A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 98 The Mysterious Study (2)

"A ghost, a ghost... Is it a ghost moving the abacus?"

Jiang Zhan swallowed hard, feeling as if the automatically jumping beads were like countless claws, gripping his breath.

Moreover, the simultaneous movement of all twelve abacuses created an extremely loud noise on this dark and windy night, adding to the sense of unease.

Zhang, the registrar, nudged Jiang Zhan and comforted him, "There are no ghosts in this world. They're just tricks." Though he said this, he was also afraid. Perhaps Li Mu died in his study. If they had touched Li Mu's treasures, would they have attracted Li Mu's vengeful spirit?

Thinking of this, Zhang, the registrar, glanced sideways and secretly looked at Song Shuyu and Mu Qingcheng. He saw that although the two of them looked shocked, they were calm and composed, staring at the beads without blinking, and did not show any fear.

Zhang, the registrar, felt ashamed. In terms of age, he was older than them, but in terms of courage, he was far inferior. He had not only failed to defeat Song Shuyu, but had also lost to Mu Qingcheng, a mere young woman.

So, Zhang, the registrar, quietly distanced himself from Jiang Zhan. He thought that perhaps he had been influenced by his surroundings, and that the timid Jiang Zhan had eroded his courage.

However, Jiang Zhan reacted instinctively and immediately followed, grabbing Zhang Zhubu's arm tightly, saying, "I, I'm scared."

Zhang, the registrar, tensed up instantly and almost instinctively reached out to touch Song Shuyu's arm, seeking another form of comfort.

At that very moment, all the abacus beads stopped moving!
The entire study suddenly fell into a deathly silence, as if the commotion from moments before had never happened!
However, the beads did not return to their original positions; each abacus displayed a number through the beads!
Song Shuyu and Mu Qingcheng stood there stunned for a moment, then reacted almost simultaneously, blurting out, "Registrar Zhang, quickly get some paper and write this down!"

Registrar Zhang snapped back to reality, quickly pulled out his shorthand notebook and quill pen from his pocket, and asked, "Which one to write down? What should I write down?"

Song Shuyu said, "Record the numbers displayed by the abacus in chronological order of its invention!"

"Yes!"

After receiving his assignment, Registrar Zhang hurriedly went to record the details one by one.

Jiang Zhan remembered the errand he hadn't finished and hurriedly left the study to fetch the old steward.

Mu Qingcheng gave Song Shuyu a thumbs up, "Your Excellency is wise!"

"Hehe." Song Shuyu chuckled and poked her forehead from a distance. "You've finally given me a genuine compliment."

Mu Qingcheng's clear black and white eyes darted around, a rare hint of playfulness in them. "What are you saying, sir? Every time I praise your wisdom, it comes from the bottom of my heart."

"Whether it's flattery or genuine praise, I know perfectly well; I'm just pretending to be ignorant for the moment." Song Shuyu's smile deepened. He needed to make her slowly understand that he was just playing dumb, not that he was actually stupid. Otherwise, who would want to marry a fool?

Mu Qingcheng frowned, looking troubled. "What should I do? Should I continue to praise you, sir? 'Your Excellency is wise' has become my catchphrase!"

Song Shuyu was both amused and exasperated. "Praise me if you want, I won't stop you. But if it's sincere, I will reward you."

"Really?" Mu Qingcheng's face immediately lit up with joy, and she held out her palm to Song Shuyu. "What kind of reward? Can I have some money?"

Song Shuyu smiled and said, "Didn't you just get two hundred taels? What do you need more money for?"

"To save up for my dowry!" Mu Qingcheng said, half-jokingly and half-seriously. "My father said he doesn't have any money and told me to find a way to earn money for my dowry myself."

Song Shuyu couldn't help but feel his handsome face burning, and a hint of unease appeared on his face. He coughed heavily twice before saying, "Since it's for the dowry, then I must think carefully about what I should reward you with."

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Mu Qingcheng bowed respectfully, a joyful smile spreading across her fair and jade-like face.

Song Shuyu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he subtly looked away. "My lord, all twelve sets of numbers have been recorded in order."

Registrar Zhang walked over, presented the case file, and asked with a puzzled look, "Do these numbers have any special meaning?"

Song Shuyu said with some helplessness, "There must be a special meaning to it. Otherwise, why would Li Mu set up all these traps?"

Zhang, the registrar, also felt that he had asked a foolish question, and the shame he felt not long ago welled up in his heart once again.

Song Shuyu gestured for Mu Qingcheng to look at it together, but after studying it for a long time, the two of them could not find any pattern among the twelve sets of numbers, or any different meanings of any particular set of numbers.

"Sir, the old steward has arrived."

Jiang Zhan brought his men in, and after the old steward bowed, he stood aside, waiting to be questioned.

Song Shuyu pondered for a moment, then said, "Old steward, take a look at these abacuses. Are there any differences compared to the ones you've seen before?"

Upon hearing this, the old steward glanced at the abacuses in different locations, then anger flashed in his eyes. "Sir, our master never allows anyone to touch anything in his study. You can just look at it, why..."

Jiang Zhan shouted sternly, "Insolence!"

The old butler immediately fell silent, but the anger on his face had not subsided.

Song Shuyu's eyes sharpened, and his tone became colder, "Old steward, is it more important to find the murderer for your master, or to keep these dead objects?"

"Of course, finding the murderer is more important." The old steward stammered, his agitation gradually subsiding. "It was my mistake, sir! Please forgive me!"

Song Shuyu said, "Then answer my question!"

"My lord, something has changed. The mechanism of these abacus beads has been activated."

"Oh? You know this is a mechanism? What is it for, and how do you solve it?"

"This old servant only knows that it is a game that the master and young lady like to play, but does not know its purpose or how to solve it. Because my master is good at arithmetic, he often uses an abacus to make some mathematical puzzles, which the young lady then solves."

The old butler spoke with such sincerity that it didn't seem like he was lying.

The four of them were stumped. None of them were good at arithmetic, so trying to solve the abacus puzzle was probably wishful thinking.

Song Shuyu considered the situation carefully and said, "How about we stop here for tonight? We can borrow a few people who are good at mathematics from the Ministry of Revenue to come and help us tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, a familiar face suddenly popped into Mu Qingcheng's mind, and her eyes lit up. "My lord, may I recommend someone?"

"Who is it?" Song Shuyu immediately became interested.

Mu Qingcheng chuckled and uttered three words: "Bai Zhizhi!"

Without even thinking, Song Shuyu refused outright, "No way!"

“My lord, Zhizhi comes from a merchant family and has been working in the accounting department since she was a child. Moreover, she is exceptionally intelligent and particularly skilled in unusual and ingenious techniques!” Mu Qingcheng said, unconsciously adopting a coquettish tone. “Please, my lord, let Zhizhi give it a try. She lives in Wangjing Tower. We don’t need to wait until tomorrow; I can find her right now!”

(End of this chapter)