Chapter 294: Extra: Joy Record Six

Extra: Joy Record Six

Pei Yaoguang has always spoken bluntly, his sky‑high swagger makes people itch. Yet at this moment, the shop boy who had just received a gold ingot was already at a loss, nodding repeatedly; with that bowing and respectful demeanor, he seemed willing to kneel on the ground and call him ancestor.

Pei Yaoguang was pleased with that. But as soon as the shop boy left, just after Pei Yaoguang closed the door, he saw Shui Yun suddenly yank off the hat on his head.

"Pei Yaoguang, what do you mean? Why only one room?"

Shui Yun was truly fed up. Otherwise she wouldn't have called Pei Yaoguang by name; her normally calm eyes were now widened, as if she could smash him with a slap!

Facing Shui Yun's fierce little face, Pei Yaoguang was first startled, but then waved his hand indifferently and plopped onto the chair beside him.

Obviously Pei Yaoguang didn't take the matter to heart. The more he acted like that, the more Shui Yun fumed, her little face turning an unusual deep red. Seeing that Shui Yun was truly angry, Pei Yaoguang, who had been crossing his legs, finally lifted his head and, narrowing his eyes, said to her

"Not one room—do you mean two? Which married couple you know lives in two rooms when they go out?"

"You and I are not a married couple!"

"Obvious! I, of course, know this isn't a play!"

Without thinking, he cut off Shui Yun with a sentence, and before she could speak, Pei Yaoguang instantly uncrossed his legs, leaned forward, and said to her

"Let's get to business; this matter is somewhat troublesome."

Although Pei Yaoguang sometimes really begs for a beating, it is undeniable that in official matters he never drops the ball. In his years as an official, the only mistake he ever made was the case of Minister of Revenue Jin Qi back then. But to be fair, that case can't be blamed on Pei Yaoguang; it was Nie Wenhao, the old shrewd schemer, who orchestrated it from top to bottom, making it airtight—so airtight that even the ever‑wise former emperor never noticed!

Even so, although Pei Yaoguang said nothing on the surface, after that he became even more diligent about the cases he handled.

So at this moment, listening to Pei Yaoguang discuss business, the previously furious Shui Yun calmed down, turned and sat, then pressed her red lips together

"What trouble?"

Pei Yaoguang's greatest hatred in his life is people who are pretentious and affected, regardless of gender. So seeing Shui Yun so reasonable and straightforward, he took her a bit more seriously, lowered his voice and said

"This case of Prince Er is rather unusual. So since that day I returned, I have gone through every file from Jingzhao Prefecture of the past three years, even made a trip to the Ministry of Punishments, and reviewed the files from the past three years there, comparing them one by one. As expected, I found some clues among them!"

In the past three years—that is, since Emperor Xingning Yin Fengzhan ascended the throne—Dongling has been relatively peaceful. Yet even in such tranquility, there are always criminals. So one can imagine that the cases throughout the capital and its surrounding outskirts are already numerous, let alone those in the Ministry of Punishments; it's enough to fill a room, or at least two tables!

And from the day I left Hui Ning County until today has been only a few days, so one can imagine that reviewing all those files and pinpointing the issues within such a short span is beyond ordinary people!

Shui Yun was secretly terrified. Yet Pei Yaoguang showed no sign of any problem.

"One case, from a little over three months ago, was reported by Liu Cheng County: the deceased Zhao Kui had been away on business for years; his wife was secretly involved with another man, and on the night Zhao Kui returned, she and the other man killed him. The second case, from many years ago, was reported by Wu De County: an unidentified male corpse was found on the outskirts of Wu De County, bearing multiple knife wounds. The local authorities judged that the murderer was motivated by greed, killing the victim. Yet the murderer remains at large, and Wu De County, helpless, reported the case to the Ministry of Punishments…"

In theory, the second case wasn't among the files, but at that time Minister of Punishments Zuo Wei heard that Pei Yaoguang was investigating the Hui Ning County case and needed to review the past three years' files, so to be safe, Zuo Wei also organized some unresolved cases he had received and handed them to Pei Yaoguang.

After all, Zuo Wei is shrewd; having served as Minister of Punishments for so long, he's not just a bureaucrat who does nothing. And Pei Yaoguang, of course, is no polite man—he took them straight away and actually managed to uncover a few clues.

Shui Yun wasn't a fool; listening to Pei Yaoguang discuss the two cases, she formed some conjectures, thought briefly, then looked at him and said

"So you're suspecting that these two cases are linked to Prince Er's case? But the key is, where's the evidence?"

"The evidence is still unclear. However, I've investigated: in the Liu Cheng County case, the deceased's wife, Mrs. Pan, indeed had an affair, and both she and the other man openly confessed. The crucial point is that the victim Zhao Kui, like Prince Er, had been working away for many years, and no one knows exactly where."

"And the second case from Wu De County, although it seems chaotic, still hasn't identified who the murderer actually is, and even the victim's identity is unclear. According to the coroner sent by the Ministry of Punishments, the corpse's face was completely destroyed, clearly mutilated, with many knife wounds, but the fatal wound was on the neck, and crucially the belly was completely rotted!"

Pei Yaoguang spoke word for word, and by the end his voice grew even deeper and weightier. At that moment, hearing this, Shui Yun jolted, then stared straight into Pei Yaoguang's eyes

"You mean the victim also suffered from Half‑Moon Sickness?"

Half‑Moon Sickness is a bizarre poison. Those who die from it show no outward signs, but all internal organs are ruined. And just now Pei Yaoguang said the victim's belly was ruined—doesn't that match Half‑Moon Sickness?!

Moreover, the fatal knife wound was on the neck, so those other knife wounds were likely a red herring to mask the truth. In Shui Yun's view, ordinary thieves who act on greed wouldn't slash a victim's throat; only true martial‑arts masters or assassins habitually behead with a single strike.

On this point, Shui Yun knows more than Pei Yaoguang. So when the words fell, Shui Yun's complexion darkened

"That makes sense. So, regarding the Liu Cheng County case, although Zhao Kui's wife Pan and the other man killed each other, it may have been accidental. Even if they hadn't acted that night, Zhao Kui wouldn't have survived. The Wu De County case is even easier to explain—likely a martial‑arts master assassinated the victim, then staged the body to look like a robbery murder!"

Shui Yun spoke so plainly that she laid out all of Pei Yaoguang's suspicions. Hearing this, Pei Yaoguang couldn't help but nod

"Exactly, that's what I think! So, looking at it this way, there must be a huge problem behind this case. After all, only someone who can command a martial‑arts master to silence a witness could be extraordinary. Add the Half‑Moon Sickness factor, and this case is certainly not ordinary!"

"You have a point, but even so, what can we do? The Wu De County victim was already silenced, leaving no clues. In Hui Ning County, Prince Er's side found a hairpin, but a single hairpin alone probably won't yield anything…"

Pei Yaoguang's judgment was straightforward. Upon hearing that, Shui Yun furrowed her brows, pointing out the current limitation. Yet Pei Yaoguang habitually raised an eyebrow

"So what? This case may have no clues, but we still have the Liu Cheng County one, right?"

"…You want to go to Liu Cheng County?"

"Otherwise, where do you think I should go?"

Pei Yaoguang shot Shui Yun a look that said "you're an idiot," which instantly drew a fierce glare from her; seeing her about to flare up again, Pei Yaoguang barely pursed his lips, his eyes flickered, then he leisurely leaned back, habitually crossing his legs again

"So, whatever the reason, this came out and must be kept secret. If the other side can send a martial‑arts master to silence a witness, then once they know I've been watching this case and might even go to Liu Cheng County, they'll surely cut off the trail! From now on, you must obey me."

At that moment Pei Yaoguang talked about the matter as lightly as discussing the weather. It made Shui Yun seethe, yet she finally understood why her master had sent her here.

The autopsy itself need not be mentioned; more crucially, it was to covertly protect this scoundrel! So it was obvious that the earlier claim of his illness was merely a cover for this secret departure from the capital.

Thinking of this, Shui Yun calmed down, sprang to her feet, and lowered her gaze toward the opposite Pei Yaoguang

"I know how to act, but you must be honest, otherwise we might run into trouble later!"

Shui Yun was clearly threatening Pei Yaoguang; having held her breath all the way, she needed a chance to give this scoundrel a taste of her wrath. As she finished, she glanced away from the man, just as a shop boy and a small servant passed by outside; she whispered for them to prepare hot water and breakfast.

In the carriage, after glaring at Pei Yaoguang all night, Shui Yun, though robust, grew a bit weary. The shop boy had earlier received a large gold ingot from Pei Yaoguang, so upon hearing Shui Yun's order, he immediately went down to prepare, and in no time had the hot water ready.

Shui Yun was efficient; after a quick wash and breakfast, she ignored how Pei Yaoguang might fuss, then lay down on the inner couch to rest. Watching her so decisive made Pei Yaoguang stare at her for a while, then he merely smirked and began pulling out the files he had brought, starting to read through them.

After resting a day in the small town, the next morning Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun set out. After a few days of travel they finally arrived at Liu Cheng County.

Liu Cheng County stretches north‑south and is relatively large; many travelers come and go. Upon reaching the county seat, Pei Yaoguang did not go straight to the county office but, as before, first found an inn to stay in.

Over these days Pei Yaoguang and Shui Yun had been pretending to be newlyweds; while sharing a room they each kept their own thoughts. Shui Yun was not a pretentious woman who would constantly point out Pei Yaoguang's gentlemanly demeanor. Pei Yaoguang was not the type to cherish flowers; he cared little about yielding to a woman. Thus they swapped sleeping spots with perfect tacit understanding.

In other words, for example, tonight if Pei Yaoguang sleeps here, Shui Yun finds another place to rest. Tomorrow night Shui Yun sleeps there, Pei Yaoguang finds his own spot. Where they sleep doesn't matter, as long as they stay out of the room.

No more words were needed, but the two had a certain rapport. Back in Liu Cheng County it was the same, yet upon entering the inn Pei Yaoguang noticed something amiss.

Previously, the villages and towns they passed were small, so inns were relatively empty; left and right rooms were vacant, making a stay smooth and unnoticed. But Liu Cheng County is a large county, bustling with people; the inn is crowded, so if he and Shui Yun were too unfamiliar, it could arouse suspicion.

Moreover, this time he wasn't just staying at the inn and leaving; to investigate the case he might have to stay several days, and once he went to the Liu Cheng County office, he might alert the hidden true culprit, adding pressure on Pei Yaoguang.

Pei Yaoguang calculated silently, unaware of Shui Yun's thoughts, and before he could turn to whisper instructions, a middle‑aged woman swayed her hips and walked over

"Yo~ young master, you're truly handsome—are you here to stay the night or just passing by~?"