MCSCPM -Chapter 283 Mysterious Death

“Mm, I understand.”

Yin Qingyue smiled quietly and glanced outside. It was already noon, and it seemed the new county magistrate would arrive soon.

On the other side, Prince Jing had also arranged everything and was preparing to return to the capital.

As noon approached, the new magistrate still had not arrived. Chu Jingcheng felt uneasy and called over a guard. “Why hasn’t the new magistrate arrived yet?”

The guard replied, “Prince Jing, I have already sent people to fetch him. He should be on the way. Please wait a little longer.”

“Mm, but time is of the essence. Send more people. The faster, the better.”

“Yes, Prince Jing. I will go immediately.” The guard hurried out.

Chu Jingcheng had to wait for the magistrate to arrive before he could leave. There were still matters to hand over. But now, with no news, he began to feel tense.

Soon, a guard rushed in, trembling, and said, “Prince Jing, it’s bad! A body was found on the outskirts of the county. We don’t know if it’s the magistrate.”

“What?” Chu Jingcheng suddenly stood up, frowning. “Go, I’ll see for myself.”

He quickly mounted his horse and rode to the county outskirts. If it was truly the magistrate, that would be serious.

When he arrived, the body was covered with a white cloth. The guard lifted it, and Chu Jingcheng dismounted. Sure enough, it was the newly appointed county magistrate.

“How could this happen?” Chu Jingcheng asked, puzzled.

The guards nearby were terrified. “We don’t know either, Prince Jing. We just found the body here and rushed back to report it.”

The situation was strange. Chu Jingcheng’s expression hardened—he looked as if he could crush an ant with a frown.

He crouched to examine the magistrate. Being killed out of nowhere could not be simple.

The magistrate’s face was pale, yet his expression was calm. Chu Jingcheng reached out and turned his head to the side. He was shocked to see a deep ligature mark on the neck.

It was murder.

At that moment, Yin Qingyue arrived on horseback. Upon hearing the news, she had rushed over immediately.

As she dismounted, Chu Jingcheng blocked her. “Why are you here? You don’t need to be involved. Leave at once.”

“There’s such a big matter, how can I leave?” she asked.

“You’re a woman. How can you interfere with this? I command you to leave immediately,” Chu Jingcheng said, using his status as Prince Jing to suppress her.

But Yin Qingyue had come—how could she just leave? She said firmly, “This is a matter of life. Perhaps I can help.”

“I said you don’t need to be here. It’s just a dead man. What’s there to see?”

“I’ve faced worse. A dead man doesn’t scare me. Perhaps I can help find the murderer quickly.”

Ignoring Chu Jingcheng, Yin Qingyue pushed past him and knelt beside the body to examine it.

She immediately noticed the mark on the neck—definitely a murder.

But then she observed the magistrate’s eyes and found something strange. Even though he had been killed, his expression was unusually calm.

As a doctor, she had studied a bit of psychology. Normally, a calm expression at death indicates the victim knew the killer and had trust in them, being killed without any defensive reaction.

Yin Qingyue said, “Look at his eyes. He’s calm. This suggests he wasn’t killed by a stranger, but by someone he knew and trusted, someone he never expected would harm him.”

Everyone started examining the victim’s eyes and realized she was right.

Chu Jingcheng pulled her up. “Enough. This matter doesn’t concern you. Leave it to me.”

“Since I came, how can I just leave it?” she said firmly.

Yin Qingyue was strong-willed, and Chu Jingcheng usually could not override her, but he also did not want her involved. In this conflict, he decided to focus on the body first.

The body was carried back to the county city. The matter needed a thorough investigation.

Yin Qingyue kept thinking about the magistrate’s eyes. After some thought, she said to Chu Jingcheng, “This isn’t simple. It’s definitely not a robbery—it’s a calculated murder.”

Chu Jingcheng nodded, his tone steady. “Who would do this? Why kill him? Isn’t it strange?”

“It is strange. The killer had a purpose. If killing him serves a goal, what could that be?”

Both were deep in thought. The eyes and ligature mark alone revealed little, but one thing was certain: the killer acted with intent.

As night fell, people in the county panicked. The new magistrate was dead, and no one dared to go outside.

Chu Jingcheng and Yin Qingyue stayed behind to plan their next steps.

Chu Jingcheng asked, “Are you afraid?”

“Afraid? If I were, I wouldn’t have gone to the county outskirts today.”

“I wish you were scared a little. You’re so capable, even I can’t cover for you sometimes.”

In truth, Chu Jingcheng was worried.

Yin Qingyue sighed. “Looks like we can’t return to the capital for now.”

“Yes. We must stay and uncover the truth. Tomorrow, I’ll send someone to inform my father about this matter.”

“Yes, we have no choice.”

Yin Qingyue returned to her room. Cailian was terrified—someone had died, and the killer’s identity was unknown. There might be more murders, and her hands trembled.

“Miss, do you think the killer is already in the county?” Cailian asked shakily.

“Don’t worry. The magistrate’s residence has guards. Nothing will happen. Be calm,” Yin Qingyue reassured her.

“Before, many were persecuted by Lord Kong, but never like this—no one knew the killer.”

“No matter who it is, we may not find them. Perhaps the killer has already escaped and won’t return to the county.”

“Hopefully,” Cailian said, still shivering.

Yin Qingyue let her rest and sat alone, thinking about the matter, but could not find any connection.

The next day, Chu Jingcheng wrote a letter. With the magistrate dead, he had to stay behind and report the situation to his father.

He handed the letter to his elite guards. “Make sure it reaches the palace quickly. Do not delay.”

“Yes, Prince Jing.”

The guard rode swiftly toward the capital. But when passing the county outskirts where the death had occurred, his horse suddenly whinnied and refused to move, despite whipping.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. The guard sensed something wrong and looked around, but saw nothing. His heart raced, panic setting in.

A gust of wind came, and the guard suddenly fell off his horse.

“Ah~!”

…

That night, a heavy atmosphere surrounded the magistrate’s residence.

Soon, another guard ran in, panic on his face. “Prince Jing! The messenger you sent today… he’s… dead!”

Chu Jingcheng frowned.

Yin Qingyue was stunned. Only one day had passed, and someone else was already dead?

Chu Jingcheng said, “The killer is clearly after me. The initial attempt failed, so now they’re trying another method.”

“What should we do? We can’t just let the killer roam free.”

After some consideration, Chu Jingcheng stood. “Then tonight, I’ll check the outskirts myself.”

Yin Qingyue immediately objected. “Your injuries aren’t healed. If the killer is really there, who killed your elite guard so quietly, they must be formidable. I won’t allow you to go.”

Chu Jingcheng held her hand. “I must go. Without reporting this, the county cannot be left unattended. If I don’t catch the killer, even if a new magistrate arrives, the county will descend into chaos once I leave.”

Yin Qingyue thought about it. He was right—otherwise, they would be trapped in the county. Perhaps the killer didn’t want his life, just to prevent his return to the capital.

Chu Jingcheng said, “Rest and leave the rest to me. You’ve already done so much for this county.”

Though worried, Yin Qingyue had no choice but to agree.

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Just wait here for me.”

She nodded, pretending to agree. He was injured—how could she allow him to go?

Back in her room, she instructed Cailian, “Find these two medicinal ingredients for me.” She handed the list she had prepared.

“Miss, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Don’t ask so much. Just fetch them quickly.”

Cailian hurried to gather them and returned in about half an hour.

Yin Qingyue ground the ingredients into a powder, filling the room with a faint fragrance. One was a sleeping powder, the other a paralyzing powder.

Once ready, Yin Qingyue called Cailian. “Bring a bowl of water.”

Cailian hurried with a bowl of water.

Yin Qingyue poured one of the powders in and stirred. It looked like a medicinal drink, with a subtle aroma.

“Miss, what is this? What is it for?”

“Don’t ask so much. Stay here.” Yin Qingyue left with the bowl.

It was nearly midnight. Chu Jingcheng deliberately sent an elite guard with a blank letter to the capital. Meanwhile, he donned a guard uniform and prepared to leave the residence.

At that moment, Yin Qingyue returned with the bowl, blocking him. “Your injuries aren’t healed. Drink this before you go.”