Chapter Eighty-Four: Grave Digging

"Did these two cases both have their bodies examined by Senior Zhongsun himself at the time?" Wen Jing asked on.

Zhongsun Yan nodded and let out a sigh. "If I were to say those two cases were not done by the same person, even I would not believe it. The method of killing was simply too similar."

Seeing his hesitant manner, Wen Jing could not help growing anxious. "Please, Senior Zhongsun, tell me in detail about the distinguishing features of those two bodies."

"Both were young girls, and both were daughters of wealthy families. The first was the eldest Miss of the Shen family, Shen Ying; the second was the fourth daughter of the Liang family, Liang Shuxuan, the family of Inspector Liang. Both heads were severed beneath the jaw, and both bodies bore many wounds. And..." As he spoke, Zhongsun Yan stopped again, his brows knotted tightly, as though he did not know how to continue.

Seeing the faint flush on his face, Wen Jing guessed, "And both were violated by the murderer, were they not?"

"No. They were not defiled. The murderer merely... sewed up their lower bodies with needle and thread. Such utterly demented conduct—this old man truly cannot understand what sort of mind the killer had." Zhongsun Yan said, somewhat indignant.

"The murderer should have had some kind of mental illness or a physical defect," Wen Jing analyzed. It must have been some kind of perverse killer.

Zhongsun Yan nodded, looking at the floor. "Back then they caught the murderer of Liang Shuxuan, but not long after, he died. No one knew whether Shen Ying had been killed by him as well."

Looking at Zhongsun Yan, Wen Jing said word by word, "Senior Zhongsun, do you truly believe that man was the murderer?"

Zhongsun Yan was startled. He lifted his head and looked into Wen Jing's dark eyes, then after a pause said, "That does not fall within this old man's duties."

That was enough. Wen Jing understood and did not press him further. She thanked him and left.

Watching that slender yet unyielding figure, Zhongsun Yan could not help but feel a strange stir in his heart. He always felt that this seemingly ordinary young lady might one day accomplish things beyond measure. The younger generation was formidable indeed. It seemed he could now rest easy and enjoy his old age.

...

When Wen Jing returned to the Wen residence, she found several luxurious carriages parked at the gate, all marked with the Chu family crest.

The Chu family? Could it be her original body's maternal family, the Chus?

"This is the carriage of the master of the Chu house," Steward Zhou Quan said.

Wen Jing nodded and went inside, thinking that the Chu family had supposedly not visited for a long time. Why had they suddenly come today?

"If I do not permit it, what then?"

Wen Jing looked more closely. A middle-aged man of imposing bearing was regarding the Wen family patriarch with a faint, almost mocking smile. The two seemed to be arguing over something.

"This concerns the descendants of our Wen family. Family elder-in-law, are you not being far too aggressive?" the Wen patriarch said, his expression slightly displeased.

Master Chu gave a cold snort. "For so many years everything was fine, and now all of a sudden you say my younger sister's grave has a problem. If there is a problem, why lay the blame on the Chu family?"

"Seventh Young Lady greets Uncle," Wen Jing said as she stepped forward.

Master Chu turned his head in surprise to look at the young woman before him, and for a moment he even forgot to speak. After a long pause, he said, "So much like her."

Wen Jing had little impression of this Master Chu. Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at Madam Wen and seemed to understand why Master Chu had come so abruptly.

"Did Uncle come today because of the matter of moving Mother's grave?" Wen Jing asked.

Master Chu looked slightly embarrassed. He had come under the pretext of the grave relocation to make things difficult for the Wen family. Ever since his most beloved younger sister died, he had greatly disliked that brother-in-law in name only. Yet he had never found an opportunity. Wen Qiran's conduct in life and in office gave him no fault to seize upon, and he was not a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his ends. But when he learned that Chu Zhuolian's grave was to be moved, the anger he had long suppressed surged up at once, and he came to the Wen residence without another word.

"They say poor men do not change their doorways, rich men do not move their graves. Relocating a grave is no small matter. If, after moving it, misfortune still follows, must it then be moved again?" Master Chu said with displeasure.

The Wen patriarch immediately bristled at that. "This was decided only after this old man consulted a feng shui master. Otherwise, why would we move the grave so casually? We naturally understand the consequences."

In other words: there is no need for an outsider like you to meddle.

"There are so many swindlers in these times. Can their words be trusted?" Master Chu said with a cold snort.

Seeing the Wen patriarch's beard practically stand on end, Wen Qiran quickly said, "Let us not argue. Why not have me invite another feng shui master tomorrow to take a look and then make a decision? It is getting late; let us all have supper first."

The Wen patriarch and Master Chu both snorted, then each walked off separately, neither paying the other any mind.

Wen Qiran glanced at Madam Wen, and Madam Wen lowered her eyelids.

Throughout the supper, Master Chu and the Wen patriarch kept stiff faces, neither of them touching their chopsticks much. The others scarcely dared breathe, eating in fearful silence.

Looking at Wen Jing, whose features were eight parts similar to Chu Zhuolian's, Master Chu's eyes flickered with a trace of warmth. This was his sister's own daughter; she was different from the others. If his sister were still alive and saw her daughter grown so large, how comforted she would be.

"Seventh Young Lady, come with your uncle," Master Chu said with a smile, his eyes full of kindness.

"Yes, Uncle." Wen Jing happened to want to speak with him as well.

Madam Wen cast them an offhand glance, a flash of displeasure crossing her eyes. Had she done something foolish again?

About half an hour later, Wen Jing and Master Chu emerged one after the other, speaking and laughing as though they were family. Madam Wen's phoenix eyes darkened, and unease rose in her heart.

"Patriarch Wen, I was somewhat rude earlier. I hope you will not take it to heart," Master Chu suddenly said to the patriarch.

The Wen patriarch looked at him in surprise. Just moments before, the man had looked ready to devour the entire Wen family, and yet in the space of half an hour he had changed his attitude. Could Wen Jing have persuaded him? Since he had shown goodwill, the patriarch naturally could not be petty, and he smiled in return. "Master-in-law Chu speaks too gravely. This old man also spoke too harshly earlier, and I hope you will not mind."

Master Chu then turned abruptly to Wen Qiran and said, "As for the grave relocation, brother-in-law, you decide as you see fit. I shall not interfere any further."

Wen Qiran had never expected Master Chu's attitude to change so completely. He shot Wen Jing a grateful look. They had talked the entire day until their lips were nearly worn raw, yet they had still not managed to change Master Chu's mind. Wen Jing had only spoken for half an hour, and the stubborn Master Chu had been persuaded. What method had she used?

"Then tomorrow I shall invite people to move the grave. Let us settle this matter early so that I may return with something to report," the Wen patriarch said.

Wen Qiran nodded. The matter was thus brought to a temporary close.

Wen Jing glanced at Madam Wen and saw that she remained motionless, as though she had heard nothing at all. She thought to herself that this steadiness was beyond that of any ordinary woman. At a time like this, she could still remain so composed. I want to see how long you can keep this up.

"I shall take my leave now. Farewell." Master Chu addressed Wen Qiran.

Having long grown used to Master Chu's attitude toward him, Wen Qiran had always felt that he owed the Chu family. Since Master Chu had already changed his mind, this was more than he had expected, so he did not resent the man's manner and still respectfully escorted him to the gate.

"Seventh Young Lady, what did you say to him just now?" Wen Qiran asked Wen Jing.

"The daughter merely told Uncle that if Mother's burial site was in an inauspicious place, Mother's spirit could not rest in peace either. Uncle pities Mother, so he agreed. He also gave Seventh Young Lady a small welcome gift," Wen Jing replied.

"Then keep it carefully," Wen Qiran said. He cared only that Master Chu had truly changed his mind; he was not interested in what gift had been given.

Looking at Wen Jing's serene and indifferent smile, Madam Wen found that she understood her less and less. The old Seventh Young Lady Wen rarely smiled and was gloomy most of the time. Madam Wen had liked that kind of girl: a little clever, yet easy to read, her thoughts plain on her face. But this Seventh Young Lady Wen, whose smile was always bright and radiant no matter the hour, filled her with a vague sense of threat and fear. She could not tell what lay hidden behind that smile.

Late at night, in the eerily silent burial grounds, the stillness was suddenly broken by faint rustling sounds.

"Move faster," said a woman's voice.

"We're already going as fast as we can. Any faster and we'll make too much noise. If someone finds us, we'll be in serious trouble," a man muttered. He did not forget to glance around to see whether anyone was nearby.

The others said nothing more and focused on their work. They all wanted to finish quickly and return at once. After all, this was a burial ground; who knew what might emerge at any moment...

A blaze of fire suddenly closed in around them, so bright it stung their eyes shut. Their hearts sank. This was the end!

"You daring scoundrels, how dare you commit such a wicked deed! Are you not afraid of leaving no descendants?" Master Chu roared as he burst out holding a torch.

The group was terrified senseless. They turned to stare at the veiled woman, thinking she must be in league with those who had come to catch them. What misfortune had they provoked to deserve this?

"Go and remove her veil. I want to see who dares to tamper with my sister's grave!" Master Chu was furious. He had not believed Wen Jing at first, but now it seemed this trip had been well worth it. Someone had indeed been acting suspiciously, practically writing guilt across their own face by standing up all by themselves.

A servant stepped forward and pulled off the woman's veil. A familiar face appeared before everyone's eyes. It was Wen Third Young Lady.

Wen Jing looked in astonishment at Wen Third Young Lady's ashen face. No matter what, she could not connect Wen Third Young Lady with the scene before her.

"Bind her and take her back to the Wen family," Master Chu ordered angrily. For a young lady to commit such a brazenly rebellious act only made him angrier.

Wen Third Young Lady stood motionless, allowing the two servants to tie her up until she looked like a dumpling.

"Why did you do this?" Wen Jing asked in disbelief. Could the one who had harmed her mother all those years ago have been Wen Third Young Lady? But that was impossible. At the time, Wen Third Young Lady had only been about ten years old. How could she have poisoned and killed anyone? She must have been acting under someone else's orders.

Wen Third Young Lady seemed not to hear a word, remaining silent throughout.