章節 30: Yun Shu
編輯: Atlas Studios
The carriage went into the courtyard rented in advance.
Everyone got out of the car and gathered in the front yard after they washed up.
The monastery official who came to hand over the case hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed.
Feng Lisheng raised his hand. "Lord Chen, there's no need to be so polite. Tell me about the case."
Lord Chen of the Dali Monastery looked hesitantly at Shen Mingjiao, who was beside Feng Lisheng.
Feng Lisheng waved his hand. "It's fine. The Princess Consort is one of us."
Lord Chen suppressed the surprise in his heart and opened the dossier to explain the case.
"Let's talk about the family massacre case first. The earliest incident happened with the Fang family, which is the richest family in Luo Capital, two weeks ago. None of the masters and servants in the residence survived. The fatal injuries were all on their necks and examining their wounds, we've tentatively confirmed that they were bitten by animals."
Lord Chen shuddered at the thought of the terrifying red color at the crime scene.
"Based on the scene and the wound, the victims did not resist when they were alive. Furthermore, based on the autopsy done by the coroner, there were no traces of poisoning."
"According to the description by the neighbors, there were no other sounds or movements apart from some barking that night."
"Three days after the incident, the Luo Capital Magistrate Residence and the Subprefect Residence were destroyed one after another. The methods used were all the same."
Shen Mingjiao sucked in a breath of cold air. That means all the people had been bitten to death.
At the same time, she raised a question. "Then is it possible that these people were drugged with knockout powder? The kind that is colorless and odorless."
Unlike poison, knockout powder was very difficult to detect.
"Princess Consort, you might not know this, but humans have a subconscious mind. Even if they're severely unconscious, their bodies will struggle instinctively unless they're killed with a single stab. The victim's throat was torn apart for at least ten breaths."
Feng Lisheng tapped his fingers on the table. "Are there any witnesses?"
Lord Chen said hesitantly, "A young beggar saw a white shadow fly into the courtyard on the night when the Magistrate's Residence was destroyed, but that young beggar's brain isn't functioning very well."
Feng Lisheng said, "Get him a place to settle down. He's the only witness."
"Tell me about the missing treasures in the treasury."
Lord Chen flipped open another dossier and his expression was clearly much more solemn. "Five days ago, the Luo Capital's treasury was completely looted. It was estimated to hold 20 million taels."
Feng Wu gasped. Everyone said that the Luo Capital was rich, and this was indeed true. The Great Xia's treasury only had 100 million taels.
"All the soldiers guarding the treasury were killed with the same method as those in the massacre case. All the officials in Luo Capital were detained."
After saying that, he handed Feng Lisheng all the dossiers. "Since His Highness has sent you to take over this case, I am not relieved."
Feng Lisheng took them. "Lord Chen, you've worked hard."
Lord Chen heaved a sigh of relief. Since the Emperor had sent the Prince to take over this case, it could only mean that this case involved some inhumane secrets. It was better for him not to get involved.
After Lord Chen left, Feng Lisheng asked the others, "Tell me your thoughts on this case."
Shen Mingjiao held her chin lazily. "It's obvious that the murderer is not human."
Feng Lisheng glanced at her, as if asking if she could be more serious at such a time.
Shen Mingjiao leaned against the recliner and said, "Otherwise, it could be like how the books describe it. Someone has the ability to use music and rhythms to make animals kill people."
The corners of Feng Wu's mouth twitched. "Princess Consort, that's all fabricated by scholars. Forget everything else. If there's really such a practice that allows one to control animals, wouldn't he be able to win the battle without sacrificing a single soldier if he controls the enemy's warhorses and counterattacks his enemies?"
Shen Mingjiao said, "Then how can we explain why so many people were killed silently? There can't really be a demon!"
In the end, Feng Lisheng took Feng Wu and the others to the crime scene to look for clues.
Shen Mingjiao was left to pluck the leaves in the empty courtyard out of boredom.
She wanted to go out and shop, but now that this had happened, everyone in the Luo Capital was living in fear. The shops on the streets were basically closed.
In the end, she called a few old maids who were sweeping the courtyard over. She took out silver ingots from her pouch and asked them to tell her some interesting stories in the city. Whoever was a good storyteller would be rewarded.
The old women who usually did hard labor had never experienced such a good thing. Immediately, they spoke with their gossip-loving and eloquent mouths, and expressed themselves with great emotions.
However, these people were born at the bottom of the society and they had limited knowledge. They only talked about mothers-in-law who tortured their daughters-in-law, widows who cheated on their husbands, and stuff about whoever's sister-in-law and brother-in-law…
At first, the content was fresh, but their descriptions were too exaggerated and they kept repeating the few sentences.
Shen Mingjiao leaned lazily on the chaise lounge and listened until she was sleepy.
Seeing that the Madam of the main family was dissatisfied, they glanced at the silver ingot and racked their brains to recall the most interesting gossip in the Luo Capital. Someone thought of something and clapped excitedly.
"Let's talk about Official Zhao from the Luo Capital. He's definitely a handsome man comparable to the jade-faced Pan An!"
Someone did not want to be outdone. She immediately said, "Not only that, but Official Zhao is also very love-struck!"
Haitang asked curiously, "How love-struck is he? Are there no concubines in the residence?"
The expression of the person who spoke stiffened. She smiled and said, "Oh, nah… Official Zhao has a wife and a concubine…"
Haitang pursed her lips. "He has a concubine, why are you still talking about him being love-struck!"
However, the woman continued to narrate excitedly, "The relationship between Official Zhao and Aunt Lian is really touching!"
Haitang was dumbfounded.
What? Have the times changed? When did the love between a man and a mistress become something to feel moved about?!
Shen Mingjiao's interest was piqued and she sat up straight. Seeing this, the woman put in greater effort in her narration.
"Let me begin from what happened five years ago. The families of Official Zhao and Mrs. Zhao were long-time friends. Later on, their parents arranged a marriage for the two of them.
Unexpectedly, the Zhao family was suddenly imprisoned, and Mrs. Zhao's family was afraid of being implicated. So, they immediately broke off the engagement with the Zhao family.
On the other hand, Lady Zhao's maidservant, Cai Lian, had spent all the money she had saved over the years to save Official Zhao. In order to overturn the court's decision on Official Zhao's case, she often knelt in the rain and did not get up. Finally, the imperial envoy who had come to investigate the case was touched.
In the end, after finding out the truth, Official Zhao was also promoted to a governor of Luo Capital because he had cooperated with the authorities to solve the case.
When Mrs. Zhao's family saw that Official Zhao had become rich, they shamelessly came over to propose a remarriage. On account of the former friendship between the two families, Official Zhao reluctantly agreed to the marriage, but he took Cai Lian as his noble concubine and doted on her to the extreme."
Haitang felt that although it sounded quite beautiful, it felt indescribably strange. She thought for a moment and asked, "Then what happened to Mrs. Zhao?"
The woman laughed disdainfully. "The two of them have been married for five years. I heard that Official Zhao has never stayed overnight in Mrs. Zhao's courtyard. Ha! She deserves it. She was the one who wanted to break off the engagement when she saw that her fiancé's family was in trouble…"
Haitang felt that this was not wrong, but she also felt that perhaps Mrs. Zhao did not know what exactly happened at that time.
Shen Mingjiao lowered her eyes lazily. She thought that this story would definitely sell well if it was polished up and written into a book.
After all, the vulnerable female lead with a lowly position had suddenly turned her life around!
The female supporting character, who was the daughter of a rich family, was a selfish and vain person who despised her husband's family when faced with adversity!
With such a plot and character design, it was hard for it to not become popular.
However… the two of them were not married at that time. Her fiancé's family could very possibly be exiled or even beheaded, so while it was a little heartless of them to break off the engagement, it was justifiable.
It can't be that she could only prove her love by dying with him?!
Also… when did the imperial envoy become so easy to talk to?
Forget about her kneeling in the rain for a long time, she would probably be thrown out by the government officials before she could even bend her knees. In fact, she might even have been beaten up.
At this moment, another person lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "A while ago, I heard that someone sent our Official Zhao a bawd called Yun Shu. I heard that she had a curvy figure and was very beautiful!"
Shen Mingjiao's originally nonchalant expression froze. She held her pounding heart and looked up. She stared at the person who spoke. "What did you say the bawd's name was?"
That person was so frightened that she took a step back and stammered, "I… I heard it from someone…"
Shen Mingjiao stuffed the silver ingot into her hand and urged, "Tell me, how much do you know about Yun Shu?"
That person was overjoyed. She held the silver and thought for a moment. "I heard that Yun Shu is one of the eight beauties of Qinhuai in Jiangnan. She's 19 years old this year and is very beautiful. She's just like…"
She glanced at Shen Mingjiao. When she came back to her senses, she quickly shut her mouth and lowered her head in panic.
Shen Mingjiao couldn't care about all of these. Her heart was already racing.
Her mother's surname was Yun, and her sister hated the people in the Duke Mansion. When she was young, she often said in a fit of pique that she wanted to change her name to Yun Shu. Moreover, her appearance and age matched…
Could she really be her sister!
She asked a few more questions carefully. Seeing that she could not get anything else out of the old maid, she rewarded each of the old maids with some silver and sent them away.
However, she paced around the courtyard anxiously. She thought of something and shouted in a certain direction, "Wang Dashan."
As soon as she said that, the skinny Wang Dashan landed silently from the eaves in the opposite building.
Shen Mingjiao instructed him, "Investigate someone for me."
Wang Dashan shook his head. "His Highness has instructed me to stay behind to protect the Princess Consort."
Shen Mingjiao held her forehead. "Then can you bring me to His Highness?"
Wang Dashan shook his head and answered straight, "His Highness has gone to the Southern Yi Manor in the city. Without his orders, I cannot take you there on my own accord."
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