TGCFNM -Chapter 376 Uninvited Guests

The head warden politely declined: “I won’t eat.”

Chu Ling smiled and said, “I still owe you a bun, and I even promised to treat you to a meal. How could I go back on my word?”

The head warden couldn’t help but chuckle wryly. “Master, it’s just a bun. No need to worry. I’m going back now.”

Chu Ling looked at him knowingly. “Don’t worry, we’ll eat back at the mansion, not outside.” With that, she firmly pulled the head warden along to find Wan Sanjin and the others.

Wan Sanjin bounced over cheerfully, greeting him: “Head Warden, what are you up to?”

“Paying respects,” Chu Ling replied first.

Wan Sanjin nodded and then introduced the head warden to Su He and the others, winking at Su He: “This is the head warden. You’re the coroner—get along well with him. If there’s ever a death row prisoner, it’ll be easier for you to handle things.”

Su He stepped forward and shook the head warden’s hand. “Hello, I’m Su He, the foremost coroner of the Great Zhou.”

The head warden was stunned. In the whole world, there were actually people who dared to boast like this—rare indeed!

Chu Ling laughed and gestured to the group. “Come on, let’s go back and eat.”

Su He waved him off. “You all go ahead. I need to stop by the mansion office and check on those thawing bodies. Otherwise, I can’t perform the autopsies. After all, only when the reports are ready can Lord Lu properly judge the people in the prison.”

Chu Ling’s expression darkened slightly. “These eight corpses are remarkably well-preserved. I wonder what they’re planning…”

Bai Su reminded him from the side, “If they were frozen, perhaps it’s to preserve the Beauty Gu, putting it into hibernation.”

Chu Ling furrowed her brows and repeated Bai Su’s speculation to the group.

Wan Sanjin’s hair stood on end. Crossing his arms, he cursed, “Are they crazy? Raise the worms, freeze them, and then what—let them reproduce?”

“Can they even reproduce after being frozen?” Xiao Hua tugged on Zhang Dong’s sleeve. “Brother, can they?”

“Once frozen, they’d be stiff. I don’t think so…” Zhang Dong answered honestly.

The head warden watched their discussion with a complicated expression. “Perhaps the corpse is just a vessel. Otherwise, that… worm would die once removed. They’re probably just trying to preserve it longer.”

Chu Ling’s eyes lit up. “No wonder! That makes sense.”

“Why would anyone need the worms? I just can’t understand…” Wan Sanjin rubbed his arms and looked at Su He. “Be careful with that worm. Make sure to burn it afterward. And don’t let it burrow into you.”

Su He gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath. Seeing Wan Sanjin’s earnest expression, he had no way to scold him directly, so he could only grit his teeth and walk ahead first.

Wan Sanjin didn’t quite understand Su He’s reaction, but he soon pushed it aside and turned to the head warden. “What should I call you? I can’t keep calling you ‘Head Warden.’”

“Qiu Wu,” the head warden said, preparing to leave—but Wan Sanjin grabbed him.

“To repay you for one bun, I’ve got to treat you to a full meal. Come on, come on! Meeting you must be fate—let’s eat!” With that, Wan Sanjin dragged him down the mountain.

Back at the Wan Mansion, Steward Liu ordered a table full of dishes to be prepared.

After everyone finished eating, they gave the head warden some snacks before seeing him off.

No sooner had they sent Qiu Wu off than three uninvited guests appeared at the front gate of the Wan Mansion.

Actually, there were four, but Wan Sanjin didn’t consider Fu Qingyu an uninvited guest.

In the front hall, Steward Liu had the servants serve tea and then left.

The hall held only the few people who had witnessed the Painting Sage last time—all of them had already been paid.

Wan Sanjin looked at them, raising his eyebrows proudly. “We handled this matter beautifully! None of you saw Lord Lu’s judgment in person, but it was truly satisfying. Come, come, let me—the greatest strategist under heaven—tell you the full story of this Courtesan case.”

Shangguan Cheng’s eyes widened. “Since when did you become the ‘greatest strategist under heaven’?”

Wan Sanjin naturally countered, “What, do you want to compete with me? Want to be a strategist yourself?”

Shangguan Cheng shook his head violently—he had no desire to be a strategist.

Wan Sanjin snorted. “Then it’s settled. I am the greatest strategist under heaven… Now, let’s get to the point. I’ll tell you exactly what happened, so you’ll know your money wasn’t wasted.”

Chu Ling suddenly thought of Cui Wan. Those few paintings of his had been secretly requested by Lord Lu during the trial, never brought forward as evidence, and no one knew where they ended up.

Asking Cui Wan yielded nothing; he just said his friend had taken the loss and it was only a small amount—“a lesson learned for a small sum,” he claimed.

Hearing that, Chu Ling felt heartache—it had been 800,000 taels!

Fu Qingyu happened to notice Chu Ling’s pained expression and looked at her curiously: had something valuable been lost?

Meanwhile, Wan Sanjin passionately recounted the events, making the story full of ups and downs, prompting Shangguan Cheng to exclaim, “My heavens, Lord!” He even promised Wan Sanjin that if anything like this happened again, he would gladly pay.

Shangguan Shi sipped his tea gloomily, not wanting to glance at his older brother at all.

Nangong Han listened carefully. Once Wan Sanjin finished, he asked, “So, was the frozen corpse found?”

“Yes, at the prefecture office. The face was exactly as it had been in life, completely unchanged,” Wan Sanjin took a sip of tea. “Su He went to the office to see if the ice had melted; if it had, they’d do the autopsy.”

Nangong Han nodded. “After the autopsy, these poor souls can finally be buried.”

Wan Sanjin let out a light sigh. “Yes.”

Shangguan Cheng, curious, asked, “Why freeze the corpse?”

Wan Sanjin recounted the earlier speculations. “Probably to use the woman’s body as a vessel to preserve the worms. Otherwise, taking them out would kill them.”

“Preserve worms? That’s disgusting,” Shangguan Cheng shuddered, looking very uncomfortable.

Shangguan Shi also found it extremely strange.

Fu Qingyu looked at Wan Sanjin, his gaze sharpening. “So, the Courtesan Curse only extracts a woman’s essence to make her more beautiful for painting, earning money? It has no other effect?”

Wan Sanjin shook his head. “No one knows. No one knows what else it can do.”

Fu Qingyu gave a soft hum, lost in thought.

Chu Ling deliberately asked, “The Xuanyuan family is deeply involved in this. Didn’t any of you from the four great families hear any rumors?”

Shangguan Shi shook his head. “Father forbade us from speaking much, let alone asking questions. That’s why we came here to find you… However, father said that what happens with the Xuanyuan family depends entirely on His Majesty’s will.”

Chu Ling leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. “Depends on His Majesty, huh…” Someone would have to fan the flames—surely someone would.

Ghost Scholar, standing nearby with quiet confidence, said, “Someone will definitely make a move. This is too perfect an opportunity. If we dawdle, when will this succession struggle end? By then, the Great Zhou will be in ruins, and whoever takes over a decayed empire will be left with nothing.”

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow. Reasonable.