There is a god in the sky

Chapter 120 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 18

"Miss Ning committed suicide simply because Master Ning arranged a marriage she was unhappy with?" Shen Lan sighed silently. For a man she had only met a few times, she was so resolute. Miss Ning was truly temperamental.

Yunshuang gave a helpless bitter smile, "Miss really likes Young Master Yang."

There was a cold snort from behind.

It was Chen Shu, his expression carrying a hint of disdain and dissatisfaction.

"Many people like Yang Shuo. Miss Ning brought this upon herself, but she dragged Yang Shuo down with her. In the afterlife, will she have the face to meet Yang Shuo?"

Yunshuang retorted, "They lived and died together; perhaps they'll become husband and wife in the afterlife?"

"Impossible!" Chen Shu retorted excitedly.

Shen Lan casually remarked, "That Young Master Yang must be an exceptionally handsome man."

Xiao Ji looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

Yun Shuang recalled, "Yes, he was the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life."

"No wonder not only Miss Ning likes it, but Young Master Chen likes it so much too."

Chen Shu's face flushed red, and he stammered, "You...you're talking nonsense...that's not how it is..."

That's enough. No matter how much I liked them, we're now separated by death. I'm just a miserable person living in this world.

Pity.

"I'm sorry, I was just talking nonsense," Shen Lan apologized sincerely.

Chen Shu turned his face away, then secretly glanced at everyone's expressions. Seeing that no one was dwelling on the matter, he felt slightly disappointed.

He longed to declare to the world that he and Yang Shuo were the closest of friends.

But now that Yang Shuo is gone, he can't bear to see his reputation damaged.

"Is Young Master Chen aware of the changes in Young Master Yang that Yunshuang mentioned earlier?" Xiao Ji was quite concerned about this point.

Chen Shu nodded. "I know. He said he sold a painting for a high price, so his life has improved."

"Is he good at painting?"

Chen Shu thought about it and realized he wasn't entirely sure.

“He usually makes money by copying books and painting. His skill level is not bad, but maybe that painting just happened to suit the buyer’s taste, so it’s possible that he would pay a high price.”

Artworks do not have a fixed price.

Shen Lan thought to herself: Perhaps the other party, like Miss Ning, only took a liking to Yang Shuo and used the pretense of buying paintings to give him money.

Do you know who the buyer is?

Chen Shu shook his head, "I don't know. Yang Shuo never said anything. I guess it was just a one-time deal, and he didn't take it to heart."

Xiao Ji stood up and walked up to him, pressing his shoulder and asking, "Young Master Chen has been working tirelessly for his case. Do you harbor any resentment towards the presiding judge?"

Chen Shu was taken aback. "What do you mean by that, Lord Xiao?"

"If you had the chance to avenge him, what would you do?"

"How...how can a weak scholar like me take revenge?"

That's a young prince!

Xiao Ji felt that he was not lying, so he let go of his hand and sighed, "You have done a good job. I will accept the lawsuit."

Chen Shu was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, sir! Thank you so much, sir! Then I will go back and wait for your good news."

Chen Shu jogged away.

He wears his heart on his sleeve; he's a very straightforward person.

After finishing her business, Shen Lan wanted to inquire about Miao Niang's situation.

"I just watched Miao Niang dance. I heard she's the top dancer at Wan Hua Lou. Has she been there for many years?"

Yunshuang glanced at her sideways, assuming that she was just like the other men outside, coveting Miaoniang's beauty.

"Anyway, they arrived earlier than me."

"What's her last name?"

Yunshuang said with dissatisfaction, "I have already answered what I should answer. I will not answer these questions that are not related to the case."

Xiao Ji noticed that Shen Lan was particularly fond of Miao Niang, perhaps because she admired her after watching her dance.

Shen Lan knew in her heart that the probability of it being the same person was extremely small.

Even if she also has the surname Lin, it doesn't prove that it must be her.

Fine, I'll just sneak over and take a look tonight.

Xiao Ji instructed Sui Feng to redeem Yun Shuang from her servitude, and then left the Wan Hua Lou with Shen Lan.

He Jingli followed Xiao Ji and told him about the case of Fuchunju.

"Lord Xiao is truly amazing. He solved such a complex case in just two or three days."

"Who said the case was solved?" Xiao Ji asked, frowning.

"Eh...isn't that right? I heard that you arrested the concubine of the Prince's mansion, as well as Constable Ma. Isn't he the murderer?"

"Officer Ma is dead, and he didn't say anything before he died."

"I see. What a pity. Officer Ma is a good man."

Following up on his topic, Xiao Ji asked, "Is He Jingli very familiar with Constable Ma?"

"After all, we work in the same government office, so we spend a lot of time together on a regular basis."

He Jingli recounted several things related to Constable Ma, as if he were indeed quite familiar with him.

"Oh, by the way, Officer Ma was transferred from Tongren County. Everyone said at the time that he got here because of Miss Mu's connections."

Xiao Ji seemed lost in thought.

He left after walking with them for a while.

Shen Lan stared at his retreating figure and asked, puzzled, "Did he come looking for you on purpose?"

"It's obvious. This person is shrewd and probably came to find out more about the case."

"His words were all aimed at confirming that Constable Ma was guilty of murder. Either he was involved in the case, or he knew who was behind it."

Xiao Ji stopped and thought for a moment before saying, "I want to find out who bought Yang Shuo's painting. You know art, what kind of painting do you think can fetch a high price?"

"Even a top-tier painter like Rongshan Jushi might not be able to sell his paintings for a hundred taels of silver when he was young."

According to Yunshuang, he not only repaid Miss Ning's money but also improved her life, so the selling price might have increased several times over. Nobody's that stupid.

"So the person who bought the painting might be suspicious?"

"Yes, if Miss Ning could commit suicide for Yang Shuo, then others might also kill for him."

Xiao Ji leaned closer to Shen Lan and asked her earnestly, "If Miss Shen falls in love with a man in the future, will you do the same for him?"

Shen Lan met his gaze, but couldn't discern the expression in his eyes.

She smiled and said, "My own life is the most important thing."

She has never been a love-obsessed person.

But if the person she loves is mistakenly killed by an incompetent official, she will seek revenge.

But I definitely won't use this method.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor; it is not the act of a gentleman to implicate the innocent."

Xiao Ji praised, "Miss Shen truly possesses the qualities of a gentleman!"

"Thank you for the compliment," Shen Lan said. "I'm just glad you don't think I'm selfish."

"Although Miss Shen is young, she is very rational in her judgment of people and things, which is very good."

When they returned to the government office, they heard news from Fuchun Residence that Aunt Mu had also committed suicide.

She committed suicide by swallowing gold.

Before she died, she told her maid Tao Hong that she was afraid of being beheaded and dying without a complete body, and begged the prince to leave her with some dignity.

The young prince, for some unknown reason, not only did not pursue her responsibility, but also buried her in the ancestral tomb of the Zheng Prince's mansion as a concubine.

Only the principal wife and concubines were entitled to be buried in the ancestral tomb.

"If you set aside his flaw of making arbitrary judgments, he's actually a pretty good person."

The young prince had none of the airs of royalty; he was kind to people and never mistreated his servants, making him a very easy master to talk to.

But he insisted on staying in the Criminal Investigation Department, thus creating one enemy after another for himself.