Chapter 33 Yushan Villa
Wen Yao pulled the reins, and the horse under him raised its head and snorted in dissatisfaction, then paced to a stop.
After getting off the sedan chair, the man glanced at the four people riding horses in front of him, and his eyes all fell on Gao Shaoshan. He bowed to the left general who was very popular beside the King of Yan, and said respectfully, "General Gao, I have been welcoming you for a long time."
Gao Shaoshan was honest and simple in front of his own people, but in front of others, he displayed a completely different, cold and blunt temperament. He had fought his way out of a sea of blood and corpses alongside Zhao Xuanxu, and he exuded a fierce aura. Seeing that Xu Fenghe, the unofficial head of the Xu family's second branch, had no intention of dismounting, he narrowed his eyes and said in a cold voice, "I have been ordered by His Royal Highness Prince Yan to come to Yushan Villa to examine the body. His Royal Highness is still awaiting a reply, so there is no need for formalities. Take me to the autopsy immediately."
Wen Yao had never seen Gao Shaoshan act like a brave general before. When he heard him speak in a deliberately rough voice, he found it interesting and raised his eyebrows and looked sideways at Zhao Xuanxu.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, wearing a human-skin mask, stood half a body length behind Gao Shaoshan, standing side by side with her. His tall figure, lazily sitting on his horse, did not give the impression of being improper, but rather appeared calm and composed.
Wen Yao looked over and Zhao Xuanxu immediately looked back sharply, with a gentle smile on his lips.
The movements of the followers behind Gao Shaoshan did not attract Xu Fenghe's attention. He had long heard of the fierce and domineering reputation of the Sichuan-West generals under the command of King Yan, so he did not care much about their attitude towards him.
The Prince of Yan's sudden visit had already kept him awake for several nights, and the repeated letters of accusation from Bianliang had also left him exhausted. Even more worrying for him and Xu Fengping, the third son of the Xu family, was that last night they had tried to contact the Supervisory Office to inquire about the situation, but there had been no response. It was unclear whether they had been afraid to contact him, or if they had already...
Xu Fenghe's mind raced with thoughts, but he maintained a calm expression on his face. He said, "Of course. Those people were born into my Xu family, and they were all loyal servants of our family. Their families didn't want their fathers and brothers' bodies left in the county government office, so we will properly arrange for their safety while Your Highness and the General seek justice for these innocent victims!"
Wen Yao touched his teeth with the tip of his tongue and looked down at Xu Fenghe who was talking nonsense passionately.
The old guy is not afraid of danger and has good psychological quality.
After saying this, Xu Fenghe opened the curtain and got into the sedan chair. A group of servants carried the sedan chair and walked forward with the four people in a grand procession.
Fertile fields stretched out all around, and on the opposite side, rows of low, thatched huts could be seen. In the fields stood many gaunt, sallow-faced men, women, and children, some struggling to drag huge bamboo strips along the ground, others sensing movement on the road and pausing to glance sideways.
Recalling the people who were exploited and oppressed like beasts by corrupt officials in the "Yanwangzhu" Qingyin case, Wen Yao couldn't help but look up and take a closer look at these people.
They were probably all tenants of the Xu family. Their clothes were neatly dressed, though made of linen and hemp, without any holes. It was just that they were all too thin, and their clothes didn't fit them well. The wind blew, and the loose sleeves and trouser legs swayed against their bodies.
Suddenly, a faint whipping sound was heard in the fields. The sound was so faint that it was almost inaudible among the vast and flat fields.
Wen Yao tightened the reins and steadily urged the horse forward in small, steady steps. Her eyes, dark and sharp, followed the direction of the sound carried by the wind.
The sound of a whip hitting the ground is completely different from the sound of a whip hitting a person.
She saw a man dressed like Xu Feng and the tall, sturdy servants standing next to an old farmer, seemingly talking to him. He leaned over to block most of the old farmer's body. The others beside him all lowered their heads, busy at their work. No one else stood around looking in their direction.
Wen Yao's expression remained unchanged as he rode his horse forward.
Yushan Villa, once an imperial estate, occupies a vast expanse. High blue brick walls rise from the mountain plains, and elegant pavilions and towers, with servants of all kinds wandering among them, exudes the grandeur of a prominent family.
As soon as Xu Fenghe's sedan chair landed at the gate, servants came up to hold the horses for Wen Yao and others.
Since the first person died in Yushan Villa ten days ago, eleven people have died here in just over ten days.
According to Xu Fenghe, those who died suddenly were all stewards of the Xu family. Although the bodies were placed in Yushan Villa, they must not be too close to the owner's house.
So the group walked around this huge mansion built against the mountain for a long time before arriving at a remote courtyard.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, a strong aroma, mixed with a hint of corpse stench, hit me. Eleven coffins were neatly arranged in the courtyard, with copper basins placed in front of them, and unburned ashes could be seen.
Xu Fenghe looked at the eleven coffins, frowning, and said, "This is where the remains will be temporarily placed—"
Before he could finish his words, Wu Peiming suddenly took a few quick steps forward and came in front of Xu Fenghe.
Everyone was stunned to see the tall, thin young man smiling and respectfully bowing. He asked Xu Fenghe, "Excuse me, sir, are the spices burned in this courtyard to cover up the smell of decaying corpses?"
Wu Peiming was also wearing a gray robe and a thick cloth scarf under his face, the standard attire of a coroner.
As he stepped forward, Xu Fenghe's eyelids fluttered, and he took a step back. When his gaze shifted to the black jade pendant around Wu Peiming's waist, Xu Fenghe's expression suddenly softened. He nodded and said, "Indeed. Although it's almost the beginning of winter, corpses stored for a long time will inevitably have a strange smell. Why are you asking, sir? Is there something wrong?"
"Yes!" Wu Peiming deftly pulled out a porcelain vase that looked familiar to Wen Yao from his bosom, waved it in front of Xu Fenghe, and gently coaxed him, "A corpse is a yin object. Storing it in a house will not only disturb strangers, but also cause illness and ruin the appearance. This rare and precious Western fragrance in my hand was personally purchased and developed by the current leader of Jiutai, Master Ban Changban. It can mask odors, ward off evil spirits, and calm the mind. It's truly a rare and precious item!"
Even though Xu Feng and Bamian Linglong were very knowledgeable, they briefly showed some confusion on their faces.
He was silent for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Really? Then I wonder if you are willing to give it up?"
"Of course I am!" Wu Peiming smiled even more gently, and with a bow he handed the bottle over, saying generously, "It's just that we often use this incense, and there's not much left in the bottle. So, I'll give you a 40% discount, so I'll sell it to you for only 100 taels!"
Xu Fenghe waved his hand, and a manager stepped forward to take the porcelain vase and hand Wu Peiming a silver note worth 100 taels. Wu Peiming, having finally gotten the money he hadn't been able to extort the previous night, was filled with satisfaction. He brightened up and stood aside, smiling, carrying the suitcase on his back.
Wen Yao looked at the victim, Xu Fenghe, and then at the empty yard besides the coffin. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "Where's the murder weapon?"
At this point, Xu Fenghe's expression suddenly darkened: "There is no murder weapon."
Each time the person died suddenly, and when they were found, there was only a dead body lying on the ground and a blue mark on the forehead.
"Before Your Highness arrived, the government officials also investigated. There was no murder weapon, no footprints, nothing." Xu Fenghe said in a deep voice, "Because of this, a few blind servants invented a story about ghosts and gods, and I heard they even linked it to some street opera. Where do ghosts and gods come from in this world? General Gao, don't you think it's ridiculous?"
Zhao Xuanxu walked slowly towards the coffin. Gao Shaoshan saw this and understood what he meant. He said to Xu Fenghe, "Jiutai will examine the body. The rest of you don't need to stay here. You and I will go wait somewhere else."
After hearing this, Xu Fenghe looked at the three coroners, two men and one woman, at Jiutai. His gaze couldn't help but linger a little longer on the man and woman who had never spoken.
Although these two people were dressed in plain clothes, they were good-looking. They both wore the black jade seal of the Eagle Platform and had a remarkable aura, unlike ordinary minor officials. It was unknown what position they held in the Eagle Platform.
Anyone who can come out with Prince Yan must be a capable person in Jiutai.
Xu Fenghe was thinking when he unexpectedly met the eyes of the man in gray robe.
The eyes, clearly black and white, were extremely calm. The look he gave was indifferent and cold, which made his heart tighten for some reason.
Seeing Xu Fenghe looking at His Highness, Gao Shaoshan's palms were sweating. He took a step forward and shouted, "But is there anything else you want to explain?"
"No, no, nothing's wrong." Xu Fenghe suddenly came to his senses, suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, turned around and left with a group of people.
There were only three living people and eleven dead people left in the yard.
Wen Yao pulled up her face scarf, walked forward and pushed open the nearest coffin.
The slightly thin coffin board slid to the side, revealing the person lying inside. He was wearing plain white clothes, his face was pale, his skin was swollen, and there was a black and red mark between his eyebrows. The shape was round, and it looked very similar to the mark left by the "King of Hell" in the opera.
Wen Yao leaned down and looked at the man's nose and ears with a frown.
His clothes were clean, and he was clearly well-groomed. However, for some reason, a small amount of yellowish, transparent liquid had accumulated on the tip of his nose and on his exposed ears.
She was a little confused: "What is this?"
Wu Peiming squatted down and put the large wooden box on his shoulder on the ground. He gently opened the brass lock on it, revealing neatly arranged bottles, jars, and large and small knife clamps inside.
He took out a silver stick and walked to the side of the coffin. He dipped the tip of the stick into some of the sticky, slightly white liquid, put it in front of his eyes, and looked at it. He said clearly, "Oh, this is the spinal fluid in the brain."
He took out a knife, took out a pair of gloves made of fish bladder from the box, put them on, and then cut the back of the man's head from bottom to top.
"It's bizarre! The bones inside are all shattered." Wu Peiming's voice was muffled by the handkerchief. "To be able to kill someone like that, his internal energy must be quite advanced. But why did it only leave a mark and not go straight through the brain?"
Wen Yao: "Is the skull completely shattered?"
"Yes, the brain matter has been shaken evenly." Wu Peiming compared the purple-red and black mark. It was about the size of his thumb, so it must be a round stone or something like that. "Commander Wen, if I give you a stone and ask you to shatter a person's brain without damaging the outer structure, can you do it?"
Wen Yao nodded: "Sure, why, want to give it a try?"
"Hey, I don't want to," Wu Peiming said with a playful smile. He sewed the heads shut and opened the remaining coffins. These eleven men were all middle-aged men, each with marks on their foreheads, their skulls shattered and their spinal fluid spilling out.
"The killing method is quite novel. I wonder what kind of hidden weapon was used." Wu Peiming packed up his things and walked over. "Didn't Xu Fenghe say that these people were the stewards of Yushan Villa? They have no official positions and are not important figures. How could someone as skilled in martial arts as Commander Wen have a grudge against these people?"
If it was really as the excerpt from the opera said, then the grudge should be against the Xu family. Since that person was so skilled in martial arts that he could kill these stewards without anyone noticing, why didn't he just kill the Xu family directly?
Zhao Xuanxu placed a hand on Wen Yao's shoulder, took a step back, and took Wen Yao with him. He looked at Wu Peiming coldly, his tone disgusted: "Wash your hands and don't come over here."
Earlier at Jiutai, Ban Chang had scolded him quite well. Wu Peiming was not polite and dared to walk towards his A Yao after touching those things.
…
Wu Peiming was injured, and his face fell instantly. He went out dejectedly with his suitcase on his back to wash his hands.
Wen Yao laughed beside him and patted Zhao Xuanxu, "Something's wrong with the tenants in the fields outside. Let's go down and take a look."
Zhao Xuanxu's expression softened, and he nodded softly, "Okay."
Wen Yao and the other two were performing the autopsy, while Gao Shaoshan sat with Xu Fenghe in the tea room in the front courtyard, arguing. Each of them was preoccupied with their own thoughts, unable to drink a single sip of the exquisitely colored tea before them.
Seeing his master and Commander Wen finally arrive, Gao Shaoshan was overjoyed. He propped himself up on the table, stood up, and walked forward. After walking several meters, he realized that his reaction was a little strange.
He immediately slowed down his pace and said with a dignified look, "The matters entrusted by His Highness must be completed. But is there any result?"
Wu Peiming fumbled through the autopsy results. The death of a completely shattered skull was too horrific. Even though Xu Fenghe had heard about it before, his face paled when he heard it again.
Wen Yao looked at him, then at the steward and the maidservant who were serving beside him, trembling and anxiously trying to suppress their emotions, as if thinking about something.
They are so scared. Do these people think they will be the next to die?
"This villain is so vicious!" Xu Fenghe was furious. He flicked his sleeves and said to Gao Shaoshan, "General Gao, you don't know, that villain first killed my Xu family's servants, then killed my Xu family's steward, and the last person to be killed was someone close to me! He kept pressing forward, clearly trying to intimidate my Xu family!"
"But this method is not like that of ordinary villains." Wen Yao looked at Xu Fenghe's ugly face and trembling beard and asked, "Who have you offended recently?"
"Absolutely not." Xu Fenghe refused flatly. He looked at Gao Shaoshan with a piercing gaze and said sincerely, "General Gao and His Royal Highness Prince Yan have just arrived in Yanling. I wonder if you have heard the rumors in the city? My Xu family is upright and honest. Even if our nephews and nieces have the protection of their ancestors and commit mistakes, they will be severely punished according to family rules. Someone is playing tricks and making up nonsense. If they are just slandering the Xu family, it would be fine. But I am afraid that this person has greater ulterior motives and intends to attack His Royal Highness Prince Yong, slander our Tianshui government, and disturb the people's hearts!"
Wen Yao stood by and listened to his impassioned speech, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
Xu Fenghe, thinking he could cover up his crime by bribing two people from the Supervisory Office, was still talking nonsense. He never expected that Zhao Xuanxu was so powerful that the two men were so frightened the moment they heard that this person had come to Yanling that they sold out the Xu family just to protect themselves.
I can no longer hear the truth from the Xu family.
Wen Yao was concerned about the tenant farmers down the mountain and didn't want to stay here for long. He bowed to Gao Shaoshan and gave him an excuse: "General, His Highness is still waiting for us to return and report. Since the results are out, it's better to return quickly and not keep him waiting."
Gao Shaoshan nodded repeatedly, his face serious: "Yes, let's go now."
Xu Fenghe quickly stood up and said, "I'll escort the general."
Although Gao Shaoshan repeatedly told them not to bother, Xu Fenghe still insisted on taking a group of servants to bring them back down the mountain the same way they came.
I don’t know whether this is out of politeness or because they don’t want them to come into contact with other people.
Wen Yao rode her horse forward without looking around. After turning a corner and no longer feeling the sight of Xu Fenghe and others behind her, she immediately jumped off the horse, raised her hand and neatly untied her waist belt to take off her outer robe.
This action was so sudden that it frightened Gao Shaoshan and Wu Peiming, who were standing nearby. After they realized what was happening, they immediately closed their eyes tightly.
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