The constable, known as Ergouzi, was startled. He quickly wiped his forehead, unsure if it was from running or from sheer terror, and stammered, "Guard Lin, you misunderstand. It's... it's..."
He pointed in the direction of the yamen outside the gate and continued, "It's... Lord Li... something has happened to him."
"What happened?"
"Dead... dead... in... in the woodshed!" It turned out Ergouzi was a stutterer.
Upon hearing this, everyone rushed towards Li Kun's residence.
-------------------------------------
"Waaah... Heaven above... Earth below, what are we to do now..."
"My lord... now that you've left us, what will become of us women..."
"Wuwu... wah..."
As Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie alighted from their carriage, before they could even set foot in the Li manor, the sound of wailing and lamentation from within nearly shattered their eardrums.
The main hall of the vast Li manor was crowded with people. The majority were concubines from Li Kun's household. Zhong Li counted no less than seven or eight, and with a house full of maids and servants, it was no wonder the mournful cries could be heard from outside.
The first to notice Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie was a woman in purple brocade, slightly older than the rest.
Wiping tears from her eyes, the woman led a maid in a green skirt behind her and knelt before Lu Wuxie with a 'plop'. "Are you Your Highness, the heir apparent from Jincheng?"
Lu Wuxie frowned slightly. Though he was known for his romantic pursuits, he was quite averse to matters concerning women's quarters. He cleared his throat and remained silent.
Zhong Li glanced at him with a faint smile, understanding his reticence.
She curved her lips and stood in front of Lu Wuxie, asking, "Madam, you are..."
"Wuwu... this humble one... her surname is Fu, and I am the principal wife of the Li household." Madam Fu bowed to Zhong Li.
"Please accept my condolences, Madam. Ergouzi has already informed my lord, the heir apparent, of Lord Li's situation. As His Majesty's appointed official of the Judicial Inspection Office, the heir apparent will surely investigate this matter thoroughly," Zhong Li said.
Upon hearing this, Madam Fu's tears, which had just stopped, flowed anew. She sobbed and choked out, "My husband dedicated his entire life to purifying this county. I don't know who he offended to meet such a brutal end. How will I face the ancestors of the Li family after my death! Wuwu...."
Such a brutal end?
Zhong Li glanced at Ergouzi, who had been following them.
Ergouzi stepped forward and said to Lu Wuxie and Zhong Li, "Your Highness, Brother Zhong, Lord Li's remains are in the woodshed. You should go and see for yourselves, ugh..."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall the horrific scene he had witnessed earlier and couldn't help but gag.
Zhong Li frowned, quite surprised by Ergouzi's reaction. Although yamen constables were not coroners, they had certainly seen their share of murder scenes and suicides. Why would he react like this?
"Lead the way," she said.
Ergouzi complied and quickly walked ahead of Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie.
The Li manor was considered a rather large residence in Suqing County.
From the front hall to the garden, there was a winding corridor. Passing through the corridor led to the back courtyard, and beyond the back courtyard were the woodshed, storehouses, and places where miscellaneous items were stored.
"Li Kun is not simple," Lu Wuxie said from behind Zhong Li as he observed the scenery of the Li manor's back courtyard and clicked his tongue.
Zhong Li knew Lu Wuxie was well-traveled and that anything eliciting such a remark from him must be extraordinary.
"What have you discovered, Your Highness?" she inquired.
Lu Wuxie paused and gently stroked the two pillars inside the corridor with his fingertips. "Does Li'er understand lacquerware?"
Zhong Li shook her head. She only knew that ancient lacquer was made from a natural liquid extracted from lacquer trees. As for the intricate processes, the winding paths, and the classifications of superior and inferior grades, she was completely ignorant.
"Besides applying good lacquer tree sap to the surface, lacquerware's quality is primarily distinguished by its craftsmanship and techniques," Lu Wuxie explained. "Currently, the most popular in the Southern Yue Kingdom is gilded lacquerware and silk lacquerware, most often used in the palace, rarely seen in common households. As for the technique, if I'm not mistaken, this is mother-of-pearl inlay."
"Mother-of-pearl inlay?" Zhong Li followed Lu Wuxie's gaze to the corridor pillars. The cinnabar-colored pillar bases were carved with lotuses. As the pillars rose, lifelike lotus petals with golden edges were carved onto the entire pillars.
Lu Wuxie gently brushed his fingertips over a lotus petal. "Li'er, do you know how much silver these two pillars would cost?"
Zhong Li shook her head. She had no expertise in such matters and truly did not know.
Lu Wuxie raised five fingers and said, "Five thousand taels."
Hearing this figure, even the usually composed Zhong Li could not help but widen her eyes. This was equivalent to the annual income of about fifty households in Suqing County.
Yet, Li Kun was merely a minor county magistrate. He might not be able to afford to carve these two pillars in his lifetime.
Zhong Li gave Lu Wuxie a deep look. She knew he had already formed an opinion about Li Kun.
As they spoke, the two soon arrived at the woodshed.
Following Ergouzi's notification, Lin Jin had already led his men to seal off the woodshed tightly, lest anyone disturb the scene.
"Your Highness," Lin Jin said, quickly stepping forward and cupping his fists upon seeing Lu Wuxie.
"What is the situation inside?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Lin Jin's face paled, and his eyes flickered towards Zhong Li, with a hint of sympathy.
Zhong Li glanced at him and said nothing, her gaze falling on two footprints at the entrance of the woodshed. "They are so deep. Whose are they?"
Lin Jin replied, "The footprints were here before we arrived. We've compared them, and they don't belong to any of us."
Zhong Li listened, then scanned the woodshed. If they didn't belong to the living, they could only belong to the dead.
But...
She crouched down, pressing her hands into the soil at the woodshed entrance, and examined the footprints again. Judging by the pattern of the soles, they were common sole patterns for most men in the Southern Yue Kingdom. The feet were about fourteen inches long, which, converted to height, suggested the owner was between five feet eight and six feet two inches tall. The Southern Yue Kingdom favored slender builds. Therefore, for this height range, the average male weight would be between 110 to 170 jin.
However, these footprints...
Zhong Li bit her lip. The owner of these footprints looked to be over 200 jin. Was that possible?
"Any discoveries?" Lu Wuxie asked, noticing Zhong Li's solemn expression.
Zhong Li shook her head, not revealing her doubts. She put on her mask and gloves and, carrying the medicine box handed to her by Lin Jin, walked in.
"Wait a moment..."
As she pushed the door open, a faint, mosquito-like voice called from behind her.
Zhong Li turned back and saw a young scholar, one hand holding his small cap, the other cradling a scroll, running towards her.
Him again?
Zhong Li paused, showing rare patience as she waited.
The young scholar reached her side, panting slightly.
"Good thing I arrived in time," the young scholar said, patting his chest and looking at Zhong Li. "Brother Zhong, is it?"
Zhong Li nodded but remained silent.
"The last two times, you asked me to sketch the scene, but the scene had already been disturbed after I entered. This time, I must go in with you, otherwise, I fear it will be damaged again." The young scholar, though appearing delicate, spoke with a certain confidence.
"Alright, but..." Zhong Li raised her eyebrows and gestured with her lips.
The young scholar followed her gaze and saw that everyone guarding the woodshed had a grim expression.
"I suspect this scene might be even more terrifying."
After she spoke, the young scholar instinctively shivered.
Zhong Li smiled at his reaction and pushed the door open, entering.
The woodshed had no window panes. As she entered, her eyes couldn't immediately adjust to the darkness, and she could only make out the general outlines of objects.
As her eyes slowly adapted to the darkness, and Lin Jin handed in an oil lamp, not only the young scholar but even Zhong Li nearly recoiled slightly from the sight before them.
In the pile of straw lay a 'corpse'.
Zhong Li referred to it as a corpse because the human-like shape in the straw was still somewhat discernible.
The body was densely covered with countless black ants, each the size of a sesame seed.