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墨書 Inktalez
Upon hearing this, both Nie Qiuyuan and I were taken aback.
If what Judicial Officer Yue Lantian said was true, then this was part of a serial murder case, and my earlier deductions about the motive for the crime were completely wrong.
Magistrate Ma Anyang of Suzhou let out a bitter laugh and said, "Lord Nie, you may not be aware that this time Suzhou has reported to the Dali Temple, requesting your esteemed presence here in Suzhou specifically for this heinous Serial Murder Case."
The urgent report to the Dali Temple from Suzhou was due to a series of similar murders that had occurred over the past six months, with no suspects identified. This ongoing situation had caused public panic as the murders continued unabated. The reason Nie Qiuyuan chose to come to Suzhou was certainly not solely because of its beautiful scenery; rather, it was because if such a serial case could not be solved promptly, it would reflect poorly on the Official Authorities and lead to civil unrest.
However, the report submitted to the Dali Temple would not detail the case specifics. The focus would undoubtedly be on how severe the situation was, how great the danger posed, and how urgent the matter had become. If the Dali Temple deemed it necessary, they would naturally request the Old Case File; otherwise, sending a large volume of documents without proper context would only serve to annoy superiors.
Thus, before we arrived in Suzhou, we were unaware of the details surrounding the Serial Murder Case. Now we learned that this body was indeed one of the victims in the series of murders, and it was quite a coincidence that we stumbled upon it.
Ma Anyang continued, "You have traveled thousands of miles and must be weary from your journey. We have prepared a modest meal at the Provincial Governor's Office to welcome you and your party. Please allow us to treat you there first; we can discuss the case afterward."
It seemed our plans for dinner were dashed once again. Glancing at the position of the sun, I realized it was already past noon, and I was quite hungry. Nie Qiuyuan had sensed this long ago and nodded in agreement.
Therefore, aside from Judicial Officer Yue Lantian who remained at the scene for further investigation, everyone else accompanied us onto the prepared carriage. Before long, we arrived at the Suzhou Inspectorate.
As for our accompanying staff, Shadow of the Night had already gone ahead to notify them to meet us at the Provincial Governor's Office. By the time our carriage entered, they had been waiting for a while.
The atmosphere at the table was lively with laughter and conversation. Nie Qiuyuan spoke elegantly and behaved amiably, which pleased the local officials who quickly warmed up to him.
I had little interest in their banter; fortunately, no one paid me much attention. The meals in Suzhou were exquisite and delicious. I savored each dish carefully and even took time to ponder over their ingredients, finding it quite intriguing.
Stealing a glance at Nie Qiuyuan, I noticed he occasionally cast his gaze my way. Seeing me enjoying my meal brought a satisfied smile to his face, leading me to suspect that he was engaging others in conversation to distract them so I could eat more freely.
Even just thinking about it made my heart feel sweet.
Sitting next to me was He Xue Ting from Suzhou. He seemed to be a man of few words; despite sitting beside him for quite some time, he never initiated a conversation. When the toast was proposed earlier, he stood up to raise a glass to me, but remained silent, merely smiling at me without even offering a toast.
To be honest, I didn't dislike people like him. In fact, being around such individuals made me feel relaxed and at ease.
I took a closer look at He Xue Ting. Among the group that had just arrived, he was the most striking because of his looks—handsome, to say the least. Although he couldn't compare to my ideal type, by normal standards, his appearance could definitely be described as "pleasing to the eye."
He appeared to be no more than thirty years old. At this age, being appointed as a Sima of a province certainly indicated that he was talented and accomplished. Nie Qiuyuan, though only twenty-two, had already reached the rank of Fourth Grade, but that was an exceptional case due to his connections.
As we enjoyed our drinks, someone quietly entered from behind and whispered a few words into He Xue Ting's ear. His expression suddenly changed; after hesitating for a moment, he stood up and apologized, saying, "Lord Nie, Master Ma, please forgive me for interrupting your enjoyment. There has been an unexpected incident at home, and I must return to check on it."
I was taken aback. No wonder I had sensed something off about him; there was always a hint of worry etched on his brow, which added an air of melancholy to his demeanor.
Ma Anyang asked, "Xue Ting, is it the Respected Lady's health again? However, today is Lord Nie's first visit..."
Nie Qiuyuan quickly rose and said, "He Sir, if the Respected Lady is unwell, you should return promptly and not delay her treatment. Is there a physician available?"
He Xue Ting bowed deeply in gratitude and replied, "Thank you for your concern. Please do not worry about me; I will be back shortly."
He then bowed to Magistrate Ma Anyang and Zhao Yi before turning swiftly and leaving in haste. I cast an admiring glance at his retreating figure, which earned me a glare from Nie Qiuyuan across the table.
We exchanged glances. It was strange; lately, it had become increasingly apparent that sometimes I could sense what he was thinking or what he wanted to do just by looking into his eyes. I wondered if he felt the same way about me.
I looked at him, sighing inwardly, "This Sir He must be deeply in love with his wife; otherwise, how could a young and accomplished official take the risk of offending his superiors to leave someone like you—who has just arrived in Suzhou and whose character is still unknown—to rush back to see his wife? Truly enviable."
However, from the look in Qiu's eyes, I read a different message: "How do you know I wouldn't do the same for you? If it were me, would I let you languish in bed while I envied others right under my husband's nose? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"
What fierce eyes! I couldn't help but shiver. But thinking back to the days when I was injured or ill, and how he had stayed awake to guard me, I realized that perhaps it was indeed true. There might be other devoted men in the world, but none could compare to my idol. With that thought, I felt a surge of happiness and threw him a playful kiss when he wasn't looking.
"Alas..." Magistrate Ma Anyang sighed deeply. "Please don't blame Lord Nie; Xue Ting has always been quite troubled. I apologize on his behalf."
It seemed that the officials in Suzhou had a truly harmonious relationship.
Nie Qiuyuan smiled and said, "Not at all; it is only right. I wonder what difficulties Sir He is facing; is there anything we can assist with?"
I perked up my ears. I knew Qiu was generally uninterested in gossip, so this question must have been aimed at satisfying my idle curiosity. He truly was a clever person.
"Lord Nie may not know," Ma continued, "but Xue Ting and his wife have always been affectionate. Who would have thought that his young wife would suddenly fall ill with madness? It has been several years now, and she shows no signs of recovery. Over these years, Xue Ting has remained steadfast by her side, which has become a well-known tale in Suzhou. In the past six months, although Lantian has been investigating the recent bloodshed in Suzhou, as Sima, Xue Ting is responsible for the Judicial Officer's affairs and has been overseeing everything from behind the scenes. He must be utterly exhausted by now."
Nie Qiuyuan sighed, "Truly admirable, Master Ma. Now that we have arrived in Suzhou, we can allow Sir He to attend to his family matters without overburdening himself."
Ma Anyang and Zhao Yi quickly stood up and said one after another, "Lord Nie is truly amiable and respectable; I toast to you! Let me drink this cup first!"
Everyone returned to their laughter and drinking.
Before long, after feasting and drinking to our fill, Master Ma personally led us to the prepared rooms for rest. Although I was merely a confidant servant, they thoughtfully arranged my room next to Nie Qiuyuan's. The room was comfortable and beautifully decorated, appearing quite upscale. When Nie Qiuyuan entered his own room, he didn't show much reaction at first but nodded in satisfaction after glancing at mine.
Now everyone in Suzhou had a better grasp of my lord's "preferences," treating me with the same courtesy as they would a nobleman.
"I kindly ask you all to move the entire Old Case File related to the serial case into my room later. You need not trouble yourselves to accompany me for dinner; just prepare a few simple dishes and send them to my room. We need to focus on reviewing the documents, so please remind everyone in the residence not to interrupt us."
Ma Anyang was momentarily taken aback, likely unaccustomed to this peculiar style, but he readily agreed and quickly took action, transporting several large boxes of Old Case Files into Nie Qiuyuan's room.
I rubbed my hands together, eager to begin. Noticing that the boxes were crowding the room a bit, I asked, "Should I read here, or would it be better to take a few volumes back to my room?"
Qiu's expression turned stern as she scolded, "When I'm by your side, there can only be one room. Wherever you prefer is where we will go; there’s no need for any distinction between yours and mine."
At that moment, I couldn't read any of the documents because my inappropriate words had "angered" my husband. He proceeded to give me a stormy "lesson" until I cried and begged for reflection. To soothe my pitiful state, he coaxed me, saying that in such a poetic place, how could we not engage in something poetic? But all I wanted to ask was how his earlier methods could possibly be considered poetic.
We pulled the boxes over to the bedside, lying on the couch together, leaning against each other as we read through the Old Case Files one by one. We continued this way until deep into the night, finally finishing all the boxes of documents.
After all, this case now involved seventeen victims. Viewing them together only intensified the sense of horror.
No wonder these cases were considered together; the similarities were too glaringly obvious. Even while reading the Old Case Files, one could faintly sense the murderer behind it all chuckling sinisterly.
"Zhenzhen," he said, "now we can return to discussing this case. What exactly is this person's motive for murder?"
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