Chapter 137: The True Answer

The True Answer

Nie Jinxuan was furious, but at this very moment even she didn't know whether she was angry because of Yin Fengzhan's sudden visit, because he dared to drink, or because after arriving he remained silent!

But at this moment, Nie Jinxuan had been shouting for a long while, yet Yin Fengzhan still didn't utter a sound; she then couldn't help rolling her eyes, turned around and sat down again.

Nie Jinxuan completely treated Yin Fengzhan as if he were air. But at this moment, when she said nothing, Yin Fengzhan flared up and immediately grabbed her and pulled her up.

Instantly, being pulled by Yin Fengzhan, the anger she had just forcibly suppressed rose again, and she shoved him away.

"Yin Fengzhan, what exactly are you trying to do?! When will it end?!"

"Not yet!"

"You… then tell me, how exactly can it be over?"

Unable to bear being pressed by Yin Fengzhan, Nie Jinxuan wished she could pounce and bite him to death; hearing this, Yin Fengzhan's expression darkened, and after another long silence he coldly said.

"It's simple: tell me why you want to divorce!"

""

Nie Jinxuan really couldn't understand; this matter had been over for days, yet Yin Fengzhan was still hounding her about it. Seeing his stubborn look, she suppressed her anger, pressed her lips together, and said.

"All right, Yin Fengzhan, since you keep holding onto this matter, I, Nie Jinxuan, will tell you plainly… First, I want to divorce you because we never had any feelings! A marriage without feelings won't last or be stable, and rather than torment each other in the future, it's better to part ways now."

"Second, there's no trust between us. You, Yin Fengzhan, don't trust me; of course I also admit I don't trust you! So tell me, without even basic trust, how can we go on together?! As for the third… heh, Yin Fengzhan, you should know this better than I do, so I shouldn't have to spell it out."

Nie Jinxuan was never the type to keep secrets bottled up while whispering behind backs. So, since Yin Fengzhan asked, she laid it all out. As she spoke, she gave a faint, grim smile, stepped forward, and planted herself directly in front of Yin Fengzhan.

"Yin Fengzhan, what's your relationship with Zhen Xiao Lian? I don't want to know. But now you, as a married man, and she, a married woman, dare you say there's nothing between you?"

Nie Jinxuan's every sentence pressed him. Upon hearing this, Yin Fengzhan instinctively thought she still resented the incident at Zuixiashanzhuang, and he immediately rebutted in a low voice.

"I've said it before—it was an accident!"

But the more Yin Fengzhan insisted, the angrier Nie Jinxuan became, and she couldn't help raising her voice to shout.

"Don't keep calling it an accident! Even if it was, what about what happened later in the pavilion?"

"The pavilion?! What pavilion?"

At that moment, Nie Jinxuan could barely contain her anger. But then she tried to calm herself, waited a while, took a slight breath, and lifted her eyes to Yin Fengzhan before her.

"That dusk when I went to Zhang Family Village for the second time, in the pavilion outside the city, the moment you spotted me you tried to kill me… Yin Fengzhan, how about it? Do you still want me to remind you of anything else?"

"Besides, you keep saying you were just telling your subordinates some secrets… Heh, you remember now, right? If you still don't, let me remind you: that woman was wearing a dress of begonia‑red. That dress was personally ordered by Empress Duan and given to someone—so, Yin Fengzhan, guess who that person is?!"

By the end, Nie Jinxuan had practically spat the words out through her teeth. Only then did Yin Fengzhan finally understand; he stared at her, speechless for a long while.

For a moment the large room fell silent again. As she spoke those words, Nie Jinxuan felt her nose sour, but she forced herself to hold back; after a while she turned her face away from her welling eyes and sniffed slightly.

The surroundings remained quiet. But just then, after silently staring at Nie Jinxuan for a while, Yin Fengzhan finally spoke in a low voice.

"Just for this?"

Yin Fengzhan's voice was faint. As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Jinxuan blinked, then instantly lifted her head and gave a cold smile.

"Exactly! It's just for this! What did you think?! You keep saying it was an accident, yet you secretly went to see Zhen Xiao Lian… Heh, Yin Fengzhan, you put on quite a show! But now it's over, so you can go see whoever you want, and I've made things clear to you—so please don't bother me again."

Nie Jinxuan was furious beyond bearing, while Yin Fengzhan merely watched her silently; after a while he turned and walked away.

Yin Fengzhan left just like that, without any warning or a word. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan froze for a moment, but then she didn't say anything and thought about sitting down again—yet just as she had resettled at her dressing table, his low, hoarse voice suddenly reached her ears.

"That day I went to see Zhen Xiao Lian just to ask why she lied to you, claiming I knew the full story! And why, after the incident at Zuixiashanzhuang, did she come back to my room?!"

Yin Fengzhan's voice was calm. At that moment, Nie Jinxuan, seated at her dressing table, jumped at the words; after she processed them she turned her head—only to find Yin Fengzhan had vanished without a trace.

That night, Nie Jinxuan couldn't sleep well, lying in bed turning over and over, thinking about the words Yin Fengzhan had said to her earlier.

Yin Fengzhan said he went to see Zhen Xiao Lian just to ask why she lied… Could it be because earlier I told him I'd run into Zhen Xiao Lian in the palace, yet she claimed the Zuixiashanzhuang incident was something he knew best?!

Then his meaning was that everything Zhen Xiao Lian said then was a lie, so he went to confront her—and then he pressed further, asking exactly what had happened that night?

Is that it?!

But if that's all it was, why didn't he just say so then? Instead he made up some nonsense about having business with his subordinates to fool me!

Or perhaps he did it just to keep me from finding out, lest it cause complications?! But… could that be?! Would Yin Fengzhan care about what I think?!

No, no, no—absolutely impossible!

But if it isn't that, what else could it be…

So that night, Nie Jinxuan tossed and turned, unable to sleep no matter what, until the sky began to lighten; only then, utterly exhausted, did she drift into a heavy sleep—but just as she had fallen asleep, she suddenly heard a soft call beside her ear.

"Miss~ Miss~ Wake up~"

"Hmm…"

The caller was Xiao Xiu; Nie Jinxuan knew it without opening her eyes. So after turning over in bed she gave a faint reply, then, without opening her eyes, she asked in a low voice.

"Hmm… What's wrong? Is there something urgent?"

"Yes, Miss, someone from the Ministry of Punishments has come, saying there's an urgent matter and they're looking for you."

"... An urgent matter?"

"Yes, Miss! I don't know the details, but the person from the Ministry of Punishments said it's very serious…"

"Hmm, all right, I know!"

She nodded in acknowledgment, then rolled over twice on the bed, sat up, and swung her legs out. After washing up and tidying herself, Nie Jinxuan took Xiao Xiu to the front hall—only to discover that the supposed Ministry of Punishments official was none other than Mo Yujue.

So, after a brief flicker of surprise, Nie Jinxuan stepped inside and asked in a low voice.

"Young Master Mo, what's wrong? What happened?"

Having dealt with each other several times, Nie Jinxuan and Mo Yujue were no strangers, so their talk was usually frank. But hearing this, Mo Yujue's face grew grave, he furrowed his brows, and rose from his seat.

"As the Third Miss predicted, the killer has struck again!"

Mo Yujue spoke in a deep voice; upon hearing it, Nie Jinxuan, who had just sat down, jumped in shock and immediately sprang to her feet.

"Have they found a body?"

"Yes!"

"Where?"

In the east city moat!

At this moment, Mo Yujue wore a solemn expression; his rugged, sturdy face revealed an indescribable gravity. At this time, Nie Jinxuan also furrowed her brows, but then she directly said:

"All right, let's go! Let's check the scene!"

"Good!"

Having said that, Nie Jinxuan directly walked out of the Nie residence with Mo Yujue. At this moment, Xiao Xiu, who was lagging behind half a step, was momentarily stunned, but then hurriedly trotted to catch up.

……

Although Nie Jinxuan had already inferred that the killer would strike again, the sheer density of the incidents still moved her!

Soon after, as Nie Jinxuan and Mo Yujue hurried all the way to the east city moat, they found the surroundings already crowded with people. At this moment, Mo Yujue went ahead, pushing through the crowd, and then let Nie Jinxuan enter. Upon reaching the scene after pushing through the crowd, they saw only the Ministry of Punishments Senior Secretary Zuo Wei, who had arrived a step earlier, hurrying over.

"Third Miss, you've arrived~!"

"Yes, Sir Zuo, good morning!"

"Ah, it's not early anymore! Besides, even if it were earlier, the killer wouldn't be earlier... All right, Third Miss, follow me."

Helplessly sighing, Zuo Wei then led Nie Jinxuan to the side and pointed to a corpse covered with a white cloth on the ground, saying:

"This is the victim. This morning, a woodcutter bringing firewood into the city discovered it and then reported it to the authorities! But... alas, I can't say more, Third Miss, you should have a look yourself, though the scene is too gruesome—please prepare yourself."

Unable to hold back, Zuo Wei gave Nie Jinxuan a reminder, then turned his head aside, not daring to look again. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but raise her brow, then reached out and snatched away the white cloth covering the corpse—but upon seeing the corpse, she couldn't help but frown!

As it turned out, the corpse before them had no head!

The blood-soaked neck had been severed, a mess of flesh and blood; although the corpse still wore clothes, it was evident that it had been brutally treated by the killer.

However, Nie Jinxuan was ultimately a forensic medic; having frequently encountered modern murder and dismemberment cases, this headless corpse would not frighten her at all!

Thus, after a brief look at the corpse, Nie Jinxuan replaced the white cloth, stood up, and gazed toward the east city moat.

"Sir Zuo, where was the corpse discovered?"

"Oh... right here by the riverbank. At the time, the corpse's feet pointed outward, its neck in the water, so when I, the clumsy official, brought people over, I initially thought nothing of it; but as soon as the yamen runners went down to retrieve the body, I was startled!"

Recalling the scene, Zuo Wei felt another pang of anguish. Upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan merely gazed at the crime scene without changing expression, then after a moment turned and said directly to Zuo Wei and Mo Yujue:

"Sir Zuo, Master Young Master Mo, this is merely a dumping site, not the primary crime scene. Take the corpse back for autopsy first, determine the cause of death, then we'll talk!"

"All right! Then we'll trouble Third Miss to come along!"

A hint of seriousness appeared on Zuo Wei's face, and the party immediately returned to the city, heading straight for the Ministry of Punishments.

……

Back at the Ministry of Punishments, Nie Jinxuan began preparations; at this moment, the senior coroner Meng Xian, who had also heard the news, came running over. The group then proceeded directly to the chamber holding Chen Fang's corpse, where Nie Jinxuan first addressed Meng Xian beside her:

"Sir Meng, you are the Ministry of Punishments' chief coroner; perhaps you should begin first!"

No matter how Meng Xian put it, he was an elder; Nie Jinxuan naturally didn't want to outshine him. However, upon hearing this, Meng Xian shook his head and spoke bluntly:

"Third Miss, why be so modest? Solving the case is urgent now; please, Third Miss, go ahead!"

"All right, since Sir Meng says so, then I, Jinxuan, will be rude."

Having said that, Nie Jinxuan wasted no words, directly slipped on the goatskin gloves handed by a yamen runner, and began the examination.

Time passed bit by bit; the corpse's damage was severe, so only after two or three hours did Nie Jinxuan slightly straighten her back, then took off her goatskin gloves and softly said:

"The victim is male, approximately twenty-five to thirty years old. Time of death is preliminarily estimated to be around the hai hour last night. The victim suffered whipping, flesh-cutting, stabbing, and had both hands severed! This caused him to bleed to death while alive. Moreover, the corpse shows signs of posthumous whipping, so it can almost certainly be attributed to the same killer as before!"

Nie Jinxuan spoke softly; upon hearing her, those present—Zuo Wei and the others—were all startled, but then only Meng Xian first asked a follow‑up:

"So you mean the killer cut off the head after the victim died?"

"Yes!"

Saying this, Nie Jinxuan pointed to the severed part of the victim's neck and explained:

"Sir Meng, please look: generally, if the victim's body was cut while alive, the wound would evert and the cross‑section appear red. But once the victim is dead, with the heart stopped, blood begins to pool throughout the body; thus when a sharp weapon pierces the flesh, the incision is smooth and usually does not bleed much… Therefore, from this point, there is no doubt that the victim was beheaded after death!"

Nie Jinxuan's explanation was fairly detailed; after speaking, she turned her head directly toward Mo Yujue.

"Furthermore, while examining the corpse just now, I noticed very obvious binding marks on the victim's limbs, indicating he had been imprisoned by the killer for a period. Although the victim's hands were severed and missing, his physique and the condition of his feet suggest he came from a wealthy family, and there is a pear‑shaped birthmark on his back… Therefore, Master Young Master Mo, you might as well immediately send people to visit all the affluent households in the city, checking whether any young masters or relatives of similar age have gone missing or been absent these past two days, so as to ascertain the victim's identity."

"Hmm, I'll take care of that right away."

……

Mo Yujue personally led people out to confirm the victim's identity. Afterwards, Zuo Wei brought Nie Jinxuan to the rear hall; once seated, he directly asked in a low voice:

"Third Miss, regarding your earlier speculations about the four deceased victims, Mo Yujue has already told me. Now, hearing what you just said, could it be that this headless male corpse also bore a grudge against the killer, leading to such torment?"

"Yes, Sir Zuo. I, Jinxuan, believe that to be the case. After all, posthumous whipping is not ordinary. Among the four earlier victims, Chen Xin was like this, and this current victim is likewise, and even more severely than Chen Xin. Therefore, in my estimation, the killer may harbor a deeper resentment toward this victim."

"Oh... if that's so, then once the victim's identity is confirmed, we ought to find some clues!"

Zuo Wei nodded slightly, but then couldn't help sighing.

"Ah, but to speak frankly, I really can't fathom it—after all these years in office, I've seen plenty of heinous and bloody cases, yet none as baffling as this one, nor any killer so brutally cruel… Moreover, in less than ten days, five people have been killed! Ah, I find it strange: they say the imperial clan's Spring Sacrifice prays for peace and prosperity, for abundant harvests—how is it that, just as the Spring Sacrifice has ended, so many incidents occur one after another?"

As the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Punishments, facing all these matters, Zuo Wei can be said to be quite troubled. The speaker means no harm, the listener takes it to heart. Thus, Nie Jinxuan, who had also been pondering the case, upon hearing Zuo Wei say this, couldn't help but freeze; after a moment of silence, she suddenly widened her eyes.