Beijing Four
Such a tragedy happened in the spring breeze, and Master Wang himself stayed at home in the mourning hall all day long, muttering to himself, like a lost soul. There was no one in charge of the family, so Aruo and the others simply suspended their breakfast business for the past few days and helped Aunt Song and Lao Cai deal with the funeral of the Wang family.
Before the seventh day after Liang Shuxian's death, they were all forced to understand the complicated funeral ceremony of Da Qi. Aruo did not have time to argue with Su Zirui, but Beili came to inquire about him, but he also asked about Master Wang's character.
Aruo guessed that Su Zirui was too embarrassed to tell others about such a mess as throwing a woman into the pond, and she felt even more disgusted with his personality and behavior.
After finally making it to the seventh day, almost all the people who were supposed to pay their respects had arrived, and it was time to carry the body for burial after noon.
Seeing that there were no more guests in the mourning hall, Aruo finally breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her brow as she walked out of the hall. She hadn't been sleeping well in the past few days and had caught a cold, so she had a severe headache.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, she saw several little kids in the Spring Breeze piled up against the wall, each sticking their heads out, grinning and winking at her. These naughty kids usually loved to make trouble, but they also knew not to cause trouble for the adults when something happened, and they had been feeling very depressed recently.
"Why are you here? Where is Miss Lin? Didn't she forbid you to come over?" Aruo walked over and let the little kids hold one of their hands and turn the corner.
Children have clear eyes. Everyone in Chunfeng unanimously agreed to lock these children up at Lin Xiaoniang's house and only let their parents burn incense on their behalf.
"Sister, grapes~" Lin Xiaoniang's youngest son took out a bunch of plump grapes from his arms and looked at Aruo with his eyes twinkling. This fruit was considered a luxury in this day and age. They had only seen it at the market, and the adults were reluctant to buy it.
"Where did you get the grapes?" Aruo bent down. The grapes were still cold, and she was slightly surprised. It was almost summer, why was it so cold?
"Just remember to eat it!" The street kid has always been the boss here. He reached out to take the grapes and knocked on his younger brother. He whispered mysteriously in Aruo's ear, "Sister, I got this from Sister Xian."
"You stole Sister Xian's offerings?" Aruo's eyes widened, and she pulled his ear with one hand. "Yu Desheng, who told you to do this? It's a pity that Sister Xian loved you so much when she was alive!"
"It hurts, it hurts, sister." Yu Desheng screamed and begged for mercy, "It's not a sacrifice, it was taken out of the coffin by Xiao Zhuzi!"
"In the coffin?" Aruo was stunned. Since her husband's family lived far away in the countryside, her family of origin lived far away and only her uncle's family was not close to her. Liang Shuxian was buried by Aunt Song and Old Cai yesterday. She was watching from the side, and the coffin was nailed shut by Old Cai.
"Nonsense! How could he take anything out of the sealed coffin... No, there were only her old jewelry and clothes for the children inside. Where would there be grapes?"
Her burial objects were placed by Aruo and Caixin. They only included Shuxian's old things and clothes made by everyone but not worn by the children, as well as some gold and silver items bought by the neighbors in Chunfeng with their money pooled together. How could there be something as fragile as grapes in them?
Whose burial objects are fruits?
"It's true," Xiao Zhuzi tugged at the corner of Aruo's clothes and said softly, "The coffin was opened just now. I missed Sister Xian, so I climbed up to take a look, and I saw grapes on her body."
Fearing to frighten the children, the adults didn't directly tell them about the incident. They only knew they hadn't seen Shuxian in a few days. The oldest of the children was only ten years old, and their family had never experienced a funeral. They were usually fearless, except for Aruo, who had a painful earache. Shuxian had been very kind to them when she was alive, and Aunt Song had made up the corpse, so they didn't know how to be afraid. Little Zhuzi was just over three years old, at the age of being fearless and ignorant. He was usually the most attached to Shuxian, and when he saw her lying there, he wanted to get close to her and act coquettish.
Aruo was stunned and reached out to take the grapes. "No wonder it's so cold. There are even basins of ice next to the coffin. Wait, you didn't take it to the well to wash it?"
"No, the well is sealed." Yu Desheng looked regretful. If he hadn't been unable to push the rock away, he would have probably shared the grapes. Unfortunately, his father, the owner of a pharmacy, always told him to wash fruits before eating them, and he never took risks with his own stomach.
"No water?"
"Sister, eat, eat." The youngest daughter of the Shen family at the corner of the street is only four years old. She usually hangs out with a few other kids and pulls at her skirt with a greedy look on her face.
"You can't eat it, it's not good." Aruo shook his head and said to Yu Desheng, "Take my brothers and sisters back quickly, this thing is a bit strange. Xiao Zhuzi, go to the backyard and talk to Xiao Caixin and Aunt Song, and you go and ask Lao Cai to come to the place where the body is kept."
After sending the little brats away, Aruo quickly returned to the mourning hall, walked around the incense table, and didn't dare to go too close, but with just a quick look, he found that the nails were gone.
Someone opened the coffin?
Aruo felt her breathing suddenly quicken, her heart pounding, an indescribable sense of fear came from all directions, and her hands and feet became uncontrollably cold.
The coffin, clearly nailed shut, suddenly opened. Who did this? So many nails, and in such a short time, all of them buckled... Who was it?
"Aruo." Someone suddenly touched her shoulder, and she screamed in fright.
Suddenly turning around, it was Old Cai's old face with a goatee. Aruo was so angry that he punched him, "Old Cai, you're so scary!"
"Didn't you ask Yu Desheng to call me here?" Old Cai felt wronged. "What happened?"
"This has been opened." Aruo pointed at the coffin, "Also, Xiao Zhuzi took this out from inside."
"Those little devils!" Old Cai's face darkened and he quickly walked over to check.
Aruo hesitated and didn't dare to go closer, but Aunt Song and Caixin had already walked in.
"What's wrong? Aruo." Cai Xin walked up to her and asked.
Aruo explained the situation, and Aunt Song's face darkened. She told the two girls not to get too close, rolled up her sleeves, and walked over to help Lao Cai open the lid.
Not long after, two people came over with strange expressions on their faces.
"What happened?" Cai Xin asked.
"Strange, Miss Xian sealed the coffin just like before, but this coffin... has indeed been opened." Old Cai was speechless, but he just felt strange. He had clearly nailed it, but now even the nails were gone. If it weren't for the nail marks on the coffin, he would have thought he had forgotten.
Aunt Song nodded and was about to say something when she saw the figure staggering towards them. She said, "Forget about it for now. Old Cai, seal the coffin again. The Master is here, I'll go check. You two shouldn't stay here, both of you, get out."
Cai Xin and Aruo looked at each other and walked out of the mourning hall quietly.
"Aruo, this matter..." Cai Xin saw that she was still holding the grapes, and opened her mouth but didn't know what to ask.
"I don't know either. It's so strange." Aruo couldn't figure it out either. Master Wang brushed past them, mumbling something. Aruo felt a chill for some reason and said to Cai Xin, "Okay, go check on those little brats and don't let them come over again. Master Wang seems a little off. I'll go check on him."
Cai Xin also heard the teacher's nonsense, nodded, and walked towards the little kids who were peeking at the door, "Yu Desheng, I saw you, and you still dare to stay here? Aren't you afraid that your mother will spank you later?"
"Sister Caixin, I'm not Yu Desheng, I'm Yu Debai." The little brats scattered with laughter.
"Bah, I'm not a Chinese cabbage, I'm a lettuce!" Cai Xin grabbed a small one, tucked it under her armpit and followed.
The familiar fighting dispelled the coolness of the yard. Aruo laughed and shook his head, "They're all vegetables, what nickname do they have... Oh, no, nickname, the nickname of grapes is..."
As soon as Su Zirui and others stepped over the threshold, they saw a woman in a plain dress, with her hair simply tied up in a half bun and a snow-white ribbon tied on her head. There was nothing fancy about it. She was standing outside the mourning hall in a daze.
Thinking of the inappropriate thing he did last time, Su Zirui paused and turned his head to look at Beili.
"Aruo, what are you doing standing here?" Beili walked up to her and waved his hands in front of her. "Why are you in a daze?"
"Beili?" Aruo suddenly came back to his senses and saw that they had just smiled, but when their eyes met someone, they quickly withdrew their smiles. "Why are you here?"
Beili pointed to the mourning hall and said, "The case is still unsolved. Liang Shuxian's death was suspicious, and Wang Chen has been unconscious. We wanted to see if there is anything we can ask, and also pay our respects."
"That's thoughtful of you. The teacher has been in a daze since he came back from you guys, and just entered the mourning hall." Aruo pointed his chin towards that direction.
"Then we'll go over first." Kitazato nodded to his colleagues and led his men over.
Looking down at the grapes in her hand, Aruo struggled a bit, still holding a grudge against her. But one thing led to another, and the current situation needed to be resolved. She had no way of accomplishing what she now doubted and desired, and when someone else could do it, why dwell on such a personal grudge? After a moment's internal struggle, Aruo decided to put her personal grudge aside.
Sighing, Aruo looked up with disgust, but met a pair of eyes full of inquiry.
Why...is he still here?
Su Zirui stood in front of her with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp but full of questions. He lacked the usual pressure and there was a hint of awkwardness.
"What are you...looking at?" Aruo turned away, subconsciously avoiding this kind of eye contact.
"What are you thinking about?" Su Zirui's eyes were still on her, and he straightened his sleeves casually.
"What does it have to do with you?" Aruo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and said with a slightly sinister tone, "Crazy Su, don't think I've forgotten what you did before? I'm telling you, I will definitely avenge this! Just wait."
Su Zirui's eyebrows raised slightly when he heard this, and he showed a rare apology. "Last time, Su was not considerate enough and offended the young lady. I hope the young lady can forgive me."
"You are not considerate. Humph, that's easy for you to say. If apologies are useful, why do we need you officers? Do you know that you almost killed me?" Aruo became more and more angry as he spoke. Who would throw someone into the water just because he asked if he could swim?
If he was asking if she could fly, did he also want to throw her off a cliff?
It was indeed his fault before. Su Zirui touched his nose. He had never done such an impulsive thing in his life. He didn't know what to say to calm a girl down.
He had intended to teach her a lesson that day, to frighten her so she wouldn't be so reckless as to risk her life alone. He hadn't left until he'd made sure she was safe. But it was the first time he felt so insecure. Su Zirui sighed inwardly that his impulsiveness had been wasted.
The grapes in his hand had lost their coolness. Aruo stamped his feet and said reluctantly, "I don't forgive you. But I will settle this matter with you later. What did you find out about Sister Xian's case?"
Su Zirui was slightly surprised. He looked directly into her eyes and said coldly, "This is a confidential matter of the Ministry of Justice. I cannot disclose it to you."
"I found that incense box," Aruo said firmly, folding his arms across his chest, his back straight. "According to the Ministry of Justice, tracing the source of the spices shouldn't be a problem. But are there any suspicious things?"
"Miss Qi, the government will follow up on this case. Why bother getting involved in this mess?" Su Zirui did not give in at all.
The last time he called her that, he threw her into the pond... Aruo subconsciously took a step back, her guard suddenly rising.
"I'm afraid of trouble and don't want to get involved in any muddy water." Feeling that she had overreacted, Aruo looked straight at him, without any emotion from before, just looking at him purely, "Master Su, can I trust you?"
"This is up to you, not me." Su Zirui did not answer, but his gaze did not shift at all, looking directly into her bright and tangled black eyes.
In this dynasty, one could easily be killed if one wasn't careful. Aruo's sense of justice, already worn down by society, was even more treasured, never easily exposed to the sun. However, there are some things, only because you've tried and never had the chance to do them, do you know the feeling of regret.
"They all say that our Ministry of Justice is renowned for its ability to solve cases like a god, and that the living Yama Luo is upright and incorruptible. So, if... I can be of some help, can I exchange it for a promise from Lord Su?"
"What a big tone! What do you want me to promise?" Su Zirui's eyes flashed with sarcasm. He felt bored and looked down upon by the ignorant request of the man in front of him.
"No matter who it is, justice must be done to her." After more than nine months of anticipation, the mother had to undergo a caesarean section to deliver the child. The mother who had been waiting for a long time died before she even had the chance to see her child's face. How cruel is God?
"It might not be difficult for the Ministry of Justice to find the murderer. You have many informants and your arrest ability is obvious to all. The Ministry of Justice also has many capable people... But, Lord Su, no matter who it is, we cannot let him escape the severe punishment of the law."
Although she had only been in Beijing for a year, she had already seen too much privilege, too much being taken advantage of and then easily put down. She could watch and eat other things, but this time, she could not miss any opportunity to bring the murderer to justice.
Su Zirui's pupils widened slightly, a flicker of surprise in their depths. The woman before him had lost her smile, her eyes devoid of emotion yet remarkably determined. Though a delicate woman, she revealed a resolute determination to succeed. After gazing at her silently for a moment, Su Zirui shifted his gaze into the mourning hall, whispering softly, "The details of the case cannot be made public, but I, Su, will definitely seek justice for the deceased."
This is a promise, and he always keeps his promises.
His words had a convincing power. Aruo bit her lip, lowered her eyes slightly, and handed the grapes to him. "This, I just found in Sister Xian's coffin."
"Grapes?" Su Zirui was slightly surprised and habitually searched for relevant clues in his mind.
"The coffin had been sealed before, but I don't know who opened it today. A few children found it when they sneaked into the mourning hall... and then they also found this." Aruo lowered his head, a wave of sadness welling up in him, and his voice choked slightly.
"Grapes...a species brought back by Zhang Qian during his diplomatic mission to the Western Regions during the Western Han Dynasty. They are rare, though, and they shouldn't be in season yet." Su Zirui pondered.
"Another name for grapes is raisins." Aruo looked up, his vision a little blurry. The man's brocade robe was a calm indigo blue.
Su Zirui also thought of this and his face darkened.
Grapes, grapes! Didn't Liang Shuxian have her baby taken from her womb? Who was it? So cruel, yet they put it down with a playful air, even putting it in the sealed coffin?
"And that spice, there's a flower called ylang-ylang to the northwest. The tail end of that fragrance is most likely from this flower... Anyway, I have a bad feeling." Aruo lowered his head and kicked the leaves of the locust tree beside him.
She really knew the special properties of this spice! Northwest... The hostess of Furong Tower was from Xining. She had just come to Beijing a few years ago to engage in the flesh trade. In just a few years, she had become a renowned place of pleasure in Beijing.
Su Zirui closed his eyes slightly, thinking quickly in his mind.
"Later..." After a moment of hesitation, Aruo told him everything she knew. "I asked people and found out that Bai Yong and Huan Niang were old lovers. Lord Su, you went to the gambling house to find him to investigate the baby case... In the past, someone spread a rumor that Huan Niang's incense was made with the blood of virgins. Do you suspect Huan Niang used babies to make the incense?"
Su Zirui's eyes sharpened, "Ask someone? I underestimated you. Who is so powerful?"
Aruo choked, and she didn't tell him, "Don't change the subject, that's a rumor. I've bought the perfume she made, and it doesn't smell like blood. But Furonglou can become famous in the red-light district of Beijing, and no one can touch these people. There must be someone behind them. As for whether those missing babies have anything to do with her, I don't know, and I don't want to care. But if Sister Xian's child was taken away by these people, then I will definitely help you catch them."
"You're so brave, young lady! The investigation is our responsibility. Just tell us everything you know, and you'll be helping us." Su Zirui frowned slightly; he didn't want this girl to rashly ruin his plans. "Those missing babies weren't all daughters. Lord Liu lost his grandson. Besides, isn't it normal for Bai Yong to have an affair with the owner of a brothel? Doesn't this mean Huan Niang is also involved in the baby case?"
"I have a hunch they're related." Aruo couldn't explain why, but she felt Bai Yong wasn't such a bad person. He might have been tricked or manipulated. Ultimately, no one left alive in the Tiger Village was truly bad. Huan Niang's incense had appeared on Shuxian's body, and her unborn child had been taken away. If Huan Niang wasn't a suspect, why would Su Zirui bother investigating the incense?
"Miss Qi, we investigate cases based on evidence, not feelings." Su Zirui was silent for a moment, weighed the grapes in his hand, and glanced at her. "Do you think a premonition can be used as evidence?"
"My premonition...is especially accurate when it's bad." Aruo said seriously.
Su Zirui curled his lips slightly and remained silent.
"Sir?" Beili called from the door of the mourning hall.
The two people here looked at each other and walked over together.
In front of the mourning hall, Master Wang Chen knelt on the ground in a daze, paper money still tightly clenched in his hands. He did not react to the people who came, but just muttered to himself stubbornly.
"She won't die... She's just sleeping. Wait for me... She will definitely wake up... She won't die..."
Su Zirui listened intently, his words raising doubts in his heart. Previously, he hadn't personally interrogated Wang because he wasn't a suspect. But these past few days, he'd been trying to track down the spices, and now he'd been begged by Lord Liu, desperate to find his grandson. After reviewing the case file, he'd found it contained almost no substance, which was why he decided to come and question him personally.
File records indicate that Wang Chen had traveled to Beijing several years earlier to take the imperial examinations, but failed. However, he found favor with his private school teacher and settled in Beijing with his wife. He excelled in poetry and was a dedicated teacher. Although somewhat pedantic and aloof, he possessed a good temper and was highly respected by his students.
What could be abnormal about such a person?
Su Zirui's eyes were deep as he studied him discreetly. The girl had just said that this man had been in and out of Furong Tower several times. Was it really just to buy incense for his wife?
Furong Tower was a haven for the rich and powerful. Wang Chen was a scholar, and his temperament was aloof. Liang Shuxian wasn't particularly well-known, so why would he go there? Or was he actually related to Huan Niang? Questions swirled in his mind, each waiting to be answered.
Suddenly, the girl not far away changed her expression slightly, winked at him, and moved her lips slightly.
As it happened, he understood what she meant.
Turning his head to signal Beili to pull Aunt Song and the others to question, Su Zirui stood in front of Master Wang and nodded calmly. Then, he saw her retreat silently and slip out of the mourning hall.
"Wang Chen, you said she wouldn't die, so where did she go?"
Master Wang, as if awakened, raised his head in a daze. His pale face was lifeless, and his lifeless eyes reflected the handsome man bending before him. He heard his gentle question in his ear. Unlike the officer's harsh and fierce tone, the man before him was so gentle that he felt a sense of care.
When Lord Su wanted to ask questions, he was always as gentle as he could be. His tone was as soft as if he was coaxing a child, and his handsome face hid a coldness, with a gentleness as jade that made people lose their guard.
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