Chapter 148: Lord Lu and His Wife Are Coming

Head Constable Li felt as if the sky had fallen on him when he heard another murder case had occurred.

Bad luck, truly bad luck!

He brought his men to Yun Bian Village.

First, he had the area around Zhang Po Zi’s house enclosed, then sent people to the fire scene for cleanup.

For cases like this, it was essential to find the bodies immediately and make a preliminary judgment on whether the deaths were accidental or deliberate.

Once the bodies were removed from the scene, even the seasoned Head Constable Li’s face changed.

Though the bodies were severely burned beyond recognition, the positions in which they were found told a story.

There were three people at the crime scene.

Two of them had their heads chopped off.

And their heads were found in the arms of another person.

This eerie scene made one’s scalp tingle.

The first thought that came to Head Constable Li’s mind was: This person has gone mad!

From the village chief, he learned that only Zhang Po Zi and Zhang Da Li lived in that house.

So, who was the third person?

The constables exchanged opinions in the Zhang family’s yard.

The onlookers, the villagers, stood outside the yard, gossiping.

“How come there was another person at Zhang Po Zi’s house?”

“I heard the constables say it was a man.”

“A man? Could it be that Zhang Po Zi really had an affair?”

“I told you, something wasn’t right with her lately.”

“Tsk, tsk, who would have thought! Seems like she was really hiding something! With this situation, maybe it’s a falling out with her lover?”

Head Constable Li heard the villagers’ gossip from inside and paced out.

“You just said that Zhang Po Zi had a lover?”

The villagers had been speculating privately.

When the officer asked, they immediately quieted down.

“It’s fine, go ahead and speak,” Head Constable Li said, while he scratched his ear.

“I’m just here for the gossip.”

Hearing the officer’s words, the bolder villagers began to speak up.

“We’re just guessing, but recently, Zhang Po Zi has been acting strangely. She’s usually very stingy, but a few days ago, she went to the market and bought two large pig’s knuckles.”

“Two big pig’s knuckles! That’s a lot of money. No one in our village would spend that much during the New Year.”

“Right, right! And she even said her son had earned a lot of money. Everyone knows Zhang Da Li is lazy and useless, he doesn’t even help with the harvest. How could he possibly make a lot of money!” one person agreed.

Hearing this, someone else added, “Also, Zhang Po Zi had a jade bracelet on her hand.”

“I know her best. She would never spend money on something like that herself. It must have been a gift from someone else.”

As soon as this statement was made, a constable walked out from inside.

He was holding a silk scarf, and wrapped inside the scarf was a jade bracelet.

After the fire, the jade bracelet was shattered into pieces, but it was still clear that the quality had been quite good originally.

“Is this the bracelet you’re talking about?”

Head Constable Li took the scarf and held up the broken jade bracelet for everyone to see.

Though the bracelet had been damaged, the color had not changed, and some sharp-eyed people had already recognized it. “This is definitely the one she was wearing.”

“Take it and have the coroner check it out.”

Head Constable Li instructed his subordinates.

Soon, the constables finished clearing the scene.

Head Constable Li looked around at the surroundings and then walked toward the Xiao family’s house.

This row of houses reached the end at Zhang Po Zi’s house, and the house closest to hers was the Xiao family’s.

Head Constable Li’s question was the same as the village chief’s: he asked if Ye Xin Ran and Xiao Huai’an had heard anything last night.

The two of them repeated their previous answers.

Head Constable Li signaled to his subordinates, who began checking around the Xiao family’s front and back yards.

However, because so many villagers had passed through, the yard had become a muddled mess and no traces of footprints could be identified. Even the walls between the Xiao and Zhang families had been soaked with water, and their original appearance was unrecognizable.

The constables found nothing.

“Well, in that case, we’ll head back for now,” Head Constable Li said.

He bid farewell to the village chief. “If you have any new information, let us know immediately.”

“Okay, okay!” The village chief quickly agreed.

“What if Zhang’s husband comes back? Can he enter this yard?”

The village chief asked.

“If Zhang’s husband returns, have him report to the county office. Our superiors will have questions for him.”

If, as the villagers suggested, this was a case of passion-related murder, then Zhang Zong would definitely be involved.

The village chief took note of the constables’ instructions.

Once the constables left, Ye Xin Ran finally relaxed.

Ordinary people feared nothing more than being dragged into legal trouble. The saying goes, “When a scholar meets a soldier, reasoning cannot clarify anything.”

Especially for them, common folk.

Fortunately, Zhang Po Zi had shown some odd behaviors before, or else the constables might have focused their suspicions on them.

The villagers continued to discuss the matter around Zhang Po Zi’s house for a long time. Suddenly, someone remembered that they had seen a strange man enter the village earlier, and they quickly ran off to report it to the village chief.

Lu Chang Qing must have heard the news from somewhere and rushed over immediately.

Upon arriving at the Xiao family’s house, Lu Chang Qing first checked Ye Xin Ran from head to toe. After confirming that she was unharmed, he complained, “Sis, why did you send away all the martial artists I hired? I heard them say you didn’t even let them through the door.”

“Well, this…” Ye Xin Ran didn’t know how to answer.

If she was too polite, Lu Chang Qing would probably get upset. If she said she could handle it herself, he’d accuse her of being too arrogant.

While hesitating, Xiao Huai’an spoke up, “With me here, there’s no need for any bodyguards.”

Lu Chang Qing immediately retorted, “You’re too full of yourself. You don’t care about my sister’s safety! If the fire had happened at your own house, wouldn’t having more people around be helpful?”

“My own house won’t catch fire,” Xiao Huai’an replied.

“Because I won’t allow it.”

“You…” Faced with Xiao Huai’an’s excessive confidence, Lu Chang Qing was speechless.

He wanted to persuade Ye Xin Ran to hire a couple more people, but before he could, Ye Xin Ran said, “What my husband says is true. With him here, I’m at ease.”

“Well, fine then!” Lu Chang Qing gave in.

“But, the case hasn’t been solved yet, so does that mean I can’t stay here?” Lu Chang Qing looked at Ye Xin Ran with a pitiful expression.

“Hmm,” Ye Xin Ran nodded.

Lu Chang Qing was still a scholar with studies to attend to, and it wasn’t practical for him to stay at her place long-term.

“If I can’t stay, then I’ll wait a little longer,” Lu Chang Qing said with some disappointment. However, his spirits soon lifted as he added, “Sis, I’ve got some good news to tell you.”

“What is it?” Ye Xin Ran asked.

Lu Chang Qing said, “A few days ago, I received a letter from Mother. Father and Mother will be coming to Yun Tong County soon. They must be coming for you!”

Lord Lu and Madam Lu?

Ye Xin Ran was a little surprised.

What could they be coming here for?