TGCFNM -Chapter 129 Never Held a Grudge

After some questioning, Chu Ling finally managed to clarify the situation of Taoniang’s family.

Taoniang’s parents had passed away two years ago. She still had a younger brother, who was already married with a son and a daughter. They lived in Willow Leaf Alley—the same alley where Lu Zheng lived. Normally, they didn’t have much contact with Taoniang; only during the New Year or festivals would her brother send over some rice cakes.

Chu Ling asked, “Does her brother ever hold grudges against anyone?”

The woman shook her head. “My lord, they’re that poor—who would they even have a grudge against?”

“Alright then. When you go back, remember to inform them, so they can go to the charitable burial hall to claim her body and bury her as soon as possible. As for Taoniang’s belongings, once I confirm everything is in order here, I will send them to her family as well,” Chu Ling said.

The woman hesitated, then sighed. “It’s fine, it’s fine. They’re all gone… what is there left to avoid?” With that, she left.

At that moment, Wan Sanjin arrived with some men. He looked at Chu Ling and said, “My lord, I’ve asked every household. No strangers have been around recently, and no unusual sounds were heard at night… They only realized someone had died when I went to ask.”

Chu Ling gave a slight nod and turned her head. The few women who had been peeking immediately ducked their heads and hurriedly closed the doors.

If Willow Leaf Alley was chaotic and noisy, filled with vented frustrations, then this “dirty street” was the opposite—a stifled silence, as if its voice had been taken away, barely able to speak.

Chu Ling exhaled softly and murmured, “Let’s go back to the government office and check the old case files. According to the locals, four similar incidents happened here eight years ago.”

Wan Sanjin asked as they walked, “The perpetrators from back then… they got away? Were they never caught?”

“They weren’t never caught,” Chu Ling said, pressing her fingers to her brow. “According to the locals, there was absolutely no clue. Even now, it remains an unsolved case.”

“M-my lord~”

Not far off, a timid voice called out. A woman in a green dress was standing nervously at the doorway, twisting her hands and looking at Chu Ling with some fear.

Chu Ling approached with Wan Sanjin and asked gently, “What is it?”

The woman nervously scratched her head. “I…I knew Taoniang. We were sold together. Later… she managed to buy herself out first. I… my face got burned, and I was cast out.”

Chu Ling noticed that the left side of the woman’s hair hung thickly over her face, hiding burn scars on her cheek.

“Do you have something you want to tell me?” Chu Ling asked.

The woman nodded. “I do. I’m Xingzhi. I want to tell you everything I know, but…I don’t know if it will help.”

Wan Sanjin’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s go inside, or maybe the teahouse…”

Xingzhi quickly refused. “The room is too messy. The teahouse… I’m afraid to go there. I’ll tell you here.”

“Alright. Speak, I’ll stand here and listen,” Chu Ling said reassuringly with a smile.

Xingzhi seemed to relax a little and began to recount what she knew about Taoniang. “When we were sold, we were both five years old. The difference was, I was tricked and sold by a trafficker, while she was sent by her own parents. They said the family was poor and couldn’t survive, and her brother was sick.”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened. She wiped away tears with her sleeve and continued, “After being sold, at first we did small maid tasks. Later, as we grew older, Mother Hua picked me out. I followed the older girls doing service work, and was taught literacy and dancing. When I got bigger… I was supposed to… take over…”

“Taoniang had a good temperament, never fought or competed. She helped many sisters. Later, she saved some money and bought herself out, saying her brother would take her home. When we parted, she even gave some pearl hairpins to the sisters, in case of emergencies, so we could pawn them for money. When she left, she really smiled… so happily. Especially happily.”

Chu Ling felt her eyes grow slightly warm and let out a soft sigh. “You know she’s been living here—did you ever speak with her?”

Xingzhi shook her head. “She said her younger brother would take her back, but who would’ve known she ended up renting here? It’s so chaotic here, I was worried she wouldn’t be able to save face, so I just pretended I didn’t know.”

Chu Ling thought for a moment and asked again, “Then she shouldn’t have any enemies in the brothel, right? Did her brother ever come asking for money? Or did any enemies ever come looking for her?”

Xingzhi shook her head. “No. Taoniang has no enemies. Her brother never came for money. I’ve just heard from the other sisters here that he rarely comes—maybe during holidays he sends some rice cakes or cured meat.”

After thanking her, Chu Ling led everyone back to the yamen.

At the yamen, Chu Ling went straight to where the case files were stored and, with her team, began searching through them one by one… After a short while, she paused and pulled out a case file.

“Found it,” Chu Ling said.

She unfolded the file and laid it on the desk. Several people immediately gathered around to study it carefully.

“The records are so rough?” Wan Sanjin frowned.

Su He focused on the autopsy section. After reading through it, he finally felt relieved. “This part is detailed. It confirms that the perpetrator is likely the same person.”

Wan Sanjin looked at him and asked, “What makes you say that?”

“The victims were all killed the same way,” Su He explained. “First, they were suffocated. Then the killer, in a state of extreme excitement, mutilated the bodies—destroying them beyond recognition. Finally, the killer quietly left, without violating the victims.”

Chu Ling cursed, “A pervert!”

“A pervert?” Wan Sanjin asked curiously.

“A killer like this—no humanity, completely perverse,” Chu Ling said. She then carefully reviewed the four previous cases, trying to extract key words or common points.

“First, the victims, including Taoniang, total five women, aged between seventeen and thirty-one. None were sexually assaulted, but all bodies were severely mutilated. Their families’ possessions weren’t stolen, so it’s not a financial crime. They also had no enemies, so it’s not revenge killing. The only remaining possibility… could it be a crime of passion?”

Taoniang nervously interjected, “The brothel is all just playing a part. There’s no true affection—I would never have genuine feelings for a client. I know my identity makes me unworthy.”

“After you left the brothel, did you have any contact with those people?” Ghost Scholar asked.

Taoniang shook her head. “No.”

“It’s not a crime of passion,” Wan Sanjin said firmly. “Look at this—this is the gardener’s daughter. She has trouble walking and has never left home. If she’s never left home, she had no opportunity to meet anyone, let alone make enemies.”

Chu Ling furrowed her brows. With all other possibilities eliminated, that left only premeditated murder.

But why were they being killed?

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked at the door. Han Jin entered. “My lord, the person has woken up. Shall we interrogate?”

“Interrogate!” Chu Ling stood up.