"Wuwuwu... How could this be? Shu'er lost his mother when he was young. I raised him myself. Now he's disabled. How can I find him a wife? How can I face his deceased mother? Wuwuwu..."
Ren Zhong wept, his sobs racking his body, no longer bearing the demeanor of a prefect of Jinzhou.
Zhong Li examined the severed finger for a long while. "It was taken from a living person. It seems Ren Wenshu is still alive."
As soon as she spoke, Ren Zhong's cries grew even louder.
Lu Wuxie understood that Zhong Li was trying to comfort him, but the words "living person" sounded harsh coming from the coroner's mouth, making those present feel even more sorrowful.
"Master Ren," he placed his teacup down and looked at Ren Zhong sternly. "I deeply empathize with your feelings, but crying will not solve the problem now."
"This subordinate knows that, wuwuwu... but... but..." Ren Zhong stammered, unable to speak clearly. After much hesitation, he managed to blurt out a few words:
"Your Excellencies... you... you also saw the note... it said... it said if they wanted my son alive... you two had to go as exchange... How can I, as an official appointed by the court, exchange your lives... for my son's survival? Wuwuwu..."
Zhong Li noticed Ren Zhong's furtive glances towards her while he cried. She sighed, not calling him out, and said, "Young Master Ren is not an official of the court, but rather a citizen of Jinzhou. We are the parents of the people, and as such, some matters naturally require us to volunteer.
What do you think, Your Highness?"
She looked at Lu Wuxie as she spoke.
Lu Wuxie naturally understood her meaning and replied, "Indeed."
Ren Zhong's face lit up with joy. He hitched up the hem of his robe and knelt on the ground, saying, "Then this subordinate thanks Madam Zhong and Your Highness!"
Lu Wuxie let out a cold laugh and remained silent.
The next day.
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie arrived at the Jinzhou Restaurant as per the note's instructions. Accompanying them was A Qiang, Ren Wenshu's personal attendant.
Since the other party already knew their identities and had specifically requested them to exchange for Ren Wenshu, they didn't hide. They sat in the Jinzhou Restaurant enjoying breakfast early in the morning.
The Jinzhou Restaurant's specialty was wrapped steamed buns. Zhong Li had been interested in them when she was in Jincheng, and now that she had the opportunity, she wouldn't pass it up.
She ordered several to eat with Lu Wuxie.
Customers came and went, their expressions hurried, none paying any attention to them dining leisurely.
Lu Wuxie had finished eating and saw that no one had come to meet them yet. Coincidentally, A Qiang had gone to the latrine. He looked at Zhong Li, who was still examining the steamed buns in front of her, and said, "Li'er, what are your thoughts on the kidnappers of Ren Wenshu?"
"Thoughts?" Zhong Li stopped picking at the steamed buns, looked up at Lu Wuxie, and after a moment, said, "Actually, Mo Cang and I both read the note. The content was concise, and the kidnappers' objective was very clear: they wanted our lives.
To act so openly without fear of exposing their identity, I believe the mastermind is undoubtedly the Empress.
Her Majesty is very clever. She knew that acting against us in Jincheng would be inconvenient, so she thought to start from Jinzhou and use others to eliminate us. This is the best strategy."
"Then Li'er, who do you think kidnapped Ren Wenshu?" Lu Wuxie asked again.
Zhong Li smiled, picked up a wooden chopstick from the table, dipped it in some water, and wrote two names.
"Something's wrong, something's wrong, someone's dead in the latrine!"
Just as Lu Wuxie finished reading the characters she had written on the table, a man rushed into the restaurant from outside. He shouted loudly, his face filled with terror.
Zhong Li glanced at the man. Seeing that his hands were clasped around his waist, as if he were still adjusting his trousers, and based on what he had just said, she stood up and walked over to him, presenting the token hanging from her waist. "I am from the Dali Temple. May I ask, young sir, what did you just say? Someone is dead in the privy?"
The man was taken aback, not expecting to see a high official of the court here. He paused for a moment, then reacted. He led Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie towards the latrine area of the Jinzhou Restaurant, nodding repeatedly as he said,
"So it's a lady official. Yes... yes, it's like this. I went to relieve myself about half a quarter of an hour ago. Just as I was halfway through, I heard a dull thud outside the latrine door.
Before I could react, I saw blood flowing in from under the door. I mustered up the courage to open it, and who would have thought... there was a man lying in front of the door, his head, his face all covered in blood!"
As he spoke, as if recalling the scene, he couldn't help but shiver.
Zhong Li said nothing further, only quickening her pace.
The latrine was not far from the front hall. In the blink of an eye, everyone had arrived.
Zhong Li looked at the scene before her. It was just as the man had described. Three latrine stalls, all three doors were open. In front of the leftmost stall lay a man with a head full of blood. Although the blood obscured his face and features, judging by his build and clothing, she knew it was A Qiang.
She casually took a ginger pill from her waist, popped it into her mouth, put on her gloves, and approached the body.
The Jinzhou Restaurant was the largest restaurant in Jinzhou, and its latrine was quite clean. When Zhong Li turned A Qiang over, apart from some filth on his pant legs, his body and clothes were covered in mud from the bluestone slabs.
She first checked A Qiang's neck and breathing, then looked at his pulse and pupils. She shook her head at Lu Wuxie, indicating that the person was indeed deceased.
Afterward, she looked at A Qiang's injured head and frowned.
"What is it?" Lu Wuxie crouched beside her and asked.
Zhong Li remained silent, merely placing Lu Wuxie's hand on the injured part of A Qiang's body.
Lu Wuxie rubbed it a few times, his expression darkening. "Killed in one blow. This wound..."
"Do you have any ideas? I know you're knowledgeable about many weapons and have seen many," Zhong Li said.
Lu Wuxie thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember the case of Miao Fenghua? The murder weapon she used should be an evolution of this."
"A golden gourd mace?" Zhong Li asked.
"Yes. This kind of hammer is solid. Don't underestimate its size. If the wielder knows technique and force, one strike would at least cause internal injuries. A severe one would be like this," Lu Wuxie explained.
Zhong Li lowered her gaze, thought for a moment, and then looked at the man who had led them and was now adjusting his trousers. "Young sir, I ask you, when you went to relieve yourself, besides hearing the dull thud of something being struck, did you hear any other sounds?"
The man, seeing that Zhong Li, a woman, did not shy away from his current state, blushed and retreated a few steps. "Replying to Madam Official, there were no other sounds."
He said this, tightening the belt at his waist.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Oh, I heard someone say a sentence."
"What was it?" Zhong Li pressed.
"How could it be you?" the man replied.