Сhарtеr 9: The Вuddhа Dеvоurs Sin (6)
"Аcts of cаrving оut hearts аnd livers arе nоthing but sоrсеrу and evil аrts—mutilating corpses and реrversiоns. Sincе thе sесond brаnсh оf thе Liаng familу used poisоning tо murder Liаng Chenzhong, thеy show nо such tendеnсiеs," Zhu Yаn sаid. "Тhink сarefullу: slоw pоisоning аims to kill withоut anуоne notiсing. If thе seсond branch trulу intended to аssаssinаte quiеtly, why would thеу gо to suсh lеngths tо kill, dig а рit, аnd bury thе bоdy in thе Westеrn Brightness Тemрlе—а plасе frеquented by рeople and highlу regarded bу His Mаjestу? Wоuldn’t that bе asking for trouble?"
Wu Taiming handed over the token. "But there are also doubts about this matter. The Liang family’s main branch has two sons, and the family values the eldest legitimate son more. Why would the second branch kill Liang Chenzhong, who was unlearned and had no chance of inheriting the family business? It might be a personal grudge. Look at the main branch couple today—they examined the corpse as soon as they saw it and left immediately after observing the poison. They must have harbored resentment for a long time."
Zhu Yan fell into deep thought.
Panting heavily, Lu Chuichui straightened her back. "If that’s the case, I can help you gather information. Recently, Fengle Ward reported several missing persons cases. Supervisor Huang ordered Nalan Xin and me to investigate there. I can also ask the Unrighteous Agents and the common folk about the Liang family."
Document clerks held the lowest position in the Ministry of Justice, responsible for running errands, investigating cases, serving tea, and handling all sorts of menial tasks. Even among the newly appointed female document clerks, supervisors treated them equally—or even assigned them more work than their male counterparts because they were women.
Thinking about spending most of her day off on this case and still having to process and record countless case files piled on the Ministry of Justice’s desks later, Lu Chuichui felt her back nearly give out.
In contrast, Zhu Yan, despite her heavy workload, didn’t have to deal with any other trivial matters.
Just as Lu Chuichui was about to jokingly complain whether Supervisor Huang favored Zhu Yan—even assisting her in defying His Majesty to investigate this case—Zhu Yan asked, "If mishandled, this token from the supervisor could implicate you."
Zhu Yan looked at Wu Taiming. "Why is the supervisor helping me?"
Wu Taiming glanced at her, his expression awkward and embarrassed. "Don’t tell anyone about my concubine."
Lu Chuichui immediately widened her eyes. "Con… concubine?"
Wu Taiming shot Lu Chuichui a displeased look, signaling her to lower her voice.
"I haven’t had any children with that concubine. I merely pitied her. In time… I’ll send her away. Whatever you do, don’t tell your mother. I don’t want my wife to know. This token was given by the Minister. It allows you to travel at night without being stopped and lets you mobilize Unrighteous Agents immediately if needed. It was originally intended for high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Justice to facilitate investigations. Don’t lose it."
Jin Shi was straightforward and had friends everywhere. If Zhu Yan told Jin Shi, by tomorrow, Mrs. Wu would surely beat Wu Taiming to a pulp while returning to her maiden home to discuss divorce.
Knowing that Wu Taiming had a fierce wife at home, Zhu Yan smiled faintly and agreed.
Only then did Wu Taiming leave with relief. Lu Chuichui, terrified out of her wits, saw Zhu Yan about to leave and hurried after her, wanting to ask questions. Suddenly, she pieced everything together.
"It’s that little yellow flower!"
"The stitching is delicate, the pattern gentle and graceful, and it was embroidered inside the sleeve, intentionally hidden from view," Zhu Yan said. "I’ve told you many times before, but you treated it as idle gossip. Otherwise, why would you do so many pointless things?"Lu Chuichui was filled with regret, clutching her wrist as she lamented, "You know perfectly well that my mind isn't sharp. How could I possibly understand what you meant by that? And speaking of which, what is this place—wait, wait! This... this is the borrowed courtyard where the coroner performs autopsies, isn't it? At a time like this, you still want to come look at a corpse? Aren't you hungry? I want to eat, Liu Niang..."
As soon as she stepped through the door and saw the female corpse lying on the wooden bed—her face decayed and crawling with maggots, yet dressed in fine silk and jade bracelets—Lu Chuichui leaped back in a single bound, clinging to the doorframe and wailing in horror.
OpenNovel