Chapter 154 As expected of a general from a military background
The next day, Qingling was woken up by Louyue.
She usually sleeps lightly and wakes up early, so Lou Yue was a little worried today because she hadn't woken up yet.
Qingling, however, felt refreshed. After washing up, the steward of the estate brought her breakfast.
"Has Steward Lin gotten up yet?" she asked.
Lou Yue said, "Neither Steward Lin nor Lin Qiao came to the estate yesterday."
"Hmm?" Qingling was slightly taken aback. "He didn't come back. He's been staying with Widow Chu the whole time?"
Lou Yue nodded: "Lin Qiao came back this morning with some breakfast. She also said that if Miss wakes up, she should go and visit Widow Chu."
Qingling nodded.
After breakfast, Qingling and Louyue went to Widow Chu's house.
Lin Shiyuan was not there, and Lin Qiao sat in the courtyard, looking listless.
"Miss." She came over with her head down, still saddened by what happened to Mao Ya.
Qingling patted her head, her gaze sweeping indifferently across the courtyard.
As expected, the yard was covered with footprints, clearly made by the villagers.
The bodies of the widow Chu and her daughter lay scattered in the courtyard.
Qingling walked around and entered the house. The cabinet door was open, and the clothes inside were all on the ground, covered with shoe prints. There were also clods of dirt that had fallen from the soles of the villagers' shoes on the ground.
The bed was covered in bloodstains, which snaked all the way to the floor, forming two large puddles, but the blood had already dried. Yet the strong smell of blood lingered in the room.
Lou Yue gagged a few times, then covered her mouth and went outside to vomit.
Yao Qingling stared calmly at the bloodstains splattered on the wall. This was the place where Widow Chu and her daughter had been murdered.
Taking advantage of the fact that Widow Chu and her daughter were asleep, Cuixiang made her move without giving them a chance to call for help.
It was cruel, but on the bright side, the widow and her daughter did not suffer any pain or torment before they died.
Qing Ling's eyes were dark and deep, her face was gloomy, and her fingers slowly curled up under her sleeve.
She then went to the small room next door.
The room was equally messy, but unlike Widow Chu's room, there was no bloodstain. The cabinets were already empty, and now there were just some items scattered haphazardly.
It seems that Cuixiang hesitated for a while before making a move.
She didn't want to kill anyone, so what forced her to do it?
Could it be that he simply escaped from the home of some powerful person, and then stole money and killed someone to cover it up for fear of being reported?
However, Widow Chu's family was extremely poor, and they couldn't even afford to buy a small piece of maltose.
She has no money.
The money she received came from Tao Ye's request to take care of Cui Xiang.
How far could that little money support her escape to?
The capital city was a relatively safe place; other towns were even more chaotic, with bandits running rampant. She was just a woman, and would only become prey in the eyes of others.
Qingling took a deep breath and then went to the kitchen.
The kitchen is in the yard, just to the left of the door. Everything is still there except for a knife that is missing from the stove.
There were even leftover wild vegetable pancakes from the day before yesterday in the pot.
As Qingling looked at the few blackened wild vegetable pancakes, a scene flashed through her mind: in the dead of night, someone opened their eyes, their eyes clear and bright.
She had been planning her escape for some time. When everyone lowered their guard, she quietly opened the door, went to the kitchen to get a knife, and then went to the room of Widow Chu and her daughter. When they were completely unprepared, she raised the kitchen knife high!
She killed someone, and in her panic, she frantically searched for valuables before fleeing into the night.
Worried about encountering someone on the road, she turned back and retrieved the murder weapon...
Lou Yue returned after vomiting and saw Yao Qingling staring blankly at the large pot: "Miss, what are you doing—"
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Qiao's voice came over: "Brother, Miss has arrived!"
Yao Qingling and Lou Yue both turned to look.
Lin Shiyuan walked over with a sullen face, his eyes bloodshot and looking slightly tired.
He didn't sleep all night.
"I looked around the area."
Lin Shiyuan had never been to the village before. After inspecting the site last night, he went to check the terrain of the entire village.
He initially suspected that Cuixiang was not a runaway maid, but a bandit disguised as a maid who came down the mountain to scout the way.
This is Yao Qingling's estate, which can be considered a wealthy family's residence, and could potentially become a target for bandits.
The nearby mountains and forests were places the villagers often went, so the bandits probably wouldn't be hiding nearby. Therefore, Lin Shiyuan explored a section of the mountains.
No evidence of large gatherings of people was found.
It seems that the maid was indeed being chased and had fled from the mountains.
Lin Qiao handed him a bowl of water and steamed buns: "Brother, have breakfast first."
Lou Yue quickly filled a basin with water and helped Lin Shiyuan wash his hands.
After washing, the man drank the water in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing, and the dripping water meandered from his chin, slid over his rising and falling Adam's apple, and rolled down into his collar.
The morning mist dampened his hair and clothes, leaves clung to them, and his shoes and robe were filthy.
But he didn't look disheveled at all. On the contrary, his imposing, down-to-earth, and powerful presence balanced out his overly handsome face, making people unconsciously trust him.
No wonder he's a general who came from a military background.
However, seeing his dirty appearance, Qingling loosened her fingers hidden in her sleeve and unconsciously pulled out a handkerchief.
When the corner of the handkerchief was revealed, she came to her senses and withdrew it again.
She coughed softly and looked away.
Lin Shiyuan glanced at her, casually wiped his chin and forehead with his sleeve, ate a few bites of steamed bun, and asked, "Have you gone inside to check?"
“Hmm.” Qingling nodded. “I sent people to investigate her background before, but we didn’t find anything. She’s so ruthless. I suspect that the name Cuixiang might not even be real.”
Lin Shiyuan nodded.
In this world, human life is worthless, and for poor people like Widow Chu and her daughter, no one will seek justice for them.
If they still have living relatives, Qingling will take them in and care for them.
But she couldn't possibly spend a huge amount of time and energy tracking down Cuixiang and arresting her.
She is neither an official nor a god.
Her immediate task was to ensure that the village's secrets remained undiscovered. She persuaded the villagers to report the matter to the authorities, and the village was temporarily stabilized again.
But the deaths of Widow Chu and her daughter need to be explained. Otherwise, if the villagers spread the word, it will still attract curious onlookers.
Taoye arranged the work at the estate in the morning and brought lunch with several old women.
She was still saddened when she saw the bodies of Widow Chu and her daughter lying in the yard.
She said, "Although the weather is getting colder, their bodies will start to decompose in another day, so we can't leave them like this any longer."
"I bought two coffins, and this afternoon I'll have someone change their clothes and bury them."
For impoverished people, being buried in a simple coffin after death was already considered very fortunate. Many were simply wrapped in a mat and buried in a pit dug in the back hill.
With all of Widow Chu and her daughter's closest relatives gone, it's clear that Chu Lao Er's family will no longer care for them.
Qingling nodded and let Taoye take care of the follow-up matters.
Before returning to the city, Qingling gave Taoye a few more instructions.
Because the widow Chu and her daughter died a violent death, and their resentment was too great, Tao Ye specially invited a feng shui master to bury them at noon the next day.
The villagers were satisfied with this arrangement.
They gathered around to watch the burial of the Chu widow and her daughter.
As the mound of earth was piled up, Taoye said, "My young lady and Steward Lin investigated for a whole day and night. Cuixiang was actually a bandit being hunted by the soldiers. She disguised herself as a maid and escaped to the village. Everyone kindly took her in, but she had ulterior motives. Fearing that we would report her to collect the reward money, she viciously killed someone and escaped again."
This aligns with people's impression of bandits as fierce and barbaric.
The massacre at Yongning Temple happened only a few months ago, and the government has searched for so long but hasn't caught many bandits, which shows that those bandits were cunning.
The villagers were terrified at the thought, and they all tensed up. They unanimously decided that no matter what outsiders entered the village in the future, they would not be allowed to enter without a guarantor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
