Chapter 228: Corpse

Xie Yan nodded, "Ming Dynasty, I understand everything."

He is not a casual, jealous and unreasonable person.

"Relax."

Lu Mingchao looked at the fingers resting on the back of his hand.

Xie Yan's hands were slender with distinct joints. He had drawn a bow, ridden a horse, and wielded a sword. His hands were not smooth, white, and flawless, and there were thin bands on the base of his fingers.

But it is precisely such a pair of hands that can radiate a warm and soft luster like jade, making people feel at ease and secure from the bottom of their hearts.

She came from a book, and she is not a real 28-year-old girl.

I have long stopped being jealous of the joys and sorrows, the reunions and separations, the blooming of flowers, and the heart of Xie Lang is as cold as iron and as cold as ice. The strong will be humiliated, but the love is deep and lasting.

What she hoped for was steadfastness and emotional stability.

She and Ah Yan finally reached the end of the water and sat down to watch the clouds rise.

Lu Mingchao bowed his head, gently rubbed the back of Xie Yan's hand with his chin, and whispered softly, "How lucky I am."

Xie Yan's eyes were charming and she stood quietly.

The bamboo forest outside the window was swaying, casting mottled shadows that slanted across his face.

When Lu Mingchao raised his eyes, what he saw was such a picturesque scene.

"Wait for you to come back."

The golden ring on her finger sparkled brightly under the warm spring sun.

Xie Yan thought to himself that he was also very at peace.

Just like when a person drinks water, he knows whether it is cold or warm.

…

"I, Xie Yan, have met the Magistrate of Xu County." Xie Yan bowed.

County Commander Xu rubbed his swollen and painful temples and said, "Sit down."

"I wonder why my nephew has come here?"

Xie Yan followed his instructions and sat down, frowning slightly. "Is the county magistrate feeling unwell?"

"It's just a minor problem, nothing serious."

Despite saying this, County Magistrate Xu could not hide the fatigue in his voice.

When Prince Gu first arrived, Sun Zhiye died.

Who knows what evil he will do in the future.

"Sir, has anyone collected Sun Zhiye's body?"

County Magistrate Xu took a sip of his strong tea, frowning, "According to the instructions of the Crown Prince, I sent a yamen runner to deliver the message to Madam Sun."

"But according to the neighbors, Mrs. Sun has gone out to visit relatives and friends and has not yet returned."

Xie Yanmei's heart skipped a beat.

Visiting relatives or friends?

In all likelihood, she left Changhe County with Sun Ershao's mistress.

"Sir, I have the guts to suggest that you leave the burial to me. I will definitely do it properly." Xie Yan said straightforwardly.

County Magistrate Xu's heart also skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but wonder.

You're not thinking of turning me into ashes, are you?

No matter how deep the hatred is, it would not spare even a corpse.

With just one glance, Xie Yan knew that County Magistrate Xu had misunderstood, and hurriedly said, "Debts are cancelled when a person dies. I would like to prepare a thin coffin for Sun Zhiye and find a good feng shui location so that he can rest in peace."

While County Magistrate Xu was relieved, his impression of Xie Yan improved a little.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

"My nephew is kind."

"Thank you, sir." Xie Yan bowed his head and said.

"In addition to Sun Zhiye's funeral, I have another matter I want to discuss with you, Your Excellency."

Having solved a troublesome problem, County Magistrate Xu felt refreshed.

He waved his hand calmly and said, "You can say whatever you want."

Xie Yan informed the county magistrate Xu of his plan, and the county magistrate was dumbfounded.

This is using Princess Pingning as a knife.

Young people are so bold that they don't care about anything!

Princess Yongming is still alive, and Princess Pingning's status is comparable to that of a princess.

Xie Yan just mentioned that he would use Princess Pingning to deal with Prince Gu.

Those who are close to vermilion will be red, those who are close to ink will be black, and those who are close to the bold will be lawless.

County Magistrate Xu was very skeptical whether his stupid and foolish son could stay clean in the mud.

Otherwise, his small body won't be able to withstand the blow and he won't be able to clean up the mess.

"Is it okay?" Xie Yan asked.

County Magistrate Xu: …

Is it okay?

County Commander Xu picked up the teacup with an expression that seemed to conceal his true feelings. His calm expression showed no unnecessary emotions, and only the ripples of the tea water revealed the panic in his heart.

Is it too late for him to go back to Runan to farm now?

County Magistrate Xu remembered his father's instructions, swallowed his saliva, and said, "Okay."

"I will write a letter to my elder brother, and he will pass it on to my elder sister-in-law."

Xie Yan: "Thank you, Mr. Lao."

County Magistrate Xu forced a smile and said, "Of course."

Xie Yan saw Sun Zhiye covered with a straw mat in the open space outside the county government prison cell.

There were large stains of blood on the straw mat, which showed signs of drying up.

Xie Yan lifted the straw mat, and what came into view was Sun Zhiye's pale and lifeless face.

One hand hung stiffly at his side, while the other hand was tightly holding the front of his shirt, as if he did not forget to protect the things inside his shirt before he died.

Xie Yan put the straw mat back on, then took out some small change from his purse, handed it to the jailer on duty nearby, and solemnly asked "the troublesome jailer to buy me a clean burial clothes and a thin coffin."

"The remaining silver is the hard-earned money of the jailer brother."

The jailer weighed the silver and said with sparkling eyes, "Thank you, Master. I will do it right away."

Only when you earn money can the bad luck of the dead be transformed into fortune.

"Wait." Xie Yan said again, "May I ask, Brother Jailer, does Sun Zhiye have any unfulfilled wishes?"

The jailer stuffed the silver into his sleeves and shook his head. "I remember that Sun Zhiye asked Madam Sun to send him some writing instruments, books, and picture albums a few days ago."

Xie Yan frowned and handed over some more silver coins, "I'll have to trouble you again, Brother Jailer."

The jailer was delighted and said, "It's no trouble at all."

Immediately, he called two servants who were doing rough work in the county government office and left together.

Xie Yan stood under the wild plum tree with twisted branches and no flowers, quietly waiting for the jailer to return.

The jailer was a straightforward person who would do his job for money, so he didn't make Xie Yan wait too long.

Xie Yan turned around and asked the prison guard to change Sun Zhiye's clothes into shrouds.

There was a sound of "pa", as if something fell to the ground.

The jailer was amazed and said, "I never knew Sun Zhiye was such a refined man. I thought he was guarding some kind of gold and silver treasure, but it turned out to be a bag of dried plum petals."

The piece of cloth that originally wrapped the plum petals had fallen apart. A gust of wind blew, and the plum petals flew all over the place. A few of them fell on the wild plum tree that had long since lost its flowers.

It seems as if the winter days with the faint fragrance of plum blossoms have not passed, and the spring days with warm weather, blooming flowers and revival of all things have never arrived.

Xie Yan raised his eyes and thought, the blood-stained plum blossom petals were shockingly red.

Were the plum blossoms picked in the Ming Dynasty?

Xie Yan turned around and looked at the clean Sun Zhiye with mixed feelings.

Ming Dynasty was his wife, a wife that no one could take away from him.

Not to mention a few petals of plum blossoms, even a whole plum tree would be fine.

Xie Yan bent down and put the piece of cloth stained with the scent of plum blossoms into Sun Zhiye's thin coffin.

Well, there’s no need for plum blossoms.

Even the dried plum petals should be in the sun, not in the dark grave.

"Mr. Xie is truly a kind person."

"Sun Zhiye committed many evil deeds and was deserted by his friends and relatives. He ended up dying a miserable death with no one to collect his body."

"If it weren't for Master Xie, Sun Zhiye would have either been thrown into a mass grave to be eaten by crows and wild dogs, or temporarily placed in a charity house five miles outside the city."

"There's no chance of resting in peace anyway."

Not like a man】