TGCFNM -Chapter 105 Quite the Coincidence

After arriving at the location, Chu Ling waved goodbye and returned to the yamen.

Zhen Mingzhu blushed and said, “The person I’m closest to is him…” But the thought that Ma Yuansheng would have to keep vigil for her for another three days made her feel a little reluctant.

Chu Ling called over Xiao Hua, handed her some snacks, and patted her head. “Take these and share them.”

“Yes, My Lord!” Xiao Hua shouted happily, hugging the pile of snacks. “My Lord, I told him exactly what you said, and later when I went to feed him porridge, he seemed to have fainted.”

“Don’t worry about him, he won’t die,” Chu Ling said casually.

“Mm!” Xiao Hua nodded and, no longer concerned, walked off hugging the snacks.

Chu Ling led Zhen Mingzhu to the courtyard where she stayed and gestured for her to sit at the stone table. “Miss Zhen, how did your parents meet Ma Yuansheng, and when did you meet him?”

“On the day the scholar’s exam results were announced…” Zhen Mingzhu lowered her gaze, a shy smile on her face. “My father noticed him immediately.”

“At first, Ma Yuansheng probably didn’t want to be a son-in-law brought into the family, right?” Chu Ling asked directly.

Zhen Mingzhu suddenly looked up, hurt as if wounded, and quickly lifted her light veil, hastily explaining, “Of course a man wouldn’t want to be a son-in-law! I understand him.”

“Then why did he agree?” Chu Ling asked.

Zhen Mingzhu bit her lower lip lightly. “His mother fell ill and they had no money for treatment. He went to borrow money, but the family he was supposed to be betrothed to wanted to break the engagement and marry the girl to someone else. My father found him, lent him the money for her treatment, and didn’t ask for repayment.”

Chu Ling understood: this was the first step, moral coercion.

“And then?” Chu Ling continued.

Zhen Mingzhu shook her head regretfully. “His mother still passed away. It’s said that the family who broke the engagement was furious and went to demand justice, and she vomited blood and died. Later, the money for her funeral was also provided by my father.”

“After his mother passed, he had to observe the mourning period and couldn’t take the exam. To lift the sorrow, he agreed to be a son-in-law in my family, and then continued to participate in the exams.”

Recalling their first meeting, Zhen Mingzhu looked shy and timid, her eyes shining with light. “We first met in my family’s pavilion. My personal maid Xiaolian served him tea, praising me and speaking highly of me. He lowered his head, a bit shy. I covered my mouth and smiled lightly, praising Xiaolian for her efforts, and even gave her a golden bracelet.”

Chu Ling: “…Ah?”

“Later, my father personally urged him, and he passed the provincial exam and married me. After our marriage, our relationship was harmonious and loving. The only issue was that my womb was uncooperative, and we couldn’t have a son or daughter to continue the Zhen family line. My parents were anxious and consulted a physician, and he drank extremely bitter medicinal soup every day for me. I drank it with him,” Zhen Mingzhu said, her face glowing with happiness.

“My father originally didn’t intend for him to continue the imperial exams, but he didn’t want to give up. So I lied to my father, saying I was pregnant, letting him participate in the exams. He passed on the first try. I was overjoyed when the good news arrived, but my father wasn’t happy. It didn’t matter though—he wanted to take me to the capital.”

Chu Ling pinched the bridge of her nose, unable to resist interrupting her. “Later, he passed the final imperial exam, but your father had passed away, right?”

“Yes.” Zhen Mingzhu’s eyes turned red, tears streaming down. “After my father fell, his health deteriorated day by day. He personally tended to him, but my father still didn’t survive.”

“Then your mother passed too,” Chu Ling continued.

Zhen Mingzhu nodded through her tears.

Chu Ling studied her face carefully. “Was that mark on your face originally a birthmark?”

Zhen Mingzhu jumped, nervously looking at Chu Ling.

“How did your parents die?” Chu Ling asked directly.

“My father is old; he fell down. My mother fell as well,” Zhen Mingzhu said.

Chu Ling snorted. “What a coincidence.”

“At the time, I found it strange… why that storyteller knew so much about your Zhen family, even some very detailed things,” Chu Ling said, looking at her. “Usually, this kind of knowledge is deliberately leaked by someone.”

Zhen Mingzhu pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Chu Ling sighed. “Tonight, I’ll bring the coroner to perform an autopsy on you. I need to find out the cause of your death. Do you agree?”

Zhen Mingzhu’s expression changed. “If… if it’s—”

“Don’t worry. I will act according to the laws of the Great Zhou… of course, if you don’t agree to the autopsy, that’s fine too. I’ll take you over tonight, and we can pretend I never saw you today. Is that alright?” Chu Ling asked, waiting for her response.

After thinking for a long while, Zhen Mingzhu nodded.

“Oh, one more thing, Your Lordship. That woman who called off her engagement and then married someone else… she… she has come back,” Zhen Mingzhu said fearfully. “She even came to the mansion. My husband felt pity for her and gave her some money.”

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow. “Do you think it was her who harmed you, or the one who threw stones at the ox today?”

Zhen Mingzhu shook her head slowly. “I… I don’t know. But I know she dislikes me… no, she hates me. She said she wished she could kill me.”

“Alright, one last question,” Chu Ling said, pointing to her face. “Is your deteriorating health because you lost a child, or because of the injuries on your face?”

Zhen Mingzhu gently touched her cheek, her heart aching as she lowered her head. “I don’t know.”

“I heard people say that no matter how many good medicines you take, you still don’t get better,” Chu Ling asked.

Zhen Mingzhu choked back a sob and nodded. “So… that’s why I suspect—”

“Suspect?” Chu Ling asked.

“I suspect someone cursed me. I feel it was her, but my husband told me not to be paranoid and to focus on recovering,” Zhen Mingzhu said, looking bewildered.

“Cui Xi, take Miss Zhen to the next room to rest,” Chu Ling said, standing up. “Miss Zhen, today I met Ma Yuansheng. No wonder your heart is fond of him—Lord Ma is truly a man of distinction.”

“Yes, and he is so gentle and treats me very well,” Zhen Mingzhu recalled, a happy smile appearing on her face again.

Cui Xi’s eyes welled up with tears. “What a pair of lovers… it’s such a pity.”

Zhen Mingzhu laughed shyly. “Though brief, it was still the happiest thing in my life.”

After they returned to their room, Chu Ling sat down again. After a while, Xiao Hua knocked and entered. “Your Lordship, what shall we have for tonight’s meal?”

“Something vegetarian tonight. We’ll likely have to go out later, so have Coroner Su prepare. Also, go find your brother,” Chu Ling said, beckoning her over to whisper some instructions.

“Understood, Your Lordship. I’ll go right away,” Xiao Hua replied.

Late at night.

Chu Ling, Wan Sanjin, and Su He went to the abandoned house. When they arrived, what awaited them was not a guarded mortuary, but darkness—pitch black, with nothing visible.

Zhen Mingzhu froze, taking a few steps forward in disbelief.

Chu Ling simply took a torch and entered the house. After lighting it, they discovered the coffin inside. In front of it were burnt joss papers, and judging by the temperature, they had been burned quite some time ago.