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"Actually, it's nothing much!" Li Mao said while scratching his head. "That night, after the shopkeeper fainted, I followed your instructions and took the shopkeeper back to the bedroom and made sure he was settled. When I went out, I happened to overhear you talking with that dubious character. The shopkeeper knows that this dubious person is not a good Taoist; others may have dark hearts, but his heart is twisted in every way. I was worried you might be at a disadvantage, so I stood back and didn't move. However, I listened closely to the conversation between you and that dubious character; not a single word escaped my ears."
"Oh dear, are you trying to kill me with anxiety?" Xing Ruyi exclaimed, stamping her foot. "What exactly did that dubious character say to Yin Yuan? He wouldn't be trying to trick him into getting some monster's inner core again, would he?"
"No!" Li Mao replied. "I heard very clearly that you were asking the dubious character about Hu Da. You wanted to know if the dubious character had malicious intentions regarding Hu Da and whether it was related to the shopkeeper and Master Yin."
"And how did the dubious character respond?"
"He said something equally strange before leaving, claiming he was a warm-hearted Taoist. But would you believe such words from a shopkeeper?" Li Mao looked at Xing Ruyi, noticing she neither nodded nor shook her head. He added, "Although you didn't seem concerned at the time, I suspect you might not fully trust what that dubious character said. Regardless of whether he had intentions or not, the matter concerning Hu Da still involves you as the shopkeeper. Since it concerns you, it’s only right for you to investigate further to feel at ease."
Xing Ruyi sighed, pulling her thoughts away from these troubling matters. She looked at the radish cake in Li Mao's hand and asked, "Let's talk about the beggar instead. There have been too many annoying things lately; my mind is all in a jumble, and I don't even have the leisure to listen to stories."
"Since you want to hear it, then I'll sit down and tell you carefully; I guarantee it's more interesting than what that storyteller at the teahouse shares."
"Stop being so glib and get on with it," Xing Ruyi said as she pinched off a piece of radish cake and popped it into her mouth. After chewing a couple of bites, she frowned and murmured, "This radish cake doesn't taste quite authentic; it seems to be missing something."
It was Li Mao's first time eating this radish cake, and he didn't find anything wrong with its taste. Hearing Xing Ruyi mumbling away, he cleverly chose not to respond, fearing that if she were displeased, she might tip over the entire plate of radish cake. With that thought in mind, he quickly moved the plate closer to himself, took a deep breath, and prepared to tell his story.
Once upon a time in Yunjiabao, there was a family engaged in silk trading. While they weren't as wealthy as the Hu family, they were still considered well-off enough. The head of this family was surnamed Wang and had an easy-to-remember name: Wang Jiang. Among the four major surnames—Zhang, Wang, Li, Zhao—Wang was relatively rare in Yunjiabao.
Wang Jiang married a woman named Zhu who was beautiful and virtuous. Even more remarkably, Zhu had an appearance reminiscent of a bodhisattva from temples; in folk terms, she looked like those divine female figures worshipped in shrines. Thus, Zhu was said to bring prosperity and peace to the Wang family for generations—a woman with auspicious traits for her husband. However, unexpectedly, Zhu died mysteriously in the outskirts.
"I've heard of those auspicious traits before; I just don't know what they look like in others' eyes," Xing Ruyi said as she pinched her own cheek. "But I'm pretty sure it doesn't resemble me at all. Just look at all the misfortunes I've encountered since being with that fox; I can't help but feel I'm neither auspicious for my husband nor for my home."
"The shopkeeper shouldn't belittle herself; no matter how prosperous Zhu appears, it doesn't help much," Li Mao said, pouting. "Having a prosperous husband is useless if there’s no longevity. How can the family prosper then? But the shopkeeper, not only can she stand shoulder to shoulder with our Master Yin, but she can also fight alongside him, traveling across the north and south. That is truly a good partner for our Master Yin."
"Is that all you can say with your mouth? What about Zhu? How did she die? Who discovered her, and where was she found? Was there anything else left at the crime scene? On what basis does the Government Office conclude that the beggar is the murderer of Zhu? Is it just based on the beggar's ramblings and that woman's clothing found from who knows where?"
"The shopkeeper suddenly asked so many questions; how could I possibly answer them?" Li Mao widened his eyes. "Why not have the shopkeeper go to the government office and ask herself? To be honest, looking at how the shopkeeper is now, she resembles how she was back in Luoyang when she helped Lord Chang solve cases. She was much cuter back then."
"Cute! Me?" Xing Ruyi shivered. "I never thought of myself as cute! Now, what exactly happened with Zhu?"
"Well, your impatience is just like it was back in Luoyang," Li Mao said as he swallowed the last piece of radish cake and continued. "Indeed, there are some oddities surrounding Zhu's case, just like you mentioned before. Why would a well-off lady appear in such a remote place late at night? Moreover, it was Zhu's brother-in-law who discovered her body—Wang Jiang's brother."
"Her brother-in-law discovered his sister-in-law's body? That's interesting. Did the Government Office not cast any suspicion on this brother-in-law?"
"I’m not sure what the official thinks, but the relationship between this brother-in-law and Zhu is definitely not as simple as you might guess. Wang Jiang may be in the silk business at Yun Family Gathering, but his brother Wang Chong is known to be a wanderer. According to people from the Wang Family, Wang Chong has been away from home for over two years and only returned a few months ago to celebrate the New Year with a fiancée who was supposed to marry him soon. This was considered a joyful event for the Wang Family. Coincidentally, Wang Chong's return home happened right before and after Zhu's murder."
"Is it really just a coincidence?"
"On the surface, it does seem like a coincidence. Because Wang Chong's fiancée had not yet married him; she could only be considered his betrothed. This time when he returned home, it was indeed for their wedding preparations. So, the Wang Family had made early arrangements to settle her at a relative’s house in Yang Village, less than three miles from Yun Family Gathering. They were just waiting for everything to be ready before choosing an auspicious day for the wedding. Wang Chong returned to Yun Family Gathering that afternoon after settling his fiancée."
"Having been away for so long, he naturally wanted to visit his elder brother, who is Zhu's husband, Wang Jiang. Coincidentally, Wang Jiang was out purchasing goods during the day and had some disputes with suppliers, so he couldn't return on time. Wang Chong called out several times outside Wang Jiang's house but received no response. Seeing that the door was slightly ajar, he pushed it open and found that the main bedroom was dark while there was still light in the side room."
"I remember that the Wang Family also has a cook who used to accompany Zhu when she came to buy rouge."
"That's right; the Wang Family indeed has a helper cook," Li Mao said as he dipped his hand in water and casually drew a few lines on the table. Xing Ruyi glanced over; it looked like a simple floor plan.
"This is the main residence of the Wang Family, and it is where Wang Jiang and his wife Zhu usually rest. This is the living room, and this is the side hall, and there is also a kitchen here. The cook does not live here, but over there!" Li Mao pointed to a spot adjacent to the kitchen. "This is another courtyard of the Wang Family, which can also be considered a garden. Half of the buildings in the courtyard are used for storing cloth, while the other half is for guests to rest. The cook lives over here as well. Connecting these two courtyards is a low corridor, with some bamboo and flowering plants planted alongside it, cleverly concealing it."
"Then it seems that the cook should have been free of any responsibilities. After all, Zhu was murdered in the outskirts, not in the Zhu family's inner residence."
"That should be the case, but unfortunately, it isn't," Li Mao said, dipping his finger in water and making a large mark on the table. "The cook was lying in this position at that time. According to Wang Chong's description, when he entered Wang Jiang's house, he saw that only the side room's light was on, so he called out to his brother and sister-in-law and went directly to the side room. When he got closer, he found that there was actually a lock on the door of the side room; it was just not locked tight.
Since the lock was placed very neatly, Wang Chong speculated that Wang Jiang and his wife might have had something urgent to attend to and went to their shop or somewhere else. He intended to take his things and come back tomorrow. As he descended the steps, he noticed something on the ground; using the light from inside the house, he realized it was a pool of blood, and beside it lay a person among some fallen leaves. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it as the cook from Wang Jiang's household, someone he had seen years ago.
Wang Chong was accustomed to wandering around and naturally had more courage than an ordinary person. Seeing this situation, he did not panic but bent down to check the cook's breath. Noticing she still had a faint breath, he picked her up and hurriedly took her to the medical clinic. This point was also corroborated by the doctor at the clinic; the time, place, and circumstances matched exactly with what Wang Chong described."
"Then it truly is a coincidence."
"Today when I went to see what was happening, I happened to run into this young master Wang Chong. This young master Wang Chong does not seem like someone who would typically use cunning schemes. There is even a hint of righteousness in his brows and eyes. In court, Wang Chong also detailed some events from the night of the incident and mentioned that after taking the cook to the clinic, while the doctor was treating her injuries, he checked her wounds himself. It turned out that she had only one cut on her throat; the incision varied from shallow to deep—shallow enough just to break the skin but deep enough to cut into her windpipe. Although the cut was made decisively, one could tell from its trajectory that whoever wielded the knife seemed hesitant; it was evident that they did not originally intend to take her life but for some reason suddenly changed their mind, resulting in a deeper cut. If Wang Chong hadn't arrived in time, this cook would likely have lost her life."
"It’s possible that this murderer knew the cook," Xing Ruyi tapped on the table. "It seems that this beggar really has been made a scapegoat for this murderer."
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