Chapter 73

“In other words,” Chen Shu pressed, her gaze locked on Liu Mao, “how did you know the thief you wanted to catch intended to go rifling through corpses outside the city?”

Except for Chen Shu, the other three men were taken aback. Yan Ji glanced back at her, then swiftly recovered, picking up the thread: “— Indeed! Perhaps General Liu could explain that in detail to us?”

Only Li Chou remained dumbfounded for a long moment, staring back at Chen Shu. Their eyes met; she blinked, then broke into a wildly pleased grin. Only then did Li Chou jolt back to awareness. Flushing with a mixture of embarrassment and irritation, he sharply turned away. Hidden in the shadows, he vigorously scrubbed at his face with his sleeve, trying to erase those telltale smudged “claw marks.”

This silent interlude went unnoticed by Liu Mao. Among the three visitors, Linbo Prefecture likely seemed the most eminent, holding court influence. When Yan Ji spoke, Liu Mao turned his full attention to him, seeming to carefully gauge Yan Ji’s expression before replying, “If you three are adamant about getting to the bottom of this matter with me today, then so be it. However, the investigation truly remains incomplete. No matter how much you ask, you’ll only glean a fragmented piece of unreasoned conjecture from me. Without proper deduction of the facts, even if I shared my tentative suspicions, I doubt they would satisfy you?”

“So much talk missing the crucial point,” Li Chou interjected, resuming his aloof stance, his tone icy. “Is your intention to speak or not? If not, we three are perfectly capable of unearthing the truth ourselves. There’s no need for you to agonize over evasions here.”

“Indeed, I feel I have spoken with sufficient thoroughness,” Liu Mao sighed, conceding defeat. He began, his voice measured, “After the floodwaters receded, bodies were everywhere in the city—those drowned outright and those who perished later from lack of care. Leaving them unattended wasn’t only painful to witness, it risked pestilence. My subordinates—yamen runners, soldiers—carried the corpses out of the city for hasty burial. That day, as Right Supervisor Shen left in such a hurry, I privately exercised a measure of caution. I instructed the handling men to be observant. Unexpectedly, one soldier proved particularly sharp-eyed. In that mountain of putrid cadavers reeking of death, he noticed something distinctive…”

“Distinct?” Yan Ji couldn’t help interjecting. “What could be distinct there? Just corpse after corpse, surely? Unless you truly found a bandit who’d infiltrated the city? Or perhaps… something he was carrying?”

Liu Mao paused again, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on Yan Ji. For a fleeting instant, a venomous intent seemed to seep into his expression, threatening to dissolve that carefully constructed smile. The shift lasted merely a heartbeat. Amongst the visitors, only Chen Shu perceived that unnatural flicker. By the time one looked again, Liu Mao’s smile had deepened, become more composed, as though it had all been merely a trick of the light in that single moment.

“Neither,” Liu Mao said. “That deceased man, the yamen runners all recognized him, and not just one claimed to know him; several runners confirmed it one by one before arriving at that conclusion. As for what they found on the body…” Here his tone shifted unexpectedly, becoming unusually resolute. He rose with a smile, gesturing toward the soldiers at the door as he finished, “If the three heroes truly wish to investigate, Liu shall not hinder you. To the mass graves outside the city — please!” The refusal in his words was unequivocal.

An ordinary person hearing this would likely press further, but as soon as Liu Mao stood and beckoned, the soldiers at the doorway seized the moment and squeezed into the study.

In an instant, the cramped study was filled with overlapping figures, so dense that even the light seemed unable to penetrate.

Liu Mao’s sudden switch from deference to rudeness caught the three of them completely off guard. Though each possessed extraordinary skills, none had experience navigating officialdom.

Faced with soldiers smilingly ushering them out, even Yan Ji, thick-skinned as he was, felt it unseemly to argue further. Besides, he was just here for the spectacle; obtaining the so-called truth wasn’t crucial for him. As for Chen Shu, she was already pondering; Liu Mao’s hints had practically revealed what was found “on that person,” needing only confirmation. Doubting Liu Mao’s words would be pointless anyway, so she felt no urge to press endlessly.

Only Li Chou remained. He had just summoned his composure when Liu Mao’s dismissive wave shattered it, leaving him three-quarters deflated, his dignity wounded. Seeing the other two fall silent, he hesitated, unable to decide for a moment. It wasn’t until they left the study that the delayed reaction finally hit him.

Daylight was just breaking as they were politely escorted from the magistracy. This trip couldn’t be called fruitless, yet upon reflection, Liu Mao truly concealed and evaded, parceling out veiled hints over many words. Had Chen Shu not previously investigated Yingqiu City with Shen Jie, she would have been utterly baffled − let alone Yan Ji and Li Chou.

In all seriousness, the outcome was nearly identical to returning empty-handed.

The three stood wordless on the street for a good while before someone finally broke the silence.

“Was he just feeding us nonsense?” Yan Ji wondered suspiciously. “Spouting mysterious claims that are utterly fabricated, cooked up on the spot, hence the incoherence?”

“That makes sense,” Li Chou agreed. He paused, glancing at the faint dawn light on the horizon, clearly keen to retreat. “This matter… my rushed judgment led to this blunder…” His words suggested he was ready to shoulder the blame to put the matter to rest.

− And better allow him to return to the courtyard and properly tend to his face.

As soon as he’d left the yamen, Li Chou had found a chance to wipe the soot from his face. Though faint traces remained from his hasty attempt, he looked significantly better, planning to find a bronze mirror or even a Puddle back in the courtyard to tidy up carefully under the newly whitening sky.

His plan was sound, unfortunately, Chen Shu hadn’t absorbed a word. Frowning in thought, she suddenly cut him off:

“− Then let’s double back! While the sky’s still not fully light, let’s search thoroughly outside the city walls. With three people, it’ll be quick − we might actually uncover what he found earlier!”

“…Ah?” Li Chou blurted out.

“Makes sense!” Yan Ji, whose interest had waned, caught Chen Shu’s infectious enthusiasm; his love of excitement rekindled. “Exactly! We went through the motions with him − it was his own mouth that permitted us to search the mass graves—”

“Wait, wait!” Li Chou protested, startled. “How did you two settle this by yourselves?”

“Scared?” Chen Shu grinned. “Stay behind if you are! We two can manage!”

“It’s not fear,” Li Chou stated. Having wiped his face clean, his fair complexion radiated a certain confidence; even his deliberate inflections returned as he addressed Chen Shu. “Merely that sifting through corpses won’t yield anything. Besides, I searched those grounds days ago. If I couldn’t find it, what hope have you? That’s one point. Second, this stemmed from my mistaken assessment. It’s hardly a significant affair. Digging deeper might expose it as pure misunderstanding. Why bother?”

A sudden, incongruous laugh came from ahead. The dim dawn light spilled onto the uneven, footpath-trodden road, outlining Yan Ji’s profile with a soft glow. He turned, and the laugh echoed clearly down the empty street, startling Li Chou into silence.

“Out with it if you’re cowardly! Brother He always admitted it honestly!” Yan Ji said.

This truly hit the sore spot. Chen Shu giggled, exchanging a glance with Li Chou, watching his expression shift from composure to utter discomfiture. With his face now spotless, his flustered flush stood out even more starkly. Another laugh from Chen Shu, and Li Chou lost his last shred of poise.

“…Fine! What’s a trip to inspect bodies at the mass graves? I’ve searched there for days already − what’s another half-day?” Li Chou gritted out, biting the bullet and following the other two back to the desolate hillside.

At night, details were obscured. Now, under the rising sun, the golden light bathed corpse upon corpse, failing to dispel the grim aura. Instead, the clear illumination revealed unnervingly twisted limbs and expressions on the haphazardly buried bodies, making them seem animated by restless spirits. Returning outside the city, prodded relentlessly and spurred by challenge, Li Chou finally rolled up his sleeves. Muttering prayers, rubbing his hands anxiously, he approached the bodies with slow steps.

The three examined the remains for nearly three whole hours.

The saving grace was that many bodies weren’t covered deeply; others had been disturbed by searchers before them, leaving loose soil that made digging easier. Chen Shu knew what she sought, yet Shen Jie’s earlier caution prevented her from revealing everything to her companions. Therefore, she focused on finding bodies resembling convicts. Selecting one, she would pull back the clothing at the back or waist, searching for a familiar pattern.

Though unaware of the backstory, Yan Ji’s wits proved sharper than Li Chou, who was struggling against his instincts. Mimicking Chen Shu’s actions while digging, Yan Ji casually probed, asking if she had a lead.

Chen Shu, incapable of evasion, offered only truth: “Still searching!”

Her words barely faded when Yan Ji had no chance to inquire further − Li Chou’s voice erupted nearby, as though straining at his limit: “What exactly are we scouring these corpses for?! When I agreed, it was to investigate affairs − dealing with the living! Look! If curiosity genuinely gnaws at you, I’ll help! Let’s charge back to the magistracy right now, hold a blade against Liu Mao’s neck − I defy him not to talk!”

Yan Ji raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue with amusement. “Well said! Truly, a dog jumps the wall when cornered, a man charges the yam—”

“—Wait, the yamen!” Chen Shu exclaimed, suddenly realizing, her voice sharp with shock. “The yamen! He was indeed trying to wait by the stump for the hare! But with that man’s temperament, it’s impossible he’d truly hand over the clues he found. He must have made two plans. While setting up this decoy outside the city, the real corpse definitely wouldn’t be hidden out here—it’s far too insecure. The yamen… He spent all his time in the yamen!”

Li Chou froze, momentarily forgetting his fear. He slapped the corpse beside him and declared, “Right! That General Liu never used to act like this before… But this catastrophic deluge at Diancang Pass flooded the entire magistracy. Where else could he possibly hide a human corpse?”

Chen Shu gasped. After a brief moment of stupefaction, she fell strangely silent, her eyes wide open, as if wrestling with herself. Some thought seemed to churn in her mind, yet she remained unwilling to believe it.

That mound of earth piled up in the courtyard of the magistracy before Shen Jie left… it had been disturbed.