Steward Tang Can't Tell

The Patrol Office was a unique institution in Linhe. Because the area was prosperous and its location was strategic, its scale even surpassed that of the main government office in Baisha County by a considerable margin.

The Linhe Government Office also had three divisions and six departments, with bailiffs and clerks to manage operations. It was only a matter of time before an imperial decree would elevate it to the status of a county seat.

And the coroner was attached to the Punishment Department within the six departments.

Meanwhile, back in the morgue, Wang Lingyuan returned after undressing and saw Xu Qing deep in thought. He felt the urge to test him.

"Junior brother, what's your take on this corpse?"

Coroners see no beauty or ugliness; all corpses are the same in the eyes of the world.

Wang Lingyuan wasn't referring to Sai Yuxian's body lying there. Besides his professional duties of preparing the body, Xu Qing wouldn't care about the corpse's appearance.

What they were discussing at this moment was the true cause of Sai Yuxian's death.

"The fatal wound on this corpse is the ligature mark on the neck. The only distinction to be made is whether it was self-strangulation or murder by strangulation."

Although Xu Qing was mediocre in both academics and martial arts in his past life, it didn't prevent him from being an all-rounder who was proficient in everything.

As he spoke, Xu Qing put on his fish-skin gloves, transforming into a 'Great Yong Judicial Department' investigator. Then, with the foresight granted by the 'running horse lantern' ability, he began to expound his theories freely.

"In cases of self-strangulation, the ligature mark on the neck typically shows a 'deep furrow at the point of force and a shallow furrow on the opposite side,' a phenomenon known as 'suspension.' Simultaneously, there will be petechiae on the cheeks, and the lips and fingernails will show cyanosis."

"However, this deceased's pupils are dilated, and the ligature mark on her neck is very uniform, with consistent depth. There's no suspension, so self-strangulation can basically be ruled out." As he spoke, Xu Qing pried open Sai Yuxian's eyelids with his fingers, engaging in a deathly stare.

Wang Lingyuan stroked his beard and nodded upon hearing this. Although his junior brother's explanation wasn't entirely comprehensive, for someone who had never worked as a coroner before, these insights were already remarkable.

Next, Wang Lingyuan supplemented Xu Qing's missing points, such as the type of rope used for strangulation, the state of the deceased's hands after being strangled, differences in facial features, and the most crucial point—

"In ordinary cases of self-strangulation, the deceased's hands are unable to reach their neck to struggle, so there would be no skin or flesh residue under their fingernails. However, in cases of murder by strangulation, unless the victim was drugged and unconscious, there will often be scratches on their body and neck left by the assailant or themselves, and there will be skin and flesh residue in their fingernails."

Prompted by Wang Lingyuan's guidance, Xu Qing combined this with the 'running horse lantern' vision he experienced when transcending the deceased, and offered his final conclusion: "There is skin and flesh residue in this woman's fingernails. According to senior brother's explanation, it should be from struggling. However, there are no scratches anywhere on her body. This means the residue in her fingernails most likely came from the killer."

"If that's the case, we can follow the clues. We'll identify people who had short-term contact with the victim before her death, and then, based on their relationships, find suspects with a motive for the crime. We can then examine them to see if they have any scratches."

As for more complex matters, such as the killer intentionally erasing scratches with tattoos, burns, or other external forces, or cases within cases where someone is being framed, these were secondary concerns. They wouldn't abandon the current investigation process because of such possibilities.

Upon hearing this, Wang Lingyuan turned and took out a copy of the case file from the shelf, handing it to Xu Qing for review.

A moment later, Wang Lingyuan asked with a smile, "How is it? Any leads?"

"The leads are still unclear, but historically, most murders stem from love affairs. Sai Yuxian's husband stated in the case file that his wife was shamed by her romantic entanglements and committed suicide by hanging. But he and Sai Yuxian met in a place of romance; they knew each other's backgrounds well. How ashamed could Sai Yuxian have been to hang herself?"

Wang Lingyuan chuckled at this, then feigned mystery, saying, "Yesterday, Sai Yuxian's husband came to the office wanting to retrieve the body. Guess what I discovered?"

I'm not a child, why should I guess!

Xu Qing pretended to be foolish and said, "How could I possibly guess? It couldn't be that senior brother happened to see scratches on him, could it?"

"..."

Wang Lingyuan's smile stiffened for a moment, then he suddenly clapped his hands, "Junior brother, you guessed it right!"

Just as the two brothers were engrossed in examining the corpse, a shout suddenly came from outside the door.

Wang Lingyuan frowned upon hearing it, "Steward Tang? What's he looking for me for at this late hour?"

The two walked out of the morgue and saw a middle-aged scholar with an unusual appearance standing at the entrance.

Lychee-shaped eyes, a pointed chin, and a pair of downturned mustache – he practically had the word 'shrewd' written on his forehead.

Looking at his attire, a neat and new blue long gown, with a dark blue jacket, he looked just like a fortune teller!

"Brother Lingyuan, you are truly a role model for our generation. Even after the office has closed, you are still here handling official business."

Steward Tang lightly pinched his mustache between his index and thumb, greeted them with a smile, and then his gaze fell upon Xu Qing.

"And who is this?"

"My junior brother. We share the same master, and he's here today specifically to learn the skills of a coroner."

"Excellent, excellent! I can see your junior brother is a man of great talent, and he will surely be a capable officer in the future." Steward Tang was smooth and adaptable, speaking appropriately to everyone he met.

Even now, facing a corpse, his words were still as skillful as ever.

After exchanging pleasantries, Steward Tang took Wang Lingyuan's arm and pulled him aside, speaking to him in hushed tones with his back to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing, having just transformed into an Ironclad Wandering Corpse, had exceptionally sharp hearing. Even though the other party intentionally spoke away from him, he heard every word clearly.

"Old brother, I don't see anything suspicious about the Liu Sheng case. Sai Yuxian was born an actress, you must have heard. Actors have unpredictable temperaments. Perhaps one day, lost in a role, she felt life was meaningless and wanted to emulate the dramatic suicides from plays, so she hanged herself."

As he said this, Steward Tang glanced at the pale young man picking his nose and flicking his finger nearby. Then, he discreetly took a ten-tael silver ingot from his sleeve and slipped it into Wang Lingyuan's sleeve.

"Today, Liu Sheng came to see me. I saw he was genuinely heartbroken. When he spoke of his late wife, tears were streaming down his face. This is clearly a good husband, a true man!

Someone like that, how could he have killed his wife? What do you think, Brother Lingyuan?"

Wang Lingyuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head and sighed softly, "He is indeed a good husband!"

Xu Qing watched the two of them chatting like they were discussing ghost stories, thinking to himself, There are still so many good people in this world!

Steward Tang laughed heartily and, holding Wang Lingyuan's arm, prepared to leave.

"There's a small gathering at the Pear Garden today. Liu Sheng, missing his wife, has specially booked a pavilion and invited guests to mourn her. It's currently spring, and the Pear Garden's spring brew is a delicacy. Brother Lingyuan, you must accompany me to sample it."

Wang Lingyuan couldn't refuse and intended to see Xu Qing out of the office first before heading to the banquet.

Steward Tang smiled and said, "Since he's your junior brother, he's family. He can come along."

In the Pear Garden's opera house, inside the Spring Returns Pavilion.

Steward Tang, shaking his head and humming along, listened to the opera he'd specifically requested, his tune quite convincing.

"I went through hardships for him, braving winding paths; I endured all the wind and rain for him."

"I too am a lady of a good family, having studied a few chapters since childhood. Blinded by ignorance, I mistook that heartless man for a true lover."

"All my suffering I brought upon myself, thus I ended up this way. Truly, one misstep leads to eternal regret, and a hundred years to turn back."

The opera on stage sang of a heartless man. Below the stage, Liu Sheng, with a face full of smiles, poured wine and refilled tea for Steward Tang.

"Steward Tang, please! Mr. Wang, please, and this young brother too."

It was rare for Xu Qing to get a free meal, but as he ate, he suddenly remembered something.

With Liu Sheng's financial situation, he couldn't afford this banquet. If his guess was correct, the money used to bribe Steward Tang and pay for the feast must have been earned by Sai Yuxian from entertaining clients.

He had originally thought the free riders he'd dealt with before were the lowest of the low, but he hadn't expected there to be worse. Beneath a dung bucket, there was still a pile of stinking dog feces!

Steward Tang had listened to the opera for a while and drunk quite a bit. He was already slightly tipsy.

The actors from the stage came down and joined the few for a few more drinks. Steward Tang couldn't hold on any longer and, swaying unsteadily, needed to relieve himself.

Of everyone present, only Xu Qing had used a little trick and hadn't touched a drop of alcohol.

Seeing Steward Tang was drunk, he reached out and stopped Wang Lingyuan, saying, "Senior brother, wait a moment. Let me accompany the steward to relieve himself."

With that, he helped Steward Tang walk outside.

On the way, Steward Tang, his face flushed, patted the arm Xu Qing was supporting him with. "You're a clever child. Learn your craft well from your senior brother. When your senior brother gets old, I'll keep this stable job as a coroner for you."

Smelling the familiar scent of flattery, Xu Qing chuckled.

He hadn't used the Dream Weaving Technique on anyone yet. This steward who had walked into his hands was a good candidate.

After accompanying the steward to finish his business, as they walked out of the outhouse, Xu Qing pressed his palm, covered in Yin energy, to the back of the man's head.

Steward Tang was humming the soul-crushing tune of the heartless man, walking back comfortably. Suddenly, the back of his head felt a sharp chill, and he collapsed to the ground.

Xu Qing withdrew his hand, took out a stick of Soul-Charming Incense from his satchel, clasped his hands together, and gently pinched it. With a flick, he ignited the tip with Yin fire.

He stuck the incense into the open ground beside Steward Tang's head, chanted a spell to draw the incense, and murmured incessantly, reciting demonic whispers.

"Because you perverted justice for personal gain, accepting bribes, and released the murderer of his wife, Liu Sheng. Years later, Liu Sheng, feigning past affections, would deceive your inexperienced daughter..."

"Alas, such an obedient and sensible daughter, because of your wrong choice back then, suffered endlessly, was brutally strangled to death by Liu Sheng in the desolate wilderness, her very bones devoured by wolves and wild beasts."

A dream weaver needed to guide the dreamer's thoughts to make them fall into a false dream.

At this point in Xu Qing's narration, Steward Tang should have fallen into a deep dream woven with regret and hatred.

But unexpectedly, Steward Tang's eyeballs began to dart around rapidly, on the verge of waking up!

Xu Qing frowned.

This wasn't right? Could it be that this steward's greed was exceptionally strong, that he didn't even care about his own family and children?

As Xu Qing was wondering, he heard Steward Tang mumbling incoherently in his sleep.

"I didn't have a daughter. This is wrong, wrong..."

"..."

Xu Qing was speechless. It turned out the direction he was guiding was flawed!

The reason the Dream Weaving Technique was so real was that the people, events, and scenery in the dream had real-world counterparts, making them the most profound.

Helpless, Xu Qing had to abandon his original dream setting and create a new little story to cater to this clear-headed gentleman.

"For most of your life, you had no daughter. Seeing the daughters of your colleagues and friends were all well-behaved, clever, and filial, you felt immense envy. One day, while you were handling official business at the government office, suddenly joyous news arrived from home: your wife was pregnant."

"'An old clam holding a pearl' was truly a gift from heaven. After ten months of pregnancy, your wife gave birth to an extremely beautiful girl. Neighbors, colleagues, and friends all showered her with praise. You sought a divination from an immortal master at Shuimen Bridge, who said your daughter was a lucky star reincarnated but would face a trial in her destiny, which was meant to alleviate your calamities and offset the karma you had created in the past."

"Fifteen years later, your daughter grew more and more charming and lovely, and your career also advanced by leaps and bounds thanks to the lucky star's presence."

"But alas, heaven's plans are unpredictable, and fortune and misfortune are intertwined. As your beloved daughter was about to be betrothed to the newly appointed top scholar, she was abducted by Liu Sheng, the murderer of his wife whom you had let go for perverting justice. Although your daughter was a delicate woman, her character was exceptionally strong, and she absolutely refused to do anything that would disgrace the family's honor or damage her father's reputation."

"After Liu Sheng was arrested and imprisoned, he revealed all your past actions. You, who were once highly respected, immediately became a laughingstock. Your wife also resented you because of this and died of grief. Your son also severed ties with you, and those former colleagues and friends scorned your character, their relationships gradually fading."

"Fearing that this incident would affect the nation's reputation, His Majesty dismissed you from your post and ordered an investigation."

"Alas, what a pity! The supremely intelligent Steward Tang, whose future should have been bright and clear, ended up in a tragic end, abandoned by all his loved ones, his wife and daughter dead, and his reputation ruined, all because of a moment of greed!"

Xu Qing spoke with great passion. If he had studied opera, he would have sung another line to conclude Steward Tang's miserable life.

Steward Tang, having experienced a great dream, still lay on the ground. Although he hadn't woken up yet, two lines of heartbroken tears had already streamed down his face.

Spring Returns Pavilion.

At this time, the opera on stage was still playing, but it was no longer about a heartless man. It was a new piece.

Presumably, Liu Sheng had secretly changed it while Steward Tang was away.

Xu Qing helped the unconscious steward back to their seats.

Liu Sheng, as if seeing his father-in-law, showed great concern.

"What's wrong with the steward? Should we call for a doctor?"

"It's nothing, he probably just drank too much and got dizzy. He'll be fine after some rest."

Hearing this, Liu Sheng felt heartbroken. He quickly had a servant bring over some sobering soup and personally spoon-fed Steward Tang.

"Mmm..." After a short while, the Steward slowly woke up. He groggily opened his sharp eyes and saw Liu Sheng's large head shoved right in front of his face, brimming with concern.

"Steward, you're awake?"

"Hmph—Get away!"

Steward Tang shouted and sat bolt upright from his drunken stupor.

He then used all his might to push Liu Sheng to the ground.

"Steward, what are you doing? It's me, Liu Sheng! You just got drunk, how could you forget me?"

"Forget? I'd remember you even if you turned to ash!"

Steward Tang's eyes widened furiously. He, who was always gentle and never lost his temper, now had a fierce glint in his eyes!

"My Yinyin died an untimely death because of you, you beast!"

"Who's Yinyin?" Not only Liu Sheng was confused, but even Wang Lingyuan had no idea what was going on.

"That was my beloved daughter's childhood nickname. When she grew up, I named her Yuqin."

"Yuqin? Daughter?" This time, not only Wang Lingyuan and Liu Sheng were confused, but even Xu Qing and Steward Tang himself were taken aback.

Xu Qing was stunned because he hadn't named the characters in the dream. This meant that Yinyin and Yuqin's given names were chosen by Steward Tang in his dream.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing genuinely wanted to know what Steward Tang had experienced in his dream.

At this moment, after shouting his daughter's given name, Steward Tang suddenly froze in place. Then, as if he had lost his soul, he slumped back down.

After a long pause, he belatedly murmured:

"So, it was all just a dream..."

Combined Chapter