Chapter 21 Yaoer (End)
The yamen runner who went to look for the murder weapon quickly returned and handed a bloody stone to County Magistrate Zhao.
The stone was the size of a fist and was covered in dirt. When I looked closely under the oil lamp, I could see blood stains, which showed that it was undoubtedly the murder weapon.
The case was solved at this point, and Wang Fuwan was taken to the prison to await sentencing. Although Sumei had obstructed the murder, she did not pursue her fault because of her love for her child and sent her back to the cloth shop.
As for Zhao Yuanming——
County Magistrate Zhao stared at him for a long while, and finally left without saying a word, putting his matter aside for the time being and making plans after Madam Zhao was buried.
The officials gradually evacuated Zhao Yuanming's yard, and Xun Shu and He Xuan also left. When they arrived at the front yard, they met Fang Yan who was waiting for them.
Fang Yan took shelter from the rain under the eaves next to the hanging flower gate. The eaves were quite narrow, not completely shielding him. Fang Yan had to cling to the wall to keep most of his body dry, looking rather comical. Upon seeing the two, he stood up and turned towards them. The rain pelted his shoulders, instantly soaking them. "You two are really too bold! If Wang Fuwan hadn't come today, have you ever thought about how this would have ended?"
He Xuan raised an eyebrow, thinking the question was nonsense. He stood next to Fang Yan, imitating him by leaning against the wall, and said, "You speak as if you have a better idea. That day, only Su Mei and her daughter had the motive and time to commit murder in the house. It was either Su Mei or Wang Fuwan. If Wang Fuwan doesn't come today, we can send someone to invite her. Put them together with Zhao Yuanming and the skeleton, and we'll definitely be able to trick them into revealing something. The result won't be much different from today."
Fang Yan was stunned for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That's true. I wanted to capture Wang Fuwan today when she told Zhao Yuanming the truth, but I didn't expect Zhao Yuanming to soften his heart because of Wang Fuwan and let her go without giving her a chance to speak." He put the case aside for the time being, a smile on his face. Regardless of the heavy rain outside, he walked around He Xuan and stood next to Xun Shu, looking at her eagerly and praising her, "Ah Shu, I only knew you could tell fortunes in the past, but I didn't know you were so perceptive and had a talent for solving cases."
Xun Shu did not take the credit, pointing to He Xuan beside him: "It's not me, it's him."
"Ashu is really amazing. I just sorted out all the details of the case with Ashu and told her some of my ideas, and she was able to connect the whole case and find out the truth." He Xuan was rarely humble.
Xun Shu frowned slightly and looked sideways at him, only to see He Xuan shaking his head slightly. There was a familiar smile on the corner of his lips, but the light in his eyes looked very strange after being bathed in the rain.
Xun Shu pursed his lips and said nothing.
Fang Yan was skeptical and was about to ask a few more questions when he heard a commotion coming from the other side of the Chuihua Gate.
A group of servants worked in pairs, some carrying long heavy objects, some moving stones, and they went to the back garden in an orderly and hurried manner.
Xun Shu moved to the side of the hanging flower gate, followed the sound, and saw the long, heavy object and asked curiously, "What is this?"
Fang Yan explained softly, "It's a grass-wrapped mud bag. It's made by wrapping mud and gravel with thatch, and piling them up horizontally and vertically to block the flow of water. It's usually used to stop the river from spreading when the water breaks through the dam."
"It seems that the rain is too heavy and the pond in the back garden is overflowing." He Xuan replied casually.
Fang Yan retorted, "How is that possible? Wealthy families build ponds in their homes, all connected to running water. This is not only beneficial for feng shui, but also ensures that the water in the pond will not overflow during heavy rains. This Zhao residence has been built for many years, reportedly supervised by a renowned craftsman. It's one of the most magnificent residences in Chaozhou. How could such a problem arise?"
He Xuan didn't argue with him. He grabbed the oil-paper umbrella that was leaning against the wall beside Fang Yan, walked forward and stopped a servant holding stones. "Hey, young man, where are you going with all these things? What happened? Do you need any help?"
The servant who was stopped didn't recognize He Xuan, but he did recognize his clothes. Since the Zhao residence was frequented by officials from the government, he didn't think much of it and replied, "It's rained heavily these past few days, and the water in the backyard pond is about to overflow and onto the shore. We've placed rocks and mud bags around the pond to prevent it from overflowing and spreading to the front yard."
“Does it have to be like this every time it rains?”
"That's not the case. It only happens when it rains heavily, or when it rains continuously for several days. We've gotten used to it year after year."
"Have you thought of any way to improve that pond?"
"Of course I have. Two or three years ago, my master invited Chaozhou City's most famous craftsman to repair the pond, but for some reason, the project ultimately fell through. Since then, the project has been completely shelved, never mentioned again. We've also gotten used to carrying mud bags and stones from the warehouse to the pond every time it rains." Someone in the distance called out to the stranded servant. He waved to his companion and wiped the rain from his face. "Is there anything else, sir? If not, I'll go first."
After the servants left, He Xuan turned and saw Xun Shu and Fang Yan clinging to the door, one on each side. Xun Shu stared at him eagerly, his eyes dark and moist, his hair wet from the rain, sticking to his cheeks. His heart melted, and he couldn't help but feel pity. He straightened his already straight back even more and walked towards Xun Shu, wishing he could spread his feathers like a peacock. "Ashu, just wait for me under the eaves. Why are you standing here in the rain?"
Xun Shu was a little puzzled: "I'm not waiting for you, I just want to hear what you said."
"...Is that so?" He Xuan was not discouraged. He walked back to the eaves, put away his umbrella, and made a face at Fang Yan. "I guessed right. There's something wrong with the backyard pond."
Fang Yan glanced at him with a rather strange look on his face: "That's right, what does it have to do with us?" He snatched the umbrella from He Xuan's hand and opened it in the rain, just covering Xun Shu's head. "Ah Shu, I'll take you home."
He Xuan: ...So he made a wasted trip?
-
The case was solved, and Mrs. Zhao could finally rest in peace. County Magistrate Zhao took a month's leave to repair his wife's tomb and rebury her.
The coffin that Jiang Zheng prepared for Madam Zheng came in handy ahead of time. Madam Zheng was still able to breathe, so he gave it to Madam Zhao who was unable to breathe. County Magistrate Zhao thanked him profusely, paid double the price for the coffin, and even said he would treat everyone to a drink.
Xun Shu felt quite uncomfortable listening to this.
When a husband dies, his wife must mourn for three years; conversely, his husband only needs to mourn for one. Even though it's only one year, men still don't observe it. Whether high-ranking officials or commoners, they continue to eat, drink, and have fun as usual. Last year, there was a butcher in the west of the city. Just over a month after his wife died, he married a young woman, unfazed by the gossip.
How heartless... and shameless.
He Xuan was sweeping the dust off the coffins in the store with a rag in his hand. He unknowingly moved to Xun Shu's side by the counter and asked in a low voice, "Why don't you go set up your stall today?"
Xun Shu was exhausted and slumped over the counter. "I didn't sleep well last night, so I don't feel like going today."
"But nightmares?"
Xun Shu blinked and nodded. "I dreamt yesterday about the day I told Madam Zhao's fortune. In the dream, I knew what happened afterwards, and I hesitated whether to hide the truth. After all, if I hadn't interfered with her karma that day, perhaps she would still be alive now."
He Xuan sighed: "You are still thinking about this."
"Of course I would." Xun Shu sat up straight, glanced at Magistrate Zhao and Jiang Zheng not far away, and lowered his voice, "But that's not why I didn't sleep well. In my dream, I was still hesitant, but I didn't expect that Madam Zhao didn't let me read my face. Instead, she gave me two horoscopes and asked me to match them and calculate a good match. I guessed that they must be Zhao Yuanming and Wang Fuwan's horoscopes. I can't remember what the two horoscopes were, but I only remember saying a few auspicious words. Madam Zhao was very happy and gave me a lot of money."
Xun Shu lowered his body and looked at He Xuan intently: "What do you think, could this be the real reason why she disguised herself and came out to find someone to tell her fortune that day? She had already accepted the relationship between Zhao Yuanming and Wang Fuwan, but she still had doubts. She wanted to know whether the two of them were suitable for each other, but she didn't want this to be known to everyone in advance, so she came to find someone to tell her fortune. Maybe she went to the market that day to go to your place, but because there were too many people outside, she came to me, and because she didn't trust me, she decided to let me look at her face first, and finally got this result..."
After saying that, Xun Shu lowered his head, drooped his eyelids, and leaned back on the table, his mood becoming even worse.
Seeing her like this, He Xuan sighed in his heart, but still smiled to comfort her: "How could such a perceptive person like you be so obsessed with this matter? You can't even distinguish between dreams and reality? Even if she gave you those two horoscopes that day, could you not see the mystery in it? I would still tell the truth! Nothing will change afterwards." He Xuan threw the rag aside, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "According to you, I am the culprit who caused her this disaster. If my fortune-telling shop hadn't been so prosperous, she wouldn't have been unable to get in line. If she could get in line to see me, she would be able to hear my auspicious words, and I guarantee that she wouldn't have any other thoughts. It's just that-"
"Just what?" Xun Shu's thoughts were completely drawn to He Xuan.
"But even if she listened to my auspicious words, Su Mei would not let these siblings get married. In the end, Madam Zhao would still find out, and she might still be killed by these people. So, this is her fate, and there is no need to blame herself."
Xun Shu's chaotic thoughts were finally straightened out by He Xuan, and his expression instantly brightened up a lot: "You're right. This is the fact, I shouldn't think too much about it. What's more, I have tried my best to make amends. I'm sure that Madam Zhao's spirit in heaven will not blame me."
"It's long overdue!"
As the two were talking, Xun Shu caught a glimpse of someone approaching. Looking closely, he saw that it was Magistrate Zhao, who had just been talking to Jiang Zheng.
It was hard to see clearly from a distance, but now, up close, the silver strands at County Magistrate Zhao's temples were no longer hidden. A few days ago, the landscape was half black and half white, but now there was no trace of black hair at all. Xun Shu's heart softened a bit as he thought of the Zhao family's mess. He said seriously, "Master Zhao, I once heard a traveling doctor recommend a recipe that can turn gray hair back to black. I'll write it down for you right now."
Magistrate Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. "That's all right, I don't care about that. I'm here today not only to discuss my deceased wife's affairs, but also to have a few words with you."
"Talking to me?" Xun Shu was puzzled.
"That day, I was so angry that I lost my mind. I knew you were innocent, but I still took it out on you. I was very bad... I have done many bad things in my life, some of which can be remedied, while others can never be rectified. I know that the young lady is open-minded and has let go of past grudges. She even helped the authorities solve the case of my deceased wife -"
Xun Shu hurriedly waved her hand, interrupting him. Unaccustomed to such situations, she spoke quickly, "Master Zhao, what are you talking about? I was also at fault in this matter... Although I can't say it openly, it was ultimately my fault, and I'm merely trying to make amends. Master Zhao, please don't take it to heart."
Seeing her refusing, County Magistrate Zhao said nothing more and only smiled, "When I'm done with my work, I'll host a banquet at my residence. I'll send someone to deliver the invitations. Brother Jiang, Miss Xun, and this young man must attend."
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