Shangyuan Hong glanced at his colleagues, hesitated, and said truthfully, "Lord Shentu was scalded when he was a child, and there is a crescent-shaped scar on the tiger's mouth of his hand."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li recalled the scar she had seen during the autopsy and glanced at Lu Wuxie, nodding.
It seemed the deceased was indeed Shentu Jue.
"Second question, how did Master Shangyuan receive this package? Who delivered it? Do you remember?" Zhong Li asked.
Shangyuan Hong thought for a moment and said, "The evening before last, a few of us were drinking at a small tavern outside the post station. When we were a bit tipsy, a man dressed in black, with a sword at his waist, entered. He was carrying a small locked box. As soon as he saw me, he asked for my identity, put down the box, and left."
"A man in black, with a sword?" Lu Wuxie murmured upon hearing this, "Was he also wearing a wooden tag with the word 'Xin' on it?"
"Yes!" Shangyuan Hong nodded repeatedly.
Zhong Li thought they were making progress and pressed, "Does the Young Lord know this person?"
Lu Wuxie nodded and said, "I do, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Lord Li... Lord Zhong. This 'Xin' is a civilian postal organization that specializes in receiving and sorting goods. Their fees are higher than the official imperial postal service, but their speed is faster. The advantage is they only recognize money and don't question the sender's identity."
"Civilian postal service? So, according to the Young Lord, if we track the flow of goods, we might not find any results?" Zhong Li pondered Lu Wuxie's words.
"Yes!" Lu Wuxie nodded.
"Actually, there's another clue." Shangyuan Hong looked at Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie, and hesitantly took something else out of his sleeve.
Zhong Li took it and found it was a ransom note.
"This..." After reading it, she handed the letter to Lu Wuxie.
"Lord Zhong, you've also read the contents. Both people from Yingzhou and the Southern Yue Kingdom value a complete corpse and say it should be buried in peace. The murderer cut off Lord Shentu's hands and feet with the intention of making us redeem the rest of his remains in Linzhou," Shangyuan Hong said, his face full of anger, and continued,
"I don't know what kind of people they are in Linzhou. Killing Lord Shentu is one thing, but they even thought of making a business out of selling body parts. When I received this letter, I was furious, and on impulse, I went to the palace to seek justice from your Emperor.
Looking back, it was indeed imprudent. If I have offended you, I hope Lord Zhong and the Young Lord will forgive me!"
Shangyuan Hong clasped his fists.
Zhong Li quickly raised Shangyuan Hong, saying, "Master Shangyuan's willingness to present this ransom note shows he trusts us. Since we've cleared the air, please don't be so formal."
"Alas! It's all my fault for not keeping a close eye on Lord Shentu."
Zhong Li shook her head and said, "It happened suddenly. Lord Shentu's legs were his own, and no one could control them. Master Shangyuan, please don't blame yourself. What we need to do now is to recover Lord Shentu's remaining remains and bring the murderer to justice."
"Good!" Shangyuan Hong looked at the two opposite him, his eyes full of newfound trust.
Zhong Li picked up the tea in front of her to moisten her throat, pursed her lips, and pondered for a moment before asking, "For the third question, I hope Master Shangyuan can also answer truthfully. Do you know why Lord Shentu went to Linzhou? Did he leave any reason or message before he left?"
Upon hearing this, Shangyuan Hong looked at Zhong Li for a while before finally sighing, "Lord Zhong, Young Lord, to be honest, we are just guards temporarily assigned to Lord Shentu by the Emperor of Yingzhou.
We don't know much about what Lord Shentu does. We, the guards, have no right to know the specific content of the trade agreement with your country. Our mission is to send Lord Shentu back safely.
That's why we offended your Emperor so much in court yesterday; we had no choice.
As for why Lord Shentu went to Linzhou, he did not inform us when he left. By the time we discovered it, Lord Shentu had already left Linzhou. The only clue was a useless letter left behind by Lord Shentu."
As he spoke, he walked behind the screen and emerged with a letter in his hand.
Zhong Li took it, and she and Lu Wuxie read its contents.
Shentu Jue had indeed not left any substantive information, essentially just informing Shangyuan Hong that he was bored in Jincheng and was going to Linzhou for a trip. He naturally would not reveal his identity as a special envoy and expected to return in seven days, which was tomorrow.
Zhong Li closed the letter and handed it back to Shangyuan Hong, then walked out of the post station with Lu Wuxie.
The two walked along Wenchang Street as usual, but maintaining a distance of over two feet, appearing quite reserved.
The daytime vendors had already set up their stalls.
As Zhong Li passed a small stall selling jewelry, she paused, her gaze lost in a golden hairpin lying in a small box.
"Miss, you still like this one, don't you? It's not expensive, just one tael." The stall owner looked at Zhong Li and smiled warmly, trying to attract her.
Zhong Li shook her head and looked curiously at the stall owner, "How do you know this is the second time I've looked at this?"
The stall owner scratched his head and chuckled foolishly, "In the summer, you passed by here with a lovely little girl, and you looked at this hairpin. I remember. We small business owners don't have many skills, but we can remember our customers, otherwise, how can we get close?"
"Is that so." Zhong Li nodded with a smile, about to turn away when the stall owner spoke again, "One tael is too expensive? Then... five hundred coins, how about that?"
He said this while holding up five fingers.
Zhong Li shook her head and said, "It's not about the money, it's that I don't know who to give it to."
"What? Isn't that young gentleman your sweetheart? You two look quite well-matched." The stall owner pointed at Lu Wuxie, who was not far away.
Zhong Li followed his gaze and saw Lu Wuxie lingering at a cosmetics stall, talking to the female owner about something.
After hesitating for a moment, she took out one tael of silver from her purse, placed it on the counter, and put the hairpin and the box into her sleeve.
"Welcome back!" The stall owner happily waved at Zhong Li as he took the silver.
Zhong Li did not respond and quickly walked towards Lu Wuxie.
"What did you buy?" Lu Wuxie put his purchases into his sleeve, seemingly intentionally avoiding her gaze, using his side to block her view.
Zhong Li covered her sleeve and shook her head, "Nothing, just some lady's things."
Lu Wuxie asked no further questions and led her towards the flatbread shop not far away.
They had to prepare some travel necessities for their departure tomorrow.