Hasty Case Closure

The flames licked at the lamp oil and spread swiftly, devouring the bed, tables, and chairs in the blink of an eye as thick smoke billowed upward.

Fortunately, the room stood in a secluded corner of the Li Residence, detached from any other buildings, with no nearby homes to endanger.

Before long, Zhao Dezhu's room was engulfed in a roaring blaze, its firelight illuminating half the Li Residence.

The servants were roused from sleep and rushed over with buckets to put out the fire.

But the flames were far too fierce. They splashed water onto them, yet could not suppress even a single spark, and were instead driven back again and again by the searing heat.

They could only watch helplessly as the entire room crackled in the inferno, finally turning into a burning ruin.

By the time Li Jiwu and Madam Liu hurried over upon hearing the news, the fire had already spiraled completely out of control.

Li Jiwu stood at the courtyard gate, the firelight flickering across his face. His expression revealed little turmoil, but his clenched fists had already exposed the anxiety in his heart.

Madam Liu stood beside him, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and unease flickered in her eyes amid the firelight.

Only when the sky began to pale with the first light of dawn did the blaze finally start to die down.

The entire room had become a charred ruin. Wisps of smoke still rose from the broken walls and shattered remains, while the air was thick with the pungent stench of burning.

The commotion at the Li Residence was no small matter; even the neighboring residents had been alarmed, and quite a few people gathered outside the estate to watch.

Shen Chu was mixed in with the crowd as well, arms folded across his chest as he gazed curiously at the ruins, looking no different from the other Bladesmiths there for the spectacle.

Not long afterward, men from the authorities arrived as well.

Several constables stepped into the ruins and searched through the rubble. Before long, they made a discovery.

Two corpses burned beyond recognition were carried out and laid in an open space in the courtyard.

A young constable crouched down to examine them, then rose and reported, "There are two bodies in the room. They were burned too badly for their faces to be identified, but judging by their builds, they should both be adult men. No third body was found."

Another constable dusted off his hands and said indifferently, "If you ask me, this was just an ordinary fire. Zhao Dezhu probably drank at night and forgot to extinguish the lamp, causing the blaze. These two probably didn't get out in time and were burned alive. This sort of thing happens every few days. Nothing strange about it."

Yet the young constable frowned and shook his head. "No! If it was merely an ordinary fire, why were these two men in Zhao Dezhu's room? And why wasn't Zhao Dezhu himself inside? He's a living, breathing man—where could he have gone in the middle of the night instead of sleeping in his room?"

The constables looked at one another, rendered speechless for a moment.

Just then, the Li Residence's accountant came running over, panting heavily, with an account book in his hands. He leaned close and whispered a few words into the Second Young Master's ear.

After hearing him, Li Jiwu's expression changed abruptly. He whipped around to stare at the accountant. "What did you say?!"

The accountant wiped away a cold sweat and stammered, "Second Young Master, it's absolutely true... Steward Zhao withdrew three hundred taels from the accounts two days ago, claiming he was going to purchase a batch of iron materials. But I checked the books today, and there is no corresponding purchase record at all. That shipment never entered the warehouse."

Li Jiwu's face immediately darkened.

He strode over to the constables and said in a low voice, "Gentlemen, I have something to add. Zhao Dezhu withdrew three hundred taels for procurement two days ago, but the money was never used for any purchase. Neither that money nor the man himself can now be found."

At this, the young constable's eyes lit up, as though he had seized upon a crucial clue. He immediately said, "Just as I thought! There are too many suspicious points in this case! Zhao Dezhu withdrew a huge sum and vanished without a trace, yet two unidentified corpses appeared in his room. In my opinion, these bodies must be taken back to the yamen for detailed examination. We may be able to find clues on them!"

The moment he finished speaking, a steady voice came from outside the courtyard. "Let me take a look."

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a burly middle-aged man with an official saber at his waist striding in.

It was Constable Zhang from the county yamen.

He walked up to the two bodies, crouched down, and turned them over with his hands. After studying them closely for a moment, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

That change lasted only an instant, so subtle that almost no one noticed it.

But Shen Chu did.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Shen Chu had kept his gaze fixed on Constable Zhang.

When he saw that fleetingly unusual expression on Constable Zhang's face as he inspected the bodies, his heart gave a jolt.

Had he noticed something?

Yet Constable Zhang soon rose to his feet.

He dusted the ash from his hands and swept his gaze over the crowd, his expression calm as usual.

"This matter is clear at a glance. Zhao Dezhu must have stolen from the very place he was entrusted to guard and fled with the money. These two likely discovered his embezzlement, so he killed them to silence them, then set fire to the room to destroy the corpses and erase the evidence. For all we know, Steward Li's death some time ago may have had something to do with Zhao Dezhu as well!"

The entire crowd erupted in uproar.

After hearing Constable Zhang's words, the young constable frowned deeply and could not help stepping forward. "Chief Zhang, Zhao Dezhu may be suspicious, but this case has not been thoroughly investigated. Isn't it too hasty to draw a conclusion like this? What if—"

"Xu Zhibao!"

Constable Zhang turned his head and gave him a heavy look.

"Are you questioning my judgment?"

Xu Zhibao felt a chill run down his spine beneath that gaze, and the words at his lips were forcibly swallowed back down.

Though he had not worked at the yamen for long, he knew Constable Zhang's temperament well.

This superior of his had always been a man whose word was law. Publicly contradicting him would never lead to anything good.

Xu Zhibao gritted his teeth, but in the end lowered his head and took a step back. "I would not dare."

Constable Zhang withdrew his gaze and waved a hand. "Enough. Carry the bodies away and send them back to the yamen. This case ends here. Write up the case file later and archive it."

The constables answered in acknowledgment, then hurriedly carried the two charred corpses onto a flatbed cart. After covering them with straw mats, they pushed the cart out of the estate.

Xu Zhibao followed at the rear of the group. After walking some distance, he could not help looking back at the blackened ruins.

The doubt in his eyes had not faded. Instead, it sank deeper like a thorn:

Zhao Dezhu withdrew three hundred taels and vanished without a trace;

Two corpses appeared in the room for no apparent reason;

Chief Zhang took one look at the bodies and hastily closed the case;

What kind of fishy business was hidden in all this?

He clenched his fists and silently committed the matter to memory.

Back at the Li Residence, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.

Li Jiwu stood before the ruins, his face livid.

Zhao Dezhu had run away?

How was that possible?

But the facts were just as Constable Zhang had said.

Zhao Dezhu had vanished without a body, dead or alive, and an important chess piece Li Jiwu had painstakingly planted in the Sword-Forging Courtyard had been rendered useless for no reason at all!