Chapter 70: Just Like That, It Passed?

Seeing his mother's eyes completely bloodshot and her face full of frantic worry, Zhao Jin cleared his throat and hurriedly explained what had happened.

Breakfast had already been reheated several times; seeing Zhao Jin return, she quickly served it. Mu Shulan, overwhelmed by fright, had been crying the whole time. Only just now, exhausted from weeping, had she drifted into a dazed sleep.

While Zhao Jin ate, He Cuihua did not ask many questions. Zhao Jin could roughly guess that his mother also knew something about what the Mu family did.

The bundle containing gold and silver had been placed directly by He Cuihua in the room where Mu Shulan was staying. Seeing this, Zhao Jin felt even more ashamed of his momentary misunderstanding.

There was nothing pressing to do at home. Not wanting to delay his martial training, Zhao Jin told his mother, hoisted his long spear, and went out the door. Just as he closed the courtyard gate, he saw a peddler with a rattle-drum carrying a shoulder pole walking over.

He arrived at that courtyard a little later today. Wang Zhaojing, Chen Sheng, and the others were already there waiting. It was rare to see everyone gathered around Wang Zhaojing, listening to him hold forth. Spotting Zhao Jin, Wang Zhaojing immediately said excitedly, "Everyone go ask Brother Zhao. I only heard it from my family's household guard; it's not as good as hearing it from Brother Zhao himself."

This group of young brothers surrounded Zhao Jin again, their faces full of excitement and curiosity. Wang Zhaojing had heard about last night's events from his family this morning — being summoned late at night, a murder case, and knowing that Zhao Jin and his father had rushed over. He came here and told everyone about it. These youths were at an age of curiosity and hot blood; hearing this, they were intensely curious. Seeing the person involved arrive, they all pressed Zhao Jin to tell the details.

Once they heard it was Mu Shulan's father who had been killed, everyone's excitement faded. A companion they spent every day with had suddenly suffered such a calamity at home. They were all somewhat stunned, and their eager curiosity vanished.

As usual, Wang Zhaojing had brought a few books. He first went inside to recite and copy from memory for a while before coming out to practice martial arts. His training time was half that of Zhao Jin and the others because he also had to prepare for the imperial examinations. This was what it meant to be accomplished in both civil and martial pursuits.

In truth, not many practiced martial arts. The rest were just Chen Sheng, Sun Dalei, and Dong Bingfeng. Shi Manqiang and the others had already started helping out at home and didn't have that much time to come. The goods-yard sparring was more of an after-lunch break, and as for this residence, they could only show their faces occasionally.

Although everyone trained with dedication, the morning's atmosphere was somewhat gloomy. At noon, they agreed to meet at the goods yard and then dispersed to go home.

Lunch was already prepared, but Mu Shulan still stayed in her room, unwilling to come out. He Cuihua felt sorry for the girl, so she brought the food to her and stayed there to console her. Zhao Zhentang and Zhao Jin had been eating for a while before she returned.

"Regarding the Mu family matter, the people in the yamen know a bit about it. But no one is willing to expose it, lest the higher-ups pursue it. This case will probably just pass like this," Zhao Zhentang said in a deep voice.

A murder case was not a major matter, but a case involving the White Lotus Sect and the Smelling Incense Sect was directly equivalent to rebellion and treason. Even if solved, the local officials in charge would still be implicated. The current Prefect of Xuzhou had stayed in office for three years; better one less thing than one more. The people below held the same mindset. With everyone above and below of one mind, and having received benefits, the matter was thus muddled through.

It was also thanks to Zhao Zhentang's clear grasp of the intentions of those above and below, and his careful manipulation, that this incident was ruled a homicide case.

Zhao Jin could figure it out: if not for his father's maneuvering, and the connections to the White Lotus and Smelling Incense Sects were truly investigated, Mu Shulan would certainly be in trouble.

"Once Little Lan comes to her senses, give all that gold and silver to her. In a few days, her family's relatives and friends should be able to find their way here to pick her up. By then, this matter should be settled." Zhao Zhentang had little appetite; he just gave these instructions.

He Cuihua nodded, but then asked with some confusion, "Over at Little Lan's place, it was just her and her father. And she ran over in the middle of the night. How would her relatives and friends know?"

"How could they not know? I said in the yamen that the victim's daughter is at our house. Think about what her family does for a living — those people would have gotten the news long ago," Zhao Zhentang said impatiently. He Cuihua nodded with sudden understanding.

Zhao Jin had heard Zhao Zhentang say many times that the prefectural yamen was like a sieve, leaking any news. He hadn't expected that Mu Shulan's family's relatives and friends could also get information there. This Smelling Incense Sect truly had far-reaching influence.

After finishing the meal, Zhao Jin went to Mu Shulan's room. He called out a greeting from outside first, and only after hearing a weak reply from within did he step inside.

In less than six two-hour periods, Mu Shulan had become much more haggard than when he saw her last night. Her face was nearly bloodless, yet her eyes were completely bloodshot. She was huddled in the corner of the heated brick bed. She called out softly, "Brother Xiaojin," her voice already completely hoarse.

Seeing the girl's pitiful state, Zhao Jin felt a pang of heartache, but at that moment he didn't know what to say. Finally, he spoke: "I'm here. Don't be afraid."

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, Mu Shulan sat there blankly for a moment, then buried her head in her knees and began to cry. He Cuihua was standing just outside; hearing the crying from within, she hurriedly walked in.

It was fine for young boys and girls to play together outside, but once inside the inner residence, the strict separation of the sexes had to be observed. He Cuihua was quite mindful of this. When Zhao Jin came to visit, she still had to stand guard outside.

Discovering the situation inside was like this, He Cuihua wiped the corner of her eye and consoled her in a low voice: "Little Lan, now that you're here with Auntie, you don't need to be afraid. Listen, your uncle says your family's relatives will come to pick you up soon. Then you'll be at ease..."

For the sorrowful and lonely Mu Shulan, Zhao Jin's visit and He Cuihua's comfort allowed her to relax slightly. The girl, who had been tense until now, began to cry loudly.

He Cuihua knew that this was how the knot in the girl's heart would be untied, preventing excessive grief from harming her health.

In this situation, it was not appropriate for Zhao Jin to stay any longer. After saying goodbye to Mu Shulan, he left. With so many inexplicable things happening suddenly, he just wanted to work through his emotions by practicing martial arts.

Walking on the street, Zhao Jin's mood finally improved a little. It was the beginning of spring, when all things start anew. Even Xuzhou City seemed less desolate. The reason he had this thought was that on that street full of closed shops, there were slightly more people moving about than usual. Judging by their attire, they were fairly respectable — probably merchants interested in those shopfronts.

Normally, Zhao Jin might have paid more attention, but seeing Mu Shulan's state at noon left him with no mood to investigate. He just wanted to get to the courtyard his second uncle had left behind and train.

After a morning had passed, quite a few people knew the news. The Wang family would have people to inform them, and the Chen family, being the heads of the yamen constables, had even better information. When Zhao Jin arrived, they were discussing it in low voices.

But there wasn't much new — just that a wanted notice had been issued, the city gates were under strict inspection, constables were patrolling the city, and a reward of ten taels of silver had been offered. Anyone who reported the culprit would receive the reward.

Chen Sheng knew more than just this. He said it was likely someone the victim knew, and there was also word that the stab was both precise and vicious — the murderer's hand skills were not weak.

After saying all this, everyone was very concerned about Mu Shulan's current condition. Hearing Zhao Jin's account, Wang Zhaojing nodded and said, "The knot in her heart should be untied. Being able to cry loudly is a good thing."

Scholars generally understood medical principles. Wang Zhaojing had read widely and was knowledgeable, so it wasn't surprising he could make this judgment. However, after saying this, Wang Zhaojing pondered and added, "From what Brother Zhao says, Miss Mu ran over in the freezing night and suffered such a great shock. Brother Zhao should remind your aunt to prepare some medicinal decoctions, lest a sudden illness strike."

It was well-intentioned advice, and Zhao Jin quickly agreed. But while training, Zhao Jin thought to himself: Mu Shulan did cry, and she was grieving to the extreme, but at most she was just exhausted. He couldn't see any sign of that grief-stricken, collapsing state.

Thinking back over these past few years, while he was training in martial arts, Mu Shulan had also been learning things. It seemed she was not such a simple, fragile girl after all.