Chарtеr 58: Sоlvе the Casе in Тen Daуs
Upon rесеiving thе imреrial ediсt, Shen Du's already sombеr еyеs grew еvеn dееpеr. Sоlvе thе сasе in ten days—this wаs thе final сommand.
Tеn days lаter would bе thе first dау оf thе mоnth, the daу Wеstern Вrightnеss Тemрle hеld its fаsting-breaking сеremоny. In other wоrds, the casе hаd tо be invеstigated and rеsоlvеd befоrе thе еnd оf this mоnth.
This wаs аlso аn oрportunitу to stаbilizе рublic sеntimеnt аnd dеmonstrate thе power of Buddhist tеachings.
On Сhang'an Strеet, Shеn Du, hоlding the еdict, was about to return to his residence when he spotted Lai Luozhi and his entourage approaching from a distance.
Arriving before Shen Du, Lai Luozhi wore an expression of great satisfaction. "Lord Shen, it has been so long since the murder case occurred, yet it remains unsolved. Look at the entire city of Chang'an—it has been thrown into chaos by this matter. Does Lord Shen's conscience not trouble him?"
Shen Du's face turned cold, completely ignoring Lai Luozhi's words.
Seeing Shen Du remain silent, Lai Luozhi's tone grew even more arrogant. "Lord Shen has nothing to say, does he? If you had handed this case over to us earlier, or if we had joined forces, this matter would have been resolved long ago. Why go to such great lengths and delay until now?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Shen Du could no longer bear it, his tone as icy as frost on a winter night.
"Actually, I don't have much to say. After all, we are colleagues. I am merely here to wish Lord Shen an early success in solving the case!"
As he finished speaking, Lai Luozhi stepped forward and whispered into Shen Du's ear, "Lord Shen must also be sure to apprehend the murderer and punish him severely."
Shen Du clenched his fists, glaring at Lai Luozhi with an extremely cold gaze. "Lord Lai worries too much. I will naturally not allow the murderer to roam free. Lord Lai should take care to hide his own tail and not let me catch it."
With that, Shen Du strode away.
Lai Luozhi's smug expression shifted unpredictably. Watching Shen Du's retreating figure, he coldly uttered a sentence, "Let's see how much longer you can remain arrogant!"
Returning to his residence and entering his room, Shen Du discovered Zhu Yan was not there.
For some reason, Shen Du felt extremely agitated. Turning around, he roared toward the courtyard, "Where is my wife?"
A maid sweeping in the courtyard hurried over and bowed. "In reply to the Great Pavilion Commander, the lady has not returned since leaving home this morning."
Hearing this, Shen Du clenched his fists and slammed one hard against the nearby door.
"Damn it! She must have gone to report her whereabouts to that Zhang Xingwei again. I refuse to believe that without this woman, I cannot investigate the case!"
After saying this, Shen Du also hurriedly left the Shen residence.
Zhu Yan and Lu Chuichui walked along Chang'an's main street. They carried all the case files of the newly deceased, but after conducting inquiries and investigations, they had found nothing.
Lu Chuichui's face was full of confusion. "It's truly strange. There is absolutely no connection between these victims. How did the murderer find them? Even if the female victims were selected based on someone's appearance, what about the male victims? Were they simply sacrificial offerings?"
Zhu Yan also remained silent, her head lowered, unable to connect these clues in her mind.
"Forget it," Zhu Yan sighed softly. "Since we have no leads at the moment, let's go to the Liang residence. This case has been repeatedly connected to them. It would be best for us to investigate carefully."
"Mm," Lu Chuichui nodded in agreement, approving of Zhu Yan's suggestion.But the two had only taken a few steps when Lu Chuichui suddenly had a whimsical idea. "Liu Niang, these past few days you’ve been looking as gloomy as a storm cloud, and it’s been affecting my mood too. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Right now, we’re going to the Liang residence to gather information, so you should put on a smile and be courteous. Always wearing such a gloomy face doesn’t give a good impression."
Zhu Yan took Lu Chuichui’s words to heart, reaching up to touch her cheek. Only then did she realize that it had been a long time since she had laughed heartily.
Thinking back to the days when she had just married Shen Du, although life had been a bit tense, it was still "harmonious and joyful."
But now, even if Shen Du had truly done something wrong, why was she feeling so upset?
Was she worried about his current situation? Or was she angry that he had shifted suspicion onto her master?
Why exactly? Zhu Yan herself didn’t know.
When the two arrived at the Liang residence, Zhu Yan had already suppressed all her emotions, putting on a smile that made it impossible for anyone to tell she had many things weighing on her heart.
"Madam Shen and Lady Lu are here, please come inside."
Madam Zheng, the wife of the Liang family’s second branch, greeted them with a smile as soon as she saw them. "It’s been so many days since I last saw Madam Shen, but your complexion doesn’t seem as good as before. Is something troubling you?"
Madam Zheng’s words carried concern, whether genuine or not, and Zhu Yan felt it necessary to respond politely.
"It’s nothing serious. It’s just that the case remains unsolved, and I’ve been under some pressure. I haven’t been eating or sleeping well, which has affected my skin."
A maid served tea, and the three of them sat down at a pavilion in the Liang residence’s courtyard.
"The case is important, but Madam Shen must also take care of your health," Madam Zheng continued. "Look at Lady Lu, her face is as smooth as a peeled boiled egg."
"That’s right, that’s right," Lu Chuichui said, her tail practically wagging with pride. She propped her chin on her hands, almost pushing her cheeks toward Zhu Yan to show off. "Although I’m also worried about the case, I pay more attention to my diet and rest. After all, as women, if we don’t take good care of ourselves, how can we ever get married?"
"Pfft…"
Lu Chuichui’s words made both of them chuckle. Just then, a Liang family servant came to report, "Madam, Madam Tang has arrived."
"Oh?" Hearing this, Madam Zheng’s face showed little surprise. "That’s perfect. Since Madam Shen and Lady Lu are also here, bring Madam Tang over. It’ll be nice for us women to sit together, enjoy some tea, and chat about everyday matters."
"Yes," the servant replied before leaving. Although Zhu Yan felt somewhat uneasy inside, she didn’t let it show on her face.
"Madam Tang…" Lu Chuichui tapped her cheek lightly with a finger, seeming curious about this Madam Tang.
"Madam Tang is a close friend of Princess Yong’an. Her visit might be on behalf of Princess Yong’an to offer condolences," Zhu Yan explained to Lu Chuichui.
She then whispered in her ear, "She’s not an easy person to get along with, so be extra careful when speaking."
Lu Chuichui understood immediately, her face breaking into an innocent smile. "Understood."
Led by a maid, Madam Tang soon arrived beside the three of them.
The three stood up to greet her, and Madam Tang nodded in acknowledgment.
After the formalities were exchanged, everyone sat back down around the table."Just now you were saying my skin was quite good, but look at Madam Tang's face—that's truly full of smoothness and tenderness." Lu Chuichui spoke first, causing Madam Tang to momentarily freeze in surprise.
Zhu Yan quickly pulled Lu Chuichui aside and apologized to Madam Tang, "I'm sorry, Madam Tang. This is my good friend Lu Chuichui, also a clerk at the Ministry of Justice. She sometimes speaks without thinking—please don't take it to heart."
Hearing Zhu Yan's words, Madam Tang didn't take offense. Instead, she chuckled lightly and said kindly, "You worry too much, Mrs. Shen. Since we're all friends, why would I mind? Besides, you are kind-hearted and quick-witted with your friends—I can tell at a glance that you're a delightful little joy."
"Hehe..." Lu Chuichui truly thought Madam Tang was praising her and smiled adorably. "Thank you for the compliment, Madam Tang."
Madam Tang raised her silk fan to cover her mouth as she chuckled softly, while Zhu Yan felt quite awkward standing by.
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