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墨書 Inktalez
"Sir! I'm wronged!"
It was a classic line from an ancient detective drama.
"Wronged?" The handsome Cold Noodle Official's gaze shifted, and among the onlookers, every woman present seemed to forget about the murder case entirely. "Did you truly frame yourself after killing your wife?"
Zhang Er, the peasant, fell to his knees with a thud. "Sir, you must discern right from wrong and stand up for the common people! This, this is clearly a case of bandits breaking in and attempting to violate my wife..."
The scene in the house was chaotic; tables and chairs were overturned, cabinets wide open, everything in disarray. On the floor lay a young woman, her body already stiff, clothes disheveled, her skirt half pulled down—a sight too horrific to behold.
The young man in the green Official Robe coldly regarded Zhang Er. "What exactly was lost in your home? Do you know?"
"This... I returned from the fields and was so shocked by this scene that my soul nearly left my body. I immediately went to report it; how could I have had time to inspect anything!"
"The bandits seem quite benevolent; they opened all your cabinets but forgot to search thoroughly! It seems your wife was quite virtuous, keeping everything neatly organized. Did the bandits really hesitate to rummage through?" The official lightly paced around, pulling open the already ajar drawers even wider. Inside, although there weren't many items, they were indeed neatly arranged with no signs of disturbance.
"You returned and found your wife's body already stiff. This indicates that the bandits had ample time to linger in your home. If they intended to assault your wife, why were her clothes removed in such a manner? Is it possible to act like this if they had enough time? Did their conscience suddenly awaken?"
"This... Sir, this is the bandits' doing! How could a commoner know anything about it?"
"Then did you truly go farming?"
"Indeed, sir! I went out early and only returned around noon!"
"What crops do you grow, and what tools did you bring?"
"We grow beans, and I brought a hoe..." Before he could finish his sentence, Zhang Er suddenly froze. The official in green had already walked over to the window and grasped the hoe handle standing there.
The window faced the main door, located at the farthest end from it.
A faint smile appeared on the adult's lips. "Zhang Er, you are being too modest. You were so startled that your soul nearly left your body, yet you managed to rush to the window, steady the hoe properly, and then check on your wife's corpse."
Zhang Er was taken aback, but the handsome man continued relentlessly, "You went out to farm until noon, which is at least three or four hours. With such hard work, why did you not dress in simpler attire? Instead, you chose this loose-fitting robe, and there isn't a single trace of sweat or dirt on your clothes. This must have been intentional, right?"
The adult crouched down and gently picked up the deceased's right hand. "Between the gaps of the nails, there are remnants of flesh. You must have scratched the murderer. Zhang Er, it's a pity that you chose this wide-sleeved robe to cover up but picked the wrong color. If you had worn a dark one, it wouldn't be so obvious!"
As everyone focused closely, they noticed bloodstains seeping through the linen shirt at Zhang Er's collarbone and behind his left elbow.
Zhang Er's face turned pale as he heard the man continue, "You have a floral pouch peeking out from your waist, resembling a token of love between a couple. It is said that you and your wife have been married for many years; it is rare for an old couple to still carry such a pouch."
This statement pointed directly to the motive for murder.
With a thud, Zhang Er fell to his knees, trembling like a leaf. The onlookers were stunned, but the handsome man turned to another elegantly dressed man in green. "Lord Nie, I believe he will confess now. Please decide his fate."
Lord Nie coldly snorted and simply said, "Take him back!"
At that moment, an old woman rushed out from one side and began to strike Zhang Er while crying out, "You beast! Return my daughter's life! My daughter has suffered since she married you; in the end, you caused her death! You are worse than a pig or dog!"
Immediately following her was a young man with delicate features who stepped forward to support the old woman. Despite his youthful appearance, he was surprisingly strong; the old woman struggled with all her might but could not get close to Zhang Er.
In a gentle voice, the young man softly advised her, "Grandmother, please grieve quietly. The dead cannot come back to life. Look over there; your grandchildren are watching!"
He had keenly noticed the pair of children that the old woman had been holding earlier. Though they were still young and innocent, they stared wide-eyed in fear at everything happening around them.
"Grandmother, please take care of yourself; do not frighten the children. They are quite pitiful."
The thoughts of the Old Woman were successfully shifted to the child, and her impulsiveness turned into sobs. The villagers around her rushed over, supporting the Old Woman and began to comfort her with a flurry of words.
I quietly observed all of this until Lord Nie sighed and said, "Let's go back."
This was one of our daily routines in Yichuan County.
Since settling down in Yichuan County, there has been much to do, making life feel busy yet fulfilling. Over a month had passed, and the county had abolished harsh taxes, lightened labor duties, started to rectify official conduct, and reviewed the prisoners in jail. A fresh atmosphere began to emerge in Yichuan County.
The only one feeling gloomy was me, as I felt I couldn't really do anything—truthfully, I was afraid to act. Just like today, Detective Work was Nie Qiuyuan's responsibility, handling matters fell to Luo Dachun, and comforting the victim's relative, Han Meilan, was done quite well by him. As for me? I could only stand by and watch.
I couldn't rush in and say, "Look! Look! There are scratch marks under her nails! She has been dead for quite some time; everything about this scene feels off!" If I did that, they would think I was a monster. Besides, with Nie Qiuyuan around, my input was hardly necessary.
During this time, Night Phantom had come by several times, mostly at my request. However, when he came over, there wasn't much to discuss; we just chatted casually. Only once did he bring an old case file's autopsy report for me to look at because Qiu was indecisive and wanted my opinion privately.
Having studied such situations before, I pointed out the areas that needed attention right away. His face lit up with joy as he couldn't help but praise me.
"Ah, if I want to get involved in the case work, I'll have to rely on you. You need to do your best to help Nie Qiuyuan. If anything strange comes up, remember to sneak it over for me to see; who knows what might happen? Just make sure you remember!" I reminded Night Phantom.
He smiled back at me. "Don't worry. I see they think you're useless and haven't assigned you any tasks. Now that you're free, isn't it just perfect for helping with Detective Work?"
I couldn't quite tell if that was a compliment or an insult.
In short, this first month had been rather dull for me; so much so that during my free time I started contemplating a rather bizarre question: how to act on behalf of the Dragon King and prevent Yichuan County from suffering such drought.
While lost in these thoughts, I unknowingly walked back to the county office. Before we even reached the second hall to catch our breath, we saw Wang Jinzhi approaching us with a scroll in hand, looking quite pleased.
As he stopped in front of us and released his grip, the scroll unfurled with a whoosh—it turned out to be a painting.
"The adult's portrait is finished, and this time the artist's skills are truly remarkable!"
This portrait shook me to my core, leaving me frozen before it.
From the moment I stepped into Yichuan County, I felt that something was off. At this moment, I finally understood what that something was.
The first time I laid eyes on Nie Qiuyuan's portrait in historical records, I fell in love with him. After reading about his life and his remarkable governance as an official, along with his almost supernatural detective work, I became utterly captivated.
Yes, the portrait I saw was this very one! The impression I had from the rubbings was so faded due to age that I could only sense the exceptional aura of the person in the painting. But now, I could see clearly that this painting depicted not Nie Qiuyuan, but Luo Dachun.
Suddenly, I was engulfed in confusion. The man I had been infatuated with and fought for over eight years—did he really exist?
The warm, handsome figure in the portrait was not Nie Qiuyuan. They had exchanged identities, so what I read in the historical materials might not have been about Nie Qiuyuan at all.
Then, was he Luo Dachun?
It seemed not. Because suddenly it dawned on me that the idol I adored had unknowingly merged several individuals into one entity. Nie Qiuyuan, Luo Dachun, Han Meilan—yes, even the shadow of Night Phantom was included. Within this amalgamation, there was even a part of me.
I no longer knew who my idol truly was, and shockingly, he even contained a piece of myself! This conclusion left me both bewildered and amused.
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