Zhong Li’s face showed surprise.
Li Kun gave an embarrassed smile and said, “That was before Master Liao Chen became a monk. It’s normal that you wouldn’t know, young fellow.”
“Then may I assume that Magistrate Zhao sought out Master Liao Chen not just for chanting sutras and praying to Buddha?” Zhong Li asked.
Li Kun nodded, “Suqing County has always been protected by Ling Shan Temple. When Zhao Jun’s family had this issue, everyone thought he must have angered some Buddha. Coupled with Master Liao Chen’s superb medical skills, that’s why he went to Ling Shan Temple so frequently.”
“If that’s the case, has Madam Jia heard about Magistrate Zhao’s demise?”
As soon as Zhong Li spoke, Li Kun’s face turned sad. “I heard that Madam Jia didn’t wait for Zhao Jun last night and rushed home to take care of the child. Since Zhao Jun’s incident only happened this morning, she definitely doesn’t know.”
“If that’s so, I wish to see Madam Jia.”
-------------------------------------
“Wuwu… wuwu…”
Zhao Jun’s residence in Suqing County, north of the county.
Zhong Li sat on a round stool, looking at the woman opposite the round table, who was weeping with her face covered.
The woman was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, as if she hadn’t had time to change. Her collar was slightly damp, and a faint scent of milk wafted from it.
“Madam Zhao, please accept my condolences.” Zhong Li offered a silk handkerchief and spoke words of comfort, while her gaze never stopped scanning the furnishings in the room.
Zhao Jun’s home was simpler than she had imagined. The two-bedroom house had only the essential furniture and no other decorations. The floor tiles seemed uneven from years of wear. The stove in the kitchen still held leftover food from yesterday, and occasional flies would rest there briefly.
Jia Shi sobbed for a while. When her emotions had somewhat calmed, she said, “I wish to see Ah Jun, may I?”
Zhong Li pondered for a moment and shook her head.
Almost simultaneously, Jia Shi cried even louder.
Zhong Li remained silent. She could understand Jia Shi’s grief over losing her husband. However, Zhao Jun’s corpse was so gruesome that even she, a coroner, felt a twinge in her brow, let alone Jia Shi.
“Madam,” she said after thinking, “Zhao Jun’s death is suspicious. Until the matter is investigated, you cannot see him.”
“Ah Jun was murdered?” Jia Shi reacted quickly, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Zhong Li knew that to find clues from Jia Shi, some things could not be concealed. She selectively recounted some of the events that happened that morning.
Upon hearing how tragically Zhao Jun had died, Jia Shi’s tears flowed even more copiously.
“How could this happen? Ah Jun lived a frugal life. He finally had a child, only for it to meet such a fate. Now he’s been harmed like this, is there no law?”
“I came to see Madam Zhao today hoping to provide an explanation for Magistrate Zhao’s death, so I have a few questions for you, Madam.” Zhong Li followed up on Jia Shi’s words.
Jia Shi wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, gesturing for Zhong Li to ask.
“Actually, I saw you yesterday,” Zhong Li said.
Jia Shi looked up and met Zhong Li’s gaze, her eyes clearly showing confusion.
“Perhaps Madam didn’t notice, but I saw you in the corridor yesterday,” Zhong Li reminded her.
Jia Shi then realized and said, “Actually, yesterday was a special situation. The county magistrate should have told you, young fellow, about my child’s condition, right?”
Zhong Li nodded, her gaze sweeping towards the bedroom. The child was likely in there.
“Ah Jun goes to Ling Shan Temple for medicine at a fixed time each month,” Jia Shi said.
Zhong Li knew Liao Chen was a physician and must have seen Zhao Jun’s child, but…
She recalled what Wu Hui had inadvertently said when they met earlier and asked, “I heard before that Magistrate Zhao’s monthly visit to Master Liao Chen was supposed to be today, but why was it a day early?”
When Jia Shi heard the question, her face showed sorrow. “Young fellow, to be honest, the time for fetching medicine is indeed today. But yesterday, when my husband and I went to the morning market, someone suddenly bumped into him and slipped a letter into his embrace. When Zhao Jun opened it, he abandoned the morning market and insisted on going to Ling Shan Temple to find Master Liao Chen.
I couldn’t dissuade him, so I let him escort me home, and he went to Ling Shan Temple by himself. But guess what?”
Zhong Li glanced at Jia Shi, recalling how anxious she had been in the corridor yesterday. Zhao Jun must not have taken Jia Shi home. Jia Shi was worried about the child at home and couldn’t bear to leave Zhao Jun. Unexpectedly, Zhao Jun didn’t come out after entering the meditation room. Jia Shi thought that Zhao Jun would have to go to Ling Shan Temple for medicine tomorrow, so she didn’t urge him. She left Zhao Jun and went home to take care of the child.
Today, she had intended to wait for Zhao Jun to bring back the medicine, but she didn’t expect to receive such news.
“Do you have any impression of that letter, Madam?” Zhong Li asked, seizing the main point of the entire incident.
Jia Shi sighed, “What use is having an impression? I am illiterate.”
Zhong Li rubbed her temples.
“However…” Jia Shi paused and said, “I still have that letter. Would you like to see it, young fellow?”
“Thank you, Madam.” Zhong Li was overjoyed.
Jia Shi got up and quickly went into the bedroom. When she came out, she was holding a letter.
Zhong Li took it and quickly opened it. She had expected it to contain threats towards Zhao Jun to go up the mountain, but unexpectedly, the palm-sized paper only had two numbers: Eight, Thirty Thousand.
“Does Madam know what these numbers on it represent?” Zhong Li asked after translating the script for Jia Shi.
Jia Shi frowned, looking at the letter. After thinking for a long time, she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Then, Madam, do you have…”
“Wuwu…”
Just as Zhong Li was about to ask further, a faint sobbing sound suddenly came from the bedroom.
She followed the sound, and Jia Shi reacted quickly, hurrying into the room.
When she came out again, she was holding a child of about two years old. The child was delicate and cute, but unable to move, lying limply in Jia Shi’s arms like a soft bun. Only its large, watery eyes, recently tearful, rolled around.
Zhong Li knew this was Zhao Jun and Jia Shi’s child. She got up and approached the child to ask.
“May I take a look?”
Jia Shi glanced at the ‘well-behaved’ child in her arms, nodded, and placed the child in Zhong Li’s arms. Kuaishu Pavilion.
Zhong Li took him, soothing the child while beginning to examine his physical condition.
After a while, she asked Jia Shi, “What was he like before this condition appeared?”
Jia Shi was initially confused about why Zhong Li was asking this, but when Zhong Li added, “Did he have any spasms or walk with a scissors gait?”
Jia Shi was startled, realizing that this young fellow understood medicine. She quickly nodded in agreement.
Zhong Li then asked, “And his voice, is it hoarse?”
“Yes, yes!” Jia Shi’s eyes widened, looking at Zhong Li in disbelief. She knew these symptoms had appeared a year ago. How did she know just by looking?
Zhong Li ignored Jia Shi’s inquisitive gaze and opened the child’s mouth to look inside.
After a long while, her expression became slightly somber, and she returned the child to Jia Shi.
“How is it?” Jia Shi looked at her, a trace of anticipation in her eyes.
Zhong Li looked away, unable to bear seeing such an expression, and shook her head without speaking.
“Can he be saved?” Jia Shi remained unconvinced.
Zhong Li gazed deeply at the child in her arms, biting her lip without speaking. How could amyotrophic lateral sclerosis be saved?
“Is there hope?” Jia Shi continued to ask.
Zhong Li did not want to lie. As she was about to speak the truth and offer Jia Shi some comfort, Jia Shi, seeing her hesitant demeanor, completely lost her composure.
“I thought the distinguished guest accompanying the Prince from Jincheng was someone capable. Now that I’ve met him, he can’t offer any clear explanation. He’s not even as good as Master Liao Chen at Ling Shan Temple. He said that after taking his medicine, my son will surely be cured in a few more years!”
Cure amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? Zhong Li had never heard of it before.
She looked at Jia Shi and asked, “Did Master Liao Chen really say that?”
“Otherwise? Why else would Ah Jun go to Ling Shan Temple every month to seek medicine?” Jia Shi stated as a matter of course.
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, recalling Master Liao Chen’s appearance when she saw him yesterday. This master was either a fraud or a quack.
“If that’s the case, then I am indeed ignorant. Do you still have the medicine Master Liao Chen gave, Madam? Let someone as foolish as myself have a look and broaden my horizons.”