Chapter 3: Madam Zhao is dead
Mrs. Zhao is dead.
After the initial surprise wore off, Xun Shu was left with only helplessness.
No one can accurately predict the future.
These things, which had yet to happen, were constantly changing with shifts in mood and the smallest accidents. Physiognomy might reveal the tip of the iceberg, but it couldn't fathom the full extent beneath the surface. Although she predicted that Madam Zhao would soon face a great calamity, she couldn't predict when or where it would strike, or whether it would cost her her life.
She never expected that she would be taken to the yamen today because of Madam Zhao's matter.
Seeing Xun Shu standing there obediently with her head down, showing no sign of resistance, Ni Daqiang didn't tie her up. He simply patted her shoulder and said soothingly, "Don't worry. If this has nothing to do with you, County Magistrate Zhao will definitely not wrongly accuse you."
Xun Shu didn't say anything, but turned around and glanced through the slightly dim coffin shop. She ran into He Xuan, who had come looking for her after noticing she hadn't returned yet. She breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at Ni Daqiang, and said loudly, "I heard a few days ago that County Magistrate Fang caught a cold and is recuperating at home. I wonder if he's better now?"
How could Ni Daqiang not know what she meant? He glanced at He Xuan and said calmly, "I'll be there for duty today. I estimate it will take a few days to fully recover."
Xun Shu nodded, stopped hesitating, and took the first step: "Let's go."
-
The coffin shop was some distance away from the yamen. Ni Daqiang brought Xun Shu to the yamen and went straight to the second hall. Everyone had been waiting for some time, and the atmosphere was gloomy with a hint of impatience.
Several officials stood around the courtroom. Kneeling on the stone bricks in the center was a weeping young woman, none other than Madam Zhao's maid. County Magistrate Zhao, in his forties or fifties, sat on the platform, his appearance refined yet dignified. He glared at Xun Shu as he entered, his face gloomy, and shouted, "Who is this person in the hall?"
Xun Shu knelt down beside the maidservant and answered obediently, "Your Excellency, I am a clerk in the coffin shop, Xun Shu."
"Do you know why you were brought here?"
"When I came here, I heard from Lord Ni that it was for your wife's case."
Magistrate Zhao slammed the gavel down hard. "Since you know this, I won't beat around the bush with you. Tell me the truth. Why did you kill someone?"
"I didn't kill anyone. I'm afraid you have misunderstood." Xun Shu raised his head and defended himself seriously.
The maidservant Bai Xing turned around and glared at her, "It was you who killed my wife! If it weren't for what you said a few days ago, she wouldn't have been so distracted these past few days, let alone fallen into the water and drowned!"
Xun Shu felt extremely wronged, his voice unusually anxious: "I warned her to be careful and not to be alone. How can this be considered as me killing her?"
"Why not? The day before yesterday you wanted to tell Madam's fortune, but she refused. Yesterday you came to Madam's house and wanted to tell her fortune, but she was busy going out and still refused. Who knows if you are holding a grudge and secretly cast a spell to curse our Madam?!"
Bai Xing's eyes were red, and the more she spoke, the more outrageous it became. Everyone in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment, and even County Magistrate Zhao could hardly bear to listen any longer.
After discovering Madam Zhao's body at dawn, he was sad and angry. When he heard the maid Bai Xing say that Madam Zhao was killed by someone and she knew who that person was, he did not think twice and sent someone to the coffin shop to bring Xun Shu here as Bai Xing said... But now he regretted it. If he had known that what Bai Xing said was so ridiculous, he would never have brought anyone here.
Magistrate Zhao slammed the gavel again, interrupting Bai Xing. "Things about gods and ghosts are not to be believed! Stop spouting nonsense in court!" He paused, his gaze turning to Xun Shu, who hung his head. Thinking of his wife, who had burst into tears upon returning home that day, his brow furrowed again. "What did you say to the deceased that day?"
His wife had just died, and she had become the cold "dead" in his mouth. Xun Shu looked up at County Magistrate Zhao and said slowly, "I didn't say anything. I only said that she was not destined to have children, but I didn't curse her."
"Nonsense!" Magistrate Zhao shouted angrily, but his expression wasn't one of anger, but rather confusion. He glanced at everyone in the hall, lowered his gaze for a moment, and then asked, "Did you see my wife the other day?"
Xun Shu nodded: "Yes. Because of what happened three days ago, I feel guilty, so I thought of giving Madam Zhao a divination to see if it can help her resolve this disaster."
"This disaster? Did you know she would be in trouble yesterday?"
"Three days ago at the market stall, I noticed a dark brow on her forehead and guessed she'd be in danger soon, but I didn't know when or where. I offered her a fortune-teller, but Madam Zhao declined. I could only tell her to be careful and keep trustworthy people around her." Xun Shu paused, remembering the time he'd seen his friend Fang Yan solve a case. He took the initiative to explain yesterday's itinerary. "When I saw Madam Zhao the day before yesterday, she seemed to be in a hurry to go somewhere. After a few words with me, she hurried away. Afterwards, I went to Maoshan with He Xuan, another clerk in the coffin shop, to help our boss Jiang Zheng find wood for a new coffin. We only returned to the city this morning. We had just returned to the coffin shop when I was brought here. The guards outside the city gate can testify to this."
Seeing that she did not look like she was lying, County Magistrate Zhao did not want to waste everyone's time in the court. He was just about to find an excuse to send everyone away and keep Xun Shu for a while to ask some private questions, but he saw He Xuan pulling Fang Yan, whose clothes were disheveled, and rushing past the guards who were blocking the door and hurriedly running into the court.
Fang Yan was the county lieutenant of Chaozhou. He was responsible for solving most murders in the county. He was also the young master of the funeral clothing store next door, making him familiar with everyone there. Last year, Fang Yan was so lost on a case that he sought divination from Xun Shu and Jiang Zheng.
Xun Shu turned his head to look at the two of them and He Xuan's confident face, feeling helpless.
If she had known that the matter in court would be so easy to resolve, she would not have let He Xuan go to look for Fang Yan. Now that Magistrate Zhao was about to let her go, with the two of them interfering, she didn't know how the situation would turn out.
Fang Yan naturally had no idea what she was thinking. He stood in the courtroom, straightened his crown, saluted Magistrate Zhao, and said with a solemn oath, "Sir, Xun Shu and I have known each other since childhood. She is kind by nature and would never kill anyone!"
Xun Shu lowered her head, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into and escape from everything in the hall. He Xuan, who was not far away, saw her like this and vaguely realized that the situation in the hall was different from what he expected, but he didn't know exactly what was different.
County Magistrate Zhao sat in the hall, his eyes sweeping back and forth among the people below. He then said slowly, "Since that's the case, I'll hand it over to you. Find the real culprit within three days! If you can't—" He stared at Xun Shu with a half-smile, "I will take this man's life for his life."
-
Everyone in the hall dispersed, leaving only Xun Shu and the other two. Xun Shu got up from the ground, looked at He Xuan, looked at Fang Yan, angry, helpless, and hated himself for doing something unnecessary. After holding it in for a long time, he only said one sentence: "Thank you so much."
Fang Yan's face was still a little pale. He didn't hear the inappropriateness in Xun Shu's tone and thought it was really a compliment. He hurriedly asked, "Ah Shu, what's going on? Why are you said to be the murderer?"
Xun Shu sighed and said quietly, "This is a long story. I'll tell you in detail later when we have time. Right now, the most urgent thing is to solve this case as soon as possible, otherwise I will really be regarded as a curse monster and arrested to pay the price for Madam Zhao's life." She looked at Fang Yan's pale lips and asked worriedly, "Are you feeling better? Can you hold on?"
Fang Yan's blood boiled under her gaze. The paleness on his face faded a little, and his eyes brightened. "It's almost healed, nothing serious! Ah Shu, don't worry, I will find the real culprit and clear your name!"
He Xuan, who was standing by, saw Fang Yan's expression and took the initiative to stand in front of Xun Shu. He pushed Fang Yan away as he got closer and closer, saying disdainfully, "Why are you getting so close to me? Just talk nicely."
Fang Yan blushed: "I was standing right here just now, don't talk nonsense!"
From the moment they first met, the two of them were at loggerheads, each disliking the other. If it weren't for the situation, He Xuan would never have gone looking for Fang Yan.
Seeing that the two were about to argue with each other in a pedantic manner while the other was scolding them in a plain and unpretentious manner, Xun Shu quickly stretched out his hand to separate them and said with a frown, "If you want to quarrel, go outside and don't delay me from finding the murderer."
He Xuan glared at Fang Yan fiercely, tugged at Xun Shu's arm, pulled her to his side, and asked attentively, "Ah Shu, how do you want to investigate? Do you need my help?"
Xun Shu looked at him and reminded him faintly, "I didn't know you could solve the case."
"...I can't, but I can help you." He Xuan said confidently.
Fang Yan snorted coldly and raised his head. "Don't worry, Ah Shu. I will definitely clear your suspicion. I'm not like some people who just talk big." He paused and was about to speak when he saw Ni Daqiang peeking over. He called him over and said, "Brother Ni, please tell us what happened in the case."
Although Fang Yan was young, he was Ni Daqiang's superior. With this request, Ni Daqiang would certainly comply. He bowed to Fang Yan and then recounted what had happened today.
"Today at 11:00 AM, Madam Zhao's body was found in the backyard pond. There were scratches on her head and arms, presumably from rocks when she jumped into the pond. According to Bai Xing, Madam Zhao's personal maid, Madam Zhao dismissed everyone around her and retired early last night. Bai Xing and the other two maids, seeing the lights out in her room, also went to bed, leaving only two servants on duty at the gate. This morning, Bai Xing, noticing no sound from Madam Zhao's room, assumed she was still asleep. She went to the back garden to collect flower dew for her. Passing by the pond, she spotted a female corpse floating in the corner. After sending someone to fish it out, they discovered it was Madam Zhao."
Xun Shu listened for a while, then suddenly said, "It sounds like Madam Zhao jumped into the pond on her own. Even her maid thought so. But just now in court, County Magistrate Zhao seemed to believe that Madam Zhao was murdered... Why is that?"
Ni Daqiang explained, "Well, after the body was found, everyone initially thought Madam Zhao had committed suicide, after all, she had been crying constantly for the past few days. But when the body was moved, someone discovered a large bump on the back of Madam Zhao's head, along with some wounds. It looked like she had been struck with a blunt object, not from a fall into the water. This matter was kept secret, known only to officials and the people who moved the body."
Xun Shu suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. If someone had hit him on the back of the head beforehand and then pushed him into the water, it would have been murder without a doubt."
Hearing that it was murder, Fang Yan's expression became serious: "Where is the body now?"
"It's still in Zhao's house. A coroner has been sent to investigate."
Fang Yan straightened his clothes and held his head high: "Let's go and take a look together."
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