Lu Ying never questioned his father's judgment, but this time was an exception.
Lu Ying said angrily, "You've completely disgraced the reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
Wang Daxia, who feared ghosts but not people, didn't care about Lu Ying and Lu Bing's father-son relationship and retorted directly, "Don't try to pin false charges here! Did the Embroidered Uniform Guard ever have a good reputation to begin with? It's clearly a case of 'one takes the behavior of one's company'—my innocent self has been tainted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Chanting "the overall situation matters most" silently in his heart, Lu Ying resisted the urge to slap him. "Both the large and small coffins have been opened. Miss He died with her unborn child—a double tragedy. The smaller coffin is empty; the child's body is missing. Go take a look."
Wang Daxia shrank back in the carriage. "I'm not looking at any corpses! That's too terrifying. Miss He died unjustly. I've heard that pregnant female ghosts are the most fierce and vicious. Add the little ghost in her belly—buy one get one free—that's double the malevolence! Thousand Household Chen and his son must have been killed by vengeful spirits seeking their lives!"
What a fucking genius at solving cases!
Lu Ying felt that asking Wang Daxia for his opinion was worse than asking a dog.
At least dogs aren't afraid of ghosts and wouldn't attribute everything to supernatural beings.
Wang Daxia grew more enthusiastic as he spoke: "It must be vengeful spirits claiming lives! Chen Dalao died after sunset, and Thousand Household Chen died at midnight—both at night. Vengeful ghosts don't dare come out during the day; they specifically emerge at night to claim lives."
"Old Woman Wang was dragged into the water and drowned by a vengeful ghost while washing clothes at night."
"The study attendant was struck dead by heavenly lightning summoned by a vengeful ghost performing dark arts during a stormy night."
Lu Ying couldn't bear to listen to Wang Daxia's superstitious nonsense disturbing morale any longer and snapped angrily, "Get lost! Stop spouting nonsense here."
"Fine, I'm leaving." Covered from head to toe with amulets and clutching a Bronze Buddha, Wang Daxia climbed out of the carriage and onto his horse. "This place has vengeful ghosts—I don't want to stay here a moment longer. Farewell!"
Wang Daxia hastily spurred his horse away. Lu Ying didn't stop him, thinking to himself that the further this plague god went, the better.
Lu Ying commanded, "Gather the remains and take them to the Imperial Guard Office. They're all evidence."
Wang Daxia galloped all the way, entering the city through Zhengyang Gate, his expression shifting from fear to anxiety.
Riding from the south of the city to the north, his horse was nearly exhausted and foaming at the mouth. When he finally reached West Drum Tower Street, he went to a clothing store, bought a set of women's garments, changed into them, then led his horse to the Three Thoroughfares Inn.
Dressed as a woman, Wang Daxia dismounted and tossed the reins to the attendant at the door. "Feed and water my horse, and take good care of it."
Wang Daxia booked a room and gave the waiter half a string of coins as a errand fee. Lowering his voice, he said, "I'm not feeling well. Go to Sweetwater Lane and fetch a female physician named Wei Caiwei to treat me."
The waiter, having received the money, dashed off quickly. Sweetwater Lane wasn't far from there and had only two households: one was Wang Commander's residence, and the other was a modest courtyard with a small gate. A triangular flag hung at the entrance, bearing the words "Gynecological Master."
This must be the one!
The waiter knocked on the door. "Is Doctor Wei home?"
Wei Caiwei opened the door, and the waiter explained that a guest had specifically requested her to come treat him.
Wei Caiwei didn't want to go internally, as she was contemplating how to reconcile with Wang Daxia. But since she was already on the Embroidered Uniform Guard's suspect list, to avoid raising suspicion, she had to maintain the appearance of a newly-arrived itinerant physician in the capital striving to build her practice.
An itinerant physician who hadn't yet made a name for herself couldn't afford to turn away business.
Wei Caiwei slung her silk bag over her shoulder, put on a veil hat to shield against willow catkins, and spun her Tiger Crutch. "Let's go."
Three Thoroughfares Inn, Room No. 2, Heaven Grade.
The waiter knocked gently on the door. "Honored guest, Doctor Wei has arrived."A woman's soft voice came from inside the room, sounding somewhat weary, "Let her in. The door isn't locked."
The waiter fawned, "The inn can prepare and decoct medicine for you, guest. Just a small tip would suffice."
Wang Daxia suppressed his voice, "I know. You may leave."
After the waiter left, Wei Caiwei pushed the door open and saw a tall, elegant beauty standing by the window. She was instantly shocked: She looks so much like Wang Daxia! But I've never heard he had a sister?
"Quick, lock the door," Wang Daxia resumed his normal tone.
Witnessing Wang Daxia's sudden transformation, Wei Caiwei had a bad premonition: This deadbeat husband rented a room to lure me here—what does he want to do!
Could it be... an affair?
This scoundrel!
Wang Daxia stated, "You are Miss He Er. To avenge your sister, you killed Old Woman Wang, Chen Dalao, and Thousand Household Chen, one after another."
Caught off guard with her true identity exposed like a bolt from the blue, Wei Caiwei—with the mental age of fifty, weathered by life's hardships and possessing ample composure—felt her heart churning like a pot of boiling porridge, yet she feigned surprise on the surface:
"What nonsense are you talking about, Officer Wang? And why are you dressed as a woman?"
Wang Daxia's first attempt at bluffing failed, but he trusted his judgment. "Stop pretending in front of me. I'm here to save you."
Wang Daxia recounted how Lu Bing, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had asked for his help in solving the case yesterday. He went to Huaqingchi Gambling Den to interrogate Chen Dalao's bookboy, who confessed that his former master had committed the scandal of raping his ex-fiancée, Miss He.
"...We rushed to West Sanli River overnight to find the accomplice Old Woman Wang, only to discover it was exactly the seventh day after her death. Today, the Embroidered Uniform Guard opened your family's graves, conducted an autopsy, and confirmed your sister died with her unborn child. Your coffin was empty."
To think this deadbeat husband is helping the Embroidered Uniform Guard track me down!
It's truly like the dragon king's temple being washed away by a flood—family not recognizing family!
In this life, we haven't even reunited as husband and wife, and now he wants to uphold justice at the expense of kinship?
Wei Caiwei was seething inside but maintained a calm tone, "I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Wei Caiwei, from Tieling. I have a household certificate as proof. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't believe me, they can send a pigeon post to Tieling Garrison to check my background. My family is of clean reputation and can withstand any investigation. Don't make groundless accusations and wrong an innocent person."
"I saw the suspect list in Lu Ying's carriage," Wang Daxia stared intently at Wei Caiwei. "Among all the guests who stayed at Resemblance Inn that night, only your age matches Miss He Er's—both seventeen. Single women staying at inns are rare to begin with; most are middle-aged women accompanied by servants."
"Moreover, since the day you entered the capital, three murders have occurred consecutively. Can all this be a coincidence? If I can figure it out, the Embroidered Uniform Guard certainly can. You are the prime suspect, and you're in great danger."
Wang Daxia pointed out the window, "Although Lu Ying is rigid and conservative, as straight-laced as an old pedant, he is meticulous and highly suspicious. Yesterday, he superficially let you go but actually sent spies to follow you. Now your every move is under his surveillance. That's why I didn't dare visit you directly and instead disguised myself as a woman, asking the waiter to invite you to the inn to talk."
Hearing this, Wei Caiwei thought to herself: This kid finally shows some of the wisdom he had in his previous life as the Chief of the Eastern Depot.Wei Caiwei said, "I am not Miss He Er, you've mistaken me for someone else. Even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard interrogates me a second time, or sends someone to Tieling to investigate my background, I am not afraid. Many people from my hometown will testify for me. Though I may be unknown in the capital, in Tieling, patients often seek me out at Xiangya Mountain for treatment, drawn by my reputation."
Wang Daxia urgently replied, "It doesn't matter if you're the living deity of Tieling! When has the Embroidered Uniform Guard ever reasoned with anyone? Lu Ying is driven by ambition, eager to solve the case and earn merit in front of Lord Lu. He arrested you and threw you into the Embroidered Uniform Guard Prison, which is notorious. Once they start torturing you, even the toughest bones can't withstand it, let alone a delicate and charming widow like you!"
"Whether you're the real culprit or not, whether you're Miss He Er or not, if the Embroidered Uniform Guard says you are, then you are."
This left Wei Caiwei at a loss for words.
She was confident that she had left no evidence behind—neither witnesses nor physical proof.
But it was no secret that the Embroidered Uniform Guard disregarded evidence and reason.
They were fully capable of extracting a confession under torture, and even if she gritted her teeth and refused to confess, they could force her thumbprint onto a false confession.
Wang Daxia took off his female attire. "We need to swap clothes quickly. I'll pretend to be you, lower the veil on my hat, and use the Tiger Crutch to divert the attention of those watching. You dress as me, take the key to check out, and ride my horse out of the capital."
"Hurry up and change! If Lu Ying sends someone to arrest you, it'll be too late to escape," Wang Daxia urged. "You've helped me several times—consider this me repaying the favor... Besides, if I were Miss He Er, I'd have killed those bastards too."
"You must leave now; there's no time to go back and pack your belongings." Wang Daxia pulled a banknote from the hidden layer of his sleeve. "This is a five-hundred-tael silver note I deposited at the Three-Link Bank. Use it sparingly, and it should ensure you a lifetime of warmth and sustenance."
Author's Note: Today, Wang Daxia's husband energy is off the charts. Wei Caiwei hails from the big city of Tieling, named after the Tieling Garrison established there by Hongwu Emperor, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, much like Tianjin is called Tianjin Guard. Caiwei lives on Xiangya Mountain in Tieling, so a battle song should ring out now: "My hometown is in this village" Instantly, it feels grounded.
As for Wei Caiwei's opportunities in the Northeast over the past decade, I've actually dropped heavy hints earlier about the influential figure she encountered, but no one paid much attention. No worries, though—I'll reveal it gradually. In fact, Tieling is a pretty obvious clue...
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