Warning: This chapter contains some triggering contents regarding body horror.
"I've drunk…"
Rong Qing had only spoken the first half of the sentence and the second half was a given.
Alcohol makes one foolish; he originally just wanted to drink a little, but who could have guessed that his capacity for alcohol was weak, and spiralled out of his own control. He thought that since the wine tasted sweet, it should be harmless; yet once he drank one cup after the other, he finally lost all consciousness.
He's fallen into the trap of women's charm.
It was unknown how much truth he spilt before he woke up sober.
Would Huang Lue use this against him?
One by one these theories rose to his sea of thought; Rong Qing's complexion turned pale, and could no longer pay attention to Cui Buqu seeing him as a joke.
He came here to supervise and investigate the case, not to get himself in trouble. His journey had just begun, so this cannot strike him on his head yet. Regardless of what national beauties were before him, Rong Qing was confident in his determination to omit the temptation. However, now he got drunk and delivered himself to his enemy's doorsteps.
"If I weren't here, you would have already lost yourself in the charms of women."
Cui Buqu walked up close; Rong Qing held guilt in his heart and instinctively retreated behind. In the next second, he came into his senses again, his face seething red.
But he has also suddenly realized the reason why he didn't like being close to Cui Buqu before.
Because this Master Cui's observations were too sharp—so sharp that nobody could hide anything from him, as if there was nothing he couldn't see through. Words that came from his mouth were also mostly a cold laughing mockery. Rong Qing's passion and stubbornness have turned him into a useless brute with only courage. Everyone preferred to listen to pleasant words and look at beautiful things. There were no exceptions, and Rong Qing could not exempt himself from it either.
However, this almost turned into a grievous outcome; if Cui Buqu hadn't woken him up tonight and allowed him to continue sleeping, then the next day after he woke up, he would still remain innocent, but no words would be able to explain himself.
"Thank you, Master Cui. It's my fault for being so careless." Rong Qing mustered the strength to submit.
Cui Buqu had no interest in Rong Qing. He did not lift his eyelids, told Rong Qing who was getting ready to get down the bed and put on his shoes: "Return to the bed. You are allowed to only leave tomorrow."
Ha? Rong Qing was taken aback as if he understood what he meant.
If he left now, it was obviously rejecting the courtesy of Huang Lue. Then, it would be inconvenient to investigate anything in the future.
Before he wanted to speak, he turned around to look at that beauty, he couldn't tell whether she was truly sleeping or simply pretending, finding it inconvenient to say what he wanted to say.
Cui Buqu walked up and patted the beauty's face.
"Wake up!" His actions weren't gentle at all.
The beauty woke up vaguely, blinking as she saw two men looking at her, wanting to scream.
Cui Buqu's actions were quick; he covered her mouth with one hand and hit the back of her neck with the other.
Swaying, the beauty fell back down softly.
This time, she truly was unconscious.
Rong Qing: "…"
As expected of the Zuoyue Bureau, with a name that widespread terror; even the Zuoyue Commander himself is so ferocious and cruel.
Then, he heard Cui Buqu say: "When I came in just now, I took a look around."
If Huang Lue and the others wanted to corrode him, there was no need to send people eavesdropping on the walls outside at this moment. As long as Rong Qing spent a night here, everyone would reassuringly believe that he is already in league with Huang Lue.
Rong Qing thought for a moment and said: "If I leave at daylight, then wouldn't the person who delivered the paintings think that I have already submitted to Huang Lue and the others, and no longer offer us clues? Let us do it in this way: I feign waking up in the middle of the night, create a ruckus, then leave. Would that not be better?"
He hasn't gone completely stupid. Cui Buqu curled his lips: "Possible. However, the scale of the ruckus you create on your own is surely limited?"
Rong Qing gave a confused look.
Li Yan also drank a lot during the banquet before he was finally heaved up onto the horse carriage while he was heavily drunk. Once he returned to his manor, he collapsed and slept until the next morning, when he heard his trusted servant reporting that something huge came up at County Magistrate Huang's place last night.
Rong Qing woke up at midnight, realized that there was a beauty next to him. Angered, he immediately ran to the room next door to beat up his own aide who was similarly drunk, then dragged the bureau's servant as he went looking for Huang Lue, waking him up from his own bed and scolded him for seeking entertaining when the calamity was still going on outside the city. The pitiful County Magistrate Huang was then punched on his eyes, and it's feared that he might not be able to leave his room for a few days.
Li Yan laughed loudly as he listened, his voice suddenly stopped as he asked his servant: "Then did Rong Qing sleep with that beauty?"
His servant squinted his eyes: "It's said that when the beauty woke up, she was only half-dressed and her body was covered in bruises. She cried and shouted that it hurt. Perhaps Imperial Censor Rong hasn't had 'a meal' for a while now, he went full out at once!"
Li Yan laughed again: "Really, such a young bird!"
His servant played along and said: "This Rong Qing is both reckless and rude, yet it's exactly because of this that he will not ruin our plans. Once the flood retreats, he can only leave and everything will return to normal."
Li Yan shakes his head: "That won't do. If that happens, how will I get the chance to take over Huang Lue, and climb a step higher? Huang Lue's position is swaying and unstable. It's very easy to ruin plans. Best let him and Rong Qing fight among themselves and suffer heavy losses together. Go, get a paper and a brush."
...
When Cui Buqu and Rong Qing returned to the posthouse, Guan Shanhai has just returned.
Guan Shanhai and Qiao Xian did not follow them to the banquet last night. Firstly, was to maintain a low-profile, after all, when two top-tiers were guarding him, it was very difficult not to get noticed. Secondly, there might be someone among the audiences who knew Guan Shanhai and Qiao Xian, and their identities would imply the involvement of the Zuoyue Bureau, which would not help their investigation.
"What did you find out?" Rong Qing couldn't help asking Guan Shanhai.
Guan Shanhai cast Cui Buqu a glance, and after the latter nodded his head, he said: "By order of the Commander, I have investigated the Governor of Guangqian Prefecture, Yang Yun."
Rong Qing was stunned: "Why is Yang Yun being investigated? Wasn't it Huang Lue?"
Cui Buqu said: "If something is going on with Huang Lue, would you think Yang Yun is completely ignorant of it? Either he pretends not to know anything, or feign weakness and helplessness, allowing Huang Lue to operate fully. Or, he is the biggest fish behind everything. Be it either of those possibilities, this person cannot escape the crime."
Rong Qing was slightly astonished; why had he never thought of the third possibility?
Guan Shanhai said: "Yang Yun's wife experienced a miscarriage and passed on more than a decade ago. After that, Yang Yun married someone else, but his new wife bore him no children. She had even convinced him to take in a concubine, so that they may be descendants of the Yang family. However, Yang Yun had not done that; he was instead bent on remaining with his new wife until today, where he still had no children."
Rong Qing asked: "Does that not mean that he and his wife are now in a good relationship?"
Guan Shanhai shook his head: "I went under a new identity during these two days and bribed the servants of the Yang manor, feigned conversation with them only to find out from their mouths that Prefecture Governor Yang remained in his study most of the time and did not share a room with his wife."
For a moment, Rong Qing looked as if he saw the breakthrough before it vanished within a blink of the eye.
Until Cui Buqu laid it out: "A man, especially if they have reached Yang Yun's age, would most certainly crave for children. If he shared a good relationship with his wife and was bent on growing old with her, then so be it. However, the fact that he refused to share a room with his wife proves that this reason can be excluded."
Rong Qing saw it suddenly: "Something is wrong with Yang Yun!"
A sudden realization hit him, and what followed were even more thoughts: "If something is wrong with Yang Yun, then Huang Lue cannot escape it either. As I observed these people closely yesterday: All the landlords carried worried faces, fearing that we would want them to be parted with their legacies. The Li and Ding family, who were the two largest landowners in this county, led the start of the argument and yet they did not even look the slightest worried about it. Perhaps they have already conspired with Huang Lue from the beginning to pocket these rations! There was also Wu Yi; he is the County's Official, failing to subside the calamity, he drank quite a lot yesterday. It seems he is also somehow related. From top to bottom in Guangqian County, it seems like Li Yan is the only one innocent."
The more Rong Qing spoke, the angrier he felt. His face has turned metallic green: "Since Yang Yun refused to meet me yesterday night, it may be because that thief's heart of his is consciously guilty!"
As the conversation went on, Qiao Xian also returned.
She brought with her a large sack while having a curious look on her, her brows knitting tightly, turning their gazes on the sack in her arms from time to time as if she really wanted to toss it away yet her hands clutched it tightly. It all did not add up.
Following her into the house was the scent of rotten flesh that had spread, making one want to vomit.
"Commander, from what you ordered me to investigate, there's the result."
She placed the package onto the table, carefully opened it.
Rong Qing opened his eyes wide, his face turning pale.
Inside the sack, there were a few tattered clothes and robes stuffed into it that one could no longer tell its original colour.
However, they were not the ones radiating the stench, but it was the bones with flesh clinging onto them that had been submerged in water for too long and bloated.
There were fingers, hands, hair, ribs, and some of them were flesh that had fallen off after they rotted. Some of them seemed like they were gnawed on by animals. However, on them, without a doubt, were all wounds made from knives.
Rong Qing turned his head and rushed out, after a while, vomiting sounds could be heard.
Cui Buqu was perfectly calm and collected. His eyes blinked once and told Qiao Xian: "Wrap it up, and make someone give Imperial Censor Rong some water."
Rong Qing had drunk quite a bit of wine last night but he ate nothing and so he could vomit nothing from his stomach but bile. His footsteps were wobbly as he helped himself back using the side of the wall.
"Where is this from?" Even his voice was light-headed.
Qiao Xian said: "Outside the city, at the same place you almost drowned last time."
Rong Qing was astonished: "You dug them out there? Then it means the painting speaks the truth!"
He took the water from Qiao Xian's hands. Just as he took the first sip, he recalled something and shakily said: "Have you… cleaned your hands just now?"
Qiao Xian looked at him expressionless: "No."
Rong Qing had already drunk a mouthful of water into his stomach. He couldn't even spit it back out. His face turned metallic green once again.
Watching as he wanted to run out to vomit again, Qiao Xian quickly grabbed him and dragged him back, snorting: "Be a man and have guts! Why make so much fuss?!"
Rong Qing looked like he cried invisible tears, he could only try his best to turn his head away, not looking at that sack; forcibly he said: "How many corpses like these are left?"
"Today the flood receded a little. The place you stood on yesterday could keep a foothold. I have only dug a little and discovered these. There are a lot more down below. If one were to dig further, I fear," Qiao Xian paused for a moment, and spat out four words, "It would be endless!"
Rong Qing's lips quivered, unable to say anything.
At this time, the posthouse's soldier begged for an audience, saying that a child came on behalf of someone else and delivered a bamboo tube. It said that it was for Rong Qing.
Rong Qing could no longer pay much attention to vomit, and quickly asked: "That child, bring him in quick!"
The soldier laughed: "He's long gone. There's only this scroll. Would you take a look?"
He had smelt the strange smell in the house, waiting by the door and refusing to come in.
Qiao Xian tossed a string of copper coins to the soldier. The latter put the bamboo tube down and happily excused himself.
Rong Qing opened the bamboo tube and took out a piece of rolled-up paper.
After it was opened, it was another painting.
The style was similar to the ones before, however, its lines were a lot thicker. After it was drawn, it was simply rolled up and stuffed into the bamboo tube.
At the foot of the mountain, was a villa, and everywhere else were forests. There was no one guarding the villa, only a large rat on the stage.
The rat was truly large, practically as tall as half the height of a pillar, dragging its curled up tail as it fixed its gaze on the gates of the villa, giving it a greedy look. Its body was leaned forward in a stance as if it was prepared to go in at any time.
Rong Qing blurted out: "Oh big rat, Big rat, don't take my grains. How hard I tried to nurture you, yet I hadn't earned your pity. Oh big rat, Big rat, don't take my grains! How hard I tried to nurture you, yet I hadn't earned your grace1. Is this to remind us to go to the villa to investigate?"
Guan Shanhai said: "From the painting, the villa is surrounded by forests. This place should not have been hit by the flood yet, thus it can only be the North of the city."
Yet Qiao Xian said: "Commander, this humble subject thinks that due to the urgency of the matter, we should first find out who is the one behind these paintings. This person has delivered three paintings, as if warning Imperial Censor Rong, yet refuses to divulge their identity, concealing themselves and refusing to come into the light. Perhaps they're harbouring malicious intentions and want to lure us into the wrong path."
Rong Qing immediately: "But you've seen it just now yourself, his warnings are true. Otherwise, how were you able to bring that sack back?"
Qiao Xian said coldly: "A few corpses and bones cannot prove anything. If there is something going on with villa in this painting, it would be heavily surrounded. To go seeking it suddenly would surely alert the enemy. If you can, go look for it yourself, do not take us along with you to the frontlines. The reason Commander came here originally wasn't to help you investigate this case!"
Rong Qing was stunned, speaking as his face slowly turned red.
"Stop making noise. Someone has already found this place for us."
Cui Buqu took out a strip of paper from his sleeve, spreading it on the table.
Qixia Villa in North of the City, Ninth Night of the Ninth Lunar Month. Convenient for moon-gazing, undoing your robes, waiting for your arrival, only you may come, share in the warmth.
The words were crooked and askew and neither did the paper have a signature. Every sentence did not make sense, rendering one to laugh.
However, this was the very strip of paper stuffed into his hands last night, when Li Shishi was teasing him.
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[1] 硕鼠硕鼠,无食我黍.三岁贯女,莫我肯顾.硕鼠硕鼠,无食我麦!三岁贯女,莫我肯德: "硕鼠"(lit. Big rat) from "诗经·国风·魏风" (lit. Book of National Songs of Wei Dynasty) is a folk song of the people during the Wei Dynasty.