Ran Yan didn’t know where Su Fu had thrown the mat. Thus, she had no choice but to keep her expression taut and pretended that she didn’t know.
Xing Niang said, “How could it be so few? Did you forget to shop? It’s already autumn, and the lady will be freezing.”
Wan Lu muttered, “It can’t be. There are only three mats in total. I’ve placed two…”
Fortunately, a few of them didn’t have the intention to hold onto this matter. Wan Lu found a new one and laid it on the couch.
After washing up, Xiao Man placed the food on the table. Ran Yan was feeling frustrated and ate some of it casually. She then sent everyone out and continued to pour half a cup of water while studying.
After an unknown amount of time, someone knocked on the door. Wan Lu’s voice sounded from outside. “My Lady, something big has happened.”
Ran Yan frowned as her hand paused.” Come in.”
The door was pushed open with a bang. Wan Lu rushed in like a whirlwind with the aura of rain. “Lady, someone is dead at the back mountain. It’s a young man!”
“Yes, then what?” Ran Yan asked in a flat voice. She was used to seeing life and death. Even if a bunch of people died, she didn’t feel that there was anything to be surprised about.
“This servant heard what Xiao Man said. My Lady met Mr. Sang Chen in the back mountain the other day,” Wan Lu said anxiously. “I heard from the villagers at the foot of the mountain that the gentleman was wearing a wide-sleeved, round-necked robe and looked quite handsome…”
Ran Yan tightened her grip on the cup and asked in a low voice, “Has someone come from the government?”
“There was. I heard that Liu Cishi personally brought someone here.” Although Wan Lu felt sorry for Sang Chen’s ‘humble background’ and was not worthy of her lady. Her impression of him had always been good. She was an acquaintance so she hurriedly came back to tell Ran Yan.
Ran Yan pursed her lips and lowered her eyes to think. From the villagers’ words, she could see that it was still in good condition. That meant that the body hadn’t been dead for long. The weather was getting colder and Ran Yan should still be able to identify its appearance after a day or two it died. There wouldn’t be any severe decomposition. She happened to have seen Sang Chen the day before yesterday in the back mountain. He was alone at that time…
“Where is the body now?” Ran Yan asked.
Wan Lu looked at Ran Yan’s serious expression and became more anxious. “It’s still at the back of the mountain. Liu Cishi is personally investigating it.”
“Go and see if there are any outsiders around and see if you can check the body with your own eyes. If it isn’t Sang Chen, you don’t have to meddle in other people’s business. Just come back. If it is him…Or if you couldn’t see the body, ask Liu Cishi privately if he could let me perform an autopsy. If he agrees, ask him to evacuate the crowd. If he doesn’t agree, come back.” Ran Yan finished her sentence in one breath.
Wan Lu acquiesced and hurriedly ran out.
Ran Yan felt a little uneasy. Ever since the incident with Qin Yunlin, she was particularly afraid of seeing the bodies of those people she was familiar with on the operating table one day. Even Sang Chen, whom she had just met a few times.
In less than a moment, Ran Yan was a little restless. Her hands tightly gripped her cup and her knuckles turned white as if they were about to break. Her eyes stared fixedly at the white and cute jade hairpin outside the window. She tried her best to calm herself but she would unconsciously tighten her nerves.
She kept consoling herself. It was challenging to walk on the mountain path on rainy days. Thereby, it would take a long time for Wan Lu to return. She had to be calm and patient…
The wind passed through the doors and windows, and Ran Yan suddenly woke up. She found that the sweat on her forehead had slipped down her hair and her clothes were soaked.
Ran Yan slumped to the ground as if she had lost all her strength. She was breathing heavily as if she had just awakened from a nightmare, terrified.
“What’s wrong, my Lady?” As soon as Xing Niang entered the room, she saw Ran Yan’s paper-white, sweat-covered face. She thought that her old illness had returned and rushed over to wipe her forehead in fear. “My Lady, wait a moment. This old servant will immediately call for a doctor!”
Ran Yan grabbed her. “It’s nothing. I just thought of last night’s dream.”
Xing Niang looked at her carefully. After confirming that she was really fine, she let go of her worries and held Ran Yan’s hand. Xing Niang gently said “Don’t take responsibility for anything, my Lady. If you tell this old servant, you might feel better.”
Ran Yan didn’t know how to talk about this in the past, let alone now.
When Xing Niang saw that she had lowered her eyes and remained silent, she sighed and said, “My Lady, were you scared when you saw those corpses? My Lady was timid in the past. To make a living, she had to do that kind of work… My Lady, in the future, you absolutely can’t go down and covertly do those things. If there’s a shortage, then there’s still Tenth Noble Son who can help us. If he really can’t help, there’s still this old slave and Wan Lu.”
“It’s said that the dead are big but they serve the dead. Why is their status so low?” said Ran Yan slowly. “Actually, people don’t think that the dead are worthy of respect, but are afraid. That’s why they use respect to hide their fear.”
“That’s what I said…” Xing Niang felt that Ran Yan’s words were especially reasonable, but she still didn’t feel that she was being too noble. It was bad luck to play with a dead person.
“You can go ahead first. I need to be at peace for a while,” Ran Yan said.
Only then did Xing Niang remember that she had just come over to ask Wan Lu when she heard that she was talking about a dead person. The moment she entered the room, she was interrupted. However, seeing Ran Yan’s expression, she couldn’t ask any further. She got up and quietly left.
The fragrance of the jade hairpin gradually calmed Ran Yan’s anxiety. She took out a few herbs and crushed them. She soaked them in distilled water and lowered her eyes to carefully observe the changes in the water, to ease her emotions.
After about half an hour, Wan Lu returned late in the evening. Her skirt was wet from the rain, and her hair was slightly messy. “My Lady, Liu Cishi didn’t let this servant look at the body. He has already evacuated the crowd and said that you can go for the autopsy.”
Ran Yan had already guessed this result. Provincial Governor Liu had the old fox not let go of the slightest chance to solve the case. However, there had been a lot of big cases in Suzhou recently. Even if she solved the case in time, Provincial Governor Liu might even be impeached for the crime of poor management. Ran Yan had given him more than half of her wealth so she didn’t want this money to be wasted.
Liu Pinrang was born in a poor family. He wanted to protect his reputation from being incorruptible, as he prevented the aristocratic families get hold of him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to last as a provincial governor for long. It was rare for him to accept money, and it was rare for someone to be as generous as Ran Yan. She was certain that if there was an influential official that was newly appointed, it wouldn’t be easy to buy them as Liu Pinrang. Firstly, the money he took out might not be worth it. Secondly, if he wasn’t careful, he would be controlled by someone else.
Regardless of the reason, Ran Yan had to do her best to help him.
“Let’s go and take a look.” Ran Yan gestured for Wan Lu to bring her kit.
The two of them made their preparations and when they reached the door, they saw Ge Lan and Xing Niang.
“Ge Lan, accompany me for a walk,” Ran Yan glanced at her and ordered indifferently.
Ge Lan bowed and took out an umbrella from the room. She followed Ran Yan and Wan Lu out of the courtyard. Xing Niang looked at the backs of the three women and wanted to say something but hesitated. She sighed and turned around to return to the room.
Ran Yan didn’t know where Su Fu had thrown the mat. Thus, she had no choice but to keep her expression taut and pretended that she didn’t know.
Xing Niang said, “How could it be so few? Did you forget to shop? It’s already autumn, and the lady will be freezing.”
Wan Lu muttered, “It can’t be. There are only three mats in total. I’ve placed two…”
Fortunately, a few of them didn’t have the intention to hold onto this matter. Wan Lu found a new one and laid it on the couch.
After washing up, Xiao Man placed the food on the table. Ran Yan was feeling frustrated and ate some of it casually. She then sent everyone out and continued to pour half a cup of water while studying.
After an unknown amount of time, someone knocked on the door. Wan Lu’s voice sounded from outside. “My Lady, something big has happened.”
Ran Yan frowned as her hand paused.” Come in.”
The door was pushed open with a bang. Wan Lu rushed in like a whirlwind with the aura of rain. “Lady, someone is dead at the back mountain. It’s a young man!”
“Yes, then what?” Ran Yan asked in a flat voice. She was used to seeing life and death. Even if a bunch of people died, she didn’t feel that there was anything to be surprised about.
“This servant heard what Xiao Man said. My Lady met Mr. Sang Chen in the back mountain the other day,” Wan Lu said anxiously. “I heard from the villagers at the foot of the mountain that the gentleman was wearing a wide-sleeved, round-necked robe and looked quite handsome…”
Ran Yan tightened her grip on the cup and asked in a low voice, “Has someone come from the government?”
“There was. I heard that Liu Cishi personally brought someone here.” Although Wan Lu felt sorry for Sang Chen’s ‘humble background’ and was not worthy of her lady. Her impression of him had always been good. She was an acquaintance so she hurriedly came back to tell Ran Yan.
Ran Yan pursed her lips and lowered her eyes to think. From the villagers’ words, she could see that it was still in good condition. That meant that the body hadn’t been dead for long. The weather was getting colder and Ran Yan should still be able to identify its appearance after a day or two it died. There wouldn’t be any severe decomposition. She happened to have seen Sang Chen the day before yesterday in the back mountain. He was alone at that time…
“Where is the body now?” Ran Yan asked.
Wan Lu looked at Ran Yan’s serious expression and became more anxious. “It’s still at the back of the mountain. Liu Cishi is personally investigating it.”
“Go and see if there are any outsiders around and see if you can check the body with your own eyes. If it isn’t Sang Chen, you don’t have to meddle in other people’s business. Just come back. If it is him…Or if you couldn’t see the body, ask Liu Cishi privately if he could let me perform an autopsy. If he agrees, ask him to evacuate the crowd. If he doesn’t agree, come back.” Ran Yan finished her sentence in one breath.
Wan Lu acquiesced and hurriedly ran out.
Ran Yan felt a little uneasy. Ever since the incident with Qin Yunlin, she was particularly afraid of seeing the bodies of those people she was familiar with on the operating table one day. Even Sang Chen, whom she had just met a few times.
In less than a moment, Ran Yan was a little restless. Her hands tightly gripped her cup and her knuckles turned white as if they were about to break. Her eyes stared fixedly at the white and cute jade hairpin outside the window. She tried her best to calm herself but she would unconsciously tighten her nerves.
She kept consoling herself. It was challenging to walk on the mountain path on rainy days. Thereby, it would take a long time for Wan Lu to return. She had to be calm and patient…
The wind passed through the doors and windows, and Ran Yan suddenly woke up. She found that the sweat on her forehead had slipped down her hair and her clothes were soaked.
Ran Yan slumped to the ground as if she had lost all her strength. She was breathing heavily as if she had just awakened from a nightmare, terrified.
“What’s wrong, my Lady?” As soon as Xing Niang entered the room, she saw Ran Yan’s paper-white, sweat-covered face. She thought that her old illness had returned and rushed over to wipe her forehead in fear. “My Lady, wait a moment. This old servant will immediately call for a doctor!”
Ran Yan grabbed her. “It’s nothing. I just thought of last night’s dream.”
Xing Niang looked at her carefully. After confirming that she was really fine, she let go of her worries and held Ran Yan’s hand. Xing Niang gently said “Don’t take responsibility for anything, my Lady. If you tell this old servant, you might feel better.”
Ran Yan didn’t know how to talk about this in the past, let alone now.
When Xing Niang saw that she had lowered her eyes and remained silent, she sighed and said, “My Lady, were you scared when you saw those corpses? My Lady was timid in the past. To make a living, she had to do that kind of work… My Lady, in the future, you absolutely can’t go down and covertly do those things. If there’s a shortage, then there’s still Tenth Noble Son who can help us. If he really can’t help, there’s still this old slave and Wan Lu.”
“It’s said that the dead are big but they serve the dead. Why is their status so low?” said Ran Yan slowly. “Actually, people don’t think that the dead are worthy of respect, but are afraid. That’s why they use respect to hide their fear.”
“That’s what I said…” Xing Niang felt that Ran Yan’s words were especially reasonable, but she still didn’t feel that she was being too noble. It was bad luck to play with a dead person.
“You can go ahead first. I need to be at peace for a while,” Ran Yan said.
Only then did Xing Niang remember that she had just come over to ask Wan Lu when she heard that she was talking about a dead person. The moment she entered the room, she was interrupted. However, seeing Ran Yan’s expression, she couldn’t ask any further. She got up and quietly left.
The fragrance of the jade hairpin gradually calmed Ran Yan’s anxiety. She took out a few herbs and crushed them. She soaked them in distilled water and lowered her eyes to carefully observe the changes in the water, to ease her emotions.
After about half an hour, Wan Lu returned late in the evening. Her skirt was wet from the rain, and her hair was slightly messy. “My Lady, Liu Cishi didn’t let this servant look at the body. He has already evacuated the crowd and said that you can go for the autopsy.”
Ran Yan had already guessed this result. Provincial Governor Liu had the old fox not let go of the slightest chance to solve the case. However, there had been a lot of big cases in Suzhou recently. Even if she solved the case in time, Provincial Governor Liu might even be impeached for the crime of poor management. Ran Yan had given him more than half of her wealth so she didn’t want this money to be wasted.
Liu Pinrang was born in a poor family. He wanted to protect his reputation from being incorruptible, as he prevented the aristocratic families get hold of him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to last as a provincial governor for long. It was rare for him to accept money, and it was rare for someone to be as generous as Ran Yan. She was certain that if there was an influential official that was newly appointed, it wouldn’t be easy to buy them as Liu Pinrang. Firstly, the money he took out might not be worth it. Secondly, if he wasn’t careful, he would be controlled by someone else.
Regardless of the reason, Ran Yan had to do her best to help him.
“Let’s go and take a look.” Ran Yan gestured for Wan Lu to bring her kit.
The two of them made their preparations and when they reached the door, they saw Ge Lan and Xing Niang.
“Ge Lan, accompany me for a walk,” Ran Yan glanced at her and ordered indifferently.
Ge Lan bowed and took out an umbrella from the room. She followed Ran Yan and Wan Lu out of the courtyard. Xing Niang looked at the backs of the three women and wanted to say something but hesitated. She sighed and turned around to return to the room.
