The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 37: She Didn’t Expect Her Cousin to Be So Thoughtful

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: She Didn’t Expect Her Cousin to Be So Thoughtful

As if to make sure the man was truly dead, the attacker stabbed him several more times.

Zhi Wan and the other girls were horrified by the scene, screaming endlessly.

The man glanced at the roomful of girls with a disdainful expression, coldly withdrew his dagger, and sauntered away.

THUD!

The man in front of them collapsed heavily to the floor, landing not far from Zhi Wan.

Blood gurgled from his mouth as he looked at Zhi Wan with unfocused eyes. "Help... help me..." His hand desperately reached forward and grabbed her shoe.

Zhi Wan’s eyes widened in terror. She was frozen in place, forgetting to react, and watched as the man’s head hit the floor and he breathed his last.

"Ah! Someone! It’s murder—"

The girls in the room let out terrified screams.

Lu Zhan and his companions had already heard the commotion and rushed over. As soon as they entered, they saw the girls, pale and trembling uncontrollably, and a man covered in blood lying on the floor.

"Brother! Brother!" Ouyang Zhenzhu, as if she’d found her anchor, dashed over and gripped Ouyang Lei’s hand tightly.

Lu Zhan, however, quickly glanced at Zhi Wan and saw that the young woman was ashen-faced and trembling violently.

He pressed his thin lips together and strode over.

Zhi Wan wanted to stand up and flee like Ouyang Zhenzhu, but her feet felt as if they were filled with lead, refusing to move.

She had never been so terrified in her life.

The man was dead, collapsed at her feet, still clutching her shoe. His unblinking eyes were turned in her direction, as if he were looking right at her.

She was so frightened that she didn’t dare to move a muscle, remaining frozen and rigid in her chair.

Just then, someone walked toward her.

"Don’t be afraid." The man’s voice wasn’t gentle; it was even a little cold.

But at that moment, it was like the most beautiful sound in the world to Zhi Wan.

She slowly raised her head. When she saw it was her cousin, her eyes inexplicably reddened, and tears began to stream down her face.

"It’s all right now," Lu Zhan soothed in a low voice. He knelt beside her, moved the dead man’s hand away, and then quickly examined the wounds. He said to Ouyang Lei at his side, "The deceased is a man of about forty. He has eight stab wounds, one of which is a fatal blow to the heart..."

Ouyang Lei quickly took out a brush and paper and began taking notes.

Chen Jiu brought a basin of hot water for Lu Zhan to wash his hands.

As Lu Zhan scrubbed his fingers, he ordered, "Chen Jiu, go to the Ministry of Justice at once. Tell them what happened here and have them send men over immediately."

"Yes, sir." After handing Lu Zhan a dry cloth, Chen Jiu turned and left.

"What exactly happened just now?" Duan Ling asked, seeing that the young women had calmed down a bit.

"I don’t know! This man suddenly burst through the door, and a moment later, someone else rushed in with a dagger and stabbed him several times before running off." Ouyang Zhenzhu’s face was still pale, but she wasn’t as frightened now.

"Did you get a clear look at the killer? What did he look like?" Duan Ling asked urgently.

"We were scared to death! How could we have paid any attention to what he looked like?" Ouyang Zhenzhu said in lingering fear, clutching her chest.

’When that person rushed in and stabbed the victim repeatedly, I nearly died of fright. I couldn’t focus on anything else. I did get a vague glimpse of the killer’s face, but I was too scared to look closely.’

"But he was incredibly brazen," Ouyang Zhenzhu added after a moment’s thought. "After killing the man, he didn’t show the slightest hint of fear or panic and just walked out slowly."

Duan Ling and Ouyang Lei’s brows furrowed. "To be so audacious right under the Emperor’s nose!" Duan Ling said angrily. "He has no regard for the law whatsoever!"

After wiping his hands clean with the cloth, Lu Zhan turned and saw Zhi Wan’s lips move as if she wanted to say something. He asked, "Cousin, do you know something?"

Zhi Wan wiped the tears from her face and said in a small voice, "I... I saw what he looked like."

Hearing this, both Duan Ling and Ouyang Lei looked at her excitedly. "Cousin, you remember it clearly?"

Zhi Wan recalled the killer’s contemptuous glance as he left. A wave of fear washed over her, but she paled and nodded. "Yes."

Lu Zhan paused, then said to Ouyang Lei and Duan Ling, "I’ll leave this to you. The girls are terrified. I’m taking them next door to recover."

The two had no objection.

"Put the veiled hat on the Miss and support her. Follow me next door," Lu Zhan instructed Dongxiang, who was standing nearby.

Even someone as steady as Dongxiang had been terrified by the scene.

Hearing the Princely Heir’s command, she snapped out of her daze and nodded immediately.

Zhi Wan’s shoe was stained with the man’s blood. She was utterly repulsed and wanted to take it off immediately, but with so many people around, she could only suppress the urge.

In the room next door, Ouyang Zhenzhu sat close to Zhi Wan. When she touched Zhi Wan’s hand, she found it was ice-cold and cried out, "Your hands, why are they so cold?" She then took Zhi Wan’s hands and began rubbing them.

Lu Zhan glanced at the young woman’s still-pale face, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it to her. "Drink some. It will warm you up."

"Thank you, Cousin." Zhi Wan took it and drank a couple of sips.

The hot tea slid into her stomach, bringing a bit of warmth to her chilled body.

"Dongxiang, go buy a new pair of shoes for the Miss," Lu Zhan ordered, turning his head.

"Yes." Dongxiang acknowledged the order and hurried off.

Zhi Wan looked at Lu Zhan gratefully.

’I didn’t expect Cousin to be so thoughtful.’

Lu Zhan stayed in the room for a short while. Seeing that she was doing a little better, he said, "Rest here a bit longer. Take your time thinking about the killer." With that, he left.

Zhi Wan clutched the cup tightly, watching his tall figure depart. The last vestiges of fear in her heart seemed to dissipate as well.

With no men in the room, Zhi Wan quickly kicked off her shoes, took off her socks as well, and threw them away.

Ouyang Zhenzhu saw the bloody shoes and was also a little frightened. She used the tip of her own shoe to kick them further away, muttering, "We’re so unlucky today, running into something like this. Of all the private rooms, why did he have to barge into ours?"

Zhi Wan squeezed her hand. "Thankfully, Cousin and the others were right next door."

"You’re right. I was so scared I nearly jumped out of my skin." Ouyang Zhenzhu patted her chest, still shaken. Then, she added curiously, "Who on earth was that killer? Daring to commit murder in broad daylight."

Zhi Wan shook her head.

"Did you really get a clear look at his face?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked.

Zhi Wan nodded. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Zhenzhu, can you help me find some paper and a brush?"

"What for?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked, but she didn’t delay and immediately went to get them for her.

Zhi Wan took them and spread the paper flat on the table.

Since she wasn’t wearing shoes and it was improper to put her bare feet on the floor, she simply squatted on the chair. She picked up the brush, concentrated for a moment, and then began to sketch the killer’s appearance.

Before long, Lu Zhan pushed the door open and came in.

Hearing the door, Zhi Wan quickly tucked her feet under her skirt.

Although she was quick, Lu Zhan still saw it.

He paused, stopping in his tracks. Seeing the brush in her hand, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"I’m sketching the killer’s likeness," Zhi Wan explained. She put down the brush and handed the drawing to Ouyang Zhenzhu.

Ouyang Zhenzhu took it, walked over to Lu Zhan, and gave him the drawing.

As Lu Zhan took the drawing, he gave Zhi Wan a surprised look. "You can draw?"

Zhi Wan nodded. "My father taught me when I was young."

Hearing this, Lu Zhan didn’t ask any more questions. He only said, "There’s nothing more to do here. I’ll take you home in a little while."

Zhi Wan noticed he said "I" and not "I’ll have someone...", and was taken aback for a moment. "Alright."