Feng Yi frowned slightly and said, "It seems to be a retaliatory murder. The murderer must have harbored a great deal of resentment towards the victim. His lungs and internal organs were forcibly torn open, and even..." Feng Yi hesitated before continuing.
"Even the lower body of the corpse was a mess. Isn't that strange?" An Xin replied expressionlessly. In the face of a murder case, shyness was irrelevant!
Feng Yi coughed dryly, his expression strange.
An Xin said in a deep voice, "But the deceased had no enemies in life, so it is quite suspicious that he was killed for no reason."
Feng Yi nodded and said, "Learning about the deceased's life before death might provide some clues."
An Xin nodded, countless questions swirling in her mind. Was the murderer a female ghost? And why did that female ghost target the victim? And why was she so vicious? If she wanted to kill the victim, tearing out their intestines would be one thing, but why did she have to mutilate their lower body like that? And why did she commit the crime here?
Late at night, An Xin tossed and turned. It seemed as if the wind had picked up outside the window, howling and whistling.
It was early spring, and such severe weather was rare, but that night a fierce wind seemed to rise, lashing against the windows. An Xin drifted off to sleep, and when she woke up, it was already broad daylight. Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out, startling An Xin so much that she rolled over and sat up abruptly. The door was pushed open with a bang, and Lu Zhu rushed in, saying in a panic, "Miss, something terrible has happened! Someone has died again!"
An Xin's expression changed: "Another person died? Where?"
Dewdrop, her face pale, said, "It was on the riverbank. The corpses died in the same horrible way as those in the forest; their internal organs were all torn apart."
An Xin turned and ran outside.
The riverbank was a mess, and the rumors about the female ghost among the onlookers became more and more realistic. An Xin glanced at the corpse, which died as miserably as Qing Lin yesterday. Its internal organs and lower body were a mess, but its skin was white and swollen, indicating that it had been running in the river for a long time before being washed downstream.
An Xin looked up along the river. This river was the mother river of Wuhua Village. All five villages depended on this river for survival, so the river ran through all five villages.
Since the body was washed ashore, this place may not be the primary crime scene at all—another unsolved case!
Yang Hu rushed over and examined the body, saying, "Miss An, this man is Wang Erlai from Huabei Village. He is a good-for-nothing scoundrel who is now thirty years old but has not yet settled down. He squanders his family fortune on drinking, gambling, and whoring. Now he is swindling and cheating. I never expected that he would be killed by a female ghost."
An Xin pondered for a moment and asked, "Brother Yang, is this person connected to Qing Lin from yesterday?"
Yang Hu checked the case file and said, "There is no connection between them. They are two unrelated people who have had no interaction in the past ten years."
An Xin's heart sank. They had no connection, and their deaths were clearly caused by the same murderer. Why would the female ghost kill two completely unrelated people?
This murder case has actually made the original murder case even more perplexing!
"The matter of the female ghost has caused widespread panic. There seems to be no discernible pattern to her killings, so anyone could potentially be killed. Your Excellency is deeply uneasy and has reported this matter to the imperial court. I expect that officials will come to investigate in a few days." Yang Hu sighed at Wang Baishi's weakness.
An Xin casually gave an "oh," thinking, "What's the use of reporting to the court? The emperor is too busy with national affairs to care about these one murder after another."
The two deceased seemed unrelated, but the manner of their deaths was the same, which gave An Xin a vague idea. However, she then felt that this idea was a bit far-fetched, so she put it aside for the time being.
On her way back, Anxin saw Luzhu running up breathlessly. Anxin had a headache; this girl was always so easily startled and never gave her any peace of mind.
"Miss, Miss, it's here again!" Dewdrop ran out of breath.
An Xin slowly asked, "What? It's here again?"
Dewdrop swallowed hard and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty's decree!"
****
An Xin unfolded the imperial edict and read it through. Her lips trembled slightly. Her memorial not only failed to refuse the emperor's request, but also promoted An Youwei's official rank. It even said that it was to show consideration for Lord An's feelings and told him not to be too modest. It was utter nonsense!
However, it was clear that this imperial edict had thoroughly moved An Youwei. To be able to receive such imperial favor was, in An Youwei's mind, an immense grace, a gift from heaven. He would gladly go through fire and water for it in the future.
"His Majesty values me so highly, how can I refuse again and again? Xin'er, you and your mother pack your things, we'll head to the capital to take up our posts immediately!" For the first time, a surge of heroic confidence bloomed on An Youwei's usually reserved and timid face.
An Xin's words caught in her throat, and she finally sighed and said, "Father, there are one murder after another in the village. You and Mother should go to the capital first. Lu Zhu and I will stay here until the case is closed before we leave."
An Youwei was taken aback: "Xin'er, the Feng family is involved in the murder case. You, as a young woman, should not get involved."
An Xin smiled slightly and said, "Father, please grant my request. However, I must say that the political situation in the court is unpredictable, and Father should be careful in everything he does."
An Youwei sighed and said, "Xin'er, it's because your father is too selfish, always thinking about bringing glory to the family. Do you resent your father?"
An Xin smiled and said, "Bringing honor to one's ancestors is a good thing. How could I blame my father? I should be proud of him."
An Youwei burst into tears in an instant.
By afternoon, the threshold of the house was almost worn down by people walking around. The villagers heard that the emperor had issued several decrees, not only allowing An Youwei to return to the court as an official, but also promoting him three ranks! Wasn't this an incredibly auspicious event, a sign of good fortune for their ancestors?!
An Xin leaned against the door frame, lazily watching the hypocritical faces of the crowd. She then thought of the sarcasm and ridicule from the crowd when her father was first demoted. As the saying goes, the warmth and coldness of human relationships are like drinking water; only the person drinking knows whether it is hot or cold.
Lost in thought, Wang Yihe approached and said with unprecedented enthusiasm, "Sister Xin'er, I heard from Uncle An that you are not going to the capital with him. It may not be safe for a young lady to stay behind alone. However, I promised Uncle An that I would take good care of you."
An Xin said calmly, "No need."
Wang Yihe seemed to have gotten used to An Xin's indifference. Instead of being discouraged, he said even more enthusiastically, "You and I have been very close since childhood. With your brother here, I will never let you suffer any grievances!"
An Xin couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Yes, yes, Xin'er, if you get to the capital, don't forget us." Several girls walked over with bright smiles. An Xin glanced at them, remembering that these women had mocked her for having thick legs not long ago.
Dewdrop, petty and narrow-minded, pouted and said, "Miss has seen a great world in the capital and met many important people. She doesn't want to remember those who hurt her in the past!"
The girls' faces suddenly turned awkward. Each of them felt a mix of emotions!
An Youwei was demoted and thought she would never recover, but unexpectedly, she became even richer and more powerful. How come such good fortune didn't fall on her family's ancestral graves? An Xin became an official's daughter in the blink of an eye. How can people not be jealous?
Despite their jealousy, they still couldn't resist trying to curry favor. For ordinary country folk like them, the chances of meeting important people were extremely rare. If they could go to the capital with An Xin one day, they might even encounter a prince or something!
Thinking of this, everyone's smiles grew even wider, and they looked at An Xin affectionately and said, "Xin'er, if we go to the capital in the future, you must take good care of us."
An Xin: "..." An Xin wasn't speechless, she had nothing to say.
Jinqiao was somewhat reserved in the crowd. When the crowd saw her, they wanted to make sarcastic remarks, but Xu Ruolan walked up to her and spoke to her warmly, so their words were stuck in their throats.