Сhарtеr 159: Тoken
Еаrlу thе nеxt morning, while ехamining the bоdies in the Мinistrу оf Justiсе’s mоrgue, Zhu Yan nоticed something unusual.
This wаs Ji Fаngming’s cоrpsе. Не hаd not bееn dеаd fоr long, уet both the stаtе of dеcay оn the bodу’s surfacе аnd thе соnditiоn оf the internаl оrgans suggеstеd thаt the сorрsе had beеn dеcеased for а much longer timе.
Whаt wаs going оn?
A persоn whо hаd just died соuld nоt роssiblу eхhibit suсh a stаte. Мoreоver, thе skin tissuе оf the соrрsе carried а peculiar fragrаnce.
Desрite being mаsked bу аn ovеrwhelmingly strong odor of decay, she still detected this faint, inexplicable scent.
It was as if the body had been tampered with, an attempt to desperately conceal the truth of the matter.
Zhu Yan could not understand why the murderer would do this. The person was already dead—was there any need to stir up further complications?
Sitting beside the corpse and pondering for a long time, Zhu Yan remained unable to make sense of it. She decided to seek guidance from her master.
Upon arriving at her master’s humble abode, she unexpectedly found Shen Du there as well. The two were leisurely playing a game of chess, seemingly having been there for quite some time.
Shen Du held a black piece in his hand, deep in thought as he studied the chessboard before him, completely unaware of Zhu Yan’s arrival.
Chen Wen, however, noticed Zhu Yan at once. Assuming she had come looking for her husband, Chen Wen was about to alert Shen Du but hesitated, not wanting to disturb his current state of concentration.
Instead, he rose and approached Zhu Yan’s side. “Do you need him for something? If not, let him finish this game before he leaves.”
“I’m not here for him. I’m here for you,” Zhu Yan said, linking her arm with Chen Wen’s like an obedient daughter. “I discovered some clues on the corpse that I don’t quite understand, so I came to seek your advice, Master.”
“Oh? What is it?” Chen Wen inquired, his curiosity piqued.
Zhu Yan furrowed her brow and pinched her chin thoughtfully.
“The corpses clearly haven’t been dead for long, yet the state of decay they exhibit is highly abnormal. Also, there’s a faint fragrance on their skin tissue. Although it’s masked by the smell of decay, something still feels off. Since the scents are mixed, I can’t identify what kind of fragrance it is. But what puzzles me most is—why tamper with a corpse when the person is already dead? Isn’t that too conspicuous?”
Chen Wen lowered his gaze in contemplation. After a moment, as if struck by a thought, a peculiar gleam lit up his eyes.
“The situation you described doesn’t necessarily mean the tampering occurred after death. If someone knew they were doomed, they might have used something on themselves before dying to mislead any subsequent investigation.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan seemed enlightened, her eyes widening instantly. “How did I not think of that? That fragrance might not have appeared after death at all.”
Having found her answer, Zhu Yan was about to leave when, just then, Shen Du placed a black piece on the chessboard with a soft click.
Chen Wen merely glanced at the board from afar and shook his head with a light chuckle. “I heard the two of you established some sort of ‘Three-Chapter Agreement,’ and you even made my disciple promise some ‘Three Delusions,’ Great Pavilion Commander. If you win a game against me today, we’ll cancel one of those delusions. How about it?”
Shen Du was puzzled by Chen Wen’s intention, but as if struck by sudden clarity, he turned and saw Zhu Yan standing beside Chen Wen, her head lowered, not looking at him."Alright." Shen Du agreed readily. Zhu Yan glanced up at him, then quickly tugged at Chen Wen's sleeve. "My husband and I will handle our own affairs. There's no need for you to get involved."
"How can this be called getting involved? Commander Shen hasn't said anything. Look at you—are you afraid I'll bully your husband?"
With that, Chen Wen sat down opposite Shen Du.
The two resumed their game of Go. Zhu Yan pursed her lips and did not leave, as the upcoming match concerned her.
She sat down beside them, quietly watching the two play. Though not highly skilled in Go, she could still tell who was winning or losing.
Time slipped away on the black-and-white board, and the afternoon sun gradually faded into evening twilight.
These three games were exceptionally long, but the outcome left Shen Du deeply dissatisfied.
Across all three games, Shen Du did not win a single one.
Zhu Yan, who had stayed with them until the very end, couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
She had never expected Shen Du to let her off simply because he lost at Go—even if he had lost.
Stretching out her slender, pale fingers to count the rays of evening light filtering through the leaves, she said leisurely, "After all these years, your Go skills haven't improved at all. If anything, they've regressed."
"I think so too. Commander Shen's Go skills are indeed rather ordinary."
Chen Wen smacked his lips, looking meaningfully at Shen Du. Such a small trick couldn't escape his notice in the slightest.
Shen Du's pupils contracted sharply as he placed the white stones back into the wooden box. "Why have you said such things several times? It almost sounds as if we knew each other before."
Zhu Yan calmly took out an exquisite brocade pouch from her bosom, her expression somber as she looked at Shen Du. "That item I gave you back then... I suppose it's long been lost without a trace."
Seeing the pouch in Zhu Yan's hand, Shen Du was filled with astonishment. When Zhu Yan poured out its contents into her palm...
Shen Du frowned. Back when the Shen family was convicted and sent to the Ye Court, a little girl had visited him a few times—no one else.
When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Who would want to befriend the son of a disgraced official? The Ye Court, after all, was a place from which one could never rise again.
That little girl had been quite talkative, with her hair styled in double-fish buns tied with red ribbons, her brows and eyes... At the time, he was immersed in the grief of his family's conviction and being the sole survivor, so he truly had no memory of the girl's appearance.
But this copper whistle—he remembered it. The girl had shown it to him, and because of that, he believed she wasn't there to mock him. He allowed her visits, but after he left the Ye Court, he never saw her again, nor could he find any trace of her.
So, that little girl from his memories—her face blurred, only reaching his chest, chattering incessantly—was Zhu Yan?
Shen Du snatched the copper whistle from Zhu Yan's hand. Seeing the character on the back, his heart trembled violently.
A single character, "Shen"—his father's handwriting from back then.
He didn't know whether to feel joy, sorrow, or excitement; he couldn't even control his own facial expression.
Seeing Shen Du's unusual expression, Zhu Yan quickly snatched the token back. "What are you doing? From your expression, it looks like you want to destroy it?"
Zhu Yan carefully put the token away. Shen Du said nothing more, simply gazing quietly at Zhu Yan in prolonged silence.At that time, he had turned a deaf ear to the young Zhu Yan's incessant chatter. Although he remembered the events in the side courtyard, he could not recall how the copper whistle his father had made ended up in Zhu Yan's hands.
However, he felt too embarrassed to ask, especially with Chen Wen present. Better to wait for a suitable opportunity.
As for the item Zhu Yan had given him back then...
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