Thirteen in the Capital
After the Ministry of Justice's investigation into the Niujiazhuang Village case, the case of child trafficking revealed the village's old custom of burying live children. This time, the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple worked together to crack this major case, shocking the government and the public.
The case has terrified families with children in the capital. From the disappearance of children in the capital, to the woman's caesarean section, to the involvement of burial alive, as more clues surfaced, the case became more and more confusing. The current emperor ordered a thorough investigation. This is a later matter.
The only grandson of the Minister of Revenue, Lord Liu, was particularly grateful and personally prepared generous gifts to thank Su Zirui.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed across the dark sky, and raindrops as big as beans poured down like an overturned dustpan, splashing water and dust on the ground. Pedestrians on the road dodged, and the street soon lost its previous bustle.
Aruo, who was very foresighted, slowly opened her oil-paper umbrella, and she was particularly eye-catching as she strolled leisurely among the hurried pedestrians.
"You should just lie down at home in this kind of weather. Why would you eat sesame oil roasted chicken? Xiao Caixin is really something. She's not a pregnant woman. Why does her taste change so suddenly?" Thinking of Cai Xin who was lying at home crying in pain after coming to Kuishui, Aruo was speechless.
She had just finished her period and was able to move freely and in a good mood, otherwise she would not have made this trip to coax a woman who looked like she wanted to be lazy and act coquettish.
Alas, there is such a woman at home, and she is a beauty. What can she do? Just pamper her.
As he walked slowly, muttering to himself, he suddenly saw a familiar figure running towards him. Aruo quickly grabbed the person and said, "Chen Changsheng! You idiot! Can't you take shelter from the heavy rain?"
The boy, half wet from the rain, timidly looked up at her, then lowered his head and hugged the book in his arms tightly, "Ruo, Sister Ruo."
"Wait, what's wrong with your face?" Aruo reached out and lifted his face. The boy's handsome cheek was suddenly bruised. "Did Zhou Huaijin and his gang beat you up again?"
"No, it's okay." Chen Changsheng pushed her hand away, without any emotion in his eyes. He didn't care about such a minor injury today at all.
Aruo couldn't bring himself to fight back. After all, the bullies in his private school all had connections. If he offended them too harshly, it could very well ruin his future. However, constantly getting beaten up like this wasn't the solution. Aruo rubbed his cheek and said distressedly, "Don't say it's okay. It's bruised. Your grandma must be heartbroken to see it. Go back and ask Auntie Song to apply some medicine. Next time those guys bother you, find a crowded place and yell at them."
"I know." Chen Changsheng smiled shyly, with a sly smile in his bright eyes, "They are still being punished by the teacher to copy books."
"Oh, you've improved." Aruo couldn't stand people who kept silent about their mistakes. She rubbed his head and saw that his clothes were wet on his shoulders. She handed him the umbrella and said, "Here, the exam is coming soon. Don't get sick."
"Well, where's my sister?" Chen Changsheng didn't dare to joke with himself. He was just worried that his grandmother would go out in such heavy rain, so he wanted to rush back to stop her. However, if he took the umbrella and let A Ruo get wet, it wouldn't be good. Holding the umbrella, Chen Changsheng asked hesitantly, "Let's go back together."
"I still need to buy a roast chicken for your sister Caixin. You go back first and don't let grandma worry. The store is just ahead. The rain might stop by the time I finish buying it." Aruo didn't allow him to refuse. She shielded her hands from the rain and ran directly to the teahouse ahead.
The young man pursed his lips, watched a figure as thin as himself enter the teahouse, then turned around and left with his umbrella.
After packing two roast chickens, Aruo stepped out of the teahouse and found that it was still raining heavily, so he could only stand at the door and wait.
Not long after, a green figure walked out of the teahouse. When his eyes met hers, he was stunned for a moment, then stopped beside her.
"Master Su, what a coincidence?" Aruo was a little surprised. She smiled and pointed at the raindrops dripping from the eaves. "You didn't bring an umbrella either?"
Su Zirui nodded calmly, then stood aside, hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on her, a forearm's length away. There weren't many people on the street, and few people in the teahouse had left due to the rain, so the two of them standing by the door didn't seem out of place.
"By the way, thank you for helping Sister Xian find the murderer and letting her rest in peace." Aruo thought of the people who had been executed before and expressed his sincere gratitude.
After the trial, the village chief of Niujiazhuang was executed, and the Wang family's tragic case was solved. The story was exactly as Bai Yong had described, except that after Liu Shangshu's grandson was brought to Furong Tower, he was seen by Wang Chen, who came through the back door to beg for incense. As a father, he felt pity for the child and could not help but secretly take him away and hide him in a dry well.
The offering was intercepted, and the killer, after tracking down the murderer, angrily killed Wang Chen's wife and took her unborn child as a warning. Seeing that Wang Chen, despite his grief, refused to return the child, the killer sent someone to remind him with grapes. Unfortunately, the grapes were accidentally taken out by the children, causing Aruo and Su Zirui to discover the hidden child, disrupting their plans.
"Thanks to you, sir, Master Wang's charges have been cleared. It's a pity that they are no longer with us." Wang Chen's brothers had rushed to the capital earlier and took the child away. It could be said that the couple's spirits in heaven were blessing the child.
Aruo sighed, feeling a helpless sigh at the impermanence of the world. He was such a good person, yet he almost died unjustly... A kind thought cost him his wife, children, and his own life. If there really is a law of nature, why doesn't it protect good people?
"No need to thank me. Bringing the criminals to justice is our duty. However, we still have no clue who's behind this." Su Zirui's investigation had only uncovered the secretive custom of burying people alive with the dead in Niujiazhuang Village. As for why the clan leader planned a wedding, he had no reasonable explanation. He had a vague suspicion that some forbidden technique might be involved, but he had no clue at the moment. As for Furong Tower, Huanniang only said she was asked to look after the children for a few days, and he didn't know the true story. The tower had many powerful figures backing it, so it was practically impossible to touch them this time.
"No matter what, her killer has been found." Which of the capital's cases doesn't involve a lot of back-story, with various forces seizing the opportunity to compete? Aruo didn't expect to uncover anything. From beginning to end, she only hoped to find Shuxian's killer and bring him to justice.
She was just a commoner, without the connections or influence to get to the bottom of the matter. Furthermore, Liang Shuxian was merely a means for the murderer to threaten Wang Chen, an unlucky victim. Therefore, such an outcome was truly remarkable.
"As for the rest, let time take care of it. As long as something has been done, there will always be flaws."
Glancing at her with a little surprise, Su Zirui thought she would pester him until she got to the bottom of the matter. After all, she would rather take risks many times than not get involved in this case.
"Speaking of which, I am your savior, Lord Su." Aruo threw away his depression and said with a smile, "You must not forget this."
"I saved you too." Su Zirui reminded her. If it weren't for him, would she still be alive here asking for his favor? "Or have you forgotten the ten taels our Ministry of Justice returned?"
For the sake of these ten taels of silver, Old Chen stared at him with a strange look for two days... Su Zirui's face turned cold when he thought about it.
"Sir Su, you are an official," Aruo said righteously, not fearing his expression at all. "Isn't it reasonable for you to save me? I am a good citizen, so saving you in return is a great favor."
Su Zirui choked, as if he didn't know how to refute.
"I tried my best to rescue you from the water and gave you first aid." She was the one who fished him out from the bottom of the water, Aruo said while counting on her fingers.
Su Zirui was too lazy to argue with her about every detail. Raindrops hit his shoulders, and his blue coat was soon covered with mottled water marks.
Aruo was in a good mood because someone owed her something. She noticed the water on his shoulder and reached out to tug at his sleeve. "Master Su, please come closer."
Su Zirui turned his head and glanced at her, then pulled his hand back without leaving a trace, "No need."
Aruo was a little embarrassed. She lowered her hand and grabbed the skirt at the side of her body. She felt a little uncomfortable. She thought to herself, could he be so stingy? She simply laughed dryly and said, "Master Su, don't worry. It's broad daylight. If you take two steps closer, I won't take the opportunity to flirt with you."
Su Zirui sneered softly, "Just you? Forget it."
"What? Look, your clothes are all wet." Aruo couldn't help but reach out and point at his shoulders wet by the rain.
As if startled, Su Zirui suddenly grabbed her hand and leaned back subconsciously. The raindrops drifted into his collar, bringing a chill.
The warmth from the back of his hand was too sudden, and Aruo was stunned. His hand bones were very good, slightly white, but his fingers were covered with calluses, which was completely different from his delicate and slender appearance.
For a moment, she didn't notice that they were a little close, but she thought his reaction was a little unusual, "Master Su?"
"It's okay." The coolness of his palms met his own warmth, and his heart skipped a beat. Thinking of Old Chen's look, Su Zirui felt a pang of suffocation.
He let go of her hand and motioned her to stand back a little. He said in a slightly faster tone, "Don't come over here, or you'll get wet. I have something urgent to do, so I'll leave first."
After saying that, the man walked away. Aruo blinked and reached out to catch the raindrops. "The rain has lightened, but it hasn't stopped yet. Is it that urgent?"
Could it be that he was scared away by her? Shaking his head, Aruo felt that this man was really inexplicable. Wasn't it just a favor he owed her? She didn't ask him to pay it back immediately.
"Eh? Master Su left?" The teahouse servant came out with an indigo oil-paper umbrella. "Why is his umbrella left by the door?"
Aruo blinked. What was so urgent that he even forgot his umbrella? But if he already had an umbrella, why was he still hiding from the rain at the door?
Pointing in the direction Su Zirui left, she said puzzledly, "Maybe it's urgent."
The servant shook his head, expressing his confusion. "By the way, Miss Aruo, how about I ask the shopkeeper to lend you an umbrella? This sesame oil roasted chicken won't taste good when it gets cold. You can just ask Actor Zhang to bring it back another day."
"Really? Thank you so much~" Aruo nodded in surprise, putting aside all her previous doubts. She was already hungry after smelling the sesame oil roasted chicken.
The capital city is full of secret cases involving high-ranking officials, and the city's common people have become increasingly receptive to these major cases, gradually forgetting about this incident over time. Today, the Marquis of Dingbei, who resides in the northwest, has been summoned back to the capital, and the streets are buzzing with his deeds, sparking a new wave of excitement.
After finally finishing his chores, Beili caught up with Su Zirui, a rare free moment, and walked with him through the bustling streets. Looking at the peaceful and bustling scene, Beili felt a sense of emotion. "Ever since the news of Marquis Dingbei's return spread, the people of the capital have almost forgotten what happened before. Those noble ladies have been busy visiting the Jade Carving Building and the Beauty Pavilion these days, buying clothes, hoping to encounter Marquis Dingbei at the welcoming banquet."
The Jade Carving Building and the Hongyan Pavilion are famous jade ornaments and rouge and powder sales points in the capital. They have always been favored by women in the capital, but their business has been particularly good recently, which is naturally related to the Dingbei Marquis, one of the four sons of the capital.
"Business in these two places has always been good. How can you conclude that it is related to Marquis Dingbei?" Su Zirui was in a rare mood to chat with him about these trivial matters, and said with a faint smile.
"The noble ladies have been discussing it these days. Even my eldest sister who got married has been paying attention to it. Marquis Dingbei was a handsome young man who was very popular in the capital. He married the only daughter of the Shen family in Qishan with a grand wedding, creating a beautiful story of childhood sweethearts. But that was the Shen family, one of the five founding nobles. They were mysterious. Unfortunately, their love was deep but their fate was short. Four years ago, he lost his wife and was so sad that he asked to stay in Liangzhou, which broke the hearts of many noble ladies in the capital. Now he has made great achievements in the northwest, and many people are eager to seize the position of Marquis Dingbei's second wife." Beili shook his head and talked about the worries of the noble ladies in the capital, and said it rather boringly.
The women in his family had been constantly nagging about the once-famous Marquis Dingbei, even asking him to inquire about other people's return dates, leaving Beili feeling depressed for a long time. He glanced sideways at his handsome boss, whose demeanor was gentle and refined when not judging cases, wondering what was in those women's eyes.
Although his master's trials were somewhat bloody and ruthless, like the ghost-faced man who lost half his life but still dug up a lot of clues, and in the end...but he was also a noble young man, unmarried and chaste. Could it be that they had seen too much of him and overlooked that he was also one of the Four Princes of the Capital? Speaking of which, even Master Lin of the Dali Temple was quite popular with women, and his cousin kept talking about him all the time.
Beili was heartbroken. His parents were so nice. It must be that the publicity that Aruo said was not enough.
"Come to think of it, Mr. Shen doesn't have many disciples." Su Zirui suddenly asked.
The Qishan Shen family is a renowned clan, both within the martial arts world and the imperial court. Their legacy, assisted the founding emperor in pacifying the country before retiring from the martial arts world, has long been legendary, with legends circling back to the time when only the emperor could allow the Shen family to emerge from seclusion. Unfortunately, this generation had only one daughter, who died young due to frailty. Elder Shen has vanished from the martial arts world, and his continued existence is uncertain. Even his disciples are rarely heard of.
"Yes, the late wife of the Marquis of Dingbei seemed to have two senior brothers, but neither of them served in the imperial court. I heard a few years ago that Elder Shen had passed away, but I haven't seen any news of any memorial services." Bei Li recalled the records and said uncertainly, "The Shen family of Mount Qi has always been mysterious. There are rumors in the martial arts world that Elder Shen had accepted a closed disciple in his early years, but there is no news about who it was."
"It is said that the Shen family's lightness skills are also unique." Su Zirui pointed out something, looking thoughtful.
"That's right. I heard from my eldest sister that the wife of Marquis Dingbei, Shen, was extremely weak, but she had great martial arts skills and her palm dance was stunning." Beili was thrown into the Northwest Military Camp for training at that time and had no chance to see it.
The only daughter of the Shen family was born with a heart disease and was weak and sickly since childhood. Old Shen had to entrust her to the current Emperor Huiqing and raise her with rare treasures and magical medicines. Even so, it was still predicted that she would not live past the age of twenty.
Beili vaguely remembered that Shen died when she was just about to turn twenty years old.
Could such a frail person also possess such excellent Qinggong skills? Su Zirui thought of the person who could not even detect a trace of internal energy, but whose Qinggong skills were so good that he was surprised.
Clear and crisp laughter came from the alley on the side, mixed with the laughter of children playing. Su Zirui looked up and realized that they had walked to the entrance of the alley in the spring breeze.
Looking into the alley from the entrance, several children were chasing a slender woman and jumping happily in the alley.
The surrounded woman, wearing a pale blue gauze dress, held aloft a string of candied haws, letting the children chase her around in circles, their laughter filling the alley. Two anxious little brats even threw their arms around her waist, burying their faces in her chest and abdomen, playing tricks.
"Ah, it's Aruo, she's teasing these kids again." Beili was very familiar with this lively scene, and smiled and raised her hand, "Aruo~"
Aruo smiled brightly when she saw them, her eyes curved into crescents, glittering like stars in the sky. She passed out the candied haws to a few children who had been envious for a long time, nodded at each of them, and sent them home. Then she strolled over to them and asked, "Master Su, Beili, are you done with your work?"
The Ministry of Justice was in a lot of trouble because of the Niujiazhuang Village case, and she hadn't seen Beili come to have breakfast for a while.
"Yeah, I just happened to be passing by," Beili said with a smile. He has three older sisters, all with similar personalities to Aruo, so he felt a sense of familiarity when he saw her.
"Sir Su, why do you look a little pale? Is there any big case today?" Aruo saw that the handsome young man had cold eyes and seemed unhappy, and couldn't help asking curiously.
Su Zirui glanced at her and noticed that her clothes were a little wrinkled around her waist. He frowned slightly and said, "Miss Qi, boys and girls should not sit at the same table after the age of seven. Those guys are all boys, and you are an unmarried woman. Don't play around like this anymore."
Beililue glanced at his master strangely, then at Aruo who was looking confused and innocent in front of him.
"Huh? A boy?" Aruo looked back at Yu Desheng who was sticking his head out of the doorway behind him and burst out laughing. "Come on, the oldest one is only 10 years old. They are all little brats. What can they do?"
The hair hasn't grown out yet, but under someone's increasingly gloomy gaze, Aruo knew what to do and didn't say it out loud.
"As a girl, you'd better be careful to avoid being criticized." What's wrong with being ten years old? When he was ten, he had already practiced martial arts diligently, but not long after, he was thrown into a training camp by his father.
"Yes, yes, you're right." Aruo nodded good-naturedly. After all, all men in this world were old-fashioned, and she should be more tolerant of their backward thinking. She didn't bother to remind him that he had pretended to be her husband in Niujiazhuang Village before.
Tsk, are all men so fickle? He didn't think I was being rude to her before, but now he thinks she's lost her composure in her interactions with the kids?
Seeing through her perfunctory attitude, Su Zirui felt that this person was indeed from the underworld, and her actions still carried the underworld atmosphere.
"Ahem, sir, these words seem a bit harsh." Beili was really curious. Apart from the suspect and the victim, when had his lord ever paid attention to the behavior of other women?
Aruo nodded in agreement. Sister-brother relationships were not popular these days, and she would not get involved with those guys.
"Aruo~" Cai Xin turned into the alley with excitement, ran to Aruo's side, grabbed her hand and tried to pull her away, "It's so lively over there at the city gate. The Dingbei Marquis has entered the capital, and many people are lining the streets to welcome him. Let's go and see him too~"
Su Zirui's expression changed slightly, but he instantly regained his expressionless countenance. Beili crossed his arms and teased unhappily, "Xiao Caixin, why don't you always line the streets to welcome us when we bring prisoners back to Beijing?"
"Oh, escorting a prisoner is different from returning victoriously." Cai Xin said with a smile, "Go ahead."
"Why is it different? We also returned victorious." Beili felt a little upset.
"I won't go. What's the point of joining in the fun?" Aruo shook his head uninterested.
"But, that's Marquis Dingbei, one of the Four Sons of the capital, the nobleman that Actor Zhang described as extremely handsome and talented. How could there be women in the capital who don't want to see his beauty?" Caixin was curious. Actor Zhang had been telling stories about this man in the teahouse for several days in response to market demand, and she couldn't help but want to go and see him.
"Among the four masters of the capital, one is here as well." Aruo pointed at Su Zirui, who was wearing a sky-blue brocade robe, a jade crown and a straight hair, and whose tall and straight figure made him look like cold jade.
Cai Xin looked at Su Zirui, who had an expressionless face and cold eyes, and cleverly gave him a gentle smile without saying anything. With a slight glance from her shimmering eyes, she knew it wouldn't be that easy for that little girl to trick her.
"Aruo still has good taste." Beili laughed and raised his fist.
Aruo ignored Su Zirui's disapproving gaze and bumped his with her fist.
"Ah, that's different. They say the most talked-about thing about the Marquis of Dingbei is his deep love for his wife, which he still remembers even after her death." Young girls in love are most moved by stories of such affectionate love, and Caixin is no exception. It was because she had heard so many such rumors, coupled with the fact that the Marquis of Dingbei was indeed extraordinarily handsome, that she was interested in seeing him.
"Yeah...I heard that he has a concubine." Aruo raised her eyebrows, breaking her fantasy.
"Don't all the rich and powerful have this?" With wealth and power, who wouldn't want to enjoy the best of both worlds? This man wasn't her husband, so Caixin wouldn't expect much from him.
"So, why do you have to act so infatuated?" Aruo tilted his head with a disapproving expression.
You've been treated like a cucumber, and you still want a memorial archway.
"Oh, you really don't want to go and see it?" Cai Xin choked and shook her hand in a rather uninterested manner. "It's rare for this marquis to be paraded through the streets."
"He was just passing by on his way back to Beijing, not parading around. Be careful if someone hears you, or you'll be charged with criticizing an imperial official." Aruo thought of the past and gave Su Zirui a meaningful look.
Raising his eyebrows lazily, Su Zirui smiled faintly and gestured to Beili, "Let's go, it's getting late."
Aruo and the other man bowed as a gesture of greeting and watched the two of them leave.
"Master Su." Aruo suddenly called out, "Thank you for your kindness, and goodbye."
Su Zirui felt a little strange and turned around inexplicably, only to see her waving at them with her usual smile.
After the two walked away, Cai Xin was pulled back to the alley by Aruo. "What a pity! The young ladies over at Fengxian Bridge swore that Dingbei Hou was a rare handsome man."
Since Aruo wasn't going, she was too lazy to join in the fun alone.
"No matter how beautiful she is, she could be a beast in human skin. Xiao Caixin, it's better not to get involved with these powerful people." Aruo poked her puffed-up face with a wicked smile.
Cai Xin certainly didn't really care about a stranger, she was just curious after hearing so much. She looked up out of boredom and saw clusters of pink petals by the courtyard wall. She said in surprise, "Aruo, the locust tree in our courtyard is blooming."
Aruo looked up and said with some emotion, "Yes, it seemed that the flowers were just about to bloom when we came here."
They first arrived in the capital last year and settled down here because of Aruo's words "Plant a locust tree in front of your door, and wealth will come naturally". At that time, they only wanted to pick locust flowers to cook, but they didn't expect that they would stay here for the whole year.
"Xiao Caixin, I want to eat Yangzhou fried rice."
The snow-white locust flowers couldn't wait to poke their heads out from the mud wall of the yard, swaying in the wind.
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