Chapter 53 The God of Heart-Knocking Gate is most skilled in matters of marriage, and the client can also...
Before heading back to Lianzhou, Jiang Geyun visited the Yuantian God Temple.
Pei Xueyi would occasionally send her letters, telling her about her experiences in Jingzhou, and Jiang Geyun would reply with updates on the mission's progress.
One day after the case was closed, Pei Xueyi suggested in a letter that if one had previously drawn a fortune stick, it would be best to go and fulfill one's vow.
With the thought, "Should I still fulfill my vow even if I draw such an unlucky fortune?" in order to temporarily avoid training and give my body some rest, Jiang Geyun still went to the temple where she almost died.
Everything in the temple was as usual, without a trace of blood.
The incense was burning brightly, and the crowds were dense.
As soon as she entered, she felt the temperature around her rise a few degrees. All she could see was the smoke from burning incense, rising from the bottom up, coiling and swirling, as if trying to reach the heavens.
Jiang Geyun bowed to the priest in the main hall and asked, "I drew a very unlucky fortune stick here before. Now that the matter has been resolved, do I still need to fulfill my vow?"
The priest's clothes had faded from washing, and his hair and beard were all white. He looked like a master, and his words also had the air of a master.
He understood Jiang Geyun's question, bowed to her, and said, "When you seek guidance from the Divine Lord, you do so to ask for advice. Whether the divination is auspicious or inauspicious, the Divine Lord has given you a response and hint. You should naturally be grateful for this guidance. If you were to consult a wise person, and that person said your path ahead would be difficult, wouldn't you be grateful to that wise person?"
The priest must have answered many similar questions before, and he spoke fluently. Jiang Geyun could only nod in agreement and say, "Thank you for your guidance."
After saying this, she asked for incense and was about to enter the temple to fulfill her vow when the priest stopped her.
The priest asked, "I see that you, my lord, also have some difficult matters to resolve on this journey. Would you like to draw another divination slip?"
Jiang Geyun was stunned, then quickly shook her head and said, "Thank you for your kindness."
Drawing lots is troublesome, fulfilling vows is troublesome, and no matter what kind of lot you draw, things will still develop the same way. It's better to save her some energy and focus on solving the problems she needs to solve.
She still has a lot to deal with.
Seeing her refusal, the priest smiled and said, "The Divine Lord is most skilled in matters of marriage; perhaps you, my beloved, may give it a try?"
Judging solely from listening, Jiang Geyun couldn't tell whether the other person was referring to "fate" or "marriage," but seeing the other person's expression... it must be related to the red thread.
She was about to shake her head out of habit, but then she paused.
...
What was the divination slip again?
Jiang Geyun remained calm, looking down at Cheng Xi beneath her.
Perhaps due to drowsiness, his eyes were half-closed, his black hair was winding, his undergarment was slightly wrinkled, and his voice was even gentler than usual, almost... submissive.
...She did not receive a fortune slip.
The priest was puzzled for a moment after seeing this result, but finally explained to her that the fortune slip was no longer available, which was also the God's idea. If the God felt it was necessary, he would make up for it.
She thought to herself, "It's interesting that if you can get it out, there's the Barnum effect to cover it up, and if you can't get it out, there's this explanation too."
So what if you pull it out?
Knowing what will happen is pointless.
Foreword retracted.
If you tell her about this sooner, she will definitely be more cautious.
Gathering the jumbled thoughts in her mind, Jiang Geyun took a deep breath, intending to leave Cheng Xi's body.
But the fall just now caused their hair to get tangled together.
The hairpins she hadn't completely removed from her hair caught on both of them at the same time. If she moved too much, she would pull on the other person. She realized this as she lifted halfway up her body.
Left with no other choice, she pursed her lips, bent down again, her mind blank, and mechanically untangled her hair in the dim moonlight and golden flames.
Cheng Xi's gaze was almost tangible; she could even feel the temperature of his gaze, along with the warmth of his body and breath. He had stopped applying medicine, but the long-term use of medicine in the past still caused a slight medicinal fragrance to rise from his skin, mixing with the faint bamboo scent on his clothes, filling and enveloping her.
For a moment, she wished she didn't have such keen senses.
...
Just as her tangled hair was about to be completely untangled, she breathed a sigh of relief. After a long silence, Cheng Xi suddenly said, "Madam is from Yingzhou. Since you've come to Lianzhou, do you need a place to stay?"
His breath hit the nape of her neck, making her pause for a few seconds.
Why say it at a time like this!
Can't we wait until it's untied?
She can't think about two things at the same time right now!
Jiang Geyun steadied herself, struggled to untangle her tangled hair, slowly sat up from him, and after confirming that she was alright, quickly turned sideways and stood up.
Her fingers unconsciously ran through her hair.
Seeing Cheng Xi prop himself up with his hands and slowly sit up... Jiang Geyun remembered that he had been unwell recently, and with her hitting him like that today, he probably wasn't feeling well.
Thinking of this, Jiang Geyun's previously indescribable emotions turned into worry.
She quickly squatted down and helped him up.
After the two of them had settled in the room, the natal fire that had been stagnant for a long time circled around them once, then rather sheepishly scurried back into Jiang Geyun's right hand.
Jiang Geyun forced a smile and shook her hand, but unconsciously twirled a strand of hair, trying to figure out how to explain.
Cheng Xi lowered his eyes, his expression still carrying an extremely gentle smile, and asked, "Does my wife still remember our reunion at Yunling Manor?"
Jiang Geyun paused.
Of course she remembered that during the banquet, there was something she couldn't say directly to Cheng Xi, so she deliberately tapped her plum blossom cup three times, inviting him to meet her at the plum garden at midnight...
She understood.
Jiang Geyun stopped fiddling with her hair and instead tapped it three times with her index finger.
Cheng Xi raised his head and guided her, "My lady has not yet answered me whether you need accommodation arranged in Lianzhou?"
He was no longer going to press her about what she had done that night.
He was just hinting to her that if she couldn't explain it clearly for the time being, she could tap three times lightly, just like she had done that day, and he would understand and wouldn't ask any more questions.
Jiang Geyun nodded as her heart was suddenly filled with indescribable emotions.
...
At the time... she didn't actually fully understand what Cheng Xi was saying.
In short, Jiang Geyun is now living in Cheng Xi's villa.
Most of the Cheng family's businesses are located in Jinghu, but Jiang Geyun needs to go to Lianzhou Prefecture, the seat of Lianzhou, to investigate the case. It is the largest, most prosperous, and most important city in Lianzhou, which can be understood as the provincial capital of Lianzhou. The governor's office of Lianzhou is also located here.
Jiang Geyun wanted to go to the Legal Affairs Office of Lianzhou Prefecture to retrieve the case files of the victims, check whether there were any further connections between them, and also investigate the women who had fallen to their deaths in recent years, checking them one by one to narrow down the scope.
She wasn't worried about the gradual seven-day curse.
Except for the first day when the white-clad figure could still appear in her sight, over time, the white-clad ghost stood further and further away, until she could no longer catch up with it. As soon as she moved, the ghost would simply disappear.
Actually, she didn't really want to directly "exorcise" the white-clothed ghost.
However, it was clear that the other party wouldn't listen to her explanation.
After a day's journey, they arrived at the villa and rested for the night. Cheng Xi didn't ask many questions about Jiang Geyun's needs; he made arrangements as she mentioned them.
So, the morning after they arrived in Lianzhou Prefecture, she took the carriage arranged by Cheng Xi to the Legal Affairs Office.
Upon hearing Jiang Geyun's purpose and seeing her jade token, the clerk of the Legal Affairs Office immediately and respectfully led her to a room filled with files.
A middle-aged man sat in the main seat of the room, intently flipping through the case file in his hands, his movements and expression resembling... the way a student behaves after the homeroom teacher enters the classroom.
You're flipping through the pages so fast, can you even see it clearly?
Jiang Geyun coughed lightly and said, "May I ask if you are Military Advisor Wang?"
When Wang Canjun looked up and saw Jiang Geyun, he quickly stood up and warmly greeted him. After bowing, he said, "Lord Jiang! I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"
Jiang Geyun said, "I dare not, it is I who have bothered you."
She came here first to investigate the case, without paying a visit to Prefect Cui of Lianzhou, which was actually quite impolite and showed a lack of understanding of etiquette.
This was something she did on purpose.
If this matter involves a lot of back and forth, and eventually leads to a connection with Prefect Cui, wouldn't her first visit to Prefect Cui upon arriving in Lianzhou be giving him an opportunity to prepare for the future?
Jiang Geyun's sudden appearance at the Legal Affairs Office today suggests she intends to launch a surprise attack.
It just doesn't look like a success.
Judging from Wang Canjun's expression and the harmonious yet busy atmosphere inside the room, it's likely that someone already knew she was coming today and had made preparations.
Who can sit at work and nod with interest while looking at documents?
I'm talking about the person next to me! Stop acting!
Jiang Geyun stopped talking and said directly, "I want to retrieve the case files of the deceased in this case, as well as the case files of women who fell to their deaths within the last three years."
Wang, the military advisor, rubbed his hands together and said, "Of course, of course! You, go and fetch the case file of the deceased!"
The clerk standing to the side turned and left.
Wang Canjun added, "As for the case file of the woman who fell to her death... it hasn't been sorted out yet, Lord Jiang will have to wait a while."
"It's alright, we'll wait."
Jiang Geyun spoke calmly, her gaze sweeping across the room without leaving a trace.
The clerk did not go to the dusty archive shelves at the back, but went straight to a conspicuous cabinet by the door and skillfully lifted out a stack of files.
After the clerk carried the files to Jiang Geyun and Wang Canjun, he returned to the cabinet and brought out another stack of files.
The process repeated itself until the third stack of files was placed in front of Jiang Geyun, reaching waist-high.
Jiang Geyun said, "That's enough, these..."
Wang Canjun stood aside, hands clasped in his pockets, and said, "Lord Jiang, these are all the case files of those deceased. Alas! It's truly heartbreaking!"
She had considered whether Wang Canjun might try to fool her with fake case files, and she had also thought about how to deal with such a situation. The crime of "procedural oversight" could be minor or serious, but if it fell into her hands... she would make good use of it.
I never expected it to be this move.
Jiang Geyun glanced at the stack of case files on the ground, and then at the cabinet that was filled to the brim.
If she were to raise her objections now, accusing the other party of deliberately making things difficult, Wang, the military advisor, could simply say that handling a large volume of documents is commonplace and is also for the purpose of solving cases.
I was really underestimated...
Jiang Geyun smiled and said, "I never expected the Lianzhou judiciary to be so meticulous in handling cases, with such detailed case records. It is truly a blessing for the people."
Wang, the military advisor, smiled broadly and repeatedly said modestly, "You flatter me, sir. It's just my duty!"
“However,” Jiang Geyun said with a smile, bending down to pull out a file and quickly flipping through it, “if I were to go through all these files one by one… what would I be doing with Military Advisor Wang, who has been here for so long?”
"If everything requires the superior to do it personally and review everything himself, then what use is there for you, the legal advisor, given that the court has established official positions and assigned duties? Is the duty of the legal advisor in Lianzhou simply to pile up case files into mountains to show diligence?"
She raised her eyes, the smile not reaching them, and stared intently at Military Advisor Wang, saying, "What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.
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Author's Note: I'll try my best to see you again today! I'll keep writing, sob sob!
I originally wanted to write about the interactions after get off work and in the various courtyards, but unfortunately, I've burned out. See you in the next chapter! [crying emoji]
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