquis Anqing case superbly, so I brought her over to examine the corpses with you this time around.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n had been observing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u the whole time just now, and he could not resist looking at her again at that moment, as if he was harbouring some doubts. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then said: ¡°Her skill in post-mortem autopsies is rather brilliant; though she is tender of age, she has been a coroner for a number of years.¡±


    This was the first time Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had praised B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, and upon hearing his words, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng gazed at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, curiosity emerging in lieu of his receding doubts. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n proceeded to laugh softly, ¡°For being able to receive Hou¡¯ye¡¯s praise, it is reckoned that her skill in post-mortem autopsies is extraordinary. I am a physician to begin with, in the future, it will no longer be necessary to follow Hou¡¯ye everywhere and be on the constant move.¡±


    Internally, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u thought that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would not be constantly following him in the future, but he did not vocalise it in the end. Instead, he simply said, ¡°You are proficient in medicine, which is something she falls short in. For the post-mortem autopsies, you will be conducting it with her this time around.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n heaved a sigh, ¡°One solemnly obeys Hou¡¯ye¡¯s orders.¡± Having said that, he glanced at the servants who were standing a short distance away, ¡°Lift me inside.¡±


    Once his voice landed, the two servants behind him stepped forward, lifting his chair across the raised threshold. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n manoeuvred his wheelchair, going close to the long table where the human bones were placed. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not express an opinion, merely waving his hand at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng. Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng dawdled over to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s side, his head hanging down slightly, and looking rather well-behaved.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated: ¡°This is official business, if you make trouble, you¡¯re going back to the Capital immediately.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng raised his head, wearing a miserable expression, ¡°Older Brother, I was merely stunned by the fact that the young beauty actually knew how to examine corpses, it wasn¡¯t making trouble¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows knitted upon hearing that, and when Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng saw the change in his expression, his brows jumped as well, but he looked visibly lost because he did not know what he had said wrongly.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at this younger brother of his, shaking his head before turning around to return to the wing-room.


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    Inside the wing-room, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ had yet to finish answering all the questions.


    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u departed, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s gaze, which was upright and honest for a moment, brightened again, and he returned to the central hall with arched eyebrows. Inside the room, M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was already conversing with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, and he only heard M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n say mildly, ¡°Guniang, in every instance that Hou¡¯ye handles a case, they have all been important cases, and it is exceedingly rare that he brings a person whose origins he¡¯s unclear of to examine the corpse. The fact that he brought you along sufficiently proves that he trusts you a lot. You don¡¯t have to be nervous. While I am well-versed in medical knowledge, I am by no means proficient in the skills of a coroner; the examination of the skeletal remains will still mainly depend on you.¡±


    Standing at the door, Fu gonggong added with a smile, ¡°M¨ªng gongzi belongs to an aristocratic family of imperial physicians. His father is the current Yuanzhen of the Imperial Hospital, and he is also deeply entrenched in the handed-down teachings, thus becoming a divine doctor within the Capital at a young age.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n chuckled, ¡°Gonggong has erred in his praise.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s expression changed slightly when she heard the words ¡®aristocratic family of imperial physicians¡¯. She raised her eyes to peer at M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n, only noting that his countenance was handsome and leisurely, his brows and eyes elegant, especially those light-coloured irises of his. From afar it looked estranging, but close up, it only seemed like it contained a clear spring; when it was looking at you, it was akin to a spring wind brushing past your face. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u relaxed by a few degrees, ¡°Being well-versed in medical knowledge is important in post-mortem autopsies. Min¡¯n¨¹¡¯s qualifications are superficial, and she asks for Gongzi¡¯s guidance.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n laughed out loud, ¡°Guidance is too a strong word to use. I only hope that you can help Hou¡¯ye share the burden and resolve his difficulties, while also sparing me some trouble.¡± Noticing the hesitation that coloured B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s gaze, he raised his hand and patted his kneecaps, ¡°I was crippled during my childhood which makes travelling inconvenient, and while there are boats and carriages for long distances, and to overcome mountains and cross waters, it is really arduous. Despite that, one does not dare to resist when Hou¡¯ye has orders.¡±


    Even though his words were as such, it could be seen that he was extremely familiar with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, which gave him the courage to bluntly state his thoughts. Moreover, he did not refrain from bringing up the fact that his legs were crippled, showing that he was a rather open-minded person.


    Thus, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had no misgivings as well, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, min¡¯n¨¹ will examine the bones and Gongzi can watch on from the side. If there¡¯s anything inappropriate, please bring it up.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng blinked his eyes, inching closer, ¡°It looks like you really know how to conduct post-mortem autopsies, and you¡¯re not offering more modest remarks.¡±


    Although one of their identities was more respected and honoured than the other, the relationship that the two newcomers shared with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not shallow for one, and secondly, neither of them were domineering or bearing any malice, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not try to be overly prudent. She promptly replied: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ does not dare to lightly declare that her autopsy skills can win against all the coroners underneath the heavens, but she has expended a great deal of effort into intensely studying this discipline.¡±


    And because she had expended the effort to study intensely, her chest was braced by bamboos, and she was not afraid of the difficulties that the post-mortem autopsies might bring. Therefore, regardless of whether it was a divine doctor from an aristocratic family or another coroner with far-flung fame that she was confronted with, she had sufficient confidence; if she were to blindly offer modest remarks and make concessions, she would appear diffident and fake instead.


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng raised an eyebrow, ¡°That would explain why Older Brother brought you along¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong said smilingly, ¡°Under normal circumstances, Y¨­u Y¨­u appears to possess a mild temper, seeking neither wealth nor fame, but when she¡¯s examining the corpses, she has a tenacious temperament. If she wasn¡¯t skilled in this field, she wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish that.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n chuckled, ¡°Hou¡¯ye dislikes presumptuous and unqualified people, nor does he like people who are skilled but cowardly, Guniang¡¯s personality does happen to match Hou¡¯ye¡¯s appetite.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had never contemplated that much. Upon hearing the interrogative voices sound from the right wing-room again, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Since Gongzi has just arrived, perhaps min¡¯n¨¹ should inform Gongzi of the results from the autopsy last night, lest it delays the official business.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n¡¯s smiling expression deepened, ¡°Hou¡¯ye also likes people who handle their duties with due diligence. Hou¡¯ye must be wholly satisfied with Guniang.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought in her heart, just this morning, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had been angry at her for some inexplicable reason. He was satisfied, but it definitely wasn¡¯t ¡®wholly¡¯.


    Since she brought up the topic, she did not dally any further. Although M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n hadn¡¯t seen the corpse, she still enumerated the results of last night¡¯s post-mortem autopsy in full detail. When M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n heard that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u managed to find so many clues, his expression became a touch stricter, though more admiration seeped into the bottom of his eyes. Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s slender finger was initially leaning against the door frame, but gradually, his posture straightened¡­


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to recount, ¡°The place where F¨¦ng daren met his demise has been confirmed, but no other direct clues were discovered. Hou¡¯ye is currently questioning Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s two internal disciples, but as to whether this set of skeletal remains belongs to Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng, has yet to be determined.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pointed at the skeleton and said: ¡°This skeleton belongs to a man, the deceased¡¯s height should be around 5¡¯8 feet, give or take a few inches, around fifty years old at the time of death, but just basing it off these facts is not enough to verify that this deceased is Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng could not help but ask: ¡°How did [you] know that he¡¯s in his fifties?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u answered: ¡°As humans grow with age, their bones and nerves will experience changes: bones grow at a young age, so a lot of changes occur then, and the changes become slower around forty to fifty years old, but it is not impossible to deduce. For instance, teeth will wear down, inside the bones, obvious changes will start to manifest at the pubic bone and other areas. By the ages of fifty, the pubic symphysis face will go from having a coarsely textured, central depression to a smooth surface with exceedingly small holes, then the rim will become duller while the face becomes pitted, and the area surrounding it will also be the same¡­¡±


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was speaking, she picked up the deceased¡¯s pubic bone, which made Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s lip corner twitch involuntarily.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued, ¡°If it was a deceased in their sixties, the holes here will become bigger, taking on an irregular ossification, and subsequently the outer edges will become a lot sharper.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng did not understand what he was hearing, but he got the sense that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was extremely knowledgeable. At the side, M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n questioned: ¡°You have a deep understanding of the human bones, did someone teach you?¡±


    Normal physicians only know how to give prescriptions at most, and the ones who have a thorough understanding of the skeletal and nervous system were not many. According to what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u asserted, her main discipline was forensics, not medicine, but the things she was speaking about were only recorded on extremely precious and ancient books from physicians, and even he only came to gradually comprehend these after he was seventeen.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Yifu taught about it once.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n posed another question: ¡°Your foster father? Is he a renowned physician?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Yifu is a coroner as well.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n pondered briefly, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, it can be imagined that your foster father is an extremely skilled coroner as well.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u declined to comment as she shifted back to the case again, ¡°Only a set of human bones remain of the deceased¡¯s corpse today, but apart from two broken bones on the skeleton, there are no obvious injuries elsewhere. Presently, min¡¯n¨¹ has yet to conclude what the mortal wound was, and the only fact that she can ascertain is that, after the deceased died, the murderer had used cruel methods to dismember the corpse first, and then place the corpse chunks inside the golden Buddha statue.¡±


    ¡°Put it inside a golden Buddha statue? Could it be that¡­ it¡¯s this Buddha statue?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng asked as he pointed at the Buddha statue in the room, to which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded.


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s complexion changed instantaneously. He did notice that there was a Buddha statue in the room, and saw the cracked pattern on the lotus seat, which made him assume that the Buddha statue was being temporarily stored here because it was damaged, but he did not anticipate that the Buddha statue was where the corpse was hidden. His complexion changed a few times, and at the end, he said: ¡°I heard that L¨ªn Zh¨¡o is also in the temple, I¡¯ll go and look for him instead¡ª¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, who had been standing at the side the entire time, chuckled, ¡°Zh¨¡o¡¯er is in the library pavilion, Shizi just needs to ask an embroidered emissary to lead the way.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng promptly left, following an embroidered emissary out of the door.


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    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n laughed, ¡°Shizi has a straightforward personality, Guniang need not pay attention to him.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, but she was thinking in the bottom of her heart: the Shizi has a noble and respected identity, how could she ignore him? Her thoughts turned and she continued to say: ¡°This Buddha statue was made ten years ago. Min¡¯n¨¹ deduces that when the deceased was murdered, the Buddha statue was half-moulded, and the murderer had dismembered the corpse before placing it inside the Buddha statue. The people crafting the statue didn¡¯t realise it¡­ or perhaps, under the circumstances where they were cognizant, they still thoroughly sealed the corpse chunks inside the Buddha statue, which was why no one managed to discover it for so many years.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n looked at the Buddha statue, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u added, ¡°Besides this, there were bit of fabrics and other material evidence, like a Buddhist prayer bead, but wanting to verify the deceased¡¯s identity still requires iron-clad evidence from the skeletal remains.¡±


    Each and every word and sentence spoken by B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was orderly and clear. After M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was done listening, he gazed at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°Guniang, is it true that many cases have passed through your hands?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u faltered momentarily, ¡°It can¡¯t be considered as many.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n smiled slightly, then he seemed to suddenly recall something as he said: ¡°[I] haven¡¯t asked you what your name was?¡±


    ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹¡¯s patronymic is B¨®, name Ru¨° Y¨­u.¡± B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u answered.


    ¡°Ru¨° Y¨­u¡­¡± M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n mumbled before suddenly saying, ¡°Your name does remind me of a poem line¡­ ¡®a serene colour bursting into the mundane world¡¯, it does match your name and your person.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n¡¯s manner of speaking was warm and cultured. Though his words were clearly a compliment, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stiffened slightly, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ does not deserve such praise.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ could also hear the low voices conversing next door, but it sounded vague. Very quickly, however, the pair realised that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s mien was congealing more and more. After Li¨£o Ju¨¦ finished talking about the situation after Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disappearance, he asked: ¡°Therefore, you¡¯re saying that the current Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng usurped your Shifu¡¯s position as the Temple Head very quickly?¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ hesitated, whereas Li¨£o F¨¢n immediately said: ¡°That¡¯s precisely the case. Not only did he immediately usurp Shifu¡¯s position as the Temple Head, but he also revoked the managerial positions of this small monk and two more shixiong within two years. At the very end, it was all changed into his own disciples.¡±


    In a place with people, there was bound to be a struggle for power. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not be more understanding of this saying, ¡°Apart from that? What else did he do?¡±


    Although his demeanour was less than stellar, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to sit stably like a lofty mountain. Li¨£o F¨¢n shook his head, ¡°There¡¯s nothing else. Shishu and Shifu are fellow apprentices, when Shifu was chosen by Tai Shizhu to be the Temple Head, Shishu found it rather unfair. Hence, it delayed his cultivation, and when Shifu was met with an accident, Shishu did try to find Shifu, but he was just going through the motions. He swiftly presented a memorial to the Ministry of Rites, stating that Famen Temple cannot be without a Temple Head for a day, and afterwards, his position as the Temple Head was thus settled.¡±


    Ridicule emerged on Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s visage, ¡°Though Shishu did expend more thought on practicing the Dharma after becoming the Temple Head.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to ask: ¡°Which is why both of you feel that your Shifu¡¯s disappearance is related to him.¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ faltered. Li¨£o F¨¢n said decisively, ¡°It must be related. Even if Shishu isn¡¯t the murderer, he also wishes for Shifu to disappear.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered irresolutely to himself briefly, ¡°Both of you personally experienced the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony that year, do you still remember if anything abnormal happened?¡±


    The ?ar¨©ra Grand Ceremony happened ten years ago; wanting to remember the details of what occurred ten years ago was rather difficult. Li¨£o F¨¢n pondered briefly before replying: ¡°At that time, this small monk and a few of the disciples under Shifu¡¯s seat were mostly leading the inner monks in rehearsing, preparing the sacrificial offerings, and chanting sutras. There were no perceivable abnormalities, and the only abnormality would be the disappearance of the ?ar¨©ra¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u interrupted, ¡°Talk about it in detail. At that time, how was the ?ar¨©ra brought out, and how did it return, whose hands did it pass through at that time, and who was holding the keys to the doors of the underground palace.¡±


    Upon hearing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s meticulous inquiries, and having heard of Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s military achievements, he inwardly knew that he could only rely on him if he wanted to find out the reason for his Shifu¡¯s disappearance. He tried his hardest to think back. ¡°The ?ar¨©ra is usually enshrined inside the underground palace, and the doors are always locked shut and never opened. There are a total of five heavy doors to the underground palace, and the keys are held by the Temple Head, passed down in successive generations, and it is only during the Grand Ceremony that happens once every thirty years where the keys will be used to open the underground palace.


    ¡°As the spiritual bones of the Buddha, the ?ar¨©ra has always been stored inside the Five-Fold Treasure Chest, with the clear glass bottle containing the ?ar¨©ra being stored in the innermost layer, then in a golden coffin, pure silver coffin, and sandalwood case, in that order, with the outermost copper coffer being last. It was the day of the Grand Ceremony when the ?ar¨©ra was brought out, and this small monk recalls that the auspicious time was midnoon back then. Shifu was the one who personally opened the heavy doors to the underground palace, and he also personally sought out the copper chest. The main hall ceremonial stage was constructed in front of the Hall of Great Strength, and the copper coffer was raised on the lotus flower seat on the main hall ceremonial stage for presentation. Following that was the grand religious ceremony which lasted for the entire day, and it was at the start of the first night watch (7PM) where Shifu personally sent it back to the underground palace.


    ¡°In that span of time, the copper coffer was never opened, and it remained within everyone¡¯s sights, so there was absolutely no chance of it being lost, but when Shifu was about to send back the ?ar¨©ra at night-time, he suddenly realised that something was wrong, stating that the copper coffer had become lighter.¡±


    Owing to the earth-shattering, unforeseen event, Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s memory of that instance was particularly deep, ¡°Back then, the bystanders had yet to understand why Shifu would utter such words, but Shifu said that he was the one who brought out the copper coffer at noon, so he was the most cognizant of its weight, before reiterating that the copper coffer had really become lighter. His Majesty was still present back then, and upon hearing his words, he summoned Shifu into the palace hall, not allowing anyone to know of this development. After hearing Shifu¡¯s urgent pretext, he ordered for the opening of the copper coffer, followed by the sandalwood case and pure silver coffin. Once the pure silver coffin was opened, the gold coffin that was supposed to be there was gone¡­ Naturally, the clear glass bottle storing the ?ar¨©ra was gone as well.¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n heaved a sigh, ¡°Everyone was shocked back then, and His Majesty immediately dispatched people to search for it, but nothing came out of it. Since Shifu was the only person who held the copper coffer, he was naturally suspected as well, and it was even to the extent where His Majesty wanted to punish Shifu. However, under the consideration Shifu was a senior monk that had achieved enlightenment, and had carried out the copper coffer under a thousand eyes, he didn¡¯t convict him immediately, only retaining a few court officials to investigate, but Shifu unexpectedly disappeared three days later.¡±


    ¡°The keys to the underground palace were within Shifu¡¯s hands, hence there were some that said that Shifu had embezzled and plundered the ?ar¨©ra a long time ago¡­ But how could that be possible, the noise generated during the opening of the underground palace is not small, and someone within the temple would have noticed it. Moreover, it is Shifu, it¡¯s not possible for him to open the underground palace noiselessly and take away the ?ar¨©ra¡­¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s expression was etched with pain, while Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u squinted his eyes, ¡°That day, did anything irregular occur?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n thought about it again. At this moment, Li¨£o Ju¨¦ spoke up: ¡°It rained in the evening that day, does that count as irregular?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils dilated, ¡°Talk about it in detail.¡±


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    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ then said: ¡°The ceremonial stage didn¡¯t have any shelter. At that time, it was the fourth month of flourishing spring, and there was a light drizzle that came pitter-pattering down in the evening, lasting for only the smaller part of a double-hour at most. The copper coffer would never be allowed to be soaked in the rain, hence, Shifu ordered for someone to prepare a large umbrella to cover the copper coffer, and the religious ceremony also stopped briefly because of it.¡±


    With that exposition, Li¨£o F¨¢n also recalled it, ¡°Yes, there was indeed a drizzle, but it did not last for a long time, so this small monk forgot about it in the moment.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Where is the copper coffer from that year right now?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n replied: ¡°Inside the underground palace. This accident had to be kept under wraps all these years, so everyone pretended that the ?ar¨©ra was still inside the Famen Temple, and that copper coffer, naturally had to be placed back to continue the pretence.¡±


    ¡°The keys to the underground palace didn¡¯t disappear with your Shifu?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n shook his head, ¡°It didn¡¯t. That is also one of the oddities. When Shifu disappeared that year, he should have taken all his personal possessions if he was stealing the ?ar¨©ra and running away, or at the very least, brought along some items to maintain his livelihood.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered irresolutely to himself before instructing an embroidered emissary outside, ¡°Go and invite Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng, and tell him to bring the keys to the underground palace, benhou is going to the underground palace to have a look¡ª¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ exchanged glances, looking equally alarmed. The underground palace could not be opened just because someone wished for it, and it was only the arrival of this thunderously swift and decisive Marquis Wuzhao that could move the Temple Head.


    In time that they were waiting, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood up and walked out of the door, turning towards the entrance of the central hall. Before he even reached the doors, he could hear an ensuing conversation.


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n remarked, ¡°No symptoms of poisoning can be discerned from the bone colour, but for the two broken ribs, it¡¯s possible that his death was caused by an object piercing his heart from a slanted angle.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u chimed in, ¡°Gongzi¡¯s words are reasonable, except the breakage of the ribs are level, and they must have been cut into by a sharp weapon. Just the excessive blood loss alone can result in death; there are too many possibilities, it¡¯s difficult to conclude right now.¡±


    Before Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stepped through the doors, he saw L¨ªn Hu¨¢i coming over to greet him, so he instructed, ¡°Go and check, when Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng obtained the seat of Temple Head that year, who was on duty within the Ministry of Rites and Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and whose hands did the request passed through.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i nodded and complied. At this moment, the voices within the room ceased.


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n turned his wheelchair towards the entrance, ¡°Hou¡¯ye is done questioning?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°Will be heading to the underground palace in a short while.¡± He glanced at the bones on the table. ¡°How is it?¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n said: ¡°Congratulating Hou¡¯ye on finding a coroner like B¨® guniang, I see that she¡¯s much more capable than I am, though there aren¡¯t a lot of clues on the skeletal remains, and it will require more time.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in a calm tone: ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush the moment.¡± He looked into the room before adding, ¡°[I] will be going to the underground palace to inspect that copper coffer from that year. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, come together with benhou.¡±


    Raising her head, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u verbally agreed without any delay. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n peered at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, the corners of his lips curving slightly, ¡°Then I will stay behind to examine the bones.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u declined to comment as he nodded his head. Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u came out, he started using the strange gaze from the morning to scrutinise B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u again. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart jolted, not understanding how she had displeased him again.

 CH 35

    Although Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng was holding the keys to the underground palace when he arrived, his expression was slightly nervous, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the underground palace has a precedent of only being opened once every thirty years, with the symbolism of protecting the country¡¯s foundation, if it¡¯s opened for the sake of investigating the case today, it might affect the country¡¯s destiny¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at J¨¬ng M¨ªng with a touch of surprise, ¡°Since Great Master is a senior monk who has achieved enlightenment, he must be aware that it¡¯s the Buddha¡¯s spiritual bones which protect Great Zhou Dynasty¡¯s foundation, not an empty underground palace. Now that the ?ar¨©ra has been lost for so many years, why does the Great Master presume that opening an underground palace would affect the country¡¯s destiny?¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s complexion changed slightly as he hurriedly said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, this humble monk will bring Hou¡¯ye to enter the underground palace.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, while L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and the rest naturally followed along. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u trailed after them, and beside her, Fu gonggong said with some interest: ¡°Typically, the underground palace can¡¯t be trod into. Zajia didn¡¯t even enter the underground palace ten years ago since it¡¯s the sacred land where the Buddha¡¯s spiritual bones were being enshrined. Allegedly, only senior monks who have attained enlightenment have the fortune of entering, and ordinary people entering will have their longevity reduced.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u remained expressionless when she heard that, which made Fu gonggong look at her, ¡°Y¨­u You, you¡¯re actually not afraid of¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was in a slight predicament, ¡°Not hiding from Gonggong, when min¡¯n¨¹ was a child, it was asserted that she would not live past eighteen, and there is a mere half-year before min¡¯n¨¹ turns eighteen. If it truly reduces one¡¯s longevity, then it is reckoned that not much can be taken off.¡±


    Fu gonggong sucked in a mouthful of cold air, ¡°Pei pei pei, don¡¯t make such utterances, the Buddhist patriarch and deities in Heaven are listening, it would be terrible if it really comes true¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u issued a short chuckle. Fu gonggong said doubtfully, ¡°Why would someone assert that? Was the Buddhist monk of Taoist Priest lying? Did they also say that if you give a certain amount of money, they can help you overcome the calamity?¡±


    On the contrary, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Gonggong has made the wrong guess, the Taoist priest said that it wouldn¡¯t work even if money was given.¡±


    Fu gonggong made a noise of surprise, ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense ah¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u curled her lips into a smile, as if she had never taken that claim seriously. Her line of sight shifted, moving towards Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng who was walking at the very front, ¡°After Gonggong attended the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony ten years ago, when did he depart?¡±


    Fu gonggong released a sigh, ¡°Back when the ?ar¨©ra was lost, His Majesty flew into a great rage. The Sacrificial Offering Grand Ceremony was supposed to be an auspicious event, but the loss of the ?ar¨©ra will affect the country¡¯s fortune, and even has some connotations of terribly inauspicious omen. His Majesty had been exhausted from the travel down south to begin with, and he started to feel unwell that night. Though it was originally planned that he would leave on the third day, he departed on the morning of the second day, going down the mountain to take the water route back to the Capital. Back then, the matter was handed to the Luozhou Prefectural Magistrate to investigate, which was F¨¦ng daren, General Yu¨¨ was the Commander-in-Chief back then, so he was aiding him from the side, whereas W¨² daren and W¨¢ng daren were in charge of the arrangements for the Grand Ceremony from the very start, and they had to stay behind to deal with the aftermath, hence they helped to investigate the case together with the aforementioned pair.


    ¡°Despite the month-long investigation, nothing was found. As a result, F¨¦ng daren was reprimanded, remitting his promotion to the capital to five years later, W¨² daren and W¨¢ng daren were affected by a fair bit too.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes did not stray away, ¡°What about General Yu¨¨?¡±


    Fu gonggong said: ¡°General Yu¨¨ did not escape unscathed either of course. However, General Yu¨¨ rendered meritorious service by suppressing bandits later, which allowed him to enter the Zhenxi Army. For military officials, the position of a Commander-in-Chief isn¡¯t low per se, but if there are no military achievements, and he only depends on suppressing bandits to safeguard peace, it would be difficult for him to continue climbing upwards.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not have a deep understanding of governmental positions within the court and comprehension only emerged in her eyes after hearing Fu gonggong¡®s explanation.


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    The group left the morgue courtyard, following the main road inside the temple northwards, before climbing up a flight of stairs, going past places like the ten square foot monastic room, the hall for preaching the Buddhist doctrine, and the Library Pavilion, until they reached an elevated platform. Pine and cypress extended towards the sky on the elevated platform, the bluestone tiles that formed the main road split off into two directions, with one road heading towards the Changing Pagoda at the peak of the mountain, while the other slanted and rounded off towards the east.


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng pointed towards the east, ¡°The entrance to the underground palace is in the east¡ª¡±


    As they walked, J¨¬ng M¨ªng stated, ¡°The underground palace was built in a natural cave in the previous dynasty, with its main body being at the half-way point of Xixia Mountain. After entering the outermost door, there are four more heavy doors, and ten years ago, it was this humble monk¡¯s Temple Head-shixiong and two other Shishu who went inside. Those two Shishu are of high virtue as well, and they have attained nirvana after death in succession a few years back.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not express an opinion. Very quickly, the group saw a copper door that was mounted on a cliff in the middle of the pine forest.


    The rock face was straight, with Buddhist hymns carved into the stone on both sides of the thick and heavy, primitively simple greenish-copper large doors. There were two martial monks standing left and right of the door, and upon seeing J¨¬ng M¨ªng appear, both of them were slightly surprised.


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng stated: ¡°Marquis Wuzhao has arrived as His Majesty¡¯s representative, to enter the underground palace to have a look.¡±


    The two martial monks exchanged mutual looks before they retreated to the side, holding their poles perpendicular to the ground. J¨¬ng M¨ªng then added: ¡°They are martial monks from the Hall of Arahant, and are responsible for guarding the underground palace, with each guard shift lasting for six double-hours, regardless of rain or shine. If it isn¡¯t a martial monk with great tenacity, it would be difficult to persevere.¡±


    After J¨¬ng M¨ªng was done speaking, he took out a few keys that were the length of a palm and opened the first lock.


    Since it hadn¡¯t been opened for ten years, the copper lock was tough, and J¨¬ng M¨ªng had exert quite a bit of strength before he managed to open the door. Once the door was opened, the dark and damp air gushed out and brushed across their faces. J¨¬ng M¨ªng ordered someone to hold a lamp before he brought the group into the passageway.


    Though there were five heavy doors, only by going through the last door would it be considered as entering the underground palace. The group remained silent for the entire journey, and when they finally reached the front of the fifth heavy palace doors, everyone held their breaths in rapt attention. They only heard a loud click before the copper lock was opened, and the thick and heavy copper doors were unsealed, then the underground palace of the Famen Temple which was hidden behind a mysterious veil appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    What emerged in their vision was forty-nine stone steps, the flight of steps in the multiple of seven. On the landing of the stairs was a lotus pond carved out of stone, with a corridor at the end, and the paved road led to the front room of the underground palace. J¨¬ng M¨ªng pointed in the direction of the room, ¡°Further upwards is a centre room, back room, and a secret shrine. The Five-Fold Treasure Chest which stores the ?ar¨©ra has always been enshrined in the secret shrine¡ª¡±


    Just as they entered the front room, they saw a pagoda structure sanctifying Ashoka ¨C the last major Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty of India ¨C and within the Pagoda was another secret treasure of Buddhism. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not make any inquiries, going past the stone door to head into the middle room. The middle room had a gossamer white curtain in one area, enshrining a Buddhist ceremonial tool within, the back room had a three-fold treasure chest, and it also enshrined a secret Buddhist treasure.


    After going through the stone door, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u promptly saw the copper coffer that was being enshrined on a lotus platform at a glance.


    The copper coffer had a simple and unadorned design with a lock clasp, though the rivet on the one side of the lock was loose, and there were a number of Buddhist verses carved on it. It was impossible to judge whether the ?ar¨©ra was in it just from the appearance alone. When J¨¬ng M¨ªng saw the copper coffer, he seemed to recall the unforeseen event from that year, ¡°That year, Shixiong personally held onto this chest to present the ?ar¨©ra, and it was barely displayed for a day during the Grand Ceremony before the accident happened. Despite being under thousands of staring eyes, no one knew how the ?ar¨©ra disappeared into thin air.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked, ¡°On the day of the Grand Ceremony, was the copper coffer ever opened?¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng shook his head. ¡°Not once. Each and every part of this Five-Fold Treasure Chest had been blessed by senior monks from the previous dynasty, and during every Grand Ceremony, the entire copper coffer that would be brought out instead of directly taking out the ?ar¨©ra. The key for this copper coffer has already disappeared in the previous dynasty, and it has never been opened within the past hundred years of this dynasty. When the accident occurred that day, the guards needed to use a knife to pry the copper coffer open when the His Majesty ordered for it to be opened. This is precisely why the humble monks present found it all the more peculiar. Everything was in perfect working condition, what kind of person would steal the golden coffin and the clear glass bottle storing the ?ar¨©ra from the confines of the copper coffer and sandalwood case.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u picked up the copper chest. It was the most valuable treasure in a Buddhist temple, and yet he picked it up without the slightest qualms. J¨¬ng M¨ªng wanted to speak but stopped himself, repressing whatever he wanted to say in the end. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u waved his hand to beckon L¨´ K¨¥, who was standing at the very end, to come over, ¡°Come here and take a look.¡±


    The underground palace never saw the light of day; with the five heavy doors and the stone door inside, the security of the rooms within the underground palace were exceedingly tight. L¨´ K¨¥ accepted the bronze coffer which was barely stained with dust. He took a glance at the lock clasp on the copper chest before stating: ¡°This lock comes from northern Shanxi. The lock is square, but the keyhole is extremely unusual, the lock and key have a long handle and is spoon-shaped, with the bottom of the spoon having a fretwork of a particular decorative design, and the decorative design has to be embedded into the keyhole before it can be unlocked. Since the internal dark pattern within the lock is different, there is only one lock and one key; unless a person is cognizant of the key¡¯s structure, it¡¯s impossible to open the lock without damaging it.¡±


    When Emperor Jianhe ordered for the bronze chest to be opened that day, he had commanded his guards to pry open the rivet of the copper chest, which was why one side of the copper chest had been damaged. That being said, how did the thief manage to open the copper coffer that day?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not believe that there were spells that could phase through walls to extract objects. He opened the copper coffer again, only to see that the sandalwood case and silver coffin were still inside. These two folds of the treasure chest were extremely elaborate, but it was not locked shut.


    ¡°Bring out the copper chest.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u instructed L¨´ K¨¥.


    The palace rooms were all square and partitioned off by stone doors, which could be considered as heavy obstructions. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u surveyed each area with a meticulous gaze, before he asked: ¡°The construction of this copper chest, does anyone in the outside world know about it?¡±


    Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng shook his head, ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be. This object has existed since the previous dynasty, and it was constantly enshrined within the underground palace afterwards, so the people who have seen it are extremely scarce.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u remained silent with sunken eyes. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing a distance away but she was also studying the copper coffer, so Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u beckoned her forward with his hand, ¡°Come here¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward. L¨´ K¨¥ did not dare to be negligent, and he quickly showed her the copper coffer. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u inspected the loosened rivet before opening the lid to take a look. The sandalwood case and silver coffin were perfectly intact.


    Subsequently, she asked, ¡°This chest was only opened once ten years ago?¡±


    Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng nodded, ¡°That is the case, yes.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stated, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, it is dim here, it¡¯d be easier to inspect carefully outside.¡±


    There were no clues within the underground palace itself, so Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not prolong his stay there any further, bringing his entourage to walk outwards. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u fell one step behind, and when they were leaving the dark room, she took a subconscious glimpse at the lotus flower base that the copper coffer was placed on.


    This base was still the same base. Owing to the long years, the simple and unadorned pigments had darkened. She contemplated briefly before she caught up with the group to exit together.


    The interiors of the underground palace were cramped and dusky. Once they made their exit, everyone breathed out collectively before the group doubled back to the morgue courtyard.


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    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was still examining the bones, and he was slightly surprised when he saw everyone return so quickly. L¨´ K¨¥ placed the copper chest on the long table, which immediately prompted J¨¬ng M¨ªng to say ¡°Amit¨¡bha¡±, before he took off his kasaya hastily, ¡°Benefactor, please place the chest on the kasaya.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ touched his nose and complied.


    Upon seeing the exigency that J¨¬ng M¨ªng treated this object with, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u cleansed her hands first before going forward to study it. The four walls of the copper coffer were glossy like an ancient mirror; let alone cracks, there wasn¡¯t even a scratch on it, which sufficiently proved that it had been very well-preserved all these years. Apart from the loose rivet, the lock did not show any traces of damage, which made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u frown as she said: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ has once heard of northern Shanxi locks, of a well-known locksmith from Shanxi in the previous dynasty who created such locks. Owing to the complexity of its internal formation, and the intricacy of his craft, it was extremely rare for ordinary people and families to use this lock. Since that¡¯s the case, it can be assumed that the unlocking method wouldn¡¯t be widely circulated.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not expect that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u would know so much. He said, ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s not possible for the person who stole the ?ar¨©ra to use a skill that can phase through walls to extract the object. Since there are no additional traces of damage on this copper coffer, it¡¯s more than likely that they made entry through this lock.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hummed in response as she started to inspect the chest carefully. At the side, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i asked, ¡°How did the thief manage to open the lock and steal the relic when it was under the eyelids of the crowd that day?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s lips were lined with a near imperceptible sneer, ¡°There must be a way. No matter how the thief deliberately mystified their ways, they can¡¯t avoid having to open this lock. Let¡¯s see if there is any evidence left on this chest.¡±


    Seeing that M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was examining that pile of human bones, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked him, ¡°Have you concluded anything?¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n shook his head, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, my hands are somewhat bound and there isn¡¯t much I can do about it this time around.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u replied, ¡°No rush.¡±


    At that moment, a rustling noise sounded from B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s end. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned around, only to see B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u taking out a snow-coloured handkerchief from her sleeve. She was wiping something on a corner of the sandalwood box, and once she took out her handkerchief, a black smudge could be seen on the white fabric. The stain was dry, and it was hard to distinguish what it was immediately. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u touched it with her fingertip, ¡°Seems like lantern oil.¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look¡ª¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n spoke up, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u quickly handed over the handkerchief. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n placed it under the light to illuminate it, ¡°Certainly, it¡¯s composed of fats, it might be resin or butter too. It¡¯s been too long; it has dried up.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked towards Great Master J¨¬ng M¨ªng, whose expression distorted slightly, ¡°This¡­ After it was opened once ten years ago, no one touched it again, and it was directly sent back to the underground palace.¡±


    Which also meant that, within the past hundred years, it was only opened once ten years ago.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i hesitated momentarily, ¡°Either It was left behind by the guards when His Majesty ordered for it to be unsealed, or it was left behind by the thief.¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng quickly responded, ¡°Back then, it was the imperial guards by His Majesty¡¯s side who opened the lock. After a knife was used to pry it open, it was Shixiong (J¨¬ng K¨­ng) who went forward to check it, and Shixiong has always revered this object, it¡¯s unlikely that his hands would be stained with any filth.¡±


    Therefore, it was left behind by the thief.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shrank, ¡°The thief was within the temple, it¡¯s not strange if they were stained with some lantern oil. Which places had lantern oil during the Buddhist rites that day?¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng issued a bitter laugh, ¡°Altar lamps were lit everywhere.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sank into deep contemplation briefly, ¡°Draw a sketch of the Buddhist rites arrangement from that day. Whether it¡¯s the position of the ceremonial stage, what was placed on top, where the altar lamps were lit, do not omit any of those details. If [you] can still remember it clearly, sketch out the people who were the closest to the ?ar¨©ra as well.¡±


    A thin layer of sweat was already oozing out of J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s forehead. After hearing his order, he wiped away his sweat and agreed, ¡°This humble monk will sketch it out for Hou¡¯ye by today.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, and then J¨¬ng M¨ªng withdrew. With due caution, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u inspected the sandalwood case inside the copper chest again, and she discovered the same type of stain within the dark decorative patterns of the silver coffin. Since there was more than one stained area, it further cemented the fact that someone had opened the copper chest, but how the thief managed to succeed under a thousand staring eyes that day was honestly unimaginable.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the few Daren have arrived.¡±


    Fu gonggong reported in a soft voice from outside. Turning his head back, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, W¨² Y¨², and Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n had arrived. The trio stepped forward and bowed before W¨² Y¨² said: ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye have any instructions?¡±


    Given that the three in question had arranged the Grand Ceremony, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wanted to ask about the details of that year, so he ordered the three of them to enter the right wing-room for questioning. After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u watched Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u leave, she studied the ins and outs of the copper coffer again, but there were no additional yields. Although the underground palace was not ventilated and it was rather dry inside the palace rooms, ten years have elapsed when all was said and done, and it was even possible that the evidence had been destroyed.


    Her refined brows scrunched together, countenance grim, and her entire person was cold and solemn as she single-mindedly devoted herself to the inspection. When M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n saw this kind of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, his gaze was glued to her person for a moment. When B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u finally noticed that M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was staring at her, a few seconds had already passed, and she was slightly surprised when she collided with M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n¡¯s line of sight, ¡°Does Gongzi have any pointers to give?¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n laughed and shook his head, ¡°There is naturally none. It¡¯s just that looking at your appearance reminds me of a person.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u arched an eyebrow. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n pointed at the right wing-room. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, it reminds me Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was all the more surprised. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n uttered, ¡°Persevering to some extent, a heart that never lacks devotion to one¡¯s work; for this ilk of people, they will always excel the common regardless of what they do. You¡¯re young of age, yet your skills as a coroner surpasses that of ordinary coroners. If you were male, you could enter the officialdom and render meritorious service. It¡¯s a pity that you¡¯re female. Have you ever thought about delving into the art of healing?¡±


    Medical expertise and coroner skills had points of intersection. Moreover, M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n came from an aristocratic family of renowned physicians, and if she wished to learn medicine, it could be considered as being near a waterside pavilion ¨C a favourable position ¨C since he could recommend her to a teacher. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ specialises in the coroner discipline, though she has cursory knowledge of medicine, it is difficult to divide her attention and study intensively.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was quite amazed. A woman working as a coroner wasn¡¯t really a long-term path, but if she studied and practiced medicine, not only would she be creditable and receive the respect of others, but she would also gain a good reputation. He sighed, ¡°B¨® guniang is truly admirable.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u immediately asserted that ¡°she did not dare to accept the praise¡±. Upon realising that there was nothing more to gain from the copper chest, she could only place it at the side and walk up to the table to look at the pile of human bones. Apart from the broken ribs among the bones, there were no injuries elsewhere, nor were there any symptoms of poisoning. Therefore, if they wanted to verify a person¡¯s identity, they could only base it off this pile of bones, which was genuinely difficult. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u fixed her eyes, picking up the bones to check them one by one, either splitting them apart or joining them together, examining them in a complicated manner.


    Not long after, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, ¡°Gongzi is proficient in the field of medicine, does he know what kind of illness would lead to bony spurs growing out of human joints despite the lack of external injuries?¡±


    This was what M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was adept in, so he immediately answered: ¡°Numerous illnesses that cause pain around the joints will cause such spurs, with osteoarthritis being one of them, where the finger joints, ankles, or knees swell up, and the second being rheumatic pain, which also causes pain and swelling at the joints, and even cause the growth of osteophytes (bony spurs). What kind of bony spurs are you referring to?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gave the two finger bones to M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ discovered that there were minute bony spurs around the knees at the start, but since the murderer used a sharp object to dismember the corpse after he murdered the deceased, min¡¯n¨¹ had assumed that it was left behind by the murder weapon scraping the bone. Now that min¡¯n¨¹ has discovered it on the finger joints as well, however, the murderer couldn¡¯t have gone as far as chopping the finger joints as well. Hence, these bony spurs must have grown out of the deceased himself.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n looked over the two finger bones carefully, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, the patient will feel sore around his finger joints, especially after strenuous exercise.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart settled. Using one piece of evidence alone was not enough to determine a deceased¡¯s identity, but if it was iron-clad evidence from the skeletal remains, then it was largely different. She stepped out the door to ask the embroidered emissary, ¡°Are the two Shifu, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ still around?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ did not follow them to the underground palace, and she did not see the pair after returning. The embroidered emissary replied: ¡°They have already gone back, does Guniang wish to see them?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was about to nod her head when she heard the sound of conversing voices outside the courtyard. The manner of speaking was fierce, as if they were quarrelling, and this noise drew Fu gonggong and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i out of the right wing-room. Hence, the few of them strode towards the courtyard entrance together.


    Unexpectedly, it was Li¨£o F¨¢n and another monk in his thirties who were arguing outside the courtyard.


    ¡°Li¨£o F¨¢n shifu, what is going on here?¡±


    Seeing that they had disturbed them, Li¨£o F¨¢n twisted his body and pressed his hands together before bowing, ¡°This small monk heard that Hou¡¯ye had returned from the underground palace, and wanted to come over to make inquiries, but he saw Li¨£o Q¨©ng shixiong sneaking around outside the courtyard¡ª¡±


    Once the other monk heard that description, his face became red instantaneously, ¡°Shidi, what sneaking around, don¡¯t speak indiscriminately. I merely wished to take a look, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n sneered, ¡°It¡¯s not as though Li¨£o Q¨©ng shixiong was Shifu¡¯s disciple, why are [you] so concerned about this case?¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng raised his chin, ¡°This matter happened inside the temple, anyone would be concerned.¡± Then, he saw that Fu gonggong and the rest were looking at him, so he swiftly executed a bow, ¡°That being said, this small monk will take his leave, and refrain from disturbing the Benefactors here.¡±


    He promptly left after bowing, rage colouring his expression, but his gait was extremely fast.


    Noting that cold anger was still present on Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s visage, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hurriedly said: ¡°Li¨£o F¨¢n shifu, may one ask if Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng had any rheumatic pain? Especially after strenuous exercise¡ª¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s pupils focused as he nodded swiftly, ¡°Yes. Shifu was getting on with his years, and he did have rheumatic pain.¡±


    In response, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i asked, ¡°Has Guniang discovered something?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°The deceased was afflicted with rheumatic pain at his joints.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i wavered, ¡°But most elderly suffer from this illness in their old age.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is aware, which is why she asks Li¨£o F¨¢n shifu to think about it sedulously, which were the areas where Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng ached on his body? Or has it ever swelled before?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s brows knitted, ¡°The middle finger and index finger of Shifu¡¯s right hand was thicker than most people. Sometimes when the Buddhist rites were taking too long, it would even be difficult for him to knock the wooden fish or twirl his Buddhist beads, and on the right side of the knee bend, right, Shifu had problems exerting weight on his right leg, and he needed to warm it every autumn and winter before he could walk.¡±


    The bottom of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes brightened a little, ¡°From the examination just now, the deceased¡¯s skeletal remains certainly went through some pathological changes in those few areas. Although it¡¯s common for the elderly to suffer from rheumatic pain, there are a lot of joints in the body, but patients who suffer from the symptoms in these three exact areas are not many. Furthermore, the bone age and height match, in addition to the other material evidence left together with the human remains, it¡¯s basically enough to verify that this deceased is precisely Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng.¡±


    The rims of Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s eyes reddened instantaneously when he heard those words, ¡°This small monk¡­ This small monk knew it was Shifu. Shifu never left Famen Temple all these years, he suffered from false accusations and died, hence why the Buddha statue gave rise to cracks, which finally allowed everything to be exposed under the Heavens¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wanted to comfort him but she did not know how she should start. A skeleton that was only revealed to everyone after ten years, was honestly a cause for deep grief. She turned her body to look at the Buddha statue inside the hall before she abruptly asked: ¡°The Buddha statue won¡¯t be used again after this, right?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n smiled painfully for a moment, ¡°A Buddha statue that once hid skeletal remains, how could it accept the kneeling and prayers of others?¡±


    After B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, Fu gonggong asked, ¡°What does Y¨­u Y¨­u want to do?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ wants to smash open the Buddha statue to see if any clues were left behind inside.¡±


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    When the sound of banging and slamming reverberated, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stepped out of the right wing-room, only to see that the Buddha statue had been lifted out of the central hall and placed on a carpet, while two embroidered emissaries were holding iron hammers as they smashed the Buddha statue. The very first thing they smashed was the lotus flower pedestal, and once it was broken into pieces, a large number of maggots that had become dried husks fell out, and the sight of them made scalps numb.


    The people standing in the vicinity moved away, and only B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was crouching beside the floor of maggot corpses, meticulously inspecting the inner walls of the bronze statue. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at her back figure with narrowed eyes, and it was unknown when M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n had slowly sidled up to him.


    ¡°B¨® guniang really invokes fondness in others ah.¡±


    ¡°Mn¡­¡­¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hummed in response, but his brows twisted together shortly after, ¡°Mn?¡±

 CH 36

    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n gazed at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, contemplative, before he uttered, ¡°I still remember that the subordinates beside Hou¡¯ye have changed numerous times, and only those who are still being retained are capable of running around with Hou¡¯ye as though they are cast in iron and other metals. Although Hou¡¯ye has brought a lady with him, she doesn¡¯t know what exhaustion is either.¡±


    The space between Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows scrunched slightly, then he saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u crouching beside the Buddha statue, not finding the maggots frightening in the least as she carefully scraped at something on the inner walls of that Buddha statue. How could she not know exhaustion? She slept in his arms for the whole journey that night.


    Even though that was what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was thinking at the bottom of his heart, he did not reveal a single thing on his visage. When Fu gonggong saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u fiddling with the maggot husks that were strewn all over, he went forward to ask: ¡°What is Y¨­u Y¨­u looking at these for?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u explained, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ has looked through the material evidence, and no other clues were discovered. Since it has already been confirmed that the deceased is Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng, it would be better if the place where he met his demise is known.¡±


    Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°It¡¯s already been ten years, it won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, it won¡¯t be easy, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that it is devoid of hope.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u held onto a small blade, scraping off another patch of dried maggot husks from the inner walls. After the corpse was dismembered and placed within the Buddha statue, it was inevitable that it wouldn¡¯t escape the process of decay: the decaying would give birth to maggots, and since the maggots had nowhere to run, they could only die within the Buddha statue in the end as well. Presently, it had all turned into dried corpses.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u scraped all four sides clean before she lit another lamp to study the interiors of the Buddha statue. It was rather strenuous to keep her body bent, and after observing it for a short while, she stated: ¡°When the Buddha statue was being crafted, the pedestal was probably made first, then the Buddha statue¡¯s body, and lastly was the head. The inner walls of the Buddha statue¡¯s upper portion have some brown stains, which was splattered on the surface when the corpse chunks were being put inside.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stepped forward at that moment, ¡°The men who went to Jizhou have yet to send back any news. If your words are correct, then it¡¯s not possible for the people crafting the statue to not notice any abnormalities.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°Shortly after the corpse was placed inside, it would bear the weight of a matured man. Disregarding the stench of blood, anyone would discover the abnormality caused by the additional weight as long as they move it a little.¡±


    After giving a pause, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her eyes to gaze at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Is it plausible that the artisans crafting the Buddha statue had been bought out by the murderer?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was still crouching, and her forehead was sheeted with fine sweat. Now that she was raising her eyes to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, her small visage was meeting his, it appeared even more painted, especially with her umber-black dyed brows, crimson lips, and cool and bright eyes.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated: ¡°Of course, if the artisans from that year can be found, the case will be much simpler.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hummed in response before turning her head back.  The maggots that had been scraped off the inner walls, and broken rags and threads were placed at the side together, and she started to look through them diligently. There was a large quantity of maggots, while they had all shrivelled up and died, remembering how they were born was enough to make people feel unwell. In spite of that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not shy away from it in the slightest as she held a pair of bamboo tweezers to sort through them. It was unknown what she saw, but her beautiful eyes lit up suddenly.


    Holding the pair of bamboo tweezers, she clipped a dark-coloured maggot, raising in the direction of the sun to inspect it. Fu gonggong covered his nose and squatted at the side, ¡°What¡¯s the point of looking at this maggot?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°This isn¡¯t a maggot.¡±


    Fu gonggong was a tad astonished, and M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n turned his wheelchair to come closer as well.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stated, ¡°This is a green bottle fly which frequently appears in the vicinity of latrines, and loves filth, but if a corpse starts decaying, it will be drawn over as well.¡±


    Fu gonggong blinked his eyes, ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Joy seeped into the bottom of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes, ¡°The place where Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng was murdered might be close to a latrine, or perhaps, he was dismembered near a latrine¡ª¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s pupils turned, ¡°But ten years have passed, it would be hard to search for traces, no?¡±


    ¡°Gonggong has forgotten about Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s Buddhist beads. There are a hundred and eight Buddhist beads, but only one has been found right now, it¡¯s very likely that the other one hundred and seven beads still remain at the place where he was harmed.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stood up to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced towards Li¨£o F¨¢n, who was still wearing grief-stricken expression at the side. ¡°How many latrines does the temple have?¡±


    Famen Temple was incredibly large, and it goes without saying that there was more than one latrine. Li¨£o F¨¢n composed himself, ¡°There are five: one between the mountain doors and the Heavenly King Palace, another at the rear of the Hall of Great Strength, both of which are mainly prepared for the visitors. Apart from those two, there¡¯s one in both the east and west meditation halls, and there¡¯s one more in front of the hall for Buddhist doctrine sermons.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u then said: ¡°Lead benhou there to have a look.¡±


    As he was issuing that order, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the other two walked out from the right wing-room. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said, ¡°The three of you will stay here and wait.¡±


    After the trio verbally complied, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u departed with some embroidered emissaries.


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked at the green bottle fly corpse between the bamboo tweezers, a hint of relief colouring the bottom of her eyes. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n peered at her from the side, ¡°Even a small detail like this has been found by B¨® guniang¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u put the green bottle fly at the side on its lonesome, ¡°A coroner is supposed to do this. Post-mortem autopsies are important, but the side branches or minor details from the material evidence shouldn¡¯t be underrated. Any event, as long as it has happened, will leave behind traces, and the coroner has to help the government office find those traces.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n mumbled, ¡°As long as it has happened before, it will leave behind traces¡­ If this statement was heard by the evildoers in this world, it¡¯s highly likely that they will feel terrified at the bottom of their hearts.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u returned very quickly, which caused B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and the rest to look over and fix their eyes on him.


    With dark eyes, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°None of them look like a place where a crime would occur. The latrines near the Heavenly King Palace and Hall of Great Strength have specific people watching over it, and it¡¯s very close to their respective guard houses. Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng was dismembered after his death, if such a place was only used to commit the murder, then there¡¯s a chance where it would go undiscovered, but the bloodstains and blood stench caused by the dismemberment of the corpse would be hard to conceal. The same logic applied to the latrines close to the east and west meditation halls, as for the latrine near the preaching hall, it was only built seven years ago, and it never existed ten years ago.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, was her conjecture wrong? But the green bottle fly was real, she would never distinguish it wrongly.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked towards Li¨£o F¨¢n, ¡°Li¨£o F¨¢n shifu, ten years ago, were there only four latrines within the temple? It was the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony back then, and there was a great number of people within the temple, were there any temporary latrines that were built in a remote area?¡±


    For the Grand Ceremony that year, besides Emperor Jianhe and the hundred civil and military officials, there was a large number of imperial guards, and the Luozhou garrison troops that Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was leading. With that many people, it was highly probable that temporary latrines were built.


    However, Li¨£o F¨¢n shook his head, ¡°Not at all. Since the Buddha is being worshipped within the temple, it has always prized the purification of defiling illusion and reinforced cleanliness. Although there were a lot of people back then, His Majesty was present, and the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony is only held once every thirty years, so the temple was all the more cautious.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows were twisted together, but it was also at this moment where Fu gonggong threw out an abrupt remark: ¡°That can¡¯t be right, why does zajia remember that there seems to be a latrine outside the temple?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked towards him, to which Fu gonggong smiled awkwardly and said: ¡°Humans need to answer to the call of nature. When the imperial guards were changing shifts, quite a few people were heading outside the temple, and they said that there was a latrine outside the temple back then. Although zajia has a vague recollection of it, he has forgotten where it was located outside the temple.¡±


    The knit of Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s brows became even tighter, but when his gaze lowered and caught sight of the Buddha statue on the ground, his eyes brightened up a little. ¡°This small monk remembers it now. Certainly, there was a latrine outside the temple, it was temporarily built inside the workshop which was situated outside the temple. Back then, a large batch of Buddha statues needed to be crafted, and many artisans were hired. Prior to the construction, a rancorous clamour broke out since there wasn¡¯t such a large piece of land within the temple, so it was decided that the workshop would be constructed in the east. Apart from the masonry and smelting areas in that workshop, there was a fairly large latrine there.¡±


    ¡°Where was the workshop built back then?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked.


    Li¨£o F¨¢n pointed towards the east, ¡°Just outside the temple. Following closely, after the Buddha statues were all made, it was demolished very quickly for the sake of not damaging the fengshui within the temple. Afterwards, white birch trees were planted, and now it has become a white birch forest.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u immediately said: ¡°Find someone who has some understanding of the workshop and bring him over.¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n did not hesitate, ¡°Li¨£o Ju¨¦ shixiong was the managerial monk for the workshop that year.¡±


    Without a moment¡¯s delay, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u proceeded to summon Li¨£o Ju¨¦. After learning that the skeletal remains really belonged to J¨¬ng K¨­ng, and it was exceedingly likely that the Buddha statue-crafting workshop was where J¨¬ng K¨­ng was murdered, Li¨£o Ju¨¦¡¯s expression was inordinately mournfully as well. He led the way at the very front, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u followed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to the white birch forest.


    After exiting from the east side door, the main road split off into two, going up and down: going up led to the back mountain, and going down led to the white birch forest. With ten years passing, the white birch trees have become dense as they stretched towards the sky, and since it was currently noon, the sun was casting down mottled pockets of sunlight and shade within the forest.


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ pointed at the forest, saying, ¡°This area was slightly overgrown that year, and the artisans needed at least two to three months to make the Buddha statues, hence the land was levelled specifically for the construction of the workshop. Back then, wooden fencing was built around the workshop, with the northern face having a long row of smelting rooms, around a dozen or so. The western face leaning against the temple had a row of wing-rooms for the artisans¡¯ board and lodging. The eastern face was an incredibly large area for the Buddha modelling, and the centremost empty land was for the mixing of the soil and water, whereas the latrine was in the northeast corner.¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ brought the group to traverse through the forest before stopped at a low-lying ground. It was apparent that the growth of the white birch tree here was much denser than its surroundings, mostly because the latrine had been situated here, ¡°This is the place. Close to this area was where the Buddha statues were moulded for one, and secondly, it was where the formed Buddha statues were left to dry. The process of crafting a Buddha statue is complex: whether it is the copper casting or the clay sculpting, it has to be gilded in gold and lacquered here, and then engraved and polished.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gestured to their surroundings, ¡°Was there any vegetation in these areas?¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ quickly said: ¡°There was nothing, the entire area was levelled out.¡±


    If it was overgrown back then, hiding a corpse would be rather simple, but since the entire area was levelled, that would make hiding a corpse difficult instead. If the murderer had committed the violent crime close to this area and happened to see the Buddha statues drying in the air and basking in the sun after the homicide, which led to him hiding the corpse inside the Buddha statue, then the explanation was tenable.


    ¡°Since you were in-charge of this area, do you know which phase the Buddha statues had been moulded to at the time of your Shifu¡¯s disappearance?¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ frowned, ¡°This small monk does not understand Buddha sculpting in the least, and is only responsible for arranging the artisans¡¯ food, lodgings, and salary for the most part. Moreover, it was the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony during that period of time, so the attention given to this side of things was scarce. One cannot recall which stage it progressed to, but¡­¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦¡¯s expression crumbled with anguish, ¡°But this small monk remembers the Buddha statues of Mah¨¡k¨¡?yapa and ¨¡nanda, it was close to completion during the days of the ceremony, because work for those two honoured figures began the earliest. Moreover, it was not moulded from clay, and it was slated for the Hall of Great Hall, so this small monk gave it more attention. After Shifu disappeared later, this small monk and two Shixiong, were searching for Shifu together with the others in the temple. When this small monk turned back to manage the workshop, the two Buddha statues were fully crafted, and then it was gilded in two layers of gold. After approximately two months, it was formally displayed within the main palace hall.¡±


    At that time, no one could have anticipated that J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s corpse was actually hidden inside the Buddha statue.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u observed the entire area but he did not find a single trace of the workshop¡¯s existence, so he questioned: ¡°When the workshop was being demolished afterwards, were there any noted irregularities?¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ furrowed his brows, ¡°There wasn¡¯t any, no. Back when the roof beams were torn down and the entire flooring was pushed away, nothing unusual was discovered.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u surveyed his surroundings. Ten years had elapsed, even the soil quality had given rise to some changes, to say nothing of the white birch trees which had sprouted up to the skies. In a place like this, what could they possibly discover?


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    ¡°Was it the people in the temple who planted this forest back then?¡±


    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed that question, Li¨£o Ju¨¦ shook his head again, ¡°Not exactly. Several households of farmers living at the foot of the mountain were hired to help plant it. Those families are impoverished, and they would plant some wild fruits all year round and send it to the temple to earn some small change. The manpower within the temple is insufficient, so they are frequently hired to help with labour work. Back when the Buddha statues were being sculpted, the miscellaneous workers that helped with the clay mixing came from these families.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u initially assumed that the artisans who crafted the statues were far away in Jizhou, and he did not expect that miscellaneous workers were hired from nearby. Although it had been ten years, he refused to give up any leads, hence he immediately ordered L¨´ K¨¥: ¡°Go to the foot of the mountain and conduct a round of inquiries, asking if there were any abnormalities during the sculpting, especially the Mah¨¡k¨¡?yapa Buddha statue.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ knew that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had discovered some clues, and he was also aware that the Buddhist prayer beads were missing, so he was cognizant of the vital points he had to inquire about. He immediately replied in the positive before bringing away some embroidered emissaries to go down the mountain.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u led the group in inspecting the forest, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u roamed around the small piece of land as well. The planting of white birch trees required an extremely deep pit, which was why this forest was rather dense. If there were any irregularities in the soil, it was not possible that the farmers planting the trees did not discover anything. Right now, however, the tree roots have entrenched themselves; wanting to dig up the soil from each square unit was honestly too difficult an endeavour.


    The embroidered emissaries were searching the entire area, and even if they dug one meter down, it was improbable that they would find anything. Hence, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could only double back with his delegation. Just as they returned to the temple, he saw Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng coming over in search for them. Upon seeing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s complexion brightened, ¡°Older Brother! Heard that all of you went out of the temple doors to search for clues, were there any gains?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shook his head, ¡°Were you together with L¨ªn Zh¨¡o the entire time just now?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng could not resist issuing a lazy yawn when he heard that, ¡°L¨ªn Zh¨¡o is currently skimming through the Buddhist ancient records. It was really too boring, and I actually dozed off in the Library Pavilion¡­¡±


    When he spoke to this point, his eyes swept across B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u who was following them at the back. After looking at her for two seconds, he strolled over with a wide smile as he said: ¡°B¨® guniang, right? Are you aware of Famen Temple¡¯s origins?¡±


    At a slight loss, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is not aware.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s eyes squinted like a fox, ¡°This is how Famen Temple started, the legends states that there was a scholar called Fa Ah Men who was extremely devout to the Buddhist faith, and at the start, he practiced the teachings of Dharma in the mortal world, enlightening all living beings. In the end, the Heaven¡¯s Son of that time held an immense dislike for Buddhism, hence¡­.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng leaned his body forward, his voice becoming more eerie by two parts, ¡°Hence, the Heaven¡¯s Son ordered his men to arrest him, then chopped off his hands and feet, severed his tongue, and dug out his eyes, sentencing him to¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish saying the word ¡°death¡±, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s back collar was grabbed by someone. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u lifted him with one hand, dragging him like he was hauling an object as he walked forward, ¡°What did I say just now? Starting to make trouble already?¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey, Older Brother, let¡¯s calm down and talk in a civilised manner instead of resorting to violence. I merely wished to scare her ah, but why isn¡¯t she scared at all.¡± Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng was dragged a few feet away before he was released. He looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u in astonishment, his gaze conveying that he found it inconceivable.


    Fu gonggong was wearing a smiling expression as he watched the good show, ¡°Shizi ah, B¨® guniang is a coroner; she¡¯s not even afraid of corpses, why would she be afraid of your story?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng neatened his collar hastily as he looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u with a face full of disapproval, ¡°Tsk, that would explain why my Older Brother brought you along, are you even a woman¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at him with a frown once more. Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng did not dare to speak again, coughing lightly as he adjusted his expression. He was not double-ten in age yet, and when he was not creating trouble, his countenance was handsome, exuding a natural romanticism that was akin to a jade tree with orchid branches.


    Fu gonggong said smilingly, ¡°The story that Shizi just spoke of, was it found from the Library Pavilion?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had already lifted his foot and ventured forward, while Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng kept pace and said: ¡°Yes. This Library Pavilion does have more books than the Xiangguo Temple¡¯s book collection. I was holding an ancient book, and just as I was reading about Famen Temple¡¯s origins, I dozed off¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shook his head, ¡°Without learning or skill.¡±


    Contrariwise, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng chortled and leaned closer, ¡°With Older Brother around, why would I need to learn this skill and that skill?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not be bothered to acknowledge him, but he continued to stick by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s side from start to end. In one moment, he asked about when the case would end, and in the next, he talked about wanting to explore Luozhou City. Even though Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would only occasionally answer with a line or two, his words continued to pour out in a steady flow.


    Having finally comprehended what kind of temperament this Shizi¡¯ye had, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u found herself smiling a little. However, when she heard him saying that the Library Pavilion had a sizeable book collection, a thought suddenly emerged from the bottom of her heart. When the group returned to morgue courtyard, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u proceeded to sidle up to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and say: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Shizi said that the Library Pavilion here has a vast book collection, min¡¯n¨¹ is thinking, could there be records relating to the ?ar¨©ra in its midst?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shifted his eyes to glance at her, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u continued to say: ¡°The thief must have a motive for stealing the ?ar¨©ra. Owing to the fact that everyone knows that the ?ar¨©ra is the most valuable treasure in the Buddhist religion, everyone suspected Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng the most for all these years. But what if the ?ar¨©ra has another use? If the thief¡¯s motivation for stealing the ?ar¨©ra is known, perhaps it can provide some help.¡±


    The corpse had been examined, as were the bones, the artisans were out of reach in Jizhou, and not much was gained from the other clues. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u conceiving this thought could be considered as a new direction. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered irresolutely to himself briefly before saying: ¡°It¡¯s enough to ask the temple monks about the applications of the ?ar¨©ra.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng approached them when he heard those words, ¡°Do you know how many books are inside the Library Pavilion? If you want to find it from the books, who knows how long that will take.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u agreed with good grace.


    Very quickly, Li¨£o F¨¢n arrived before the group again. When he was asked about the other applications of the ?ar¨©ra, Li¨£o F¨¢n replied: ¡°The ?ar¨©ra that this temple enshrines is the spiritual bones of the Gautama Buddha, who is the supreme, sacred figure of Buddhism, and the power of its blessings is not something ordinary monks can easily bear. Only senior monks that have achieved enlightenment are capable of gaining a bit of good karma. This small monk believes that ?ar¨©ra from the Buddha¡¯s bones can benefit any monk, and protect the country¡¯s vein and its common people. The Revered One of the World once said in the Lotus Sutra: ¡®The sentient beings, seeing me enter perfect extinction, earnestly revere my relics, and filled with longing, yearn for me. When the sentient beings become sincere, mild, and receptive; in wanting wholeheartedly to meet the Buddha, are willing to give unsparingly, of their bodies and lives¡¯. The ?ar¨©ra is the incarnation of the Buddha, the embodiment of the Buddha in this world, which can benefit all the people, and invest conviction in the disciples of Buddhism to seek the Great Way, unsparing with their bodies and lives.¡±


    Once Li¨£o F¨¢n was done speaking, even Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was furrowing his brows. His speech was earnest, but it was only speaking for the Buddhist disciples, as if it was only being worshipped by the monks, but what about ordinary people?


    ¡°Besides this, are there any sayings circulating among the common folk?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n faltered briefly, ¡°All the sayings circulating among the common folk are just rumours which cannot be trusted. Whether it is the ?ar¨©ra being able to cure a hundred illnesses, granting a heart-felt desire, or going as far as resurrecting the dead, all of it is naturally fake¡­ The Buddha is in the heart, Amit¨¡bha.¡±


    Although he knew that the rumours were false in his heart, Li¨£o F¨¢n chanted a few lines of Buddhists hymns as if saying it once was still a sin.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°You¡¯re a Buddhist disciple, and you¡¯re naturally aware that it¡¯s fake. But the notion that someone insists on believing those rumours, thereby choosing to take the risk out of desperation, isn¡¯t impossible. Sometimes, when people sink into despair, they will still lay down their life and try it, despite being aware that it is fake.¡±


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    Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s brows scrunched together, as if he was struggling to understand it. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned around to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°Still intending to go to the Library Pavilion?¡±


    He originally thought that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s doubts were mostly clarified, but she unexpectedly said: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ still wishes to have a look.¡±


    Surprisingly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u indulged her as well. He glanced at Fu gonggong, who then said smiling: ¡°Then zajia will go together with Y¨­u Y¨­u¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed with womanly obeisance and took her leave.


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng clicked his tongue and said: ¡°Why is she so stubborn ah!¡±


    At the side, M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n chuckled, ¡°Shizi naturally wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng harrumphed, looking at the sun that was slanting towards the west before he said: ¡°We should go and rest for a while. This entire journey has been terribly exhausting, I even fell asleep just now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knew that the pair had travelled far, and he was about to order the embroidered emissaries to escort them back when he heard M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n say, ¡°In the days that Hou¡¯ye was away from the Capital, I went to visit Her Highness the Elder Princess, she¡­ is slightly unwell.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned upon hearing that. In the end, he still sent the pair back to their meditation hall.


    On the other end, Fu gonggong walked as he remarked: ¡°Shizi¡¯ye has been spoiled ever since he was young, so his temperament is somewhat childish. Y¨­u Y¨­u, don¡¯t take any offense.¡±


    ¡°How so.¡±


    Fu gonggong continued, ¡°Although Hou¡¯ye has his own residence presently, his patronymic is Hu¨° when all is said and done. The two brothers are almost like real siblings; even though Shizi is slightly afraid of Hou¡¯ye, he¡¯s actually very dependent on Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could perceive it, ¡°Brothers and friends respecting each other is a good thing.¡±


    As the pair continued to converse, they eventually reached the Library Pavilion. Just as they arrived at the entrance, they saw L¨ªn Zh¨¡o coming out with two monks, who was slightly surprised to see B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Fu gonggong, ¡°Gonggong, this is¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong smiled and said, ¡°Has Gongzi completed his work for today? Zajia is bringing Y¨­u Y¨­u to find some ancient records to look through.¡±


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o decided to stay behind after hearing that, ¡°The books inside are in process of being organised for the past two days, may one inquire what Guniang is looking for?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u promptly replied: ¡°One would like to find books concerning the written accounts about Buddhist Temples, like the ?ar¨©ra and other secret religious treasures for instance, or legends concerning Buddhism¡ª¡±


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o came to an understanding after hearing her criteria. He turned around and entered, bringing the pair to a row of tall bookshelves, ¡°The scriptures here mostly detail the stories within Buddhism, and records of secret religious treasures, with mentions of the ?ar¨©ra being more than abundant.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u retracted her gaze, ¡°Many thanks to Gongzi.¡±


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u for a few seconds, then thanked Fu gonggong before departing. When he reached the door, he could not resist casting another glance inwards, mumbling something in his mind. His pageboy was standing at the entrance, and he asked in response: ¡°What is Gongzi looking at?¡±


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o laughed in spite of himself, ¡°For some unknown reason, [I] feel like that Guniang looks slightly familiar.¡±


    Having said that, he shook his head before he lifted his foot and walked away.


    Inside the Library Pavilion, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was amazed by the book collection that was as vast as the open sea. It was fortunate that L¨ªn Zh¨¡o pointed her in the right direction; if she had to slowly find it whilst blind, it was unknown how long it would have taken her. On the other hand, Fu gonggong already felt a headache coming just by looking at this row of bookshelves, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u ah, not hiding it from you, zajia and Shizi have the same illness of¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked over, and Fu gonggong said: ¡°Of feeling drowsy upon looking at books.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u giggled, ¡°Gonggong can rest instead. Min¡¯n¨¹ will be browsing through the books here. It¡¯s uncertain if anything can be found, and the whole affair can be treated as using official business to seek private gain, where one gets to look at Buddhist scriptures that are rarely seen.¡±


    Once Fu gonggong received this affirmation, he went to a tearoom at the side of the Library Pavilion with an easy conscience to wait for her.


    Only the rustling noise of a book flipping remained inside the quiet room. Back facing the window, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u skimmed through the Buddhist scriptures she took from the shelves with single-minded focus, but at a certain moment, she abruptly felt a small chill run down her spine.


    A prickling sensation, one that was derived from being spied on, suddenly slammed into her.


    Breath hitching, she twisted her body without any warning to look outside, and yet it was utterly empty outside the window. How was there a person?


    She sighed in relief, only assuming that she was being nervous and paranoid as she turned her head back to flip through the scriptures again. However, at the window corner, which was out of her perception, there were footprints on a pile of listless dried leaves that were just left behind. When a gust of cold wind blew over, it whistled, causing the dried leaves to swirl, and the footprints disappeared¡­

 CH 37

    Fu gonggong leaned on the low couch in the tearoom, somewhat drowsy. When he eventually woke up, he realised that it was already dusk, so he rose to his feet to look for B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Just as he reached the door, he could hear the sound of pages flipping inside. Fu gonggong grinned, quietening his footsteps as he walked in, but when B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u heard the footsteps and turned around, she appeared frightened.


    Fu gonggong was surprised, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Exhaling audibly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled sourly and said: ¡°For some unknown reason, min¡¯n¨¹ is rather prone to becoming flustered today, and keeps getting the sense that someone was spying on min¡¯n¨¹ outside the window just now.¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s brows furrowed as he strode towards the window to look outside. It was rather breezy today, the window was open wide, but when he poked his body out to look left and right, he did not catch sight of a single human figure.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Gonggong can be at ease, min¡¯n¨¹ looked outside prior to this. There¡¯s no one, min¡¯n¨¹ was being overly tense.¡±


    Fu gonggong sighed, ¡°You¡¯re always thinking about the case throughout the day, of course your nerves are stretched taut.¡± After saying that, he looked at the book in her hands, ¡°You¡¯ve been looking for so long, did you find anything?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°There are a lot of records concerning the ?ar¨©ra, but all of them are very much the same apart from minor differences.¡±


    Fu gonggong said smilingly, ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. The Buddhist scriptures and records that are allowed inside a Buddhist temple cannot possess any bizarre or strange notions.¡±


    ¡°However, min¡¯n¨¹ discovered a few scriptures that record the secret religious treasures.¡± B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised the Buddhist scripture in her hands, ¡°This records the Ashoka Pagoda that we saw in the underground palace today¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong gazed at the sky colour outside, ¡°The hour is getting late, perhaps [we] should go back first and rest?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated for a moment, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ would like to flip around and see if there¡¯s any book that writes about the Five-Fold Treasure Chest.¡±


    Fu gonggong, however, allowed no explanations as he extracted the Buddhist scripture from B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s grasp. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush right now. It¡¯s currently time to partake in dinner.¡±


    Helpless, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could only put down the Buddhist scripture and follow Fu gonggong outside the Library Pavilion. Just as they stepped out of the Library Pavilion, a monk wearing a grey cassock flitted past the moon gate in the distance. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyebrows scrunched, ¡°Stand still¡ª¡±


    That figure did not stop, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lifted her skirt corners to give chase. By the time she sprinted past the moon gate, she saw that it was empty outside, and not a single human figure could be seen. Fu gonggong caught up to her, ¡°Who was it?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°His front profile wasn¡¯t within view, though he was a monk wearing a temple cassock, and his height wasn¡¯t short. If he was just passing by, he definitely would have stopped after hearing min¡¯n¨¹ shout, but he seemed even more anxious after min¡¯n¨¹ shouted.¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s complexion sank slightly as he recalled how B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had mentioned that someone seemed to be spying on her from outside the window. Fu gonggong did not dare to be careless, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s return to the meditation hall first.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, following Fu gonggong back to the meditation hall.


    Inside the meditation hall, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was sitting inside the principal room and conversing about something, while Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng was dancing around with a polearm outside because he was bored out of his mind. Upon seeing Fu gonggong and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u return with heavy expressions, he was slightly baffled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the both of you?¡±


    Fu gonggong shook his head, entering the principal room directly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n stopped speaking in lieu of raising their eyes to look over. Fu gonggong stated: ¡°There seems to be someone spying on Y¨­u Y¨­u within the temple.¡±


    ¡°Spying on her?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood up and walked out of the room, and then saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u waiting outside. ¡°What happened?¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed and said: ¡°Not long after min¡¯n¨¹ went to the Library Pavilion, she sensed that there seemed to be someone outside the window, but when min¡¯n¨¹ went over to look, there was no one outside the window, and just as [we] were coming out, a human figure flashed past the moon gate. Min¡¯n¨¹ called for him to stop, but he disappeared even faster, as though he had been staying outside the entire time but did not want to risk discovery.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows wrinkled, whereas M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n¡¯s wheelchair had also rolled over to the door, ¡°Did [you] clearly see who the person was?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°No. Only saw a back figure.¡± Her pupils dilated as she pondered, before she said: ¡°It doesn¡¯t really resemble the three shifu Li¨£o F¨¢n, Li¨£o Ju¨¦, and Li¨£o Hu¨¬, of whom [we] met today¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in a low voice: ¡°From now onwards, you¡¯re not allowed to move around the temple alone. Everyone knows that you can examine corpses, and if the murderer is afraid of the consequences, one fears that he will harm you. If you want to go anywhere, report it to benhou.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded and responded in the positive.


    The daylight was already dim, and by the time they were done with dinner, the night curtain had already descended. More than half past hai shi (10PM), L¨´ K¨¥ returned from making inquiries at the foot of the mountain. Upon stepping through the door, L¨´ K¨¥ announced, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there has been a major discovery!¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n and Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng were present, and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u told Fu gonggong to call over B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i. After they had all gathered, L¨´ K¨¥ stated: ¡°There are seven households of farmers staying at the bottom of the back mountain, and five of those households had done clay mixing miscellaneous work when the Buddha statues were being sculpted that year. According to their accounts, they weren¡¯t allowed to have a hand in the Buddha sculpting and could only help with some hard labour. Moreover, those two Buddha statues were both crafted by a hired artisan by the surname of Zu¨¯, who is said to be a professional sculptor, and he has even made a set of Arhat statues.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t aware of any irregularities during the statue sculpting that year, because their homes were at the bottom of the back mountain, they would all start work at sunrise and rest at sundown, going home once the sky darkened. After the Buddha statues were fully crafted, the workshop was torn down and all of them received their due wages. After a few months, the temple wanted to plant white birch trees, but that period happened to be the busy farming season, so only two households, that totalled up to seven to eight people scaled the mountain to plant trees.¡±


    Having spoken to this point, L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s expression roused, ¡°It was also within these two households that this subordinate found Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s Buddhist beads!¡±


    He waved his hand, and then an embroidered emissary opened a wrapping cloth. Once the wrapping cloth was unfurled, several dozens of sandalwood prayer beads appeared, with each bead having a Buddhist hymn carved on top, no different from one found among the skeletal remains.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u inspected it, ¡°They picked it up when they were planting the trees?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ said quickly, ¡°Yes. A few months had passed by then, and the land remained neglected after the workshop was demolished, and since the temple wanted to plant trees, it naturally meant that the grass needed to be shovelled and the soil loosened. The two households stayed nearby and had a decent relationship. Back when they dug out the Buddhist beads, they guessed that it must have come from the temple but had fallen outside. Hence, they stashed away the Buddhist beads, even treating it as some kind of religious treasure. After they brought it home, they either gave it to the younger generation to hang on their bodies to ward off evil or placed it with their ancestral memorial tablets to worship it. Surprisingly enough, they were not exposed at all for all these years.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped forward to count the Buddhist beads, ¡°The numbers don¡¯t match, some of them should still be buried in the soil.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ said, ¡°That is true. They overturned the soil in the vicinity and managed to find a few more beads, but because they didn¡¯t dare to alert the temple personnel, they didn¡¯t dare to brazenly look for them. If those people reported this matter to the temple that year, it¡¯s highly likely that the matter of Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng being murdered would have been exposed early on.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to ask, ¡°Did they say where they picked it up from?¡±


    ¡°It was on the east side of the workshop¡¯s latrine, not far from the place [we] visited in the day. Half a year had passed by then, and the latrine was also removed by using soil to fill it up, before directly planting the trees on top.¡± After L¨´ K¨¥ was done answering, he added, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, that being said, the place where Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng was murdered is basically confirmed, except, how did the murderer lure Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng to that side?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was puzzling over it, ¡°The case of the ?ar¨©ra¡¯s disappearance was still being investigated then, it¡¯s probably related to that case.¡±


    In response, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°The culprit that murdered Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng used cruel methods, and in the murder of F¨¦ng daren, the murderer was quite the martial arts practitioner as well. Although F¨¦ng daren is getting on with his years, and his stature can¡¯t be considered as tall, he¡¯s still a man when all is said and done. Moreover, there were a large number of bruises on F¨¦ng daren¡¯s body, is it possible that the murderer from that year and the current murderer, is the same person?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°According to what benhou knows, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n has superb arm strength, W¨² Y¨² has some skill as well, and it is only the Court of Imperial Sacrifice¡¯s Secretary W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ who is ordinary in skill. These people were also in the temple at the time of Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disappearance, if any other person is being added to the list of suspects, J¨¬ng M¨ªng can¡¯t be ruled out either.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, ¡°When J¨¬ng M¨ªng made a request to the imperial court for the position of Temple Head, whose hands did it pass through?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i replied: ¡°It¡¯s hard to obtain the precise information, but the Buddhist temples belonging to the Imperial Family has always been overseen by the Ministry of Rites and Court of Imperial Sacrifices together. The Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony was also arranged and taken charge of by the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.¡±


    The Ministry of Rites was in charge of the norms of etiquette and the laws of the imperial civil service examination, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was responsible for Imperial Household¡¯s ancestral shrines and sacrificial offerings. When Famen Temple handed up the folded booklet to the Capital, both sides must have known about it. Of course, based on the circumstances back then, J¨¬ng M¨ªng certainly was the best candidate for Temple Head.


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sank into deep contemplation briefly. Since there was no substantial evidence, it was not necessary to question its validity over much. He had only arrived at Famen Temple for a day, and gained a lot from it. Therefore, there was no need to be anxious for success, so he told everyone to rest up before continuing the investigation the next day.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u withdrew, then Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng and said: ¡°Both of you should go and rest as well.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng complied, pushing M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n outside. Both of them had arrived late, so there were no longer any rooms for them to stay in this meditation hall, and they could only stay in another hall. Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng stood in the middle of the hall, looking at the room that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was staying in before he looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u who was sending them to the door, unable to shake off the strangeness of the entire affair, ¡°Never thought that there would be a day where there¡¯s a lady inside Older Brother¡¯s courtyard.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n could not help but laugh as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned helplessly before turning around to head back to his room.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough Shizi, let¡¯s leave. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re unaware of Hou¡¯ye¡¯s temper.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng mumbled, ¡°And therein lies the question: in this world, what kind of lady can make my Older Brother¡¯s heart move. My Older Brother isn¡¯t getting younger anymore. L¨ªn Zh¨¡o is already engaged, His Second Highness was supposed to have his grand wedding¡­¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was split between laughter and tears, ¡°You¡¯re actually worried for Hou¡¯ye, it would already be small mercies if you didn¡¯t make Hou¡¯ye worry about you.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng was very disgruntled by his statement, grumbling and arguing with M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n as they left the meditation hall.


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u woke up on the morning of the next day, he noticed that the embroidered emissaries were missing by two. Fu gonggong came over and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, Y¨­u Y¨­u went to the Library Pavilion again early in the morning. Laonu wasn¡¯t assured, so he told two embroidered emissaries to follow her.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows raised as he looked at the sky outside, which had just seen its first rays of light. Hence, he asked hesitantly, ¡°Has she partaken in breakfast?¡±


    Fu gonggong smiled, ¡°She has, please be at ease.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u proceeded to partake in his breakfast as well before he brought the embroidered emissaries to the morgue courtyard. Not long after, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the other two arrived in succession, then Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u started asking about the event that year once more. Since it had been ten years, the trio could not remember a lot of details, but their accounts were serious and principled, and even Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not find any mistakes or omissions in the moment.


    ¡­¡­


    In front of the Library Pavilion, L¨ªn Zh¨¡o had just stepped through the door with two monks when he realised that someone had arrived earlier than him. Since he saw the embroidered emissaries guarding the door outside, L¨ªn Zh¨¡o assumed that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was present, but when he entered the door, he only saw a beautiful figure standing under the bookshelf.


    Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u turned her body as well, and seeing that it was L¨ªn Zh¨¡o, she quickly bowed with womanly obeisance.


    L¨ªn Zh¨¡o came forward, ¡°Why is Guniang still looking at these? Haven¡¯t found it yet?¡±


    ¡°It has been found, but [I am] currently looking through the records of secret religious treasures and ceremonial implements. If one may be so bold to ask Gongzi, where are the ancient records for these two categories located?¡±


    Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u issued the question, L¨ªn Zh¨¡o thought about it before bringing B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to the back, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The pair walked past two bookshelves, then L¨ªn Zh¨¡o pointed at one of the bookshelves and said: ¡°Most of the record-type books are here, ranging from secret religious treasures, Buddhist norms of etiquette to imparted knowledge and religious doctrine; all of them are here.¡±


    Hundreds of ancient books and records filled the bookshelf to the brim. Although it was only a tip of the iceberg that made up the Library Pavilion, it was still too many for one person. L¨ªn Zh¨¡o glanced at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°One fears that guniang won¡¯t be able to look through all of them.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s lip corners curved slightly, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Seeing that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was rather persistent, and aware that he was not familiar with her, it was not polite for L¨ªn Zh¨¡o to say more either. Thus, he pivoted on his heels and went to another section of the Library Pavilion to catalogue the Buddhist scriptures, while B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u moved over a stand, standing on top before she started browsing through them.


    ¡­¡­


    Given that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had been questioning about the matters of that year repeatedly, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n could not help but ask: ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye doubt xiaguan and the other two?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not hide it at all, ¡°When J¨¬ng K¨­ng died, the three of you were at the temple, and at the time of F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s death, all three of you were at the temple as well, there is no other alternative but to be apprehensive. Since the three of you handled the bulk of the arrangements for the Grand Ceremony that year, benhou inquiring with more rigour, would also serve to help the three of you wash away any suspicion.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n had a sour expression as he said, ¡°It is to be expected that Hou¡¯ye conducts the official business in a just and impartial manner, but xiaguan certainly hasn¡¯t harmed anyone. There has been hearsay that the place of J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s murder had been found, were there any clues discovered there?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was a coarse person, and it was natural that he was the most impatient. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°It¡¯s been ten years; the forest has gone through great changes, and the sandalwood has probably decayed, there¡¯s no point in continuing the search.¡±


    Realising that the three were also dejected from the questioning, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u waved his hand, ¡°You can withdraw first. If there are any other doubts, you will be called over again.¡±


    Once Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n heard what was said, he bowed and asked to withdraw. Following closely, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨² stepped out, with W¨² Y¨² sighing as he said: ¡°Hai, this matter is difficult to deal with. The weather is great today, W¨¢ng-xiong, perhaps we should go to the pagoda at the mountain peak to take in the view, it would be a good stress reliever too.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ were on friendly terms, so it was natural for them to make such arrangements, and they only realised that they had neglected Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n after they were done conversing. Thus, he added, ¡°Would General Yu¨¨ like to come along?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n glanced at the sky above, ¡°I won¡¯t be going.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² was not surprised. As the three left the courtyard together, Fu gonggong absorbed the scene into his retinas before he chuckled slightly. Stepping through the door, he noted that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes were grave, and subsequently said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye should relax a little as well. Learn from the three Daren on how to handle the business like it isn¡¯t business, why wear [yourself] down like this?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his hand to pinch the space between his brows, gaze sweeping towards him as he asked: ¡°Where is Hong¡¯er?¡±


    Fu gonggong laughed and shook his head, ¡°He¡¯s still sleeping, though M¨ªng gongzi did wake up early in the morning, seeking out the monks within the temple to ask for two books that write about Buddhist remedies to read.¡±


    Once he heard the word ¡®books¡¯, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u is still at the Library Pavilion?¡±


    Fu gonggong nodded, which caused the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes to darken slightly. Suddenly, he stood up and walked outwards. Fu gonggong chased up to him in a hurry as Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u directly headed out of the courtyard once he stepped out of the door. Fu gonggong tracked the direction he was walking in, wasn¡¯t he going towards the Library Pavilion!


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye is going to see Y¨­u Y¨­u?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u declined to comment, but that was equivalent to silent admittance.


    When the pair reached the periphery of the Library Pavilion, the two embroidered emissaries immediately stepped forward to bow before stating: ¡°B¨® guniang is still inside and she hasn¡¯t stepped out once. L¨ªn gongzi was also present early on, but he just left.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded and entered the door.


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    The scent of books brushed across his face once he stepped through the doors. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced left and right but he did not see B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, and it took a bit of focus before he heard the noise coming from the depths of the Library Pavilion, then he lifted his foot and sauntered inwards. His footsteps were light to begin with; it was neither obvious nor abrupt inside the quiet Library Pavilion as his figure flashed past the rows of bookshelves. It was only when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u reached the end that he saw B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    The wooden ladder was leaning against the bookshelf. Even though B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was already standing on the highest rung, she was still incapable of reaching the uppermost row of ancient books and records despite stretching her hand, and it was even to the extent where she was standing on her tiptoes on the wooden rung. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows creased, ¡°You should¡ª¡±


    You should care not to fall down.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u initially tried to remind her, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mental state had been tightly strung for the past two days. The abruptness of his voice immediately made her jump in fright, and he only saw her person tremble, causing her to suddenly miss her step, and in the next instant, she proceeded to fall down!


    Frightened, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gasped softly, her body facing upwards as she was tumbling down, and the wooden ladder was also knocked down by her foot. As the clattering noise sounded out, an arm suddenly rose up to seize her, and in the next instant, she landed in a thick and broad embrace.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u carried her in his arms horizontally and he pivoted on his heels, keeping his back to the bookshelf to stabilise his body.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head, unable to come back to herself as she stared at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. But it was also at this moment where the falling wooden ladder knocked into the bookshelf, causing the two books which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had yet to put back to drop down. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u couldn¡¯t see it because his back was facing the bookshelf, but B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could see it clearly. Subconsciously, she raised her arms to hug Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, using one hand to protect Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s back while the other protected the top of his head. From afar, their postures were very sentimental.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s head was buried in the side of his neck, and she only felt the books collide with the back of her hand before it landed on the ground. All the Buddhist ancient books and records were two to three thumbs thick, and it could not be considered as light on impact, and her brows twitched from the pain. When she raised her eyes, she saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gazing at her with dark and gloomy eyes.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was still palpitating with fear and her breaths were coming out quick. Upon seeing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s congealing and unfathomable expression, she trembled and faltered as she retracted her hands, while also moving further away by two parts. Just as she was going to ask Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to put her down, two voices rang out in an untimely manner.


    ¡°Both of you¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked over with wide eyes. Unbeknownst to her, Fu gonggong and Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng were standing around the corner except she didn¡¯t know when! Her expression changed and she immediately put up a struggle. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u naturally saw the pair as well, but there were no great waves or shock on his countenance as he calmly and unhurriedly let B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u down.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u took a step back and stood properly, folding her hands in front. Like she was offering an explanation, her eyes became half-lidded as she stated: ¡°Many thanks to Hou¡¯ye for his mutual assistance.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what happened with the wooden ladder on the ground and the mess of books, but Fu gonggong and Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng inexplicably felt that something was slightly off. Meanwhile, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was looking at hands in front of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u. Her skin was as exquisite as porcelain, though there were calluses on her palms, there wasn¡¯t a single blemish on the back of her hand, hence, the red swell that was the size of a peach appeared particularly shocking to the eye.


    It had been hit by the books when she was protecting him just now.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u found it inconceivable. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had been frightened just now, and yet she had the mind to protect him. The book might be heavy, but did it even matter if it fell on his body?


    Since when did he, Marquis Wuzhao, require a woman¡¯s protection?


    Fu gonggong stepped forward to prop up the wooden ladder, ¡°How did this happen, is Y¨­u Y¨­u alright?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u subconsciously curled her stinging hand inside her sleeve, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw it again. He threw a sidelong glance at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, not speaking at the moment, while Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng picked up a book from the floor, ¡°What a thick book. Heard that you¡¯ve been looking through them since yesterday, what are you searching for?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°Searching for records concerning the secret treasures within the temple.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng scanned the cold and cheerless Library Pavilion, especially their current location that was further back, which seemed more sinister in atmosphere, ¡°You¡¯re really too persevering. If it was me, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to stay here for more than a pillar of incense (30 minutes).¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not know how to respond, so she could only say honestly: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is stupid, and she can¡¯t think of any other method.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng continued, ¡°You¡¯re so hardworking, but will there be any rewards at the end?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u paused, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ only wants to handle her current duties appropriately.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave her a deep look, ¡°Were there any discoveries?¡±


    It was only then that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her head, her brows furrowing as she answered, ¡°Tentatively, there aren¡¯t any clues related to the case, but there are some oddities. The secret treasures that are being enshrined within the temple¡¯s underground palace are all sacred objects of Buddhism. While the likes of the pagoda and spiritual covering veil have records, it is only the Five-Fold Treasure Chest which enshrines the ?ar¨©ra that can¡¯t be found. Hou¡¯ye should still remember that within the back room of the underground palace, there¡¯s one Three-Fold Treasure Chest, which min¡¯n¨¹ has just tracked down, and within that Three-Fold Treasure Chest, it enshrines the ?ar¨©ra of a senior monk from the previous dynasty who had achieved nirvana after death, and there are a total of three pearls. The first secret treasure we saw was the stupa-shaped iron chest, the second being the obsidian coffin, and the third being a jade coffin with a curved lid, all of which min¡¯n¨¹ have found records for. All these objects have comprehensive records; its origin, structure, and composition have been written down in great detail, and yet there are no records for the most valuable Five-Fold Treasure Chest.


    ¡°If the Five-Fold Treasure Chest also has a record, min¡¯n¨¹ suspects that there must be the structure of the square-shaped lock on the copper coffer and its key design, but min¡¯n¨¹ has yet to find it despite searching high and low, and only the uppermost row of books remains unread.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stared at the uppermost row of religious texts, hope lining the bottom of her eyes. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u set the wooden ladder upright before climbing up to the first rung and stretching his hand to retrieve the last row of Buddhist scriptures. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u accepted it at the bottom, and she only needed to skim through it to know if there was anything she wanted in those Buddhist scriptures. However, after flipping through a dozen books, she did not manage to reap anything.


    With a bitter expression, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said, ¡°Could it be that the ancient book record was destroyed by the temple because of its value? Or was it placed elsewhere?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u took the scriptures from her hands, putting it back on the bookshelf as he said: ¡°The Library Pavilion has always been an important place for Buddhism, and the possibility of putting it elsewhere isn¡¯t high. Or¡­ it had been taken away by someone deliberately. The ?ar¨©ra was stolen, there weren¡¯t any signs of damage on the copper coffer; it¡¯s quite plausible that the thief used a key to open it. Since the key design for the copper coffer might have been recorded in the Buddhist scripture, then the person who wanted to steal the ?ar¨©ra would naturally start with an inconspicuous-looking Buddhist scripture.¡±


    After placing back the scriptures, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u told Fu gonggong, ¡°Go and find J¨¬ng M¨ªng.¡±


    Fu gonggong turned around and left, with Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng tagging along because he did not like this place. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was originally planning to walk out after Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, but he did not move at all.


    In the next second, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned around and moved two steps closer to her, ¡°Stretch [your] hand out for benhou to see¡ª¡±

 CH 38

    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was standing with his back against the light, and though his eminently handsome countenance was hidden in the shadows, his eyes were especially soul rendering. Seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was staring at her tightly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated for a moment before she cautiously stretched out the back of her hand.


    It was completely red, and the most serious area was slightly bruised and swelling. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u barely had it extended for a second before she withdrew it very quickly. Half-lowering her eyelids, she stood there, not knowing what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was trying to do.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes were like an abyss, ¡°What is your request?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stiffened slightly, raising her eyes to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. The black and white of her beautiful eyes were distinctive, her emotions simply written in the depths of her eyes. Upon realising that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was not joking, she hung her head down again, ¡°The case is still unsolved. Presently, min¡¯n¨¹ only intends on attending to the official business properly, to resolve the case earlier.¡±


    Imperceptible sereneness emerged from the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes, ¡°That thought is excellent. Many people in the world are eager for instant benefit, but forget that the most fundamental thing is to successfully complete the task first. Your adamance about solving the case first before telling benhou, is it because you feel that benhou will not grant it?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded her head lightly, ¡°What min¡¯n¨¹ wishes for is out of the ordinary; min¡¯n¨¹ is not certain if Hou¡¯ye will grant it.¡±


    Now that aroused some curiosity within Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Although B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u appeared gentle and amiable, she was extremely determined when it came to things that she firmly believed in, except what could a little girl like her possibly wish for? He scrutinised her from head to toe for a few seconds, then glanced at the hand she was hiding in her sleeve again, ¡°Forget it.¡±


    He turned around and left after saying that.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u breathed out in relief for no apparent reason. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s thoughts were difficult to decipher; even if he treated her with more cordiality now, she still found it hard to hold on.


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    By the time she walked out with Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, Fu gonggong and Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng were already waiting inside the tearoom. It was currently after wu shi (1PM), but the originally clear sky had darkened as gloomy clouds gathered at the side of the sky. Fu gonggong peered outside, ¡°It isn¡¯t going to rain, is it? W¨¢ng daren and W¨² daren went up to the mountain peak to view the Pagoda, and one fears that they won¡¯t be able to go.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked outside as well. At this moment, J¨¬ng M¨ªng arrived with a roll of design plans, ¡°One asks Hou¡¯ye for forgiveness. During the sketching process last night, [I] could no longer recall the layout from that year in full detail, and a few people were questioned before the sketch became more comprehensive.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered J¨¬ng M¨ªng to come up with a sketch yesterday, and J¨¬ng M¨ªng originally said that he would present it by last night, but he did not expect that it would be late by one night.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u accepted the design plan, and instead of criticising him, he first asked: ¡°Are all the Buddhist scriptures and records within the temple here?¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng nodded hurriedly, ¡°Yes, it is all here.¡±


    ¡°All of the secret religious treasures enshrined within the temple have records, but this Library Pavilion doesn¡¯t have any records pertaining to the Five-Fold Treasure Chest, why is that?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes sank, staring at J¨¬ng M¨ªng without straying away once.


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s brows jumped, a glint flitting past his eyes, Unexpectedly, he stuttered, ¡°Five, Five-Fold Treasure Chest?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng tightened the grip on his Buddhist prayer beads, ¡°The Library Pavilion contains a large quantity of texts, which this humble monk has yet to browse through. For all these years, even ordinary disciples scarcely have the fortune of coming inside, and logically speaking, there should be some records concerning that Five-Fold Treasure Chest, it¡¯s just that this humble monk doesn¡¯t know of its existence either¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at J¨¬ng M¨ªng, suddenly hooking up his lips coldly, ¡°A monk should not resort to deceit, the instances where the Great Master has told lies must be far and few between, which is why he is rather unpractised.¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s eyes lowered, his back stiffening in response.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was sitting on the main seat due north, and ice-cold ridicule emerged from the depths of his eyes, ¡°Great Master is an enlightened senior monk that has a rather famous reputation, and he couldn¡¯t possibly wish for his reputation to be thoroughly ruined right now. His Majesty believes in the Buddha, and has some respect for Great Master, but benhou isn¡¯t really a person who worships the Buddha, and has always been strict about everything. Furthermore, this case concerns two human lives. If Great Master is concealing and covering up something, what face will he have when he inevitably meets the Buddhist patriarch?¡±


    A layer of cold sweat seeped out J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s forehead. The hand that was holding the Buddhist beads trembled lightly, and his mouth opened and closed, but he could not utter a single word. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at him with scowl, but what came out of his mouth was: ¡°Call for Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦¡ª¡±


    Upon hearing that sentence, J¨¬ng M¨ªng clapped his hands together as he closed his eyes weakly to start reciting Buddhist scriptures. When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw murmurs coming out from his mouth, he said indifferently, ¡°It looks like it will be hard for the Great Master to seek the Great Way.¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s shoulders shook, and his murmurs ceased instantaneously.


    No one spoke inside the room, but J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s body seemed to be shackled in heavy chains, such that it made his head droop down, and even his figure was stooping lower by two degrees. He was a monk and possessed a well-known reputation after practicing Buddhism for so many years, but he could not be separated from the matters that happened that year in the end. Since he was hiding something, then as J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disciples, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ naturally wouldn¡¯t have any reservations saying what they knew.


    Very quickly, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ arrived. When they heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asking about the Library Pavilion, the pair were slightly hesitant. Li¨£o F¨¢n said: ¡°The Library Pavilion is usually looked after by specific persons. This small monk has never taken charge of the Library Pavilion, and he¡¯s genuinely unaware of what could have happened to the Buddhist scriptures.¡±


    Li¨£o Ju¨¦ concurred at his side. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned and said, ¡°Ten years ago, at the time of your Shifu¡¯s accident, who was looking after the Library Pavilion?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s eyes brightened, ¡°It was Li¨£o Q¨©ng shixiong!¡±


    Glancing at J¨¬ng M¨ªng, Li¨£o F¨¢n continued to recount: ¡°Li¨£o Q¨©ng shixiong is Temple Head Shishu¡¯s disciple, he was the one overseeing the Library Pavilion that year. The Library Pavilion is an important place for Buddhism, and only disciples that are regarded highly are allowed to come here.¡±


    Having said that, Li¨£o F¨¢n seemed to remember something, ¡°Ten years ago, not long after Shifu met with his demise and Shishu became the Temple Head, he removed Li¨£o Q¨©ng shixiong from that position.¡±


    His disciple was overseeing the Library Pavilion during the accident, and after he became the Temple Head, he chose to remove his disciple instead. If he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, why would he swap out his own disciple? And when he was being questioned about the Buddhist scriptures, he lied!


    The atmosphere in the room stagnated. A large gust of wind rose outside the courtyard suddenly. The season had yet to enter the second month; the winds in the mountain was bone-piercing. Fu gonggong, who was standing in front of the window, quickly closed the windows.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glowered at J¨¬ng M¨ªng, ¡°Call for Li¨£o Q¨©ng.¡±


    J¨¬ng M¨ªng closed his eyes, wrinkles covering his face, and his attitude seemed to convey that there was nothing sadder than a withered heart.


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡­ A blurry visage appeared in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brain. If she didn¡¯t remember incorrectly, the monk who was arguing with Li¨£o F¨¢n outside the courtyard yesterday was also called Li¨£o Q¨©ng. That person was sneaking around the periphery of the courtyard yesterday at first, and it was just revealed that he was the manager of the Library Pavilion ten years ago today. Could it be that he was really related to the case from that year?


    Owing to the brief encounter yesterday, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not have a deep impression of him, but when Li¨£o Q¨©ng was brought inside the tearoom by the embroidered emissaries as he wore a slightly nervous expression, the image of a back figure suddenly flashed past B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mind. She could not resist asking: ¡°Li¨£o Q¨©ng shifu, were you the one loitering outside the pavilion yesterday?¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s expression was tensed from the start, and once he heard those words, his complexion paled even further.


    Fu gonggong immediately said: ¡°You were the one spying on Y¨­u Y¨­u from outside yesterday?¡±


    Upon hearing that line, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng said in surprise, ¡°You even spied on her, you must have done something reprehensible!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his phoenix eyes, ¡°Li¨£o Q¨©ng, answer.¡±


    His words held no violent rage, but those four simple syllables were akin to a lofty mountain pressing down. Li¨£o Q¨©ng looked at J¨¬ng M¨ªng like he was on the verge of tears. J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s withered face seemed drained of its vigour, and he slowly opened his eyes before heaving a long sigh.


    ¡°Everything has its consequence. Li¨£o Q¨©ng, speak as the truth dictates.¡±


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    Once Li¨£o Q¨©ng heard those words, he knelt down with a loud bang, ¡°Yes¡­ It was this small monk yesterday.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s voice became even colder in response, ¡°Why did you spy on her? You were looking after Library Pavilion ten years ago, was the set of Buddhist scriptures enumerating the Five-Fold Treasure Chest stolen by you?¡±


    Anxiety and dread spread across Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s face, ¡°It, it was because of what happened ten years ago. This small monk was worried and scared, which was why he came over to see why this Benefactor came over to the Library Pavilion. After being discovered, this small monk ran away¡­ Ten years ago, ten years ago, the Buddhist scripture wasn¡¯t stolen by this small monk, rather¡­ Rather, it was this small monk who sold the Buddhist scripture to someone¡ª¡±


    After uttering that sentence, guilt coloured Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s face and the rims of his eyes were red as well. His body collapsed, looking like he was on the brink of sobbing out loud.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u leaned forward, ¡°Sold it someone? Who was it sold to? On that Buddhist scripture, were there any records of the copper coffer¡¯s square lock?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n¡¯s figure quivered, ¡°There were indeed records of the square lock, but the craftmanship is complicated and it¡¯s highly likely that normal artisans wouldn¡¯t even be able to understand what they are seeing. The person that bought it¡­ This small monk doesn¡¯t know who the buyer is either. However, those old and ancient Buddhist scriptures are barely used for the purposes of lecturing; most of them are placed in the deepest parts of the Library Pavilion, left to accumulate dust over time. At that time, this small monk had encountered some difficulties and was in need of money, and a Buddhist worshipper who was very generous in spending arrived at the temple. Gradually, he started to talk to this small monk, asking for a Buddhist scripture only for the sake of admiring the secret treasure. This small monk knew that it was a violation of the temple rules by doing this¡­¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng was prostrated on the ground, while Li¨£o F¨¢n glared at him angrily, ¡°You actually dare to illicitly sell the temple¡¯s Buddhist scriptures?! It¡¯s no wonder why Temple Head Shishu replaced you, it looks like Temple Head Shishu already knew about this incident early on!¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n scowled at J¨¬ng M¨ªng again. J¨¬ng M¨ªng, however, was standing rigidly like a sculpted statue, not refuting at all.


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng raised his head to look at J¨¬ng M¨ªng, as if he felt extremely remorseful towards J¨¬ng M¨ªng too, ¡°Shifu didn¡¯t know about at the start. Shifu trusted this small monk, it was this small monk who betrayed Shifu¡¯s trust.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u questioned in a deep voice: ¡°How did he learn about it later? The person who bought the Buddhist scripture from you, did he appear again afterwards?¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng shook his head, ¡°He didn¡¯t appear again. He appeared at the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference that year, and including the instance he took the Buddhist scripture, he came over three times in total. He seemed to be aware of xiaoren¡¯s family conditions¡­ Xiaoren¡¯s family was impoverished when he was child, which was why xiaoren was sent to the Buddhist temple, but xiaoren¡¯s worldly bonds remain unbroken, and still has to support his old mother and three younger brothers. That year, xiaoren¡¯s younger brother hurt someone, so he had to pay the hefty fine or be imprisoned. This small monk had no other alternative, which was why he went down the skewed road.


    ¡°It was just selling a Buddhist scripture at the start. This small monk was thinking that no one has read or would read that Buddhist scripture in a hundred years, so no one would know about it, but who could have expected that during the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony later, the ?ar¨©ra would be stolen. Back then, Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng didn¡¯t remember that Buddhist scripture at the beginning, and he investigated the case with the officials daren that stayed behind, but nothing came out of it. Then one day, he abruptly remembered that Buddhist scripture and asked this small monk if anyone had borrowed that text in the past, and even asked this small monk to take out the Buddhist scripture.¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng choked out with a sob, ¡°This small monk couldn¡¯t take it out and confessed this matter to Shishu. It was originally assumed that Shishu would fly into a great rage, but Shishu didn¡¯t even punish this small monk, only saying that matter has major implications before ordering this small monk not to rush into action indiscriminately. He even said that he would discuss it with the officials, to see if they could track down the person who bought the Buddhist scripture, but one did not anticipate that¡­¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s words cut off, visibly palpitating with fear, ¡°But one did not anticipate that Shishu would disappear without a single trace the next day.¡±


    ¡°Back then, this small monk was extremely afraid because it wasn¡¯t logical for Shishu to disappear like that, and the ?ar¨©ra definitely wasn¡¯t stolen by him. Because this small monk was absolutely wrought with fear, Shifu noticed it. Under Shifu¡¯s repeated and insistent questioning, this small monk told Shifu about everything. When Shishu mysteriously disappeared, and the ?ar¨©ra was lost, everyone in the temple felt insecure. Shifu started investigating Shishu¡¯s disappearance with the officials, but after he followed them for two days, he realised that among these officials, none of them mentioned the sold Buddhist scripture.¡±


    He raised his head, fear still lingering at the bottom of his eyes, ¡°Shifu suspected that Shishu¡¯s disappearance was related to the Buddhist scripture incident being exposed. He became afraid as well, and first ordered this small monk to follow him daily, and even added quite a few martial monks to the vicinity of the Library Pavilion, afraid that something bad would happen to this small monk as well. The officials lingered around the temple for a month, and after the month passed, they left the temple because the search had been fruitless.¡±


    After recounting everything, Li¨£o Q¨©ng blinked away his tears as he said: ¡°All these years, this small monk always had the feeling that the plot would be exposed eventually, but day after day continued to pass, and it has been nearly ten long years since. [This small monk] thought that this matter would be buried forever, and there were rumours in the streets that said Shishu took away the ?ar¨©ra in order to seek the Great Way. This small monk selfishly thought that it would be great if it was true, that Shishu had taken away the ?ar¨©ra and was practicing Buddhism and attaining enlightenment elsewhere, if only to assuage the guilt at the bottom of this small monk¡¯s heart by a smidgen.


    ¡°For the past ten years, this small monk did not become a managerial monk, painstakingly cultivating every day, only begging for the Buddhist patriarch¡¯s forgiveness, up until¡­ Up until a bone dropped out from the Buddha statue. It was then and there that this small monk understood that the Buddha patriarch would not be forgiving this small monk. The karmic consequences created that day, will eventually have its retribution.¡±


    This affair had been repressed in Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s heart for ten years. Although he was laying bare all of his actions and behaviour from that day as he confessed to everything today, the heavy stone on his heart lightened a bit. His tears and mucus flowered profusely, bitter penance etched on his countenance, and while he looked despicable, he was pitiful as well.


    Li¨£o F¨¢n gritted his teeth and said: ¡°[I] didn¡¯t expect that¡­ didn¡¯t expect that before Shifu¡¯s disappearance, something like this actually happened. You did something that violated the rules, and Shifu didn¡¯t immediately expose you in front of others simply because he was harbouring merciful intentions, but you clearly knew that there was something strange about Shifu¡¯s disappearance, and yet you concealed this matter for ten long years, you¡­¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng lied on the ground and started weeping soundlessly, ¡°Shishu was the respected Temple Head, yet he could mysteriously disappear without any rhyme or reason. I¡­ I was just a small and insignificant managerial monk. I was afraid, I was afraid ah¡­ Shishu said that he was going to look for the officials to discuss it, but¡­ But against all expectations, those officials didn¡¯t even mention the issue once afterwards, was it because they didn¡¯t want to investigate this matter together? Or was it some other reason¡­ This small monk couldn¡¯t comprehend it, but he knew that there must be someone who didn¡¯t wish for this matter to come to light. All these years, this small monk has lived with remorse and shouldered this burden, fearing that the buyer of the Buddhist scripture would come back to murder this small monk at any given time, his heart akin to boiling oil over a raging fire, which has been absolutely unbearable. Having to confess everything today is karma, whatever the punishment is, this small monk will willingly accept it¡­¡±


    After listening to Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s mournful speech, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ hated him for his inaction, but they did not know how they should begin scolding him. On the other hand, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not care less if he was remorseful, merely picking the critical points to interrogate him: ¡°Do you still remember the appearance of the person who looked for you to buy the Buddhist scripture?¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng raised his head, face full of tears, ¡°Yes, this small monk remembers, this small monk will never forget it for the rest of his life.¡±


    That person¡¯s appearance was Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s nightmare, of which he agonised over every day, how could he possibly forget?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u immediately said: ¡°Bring over a drawing paper, draw what you remember of his appearance. Apart from his appearance, does this person have any special characteristics? Clothes, personal ornaments, accent, the servants beside him, etcetera, speak of anything and everything you remember.¡±


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng wiped his face and started drawing at the table in the tearoom. In the years he cultivated in the temple, there were other classes in the temple apart from practicing the teachings of Dharma. Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s drawing skills were ordinary, but he was still capable of roughly drawing that person¡¯s appearance. However, once he drew the face, it was just the appearance of an exceedingly normal middle-aged man, with nothing special to identify him by.


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng continued to describe, ¡°His appearance was mediocre, but his clothes and personal ornaments were lavish, was extremely liberal with money when it came to donating sesame oil money. Every time he came to the temple, he didn¡¯t bring any servants, and even when the Buddhist scripture was being taken, he personally made the trip. Accent¡­ His accent seems to be from the North, but the serial number on the silver notes he gave this small monk was produced in this locality.¡±


    Although they had no way of concluding that the illegal purchase of the Buddhist scripture was related with the ?ar¨©ra¡¯s disappearance, the Buddhist scripture had records of the copper coffer and the square lock composition, and the most bizarre thing in this entire plot was that Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng had met with his demise after learning about this matter. Once all the pieces were linked together, saying that the sold Buddhist scripture was unrelated to the ?ar¨©ra being stolen, was simply unreasonable.


    Li¨£o Q¨©ng violated the temple rules, then remained inert when J¨¬ng K¨­ng met with his demise, and J¨¬ng M¨ªng chose to cover it up for his disciple. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at the teacher and disciple pair, choosing to detain the pair under strict custody with any hesitation.


    After the pair left, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°If it were not for you lingering around this place for two days, one fears that this matter would never be exposed.¡±


    The book collection inside the Library Pavilion was vast. Who would have known that a book which hadn¡¯t been taken out for so many years had disappeared without a trace? It was like fishing a needle from the sea, and against all odds, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u still managed to dredge it up.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not dare to claim credit for herself, but she did not expect that there would be this unexpected discovery either. Thus, she remarked, ¡°That year, Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng said that he was going to discuss it with the officials, which would be W¨¢ng, Yu¨¨, W¨², F¨¦ng, these four Daren, but he was murdered afterwards, and none of these officials bothered to mention the sold Buddhist scripture. Consequently, why the murderer harmed Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng becomes evident upon contemplation.¡±


    J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s death was rather strange, and the murderer used cruel methods. If they were to theorise that the ?ar¨©ra thief was looking for someone to shift the blame to, why did it absolutely have to be J¨¬ng K¨­ng? Now that Li¨£o Q¨©ng had elucidated the past events, everyone immediately understood the murderer¡¯s motivation to kill.


    ¡°J¨¬ng K¨­ng went to look for the officials to discuss, but he probably didn¡¯t look for them together. He looked for one of them first, who, in a feat of unfortunate coincidence, was related to the disappearance of the ?ar¨©ra, thereby incurring a fatal disaster. After he died, that person didn¡¯t bring up this matter, and seeing that Li¨£o Q¨©ng would keep his silence out of fear, he decided to suppress this matter.¡±


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave his response, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng said with knitted brows, ¡°Why didn¡¯t he conspire to harm Li¨£o Q¨©ng then?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°This matter was Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s fault. He was terrified for one, and secondly, he also desires to conceal the fact that he secretly sold the Buddhist scripture, so why would he bring it up on his own accord? Furthermore, that person was probably cognizant of Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s temperament, was certain that he wouldn¡¯t dare to admit it, and because he didn¡¯t want to cause greater waves, he never acted against him.¡±


    Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, ¡°After J¨¬ng K¨­ng was murdered, everyone else said that he fled with the ?ar¨©ra, and it happened to provide a convenient scapegoat. If another person died an unnatural death, the matter would be dredged up again instead.¡±


    After giving a pause, Fu gonggong said: ¡°It¡¯s just, who did J¨¬ng K¨­ng seek out first that year?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at Li¨£o Ju¨¦ and Li¨£o F¨¢n who were standing beside the door, ¡°Do you still remember who your Shifu was on friendly terms among the four officials? In most circumstances, the first person he would look for must be someone he had a great deal of trust in.¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n furrowed his brows, ¡°Shifu was focused on religious practice, and he doesn¡¯t have an interest in being on friendly terms with influential officials like some Temple Heads. If someone had to be named, then it would be F¨¦ng daren. As the Luozhou Prefectural Magistrate, F¨¦ng daren visited the temple the most since he also worships the Buddha, and he would ask Shifu to dispel doubts for him every time he visited. Apart from that, the Ministry of Rites¡¯ W¨² daren arrived the earliest for the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony, so Shifu had a few additional days of interaction with him.¡±


    ¡°F¨¦ng L¨²n was the main official of the case at that time,¡± said Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, before he frowned and added, ¡°But F¨¦ng L¨²n died this time around. If the two cases have the same murderer, then the person that J¨¬ng K¨­ng looked for can¡¯t be F¨¦ng L¨²n, but if there are two murderers, why did F¨¦ng L¨²n die?¡±


    His fingertips knocked on the armrest twice. At this moment, he heard the sound of pitter-pattering, and noticed that it actually started raining outside. It was nearing the end of the winter season, so the rain was accompanied by thunder, which was rather shocking in terms of volume.


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    The thunder disrupted Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s train of thought, so Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u proceeded to order Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ to withdraw first. The precipitation was thin at first, then it gradually became dense, and the sound became more deafening. As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u listened to the consecutive claps of thunder, she took two steps back subconsciously.


    Seeing her react that way, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows raised slightly as he waved his hand, ¡°Come here¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was initially standing beside the window, and she walked towards him after seeing him beckon her. He was sitting in the north which was quite distant from the window. For some unknown reason, the closer she was to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, the safer she felt instead, as if Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could reduce the sky¡¯s thunder into submission as well.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at her, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pondered, ¡°Supposing that F¨¦ng daren was the first person the Great Master sought out, the murderer would probably inquire how many people Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng had already informed, and at that time, it¡¯s highly likely that even F¨¦ng daren would be conspired against. Min¡¯n¨¹ is still inclined towards the assumption that the first person whom Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng looked for was the murderer, and F¨¦ng daren meeting his demise, might be because there was some other clue from that year which pointed towards the murderer, and F¨¦ng daren happened to recall it after many years, which was then apprehended by the murderer, and the latter dealt with him.¡±


    ¡°The Buddhist Conference is the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference, which means that it was purchased on the second month, while the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony was in the beginning of summer. If the ?ar¨©ra thief planned in advance, having the three months in between is more than enough to prepare the key for the square lock.¡± Pausing, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood up and unfurled the design plan that J¨¬ng M¨ªng brought over, ¡°But even if there was a key, how did they manage to steal away the ?ar¨©ra?¡±


    It was apparent that the design plans had been drawn after some thought was expended: the set-up in front of the Hall of Great Strength was drawn in great detail, and apart from the sacrificial offering ceremonial stage, there were the standing positions of the hundred civil and military officials beneath the ceremonial stage, which was also clearly annotated. From a cursory glance, there was nothing abnormal. All of the used objects were frequently seen objects at a sacrificial offering ceremony.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scanned it before instructing: ¡°Go and call over Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the other two.¡±


    The embroidered emissary complied and left. Very quickly, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the other two arrived with umbrellas in hand. For some unknown reason, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨²¡¯s hair was slightly damp, and when they saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looking over with a frown after they crossed the threshold, W¨² Y¨² could only smile bitterly and explain: ¡°When we went to the mountain peak to see the pagoda just now, it started raining on the way up. Xiaguan and W¨²-xiong were drenched as a result, apologies for the discourtesy, Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not express an opinion, merely pointing at the design plans, ¡°Come over here and recount the events that happened during the Grand Ceremony while gesturing at the design plan. All matters, regardless of importance, should not be omitted.¡±


    After the three stepped forward, they talked about the flow of events for the Grand Ceremony that day one by one, starting from W¨² Y¨². They each had their own additions, describing the Grand Ceremony from start to end in full detail, and by the time they were done, the rain outside had stopped as well.


    ¡°It rained that day as well, was it only for the smaller part of the double-hour?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² nodded, ¡°Indeed, it was only for the smaller part of the double-hour. We and the others took shelter within the Hall of Great Strength, and no one strayed too far away.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sank into deep contemplation briefly, but the doubts and suspicions lingering at the bottom of his heart were not resolved. Seeing that the hour was getting late, he ordered the trio to withdraw first before he brought the design plan back to the meditation hall. Just as he reached the meditation hall¡¯s entrance, he saw an embroidered coming out to say: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, the item that was sent from the Capital has arrived, and it has been placed in the left wing-room.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s originally heavy-set eyes relaxed. He was already through the door, but he turned his body to look towards B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, who was about to enter her own wing-room. ¡°You come inside.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u wavered, and Fu gonggong¡¯s gaze brightened slightly when a thought occurred to him, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u, go quickly¡ª¡±


    Fu gonggong¡¯s gaze conveyed that something good would happen once she went in, but his gaze only made B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u feel sceptical. She followed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u inside the left wing-room, then saw a sandalwood case placed on the desk. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sat down on the chair, opening to the case to take a look before he said: ¡°Come over here.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was standing far away, so she moved closer, but she was still five to six steps away from Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows furrowed, ¡°Come and stand in front of benhou¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped even closer, coming to a standstill two paces away.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u opened the case, taking out the two gold-coloured embroidered protective gloves, ¡°Rewarded to you.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stiffened before she accepted it. As she looked at the item in her hands, she was at a slight loss in the moment. The gloves were ice-cold to the touch since it was weaved with extremely fine copper wire, and a golden totem was embroidered on top, though B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could not distinguish what kind of winged beast it was, and there was a copper clasp on top. It was not an ordinary object.


    Upon seeing her dazed appearance, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u only assumed that she did not know how to wear it. He leaned forward impatiently, grabbing hold of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s wrist to tug her forward, allowing no protests as he took the glove again to unfasten the copper button, ¡°Hand¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was visibly lost, and she only raised her hand as per the command. Subsequently, an exceedingly strange scene nearly scared B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u into forcing the door open and fleeing¡ª Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u actually personally put on the protective glove for her!

 CH 39

    After fastening the button, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u released her. Then, he glanced at her injured hand, giving the other protective glove to her before he said with a solemn tone: ¡°This item is a tribute from the Western Liang Country, made out of an interweave of copper and silver threads, soft and conforms to the hand, and resistant to heat and water. You can wear this while examining corpses in the future, and suffer less from corpse poison.¡±


    Of course, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could discern that this was a pair of protective gloves at a glance, but she had never seen something so valuable. She followed Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© as he examined corpses ever since she was young, but in a small place like Qingshan County, even leather-made gloves were scarce. Ch¨¦ng Y¨´n Zh¨© had never cared for these, and gradually, she stopped caring about these trifles as well. However, her hands were bound to suffer whenever she encountered corpses that were decaying badly.


    With one hand gloved and the other holding onto the remaining one, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u appeared slightly stunned. This object was chill to the touch, but it was incredibly soft and unlike copper and silver, and it was lined with an extremely thin and soft, albeit tough, pelt inside. The five fingers were distinctly separated, and it was more practical and fitting than the deerskin gloves, which were prepared for M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n, that she wore yesterday.


    Nevertheless, she did not expect that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would award her with this item; this was a tribute.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had long anticipated that she would react this way, since he remembered that she had grown up in Qingshan County, and how could she possibly have the chance to see such a superb item? Hence, his eyebrows raised, and his tone of voice brokered no arguments, ¡°Benhou might govern strictly, but has always evaluated merit before rewarding, you¡¯re not the first person who has received rewards from benhou.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u hesitated briefly, ¡°What Hou¡¯ye bestows, one does not dare to reject, except this item is a tribute. Based on min¡¯n¨¹¡¯s merit, she does not deserve this item¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u fixed his eyes on her, ¡°This case will definitely be solved.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s lips pursed slightly as she said in a soft voice, ¡°Even if the case is solved, it¡¯s a bit too much to reward min¡¯n¨¹ with a tribute.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at her in disapproval for two seconds, then shifted his gaze away to sneer lightly, ¡°You are quite aware of your own identity, no?¡± Then he added, ¡°After this case, benhou might continue to use you. If you find it inappropriate, realise that there will eventually be instances where you will be used.¡±


    Noting that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u still had something to say, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, his voice becoming dangerous, ¡°What benhou bestows, there is no one who can reject it.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her eyelids, making a choice very quickly, ¡°Many thanks to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u became satisfied. Although she was being submissive with her lowered facial features, he could see that her refined brows were knitted, as if she was unwilling to accept the reward he bestowed. Thus, he waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Withdraw.¡±


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u bowed with womanly obeisance, then turned around to leave. After stepping outside the door, she saw Fu gonggong waiting outside. When he caught sight of her holding the protective gloves, mirth flooded his countenance, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u need not be afraid. As long as Hou¡¯ye bestows a reward, just accept it. For zajia and the embroidered emissaries that came along, Hou¡¯ye will usually bestow a thing or two to whoever has made contributions, whether its gold, silver, precious stones, or valuable objects and weapons.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it is¡­


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart relaxed, ¡°Is that so? In that case, min¡¯n¨¹ will definitely work for Hou¡¯ye to the best of her abilities.¡±


    Fu gonggong could not help but laugh upon hearing that. At this moment, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng and M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n arrived slowly, and they also noticed the gloves that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was holding at a glance.


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng said: ¡°Huh¡­ That item looks familiar.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was experienced and knowledgeable, ¡°It¡¯s a tribute from Western Liang.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng arched an eyebrow, the gaze he regarded B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u with becoming deep with meaning. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u felt her hair rising because of that look, and she promptly returned to her own room after asking for leave.


    After Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng pushed M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n through the door of the principal room, he said: ¡°Older Brother, why did you bestow a tribute from Western Liang to her?¡±


    Fu gonggong said smilingly, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u carries out her duties with all her heart, it isn¡¯t strange for Hou¡¯ye to bestow a reward. Shizi hasn¡¯t seen the state of Y¨­u Y¨­u¡¯s hands when it was frozen badly and stained with corpse water, it was rather pitiful with how red and swollen it was.¡±


    Having said that, Fu gonggong¡¯s eyebrows suddenly raised, ¡°Speaking of which, while Hou¡¯ye has been generous when he bestows gifts in the past, he has never been this considerate. Hou¡¯ye, could it be that ?ou¡­¡±


    Before Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had the chance to speak, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng interrupted, ¡°Gonggong, where are your thoughts drifting to? If my Older Brother wants a beauty, does he need to use such an approach? Once he issues an order, who wouldn¡¯t want to be the person by his side? I¡¯m more inclined to believe that little B¨® guniang is rather cunning.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng squinted his eyes as he said righteously, ¡°I was originally puzzled as to why Older Brother suddenly chose to bring along a lady with him without any rhyme or reason. From my current observation, she does have some tactics: she first invokes your tenderness by injuring herself, and then loosens the reins to gain a better grasp later; by pretending that she¡¯s only working for Older Brother, and at the end, she will use a honey trap so that Older Brother will look at her differently and give her special treatment!¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng clicked his tongue, ¡°Amazing, my Older Brother hates people who flatter and bootlick the most, so she used a different approach instead. How ingenious!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked over with narrowed eyes, ¡°Since you¡¯re so good at inferring, shall I recommend you to the Supreme Court?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s enigmatic expression contorted into an apologetic smile immediately, ¡°Older Brother, don¡¯t be like this. It really stems from the fact that she chooses to be a coroner despite being a gentle and demure little beauty, and she has chosen to follow Older Brother to Luozhou to investigate this case, which is honestly strange. After much contemplation, I feel like she¡¯s probably conspiring against Older Brother¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sneered, ¡°Many in this world conspire for a great deal of things from me, and what does she rely on?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was at the height of power within the courts and commons; some covet his authority, others conspire for his influence; whether it was men or women, they wanted to use him to climb up, but if he was truly easy to talk to, he would not have the moniker ¡®Jade-Faced King of Yama¡¯.


    However, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng retorted, ¡°Rely on? Isn¡¯t it obvious, she¡¯s relying on her face of course. Older Brother, do [you] not find her appearance beautiful?¡±


    The space between Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows creased, ¡°How is she beautiful?¡±


    All of the people in the room froze, simply because they did not expect that question from him. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n issued a peal of laughter, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, reality proves that ?ou are blessed by the Heavens in every other aspect, but only in terms of appraising beauty, [you] clearly have a slight¡­ slightly unique style.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng chortled, ¡°Older Brother, although you don¡¯t find her pretty, don¡¯t ever underestimate women. The women in this world really have too many tactics: those with low positions will display weakness; those with higher positions will pretend to be callous towards you, but will tease you imperceptibly while you¡¯re unaware. Once your emotions have been stirred by her, she will still pretend to be rather innocent, as if she is unaware of what she has done, except she has hooked onto you, until both your conscious and unconscious thoughts are wrapped around her. By that time, you will offer whatever she wants, and you won¡¯t even have dregs remaining by the end of her deceit.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng heaved a sigh, as if he had lived through many changes, ¡°Towards this, your younger brother has a deep understanding of it. Last year, most of my silver money was swindled away by a few vixens. Regrets, I genuinely regret it right now.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°You were fooling around in brothels for the entire of last year?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s complexion changed, coughing as he said: ¡°No no no, I was just raising an example¡­ In short, Older Brother, don¡¯t let your guard down!¡±


    Fu gonggong was split between laughter and tears, ¡°Shizi, laonu had the same thought early on. Certainly, it¡¯s rather unthinkable that a young lady would follow us to Luozhou on her lonesome, and that it¡¯s highly likely that she¡¯s conspiring against our Hou¡¯ye, but when Y¨­u Y¨­u chose to come along willingly, laonu abandoned that thought instead. She followed Hou¡¯ye this time around because she has a request.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°See! What did I just say, she even explicitly stated that she has a request, what if she says that she wants to follow Older Brother in the future after she¡¯s done with this case? Or, what if she directly says that she wants to stay by Older Brother¡¯s side?¡± When Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng spoke to this point, he stood up straight, ¡°She¡¯s not thinking about becoming Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s Furen, right?!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had a slight headache, ¡°She doesn¡¯t possess such audacity, do you see what she thinks about all day long?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng sat down again, mumbling, ¡°This¡­ Isn¡¯t all this for the sake of raising Older Brother¡¯s vigilance? Older Brother has a high position and great authority; even if he has a partner, it should be a daughter from an aristocratic family with equal social and economic status¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was tired of him fabricating wild tales, ¡°After you return to the Capital, it¡¯s about time you enter the court and temper yourself.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s words trailed off, ¡°Older Brother¡­¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his hand. Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng could only swallow his plea-filled mutterings. M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n promptly changed the subject. ¡°There was hearsay that B¨® guniang discovered something in the Library Pavilion?¡±


    Speaking of the case, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression firmed up, ¡°She was originally looking for records concerning the ?ar¨©ra, but owing to a freak combination of factors, a Buddhist scripture that detailed the Five-Fold Treasure Chest was found missing. Presently, it has been disclosed that someone had bought the Buddhist scripture, and it might be related to the ?ar¨©ra¡¯s disappearance.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n said: ¡°I was reading two books about the Buddhist secret remedies prior, and it did mention the ?ar¨©ra and the rumours surrounding it, of how a dead body could be preserved for a thousand years without rotting if they contained the ?ar¨©ra inside their mouth, besides that, there¡¯s a circulating rumour among the common people that the ?ar¨©ra can cure any illness and promise longevity, with the most exaggerated being that the ?ar¨©ra can resurrect the dead. Of course, all of these are groundless statements.¡±


    Since M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n was a doctor, it was no surprise that he frequently heard such rumours. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered to himself briefly before saying, ¡°Just having to investigate why the murderer wants to steal the ?ar¨©ra is exceedingly difficult, and [we] can only start from deaths of J¨¬ng K¨­ng and F¨¦ng L¨²n first. After J¨¬ng K¨­ng learned that there was someone who bought the Buddhist scripture that year, he went to look for the officials that stayed behind for the investigation, but after one night, J¨¬ng K¨­ng disappeared, while the remaining few never brought up the matter of the Buddhist scripture being sold. Hence, it further cements the fact that someone in this group was related to J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s death.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n pondered, ¡°F¨¦ng L¨²n dying, was it because he discovered that year¡¯s murderer, or should it be said that¡­ he was one of the persons who knew the inside story that year?¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n¡¯s conjecture had never crossed Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s mind. Supposing that there wasn¡¯t just one perpetrator that year ¨C perhaps even two or more ¨C and had abetted in covering up the matter, then the perpetrators having an internal strife which led to F¨¦ng L¨²n being harmed, was not impossible.


    It was hard for Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to form a conclusion as well, ¡°That possibility might require more examination. Given that F¨¦ng L¨²n was the chief official, and was familiar with J¨¬ng K¨­ng, it¡¯s certainly possible that J¨¬ng K¨­ng went to find him that year, and him being one of the perpetrators is plausible. ¡°


    Except with all they had discovered, there were too many possibilities, and the case was becoming increasingly hard to unravel.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u took out that sketch again before he asked Fu gonggong to come forward, ¡°You were also present that year. Take a look and see if you can recall any irregularities.¡±


    Fu gonggong unfurled the design plan, ¡°J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s sketch is rather detailed. Laonu had issues remembering it clearly, but after seeing this sketch, the memory immediately came back. But according to the accounts from the three officials, the scene was only slightly messy when it started to rain, and apart from that, those present barely moved from their positions. However, there were still imperial guards hovering around the ceremonial stage and the corridor when it was raining, and it¡¯s not possible for it to disappear under everyone¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°Back when the Grand Ceremony was being prepared, F¨¦ng L¨²n and Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n were already in Luozhou, and had arrived the earliest, followed by W¨² Y¨². W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ are Capital officials, and while W¨² Y¨² is a civil official, he has some martial skill.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at the inked lines of the sketch while mumbling, before he uttered, ¡°On the night F¨¦ng L¨²n died, W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ can testify for each other, but Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n has no alibi.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n said: ¡°B¨® guniang once mentioned that there were a lot of bruises on F¨¦ng daren¡¯s body, and he had fought someone whilst alive.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°The person who killed F¨¦ng L¨²n certainly had some skill, and J¨¬ng K¨­ng had been ruthlessly murdered. If the murderer is the same person, not only is this person relatively skilled, but he also has a good understanding of the human bones, and his willpower is immense.¡±


    After a normal person kills someone, they would usually be rattled, but the person who murdered J¨¬ng K¨­ng, not only dismembered him, but he also hid the corpse chunks inside the Buddha statue. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows wrinkled, ¡°Has there been any news from Jizhou?¡±


    Fu gonggong said, ¡°Our people have barely been here for two days, if [we] want to find the artisans from that year, one fears that it will require more time.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s countenance darkened slightly, ¡°Go and check Li¨£o Q¨©ng¡¯s family, and see if there are any abnormalities with his past affairs.¡±


    Fu gonggong complied swiftly.


    The colours of night descended. Due to the precipitation during the day, the night was especially cold. Since there was no verbal summons, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stayed inside her wing-room and waited. With how the investigation had progressed, F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s cause of death, the crime scene, and the murder weapon was already out in the open, and while they had insight into the place where J¨¬ng K¨­ng was harmed, it was hard to determine his cause of death and the murder weapon. The murderer¡¯s motivation to kill might be related to the stolen ?ar¨©ra, but the reason why the ?ar¨©ra had been stolen was still unsolved. The thoughts in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s mind were in a tangled mess, and she caught sight of those rare protective gloves at the turn of her eye.


    The swell on her injured hand had receded, with only a bruised patch remaining. Hence, she carefully wore the protective glove that she hadn¡¯t donned in the late evening and flexed her fingers, the frustration swirling at the bottom of her heart dispersing suddenly.


    After keeping the gloves properly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u climbed on the bed to sleep, her breathing becoming slow and long soon after.


    ¡­


    When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u woke up the morning of the next day, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was already waiting outside. Seeing that she woke up so early every day, a bit of appreciation rose from the depths of his heart for no apparent reason, ¡°Why did you wake up so early when there are no post-mortem autopsies to conduct?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ would like to use the method of bone steaming to examine Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeletal remains again.¡±


    ¡°Method of bone steaming?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyebrows.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, ¡°This method was taught by Yifu. Truth to be told, Hou¡¯ye, min¡¯n¨¹ has only watched Yifu use it prior to this, and she has not personally tried it.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u briefly, ¡°You may try it.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s heart relaxed slightly. Very quickly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u brought his entourage to the morgue courtyard. Upon reaching the front of the courtyard, they saw that W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ were already present. When the pair saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walking over, they went forward to offer their salutations.


    W¨² Y¨² said: ¡°Xiaguan (and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³) were afraid that Hou¡¯ye had summons, so [we] came early to wait.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gave the pair a sweeping glance, only to see the water stains on W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s robes. W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ smiled bitterly as he said: ¡°Xiaguan hasn¡¯t washed his clothes for the past few days, and only realised that this garment was dirty when he was changing his clothes after being soaked in the rain yesterday, and two articles of clothing were washed speedily. However, W¨²-xiong was in a rush today, so xiaguan could only wear clothes that weren¡¯t fully dried¡­.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² laughed, ¡°W¨¢ng-xiong has so many servants in the Capital. His Majesty ordered us to travel with little luggage and a small escort this time around; it¡¯s natural that one wouldn¡¯t be accustomed.¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ sighed, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have lazed off when I saw W¨²-xiong washing clothes that day.¡±


    The pair were extremely familiar with each other, their exchange of words underlined with domestic trivialities. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u frowned as she continued to listen, ¡°When did W¨² daren wash his clothes?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² replied: ¡°For the past few days, the clothes were washed daily, zaixia is used to it.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not ask any further.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°The coroner wants to examine the skeletal remains again. There are no questions for the time being, both of you can return to rest.¡±


    Surprisingly, W¨² Y¨² chose to stay, ¡°Then we will stay here.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u entered the courtyard, and then B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ will be washing the bones first, and she asks Hou¡¯ye to dispatch someone to dig a cavity that is five rulers long, three rulers wide, and two rulers deep, and burn charcoal and wood inside, until inner walls of the cavity are heated red.¡±


    Even though it was unknown if B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s method would be effective, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u still dispatched his men to dig a pit. Outside the courtyard, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u washed the bones clean before she requested someone to bring two litres of alcohol and five litres of vinegar, which was then placed inside the cavity with the bones she carried over.


    The cavity that the embroidered emissaries dug was on the slope beside the white birch forest. Presently, the open fire inside the cavity was raging and the cavity had been heated until it was red. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u told the embroidered emissaries to take out the wood and charcoal before she poured the vinegar and alcohol and put J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s bones inside while it was hot, then ordered the embroidered emissaries to seal the cavity opening, and everything was considered done.


    ¡°The bones need to be steamed for two double-hours.¡± After saying that, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her eyes to look at the sky, ¡°The weather is sunny and cloudless today, it probably won¡¯t rain.¡±


    Fu gonggong said: ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. The weather looked great yesterday, but it suddenly rained afterwards.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could only sigh, ¡°One only hopes that it doesn¡¯t rain.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was following them for the entire way, and they revealed doubtful expressions when they witnessed the strangeness of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s actions. Standing at the side, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stooped over to touch the cavity and noted that it was scalding hot. Subsequently, she used the wet soil at the side to cover the cavity tightly, ¡°Once the temperature inside the cavity disperses, the bones can be taken out. Since it takes quite a while, Hou¡¯ye and the two Daren can return to the temple and wait.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded. The embroidered emissaries brought away the alcohol and vinegar jars, and the other tools, leaving behind Fu gonggong and two embroidered emissaries to stay with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u before he brought the others back to the courtyard.


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    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u did not know if this method would be useful, so her heart was suspended from start till end. After waiting for two double-hours in such a state, she told the embroidered emissaries to open the cavity. The heat trapped inside the cavity had long dispersed, leaving behind some lingering warmth. She and the other embroidered emissaries took out the skeleton and placed it on a carpet, and then she asked the embroidered emissary to go back to the temple to bring over a wax umbrella.


    When the embroidered emissary returned, she saw that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had tagged along with M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n and Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng. It was more than likely that they had never heard of such a method, which was why they were rather curious. Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng immediately posed a question once he arrived: ¡°Is this method useful? Where did you learn it from?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u only felt that he was noisy, ¡°Shut your mouth.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng touched his nose, taking half a step back in silence.


    As B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u held the umbrella above the skeleton, she explained: ¡°It was taught by Yifu. As to whether it is useful, it still requires an inspection¡ª¡±


    Just as she finished saying those words, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u proceeded to knit her brows. Whenever she was focusing on the autopsy, her expression would become rather cold. Initially, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng had a lot of questions, but he did not dare to ask as he watched B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u half-kneel on the carpet. Holding a cotton wadding in her hand, she wiped the surface of the bones in a dexterous manner, which caused the layer of skin and bones that had turned into candle wax to fall off upon contact after being cooked. Very quickly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u discovered faint threads of blood permeating the bone.


    Not long after, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u straightened her body, ¡°May one be so bold to ask Hou¡¯ye, if a person has practised martial arts for years, will it resemble martial arts katas where they will tend to harm the same areas whenever they are attacking their opponent?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knew that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had discovered something, and his voice deepened as well, ¡°Naturally, the martial arts underneath the Heavens are varied and ever-changing, to say nothing of Buddhism which possesses numerous katas. For one, martial arts katas are limited, and secondly, every practitioner has their own habits; whenever they are attacking an opponent, they will naturally have a method of fighting that they¡¯re used to.¡±


    Since the fighting method is similar, the injuries left behind would have some similarities as well. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes lit up slightly, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, although Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng was murdered ten years ago, there were a lot of bruises that were left behind after serious damage was inflicted, apart from the knife wound in this area. The damage left behind some minor fractures on the bones, and it couldn¡¯t be perceived since the bones had been rendered for many years, but after it was steamed, the traces from the past years have been revealed. Min¡¯n¨¹ discovered that the blood traces on Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s bones match the injuries left on F¨¦ng daren¡¯s body. The murderer ten years ago, and the murderer who killed F¨¦ng daren, is probably the same person.¡±


    With a layer of the dense fog being pushed aside, the case gained more clarity. Consequently, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stated: ¡°However¡ª the murderer using his hands and feet first, and then unexpectedly using a sharp weapon at the end, is slightly strange. It¡¯s the same circumstance behind F¨¦ng daren¡¯s death. If the murderer brought a sharp weapon as the murder weapon, why would he need to come to blows¡­¡±


    If he wanted to kill someone, he would naturally hope that it could be resolved as quickly as possible. During a physical fight, it was very likely for variables to pop up. If he had a sharp weapon, why didn¡¯t he strike with the sharp weapon directly?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°What if there were two people that year?¡±


    ¡°One person was tangled in a physical fight, while the other used the sharp weapon to kill, or perhaps, J¨¬ng K¨­ng was stabbed after being restrained.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes brightened slightly, ¡°Certainly, that is possible.¡±


    ¡°If there are two culprits that year, and F¨¦ng daren happens to be one of them, then F¨¦ng daren could only be the person using the sharp weapon. With the old plot being abruptly exposed after so many years, an internal strife ensued between the two, or perhaps the other person wasn¡¯t assured, which was why he chose to silence him permanently. But if F¨¦ng daren had nothing to do with the case, then there are still two people who are unfettered and beyond the law.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u commanded, ¡°Call for Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the two, benhou will interrogate them in succession.¡±


    The interrogation room was still inside the morgue courtyard. J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeletal remains were also moved back, and with the presence of the two sets of remains, it was highly probable that even the murderer in their midst would suffer from some shock.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had only made routine enquiries prior to this, and now that he was interrogating them individually, W¨² Y¨² and the other two ¨C who were old officials ¨C promptly knew that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had obtained new clues again, and the suspicions he harboured towards the three of them had increased.


    The first to be called inside was Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n. W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ waited outside, while M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n and Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng stood at the side since they were bored senseless. B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u also joined them outside after she restored the skeleton in its original position.


    As Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng thought about the conversation yesterday, he suddenly wanted to test B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, as if he wasn¡¯t one to fear death. Smirking, he walked up to her, and called out to her using a voice that seemed deep with emotion, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u¡ª¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u arched her brows, her beautiful eyes widening slightly as she looked at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng in bafflement.


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng stopped in front of her, ¡°Guess what I¡¯m thinking at the bottom of my heart?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was slightly helpless, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ does not know.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng gazed at the printed paper money, ¡°It looks like I have to reveal it to the Buddha, to let you understand my heart¡¯s intentions¡ª¡±


    Then, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng stepped through the door, first igniting a candle with his back facing the rest, before he burned the scripture yellow papers that were left behind after offerings were previously made to J¨¬ng K¨­ng. Subsequently, he had scooped up the ashes in his palm and pressed his hands together, praying in the direction of the Hall of Great Strength. He said: ¡°Buddha, Buddha, please manifest your spirit and allow Y¨­u Y¨­u to see my heart¡¯s intentions, I have fallen in love with her at first sight.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stared at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng with a bewildered expression as Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng walked up to her. She watched as he unfolded his hands which were clasping the paper ash, and then he blew away the ashes lightly.


    From the beginning to the end, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u never took it seriously, but at the moment, something strange happened. On Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s originally clean palms, the character ¡®Y¨­u¡¯ (ÓÄ) unexpectedly appeared. There was one on his left hand, and another on his right, it actually spelled out her name!


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng in surprise. Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng said with a crinkled-eyed smile, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u, do you believe me now?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s surprise was blatantly written on her face, which made Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng very pleased. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s source of surprise was: ¡°One did not expect that Shizi would be capable of a trick from a travelling performer¡¯s routine, min¡¯n¨¹ has been aware of its inner workings ever since she was seven years old.¡±


    As Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s mouth corners twitched, his smile seemed almost tearful in the moment.

 CH 40

    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n and Fu gonggong were used to Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng messing around, but they did not expect that he would fold in B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hands. They burst into laughter without giving him any face, which made Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng feel even more awkward, ¡°You¡­ You know? You¡¯ve known about it since you were seven?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u glanced at the extinguished candle in the room, ¡°When Shizi ignited the candle just now, he first used the wax to write the character in his palms, and when he held the paper ash later, there was still lingering warmth in the ash, which allowed the ash to stick to wax, hence why the characters appeared on his hands. Is min¡¯n¨¹ correct in saying that?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s mouth corners twitched, ¡°You¡­ Why do you know about such things?¡±


    Similarly, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u found it slightly hilarious as well, and her lips curved up subconsciously, ¡°Shizi makes use of wax, but if it was a travelling, sideshow theatrical troupe, most of them would use honey to write the words on their palm, so they won¡¯t have to worry about the wax being unable to pick up the ash after it cools.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng clicked his tongue, ¡°How did you know about this as well?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled wordlessly. At the side, W¨² Y¨² suppressed his laughter as he asked: ¡°In addition to post-mortem autopsies, B¨® guniang understands magic tricks as well?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s merely superficial knowledge.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng harrumphed softly, as if he thought of another amusing trick, and he asked W¨² Y¨²: ¡°In the past, the palace would frequently perform that, was it called ¡®Burning Clothes and Sending Off the Guests¡¯?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² smiled and nodded, ¡°Shizi remembers correctly, it is indeed Burning Clothes and Sending Off the Guests.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng turned to look at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, ¡°Do you know how that works?¡±


    At a slight loss, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, which made Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng raise his eyebrows, ¡°Like I was saying, it¡¯s not possible for you to know everything!¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said hesitantly, ¡°Does Shizi know?¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s complexion became a little awkward, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Then, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng turned his head towards W¨² Y¨², as if he wanted him to save the show. W¨² Y¨² smiled apologetically, ¡°Shizi, zaixia doesn¡¯t know either. Although the Ministry of Rites invites these sideshow performing artists every year to provide some entertainment for His Majesty and the Niangniang of the back palace, he remains ignorant of its inner workings.¡±


    Having said that, W¨² Y¨² seemed to think of something as he abruptly shifted his gaze towards W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, ¡°W¨¢ng-xiong, you know how it works, don¡¯t you?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ smiled in response, ¡°In fact, it¡¯s just placing a piece of camphor inside their clothes, and then lighting it on fire through the clothes. Although the fire is burning, it is only for an instant, and it won¡¯t burn off the clothing. However, the camphor shouldn¡¯t be allowed to burn for too long, and the quantity used must be controlled, otherwise, it will reveal the broken seam of the burning clothes.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng was surprised, ¡°W¨¢ng daren is actually aware of how it works.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² remarked, ¡°W¨¢ng daren comes from Qiangzhou, which is the hometown of magic tricks. It is rumoured that all the natives of Qiangzhou know how to perform magic tricks.¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that exaggerated. It¡¯s just that there are a lot of sideshow performing artists in Qiangzhou, and what they call sideshow magic tricks are mostly diversionary tactics. Once [you] understand its inner workings, [you] won¡¯t find it mystical anymore.¡±


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    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng nodded slightly after hearing that, and it was unknown what he thought of because he wanted to continue asking more questions, though he was cut off when L¨´ K¨¥ walked out of the right wing-room. ¡°General Yu¨¨¡¯s questioning has ended, W¨¢ng daren, please step inside¡ª¡±


    Sure enough, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n came out after him. No one knew what questions he had to field, but his expression was not the best.


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ complied and stepped across the threshold, whereas Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n sighed with palpable unhappiness after he came to a stop outside the door. ¡°We are all being suspected right now. Hou¡¯ye even said that the person who harmed J¨¬ng K¨­ng and F¨¦ng daren are the same person, that¡¯s too frightening.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was a coarse person with a heroic temperament. He might not dare to say it in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, but he couldn¡¯t hold himself back fully after he stepped out of the room. W¨² Y¨² said: ¡°Don¡¯t be distrustful, General Yu¨¨, this was discovered by Coroner B¨®.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n eyed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, then glanced at J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeletal remains, ¡°Coroner B¨® is most certainly skilled with regards to examining human remains. One only hopes that Hou¡¯ye can unravel the truth as soon as possible and allow us to have a peace of mind.¡±


    Inside the right wing-room, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u questioned W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, ¡°On the night of F¨¦ng L¨²n¡¯s demise, you and W¨² Y¨² returned to the meditation hall, what happened afterwards?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ answered, ¡°Xiaguan watched W¨²-xiong enter his meditation hall, and the lights were extinguished shortly after, and it can be assumed that he went to bed. Xiaguan has the habit of sleeping late and continued to read until it was around the second night watch (9PM-11PM) before xiaguan went to bed.¡±


    ¡°Were there any irregularities during that span of time?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, ¡°It can¡¯t really be considered as irregular, but an hour after W¨²-xiong went to sleep, and when xiaguan was about to retire for the night, [I] vaguely saw that his meditation hall being lit up again. Xiaguan only assumed that he was relieving himself in the middle of night, and didn¡¯t think too much about it.¡±


    The rain occurred during the first night watch, and F¨¦ng L¨²n had met his demise between the first and second night watch. It was certainly possible that what W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ witnessed happened to be W¨² Y¨² returning after killing F¨¦ng L¨²n. Moreover, the night was already deep, and his body was probably stained with blood which he could only get rid of after lighting up the lamp. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows scrunched slightly, ¡°You mentioned that W¨² Y¨² washes his clothes rather diligently?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ smiled wryly, ¡°Yes. [I] didn¡¯t feel that way previously, but this trip really has xiaguan blushing with shame.¡±


    ¡°On the second day after F¨¦ng L¨²n was murdered, did he wash his clothes?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s question cut straight to the point. W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s complexion changed slightly, and he hesitated briefly before he stated: ¡°Yes¡­ He did wash it¡­ However, W¨²-xiong is a person who is fond of cleanliness, this doesn¡¯t really count for anything.¡±


    Since W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨² were on friendly terms, it was natural for him to want to absolve him, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had his own judgement as he continued to ask: ¡°Among the few of you that year, who was J¨¬ng K¨­ng closest to?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ replied: ¡°It has to be Old F¨¦ng. Old F¨¦ng was an official in Luozhou, personally worshipped the Buddha, and it¡¯s been said that he frequently visits the temple to ask Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng to lecture about the teachings of the Dharma. In contrast, while General Yu¨¨ was also stationed in Luozhou, he¡¯s a military leader with a heavy aura of death, so he¡¯s more estranged from Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng.¡±


    ¡°Is he familiar with W¨² Y¨²?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ recalled carefully, ¡°When xiaguan arrived back then, W¨²-xiong had already stayed here for a few days. Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng treats everyone kindly, and he technically has an affinity with him.¡± After a pause, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ added, ¡°They can be considered kindred spirits, because when W¨²-xiong was in the Capital, he would frequently offer incense at Xiangguo Temple, and is rather knowledgeable about Buddhism. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t possibly harm Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng.¡±


    If the matter of Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng remembering the Buddhist scripture did not exist, then they could be as kindred of spirits as they wanted to be, but with the grave crime of stealing the ?ar¨©ra in front of them, what did that bit of affinity and connection count for?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not go into the details as he posed another question: ¡°In the years that F¨¦ng L¨²n was residing in the Capital, was he close to W¨² Y¨²?¡±


    With that question, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ frowned and said: ¡°For the past few years, W¨² Y¨² did not have a lot of people that he considered friends. Xiaguan counts as one, whereas Old F¨¦ng¡­ they don¡¯t seem to have any coming and going.¡±


    F¨¦ng L¨²n was promoted to the Capital from Luozhou. Logically speaking, since he believed in Buddhism, he should be close to W¨² Y¨² who shared the same religious practices, and they had worked together. However, against all reason, the pair did not have associations. Could it be on purpose, owing to their unwillingness to attract eyes and ears?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked a few more questions before telling W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ to withdraw. Very quickly, W¨² Y¨² walked in.


    Similarly, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked him about who J¨¬ng K¨­ng was on friendly terms with. W¨² Y¨² promptly said: ¡°He¡¯s most familiar with F¨¦ng daren. F¨¦ng daren worships the Buddha, was the parental official of Luozhou, and frequently visits the temple to listen to Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s lectures. Beside this, he got along more with xiaguan (me) among the three of us, since xiaguan worships the Buddha as well. Hence, [I] was quite elated about attending the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony, and even consulted Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng about a few questions.¡±


    His words matched W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s answer. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u inquired again. ¡°Before J¨¬ng K¨­ng met his demise, did you see him?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² sighed before shaking his head, ¡°Not once. Xiaguan still remembers that the day before, we went separate ways to search different areas of the temple. General Yu¨¨ and F¨¦ng daren were responsible for questioning the monks, xiaguan and W¨¢ng-xiong were responsible for searching the meditation halls and buildings. After an entire day of searching, [I] was overwrought so all of us went back to our meditation halls to rest and couldn¡¯t care for anything else. The problem was huge back then; His Majesty left a step earlier, as we were trailing behind, we felt like we were going to lose our black muslin, and we really didn¡¯t dare to be negligent in the least.¡±


    This question was posed to the three of them by Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and the answers that they gave were basically the same. No matter who the murderer was, he had already heightened his vigilance. Saying more was making more mistakes, everyone was aware of this principle.


    ¡°After F¨¦ng L¨²n was promoted to the Capital, who interacted with him more among the three of you?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² pondered, ¡°All of us hardly interacted. We were in different government offices, Old F¨¦ng was slightly older too. Xiaguan and W¨¢ng-xiong became acquainted ten years ago. For all these years, he¡¯s the only one [I] had more coming and going with.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² looked like he had nothing to conceal, but there wasn¡¯t a single broken seam. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered irresolutely for a moment, ¡°If the murderer that harmed F¨¦ng L¨²n is among the three of you, who do you think bears the highest possibility?¡±


    W¨² Y¨²¡¯s complexion distorted slightly, ¡°This¡­ Xiaguan couldn¡¯t fathom it.¡±


    His visage was coloured with distress, as if he could not guess it out. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not make it difficult for him, simply waving his hand to command him to withdraw. L¨´ K¨¥ and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i were inside the room, and after he was done interrogating the three, he asked: ¡°What do you think?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i said: ¡°The first person that J¨¬ng K¨­ng looked for that year will inevitably bear the greatest suspicion. From what can be perceived right now, he was the closest to W¨² daren and F¨¦ng daren, and probably went to find the two of them. It just happened that one of them was more martially skilled between the two, while the other person used a sharp weapon. Presently they met again, but W¨² daren was distrustful of F¨¦ng daren, or perhaps owing to other reasons, he killed him painfully.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ also said: ¡°On the night that F¨¦ng daren was harmed, while it is said that W¨¢ng daren can testify for W¨² daren, the lights in the meditation hall were extinguished, and for W¨² daren, who has some martial skills, wanting to sneak out of the meditation hall soundlessly is not difficult. Furthermore, he is rather diligent when it comes to washing his clothes, and it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to destroy any evidence of guilt.¡±


    There were two culprits that killed J¨¬ng K¨­ng: one had decent martial skill, a quick work of fists and legs, while the latter attacked with a sharp weapon from the side. If the first pair that J¨¬ng K¨­ng found was really W¨² Y¨² and F¨¦ng L¨²n, then it is easily justified.


    However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared into the distance, ¡°And if J¨¬ng K¨­ng looked for W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n first?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i creased his brows, ¡°W¨¢ng daren¡­ W¨¢ng daren isn¡¯t familiar with Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng, and he was not the parental official of Luozhou at the time, and General Yu¨¨ is from the military, and has the aura of death hanging over him. If Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng was looking for someone he trusted, he probably wouldn¡¯t look for them first.¡±


    All of these suspicions have been brought up before. As their understanding of the details of that year increased, it did feel like their previous deduction was proving to be correct, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u felt that inferring in such a manner was like reaching a foregone conclusion. It was as though he had missed out on something, but he could not remember what he had missed out on.


    ¡°Let the three of them go back first and rest. From now onwards, they will all be confined in their meditation halls.¡±


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u issued the order, L¨´ K¨¥ went outside to tell the three officials to go back and rest. By the time Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u came out again, the sun was already slanting towards the west.


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    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n and Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng were nowhere to be seen, while B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was crouching beside the Buddha statue as she carefully inspected the neck of the Buddha statue.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u walked up to B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s back and asked.


    The Buddha statue of the honoured monk was still placed horizontally, and B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s hand was currently grazing the Buddha statue¡¯s neck area with her hand, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ realised that while it¡¯s hard to discern anything about this Buddha statue from afar, using one¡¯s hands to graze the statue would lead to the discovery that its neck area is slightly bumpy, and that it differs from the other areas.¡±


    Frowning, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stepped forward and brushed his hand across it. It was indeed the case.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u then stated, ¡°When this area was being welded, it seems to have suffered a setback, and then it had been grinded down. If it were not for the exceeding thick gold gilding, it¡¯s highly likely that the Buddha statue would have been in ruins.¡±


    ¡°The fact that a corpse was hidden inside the Buddha statue hadn¡¯t been discovered is strange to begin with, the artisans that crafted the statues must have known something.¡±


    Unfortunately, the artisans were far away in Jizhou, and it was unknown when they could be found.


    The murderer was not confirmed, the ?ar¨©ra¡¯s disappearance remained unsolved. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s thoughts paced back and forth, unable to shake off the feeling that the theft of the ?ar¨©ra was rather queer. Without missing a beat, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered someone to call for Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦.


    The pair arrived extremely quickly. Once they entered the courtyard, they promptly noticed that J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeleton had changed colour, which shocked them. Thus, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u could only explain that she had used the maceration method to examine the remains, and gained some clues from it.


    Seeing that the pair had arrived, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u brought the group towards the meditation hall, before unfurling the sketched blueprint of the Grand Ceremony¡¯s ceremonial stage. Fu gonggong started talking about the details of that day again, ¡°If there¡¯s anything strange about it, it would naturally be the instance where it rained. But everyone was taking shelter inside the Hall of Great Strength, which was a mere thirty metres away, give or take a few. Moreover, the whole area was rigorously guarded, there¡¯s no valid explanation as to why the ?ar¨©ra would disappear.¡±


    Fu gonggong pointed at the design plan, ¡°It was this far. The imperial guards were all here back then, and around the two sides of the corridor¡­¡­¡¯


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u listened to Fu gonggong¡¯s narration attentively, a spark of inspiration flashing past her mind suddenly, ¡°Gonggong mentioned that the Temple Head looked for a big umbrella to cover the copper coffer back then. Can gonggong describe what kind of umbrella it was?¡±


    Fu gonggong replied, ¡°The umbrella was extremely big, it could even cover the lotus flower pedestal underneath.¡±


    Fu gonggong used his hands to make a comparison as he said: ¡°The umbrella handle wasn¡¯t very long, and it was essentially covering the copper coffer, while the edges covered the circumference of the lotus pedestal, thus allowing the rainwater to flow down the umbrella, and prevent the lotus pedestal and treasure chest from getting wet.¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n also said: ¡°In fact, the umbrella was prepared early on. For the sake of the Grand Ceremony, the temple was fully prepared for any eventualities.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes focused, ¡°Therefore, from varying points of view, everyone couldn¡¯t see the copper coffer?¡±


    Fu gonggong and Li¨£o F¨¢n nodded simultaneously. A smear of light flitted past the bottom of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes. She looked towards Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u and said: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, is it possible that the person who stole the ?ar¨©ra used a diversionary tactic?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his eyebrows, to which B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°When Shizi was playing a magic trick today, W¨¢ng daren commented later that all magic tricks were just diversionary tactics. Hence, min¡¯n¨¹ is thinking that when it was being covered by the umbrella, everyone saw that the umbrella wasn¡¯t moving, so they assumed that the treasure chest underneath was still there, but could it be possible that the treasure chest had disappeared after it was covered by the umbrella. By the time the umbrella was taken away, the treasure chest was still present, but the ?ar¨©ra inside had already been stolen just¡­ just like a magic trick¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another magic trick?¡±


    Just as B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s words landed, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s voice rang out from outside. He sauntered inside with a large swoosh of red fabric, curiosity colouring his visage, ¡°What magic trick?¡±


    Fu gonggong chuckled, ¡°Shizi, don¡¯t be hasty, [we are] talking about the case of the disappearing ?ar¨©ra.¡±


    The excitement on Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s face was reduced by half. At this moment, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u questioned: ¡°The lotus pedestal that the copper coffer was placed on, how tall was it?¡±


    Although the lotus pedestal was drawn on the design plan, it was only a rough outline. Once that question was issued, Fu gonggong said: ¡°Half a person tall, there was a lotus pillar underneath, and the top was a Buddha lotus in full bloom. The treasure chest was placed in the centre of the Buddha lotus. Alleged, the object was prepared by the temple early on, and quite a bit of effort went into its creation.¡±


    ¡±Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked another question: ¡°How thick was the lotus pillar?¡±


    Fu gonggong raised his hands to mime it, ¡°Roughly, as thick as a person wrapping their arms around it.¡±


    Seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was asking about this object, Li¨£o F¨¢n quickly replied: ¡°This object is made out of wood. Most of the props that needed to be carved or embroidered were made three months in advance, and everything used during the Grand Ceremony were all brand new.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i was listening at the side, and he promptly asked: ¡°Is Hou¡¯ye suspecting that there¡¯s a mechanism inside that prop?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, ¡°The umbrella placement only took a moment, but if there¡¯s a mechanism, someone could be hiding inside the body, a moment¡¯s work is more than enough to steal the ?ar¨©ra. Furthermore, since the thief bought the Buddha scripture, they already know the shape of the silver key, and they can immediately use it.¡±


    Fu gonggong said hesitantly, ¡°But the lotus pillar doesn¡¯t look very big¡­¡±


    Glancing left and right, Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng could not help but comment in a small voice: ¡°Actually, someone can still hide inside even if it isn¡¯t very big. Among the people who perform magic tricks, a lot of them are capable of softening their bones. There¡¯s one magic trick in particular where a person slips inside a box and stays alive despite having numerous swords impale the box, like the performer is extremely capable at softening their bones and altering their figure.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned his eyes to gaze at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng, which made Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng feel like he had said something wrong, so he covered his mouth and took two steps back. On the contrary, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated, ¡°Your lack of learning and skill has finally seen a bit of use.¡±


    Surprised, happiness spread across Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng¡¯s face. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u proceeded to ask Li¨£o F¨¢n: ¡°All of the props for the Grand Ceremony, was it prepared by the temple?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n nodded, ¡°That is indeed the case. However, similar to the Buddha statue sculpting, the managerial monks were in charge of these matters, and most of the craftsmen came from elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Then do you remember how the lotus pedestal was made?¡±


    Li¨£o F¨¢n shook his head helplessly, ¡°This small monk is unaware.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u turned towards Li¨£o Ju¨¦, who shook his head as well, ¡°Back then, the temple started preparing these early on. Afterwards, personnel from the Ministry of Rites came over to check it, with F¨¦ng daren supervising from the side. Those craftsmen were mostly woodworkers from Luozhou itself, and the managerial monk in charge of this matter¡­ seems to be Li¨£o Hu¨¬ shixiong.¡±


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ was the monk that led them to the Ten Thousand Buddha Cliff. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u ordered someone to summon him, and shortly after the lotus pedestal question was brought up, Li¨£o Hu¨¬ uttered: ¡°The lotus pedestal was made out of wood: the Buddha lotus was on top, its interior was hollow, and it was lacquered in vermillion. Later on, it was kept inside the storehouse together after the Ministry of Rites¡¯ personnel checked it over for defects, and it was watched over by appointed persons.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils dilated, ¡°Who were the people watching over it?¡±


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ said: ¡°For places like the storehouse, all of locations were looked after by Luozhou¡¯s government office and Luozhou¡¯s garrison concurrently, but this small monk no longer remembers who was specifically looking after that place.¡±


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ still had a self-composed appearance the day before, and it was apparent that he harboured some nervousness and fear when he was facing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u today. J¨¬ng M¨ªng and Li¨£o Q¨©ng had been taken into custody, and as J¨¬ng M¨ªng¡¯s disciple, he was in a rather dangerous position as well.


    ¡°How was the lotus pedestal dealt with afterwards?¡±


    Li¨£o Hu¨¬ responded in a hurry: ¡°It was first placed inside the storehouse, and then it was moved to the Buddha Palace to sanctify a religious treasure. Two years ago, the temple had changed out a batch of rotting implements, and the lotus pedestal was swapped out as well.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered to himself briefly before telling Li¨£o Hu¨¬ to withdraw, ¡°It looks like it was normal afterwards, except if someone were to hide inside this prop, the people looking after it must have realised something, though it is still unknown if it was either F¨¦ng L¨²n or Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n who was responsible for its security. Additionally, even if the thief conceived of this method early on, how did he manage to predict that it was going to rain that day? If it didn¡¯t rain, the umbrella wouldn¡¯t be used to cover the lotus pedestal, and if the lotus pedestal wasn¡¯t covered, how could he have stolen the ?ar¨©ra even if he had a key?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i said: ¡°The rain was an unknown variable, unless they had other plans in place. Even if it didn¡¯t rain, something was bound to go wrong, and in the midst of the chaos, they could always find a chance to strike.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at L¨´ K¨¥, ¡°What has J¨¬ng M¨ªng and Li¨£o Q¨©ng been doing for the past two days? Were they forthcoming in anything else?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ shook his head, ¡°Not at all. The teacher and disciple pair have been chanting scriptures for a day and night, and it does seem like they¡¯re repenting.¡±


    Standing at the side, Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Q¨©ng were still somewhat indignant when they heard that. The depths of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes glinted intermittently. After a short while, he suddenly asked Li¨£o F¨¢n: ¡°What kind of personality does your Shifu have? Was his superintendence strict?¡±


    When Li¨£o F¨¢n heard that, he only felt that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was thinking about the fact that J¨¬ng K¨­ng chose not to immediately expose Li¨£o Q¨©ng that year, and he immediately said: ¡°Although Shifu harbours mercy in his heart, he was extremely strict towards our fellow apprentices where lessons were concerned. However, he treated us with great amiability outside of lesson settings, and he was rather patient with the managerial and normal monks of the temple. He has never put on the airs of a Temple Head unless someone committed a wrongdoing; if it was an unintentional mistake, it would mostly be reprimands; if it was intentional, then in Shifu¡¯s eyes, it would be considered as an evil thought even if it was a small mistake, and discipline must be mete out.¡±


    ¡°Back then, part of why Shifu chose not to immediately exposed Li¨£o Q¨©ng shixiong was not just because he harboured benevolence, Rather, it was also because the entire affair was gravely important, and he didn¡¯t dare to be irreverent or careless. If¡­ If nothing had happened to Shifu, Li¨£o Q¨©ng shixiong would have probably been severely punished, except he was murdered, and he no longer had the chance.¡±


    As Li¨£o F¨¢n spoke, grief emerged on his countenance again. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered irresolutely to himself, first ordering Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ to withdraw before he scrunched his brows, ¡°Our previous conjecture is wrong.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and Fu gonggong looked over, seemingly confused, whereas B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was immersed in deep contemplation as well.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°J¨¬ng K¨­ng might not necessarily have gone to look for F¨¦ng L¨²n and W¨² Y¨².


    ¡°It is apparent now that gathering of court officials all have high positions and heavy authority back then, and they are all considered outsiders to Famen Temple. J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s first reaction was to find someone he was familiar with and trusts, but J¨¬ng K¨­ng wasn¡¯t close to or familiar with any of them and would look for someone based on their personality instead. In the major matters of principle, he is someone who is more than capable of distinguishing right from right. Furthermore, the F¨¦ng L¨²n and W¨² Y¨² of that time, was not necessarily worthy of his trust.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and Fu gonggong were even more flummoxed. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued, ¡°Among the four of them, only F¨¦ng L¨²n and W¨² Y¨² believe in Buddhism. The person who illicitly purchased the Buddhist scripture, and the person who stole the ?ar¨©ra, are capable of scheming to that step, precisely because they are rather knowledgeable about Buddhism. Both of them had asked J¨¬ng K¨­ng for scripture lectures and to expound on Buddhist teachings, and only someone who believes and worships the Buddha would steal the ?ar¨©ra by starting with the Buddha scriptures. Having said that, would he dare to go and look for F¨¦ng L¨²n and W¨² Y¨²?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i said: ¡°But did J¨¬ng K¨­ng already start to suspect them then?¡±


    ¡°The person who illicitly purchased the Buddhist scripture was a wealthy and respectable person, and in the months of preparation following the Grand Ceremony, there were layers of guards inside and out, but the ?ar¨©ra was still stolen. No matter who it was, he would recognise that something must have gone wrong somewhere, but these main officials seem completely oblivious. Moreover, they have already been investigating for a few days. Perhaps J¨¬ng K¨­ng did have his own suspicions, so choosing someone who seemed the least involved to ask is highly probable.¡±


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u finished speaking, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i felt like the murky darkness had suddenly opened up, though it made him sink into indecision instead, ¡°Under that assumption, the suspicions among the tree are proportional. When Hou¡¯ye was questioning the three just now, no broken seams could be picked out, and only W¨¢ng daren¡¯s subtext was rather protective of W¨² daren, though he did seem to be at slight odds with General Yu¨¨ when he spoke of him.¡±


    Fu gonggong said, ¡°The two of them are on friendly terms. General Yu¨¨ has been in the army for all these years and it¡¯s natural that he has no affiliations with them. When W¨² daren invited General Yu¨¨ to view the pagoda that day, General Yu¨¨ directly rejected him as well.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u abruptly raised her head, ¡°Gonggong, W¨² daren invited General Yu¨¨ to view the pagoda?¡±


    Fu gonggong nodded, ¡°Indeed. At that time, zajia was standing at the side, and saw General Yu¨¨ casually looking at the sky before he rejected W¨² daren. It seems as though he didn¡¯t want to interact with them.¡±


    It was unknown what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u thought of, since her eyes suddenly glimmered, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, min¡¯n¨¹ might have a conjecture as to who the murderers were.¡±

 CH 41

    Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u uttered that sentence, everyone¡¯s gaze landed on her person.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u fixed his eyes, ¡°Talk about in detail.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u mumbled something to herself briefly before she spoke prudently: ¡°There were two murderers that day. Previously, we deduced that if F¨¦ng daren was a murderer, then he would be the person who used a sharp weapon to harm Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng. Under this supposition, there would only be one murderer who is still at large, but the post-mortem autopsies conducted over the past few days, and in addition to a few side and minor details, makes min¡¯n¨¹ feel that perhaps there is an error in the previous deductions.¡±


    After giving a pause, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u then stated: ¡°Just prior, Gonggong mentioned that W¨² daren and W¨¢ng daren invited General Yu¨¨ to view the pagoda together, but General Yu¨¨ glanced at the sky before rejecting it. If the skies didn¡¯t change that day, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t mean much, but it did rain that day. Hou¡¯ye should still remember that when we saw the two Daren at the Library Pavilion that afternoon, their hair was still damp, and that was because they were drenched in the rain when they went to the Pagoda.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i furrowed his brows, ¡°What you mean to say is, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n knows how to observe the weather? And the people who stole the ?ar¨©ra back then, managed to predict that it would rain that day since they knew how to observe the weather, and thus decided on that method of theft?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded, but L¨ªn Hu¨¢i was slightly doubtful, ¡°But Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and W¨² Y¨² are not on friendly terms to begin with, the rejection that day might be a coincidence as well.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°L¨ªn daren¡¯s words are reasonable. Certainly, it could be a coincidence, but Hou¡¯ye also said that J¨¬ng K¨­ng might not necessarily look for F¨¦ng L¨²n and W¨² Y¨² at the start. Beyond that, he might even harbour suspicions towards the two, and would instead find someone he isn¡¯t familiar with on normal days, who look like they would be completely unrelated to the ?ar¨©ra theft, which would be General Yu¨¨ and W¨¢ng daren.¡±


    ¡°General Yu¨¨ is a military leader, W¨¢ng daren might be a civil official but he happens to be at the prime of his life that year, and being able to use knives, swords, or other sharp implements is extremely common. This matches the conditions of when Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng met his demise.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils dilated, ¡°You¡¯re even suspecting W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u nodded again, ¡°It was just known today that W¨¢ng daren came from Qiangzhou. Qiangzhou is the hometown of magic tricks; while not all Qiangzhou natives are capable of magic tricks, W¨¢ng daren grew up in Qiangzhou during his youth and should be incredibly familiar with magic tricks. If the ?ar¨©ra theft really involves a diversionary tactic where someone hid inside the mechanism, min¡¯n¨¹ believes that, perhaps this method was conceived by W¨¢ng daren.¡±


    Fu gonggong clicked his tongue, ¡°One has an understanding of magic tricks, while the other is capable of observing the weather, it is indeed possible. However¡­ the two in question aren¡¯t well-acquainted, on the contrary, W¨¢ng daren and W¨² daren have been intimate friends for many years.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u shook her head, ¡°That¡¯s only on the surface. On the day min¡¯n¨¹ arrived at the temple with Hou¡¯ye, she noted that W¨² daren and W¨¢ng daren¡¯s speech revealed that they were on friendly terms, but that¡¯s not all, General Yu¨¨ appeared slightly dissatisfied with this¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes as he recalled how the W¨¢ng and W¨² duo had reiterated that they travelled together, which directed more suspicion towards Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n since he didn¡¯t have any witnesses. Judging from that scene, anyone would have presumed that it was the W¨² and W¨¢ng duo who shared the same air and were linked branches.


    ¡°But today, there were a few sentences from General Yu¨¨ that min¡¯n¨¹ found incredibly strange.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s irises darkened, ¡°Hou¡¯ye commanded the three to come to the morgue courtyard for interrogation, and after they arrived, General Yu¨¨ was the first one to enter. After he came out, he was resentful in his heart, then W¨² daren said that Hou¡¯ye¡¯s interrogative questioning was probably the result of min¡¯n¨¹ obtaining some clues from examining the skeletal remains. Afterwards, General Yu¨¨ suddenly remarked that min¡¯n¨¹ is extremely skilled in post-mortem autopsies, but he never asked how min¡¯n¨¹ examined it. At that time, Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeleton had been macerated which caused its bone colour to change, and among the people present then, only General Yu¨¨ wasn¡¯t present at the white birch forest. Since he didn¡¯t follow along, it goes without saying that he shouldn¡¯t know how min¡¯n¨¹ examined the bones¡ª


    ¡°When the two shifu Li¨£o F¨¢n and Li¨£o Ju¨¦ arrived later, they noticed that Great Master J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s bones had changed at a glance, and they proceeded to ask what was going on. With this comparison, General Yu¨¨¡¯s remark becomes rather strange, as if he knew how min¡¯n¨¹ had examined the bones.


    ¡°After min¡¯n¨¹ went to the white birch forest to put the bones inside the cavity, Hou¡¯ye and the two Daren left. Did Hou¡¯ye encounter General Yu¨¨ at all after that?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes did not stray away, ¡°Not once.¡±


    He already understood what B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was implying, so he took over and said: ¡°We didn¡¯t see Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n at all, and of the people that saw you examining the bones, only W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨² went back to their own meditation halls. There were two double-hours in between, and in that span of time, one of the two met up with Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, and told him how you examined the bones.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u gazed at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u with glittering bright eyes, ¡°That¡¯s precisely so! W¨¢ng daren and W¨² daren appear to be on friendly terms, but it¡¯s very likely that one of them was already acquainted with General Yu¨¨ a long time ago, and chose to feign unfamiliarity in front of others. Given that, no one would think that they were actually the ones colluding for evil.¡±


    Fu gonggong frowned, ¡°But why couldn¡¯t it be W¨² daren? He washes his clothes daily, his martial skills aren¡¯t bad¡­¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u replied, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ still remembers that on the first night, W¨² daren was the first person who couldn¡¯t resist dry heaving and stepping out of the door, and it was later mentioned that he washed his clothes, which indicates that he has a fondness of cleanliness. There are some people in this world who genuinely have a compulsive preference for cleanliness, hence just basing off the fact that he washes his clothes, really isn¡¯t the biggest point of suspicion. Moreover, the point about W¨² daren washing his clothes was brought up by W¨¢ng daren.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly raised his eyebrows as well, ¡°W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ appears as though he is speaking for W¨² Y¨², but his words were rather suggestive, and during the subsequent interrogation, he reiterated that W¨² Y¨² was interested in Buddhism and got along with J¨¬ng K¨­ng. If [we] were going by the previous conjecture, it would naturally increase the suspicion on W¨² Y¨².¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s statement affirmed B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s deduction even more. If Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was the one W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ truly got along with and wanted to protect, then being hostile on surface while steering the spearhead in W¨² Y¨²¡¯s direction was the smartest idea. Unfortunately, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u and Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had picked up on the spider¡¯s thread and horse tracks.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s expression contorted, then he said with knitted brows: ¡°But there isn¡¯t any substantial evidence right now¡­.¡±


    Much of what they were saying were inferences. If there was no substantial evidence, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ could naturally quibble however they pleased.


    In response, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u curled his lip corners coldly, ¡°Since the two of them are the suspects, wanting substantial evidence won¡¯t be difficult either.¡±


    Having said that, he instructed L¨´ K¨¥: ¡°Go and check Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s background, and then investigate if he had been acting abnormally after the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony ten years ago. He was serving as the Commander-in-Chief in Luozhou previously, if he really knows how to observe the weather, then it must have been revealed in the army to some extent. The Luozhou garrison troop is exceedingly close, one day is enough for a round trip.¡±


    During an army march, there were a lot of instances where they had to look at the sky for time. If Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n wanted to put on a good performance, then he would never conceal this skill.


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    L¨´ K¨¥ accepted his order, personally leading some men to descend Xixia Mountain. Whereas inside the room, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i asked doubtfully: ¡°But if it¡¯s Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, why did they steal the ?ar¨©ra?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°The ?ar¨©ra is still the most valuable treasure in Buddhism when all is said and done. There are too many rumours about it, and if someone believes it, they will take the risk out of desperation, even if they don¡¯t believe in the Buddha. You¡¯ve been in the officialdom for a long time, such things aren¡¯t rare by any measure.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s expression became slightly complicated at that moment. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u muttered irresolutely to himself for a short beat before he said: ¡°W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was the Vice-Secretary of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices that year, and he was later promoted to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices¡¯ Secretary, which took him five to six years at least, that isn¡¯t strange per se.¡±


    Pensive, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i replied: ¡°W¨¢ng daren is usually reserved and never one for ostentatious displays within the Capital, and it¡¯s almost unimaginable that he¡¯s the type of person who would steal the ?ar¨©ra in hopes for great wealth and nobility or immunity to all illnesses.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u fiddled with the black jade ornamental ring on his thumb, ¡°Since the two of them bear the highest possibility of colluding in secret, then [we] only need one of them to admit the truth and that will suffice.¡±


    A glint flitted past the bottom of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes, and he promptly issued an order: ¡°This will be discussed again when L¨´ K¨¥ returns. There¡¯s no need to mention this to anyone else.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng, ¡°There¡¯s no need to inform Gu¨© L¨¢n as well.¡±


    Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng immediately raised his hand and swore: ¡°Older Brother can rest assured; I definitely won¡¯t speak a word of it!¡±


    The hour was getting late, but a certain kind of confidence emerged on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s visage like he had a card up his sleeve. Neither fast nor slow, he told everyone to withdraw and rest, before ordering for tighter surveillance on Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the other two. On this night, it would be impossible for these three people to take a single step outside of their respective rooms.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n and the other two were officials within the imperial court, with the lowest being fourth ranked, which meant that it wasn¡¯t polite to treat them irreverently. Hence, even if the embroidered emissaries were ordered to guard them, they were courteous and well-mannered, not in the least barbaric or coarse. But that evening, ten embroidered emissaries were stationed inside their meditation halls; not only were their rooms completely surrounded, but even their food was personally delivered by the embroidered emissaries. Upon seeing this scene, let alone someone who had ghosts in their heart, even if they didn¡¯t have any ghosts, they would feel a little flustered. Emperor Jianhe had given Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u the right to act first and report later. If there were any unforeseen incidents, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could deal with the three of them as he wished.


    That night, none of them slept peacefully.


    The strict guarding lasted until dusk of the next day. The three were not allowed outside their rooms. While there was food and water, the embroidered emissaries had switched their deeply respectful attitude to the current callous treatment and refused to answer any questions, which caused the trio to feel tormented in their hearts. Could it be that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had obtained some momentous clue, which was why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was acting this way? When they thought of this point, an ominous hunch rose from the bottom of their hearts.


    When the night colours descended, L¨´ K¨¥ arrived at the foot of the mountain covered in dust and stepped into Famen Temple. Once he arrived in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, he reported with some agitation: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, General Yu¨¨ is really capable of observing the weather! In his youth, he once followed a wandering Taoist Priest as his disciple for two years and picked up this skill. When he entered the barracks at the start, he was heavily used because he knew how to observe the weather and later became the Commander-in-Chief. Similarly, because this skill is rather practical, it can be assumed that after entering the Zhenxi Army, this skill was used for army marches and fighting in battles.¡±


    If the army had such a talent, even Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u would accept him as subordinate, so he was not surprised to hear that, ¡°Since there is substantial evidence, suspecting him is no longer without reason.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i was currently standing by his side, and he replied: ¡°What if he refuses to admit it even to his death? Although he appears heroically fierce and brusque, he comes from the army when all is said and done, and his temperament is firm and persistent. If he bites down on the fact that he has nothing to do with the incidents that year¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s mouth edges lifted slightly, ¡°If he is the only murderer that is left in world right now, it would be difficult, but there¡¯s still one W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³. W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ is his weak spot.¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i frowned, ¡°If that W¨¢ng daren is truly involved in what happened that year, then he isn¡¯t a simple person at all¡­¡±


    Ever since W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ arrived at Famen Temple, he had been unflustered and calm from beginning to end, even drawing the suspicion onto W¨² Y¨²¡¯s person imperceptibly, as if he had been friends with W¨² Y¨² for all these years just for the sake of making him the scapegoat for this moment. With that thought in mind, he could not help but feel that not only was W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ patient, but his mind was also unfathomably deep, which was chilling.


    That being said, without any direct evidence, how was he going to get them to confess?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes shifted towards L¨´ K¨¥, ¡°Do you understand what you have to do?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ nodded, ¡°This subordinate understands.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    As the night¡¯s curtain gradually fell, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was deeply worried and uneasy as he waited inside his own room. For some unknown reason, a tremendous and incomparable panic surged in his heart, like something was definitely going to happen tonight.


    The night sky outside the window was pitch-black, bereft of the moon and stars, which made the haze at the bottom of his heart become thicker. The embroidered emissaries outside his room had been guarding him for a day and night, and they have not relaxed in the slightest up until now. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n gripped the dagger at his waist, though his fingertips were trembling slightly. Even if he practised martial arts, even if he had an army knife at hand, how was he supposed to take on an entire group of embroidered emissaries as his opponents?


    Having thought to this point, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n pressed down on the dagger heavily.


    Stay calm, it hasn¡¯t reached that stage yet.


    ¡°Peng¡ª¡±


    A loud noise suddenly rang out, directly scaring Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n into a standing position. When he looked outside his door, he saw more than ten embroidered emissaries barging through the door, which caused Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s body to stiffen, ¡°All of you¡­ What is the meaning of this?¡±


    The embroidered emissary at the forefront stared at Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n with a cold gaze, ¡°Hou¡¯ye invites General Yu¨¨ to the front for questioning.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s heart lurched audibly, but he forcibly maintained his composure, ¡°It may be a questioning, but benjiang is a titled official in the imperial court, do all of you have to be so impolite?¡± He said, feigning calmness by smoothing out his robes before he strode outwards without any hesitation.


    However, just as he was walking past the leading embroidered emissary, he was stopped by a raised hand.


    The embroidered emissary felt around his waist, extracting the dagger from his waist in one motion. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n faltered momentarily before he adopted a resentful appearance, ¡°Do you have to go to such extremes? Benjiang has always worn that weapon on his person, it¡¯s just an object that is typically carried along.¡±


    The embroidered emissary sneered, ¡°General does not need to speak more, if [you] have anything to say, say it in front of Hou¡¯ye later.¡±


    On the way there, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was basically treated as a convict, which made his complexion slightly ugly, but he had no choice but to turn around and continue walking forward. His footsteps were slightly weak and unstable, but his back was propped up and erect. When he arrived at the entrance of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s meditation hall, he promptly saw L¨´ K¨¥ bringing a group of embroidered emissaries out of the courtyard. Judging from where they were heading, it seemed to be in the direction of W¨² Y¨² and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s meditation hall.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s eyelid jumped fiercely.


    The embroidered emissary shoved Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, ¡°What are you looking at, the two Daren W¨² and W¨¢ng have already been questioned, only General Yu¨¨ is left.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n felt like he had been plunged into an ice cellar, ¡°They were already questioned?¡±


    The embroidered emissary pushed him again, not giving a single word in response. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n stepped into the meditation hall with leaden footsteps.


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    The flames inside the meditation hall were brightly lit tonight. More than ten embroidered emissaries were standing guard inside the hall, each carrying a blade at their waist, their expressions grave and stern. Just looking at this battle formation alone was rather frightening; Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n gnashed his molars, stepping through the main doors slowly.


    Shortly after he entered the door, the door was promptly closed from the outside.


    Bright lights were blazing inside the room as well. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s handsome visage was chilly, exuding an oppressive aura as he sat in the main seat while Fu gonggong and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i flanked him from the sides, though B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen. If there was a lady, perhaps the atmosphere in the room would be gentler by a degree, but the current Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was oozing a cold and austere killing intent from his entire body, with L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and Fu gonggong donning cold demeanours as well, which made it hard for Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n to breathe normally instantaneously.


    ¡°Greetings to Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n cupped his hands and bowed solemnly. His body was bent in a rather deferential manner, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not open his mouth to spare him from the courtesy after his body bent down. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n became increasingly uneasy at the bottom of his heart and this posture was quite taxing, hence he felt a thin layer of perspiration emerging on his forehead very quickly.


    ¡°Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, a native of Cangzhou, entered the military at fifteen years old, first serving in the Cangzhou Garrison, before holding a post in Wenzhou Garrison, then relying on his great ability in martial arts and weather observation, continued on a path of promotions until he entered the Luozhou Garrison as the Commander-in-Chief, it can be considered a broad and level official career.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u finally spoke, his tone of voice callous, each word pronounced. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n raised his head involuntarily and happened to meet Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s pupils trembled before he lowered his eyes again. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s cold eyes were akin to knives; if he looked for another second, his flesh would be peeled off and his bones scraped, giving way to all kinds of errors and negligence.


    ¡°Thirteen years ago, you, who entered the Luozhou garrison, learned of the existence of Famen Temple¡¯s secret treasure that was the ?ar¨©ra. Since you were stationed in Luozhou, you naturally knew about the multitude of rumours concerning the ?ar¨©ra. Besides that, you relied on your position as the Commander-in-Chief to make discreet inquiries in many areas, and even found out that one of the Buddhist scriptures recorded the method for unlocking the treasure chest. Afterwards, you ordered someone to illicitly purchase that Buddhist scripture from Famen Temple.¡±


    After listening to this point, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n abruptly raised his eyes, ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡ª¡±


    ¡°You bought the Buddhist scripture, and using the convenience of your duties, sourced for sideshow performers before the Grand ?ar¨©ra Ceremony and hid him inside the lotus pedestal. On the day of the Grand Ceremony, you observed the weather and predicted that there was going to be heavy rain, so you ordered the person to use the mechanism within the lotus pedestal to noiselessly steal away the ?ar¨©ra under the cover of the umbrella.¡±


    Cold sweat was dripping down Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s forehead. He wanted to open his mouth to explain but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u did not give him the chance to interrupt.


    ¡°You thought that these actions were carried out in absolute secrecy, but you did not expect that J¨¬ng K¨­ng would come to discover that the Buddhist scripture had been sold. W¨² Y¨² and F¨¦ng L¨²n were both people who worshipped the Buddha and he had reservations about them, which was why he looked for you, and spoke about this matter to you and the former Court of Imperial Sacrifices¡¯ Vice-Secretary W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³.


    ¡°However, he did not anticipate that you were actually colluding with W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ for this matter. Thus, under your coercion, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had no choice but to help you deceive J¨¬ng K¨­ng into going to the Buddha sculpting workshop of that time to be slaughtered.


    ¡°Your martial art skills were well-practised and formidable, and you learned some medical knowledge from the Taoist priest that you followed years ago, thus granting you a deep understanding of human bones and nerves. In a quick and efficient manner, you dismembered J¨¬ng K¨­ng, and afterwards, both of you hid the corpse inside the Buddha statue in order to destroy the corpse and remove the traces.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s face was already as white as a ghost. His lips trembled and he finally couldn¡¯t stop himself from saying: ¡°Hou¡¯ye¡­ What does Hou¡¯ye mean by those words? Where did these come from? Xiaguan is genuinely incapable of understanding a single word!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was completely unmoved as he continued to speak in a cold voice: ¡°J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s disappearance was covered up, you illegally obtained the ?ar¨©ra, then used silvers to appease W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³. Since he¡¯s a capital official, he understood the severity of being involved in this matter, and it goes without saying that he wouldn¡¯t dare to speak a word of it, until J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeletal remains were discovered. For these ten years, he was tormented by regrets daily, whereas you, upon knowing that F¨¦ng L¨²n had some cognition of the events that year, actually laid a cruel hand on F¨¦ng L¨²n. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, you truly are incomparably shrewd, both heartless and merciless.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n moved his lips corners, which unexpectedly tugged into a hint of a bitter smile, ¡°Why does Hou¡¯ye slander xiaguan in such a manner? If xiaguan was the murderer, how could he be unruffled for the past few days? Xiaguan looks forward to Hou¡¯ye finding the murderer every day, and would never be the murderer regardless of the circumstances. J¨¬ng K¨­ng was not familiar with xiaguan that year, even if he learned of sold Buddhist scripture, it¡¯s unlikely that he would come and find xiaguan.¡±


    As Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n spoke, he seemed to have found confidence in himself as he suddenly straightened his posture, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, xiaguan is aware of the principle that there can never be too much deception in war, but xiaguan harbours magnanimity and a clear conscience in his heart; no matter how Hou¡¯ye slanders xiaguan, he will not obtain the truth.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s countenance remained utterly unfazed. He stared at Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n frigidly, as if he still had some unknown handle in his hands, and any quibbling was bound to be futile. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s fingertips rapped on the armrest lightly, his black jade ornament ring and vermillion-lacquered cedarwood causing a crisp and sonorous sound upon impact. He asked slowly, ¡°Are you truly unaware of where benhou obtained everything he knows from?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s back was already soaked through with sweat. Although the expression on his visage was strange, he still persisted in maintaining his cool on the surface. ¡°Regardless of where Hou¡¯ye obtained this information, someone must be besmirching xiaguan, and one asks Hou¡¯ye to be impartial!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, finally revealing a trace of regret in the stern and emotionless depths of his eyes as he stated: ¡°Benhou established himself through military achievements, and heard that you had made quite a bit of contributions in the Zhenxi Army. Benhou treats everyone under the Heavens with an iron mask, but towards those that protect and defend the country, only then does he exhibit some leniency and generosity. However¡ª if you are unable to appreciate the clemency, then benhou¡¯s kindness has been wasted.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s fingertips started trembling and he subconsciously tried to reach for the dagger at his waist, only to realise in hindsight that the dagger had been confiscated. He gritted his teeth, ¡°Hou¡¯ye does not have to use both hard and soft tactics. Why does xiaguan have to admit to anything when he has done nothing? Hou¡¯ye doesn¡¯t trust xiaguan, xiaguan doesn¡¯t know how to prove himself either. If [you] insist on asserting that xiaguan is guilty, xiaguan can only use death to prove himself¡ª¡±


    His fists clenched tightly, his outward appearance brimming with stern righteousness, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze was keen, and he had seen through the panic hidden beneath his righteousness early on. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gazed at him with squinted eyes for a few seconds. At this moment, a series of footsteps suddenly rang out outside the door within the meditation hall.


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze shifted, while Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s heart lurched from the noise. Very quickly, L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s voice sounded from outside the door, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, W¨¢ng daren has arrived.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s mouth moved like he was going to speak, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes chilled, making a silencing hand gesture towards him.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s mouth corners stiffened, not daring to utter a single word. On the other hand, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Benhou is tired, bring him to the right wing-room. Order him to write down everything that he said just now, and ensure that it is clearly written.¡±


    When Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n heard that sentence, he immediately became a touch flustered. He only heard L¨´ K¨¥ verbally complying before he entered the right wing-room with the accompaniment of heavy and complicated footsteps. As Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n listened to the noise, he could almost imagine how W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was being escorted and taken into custody.


    Very quickly, L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s voice travelled over from inside the right wing-room. ¡°W¨¢ng daren, make sure to describe everything in meticulous detail, especially how General Yu¨¨ looked for your help that year, and how he threatened you, write it down clearly. W¨¢ng daren has been an official for many years, and should be aware that this concerns the future sentencing; whether it is  an exile of a thousand miles, or a beheading in the city centre, it will depend on the clarity of W¨¢ng daren¡¯s account.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s eyes widened slightly, but judging from the self-composed appearance that he was affecting in front of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, it seemed like he did not believe in this ruse, and still held onto that last vestige of hope.


    Following closely, however, was W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Xiaguan no longer dares to conceal it. For the past ten years, xiaguan has been living with constant, trembling fear. Now that Hou¡¯ye has seen through it, xiaguan feels like his body and mind has been unburdened as well. I was just a small vice-secretary that year, from a clear water government office like the Court of Imperial Sacrifices too. If it were not for him seeking me out, I would never have done such a reckless thing no matter what¡ª¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s voice was trembling, bereft of his usual unhurried and cultured tone. Apart from his shaking voice, the brittle sound of paper folding could be heard. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s complexion became uglier and uglier, beads of perspiration forming on his forehead as well. When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze landed on his person, he could still force himself to meet his eyes for a second or two, but by the end, he could only lower his eyes and stare at the ground in front of his feet. The light and darkness at the bottom of his eyes were fluctuating, as if he was struggling in his fear, whereas Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s gaze was akin to a knife dangling above his head from start till end. The incandescent flames in the room, the silent and cold eyes from Fu gonggong and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, everything was like a net covering the top of his head, forcing his heart to become increasingly panicked and scared.


    At a certain moment, the sound of the table and chair shifting suddenly resounded from the right wing-room. L¨´ K¨¥ said: ¡°W¨¢ng daren has nothing more to write?¡±


    ¡°Xiaguan can only remember this much right now. If he can recall anything else, he will definitely come again to report.¡± W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ said weakly and without strength, as if his heart was dead and despaired. Suddenly, he sounded rather fearful as he said: ¡°That Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n looks like a soldier, but the truth is that he¡¯s nothing more than a desperate criminal, who is ruthless to the extreme. If Hou¡¯ye wants to arrest that person, he must be cautious, if he acts abnormally, never be soft-hearted towards him.¡±


    The sound of footsteps, the door opening, the report from the door, all of these sounds were accompanied by the flickering lamp lights. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was slightly dazed at the moment. Anyone could hear that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s previous sentence was essentially reminding the embroidered emissaries that they had to kill him if it proved necessary.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye, W¨¢ng daren has finished writing.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s voice rang out again. The arch of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows moved slightly, and just as he was about to open his mouth, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n suddenly raised his head with red eyes, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, there¡¯s no need to look at whatever he wrote. He was lying from start to finish and he¡¯s basically trying to frame xiaguan. That year¡­ That year, he was the one who looked for xiaguan¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s pupils shifted slightly, expressing for him to go on.


    Meanwhile, outside the room, L¨´ K¨¥ wiped away the thin perspiration that had gathered on his forehead after hearing that line, before he kneaded his sore throat, and released a long, drawn-out exhale.

 CH 42

    y yuuki28-36 minutes 12.08.2023


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n had a firm and persistent disposition, but he did not manage to escape the scheme that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u designed for him in the end.


    The full day of confinement which induced endless unrest within him, and the embroidered emissaries¡¯ attitude, was more than enough for him to understand that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was already aware of something, thus tormenting his heart with apprehensions. And yet it was also at this moment where he personally witnessed L¨´ K¨¥ leading the embroidered emissaries towards W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨²¡¯s dwellings and learned that both of them had actually been interrogated before.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u has controlled the embroidered emissaries for many years; since he had the right to act first and report later, carrying out corporal punishments on them ¨C these possible suspects ¨C did not count for much either. It was rumoured that even the felons who were wicked beyond redemption within the imperial prison would open their mouths obediently in his hands.


    Although Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was rightly frightened, he still harboured some hope in his heart.


    Since the sin that could overflow the Heaven managed to stay concealed for ten long years, it goes without saying that it wasn¡¯t the product of only his own efforts. In these ten years, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was far away in the Capital, and they had never corresponded via letters. Even when he returned to the Capital and held a post, their encounters in the court were far and few between, but for some inexplicable reason, he held a kind of reverence and trust towards that unimposing and genteel scholar in his heart.


    What inspired those emotions was nothing more than the fact that he was just a small Vice-Secretary that year, and yet he had the guts to misappropriate the ?ar¨©ra.


    In his audacity to hatch a plot, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was naturally aware of the grave consequences as an official serving in the Capital, but he still carried it out anyway. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n knew that when it came to fear, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had more to worry about, but he also believed that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ would never confess to the crime. Since the matter took place ten years ago, all of the concrete evidence have disappeared without a trace; as long as they refused to fess up, even Marquis Wuzhao could not ascribe a sentence to them.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u might have restored the events of that year by seven to eight parts, but Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n refused to loosen his mouth no matter how panicked he felt, but it was also at this moment where L¨´ K¨¥ appeared. L¨´ K¨¥ was the calvary officer next to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, and one of the trusted aides in his clique; with his participation from the beginning until the end, it ensured that there wouldn¡¯t be the slightest flaw in the entire scheme. Hence, when he heard W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s voice, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s once sincere and unshakeable belief started to quake.


    Sitting in front of him was Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, was the Marquis Wuzhao with an impressive reputation, even if W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ could maintain his composure, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had a hundred ways to make him open his mouth. However, if he pushed the burden of guilt to him, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ might have a chance of surviving even if it was a serious crime like stealing the ?ar¨©ra. At the end, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ reminded L¨´ K¨¥ that he was a desperate criminal¡­


    When they killed J¨¬ng K¨­ng that year, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had been equally decisive and ruthless.


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    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was so enraged that his eyes were going to bulge out of its sockets.


    He originally intended to guard the secret firmly, but the agony, fear, bewilderment, and wrath that had accumulated through the entire day and night, finally, and totally collapsed at that moment. He looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u with red eyes, his entire person seemingly ageing by years in an instant.


    ¡°That year, Xiaguan was the Luozhou Commander-in-Chief, and technically made some small achievements at that age, but xiaguan wanted to continue rising upwards, and that was proving to be exceedingly difficult. Although xiaguan¡¯s background can¡¯t be considered as poverty-stricken, but he wasn¡¯t walking down the road of a civil official, and his family had no social connections, so he could only strive for military achievements. However, the garrison and frontier army are two different entities, xiaguan was very anxious¡­ It was at that time, where W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ looked for xiaguan.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes congealed, ¡°He made a personal appearance ever since the start?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n nodded, ¡°Yes, it has always been him from the very start.¡±


    A hint of derision rose from the depths of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes, ¡°He was a small Vice-Secretary from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, without any substantial authority in his hands, whilst you were the Commander-in-Chief of a prefecture; you actually believed his words?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wore a doubtful expression, which heightened Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s anxiety, ¡°Xiaguan didn¡¯t believe it at the start either, but he descended from Qiangzhou-Wang clan. He might have entered the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but he was extremely young, and he didn¡¯t look like a lunatic at all. Someone who isn¡¯t a lunatic, who suddenly looks for you to talk about such an earth-shattering major event with absolute confidence, from how xiaguan perceived it, he must have had something to rely on, which allowed him to act that way.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n gritted his teeth, ¡°Furthermore, at the very beginning, he only said that he was looking to cooperate with xiaguan for a major event. Owing to the great importance he attached to xiaguan¡¯s moral character and his cognizance of xiaguan¡¯s curriculum vitae, he sought for xiaguan, and even promised a huge monetary reward and a way for promotion. Xiaguan wasn¡¯t aware that what he wanted to steal was the ?ar¨©ra. It was only after xiaguan carried out his orders of sourcing for sideshow performing artists and altering the mechanism for the lotus pedestal, whereby xiaguan finally realised that the major event he was planning for was stealing the ?ar¨©ra. Xiaguan was genuinely frightened, but it was too difficult to get off the tiger¡¯s back once it was ridden by then. Furthermore, quite a number of arrangements were personally made by xiaguan. Supposing that the cloven foot was revealed, the first person to suffer a calamity would still be xiaguan. It really hasn¡¯t been easy for xiaguan to achieve that position back then, how could he possibly give up so easily? Hence, xiaguan gritted his teeth and executed the plan with him!¡±


    A thread of resolution appeared in the bottom of Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s retinas. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°He was just the Court of Imperial Sacrifices¡¯ Vice-Secretary, how did he manage to give you promotion opportunities? Even if it¡¯s the Qiangzhou-Wang clan, his Qiangzhou-Wang clan is currently in the throes of decline, to say nothing of how you were a military leader even then.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n shook his head, ¡°He didn¡¯t say. Xiaguan tried to make repeated, detailed inquiries in the past, but he didn¡¯t breathe a single word of it. However, this was part of the reason why xiaguan trusted him even more, albeit inexplicably. Upon seeing how he had a card up his sleeve, xiaguan thought, he must have his ways. Not just that, he only talked about the things he needed to relay, and he would never utter a word about the things he shouldn¡¯t; he was mysterious and unfathomable, which constantly impressed upon xiaguan that he wasn¡¯t simple at all.¡±


    As Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u listened on, he felt that his confession was quintessentially outlandish: how could Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n possibly collude with W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ under the circumstances where he didn¡¯t even know the exact details for something like stealing the ?ar¨©ra?


    ¡°Talk about the day of the Grand Ceremony in detail¡ª¡±


    ¡°Prior to the Grand Ceremony, a small mechanism had been added in the lotus pedestal by xiaguan. The method of hiding someone inside the lotus pedestal was conceived by W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, though the performer was found by xiaguan. Before xiaguan served in the military, he followed his Shifu to wander around for two years, and naturally made a few acquaintances in the Jianghu. The found person was then hidden inside the night before the Grand Ceremony, it was a young man who was exceedingly proficient in softening his bones.¡±


    ¡°The night before, xiaguan predicted that it was definitely going to rain on the second day, but for the sake of guaranteeing a fool proof plan, xiaguan prepared another method as well. On the day of the Grand Ceremony, there were Buddhist incense and candle flame lit everywhere, if it didn¡¯t rain that day, xiaguan would have signalled for his men to start a fire. During that window of opportunity, xiaguan would then order someone to bring the lotus pedestal and Five-Fold Treasure Chest into the Hall of Great Strength for protection, and as long as it leaves everyone¡¯s line of sight, the ?ar¨©ra can be stolen.


    ¡°The key to the treasure chest was given to xiaguan by W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³. When he gave xiaguan the key back then, xiaguan had jumped in fright. Afterwards, xiaguan even specifically taught that young man how to open the lock, and it was only after ensuring that there was no danger of anything going wrong that the young man was sent into the lotus pedestal.


    ¡°Later, it really did rain on the day of Grand Ceremony. The stealing of the ?ar¨©ra went very smoothly, but [we] didn¡¯t expect that¡­ J¨¬ng K¨­ng would actually realise that the Five-Fold Treasure Chest had become lighter. Only the golden coffin and clear glass bottle was taken away and its combined weight wasn¡¯t heavy, but J¨¬ng K¨­ng was attentive to even the finest hair, he still discovered it. Back then, xiaguan was wrought with fear, but no one paid attention to the lotus pedestal.


    ¡°The lotus pedestal was treated as an ordinary object and sent back to the storehouse. Xiaguan proceeded to let that person out that night and abetted him in leaving the mountain. On that night, the martial law imposed on the entire Xixia Mountain was enforced by the Luozhou Garrison, which was led by xiaguan; where the guards were, where the leaks were, xiaguan was naturally aware of all of them. After the young man left, xiaguan assumed that everything had come to an end. His Majesty left afterwards, and while a few officials stayed behind to investigate, nothing came out of the investigation because xiaguan was present, but one did not anticipate that J¨¬ng K¨­ng would discover the sold Buddhist scripture again.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u scowled, ¡°Were you the one who suggested killing J¨¬ng K¨­ng, or was it W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³?¡±


    ¡°It was W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³.¡± Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n did not hesitate in the slightest, ¡°The purchase of the Buddhist scripture wasn¡¯t done under my orders, so I didn¡¯t take it seriously, and the person who bought the Buddhist scripture had already been dealt with by W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³. Even if everyone knew of this matter, it wouldn¡¯t hinder anything, but W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was very resolute, even saying that we might as well find a scapegoat to stop everyone from attempting to track down the ?ar¨©ra ceaselessly. J¨¬ng K¨­ng was the Temple Head, he was also the only one who held the treasure chest that day, and if he were to suddenly disappear, the suspicion for the entire affair would completely fall on him.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had a different explanation.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°He would undoubtedly push all the guilt to xiaguan¡¯s person. But everything that xiaguan has said is all true; when J¨¬ng K¨­ng was murdered that year, it was he and xiaguan who acted together. Although he was not good at martial arts, he was carrying a dagger on his person, he was the one who used that dagger to stab J¨¬ng K¨­ng. After J¨¬ng K¨­ng stopped breathing, he said that [we] couldn¡¯t stay in the workshop for too long, if we hide the corpse in the soil, it¡¯s highly likely that it will be undug very quickly, but if we were to move the corpse down the mountain, it will take a lot of effort. Therefore, he stated the best solution is to hide the corpse inside the Buddha statue.


    ¡°Back then, the body of the venerable Buddha had already been crafted, and it only needed to be welded together. The artisans even had the frame built and the furnaces at the side had been burning through the day and night. Xiaguan dismembered the corpse, placed the chunks inside the Buddha¡¯s body before attaching the head on top, and then embedded the iron core which had been softened by the heat of the furnace. Just like that, the Buddha statue was sealed fully. On the second day, xiaguan went to the workshop early in the morning, first searching the workshop before ordering the artisans to finish up the Buddha statue swifty. At that time, the leading artisan was asking who had secretly welded the Buddha statue, but it was suppressed by xiaguan. Everyone in the temple was in danger back then, so they didn¡¯t dare to throw a fuss about it. Thus, this matter quickly passed after making small waves.


    ¡°W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ and W¨² Y¨² were Capital officials and they stayed inside the temple for one month back then, but F¨¦ng L¨²n and xiaguan stayed for a longer period of time. Xiaguan made use his authority to clean up all the evidence that could have been discovered.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s irises darkened slightly, ¡°But it¡¯s not possible that F¨¦ng L¨²n remained wholly oblivious.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n squeezed out an extremely ugly grimace, ¡°It was the issues at the workshop. Although xiaguan suppressed the oddities happening in the workshop, F¨¦ng L¨²n still caught wind of some of it, but he didn¡¯t make detailed inquiries. Ten years later, J¨¬ng K¨­ng¡¯s skeletal remains dropped out from the Buddha statue, and he promptly remembered the events that occurred ten years ago. After arriving at the temple, he tried to probe xiaguan once, either wittingly or unwittingly, which alerted xiaguan to the fact that he remembered what happened that year. Xiaguan went to meet W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, and he ordered xiaguan to silence F¨¦ng L¨²n.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s brows scrunched slightly. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was only afraid that he did not believe him, ¡°It¡¯s true. W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ appears inconspicuous, but he¡¯s a genuinely vicious character. The young man that was skilled at softening his bone was also dealt with because he ordered xiaguan to do so¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u squinted his eyes, to which Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n said: ¡°When that person came forward to receive his silvers three months later, he was sunken into the Lancang River by xiaguan.¡±


    Bitterness spread across Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s visage, ¡°Since it has already reached that step, xiaguan could no longer retract his hands, and he only thought about how he could protect his existing glory. Fortunately¡­ It was fortunate that this plot finally subsided after that.¡±


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    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to ask: ¡°Despite promising that you would be given the chance for promotion, you weren¡¯t rapidly promoted afterwards.¡±


    Having spoken to this point, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n released a long sigh, ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t as fast as what xiaguan had expected, but it was extremely stable.¡±


    ¡°Entering the Zhenxi Army, was that your idea?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n shook his head, a strange glint appearing in his eyes, ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t xiaguan¡¯s idea, and it might not necessarily be because of him upholding that promise. In these ten years, every time xiaguan felt frustrated from waiting, his external circumstances would always become slightly better, though entering the Zhenxi Army afterwards did conform with xiaguan¡¯s aspirations. It felt like W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was capable of magic, since he seemed to be aware of what xiaguan was thinking.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes became half lidded, ¡°What you mean to say is that, in all these years, both of you did not have any other contact?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n replied with a yes, before Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed another question: ¡°When he came to look for you that year, there isn¡¯t any concrete evidence, is there?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n nodded again, which caused Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u to issue a cold sneer, ¡°With all that has been said, it is quite possible that you committed all the crimes on your lonesome, while W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was merely dragged into your machinations.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n immediately exclaimed: ¡°No! That¡¯s not true!¡± His eyes shifted in panic, ¡°?ar¨©ra! The ?ar¨©ra was taken away by him, and¡­ and that key, right, xiaguan kept that key.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n seemed to grapple onto that life-saving straw, ¡°When that young man returned that year, xiaguan might have sunk him into the river, but he was slightly unsettled in his heart, so he reclaimed the key. At that time, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ sent over a letter, and xiaguan simply said that the key had been thrown inside the river as well, and it definitely wouldn¡¯t be found. He must have believed it since he didn¡¯t continue asking.


    ¡°Presently, that key is being stored in an old compound in xiaguan¡¯s old Cangzhou home. The shape of the key is strange, it must have been casted by a talented craftsman. Once Hou¡¯ye obtains the key, he will definitely be able to discover something.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u remained silent, which caused another layer of cold perspiration to ooze out of Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s forehead again. He carefully searched his memories once, but he only came to irrefutable realisation that he did not leave behind any evidence of his intersections with W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ in these ten years, especially when it came to the material objects that were related to that year, even taking the pains to avoid them. Considering how he appeared personally to finalise everything, it was completely within W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s means to remove himself from the situation.


    Suddenly, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n stared at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, his entire body becoming rigid right then and there.


    Upon seeing his reaction, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i furrowed his eyebrows slightly and Fu gonggong was similarly confused, whereas Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hooked up his lips faintly, ¡°There can never be too much deception in war.¡±


    Cold sweat started dripping down from Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n like rain, his complexion alternating between green and red in waves. His whole person was teeming with anger and resentment, which caused his body to tremble.


    However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in an apathetic voice: ¡°Since you can figure it out, you can¡¯t be considered as stupid.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n clenched his fist tightly, gnashing his teeth so hard it was on the verge of shattering. After he fell into Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s trap, he had divulged most of the past secrets, but when he was confronted with the need to prove that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was the actual culprit, he abruptly realised that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had already extracted himself cleanly, but since that was the case, what kind of iron-clad evidence did Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u use to make W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ speak?


    Moreover, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had always been very tight-lipped.


    The only explanation was that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was deceiving him, but just now, it was clearly W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡­


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n seemed to understand and yet it was like he never comprehended anything; his entire body shook like he was hyperventilating, his eyes widening to the point where he looked like he was going insane. When Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u saw him reacting in such a manner, he shouted: ¡°L¨´ K¨¥¡ª¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥, who had been awaiting his orders, immediately stepped through the room doors. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his chin, ¡°Let General Yu¨¨ have a listen.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ shifted his pupils and promptly understood Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s intentions. Hence, he coughed lightly and used a voice that was exceedingly similar to W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ to state: ¡°General Yu¨¨.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n jumped in fright, his pupils trembling. It was clearly L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s face, and yet his speaking voice had turned into W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s voice. This made Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n feel extremely baffled, but he immediately grasped how the previous scheme was set up. He had once heard that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u had a lot of talented people under him, but he did not expect L¨´ K¨¥, whose class origin was an embroidered emissary, would be capable of imitating the voices of others.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was soaked through with cold sweat, looking as though all the strength had been sucked out of him. If W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had been the first to confess, then he was only being compelled by helplessness, and it would not be considered as a moral violation; but he had been fallen into the scheme that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u plotted due to his extreme stupidity, he had admitted to countless of past events, especially the existence of that key. With all that was said and done, he no longer had the chance to withdraw his confession.


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n barked out a miserable laugh, ¡°Hou¡¯ye is a brilliant strategist.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his sword-like brows lightly, ¡°Losing at the hands of benhou, is not because you were incompetent.¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s stature crumbled, to which Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sighed audibly, ¡°Since you¡¯ve spoken to this point, it is assumed that you are know what the consequences are. Given all the evildoings you have committed on your lonesome, the least you could do now is not implicate your family. Benhou is aware that you have a wife and son in Cangzhou, you don¡¯t wish for your young son to be dragged into this, do you?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n laughed wretchedly again, clenching his teeth and screwing shut his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, a bit of calmness could be perceived at the bottom of his eyes, ¡°Hou¡¯ye can rest assured, each and every sentence that was spoken previously is the truth. Xiaguan¡­ no¡­ zui¡¯chen, zui¡¯chen can testify against W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ in court.¡±


    The previous paper and brush were just for show. It was only at this instance where he was genuinely writing a testimony to present to the court. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s hand was shaking as he held the brush, but he had no choice but to carefully write down the events from that year in meticulous detail, word by word. He continued to write for the bigger part of a double-hour, and it was only when he put down his brush that he remembered that the time he spent writing in the right wing-room just now was too short. However, with how panicked his mind was, he could only care about maintaining the composure on his expression, so how could he possibly have the headspace to pay attention to these minor details.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i kept the supplied evidence properly, piece by piece. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u posed another question: ¡°Do you know what W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ wanted the ?ar¨©ra for?¡±


    Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n shook his head, ¡°No. He relayed what was necessary, and spoke naught a word of what was unnecessary. Sometimes, it was even to the extent where zui¡¯chen felt that his person was filled with a type of righteous cause that he would defy life and death for; if he doesn¡¯t wish for it, no one can pry open his mouth.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡± Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n gazed at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°However, if it¡¯s Hou¡¯ye, it would be different. If the main official was anyone else today, zui¡¯chen would not have opened his mouth so easily.¡±


    That sentence sounded rather ingratiating, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u retorted: ¡°Don¡¯t besmirch the two words ¡®righteous cause¡¯, if all the criminals in the world called their deeds ¡®righteous causes¡¯, then what about the officers and soldiers who risk their lives fighting to defend the frontier in the Zhenxi Army, what should be used to describe them?¡±


    In an instant, a shred of sorrow emerged on Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s visage. Subconsciously, he turned his head to look outside the window, as if he wanted to pass through the window lattice to view the desolate and vast night of the Northwest. However, he would never see it again; what awaited him was countless court hearings and imprisonment, and finally, his life would end on the beheading platform on a certain windless and quiet day.


    Originally, he could have given his life to battlefield and return (to his homeland). In the end, he landed himself in such a dismal and humiliating conclusion.


    As he walked out of the main door, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s back and shoulders were no longer ramrod straight; his back was stooped and his steps heavy, as if he was an elderly in his declining years, and he also understood that he really didn¡¯t have many days left to live.


    The room quietened down. L¨ªn Hu¨¢i kept Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s testimony before he asked: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, are [we] going to proceed with W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s interrogation?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u peered at the sky. The night was already deep, and it was certainly suitable for interrogating suspects who were in a taut mood, but he felt like something was lacking by his side. He looked left and right, suddenly realising that he hadn¡¯t seen B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u for more than half a day.


    After waking up this morning, there were no post-mortem autopsies or deductions to make, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u returned to her room after dawdling outside for half a day. Since he was setting up this plot, it was natural that he didn¡¯t ask B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u to come forward. Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n was a military leader with a cultivated and cutting aura of death; though his mind was lacking in meticulous wit, he was rather firm and persistent. He wanted to scare and pressure Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n with might and power, which meant that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was not suitable for this kind of scene.


    After muttering irresolutely to himself, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u kneaded the space between his brows. ¡°W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ is quite a strange character, one fears that he won¡¯t open his mouth easily.¡±


    Fu gonggong wiped off the sweat on his palms as well, ¡°Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n is already hard to deal with, perhaps [we] should retire for the night?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded and L¨ªn Hu¨¢i exhaled in relief as well. Although Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was the only one crossing swords with Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n verbally, having to stand at the side while ensuring that they didn¡¯t reveal a single hint of guilt for the whole scheme was physically taxing for him and Fu gonggong. Furthermore, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s oppressive imposing manner didn¡¯t stop at just shocking Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n, it had been difficult for them to withstand it too. With this comparison, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i could not help but regard the young Marquis Wuzhao with growing admiration as he looked at him.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i responded: ¡°Then xiaguan will be going back to re-organise Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s confession.¡±


    After Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u nodded, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i proceeded to take his leave.


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    Fu gonggong breathed out a mouthful of air, ¡°One did not expect that it was really the W¨¢ng-Yu¨¨ pair who colluded to commit the crime that year. If it were not for Y¨­u Y¨­u noticing the strangeness between the two, it would have been really difficult to discern it.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said: ¡°Call her over.¡±


    Fu gonggong did not doubt him, stepping out of the door to go to the wing-room at the side. He knocked the door, ¡°Y¨­u Y¨­u, come, Hou¡¯ye wants to see you.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u opened her door very swiftly. She could distinctively hear the movements in the meditation hall, and when she saw Fu gonggong, she asked: ¡°Gonggong, did it go smoothly tonight?¡±


    Fu gonggong smiled and nodded, ¡°It went smoothly, Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n confessed to everything.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u also sighed in relief once she heard that. Subsequently, Fu gonggong pointed at the principal room. ¡°Go quickly, Hou¡¯ye is waiting for you.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u responded in the positive before she headed to the principal room. When she stepped through the door, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was no longer in the main hall, though there was some noise coming from the left wing-room, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u moved towards the left wing-room. Once she entered, she saw Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u sitting on the couch in front of the window like she had anticipated.


    ¡°Greetings to Hou¡¯ye, does Hou¡¯ye have any instructions?¡±


    The dim lights were spilling over, illuminating B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s tall and graceful bearing, her flesh and bones serene and just. Especially those limpid and intelligent eyes, when it was trained on Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, fragmented light sparkled in the depths of her eyes, as if a river of stars had fallen inside.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at her for a long moment, ¡°Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n has already confessed. J¨¬ng K¨­ng was indeed murdered by him and W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, while the ?ar¨©ra was taken by W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, that person is not simple at all.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was slightly surprised, because she didn¡¯t anticipated that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ would be the one who took away the ?ar¨©ra, ¡°What can min¡¯n¨¹ do then?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u replied in a straightforward manner, ¡°At this stage of the case, there¡¯s nothing left for you to do.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was somewhat perplexed. Since there was nothing she could help with, why did he summon her?


    ¡°You¡¯ve already done what you ought to do, and you have done well. Now, you can say what your request is.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s tone of voice was placid, as if he was only talking about a very normal work-related matter. However, his phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, and in the deepest part of his eyes, it only reflected and solely contained the delicate figure of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u.


    The hands by B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s side curled out of slight nervousness, as if she did not expect that this moment would arrive so quickly. She lowered her eyes briefly, but she made up her mind exceedingly quick. When she raised her eyes again, only candour remained in her gaze, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ is not willing to abandon the skills of a coroner, therefore, min¡¯n¨¹ would like to ask Hou¡¯ye to recommend min¡¯n¨¹ to a government office. Min¡¯n¨¹ does not ask for an official position, just a place where min¡¯n¨¹ can exhaust her forte would suffice.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knitted his brows slightly. Although he had long expected that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s request would be related to her coroner work, he did not think that his request would be so simple. After all, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng did attach a fair bit of importance to her; as long as she wished for it, H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng would even go out of his way to ensure that she could set up a home in Qingzhou City.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked: ¡°Which government office do you want to go to?¡±


    ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ wants to go to¡­¡± B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u looked at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u with a calm and steadfast gaze, ¡°The Capital¡¯s Metropolitan Government Office.¡±

 CH 43

    y yuuki28-36 minutes 13.08.2023


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u still surprised Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u in the end.


    The Metropolitan Government Office was at the Son of Heaven¡¯s foot, it was not an existence that an ordinary government office could compare to. H¨¨ Ch¨¦ng, being the parental official of a prefecture, still had leeway in using a female coroner, but no matter how skilled B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u was at post-mortem autopsies, the current Capital Magistrate might not necessarily have the audacity to arbitrarily bring along a woman for official business.


    But if she had Marquis Wuzhao¡¯s recommendation, everything would be much different.


    With that in mind, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u insisting on waiting for the case to be solved before speaking, wasn¡¯t necessarily without reason; Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u has never been swayed by personal interest in official business. Unless she was truly worthy of a recommendation, why would he randomly help her?


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, ¡°Why the Metropolitan Government Office of all places?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s clever eyes stared at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u without shifting or evading him once, ¡°Because min¡¯n¨¹ heralds from a family clan based in the Capital. In the past, she followed Yifu and Yimu to Qingzhou, but after Yimu passed away, Yifu was struck with the thought of bringing min¡¯n¨¹ back to the homeland. Min¡¯n¨¹ has received H¨¨ daren¡¯s appreciation in Qingzhou, but if [we] are returning to the Capital, it can be imagined that finding a chance to display [my] skills would difficult, which is why [I] thought of making a request to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Her words were quite reasonable, but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to peer at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, sensing that her pupils were being shrouded in mist, which made it less vivid. Generally speaking, his silence was rather frightening, so B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u lowered her eyelids, appearance slightly uneasy.


    There were no women working as a coroner in the world. Furthermore, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u loathed women becoming involved in official business the most, and everyone inside and outside of the court was aware of his temper. If he chose to help her this time, wouldn¡¯t it be like breaking his vow of abstinence? Additionally, the officials and offices inside the Capital was not something that ordinary prefectural-level government offices could compare to, if Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u chose to reject her because he felt that it was inappropriate, that would be incredibly normal too.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u pursed her lips tightly on reflex.


    ¡°You do have a level of mastery in terms of post-mortem autopsy skills, benhou will simply send a letter of recommendation to the Metropolitan government office.¡± Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u suddenly opened his mouth after scrutinising her for a short beat.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u raised her eyes in response. Her suspended heart landed on the ground, filling her entire face with undisguised joy. ¡°Is Hou¡¯ye saying that in seriousness?¡±


    This was really the first time Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u witnessed her being so happy; her eyes were glittering bright, all resplendent and moving as she stared at him urgently, as if she could only completely set her heart at ease after receiving his confirmation. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u could not help but curve his lips as well, ¡°Each word from benhou is akin to thirty thousand catties; since it has been spoken, it is naturally said in seriousness.¡±


    Greater elation spilled out from the bottom of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s eyes, and even her trembling lashes were fluttering with joy, ¡°Many thanks to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    She has always been sweet-tempered and quiet, now that the tips of her brows and the corners of her eyes were stained with unconcealed felicity, it added a touch of childishness to her, and yet it made her come alive, wholly and vividly, like she had received the best treasure in the land under the Heaven.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u gazed at her. Although he had heard more pleasant-sounding thank-you speeches, some tepid and warm feelings unexpectedly gushed out from the bottom of his heart for some unknown reason. He served under one individual while being above the everyman, he had bestowed down great wealth and granted high positions, even going as far as entrusting cities to others, and among the people who have received his bestowments and favour, there was none who weren¡¯t deeply grateful.


    The speeches that they gave while shedding tears of gratitude was a hundred times more moving than B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s words but hidden in the depths of their eyes was their greed, which resembled a snake spitting out its forked tongue as they stirred. Everyone was aware that they could ask for more from Marquis Wuzhao, and none of them knew what satisfaction was. None of them were like B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, where a small recommendation letter could make her so ecstatic.


    The exuberance remained on B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s countenance. She was born with dark brows and starry eyes, and now that she was over the moon, her eyes were a pool of flowing spring waters, inundating and emitting light. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was transfixed, suddenly wishing that he could make that happiness stay on her face for a while more.


    ¡°Is a recommendation letter enough?¡¯


    Since the dignified Marquis Wuzhao asked such a question, it implied that there were still grounds for negotiation. However, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u said: ¡°It¡¯s enough. Hou¡¯ye has a high and weighted position, min¡¯n¨¹ only needs a chance, many thanks to Hou¡¯ye.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u felt that the warm current in his heart was just as thin as a trickle coming out from between rock seams at the start, and now it had become a mouth of spring, gurgling as it poured out a heated stream. His countenance relaxed by a fair bit, and yet he felt that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s answer was not what he was hoping for, ¡°The Capital is not as simple as the Qingzhou prefectural government office. Since you are a woman, one fears that there will be a lot of difficulties. ¡°


    Contrariwise, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u smiled, not minding it at all, ¡°Min¡¯n¨¹ has already anticipated that early on, except min¡¯n¨¹ is in possession of skills, and isn¡¯t afraid of adversary.¡± As if she was aware of what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was thinking, her lips thinned, ¡°A recommendation letter might be considered as simple to Hou¡¯ye, but from min¡¯n¨¹¡¯s point of view, it is extremely precious. Min¡¯n¨¹ was fortunate enough to be in Qingzhou prefectural government office because H¨¨ daren recognised [her] worth, but wanting to work in the Metropolitan government office, even just wanting to meet the Capital Magistrate daren would require a great deal of effort, but with Hou¡¯ye¡¯s recommendation letter, it will make all the difference.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u never thought that there would actually be a day where he could not send out the benefits and advantages in his hands.


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u paused, like she was levelling her emotions and her expression became calmer by a certain degree, ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye have anything else to instruct?¡±


    It was apparent that she was preparing to ask for leave. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stared at B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s lucid and elegant eyes, his lips parting, but what came out of his mouth was: ¡°There¡¯s none, [you] may withdraw.¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u executed a quick bow. When she was turned around to leave, her footsteps were light, making it evident that she was happy.


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    Once B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u stepped out of the room, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u finally issued a soundless chuckle. He did not manage to offer the benefits in his hands, but this was the first time he felt that fulfilling the requests of others could actually bring him such pleasure.


    When Fu gonggong entered the door, he promptly saw the lingering mirth that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was harbouring in the depths of his eyes, which made him jump in shock, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, what has caused such happiness?¡±


    With that question, the lingering mirth immediately disappeared without a trace. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u shifted his pupils to glance at Fu gonggong, using a kind of scrutinising gaze that was capable of making Fu gonggong¡¯s hair stand, ¡°What¡¯s the matter Hou¡¯ye? Y¨­u Y¨­u looks very happy too, did she say what her request was?¡±


    B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s request was something that Fu gonggong was curious about as well. However, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u seemed to ignore his words altogether, only asking with some solemnity: ¡°Do you have any wishes recently?¡±


    Fu gonggong froze, ¡°Laonu¡­ What could laonu possibly wish for?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u continued to ask: ¡°There¡¯s nothing [you] want?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to want in particular ah, it¡¯s not like Hou¡¯ye doesn¡¯t understand laonu, what could laonu possibly want for¡­¡±


    Fu gonggong was flummoxed, whereas Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stated, ¡°Think of one right now then.¡±


    Fu gonggong was stunned, what was going on with his family¡¯s Marquis?


    Although he was completely baffled, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s expression conveyed that he was not joking, so Fu gonggong scrunched his eyebrows, wearing a painful expression as he pondered for a long moment. After finally thinking of one, he smacked his lips and said helplessly, ¡°If there must be one¡­ having been in the temple for a few days, it has been vegetarian meals day in and day out, and laonu¡¯s mouth is so bland that there is no taste left. One heard that Luozhou¡¯s freshwater fish is absolutely delicious, laonu has a slight craving for Luzhou¡¯s freshwater dishes.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u arched his brows slightly, seemingly satisfied, before he raised his voice and said: ¡°L¨´ K¨¥¡ª¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ verbally responded, but he became dumbstruck after hearing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s order. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was actually telling him to command someone to go down the mountain to buy freshwater dishes, and this startled Fu gonggong as well. ¡°Hou¡¯ye, this¡­ there¡¯s no need to be so hasty about this?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u frowned, ¡°You wanted it, so benhou is satisfying you, is that bad?¡±


    Fu gonggong clicked his tongue. L¨´ K¨¥ did not know what was happening, and he was going to carry out his orders when he heard Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u say, ¡°L¨´ K¨¥¡ª¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ turned back around with due haste, ¡°Does Hou¡¯ye have other commands?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any wishes?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u asked with a serious expression, but that scared the wits out of Fu gonggong and L¨´ K¨¥ instead.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u managed his subordinates with extreme rigour; although he rewarded them frequently, the honours and rewards were always dispensed according to merit, but now wasn¡¯t the time to discuss their contributions yet, why was he asking if he had any wishes? Furthermore¡­ During the reward bestowment in the past, it would always be his family¡¯s Marquis deciding what the reward was. Admittedly, everything his Marquis bestowed were good items, but his Marquis never had the habit of asking people what they wanted in the past when he was rewarding them.


    L¨´ K¨¥ shot Fu gonggong a swift look, and upon seeing that Fu gonggong was equally lost, he became calmer instead. He pondered briefly before stating in a righteously just tone: ¡°This subordinate wishes for the country to prosper and for the people to live in peace.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u knitted his brows slightly, ¡°Change to another.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ thought about it again, ¡°This subordinate wishes that Hou¡¯ye will live to a thousand years¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u became somewhat impatient, ¡°Benhou is asking if you have any wishes, not ordering you to express your loyalty.¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ scratched his head, suddenly understanding why Fu gonggong¡¯s visage had been so strange when he entered the room previously. Similarly, he felt that this matter wasn¡¯t simple at all, ¡°Then¡­ This subordinate¡­ This subordinate wants to taste Luozhou¡¯s Qiu Lou Bai. It¡¯s rumoured that the Qiu Lou Bai brewed from the broomcorn millet grown in the Luozhou locality is incredibly strong¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u looked at the pair who wanted to eat freshwater dishes and drink delicious wine, feeling a little speechless. The present situation was clearly different from what he had imagined, if he were to say that those outsiders were avaricious with all those desires in their hearts, then the pair in front of him were both trusted aides, and their requests were incomparably simple. In spite of that¡­ The state of mind that B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u had evoked was gone.


    ¡°Hou¡¯ye?¡± Seeing that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was staring into the distance wordlessly, Fu gonggong could not resist speaking up, ¡°Maybe¡­ M¨ªng gongzi and Shizi should be called over, so [you] may ask them if they have any wishes?¡±


    Completely mystified, L¨´ K¨¥ concurred with him: ¡°That¡¯s right, His Highness the Shizi would definitely have a lot of wishes.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s complexion was rather ugly as he narrowed his eyes, and he suddenly changed his mind, ¡°Before this case is finished, everyone has to subsist on vegetarian food, no one is allowed to break the temple rules.¡±


    Fu gonggong was slightly regretful, whereas L¨´ K¨¥ was still wearing a bewildered expression. After seeing Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u wave his hand impatiently, the pair withdrew outside together. As they were walking, Fu gonggong said with some grief, ¡°What was that, wasn¡¯t it Hou¡¯ye who asked us on his own accord? Why did he make it seem like we were trying to break the rules? If he didn¡¯t ask, zajia wouldn¡¯t have thought that way, but now that he has made a fuss about it, zajia is really craving for it¡­¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ felt that it was outrageous too, but he adjusted his expression very quickly as he said: ¡°Gonggong, I understand now. Hou¡¯ye is industrious during official business, he must be thinking about the case.¡±


    In the face of L¨´ K¨¥¡¯s visible and deep veneration, Fu gonggong remained uncomprehending, to which L¨´ K¨¥ said: ¡°Gonggong has forgotten, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ hasn¡¯t been interrogated yet! W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ is a watertight person; we haven¡¯t discovered any of his weakness up until now. Perhaps Hou¡¯ye is considering what kind of wishes W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ might in order to use it as a breakthrough later and make him confess?¡±


    Fu gonggong was half-believing and half-disbelieving, ¡°Really? Why does zajia get the sense that isn¡¯t true¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


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    Indeed, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ did not allow a single drop of water to leak out.


    On the morning of the second day, an embroidered emissary came forward to make a report to Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u.


    ¡°In these past two days, W¨² daren appeared rather anxious, coming forward to make inquiries numerous times, but W¨¢ng daren stayed inside him room from the beginning to end, reading Buddhist scriptures, practicing calligraphy, and painting, with the pattern of his daily life being extremely regular. Whenever the subordinates send over the meals, he never asks about anything. When this subordinate left the room just now, W¨¢ng daren was partaking in his breakfast, and he gives the impression that he isn¡¯t the slightest bit worried about anything that has happened in the past two days.¡±


    Once Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u heard that statement, his expression became heavy, ¡°Take the Buddhist scriptures he read, the calligraphy he wrote, the paintings he made, and bring them to benhou to take a look.¡±


    The embroidered emissary accepted his order and left. L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, who had come over and was waiting at the side, revealed some worry on his face, ¡°In the years that xiaguan has been in the Ministry of Justice, he too, has encountered a fair share of felons. The type that doesn¡¯t flaunt their talent and skill, is genuinely the scariest; even if heavy torture is used, it is as though he is not afraid of death, and he would never speak because he swore to it. From what xiaguan can perceive, it¡¯s highly likely that W¨¢ng daren is that type of person.¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes congealed, ¡°The world has no perfect beings; every person will inevitably have a weakness without exception, it is just that some people can hide it extremely well, and it is not as easy to unearth them, that¡¯s all.¡±


    After that sentence was uttered, L¨ªn Hu¨¢i glanced at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u subconsciously. In L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s opinion, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u appeared as though he did not have any weaknesses.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u caught sight of L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s cursory glance with his keen senses. In a blithe manner, he said: ¡°Benhou has his weaknesses as well, does L¨ªn daren wish to probe for them?¡±


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i¡¯s back and shoulders stiffened out of fear as he squeezed out an awkward smile, ¡°Xiaguan does not dare.¡±


    Soon after, the Buddhist scriptures, calligraphies, and paintings that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had been looking at were brought over. W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ came from the Qiangzhou-Wang clan, and the Wang clan was an illustrious family of Confucianist scholars in the previous dynasty with a good reputation. Although it was in the state of decline now, its strength of character was still preserved, and these traits were evident in W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s calligraphy and paintings.


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had been practicing his calligraphy these past two days by writing Buddhist verses: his cursive script was like floating clouds and flowing waters, his brushstrokes vigorous, and just looking at his handwriting was enough to imagine him clad in black robes as he stood before a writing desk, wielding his brush in splash-ink to pen down bold strokes in a refined and tasteful manner. The pictures he painted was nothing more than scenery of the sharp peaks of the pagodas on Xixia Mountain which were covered in clouds and wrapped in mist, like he was a wandering scholar who had travelled here instead of a criminal suspect. The Buddhist Scriptures could not be more normal: a roll of the Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of the Bodhisattva K?itigarbha and another of the Avatamsaka Sutra, both of which were borrowed from the monks, and it bore the marks of being flipped through all year round.


    Had it not been for Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n¡¯s written testimony, all of these would only give people the impression that W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was not panicked in the slightest in his heart, as if he was just an outsider in the whole situation, and it was precisely because of that, which allowed him to practice calligraphy and paint with this state of mind.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u put down the religious scriptures, ¡°Call for W¨² Y¨².¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ departed with the order. Very quickly, W¨² Y¨² entered the meditation hall¡¯s doors behind him.


    After two days and two nights of confinement, there were bruises underneath W¨² Y¨²¡¯s eyes, his complexion was wan and sallow, looking rather tormented all in all. After entering the door and bowing, W¨² Y¨² asked in a hurry: ¡°Hou¡¯ye, are there clues about who the murderer is?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was sitting at the main seat. Instead of answering, he asked: ¡°In your opinion, what kind of person is W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² stiffened. Then, he thought of something which caused his eyes to widen slightly, ¡°Is Hou¡¯ye suspecting W¨¢ng-xiong? It couldn¡¯t possibly be W¨¢ng-xiong, he would never hurt someone¡­¡±


    A cold smile lined the edges of Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s mouth, ¡°You think him to be completely harmless, but when he was being interrogated previously, he insinuated to benhou that you had some connection to the case that year. Between the two of you, whose words are real?¡±


    W¨² Y¨²¡¯s complexion changed instantaneously. ¡°W¨¢ng-xiong insinuated it was xiaguan? That can¡¯t be, xiaguan has been friends with W¨¢ng-xiong for so many years¡­¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u raised his hand to interrupt him, ¡°Just answer benhou¡¯s question.¡±


    W¨² Y¨² swallowed his saliva with much difficulty, ¡°As a person, W¨¢ng-xiong cares for neither fame nor fortune. In xiaguan¡¯s opinion, he possesses the strength of character that the Qiangzhou-Wang clan has in their arteries and veins; rather than call him a court official, it would be more accurate to say that he is a scholar down to his bones. He does not scramble for power or profit, merely protecting his small place in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and is rather self-contented despite that. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices has close relations to the Imperial Family and Royal Clan, but he doesn¡¯t like making friends with them, only hoping to maintain his personal integrity. When xiaguan suffered quite a few setbacks in the officialdom because of the ?ar¨©ra theft incident back then, not only did W¨¢ng-xiong not scorn xiaguan for having a low position, but he even extended a helping hand. This kind of friendly feelings, xiaguan will forever etch in his heart, he¡­ really isn¡¯t the type of person who would kill in order to strive for glory, splendour, wealth, and rank. ¡°


    ¡°Who said he wouldn¡¯t kill in the quest for glory, splendour, wealth, and rank?¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u narrowed his eyes, ¡°All humans in this world have seven emotions and six desires: there are those who seek fortune, some who seek power, and others who are attracted to beauty. He cares for neither fame nor fortune, but that doesn¡¯t mean that he doesn¡¯t have other interests. Benhou is questioning you because [I] want to know, what does he care about the most all these years?¡±


    W¨² Y¨²¡¯s expression was a touch bewildered. He scrunched his brows and thought for a long moment, but his eyes were completely vacant by the end of it, ¡°Xiaguan¡­ Xiaguan can¡¯t think of anything¡­ W¨¢ng-xiong is very calm and elegant, does his utmost in official business, but it¡¯s scarcely because he was vying for merit. He has normal interests like collecting some well-known paintings, but he has never been extravagant or decadent to this end, as he usually depends on the affinity of things. Although he has a wife and concubines in his residence, he gets along with them in great harmony, and he doesn¡¯t seem like someone who is fond of beauties.¡±


    Once W¨² Y¨² contemplated to this point, he finally felt a trace of fear, ¡°He¡­ is either a person with a tasteless personality and lacks in interests, or¡­ he was also concealing it from xiaguan.¡±


    If it was the latter, then W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was truly terrifying.


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was unable to make up his mind in the moment, ¡°Apart from you, who is he on friendly terms with, in the Capital?¡±


    W¨² Y¨² replied: ¡°There are a few people apart from xiaguan, though most of them are clear stream civil officials, and the majority come from poor and humble families.¡±


    ¡°Write all of their names down.¡±


    Fu gonggong found a paper and brush, to which W¨² Y¨² wrote down the names of seven to eight people in one breath before he said: ¡°These people frequently gather at W¨¢ng-xiong¡¯s place for a small and distinguished assembly to recite poems and paint. They would occasionally discuss matters of the court, but they are not a clique.¡±


    W¨² Y¨²¡¯s wording was cautious but Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u took no notice of it. Among the names written on the paper, the official with the highest position was W¨² Y¨², who was the Ministry of Rites¡¯ Assistant Minister, while the rest were mostly from poor and humble families, with a bit of talent to their names. When their group was gathered together, they really couldn¡¯t live up the word ¡®clique¡¯.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i scanned the list before saying doubtfully, ¡°Being on friendly terms with these people does conform to his personality. Moreover, it looks like he¡¯s on friendly terms with quite a few people, and isn¡¯t necessarily an unsociable and eccentric person. If he stole the ?ar¨©ra, what was it for?¡±


    W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s curriculum vitae could not be more normal, but the more that was the case, the harder it was to comprehend him. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s eyes congealed since he could not fathom it either. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices¡¯ main responsibility was the ancestral shrines and sacrificial offerings. If he had close associations with the Imperial Family and Royal clan, then everything would be more convenient, but against all reason, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ preferred to maintain his personal integrity. As such, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would become a place without real power, especially in the imperial court, where its influence was negligible at best. It was the same reason why Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u felt no one would want to form a clique with him.


    W¨² Y¨² continued to speak, ¡°Furthermore, W¨¢ng-xiong does not believe in the Buddha, nor does he believe in Taoism.¡±


    Now that was even stranger.


    Since Yu¨¨ M¨ªng Qu¨¢n had divulged the existence of the key which was hidden in his old home in Cangzhou, it was unlikely that he was lying. Therefore, if W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ stole the ?ar¨©ra, what did he use it for? And where was the ?ar¨©ra right now?


    With slightly narrowed phoenix eyes, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u made a prompt decision and said: ¡°Bring over W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³.¡±


    Although he could not comprehend W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ as a person, he still ought to exchange figurative blows with him to probe for the actual situation. In the time it took L¨´ K¨¥ to carry out his order, Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u said in a chilling voice: ¡°If nothing comes out of the interrogation, escort him back to the Capital first. After returning to the Capital, what benhou has is time to grind him down.¡±


    The embroidered emissaries had their own death prison. Out of all the people that entered, there were very few who could still keep their mouths shut like a closed bottle.


    L¨ªn Hu¨¢i, who was listening at the side, could not suppress the slight chill that went down his spine.


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    This wait, however, was much longer than what it took to summon W¨² Y¨². Just when Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was coming to the realisation that something was wrong, L¨´ K¨¥ ran back with a head full of heavy perspiration, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, something bad has happened, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ swallowed gold!¡±


    ¡°Swallowed gold?!¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u stood up with a flash of understanding, while the expressions of L¨ªn Hu¨¢i and Fu gonggong also changed immensely!


    L¨´ K¨¥ nodded, ¡°Yes, he carried broken pieces of gold on his person, all of which he swallowed. He¡¯s currently hanging on his last breath, this subordinate has already dispatched someone to invite M¨ªng gongzi, though it¡¯s unknown if he can be saved¡ª¡±


    Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u laughed coldly, his eyes warning the approach of storm clouds, ¡°As expected, he isn¡¯t afraid of death.¡±


    Having said that, he raised his foot and stepped out of the door. Just as he exited, he caught sight of B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u, who had walked out because she heard the noise coming from the wing-room. Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u glanced at her without uttering a word, directly heading for W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³¡¯s meditation courtyard, with B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u following in his footsteps hurriedly.


    L¨´ K¨¥ was explaining as they travelled: ¡°When his texts and paintings were being taken away this morning, he didn¡¯t display any abnormalities, and for the double-hour in between, no one outside heard any movements. When this subordinate was calling him just now, he did not respond, and he only realised that something was wrong after entering the door because his face was completely devoid of blood.¡±


    Just as they reached the meditation hall, they saw Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng and M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n arriving with the embroidered emissaries as escorts. It was evident that M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n had already received the report, since he was frowning as he asked: ¡°How much did he swallow?¡±


    L¨´ K¨¥ pondered briefly, ¡°At least a few taels of gold.¡±


    The knit of M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n¡¯s brows became even tighter instantaneously, ¡°Go inside and have a look first.¡±


    The group entered the meditation hall, with two embroidered emissaries lifting M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n¡¯s wheelchair through the main doors. Once they crossed the threshold, they saw a black-robed W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ reclining on a north-facing couch. His clothes were neat and tidy, his hands were folded and placed on his abdomen, appearing as though he was sleeping. But upon walking closer, you could see his brows scrunched together in agony and blood was trickling out from the corner of his lips as cold sweat flowed down ghastly pale cheeks, with the small rise and falls of his chest being the sole indication that he was still alive.


    Swallowing gold was an exceedingly painful method of dying. Although nothing could be perceived on the surface, the gold would fall into stomach and next would be the poisoning, though most would die from the haemorrhaging due to damage done to their inner organs. It was absurdly painful and agonising, but quite evidently, W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ was more than willing to choose a death where he could still look dignified on the surface.


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n went forward to take his pulse, and then touched his spleen and stomach, before he turned his head swiftly to look at Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, ¡°Hou¡¯ye, he can no longer be saved. In this type of situation, he will inevitably die by nightfall.¡±


    The aura sheeting Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u¡¯s body changed instantaneously.


    He had yet to be interrogated, but he chose to swallow gold first?!


    He narrowed his frigid eyes, and all of the embroidered emissaries responsible for guarding him started feeling cold sweat pour out of their foreheads. However, he did not cause difficulties for them, only stating in a cold voice: ¡°All of you withdraw first.¡±


    M¨ªng Gu¨© L¨¢n glanced at W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³, heaving a sigh before he went outside, with Hu¨° Q¨©ng H¨®ng trailing after him. Although B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u obeyed the command and retreated, she noted that Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u hadn¡¯t moved at all. The current W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ had passed out from the pain some time ago, but it was unknown what Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u was planning to do.


    The group stepped out of the room in single file. Only Hu¨° W¨¥i L¨®u, L¨´ K¨¥, and the embroidered emissaries he brought along stayed inside.


    The door to the main room closed. Everyone outside was wearing grim expressions, and likewise, B¨® Ru¨° Y¨­u¡¯s brows were wrung together tightly.


    Having to wait in silence was torturous for the heart, but very quickly, a blood-curdling screech that belonged to W¨¢ng Q¨©ng F¨³ travelled out from the room, sounding all sad and shrill.


    Translator¡¯s Thoughts: I googled if you could actually die by swallowing gold, and apparently you can. Not the gold leaf crap though (you would have to swallow a few kilos of that, probably), but actual raw gold. It¡¯s not the metal poisoning that kills but the specific gravity of the gold weighing down on you and puncturing through your organs, thereby causing internal bleeding and subsequently a slow and painful death.


    Moral of the story: don¡¯t try and swallow gold ingots like your ancestors, kids, it¡¯s not worth it.