Chapter 6: Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

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

 Chapter 6: 

 The Buddha Swallows Sin (3)

The Lu family was a proper official family, and Zhu Yan's father was a member of Zhang Xingwei’s faction. Wu Taiming, calculating the pros and cons, approached without hesitation. But Shen Du raised his chin and coldly said, “Did you not remember what I said?”

At once, Zhu Yan behind him gave a slight bow to Shen Du and replied, “How could I dare forget?”

Wu Taiming was immediately stunned. As a book historian of the Ministry of Justice, he was always busy, and this was the first time in half a month that he had the chance to relax and chat with his family. He had not heard about the marriage of Zhu Yan to Shen Du because he had been urgently summoned to Ximing Temple.

Zhu Yan had no time to explain to him. While Lu Chuichui quietly updated Wu Taiming, she said to Shen Du, “I am just a minor official of the Ministry of Justice. With a murder case occurring here and my superior urgently summoning me, I cannot neglect my duties. Rest assured, Great Officer Shen, I do not need to publicize myself as the wife of Shen Du in my wedding attire. The people of Chang’an will know that today the White King is marrying.”

“I won’t follow your example,” Zhu Yan said, raising her lashes. “Clearly, you ignore and dismiss things while warning the sedan chair, which only makes it all seem redundant. I…”

Zhu Yan raised her eyes and continued, “I’m not so rare as to need the Great Officer Shen’s concern.”

After saying this, she gave a bow, stepped forward, and entered the scene.

The eighteen-year-old girl in her wedding attire squatted calmly by the grave site. She touched the soil in the pit with her fingertips, and as if simply feeling and observing wasn’t enough, she even pinched a bit of slightly darker soil and tasted it.

After a moment of tasting, she smacked her lips as if there were no noticeable difference. Then she stood up, carefully adjusting her wedding gown so as not to disturb the scene while she investigated the surrounding forest for any suspicious signs.

Finally, finding the gown to be a hindrance, she gathered the hem at her waist into a makeshift bundle.

Since then, she had not looked back, showing no interest in him as she had explicitly stated.

Shen Du furrowed his brow and pointed to Zhu Yan, indicating to the other Inner Guards.

Before the guards could act, Zhu Yan had already noticed the movement. She removed her hand from a bamboo stalk and strode back to Wu Taiming’s side.

The makeshift bundle around her waist remained unchanged.

Shen Du turned his head, and Jing Lin climbed out of the grave pit, reporting, “I checked the scratches at the bottom of the pit. They don’t seem recent; it appears they were made some time ago, but it’s hard to determine exactly when.”

Jing Lin handed over a bottle of soil, adding, “There’s very little blood, mostly just bodily fluids. Liang Chenzhong and Kuang Zhanxian must have been dead for a while before being moved here.”

“However, we didn’t find any traces of cart tracks.”

Jing Lin said solemnly, “There are indeed many footprints. However, this is a temple in the capital with countless visitors. There are many people who come here to admire the bamboo and enjoy leisure walks. Even Princess Yong'an is a distinguished guest here. If we rely solely on the footprints, His Majesty might become very angry.”

Shen Du responded with a “Hmm,” and instructed, “Have someone from the Ministry of Revenue come to inspect the bottom of the pit.”

Without knowing when the pit was dug, it would be impossible to trace it back to the visitors.

Jing Lin understood and was about to make arrangements when Zhu Yan lightly interjected, “April 15.”

The day the pit was dug.

Shen Du frowned and asked, “How do you know?”

Zhu Yan replied, “The soil at the edge of the pit is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, with sharp edges and rounded corners. The murderer or their accomplice used a commonly found round-tipped shovel. The soil at the pit’s edge is loose, while the center is compact, indicating it’s a result of rain. Today is May 8, and the last rainfall was on April 15.”

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