The commotion from Chen Ping'an's fight with the shadowy figure in the courtyard was considerable, rousing a servant woman from the house who had woken in the night to investigate.
Opening the door, the servant woman saw Chen Ping'an tidying up the courtyard.
"Young Master..."
The servant woman greeted him, her face a picture of confusion.
Chen Ping'an looked up and gestured for her to be quiet.
Before the servant woman could make sense of the situation, her eyes fell upon the corpse lying on the ground, and she jumped in fright.
"Ah—"
Before the scream could fully erupt, the servant woman hastily clapped a hand over her mouth.
'Someone's dead!'
....
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Chen Ping'an left his home. A stout, broad-shouldered servant woman followed behind him, pushing a cart. A corpse lay upon it, concealed by a white cloth.
"Lord Chen!"
At the South Town Garrison Command, the constables guarding the main gate greeted Chen Ping'an respectfully.
