A raincoat wind and snow to the small garden

Chapter 18 Snowy Villa (Part )

Chapter 18
There was a heavy snowfall at night. The snow outside the villa was half a person's height, and the thick snow covered all the roads down the mountain. If we rashly return to Beijing in such a snowstorm, our lives would be in danger.

Fortunately, it is the New Year holiday recently and the court has a seven-day holiday. Officials do not have to go back to the yamen to work and can stay in the villa for a few more days.

However, if this were to happen, the New Year would have to be spent in the mountains. The Zheng family was extremely anxious and worked extremely hard to take care of the guests, fearing that Crown Prince Xie Yunxue, who was also trapped in the mountains, would suffer any harm.

Xiang Xiaoyuan knew that Xie Yunxue was also trapped in the villa. She was scheming and knew that now was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get close to the prince.

Xiang Xiaoyuan saw that when Xie Yunxue had nothing to do, she would read poetry collections in the library in the villa.

She specifically bribed the maid who was guarding the library with cakes and asked her about the poetry book that Xie Yunxue had flipped through.

Taking advantage of the time when Xie Yunxue came to the library to select books, Xiang Xiaoyuan pretended to meet her by chance and handed her a collection of poems, "Your Highness, have you read this collection of poems? It has your annotations on it."

Xie Yunxue had noticed her when she was sneaking towards Xiaoyuan, but she didn't warn her because she simply didn't want to pay any attention to her.

At this moment, a little girl with two buns came over with a collection of poems in her arms. Her almond-shaped eyes flickered, and the flattery in her eyes was so full that it almost overflowed.

Xie Yunxue pursed her lips: "What's the matter?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan said, "Although I often read the imperial laws and criminal records, I know very little about poetry and prose. If Your Highness is an expert in this field, I hope you will be willing to teach me."

Xie Yunxue glanced at the book in her arms, which was a book of ancient poems annotated by him.

Xie Yunxue has had a good memory since childhood. He can remember everything he reads, and this book of poems has an impression in his mind.

It's nothing more than some lyrical poems about love and romance, not the type that a practical person like Xiang Xiaoyuan would like to read.

Xie Yunxue said indifferently, "This book has nothing to do with your duties as a coroner, nor does it have anything to do with farming and the countryside... You probably don't like it, so why do you want to learn it?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan's motives were indeed impure. She had the illusion that Xie Yunxue had seen deep into her heart, but she was a person who would not admit defeat. Since she had come here, she was bound to get something.

Xiang Xiaoyuan thought for a moment and said honestly, "It's precisely because I haven't seen it that I want to learn about it. Yesterday, I was having dinner with Senior Sister Wu and Madam Zheng. They were playing flying flowers and poetry chain games. They asked me to recite a poem about flowers, plants, and the four seasons, but I stood there stupidly, unable to say a single word. It's not because I'm not studious, but because I grew up in the countryside, my family was poor, and there was no one to teach me."

"I don't think it should be like this... Although I'm from a commoner family, I'm not necessarily inferior to the ladies of aristocratic families. This year, I may be a little behind the ladies of high-ranking families, but I'll start learning from now on. Slowly, the gap will narrow, and one day, I'll catch up with them."

Xiang Xiaoyuan's words were not meant to fool Xie Yunxue, but were actually from the bottom of her heart.

It is not her fault that she has little knowledge. It is due to the difference in social status. She should not feel inferior because of it.

Xie Yunxue knew about Xiang Xiaoyuan's plan as early as last night. She must have had bad intentions when approaching him.

But today, Xiang Xiaoyuan stood before him, holding a book. The little girl looked at him stubbornly, saying she wanted to learn those poems. The reason was simple: she just wanted to avoid being laughed at by the other girls when they played drinking games.

She felt that she was good, not bad at all.

It’s just such a humble and simple wish.

Xie Yunxue didn't know why, but she felt depressed.

He did not rush to the small garden. Instead, he moved a cushion for the girl to kneel on from the table. He bent his slender finger bones and knocked on the table, "Come here."

Xiang Xiaoyuan knew that this meant she was allowed to follow and study, so she was overjoyed and walked over quickly.

After Xiang Xiaoyuan sat down, Xie Yunxue casually opened a page of the book, pointed to a poem "Plum Blossoms in a Mountain Garden", and said to Xiang Xiaoyuan.

"Let's start with this sentence."

"All the flowers fade, only the blooming one is still blooming, bringing all its charm to the little garden."

The prince recited poems about her name in a cold voice.

At this moment, the noble crown prince and the young man from his childhood overlapped together.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was suddenly startled. Her spine tingled, and her whole body trembled. She even thought Xie Yunxue had recognized her...

But when she looked up, she saw Xie Yunxue's eyes, which were still as cold as usual.

She thought, maybe she was just overthinking it.

At night, Xiang Xiaoyuan returned to his room to sleep.

In the middle of the night, she felt thirsty and got up to pour some tea. But the teapot was empty and no maid came in to add more tea or water even after she called for a long time.

Helpless, Xiang Xiaoyuan could only get up, put on his clothes, and go to the tea room to get some water.

As I walked past the veranda, I looked out across the small garden, across the blizzard, and saw a pile of burning straw and paper money. The flames blazed, and black ashes drifted in the wind. Two young maids were squatting on the ground, doing something unknown.

Xiang Xiaoyuan walked forward curiously, only to see two little maids holding a winnowing basket covering the sugar tea and red dates, muttering something, as if they were praying to the gods through spirit writing.

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "Have you invited him?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." The little maid replied happily, but when she looked up, she saw that her companion next to her didn't even open her mouth, so the sound just now was not made by her companion at all!

The little maidservant let out a shrill scream in fear.

Xiang Xiaoyuan quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Don't make any noise. It's late at night and everyone is sleeping. If you wake up the guests, won't the host punish you?"

The little maid nodded with tears in her eyes and whispered, "Madam, let go, I won't scream."

He let go of Xiaoyuan's hand and asked, "Why are you praying to the gods in the courtyard so late at night?"

In the countryside, this kind of ceremony to invite gods often takes place in the dead of winter. They burn paper money in the rice paddies and sweep the ashes into a dustpan with a broom. This will invite the gods to come and answer questions from mortals by knocking on the table with chopsticks stuck in the dustpan.

Villagers often use this method to inquire about the harvest of the following year, such as whether the rice is growing well, what kind of crops can make more money, and sometimes they also ask when their sons can get married, whether the younger generation in the family will have a bright future, and so on.

There were two little maids in front of Xiang Xiaoyuan, one was called Jixiang and the other was called Ruyi. Both were maids who swept the yard of the Fourth Madam.

Jixiang glanced at the older Ruyi, and at the hint from the other's eyes, he shut up honestly.

Xiang Xiaoyuan snorted, "If you don't tell me the truth, I'll tell the master about you. You're playing tricks in the middle of the night and scaring the guests. I'm afraid you'll have something to worry about."

Xiang Xiaoyuan's threats frightened Jixiang so much that her legs trembled. She had no choice but to honestly say, "We are begging for the protection of the gods and Buddhas."

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "Protection?"

Ruyi nodded. "Young lady, you don't know what's going on in our house. For the past ten years or so, a servant has disappeared from our house every month. The servants say that the Zheng family, in order to gain wealth and glory, has borrowed the fortune of the evil spirit and set up a curse array, requiring a sacrifice to the evil spirit every month. We are praying to the wandering spirit not to choose us as sacrifices..."

Hearing this, Xiang Xiaoyuan frowned: "People go missing every month, and no one reports it to the police?"

Jixiang sighed, "They are all slaves who have signed death contracts. Even if they are beaten to death by their masters, the government won't say a word. What's the point of reporting it?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan frowned: "It's a human life after all..."

"Good luck and good fortune!"

A sharp female voice came.

Turning his head to look at the small garden, he saw a young woman in a pomegranate-patterned brocade jacket and skirt standing on the stone steps. She had a maid's double bun and a Zheng family badge hanging around her waist. She was obviously the head maid of the Zheng family.

After paying his respects to Xiang Xiaoyuan, Ruyi stomped out the flames and hurried forward to report.

Ruyi said tremblingly, "Sister Lvliu, we just ran out for a while because we couldn't sleep at night. Please don't tell the lady."

Green Willow sneered, clearly disdainful of the girls' pleas for mercy.

Ruyi glanced at Jixiang, who understood what she meant. He took out two coins from his waist bag and handed it to her: "This is my New Year's gift. Please use it to buy a pot of plum wine."

When Lvliu saw the silver coin, she smiled a little and said, "That's pretty good."

Xiang Xiaoyuan saw clearly from the side that Lvliu had come here specifically to extort money.

However, this was someone else's private matter, and Xiang Xiaoyuan would not meddle in it. Besides, she had not slept enough, so Xiang Xiaoyuan said nothing and turned around and went back to her room.

The next day was New Year's Eve. Early in the morning, the maids delivered warming eight-treasure porridge to each courtyard, pasted red window grilles with magpies holding branches on the doors and windows, and fumigated the house with dried mugwort to ward off evil spirits.

Lin Qiyu and Yan Yun couldn't sit still, so they went to find the disciples of Xuanqi Division who specialized in practicing medicine and studying firecrackers early in the morning.

Only Xiang Xiaoyuan slept late and woke up at noon.

She washed and changed into new clothes. Today was New Year's Eve. After a moment's thought, she went to the garden and fetched two more orange velvet flowers, tucking them into her hair. The girl's already fair skin and delicate features were now accentuated by the fruit-flowered hairpin, making her even more graceful and lively.

Xiang Xiaoyuan thought that Huaiyu had come to the villa and the mountains were covered with snow, so he couldn't return to Beijing and would definitely stay in the villa. She could just find him to play.

Xiang Xiaoyuan was just about to ask someone about Huaiyu's residence when she heard a commotion in the distance. Lin Qiyu ran to Xiang Xiaoyuan, holding his knees, and panting, "Xiao, Xiaoyuan, something bad has happened! Someone's dead! Go check it out!"

"I'll go and take a look." Xiang Xiaoyuan was the coroner of Xuanqi. Since a murder had occurred, she had to go there as ordered.

Xiang Xiaoyuan nodded, took out a Suhexiang pill from the bag, and stuffed it into Lin Qiyu's mouth. She said, "It's to avoid corpse qi. Senior Brother Lin, remember to hold it in your mouth and don't spit it out."

Xiang Xiaoyuan remembered to take care of his friends despite his busy schedule, and Lin Qiyu was so moved that she burst into tears.
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The dead man was the fourth son of the Zheng family, Zheng Sirou's biological father.

Xiang Xiaoyuan finally managed to squeeze his head out from the crowd of onlookers, but was pushed back by the security guard with a knife.

Yan Yun happened to see this and quickly helped Xiang Xiaoyuan up, showing her badge: "Xuan Qi Division is handling the case, who dares to disrespect?!"

"Yes, I am blind, please don't blame me, sirs." The guard knew he had met a troublemaker and didn't dare to say a word.

Wu Jingnu, on the other hand, supported the frightened Zheng Erniang and said sarcastically, "Old coroner Chu Daofu from the Ministry of Justice has already arrived to perform the autopsy. There's no need for Junior Sister to intervene."

The Zheng sisters chimed in, "That's right. She's so young, what can she possibly do? If she causes Fourth Uncle's autopsy to go awry and he gets wrongly accused, she'll be in big trouble!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan was only fourteen years old, so it was understandable that outsiders did not believe in her ability to solve cases and perform autopsies.

But Lin Qiyu had just accepted the favor of Junior Sister Wenrou, so how could he bear to see his friend humiliated for no reason? He hurriedly said, "You don't know, Xiaoyuan is very capable. If she hadn't broken Hai Niang's trick on this trip to the capital, we would have all died on the ferry! And you, Wu Jingnu, Xiaoyuan saved your life, don't you know it? What an ungrateful person, barking at outsiders!"

This clearly means that Wu Jingnu is not helping her fellow disciples and is being disloyal.

Lin Qiyu pointed at Wu Jingnu's nose and cursed her, and Wu Jingnu was so angry that her forehead hurt.

Zheng Erniang said unyieldingly, "What Hai Niang? I've never even heard of her. But this Mr. Chu is quite capable. You know, when the Empress Dowager was murdered in the palace, it was this old man who took over the Empress Dowager's body, unraveled the case, and finally identified the real culprit! In terms of seniority, he's the elder! Even the Ministry of Justice relies on this old man's talent to solve cases!"

Yan Yun was about to argue again, but a white-bearded old man pushed the crowd aside and waved towards Xiao Yuan: "Young friend, come here."

Looking up at Xiaoyuan, I saw an old man with white hair and beard, who looked energetic.

It was the old coroner Chu Daofu that everyone was talking about.

He was wearing a well-starched green robe, and with a genial smile, he called out, "Young friend, you've arrived just in time. Heroes have always emerged from youth, and I'd like to see what the younger generation has become through experience. Come forward and take a look. If you find anything you've missed, I'll be happy to help you."

Xiang Xiaoyuan was already interested in performing an autopsy, so she didn't hesitate. She saluted with her fists and strode forward with her chest puffed out.

He took a handkerchief from Xiaoyuan to cover his mouth and nose, squatted down, and observed the cause of death of the fourth master of the Zheng family.

There was a fatal wound on the victim's neck, and the shoulders and back of the head were stained with the most blood. Judging from the direction of the blood splatter, the victim must have been lying down and the murderer stabbed him.

Xiang Xiaoyuan understood. She said, "The murderer must have been someone the deceased knew, or someone who wouldn't have aroused her suspicion, because there were no signs of a fight or struggle in the room. If the murderer was an uninvited guest, the deceased would have noticed or restrained him the moment he entered the room. A fight between the two, grabbing clothes or pulling wrists, would surely have left some marks, but look, the deceased's nails are clean, without any skin flakes or fabric."

Xiang Xiaoyuan opened Mr. Zheng Si's mouth again and took a look at his tongue and mouth. She found that there were oil marks at the corners of Mr. Zheng Si's lips, which smelled like chicken fat.

Xiang Xiaoyuan glanced at the spilled chicken soup: one bowl on the table, another on the floor. She reached out and touched the sides of each bowl; the temperature difference was too great.

It can be seen that the bowl on the ground had been drunk for some time, while the bowl on the table was newly brought in. After Mr. Zheng Si finished drinking the first bowl of chicken soup and fell to the ground, another maid brought chicken soup into the room, and only then discovered Mr. Zheng Si's tragic death.

Xiang Xiaoyuan: "The answer is obvious. A familiar servant entered the house and brought the deceased a bowl of drugged chicken soup. The deceased was defenseless and fell unconscious due to the drug. That's why the house was so clean when the murderer committed the crime, and there are no signs of a struggle."

Seeing Chu Daofu stroking his beard and nodding secretly, Wu Jingnu thought Xiang Xiaoyuan must have guessed it right. However, she didn't want Xiang Xiaoyuan to take the spotlight, so she stiffened her neck and retorted, "How can you be so sure that the chicken soup the deceased drank before his death was laced with drugs? Just based on your statement, 'There were no signs of a struggle in the room?'"

"Of course there is more to it than this."

Xiang Xiaoyuan took a handkerchief and wiped the blood from the wound until it could be seen clearly. He then said, "There was only one fatal wound on the deceased's neck, which shows that the murderer was decisive and killed him with one blow. If the deceased was still conscious, he would have struggled in pain. Then there would be many other small knife wounds next to this fatal wound."

Everyone tiptoed closer and saw the scar on the deceased's throat that had penetrated deep into the bone marrow. They became more convinced of Xiang Xiaoyuan's analysis.

Wu Jingnu was speechless.

Xiang Xiaoyuan frowned. "Besides that, I also smell a fragrance on the corpse that's not from the deceased. As long as we find someone who smells the same fragrance, we can identify them as the murder suspect."

Looking around the small garden, he saw a maidservant lowering her head in panic.

Xiang Xiaoyuan grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, dragging her out: "What are you smelling? Are you afraid that the perfume powder on your body has fallen on the dead person?"

This maid was the Lvliu whom I met last night.

Lvliu was frightened, tears streaming down her face. She fell to her knees, crying out in injustice, "I, I didn't kill anyone. I was just bringing chicken soup to my master. When I opened the door, I saw my master collapsed, with another bowl of chicken soup spilled on the floor beside her... I was so worried, I wanted to make sure my master was safe, so I moved closer."

Xiang Xiaoyuan narrowed her eyes. "Most people, seeing their host injured, would immediately run out and call for help to avoid suspicion and distance themselves from the matter. But when you saw the body, not only didn't you get startled and drop the chicken soup in your hand, but you also remained calm and went forward to examine the injuries? You're quite courageous."

Lvliu explained dryly, "I, I am afraid too..."

Xiang Xiaoyuan stirred the bowl of soup on the table and said, "Is that so? But, according to you, the only bowl of chicken soup on the ground was the one the deceased drank from. The other bowl of chicken soup you brought was still securely placed on the table... You probably didn't want to disturb others and wanted to confirm something with the master beforehand, so you put down the chicken soup and went forward to examine it, right?"

The maid knew that if she didn't tell the truth, she would be suspected of murder. She could only say in despair, "I saw the precious jade ring on my master's hand and became greedy for it. That's why I didn't dare to make any noise. I thought I would call for help after I took the jade. I stole my master's private property and deserve to die, but I didn't kill anyone!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan let go of her and smiled gently, "I know you didn't kill anyone. If you did, you wouldn't have taken the jade ring. And the so-called lingering fragrance was just a cover-up I made up. But since you were the first to discover the body, you must have clues that others don't know. Think about it carefully, for example, who sent this bowl of drugged chicken soup?"

The Fourth Madam's murderous gaze had already fallen on the maid. The little girl was so frightened that she had to say something to save her life.

The maid suddenly had an idea and said, "I remember now. When I went to serve the chicken soup, the cook in the kitchen muttered, 'Why are you here again?' The cook must have seen the servant who served the soup before. He must be the murderer!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan keenly sensed something was amiss. She pondered, "My dear Master, is chicken soup your daily habit?"

The maid nodded and said, "The master likes to eat chicken. At the middle and end of every month, he must drink a bowl of chicken soup. This rule is known to everyone in the mansion. It's not a secret."

"No wonder he let someone in. If chicken soup were delivered to the manor, he wouldn't have been suspicious even if the servants were strangers," Xiang Xiaoyuan said to the Fourth Madam. "The murderer is familiar with the daily life of the Fourth House... I'm afraid the real murderer is hiding in the inner courtyard of Duke Zheng's mansion and has been lurking there for some time!"

When this statement came out, everyone was lost.

All the guests trembled with fear and took the initiative to distance themselves from the people from Duke Zheng's Mansion.

The Zheng family lost their fourth legitimate son, and the old lady didn't even have time to cry. She was also slandered by people, saying that the murderer was hiding in her home, causing all civil and military officials to distance themselves from the Zheng family.

Madam Zheng II was inevitably furious and cursed, "Although you're a coroner from the Xuanqi Division, you're only a seventh-rank official. The Zheng family is willing to give the Crown Prince some face by allowing a young officer like you to perform the autopsy. This is already a sign of respect. Yet, you're lying here, bringing disgrace upon our family! My eldest sister-in-law has been in charge of the household for many years, and everyone praises her strict management. How could she allow such a murderer to sneak into the mansion!"

This sounded quite interesting. Even the first wife of Mr. Zheng Si did not show up, but Mrs. Zheng Er jumped out to make accusations. She said that she was dissatisfied with Xiao Yuan's nonsense, but in fact she was implying that Mrs. Zheng Da was not good at managing the household and caused trouble.

Xiang Xiaoyuan didn't understand the intricacies of the family, but Xie Yunxue, who rushed over after hearing the news, understood it. She thought that the first and second wives were fighting for the power to manage the family and they had always been at odds with each other.

Xie Yunxue didn't want his subordinates to become victims of the family feud.

The honorable prince was surrounded by a group of officials.

The young man glanced at Xiang Xiaoyuan indifferently and said, "Coroner Xiang, come here."

When Xiang Xiaoyuan heard the shout, he subconsciously looked up and his eyes met a figure in a plain shirt.

Although she was dissatisfied with Xie Yunxue always calling her over like calling kittens and puppies, she dared not disobey the order from her superiors. She could only leave the corpse on the ground and walk quickly towards Xie Yunxue.

The little girl stood obediently behind Xie Yunxue, her palm-sized face obscured by the tall figure of the young man. To others, it seemed as if the prince was taking Xiang Xiaoyuan under his wings, intending to protect her.

Thinking of this, everyone's faces turned embarrassed, even the aggressive Madam Zheng Er felt a little regretful. If she had known that Xiang Xiaoyuan was the prince's man, she would not have taken her anger out on Xiang Xiaoyuan.

Chu Daofu watched for a long time before suddenly asking a question: "Young friend, there's something I'm confused about. If Fourth Master Zheng could have drunk the drugged chicken soup, why would the murderer have gone to the trouble of mixing it with drugs before resorting to knife-wielding?"

Everyone immediately started talking about it——

"Yes!"

"Isn't he afraid of being discovered?"

"What if I fail to kill Fourth Master Zheng and am caught by the maid Lvliu? Wouldn't that leave evidence against me and make it difficult for me to escape?"

Xiang Xiaoyuan thought about it and suddenly realized something.

She looked straight into Chu Daofu's weathered eyes and said calmly, "Because of hatred, because he wants revenge, he doesn't want Master Zheng Si to die so easily."

Xiang Xiaoyuan could empathize with this hatred.

It's like her resentment towards Emperor Xie Zhen.

It was Xie Zhen who made her homeless, displaced, and suffered.

It was Xie Zhen who shot her parents to death in the snow, and burned the kindness of the common people... If the day ever comes for him to meet the emperor, Xiang Xiaoyuan will personally assassinate him, skinning and cutting his flesh inch by inch, and cutting him into pieces.

Because her hatred has been buried in her heart for nine years.

(End of this chapter)