Madam Yang
The ship slowly approached, but not too close, lest it be blocked by the reef.
Shangguan Lin dispatched a small emergency boat and sent men to retrieve the body hanging from the mast.
The whole process was not smooth. The mast was stuck in a very delicate position, and even a normal salvage operation would have caused the small boat to run aground. As a last resort, several skilled swimmers bravely went into the water, strapped with sturdy lassos, and lifted the broken mast back.
Once such a large object was thrown onto the deck, Xiao Diting, escorted by guards, approached the vicinity, surrounded by a line of guards.
Xiao Diting noticed that the hem of the corpse's cloth shirt was embroidered with half a familiar pattern. The clothes were tattered from being soaked in water, indicating that the person had not died peacefully. It was barely possible to make out that the pattern was made of bamboo.
She pondered for a moment before realizing why it looked familiar: "Is this the crest of the Ji family of Jiangzhou?"
She wouldn't think anything of it if the clothes were simply decorated with bamboo patterns. The local gentry in Jiangnan preferred plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, and it wasn't uncommon for them to wear such patterns on their clothes when they wanted to show off their refined taste.
However, the bamboo joints were quite unique, consisting only of the shape of bamboo segments, clustered together in groups of three or five, without any leaves. The corpse's clothing was tattered, making it difficult to recognize the style at first glance.
Before setting off, Song Pingzhang mentioned local officials to her, and he also explained in detail the identification methods. Among them, his evaluation of the Ji family in Huaizhou was "a family with bamboo-like growth and the wealthiest in the world".
“But these are all things of the past,” Song Pingzhang said casually. “Now the Ji family is just a brother and sister, with few descendants, and they have no fortune to enjoy their vast wealth… They have long since given away their wealth and gone into seclusion.”
Xiao Diting had only overheard it casually, and the two didn't exchange many words. Little did he know that this information would come in handy at this moment.
The Ji family was a prominent family in Jiangzhou. Even Shangguan Lin, who looked listless, had a very strange expression on her face. She walked to Xiao Diting's side, thought for a while, and then realized what was going on.
“It is indeed the family crest of the Ji family of Jiangzhou. My mother had a close relationship with the Ji family when I was a child, so I have some impression of it.” Shangguan Lin pursed his lips. “However, the Ji family later went on a long voyage at sea and had an accident. My uncle and aunt died in the shipwreck.”
Shangguan Lin was originally from Jiangnan, so he knew the situation better than Song Pingzhang.
Xiao Diting pressed further, "Are there any people among them? Where are they now?"
Shangguan Lin shook his head: "When my uncle and aunt passed away, the brother and sister were very young, and their vast wealth was coveted by others... If I remember correctly, Miss Ji should have fulfilled her marriage contract and married into the Yang family of Huaizhou."
The Yang family of Huaizhou? The Yang family of the prefect of Huaizhou?
Xiao Diting's eyelids twitched. What Shangguan Lin and Song Pingzhang said was almost the same; things were more complicated than she had thought.
"Chunyan, fetch the gloves," she ordered from her squatting position beside the corpse, her tone devoid of any ease. She spoke so quickly that Chunyan didn't hear her clearly at first.
Hearing her at a loss, Xiao Di thought to himself, "Never mind, I didn't take any protective measures when I saw the coroner handling the corpse at Xuanlan Courtyard last time."
She endured the stench of the corpse and squatted to the side, taking the small knife that Shangguan Lin handed her. She pinched the handle and parted the corpse's wet hair, revealing a face that had been soaked in water. The eyes had been gouged out, and the face was covered with dense lividity, but it had not yet decomposed. The corpse's expression was distorted, and it opened its mouth to howl in agony.
Those around him were startled by his face, but Xiao Diting continued his examination without reacting.
Chunyan gasped and immediately shrank behind Shangguan Lin.
Shangguan Lin noticed that Xiao Diting showed no fear whatsoever. He even used the back of his knife to lift the corpse's chin and examine the fishing net that was binding him. He then flung away the trembling Chunyan and squatted down to join the autopsy.
“The cuts on the body are clean, not like those caused by an ordinary sharp weapon.” Xiao Diting spoke up. She was examining the cuts on the lower half of the body, which was a bloody mess. “It looks like it was cut in half at the waist by a guillotine.”
Shangguan Lin examined the throat she had examined: "The person wasn't strangled."
Xiao Diting sneered: "Of course, without a coroner like you, I can't examine the body in detail. Let's leave it at that."
She tossed aside the dirty knife, supported herself on her knees and slowly stood up. Seeing Shangguan Lin squatting on the ground searching for something, she reached out to help her.
Shangguan Lin, who had been squatting down, actually found something during the search.
"This person is only dressed in clothing with the Ji family crest, but is not from the Ji family." Shangguan Lin was quite certain that she had to get up with Xiao Diting's help. She was a little excited, and suddenly her vision went black. After a while, she was able to explain in detail.
"The family crest design is correct, but the clothing material is wrong. Only the master of the Ji family can wear this kind of fine cotton fabric, which is a gift from the imperial court and is extremely rare."
Xiao Diting raised an eyebrow, having already made up his mind: "Someone is deliberately throwing out clues to make me feel wronged... Someone, adjust the ship, we should continue our journey!"
Her immediate priority was to get to Jiangzhou and see what was really going on; things were far more interesting than she had imagined.
Shangguan Lin ordered his men to remove the body from the mast without saying anything, and threw it back in its original place. He found an empty storage room to use as a morgue, planning to bury the body after it was brought ashore.
This is a way of showing respect to the deceased.
Xiao Diting didn't say anything, but she still felt uneasy. Before the body was retrieved, a dark shadow had flashed by and disappeared.
The corpse's posture was too bizarre. There were quite a few people who believed in ghosts and gods. Her maid, Chunyan, was so frightened that her face turned pale and her eyes rolled back as she collapsed to the side.
The person was also carried away by the guards to rest and recuperate.
Thinking of this, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Although there were quite a few clues known so far, they were too scattered. She wanted to ask Shangguan Lin a few more questions.
But after saying a lot of things, he fell silent and stood quietly by her side like a guardian deity, holding his sword.
Fortunately, Lord Shangguan has a handsome appearance, so the words "fierce and evil" don't apply to her.
When the imperial court informed Jiangzhou, it only mentioned that the important figure present was Shangguan Lin, while Xiao Diting's name was deliberately omitted.
From the moment Lord Shangguan met her, he was extremely concerned about her safety, and he wished he could stay by the princess's side at all times.
They were still some distance from Jiangzhou. Xiao Diting tapped his abacus and beckoned to Shangguan Lin, who was in a daze. He came over, put his arm around her shoulder familiarly, and whispered to her in a mysterious tone.
"Lianjun, I have a brilliant idea to discuss with you."
Shangguan Lin regained his composure and subconsciously went along with her, saying, "Your Highness, please speak."
Xiao Diting chattered away with her with a wicked grin, and Shangguan Lin's expression kept switching between "absolutely not" and "please do as you please." She struggled for only a moment before surrendering.
"I will follow Your Highness's arrangements."
Before setting off, Pei Wenjin had given her some instructions, but Lord Shangguan had long forgotten them amidst her repeated cries of "Lianjun, Lianjun."
She knew, of course, that Shangguan Lin had received orders to protect her, which must have included keeping an eye on the princess and not allowing her to act recklessly.
"Turning people away so easily, I'm still the one who's more skilled." Xiao Diting watched the departing figure, whose steps were somewhat unsteady, and subtly curved the corners of his mouth into a smile.
The official ship arrived at Jiangzhou Wharf the following morning.
The river mist had not yet dissipated, and the stone steps of the dock were still wet. Porters carrying loads waded through the puddles, their shouts mingling with the sounds of clappers from the fishing boats, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
As soon as Xiao Diting stepped onto the dock, she subtly dodged Shangguan Lin's outstretched hand and winked at her, hinting at what the two of them had agreed on the night before.
Shangguan Lin rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly, and was about to say, "Your Highness, perhaps we should just forget about it," when he saw the local prefect waiting on the shore with two yamen runners, their faces plastered with cautious smiles.
She didn't care about talking to Xiao Di about anything else. She coughed and put on a stern face. Today she was wearing the official robe of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The black clothes made her look stern and extremely unapproachable.
If I remember correctly, the prefect of Jiangzhou was surnamed Wang, and he was a member of the Wang family from the capital. He was demoted all the way there due to his poor political performance.
This Lord Wang, nourished by the fish and rice of Jiangnan, was plump and strong, completely lacking the elegance of the "family of scholars" mentioned by Song Pingzhang. It is evident how many connections his family had to pull behind the scenes to secure him a lucrative post.
Wang Shude was woken up from his bed early in the morning by his servants. Before dawn, he was wearing his slightly shrunken official robe and had red marks on his face as he waited on the shore for the official boat to dock.
He had served as the magistrate of Jiangzhou for many years. When he left the capital, Xiao Diting was still a toddler. When he saw her, he only felt that she looked familiar and did not think of her as the late empress.
Wang Shude approached with a somewhat obsequious air, unsure of Shangguan Lin's intentions despite his cold demeanor. Even though Shangguan Lin had come to check on him, Wang Shude felt he should still extend the proper hospitality.
"Uh... Lord Shangguan, you must be tired from your long journey. I came to wait for you as soon as I received the report. If you two don't mind, I have already prepared some rooms in my residence. What do you think..."
"Thank you for your trouble." Shangguan Lin agreed quickly. This was something she and Xiao Diting had agreed upon beforehand. The ones who were reselling salt and iron were merchants, and it was still unclear what the official attitude was.
If the other party is extending an invitation, it would be impolite to refuse.
The ferry crossing wasn't far from the Prince's residence. The group, though travel-worn, were in good spirits, so they decided to walk towards the residence with the Prince.
Wang Shude was overjoyed that she agreed so readily, his face beaming with delight: "My wife has just returned from visiting relatives. If you don't mind, sir, I'd like to chat with her for a bit."
Shangguan nodded, not wanting to embarrass the other person. She was somewhat reserved, and others might find her a bit aloof, but she wasn't unapproachable.
The condemnation Wang Shude had imagined did not erupt, and the imperial envoy was very easy to talk to, which emboldened him, and he became very talkative.
"I heard that Lord Shangguan comes from the local Shangguan family, and my wife is also from a branch of the Shangguan family. So we are related to Lord Shangguan."
Shangguan Lin gave him a very faint smile: "Madam Wang is my distant aunt, and I would like to catch up with her, since we are related by blood."
Since Shangguan Lin went along with his words, he relaxed even more: "Very good, very good, but my wife is still praying with her best friend at Qingshan Temple in the suburbs. She won't be back until tonight at the earliest."
Shangguan Lin waved his hand dismissively: "It's nothing, we'll just wait."
"How could I keep you waiting? I'll have someone bring your wife back right away."
“No need.” Shangguan Lin stopped him from calling for help. “We need to rest for a while before we can talk about anything else… Besides, Madam probably has things to take care of herself.”
Wang Shude slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, look at my brain! My wife went to Ganlu Temple with Madam Yang from the Yang family."
"Which Madam Yang?" Shangguan Lin asked casually, seemingly unintentionally.
Wang Shude was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to be interested in his casual remark. He quickly replied, "She is the daughter-in-law of Yang Yuanzheng, the prefect of Huaizhou. Madam Yang has been going there almost every day lately, saying she is praying for a talisman for the young master of the Yang family. Qingshan Temple is not far away, behind that grove of trees in the west of the city."
While Wang Shude was leading the way and talking to himself, Shangguan Lin quickly exchanged a glance with Xiao Diting behind him.
Xiao Diting, disguised as a servant, shook his head slightly, signaling her to probe again. Wang Shude, a veteran of officialdom, was hesitant to act rashly when unsure of the other party's attitude.
Wang Shude, unaware of the undercurrents behind him, thoughtfully added from the front: "Qingshan Temple is not very popular, but it is said to be extremely effective for praying for marriage and children. My wife used to go there often."
Shangguan Lin nodded and turned to Xiao Diting, saying, "I thought we would have to ask around, but now we have it without any trouble. You should hurry to Qingshan Temple and meet that Madam Yang."
Xiao Diting nodded, adopting a subordinate's posture: "Yes."
After saying this, she immediately led over a horse, and without bothering to rest or tidy up, she ordered a few guards and rode away.
Wang Shude was left standing there, mouth agape, dumbfounded.
Shangguan Lin remained expressionless, and patiently explained the reason to Lord Wang: "We encountered a strange incident on our way here, and we need to ask this Madam Yang for some details. Time is of the essence, so we'll be a bit informal."
Wang Shude dared not say anything else and could only nod repeatedly.
Is this the efficiency of officials in the capital? Lord Wang scratched his head.
After Xiao Diting left, the group followed Wang Shude to the entrance of the Wang Mansion as usual.
Shangguan Lin, being a guest, rolled up his sleeves and gestured for Lord Wang to go first. But for some reason, Wang Shude became stubborn and insisted that Shangguan Lin go first.
On the surface, Shangguan remained outwardly composed, but inwardly he was thoroughly annoyed with this person. Just as Lord Wang was sweating profusely and preparing to continue his recommendation, he gave Chunyan a meaningful look.
Chunyan understood, rolled her eyes, and collapsed onto the steps. Shangguan Lin rushed over anxiously to catch her, saying, "Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Wang!"
Wang Shude couldn't care less about making recommendations at this moment. He hurriedly called the guards at the door to carry Chunyan away and rushed into the mansion to arrange accommodations for the group.
Shangguan Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
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