Chapter 42 When Ji Chan was preparing the fragrance, was there any dragon bone powder left?
After Bai Xiuming finished speaking, Achan asked expectantly, "Now that the contract is signed, can we leave?"
“No.” He looked up at the commander waiting to the side and ordered, “Take them to Master Tu, teach them the rules, and then release them.”
"Yes, sir."
A sudden, ominous premonition arose in Achan's heart, and soon her premonition came true.
According to the commander who brought them here, this so-called Mr. Tu is someone who specifically sets rules for non-human beings in the capital who have the right to live.
He didn't seem strict; he just handed each of Achan and Chen Hui a booklet as soon as he came up.
He smiled and said to them, "Please write down the contents of the booklet as soon as possible, as I will test you before you leave."
Achan was dumbfounded. No one had told her that raising Huiniang required an exam?
"What if I fail the exam?" Although she could read, Achan, who had never been to school, was a little panicked.
"Don't worry, young lady," Mr. Tu said very kindly. "The Mingjing Division will provide food and lodging until you successfully pass the test."
Ah Chan glanced at Mr. Tu, determined that there was no room for leniency, pouted, and lowered her head to flip through the booklet.
Fortunately, although there were many rules in the book, the content was easy to remember. The first twenty rules were the most important, and anyone who violated even one of them would be executed by the Mingjing Division.
Achan carefully read through it, and it was nothing more than that non-human beings were not allowed to approach the palace or military strongholds, and were not allowed to spy on or interfere in the affairs of the court, etc.
Most matters involving life and death are of great national importance, and they are unlikely to have violated them.
There are other rules and regulations, such as not being allowed to associate with other beings in private, and not being allowed to use their abilities to confuse or harm ordinary people. These are the things they need to be careful about.
Mr. Tu left the two in the room and returned leisurely about an hour later. He first tested Chen Hui.
The two exchanged questions and answers, and soon finished half of the booklet. Chen Hui answered every single one of them correctly.
Mr. Tu nodded in satisfaction and chatted with Chen Hui for a while: "You have a really good memory. I heard you're... a living corpse?"
"yes."
"Oh, he looks just like an ordinary person. It seems he has had some extraordinary encounter."
Chen Hui smiled without saying anything, and Mr. Tu seemed to be just saying it casually, without asking any further questions.
When it was Achan's turn, she was already prepared to have dinner at the Mingjing Division, but Mr. Tu asked her two questions.
This isn't water anymore, it's the sea.
After answering the questions, Mr. Tu invited the two of them out and also gave them the booklets they had been reading, telling them to read more books at home.
The two women, each carrying a booklet, were about to leave when Feng Yang strode over. Upon seeing A-Chan, he slowed his pace: "Miss Ji, are you leaving?"
"Yes, does Lord Feng know which gate to exit through?" They were currently deep within the Mingjing Division, and had just turned several corners. Achan couldn't quite remember the way out and was afraid of going the wrong way.
“If you’re not in a hurry, young lady, I’ll see you out in a bit. I’ll go see Mr. Tu first; the master is looking for him.”
"Alright, then I'll trouble you, Lord Feng."
Feng Yang nodded and went into the room, where he saw Mr. Tu fiddling with a box of knives, each one of which was exceptionally sharp.
"Mr. Tu, are you done with the corpse investigation?"
"The examination was completed a long time ago. I also just dissected the body you brought back from the Ministry of Justice."
Mr. Tu's main job is a coroner in the Mingjing Division; setting rules for outcasts is his side job, a job that only came about after Lord Bai returned to the capital.
"The lord wants to see you."
"Okay, I'll go right away." After saying that, he tentatively asked Feng Yang, "Why was that young lady different from the ones who came before? Who was she connected to?"
In the capital, without extraordinary connections, one cannot gain the respect of the Mingjing Division. Otherwise, anyone could raise supernatural beings, and the capital would be teeming with demons and monsters.
Those sent here to learn manners in the past were all unruly, arrogant nobles or sons of important figures, and the animals they kept were all a mess. I've never seen such a delicate woman, and she's keeping living corpses.
Even if it looks like a person, it's still a corpse. No coroner wants to spend all his time with a corpse. That girl is really brave.
Feng Yang casually pointed in the direction behind him: "They're going through the connections of our adults."
"Huh?" Mr. Tu was stunned.
"Don't ask anymore. I'll go see that girl out. You go find the master first."
Feng Yang turned and went out the door, while A Chan and Chen Hui were still waiting outside.
"Miss Ji, this way." Feng Yang led A Chan outside.
Ji Chan and Chen Hui followed Feng Yang closely, not daring to lag behind even a step. The Mingjing Division was full of sentries, making it look very dangerous.
Seeing Ah Chan's cautious demeanor, Feng Yang couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, Miss, they won't act rashly. Our adults are much more frightening than them, and I haven't seen you afraid."
Ah Chan huffed and puffed, "I was just ignorant and fearless. I won't dare to try to befriend Lord Bai next time."
Feng Yang coughed lightly: "The lord was just saying it casually. If he really didn't care about this relationship, he wouldn't have listened to a single word you said."
"real?"
"Of course," Feng Yang practically patted his chest in assurance.
"Alright, I believe you." Achan's eyes flickered slightly as she said to Feng Yang, "I thought your master wouldn't agree to me so easily. He seemed to have a deep-seated hostility towards those who are different from others?"
Feng Yang replied, "Other races are fine; we adults usually treat them all equally. However, it's a different story when it comes to the demon race."
"Why?" Achan asked curiously.
"I don't know about that. Anyway, you have to remember, it's fine to raise anything, but never raise a demon. When the Lord was in Youzhou, he killed hundreds of demons, and none of them could escape his blade. Before he returned to the capital, there were people in the capital who raised demons, but they were all eliminated later. The Lord's bottom line is half-demon."
"I see..."
Achan pondered, no wonder Bai Xiuming thought she was so ruthless when she tried to possess someone; this person must have a deep grudge against the demon race.
But it doesn't matter, he can't catch her anyway.
After seeing Achan to the door, Feng Yang turned and went back to the yamen.
When Feng Yang entered the inner hall of the yamen, Bai Xiuming was listening to Mr. Tu's report.
"Sir, the body of that zombie has been dissected. It was not a pure-blooded human in life, but had a faint snake demon bloodline," Mr. Tu said.
"Has the identity been confirmed?" Bai Xiuming asked Feng Yang, who had just walked in.
Feng Yang immediately replied, "It has been confirmed. It is a guard from the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion who went missing twenty years ago. According to Chen Hui's testimony, this zombie has been under the control of Fang Yu, the daughter of the Zhenbei Marquis. Recently, for some unknown reason, the zombie lost control."
“It’s about to advance; if it reaches the third tier, it will definitely go out of control,” Mr. Tu interjected.
The third rank is a watershed moment for cultivators, and the same applies to other non-human beings.
"What's the reason for the advancement?" Bai Xiuming asked.
“That’s interesting,” Mr. Tu said, keeping the matter a secret for a moment. “The flesh and blood this zombie consumed were not enough to allow it to advance. On the contrary, the snake demon bloodline in its body was very active. I guess it is very likely that it ate something that could improve the bloodline level, which suddenly led to its advancement.”
"Something that can enhance a snake demon's bloodline? Did he eat a dragon?" Feng Yang casually joked, but his master didn't smile at all. Instead, he looked up at him.
"My lord?" Feng Yang suddenly felt a pang of panic.
"When Ji Chan was preparing the fragrance, was there any dragon bone powder left?"
"……have."
Bai Xiuming didn't ask anything further, but instead said to Mr. Tu, "Continue."
Mr. Tu said, "To verify this, I also dissected the body of the Ministry of Justice official who died in the mouth of the zombie. I found a very faint trace of dragon aura in his remaining blood. The zombie attacked him and drained his blood, probably for that trace of dragon aura."
After saying that, Mr. Tu added, "This person should have recently come into contact with things like dragon blood and dragon saliva. Of course, the dragon bone powder that Lord Feng mentioned earlier is also possible. However, the premise is that these things must be of a high enough grade, at least at the fourth level, otherwise, even a faint trace of their aura would not be enough to make that living corpse advance."
Feng Yang grinned, but couldn't manage a smile.
The Four Realms Dragon Clan, the remaining dragon bone powder, and Xue Mingtang who happened to die at Ji Chan's doorstep...
Although there is no evidence, all the clues point to Ji Chan.
It's hard to believe that the seemingly weak and easily bullied Miss Ji could personally orchestrate Xue Mingtang's death. Could she really do it?
Feng Yang thought about it carefully. He realized that he was too easily deceived by Ji Chan's gentle appearance, while his master seemed to have always been full of suspicion towards Miss Ji.
"My lord, should we continue investigating Xue Mingtang's death?" Feng Yang asked.
"Clean up the body and return it to the Ministry of Justice. This is a case for the Ministry of Justice; it has nothing to do with us," Bai Xiuming said.
Mr. Tu bowed to Bai Xiuming and said, "Sir, I will go back and prepare the body first. The Ministry of Justice will be coming to collect it in a while."
"Go."
After Mr. Tu left, Feng Yang continued, "Sir, are you really just going to let it go like this? Aren't you going to... ask Miss Ji?"
Bai Xiuming glanced at him: "What are you asking? Do you have any evidence?"
Feng Yang was dumbfounded; there was no evidence, only guesswork. Moreover, finding evidence in this kind of matter was very difficult.
He scratched his head, suddenly having the same worries as Jiang Kai, feeling that his brain was starting to malfunction.
"So... we'll just leave it at that?"
Feng Yang had something else he didn't say. If it really was Ji Chan who did it, then she had a deep grudge against the Xue family. Now that Xue Mingtang was dead, what about the rest of the Xue family?
His family members must understand this principle as well.
Bai Xiuming ignored him and changed the subject: "Recently, I've had people keeping an eye on the Zhenbei Marquis's residence."
Feng Yang's attention immediately shifted: "Is there something wrong with the Marquis of Zhenbei?"
"The first thing he will do upon returning to Beijing will undoubtedly be to investigate the cause of death of his daughter and grandson."
"Then wouldn't Chen Hui be..."
Feng Yang didn't finish his sentence. Although he hadn't questioned Chen Hui in depth before, it would be easy to find out that she had disguised herself to enter the Yan family.
The daughter and grandson of the Marquis of Zhenbei killed Chen Hui, and Chen Hui entered the Yan family, clearly not to become Yan Liru's maid.
The deaths of Fang Yu and Yan Cheng were definitely not simple. Even if Yan Liru has covered it up now, the truth will surely be found out when the Marquis of Zhenbei returns.
When the Marquis of Zhenbei takes action, it's unlike their Mingjing Division, which requires evidence for everything.
Feng Yang suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Does Your Excellency intend to use Chen Hui to lure the Marquis of Zhenbei into making a move?"
"Otherwise, why would I let her go if she weren't still somewhat useful?"
With Ji crying, making a scene, and acting cute, we can use Chen Hui as bait. There's no need to sign a contract; we can just kidnap her directly.
However, Feng Yang, who believed he saw through everything, dared not say anything.
He quickly offered a flattering remark: "Your Excellency is wise. Well... I will arrange for spies to keep a close watch on the Zhenbei Marquis's residence day and night. However, will the Zhenbei Marquis really take action personally?"
"He will not rely on others to avenge his only son."
Feng Yang glanced at Bai Xiuming and stammered, "What if they find out that the Marquis of Zhenbei went to Changping Ward?"
Bai Xiuming didn't speak, but only glanced at Feng Yang indifferently.
Feng Yang understood immediately.
"I will report to you immediately."
He was indeed clever to not receive a harsh look from the adults this time.
After returning home, Achan drank two glasses of water and slept for more than half an hour before finally recovering.
Although I didn't suffer much during my trip to the Mingjing Division, I was exhausted both physically and mentally. Fortunately, I got a good result.
From now on, Hui Niang can walk openly in the sunlight, no longer needing to hide.
After Ah Chan woke up, she heard voices coming from downstairs. She thought it was a guest coming to visit, but when she went down, she found that it was not a guest, but people from the Marquis of Jinyang's residence.
The people who came were the steward of the Marquis of Jinyang's residence and Xue Zhao, the Marquis of Jinyang's nominal stepson.
The two were stopped downstairs by Hui Niang for an unknown amount of time, and their faces turned very ugly when they saw A Chan.
Achan strolled downstairs, her gaze sweeping over the jade filial piety plaque on Xue Zhao's left arm. She chuckled softly, "Did you need something from me?"
Xue Zhao clenched his fists. He knew what Ji Chan was laughing about. Her beloved uncle had died, and she was gloating over it!
But he couldn't say anything now. His mother had only gone a little too far, but it had caused his father to be impeached by the censor in court. Not only was his father fined, but his mother's reputation was also ruined.
It's all Ji Chan's fault!
They were all their father's children, yet she and her sister had been ridiculed for so many years, while she could be a high-ranking young lady in the Marquis's mansion. How unfair!
Just when she had finally lost everything, this woman came back like a ghost, causing her family no peace!
Even though Achan couldn't see through people's hearts, she could still guess what Xue Zhao was thinking at this moment.
If he could, he would probably want to die even more than his uncle, and coincidentally, Achan thought the same thing.
She slowly sat down in the chair and said to Xue Zhao, who had been silent, "Is there nothing else? If you have nothing to say, please leave."
Xue Zhao gave the steward beside him a wink, and the steward stepped forward and took out ten silver notes with a value of one hundred taels each.
"Young lady, this is compensation for you."
"Compensation?" Achan was unaware of the uproar that had ensued in the imperial court this morning because her shop had been vandalized.
Seeing that she seemed to know nothing, the butler could only say a few words: "It was our madam's poor judgment that led to the young lady's shop being smashed yesterday. This is an apology."
Why would Madam Xue suddenly apologize to her? There must be some hidden reason behind this, but Achan didn't delve into it.
She counted the silver notes one by one, and after putting down the last one, she smiled and said, "Madam Hou is very generous. I will accept this silver note. I suppose Madam Hou has not been in a good mood lately, so I will forgive her rudeness. I hope she can take care of herself."
"Ji Chan, don't push your luck!" Xue Zhao finally couldn't hold back.
Achan's eyes flickered slightly: "Young Master Xue, aren't you the ones who are going too far?"
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