Chapter 197 Mass Grave
Hu Si was still looking inside: "Why is Sixth Miss dressed like this? Aren't the adults going? Is it just the two of us?"
As Xue Han came out, he heard Hu Si's last question: Just the two of us?
"grown ups."
Xue Han said in a calm tone, "Let's go to Xiangsha River."
"Yes." Hu Si took a step and suddenly stopped, looking at Qiu Heng and then at Xue Han, "Sixth Miss is going too?"
Xue Han hummed in response.
Hu Si shook his head inwardly: Taking your sweetheart to a brothel, sir, is truly one of a kind.
It was afternoon, and the small buildings along the Xiangsha River stood quietly, with few people coming and going.
Xue Han arrived at the brothel where he had bought Granny Su and revealed his identity to the madam: "Imperial City Guard."
The madam turned pale with fright, forcing a smile as she asked, "What is it, sir?"
"A nanny surnamed Su from the household of the disgraced official Fang Yuanzhi was bought by you, and she drowned a few days ago?"
The madam's expression stiffened, and she hurriedly said, "She couldn't think straight and tried to commit suicide, it has nothing to do with us—"
Xue Han raised his hand to stop the madam from continuing: "Fang Yuanzhi colluded with the Qi people. His servants died a violent death. The Imperial City Guard wants to investigate the situation. You don't need to be nervous. If there are no abnormalities after the questioning, it won't delay your business."
"Yes, yes, please ask, sir."
"How was the reaction when Granny Su arrived here?"
The madam hesitated for a moment.
Hu Si shouted, "If our superiors ask you a question, just tell the truth. If you haven't harmed anyone, what are you afraid of? If you're lying, think it over."
The madam then confessed: "When I first came, I didn't want to do anything and even looked down on people. But after I slapped me a few times, I became obedient. Later, I trained the maids in the brothel quite diligently and attentively..."
Xue Han then asked the two little girls who had been taught by Granny Su that day.
“Mother Su was very strict. If we didn’t meet her requirements, she would prick us with a long needle…” The little girl choked up as she lifted her sleeve, revealing a patch of red spots on her arm.
Another little girl sobbed as she recounted what happened that day: "Mother Su punished us, making us continue practicing our posture before leaving."
The maid who saw Granny Su leave was a lowly servant: "Granny Su usually goes out for a walk during the day. She was alone at the time, when everyone else was resting..."
The daily routine of brothels is the opposite of that of ordinary people; they are quiet during the day and lively at night.
"Since Granny Su came here, has anyone looked for her or inquired about her?"
The madam shook her head: "No."
"Take us to the place where the body was found."
After Xue Han spoke, the madam personally led the way and stopped at a certain spot: "This is where it was discovered that day."
The weather has gotten even colder these past two days, and the river has frozen over, a dazzling white expanse. Countless footprints of varying depths line the riverbank, layer upon layer, creating a chaotic scene.
"Where is Su's mother's body?"
“This—” The madam hesitated for a moment, then, under Xue Han’s indifferent gaze, stammered, “It was rolled up in straw mats and thrown into the mass grave.”
After ascertaining the exact location, Hu Si warned the madam: "The Imperial City Guard only handles important cases, so don't divulge anything to others."
"Yes, yes, I will never speak nonsense."
After leaving Xiangsha River, seeing Xue Han heading directly towards the mass grave, Hu Si couldn't help but ask, "Sir, is Sixth Miss still going?"
Brothels and mass graves again? Does the master intend to use Red Bean Cake as a subordinate?
Qiu Heng pointed to her face: "After all that trouble, wouldn't it be a waste to only go to one place?"
Hu Si: "..." Is this how you calculate being taken advantage of?
The three arrived at the mass grave and saw piles of bones and several corpses. Fortunately, the weather was freezing cold, so the smell was bearable.
A large black rat suddenly darted past, startling Hu Si. He instinctively stepped back, realizing something was wrong. Looking down, he saw he was stepping on a severed arm and quickly jumped aside.
"This is no place for humans!" Hu Si, suppressing his nausea, was on the verge of tears. Seeing Xue Han and Qiu Heng, one with an unchanging expression and the other with a nonchalant air, he fell silent.
So he's the one who doesn't fit in?
“Here it is.” Xue Han used a wooden stick to pry open the loosened straw mat, revealing the corpse inside.
Qiu Heng glanced at it: "It's Granny Su."
"Hu Si, call Coroner Chen here."
After Hu Si left, Xue Han pointed to the way they came and said, "Go wait over there. This place isn't suitable for staying for long."
Qiu Heng nodded.
The two walked upwind and immediately felt much easier to breathe.
“Granny Su vents her resentment by disciplining people; she doesn’t seem like the type to commit suicide,” Qiu Heng said coldly, staring at the rolled-up straw mat.
Even after falling into prostitution, she still bullied the weaker people. Su Mama's evil was etched into her bones, and she deserved to die.
"It's unlikely to be suicide. Coroner Chen is very experienced; let's wait for him to arrive and take a look."
"Xue Han, if Granny Su was murdered, who do you think it was?"
The wind was a bit strong, and Qiu Heng tucked her slightly reddened fingertips together.
Xue Han pulled Qiu Heng to a sheltered spot and released her hand: "If she was murdered and there are no leads at Xiangsha River, we can only investigate the current situation of the Fang family's women and servants, and then question Granny Su about who she has enemies with..."
"That would be too much of a fuss."
Xue Han did not deny it: "Unless there are eyewitnesses, it is indeed difficult to investigate. The Fang family is currently preoccupied with their own problems, so it's unlikely that outsiders would kill Granny Su out of revenge. It's more likely that—"
Qiu Heng chimed in: "It's more like Granny Su knew some secret, and then silenced her after questioning her?"
Xue Han looked at Qiu Heng, his eyes swirling with emotion, but his voice remained calm: "Aheng, does Granny Su know... your secret?"
If Granny Su was murdered, then before the Fang family's incident, the outsider who had the most contact with Granny Su was Aheng. Does someone suspect Aheng of something?
Ah Heng thought so too, so she asked him to investigate?
"Xue Han, do you also think that Su Mama's death might be aimed at me?"
Xue Han did not answer immediately.
Concern leads to confusion, making it difficult for him to give an answer easily.
Hu Si arrived with Coroner Chen.
"grown ups."
Xue Han nodded slightly: "I'll trouble you, Coroner Chen."
After a thorough examination, the coroner, Chen, reported: "There are no obvious external injuries, but there are several deep marks on the back of the neck, which look like—"
Hu Si asked anxiously, "What does it look like?"
"The deceased's condition is consistent with drowning. The deep marks on the back of her neck suggest that someone likely grabbed her by the back of the neck and pushed her underwater, causing her to drown..."
Upon hearing Coroner Chen's deduction, Hu Si clicked his tongue twice: "So he really was murdered. Sir, what's the next step?"
"You and Coroner Chen go back first."
Fearing that the coroner Chen might notice Qiu Heng disguised as a man, Hu Si agreed and led the coroner Chen away.
Qiu Heng took a deep look at the straw mat that had been rolled up again, and made a decision: "Xue Han, let's go too."
If Granny Su was being targeted for revenge, she wouldn't have the time to help her seek justice. But if it was someone targeting her, informing the authorities about the coroner Chen's findings would only alert the perpetrators.
A tattered straw mat left here would be quite suitable for Granny Su.
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