Chapter 172.1: Doubts Coming in A Continuous Stream
The voice came from the Ruan family side, and it was indeed the Ruan family meeting with mishap, or more precisely, it was Ruan Fang Fei meeting with mishap.
Reportedly, because of the torrid heat, Miss Ruan was somewhat unwell, and didn’t sleep well the night before either. After returning from a stroll out, she just rested for a bit in the horse carriage. It was also said that when she slept, she didn’t like leaving people by her side.
While asleep, she sensed some abnormal movements, and thought it was some servant girl coming onto the carriage to check on her, so she just casually said something, yet wasn’t able to receive any reply, thus somewhat displeased, she opened her eyes, and then………..Ahh—-
What entered her eyes were three hanging human heads dripping with blood and disheveled hair. Their entire face was just like that servant girl of hers on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, aside from the eyes, there wasn’t a single place intact. Moreover, even the eyelids all got cut out, their eyeb.a.l.l.s exposed just like that. Never mind seeing this first thing when opening one’s eyes in this small s.p.a.ce, even if at other times, or even going to look after someone else describes the specific situation, and after making mental preparations, one would still be frightened.
On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Ruan Fang Fei sought out hards.h.i.+p on her own by running to go see the dead servant girl and was severely startled. Afterwards, she injured her face, and in the first few days, was even somewhat broken down. Finally there were some improvements, but then she got ruthlessly humiliated by Li Hong Yuan. And immediately after, rumors filled the skies, gradually making the people of the Ruan family all harbor complaints towards her, and so naturally, she didn’t have a single good day. Even now, her spirit was actually all not too well.
In the horse carriage, Ruan Fang Fei loudly screamed, because the human heads hung relatively low, and was also close to her. Between one another, there clearly was a certain distance, but she was all unable to pa.s.s through from the middle, leaving this extremely terrifying place. She tremblingly curled up into a lump, that appearance was extremely pitiful……………
Her scream naturally very quickly attracted over the people of the Ruan family, as they hurriedly climbed onto the horse carriage, lifting the curtains. Yet, as a result, that servant girl also started screaming along with, scrambling backwards, and then fell down from the horse carriage in an exceptionally sorry state.
And the people behind her also faintly witnessed the situation inside. Who would still dare go up?
The other masters, with Ruan Rui Zhong in the lead, quickly rushed over. Hearing Ruan Fang Fei miserable and despairing screams inside, “What happened?” Ruan Rui Zhong’s complexion was dark and heavy like ink. Seemingly since the Dragon Boat Festival, for the Ruan family, everything has been unfavorable, and the root of cause all revolved around Ruan Fang Fei. No matter how steady and calm he was, he still felt exhausted mentally and physically, no longer able to let out a smile.
“Old master, human, human heads, horse carriage, in the horse carriage, hung, hung three human heads………….”
Hearing this, all the masters of the Ruan family changed face. Rather, it was Ruan Fang Fei’s mother who reacted first, charging forward and lifting the curtain. Although she couldn’t see the front of the heads, she was certain without a doubt that they were human heads, especially given that still dripping blood. And her daughter was rigidly stuck in the innermost corner. In this moment, as a mother, her eyes reddened, her face revealing a terrifying expression. Inhaling a breath, she got on the horse carriage in a considerably straightforward stance, waving her hand and having the three heads pulled down. Afterwards, she reached out holding onto Ruan Fang Fei.
Ruan Fang Fei was both startled and afraid, punching and kicking. Ruan Old Madam comforted her, as she used all her strength to have her picked up.
Just, when she was getting up, her body froze for a moment, like not having anymore strength to follow up.
She somewhat unsteadily had the person carried out, but just as she stepped out of the carriage door, her foot went limp, nearly falling down.
Ruan Rui Zhong saw her deathly pale like a sheet of paper face. Her body was clearly trembling, yet from beginning to end, she tightly held their daughter. His eye sockets reddened, feeling extremely heartbroken, hurriedly going forward, wanting to personally have the person supported down. Unfortunately, he was already a bag of old bones. Never mind not catching the person, with a slant of the body, he was directly pressed onto the ground.
The others finally came to their senses, hurriedly scrambling forward. Don’t know if it was because their hands and feet were limp from getting scared, but never mind being unable to have Ruan Rui Zhong and them helped up for half a day, they were even made into a mess.
“What a good display of deep motherly feelings. ——This woman really is extraordinarily good at acting. If not for knowing her true colors, afraid really would have been deceived by her.” After seeing a good play, that person turned around and casually left.
With great difficulty, they finally settled things appropriately. Ruan Fang Fei was somewhat deranged, and got knocked unconscious. Her mother also fainted from being overly frightened, while Ruan Rui Zhong injured his waist.
This matter naturally was reported to Le Cheng Emperor first thing. Le Cheng Emperor, because of Li Hong Yuan getting attacked by a.s.sa.s.sins, his residual anger have yet to vanish, so for something like this to also happen at this time, how could he not be shocked. On one side he sent the imperial physician, while on the other side, let Yu Zhong Qing cooperate with the Head Minister of Justice and head to the crime scene together to get to the bottom of this.
The things near the horse carriage were all moved away, and the people further didn’t dare approach in the slightest. Clearly a bright sunny day, yet that lone horse carriage gave people a kind of strange eerie feeling.
Fortunately, the people that came weren’t ordinary people. The door curtains and window curtains were both hung up, the scene inside clear and visible, and the three human heads scattered at the bottom of the horse carriage, just one had the face facing upwards, clear and distinguishable. In that moment, even those that were accustomed to seeing dead people and limbs, all couldn’t help but retreat backwards, vomiting out two mouthfuls of turbid air, before finally going forward again.
The Head Minister of Justice signaled one of his subordinates, and that person, after nodding, walked even closer, but wasn’t in a hurry to go up, carefully surveying the surroundings instead, including the outside of the horse carriage. Then, standing by the window, he carefully had the inside surveyed once through, slightly furrowing his brows. Afterwards, he finally climbed onto the horse carriage, and looked over the three heads without changing his expression. During this process, the Head Minister of Justice remained silent the whole time, and Yu Zhong Qing also just quietly stood by side.
When that person came down from the horse carriage, “Sir, the person that did it handled it very cleanly, aside from the inside of the horse carriage, the other areas all don’t have any bloodstains. For the three of them, aside from the eyes and ears, the remaining areas are all beyond recognition. The cuts are also very clean. It can be seen, when acting out, they were also clear-cut and swift. Additionally, they all had their faces cut up after dying. And the blood should be splashed on afterwards, though it’s uncertain whether or not it’s human blood.” He paused, “If this one’s guess is correct, them the person that slashed up the faces should be the same person as the killer of that female corpse during the Dragon Boat Festival.”
“Are these words true? But that female corpse, didn’t you say got cut up before dying, so shouldn’t there be quite the disparity? How are you able to tell?”
“Many people all have their own little habits. The wounds have areas that are extremely similar.”
Regarding that incident during the Dragon Boat Festival, they simply didn’t find the killer. Of course, that matter happened in the capital, and wasn’t within his jurisdiction. Reasonably speaking, today’s matter also shouldn’t be for him to handle, but in this carriage fleet, who let him be the only one that’s in charge of criminal cases.
(T/N: For incidences that occur in the capital, it’s generally handled by the Jing Zhao Fu, see historical notes for more detail.)
The Dragon Boat Festival case, because they couldn’t find the killer, they naturally didn’t know the reason why the other party committed the act. They all guessed that the servant girl must have seen some shameful secret, though there were puzzling areas that exist in this speculation. If the killer for these two cases was really the same person, or perhaps part of the same group, then that previous guess will perhaps have to overturn. After all, the common point in both cases was seemingly the Head Cabinet Minister’s youngest di daughter. But, what was the reason?
“First investigate these three people’s ident.i.ty, and see if they were part of the carriage crew.”
“Yes.”
T/N: This chapter sort of plays out like a crime drama’s murder investigation.