Chapter 17: Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

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Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

 Chapter 17: 

  The Serial Murder Case (3)

Jiang Ming and Jing Lin were both startled. Jiang Ming’s face showed a look of delight, and he hurriedly recorded the details of this important discovery with his charcoal pencil, while he couldn't help but praise, “As expected of the Grand Chief Guard! Truly admirable! With the Grand Chief Guard’s keen insight, I believe the perpetrator of this case will soon be found by the Inner Guards Office!”

Zhu Yan pursed her lips and couldn't help but let her gaze fall again on the shoulders of the silk robe. It was true that such embroidery patterns hadn’t been seen in the capital for a long time. But for Shen Du to remember so clearly the specific styles sold by a silk workshop and the exact times—after all these years? 

He really is a monster!

He’s so confident. If his memory were even slightly off, wouldn’t he be leading everyone into a ditch?

Zhu Yan muttered these thoughts to herself, when she suddenly heard Shen Du speak again, “In the Archive Pavilion, there is a dossier on the case from back then. It includes an illustrated volume that records the patterns and designs from Jinxiu Workshop over the past ten years. Jing Lin, when we return, compare and verify it again to ensure there are no mistakes.”

“Yes!” Jing Lin quickly responded.

After speaking, Shen Du’s gaze seemed to sweep over Zhu Yan’s face. It was just a faint glance, but Zhu Yan couldn’t help but feel as if she saw his thin lips curl into a mocking smile.

However, when she focused again, Shen Du’s expression was as usual, showing nothing out of the ordinary.

Zhu Yan touched her face. Had her doubts just now been too obvious and caught Shen Du’s attention?

Jing Lin’s gaze swept over the room filled with corpses, and he felt as if a cold wind blew through, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

“If all these people were killed by one person, then the murderer is truly deranged. I believe it must have been a strong man to handle this. The killer also dared to cut open chests and dig out hearts, so it might even be a butcher who slaughters pigs,” Jing Lin speculated.

Jiang Ming, already impressed by Shen Du’s deductions earlier and thinking that anyone who follows the Grand Chief must also be skilled, nodded, “What this young brother says makes sense.”

Encouraged by Jiang Ming’s agreement, Jing Lin felt quite pleased with himself and added, “All these coffins were dug up from Ximing Temple. I think someone in the temple might have colluded with the murderer, don’t you think?”

“No, in my opinion, the murderer is likely a woman,” Zhu Yan, who already had an idea in mind, couldn’t help but speak up to refute Jing Lin's thoughts.

“Why?” Jing Lin and Jiang Ming asked in unison.

Jiang Ming frowned and said, “Zhu Yan, Zhu...”

Back at the Ministry of Justice, Jiang Ming always called this little girl by her full name. He knew that although Zhu Yan was young, she was exceptionally clever and must have her reasons for what she said. Naturally, he wanted to understand her reasoning.

However, just as he called her name, he suddenly remembered that she was now married to Shen Du, and her status was no longer the same. If they were still at the Ministry of Justice, it wouldn’t matter, but her newly-wed husband was right there—an intimidating Grand Chief Guard. He had no choice but to change his address:

“What does the Scribe think?”

“You see, the scars on each female corpse's face—their positions, lengths, and depths—are almost identical, which suggests that the killer didn’t just slash randomly but did so deliberately. If it were a man, what reason would he have to destroy a woman’s face?” Zhu Yan pointed to the corpses in the room: “Only a woman would hate another woman’s face so much that she’d want to ruin their beauty.”

“Exactly!” Lu Chuichui’s eyes brightened with Zhu Yan’s analysis, and she clapped her hands in agreement. “And the fact that the killer arranged the male and female corpses in an embrace suggests a sense of longing and attachment. Maybe this woman has been heartbroken before.”

Jiang Ming pondered for a moment. “That does make sense.”

“Make sense, make sense—you’re just a fence-sitter with no opinion of your own. Better keep your mouth shut,” Jing Lin said irritably.

He looked at Zhu Yan. “If the killer is a woman, how could she have killed twelve people in six years? These men weren’t weak or sickly; they were all young and strong at the time of their deaths. How could they not defend themselves against a single woman?”

"If you dismiss something just because you’ve never seen it, many strange cases in this world would remain unsolved."

Faced with Jing Lin’s skepticism, Zhu Yan remained calm and composed.

Lu Chui Chui added, "Exactly. Who’s to say it isn’t a martial arts expert? Who says women can’t defeat men?"

As the group continued their back-and-forth, Shen Du’s face turned ashen, his deep eyes gradually filled with an icy frost, and a chilling aura emanated from him.

Wu Taiming, standing beside him, sensed that something was off the moment Zhu Yan spoke. Now, feeling Shen Du’s displeasure, he quickly said, “Grand Chief Guard, these two girls are always messing around, talking nonsense. I hope you won’t take offense.”

He shot a glance at Zhu Yan, signaling her to stop talking. Zhu Yan promptly shut her mouth, inwardly blaming herself for getting carried away in the moment.

Since this matter had been handed over to the Internal Guard Office, as someone from the Ministry of Justice, she naturally had no grounds to interfere. Shen Du was already quite wary of her; her rash remarks just now might mean she’d never be allowed near Ximing Temple again.

Zhu Yan couldn’t help but glance at Shen Du, wanting to argue a bit. But before she could say anything, Shen Du stepped forward and grabbed her sleeve.

“Since we’ve finished examining the bodies, and the Internal Guard Office has many affairs to attend to, we’ll take our leave for now.”

Before she could react, Zhu Yan was being pulled toward the door by Shen Du.

Shen Du was much taller than her, and with his long strides, she had to stumble to barely keep up.

“What are you doing?” Zhu Yan couldn't help but whisper her question.

Upon hearing that someone from the Internal Guard Office was investigating the case, quite a crowd had gathered outside to watch the excitement, mostly farmers living near Ximing Temple.

Shen Du’s hurried steps caused Zhu Yan to accidentally bump into a woman.

Most of the onlookers were farmers, dressed in simple cloth and calico, with plain faces.

But this woman appeared to be about thirty years old. She was dressed in a silk robe with intricate ruyi patterns, her dark hair styled in a round bun adorned with emerald, silver, and pearl hairpins. Her face was lightly powdered, and her fingers were slender, holding a peony-patterned white silk fan.

The fragrance of her white-flower-scented perfume wafted into Zhu Yan’s nose. Zhu Yan instinctively looked up and saw the woman step back a bit, slightly bowing and using her fan to cover half of her face.

Zhu Yan nodded in apology. Although she had moved a few steps forward, she couldn’t help but glance back at the woman.

The woman’s almond eyes were still visible above the fan. When their eyes met, she seemed taken aback by Zhu Yan’s gaze and quickly lowered her eyes, completely cutting off the connection.

The crowd outside, upon seeing Shen Du, showed expressions of fear and quickly knelt in respect. However, the woman remained composed, showing neither fear of the corpses nor apprehension towards Shen Du.

Zhu Yan turned around, deep in thought.

"You'd do better to focus your attention elsewhere than standing in the middle of the street lost in thought," Shen Du said, his tone laced with contempt. After releasing her arm, he deliberately took out a gold-threaded handkerchief and carefully wiped his hands, as if he had touched something filthy.

Zhu Yan rolled her eyes in exasperation, feeling a surge of frustration. She almost let slip some unrefined words but was interrupted when Shen Du said, "Let’s go. To the Ministry of Justice."

The Ministry of Justice?

Zhu Yan was puzzled. Since the Inner Guards were handling the case on the emperor’s orders and had numerous informants, it seemed more efficient than the Ministry of Justice for investigating.

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