Chapter 15 Corpse Defilement Shen Minghuai: Don't dirty my wife's hands.
Early in the morning, Wang Yan and Li Changling arrived at the prefectural office, where thousands of books were already piled up like small hills. These were the result of He Fan's sifting.
Wang Yan stared blankly, wondering how long it would take to finish reading all these cases. Fortunately, He Fan had assigned some people to help. Before she could recover, Li Changling had already started looking them up in a book. After leaving five people with them, He Fan immediately went to handle other cases.
Wang Yan put down book after book, the sunlight transforming from a bright, silvery mirror into shimmering gold specks falling on the records. His bones creaked as he stretched his muscles. Finally, before the prefectural government closed, he found all the families whose causes of death were unknown.
The fifth son of the Wei family is only fifteen years old; the eldest daughter of the He family is only twenty-one years old; and the eldest grandson of the Gu family is only eight months old.
Four months ago, these were the three people whose deaths were recorded but whose causes of death were unknown.
As soon as he finished his work at the yamen, He Fan hurriedly went home. Li Changling didn't even have time to invite him to dinner again, so they simply went to the busiest part of the night market for a quick bite.
Li Changling paid ten coins for two bowls of wontons and then sat down next to Wang Yan. The two yamen runners behind him chatted idly during their meal, their voices full of ups and downs, and their stories sounded extremely interesting.
"Have you heard? The recent incident of necrophilia in the city."
"It's been all over the place for a while now, everyone knows it. They say the people in Jiangdu County still haven't caught that madman."
"Still haven't caught him? What's his name again, that corpse... corpse..."
"Holding a position without doing any work."
"Yes, yes, yes, they're just sitting in their positions without doing any work. That madman is incredibly cunning; he can see right through anything, like he has supernatural vision. Those people from Jiangdu County always fail to catch him."
"What do you mean by having a third eye? I bet they have connections in the government. They haven't been able to catch him for so long, and it seems like they're giving up. In any case, nothing serious has happened."
"That makes sense. That area of Shizigang is full of wandering ghosts. This madman has unique tastes; he probably hasn't found someone he likes yet. This place is definitely not normal."
Li Changling suddenly sat down and asked, "Brothers, are you talking about that Shizigang in the western suburbs?"
"Yes, there's only one mass grave in the whole city."
A constable looked him up and down, finding him familiar but unable to recall where he had seen him before. "Are you from out of town?"
"Me? A true Yangzhou native." Li Changling then spoke a few words in Wu dialect, "I never imagined that such a thing would happen after only a few months away from home. Do you two gentlemen know when the last time the authorities made an arrest?"
Another constable said, "A few days ago, when we first started arresting them, we guarded the stone hill all night, but the ground was covered with flies, and we still couldn't find the madman. Now, people only report to the authorities before they arrest him, so it's even harder to catch him."
Li Changling shook his head and sighed.
The constable then said, "Someone reported this to the authorities today, so you'll have to go again tonight, won't you?"
Li Changling thanked him, walked back and pulled Wang Yan up, and the two headed straight for the western suburbs.
"The government is taking action tonight, so why is he here?" Wang Yan asked, puzzled. "Also, why should we get involved in this?"
"They're all related to corpses, so maybe we'll find something."
Wang Yan smirked, "Lamb and beef are both meat, so why don't you eat lamb?"
Li Changling shuddered. "Mutton, the most gamey thing in the world, is not worthy of being called meat."
Wang Yan glanced at him but said nothing more.
At this hour, the western suburban cemetery was deserted. The group of fake archers circled around and left without even being noticed. After they dispersed, one of them sneaked off in the opposite direction from the rest of the group. Li Changling immediately decided to return to Shizigang.
The moon, partially obscured by dark clouds, cast a faint light on this land strewn with graves. Tonight, there was no wind, and apart from the sound of their footsteps, not even birdsong could be heard.
Wang Yan grabbed Li Changling's sleeve. He hadn't felt anything when the group of archers were there, but now that it was just the two of them, he felt a chill on his body.
Li Changling patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't panic, there are no ghosts or gods in this world."
"Then what about your Sword God? Ghosts might exist too."
Li Changling chuckled silently, "You sycophant. Don't worry, your senior brother won't abandon you."
Wang Yan still dared not let go. "Actually, I'm not afraid of ghosts. They're probably much more reasonable than people. Many times, the living are more terrifying than the dead. There! There! There!"
Li Changling looked in the direction Wang Yan pointed.
A man was shoveling soil back into the pit to cover the grave, then took a bunch of white daisies from a bamboo basket and placed them aside.
Wang Yan asked curiously, "What is he doing?"
"Just ask them and you'll find out."
Li Changling silently stood behind the man, "My lord."
Upon hearing this, the man turned around and sat bolt upright on the ground in fright. Li Changling kindly helped him up and asked him what he was doing. The man stammered and refused to answer, then seized the opportunity to escape.
Wang Yan blocked his way in an instant, "Why are you running?"
Meng Shu hurriedly said, "I have never met you two before, please be kind enough to help me."
The man was backlit, so his face was obscured, but Wang Yan could see it clearly.
"You even dug up someone's grave and did that kind of thing to a corpse, it's truly indecent—"
Meng Shu assumed they were the family members of the grave owner, so she quickly bowed and explained, "I did not do such a thing! Digging up the grave... I had no choice but to do it, and I had absolutely no disrespect for these women."
Li Changling keenly sensed something was amiss. "You're looking for someone."
Noticing that Meng Shu paused, Li Changling continued, "The eldest daughter of the He family, you're looking for her."
Meng Shu's expression changed drastically. Li Changling quickly moved in front of him and pressed, "What caused her death four months ago?"
"I...don't know..."
Meng Shu's face grew increasingly grim, and she desperately wanted to escape from the place.
Wang Yan advised, "You've been searching for almost a month without any clues. Even if you dig up the whole area, you might not find her. We can help you find the person you're looking for; perhaps the second owner of Linjiangxian could."
Upon hearing the name "Linjiangxian," Meng Shu's expression indeed shifted slightly. As a highly renowned restaurant in Yangzhou, Linjiangxian, regardless of its ability to gather information, could acquire any information its owner possessed.
Li Changling helped him restore the grave to its original state. "Don't worry, we just want to inquire about some information. It has nothing to do with the He family, nor will it involve the government."
Wang Yan gave him two days to consider. "When you arrive at Linjiangxian, tell the shopkeeper your name, and he will bring you to see me."
Two days later, before noon, Hua Xin, travel-worn, stepped into the courtyard of Linjiangxian Hall, followed closely by two people.
Upon disembarking, Shen Minghuai overheard a peddler on the shore saying that Linjiangxian and Mingyuelou were the two best restaurants in Yangzhou. After a moment's hesitation, Shen chose the former, inquired about its location, and headed straight there.
The three sat down at a square table made of nanmu wood on the west side. A waiter came up with paper and pen and asked, "What would you like to eat, gentlemen?"
Keep everything simple.
Huaxin waved his hand and said, "Give me one of all your signs."
Ying Ming sat down and drank three cups of tea in a row, then breathed a satisfied sigh of relief and asked in surprise, "Madam Wang?"
Shen Minghuai looked up and saw Wang Yan lifting her skirt as she went up the steps, her black hair braided and hanging down to one side.
Hua Xin also looked over, his neck hunched, "I didn't expect to run into him so soon." He then asked the waiter, "Who is that?"
The waiter followed the three men's gaze and said, "It's our manager and the second boss."
Shen Minghuai lowered his slightly raised eyebrows, and Wang Yan's figure disappeared around the corner. "Second Master?"
The waiter nodded. "The head of the household isn't often in Yangzhou; the second head is in charge now."
In the brief moment between taking a sip of tea, the shopkeeper went downstairs again, leading a handsome man who disappeared around the corner once more.
“The new guy,” Zhang Si walked over to the waiter carrying the chopping board, “is that Meng Shu from Xianggu Restaurant? Who dares to order people at Linjiangxian Restaurant, or is the manager leading them?”
The waiter ignored him and steadily placed the yellow croaker soup in front of Hua Xin. Shen Minghuai held the celadon teacup in his slender hand, slowly stroking the inside. The dishes were served one after another, and Hua Xin and Ying Ming had been eagerly waiting for Shen Minghuai to start eating.
The waiter brought over the last dish, and just then, Shen Minghuai casually swung his wide sleeve, causing the dish to fall and shatter on the floor, spilling ginseng and bamboo shoots all over Shen Minghuai's brocade robe.
The waiter was instantly terrified and hurriedly bowed to apologize and tidy up. Manager Fu saw this and rushed over, repeatedly saying "I'm sorry".
“No—” Shen Minghuai placed his hands on the table, his tone gentle but slow, “I wonder if I could meet your boss.”
Manager Fu bowed low. "Young master, our boss is not here. I am the manager of Linjiangxian Restaurant—"
Hua Xin, without allowing any further explanation, said, "Then I'll summon your second master."
"Go and get the clothes!"
Manager Fu glared at the waiter, but still smiled broadly. "We have clean clothes in the shop. If you don't mind, sir, you can change into them first. We'll compensate you for the price of these clothes."
Shen Minghuai composed himself, "What if I insist on seeing your second boss?"
Manager Fu smiled and said, "The second boss is busy right now. If there's anything you need, young master, I can pass it on to you."
Ying Ming snorted, "Busy? I'm afraid you're busy with something improper, aren't you?"
"You!" Manager Fu's face instantly turned cold. "Guards! Remove them from Linjiangxian. Our humble establishment cannot accommodate three such powerful figures!"
Ying Ming and Hua Xin immediately stood up with their swords drawn, just as they were about to draw them, when they heard a shout.
"stop!"
Before she even stepped down the last step, the seated young man in the long robe turned around, and a handsome yet familiar face came into her view. Wang Yan was taken aback at first, then a slight joy welled up inside her. When Mai Zi hurriedly called out to her, she thought that Xie Yu had sent someone to cause trouble again.
So it was him. Quite some time has passed since his coming-of-age ceremony.
"Young Master Shen."
Seeing the lady on the steps, neither surprised nor pleased, and without further pleasantries, it was she who was now the one sparing with words. Shen Minghuai's smile remained unchanged, "It seems your face has been healed, my lady."
Wang Yan stepped down from the steps and stopped two steps away. "Yangzhou is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Didn't you also come here, young master?" Following his gaze, she saw his sleeves stained with vegetable juice, a truly pitiful sight.
"Don't get your wife's hands dirty."
In reality, Wang Yan didn't even have time to make any move. Just as she was about to raise her arm, her sleeves were pulled back faster than anyone else's.
A note from the author:
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