Geschichte über einen Ehemanndiebstahl

Kapitel 20

Jiang Cheng nodded: "That's right. I've never seen or even heard of this poison before. It's really strange how it's used!"

Xiao Duan frowned, then turned to look at Shen Lian, suddenly noticing a small bulge in the pocket of her red blouse. Xiao Duan reached out, but was stopped. Jiang Cheng shook his head slightly, his face serious: "Xiao Duan..." Jiang Cheng reached into the pocket and pulled out a small, heart-shaped celadon box, about the size of a walnut. Wearing gloves, Jiang Cheng clumsily unscrewed the lid, then picked up a silver needle. The tip lightly touched the bright red ointment, and in a short while, the entire needle quickly turned bluish-black again.

Jiang Cheng frowned, rummaged through the wooden box, found an empty small wooden box inside, then went to the windowsill, picked up a discarded small copper rod, scooped out all the ointment from the small porcelain box, and put it into the wooden box. He then took a clean cotton cloth, crumpled it up, and wiped the red ointment clean from inside the heart-shaped porcelain box. He wrapped it together with the cloth that had wrapped the silver needles, placed it in a small wooden tube, and handed the porcelain box to Zhan Yun: "Take this, you should use it when solving cases."

Zhan Yun nodded slightly. Zhao Ting narrowed his eyes. This old man, though he was displeasing to the eye in every way, was surprisingly meticulous in his work. Li Qinglan really did have two capable men under his command!

Xiao Duan gazed quietly at Shen Lian's face, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at her lips. Could the poison take effect in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? It was nearly noon, the busiest time of day for the shop, how could she… Zhan Yun looked at Xiao Duan, a hint of hesitation on his fair and handsome face: “Xiao Duan…”

Xiao Duan glanced at him sideways. Zhan Yun gritted his teeth, feeling a pang of reluctance. But if he didn't speak up, Xiao Duan would find out sooner or later, so it was better to let him know sooner rather than later. "Xiao Duan, when we got there, she hadn't put anything on her lips. It was only later, when she heard us ordering noodles for you, that she disappeared in a flash. When she came back, she was holding a wine bottle, and she had rouge on her lips..."

Xiao Duan paused, opened his lips, and slowly tightened his fist beside him. "Brother Xiao Duan, look at me, isn't my rouge pretty today?" The girl's sweet voice, trembling slightly, rang softly in his ear. Xiao Duan lowered his eyes, his lips pressed tightly together, unwilling to let anyone see the expression in his eyes.

When the little girl held his hand and acted coquettishly, he felt embarrassed, helpless, and a little amused. He thought to himself, "She's really young; she can't even tell if she's a boy or a girl yet she says such things." He didn't care about himself, but for a little girl like her to act so boldly, she would be laughed at by others. Little did he know, she wasn't just being coquettish; she was testing his feelings. When a woman asks a man if his rouge looks good, isn't she just hoping to hear his gentle praise and sweet words? If he had smiled and said "It looks good," the little girl would at least have left in peace.

Thinking this through, Xiao Duan felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He had always been carefree and adrift, never taking anyone or anything to heart, never leaving even the slightest thought for those who cared. He knew full well that his background destined him to be alone for life, and that being with anyone would only be a burden and a hindrance. But this time, for the first time, Xiao Duan felt a pang of self-reproach for not leaving this girl any hope, letting her pass away so easily.

Jiang Cheng, having overheard the conversation, sighed softly and patted Xiao Duan's arm: "This isn't your fault. Even if you hadn't gone today, she would have used the lip rouge anyway."

Although Xiao Duan's face remained expressionless, still cold and indifferent, his half-lowered phoenix eyes, slightly pursed lips, and clenched fist all revealed that he was somewhat agitated.

Zhao Ting glanced sideways at Zhan Yun, as if to say, "You know it yourself! This matter isn't really related to the case, why bring it up and upset people?" Zhan Yun responded with a faint smile, his crescent-shaped eyes glancing at Xiao Duan, as if to say, "Don't you understand him? He won't let go of anything he doesn't understand easily. It's just a small matter; he'll find out sooner or later anyway, so it's better to say it now and save a lot of trouble."

Zhao Ting pursed his lips, thinking to himself that it made sense. He was just pondering what to say to comfort them when he saw Xiao Duan nod to Jiang Cheng and turn to walk outside. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun exchanged a glance and hurriedly followed. Behind them, Jiang Cheng watched the three figures, his expression gradually becoming serious, and he shook his head and sighed.

Upon exiting the yamen, they saw Shen Lei sitting blankly on the steps, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing the three of them emerge, Shen Lei hurriedly stood up, took two steps forward, and grabbed Xiao Duan's wrist: "Xiao Duan, my sister… my sister…"

Shen Lei's eyes were bloodshot, his lower lip was chapped and peeling, and his grip was incredibly strong, causing Xiao Duan to frown slightly. Before Xiao Duan could speak, Zhao Ting had already grabbed Shen Lei's wrist: "Let go."

"Ah! I'm sorry, Xiao Duan..." Shen Lei then realized that he was holding the other person's wrist and not letting go, which was very impolite.

"It's alright," Xiao Duan said softly. "Don't worry, I will definitely bring the murderer who harmed your sister to justice."

Zhan Yun took out the small celadon box from her sleeve: "Do you know where this rouge comes from?"

Upon seeing the heart-shaped porcelain box, Shen Lei's eyes welled up with tears again. "This rouge, I bought it for Lianlian yesterday afternoon from a rouge shop in the east of the city. Her birthday is coming up soon..." As he spoke, Shen Lei wiped his eyes hard, his voice choked with emotion. "She's always wanted a box of rouge. Our mother died early, and she doesn't have any older sisters. I've seen other girls wearing makeup, and she's always loved being pretty, but she's never asked me for any... Her twelfth birthday is in two days. Yesterday, I took some money and went to the best rouge shop in the city to pick out this box of lip rouge for her..."

Zhan Yun nodded: "What's the name of that shop?"

Shen Lei wiped his eyes again, glanced at Zhan Yun first, and then looked at Xiao Duan as if seeking confirmation: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this rouge...?"

Xiao Duan shook his head, but his hands behind his back gradually tightened: "When investigating a case, you need to ask about every detail. Don't overthink it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lei nodded slightly: "That shop is called 'Drunken Beauty,' and it's located on the busiest street in the east of the city."

The three parted ways with Shen Lei and headed north of the city. It was getting late, the rain had long since stopped, and the sunset was magnificent. The clouds, some crimson and some light purple, lingered on the horizon, like rouge on a beautiful woman's face, so enchanting that one couldn't help but slow down and stop to admire them.

The three of them had already inquired with the doctor at the clinic about the woman who had died of poisoning the previous day and whose symptoms were similar. According to the doctor, the woman's husband's surname was Zhong, and they also lived in the north of the city, on one of the two streets near the clinic, but he didn't know their exact address.

The three walked and asked along the way, finally finding the house. The Zhong family was wealthy; white lanterns and curtains were already hung at the entrance. After greeting the gatekeeper, Zhan Yun took out the waist token given to him by Li Qinglan, saying that officials had come to investigate a case. Soon, someone came out and led the three inside. The deceased woman was the wife of the second young master of the Zhong family. After exchanging pleasantries with the Zhong family, the three requested to open the coffin for an autopsy and to inspect the young mistress's bedroom.

After much negotiation, the Zhong family stubbornly refused to exhume the body for an autopsy, arguing that as a prominent family, and especially considering it involved a woman, such an act would be a disgrace to the Zhong family. Xiao Duan's face darkened, and Zhao Ting, with his princely temper, was also rising; his eyes narrowed and eyebrows raised, clearly on the verge of exploding. At this crucial moment, Zhan Yun gently patted Zhao Ting's shoulder, signaling him to calm down, and explained in a gentle voice that while they didn't need to examine the body, at least the boudoir should be examined. Since they were officials, the Zhong family hesitated for a long time before the old master finally nodded. The steward, with a cold face, led the three of them there.

The three entered the room and went straight to the woman's dressing mirror. Zhao Ting, quick as a flash, spotted the identical heart-shaped box, reached for it, and was about to open it when Zhan Yun blocked his hand with her fan. Remembering Jiang Cheng's earlier instructions, Zhao Ting pulled a handkerchief from his robes, wrapped the small box in it, and without even glancing at the steward standing nearby, slipped it into his sleeve. The steward's eye twitched; he thought, "Aren't these government officials? Why are they behaving like bandits!" The three of them rushed in like a gust of wind, grabbing things and stuffing them into their pockets without a word.

The three looked around again but found nothing new. They returned to the front hall to bid farewell to everyone and hurriedly left the Zhong residence, rushing back to the yamen as quickly as possible. They handed the rouge box to Jiang Cheng, who, after a short while, compared it with the rouge and scooped out the red paste, placing it in the small wooden box they had just used.

"It's definitely the poison from the poppy." Upon hearing Jiang Cheng's words, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. That makes things easier. Judging from the situation, the problem lies with that rouge shop. They spent so much time causing trouble at the Zhong residence, and it's already late; that shop must have closed long ago. Tomorrow morning, they'll take men and seal off that "Drunken Beauty" shop!

Author's Note: Uh, Zhao Ting should be realizing something's wrong soon, and he'll start to struggle with this soon~

Poor thing~ Falling for Xiao Duan means your love life is destined to be long and bumpy.

twenty two

Chapter Three: Staying Overnight • Chaos...

As they were talking, they heard a clear voice calling from outside the door: "Mr. Jiang, gentlemen, the meal is ready. My master invites you to come and dine."

Upon hearing Ayan's voice, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. This child... knowing full well that Xiao Duan was also in the room, yet deliberately glossed over it, and always managed to embarrass Xiao Duan with his words. Unfortunately, Xiao Duan had a cold personality; aside from when handling cases, he rarely spoke and didn't know much about interpersonal relationships. Many people in the government office disliked him, finding him too arrogant, and often gossiped about him behind his back.

Zhan Yun responded and said he would go over right away. Jiang Cheng tidied up all the odds and ends, and finally arranged the small wooden bucket and the wooden box neatly together. He then took off his gloves and put them into the bucket, and followed the three of them out of the house.

Xiao Duan originally wanted to leave, but firstly, he still had his bundle left at the government office, and secondly, Jiang Cheng had probably guessed his intentions long ago, as soon as he stepped out the door, he grabbed his sleeve and led him towards the dining room. Xiao Duan couldn't resist Jiang Cheng's insistence, so he let him pull him along.

Zhao Ting was getting increasingly angry. He thought to himself, "This whole day has been a mess! From morning till night, how many people have touched Xiao Duan's hand? First, there was that young girl at the noodle shop, who grabbed Xiao Duan's hand and tried to confess her feelings, but then she fainted and Xiao Duan pulled her into his arms. Then there was that older brother, who held onto Xiao Duan's wrist tightly, making Xiao Duan's brow furrow. And finally, there was that old bastard surnamed Jiang! Zhao Ting grew angrier and angrier, thinking, 'Uncle, how old are you? Still clinging to young men like that!'"

Just as he was getting frustrated, Zhao Ting suddenly shuddered, startled by his own reaction. "Young man..." Zhao Ting felt a cold sweat slowly slide down his forehead, his heart sinking into a chill, as if someone had doused him with a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter and then left him to stand in the freezing cold, the icy chill piercing his very soul. Zhao Ting stopped abruptly, staring blankly at Xiao Duan's thin back, his thin lips slightly parted, his eyes wide open, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

Zhan Yun, walking to the side, chuckled, her crescent-shaped eyes widening and her pink lips curving into a shallow arc. She thought to herself, "I've known this guy for so many years, and most of the time he's expressionless with a cold face. Even raising an eyebrow or smiling is extremely rare. I've had the privilege of witnessing our Prince Zhao lose his temper, flip the table, and fight—that's quite a rare sight indeed."

按照周煜斐那厮当年被赵廷胖揍一顿之后的说法，能让赵廷发飙，那也是不一般的待遇。一般人他都不屑打，真动真格的了，那说明人家把你当兄弟了，再不济也是个值得尊敬的对手。一番话说的展云哭笑不得，偏偏周少爷说这话时候还舔着嘴角的血渍笑得那叫一个欠扁，结果赵廷黑着脸勾唇一笑，捏了捏拳头就又招呼上去了。

But such a dumbfounded expression, clearly frightened by something, was truly a first for him in all these years. Zhan Yun shook his head. "Young Prince Zhao, this expression doesn't suit you at all, it doesn't suit you at all." Seeing that the two people in front had already entered the house, Zhan Yun patted Zhao Ting's shoulder and said gently with a smile, "Your Highness, if you stay any longer, it won't be dinner, it'll be midnight snack."

Zhao Ting snapped out of his daze, his dark, midnight-like eyes fixed on Zhan Yun. His wheat-colored face was now deathly pale, startling Zhan Yun, who quickly waved his hand in front of Zhao Ting's eyes: "What's wrong?"

The file you downloaded is provided free of charge by (AiQuX)! Many more great novels await you!

Zhao Ting raised his hand and brushed Zhan Yun's hand aside, pursed his thin lips, and walked forward again. Zhan Yun sighed helplessly, quickened his pace to catch up, and thought to himself, what's wrong with this child? Why has he been so emotionally unstable lately? The past twenty-five years combined haven't seen such dramatic mood swings!

Dinner was simple: three hot dishes, two cold dishes, and a bowl of plain porridge for each person. The dishes were mostly vegetarian, with a light flavor, typical of what ordinary families in the Zhejiang region often prepare. The rice porridge was smooth and creamy, its pale almond-white color very appetizing. Xiao Duan picked up a piece of finely chopped bamboo shoot with his chopsticks, chewed it slowly, then put down his chopsticks and picked up a spoon to drink the porridge. Seeing that Xiao Duan wasn't eating much, Li Qinglan picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a slice of osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root in Xiao Duan's bowl: "Xiao Duan, don't just drink porridge, eat more vegetables. We made a big pot of porridge, there's plenty!"

Xiao Duan looked up and thanked him softly. He picked up a slice of lotus root, took a bite, and chewed it carefully. Zhao Ting, meanwhile, kept his head down and ate his meal, unusually refraining from looking at Xiao Duan. Zhao Ting chewed on a slice of shiitake mushroom, then picked up his bowl and took a big gulp of porridge. His mind was a jumbled mess, a tangled mess he couldn't find the thread that had led him into this chaos. Damn it! He must be going crazy, he must be going crazy! No matter how handsome, how frail, how elegant, how intelligent, how… Zhao Ting couldn't go on. Just thinking about Xiao Duan filled his mind with all his good qualities, but no matter how good he was, even if he was better than the heavens, he was still a man through and through!

Just then, Zhao Ting scooped up a spoonful of tender tofu and glanced up at Xiao Duan's neck. Xiao Duan was currently drinking porridge with his head slightly lowered, and in the dim light, a small section of his neck was exposed outside his collar, truly living up to the phrase "a neck as white as a cicada's." Zhao Ting closed his eyes and swallowed the tofu in his mouth with a "gulp." Damn it! Everyone says the ancients were right, and that damn Book of Songs really does capture the essence! But why didn't the ancients say that a man's neck could be as beautiful as a piece of jade? So fair and smooth that it made one's palms itch and one's heart pound like a drum. Zhao Ting's brows furrowed more and more, his face full of struggle, but that delicate Adam's apple, no matter how small, was still an Adam's apple! No matter how handsome or beautiful a person is, he's still a man!