TGCFNM -Chapter 503 Are You Out of Your Mind?

At this moment, Zhang Dong drove the carriage over.

Chu Ling waved grandly at Qinglong and climbed into the carriage. Soon, they were off.

Qinglong, resigned, turned back toward the government office, preparing to seek help.

Inside the carriage, Wan Sanjin carefully lifted the curtain to peek outside. Once Qinglong was far enough away, he let out a sigh of relief. “Sir, Qinglong has gone to work.”

Chu Ling couldn’t help but smile. “One more helping hand is always good—it saves us a task.”

Wan Sanjin chuckled as well. “Qinglong really is a good friend of ours.”

Chu Ling smiled, then turned to Su He, who was meticulously comparing his tools, curiosity in her eyes. “Coroner Su, why did you bring so many tools?”

“To redo the autopsy,” Su He replied. “Back then, the Courtesan Case was abruptly interrupted, and the personnel involved were secretly executed, so the autopsy report was incomplete. This time, I want the record to be more thorough.”

Chu Ling nodded, her expression slightly serious. “Hopefully, we can carry out the investigation smoothly this time.”

“We definitely can,” Su He said, looking at Chu Ling. “Because someone’s ‘helping.’”

Chu Ling gave a faint, sarcastic laugh. “Indeed.”

After a while, Zhang Dong first delivered Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin to Shiyu’s Yunyan Tower. Once they entered, he turned the carriage around to take Su He to the charitable mortuary.

Meanwhile, Yunliu was attending to customers. Seeing Chu Ling arrive, she paused briefly, then happily greeted them. “Sir Chu, Master Wan!”

Chu Ling smiled and glanced inside. “How’s business? Is Miss Shiyu here?”

“She’s reconciling accounts. Business is excellent,” Yunliu replied with a smile, inviting them inside. Passing by a counter displaying rouge and powder, she led them to the small backyard. “Please, sit for now. I’ll make tea.”

“No need,” Chu Ling said. “I mainly came to see Lord Xue and Lord Liu.”

Yunliu froze for a moment. “Looking for my father?”

Chu Ling nodded, her gaze serious. “Regarding the matter of the cursed insects, I want to ask them why they were punished back then.”

Yunliu’s expression tightened slightly as she nodded. “Sir, it just so happens my father and Uncle Liu are currently helping in the shop. Once they finish carrying the spices back, I’ll have them come straight over.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Very well.”

Yunliu went to the front, instructed someone to serve tea to Chu Ling and the others in the backyard, arranged the staff, and then returned.

A while later, Shiyu arrived.

“The moment the notice about the cursed insects was posted, I knew you would reopen the case of the deceased courtesans,” Shiyu said, her eyes reddening. “The insects in their bodies are undeniable evidence.”

Yunliu’s eyes were slightly red as she sighed. “Back then, after Xuanyuan Hong took the blame for all the killings, I thought the matter would be buried.”

Chu Ling smiled reassuringly. “How could it be buried? The opportunity has come now, hasn’t it?”

Wan Sanjin looked at the two of them and asked, “Miss Shiyu, Miss Yunliu, is it still possible to find the families of those courtesans on Sin Street?”

Yunliu shook her head. “Those who left, left; those who scattered, scattered. They can’t be found.”

“When the case was closed, I tried sending people to gather information, only to find that they had all left. Even the bodies were abandoned… I suspect they either ran away knowing something, or someone drove them off,” Shiyu said, letting out a long, helpless sigh.

Chu Ling sipped his tea lightly. “Not only that—the courtesans’ portraits were stolen too.”

“Someone cleared out all the evidence while no one was watching,” Wan Sanjin frowned. “And I guess the person clearing the evidence was confident. No matter how thoroughly we investigate, they believed nothing would ever trace back to them.”

Chu Ling sneered, “Are they dreaming?”

Yunliu and Shiyu, however, looked somewhat pessimistic. After all, Xuanyuan Hong had taken the blame for everyone’s deaths, the evidence was gone, and even the finished portraits had been stolen. How could they investigate now?

For the moment, all they could do was wait for Yunliu’s father and Shiyu’s father to return and see if any new leads had emerged.

About half an hour later, Yunliu’s father and Shiyu’s father came back.

Yunliu invited them to the backyard to meet Chu Ling.

After exchanging greetings, Chu Ling gestured for them to sit and asked why they had been demoted to Zuijie (Criminal Street).

“Although His Majesty seemed capricious during that period, do either of you have any idea what words you said or actions you took that might have angered him?” Chu Ling asked.

Yunliu’s father and Shiyu’s father exchanged glances, recalling that day at court.

Yunliu’s father hesitated for a moment. “I remember attending court as usual that day. During the session, the matter of charcoal came up. Officials were squeezing the local people for money, raising charcoal prices repeatedly, and expanding supply and demand, leaving the common folk no time to farm. I suggested a strict investigation, but His Majesty suddenly became angry, asking if I was deliberately criticizing the palace’s charcoal usage, or if I intended to act as a remonstrating minister… and that’s how I incurred his wrath.”

Chu Ling blurted out, “What kind of problem is that?”

Yunliu’s father felt a chill run through his head and hurriedly said, “Sir, please do not speak recklessly.”

Wan Sanjin stood up and looked around, even climbing a tree to observe briefly, then jumped down and said, “No one around, feel free to talk.”

Chu Ling nodded slightly and looked at Shiyu’s father. “Master Liu, what about you?”

Shiyu’s father also forced a bitter smile. “During that period, His Majesty really was capricious. I merely mentioned that the northwest harvest had failed this year and suggested reducing taxes there… and I was punished for it.”

Chu Ling rolled his eyes. “Seriously, there’s something wrong with him!”

Wan Sanjin vigorously nodded beside him. “What you’re saying makes sense—what were they thinking, punishing you for that?”

Yunliu’s father said, “I actually thought about it too. At the time, Xuanyuan Hong jumped out and said I was maliciously accusing His Majesty.”

Shiyu’s father looked at him in surprise. “Brother Xue, same here. Xuanyuan Hong said I was trying to teach His Majesty how to govern. He said, do you not realize the frontier is tight now? How can tax revenue go uncollected?”

Chu Ling clapped her hands. Alright, it’s all related to Xuanyuan Hong—and Xuanyuan Hong just so happened to be dead.

“Uncles, did your colleagues in Zuijie say anything at all?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Yunliu quickly said, “Father, think carefully. This concerns Sir’s investigation.”

Shiyu nodded. “It also concerns Father and Uncle Xue’s innocence.”

Shiyu’s father lowered his gaze, thought carefully, then furrowed his brows at Chu Ling. “I recall hearing something. The reports seemed normal, but the matters involved all had to do with money.”

Yunliu’s father nodded. “Huge profits behind charcoal, profits behind tax revenue, even funding, bridge construction—all about money.”

Wan Sanjin looked at Chu Ling. “So it’s all for money? The treasury is empty?”

Chu Ling nodded. “Possible.”

“Sir Chu, if the treasury has no funds, won’t that affect frontier supply and the war effort?” Shiyu asked anxiously.

Chu Ling nodded. “It would.”

Shiyu whispered fearfully, “Then… the Great Zhou might fall…”

Shiyu’s father pressed her hand firmly. “Don’t talk nonsense. It won’t happen. The frontier is only at a stalemate, no real fighting yet.”

Chu Ling nodded and reassured them, “Don’t worry, Great Zhou will be fine.”

With that, Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin stood and bid farewell to the others.