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墨書 Inktalez
“Brother Chang, you’re not bad. Perhaps the case of Zhu’s murder isn’t as complicated as we thought.” Xing Ruyi stared at the green stain on the Paper Wrap and sniffed it carefully.
Her sense of smell was already more sensitive than that of an average person. After arriving in the Golden Tang Dynasty and acquiring the Ghost Technique, her sense of smell could almost rival that of a fox. From the faint bean aroma she detected, she could almost be certain that the stain on the Paper Wrap was from Mung Bean Soup, and that the Arsenic Powder inside the Paper Wrap was also contaminated with it.
“If my nose isn’t mistaken, what’s on the Arsenic Powder should be Mung Bean Soup.”
“Mung Bean Soup?”
“Yes, it’s Mung Bean Soup! Winter is dry and can easily lead to internal heat, but this winter heat is different from summer heat. In winter, internal heat is mainly caused by the body’s own dryness. In a cold and dry environment, a lot of heat accumulates in the body and cannot be released in time. Over time, it turns into toxic heat, leading to symptoms such as mouth ulcers, swollen lips and tongue, throat discomfort and pain, bad breath, bitter taste in the mouth, toothache, and even deafness and tinnitus.
If one were wealthy and honored, they might choose some cooling herbs to relieve it. However, ordinary people often opt for more economical solutions, like boiling some Mung Bean Soup. Consuming Mung Bean Soup in winter not only helps to dispel heat but also nourishes the liver and detoxifies.
The Chef preparing Mung Bean Soup for Zhu as a late-night snack wouldn’t be unusual, but I believe the Chef’s intention was not just to help Zhu alleviate internal heat but to use this Mung Bean Soup to reduce the toxicity of the Arsenic Powder. The Chef wanted to harm Zhu without getting involved directly; therefore, using poison with a slow-acting effect was most appropriate. Arsenic is easily obtainable and is a deadly poison; once Zhu succumbs to it, the Coroner in the Yamen would easily identify it. However, cooking Arsenic with mung beans can reduce its toxicity and delay its effects. I think this Chef must have prepared an escape method for herself; unfortunately for her, she didn’t anticipate that there would be someone else wanting Zhu's life besides herself.”
“Although Arsenic is easy to obtain, it is still a poison. Given how meticulous this Chef is, she likely carried this Paper Wrap for safety reasons. But she didn’t expect to encounter the murderer who wanted Zhu dead, and that person even had murderous intent towards her. In their struggle, she knocked over her soup bowl and dropped the Paper Wrap on the ground. The murderer also didn’t expect that the Chef would try to kill Zhu; thus they overlooked what was in this Paper Wrap and hastily dealt with the scene while taking away the Porcelain Bowl that had been knocked over by the Chef. However, they left behind a shard of that Porcelain Bowl at the scene.”
“I have a question,” Xing Ruyi said while resting her chin on her hands, looking into Chang Tai’s eyes.
Chang Tai looked slightly astonished as he returned her gaze.
“Why did the murderer take away the Porcelain Bowl that was broken by the Chef?”
“This—” Chang Tai’s eyes widened a bit more before he replied, “I don’t know! For this question, I think we can only find out once we catch the Killer.”
“I know!” Xing Ruyi put her hands down. “A Killer who wants to clean up a scene would definitely dispose of the Chef as well and try to make everything as clean as possible. If he had done so at that time, then there would have been no chance for the Chef to survive. Now let’s make a psychological assumption.
The reason why the murderer didn’t deal with the Chef could be because he thought she was already dead; after all, dead people can’t speak or testify against him. Secondly, when he attacked the Chef, he hesitated somewhat; this indicates that he hadn’t planned on killing anyone other than Zhu that night—the Chef’s presence was entirely accidental. According to news brought back by Li Mao, although the Chef was severely injured, she did not die. Based on Wang Chong's own description, aside from an accidental knife wound to her throat area, there were no other obvious injuries on her body. This suggests that she knew the Killer; thus when facing him, she had no defenses whatsoever and did not expect him to strike.”
No matter whether Killer took Zhu away dead or alive, he never considered burying or dealing with Chef. Why is that? If someone has died, whether inside the house or outside, Yamen would definitely investigate. Doesn't the murderer fear that Yamen's Constable will trace it back to him? The answer is no, because although he may know Chef, they have no real connection in their daily lives, allowing the murderer to boldly leave Chef behind. Of course, there is another possibility: the murderer might be worried about running out of time and is more eager to deal with Zhu, leaving Chef unattended for the moment.
The last question is why a Killer who can't even take care of Chef would casually take the broken Porcelain Bowl. It should be noted that Chef's injuries indicate she was murdered; thus, it is normal for a Porcelain Bowl to be left at the scene. So, is Killer's action unnecessary and somewhat redundant? Perhaps there is only one answer.
"What is it?" Chang Tai asked, straightening up.
"Habit! It’s a habit inherent to Killer himself. He is not used to handling Corpses; it shows he is not a professional killer. When he slashed Chef's throat, his inner hesitation also indicates he is not a ruthless criminal. His technique was quite clumsy, suggesting it might be his first time doing such a thing. Yet under these circumstances, he still did something quite superfluous; this act likely stemmed from his own instincts."
"Cleaning up the Porcelain Bowl fragments—what kind of instinct is that?" Even after years as a Constable and encountering various criminals, Chang Tai had never seen anything so peculiar.
Xing Ruyi pointed at Li Mao, who was busy inside and out: "Brother Chang, if at this moment a customer accidentally knocked over a box of Rouge, what would Li Mao do?"
"Of course, he would quickly pick it up, but it also depends on whose Rouge it was. If it’s from our shop, not only would he pick it up but also clean it thoroughly while checking if the Rouge inside got dirty or broken. If he doesn’t do it carefully, our Shopkeeper might not scold him outright but would certainly nag him endlessly and might even deduct his pay."
Before Chang Tai could respond, Li Mao jumped in to reply to Xing Ruyi.
"If it's Rouge brought by the customer themselves, he would also pick it up immediately and take a look at her Rouge. He would comment on how bad her Rouge was, how unflattering it looked on her, and how it didn’t match her temperament before recommending our Rouge instead. If the customer doesn’t buy on the spot, then my ability to sell must be lacking. According to Shopkeeper's rules, I need to go back and study what this marketing thing is all about. Oh right, Shopkeeper said this is called marketing."
Xing Ruyi chuckled: "Alright, I guess I didn’t teach you in vain; you’ve got this down pat."
Chang Tai looked at Li Mao and then at Xing Ruyi as if he understood something yet also nothing at all.
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Xing Ruyi added: "Brother Chang, you might not know that before Zhu married Wang Jiang, she made a living singing in a Teahouse. In such places where all sorts of people mix together and amidst the eating and drinking chaos, it's common for dishes to break. The Clerks in Teahouses are quite nimble; they not only have to appease customers but also quickly clean up broken dishes using both hands and feet. Otherwise, if these customers start causing trouble and bump into broken dishes, the Shopkeeper will definitely be extorted and have to bear the medical expenses. Teahouse business is still business; Shopkeepers can’t afford losses. Correspondingly, if Clerks are not quick enough in their work, Shopkeepers usually won’t give them any pleasant looks."
"Fox Demon, do you mean..."
"I just thought of it suddenly," Xing Ruyi said with an apologetic smile. "Brother Chang, you know that back in Divine Capital, I always loved going to the Teahouse to listen to the scholars read. So I have a bit of understanding about the situation in that Teahouse. Just now, when I thought of the Porcelain Bowl and this book, it reminded me of this place. Coincidentally, Zhu used to earn a living singing at the Teahouse before getting married, and Chef's husband also enjoyed spending time at that Teahouse. If Chef is looking for her husband, she would definitely visit there, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Clerk at the Teahouse knows these two people. So, Brother Chang, what do you think? Isn't it quite strange how these three people are connected?"
Xing Ruyi drew a triangle in front of Chang Tai, who immediately understood.
"Next, should I go to the Yamen again and have the Official send a Yard Officer to investigate at the Teahouse?"
"Let's wait a bit. What we have so far is just speculation without any solid evidence. If the Yard Officer goes there recklessly, it might alert the criminal. Fortunately, the Notices in the Yamen have already been posted. We should patiently wait a few days and see if that Criminal will be tempted by those Silver Coins and return Zhu's lost Embroidered Shoes."
"That's fine; we can't alert the criminal, and we can only catch them in their own trap." Chang Tai crossed his arms and exchanged a silent glance with Xing Ruyi.
Three days passed... They waited for ten days before finally seeing the person they had been waiting for.
It was a hazy morning when a Green-Clad Woman came to the Yamen, tightly wrapped up, claiming she had found Zhu's Embroidered Shoes. Initially thinking the shoes were beautiful and had been discarded by some Noblewoman, she picked them up to wear herself. Today, while attending the Yun Family Gathering and seeing the Notice posted by the Government Office, she realized that these Embroidered Shoes were related to a murder case. Feeling anxious, she hurried home to retrieve the shoes.
The Green-Clad Woman's account seemed reasonable and without any flaws at first. However, under Chang Tai's probing questions, she became flustered and revealed the truth: it wasn't her who found the shoes but her Lover. As for her Lover, he happened to be a Clerk responsible for serving tea at the Teahouse.
Following Chang Tai's suggestion, the Official quickly dispatched a Yard Officer to bring that Clerk in. At first, the Clerk denied murdering Zhu, claiming he had merely found the shoes in the mountains and knew nothing else. But as Chang Tai uncovered Bloodstained Clothes and a Blood Blade at his home, the Clerk's psychological defenses began to crumble. Under severe interrogation, he finally confessed that he indeed killed Zhu.
As for his motive for murder, it was due to a Mud Buddha in a Ruined Temple in the Mountains.
It turned out that even before Zhu started singing at the Teahouse, the Clerk had noticed her. He had even expressed his admiration for her privately but was rejected because Zhu had high standards and looked down on him. The Clerk harbored resentment and initially planned to embarrass her on her wedding day but unexpectedly stumbled upon one of Zhu's secrets: he discovered that she often packed some gold and silver jewelry and went into the mountains.
Fearing that Zhu would find out about him following her, he kept his distance each time he trailed her. He only knew that Zhu entered the mountains with valuables but came back empty-handed, leaving him puzzled about where she hid them. One day, when there was heavy fog in the mountains, he followed Zhu into that Ruined Temple. He saw that Zhu did not worship at the altar but instead jumped onto it to search around. He instinctively believed that Zhu was looking for mechanisms on the deity statue to hide her valuables.
After Zhu left, he also searched in the temple but felt unwell whenever he got close to that deity statue. The Clerk suspected that Zhu had tampered with it and decided to wait for a more suitable opportunity to act.
Later, the Clerk met the Green-Clad Woman and planned to marry her. Feeling shy, he recalled the hidden treasures that Zhu had concealed, so he took advantage of the absence of the Wang Family and secretly entered their residence, intending to abduct Zhu and force her to reveal the location of the hidden treasures. However, just as he had tied up Zhu, he heard the Chef talking outside, so he went out and killed the Chef.
The Chef knew him and was aware that he was a Clerk at the Teahouse, as well as being acquainted with Zhu. Therefore, at that moment, he did not suspect anything nor was he on guard. The Clerk had no direct contact with the Chef in daily life and was not worried that the Government Office would trace him, so he ignored the Chef and knocked Zhu unconscious before carrying her away.
As for Zhu's death, it was an accident. On the way, Zhu suddenly awakened and struggled while calling for help. Fearing discovery, in a moment of panic, he strangled her to death and buried her on the spot. Regarding the treasures in the Temple of the Goddess, he initially planned to wait until things calmed down before searching for them. Little did he know that the Temple of the Goddess had collapsed at some unknown time, leaving only broken pieces of clay where the goddess once stood; there were no gold or silver jewels to be found, not even a complete stone.
Upon reaching this point, the Clerk sighed repeatedly, while Xing Ruyi let out a sigh for Zhu's unjust death.
The Clerk confessed on the spot, and with Chang Tai applying pressure nearby, this Official was also a sensible person. He immediately sought justice for the beggar and released him from prison. This action not only avoided criticism from the villagers of Yun Family Gathering but also earned this Official a reputation for being perceptive and willing to correct his mistakes.
After Zhu's case was concluded, Xing Ruyi and Chang Tai met with Zhu's husband. When asked why he reacted so coldly to his wife's death, Wang Jiang's response was somewhat unexpected. He admitted that he had long known about Zhu's secret stash of double silver coins and suspected she was keeping a lover outside; however, he had deep feelings for Zhu and chose not to pursue further inquiries.
After Zhu's incident, he was also summoned to the Yamen to identify Zhu's corpse. Seeing her disheveled and dead in the outskirts made him think that Zhu had met with misfortune while going out to meet a lover during his absence. His heart filled with shame and anger, leading him to disregard her cause of death. Upon learning that Zhu's money was meant for his old Mother, Wang Jiang was momentarily stunned and even showed a hint of regret. After hearing Abby and A Zhu's story, he collapsed on the ground in despair, pounding his chest and reddening his eyes.
After leaving prison, the beggar became a Taoist priest; aside from himself, no one knew why he chose this path.
After reburial for Zhu, Wang Jiang drove into the mountains with people in order to bring A Zhu's Mother back for care but was rejected by the Old Woman. Shortly after, due to illness, the Old Woman passed away. Following their previous agreement with Xing Ruyi, A Niu entered Xing as a Clerk.
On the day of judgment at the Yamen, Xing Ruyi saw Moxuyou outside the court. When she inquired about events from years ago, Moxuyou simply replied calmly: "Everyone has their fate; Abby and A Zhu's destinies were already arranged long ago. Even if he could not take Abby away by himself at that time, even if he did manage it, it would only lead to experiencing similar events at another time and place. Why bother making such an effort?"
Xing Ruyi found herself unable to refute Moxuyou's words. When she asked about her own fate with the foxes, Moxuyou merely said, "You should set off for Qingqiu now!"
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