Chapter 312: Side Story: Joy Record 28

Side Story: Joy Record 28

Although Pei Yaoguang's temperament was a bit eccentric, he wouldn't stoop to bickering with a three-year-old child. And more importantly, he didn't know what a "snake-disease patient" was; if he spoke rashly and made a fool of himself, wouldn't he lose even more face?!

So, Pei Yaoguang was a bit childish on the surface, but he also had a brain. At this moment, when it came to the case, Nie Jinxuan wouldn't tease Pei Yaoguang anymore, so she handed her precious son to Xiao Xizi and followed Pei Yaoguang to the side room.

This family's surname was Sun. They were a merchant family; although they couldn't compare to the world-famous Pei family, they were quite good at business, and with the wealth accumulated over several generations, their life was quite good. The deceased was the legal wife of the Sun family's second branch.

While walking, Nie Jinxuan simply obtained this information from Pei Yaoguang. Afterward, the two entered the room, but as soon as she crossed the threshold of the side room, Nie Jinxuan stopped.

It turned out that the room, which wasn't very large, was already in a mess. Wooden tables and chairs had fallen to the ground, and teacups and teapots were shattered all over the floor, looking like there had been a struggle.

Nie Jinxuan felt a slight chill in her heart, and an inexplicable sense of incongruity welled up. But Nie Jinxuan didn't speak and continued into the inner room... only to see that the inner room was just as messy as the outer room.

Then Nie Jinxuan raised her eyes and walked to the bed, where she saw the deceased, the second branch's wife, Liu.

Lady Liu was in her thirties, very thin, and her pale face had no trace of blood. There were obvious strangulation marks on her neck, and at a glance, one could tell she had been strangled to death.

Nie Jinxuan's face was calm and waveless. Having been with Nie Jinxuan for a long time, Pei Yaoguang naturally knew Nie Jinxuan's rules, so he didn't say much, had someone bring Nie Jinxuan's special autopsy tools, and stood to the side.

At this time, Nie Jinxuan also entered her working state. Her eyes fixed on the deceased, Lady Liu, and she reached out to put on her sheepskin gloves, then began the autopsy.

Although she had been in a coma for three years, Nie Jinxuan's skills hadn't rusted. In just over an hour, the autopsy was finished. Nie Jinxuan straightened up and took off her sheepskin gloves. After all, her body had only just recovered, and she had been focusing on the autopsy, so she hadn't felt it, but now that it was over, Nie Jinxuan felt her body was a bit unstable, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Nie Jinxuan closed her eyes slightly. At this moment, Pei Yaoguang, who had wanted to talk to her, saw Nie Jinxuan's pale face and pursed lips, and his expression immediately tightened. He hurriedly brought a chair to her side and helped Nie Jinxuan sit down.

"Someone, come..."

Although Pei Yaoguang had always been impolite to Nie Jinxuan, they were truly friends. Now that he saw Nie Jinxuan like this, he naturally couldn't talk about the case anymore, so he thought of letting Xiao Xizi in and immediately calling for the imperial physician.

Of course, Pei Yaoguang did this not because Nie Jinxuan was the Empress, but because she was his friend.

At this moment, because she had closed her eyes for a while and sat down, Nie Jinxuan felt a bit better. Before Pei Yaoguang could finish his sentence, she directly interrupted him.

"I'm fine, I just stood for too long and got a bit tired, no need to make a fuss."

Nie Jinxuan was clear about her own body. Hearing this, Pei Yaoguang just frowned but didn't change his mind. Hearing Pei Yaoguang's voice in the room, Xiao Xizi had already walked in. Nie Jinxuan just said she was a bit thirsty and asked Xiao Xizi to pour some honey water.

Nie Jinxuan's body was still weak. She figured it was related to her blood sugar dropping after being tired, so she specifically asked for honey water. Hearing this, Xiao Xizi didn't suspect anything and went to prepare it immediately. Afterward, Nie Jinxuan sat and rested for a while, drank some honey water to replenish her sugar, and her body indeed recovered quite a bit.

At this time, seeing that Nie Jinxuan's complexion had indeed recovered, Pei Yaoguang, who had been silent to the side, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his face showed a look of disdain.

"Tsk, with this body, you still go out of the palace to toss yourself about, you're really asking for it."

Pei Yaoguang naturally couldn't speak any good words. But hearing this, Nie Jinxuan laughed.

"Look at what you're saying, why? Is it possible that since we are close friends, when I heard you sent word to the palace, I could have refused?"

"Tsk, you speak well. Why, is there no one else in the palace who can perform autopsies?"

"Oh? If not me, then who else?"

During the three years Nie Jinxuan was in a coma, it was Shui Yun who had been leaving the palace to help Pei Yaoguang with autopsies. Nie Jinxuan knew this, but now she deliberately pretended not to know. Hearing this, Pei Yaoguang glanced at her, as if to see if she really didn't know or was pretending, but after a moment, he just pursed his lips and changed the subject.

"Alright, this master is too lazy to bicker with you! Let's talk business, how did this woman die? Have you found out?"

As he spoke, Pei Yaoguang turned his gaze to the deceased, Lady Liu, lying on the bed. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan stopped teasing Pei Yaoguang for the time being, composed her expression, and said in a low voice.

"Strangled."

"Suicide or homicide?"

Turning his gaze to Nie Jinxuan, Pei Yaoguang was now serious. But at this moment, Pei Yaoguang acted contrary to his usual efficiency, glanced slightly at the deceased, Lady Liu, and then said.

"It is indeed strangulation, but there is a lot more to it."

Nie Jinxuan clearly had something more to say. But in an instant, Pei Yaoguang understood. Then the two went to the outer room and had the yamen runner Old Zhou call everyone in the Sun family over.

The room was still a mess. Some servants wanted to clean it up, but were stopped by Pei Yaoguang. Before long, the Sun family members, led by the old lady of the Sun family, walked over one after another.

The old lady of the Sun family was over sixty, with gray hair, but she looked very spirited. Behind her followed the people of the three branches. The Sun family didn't recognize Nie Jinxuan, so as soon as they entered the room, they only saluted Pei Yaoguang.

Pei Yaoguang once again displayed his arrogant manner. Afterward, after some simple questioning, he dismissed the Sun family members and let them wait in the courtyard. Then Pei Yaoguang had Little Li, whom he had sent out to inquire about the Sun family's situation, come in. Listening to Little Li's words, Pei Yaoguang and Nie Jinxuan finally understood the Sun family's situation.

It turned out that besides the old lady, the Sun family had three branches. The eldest son of the first branch was somewhat shrewd but not a good businessman; the second son of the second branch had died early; and the youngest son of the third branch was idle all day. So now, most of the Sun family's assets were still in the hands of the old lady.

Speaking of this old lady, she was quite capable. However, her three sons were useless, but the wives they married were all formidable. Especially the first branch's wife, Wang, who was a tough character. The second branch's wife, Liu, was also quite strong, but because her husband died early and her body was weak, her life was not good. As for the third branch's wife, she was good at scheming and always liked to pick up bargains.

The three wives were none of them easy to deal with. Because of the death of her second son, the old lady had a lot of opinions about the second branch's wife, Liu, feeling that she was a jinx. Coupled with the fact that the first branch's wife, Wang, had a tough personality like the old lady, the old lady was very satisfied with her. So over the years, the old lady was most partial to the first branch and ignored the second branch.

The first branch's wife, Wang, had never gotten along with the second branch's wife, Liu. Seeing that the old lady looked down on Liu more and more because of the death of her second son, Wang took advantage of the situation to suppress the second branch. The third branch's wife felt that the Sun family had three branches, and if the second branch collapsed, she could get more of the family property in the future, so she joined forces with the first branch's wife, Wang, to suppress the second branch.

That was the general situation of the Sun family. After understanding this, Nie Jinxuan didn't speak, while Pei Yaoguang directly called out the first person to discover the deceased, Lady Liu.

The first person to discover the deceased, Lady Liu, was Mother Tian. At this time, hearing Pei Yaoguang's inquiry, Mother Tian immediately walked out of the courtyard crying. As soon as she entered the room, she knelt on both knees with a 'thump', kowtowed to Pei Yaoguang, and cried out while kowtowing.

"Master, please seek justice for my mistress! Woo woo..."

Mother Tian cried bitterly, and she didn't look like she was faking it. But Pei Yaoguang hated others crying most, so seeing Mother Tian crying and howling, kowtowing and tossing about, Pei Yaoguang raised his hand and slapped the table next to him hard.

"Alright, stop crying, it's annoying to listen to! Get up and speak, if you don't want to speak, then get out. This master has no time to listen to you woman howling!"

Pei Yaoguang's temperament was known throughout Dongling, but there were few who could actually encounter it. So, being roared at by Pei Yaoguang, Mother Tian was startled, but afterward, she hurriedly stood up. However, she had been crying for too long, so she couldn't stop for a while.

At this time, Pei Yaoguang just looked at her coldly, appearing as if he were acting like a master, but his eyes were fixed on Mother Tian. Afterward, waiting for Mother Tian to finally calm down, Pei Yaoguang asked with pursed lips.

"Speak, tell me everything you know."

"Yes, yes..."

Stopping her tears, Mother Tian still looked somewhat sorrowful. But she knew Pei Yaoguang didn't like noise, so after responding, she calmed down and began to speak.

"Replying to Master, my mistress hasn't been feeling well lately, so she didn't eat much at dinner. Because of this, later in the evening, the first branch's wife came over, and then she and my mistress started arguing. As a result, this morning, I saw that the time had passed and my mistress hadn't made a move, so I pushed the door open to look, and who would have thought that as soon as I opened the door, I saw... saw my mistress... woo woo..."

Mother Tian's explanation was very general, and by the end, she couldn't help but cry sadly again. Just as Mother Tian's voice fell, before Pei Yaoguang could speak, the first branch's wife, Wang, who was standing in the room, 'swooshed' out and slapped Mother Tian.

"You shameless old thing, you actually framed me? Who gave you the courage? Let's see if I don't tear your mouth apart..."

Wang's strike was extremely ruthless, and her shrill shouting made people's eardrums ache. Before her voice had even fallen, Wang raised her hand again, making a move to slap Mother Tian again!

Wang was indeed a fierce woman. Unfortunately, with Pei Yaoguang present, how could he allow her to be so arrogant? Before she could make another move, Pei Yaoguang stared and said loudly.

"Bold shrew, you dare to be so arrogant in front of this master, and you say others have a lot of courage, this master thinks your courage is not small either!"

Pei Yaoguang had spoken. Although Wang was fierce and arrogant, she immediately stopped. Then Pei Yaoguang didn't listen to her nonsense and directly had the yamen runner Old Zhou hold Wang down and drag her out to be beaten with ten boards!

Pei Yaoguang had never known how to cherish the fairer sex, and even if he did, he wouldn't do it for an old woman like Wang. This beating made Wang cry for her father and mother in pain, and after it was over, the once-arrogant Wang became obedient.

Moreover, not only was Wang obedient, but the Sun family members, led by the old lady of the Sun family, were also obedient. Some of the cowardly ones were trembling with fear, hiding in the back like quails!

Pei Yaoguang saw everyone's reaction, then sneered. Seeing that the old lady of the Sun family was old, he let her sit to the side. Then he turned his gaze to Mother Tian.

"This master asks you, why did Wang and Liu argue last night?"

"Replying to Master, because the first branch's wife said my mistress was nitpicking, and also said my mistress was deliberately looking for trouble with her!"

Although she had just been beaten enough by Wang, hearing Pei Yaoguang's question, Mother Tian answered honestly. Afterward, Pei Yaoguang asked again.

"Did Liu really deliberately look for trouble with Wang?"

"Master, heaven and earth are my witness, how could my mistress look for trouble with the first branch's wife? My mistress usually avoids trouble, so how could she deliberately do such a thing?"

Afterward, Mother Tian told about Lady Liu's situation in the Sun family and how the first branch's wife, Wang, usually made things difficult for Lady Liu.

It turned out that because the second branch's master died early, the old lady of the Sun family didn't like Lady Liu, the second daughter-in-law. The Sun family was now managed by the old lady, but the old lady was old, so she let the first branch's wife, Wang, help look after the kitchen. Wang and Liu had never gotten along, and now that Wang was in control of the family's food, she naturally tried every way to make Liu uncomfortable.

Lady Liu's body was not very good, and she had been struggling in the family for these years. She had caught a cold a while ago and hadn't recovered. At this time, she should have been eating light and nutritious food, but Wang, in order to suppress Liu, kept making greasy food. How could Liu eat that?!

Moreover, not only that, but every time this happened, as long as Liu said something, Wang would cry injustice, saying that she had tried her best to make good food in the kitchen, and that Liu was being picky, and then she would go to the old lady of the Sun family to complain. The old lady didn't like the second daughter-in-law anyway, so she would naturally scold Liu.

Last night was the same, but this time Liu didn't endure it anymore. As soon as Wang came, Liu vented all the pent-up anger she had endured over the years. Liu was strong-willed, and Wang was also tough enough, so the two of them argued fiercely.

Mother Tian spoke in great detail. As soon as her words came out, let alone Wang, even the old lady of the Sun family, who was sitting to the side, looked extremely ugly. But because of the lesson of Wang's ten boards just now, the old lady of the Sun family had to endure it, but her eyes were fixed on Mother Tian, wishing she could swallow her alive.

After hearing this, Pei Yaoguang also looked at the old lady of the Sun family, then asked Mother Tian again.

"This master sees that you speak quite in detail, so were you present when Wang and Liu argued last night?"

"Replying to Master, I was present at the beginning, but later my mistress was furious and even scolded me, so she drove me out."

"And then, when did they finish arguing?"

"Uh... I didn't pay much attention to the time, but it should have been around the hour of Hai."

"Did you enter the room to see Liu after Wang and Liu finished arguing?"

"Yes."

"How was Liu then?"

"My mistress had already fainted from anger. Afterward, I woke her up. After waking up, my mistress kept crying, and then she drove me out..."

As she spoke, Mother Tian's tears fell again, and then she said.

"But after I left, I was worried about my mistress, thinking that she hadn't eaten anything at night and had argued with the first branch's wife, so if she didn't eat something, her body would probably collapse, so I went to the kitchen to get some food. But when I came back, my mistress was just lying on the bed, and then she waved her hand to let me out, so..."

"Wait, you said Liu didn't make a sound, just waved her hand to dismiss you... Did you see Liu's face then?"

"Uh... no..."

Mother Tian's expression was somewhat dazed, but then she suddenly realized and began to howl and cry.

"Woo woo... I am a fool! Why didn't I look then! Woo woo..."

Mother Tian howled, then turned to point at Wang to the side and roared.

"It's you! It must be you! You killed my mistress, and then pretended to be my mistress to dismiss me... woo woo... you black-hearted woman, you will not die well! I, I will fight you!" ===== CHAPTER 313 =====