(Opening a new chapter ~)
In the morning, Xue Rui came to the Supreme Court in a sedan chair as usual. He met his colleagues at the door, exchanged a few words, and entered the yamen.
He had just finished a case the day before yesterday, so Xue Rui was free today. He was going to the library to find a few files to read. Just as he walked to the East Courtyard, he was stopped by a servant who caught up behind him. "Lord Xue, Lord Xue — the minister asks you to come quickly."
Xue Rui turned his head and followed the servant to see Minister Guo Huaian of the Supreme Court. He asked, "What happened?"
"It seems that there was a murder case in Taishi Library."
Xue Rui was startled. He knew that Yu Shu was cultivating there, so he didn't want her to get involved. Worried, he hastened his footsteps and soon arrived at the front of the main office. He saw Guo Huaian, who was dressed in court attire and was about to leave.
"Lord."
"Cheng Bi, you came at the right time." Guo Huaian was relieved when he saw Xue Rui. He beckoned him forward and said, "I just received a report from the yamen that someone was hanged last night in Taishi Library. Go and check it out now. I need to go to court urgently. I will listen to your report when I come back."
After saying this, he hurriedly lifted his court clothes and left.
Xue Rui didn't waste any time, and he called over two guards before changing horses to rush to the Imperial Historian's Library.
*
*
*
In a small building not far from the observatory in Taishi Library, Yu Shu sat alone on a chair. She supported her sore forehead and tiredly glanced at the yamen runners standing guard at the door.
Last night, Xin Liu and she found Cao Youling's body in the small house on the observatory. The guards who heard the news went to report it. Soon, the Shun Tian Prefecture sent constables over. Without saying a word, they invited her and Xin Liu to this small building for questioning. The questioning lasted until dawn.
During this time, the Cao family heard the news and came. They cried and made a fuss, but they could not get Cao Youling's body back. They were arranged to wait elsewhere.
Xin Liu fainted halfway because of the excessive fright. He was sent back to the women's dormitory. She was healthy and stayed. Her life was at stake. She was cooperative and didn't insist on leaving.
"Sir, this way please."
Yu Shu raised her head and saw a plump middle-aged man in an official's robe walk in, followed by a bailiff.
Yu Shu couldn't recognize the person, but she thought it was the prefectural magistrate. He stood up and heard the bailiff say, "Sir, this is Miss Yu, who found Miss Cao's body last night. Miss Yu, this is Official Jiang, Chang Zhi of the Shun Tian Manor. "
The Shun Tian Mansion was in charge of the investigation and trial of all the cases in An Ling City, except inside and outside the imperial city. Of all the cases that happened in the capital, the first to be dealt with was the Shun Tian Manor. Only then would it be transferred to the Ministry of Justice, which was one level higher. Furthermore, if it involved a heavy punishment, it would need to be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
Chang Zhi of the Shun Tian Prefecture was a subordinate official under the prefectural magistrate. He was ranked fifth rank and was also an important position.
Yu Shu knew the identity of the person who came, so she didn't put on airs. She saluted and said, "Master Jiang."
That Jiang Changzhi nodded at her and sat down across from her with a fierce expression. He opened his mouth and asked, "When did you find Miss Cao's body last night?"
Before dawn, Yu Shu had been asked this question more than a dozen times. When she heard it again, she couldn't help but frown, but she still answered truthfully, "It was after midnight, about half an hour."
Jiang Changzhi coldly said, "It's the middle of the night. What are you doing on the observatory instead of sleeping? Why aren't you telling me the truth? "
When Yu Shu heard this, she almost laughed in anger. She had been sitting here for several hours without a word of complaint. This Official Chang Zhi, on the other hand, gave her an unpleasant expression as soon as he arrived. Who was he putting on airs in front of?
Immediately, Yu Shu lost her temper and her face darkened, "Didn't you ask before you came? I have already told the bailiffs everything that happened. If you don't have anything else to ask, then forgive me for not keeping you company."
With that, she stood up and prepared to leave. When Jiang Changzhi saw this, his expression became even worse. He slammed the table and shouted, "I haven't finished asking my questions yet. Where are you going? Stop me!"
The two bailiffs guarding the door immediately reached out and blocked Yu Shu from entering.
Yu Shu stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Jiang Changzhi. With an expressionless face, she asked, "Are you trying to interrogate me like a criminal?"
She was a female fortune-teller who was ranked third on the two rankings and had a fourth-grade scholarly rank. When she saw an official below the fifth rank, she didn't even need to greet him. As for whether or not she had to listen to a fifth rank official like Jiang Changzhi, that would depend on her mood.
Jiang Changzhi was about to speak when the bailiffs behind him hurriedly bent down and whispered a few words into his ear. Jiang Changzhi's expression instantly changed. Presumably, he had finally learned of Yu Shu's identity. He looked at her awkwardly. Soft words didn't work, and cold words didn't work. For a moment, he was at a loss for what to do. After a moment of silence, he said in a strange tone, "Let her go."
Seeing that the bailiffs were letting her go, Yu Shu sneered and didn't leave. Instead, she turned around and sat back down on the chair. With one hand supporting her head, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Jiang Changzhi was stunned, and his face twitched. He had no choice but to pull a long face. "This official was impatient just now and offended you. Please forgive me, female fortune-teller."
Yu Shu lifted her eyelids and then closed them again. She said in a lazy voice, "Didn't Lord Jiang want to ask me questions? Please ask. I will tell you everything I know."
"…" Lord Jiang was suddenly depressed. He thought that he had been pestered by his new concubine all night last night and had just fallen asleep at dawn. Suddenly, he received an order from the prefectural magistrate and rushed to Taishi Library in a hurry. He was in a bad mood, so he had to vent his anger.
He had heard of this female fortune teller the day before yesterday. Although she was young, it was said that she was a ruthless character who dared to fight head on with Old Master Han and did not suffer any losses. She also seemed to have quite a background. Who would have thought that he would offend her today?
Yu Shu did not know that Lord Jiang was secretly cursing his bad luck. She had other plans in mind, and it was not because she wanted to vent her anger that she did not leave. Cao Youling's death was strange. Although the constables did not tell her, she guessed that he did not commit suicide and most likely died an unnatural death.
She had seen Miss Cao once before. In her impression, she was a straightforward and shrewd person. As a young lady of an aristocratic family, she must have been valued since she was selected to be sent to Taishi Library. Why did she suddenly want to commit suicide?
But if she was killed, why did she die on the observatory and disguise the body as a suicide? What was the murderer's purpose?
Cao Youling's death couldn't help but remind her of another murder case that happened in Taishi Library half a year ago — the death of Xia Jiangying.
She was full of doubts about whether there was any connection between the two, so she wanted to stay and see if there was any progress.
Just as Jiang Changzhi was worrying about how to get Yu Shu to leave, a voice came from outside the building. "Reporting to Lord Jiang, Lord Xue, the Vice-Chancellor of the Supreme Court, has arrived."
Yu Shu and Jiang Changzhi looked out at the same time and saw the handsome Xue Rui, who was dressed in a red official uniform and had a goose hat on his head, walking in with a servant. The former had a strange expression on his face, while the latter hurriedly stood up to greet him. "Lord Xue."
Although they were both fifth-rank officials, the Supreme Court was one rank higher than the Shun Tian Manor and received direct orders from the emperor. This was why Lord Jiang had to be polite when he saw Xue Rui, not to mention that Xue Rui had other identities.
"Lord Jiang." Xue Rui and Jiang Changzhi met face to face. Without giving Jiang Changzhi a chance to exchange pleasantries, Xue Rui turned around and looked at the exhausted Yu Shu. He wasn't surprised to see her. Instead, he frowned and said, "Go back and rest first. I already know what happened."
When Yu Shu heard this, she guessed that Xue Rui had asked about the situation on the way here, and then she glanced at Lord Jiang who had a dazed expression and was completely out of sorts, and she couldn't help but sigh in her heart. This is the difference between an elite and a small fry.
Xue Rui's appearance meant that the Supreme Court was going to intervene in the investigation. In that case, there was no need for her to force herself to stay here. She could ask Xue Rui for more information later.
"Alright, I'll take a nap. I'll look for you later." Yu Shu stood up and nodded at Xue Rui. It should be said that the tube of tea had opened her eyes. When she saw him again after a day, she was able to look at him calmly.
When she walked past him, Xue Rui saw that there was a layer of dry skin on the corner of her mouth. He looked back and saw that there wasn't even a pot of tea on the table. He knew that she had been sitting here all night and couldn't help but be annoyed, but he didn't show it on his face. After she left, he straightened his face and asked Jiang Changzhi, who was curious about the relationship between him and Yu Shu, "When did Lord Jiang come? I heard that the Shun Tian Manor received the report four hours ago. Why hasn't the Shun Tian Manor sorted out the procedures and found only one witness? Where are the others? Where are the people who came to the observatory last night? Why don't I see any of them? Where are the corpses? Have they been examined? Where are the relatives of the deceased? "
Jiang Changzhi was confused by Xue Rui's series of questions. He stuttered and replied, "I, I just arrived and didn't have time to ask."
"Hmph." Xue Rui gave him a cold look and ignored him. He turned around and walked out. He said in a serious tone, "Go and find all the people who came to the observatory last night. Don't leave anyone behind. Call the coroner to examine the corpses with me. "
*
*
*
As soon as Yu Shu touched the pillow, she fell asleep. However, because of the shock, she couldn't sleep well. She had a nightmare and murmured in her sleep. Finally, she woke up with a start, gasping for breath.
"Phew." Yu Shu sat up straight and wiped the cold sweat off her forehead. After a long time, she calmed down. Then, she felt her mouth was dry. She picked up the teapot on the bedside table and took a few sips.
The sun shone in through the screen window. It was bright and dazzling. Seeing that it was already noon, Yu Shu got out of bed, washed her face, changed her clothes, and knocked on Xin Liu's door next door. No one answered. She thought that Xin Liu must have been taken back home.
She turned around and was about to return to her room when she saw a figure walking over with a book under her arm. She narrowed her eyes and took two steps forward.
Ji Xingxuan obviously saw Yu Shu, but she only glanced at her. Then, she walked to her room and took out her key to open the door.
"Do you know the young lady of the Cao family?" Yu Shu suddenly asked. "She was strangled at the observatory last night."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
