Chapter 149: Intricate and Complex

Intricate and Complex

Yin Fengzhan spoke in a low voice, his expressionless face now faintly revealing an indescribable depth. Upon hearing this, Liu Fuquan and the others around them looked left and right in confusion, but Nie Jinxuan widened her eyes instantly.

"What?! You mean..."

Nie Jinxuan looked incredulous. Before she could finish her sentence, she looked up at the couplet on the pillar, and it was only after a long while that she returned her gaze to Yin Fengzhan beside her.

"Are you sure?"

"There's no mistake!"

"But... how is that possible? Isn't Jin Jingyuan already..."

Perhaps out of consideration for the people around, Nie Jinxuan didn't finish her sentence. But even so, Yin Fengzhan understood what she meant. He pursed his sexy thin lips and narrowed his eyes slightly.

For a time, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan fell silent again. After a while, Nie Jinxuan stood up and went upstairs, and after a short while, she came down with her luggage.

Seeing this, Liu Fuquan, the innkeeper's wife, and the others in the hall were stunned. Liu Fuquan stepped forward and asked:

"Uh... young lady, what are you... are you leaving already?"

"Oh, yes. Most of the things have been handled, and there are still matters in the capital, so we won't stay long."

Nie Jinxuan said gently with a warm smile. Upon hearing this, a look of regret appeared on Liu Fuquan's bloated face, but he nodded anyway.

"It's rare for the Prince and the young lady to come here once. I was thinking of taking you both around when I had time... Sigh, but since you both have matters to attend to, I shouldn't try to keep you. After all, official business is important!"

It is said that one should not judge a book by its cover. Although Liu Fuquan looked muddle-headed and sycophantic, he was actually the opposite. So when Nie Jinxuan heard him say this, she smiled and said a few more words to him, then turned to look at the innkeeper's wife.

"And Innkeeper's wife, thanks to your warm hospitality during these days in Yanxia Town, Jinxuan is very grateful. If you ever return to your maiden home in the capital, feel free to visit the Nie mansion. Jinxuan will certainly welcome you at any time."

"Oh my, young lady, look at what you're saying. Isn't this what I should do? How is it worth thanking?! Besides, our inn is small, and we don't have anything good to entertain you both. I was worried that I hadn't taken good care of you and made you dissatisfied, so how could I deserve such praise from you?"

She said with a smile, and then the innkeeper's wife took two steps forward to Nie Jinxuan.

"Besides, I'm not afraid of you looking down on me, young lady. Although I am from the capital, I only lived in the suburbs of the capital, and my parents have passed away. I don't have much to look forward to, so... sigh, but I accept your kindness, young lady. You are welcome to come again with this gentleman next time, and I will definitely entertain you both well!"

The innkeeper's wife was full of smiles, and then the innkeeper, who had been holding their child behind the counter, also walked over. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan talked to them for a while longer, then turned and followed Yin Fengzhan out...

After leaving the inn, the innkeeper's wife, Liu Fuquan, and the others also saw them off. Nie Jinxuan turned to the innkeeper's wife and said:

"Alright, everyone, no need to see us off. We'll meet again~"

"Hehe~, young lady, you are too polite. Have a safe journey~"

The innkeeper's wife laughed heartily, and after speaking, she lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen on her forehead behind her ear. At this moment, hearing the innkeeper's wife's words, Nie Jinxuan smiled and looked up at her again... but just at this moment, Nie Jinxuan, who had been smiling, was stunned, and her eyes slowly widened.

Nie Jinxuan was stunned. Her beautiful eyes looked straight at the innkeeper's wife, but she couldn't speak for a long time. Seeing this, the innkeeper's wife and the others who were seeing them off were stunned. At this time, Yin Fengzhan, who also noticed Nie Jinxuan's strange expression, walked over.

"What's wrong?"

Standing beside Nie Jinxuan, Yin Fengzhan spoke in a low voice. But at this moment, hearing Yin Fengzhan's words, Nie Jinxuan ignored him and walked directly to the innkeeper's wife, then slowly moved her gaze to her left eyebrow...

And just at this moment, following Nie Jinxuan's gaze, Yin Fengzhan's eyes flashed instantly.

It turned out that in the middle of the innkeeper's wife's left eyebrow, there was a not-so-obvious scar!

Seeing this, after a brief moment of surprise, Yin Fengzhan narrowed his deep eyes. At this time, Nie Jinxuan, who had already reached the innkeeper's wife, gradually came back to her senses and looked down into her eyes.

"Innkeeper's wife, I heard you say before that your maiden home is in the suburbs of the capital... I wonder if it is Zhangjiazhuang?"

At this moment, Nie Jinxuan had returned to her usual calm. Upon hearing this, the innkeeper's wife, who had been stunned, blinked and nodded in confusion.

"Uh... yes, it is Zhangjiazhuang... but, young lady, how did you know?"

"Then may I ask if your parents passed away one after another more than three years ago?"

"Uh... yes, that's right..."

"Then, if I may be so bold, may I ask your maiden name..."

"Me?!"

Hearing Nie Jinxuan ask several strange questions in a row, the innkeeper's wife became even more confused. But then she laughed heartily and said loudly:

"My surname is Zhang, and my maiden name is Biyao~!"

Nie Jinxuan never expected that the innkeeper's wife she had been with for several days was actually the real Zhang Biyao she had been trying to find!

Later, after more questioning, the truth was revealed—it turned out that more than three years ago, the parents of the innkeeper's wife, Zhang Biyao, passed away one after another. Zhang Biyao had no choice but to go to the city and find a job as a maid in a wealthy family. But not long after, because the master of that wealthy family saw her beauty, he wanted to take her as a concubine. Hearing this news, the legal wife of that family got angry, found an excuse to beat Zhang Biyao, and locked her up.

At that time, Zhang Biyao was on the verge of death, but at this critical moment, the accountant who worked in the same family saved her, and this person was Zhang Biyao's current husband. Later, Zhang Biyao followed her husband to his hometown, Yanxia Town, and opened this inn for a living. Although business wasn't great, the couple was harmonious, and she had found a good home.

So, after understanding the situation, Nie Jinxuan asked some questions, but Zhang Biyao only said that more than two years ago, shortly after Jin Jingyuan's incident, a scholar came to the inn. That scholar talked to her a lot, took a fancy to a jade pendant of hers, and bought it for a high price.

But when Nie Jinxuan pressed for details about the scholar, Zhang Biyao couldn't say much, only that the scholar was young, weak, and had a capital accent. She couldn't remember anything else.

So, after getting no results, Nie Jinxuan didn't say anything more. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan got into the carriage and left.

Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan left Yanxia Town. As soon as she sat steady in the carriage, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but whisper to Yin Fengzhan opposite her:

"Yin Fengzhan, what do you think is going on?"

Frowning, Nie Jinxuan looked solemn. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan looked up at her and said calmly:

"Isn't it logical now?"

"You mean..."

"Yes, actually, when we knew that the innkeeper's wife was Zhang Biyao, many things became clear... More than two years ago, Jin Jingyuan went out to study with Huang Hu and Wang Fang, accompanied by the servant Zhou Si. Then, when the group arrived at Yanxia Mountain, Huang Hu and Wang Fang harmed Jin Jingyuan during a boat trip and faked it as an accidental drowning."

"After the incident, everyone was fooled by Huang Hu and Wang Fang. Even the Jin family didn't suspect Jin Jingyuan's death. But one person noticed the fishy part and went to Yanxia Town alone... The rest is imaginable. After that person thoroughly investigated the matter, they found that Jin Jingyuan's death was not an accident, but was caused by Huang Hu and Wang Fang..."

Yin Fengzhan said in a low voice. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan's eyebrows moved, and she interjected:

"So, the weak scholar who bought the innkeeper's wife's jade pendant back then was the real murderer?"

"Very likely. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that the scholar told others after returning to the capital, and one of them was the real murderer... But judging from the fact that the scholar bought the jade pendant after learning that Jin Jingyuan's death was not an accident, the scholar must be the real murderer of this series of bloody cases!"

Yin Fengzhan answered affirmatively. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan nodded.

"Mm, that's true. After all, the scholar came here back then obviously for Jin Jingyuan's death. But after learning the truth, the scholar didn't show any abnormality, at least not letting others see it. Even after learning about the innkeeper's wife's background, he bought the jade pendant on the spot... Therefore, it can be said that from the moment the scholar bought the jade pendant, he had already started planning how to take revenge. And someone with such deep thoughts and meticulous actions is indeed very similar to the real murderer!"

"And later, after the scholar, that is, the murderer, learned the truth and got the innkeeper's wife's jade pendant, he returned to the capital. But the murderer didn't act immediately, but first found someone to impersonate Biyao to enter the palace, then started to deploy in secret, and then waited for the right time to act... But if this is the case, there are a few points I don't understand..."

"First, the murderer found a woman to impersonate Biyao to enter the palace, and finally, after Concubine Tong was killed, the fake Biyao committed suicide! That is to say, the fake Biyao should have known her fate from the beginning. Since that's the case, why did she help the murderer? What is her relationship with the murderer?"

"Second, when the murderer learned the truth in Yanxia Town and returned to the capital, judging by the fact that the murderer could take revenge for Jin Jingyuan, they should have a close relationship with the Jin family. So why didn't the murderer notify the Jin family immediately after returning to the capital? After all, the Jin family didn't have an accident until two or three months after Jin Jingyuan's death. That is to say, there was still time for the murderer to notify the Jin family, but the murderer didn't do so, and instead said nothing and planned the action in secret. Isn't this very unusual?!"

"And the third is, who is the murderer, what is their relationship with Jin Jingyuan, and why would they go to such lengths for Jin Jingyuan!"

Nie Jinxuan voiced all her thoughts. After she finished, she frowned and looked at Yin Fengzhan. But Yin Fengzhan just pursed his lips, looked at her quietly, and said nothing.

Then, the carriage fell silent again. The two looked at each other, but no one said anything, only the creaking sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the road could be heard from time to time...

After that, they didn't speak for the rest of the journey. After two days of hurried travel, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan finally returned to the capital. But as soon as they returned to the Chen Wangfu, before Nie Jinxuan could think about going back to the Nie family to take a look, she heard two unbelievable pieces of news—

The first piece of news was that three days ago, someone found a male corpse outside the moat, which was confirmed to be Wang Fang, who had been missing for many days.

As for the second, it was that on the second day after Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan left the capital to investigate the case, someone in the capital spread the word that at Zuixiashanzhuang, Crown Prince Yin Fenghan and the second young lady of the Nie family, Nie Jinhui, had an affair and even had physical intimacy...

Two pieces of news in a row caught Nie Jinxuan off guard! Even Yin Fengzhan rarely frowned, his expression solemn. But then Nie Jinxuan calmed down and first went to the Ministry of Punishments with Mo Yujue and others to examine Wang Fang's corpse.

The same room. The same people around. After Mo Yujue pulled away the white cloth covering the corpse, they saw a horrific corpse!

The corpse was covered in cuts and bruises, there were obvious traces of knife cuts on the thighs, the hands had been chopped off and were nowhere to be found, the tendons of the legs had been severed, and the neck had been cut... Then, just like Huang Hu before, the head had been cut off by the murderer!

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan frowned. At this time, Mo Yujue, who was standing beside her, explained:

"The corpse was found in the moat outside the city gate three days ago. When the corpse was found, its state was very similar to Huang Hu's back then, with the neck down in the moat and the back half of the body on the shore."

"Are you sure the deceased is Wang Fang?"

"Yes, that's right! Before Wang Fang's corpse was found, I had confirmed some information about Wang Fang with the Wang family. Wang Fang had a mole the size of a soybean on his left arm, and the top of his right foot had been scalded when he was a child, leaving a scar, which matches the situation of the corpse... After all, when Wang Fang was found, the clothes on his body also confirmed that it was Wang Fang!"

After telling the story, Mo Yujue looked at Nie Jinxuan. At this moment, Nie Jinxuan just fixed her gaze on the corpse in front of her, and after a while, she looked up at the old coroner Meng Xian, who was standing opposite the corpse.

"Old Mr. Meng, the corpse was found three days ago. Did you determine the time of death of the deceased at that time?"

The corpse will change as time passes after death. Therefore, the earlier the corpse is examined, the more detailed the time of death can be determined.

Therefore, in determining the time of death, Meng Xian, who saw the corpse for the first time, should be more accurate than Nie Jinxuan, who returned three days later.

Meng Xian naturally understood what Nie Jinxuan meant. So after Nie Jinxuan finished speaking, Meng Xian replied:

"According to my judgment, the time of death of the deceased should be the night before the corpse was found, that is to say, the deceased was harmed and died four days ago!"

Meng Xian's inferred time of death was not precise to the hour. But the corpse had already begun to rot, and four days was enough to make it impossible for Nie Jinxuan to estimate the exact time of death. So, after hearing Meng Xian's words, Nie Jinxuan just nodded, took the sheepskin gloves handed over, and began to examine the corpse.

Then, the long autopsy process began. Two hours later, from afternoon to evening, Nie Jinxuan finally straightened her body slightly and took off the sheepskin gloves.

"Just as Old Mr. Meng said, the deceased died four days ago. Before his death, he was abused by the murderer, including cutting meat on his legs, stabbing with a knife, whipping, severing leg tendons, chopping off both hands, and finally being alive-cut by the murderer to have his head severed..."

In the small room, Nie Jinxuan spoke in a low voice. Upon hearing this, Zuo Wei, who was standing in the corner, couldn't help but blink his small, bean-like eyes and interjected:

"Uh... doesn't that mean it's the same as Huang Hu before?"

"Lord Zuo is right."

Nodding to confirm Zuo Wei's statement, Nie Jinxuan changed the subject.

"But there is one difference, that is, after Huang Hu died, there were traces of whipping the corpse, but Wang Fang didn't have them!"

Nie Jinxuan looked solemn, and as soon as this was said, it shocked everyone present.

Because they considered that there might be an informant for the murderer inside the Ministry of Punishments, after Nie Jinxuan finished examining the corpse, everyone left the Ministry of Punishments and came to the Chen Wangfu.

After entering the room and everyone sat down, Zuo Wei, the Minister of Punishments, said directly:

"Sigh, this is really strange. The murderer killed Huang Hu and then whipped the corpse because the murderer had resentment in his heart. But now, although Wang Fang was killed and suffered similar abuse to Huang Hu, even worse, why didn't the murderer whip the corpse? This... isn't this very strange?"

Zuo Wei first raised the question, and as soon as he said this, it drew the agreement of the others in the room. Then Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang also frowned his beautiful eyebrows and said:

"Could it be that the murderer is just trying to cover his tracks?"

"Shouldn't be..."

Listening to Yin Fengxiang's words, Zuo Wei looked a bit troubled, then turned to look at Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan.

"By the way, did the Prince and the Third Young Lady have any gains from their trip to Yanxia Mountain this time?"

"Mm, yes."

Nodding, Nie Jinxuan told them the results of the investigation on Yanxia Mountain and Yanxia Town one by one...

Nie Jinxuan spoke in detail, and also explained some discoveries and doubts very clearly. Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked, and Zuo Wei interjected:

"So, the murderer is the scholar who bought the innkeeper's wife's jade pendant. How about we directly ask the innkeeper's wife to describe the person's appearance and then post it?"

Zuo Wei's idea was direct, but as soon as he finished speaking, before Nie Jinxuan could speak, Yin Fengxiang beside him said slowly:

"I think even so, we might not be able to find them! After all, judging from this series of cases, the murderer is very cunning, uses cruel means, and can be said to be watertight in their actions. So, when they set the trap and bought the innkeeper's wife's jade pendant, and arranged for the fake Biyao to enter the palace, they couldn't have failed to think that one day someone would trace it to Yanxia Town and find the real Zhang Biyao!"

"Then, calculated this way, in order to hide their identity, the murderer would inevitably kill the real Zhang Biyao, that is, the innkeeper's wife, to silence her. But in reality, the murderer didn't do that! Therefore, from this point alone, the murderer is not afraid of the innkeeper's wife telling this matter. That is to say, even if the innkeeper's wife tells it, it won't have any impact on the murderer..."

Speaking of this, Yin Fengxiang paused slightly. Upon hearing this, Mo Yujue, who was sitting beside him, flashed his eyes instantly.

"Does Prince Rui mean... the murderer used disguise?"

"I think so!"

Listening to Mo Yujue's words, Yin Fengxiang nodded.

"After all, has everyone forgotten? Back at Zuixiashanzhuang, the fake Biyao disguised herself as Concubine Tong to fool everyone. Therefore, if the fake Biyao could follow the murderer's instructions to disguise herself as Concubine Tong, then why couldn't the murderer disguise themselves as a weak scholar to investigate Jin Jingyuan's death more than two years ago?!"

"Moreover, only this reason can explain why the innkeeper's wife is still alive! After all, if the murderer had used their real appearance at that time, they certainly wouldn't have let the innkeeper's wife go!"

Yin Fengxiang made a lot of sense, so after hearing what he said, everyone fell silent again. After a while, Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips and said in a low voice:

"We have found more and more clues, but at the same time, it is becoming more and more intricate, with more and more doubts. So I think, instead of this, we might as well sort out the matter from beginning to end, and then take the next step. Otherwise, once we make a mistake, we will certainly fall into the murderer's trap, and we have to be on guard! So, let's stop here today. Let's all think about it when we go back tonight, and then we'll talk about it together tomorrow morning~!"

The case was becoming more and more difficult. At this moment, Nie Jinxuan's brain was also a mess, so she had to figure things out before taking action. Everyone agreed, and they dispersed. But what no one expected was that after this night passed, the next morning, something that no one expected happened, and that was—

Wang Fang's father, the current Minister of Revenue Wang Tianhai, had gone missing! ===== CHAPTER 150 =====