Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Jinling, Qingyin Pavilion.

Liu Yong was shocked to see Jia Cong's grief-stricken expression and to hear that Madam Zhou had died from her injuries.

He knew that Jia Cong and Miss Zhou from the capital were in love. Not only did they often meet in Qingyin Pavilion, they also traveled to Suzhou together.

Almost all the officials in Jinling knew about this affair. It was no wonder that he was so sad when his beloved woman was suddenly assassinated.

Jia Cong handed a bloodstained broken blade to Liu Yong and said, "This is the murder weapon used by the murderer to kill Madam Zhou. Brother Liu is in the Jinyiwei, so he will definitely recognize it."

Liu Yong took the sharp short blade and exclaimed, "This is a wakizashi commonly used by Japanese warriors!"

Jia Cong said in a serious tone: "The murderer is a woman. She disguised herself as a maid from Qingyin Pavilion and sneaked into the backyard to assassinate. When I arrived, Madam Zhou had been stabbed and seriously injured.

I have fought with that woman before. She is tall, has single eyelids, thin lips, delicate features, and is extremely agile. She can move around in a small room as fast as the wind and is hard to defend against."

Liu Yong's face changed, and he said: "The assassin that Lord Jia mentioned has skills and uses weapons, which makes him look like a Japanese warrior, or at least someone who is proficient in ninjutsu and assassination.

Moreover, the appearance of the assassin described by the lord is very similar to the appearance of the Water Rakshasa in the Jinyiwei intelligence report, but why would the Water Rakshasa assassinate a lady named Qu Le?"

Jia Cong looked tired and angrily said: "As for why she assassinated Madam Zhou, I don't know. It depends on Brother Liu and the Yingtian government to solve the case.

The murderer must be brought to justice. I want her to pay for Madam Zhou's life!"

Jia Yucun, the prefect of Yingtian, stepped forward and said, "As the prefect of Jinling, I am at fault for failing to investigate such a brutal incident in Jinling.

I beg you to accept my condolences, Lord Jia. Yingtian Prefecture will certainly do its best to catch the murderer and give justice to the deceased. I have ordered Madam Zhou's body to be transported to the torture chamber of the government office.

So that the coroner can examine the body, collect evidence, and arrest the murderer as soon as possible."

……

After hearing what Jia Yucun said, Jia Cong's face was filled with anger, and he said, "Didn't Magistrate Jia hear what I just said to Captain Liu? The identity of the murderer is clear as day.

Even if it was the pirate Shui Luosha who sneaked into Jinling, the Yingtian Prefecture Government only needs to arrest him. Is there any need to examine the body? "

When Jia Yucun heard this, his face instantly turned ugly.

After all, he was related to the Jia family in Shenjing, and was an old acquaintance of Jia Cong. I didn't expect him to speak so harshly.

Normally speaking, given his special relationship with the Jia family in Shenjing, and his nature of currying favor with the powerful.

Jia Cong was unwilling to hand over the body to the government office, so he had to do a favor.

Besides, he has always been striving to rise in his career, and he wants to rely on the Jia family in the future. Now that Jia Cong plays an important role in the Jia family, he naturally does not want to offend Jia Cong because of such a thing.

But the situation today was a little different. Not only were there people from his Yingtian Prefecture present, but there were also more than a dozen people from the Jinyiwei, and even people from the Jinling Patrol Army.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, even as the prefect of Yingtian, he did not dare to openly let the game go.

Otherwise, if the news gets out, the censors in the Censorate will definitely impeach him, and then the official position he has worked so hard to obtain will be in jeopardy again.

Jia Yucun said with a stiff face, "Master Jia, a murder has occurred in the city. According to the regulations of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the government office has the responsibility to collect the body for inspection. This is a government regulation. I hope Master Jia will understand."

Jia Cong's face was gloomy: "The identity of the murderer has been revealed, there is no need to do an autopsy. Madam Zhou was mine, and it is heartbreaking that she was killed innocently.

I will never allow her body to be desecrated in the coroner's room again!
If Lord Jia is determined to do so, then give it a try!"

As soon as Jia Cong finished speaking, he suddenly raised his right palm. The fifteen musket guards behind him raised their muskets in unison and aimed at Jia Yucun and the other people from Yingtian Prefecture.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became dangerous.

Liu Yong and Jia Yucun, who were present, both looked horrified. They really didn't expect that Jia Cong, who was always calm and composed, would suddenly behave so extreme.

It should be that the assassination of Madam Zhou dealt him a great blow, which led to his behavior becoming so cruel and abnormal.

Jia Cong said coldly: "These guards of mine were all brought from the Liaodong battlefield. They were taught and trained strictly, and they obey orders without regrets. He clasped his right palm and fired a volley.

Lord Jia, please go ahead and try out the new muskets from the Firearms Department!"

……

When Jia Yucun heard this, his face turned pale with fright. Could it be that Jia Cong was crazy? He was just speaking polite words, but he actually used firearms against an official appointed by the imperial court.

Liu Yong, who was standing by, was also shocked. He quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Master Jia, please don't be impulsive. I know that Madam Zhou was murdered, and it is understandable that you feel angry.

The prefect is also following the rules. The matter of the body being placed in the coroner's room of the government office can be discussed later. We must not damage the harmony of the officialdom."

He then said to Jia Yucun: "Sir, Lord Jia once confronted an assassin. That man's appearance, martial arts, and weapon all matched those of the Water Rakshasa.

In my humble opinion, even if the body is not sent to the coroner's room, it is not a big deal. Please think twice, sir."

When Jia Yucun heard this, his face turned dark. It was obvious that Jinyiwei Liu Yong was taking sides and was arguing with Jia Cong.

In fact, if the situation today was not like this, Jia Yucun would have been eager to give Jia Cong this face. He could have turned black and white in the matter of Xue Pan back then, let alone today's matter.

But the bad thing today was that he was in public, and if he gave in under the pressure of Jia Cong and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, it would be a disgrace to the prefect of Yingtian.

How can he gain a foothold in the Jinling officialdom in the future? I am afraid that rumors will spread from then on, which will greatly damage his reputation and career.

Just when Jia Yucun was in a dilemma, someone suddenly spoke up beside him: "Sir, I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

Jia Yucun looked back and saw that it was Zhao An, the coroner from the Yingtian Prefecture Criminal Department who was accompanying him.

A coroner of no rank spoke up at this moment. Jia Yucun couldn't help but frown, but the situation was awkward at the moment, so it would be better to listen to what he had to say.

"Mr. Zhao, please speak."

Zhao An said, "Sir, since Lord Jia has doubts about the body being taken to the coroner's room, I have a compromise.

I have been a coroner for half my life. Just by taking a few glances at the body's face and injuries, I can get a full picture of the case, which can be used as the criminal file record in the government office and the national affairs procedures in the government office.

The body will no longer need to be sent to the criminal room or the coroner's room, so this can take both into account."

After hearing this, Jia Yucun and Liu Yong's eyes lit up. In fact, they both wanted to smooth things over.

However, Jia Yucun really wanted to save his reputation in the officialdom, and what Zhao the coroner said was exactly what he wanted, giving him a way out in time.

Unexpectedly, Zhao, the coroner who is usually not good-looking, can be such a good person. This was a little beyond Jia Yucun's expectations.

Jia Cong took a deep look at the unremarkable coroner Zhao and said, "Okay."

……

Jia Cong brought Jia Yucun and Zhao An into the room. Zou Miner's body was lying on the bed, with her head and face covered by a thin cotton quilt.

Jia Cong walked to the bed, gently lifted the silk quilt, revealing a pretty face as pale as snow.

Although Zou Min'er's chest and abdominal wounds had been bandaged, large amounts of blood still oozed out, and even the bed was stained red with blood, which shows how serious her injuries were at the time.

Although the person has stopped breathing and is no longer alive, her figure is still graceful, her eyebrows and eyes are picturesque, her hair is disheveled, and she looks as beautiful as if she were alive.

Only the corners of his brows were still uneven, bearing the mark of the torment and suffering he had endured in his lifetime.

Even though Jia Yucun, Zhao An and Zou Min'er had never met before, they could not help but feel pity when they suddenly saw such a beautiful girl who died tragically. They knew that Jia Cong had an ambiguous relationship with this woman, so it was no wonder that he lost his temper and threatened with a musket to prevent the body from being taken into the coroner's room.

At first they had some doubts about Jia Cong's unusual reaction, but now seeing this charming girl who looked alive even though she was dead, they felt relieved at once.

Zhao An took two steps forward, stretched out his fingers to feel Zou Miner's breath, pressed her pulse on her wrist with two fingers, and then took a closer look at the bandaged wound.

Then he said, "Mrs. Zhou's breathing is deep and her pulse is gone. She is no longer alive.

Judging from the traces of bleeding from the chest and abdominal wounds, the incisions should be narrow and straight, passing through the body, and were definitely caused by the Japanese assassin.

Madam Zhou is just a weak woman. It is common sense that she would not be able to survive such an injury. Lord Jia, please accept my condolences."

Zhang Youpeng nodded and said, "Zhao has done a good job. He can make a precise diagnosis just by looking at the bleeding from the wound."

Jia Cong watched coldly from the side. When he saw Zhao An check the body, he gently pulled the silk quilt over and covered Zou Min'er's head and face again.

When Jia Yucun saw that the coroner had confirmed that Zou Min'er was dead, he thought it was enough and went back to have the coroner record the death in person. No one else could find any fault with the matter anymore.

He forced a smile at Jia Cong and said, "This is my duty, and I dare not be disrespectful. I hope that Earl Weiyuan will forgive me."

Jia Cong said coldly: "Please come in, Master Jia. I'm sorry I can't see you off."

When Jia Yucun heard this, his face turned grim. He felt that he was really unlucky today. That was why he asked the three shifts of yamen runners and the coroner to come.

He rushed here eagerly, but ended up flattering the wrong person. He met Jia Cong, who was full of resentment and discomfort, and threatened and intimidated him, without giving him any face at all.

However, he was a very shrewd man, and his future would depend on the Rongguo Jia family. Therefore, although he was very unhappy in his heart, he did not dare to show it on his face.

He still said goodbye to Jia Cong politely, and made an appointment with him to send the prefect's criminal department's lawyer and Jia Cong to record the case as an archive record of the murder case in the government office.

After Jia Yucun finished talking for a while, he left in shame with the coroner and the bailiff.

Liu Yong, who was well aware of the entanglement between Jia Yucun and the Rongguo Jia family, shook his head slightly.

Jia Yucun didn't know that when Jia's mother wanted to see Yinglian last year, Jia Cong had already told him about his ugly behavior of knowing that Yinglian was the daughter of his benefactor and that she was abducted and sold, but he stood by and watched.

Now, whether it was Lady Jia or Jia Zheng, he had long since despised them, but the capital and Nanjing were thousands of miles apart, so Jia Yucun was unaware of the reason.

His dream of relying on the Jia family to advance his career had long since become a pipe dream.

……

Seeing that the crisis was resolved and the people from Yingtian Prefecture Yamen had left, Liu Yong also said goodbye with the Jinyiwei people.

At this time, the lobby of Qingyin Pavilion and the corridors of several attics were filled with the pavilion's elegant guests and music ladies.

A murder occurred in the inner courtyard of Qingyin Pavilion. Madam Zhou from Shenjing, the direct disciple of Pavilion Master Du Qingniang, was stabbed to death by a female bandit in the inner courtyard. The news has spread to everyone.

They saw with their own eyes that Jia Cong's personal soldiers carried Zhou Niangzi's body out of Qingyin Pavilion on a stretcher left behind by Yingtian Prefecture.

The corpse was covered with a snow-white thin cotton quilt, outlining the beautiful and youthful figure of Madam Zhou.

This lady Zhou from the capital was extremely beautiful and had superb musical skills. She attracted a lot of attention as soon as she entered the Qingyin Pavilion. Unexpectedly, she died in this way.

This made all the elegant guests and Lady Qu Le in Qingyin Pavilion sigh with regret.

……

Jinling, Fenglefang.

In the alley, there was a three-story mansion with white walls and red doors. A well-mannered young man walked quickly into the study room of the mansion.

The middle-aged man in the study was still dignified and his expression was warm and calm.

The young man entered the study, clasped his fists and said, "Sir, I just saw the Water Rakshasa, and she said that the matter has been accomplished!
News also came from Qingyin Pavilion that Zou Min'er was assassinated in the inner courtyard of the pavilion.

However, when Shui Luosha was trying to assassinate Zou Min'er, he suddenly encountered Jia Cong. The two confronted and fought. Although Shui Luosha escaped unscathed, Jia Cong saw his true face.

Afterwards, Jia Cong described the assassin's appearance, martial arts, and weapon, and the Imperial Guards concluded that it was the Water Rakshasa who did it. "

The middle-aged man frowned and said, "The Water Rakshasa is experienced and has never failed. How could he reveal his whereabouts this time?"

The young man said: "Shui Luosha is also very careful in her actions. Since she entered Jinling, she has found out that Zou Min'er is very cautious in her daily activities, except when she meets Jia Cong in the elegant room.

The rest of the time he stayed in the inner courtyard of Qingyin Pavilion, which was guarded day and night by a strong woman and no outsiders could enter.

She also found out that Qingyin Pavilion had recruited a new group of maids five days ago. She found one among them who was similar in figure and appearance to her, killed her, disfigured her, and buried her. Then she dressed her up a little and sneaked into the pavilion.

Only then did he seize the opportunity to enter the inner courtyard to assassinate Zou Min'er, but he never expected that Jia Cong would suddenly come back and break into the inner courtyard to look for Zou Min'er.

It's like he knew in advance that Zou Min'er would be assassinated, which is really puzzling."

The middle-aged man pondered and said, "Jia Cong has always acted strangely, often unpredictable, unexpected, and different from ordinary people. Otherwise, he would not have achieved such great success at such a young age.

With Jia Cong suddenly intervening, I am really worried whether Shui Luosha is sure that Zou Min'er is dead! "

The young man replied: "The Water Rakshasa has a good reputation and has never failed. After the incident, people from the Jinyiwei and Yingtianfu rushed to the scene.

Zou Min'er died of her injuries, and many people witnessed it. In addition, according to the regulations, Jia Yucun of Yingtian Prefecture was supposed to take Zou Min'er's body to the coroner's room for an autopsy.

Jia Cong was very emotional about Zou Min'er's death. He did not want her body to be desecrated again, so he flatly refused Yingtian Prefecture's request and even ordered his firearms guards to threaten them with firing.

A catastrophe almost occurred at the scene. If Zou Min'er had not died on the spot, Jia Cong, with his shrewd mind, would never have been so extreme and out of control.

Afterwards, it was Zhao An, the coroner of Yingtian Prefecture, who proposed a compromise: he would examine the body on the spot and record it in the file, thus eliminating the need for the body to be taken to the coroner's room."

……

The middle-aged man's eyes flashed, and he asked, "What is Zhao An's conclusion after the inspection?"

The young man replied, "His breathing is deep, his pulse is gone, his life force is gone, he is dead and cannot die any more.

Zhao An has been a coroner for thirty years. In his early years, he worked as a coroner in the Dali Temple in Shenjing. Fifteen years ago, Shenjing changed drastically and many officials were implicated. Zhao An returned to his hometown in Jinling.
This person has superb skills, and he can diagnose injuries by examining corpses. He is known for his iron tongue and never makes mistakes. "

The middle-aged man heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this and said, "Zou Min'er is dead, so we finally have one less potential threat. Even if we can't find Zou Huaiyi's secret account, no one else can find it!"

The young man continued, “Recently, Yang Hongbin from the Dali Temple used some unknown means to obtain a new portrait of Zhou Zhengyang, which is very similar to Zhou Zhengyang himself.

Yang Hongbin has informed all the Jinyiwei thousand-household offices, state and county governments in various places to replace all the portraits in the Ministry of War documents that we had originally replaced with new ones.

Moreover, the Jinyiwei Qianhu stations in various places strictly checked the port checkpoints under their jurisdiction. Zhou Zhengyang had no chance to escape to the sea.

He may not be able to go out easily in his hiding place because the new portrait has been posted everywhere.

News came from Suzhou Wei that some suspicious characters have appeared in Gusu City recently, wandering around the streets, acting secretively and elusive.

I asked someone to check the personnel deployment of Jinling Jinyiwei, the City Patrol Office, and the government office, and there is no record of any secret dispatch to Gusu.

The middle-aged man's face became solemn after hearing the news, and he said thoughtfully: "I didn't expect Yang Hongbin to have such a mind, to actually think of redrawing Zhou Zhengyang's portrait to make the search more efficient.

Since those suspicious people in Gusu City were not sent by Jinling, could they be sent by Shenjing...?" (End of this chapter)