Chapter 119: Solving the Murder Case
When Zhao Ge'er heard that his younger brother was going to school, he was very worried and insisted on taking him there himself. He said to Xiao Jingshi, "Father, you have to go to the yamen early today. I don't trust the servants to take him. Mother is going to my sister's place. I'll go instead. I'm the only one in the family with boarding experience. I'll talk to my brother properly."
Xiao Jingshi patted his eldest son on the shoulder: "Go and come back quickly. Your career is the most important thing right now."
"Don't worry, Father," Zhao Ge'er said with a smile.
Zhengge'er boarded the carriage, turning back every few steps. Miaozhen looked at the two brothers, tears welling up in her eyes, and quickly left, afraid that she would be unable to resist leaving her son behind.
The couple wasn't as strict with their younger son's studies as they were with their eldest children. Miaozhen knew how fierce competition was in society, and she absolutely couldn't let a doting mother spoil her son.
After Zhao Ge'er and Zheng Ge'er got into the carriage, he lifted the hem of his carriage and said with a smile, "The academy your father found for you has two people per room, which is only for students in the inner dormitory. Now that you have a room, if you don't want people to say that you got in through connections, then you should study hard, understand?"
"I understand, brother." Zheng Ge'er took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped away his tears.
Zhao Ge'er continued, "You are so smart and skilled in martial arts. You are the most accomplished person in our family, both in literature and martial arts. I envy your martial arts skills so much. If I were to do well in my studies, I wouldn't be as good as you."
Zheng Ge'er quickly said, "Brother, you're the top scholar in the imperial examination, don't tease me."
“I’m not trying to amuse you. I know you don’t like writing, but how can a general not study? Even General Qi’s family studied under great Confucian scholars since childhood. I know you’ve heard these things so many times you’re sick of them. I’m not lying to you. You can rest one day every ten days. By the time you rest, Father will be taking up his post. You know, there are many cases at the Court of Judicial Review, and the two of us might be busy. But you and I are knowledgeable in the law. If I go to the Court of Judicial Review, no one will question me. What will you do then?” Zhao Ge’er coaxed and cajoled his younger brother until he finally calmed him down.
This academy is Beihai Academy. Zhao Ge'er asked the porters to help carry the luggage to the academy, helped his younger brother complete the enrollment procedures, and gave him many instructions before leaving.
My younger brother only knows the importance of studying in places with a good academic atmosphere and competition. Although people say not to compare themselves with others, it is undeniable that only by comparing themselves with others can they become more motivated.
It was also said that Miaozhen had gone to the Marquis of Yunjian's residence, where Fujie was eating candied plums, which were "sweet and sour, and very appetizing."
"Even if you love to eat, you should eat in moderation. Once you start, it's easy to overeat. A string that's always taut is easy to snap, and once it snaps, your appetite will be like a flood," Miaozhen advised.
Now, apart from Madam Ming, few dare to speak ill of Sister Fu. Miao Zhen, however, is quite outspoken. She has seen too many pregnant women who, feeling they are pregnant, desperately try to compensate themselves by indulging in tonics, snacks, and gourmet food. When it comes time to give birth, the baby is too big, making it easy to have a difficult delivery.
Even if you are lucky enough to give birth, your body shape will be completely out of shape, and you won't be able to wear any of your old clothes anymore, which will make you feel inferior.
Fu Jie had no choice but to put it down and then brought up the Han family: "The Han family was originally from Shandong, but later came to Zhejiang to serve as officials. The Han family's father was also a famous scholar who rose to the position of Minister of Works, and his brother was once a Grand Secretary. You should know all of this..."
After all, Sister Fu almost got married to Han Sanlang back then.
Miaozhen nodded upon hearing this, and then heard Fu Jie'er say, "After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard mostly investigates the affairs of officials, and the affairs of women are mostly found when they are with men. Miss Han is the eighth child in the Han family and has a good relationship with her older brother, Han Sanlang, but the younger generation of the Han family is not particularly outstanding. She is a girl with a lot of ambition and often advises her brothers to study. She is quite insightful."
“That’s good too. Your brother doesn’t need anyone to urge him. He’s always been a diligent student. Your sixth aunt made the wrong choice back then. She wanted to marry someone ambitious. If your sixth uncle had been more hardworking, perhaps she wouldn’t have had so many complaints.” Miaozhen spread her hands.
“But she might be looking down on people for being poor. Look at Sixth Uncle, he wasn’t even involved in the scheme, but she rushed to get involved. People like that are all talk and no action. Mother, you have to understand that people who are doing well are all pretty much the same, but people who are not doing well always have their own reasons,” Fu’er said earnestly.
Miaozhen waved her hand: "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Since you also think it's good, we'll go exchange marriage certificates later. In war, courage is essential. One should strike with full force at the first drumbeat, but the momentum will wane at the second and be exhausted at the third."
Seeing that her mother had made up her mind in a moment, Fu'er laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid that things will look fine now, but in the future..."
“I can only make the normal choice for the present moment. As for the future, things will change and people’s hearts are unpredictable. Neither of us can predict the future. Since none of the Han family’s sons are particularly outstanding, they are not particularly lagging behind either. Now that Grand Secretary Han is still in a high position, this is the perfect time. We have nothing to fear in the future,” Miaozhen said.
Fu Jie admired her mother for being so careful in her considerations and investigations. Once she felt something was right, she wouldn't waver. Whether it was good or bad, the future was beyond human control.
You can support each other with your wife's family, but if you rely entirely on them and take their benefits, you'll also have to cover for them in the future.
After inquiring about the Han family, Miaozhen took her daughter's pulse and, seeing that it was normal, felt relieved. She decided it wouldn't be appropriate to have lunch at her daughter's place, and was just about to leave when Zhao Rui asked Fu'er to help her invite Miaozhen to see a patient.
He was the son of the widow of one of Zhao Rui's subordinates. He was coughing and short of breath, and was also vomiting saliva.
"Alright, let him come to our residence."
Today is Xiao Jingshi's first day at the yamen. Miaozhen had the kitchen prepare many of his favorite dishes and also made a few desserts herself. She originally wanted to make walnut cake, but then she thought that Zheng Ge'er had gone to the academy and she would get tired of eating just one piece each time, since Zheng Ge'er always ate it all up.
Her tiger cub...
I wonder how things are going at the academy.
"Bitao, take this bowl of kumquat and pear water to the eldest young master. He saw Zheng-ge out today and was exposed to the cold wind. I'm afraid he'll have a sore throat later," Miaozhen instructed.
Bitao arranged for someone to deliver it, but unexpectedly, Zhao Ge'er came over by himself, saying, "My son has come to sit here for a while."
Normally, he would stay home to read, and it was always Zheng Ge'er who kept his mother company. Now that Zheng Ge'er was gone, his mother must be sad, so he came to keep her company.
Miaozhen thought that daughters were always thoughtful and sons were always careless, but her Zhao-ge was really thoughtful. She smiled and said, "It's fine, we don't need them to deliver it. Let's just drink here."
"Mother, how is my sister?" Zhao Ge'er asked.
Seeing that Miaozhen agreed, he told her about Beihai Academy: "Don't worry, Zheng'er is actually very ambitious. He just can't settle down. Go to Beihai Academy to study. It's far away from the hustle and bustle. He will definitely achieve great things there."
“I understand what you’re saying. Zheng’er always wants to be with me and your father when he’s in our family. He hasn’t spent time with classmates his own age. It would be great if we could learn from each other.” Miao Zhen felt much more relaxed after saying this.
When Zhao Ge'er saw that his mother had recovered completely, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day, the mother and child that Zhao Rui had mentioned came over. Miao Zhen saw that the child was still breastfeeding and said, "I'll prescribe a dose of Banxia Renshen Pills. You can feed the child that."
Although the mother didn't look very neat or clean, she was very strong and polite. After hearing Miaozhen say this, she couldn't help but say, "Thank you, doctor."
“This child is two or three years old now. You could actually wean him off breast milk and let him eat something else,” Miaozhen said.
The woman replied, "Human milk is the most nourishing, Madam Xiao. I have some matters to attend to at home, so I'll take my leave now. Here is the consultation fee."
Before Miaozhen could react, she had already left with the child. Xiaoxi walked in from outside and said, "Madam, I think this person is strange."
“I remember once I provided free medical care to a family whose child was breastfed until he was nine years old. Many people believe that breast milk is the best. The man of this family fought alongside his son-in-law against the Japanese pirates. I heard he was very brave and died on the battlefield while trying to earn more merit. His son, on the other hand, held the official rank of centurion, so this woman was doing her best to raise her child well.” Miaozhen could only understand it this way.
Xiao Xi glanced outside and said, "In any case, you've done what your son-in-law asked you to do."
Miaozhen nodded slightly, then asked Xiaoxi, "Did you deliver the lamp I asked you to give to Prince Yu yesterday?"
"Don't worry, I've already sent it."
"This relationship needs to be built up gradually, so there's no need to give him anything too expensive on a daily basis. I heard that the young prince is learning to read with the eunuchs. When I visited him last time, he was very sensible."
...
Xiao Jingshi returned late today, so Miaozhen ate dinner early. When he came back, she said, "Are you hungry? I made your favorite braised pork ribs, clam soup, and braised meatballs..."
They then asked him if he was tired and thirsty, and so on.
This pleased Xiao Jingshi greatly: "My wife, I saw many cases today and was filled with sorrow. When I came back, it felt like a dark cloud was hanging over me, but seeing you made the clouds disappear."
"You make me sound so amazing," Miaozhen said, ordering the servants to quickly serve the dishes.
Xiao Jingshi said, "Shuntian Prefecture can't solve this case, so we, the Dali Temple, will handle it. I'll go to my study to look at the case files after I finish eating. You should go to sleep first."
Miaozhen wasn't the kind of person to be pretentious. Besides the betrothal gifts, she also had to prepare the engagement gifts, all of which needed to be arranged in advance. Her son was also going to take the imperial examination in February, and the examination baskets also needed to be prepared. There were so many things to do.
They're busy back home too. Miao'er is eighteen this year, only a month younger than Zhao'er. She's a student at the Suzhou Prefectural School, and her uncle is a third-rank official, so she's practically an official's daughter.
Of course, Madam Ren also intended to make an introduction, but Lou Qiongyu remembered what the Third Madam had said. She said that when Xiao Jingshi passed the provincial examination, she was offered an excellent marriage with an official. However, because of Madam Ren's selfishness, he only married the daughter of a student of the Imperial Academy. As a result, he was always an official outside the capital, unlike others who could become officials in the capital for a long time after marrying well.
Therefore, Lou Qiongyu wanted to wait until her son passed the provincial examination, and then marry him into a good family.
Her thinking wasn't wrong; Madam Ren could make decisions for her own son, but not for her grandson. Madam Lou also felt that her daughter had done the right thing this time: "Wait a little longer. Waiting for the right person is better than anything else. Didn't your sister-in-law and her husband wait for a long time before finally marrying their daughter into a hereditary marquis's family?"
Lou Qiongyu nodded: "That's what I think too. Let's wait until Miao-ge'er passes the provincial examination before making any decisions."
Zhao Ge'er can become the top scholar in the provincial examination, but Miao Ge'er doesn't need to become the top scholar; he only needs to pass the provincial examination.
On the other side, Xu Erpeng was saying to his wife, "The provincial examination is very difficult. Our eldest son will take it when he is thirty. If he still can't pass it when he is forty, we should take care of the family first."
"Do you have such a low opinion of Dalang?" Madam Mei shook her head.
Xu Erpeng laughed and said, "It's not like that. Let me ask you, Zhao Ge'er became the top scholar in the provincial examination, which means that Zheng Ge'er would be a scholar at his age. But what about Zheng Ge'er? His brother from the same mother hasn't even taken the exam yet. I took the exam five or six times before I became a scholar, let alone the provincial examination."
Madam Mei couldn't help but say, "I don't know how Zhao-ge'er's brain is formed?"
"He was naturally gifted, and my son-in-law is very resourceful. He specially kept Zhao Ge behind and must have taught him a lot." Almost everyone who passed the imperial examinations at a young age had their own methods.
"I just hope that our Kun'er can learn some mannerisms from his son-in-law, and he will definitely be extraordinary in the future."
It would be great to pass the imperial examination, but if you don't, you can still make a living if you have the ability. Look at him, isn't that a good example?
Mei's heart stirred: "The fifteenth of the first month is our true birthday. I still remember how she would obediently follow me when I was weaving cloth."
**
On a dark and windy night, Xiao Jingshi was examining two victims, both women, who had something in common: they were both born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is also my wife's birthday!
Is there any connection between these things? Xiao Jingshi put down the file, looked out the window, and without lingering for a moment, went back to be with Miaozhen. Miaozhen didn't expect him to return so quickly, and laughed, "Why are you back so soon? I thought you'd be busy until midnight."
"How could that be? I'll come and keep you company." Xiao Jingshi knew that even under the emperor's nose, many heinous things could happen, just like the people living next door to them, who were also officials, and who were actually broken into and murdered.
He knew that Miaozhen was usually most afraid of those fierce-looking people, so he pinched her cheek: "I should come back early tomorrow. To be honest, this case isn't that serious. I need to solve it as soon as possible."
Miao Zhen didn't know any of this. She only knew that Xiao Jingshi told her not to go out these days and said to her, "The capital is in chaos right now. You shouldn't go out. I'll go out with you in a few days."
"In a few days? What day?" Miaozhen asked with a grin.
Seeing that she was unaware of these things, Xiao Jingshi said, "I think you should stay home and process the medicinal herbs. That way, you can prescribe medicine at a lower price. Don't rush to set up a clinic. Haste makes waste. What if those people take your prescriptions and resell them, or what if they buy counterfeit medicine like I did last time? Zhenzhen, you are now the wife of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. My political enemies might use this to cause trouble."
He knew that Miaozhen was most afraid of causing trouble for others. She was afraid to ask others for help when she was in trouble. Because of this, Xiao Jingshi never did anything perfunctorily when asked by her.
Sure enough, when Miaozhen heard this, she said, "Alright, then I'll stay home and prepare the pills these days."
Xiao Jingshi appeared calm and collected, but in reality, he was extremely nervous. He had taken on this case from the very beginning, and the officials of the Dali Temple were almost driven crazy by him. The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple even said, "I didn't mishear what Minister Xiao said, did I? He said he would solve this case in three days."
"That's what they say. He's already taken his men to various temples and monasteries today. Our Chief Justice is truly tireless." The people below felt that this newly appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review was far too diligent.
Even Zhao Ge'er had heard that his father had taken on this case and was about to offer some advice. His father was not at home during the day, but when he came back at night, he would go straight to the main room and look at many case files there, so it was not appropriate for him to go over at night.
Xiao Jingshi first spent a day searching all the temples and Taoist monasteries to see if anyone knew about these unorthodox and evil practices, using people's birth dates to perform rituals. Then, he spent another day contacting the murder victim's relatives, neighbors, and even offering a reward to anyone with clues, while simultaneously luring the snake out by deliberately having people spread the word about a woman born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
He is not afraid of fierce people or animals, but he will not tolerate any danger to his wife, not even the slightest danger.
Miao Zhen had no idea that Xiao Jingshi had done so much behind the scenes. These past few days, she had been preparing several commonly used medicines, storing them properly and making ointments as needed. She hadn't even finished making a few bottles of medicine in the past three days when the case was solved.
...
"This murderer is a filial son. His mother is said to suffer from frequent hemorrhages and a hidden illness. Because some evil people said that his mother was born on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, they wanted to use several people to sacrifice to heaven and make them into puppets in place of his mother. This person is usually honest and kind, has the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), and has also received the title of Filial and Incorruptible Official. How could he do such a heinous thing?" Xiao Jingshi was speechless.
Miao Zhen thought for a moment: "Old people over fifty often experience hemorrhage, which may not be an illness, but rather caused by improper sexual activity that aggravates kidney fire. I want to go see this old woman. If this happened because she was reluctant to seek medical help, she might be the culprit."
"Do you dare to go?" Xiao Jingshi asked cautiously.
Miaozhen laughed and said, "I'm not a porcelain doll."
But he was terrified, so he personally accompanied Miaozhen on the trip. The murderer's mother was tall and had a fierce appearance. When she saw Miaozhen come over to take her pulse and ask about her symptoms, she seemed very impatient: "Doctor, you can tell by taking her pulse, why ask so many questions?"
Before Miaozhen could speak, Xiao Jingshi stepped forward and said, "What? Can't I ask?"
The old woman didn't know that Miaozhen was Xiao Jingshi's wife. She called herself the mother of a scholar and addressed herself as Anren, so she looked down on the old woman. But when she saw Xiao Jingshi's tall and imposing figure and his official robes, she became fearful: "What are you saying, sir?"
After taking her pulse and asking her questions, Miaozhen said, "You have been bleeding for two years. Your pulse is thin, deep, and slow, and your tongue is pale and swollen. These are all symptoms of spleen and kidney qi deficiency. You should have reduced your sexual activity, but you have only made it worse. This deficiency of kidney qi has led to this situation."
Xiao Jingshi narrowed his eyes and immediately interrogated the old woman's maid. He learned that the woman had been widowed for several years and had been having an affair with a servant, which caused her to suffer a hemorrhage due to heatstroke. Unable to reveal this to outsiders, she instead instructed her son to hire several servants born around the same time as her to commit suicide for her. Unexpectedly, her son, deeming servants' lives too cheap, specifically sought out a woman of high status…
At this point, the old woman and her son were both sentenced to death by hanging.
Miaozhen also used this opportunity to educate many women not to hide their illnesses and avoid seeking medical treatment; if they were sick, they must see a doctor. As for Xiao Jingshi, because of the swift and decisive cracking of this case, he was highly respected by everyone in the Dali Temple, and it is said that even the Ministry of Personnel recorded this as a political achievement.
Miaozhen quickly congratulated him, saying, "Such a big case has been solved, why aren't you happy? The murderer has been brought to justice."
Xiao Jingshi looked at her and said, "You were also born on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. Now that the murderer has been caught, I'm relieved."
Miaozhen was startled.
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