Chapter 24 The He Family Injustice (Part Two) Shen Minghuai's breath lingered on her...
Meng Shu immediately fell silent.
"The Censor is asking you a question!" The Military Advisor stared intently at him.
"He Li".
Meng Shu suddenly looked up and stared at Li Changling with disgust.
Yang Jiezhou ordered a yamen runner, "Search the He residence."
Meng Shu loudly proclaimed, "No need to go. They hate her so much, they must have burned all her things, right?" Then she chuckled maliciously.
A constable delivered another autopsy report to Yang Jiezhou. When Wang Yan and the other two arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department, Meng Shu had already been taken into prison by two constables and would be tried again at a later date.
"Minghuai has arrived." Yang Jiezhou, dressed in a scarlet official robe, left his desk.
"Envoy Yang, Prefect He."
Yang Jiezhou asked the two of them, "Where is the female corpse next to Daming Temple?"
Shen Minghuai replied, "The yamen runners have already carried him back to the prefectural office and placed him there."
After bowing to Shen Minghuai, Wang Yan quickly walked to Li Changling's side and asked in a low voice, "What exactly is going on?"
Just as Li Changling was about to explain the matter in detail to Wang Yan, Yang Jiezhou told Shen Minghuai the whole story of how the case was brought to the table.
This morning, the manager of the Xianggu Inn passed by Mengshu's room and was startled by the hanging female corpse. He immediately reported it to the authorities. The military advisor, several constables, and the coroner rushed to the Xianggu Inn and questioned the people who were inside at the time.
According to a male prostitute living opposite Mengshu, after seeing off his guests, around 1:15 AM, he suddenly heard a noise outside. He opened his door and saw Mengshu furtively closing it. A quarter of an hour later, Mengshu came out of his room and left the Elephant Maiden's Inn.
“We just finished examining Xu, and she died of suffocation. It must have been murdered, then she was hanged to create the illusion of suicide. But this method isn't sophisticated; perhaps it was her first time killing someone, or a deliberate deliberate mistake.” Yang Jiezhou then asked He Fan, “Prefect He, what do you think?”
He Fan said with shame, "I am not knowledgeable about investigating cases and judging cases. I still need to rely on Envoy Yang to capture the real culprit."
"This matter has indeed put you in a difficult position. What about Minghuai?" Yang Jiezhou then turned to ask Shen Minghuai.
Shen Minghuai pondered, "Meng Shu's and the boy's testimonies are inconsistent, so someone must be lying. Although the boy has no grudge against Xu and has no reason to lie, in order to clarify this case, we should start with the boy's guests. Furthermore, what Meng Shu retrieved from the Xianggu Pavilion may also be the key to solving this case."
Yang Jiezhou, holding a gold belt, was overflowing with praise for Shen Minghuai, his lips practically twitching into a wide grin, as if the case had been solved.
"Alright! Then come with me to the Elephant Maiden's Residence."
After the two left, Li Changling suddenly said, "Could this Envoy Yang be grooming his son-in-law?"
He Fan clicked his tongue at him. "How could you think like that? The envoy clearly values Young Master Shen's abilities and is simply cultivating talents for our Great Yue."
Even after the two figures disappeared, Wang Yan's gaze remained fixed on the entrance to the Provincial Judicial Office. Yangzhou, the Provincial Censor, the Peony Banquet. He still couldn't escape that place. Every step he took away was like adding a tile to that high wall.
Back at Wanchun Courtyard, Shangguan Yu had been waiting for her in the garden for quite some time.
"The peonies in my courtyard are no worse than those in Danxiang Garden," Wang Yan said, and then had a maid bring over some fruits and snacks.
Shangguan Yu smiled slightly. When she entered the courtyard earlier, she saw that he was in a daze, probably not even knowing where the peonies were blooming.
"Is Madam He really... dead?" Shangguan Yu asked softly.
"Of course it's true! I saw it with my own eyes, hanged in Meng Shu's room." Li Changling picked up a pastry, his eyes widening. "From Mingyue Tower?"
"These were sent by the young master of the Wei family." Wang Yan pushed the pastries in front of Shangguan Yu, "Madam Shangguan, please have some too."
Shangguan Yu politely declined, "I ate something before coming. Was the perpetrator really Meng Shu?"
“The testimonies don’t match up right now. If Meng Shu isn’t lying, then it’s not him.” For some reason, ever since Shangguan Yu said that Meng Shu killed Madam He, Wang Yan had never believed it.
Shangguan Yu gave a barely perceptible smile, "I thought he was so bold that he avenged Sister Li that very night."
"Revenge? Is it about throwing He Niangzi's body on Shizigang?" Recalling that night on Shizigang, the first thing that came to her mind was the bunch of white daisies that Meng Shu had placed by the grave.
“Sister Li’s death must be related to her.” Shangguan Yu’s tone was very firm.
Li Changling hurriedly asked, "You mean the miscarriage was caused by Madam Xu?"
"I have no evidence yet, but Sister Li would never abandon this child without a reason." Shangguan Yu had tried to persuade He Li before, knowing how important this child was to her best friend.
"How did Madam Xu know that Lady He was pregnant? Besides you, who else knew?" Wang Yan pondered to himself. Given He Li's personality, she probably planned to give birth to the child secretly and would not let Madam Xu, who had always disliked her, know.
Shangguan Yu shook her head. "The Xu family has been sending people to keep an eye on Sister Li every day. I suppose they've slipped up somewhere. Besides me, there is someone else who knows about this."
Li Changling quickly brushed the debris off his hands and asked, "Who is it?"
"It was Zhihe, Sister Li's maid, who told me that Sister Li had been thrown into Shizigang."
The missing maid... perhaps she knows the truth about He Li's violent death. Wang Yan and Li Changling hurried towards the prefectural capital as dusk fell.
The censor was out investigating a case and had not yet returned, while the prefect was also in the main hall handling affairs. The two left the prefectural government and went to a bakery to eat some, then brought some back to the prefectural office. By then, Yang Jiezhou and Shen Minghuai had already returned to the judicial office. Having been busy all day and not yet having eaten, Yang Jiezhou frankly said that the flatbreads and pastries brought by Li Changling were a lifesaver.
While the two were eating, Li Changling provided Yang Jiezhou with clues about Shangguan Yu regarding He Li's death. Although He Li and Xu were mother and daughter, according to those around them, there had been a long-standing rift between them, and the two murders must be related.
Wang Yan asked Shen Minghuai in a low voice, "Have you found anything?"
Shen Minghuai turned slightly and whispered, "The male prostitute's guest was Ximen Yi, so the magistrate led us to Ximen's residence. We asked the servants there and learned that the servant who went to pick up Ximen Yi that day had overslept and forgotten the time. When he arrived at the Xianggu Pavilion, it was already past 1:45 AM. What Meng Shu saw when she opened the door was probably a hanging corpse."
Wang Yan looked up at him, unintentionally closing the distance between them, "So Meng Shu didn't lie, but is she innocent?"
Shen Minghuai shook his head. "Xu died at the hour of Chou (1:15 AM). Although the male prostitute saw Meng Shu at the hour of Chou (3:45 AM), no one can prove that he did not lie about the time he left home."
Yang Jiezhou walked over, wiping his mouth. "Minghuai is right. There isn't enough evidence yet. The He family is involved in two murder cases. We should go and take a look. Have you finished eating?"
Imprisoning her daughter and intimidating her best friend, she wanted to see for herself what kind of family the He family truly was.
"May I come with you?"
Yang Jiezhou noticed a strange interest in the young woman's eyes.
When the four arrived at the He residence, they happened to find the house was having a meal. Yang Jiezhou, dressed in plain clothes, was invited to sit at the head of the table, and Li Changling was also invited to stay. He Zhong kept calling him "Young Hero Li," and Li Changling's ears swayed. Wang Yan made an excuse that he had already eaten and, with He Zhong's permission, went to the garden, with Shen Minghuai following behind.
As the sunset faded and the night grew dark, Wang Yan, relying on his memory, evaded the servants and found He Li's room in the inner courtyard. He climbed through the window and entered, while Shen Minghuai calmly walked out the door.
Wang Yan lit a tinderbox and searched the entire room. Apart from some rouge and jewelry, there were all sorts of lacquerware. Shen Minghuai swept the thin layer of dust off the table and searched for things on the dressing table. Just as he opened a mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer jewelry box, he heard Wang Yan say from the other side.
"Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Atractylodes macrocephala, Scutellaria baicalensis, Amomum villosum... are all prescriptions for preventing miscarriage."
She held up the tinderbox and turned towards Shen Minghuai, when suddenly she heard footsteps outside the door. Wang Yan quickly blew out the fire and pulled Shen Minghuai behind the curtain. The space hidden by the curtain was small, and the two stood almost touching.
A faint fragrance wafted into Wang Yan's nostrils, and Shen Minghuai's breath brushed against the back of her neck, making her face feel slightly flushed. The person behind her, however, was restless and shifted uncomfortably. Wang Yan glared at him sideways, then quickly looked away, focusing all her attention on the newcomer's movements. Fortunately, it was a child.
He Yue walked straight to He Li's bedside, lifted the quilt, and pulled out a book from a hidden compartment under the bed.
"Young master!"
"Young master!"
Hearing the maid's voice outside, He Yue hurriedly covered himself with the blankets and left He Li's room. Wang Yan then went to lift the blankets and found a letter in a hidden compartment. Perhaps He Yue was in such a hurry that he didn't notice.
Shen Minghuai walked over slowly. "To whom is this letter addressed?"
Zhihe, it's her again.
After confirming that no clues could be found, Wang Yan was about to go to the window when Shen Minghuai pulled her through the door.
Don't you think this place is lifeless?
Wang Yan thought about it carefully and realized that after they passed through the corridor, no one had been walking on this area.
Do you know where the main house is?
"The corridor at the back leads there, but Shangguan Yu doesn't know which room Xu lives in."
"ah--"
After a scream, the lantern fell to the ground, and the person carrying it had vanished without a trace. Wang Yan had just quickened his pace a couple of steps when Shen Minghuai finally emerged from around the corner.
"Has she seen a ghost?" Wang Yan looked at Shen Minghuai in confusion. The candlelight only stained her dress.
Shen Minghuai looked at her skirt curiously and asked, "When did you change your clothes?"
"No—" Wang Yan was taken aback. This was the first time she had ever worn this grape-green and silver-patterned pleated dress. "How did it turn crimson?"
"Perhaps that's why that person was terrified."
There were many servants in the inner courtyard, and every room was brightly lit with candles. Unable to find an opportunity, the two of them had to return empty-handed. They strolled to the outer garden, where a few peonies were planted, but their fragrance was fading and they were withered.
A maid tended the flowers and plants in the evening, and from the moment the two of them entered the garden, she would always glance quickly and briefly in their direction. Wang Yan asked Shen Minghuai to use his best-kept gentle smile as bait to elicit some clues about Zhihe, but he remained unmoved.
"She's curious about you."
"I?"
Shen Minghuai led her closer to the maid, seemingly unintentionally, and chatted about things related to her. From Li Changling to the capital, and then to Linjiangxian, when they talked about the restaurant's management, the maid finally stopped what she was doing.
"Last time I made a promise with Sister Li that we would meet again at Linjiang Xianlai after I returned to Yangzhou, but unexpectedly..."
The roses, as red as rouge, were even more radiant under the moonlight. Wang Yan reached out her hand, her fingertips touching the petals, and then slowly lowered her hand.
"Flowers bloom and fade without ceasing, people come and go, but who knows?"
The moment his broad palm covered her, it was as if the entire moonlight enveloped her, cutting off all sound.
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