Chapter 76 connected
The twelfth lunar month has arrived, and the chill of deep winter is biting, but Lin'an City is still bustling with activity as people prepare for the upcoming Spring Festival.
Inside the Yong'an Marquis's residence, the birthday banquet preparations were proceeding smoothly.
That night.
Study of Chenfeng Courtyard, Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion
Mu Geng rushed inside, his face serious. "My lord, a corpse has been found in the southern suburbs of the city."
The room was brightly lit by candlelight, and the man sitting behind the table wore a dark, narrow-sleeved brocade robe with a solemn expression.
Mu Geng followed Chu Xiao from the border to the battlefield and then to the Criminal Investigation Department. He had seen all kinds of ruthless acts.
Chu Xiao knew him very well, and just from hearing this sentence, he knew that this matter was no small thing, and perhaps not an ordinary murder case.
"Tell me more about it."
A few days ago, Chu Xiao received a secret report that implied that there were still remnants of Qi Wulin's faction. After discussing it with Qi Jincheng in the palace, he ordered Mu Geng to lead a team to secretly investigate the matter.
Now, Mu Geng reports that a corpse has appeared in the southern suburbs of the city, which is most likely related to Qi Wulin's faction.
Chu Xiao immediately stood up and asked as he walked out, "Where is the body now?"
Mu Geng hurriedly followed him, “I have already secretly brought the body back. It’s in the Criminal Investigation Department. The coroner should be examining the body right now.”
"Currently, we only know that the deceased was male. When he was found, he was completely naked, and all his clothes were gone..." Mu Geng paused, this time lowering his voice, "Moreover, the deceased's face is also missing."
"Face?" Chu Xiao glanced at him suspiciously.
“Yes,” Mu Geng said, “his entire face was gone, and his face was a bloody mess.”
Mu Geng had followed Chu Xiao around and had seen many gruesome deaths. Some were decapitated, some had their limbs separated, some had their bodies ulcerated, and some had their bellies ripped open. But this was the first time he had ever seen a face that had been forcibly peeled off and taken away.
The night outside was dark and the cold wind was biting, causing the lanterns under the eaves to sway back and forth.
Chu Xiao's handsome face was frighteningly grim, and with heavy steps, he entered the dim night, his tall figure almost blending into the darkness.
Fifteen minutes later, the Criminal Investigation Department.
Inside the morgue, the coroner had just taken off his gloves and straightened up, his face showing obvious relief.
Chu Xiao arrived, his body radiating frost and cold. The people inside hurriedly bowed to him, but he waved them off, dismissing the formalities.
"Tell me, what did you learn?"
The coroner stepped forward and said solemnly, "The deceased was male, around twenty years old, no more than twenty-five. He had a knife wound in his back, indicating that he died from a single stab wound. The estimated time of death is about half a month ago."
"His face was peeled off the moment he breathed his last."
"In addition, there is an old scar about three inches long on the inside of his left thigh, and a dark brown birthmark on the inside of his right thigh."
After the coroner finished speaking, a constable from the Criminal Investigation Department took over and continued, "When the person was found, he was naked and had nothing on him that could prove his identity."
Moreover, their faces were stripped off, leaving them without any facial features.
The implication is that it is very difficult to confirm the identity of the deceased.
As soon as the words were spoken, the already gloomy and oppressive morgue became even more oppressive.
The worst thing in solving a case is not being able to identify the deceased, which means that everything else will be impossible to proceed with.
but--
The fact that Mu Geng would connect this matter with the case of Qi Wulin's remnants, which he had been investigating in recent days, indicates that the current clues are not limited to this.
Chu Xiao glanced at him, then suddenly waved his hand, signaling the coroner and the constables to leave.
Only Chu Xiao and Mu Geng remained in the morgue. Mu Geng then handed Chu Xiao a long dagger wrapped in a white cloth, saying, "My lord, this is the murder weapon."
The dagger is about seven inches long, with a slightly upturned tip. Once it pierces the body, it is almost twice as painful to pull it out.
Chu Xiao's gaze fell on the blade, where beneath the crimson bloodstains, there was a barely noticeable mark.
He recognized it naturally; it was a unique emblem among the people of Wenxia Kingdom.
The Xia Kingdom borders the Qi Kingdom and is skilled in secret arts and iron casting, especially renowned for its weapon crafting.
In the period following Qi Wulin's death and Qi Jincheng's ascension to the throne, there were constant minor and major frictions on the border between Daqi and Wenxia. It seemed that Wenxia intended to take advantage of Daqi's unstable national situation to launch surprise attacks and harass them. At that time, Chu Xiao was stationed with troops on the border between the two countries, and thus had some understanding of Wenxia.
Back then, Qi Wulin's faction was besieged by Chu Xiao and Qi Jincheng at the border between the two countries. In order to prevent Qi Wulin's people from escaping to Wenxia, Chu Xiao took the lead in sending people to cut off their retreat.
A trail of fire was lit behind them, leaving Qi Wulin and his gang with nowhere to escape. Those who surrendered were spared, while those who resisted were all killed.
This includes Qi Wulin himself and his sons.
But Lin'an City is thousands of miles away from Wenxia, so why did Wenxia's dagger appear near the capital of Daqi?
This is something that makes one think deeply.
Mu Geng had followed Chu Xiao in his campaigns across the north and south, so he knew that the patterns on the dagger were the iron-cast emblems of the people of Wenxia.
That's why he linked the body to a recent secret case he was investigating.
Chu Xiao's expression was cold and he didn't say much.
After examining the dagger, he took a pair of clean gloves from the side, put them on, and went to the male corpse to conduct a brief examination.
Because it was winter and the weather was cold, the male corpse was preserved intact, showing no signs of decay or being eaten by snakes, insects, or rodents.
Chu Xiao lowered his eyes, his gaze solemn and sharp, his eyes fixed on the male corpse's skin.
A moment later, he straightened up, took off his gloves, and walked straight out.
Mu Geng, confused, hurriedly followed, only to hear his lord sternly order, "Before noon tomorrow, place the list of all young men of distinguished birth aged seventeen to twenty-five in the capital on my desk."
"Of extraordinary birth?"
Mu Geng didn't quite understand.
Chu Xiao said, "The deceased's fingernails were clean and neat, and there were very few calluses on his palms, knuckles, and even the soles and toes of his feet, which were also intact and without calluses."
Do you know what this means?
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, almost bumping into Mu Geng, who instinctively asked, "What does this mean?"
Chu Xiao glanced at him and said, "It means the deceased was of high status, either rich or noble."
Only when one is around twenty years old, a time when one is young and strong, can one have no excess calluses on one's hands and feet.
Mu Geng suddenly realized, "I understand, I'll go investigate right away!"
After saying that, he turned and left. Chu Xiao called him back, "Remember, investigate secretly and don't alert anyone."
"yes!"
A cold wind howled past, almost carrying away Mu Geng's echo.
In the courtyard of the Criminal Investigation Department, only Chu Xiao remained.
Tonight, the night is deep and dark, with no moon and no stars.
The air was bitterly cold, and the man's breath formed a white mist. His sharp and rugged features were somewhat obscured by the mist, but his dark eyes, like those of a hawk, remained piercing.
A servant carrying a lantern went around the screen wall and entered. Seeing him standing there, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Lord Chu, so you're here."
"A messenger from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion came to report that a distinguished guest had arrived at the mansion."
Upon hearing this, Chu Xiao narrowed his eyes and immediately stepped outside.
Uncle Chen sent someone to deliver a message, but naturally he wouldn't make it too explicit.
But the mere mention of "esteemed person" was enough for Chu Xiao to know who the visitor was.
He walked quickly and steadily, and as he bent down to get into the carriage, he didn't forget to tell the driver to hurry up.
The driver obeyed, raised the reins, and the wheels rolled on.
Before long, the carriage stopped in front of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Chenfeng Academy —
The courtyard was brightly lit with candles, the floor heating was on in the main room, and the door was slightly closed, shutting out all the cold outside.
Shen You sat for a while and felt a little hot, so she stood up and took off her cloak. Just as she was about to hang it on the wooden rack next to her, she felt someone approaching from behind. Then a large hand took the cloak from her hand and hung it on the wooden rack for her.
Shen You was taken aback, turned around to look at the person in front of him, and then subconsciously looked towards the door.
This person walked so silently that she didn't even realize when he entered the house.
Chu Xiao had just returned from outside, still carrying the chill of the cold. He restrained himself from hugging her, but instead led her by the hand through his sleeve to sit on the chaise lounge, where he poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her.
Shen You had important business tonight and wasn't in the mood for tea, so he went straight to the point, saying, "I know why I found Wen Tingyuan strange that day."
That day, she saw Wen Tingyuan when she looked down from the second-floor wing of Ruyi Embroidery Building.
That was the first time she saw Wen Tingyuan after he returned to the capital.
Wen Tingyuan's facial features vaguely resembled those of his childhood self, but Shen You found it strange for no apparent reason at the time.
But I can't quite explain why.
Now, she finally understands.
The oddity stemmed from Wen Tingyuan's face.
He was clearly putting on a gentle and refined appearance, trying his best to reverse the negative impact of the previous bad rumors, but his face always gave people the feeling of a forced smile or a forced smile.
Shen You's eyes were cold and solemn, and his voice was low and heavy as he said, "Chu Xiao, there is definitely something wrong with this Wen Tingyuan."
“Aside from forcing Ning’er to marry him, he has other problems.”
When Shen Yao mentioned marrying Shen Xiangning to Wen Tingyuan, Shen You thought that Shen Yao had asked for this marriage in order to climb up the social ladder to the Yong'an Earl's family.
But after witnessing Wen Tingyuan's attitude towards Shen Xiangning at Ruyi Embroidery Tower that day, she became suspicious.
Wen Tingyuan had only recently returned to the capital and had never met Shen Xiangning before. How could he possibly have feelings for Shen Xiangning and act as if he couldn't live without her or would force her to marry him?
Looking back now, this marriage might not have been something Shen Yao asked for, but rather something Wen Tingyuan initiated.
There must be other reasons behind this.
However, Wen Tingyuan's problems go far beyond this.
Based on her strange feeling when she first met him, even without concrete evidence, Shen You could deduce that Wen Tingyuan might be hiding some ulterior motive.
This is why she insisted on going to the Duke's mansion tonight despite the freezing cold.
Upon hearing Shen You's words, Chu Xiao almost instantly connected all the clues in his mind.
A faceless corpse, a strangely-looking young master from the Earl's mansion returning after more than a decade, carrying a dagger bearing the insignia of a neighboring country, and a forced marriage...
Chu Xiao's expression was serious, and his dark eyes even carried a sharp coldness.
Shen You hadn't seen him with such an expression in a long time, and thus realized that this matter was extraordinary.
"A male corpse was discovered today in the southern suburbs of the city..."
He told her everything that had happened that day.
After that, the room fell silent.
In a short while.
Shen You asked, "Do you have to enter the palace?"
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