Chapter 14: A Fatal Case

Brother-in-law? Xiao Rui’s eyes widened.

So you’ve finally become someone’s little… brother-in-law…

“Young Marquis, what do you mean by that?”

Xiao Rui stared at Zhang Lianchuan, with a glare that seemed to say if you don’t explain yourself and clear my name, I’ll kill you with my eyes.

Zhang Lianchuan said fawningly, “Brother-in-law, I already know about you and my second sister. My second sister has said she agrees to the marriage.”

Damn, Xiao Rui was confused. They had only met once, hadn’t even held hands, and she already agreed to the marriage? Where did that come from? Was the Zhang family so desperate to marry off their daughter?

“Seventh Brother, so you’ve already won over the Zhang family’s Second Young Lady, and you kept it hidden all along.” Xiao Yan grinned. “I look down on you for that.”

“Seventh Highness is first-rate at winning over girls. I must seek your advice in the future.” Tian Boguang winked, truly living up to his name.

Xiao Rui slapped his forehead and said to Zhang Lianchuan righteously, “Young Marquis, nothing has been settled yet. Don’t call me that randomly. I have nothing going on. Don’t ruin your sister’s reputation.”

“Alright, brother-in-law.” Zhang Lianchuan said obediently.

Xiao Rui didn’t want to pay him any more attention.

Actually, this wasn’t Zhang Lianchuan’s fault.

When Zhang Jinfu asked Zhang Ruoxi about her impression of Xiao Rui, Zhang Ruoxi said, “I don’t dislike him.” When Zhang Ruoxi’s mother asked Zhang Jinfu about it, according to Zhang Jinfu’s thinking, that meant “she likes him.” And when Zhang Lianchuan asked his mother, according to her thinking, that meant “she agrees to the marriage!”

Don’t dislike — Like — Agree to the marriage.

Mom, you no longer have to worry about my marriage prospects.

Mom, I’m no longer afraid of being single. It turns out anyone who doesn’t dislike me is willing to marry me.

The group left the city and headed for the western outskirts hunting grounds. That was the imperial hunting grounds, where commoners were forbidden to hunt, so they wouldn’t be disturbed.

It was currently spring, the season for animals to make… friends. The animals were very active, making hunting convenient.

“Seventh Brother, let’s have a competition! The four of us hunt together. Whoever is slower with their arrows, whoever shoots fewer prey, loses. The loser treats everyone to dinner at Cuiyun Tower tonight.” Xiao Yan suggested.

Xiao Rui looked at Zhang Lianchuan and Tian Boguang and asked, “What do you two think?”

“I have no problem with that.” Tian Boguang said with full confidence.

“Brother-in-law, don’t worry. I’ll definitely help you. The two of us will win for sure.” Zhang Lianchuan said.

Xiao Rui quickly turned his head away, not wanting to pay him any attention.

“Since everyone agrees, let’s begin!” At Xiao Yan’s command, the four of them spurred their horses and galloped off at the same time.

The western outskirts hunting grounds consisted mainly of fields and hills, with green grass everywhere and dense woods. Wild rabbits, deer, wolves, and even tigers were released here every year.

Every autumn, Emperor Xia held a grand hunting event. Imperial Princes who had established their own households considered it an honor to hunt fierce beasts and would receive generous rewards from Emperor Xia.

Although the Great Xia Kingdom was located on plains, its warrior spirit had always endured.

The four of them rode deep into the hunting grounds. Along the way, they spotted traces of rabbits and jackals, and they eagerly nocked their arrows and shot.

True to their military family backgrounds, Zhang Lianchuan and Tian Boguang, using two-stone bows, always managed to shoot prey before Xiao Yan and Xiao Rui.

Half an hour later, the horses ridden by the guards behind Zhang Lianchuan and Tian Boguang were tied with quite a few pieces of game, while Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan had nothing.

“Seventh Brother, looks like we’re definitely going to lose. I’m younger, so you should let me win. That means you’re definitely treating dinner tonight.” Xiao Yan said with a smile.

Before Xiao Rui could object, Zhang Lianchuan said proudly, “I’ll give half of my game to my brother-in-law. So, Ninth Highness, you’re the one who lost.”

Xiao Rui suddenly found Zhang Lianchuan quite agreeable.

Xiao Yan glared angrily at Zhang Lianchuan and shouted, “Zhang Lianchuan, how could you disregard our ten years of friendship?”

“My brother-in-law is more important than friendship.” Zhang Lianchuan snorted.

Xiao Yan looked at Tian Boguang and said pitifully, “Boguang, what about you?”

“You’re buying dinner.” Tian Boguang noticed Xiao Rui and Zhang Lianchuan looking at him, their eyes full of threat, and immediately switched sides.

Xiao Yan just rolled his eyes. Suddenly, he saw something and immediately shouted, “Look, a big beast!”

Xiao Rui and the other two looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, a tiger flashed through the woods.

The four of them exchanged a glance and immediately charged into the woods.

The guards following behind, knowing how ferocious a big beast could be, also drew their crossbows and weapons, closely protecting the four.

The four chased the big beast deep into the woods. Not daring to get too close, they shot their arrows at it. The beast was agile, but it couldn’t withstand multiple arrows being shot at once. In moments, it was struck by several arrows.

The tiger, enraged, charged wildly and closed the distance rapidly.

“Your Highnesses, be careful!” The five guards were experts from the Imperial Guards. They immediately drew their broadswords and stepped forward, surrounding the tiger.

Whoosh, whoosh…

Xiao Rui and the other three shot their arrows again. Finally, Zhang Lianchuan shot an arrow into the tiger’s mouth, piercing through its head, securing the final kill!

“Haha, we killed a big beast! Someone, find a cart to transport it back to the Capital City.” Xiao Yan was even more excited than Zhang Lianchuan.

Observing the tiger up close, though dead, they could still feel the ferocity of the king of the forest.

Xiao Rui looked around and said, “Stay on guard. Be careful there might be more big beasts!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The five guards spread out to search, avoiding a sudden ambush by a hidden big beast, as these woods were still quite dense.

Xiao Yan pried open the tiger’s mouth and said, “Look, the fangs! So sharp and long. I’m going to pry them out and make a pendant.”

“It’s a shame the tiger skin is pierced by arrows and isn’t intact anymore. Otherwise, it could have been gifted to His Majesty. Didn’t His Majesty say a few days ago he wanted to replace the tiger skin in his study?” Zhang Lianchuan lamented, then made a sudden turn: “We’ll skin the tiger and make a cloak, give it to my brother-in-law.”

Xiao Rui found Zhang Lianchuan even more agreeable.

“I want the tiger’s penis!” Tian Boguang said.

“Huh?”

The other three stared at him.

“I’m giving it to someone. I’m not eating it.” Tian Boguang said, annoyed by their stares.

Only then did the three withdraw their gazes.

“I wonder what it tastes like?” Tian Boguang stroked his chin and added another sentence.

Xiao Rui was just about to suggest whether they should have a little barbecue tonight when one of the guards who was searching the area suddenly ran back, his expression grave.

“Your Highness, Young Marquis, we found corpses ahead!” the guard said solemnly.

The four were startled. Xiao Rui asked, “Corpses? Killed by the tiger? How many? Can you tell their identities?”

The guard replied, “This subordinate made a general inspection. There are about five corpses: a baby boy, a young woman, a young man, and an elderly couple. They wear silk and brocade, not like ordinary people. Although they were gnawed by the tiger, the cause of death wasn’t being bitten by the tiger. They were likely dumped here recently.”

The four looked at each other, also frightened.

“Take me there!” Xiao Rui said.

The group arrived at the scene of the corpses. They found them hidden in a pit among some bushes. If they hadn’t been searching, they would never have discovered them. Given more time, the corpses would have been completely eaten by wild beasts.

The corpses were in a tragic state, further gnawed by the tiger, making it look more like a slaughterhouse.

Xiao Yan couldn’t hold back and vomited.

Xiao Rui suppressed his own urge to retch, moved closer, and had the guards check the corpses. They found nothing to prove their identities. The cause of death was likely strangulation while still alive.

“Seventh Brother, what should we do?” Xiao Yan, after all, was young. Facing something like this for the first time, he was completely at a loss.

Xiao Rui said, “Report it to the authorities. Although this is within Shangyuan County’s jurisdiction, the County Magistrate of Shangyuan probably can’t handle it since it happened in the imperial hunting grounds. Report it to Yingtian Prefecture. The Prefect is responsible for all murder cases within the Capital City’s jurisdiction. If he can’t solve it, reporting it to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review will be his responsibility.”

One guard immediately rode his horse quickly into the city to handle the case.

Soon, the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture and a large number of yamen personnel arrived.