The carriage circled the county of Anding, then sped rapidly towards the western outskirts.
Lin Jin rode his horse alongside the carriage, occasionally peering curiously into the covered vehicle.
An hour earlier, he had received his master's command to gather a few subordinates, purchase picks and shovels, and head to the western outskirts.
Initially, he assumed his master had a whim to do something in the western suburbs. When he heard they were to dig up the Jia family's ancestral grave, he was utterly dismayed.
While his master's actions were often unconventional and unrestrained, this was the first time he had done something so reckless and immoral without regard for the consequences. What if the Jia family found out?
With a worried expression, Lin Jin led his men to the western outskirts.
The vast expanse of graves before him, with their withered vines and old crows, instilled in him a sense of impending divine retribution.
As the carriage curtain was pulled aside, Lu Wuxie and Zhong Li slowly alighted. Lin Jin dismounted, pick in hand, ready to approach and pay his respects.
Lu Wuxie merely glanced at him dismissively, waved to stop him from speaking, and said, "There's nothing to worry about. The Jia family is all dead. Even if they seek trouble, it won't be with you, will it?"
Lin Jin's mouth twitched at his words, but he found himself unable to offer any counsel.
Zhong Li, overhearing the interaction between master and servant, looked up at the high sun, casually took the pick from Lin Jin's hand, and walked directly towards the most opulent grave nearby.
"See that?" Lu Wuxie nudged Lin Jin, gesturing towards Zhong Li's retreating back.
Lin Jin remained silent.
"Not as good as a young woman." Lu Wuxie then lifted his robes and followed.
The Jia family's graves were the largest and most extravagant in all of Anding county.
Zhong Li stood before the grave of Jia Kun's mother. Gazing at the reinforced cement mound, she raised the pick and struck it forcefully.
With a loud crack, the mound split open where she had struck it, and a large section of packed earth cascaded down like a waterfall.
"This... this earth is too soft?" Lin Jin, following behind Zhong Li with his men, spoke in surprise as he watched her actions.
Zhong Li remained silent but squatted down, grinding the earth between her fingers to examine it.
"This reinforced cement lacks sufficient purity. Either they cut corners or buried the deceased hastily. The Jia family likely couldn't find purer lime clay, or the quantity of lime clay was insufficient, leading to this problem." After speaking, she clapped the remaining soil from her palms.
Lin Jin, at Lu Wuxie's signal, stepped forward to examine it. Indeed, it was as Zhong Li had said. However, when the Jia family matriarch died, the Jia family was not short of money for tomb construction. This left only one possibility: a hasty burial.
"Come, dig for me."
Upon this realization, Lin Jin's trust in Zhong Li's conjecture grew. He gestured for his surrounding subordinates to unearth Jia mother's coffin.
Many hands made light work. In just over an hour, Jia mother's coffin was hoisted out by the combined efforts of the men.
Zhong Li did not rush to open the coffin. Instead, she stepped forward and tapped the golden nanmu coffin before her, confirming it was not of inferior quality like Xie Xiaoyun's coffin. Only then did she nod at Lin Jin.
A cloud of dust billowed as the coffin lid was pried open, and a pungent stench rushed into everyone's nostrils.
Several individuals, unable to bear it, retreated to a distance and began to vomit.
Zhong Li, prepared for this, quickly swallowed a specially made ginger pill, put on a mask, and approached the coffin to conduct the examination.
The Jia family matriarch had been dead for over a year. Her body had long since decayed into a skeletal state.
Zhong Li squatted beside the coffin and began to meticulously examine the Jia family matriarch's remains. As the sun slowly set towards the west, casting a crimson hue over half the western hills, she finally removed the gloves from her fingertips, tidied her medical kit, signaled to Lin Jin that the coffin could be closed, and stood up to walk out of the burial ground.
Lu Wuxie was seated in a reclining chair under the shade of a tree, leisurely observing the woman approaching him gracefully. "How was it?"
Zhong Li's gaze swept over the pile of melon seed shells on the ground beside the man opposite her. "Reporting to the young lord, based on the bones in the coffin, the deceased's age should be around seventy, which matches the age of Jia Kun's mother. Furthermore, the bones show signs of avascular necrosis, which aligns with the rumors that the Jia family matriarch was chronically ill and bedridden."
"So, you're saying the Jia family matriarch died of illness?" As Lu Wuxie uttered this question, Lin Jin and the others, who were eager to hear the outcome, displayed expressions of disappointment.
Zhong Li shifted her gaze from the crowd to Lu Wuxie's nonchalant expression and slowly shook her head.
"No. The matriarch was elderly, and bone necrosis is not uncommon, nor is it fatal."
"Then how did she die?" Lin Jin, now intrigued, couldn't help but press for details.
Zhong Li opened the medical kit beside her and took out a broken bone, presenting it to him.
"What is this?" Lin Jin, feeling a sense of curiosity, took the U-shaped bone from her hand and inquired.
"This is the matriarch's hyoid bone," Zhong Li replied truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Lin Jin's face paled. Despite having taken countless lives and possessing a bold spirit, being presented with a dead person's bone suddenly startled him.
Zhong Li took the bone back from his hand, held it in her palm, and pointed to the fractured area. "The hyoid bone is located between the lower jaw and the neck. It usually only breaks when subjected to external force. The current state of the matriarch's hyoid bone can only indicate one thing: she was likely strangled."
As her words fell, the people around her showed expressions of realization.
Since the death of the Jia family matriarch was a murder, but there were no case files from a year ago, it could only mean one thing: either Jia Kun and Xie Xiaoyun colluded in the murder, or Jia Kun was kept in the dark.
Lu Wuxie, upon hearing this, stood up, brushed the lingering sunflower seed shells off his clothes, and said to Lin Jin as he walked away, "What are you standing around for? Fill the grave back in and let's head back."
Zhong Li sat in the carriage, gazing at the man opposite her who was lifting the curtain and listlessly admiring the sunset. The vibrant sunlight cast a shadow on his face, giving him a rather refined and handsome look.
Lu Wuxie seemed to sense someone watching him and turned to meet her gaze.
At first, he thought she would flinch and avert her eyes like ordinary young women. To his surprise, she stared at him so coldly that he began to feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Ahem," Lu Wuxie coughed lightly and casually placed a cup of water opposite her. After all, Zhong Li had been busy all afternoon and hadn't had a single sip of water. If word got out, his reputation for cherishing the fairer sex would surely be ruined by her.
Zhong Li did not stand on ceremony. She picked up the water and gulped it down. Once her throat felt less dry, she looked at the scenery along the road outside the carriage window, which had already entered the market of Anding county, and said, "Please stop the carriage here."
Lu Wuxie followed her gaze outwards and asked, "Does Li'er live here?"
Zhong Li shook her head and replied, "Reporting to the young lord, this commoner lives in the southern suburbs."
"Then I shall escort you back," Lu Wuxie continued, following her lead.
Zhong Li remained silent.
"What, are you afraid I'll... do something to you?" Lu Wuxie said, sizing her up lazily, and chuckled lightly, "Rest assured, though I enjoy frequenting pleasure houses, when it comes to women who are unwilling..."
"This commoner intends to scout the Jia mansion tonight. Young lord, please do not misunderstand."