Chapter 132 Why didn’t Hongyao show up?
Xie Shouzheng slapped his thigh in regret. "It seems we were fooled by that cunning fox demon! She said she would help her get revenge, so she just turned herself in. Well, she's gone and never comes back! If we had known this would happen, we should have escorted her and Miao Dong back to Beijing in a prison van. We trusted her and treated her with respect, but she was so ungrateful! But it doesn't matter, she can't get away! I'm issuing a warrant for her arrest across the country!"
"Wait!" Lin Qingyue stopped him. "I don't think Hongyao would break her promise without a good reason. Don't issue a warrant for her arrest just yet."
Xie Shouzheng said, "Deputy Envoy Lin, at this time, why are you still trusting that fox demon? Demons are naturally cunning and cannot be trusted!"
Seeing Da Mi and Lin Qingyue looking at him with strange eyes, Xie Shouzheng realized that he had said something wrong and quickly made amends: "Of course, the monsters from the Xuanjing Division don't count! We are all good monsters with official positions, serving the people and the country!"
Da Mi curled her lips and said, "Sir, please don't try to make excuses. You don't even consider yourself a monster. If we weren't both from the same government office, I'd suspect you were racist!"
Xie Shouzheng glared at Da Mi and said, "Get lost! If I had racial discrimination, how could I pull you out of this stinking ditch?"
He then turned to ask Lin Qingyue: "Why didn't you issue a warrant for arrest?"
Lin Qingyue said, "I've always felt that Hongyao isn't the kind of demon who goes back on her word. Think about it, she's made contributions in the Donglin Mansion case, and she has the petition you gave her. She won't be charged with a serious crime when she's brought to the Xuanjing Division. At most, she'll be imprisoned for three to five years before she's free again."
"But if she escapes halfway, she will be hunted down by the entire country, and her crime will be even more serious. Given the influence of the Xuanjing Division across the country, she may not be able to escape. If it were you, would you do such a stupid thing?"
Xie Shouzheng shook his head: "Of course not."
Lin Qingyue said, "Hongyao is smarter than you, and it's even more impossible for her to do such a stupid thing."
Xie Shouzheng agreed with what he said: "Then why didn't Hongyao show up? Could it be...that she encountered something and couldn't escape?"
Lin Qingyue nodded and instructed Da Mi, "Aren't you the Rat King? Ask your brothers to help find him quietly."
"yes!"
Da Mi responded and was about to go down to do his work when Lin Qingyue called out, "Wait! What's the current situation with the Donglin Mansion case?"
Da Mi said, "The trial is still ongoing. The cells at the Dali Temple are so clean that not even a rat can get in. I can't get any information. I only know that Duke Li has been claiming illness at home since being reprimanded by the emperor."
Da Mi didn't know much about confidential matters like this. Lin Qingyue thought about going back to Dongfang Qi to ask him about it.
At this moment, another guard came to report: "Master Xie, Deputy Envoy Lin, a family in the seventh neighborhood claims to have seen their deceased grandfather wandering around their home every day recently. They have hired a monk to pray for his soul to be reborn, but it has not been resolved. They have just reported the case and asked us to resolve it."
At this moment, all the people in the yamen who could ferry souls were out on official business, leaving only Lin Qingyue and Xie Shouzheng.
Just as Xie Shouzheng was about to stand up, Lin Qingyue said, "Master Xie, don't you still need to review the latest case files? Let me go."
Xie Shouzheng felt a little embarrassed: "Deputy Envoy Lin, you are a prince now, and you still have to run around the case. I feel really bad about it."
He said "I'm sorry" but he had already handed Lin Qingyue's official hat to her and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Lin Qingyue glanced at him sideways: "Stop making sarcastic remarks!"
Then she put on her hat and turned to walk out.
Xie Shouzheng shouted from behind, "Go early and come back early, the brothers are waiting for you to treat us to dinner tonight!"
The ordinary residential areas in the capital were divided into twenty-four neighborhoods.
Qifang Street is located in the northernmost part of the capital, and is inhabited by people engaged in low-level occupations, such as street performers, jugglers, actors, prostitutes, etc.
People in these professions were also known as the lower nine classes. Therefore, Qifang Street was also called "the lower nine classes". People of status and position would take a detour when passing by this place, for fear of being contaminated by bad luck.
Therefore, when Lin Qingyue appeared in Qifang Street wearing the official uniform of Xuanjingsi, many people crowded at the door to watch the excitement.
The victim's name was Sun Dabao. He was leading the way and explaining the situation to Lin Qingyue:
"My grandfather died seven days ago at the age of sixty-five. He had a fall six months ago and had been bedridden ever since. Gradually, he couldn't eat or drink, and he became incredibly thin."
Sun Dabao and his mother handled the funeral for the old man according to custom.
But on the second day after the burial, Sun Dabao suddenly saw his grandfather coming back.
The old man sometimes sat under the grape vines in a daze, and sometimes wandered around the house, looking exactly the same as he did when he was alive.
If Sun Dabao hadn't seen the old man die and be buried with his own eyes, he would have almost thought that the old man was not dead!
Sun Dabao's eyes were red at that moment, and he said to his mother, "Mom, my grandfather is back. Look, he's sitting right there!"
But his mother couldn't see.
Other people can't see it either.
Only Sun Dabao can see it.
Sun Dabao tried to talk to the old man and asked him why he didn't leave.
But the other party did not respond at all, and seemed to be deaf and blind to everything in the world of the living. Every day, he walked back and forth in and out of the house like a shadow, repeating the trajectory of his life.
At this point, Sun Dabao sighed: "Although my grandfather and I have always had a good relationship, he has become a ghost now. I am afraid of him hanging around me every day. Besides, I am worried that he has some unfulfilled wish that is why he is unwilling to leave."
As he was speaking, a middle-aged woman in front of the courtyard gate waved her handkerchief and winked at Lin Qingyue: "Sir, would you like to come sit with me?"
Lin Qingyue saw at a glance that she must be a professional prostitute, and said coldly: "I am a woman too."
Sun Dabao said to the prostitute, "Aunt Wang, this is the man from the Xuanjing Division who came to my house to investigate a case. Please don't offend him!"
Aunt Wang looked Lin Qingyue up and down, her curiosity growing even stronger. "Oh, women can become officials these days? I'm really impressed! What's your name, sir?"
Sun Dabao ignored her and pushed open the gate of his own courtyard: "Master Lin, this is my home."
Aunt Wang immediately responded, "Is your last name Lin? How many women in the Xuanjing Division are there with the last name Lin?"
Lin Qingyue said, "I am the only one with the surname Lin in the Xuanjing Division."
Sun Dabao said impatiently, "Aunt Wang, could you please stop causing trouble? You are not worthy of offending the adults. Lord Lin, please come in. Please don't be disgusted by our humble home."
Before Lin Qingyue even entered the house, a shouting voice came from inside: "Sun Dabao, what are you doing? You keep shouting 'seeing ghosts, seeing ghosts'. Where did a ghost come from in broad daylight to cause trouble? A few days ago, you even invited a monk to come to your house to chant sutras. All the money was wasted. Who did you invite over today?"
Sun Dabao said, "Mom, stop yelling! This is a master from the Xuanjing Division, he doesn't want any money!"
"No money? Such a good thing?" A middle-aged woman came out of the kitchen and looked at Lin Qingyue suspiciously. Seeing that she was wearing an official uniform, she dared not say a word.
The Sun family had a total of three main rooms, with a kitchen built next to each of them. Lin Qingyue took a casual glance and saw the entire house.
But there was no trace of any ghost inside or outside.
She retreated to the yard, pulled up a bench, and sat down. "Can you still see your grandfather now? Where is he?"
"He's always here." Sun Dabao said, pointing to Lin Qingyue's side. "My grandfather is sitting next to you, sir. Oh, sir Lin, you stepped on my grandfather's foot."
Lin Qingyue: “…”
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