Cold Yama
Zhu Qinghe was taken back to the yamen and locked in a room with a young woman.
The fact that she wasn't immediately imprisoned and tortured into confessing gave her a slight sense of relief.
But did something really happen to Hongxiuzhao last night? In the past, she only did divination and reminded the parties involved to be more careful, but she never offered any solutions.
No matter how much money the person offers, it won't work.
Fate is unavoidable. If one tries to resist it by human effort, even if one escapes it this time, there will surely be a next time, and the consequences may be even more severe. Zhu Qinghe would never do such a thankless and harmful thing.
However, being brought here without any explanation still made Zhu Qinghe feel very aggrieved.
She turned her gaze to the girl who was weeping silently, and after a moment's thought, she broke the silence by speaking: "Miss, are you also locked up here because of what happened at Hongxiuzhao last night?"
The girl raised her head, revealing a small face no bigger than the palm of a hand. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her watery eyes were glistening, making her look pitiful.
Zhu Qinghe's eyes flashed with amazement. Such a beauty was treated so rudely by them. What a bunch of clueless and unromantic men.
Thinking of Shen Wumei's emotionless, dark eyes, Zhu Qinghe wanted to roll her eyes. How did someone like that become the head constable?
The girl said sadly, "That's right, Young Master Chen had an accident in my room last night, so Lord Shen brought me here."
Zhu Qinghe had a brief conversation with her and found out the reason for the matter.
It turns out that this young lady is Linlang, the newly appointed courtesan of the Red Sleeve Pavilion. Chen Shikun, the second young master of the Minister's Mansion who died last night, had been visiting her for a whole month and spending lavishly on her.
Looking at it this way, she is indeed quite suspicious.
Linlang glanced at her timidly and asked, "Are you Mr. Sai, the Half-Immortal?"
Zhu Qinghe raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I didn't expect her to be so famous now."
She nodded: "Yes, it's me."
Linlang immediately rushed over and grabbed her hand, looking pitiful: "Mr. Sai, you are so powerful, please save me, I really didn't kill anyone."
Zhu Qinghe awkwardly pulled his hand away from hers, laughing awkwardly, "I am just a fortune teller, how could I have such abilities?"
She raised her voice slightly: "I only hope that Lord Shen will investigate thoroughly and clear our name."
After listening to her subordinate's report, Shen Wumei's expression did not change much.
The reason for locking up that charlatan and Linlang together was to investigate whether they knew each other and were in cahoots, but now it seems there is nothing suspicious.
The thought of Sai Banxian's handsome, scholarly face with a long beard on his chin made him feel awkward; he looked like a conman.
A fortune teller with an air of otherworldly wisdom would never look like this; if he's going to deceive people, he shouldn't at least make himself look more sophisticated.
It's almost time; it's time to move on to the next step of the plan.
When Zhu Qinghe sat down in front of Shen Wumei, her smile was already very forced.
"Lord Shen's judgment is quite capricious. I had no idea that I could be imprisoned for so long without any evidence."
Shen Wumei seemed oblivious to the resentment in her tone: "Be content. If there were evidence, we would be meeting in the Ministry of Justice prison."
Zhu Qinghe was so angry she almost fainted.
"Where were you last night?" Shen Wumei went straight to the point.
"Of course I'm at home. If you don't believe me, you can ask my maid, Ruyi."
"Where do you live?" Shen Wumei continued to ask. Zhu Qinghe had a bad feeling. Apart from Ruyi, no one knew that she was disguised as a man to tell fortunes.
If people found out that Ms. Science was a woman, wouldn't her newly established reputation suffer greatly?
No, I have to find a way to distract this cold-faced devil.
“Compared to that,” Zhu Qinghe leaned closer and lowered her voice, “I think the master will be more interested in what the madam said when she came to me for fortune-telling that day.”
Shen Wumei indeed narrowed her eyes slightly and looked over.
That day, when the madam came to her for a fortune telling, she was very worried, saying that there was something unclean at the Red Sleeve Inn, and that she had discovered that something had gone missing several times.
Shen Wumei impatiently interrupted her: "It's obvious that a thief broke in, or someone inside is sabotaging us."
Zhu Qinghe rolled her eyes at him, displeased: "Sir, can you please let me finish?"
Shen Wumei suppressed her anger and continued to listen to her.
Logically speaking, if something were to be lost from the Red Sleeve Pavilion, the first reaction of most people would be that a thief had broken in or that the maids and servants were dishonest. But the strange thing is that the lost item was not something valuable, but a letter.
"What letter?" Shen Wumei asked.
Zhu Qinghe: "According to the madam, these are letters between the former courtesan and her lover."
"The former courtesan?" Shen Wumei turned and gave a few instructions to her subordinates, who then left to carry out their orders.
A short while later, she returned with a list of names. Shen Wumei flipped through a few pages, her gaze freezing: "The former courtesan—Linglong?"
Zhu Qinghe didn't know Linglong and didn't care. She just hoped that the cold-faced Yama would let her go soon. She hadn't eaten yet and was very hungry.
It's time for dinner.
Zhu Qinghe unconsciously traced circles on the edge of the table with her fingers. Shen Wumei suddenly raised a book and turned to her: "Do you know this person?"
Although the portrait in the album is small, the technique is quite exquisite. The woman has willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and is beautiful and charming. She is also quite distinctive and is a beauty that can be unforgettable at first sight.
However—Zhu Qinghe shook her head regretfully: “I have never seen it.”
Shen Wumei glanced at him again: "Mr. Science looks quite young. Don't you ever relax a bit?"
Zhu Qinghe was stunned for a moment before she realized the deeper meaning in his words, and her ears turned red instantly: "You jest, sir. I am a person outside the secular world."
What terrible things did she do to deserve discussing this kind of topic with him here?
Zhu Qinghe was utterly devastated, but maintained a calm facade. Fortunately, Shen Wumei only mentioned it briefly before leaving the topic unresolved.
He just found it a bit strange that this Mr. Science was so young, so thin, and so handsome, with a effeminate voice, and he didn't react at all when he was with the girl.
Could it really be as he himself said, because he is a person outside the secular world? But he is not a monk or a Taoist priest, so why should he make himself so detached from worldly desires?
That's really strange.
Zhu Qinghe naturally had no idea what this cold-faced devil was thinking. If she knew that he already regarded her as a sissy with strange behavior and no desires, she would probably be furious.
"Besides these, what else did the madam tell you?" Shen Wumei closed the book and continued to ask.
Zhu Qinghe thought for a moment, and then she remembered. "The madam said that she could hear a woman playing the flute for several nights in a row."
"How did she know it was a woman?" Shen Wumei quickly realized the problem.
“That’s what I asked her at the time,” Zhu Qinghe said. “The madam’s explanation was that she went out to take a look once and found a woman dressed in white standing on the roof.”
"Can you see their faces clearly?"
"Of course not, but the madam insists that it was Linglong's ghost that came back to claim her life."
How did Linglong die?
“The madam didn’t say.” Zhu Qinghe raised one eyebrow and looked at him. “Sir, you can ask the madam about the rest of the questions yourself. May I leave now?”
“No,” Shen Wumei refused outright, her tone utterly cold and ruthless. “Your suspicions have not yet been cleared.”
Zhu Qinghe's eyes widened: "I'm just quietly setting up a fortune-telling stall. May I ask, sir, where am I suspected?"
Shen Wumei looked at her, his dark pupils sharp and cold. Despite his unparalleled handsome appearance, he was terrifying.
"The madam said you warned that something bad was going to happen at Hongxiuzhao before."
"Even if that was a coincidence, the fortune teller, Young Master Yang, said that you had predicted the murder at Hongxiuzhao last night."
"To be able to predict the future, isn't that suspicious?"
Zhu Qinghe felt wronged: "I calculated all of that. It's my livelihood. How come adults think I have ulterior motives?"
"I'm just not letting any possibility slip by." Shen Wumei stood up. "Aren't you a fortune teller? Then tell me, what am I planning to do next?"
Zhu Qinghe said irritably, "My lord's thoughts are unfathomable; I cannot guess them."
She's a fortune teller, not a mind reader; how could she know what this cold-faced devil was up to? Most likely, he was going to torment her again.
"Go eat, follow me."
Zhu Qinghe watched as Shen Wumei stepped out the door, blinked, got up, and followed her.
"Are you inviting me to dinner, sir? Thank you very much."
After the meal, Zhu Qinghe realized that the meal hadn't been a freebie.
"What? You want me to help you investigate a case?" Zhu Qinghe clutched her stomach and frowned. No way, she's going to sell herself after just one meal?
"Let me make this clear beforehand: I can't figure out who the murderer is, so please don't get any wild ideas, sir."
I just felt that this cold-faced devil had no good intentions.
Shen Wumei: "You're overthinking it. It's just that you have too much information about this case. Letting you out would cause endless trouble, so I'll lend a hand while I'm at it."
And they even take advantage of it, tsk, aren't they just looking for free labor, and they're doing it in such a high-sounding way.
"It is my honor to serve you, sir," Zhu Qinghe said reluctantly.
"So, may I ask where you plan to go to investigate now, sir?"
After a moment's thought, Shen Wumei said, "Go to Hongxiuzhao."
Chen Shikun's body is still kept in the yamen mortuary because the case has not yet been solved and it cannot be returned to his family for the time being.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Hongxiuzhao, Mo Wu, one of Shen Wumei's subordinates, approached with a worried expression. When he saw Zhu Qinghe beside him, his eyes widened in astonishment.
Isn't that the fortune teller? Why did the boss bring him along?
Besides, doesn't the boss hate these charlatans who pretend to be gods and ghosts the most?
His gaze, so full of doubt, was almost unbearable. Zhu Qinghe subconsciously stroked his long beard. Shen Wumei spoke up: "Speak your mind."
Mo Wu snapped out of his daze and reported, "Boss, Lord Chen is up there. He looks like he won't be easy to deal with."
This Lord Chen is none other than Minister Chen Bosheng. He has only two sons, and he has always doted on his youngest son. Otherwise, Chen Shikun would not have been raised to be such a spoiled and useless person. Now that this matter has occurred, it is probably not going to end well.
Seeing Shen Wumei's somewhat troubled expression, Zhu Qinghe found it strange. Who was this Lord Chen? He could actually make even the cold-faced Yama find him difficult to deal with.
She'd better take a good look.
Perhaps her expectant gaze was too obvious, for Shen Wumei glanced at her indifferently, and she immediately put on a serious, expressionless face.
He even extended his hand politely, saying, "Please go first, sir."
Upon reaching the upper floor, Chen Bosheng was indeed sitting in the Chenxiang Pavilion. He had probably not closed his eyes since receiving the news, and he looked haggard and worn out, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
Shen Wumei slowly walked over. Chen Bosheng looked up and saw who it was. His expression became even more unpleasant: "Where is Shikun? I want to take him home."
Shen Wumei: "The case is still under investigation, and the body cannot be taken away."
Chen Bosheng was furious and slammed his fist on the table: "Shen Wumei, don't go too far!"
The lid of the teacup on the table was shaken and rolled to the ground, shattering with a "crack". Zhu Qinghe subconsciously moved closer to Shen Wumei.
This Lord Chen has a terrible temper, but that makes sense; anyone whose son has been murdered would be in a bad mood.
Zhu Qinghe sighed inwardly. The cold-faced Yama was really unlucky. The most difficult cases to handle were those involving high-ranking officials and nobles. No matter what he did, it was always wrong.
Shen Wumei maintained her businesslike tone: "If Lord Chen has nothing else, please return. Once the case is closed, your son will be returned to his rightful owner."
"Mo Wu, see Lord Chen off."
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