Chapter 264: with translation of chapter title

Utterly arrogant.

Nie Jinxuan tidied up while speaking. But upon hearing this, Yin Fengzhan, whose mood had just improved a little, immediately sank again.

How is it him again?

What, it's him again?! He's the Prefect of Jingzhao; if there's something in the city, of course he should show up!

Hmph! So what? Does the Jingzhao Prefecture have no coroners? Then what am I keeping those people for, eating for nothing? And if every matter comes to you, what do I need him, the Prefect of Jingzhao, for?

Previously, when at the Chen Wangfu, Pei Yaoguang came over, that was because Yin Fengzhan didn't know. But now it's different, Nie Jinxuan is in the palace, so Yin Fengzhan naturally knows and is naturally unhappy!

Of course, Yin Fengzhan's unhappiness is not because Pei Yaoguang sought help, but because he's angry that he always asks Nie Jinxuan for help.

At this moment, seeing Yin Fengzhan's face grow worse, the attendant Chunzi, Shui Yun, and others immediately lowered their heads and dared not speak. Though others didn't know Yin Fengzhan's thoughts, how could Nie Jinxuan not know? So upon hearing him say that, Nie Jinxuan's hand paused, then she turned and walked to his side.

How come? Not happy?

""

Yin Fengzhan remained silent, but then turned his head aside. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan immediately reached out to support his head and forcibly turned it back.

Look at you, all gruff like a kid. He's also doing his job, why are you so angry?! Besides, I happen to want to go out for a walk; otherwise staying cooped up in the palace would make me stupid!

Saying this, Nie Jinxuan gave Yin Fengzhan a faint smile, then without waiting for his reply, she called Shui Yun and left together. Watching Nie Jinxuan's retreating back, Yin Fengzhan, still seated, kept his grim face, and only after she left the warm pavilion did he softly call out.

Honest Wind, Fire Melt

Yes!

Follow and see!

Yes!

……

Although Nie Jinxuan has not been formally made empress, the people in the palace already serve her according to the empress's standards. Thus, logically, leaving the palace should entail a grand entourage, but Nie Jinxuan dislikes pomp, and this trip is for business, so she only summoned Shui Yun, Lotus Joy, and the few people—Honest Wind and Fire Melt—whom Yin Fengzhan had ordered to come.

Honest Wind and Fire Melt, etc., were not talkative, so the journey was quiet; only the little eunuch Lianxi occasionally spoke a couple of sentences, not too dull. But shortly after leaving Yongle Palace, Nie Jinxuan happened to meet Princess Qionghua Jin Jingwen and Third Prince of Tiancheng Ye Yushu, who had come to the palace to play with her. Upon hearing that Nie Jinxuan was going out to investigate a case, they both followed along.

Thus, the group left the palace together. At this time, the people of the Jingzhao Prefecture had been waiting outside for a while, so after meeting, Nie Jinxuan didn't say much, just a few words, and then the group went straight to the crime scene.

This time the crime scene was in an inn on East Street. The inn was called Tian Yuan Inn, an old establishment in the capital. When Nie Jinxuan and company arrived by carriage, they saw the inn already surrounded by Jingzhao Prefecture personnel, and at the entrance a crowd of onlookers who had heard the news had gathered.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan realized the case was probably serious, and she immediately had a plan. The Jingzhao Prefecture people were not strangers to her, so upon seeing her arrive, they respectfully made way and invited her party in.

Because of the incident, the temporary residents of the inn came out. The incident occurred in the inn's Houyuaner. So when Nie Jinxuan arrived at the Houyuaner, she only saw Pei Yaoguang standing in the middle of the courtyard, brows furrowed, face grim.

How's the situation?

Nie Jinxuan walked over and spoke directly. Upon hearing her voice, Pei Yaoguang turned his head, but just as he was about to speak, he saw Jin Jingwen had also come, and involuntarily let out a soft snort.

Speaking of it, Pei Yaoguang and Jin Jingwen were not originally acquainted. However, because Pei Yaoguang once carried a corpse to the Chen Wangfu, Jin Jingwen took a dislike to him, so whenever they met she spoke harshly; Pei Yaoguang, being a pushover, was not the sort of gentleman who would yield just because she was a woman, and thus they ended up at odds.

Although Pei Yaoguang's snort was soft, Jin Jingwen heard it and instantly flared up. But as the two looked like they were about to argue, Nie Jinxuan timely spoke.

All right, stop arguing. The important thing is to handle the case first!

Nie Jinxuan has always been serious and meticulous about cases. Upon hearing her say that, Jin Jingwen immediately shut up, but still gave Pei Yaoguang a fierce glare.

However, Pei Yaoguang was now too lazy to bother with her, and then said to Nie Jinxuan,

In the morning, a child was playing in the inn's courtyard. Then, for some unknown reason, he fell into the dry well. When they rescued the child, they found he was holding a white bone! The inn's people immediately reported it to the officials. After I arrived, I sent people down to look, and they discovered a pile of skeletons, at least two individuals!

Saying this, Pei Yaoguang pointed to the side. Nie Jinxuan looked in that direction and indeed saw a clean white cloth placed beside the dry well in the courtyard's center, with a pile of bones laid upon it.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but frown, then stepped forward.

Have they all been brought up? Is there anything still down there?

They've been cleaned up, but there are still some things down there; I think they likely fell in with the deceased, so people are still searching, hoping to find some clues.

Indeed! However, judging by the appearance, the deceased has been dead a long time; even if something fell in, it would have rotted, so everyone must be careful not to miss any clues!

Hmm, I know!

Nodding to show understanding, but then Pei Yaoguang still directed the yamen runners to pay attention, while Nie Jinxuan carefully examined the bones and then said to Pei Yaoguang,

It seems we need to reassemble the bones, but that takes time, so let's first move the skeletons back to the prefecture and then discuss further!

A person has over two hundred bones, and these remains are at least two individuals, so piecing them together won't be quick; besides, this is an inn with constant traffic, inconvenient, so we can only move the bones to the Jingzhao Prefecture first and then reassemble them.

Hmm, I know! Come on, you few, hurry up! Move these bones back to the prefecture for me! Remember, keep an eye on them; if you dare drop even a piece, no matter how small, I'll make you regret it!

Pei Yaoguang lifted his chin, habitually putting on a stern lordly face. Seeing this, Jin Jingwen felt contempt. But just as she was about to speak, seeing Nie Jinxuan already turn and walk out, she closed her mouth and left silently with Nie Jinxuan.

Thus, the party marched out mightily, with a group of yamen runners behind tidying the bones. As Pei Yaoguang and company had just exited the gate, the inn's madam Sun Shi hurried over.

Um... Official, Official, when will this case be closed?

Sun Shi is over forty; her husband died ten years ago, leaving her alone to manage the inn. She was already decent-looking, and moreover quite capable, making her a well-known figure in the city.

When Sun Shi asked this, Yin Fengzhan—who had been talking with Nie Jinxuan—immediately turned his eyes and glared at her.

Close the case?! You can't close it without catching the culprit! What's your hurry?

Um... Official, you've misunderstood—it's not me... um, it's not that the commoner wife is anxious; it's that if the case isn't settled today, her little shop can't open! And Official, look, you've sealed her shop tight—how is she supposed to do business?

Business?! Hmph, I say, you old woman, what time is this? Tell you, those bones were found in the well behind your inn; not arresting you for strict interrogation is already lenient, yet you're still jabbering with me!

Actually, Pei Yaoguang is right. Now the bones were found in the inn's Houyuaner dry well, so by reason the innkeeper is the primary suspect. Moreover, Pei Yaoguang considered that Sun Shi is a * and has no background, so he temporarily refrained from detaining her.

Thus, upon hearing Pei Yaoguang say that, Sun Shi was startled, wanted to say something, but after thinking, she ultimately closed her mouth and stepped back a few steps—just then, she accidentally bumped into a passerby behind her!

Ouch~!

Sun Shi is not one to be easily provoked; being startled, she let out a cry, and after that she turned and shouted,

Who is this, walking without looking where you're going?!

Sun Shi habitually displayed her shrewish nature. But the moment her words fell and she saw who it was, she instantly froze!

As it turned out, Sun Shi had just bumped into a young lady.

That young lady, in her prime, had a gorgeous visage, honey‑toned skin glowing with health, especially her eyes, which exuded an indescribable charm! Her pink martial outfit complemented her beautiful face, adding a touch of liveliness and nobility.

Behind her followed several tall, sturdy men, clearly martial artists!

Sun Shi is a socialite, good at reading people. Seeing the lady thus, she knew she couldn't afford to offend her, and instantly dropped her shrewish façade, replacing it with a fawning smile.

"Um… really sorry, just now I, the old lady, wasn't paying attention and bumped into you, Miss. Miss, please don't be angry—it's all the old lady's fault. Won't you come to my shop for a cup of tea? Rest your feet; that'll count as the old lady making amends~!"

The matter was trivial to begin with; Sun Shi saw that the other party wasn't someone she could provoke, so she tried to smooth things over. But at that moment, hearing Sun Shi's words, the young lady merely glanced at her, then lowered her head to look at the foot she'd stepped on, and next she raised her hand and slapped Sun Shi directly.

The young lady was clearly trained in some martial arts. With that slap, Sun Shi immediately staggered, and half her face instantly swelled up.

In an instant, Sun Shi was dazed. Before she could recover, the young lady stepped forward, lifted the foot that had just been stepped on, moved it forward, and, looking down at Sun Shi, said,

"Lick it clean!"

……

The young lady's voice was pleasant, but her words shocked everyone present.

Even Pei Yaoguang beside her furrowed his brows instantly, and Nie Jinxuan, who had already been about to board the carriage, noticed the commotion here and came over.

For a moment, the crowd gathered around the young lady and Sun Shi. Yet, facing the onlookers' gazes, the young lady seemed oblivious, her beautiful yet haughty face revealing utter contempt for Sun Shi.

Seeing this, Pei Yaoguang immediately stepped forward and stood directly before the young lady.

"What audacity! Who are you? How dare you be so arrogant!"

Pei Yaoguang was displeased. Upon hearing that, the young lady glanced at him and let out a cold snort.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Prefect of Jingzhao!"

"So you're the Prefect of Jingzhao… good! This lowly woman stepped on… my… my lady's shoe, and I made her lick it clean—what of it?"

In ancient times, common folk usually feel some fear when seeing officials—let alone facing Pei Yaoguang, a third‑rank minister of the court! Yet upon hearing his words, the young lady showed no fear; instead, she grew even more arrogant.

Seeing this, Pei Yaoguang's expression turned colder. But before he could speak, the young lady pressed her lips together and, without turning, ordered the attendants behind her,

"Seize the one who stepped for my lady!"

The young lady spoke coldly; hearing her, the several men behind her immediately stepped forward…… Seeing how brazen they were, Pei Yaoguang flared up.

"You dare!"

"Hmph, Prefect of Jingzhao, you'd better step aside, or don't blame me for being rude! Attack!"

Obviously, the young lady paid no heed to Pei Yaoguang. Upon hearing her order, her subordinates moved forward to attack Sun Shi and Pei Yaoguang, who stood in front of her…… Just then, Nie Jinxuan arrived, supported by Shui Yun.

"Hold on!"

Nie Jinxuan's voice was calm and unhurried, yet it carried clearly to everyone. Upon hearing it, the young lady glanced at Nie Jinxuan and raised her brows arrogantly.

"Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter; what matters is that you, miss, apologize to the proprietress!"

Nie Jinxuan spoke each word clearly; upon hearing that, the young lady's eyes turned icy. Seeing her reaction, Nie Jinxuan made to step forward, but Shui Yun swiftly grabbed her.