Chapter 23 The He Family Injustice (Part 1) Meng Shu! He killed Madam He…

Meng Shu hurriedly said, "I have been following her for several days, so I know that you have already told her about Li Niang."

Shangguan Yu showed no mercy, rebuking, "How dare you face her? She's been imprisoned in the manor for so long, have you even gone to look for her?"

Meng Shu hurriedly stepped forward, "How could I not have gone? Ever since she stopped seeing me, I've been going every other day. Doesn't she know?"

The He family truly kept this matter a secret. If she hadn't happened to see Meng Shu being driven away by the guards that day, she would have been kept in the dark just like He Li.

Shangguan Yu angrily retorted again, "If you hadn't argued with her that day, how could she be lying here now?!"

Wang Yan and the other two exchanged glances, realizing that Meng Shu was indeed hiding something.

Meng Shu spoke with a pained expression, "I was wrong that day. When I heard about her marriage to that young master of the Gu family, I lost my temper and yelled at her a couple of times, and she never came again. I'm just that despicable..."

Shangguan Yu held back her tears, flicked her sleeves, and walked forward.

"The He family abandoned Sister Li in a mass grave. I couldn't bear to see her rest in peace, so I hired someone to place her next to Daming Temple. At least... she still has the Buddha's protection."

“They actually abandoned her in the mass grave…” Meng Shu clenched her sleeves, her fingertips trembling.

Li Changling frowned. "They don't even care about dignity after death. Are they really my biological parents?"

Shangguan Yu said bitterly, "The current eldest daughter-in-law of the He family is not Sister Li's biological mother. Her biological mother passed away nine years ago. The matriarch of the He family... treats her badly."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, only sighs escaping their lips. Emerging from the dimly lit woods, they saw a coffin placed in the moonlight ahead.

"With green mountains behind her and flowing water in her arms, far away from trouble, she will be happy."

Shen Minghuai's voice, like moonlight, gently fell upon the person who had just emerged from the shadows.

“I only bought Phoebe zhennan wood to let her body decompose slowly. I originally planned to bury her and erect a tombstone after the storm had passed, but the He family has been keeping a close eye on her…” The moonlight turned into a bowl of medicine and went down her throat, making Shangguan Yu’s lips and teeth feel bitter.

Meng Shu walked over blankly, knelt before the coffin, and pleaded, "May I see her one last time, just one last time..."

Although Shangguan Yu was reluctant, she still agreed. The coffin was heavy, and it took five people working together to barely move the lid.

Moonlight poured down as He Li lay in the coffin with her eyes closed. Meng Shu burst into tears, her blue robe soaked with tears. Since the coffin was sealed four months ago, Shangguan Yu had not seen her again. She covered her face, turned her back, and stood there sobbing.

A foul stench assaulted her nostrils, and for the first time, Wang Yan had a clear understanding of the word "death." It was so near, so ordinary. One day, death would come on the wind, and she would simply vanish like the wind. Unable to bear watching any longer, Wang Yan retreated to Li Changling's side.

Li Changling, a man who had always lived a life of constant danger and life-or-death struggles, had seen it all before. Knowing that she had not yet grasped the impermanence of life, he gently patted her back, offering silent comfort. Wang Yan clutched Li Changling's clothes tightly, hoping to reassure her beloved that she was still alive.

Shangguan Yu wiped away her tears, took out a letter from her bosom, and handed it to Meng Shu.

“I didn’t want to give you this letter as she wished, but ultimately it is up to you two to resolve your own issues.”

Meng Shu took it shakily and opened it by the moonlight.

"Pinglang, I must break my promise. I once said that after meeting you, I finally found the little girl who resembled He Li, the one my mother was when she was still alive. Although you don't know your origins and your journey here was difficult, I will always be there for you, and I will never let you be alone again. I only recently realized that He Li can never be the same again. From the moment my mother passed away, He Li was no longer me. The marriage agreement with the Gu family was not my wish, and it has now been dissolved. I regret what I did that day, but I will never have the chance to apologize to you in person. I have never blamed you, but I have never forgiven myself either. In the future, you must go to Daming Temple more often and keep an eye on that child for me. Don't think about taking him out; just let him be a good little monk and grow up peacefully in the temple. This letter is the last. Do not worry about me."

New tear stains spread across the paper, layer upon layer like ripples. Meng Shu leaned against the coffin, sobbing uncontrollably.

"She said she never blamed me... but she never... forgave herself..."

"How could you be so stupid! How could you be so stupid!"

Wang Yan could no longer understand the meaning of the word "love".

Meng Shu suddenly stood up, grabbed Shangguan Yu, and asked, "Where's the child? What happened to the child?!"

"Did your sister tell you?"

Meng Shu showed the letter to Shangguan Yu, but before she had finished reading it, she burst into tears again.

"The child... is gone... my sister hanged herself... the child went with her..."

"Hanging?!" Meng Shu couldn't believe it. She pressed her face against the coffin and examined it closely. "Impossible... absolutely impossible... how could Li Niang hang herself!"

Shangguan Yu gradually calmed down, "I don't believe it either. How could someone as open-minded as my sister... I consulted the monk on the day of the ritual."

He only said, "Only when both attachments are emptied can one reach the other shore." My sister's face was filled with sorrow when she passed away. I thought it was because you disappointed her and made her lose the will to live.

Li Changling seized the opportunity to ask, "Is it Master Jingxin?"

Shangguan Yu was astonished, "How did you know, young hero?"

Li Changling casually brushed it off with the words "I heard".

“She wouldn’t…she wouldn’t…she wouldn’t do this before the child is born. You know her, you should understand the meaning of this letter.” Meng Shu had been in great pain ever since she read the letter.

How could Shangguan Yu not know? But she's dead now...

"You're the one who ruined her! Why did you let her get pregnant with your child?"

Shen Minghuai appeared beside Wang Yan at some point, facing the light, and suddenly spoke, tearing a bloody gash in the moonlight.

"Those who die by hanging have black lips and mouth, open skin revealing teeth, and must have struggled between life and death during the hanging process. The hanging mark would not be just a clear line, but rather an inverted figure eight. The eyeballs are sunken, the face is drooping, and the fingernails are light blue. Lady He may have died from excessive blood loss."

Shangguan Yu and Meng Shu exclaimed in unison in shock, "Too much blood loss?!"

Li Changling was quite surprised, "You can perform autopsies?"

Was he wrongfully killed?! Wang Yan's curiosity, however, did not lead her to take that step.

I know a little bit about it.

Shen Minghuai took half a step forward, half of his body blocking Wang Yan's way. Their hands, which were hanging down naturally, accidentally touched each other, and then simultaneously withdrew and clenched into fists.

"This is still just my guess; we need to find a coroner to verify it."

Wang Yan was not afraid, but he opened his hand and gently tugged at the hem of his sleeve, suggesting, "What do you two think? We know the prefect, so we can ask him for help with the autopsy. That way, we won't alarm the He family."

Meng Shu clenched her fists, her voice trembling, "I must find out the truth about Li Niang's death."

Shangguan Yu's face was as pale as paper. "Then I'll have to trouble the three of you..."

The next morning, Li Changling rushed to the prefectural office and briefly explained the whole story. He Fan immediately selected an experienced coroner and four yamen runners to examine the body near Daming Temple. Wang Yan and Shen Minghuai were already waiting there, along with a nanny.

Wang Yan searched everywhere, "Where is Young Hero Li?"

A constable replied, "A sudden murder has occurred, and Young Hero Li has gone to the scene with the military advisor."

Wang Yan muttered softly again, "Meng Shu didn't come either."

"Perhaps she doesn't dare to face the truth on the spot." Shen Minghuai glanced at her sideways. "She can even grab my clothes during the day."

Wang Yan glared at him and retorted in a low voice, "I'm not afraid!"

Shen Minghuai nodded with some skepticism.

The coroner examined the body and concluded that "the deceased had lividity on his neck, back, waist, buttocks, and limbs. His mouth and tongue were normal, and his skin was as white as silk. The preliminary judgment is that he did not die from poisoning or hanging. The time of death was four months ago. Thank you for your help."

The coroner immediately examined the body, and everyone except the coroner turned away. The cause of death was clear. The coroner ultimately determined that the deceased had suffered a miscarriage and died from excessive blood loss.

Shen Minghuai gave the old woman a silver ingot, saying, "What should I say, and what shouldn't I say—"

"Yes! Yes! I understand." The old woman happily tucked the item into her clothes. "Thank you, young master. If you need this kind of work again, please feel free to ask me for help."

The old woman left with a beaming smile, and Wang Yan couldn't help but frown slightly. Why were there still people so eager to take on this kind of job?

Shen Minghuai seemed to see through her, and subconsciously reached out to pat her head, "It's just about making a living, don't think so much."

Wang Yan nodded thoughtfully, then belatedly dodged his hand, cleared her throat, and asked again, "Where did you learn this skill?"

"Having met that person from the Dali Temple so many times, I've gradually picked up some of his ideas."

The one from the Dali Temple… Wang Yan didn’t quite understand at first. What was so taboo about those two words? Blood is thicker than water; weren’t they already bound together?

Inside the private room, Shangguan Yu got up, paced back and forth, then sat down again, then got up again, repeating this for half an hour until Shen Minghuai and Wang Yan finally returned to Linjiangxian.

What was the result?

Seeing her anxiously furrowed brows, Wang Yan found it hard to bear telling her the truth. Shen Minghuai informed her that the cause of death was excessive blood loss leading to a miscarriage.

"I misunderstood him." Shangguan Yu's eyes dimmed for a moment, then she grabbed Wang Yan's sleeve, her emotions running high, and said, "Meng Shu! He killed Madam He!"

"Meng Shu, do you plead guilty?"

"Confess?" Meng Shu, whose hands were bound, sneered. "She should have died long ago!"

"What did you say!" Li Changling stopped Xu Xun, the military advisor, who was burning with anger.

Yang Jiezhou slammed his gavel down, shouting, "How dare you, Meng Shu! Laughter is forbidden in the courtroom. Where were you yesterday at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)?"

"I was just about to go out when I heard the watchman strike the fourth watch gong. Where do you think I am?" Meng Shu lowered her head, looking as if she had given up on defending herself.

Yang Jiezhou then asked, "Are you going to the Elephant Maiden's Pavilion?"

"Yes. Can't I go back to get something?"

"What do you need to retrieve in the middle of the night?"

Meng Shu countered, "Isn't this irrelevant to this case?"

Yang Jiezhou continued calmly, "Alright, then tell me, why did Xu hang herself in your room?"

"How should I know? I opened the door and saw a hanged ghost. I was even wondering how she ended up dying in my house. What bad luck!"

"You!" Xu Xun suppressed his anger and withdrew his hand.

The gavel fell again, and Yang Jiezhou said sternly, "There are no signs of damage to the door lock, and no signs of climbing outside the window. Who else could open your door besides you and the person in charge?"

Meng Shu thought about it carefully for a moment, "There are probably no survivors. When I arrived at the Elephant Maiden's Inn, the door lock had already been opened. I was worried about who would steal the lock and come to steal things from me."

"Are there any alive? What about the dead?"

A note from the author:

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The autopsy was based on references to "The Washing Away of Wrongs".