A Wu took the suicide note from Zhong Li and quickly scanned its contents.
After a long while, he replied, "This... this is exactly the same as Jin Yi's suicide note."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li took Qiong Er's suicide note from A Wu's hand and said, "At first glance, there's nothing wrong with this suicide note, but upon closer analysis, it becomes problematic."
"What does Lord mean by that?" A Wu asked.
Zhong Li took Jin Yi's suicide note and placed it next to Qiong Er's suicide note for comparison, saying, "Although the handwriting is different, the content of both of them states the same thing: they both seem to have stolen items from Hua Man Lou and chose to commit suicide due to the unbearable torment of their conscience."
A Wu heard this and responded, "Indeed, but..."
"But, things aren't that coincidental, are they?" Zhong Li finished A Wu's sentence. "This is just one of the suspicious points. If you think about it, what kind of place is Hua Man Lou? The madam there is definitely not a kind person. If Hua Man Lou truly lost something, with the thugs the madam has, they would have let Jin Yi and Qiong Er live until they committed suicide.
Even if the madam dared not settle the matter privately, if the evidence was sufficient, there was the government and the court. There are many ways to resolve such issues. Qiong Er and Jin Yi's suicides would not only bring no benefit to Hua Man Lou but would only cause them unnecessary trouble.
A pleasure house where several people have died, even with a draw like Tian Lian Xue, its business wouldn't be very good."
"So, Lord thinks this case..."
"Is not as simple as it appears." Zhong Li finished speaking, stood up, and picked up the outer garment hanging on the back of the chair, preparing to leave.
"Where is Lord going?" A Wu inquired.
"To see Jin Yi's body. Perhaps I can find some clues."
"This..."
As Zhong Li reached the entrance of the outer hall, she heard A Wu behind her hesitate to speak. She turned and asked, "What is it?"
A Wu bit his lip, clasped his hands, and said, "Lord, your subordinate has already dealt with Jin Yi's body."
"What?" Zhong Li narrowed her eyes at A Wu. Although she had instructed A Wu to thoroughly investigate the Hua Man Lou case, and the case had been hastily concluded due to his carelessness, the case files did not contain her final approval for its closure. How could Jin Yi's body have been handled like this?
"Where is the body buried? Accompany me to dig it out. It hasn't been seven days yet, and if it's well-preserved, there might still be some clues."
As she spoke, she turned, picked up the medicine box placed aside, and prepared to leave Dali Temple.
"Lord!" A Wu once again blocked Zhong Li's path. This time, he was already kneeling before Zhong Li.
Zhong Li looked at him like this, a bad premonition already lingering in her mind.
As expected, A Wu said with a tremor, "Your subordinate... sold Jin Yi's body to a medical clinic."
'Bang!' Zhong Li, furious, coldly placed the medicine box on the table.
"A Wu, do you know what it means to sell a body to a medical clinic?"
"Lord! Your subordinate knows he was wrong. Please punish me!" A Wu swallowed several times, appearing to take full responsibility.
"What is a medical clinic? Do you know why they accept bodies? What will happen to the bodies that go in? They will be dismembered, skin and flesh separated! Evidence that should have been preserved on the body will be annihilated due to their study of the human body!" Zhong Li looked at A Wu with a stern expression, her eyes filled with disappointment.
"Lord, I... I really didn't know things would turn out this way. Jin Yi has been dead for so long, and her body has gone unclaimed. Out of curiosity, I thoroughly investigated her affairs and discovered that she was the only one left in her family. I thought that since no one would claim her body, it would be better to sell it to a medical clinic. Medical clinics lack bodies, and by doing so, I considered it making the best use of it. I..."
"How much was the body sold for?" Zhong Li asked.
A Wu was startled and looked up at Zhong Li.
Zhong Li continued to look at him coldly.
"Ten taels of silver," A Wu replied honestly.
"Good. After this case is over, you will use this ten taels of silver to build a cenotaph for Jin Yi, understand?" Zhong Li said.
"Yes!" A Wu nodded.
Zhong Li sighed and said, "A Wu, you must know that whether people are alive or dead, and regardless of their status, we must maintain the most basic respect for them."
After speaking, she picked up the medicine box and walked outside.
"Lord, Jin Yi's body is gone. Where are you going?" A Wu asked, following behind her.
Zhong Li said, "Hua Yao is currently at Qiong Er's home. Without Jin Yi, I can only start with Qiong Er."
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"Wasted effort, all wasted effort! I don't care, if you want to take my daughter's body, you'll have to step over me!"
"Madam, please listen to me. Our Dali Temple's Vice Minister Zhong has first-class dissection skills. She will sew up Miss Qiong Er's body afterwards, and it won't be noticeable at all!"
"What? You want to dissect my daughter too? Heavens, Earth, are you trying to kill people?"
...
As Zhong Li led A Wu to the entrance of Qiong Er's home, she heard a lot of shouting and clamoring from inside.
She frowned and led A Wu into the courtyard of Qiong Er's home.
She saw a woman with three half-grown children sitting on the ground, with disheveled hair, crying and wailing.
In front of her was Qiong Er's body, covered with a white sheet.
"Li'er!" Hua Yao saw Zhong Li arrive and quickly and cautiously skirted around the woman, whispering, "This is Qiong Er's mother. She absolutely refuses to let us take Qiong Er's body away and is threatening to kill herself."
"What about the dissection?" Zhong Li asked.
"As Li'er should have heard from outside just now, her family is unwilling. As for the reason..."
"Who are you?" Before Hua Yao could finish speaking, the woman who had collapsed beside Qiong Er's body noticed Zhong Li's presence and, with her hands on her hips, looked at Zhong Li menacingly.
Zhong Li clasped her hands and said, "Zhong Li, Vice Minister of Dali Temple."
Upon hearing this, the woman looked Zhong Li up and down again and asked, "Vice Minister, fourth rank?"
"Precisely!" Zhong Li replied.
"Then, if that's the case, your monthly salary should be at least ten taels, right?" the woman asked again.
Just as Zhong Li was about to answer, Hua Yao said, "What are you trying to do? I'm telling you..."
"Get out of the way!" The woman waved Hua Yao's hand away and extended five fingers to Zhong Li, saying, "You can take Qiong Er, but I want this amount."
"Five taels?" Zhong Li raised an eyebrow.
"Fifty taels to take the body. I heard you also plan to dissect it?" the woman asked again.
Zhong Li nodded and said, "Yes."
"That can be arranged, but it will cost another fifty taels," the woman said with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you crazy?" Before Zhong Li could respond, Hua Yao blurted out, "How much is a living person worth? I looked at Qiong Er's indenture, and you only charged fifty taels when you sold her to Hua Man Lou. Now that she's dead, you're demanding an exorbitant price?"
"So what? It's your Dali Temple that needs me now. I still have three children to raise. She's just a dead person, how can I care about so much?" The woman, upon hearing Hua Yao's words, shouted back at her.
"You!" Hua Yao's cheeks began to flush red with anger.
"Yao'er." Zhong Li pulled Hua Yao closer, looking at the woman. Her gaze swept over the child who was trembling behind the woman, looking at the body on the ground. Suddenly, she remembered Wei Fu from the Peach Blossom case and sighed, "Wait for me, I'll go and get it for you."
With that, Zhong Li turned and walked outside.
"Li'er!" Seeing this, Hua Yao quickly followed her and said, "You were just promoted to Vice Minister. Where will you find a hundred taels of silver?"
Zhong Li pondered for a moment and said, "I have savings in my separate residence. I'll go and get them."
"That won't do!" Hua Yao blocked her and said, "That's what you saved to investigate your adoptive father's affairs. If you give it to her, what will Li'er do?"
Zhong Li was silent for a while, then shook her head and said, "My adoptive father's identity is already clear. As for the mastermind behind his murder, it's not something money can solve. Money can be saved again. If this case is dragged out, more people might die."
After speaking, she looked at Qiong Er's mother and said, "My people will carry Qiong Er's body back to Dali Temple. You can come to Dali Temple later to collect it."
"Hey!" Upon hearing this, the woman's face lit up with joy, and she began to help carry the body with the three children beside her.