Sorting Out The Timeline

Zhao Zhi and the rest walked out of the corpse examination room, turned the corner, and quickly found an old man yanking a young man by the collar and yelling at him.

And by some incredible coincidence, they knew both who the old man and young man were.

Zhao Zhi glanced at Wen Yuansi. Wen Yuansi frowned slightly and nodded.

The old man was almost 60 and looked a little older than his age. His hair was entirely white, but his overall aura wasn’t too bad. His hair was neatly combed and he was wearing clean clothing that scholarly men usually wore. The fabric was expensive and the design on the fabric was classy. This was a man of high standing.

Anyone who spent enough time in public service knew that this old man was not just the elder of some ordinary family. He was the pacification commissioner, Lu Guangzong. He was an official in the capital throughout his younger days and was highly trusted by the emperor. He only became a pacification commissioner three years ago and was transferred to Luanze.

As an official for many years, Lu Guangzong had plenty of experience, methods and a vast network of people he could count on. Not even the extremely arrogant Governor Li would dare to make trouble in front of him.

Lu Guangzong was now extremely angry. His beard was flying and his eyes were bulging, while his face was red from fury. As he held onto the young man’s collar from the back, the people around him tried to calm him down, afraid that something untoward might happen to the old man.

He was exerting a lot of strength and there were many people crowding around them, so the young man did not dare to fight back, since it was not worth hurting the people around him. The crowd also only dared to persuade the old man with their words and nobody dared to actually use force to separate the two men. If they hurt the young man, it wouldn’t matter. But if they ended up hurting the pacification commissioner…then they were in big trouble.

Wen Yuansi was the most familiar with the young man. That was the youngest brother among the three brothers of the Ximen Gang case he was handling, An Pengyi.

“You’d better come clean! I’ve cornered you already, and you’re still refusing to tell the truth?”

“That’s not true, sir! I wouldn’t dare to lie to you!”

“Humph! You stole something of mine, so you’d better tell me where it is right now! Did you sell it? Or throw it away? If you sold it, who did you sell it to? If you threw it away, where did you throw it? I must get an answer from you today!”

“Good sir, I wouldn’t dare to steal something of yours! You must have gotten the wrong person!”

“Are you saying that an old man like me wouldn’t be able to identify a thief because my eyesight is poor? Humph! It’s YOU! I saw you very clearly!”

“But I really didn’t do it…”

As they quarreled, Lu Guangzong refused to let go of him and An Pengyi didn’t dare to push the old man away. Nobody dared to intervene either, which was why there was such a big commotion.

Zhao Zhi wasn’t doing anything and Wen Yuansi’s rank was too low. Governor Zhang noticed this and walked over to greet the pacification commissioner politely with a smile, “Pacification Commissioner Lu, it’s such a lovely sunny day today, so wouldn’t it be lovely to take in the scenery while sipping a cup of tea? Why get so angry over a young fellow?”

The old man glared at Governor Zhang, “What do you know! He stole something of mine!”

Governor Zhang had already reached his side in just two steps, “And why do you have to do this yourself? You just need to give the word and our subordinates would be able to sort this out for you. Why waste your precious strength over this? If you don’t believe me, look – Zhang Hu! Liu Li! Why are both of you just standing there? Hold down An Pengyi for the pacification commissioner now!”

By this time, Lu Guangzong had noticed the people around him, including Zhao Zhi and Wen Yuansi, behind Governor Zhang.

His gaze flickered as he let go of An Pengyi and dusted his hands, allowing Governor Zhang’s men to hold An Pengyi down, “I’ll leave him to you then.”

“It’s nothing, really. You don’t have to stand on ceremony with me.”

Governor Zhang pointed at the young man and nodded. Zhang Hu and Liu Li immediately pressed An Pengyi against the floor.

“You stole something from the pacification commissioner?”

An Pengyi’s gaze moved around to look at the people around him. His face was pale and his lips obscured his teeth, making him look like he was at his parents’ funeral, “I really didn’t do it…”

“You didn’t?”

Governor Zhang put on a fierce expression and looked very authoritative. It made him look very scary.

An Pengyi nearly burst into tears, “I…I really don’t know anything! Between us three brothers, Eldest Brother and Second Brother would always do the work, while I’m only in charge of keeping watch. I don’t even get to see whether we get the stuff or not, so how would I know what it is or whether it has anything to do with this gentleman here?”

As he spoke, he looked at Wen Yuansi, “Magistrate Wen knows! Magistrate Wen, save me!”

Wen Yuansi had been investigating the Ximen Gang case and regardless of whether it was facts about the case or the statements of the various people connected to the case, it always came back to the youngest of the three sworn brothers. But the eldest, Shi Qun, was missing, and the second one, Ximen Gang, was dead. It was impossible to prove which parts of An Pengyi’s words were true and which were false, so he couldn’t be too sure himself.

He didn’t have any intention of testifying for An Pengyi and he couldn’t either. But at that very moment, an idea suddenly struck him.

It was suspected that Ximen Gang had died as a result of infighting among the brothers. The reason why such a group would fight was most likely because the loot wasn’t distributed fairly. Was there a particular piece of loot that was very valuable which led to this tragedy?

This piece of loot…

If it was stolen from a high ranking official, then it had to be something sufficiently valuable to fight over.

Lu Guangzong narrowed his eyes slightly, “I don’t care what you and your brothers do. You’ve stolen it from me, so you have to give it back to me! If you don’t know anything and can’t remember, you’ll remember after a few days in jail!”

He turned to look at Governor Zhang, “According to the law, a thief who has caused trouble like can be locked up, right?”

“That’s right.” Governor Zhang didn’t want to offend the pacification commissioner and there was a piece of legislature like this too. It was up to the courts to decide how strict or lenient they wanted to be about it. He immediately responded, “I will arrest this man right now…”

“No, wait!”

The commotion here had not only attracted the attention of Zhao Zhi and the rest in the corpse examination room, but Qi Zhaoyuan and the rest waiting in the hall had come over as well. Gao Zhuo noticed a familiar face and suddenly spoke up, “Before Yaoyao passed away, I think she met this man.”

Everyone was stunned.

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes.

He was familiar with the two murder cases in Tianhua Temple and knew that both Ximen Gang and Yun Nianyao died at almost the same hour. Could this An Pengyi be connected to the Yun Nianyao case too?

He couldn’t ignore this case then.

He walked over to Lu Guangzong, “I heard that when Yun Nianyao arrived at Luanze, the first thing she wanted to do was to visit you. But you didn’t want her to overexert herself, so you asked her to stay put and came to visit her in the temple yourself. Is that correct?”

Lu Guangzong nodded and stroked his beard, “That is correct.”

“Excellent timing. I’m in charge of this case and we’ve just finished examining the victim’s body, so I have some questions for those connected to this case.” Zhao Zhi put a palm politely over his other fist, but there was a bright and extremely resolute glint in his eyes, “Would the pacification commissioner be willing to lend me a hand?”

He said he was asking for a helping hand, but he was basically saying that he wanted to interrogate the old man.

He wanted to know when the old man came, when he left, how many times he met with Yun Nianyao, and whether he could be a suspect in this case…

There were many questions he needed answers to in order to move on with the case.

Lu Guangzong’s expression paused for a moment, then he broke into a smile, “That’s not difficult at all. I’ll sit in with all of you.”

Zhao Zhi immediately stretched his arm toward a nearby room, “This way, please.”

“Please lead the way.”

Zhao Zhi led the way to the room, while the rest followed behind him. They found a suitable spot in the room and took a seat.

The one in the seat facing everyone was meant for the one in charge, so Zhao Zhi took that seat. The seat below that went to Lu Guangzong, followed by Governor Zhang, Wen Yuansi, and the rest who were connected to the case.

By this time, Judge Guo, Coroner Sun and Governor Li had rushed over as well. Yun Nianyao’s head maid, Yuzhu, was here too.

The results of the autopsy earlier had gone through Zhao Zhi before reaching the people outside the room. He had allowed some information to go out, but he had also stopped some information from being passed on.

He had his own plans and didn’t ask the most important questions right from the start. Instead, he made it sound like he was making small talk and asked about Yun Nianyao’s day to day routine, “What I would like to know is, what time did all of you meet with Yun Nianyao on the 8^th day of the 2^nd month?”

He pointed to the maid, Yuzhu, first, “You go first.”

Yuzhu looked like her name¹. Her figure was on the chubby side and her voice was bright and crisp, “On that day, Madam woke up at around 6am. Mrs. Fu had come to visit her before that, but she hadn’t woken up yet, so Mrs. Fu did not get to see her.”

Zhao Zhi asked Madam Ji, “Is that true?”

Madam Ji nodded, “Nianyao and I were good friends in our youth and we did not have much contact later on because we lived too far apart and it was difficult to meet. After she arrived at Tianhua Temple, I would meet her from time to time to accompany her and I did not need to inform her ahead of time. On that day, I wanted to have breakfast with her, but since she hadn’t woken up yet, I decided not to disturb her sleep.”

“How long were you there for?”

Madam Ji frowned slightly, “Not very long. Yuzhu went in to take a look, then came out to say that Nianyao was still sleeping, and I left after that.”

Zhao Zhi picked up his teacup and asked nonchalantly, “You were waiting in the living room just outside the bedroom by yourself? Did you see anybody else?”

Madam Ji lowered her gaze to think, then replied, “Nianyao liked her surroundings to be quiet, so she didn’t like having someone by her side when she slept. I was the only one in the living room and I didn’t see anybody else.”

Zhao Zhi tapped the table with his fingertips and motioned to Yuzhu, “You can carry on.”

Yuzhu bowed and went on, “After Madam woke up, I followed the previous agreed arrangement to get someone to fetch Mrs. Lin so that she could check on Madam’s pulse and baby.”

“Did she take breakfast at this point?”

“Madam’s appetite was usually poor immediately after waking up, so she would normally eat only after her medical checkup.”

Madam Ge nodded at this point, “Mrs. Qi did have such a habit, but it didn’t affect her health, so it was alright for her to do that.” She glanced at Zhao Zhi and seemed to understand what he wanted, so she went on, “On that day, Mrs. Qi’s pulse and vital signs were the same as other days and there was nothing unusual. Perhaps she was in a good mood, so she chatted with me for a while after the checkup. I only took my leave when Yuzhu came with her breakfast.”

Zhao Zhi gently rubbed the rim of his teacup with a finger, “When you were chatting with Yun Nianyao, it was just the two of you in the room?”

Madam Ge nodded, “That is correct.”

“And until Yuzhu came with breakfast, you didn’t notice any third person around?”

“That is correct.”

“And there was nothing unusual about Yun Nianyao during this time?”

“That is correct.”

After a short moment of silence, Zhao Zhi pointed at Yuzhu, “Continue.”

Yuzhu went on, “Close to 11am, Madam vomited once. Her stomach hurt and she was suffering from morning sickness, but because it wasn’t serious, Madam did not ask me to call for help. Then…then…”

She hesitated and shot Qi Zhaoyuan a quick glance, as though she weren’t sure if she ought to continue or not.

Gao Zhuo stood up first, “There was nothing going on between Yaoyao and I, so we have nothing to hide! That’s right, I met with her that day at close to 11am!”

Qi Zhaoyuan gritted his teeth and looked ready to fight again, but Zhao Zhi stopped him from doing so, “Continue.”

“I had returned from enjoying the scenery in the mountains and went past her residence. I saw her taking a walk and she looked downcast, as though she was very bothered by something. So I stopped by and went in to ask after her.” Gao Zhuo’s eyes were narrowed as he glared at Qi Zhaoyuan, “We grew up together, so even though she’s married, we’re still friends. What’s wrong with showing concern for a friend? She was a good and courteous host as well, so she invited me in for a cup of tea. What’s wrong with that?”

Governor Li narrowed his eyes, “Your actions might have been perfectly fine, but you were wrong for not telling us about this earlier on!”

“That’s because people like you like to twist the truth in any way you like and misunderstand others for nothing!”

Gao Zhuo grit his teeth furiously, “If you hadn’t discovered that tassel, I would have continued to keep it a secret!”

“You…”

Zhao Zhi raised his hand and stopped Governor Li from speaking. He asked Madam Ji, “I remember you said before that you saw Gao Zhuo meeting with Yun Nianyao. Was it at this hour?”

Madam Ji bit her lip, “Yes.”

Governor Li channeled his anger at her instead, “You saw them when nobody else did? Were you following and watching these two people?”

Madam Ji shouted even more loudly than him, “I didn’t get to see Yun Nianyao when I dropped by earlier, so I went again later! Is that good enough reason for you?!”

The entire room fell silent.

Madam Ji closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Her voice was a little calmer now, “I admit that I took extra notice of them, but I’m not a pervert who watches them round the clock.”

Zhao Zhi nodded and asked Gao Zhuo, “At that time, did you only drink tea with her and not eat anything? How did she look at that time? How was her body condition?”

“I only drank tea, and she drank plain water. She looked…” Gao Zhuo frowned, “She looked rather pale, like she was unwell. I offered to call for the doctor, but she said it was just normal morning sickness and it wasn’t serious.”

“How long were you there for?”

“How long could it have been? She invited me in for a cup of tea, so it was just the time it would take to drink one cup of tea.” Gao Zhuo looked a little disappointed, but as he spoke, his gaze landed on An Pengyi, “When I was in Yun Nianyao’s yard, my thoughts were a mess and my gaze wandered, so I think I saw this man’s…back view as he leaped over the wall and disappeared…but I’m not too sure either…”

Gao Zhuo frowned, “I can’t really remember.”

An Pengyi immediately jumped up to retort, “Watch your words! Your eyes must have been playing tricks on you because there was a beauty by your side and you mistook a tree for a human! I admit that that young lady was very beautiful and she was very easy going. I spoke with her before when we were in the main temple hall, but I never met her again after that!”

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, “Is that so?”

An Pengyi nodded vigorously, “Sir, that’s really the case! I’ve never set foot in that VIP residence zone!”

Zhao Zhi looked toward Madam Ji, “What about you? Did you hear or see anything?”

Madam Ji paused to think, then said cautiously, “I was too far, so I couldn’t hear their conversation. I didn’t see them eat or drink anything else, and I…didn’t see any person around either.”

“Hmm…” Zhao Zhi tapped his fingers against the table. Nobody spoke and the room became unusually quiet.

After a long time, Zhao Zhi opened his mouth again, but he didn’t ask for more details on the earlier information. He looked at Yuzhu, “What happened after that? According to your statement, your Madam didn’t eat lunch.”

Yuzhu replied, “That’s right. After Mr. Gao had left, Madam wasn’t in a good mood and didn’t want lunch. She said she was going to take a nap. After waking up, her morning sickness became even more severe. I sent someone to fetch Mrs. Lin, but Madam got angry and refused to let anybody take a look at how she was and refused to see the doctor too.”

Zhao Zhi looked at Madam Ge again.

Madam Ge nodded, “I waited outside for a short while and did not get to see Mrs. Qi at all. When Yuzhu told me the situation, I said that since Mrs. Qi was in a bad mood, she could take a walk first. If I was needed, Yuzhu could call for me and I would be there.”

Zhao Zhi lowered his gaze as he began to think.

It was clear that Yun Nianyao had already been poisoned with the castor beans by this point and the poison was taking effect.

This time, he didn’t say anything and just pointed at Yuzhu. Yuzhu understood what he wanted and continued speaking.

“At close to 3pm, Pacification Commissioner Lu arrived…”

Lu Guangzong continued for her, “The 8^th day of the month was a good day and it was time for me to come and worship buddha. And since I was already at the temple, it was only right for me to visit her. But she didn’t look good and her morning sickness was severe. I stayed for about 30 minutes and left.”

Yuzhu nodded, “After Pacification Commissioner Lu left, Madam felt even more unwell. Once she got into bed, she didn’t get out of bed again. At around 5 plus in the evening, Mrs. Lin came to take her pulse and said that her pulse was poor, so she left behind a pregnancy stabilizing pill.”

Madam Ge did not deny this, “The Lin family’s pregnancy stabilizing pill is made with a formula passed down the generations and it is very effective. I have some with me now, so Surveillance Commissioner Zhao can get someone to check its contents.”

Zhao Zhi rotated his teacup, “And throughout this time, Yun Nianyao didn’t eat a single thing?”

“No,” Yuzhu shook her head,” After Mrs. Lin left, the sun began to set and Madam looked very sleepy. She told me that I must not disturb her and went to bed. Then she suddenly woke up at 10 plus, called for me, and said she wanted to eat red bean pancakes.”

“Madam always liked to eat her food freshly prepared and she suffered from morning sickness that day, so I didn’t dare to delay and ran off to make some. But by the time I returned, Madam had gone back to bed. Madam was usually in a bad mood when she woke up and morning sickness only made her feel worse. If she didn’t get a good night’s sleep, she would be very lethargic the next day. I didn’t dare to wake her up, so I left the red bean pancakes in her room and left. Then the next morning…everyone knows what happened.”