Chapter 32 How could the body have disappeared?

The once glorious Shen family home was transformed overnight into a haunted house that struck fear into the hearts of all, its terror surpassing even that of the Northern Ghost Mansion.

The people passing by either took detours or ran along the walls, none daring to approach out of curiosity, fearing that they might be tainted by bad luck and die from evil spirits.

The vast Shen mansion was eerily empty and silent. All the servants had been dismissed, except for the loyal old steward who stayed until the very end, intending to help the young mistress finish the funeral for the old master before leaving. However, early the next morning, he discovered that all the bodies of the Shen family members had vanished without a trace.

There were seven coffins in the mourning hall, six of which were empty, and the other contained the ashes of Young Master Shen.

The old butler was so frightened that he turned pale and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

How could the body have disappeared?

Just as the old steward was at his wit's end, a government official suddenly arrived at the yamen, panting heavily.

Upon learning that the six corpses of the Shen family were missing, the official looked even more terrified than he had been. He turned and ran as if he had seen a ghost, his speed comparable to a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, disappearing in a flash.

The old steward sighed deeply, his chest pounding like a drum, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of his chest. But what he was really thinking about was what kind of thief would come to steal a corpse?

Those grave robbers who dig up graves are only after the burial goods. Stealing corpses is probably just an attempt to extort money and make a hefty sum.

The old steward suddenly realized what was happening and was about to chase after the fleeing official: "Sir, sir, wait! Don't run! We've been robbed! The bodies of my master and mistress have been stolen! I need to report this to the police!"

The chase almost scared the living daylights out of them.

Lu Bing had been risking his life in the Ghost Bureau these past few days and hadn't had time to investigate the strange case involving the Shen family and Sun Xiuniang. As a result, the strange case circled back to the Shen family. After interrogating the night watchman, Lu Bing immediately interrogated the old steward who had come to him of his own accord.

When the old steward learned that there was no thief in the mansion but a resurrected corpse, he was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. It took him a long time to recover under the official authority of Constable Lu.

How did the bodies of the six members of the Shen family disappear?

The old butler wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trembling, and replied in a shaky voice, "I...I don't know."

After his initial shock, Lu Bing gradually calmed down. He sat calmly in his chair, his expression remarkably composed: "Weren't you at the Shen family's house last night? Wasn't there anyone keeping vigil overnight?"

"No one is guarding it." Only he and his young mistress remain in the huge mansion, but there are seven coffins in front of the mourning hall. The yin energy is stronger than the yang energy. Who would dare to guard it?

Anyway, the old housekeeper didn't have the guts, and he also felt he had no obligation to do so.

Besides, the Shen family has no descendants. Well, no, the only descendant is still in the young mistress's belly.

“Young Madam, you absolutely cannot stay at the mourning hall to keep vigil. It's a huge taboo. Funerals are considered inauspicious, and pregnant women should stay far away to avoid being affected by the evil spirits. If the cold enters the body, the Shen family line will truly end. Moreover, Young Madam was overwhelmed with grief and suffered such a shock that she fell ill afterwards. That's why I mustered up the courage to stay and help with the arrangements. I really couldn't bear to abandon her. My late husband treated me well and even provided me with land. I'm not an ungrateful person, and I at least wanted to do my part in the end. Officer Lu, you were both there on the night the Shen family met their end. You all saw it with your own eyes. After such a terrible tragedy, none of the servants dared to stay, not even to lend a hand, no matter how much they were paid.”

All the servants were terrified that night and were determined never to step into the Shen family's gate again. Who knew if there were still blood-sucking, man-eating insects inside? Would they even have a chance to survive if they stayed?!

The old steward couldn't command them, nor could the young mistress, so he simply dismissed the cowardly servants on the spot.

So apart from the night watchman, no one saw the procession of the dead come back to life in the dead of night.

Lu Bing's thoughts were in turmoil. Perhaps Granny Wang, who lived not far from the Qin family, had also seen something, but she had fallen and broken her head and was unconscious. Hei Zi, who had gone to fetch a doctor for her, had not yet returned. He wondered if the old woman was alright.

Lu Bing pressed his throbbing temples, suppressing his exhaustion; he was actually at a loss for what to do.

He glanced at the terrified old butler and suddenly asked, "What exactly is the grudge between Young Master Shen and Sun Xiuniang?"

The old butler was completely bewildered, still gripped by the terror of the master and mistress's supposed resurrection. When suddenly asked about the eldest young master, he barely had time to react.

The massacre of the Shen family was all caused by the eldest son, who was suspected of being kidnapped by Sun Xiuniang and taken to the Ghost Bureau. Combined with the turbulent rumors heard these past two days...

The old steward, his scalp tingling, pieced together the whole story and finally realized that the matter was no small thing. He dared not hide anything any longer and told Lu Bing the truth.

He had previously told Lu Bing that Sun Xiuniang was a skilled embroiderer who did embroidery work at the Shen family's silk shop. Because of her unique needlework, the young mistress particularly liked the patterns she embroidered, so she invited her to the house a few times. This was not a fabricated story.

However, Sun Xiuniang was not only good at embroidery, but also good-looking, making her stand out among a group of unremarkable women.

Such a beautiful woman, with fair skin and graceful demeanor, appeared at the Shen family mansion repeatedly, and naturally won the favor of the young master Shen.

Young Master Shen isn't exactly a saint, but he's not utterly wicked either. He's just a bit of a womanizer. As the old butler put it, "There's nothing wrong with being a little womanizer. It's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines, especially since the Shen family is a prominent household with a certain status."

It's as if it's a matter of course.

Lu Bing disagreed, because his grandparents had been monogamous, and his father had never taken a concubine. Even though his mother passed away early and his father became an official in his prime, with matchmakers practically wearing out his door, Lu's father never considered remarrying.

Although Old Man Lu was a notorious figure in officialdom, he never dabbled in shady dealings and was an extremely unromantic and old-fashioned man. Unmoved by beauty, he stood out as an oddity in the decadent social circles of the capital, and oddities are naturally disliked.

Old Master Lu was too stubborn in upholding the chastity of his deceased wife, and he didn't want to find a stepmother for young Lu Bing, nor did he want to add another woman to the house to be an eyesore.

Old Man Lu had long ago told his son that after he passed away, he wanted to meet his deceased wife with a clear conscience and be buried together with Lu Bing's mother. The couple had been separated for most of their lives, and it would be a perfect ending for them to rest in peace.

With his own father setting a good example, and looking back at the fate of Young Master Shen, Lu Bing thought of the saying "lust is a knife above one's head," a knife that almost wiped out the entire Shen family.

Lu Bingliang said in a cold voice, "Sun Xiuniang is already married, so Young Master Shen is being too inconsiderate."

The old steward agreed, "It is indeed not very respectable." But who could blame him when Sun Xiuniang was so beautiful? A beautiful woman is bound to attract unwanted attention, and she has attracted it quite a bit. Moreover, such a great beauty was married to a penniless man, so she was bound to attract even more attention.

"There's nothing we can do, the young master just happened to take a liking to her."

A beautiful woman should be paired with a talented man. Young Master Shen considers himself a wealthy and talented man, at least a thousand times better than Qin Er, that illiterate good-for-nothing.

Sun Xiuniang's following Qin Er has truly ruined a beautiful woman. It wasn't just Young Master Shen who thought this; many men with ulterior motives thought the same, and quite a few who envied Qin Er secretly cursed: "Even pigs and dogs are worthy?"

The old steward's words clearly indicated that he had nothing good to say to Qin Er.

Lu Bing frowned, inwardly cursing: "What kind of person is this, bullying another man's wife and humiliating another man's husband!" But he calmly said aloud, "So Young Master Shen has taken a perverted interest in another man's wife?"

Lu Bing leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You said it yourself, this isn't very respectable. So what methods did Young Master Shen use? Was it coercion, bribery, or outright extortion?"

"After all, I wasn't a witness, nor was I there to watch, so I can't really explain how the two of them got together."

What does this mean? Does it mean they are a pair of adulterous lovers who are mutually attracted to each other?

Lu Bing had previously overheard a bunch of gossipy neighbors talking about thieves and prostitutes, implying that Sun Xiuniang wasn't exactly a respectable woman.

Lu Bing didn't take it to heart at the time. After all, neighbors love to gossip and spread rumors, so it wasn't necessarily true. Besides, the Shen family was large and powerful. If the young master Shen really intended to forcibly take a woman, she would probably have no choice but to submit to his tyranny.

Lu Bing's mind raced: "Are you saying that Sun Xiuniang just gave in to Young Master Shen?"

"No, not really. At first, Sun Xiuniang wasn't willing... Actually, I first learned about this when Sun Xiuniang came to our house to embroider a screen for the young mistress. In the afternoon, she came to the young mistress crying and accusing the young master of taking liberties with her in the room, wanting the young mistress to stand up for her. But she didn't know that the young mistress didn't actually care about these things with the young master."

This surprised Lu Bing somewhat: "Don't care?"

"Young Master is quite the ladies' man. In matters like this, Young Madam has always been rather indulgent towards him."

"How can we tolerate him running wild at home?!"

The old steward was used to it: "There are maids in the house, and they often cause trouble."

Lu Bing sarcastically remarked, "Having maids to entertain him isn't enough; he has to prey on respectable women. It was your young mistress who brought Sun Xiuniang in, and yet she was bullied in your home while you did nothing, letting Young Master Shen run rampant. Isn't that aiding and abetting evil?!"

"There's nothing we can do." The butler sighed. Since the master was almost completely wiped out, he had no reason to keep quiet. "The young master has a concubine, but he still goes out to seek pleasure from time to time. The young mistress is subject to her husband's authority, and she can't disobey him. She doesn't have any great abilities or skills, and she doesn't have any family backing her up. Back then, she only relied on her looks to bewitch the young master, causing him to disobey the master and mistress, making a ruckus throughout the Shen household, and finally forcing the two elders to abandon the so-called matchmaking and marry her."

Therefore, this young mistress was quite self-aware and more open-minded than ordinary women. She was content with her life of luxury and turned a blind eye to her husband's numerous mistresses, never bothering to control him. Besides, even if she tried, she might not be able to, and it would only cause more trouble and marital discord, bringing her no benefit. As a result, Young Master Shen was exceptionally unrestrained and even thought his wife was quite virtuous and kind.

Although Lu Bing didn't read about sages and virtuous men, he knew that virtue and gentleness weren't described in this way at all, and he couldn't accept it: "You call this virtue and gentleness?"

The old butler had suffered a lot of abuse, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it: "He's sensible."

Just as a single type of rice can feed a thousand different kinds of people, different environments, different experiences, and different educational influences will all lead to vastly different thoughts in each person.

Having worked in the yamen, Lu Bing had seen all sorts of people, so he wouldn't waste his time arguing with the old steward about what it meant to be virtuous and kind.

Lu Bing didn't bother with such a trivial matter: "If the young mistress doesn't care, does that mean Master Shen and Madam Shen don't care either?"

"The master and mistress only have this one son, the apple of their eye. They spoil him rotten. They let him do whatever he wants, and at worst, they give him more compensation in the end. Besides, this kind of thing concerns her reputation, and as a woman, she doesn't dare to make a fuss about it everywhere."

Sun Xiuniang indeed kept quiet, and the Shen family probably wasn't afraid of her making a fuss, after all, the county magistrate of Beiqu and Old Master Shen had a rather close relationship as officials and businessmen.

If she were to take the matter to the authorities, the government might not be able to uphold justice for her. Instead, the collusion between officials and businessmen could ruin her reputation and lead to a terrible end.

Lu Bing was no stranger to the ways of these officials and wealthy men. After committing a crime, they would give the victim a sum of money to settle the matter. Of course, there were also victims who refused to settle the matter peacefully, and the consequences could be big or small, possibly even leading to a murder case.

No wonder Young Master Shen was tied up and tortured in the Ghost Bureau by Sun Xiuniang.

Lu Bing finally understood the whole story: "Did Sun Xiuniang accept the compensation?"

"She didn't accept it. At first, she was very stubborn and refused to accept it no matter what," the old butler said truthfully. "But Qin Lao Er accepted it."

Lu Bing was shocked: "What?"

"I don't know how he found out about this. Maybe he heard some rumors, or maybe Sun Xiuniang let it slip. That Qin Er was like a bull, storming into the door in a rage, only to get a good beating from the servants. The Shen family has some standing, so they wouldn't let him cause such a ruckus. They beat him into submission with a few blows, and then the young master had me get two hundred taels of silver and give it to him. Then I spoke to him politely, saying, 'You shouldn't touch Xiuniang anymore.' The poor wretch didn't say a word while clutching the silver. He probably hadn't seen such a large sum of money in his life, and he probably thought it was a good deal. Then he got up from the ground, clutching the silver, and left with a bruised and swollen face."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bing felt that the case was almost solved.

If he were a woman, after suffering such bullying, and not only was his husband powerless to seek justice, but he also accepted the other party's money to sell his wife, he would probably be so enraged that he would grab an axe and chop them down.

Damn it, you're worse than a pig or a dog!

No wonder the old steward never had a good word to say about Qin Er. Even he would look down on such a coward, spineless and spineless!

Seeing that Constable Lu remained unfazed, completely unaware that the other was cursing under his breath, the old steward continued, "Anyway, not long after this incident, Sun Xiuniang reluctantly became involved with the young master."

"What do you mean 'reluctant'? They were absolutely unwilling!"

"Not necessarily. I later saw her come to see the young master a few times on her own initiative."

Lu Bing sneered, "That's because she's determined to kill Shen Yuanwen." Even a rabbit will bite when cornered; if you push a woman too far, she can fight you to the death.

After the incident, the common people outside were already spreading rumors that Sun Xiuniang had kidnapped Young Master Shen and killed her own husband, and knowing that she could not escape punishment, she committed suicide in the Ghost Gate out of fear of punishment.

The old butler looked up cautiously and asked, "So, were those worms in the young master's body really poisoned by Sun Xiuniang? Did she come to my young master later to plot against the Shen family?"

The result is obvious.

Lu Bing hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Where is Madam Shen? Where was she last night?"

"She stayed at the inn the whole time. She would go back to the Shen residence during the day to make arrangements for the master and mistress's encoffining, and then go back to the inn to rest before dark."