Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 93 - 92: Yunyin Pavilion

This scene really caught everyone by surprise.

The governmental officials from Jingzhao Mansion hurriedly rushed towards the embroidery tower, while others gathered at the outer corridor, looking down.

Although this embroidery tower had only two stories, it was much higher than the average building. Looking down, one could see Xu Shan and Little Tao’er, the brother and sister, lying motionless on the stone ground of the courtyard, with blood slowly seeping out beneath them.

Zhu Yu looked at the posture of the two fallen on the ground and could only shake her head and sigh.

Logically, falling from this height wouldn’t necessarily be fatal, but whether due to their deep martial skills or poor luck, the siblings landed headfirst, not only breaking their heads and bleeding but also breaking their necks. No matter what, they couldn’t survive; as soon as they landed, they were dead and couldn’t be deader.

This matter was indeed rather odd.

Just now, Zhu Yu already had several questions in her heart, but Lu Qing was beside her giving a look of watching-the-drama-without-speaking, so she wisely kept her mouth shut.

Now that Xu Shan and Little Tao’er jumped down from the building, it somewhat proved her secret suspicion from before.

But this made her confusion not only unresolved but even deeper.

The governmental officials ran downstairs, after a careful examination, raised their heads and shouted towards the Capital Governor upstairs: "Sir, these two people have fallen to their deaths, not leaving even a single breath!"

The Capital Governor let out a breath, not knowing whether he was helpless or secretly relieved.

"Forget it! Wrap their bodies in straw mats and throw them to the mass grave outside the city!" he waved to the officials, then withdrew his head, the day’s events were too distressing, at least now it’s over, and he didn’t want to look any further.

Zhuang Zhi didn’t expect Xu Shan and Little Tao’er to act like this, and seemed stunned for a while. He didn’t regain his senses until Cao Tianbao was about to leave with Duke Yan, and only then did he suddenly realize, hurriedly stumbling forward to kneel before Cao Tianbao.

"You rascal, what are you up to?!" Cao Tianbao’s patience was almost exhausted. These endless twists and unexpected events had consumed his already scarce patience. Seeing Zhuang Zhi rush forward again to kneel, he was immediately a bit enraged, grabbing Cao Chenfeng and pushing him towards Zhuang Zhi, "From now on, Cao Chenfeng is no longer part of the Cao Family; handle him however you wish to satisfy your anger!"

"From now on, Cao Chenfeng’s life and death have nothing to do with me, Cao Tianbao!"

Cao Chenfeng was caught off guard and pushed by his uncle, almost falling onto Zhuang Zhi, he hurriedly scrambled up, lying on the ground, not daring to plead a single word.

From childhood to adulthood, although his uncle was extremely strict regarding martial arts, he never said a harsh word otherwise, nor was he ever rough.

The force of that pull and throw just now made Cao Chenfeng’s heart pound, and the words spoken by his uncle chilled him to the core. He feared saying a single more word would further anger his uncle, leading him to be lifted and thrown down the stairs, to be crushed to death, joining Zhuang Lanlan as a pair of ill-fate lovers.

"Great General, Zhuang is at fault!" Zhuang Zhi was knocked to the ground by Cao Chenfeng, hurriedly knelt back down and changed his tone, "Zhuang was deceived by a home servant, and almost wrongly blamed Cao Chenfeng for my daughter’s death, and was thinking of shielding among officials, today infiltrated the gift-giving crew and disrupted the General’s birthday.

The secret interactions between my daughter and Cao Chenfeng were also my lack of strict teaching; it cannot solely be blamed on Mr. Cao.

I initially wanted to demand justice because I assumed he was the murderer of my daughter, wishing to seek justice for her.

Now that the real culprit is found, it was my wrongful accusation against Mr. Cao, and those previous actions are my compounded mistakes!

Zhuang once said, if wrongly accused Mr. Cao and General Cao, I will bring all my family and servants and kowtow outside the Great General’s door for three days and nights!

Though Zhuang is merely a merchant, I know to be a man of my word, tomorrow I will fulfill my promise, and afterwards if Great General is still unforgiving, Zhuang is willing to accept punishment!"

Cao Tianbao impatiently waved his hand: "Enough! Today’s matters end here! You go and bury your daughter, regarding Cao Chenfeng, I will ask his parents to give your Zhuang Family an explanation.

The matter of kowtowing to apologize stops here, and henceforth you shall not appear before me again!"

Having said this, he ignored everyone else, not even Duke Yan, bypassed Zhuang Zhi and Cao Chenfeng, and stormed downstairs by himself and left.

When Zhu Yu followed Lu Qing downstairs, the bodies of Xu Shan and Little Tao’er had already been wrapped and taken away by the governmental officials from Jingzhao Mansion, leaving only a pool of bloodstains in the courtyard.

When the group set sail to return, crossing the center of the river, Zhu Yu stood at the stern, gazing at the embroidery tower. In the already dimming twilight, without the lights, the embroidery tower resembled a tall standing ghostly silhouette, forlorn, gradually engulfed by the shadows of the trees behind as the boat sailed further, becoming indistinct.

Upon docking back at the shore, Fu Lu and the carriage were still waiting there. Upon seeing Zhu Yu and Lu Qing disembark, Fu Lu, fearing they might be weak and suffer losses before Duke Yan, dashed to welcome them, and rushed to get both of them onto the carriage.

"Sir, are we still going to General Cao’s Mansion?" Fu Lu asked Lu Qing inside the carriage, tilting his head.

"No," Lu Qing lazily stretched inside the carriage, "after such a commotion earlier today, the guests have long dispersed, Cao Tianbao likely has no mind to host a banquet.

If we go there now, it would seem like Prince Xiaoyao Mansion is out of food."

"Then... shall we go back now?" Fu Lu asked again.

"What’s there to go back for? Today the cooks at home, knowing I was out to attend a banquet, certainly wouldn’t have prepared any meal for us." Lu Qing replied naturally.

Zhu Yu looked at him speechlessly.

So after all this, Prince Xiaoyao Mansion really is out of food...

"Sir, what’s the plan now?" Clearly, Fu Lu was somewhat baffled by his words as well.

"At this hour, tired and hungry, naturally we go to Yunyin Pavilion." Lu Qing responded.

"Oh..." Fu Lu reflexively replied, after a pause, "ah...? Sir, did you say... where...?"

Lu Qing lifted the front curtain with his fan, frowned at Fu Lu, "What? Are you so old now you can’t hear me clearly?

If so, we’ll just arrange for you and your elder brother to retire back home!"

"Come on, sir! You must be joking!" Fu Lu quickly replied with a grin, "We brothers are in our prime, and besides, you were the one who rescued us since childhood, we have nowhere to retire to!"

"Then stop the nonsense and drive properly." Lu Qing wasn’t truly angry with Fu Lu but bantered with him for a couple of sentences, then dropped the curtain, tucked his fan into his chest, and rested his eyes.

Fu Lu ceased speaking further, driving the carriage towards Yunyin Pavilion, while inwardly feeling a bit aggrieved.

Is it his fault? Who would take their wife there for no reason?!