Chapter 64 The Immortal in the Hermitage (Part 7) The Female Corpse Beneath the Large Stone Slab...
After lunch, Yu Qi was about to administer acupuncture to the young master of the Gu family. Fearing that Jiu Li would be bored sitting in the room, he told her to go out for a walk. You Jun heard this and also said she wanted to go out for a walk. Jiu Li had been restless for a while, but she was worried about leaving her and Yu Qi sitting there facing each other, which was why she was willing to sit at the table and doze off. Now that she heard Yu Qi say this, she couldn't be happier.
Madam Gu smiled and said, "You should go for a stroll. Although this area is in the countryside, the scenery is truly delightful. It's also unusually cool today. Instead of sitting idly inside, why not go out for a walk? You can go for a stroll all you want. I'll have them prepare dinner later. Wouldn't it be perfect if you ate dinner here before going home?"
Jiuli and Youjun's mother slowly walked out. Youjun smiled and sighed, "It's rare to have such free time today, to be able to stroll around in the countryside."
"Isn't Auntie busy this afternoon? Don't you have the business of so many shops to manage?"
Niangzhuang chimed in with a laugh, "How can you expect the young lady to do everything herself? Wouldn't that just be a waste of money supporting all those shopkeepers and managers?"
“That makes sense. Such a vast country isn’t entirely managed by the emperor alone; he has a group of ministers under his command. It seems that Auntie managing such a large operation is similar to the emperor managing the country.”
Youjun covered her mouth and laughed, "I can't accept such a comparison. You've compared me to the emperor. I don't have that kind of power. But you're such a sweet talker. No wonder so many people love and cherish you."
Jiuli smiled modestly, "Look at what you're saying, there's no one like that who loves and cares for me."
"Of course there are. Not to mention your family members, first the Qi family, then the Wei family. Look, all the good families in Nanjing want to get kinship with your Yu family."
As she spoke, seeing that Jiu Li's face was slightly red, she said seriously, "Why did you give up on the Qi family again? Although the Qi family is not as good as before, it is still a prestigious family. In theory, a family of scholars is better than a family of merchants. At least Lord Qi has an official position, which is better than that Second Young Master Wei."
Jiuli just smiled and shook her head, "I can't say for sure either. It's all up to my uncle and the old lady to decide. Naturally, whoever they think is better is better."
"Didn't you think highly of the Qi family before, Mr. Yu? I know that the two Qi brothers once served as study companions to Prince Zhao. It seems that their future is slightly hindered because of their grandfather's involvement. But if Prince Zhao were to ascend the throne in the future, the Qi family would be in a completely different situation."
"You know these things, Auntie?"
Youjun smiled and said, "If a businessperson wants to make their business bigger, they must be observant and attentive to all sides. Otherwise, they might offend someone without realizing it, which would be like being blind to the truth."
“My uncle has never been interested in climbing the social ladder.” Jiuli didn’t want to talk too much about the Qi family, after all, the Qi family was related to her background, and her mother, Shanheng, had close ties with the imperial court. These things couldn’t be easily discussed with others. She wanted to change the subject, but just as she walked out of the temple gate, she saw a lively scene under the ginkgo tree and pointed over, “Auntie, look, isn’t that Master Jingyue? Why is she pushing and shoving someone over there?”
There was a carriage parked under the ginkgo tree, and an old man was sitting in it. He was holding up the curtain and handing something to Jingyue. Jingyue seemed embarrassed to accept it and was standing under the carriage, pushing and refusing it back and forth with him.
Youjun stared at the man in the carriage for a moment, then smiled and walked towards the front of the carriage. "Master Zhao, what a coincidence, you've come to burn incense today too?"
Upon seeing her, Master Zhao withdrew his hand from his sleeve and then extended it out to bow, saying, "So it's Miss Guan. You've come to worship Buddha too?"
Jiuli, with her sharp eyes, clearly saw a string of turquoise prayer beads in his hand, already concealed in his sleeve. While such items were common among Buddhists, and were often gifts from worshippers, they were usually beads of bodhi seeds or wood. This Master Zhao, however, was quite generous, gifting a gemstone. It was strange; shouldn't such a gift be given to the abbess, Jingzhen? Why give it to a young nun who was also the guest master?
A moment later, Master Zhao's eyes fell on Jiu Li, his gaze revealing a look of lust. "This young lady is quite unfamiliar. I wonder whose daughter she is?"
Youjun coughed lightly and said with a smile, "This is the young lady of Doctor Yu Qiyu's family. I've taken her in as my niece. I'm just taking a stroll with her since I have nothing else to do. If you have something to attend to, please go ahead. I'll host a dinner another day and invite you and a few of our friends to Baiyulou for a small gathering."
“It should be my treat,” Master Zhao nodded in agreement, his eyes lingering on Jiu Li with reluctance. “Then I’ll take my leave now. Let’s go to Baiyulou for drinks another day!”
As the carriage turned and drove away, Jingyue suddenly glanced at Jiuli and muttered, "You're everywhere, always trying to stand out just because you're good-looking!"
Before Jiuli could retort, she turned and headed into the temple.
The three of them continued to stroll slowly down a small path to the left. After a while, Jiuli finally realized that Jingyue's words just now seemed to be a complaint that she had ruined her good deed, probably referring to the fact that she hadn't gotten the prayer beads? But what did it have to do with her? Was it because Master Zhao's gaze towards her was a little improper?
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. It turned out that the old Zhao was a lecherous old man! Not only did he have designs on the nun, but he even briefly considered her! She couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "What a damned old bastard!"
Youjun already knew what was going on. Hearing her scolding, she laughed. "Men are like that. Whether they're young or old, they're all frivolous. You can't just stop going out because of how they look at you. I've never agreed with women hiding in their boudoirs to avoid trouble. Whether the world is good or bad, you can't escape it. You have to experience it."
Jiuli looked at her with a lecherous gaze, "Auntie is also very beautiful, so why doesn't Master Zhao look at you with those lecherous eyes?"
Youjun tilted her head slightly and smiled, “He doesn’t look at me like that because he knows there are greater benefits to be gained from me besides my looks. If he wants those benefits, he has to be respectful and proper to me. Actually, people are all about judging situations and circumstances. You don’t need to take it too seriously. Once people know that you have something more important than looks, even if he is unwilling, he will have no choice but to respect and fear you.”
Jiuli couldn't help but admire her secretly, "Auntie is really amazing."
“Everyone has their strengths. You are quite remarkable. You have helped the government solve several murder cases. Few people can match your resourcefulness. I think you will have a bright future.”
The three walked along the path and unknowingly entered a small grove. The weather was fine and clear, and they heard the warbling of orioles in the woods. As they slowly emerged, the view opened up, revealing vast paddy fields on both sides of the path, with a few scattered houses in the distance, the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking. Jiu Li couldn't help but miss the days in the countryside. In fact, those stagnant days had their advantages. They kept her and Yu Qi confined, with fewer novelties and surprises. She didn't have to worry that he would suddenly bring home a wife.
A clear ditch, about half a meter wide, meandered from the vast expanse of emerald green rice paddies to her eyes. She wondered which stream it was diverted from to irrigate the rice fields. The water was very clean, and the weeds at the bottom were clearly visible. She was feeling warm from walking and her palms were sweaty, so she brushed her skirt and squatted down to wash her hands.
Niangzhuang squatted down and handed Youjun a handkerchief to wipe her sweat. Looking ahead along the water, she saw a stone slab not far away, and something large and shadowy seemed to be blocking it. She looked closely and suddenly slipped and fell into the ditch. "Look, is there a person down there?!"
Following her trembling hand, Jiuli looked and saw that there really was someone curled up under the large stone slab, but she couldn't see clearly. She got up and walked to the front, and sure enough, the water flow behind the stone slab was a little smaller. She bent down and peered under the stone, and there really was a person! Startled, she stumbled back two steps and bumped into Youjun.
Youjun also became a little scared, "Is it really a person?"
Jiuli steadied herself, nodded, and was about to move closer again when Youjun quickly stopped her, "You child, why do you like to get close to corpses? Let's go back and tell your uncle first, and then call him over."
"I haven't looked closely yet, I don't know if she's dead or alive. Let me take another look, if she's alive we can help her up."
"Could a living person be stuffed under this stone slab?"
Jiuli bent down without hesitation and saw that the corpse was completely naked, like a woman! She wanted to pull her out, but the stone slab was too low and she couldn't reach it with her arms. After looking at it more closely, she realized that the female corpse was actually bald!
She straightened up and said to her mother, "Sister-in-law, please go back and tell my uncle and the abbot that it seems the one who died was a nun from the temple!"
Upon hearing this, Niangzhuang hurriedly returned to the temple to tell Yu Qi. Yu Qi then told the abbess Jingzhen, ordering her to send someone to the yamen while he, along with a group of nuns and some curious pilgrims, headed towards the country road.
Hearing the commotion from afar, Jiuli ran towards Yu Qi, "Uncle! The body is hidden under that stone slab, and Aunt Guan and I can't move it at all!"
The nuns and pilgrims hesitated, not daring to approach. Only Yu Qi and Jiu Li walked to the stone slab. Yu Qi bent down, glanced at it, lifted his robe to his belt, and forcefully lifted the slab, revealing a stark white female corpse to the blazing sun. The crowd gasped in astonishment. The corpse was curled up with its head towards its knees, completely naked, without even a monk's hat on its head, and a hideous scar on its left cheek.
Someone in the crowd immediately exclaimed, "It's Liao Yi!"
Immediately, some were shocked and others cried, creating complete chaos. Abbot Jingzhen was still somewhat skeptical, and two middle-aged nuns came closer to take a look. Then, Jingzhen closed her eyes, her face full of sorrow, clasped her hands together, and murmured "Amitabha," before starting to chant sutras in a low, incessant voice.
Yu Qi glanced at them, stepped across to the other side of the ditch, squatted down with his back against the rice paddy, and moved the corpse's arm. "He died around yesterday evening."
As soon as he spoke, Jiu Li squatted down by the roadside and moved the corpse's hand. "The corpse is completely stiff. It's been dead for about eight or nine hours?"
“Not bad.” Yu Qi nodded to her, pointing to the corpse’s left chest. “There are three knife wounds on the left chest. Judging from the depth, they were probably stabbed by a dagger or similar weapon. There are no other visible wounds. If we want to examine them in detail, we’ll have to wait until the rigor mortis subsides. You can look around for any suspicious traces first.”
Jiuli frowned and stood up, complaining, "The footprints and cart tracks on this muddy road are a mess." Despite saying this, she still bent over and carefully searched the road.
Yu Qi looked around and saw that it was indeed a murderer. There were houses and fields nearby, so there were many people and carriages passing by. Day after day, new seals were placed on top of old ones. Who could tell which one was the murderer?
The group of nuns were weeping a little further away. Jingyue leaned on the shoulder of the head disciple, Huixin, sobbing and glancing sideways at them with a mixture of wanting to look but not daring to. Huixin gently patted her back a few times, helped her up, and mustered her courage to walk to the front. After looking at the body a few times and confirming that it was indeed Liaoyi, she closed her eyes in anguish, murmuring prayers for Liaoyi's soul, two clear tears streaming down her face.
Youjun and her mother, finding it too hot to stand in the sun, walked away into the grove of trees behind them. A short while later, they heard her call out from the grove: "Mr. Yu!"
The group followed Yu Qichuan into the forest. Youjun pointed to a bush and asked, "Sir, look, isn't that Master Liaoyi's clothing?"
Yu Qi looked closely and indeed found some monks' robes and shoes lying behind a few bushes. He buried his head and walked towards them, but unfortunately, the ground was covered with pine needles and fallen leaves, and no footprints were left. He looked through the clothes and shoes behind the bushes and found that they were stained with a lot of blood, and there was some on the ground as well. He figured this was where the murder had taken place, and there should have been more bloodstains, but the rain in the middle of the night had washed away a lot of them.
He turned and looked around. Although the grove was small, the pine trees were tall and the shrubs were lush, forming a natural screen. Even if he committed the crime at dusk, no one would see him. Besides, the nearby households were all farmers, and they would have already gone home to rest by evening. The chances of finding witnesses were extremely small.
Just then, Jiu Li called out again from the other side of the large stone slab. Yu Qi handed the clothes to a group of nuns and walked towards Jiu Li. He saw Jiu Li squatting by the ditch. When Yu Qi approached, she looked up and handed him something. "Look, could this be the murderer's?"
Yu Qi took it, and it turned out to be a jade-white sachet with a unicorn pattern embroidered in silver thread in the center. Judging from the materials and embroidery, and the fact that the item was clean and brand new, it seemed to be something worn by a wealthy man, and it certainly did not belong to a man from a nearby household who lost it here.
Jiuli pointed to a clump of water plants by the ditch, "I found this here. Do you think it might be something the murderer accidentally left behind when he stuffed the body under the stone slab?"
Yu Qi nodded, walked up to Jingzhen, and asked, "Master, where does this road lead?"
Jingzhen opened her eyes, which were slightly red. "This path leads to many places, including several nearby villages, and also connects to a road leading out of the city."
How many people take this route out of the city?
A middle-aged nun next to her shook her head. "Not many. There's a main road across from the lotus pond in front of our temple that leads directly out of the city. Even if pilgrims want to leave the city, they all take that road. This side road is a bit longer."
Jiuli stood up. "So, you mean the people who frequently walk along this road are all from the nearby farms?"
"There are also pilgrims like you who stroll around leisurely."
Most people stroll around during the day; who would come here to wander around at dusk? It's clear the murderer was either a passerby or had premeditated the crime, waiting in that grove of trees yesterday evening with murderous intent. Jiuli pondered this, and the latter seemed more likely.
Then he asked, "Didn't you say that Master Liaoyi went to deliver vegetables to a family yesterday? Where does that family live?"
Jingzhen pointed ahead, “Walk along this road for seven or eight li, and you’ll find Wu Family Village. That old pilgrim there is an old widow with a daughter who has married far away. I often ask Yi to bring her some vegetables from the kitchen because I see that she is often left unattended.”
With red eyes, Huixin said, "It seems that Junior Sister Liaoyi should have returned yesterday afternoon, but she encountered such a thing on the road and did not return to the temple overnight. We all thought that Old Madam Wu had left her at home for the night."
It seems the murderer knew Yi was going to the Wu family all along, otherwise he wouldn't have ambushed her on the way, or perhaps he followed her all the way back. Jiuli turned to Yuqi and said, "Uncle, we should go to the Wu family and ask them."
Yu Qi was looking around when he heard this. He nodded and stepped forward to Jingzhen, saying, "Please, all of you masters, stay here for now and wait for the officials to arrive."
Jingzhen clasped his hands in prayer, saying, "It is my duty to do so."
When Jiuli saw the lush green rice paddies ahead, he worried that his legs would ache from walking seven or eight li. Unexpectedly, he suddenly heard the sound of carriages and horses. He turned around and saw that the Guan family's carriage had just arrived.
The carriage curtain was lifted from the inside, revealing Youjun's smiling face. "Although I don't know anything about investigating cases, I figured you would have to go around asking around. Those houses look close, but they are quite a long walk, so I went back and brought the carriage here."
Although Jiuli was somewhat unwilling, her legs could not keep up with the carriage, so she had no choice but to resign herself to boarding the carriage with Yuqi. The three of them sat on opposite sides. Jiuli asked about her mother's makeup since she hadn't seen her. Youjun replied, "We need to leave someone at the temple to take care of things for us. When we're done and go back, we'll have some refreshing herbal tea and dinner ready."
In such a chaotic situation, it's amazing that she could think of everything so thoroughly. Jiu Li had to admire her, "Auntie is truly—"
Before she could finish speaking, Youjun interrupted with a smile, "Stop trying to coax me with sweet words. I think you're the one who's amazing. At such a young age, you're not afraid of corpses."
"What's there to be afraid of? I haven't done anything wrong."
Upon hearing this, Youjun's smile froze for a moment, and everyone unanimously thought of Guan Zhan. Jiuli had meant no harm and wanted to defend herself, but felt that defending herself and Guan Youjun would only make her look like she was trying to hide something, so it was unnecessary. However, she was afraid that Youjun would misunderstand, so she could only hang her head dejectedly, not knowing what to say for a moment.
After a moment of silence, Yu Qi suddenly asked, "Miss Guan, do you often come to Qinglian Temple to burn incense?"
Youjun shook her head with a smile, "I don't really believe in gods and Buddhas. It's just that my mother chants Buddhist scriptures, and I occasionally accompany her here. I've been too busy these past two years to come. This time, I came to visit because Madam Gu is staying here for a while. Her husband is a business friend of mine."
Yu Qi kneaded the half-dried sachet with one hand. "Qinglian Temple has always been very famous?"
“I heard from my mother that the Medicine Buddha here is very efficacious. It must be famous. Most people who come here to burn incense pray for the cure of illness and disaster. Wasn’t Madam Gu also bringing her young master here to pray for health and longevity?” Youjun said, leaning against the wall and glancing at the two of them indifferently. “Actually, in the early years, Qinglian Temple was just a small, dilapidated temple. There were only five or six nuns practicing here. Moreover, it was far away, so not many people came. It was only after Master Jingzhen became the abbot that he traveled around giving alms and preaching that his reputation gradually spread. With fame came more pilgrims, and more people came here to be ordained as nuns. Many people from other places also came because of his reputation. The incense became more and more prosperous. With money, Abbot Jingzhen renovated the temple.”
Yu Qi listened, seemingly not paying much attention, his eyes fixed on the sachet in his hand.
When it comes to pilgrims from other places, Jiuli immediately thinks of one sentence: "They must be able to come back."
Her expression changed, and she hurriedly grabbed Yu Qi's hand, "Uncle, do you still remember what that brightly dressed woman said in the canteen at noon?"
Yu Qi snapped out of his daze, looked up at her, and asked, "What did she say?"
Jiuli said urgently, "When the little nun said in the dining hall that Yi had gone out, that woman chimed in, 'She has to come back,' as if she already knew that Yi wouldn't be coming back!"
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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