Chapter 135 Water Ghost's Mischief
If Li Feng's great injustice was still concealed, then who knows how many other cases, even worse than his, exist?
Although these incidents may not involve murder, often, being treated unfairly while alive can be more painful than being dead.
Yu Zhiyi wrote down all these wrongful convictions, then put down the files from Linzhang County and picked up the files from the bottom of the unsolved cases.
In the 28th year of the Yuan'an era, a water ghost appeared in Caonan Village, Taiping County.
The water ghost lurks under the suspension bridge leading to the village. Once night falls, anyone who crosses the bridge will be pulled into the river and drowned by the water ghost.
The body would appear precisely on the riverbank at the village entrance the next day, swollen, with its eyes wide open, a gruesome sight.
In just three years, eight people died in the village.
Men, women, young and old.
The suspension bridge was demolished three years ago after the eighth person died. The villagers built a road around the river. Although it is a long detour to leave the village, it is much better than losing one's life.
When the murder first occurred, the villagers all thought it was a deliberate murder and reported it to the authorities.
However, as the government's investigation deepened, the death of the first victim seemed to be related to a woman in the village who had been forced to drown herself. As a result, the villagers began to suspect that the woman's ghost had returned to seek revenge.
Initially, the government did not accept this view.
It wasn't until seven more cases occurred, resulting in a total of eight deaths, all linked to that woman, that the authorities were forced to close the cases, attributing them to ghostly possession.
Yu Zhiyi selected the birth dates and times of the two deceased and calculated them one by one. After a while, she frowned and began to examine the testimonies and evidence from the scene in the case file.
After a long while, she put down all her things and took a sip of tea.
This case is indeed not the work of ghosts or monsters, but we need some evidence to prove it, and it cannot be solved in a day.
She took out a notebook she carried with her, made a brief note of the case, and then continued flipping through the pages.
The second to last case.
In the twenty-eighth year of Yong'an, the imperial palace lost a priceless treasure—the Prajna Glass Cup.
The Prajna Crystal Lamp has been offered before the Buddha for twenty years. It contains boundless Buddhist power, which can not only suppress demons and eliminate evil spirits, but also bring peace of mind and longevity when placed in the room year-round.
Most importantly, it was a tribute from a vassal state, which greatly pleased Empress Dowager Jing'an.
Yet, this very item was lost right under the nose of the Empress Dowager Jing'an.
Just moments before, Empress Dowager Jing'an had seen the glass lamp standing in the most conspicuous place in her room.
In the time it takes to drink a sip of tea, the item is gone.
Emperor Yuan'an searched Shou Kang Palace almost from top to bottom, but still couldn't find the item.
Afterwards, they conducted a large-scale search of the palace.
Still, nothing was gained.
In the realm of metaphysics, finding objects is actually the simplest skill.
Once you know what the thing looks like, or have its scent, you can easily find it using a search symbol.
Unfortunately, Yu Zhiyi never saw that glass lamp.
Fortunately, there are other options.
She looked at the records of all the palace staff from Shou Kang Palace back then.
There were 28 palace maids and 30 eunuchs in Shou Kang Palace. Most of them are dead. The only one still alive is the head palace maid who used to serve the Empress Dowager.
That person is very long-lived; he is already seventy-eight years old this year.
Empress Dowager Jing'an was the birth mother of the late emperor and the grandmother of the current emperor.
The surviving head palace maid was an old woman who had served her since childhood, but she lived longer than the Empress Dowager Jing'an.
After the death of Empress Dowager Jing'an, this head palace maid was released from the palace.
Although she had left the palace, the emperor still missed her dearly and would bestow many fine things upon her during festivals.
It was still early, so Yu Zhiyi thought for a moment, then took the gold medal and entered the palace.
"You want to look up Aunt Chang's information?"
The emperor's well-maintained face was full of confusion: "Why investigate her out of the blue? Could it be that her unworthy descendants have done something they shouldn't have?"
Yu Zhiyi said, "Your Majesty has ordered me to solve one case a day. After reviewing the existing files, I found that the case of the missing glass lamp from thirty years ago is probably the easiest to solve."
"However, I want to know the exact appearance of the glass lamp, so I plan to ask Aunt Chang."
Aunt Chang was that head palace maid.
After pondering for a moment, the emperor gave a wink to Eunuch Hu beside him.
Before long, Eunuch Hu brought over two booklets.
One book is "Records of Rare Treasures in the Imperial Palace," and the other is a collection of information about palace servants.
The "Record of Rare Treasures in the Imperial Palace" contains a record of glass cups, as well as a picture of a glass cup.
The records of palace servants contain detailed information about their birth date and time, place of birth, specific time of entering the palace, and their transfers within the palace.
The glass lamp was very beautiful, shaped like a lotus flower, crystal clear, and the wick, made of some unknown material, emitted a faint red glow.
Yu Zhiyi memorized the image of the glass lamp and then used Aunt Chang's birth date and time to perform some calculations.
After a short while, her gaze settled: "I see."
The emperor squinted: "Is this matter related to Aunt Chang?"
Grandpa Hu looked worried.
Aunt Chang is an old servant in the palace and has watched His Majesty grow up since she was a child. Although she is just a servant, His Majesty treats her like his own family.
If that matter is truly related to Aunt Chang, His Majesty will surely be in a very difficult position.
Yu Zhiyi: "No."
The emperor's expression relaxed.
The Glass Palace.
Consort Yu gently stroked her still-flat belly, a cold glint flashing in her narrowed, beautiful eyes: "That imposter has entered the palace again?"
The palace maid responded with her hands hanging down.
Consort Yu flung her wide sleeves and said, "You shameless woman! You're already married and you still have no shame."
What kind of good woman could she be, running around in front of the emperor every day?
She admitted that the woman was indeed quite capable, but no matter how capable a woman is, she cannot resist the temptation of wealth and luxury.
The head palace maid, Xiuzhu, knew her mistress's temperament well and knew what she wanted to hear, so she chimed in, "She's just a bastard from some remote mountain village. Not to mention that she's not even half as beautiful as Your Majesty, she can't even compare to the unfavored concubines in the palace. His Majesty would never take a fancy to her, so Your Majesty doesn't need to worry."
Consort Yu felt very pleased, and her complexion improved considerably.
Gently stroking her belly again, she said calmly, "That's true, but people who are used to delicacies will inevitably crave simple porridge and side dishes sometimes. That imposter is cunning; there's no guarantee he won't tempt His Majesty into doing something. We must be on guard."
At this moment, a young eunuch walked in, leaned down and whispered a few words in Consort Yu's ear.
Upon hearing this, Consort Yu's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Aunt Chang..."
***
Yu Zhiyi gently flicked the search talisman between two fingers, and the talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, emitting a wisp of green smoke.
The wisp of smoke drifted in one direction and soon disappeared from the emperor and his entourage's sight.
Yu Zhiyi seemed to be thinking: "Outside the palace."
The emperor became interested: "Wait a minute, let me change my clothes and we'll leave the palace together."
He didn't want to miss out on something so interesting.
The emperor and Eunuch Hu quickly changed into ordinary people's clothes.
Just as the group was about to set off, a voice announced from outside: "Aunt Chang has arrived!"
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