Chapter 27 Resting in Peace, Back to Kyoto
The next day, the grain shop owner reported the case. After the coroner examined the body, he determined that the cause of death was a heart attack, but the large bruises on the back indicated the possibility of homicide.
Zhu Xuanwei hid in the crowd, listening to the coroner's pronouncement. The boy's soul had not yet been taken away by the ghost messengers, and he subconsciously followed behind him.
I watched as Zhu Xuanwei told Wang Zhiyong that he wanted to learn how to fish and asked if he could be taken out to sea.
Wang Zhiyong initially looked down on Zhu Xuanwei because he was idle and spent his days stealing chickens and dogs. Now that Zhu Xuanwei was ambitious and fishing wasn't a big deal, Wang Zhiyong readily agreed.
It just so happened that Feng Dahai was ill and needed to rest for a day, so they boarded the small boat together that day.
Zhu Xuanwei secretly carried a brick with him. When the boat was far from the coast and in a less populated area, he raised the brick and smashed it hard against the back of Wang Zhiyong's head.
When the simple-minded man fell into the sea, the wound on his head hit the side of the boat, and he sank completely.
Zhu Xuanwei sat blankly on the boat for a while, then rowed back to shore alone.
As I passed by Wang Zhiyong's house, I suddenly remembered his wife, who was quite good-looking, but who had never given me a kind look. I snorted coldly and a new plan formed in my mind.
Wang Zhiyong's soul was taken away along with the ghost messenger who came looking for the boy.
Zhang Yun was extremely anxious because her husband hadn't returned home all night. After preparing lunch and delivering it to Feng Dahai next door, she decided to go out and look for him herself.
Zhu Xuanwei then came to Zhang Yun's door and solemnly told him that Wang Zhiyong was now in his hands. If he wanted to rescue his husband, he should take all his belongings and go to the woods outside the city before sunset to find him. He was not allowed to report to the authorities, otherwise Wang Zhiyong would soon die.
Not wanting to risk her husband's life, Zhang Yun cautiously followed Zhu Xuanwei's instructions and left the city under the pretext of visiting relatives.
Instead of being rescued by Wang Zhiyong, she was met with Zhu Xuanwei's [illegible].
Her spirit floated aimlessly on the corpse, and Zhu Xuanwei hastily dug a hole and buried her on the spot.
He then stuffed the few taels of silver she had brought into his pocket, and made a "tsk" sound, indicating that it wasn't enough.
Zhu Xuanwei was about to leave this troublesome place after resting for one night, but Bai Wulan's convoy arrived, and the accompanying soldiers rounded up the surrounding people, so he couldn't escape.
The three ghosts discussed it in the underworld and then knew the whole story.
Xie Bi'an came and immediately told him the truth in anger.
As dawn broke, it was time for the court hearing.
The clerk followed the constable to both locations.
Jiang Yuzhi asked the clerk to pass a message to Chief Song: dig up Zhang Niangzi's body, find a place to burn it, and bring back the ashes.
Zhang Yun said she wanted to be buried in the sea with her husband, and then wash away the filth from her body.
Both the murderer and the victim were gone. Bai Yan and Ouyang Guang had to talk to each other for a long time before they finally convinced them to convict based on the story of the Dragon King appearing in a dream.
There are no concrete witnesses, and we don't want Zhu Xuanwei to be forgotten, so he should be condemned by the world.
Ouyang Guang believed Bai Yan's speculation and concluded that Zhu Xuanwei was the kind of person who would do such a thing.
This wasn't the first time the prefect had indulged in superstition. In court, he said with great distress that the Dragon King had found a corpse in the sea, and in a fit of rage, ordered me to investigate the truth.
Next, they presented a series of evidence that Jiang Yuzhi and her group had found.
The young woman who had complained to Bai Yan recognized Zhang Yun's wooden hairpin at a glance, and she sobbed in her mother's arms.
The grain shop owner was beyond crying. His only son was gone, and the culprit had died suddenly in prison. With nowhere to vent his anger, he collapsed on the spot.
The constables carried him to the backyard for treatment.
With the case closed, Jiang Yuzhi, holding Zhang Yun's ashes, and Bai Yan, carrying packed snacks, returned to the seaside.
It was still by that same reef. Jiang Yu wove a barrier and gently shook the bell.
Long Jin arrived shortly afterward.
"I brought you some food. Could you take us to the place where we found the fishermen?" Jiang Yuzhi asked tentatively.
Long Jin was bored out of her mind, so she treated the two little people as her companions. She opened her mouth wide and gestured for Bai Yan to quickly throw the snacks in.
She tasted it and found it to be quite good, but there wasn't enough; it wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap.
With a powerful flick of its tail, it placed the entire dragon head on the shore. "Come on up, I've never carried anyone before."
Jiang Yuzhi climbed up first, and after settling down, she reached out to pull Bai Yan up.
They squatted on the dragon's head, holding onto its horns for balance.
Long Jin swam very steadily, but still some seawater splashed onto her clothes.
Once they arrived at their designated spot, Jiang Yuzhi carefully stood up, holding the urn, and opened the lid.
The ashes were scattered into the sea and disappeared without a trace.
The three innocent ghosts in the underworld suddenly felt the invisible shackles on their bodies disappear.
At the same time, the hazy mist that had been covering Bai Yan's soul began to dissipate from his heart.
The crack in my heart was as if it had been sewn shut with a short but strong gold thread.
Zuo Huai gradually returned to normal, the climate returned to normal, and the people on the street showed a change in their mental outlook.
They stayed there for more than ten days and found nothing else.
Di Ting was escorted around to every household in the city.
Jiang Yuzhi took it with her and, under the pretext of checking household registrations, searched house to house for the whereabouts of Canli.
There shouldn't be anything missing, so we prepared to leave.
Bai Wulan also returned to Kyoto with them this time. He hadn't seen his wife for a long time and missed her terribly.
He never said that; it was Bai Yan who told Jiang Yuzhi behind her back.
Before leaving, Ouyang Guang almost begged Bai Wulan to stay a little longer, tears streaming down his face, because he simply couldn't handle so much official business by himself!
After careful consideration, Jiang Yuzhi leaned close to Ouyang Guang and said mysteriously, "My lord, you can offer some food during the next sacrifice. The Dragon King likes it; she told me about it in a dream."
After saying this, ignoring Ouyang Guang's puzzled hesitation, she turned and climbed into the carriage.
This time, Bai Yan successfully got into a carriage with his wife.
The Black and White Impermanence returned to the underworld, only telling the outside world that they had gone on a journey to see doctors.
The scenery on the way back is completely different from the way we came.
The crops in the field have sprouted and are lush and green.
Occasionally, you can see a few farmers working in the fields, bathed in the warm sunlight.
Their convoy is longer.
A large group of people followed, some returning home with the convoy, some wanting to visit Kyoto, and some visiting relatives.
After registering, Bai Wulan brought everything with her.
When they reached the loquat tree where the old woman was buried, the whole group stopped to rest.
Jiang Yuzhi stood under the tree and looked up to find a small bird's nest on a branch.
Two chicks in the nest were chirping and crying for food. The female bird returned to the nest with two lively little mole crickets in her beak.
It looked very plump, and the baby birds ate it greedily, no longer chirping.
She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice Bai Yan coming up beside her.
"When we get back, we'll be able to catch the monthly ghost market. Shall we go check it out?"
A ghost market? Jiang Yuzhi had never heard of it.
There is also a bustling street in the underworld. Ghosts who have not yet reached the time for reincarnation live there. The street sells foods, clothing, and even incense and ash that are unique to the underworld.
Ghost food incense requires mortals to light it in order to feed ghosts, but the incense ash is different and can be used directly.
Bai Yan: "The market opens at dawn on the 14th and 15th of each month and closes at daybreak. It sells some unusual items and is located at the crossroads."
Jiang Yuzhi: "Okay."
Jiang Yuzhi kept the Huimin Bookstore at Shizijie Street, where Bai Yan bought books, firmly in her mind.
In the afternoon, I'll go to the bookstore first to buy a few books for Uncle Yan. Then, when night falls, I'll stroll through the ghost market in the mortal realm.
We can invite Yuxiu along then. Brother Xie said she's a recluse, so he probably hasn't met her before.
Jiang Yuzhi made all the arrangements clearly, and the progress of the Sheji Map was quite good. Zuo Huai's trip went smoothly, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to reward himself.
The shouts of the accompanying soldiers could be heard not far away; it was time to set off.
Jiang Yuzhi didn't have any other flowers on hand, the most she had were crystal orchids used for making tea, so she simply used those.
She took a handful of the contents out of her bag and piled them in front of her mother-in-law's grave, wishing her a good rebirth and a peaceful old age.
In the instant the wind blew, the crystal orchids were lifted up and swirled, spreading evenly across the still damp grave mound.
Traveling at a leisurely pace, it took us another half a month to reach Kyoto than it had taken to get there.
The people who accompanied the group all found their places, and the brick houses at the city gate were almost completely demolished.
People's livelihoods are improving in various places, people are returning home, and some who are able have moved to the capital city.
The guards were no longer as lax as when they left; they stopped their convoy and checked each member.
It seems the authorities are finally free to deal with this.
The carriages dispersed after entering the city.
Bai Yan followed Jiang Yuzhi back to the funeral clothing shop.
Bai Yan, who had been feeling unwell throughout the journey, was helped off the carriage by Jiang Yuzhi, occasionally letting out a weak cough.
Di Ting let out a heavy breath, "Hmph, pretentious."
The burly white dog deliberately pushed past Bai Yan, trying to get off the car before him.
Bai Yan let out a weak groan, looking as if he had been hit hard. He lost his footing and was about to fall into his wife's arms.
A man who was half a head taller than Jiang Yuzhi crashed into her arms, his head resting on her shoulder, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist.
Fortunately, Jiang Yuzhi was no ordinary person; otherwise, she would have fallen to the ground from that blow.
Inside the shop, Ah Zhao was teaching Zhou Yong how to read accounts when he looked up and saw that his young master was so weak he could barely stand. He immediately rushed over to help him up.
Jiang Yuzhi had her back to A Zhao and couldn't see Bai Yan's slightly cold eyes as he glared fiercely at the servant who cared deeply for his master.
Ah Zhao stood frozen in place, not daring to move, watching as the young master put his arm around Manager Jiang's waist, leaned half his body against her, held his head with one hand, and squeezed into the backyard of the shop.
The inner room was spotless, not at all like a house that had been uninhabited for months.
Madam Zhou tidied up the place, and the furnishings were exactly the same as before she left.
Bai Yan was helped to sit down on the couch.
"Are you feeling better now? Why don't you lie down and take a nap?"
Jiang Yuzhi suggested with concern that it was normal for Bai Yan to be unable to withstand the long journey and the arduous travel.
"Thank you..." Before he could finish speaking, Ah Zhao shouted even louder from outside.
"Young Master! Manager Jiang! His Highness has sent someone to say that we'll be having dinner at the Princess's residence tonight. Master has also returned, so the whole family can have a good reunion!"
Ah Zhao is always so timely.
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Author's Note: Transitional Chapter
The fifth watch of the night: 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.
I'm going to be using clipboards on the 30th, and I wanted to do a giveaway, but I'm really broke. So, I'll do a small giveaway: 10 people will each receive 100 coins on the 29th.
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