Chapter 417: Viewing death as if it were life

Jin Ling, Clear Sound Pavilion.

Seeing Jia Cong's expression of profound grief, Liu Yong was shocked to hear that Zhou Qing Niangzi had died from her severe wounds.

He knew that Jia Cong and this Zhou Qing Niangzi, who had come from the Love Shenjing, were lovers; the two not only met frequently at Clear Sound Pavilion but had even traveled to Gu Su together.

Almost everyone in the Jin Ling officialdom knew of this romantic affair. That his lover had suddenly been assassinated was no wonder he was so heartbroken.

Jia Cong handed a broken blade stained with blood to Liu Yong and said, "This is the murder weapon used to assassinate Zhou Qing Niangzi. Brother Liu, being in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, must surely recognize this object."

Liu Yong took the sharp short blade and exclaimed, "This is a *wakizashi* commonly used by Eastern Island warriors!"

Jia Cong said in a low, intense voice, "The assassin was a woman who disguised herself as a maid of Clear Sound Pavilion to sneak into the inner courtyard. By the time I arrived, Zhou Qing Niangzi had already been stabbed and severely wounded.

I exchanged blows with that woman. She was tall, had single-lidded eyes, thin lips, and delicate features. Her movements were exceptionally agile; in that cramped room, she could maneuver like the wind, making her impossible to guard against."

Liu Yong's expression changed, and he said, "The assassin's skill and the weapon described by Lord Jia sound very much like an Eastern Island warrior, or at the very least, someone proficient in the art of assassination and ninjutsu.

Moreover, the assassin's appearance as described by you is very close to the appearance of the 'Water Luo Sha' in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's intelligence reports. But why would the Water Luo Sha assassinate a musician?"

Jia Cong's face was full of exhaustion, and he said with resentment, "As for why she assassinated Zhou Qing Niangzi, I do not know. That will depend on Brother Liu and the Ying Tian Prefecture Yamen to investigate and solve.

You must apprehend the killer; I want her to pay with her life for Zhou Qing Niangzi!"

The Ying Tian Prefect, Jia Yucun, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and said, "As the Prefect of Jin Ling, such a violent incident occurring in my jurisdiction is truly a failure of my oversight.

I ask Lord Jia to restrain your grief. The Ying Tian Prefecture will surely do its utmost to apprehend the killer and provide justice for the deceased. I will have someone transport Zhou Qing Niangzi's remains to the Prefecture Yamen's criminal chamber.

This will allow the coroner to examine the body, collect evidence, and apprehend the killer as soon as possible."

……

Hearing this, Jia Cong's face showed anger, and he said, "Prefect Jia, did you not hear clearly what I just said to Battalion Commander Liu? The assassin's identity is already clear.

It is the sea bandit Water Luo Sha who snuck into Jin Ling. The Ying Tian Prefecture Yamen only needs to apprehend this person; is there any need to examine the body!"

Hearing this, Jia Yucun's face instantly turned ugly.

No matter what, he was someone who shared the same clan as the Jia family of the Love Shenjing, and he and Jia Cong were old acquaintances. He had not expected him to be so merciless in his speech.

By all logic, given his special relationship with the Jia family of the Love Shenjing and his nature of fawning over the powerful,

if Jia Cong were unwilling to hand over the body to the Prefecture Yamen, he would surely have done him a favor.

Furthermore, he had always been eager to climb the official ladder and hoped to rely on the Jia family in the future. Now that Jia Cong held significant weight within the Jia family, he naturally did not want to offend him over such a matter.

However, today's situation was different. Present were not only his people from Ying Tian Prefecture but also over a dozen members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even people from the Jin Ling City Patrol and Military Command.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, as the Ying Tian Prefect, he dared not show favoritism so blatantly.

Otherwise, if the news gets out, the censors at the Censorate will surely submit a memorial to impeach him, and the official position he worked so hard to obtain will once again be in jeopardy.

Jia Yucun bit the bullet and said, "Lord Jia, a homicide has occurred in the city. According to the regulations of the Great Zhou, the Prefecture Yamen has the duty to collect and examine the body. This is the established custom of the official yamen; I ask Lord Jia to be understanding."

Jia Cong's face was gloomy: "The assassin's identity is clear; there is no need for further examination of the body. Zhou Qing Niangzi was my person; that she was innocently harmed is heartbreaking.

I will absolutely not allow her remains to be desecrated in the coroner's room!

If Prefect Jia is determined to do so, then try it!"

As soon as Jia Cong finished speaking, he suddenly raised his right palm. The fifteen musket guards behind him raised their muskets in unison, aiming at Jia Yucun and the others from Ying Tian Prefecture.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became critical and dangerous.

Liu Yong and Jia Yucun, who were present, both had their faces change drastically. They truly had not expected that Jia Cong, who was always composed, would suddenly become so extreme in his behavior.

It must be that Zhou Qing Niangzi's assassination had dealt him a great blow, which was why his behavior had become so ruthless and abnormal.

Jia Cong said coldly, "These guards of mine were all brought by me from the Liaodong battlefield. They are strictly trained and follow orders without regret. When my right palm forms a fist, it will be a volley of fire.

Prefect Jia is welcome to step forward and test the power of the Firearm Division's new muskets!"

……

When Jia Yucun heard this, his face turned pale with fright. Could this Jia Cong be crazy? He was merely speaking official pleasantries, yet he was actually using firearms against a court official.

Liu Yong, standing to the side, was also stunned. He hurriedly stepped forward to mediate, saying, "Lord Jia, please do not be impulsive. This subordinate knows that Zhou Qing Niangzi was harmed, and your indignation is understandable.

The Prefect is also acting according to regulations. The matter of the body entering the Prefecture Yamen's coroner's room can be discussed further; please do not damage the harmony of the officialdom."

He then said to Jia Yucun, "Prefect, Lord Jia once confronted the assassin. Whether it be that person's appearance, martial arts, or weapon, they all match the Water Luo Sha without a doubt.

In this subordinate's humble opinion, even if the remains do not enter the coroner's room, it is a matter of no great consequence. I ask the Prefect to reconsider."

Hearing this, Jia Yucun's face turned black. It was obvious that Liu Yong of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was taking sides and singing the same tune as Jia Cong.

In fact, if it weren't for this situation today, Jia Yucun would have been eager to give Jia Cong this face. Back then, regarding the Xue Pan incident, he could even turn black into white, let alone today's matter.

But today, the problem was that it was under the watchful eyes of everyone. If he were to retreat sheepishly under the pressure of Jia Cong and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the dignity of the Ying Tian Prefect would be swept away.

How would he be able to stand in the Jin Ling officialdom in the future? He feared that rumors would grow from this, which would be greatly detrimental to his official reputation and career.

Just as Jia Yucun was caught in a dilemma, feeling anxious and uneasy, someone beside him suddenly spoke: "Prefect, this humble one has something to say, though I do not know if I should speak."

Jia Yucun turned his head to look; it was the Ying Tian Prefecture criminal chamber coroner, Zhao An, who had accompanied them.

A coroner without rank was speaking up at such a moment. Jia Yucun could not help but frown. However, the situation was awkward, and it might be better to hear what he had to say.

"Coroner Zhao, please speak."

Zhao An said, "Prefect, since Lord Jia has doubts about the remains entering the coroner's room, this humble one has a compromise.

This humble one has been a coroner for half a lifetime. As long as I take a few looks at the injuries on the remains, I can grasp the full picture to serve as a record for the Prefecture Yamen's criminal files, thus fulfilling the Yamen's national regulations.

The remains would not need to enter the criminal chamber's coroner's room, which would satisfy both sides."

Jia Yucun and Liu Yong's eyes lit up when they heard this. In fact, both of them wanted to smooth things over and be done with it.

It was just that Jia Yucun really wanted to maintain some official dignity. Coroner Zhao's words hit the mark, providing him with a timely way out.

He had not expected that Coroner Zhao, who usually looked unremarkable, would be so good at handling people, which was somewhat beyond Jia Yucun's expectations.

Jia Cong took a deep look at that unremarkable Coroner Zhao and said, "That is acceptable."

……

Jia Cong led Jia Yucun and Zhao An into the room. Zou Min'er's corpse lay on the bed, her head and face covered by a thin cotton quilt.

Jia Cong walked to the bedside and gently lifted the quilt, revealing a beautiful face as pale as snow.

Although the wound on Zou Min'er's chest and abdomen had been bandaged, a large area of blood had still seeped through, and even the bed was stained red, showing how severe the injury had been at the time.

Although she had stopped breathing and lost all vitality, her grace remained lingering, her brows were like paintings, and her hair was disheveled, yet she was as beautiful as if she were alive.

Only the corners of her brows remained uneven, bearing the traces of the suffering she had endured before death.

Even though Jia Yucun and Zhao An were not acquainted with Zou Min'er, seeing such a beautiful young girl die so tragically, they could not help but feel pity in their hearts.

They knew that Jia Cong and this woman had an ambiguous relationship, so it was no wonder he had lost his composure and even used muskets to threaten them to prevent the body from entering the coroner's room.

Originally, they had some doubts about Jia Cong's abnormal reaction, but now, seeing this beautiful girl who looked as if she were alive even in death, their hearts were suddenly relieved.

Zhao An stepped forward two paces, extended his fingers to probe Zou Min'er's breath, pressed his two fingers against the pulse on her wrist, and then carefully looked at the bandaged wound twice.

Only then did he say, "Zhou Qing Niangzi's breath is gone, her pulse is non-existent, and her vitality has long since been severed.

Based on the bloodstains on the chest and abdomen wound, the blade cut should be narrow and straight, piercing through the body. It was indeed caused by an Eastern Island *wakizashi*.

Zhou Qing Niangzi was but a weak woman; that she could not survive such an injury is within reason. I ask Lord Jia to restrain your grief."

Zhang Zhang Youpeng, standing to the side, nodded and said, "Coroner Zhao has good methods. To be able to judge so accurately just by looking at the bloodstains on the wound."

Jia Cong watched coldly from the side. Seeing that Zhao An had examined the corpse, he gently pulled the quilt and covered Zou Min'er's head and face again.

Jia Yucun saw that the coroner had confirmed Zou Min'er was dead, which concluded the procedure. He would go back and have the coroner write the file himself, and no one else would be able to find any fault with this matter.

He forced a smile at Jia Cong and said, "It was my duty, and I dared not have any disrespect. I ask the Count of Lord Weiyuan to be magnanimous."

Jia Cong said coldly, "Prefect Jia, please go. I will not see you out."

Hearing this, Jia Yucun's face turned ugly. He felt that he had truly had a run of bad luck today. He should have just sent the yamen runners and the coroner.

He had rushed over himself, only to have his flattery land on a horse's hoof. He had run right into Jia Cong, who was full of resentment and discomfort, and was threatened, intimidated, and mocked, without being given any face at all.

However, he was a man of deep schemes. His future still depended on the Jia family of Lady Rongguo, so although he was very displeased, he dared not show even a fraction of it on his face.

He still took his leave of Jia Cong with great respect and agreed on a time to send his clerk to record the case with Jia Cong as the official record for the Prefecture Yamen.

Jia Yucun finished his rambling and then left sheepishly with the coroner and the yamen runners.

This caused Liu Yong, who knew the entanglement between Jia Yucun and the Jia family of Lady Rongguo, to shake his head slightly.

Jia Yucun did not know that when Jia Mu wanted to see Ying Lady Lian last year, Jia Cong had already exposed his ugly behavior of knowing that Ying Lady Lian was the daughter of his benefactor and the truth of her being abducted, yet standing by and doing nothing.

Now, whether it was Jia Mu or Jia Zheng, they had long since despised him. It was just that the Love Shenjing and Jin Ling were thousands of miles apart, and Jia Yucun did not know the situation.

His constant thoughts of relying on the Jia family to climb the official ladder had long since become a mirage.

……

Seeing that the storm had been resolved and the people from the Ying Tian Prefecture Yamen had retreated, Liu Yong also took his leave with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At this moment, the main hall of the Qingyin Pavilion and the corridors of its several stories were already crowded with elegant guests and musical courtesans.

A homicide had occurred in the inner courtyard of Clear Sound Pavilion. Zhou Qing Niangzi, who had come from the Love Shenjing and was the personal disciple of the Pavilion Master Du Du Qingniang, had been assassinated by a female bandit in the inner courtyard. The news had already spread to everyone.

They watched with their own eyes as Jia Cong's personal guards used the stretcher left behind by Ying Tian Prefecture to carry Zhou Qing Niangzi's corpse out of Clear Sound Pavilion.

The corpse was covered with a snow-white thin cotton quilt, outlining Zhou Qing Niangzi's youthful and slender beautiful silhouette.

This Zhou Qing Niangzi from the Love Shenjing had a peerless appearance and exquisite musical skills. She had attracted attention as soon as she entered Clear Sound Pavilion. No one expected that she would die like this.

This made the elegant guests and musicians in Clear Sound Pavilion sigh with regret.

……

Jin Ling, Feng Le Ward.

In a three-courtyard residence with white walls and vermilion gates in the ward, a capable-looking young man walked quickly into the study of the residence.

The middle-aged man in the study still had an imposing manner and a warm, composed expression.

The young man entered the study and said with cupped hands, "My lord, this subordinate has just met with the Water Luo Sha. She said the matter has been accomplished!

News has also come out of Clear Sound Pavilion that Zou Min'er was assassinated in the inner courtyard of the pavilion.

It's just that when the Water Luo Sha assassinated Zou Min'er, she suddenly encountered Jia Cong. The two confronted and fought. Although the Water Luo Sha escaped unscathed, she let Jia Cong see her true face.

Afterwards, Jia Cong described the assassin's appearance, martial arts, and weapon, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard has concluded based on this that it was the work of the Water Luo Sha."

The middle-aged man frowned and said, "The Water Luo Sha is ruthless and has never failed. How could she have exposed her tracks this time?"

The young man said, "The Water Luo Sha's actions can be considered very meticulous. After she entered Jin Ling, she discovered that Zou Min'er was cautious in her daily movements. Except for meeting with Jia Cong in the elegant room,

she spent the rest of her time in the inner courtyard of Clear Sound Pavilion, which was guarded day and night by strong women, making it impossible for outsiders to enter.

She also discovered that Clear Sound Pavilion had recruited a new batch of maids five days ago. She found someone among them who was similar in figure and appearance to her, killed and disfigured her, and buried her. Then, after a little disguise, she replaced her and mixed into the pavilion.

Only then did she seize the opportunity to enter the inner courtyard to assassinate her. It's just that she never expected that Jia Cong would suddenly return halfway and break into the inner courtyard to look for Zou Min'er.

It was as if he had known in advance that Zou Min'er would be assassinated, which is truly puzzling."

The middle-aged man pondered, "Jia Cong's actions have always been strange, often difficult to fathom, unexpected, and different from ordinary people. Otherwise, he would not have achieved such great accomplishments at this age.

With Jia Cong suddenly intervening halfway, I am truly worried about whether the Water Luo Sha is certain that Zou Min'er is dead!"

The young man replied, "The Water Luo Sha has a good reputation and has never failed. After the incident, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Ying Tian Prefecture people all rushed to the scene.

Zou Min'er died of severe wounds, which many people saw with their own eyes. Moreover, Jia Yucun of Ying Tian Prefecture, according to regulations, originally wanted to take Zou Min'er's corpse into the coroner's room for an autopsy.

Jia Cong was very agitated about Zou Min'er's death and did not want her corpse to be desecrated again, so he flatly refused the Ying Tian Prefecture's request, even using his firearm guards to threaten them.

The scene almost turned into a disaster. If Zou Min'er had not died on the spot, with Jia Cong's schemes and intelligence, he would never have been so extreme and lost his composure.

Afterwards, it was the Ying Tian Prefecture coroner, Zhao An, who proposed a compromise, where he would examine the corpse on the spot as a record for the file, avoiding the procedure of the corpse entering the coroner's room."

……

The middle-aged man's eyes flashed, and he asked, "After Zhao An examined it, what was his conclusion?"

The young man replied, "Breath gone, pulse non-existent, vitality severed. She was already dead as dead can be.

Zhao An has been a coroner for thirty years. In his early years, he served as a coroner in the Supreme Court of the Love Shenjing. Fifteen years ago, during the great upheaval in the Love Shenjing, many officials were implicated, and Zhao An also returned to his hometown of Jin Ling because of this.

This person has exquisite skills and is known as having a 'golden mouth and iron tongue' for judging injuries from corpses; he has never made a mistake."

The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and said, "Zou Min'er is dead, so at least there is one less hidden threat. Even if we can't find Zou Zou Huaiyi's secret accounts, no one else will be able to find them either!"

The young man said again, "Recently, Yang Yang Hongbin of the Supreme Court does not know what method he used to get a new portrait of Zhou Zhou Zhengyang, which has a very high degree of similarity to Zhou Zhou Zhengyang himself.

Yang Yang Hongbin has already notified the Embroidered Uniform Guard thousand-household offices, prefecture yamens, and county yamens everywhere to replace the original portraits of the Ministry of War case files with the new portraits.

Moreover, the Embroidered Uniform Guard thousand-household offices everywhere are strictly inspecting the ports and checkpoints in their jurisdictions. Zhou Zhou Zhengyang wants to take the opportunity to escape by sea, but there are no gaps or loopholes to grasp.

In his hiding place, I'm afraid he can't even go out easily, because this new portrait has been posted everywhere.

News came from the Su Zhou Guard that some suspicious characters have appeared in Gu Su City recently, wandering the streets, acting secretly and difficult to fathom.

I had someone check the personnel deployment of the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard, the City Patrol Division, and the Prefecture Yamen, and there is no record of secret dispatches to Gu Su."

The middle-aged man's expression became solemn after hearing this news, and he said thoughtfully, "I didn't expect Yang Yang Hongbin to have such thoughts, actually being able to think of redrawing Zhou Zhou Zhengyang's portrait, making the search twice as effective with half the effort.

Those suspicious characters in Gu Su City, since they were not dispatched by Jin Ling, could they have been dispatched by the Love Shenjing...?" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 418 =====