"Knock knock—bang bang"
"It's dry, be careful with fire!"
Old Hu was wearing a royal blue jacket, holding a lantern in his left hand, a gong hanging on his finger, a bamboo clapper in his palm, and a stick in his right hand. He walked and struck the bamboo clapper and gong, patrolling the street at night as usual.
"Boom!—Boom! Boom!"
After the third watch, she turned into a small alley and nearly tripped over something. Shining the lantern close to the obstacle on the ground, Old Hu was almost frightened to death...
"grown ups!"
"grown ups!"
“Oh no!”
Yunshui Town, next to Baishui Town, is the county seat of Fufeng County. In the middle of the night, Xiao Yanlan, who was hugging her husband in the backyard of the government office, suddenly heard the urgent call of the government servant.
"Call, call, call the soul!"
"Your master, I am fine!"
Ever since discovering her only legitimate daughter, Xiao Lengyu, had been born a man, Xiao Yanlan divorced her legal husband, Yang Wenqing, and took in several concubines and maids, even several in her connecting rooms. Every night, Xiao Yanlan toiled diligently, hoping to master the trumpet soon. Suddenly interrupted in her lovemaking, she angrily rebuked the yamen runners outside before angrily putting on her clothes and leaving the room.
"You'd better have something important to do, or I'll skin you alive!"
Yamen runner Xiao Zhou felt his scalp tingle under the murderous gaze of County Magistrate Xiao Yanlan, but he had to report the truth: "Master, while on patrol, night watchman Old Hu discovered the body of a young man in Anyang Lane. His feet had been chopped off. It was horrific."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanlan's original thoughts of continuing to have sex with her husband vanished instantly. After all, a death within her jurisdiction was no small matter.
"Has Coroner Song examined it?"
"Your Excellency, Coroner Song is currently conducting an investigation. The deceased is approximately fifteen years old and was the son of a pastry shop owner. His family has just arrived at the county government office. His mother and father have just identified the body and the deceased has been confirmed. They are now waiting outside to claim the body."
"Take me to the front yard for a look."
After Xiao Yanlan changed into her official robe and straightened her clothes, she followed the yamen runner Xiao Zhou to the room in the front yard where the bodies were temporarily stored.
"Mr. Song, how is it?"
"Your Excellency, I discovered that the man's body had both feet chopped off from his calves, and there were signs of posthumous sexual assault. Strangely enough, a handful of paste was stuffed into his mouth after he died."
"So weird?"
Xiao Yanlan's brows knitted slightly at this. Since she took office as the magistrate of Fufeng County, while there had been occasional minor incidents like fights within her jurisdiction, there hadn't been many major murders, let alone such bizarre cases.
"Inform the family of the deceased that this case involves human life. The body cannot be retrieved until the case is solved. Please return home and wait for further notice."
"Also, tell the yamen runners to increase patrols within the county, and have Captain Yang search for clues and solve the case as quickly as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
The bailiff Xiao Zhou received the order and withdrew.
After giving instructions to her subordinates, Xiao Yanlan returned to the backyard of the yamen and continued to work on making babies with her husband, but she was a little absent-minded.
In the dead of night, when the yamen runners and constables of Fufeng County were busy all night dealing with a sudden murder, someone was frightened in the middle of the night.
"You, you, who are you?"
"Let go, let go...let me go!"
“Help…Help!”
…
"Shout, keep on shouting!"
"No one will come to save you even if you scream your throat out!"
Thinking that Hua Fugui's sedan chair would arrive this morning, Hua Wuque quietly packed a few clothes and stole away from home last night while his widowed mother was fast asleep. He had no desire to marry the fat, ugly, and lustful Hua Fugui. He hadn't expected to be struck unconscious by a knife before he even left Huaqiao Village.
When Hua Wu Que woke up, he found himself lying in a cave with a bonfire burning nearby. It was already dark, and he couldn't tell where he was. What frightened him even more was that a woman in black, with long hair tied up high and wearing a purple and gold butterfly half-face mask, was smiling at him with an evil smile.
"Oh, you're really good-looking!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, such a handsome young man, but dressed so poorly, what a pity!"
"Sister, I like handsome young men. If you obey me obediently, sister will ensure that you will wear gold and silver and eat delicious food every day. How about it?"
The woman in black lifted Hua Wuque's chin, raised the corners of her lips, and looked at him teasingly.
"You, you, you... let me go..."
Hua Wuque was filled with fear, tears welled up in his eyes, and he choked with sobs as he begged the woman in black wearing a butterfly mask to let him go.
"I, I, I'm not good-looking! There are...there are people who are prettier...prettier than me!"
Hua Wuque opened his big, bright eyes and shook his head violently at the woman in black.
"oh?"
"Who else here could be more beautiful than a handsome man like you?"
“Hehehe…”
The woman in black wearing the purple and gold butterfly mask suddenly laughed sinisterly.
"Mu...Mu Lige! He...he is much more handsome than me. He is...the most handsome man in our Huaqiao Village, no, he should be the most handsome man in our Fufeng County. You, you...you go find him!"
"Mu Lige?"
"Yes, Mu...Mu Lige! And he has several younger brothers, all...all very handsome. If you...if you want to find them, then...just go find them!"
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