The white cloth rose into the air with a clatter, and the dirty bloodstains on it fluttered to the ground like a broken kite in the sunlight. The corpse that had been covered a moment ago was laid bare, revealing its true appearance. It took the breath away from those present.
Jiu Niang was the most beautiful courtesan of House Wen Xiang. With her snow-white skin and vermilion lips, she had attracted the attention of many nobles and young men under her skirts. No one expected that one day she would die in such an unpleasant way.
She lay on the stretcher, her eyes misty and lifeless, gazing up at the sky. The muscles of her face were sunken with decay, and she was covered in jagged green blotches, her abdomen a bloody mess. Although she was processed, flies and insects still swarmed around her, and the stench was overpowering.
A wide-sleeved dress with a peony green print was soaked in blood, making it unrecognizable and tattered.
There were exclamations one after another from the audience, and some of the more timid ones were too scared to look, but still couldn’t help but peer through the space between their fingers. Humans are such contradictory creatures that when curiosity overcomes fear, they can face many cruel things.
Even Chu Jiaoping turned his head away because of the hideous appearance of the corpse.
The most relaxed of all was Chu Xinian. To get a better look at the corpse, he lifted the hem of his robe and squatted down. As he took a closer look, he said, “If Lord Mei has something to ask me, ask it here in front of everyone. The threshold of your Department of Integrity and Law is too high, I’m afraid I won’t be able to intervene.”
Chu Xinian’s status was different from that of an ordinary citizen, and Mei Fengchen couldn’t summon him for questioning according to the usual procedure, which was a matter for the Imperial Court. The Department of Integrity and Law had always acted sternly, but whenever a case involving powerful people was brought to trial, it was brought directly for interrogation with an imperial permit.
When Mei Fengchen saw that Chu Xinian was not scared to death, but rather calm, he could not help but hold him in high esteem. Inexpressive, he ordered a tray with a blood-stained jade pendant to be presented to him, “This jade pendant has your name engraved on it and was in Jiu Niang’s hand when her corpse was found, how do you explain this?”
No wonder Mei Fengchen dared to show up at the General’s Mansion like this, it was because he had ‘irrefutable proof’.
Women wore flower hairpins and men wore jade pendants. All people from prestigious families had their names engraved in jade to show their status. When the sons of the Marquis of Quyang were born, he spent a lot of money to find good jade and asked skilled craftsmen to carve two gentleman’s pendants, one for Chu Jiaoping and one for Chu Xinian.
Chu Jiaoping’s jade was still on his body today, but Chu Xinian’s fell off and broke because he was racing on horseback with someone on the outskirts of the Capital. The matter was so private that no one outside the family knew about it.
Chu Jiaoping frowned and felt that it was not a simple matter. He said to Mei Fengchen, “Lord Mei, my Second Brother has always been reckless, he broke his jade pendant a few months ago, and it is not known where it is. Is it not too hasty to use this alone as evidence?”
“Hasty?” Mei Fengchen’s voice was aged, “If you think it is hasty, then have him accompany me to the Bureau of Justice to investigate the matter thoroughly. Besides, I did not say that Chu Xiniann is the murderer. It’s just that his suspicion is the highest, and that’s why I want to question him.”
Chu Jiaoping wanted to say more, but Mei Fengchen raised his hand to interrupt him, saying with a serious expression, “This matter has nothing to do with you. Further, talking is pointless. Go and rest.”
Chu Jiaoping was a newcomer to the Court, and he had to be courteous to a senior like Mei Fengchen.
Meanwhile, the “central figure”, Chu Xinian, remained silent throughout. He was like a diligent forensic scientist, bowing his head and carefully examining the body, not overlooking a single corner.
The body had multiple sword wounds, a total of thirty-four, each about ten centimeters long. The fatal wound was in the neck, resulting in excessive bleeding, and death by hemorrhage.
The hair was tied up in a messy bun, the mouth slightly open, and with unidentified blood marks. The length of the hair was originally waist-length, but there were many marks of having been cut at the same time, it appeared to have been by a sword.
The killer was an expert swordsman.
Chu Xinian opened the neckline of Jiu Niang’s dress expressionlessly and continued his examination. He found no hickeys or special marks except the corpse stains, and the jade hairpin and other items were all present, so he ruled out the possibility that he had killed her for money or sex.
Slowly lifting Jiu Niang’s sleeve, both arms bore sword wounds. The sword marks on her right arm were slanted inwards, as were those on her left arm. They were at the same height and had the same depth, indicating that they were probably inflicted simultaneously.
The killer was probably a master of two swords.
Chu Xinian took Jiu Niang’s hand and carefully examined her fingertips. He found thick, calloused knuckles, giving the impression that her hands had been strong throughout her life.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Jiu Niang was not a typical weak brothel woman.
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However, Xie Jingyuan did have them, but he did not like flowers, so he did not plant them in his mansion.
Before her death, Jiu Niang must have visited the house of someone influential and powerful, apart from the outskirts of the Capital.
Finally, Chu Xinian rose from the ground and casually wiped his hands with a handkerchief. He remained silent, but inexplicably performed a series of peculiar actions, making uninformed onlookers think he was performing.
Mei Fengchen waited patiently for him to finish his examination and, with an unpleasant expression, asked, “Well, have you finished examining?”
Chu Xinian smiled faintly, “I have finished. If there is anything you wish to ask, go ahead, Lord Mei. I will say everything I know and leave nothing unsaid.”
Xie Jingyuan appeared at the door at some point, looking worriedly at Chu Xinian. Only he was standing far away, and with everyone’s attention on the corpse, no one noticed him for a while.
Mei Fengchen looked directly at Chu Xinian, “Do you know this woman?”
Chu Xinian closed his eyes calmly, his expression serene, but his words carried an air of arrogance, “I’m afraid I will disappoint you, Lord Mei. I had an accident and injured my head a few days ago. I can’t remember many things clearly. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Imperial Physician Wang at the Palace.”
Mei Fengchen pushed aside the Yamen runner who was holding him and hurried up the steps. Despite being over fifty years old, his eyes shone brightly, “Are you making fun of me? Do you think feigning amnesia will allow you to evade interrogation?”
Chu Xinian’s tone remained gentle, “I just wanted to remind Lord Mei not to ask pointless questions. Whether I know Jiu Niang or not, she’s already dead. Perhaps you’d better explain the reason why you suspect me?”
“Disrespectful brat!” Mei Fengchen spat, then shook his sleeves vigorously, “This official wants to know, where were you on the seventh of the third month?”
The seventh of the third month turned out to be the day Chu Xinian escaped on the wedding night.
Chu Xinian lightly snapped his fingertips and maintained his composure, “In the seventh of the third month, I went to many places. Lord Mei, could you be more specific, was it early morning, noon, or evening?”
“Naturally, in the evening.” Mei Fengchen replied.
Chu Xinian suddenly understood, “I don’t remember, but if it was at night, according to the manor guards, I was perhaps with this woman.”
A commotion broke out in the crowd, and people began to whisper to each other. Could it be that Chu Xinian was the murderer? Was he crazy to admit that he was with Jiu Niang that night?!
Mei Fengchen looked at Chu Xinian with a strange expression, he probably didn’t expect him to admit it so easily, “You, as a bachelor, should have avoided suspicion. Why are you hanging out with a woman at night? Besides, as far as I know, the seventh of the third month was your wedding day with General Xie.”
Chu Xinian could only follow the excuse Madam Mei had made up, “Lord Mei, although I don’t remember what happened that night, according to Mother, I was kidnapped by criminals and taken to the outskirts of the Capital. It wasn’t until the early morning that the guards rescued me and took me back”.
Mei Fengchen thought the same as Xie Jingyuan, and snorted coldly, “So what you are saying is that you, a robust man, were kidnapped by a delicate woman from a brothel to the suburbs?”
At these words, the crowd could not help but laugh out loud, feeling that the lie Chu Xinian had told was too absurd.
“Why not?” Replied Chu Xinian.
He shook out his sleeves and, ignoring the dirt, used a handkerchief as an improvised glove to directly grab Jiu Niang’s right wrist.
“Lord Mei, why don’t you take a closer look? This woman has calluses on her fingers and palm, and the first joint of her right index finger is deformed, while her left hand is clean. Furthermore, her body is slender, with well-developed muscles, clearly indicating that she is skilled in using the sword. I’m not powerful, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to kidnap me and take me to the suburbs”.
When Chu Xinian lifted the white cloth from the corpse a moment ago, he noticed sharply the calluses on Jiu Niang’s right hand. He remembered that Xie Jingyuan also had similar calluses in the same area. Although Jiu Niang’s muscles were relaxed because she had been dead for some time, it was still evident that she had practiced martial arts.
Could it be that Madam Mei’s unintentional lie had turned out to be a blind cat on a dead mouse?
Modern forensic expertise was the accumulation of the wisdom of countless ancestors, allowing forensic experts to deduce the truth based on various traces. However, the field of forensic medicine in today’s Great Yan Dynasty had just begun and only focused on determining the cause of death and the murder weapon.
Mei Fengchen’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Ignoring the dirt, he approached and compared Jiu Niang’s left and right hands. He found that what Chu Xinian had said was true, but he still had doubts and frowned, “She’s a courtesan, couldn’t these calluses be caused by playing musical instruments?”
Chu Xinian shook his head, “Calluses caused by playing musical instruments are different from those left by sword training. If you don’t believe me, look for a swordsman and a courtesan, and compare their hands.”
Mei Fengchen’s face showed a mixture of joy and anger, “Fine, I’ll concede this much. How do you explain the jade pendant then?”
Chu Xinian took the jade pendant from the tray after Mei Fengchen mentioned it and examined it in the sunlight. Although it was stained with blood, it was flawless and transparent, a premium jade pendant engraved with the character “Chu Xinian”.
The original jade pendant had been accidentally shattered under a horse’s hoof, so it was naturally impossible for an identical jade to emerge, so it could only be a fake.
Since it was a fake, there must be traces.
Chu Xinian thought of something and approached Chu Jiaoping, “Big Brother, lend me your jade pendant.”
Chu Jiaoping frowned slightly, he felt that his younger brother’s behavior was not like before. It seemed a little strange. But now was not the time to think about that. He quickly unbuckled the jade pendant he wore and handed it to Chu Xinian.
Chu Xinian looked carefully at the two jade pendants, rubbing them with his fingertips for a while, and finally discovered the problem. He held up both jade pendants in front of Mei Fengchen, apparently smiling, and said, “Lord Mei, do you know about the three things?”
Mei Fengchen frowned, “No need for guessing, what three things?”
Chu Xinian replied as if deliberately mocking him, “Firstly, this jade pendant I wore was carved by a skilled craftsman at Father’s request and has been with me since I was born, for more than twenty years.”
Mei Fengchen, “And the second?”
Chu Xinian seemed to intentionally turn away from him, saying, “Secondly, my jade was already broken several months ago, so this piece of jade has been forged intentionally to frame me.”
Mei Fengchen waved his sleeve, saying, “Your elder brother has mentioned this matter before. It is nothing but empty words without proof. How can you prove it is false? What about the third matter?”
Chu Xinian, “Don’t worry, Lord Mei. The last thing I want to talk about is this.”
He handed the two pieces of jade pendant to Mei Fengchen and cut to the chase.
“Although these two pieces of jade are both of the finest quality, the one I have has been worn for over twenty years and the carvings are warm and smooth around the edges, while this fake jade shows very recent carving marks. Indicating an intentional forgery.”
“Moreover, Lord Mei seems to have forgotten one thing. When Empress Dowager Zhao Hui, whose maiden name was Chu Ping, passed away prematurely, His Majesty was so overcome with grief that he ordered all nobles and citizens to avoid the character ‘Chu Ping’. So the ‘Chu’ character on my jade pendant is missing a stroke, but it seems that the person who forged it forgot about this.”
As he spoke, Chu Xinian handed the two jade pendants to Mei Fengchen, making it easy for him to see. He said with deep meaning, “The ‘Chu’ character on my brother’s pendant is missing one stroke, while this fake jade has the full ‘Chu’ character.”
When Chu Xinian transmigrated, he thoroughly read “History of Yan”. And with his exceptional memory, a flash of inspiration came to him as he inspected the jade pendants.
With Chu Xinian’s reminder, Mei Fengchen remembered that Empress Dowager Zhao Hui’s maiden name was indeed ‘Liu Chu Ping’. Frowning, he took the jade pendants and examined them carefully. He found that Chu Xinian’s claims were true, and involuntarily plunged into deep thought.
Mei Fengchen was still having trouble dispelling his doubts, “You may not be able to kill Jiu Niang with your martial arts skills, but what if you ordered your guards to do so?”
Xie Jingyuan, who was listening from behind, narrowed his eyes coldly and thought, this old man, Mei Fengchen, is implacable, isn’t he. He couldn’t help but cough softly, but then he restrained himself and went outside, preparing to chase away the rabid dogs of the Bureau of Justice. However, he heard Chu Xinian, “Absolutely impossible”.
For some reason, Mei Fengchen’s attitude was much softer than a moment ago, “Tell me more. I’m willing to listen to the details.”
Chu Xinian leaned over and pulled Jiu Niang’s sleeve, revealing the sword wounds on her arm, and dismissed Mei Fengchen’s assumptions one by one, “Jiu Niang’s body has a total of thirty-four sword wounds, all about four inches, with no flaws and consistent depths, obviously made by an extremely skilled swordsman. Do you agree, Lord Mei?”
Although forensics had also confirmed it, they were not as meticulous as Chu Xinian and could not make as many connections. Mei Fengchen pondered silently and said, “Continue.”
“An expert only needs one move to kill a weak person, but Jiu Niang received 34 cuts, which means she fought for a long time. And she is a person with solid martial arts skills. I am ashamed to say that although I have two or three guards in the Marquis of Quyang’s Manor, they are all of mediocre martial skills and are not enough to kill her.”
Chu San and Chu Si turned away, feeling embarrassed and bowing their heads at the words.
Chu Xinian intentionally omitted some details. For example, the culprit was an expert in dual swords, and the person behind the scenes was not of low status. A highly skilled courtesan eloped overnight with the original owner and turned up dead clutching a fake jade pendant. All aspects of the case were puzzling.
Although Chu Xinian’s comments did not completely prove his innocence, they cleared up most suspicions. Mei Fengchen’s face turned half black and half blue as he tried to find cracks but to no avail. Finally, he angrily shook his sleeve and blurted out, “Damn it!”
Chu Xinian raised his eyelids and felt that the old man lacked manners, cursing in foul language.
However, Mei Fengchen, perhaps sensing Chu Xinian’s thoughts, looked at him with embarrassment and anger, saying, “What are you looking at? I’m not cursing you.”
He was cursing the culprit!
Chu Xinian smiled, like a mist making it difficult to see, and said, “Since it has been confirmed that this matter has nothing to do with me, I request that Lord Mei take the corpse away. My General is weak and sick, unable to see such bloody things.”
Mei Fengchen dared to act and acknowledge, and the spectators saw him shake his sleeve, hesitating for quite a while. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and paid his respects to Chu Xinian, saying, “I have been insolent today, but it has been proven that you have nothing to do with it, and my reputation has been spared from being sullied here. However, if there is any doubt in the future, I hope you will not hesitate to guide me.”
Without waiting for Chu Xinian’s reply, Mei Fengchen turned and left. The Yamen runners quickly picked up the corpse and followed. The outside of the General’s mansion was empty again.
As Chu Xinian watched them leave, he turned around and walked up the steps, only to find that Xie Jingyuan had appeared unnoticed and raised an eyebrow, saying, “General?”
Xie Jingyuan showed no expression at the words. He tightened his dark-colored cloak, did not reply, and turned around to enter the mansion.
Just as Chu Xinian was puzzled, Chu Jiaoping, who had been watching from the side, approached him and said, “Second Brother.”
His expression was complicated, both by Chu Xinian’s unusual behavior and by the phrase ‘my General’. Rumors were circulating outside that Chu Xinian and Xie Jingyuan were at odds, and not only did the common people think so, but even Chu Jiaoping believed so.
However, from the behavior of the two men today, Chu Jiaoping could see no trace of discord.
The author has something to say:
#My general is weak and sick#
#My mother’s mouth speaks the truth#
#My guards are all rookies#
“My General” Uhm, okay, he’s all yours, Chu Xinian. Why slap us in the face ah?
Chu Xinian is quite possessive! 🤣
Poor Chu Si and Chu San 😭
is this where the phrase “getting shot while lying down” comes in 😂
YESSSS finally a quick transmigration novel that HAS AN ACTUAL PLOT and is not only about rolling in bed. This was so satisfying.