Long Live the Empress

The three of them pushed forward while shouting, "Make way, please make way..."

Zhuzi looked at the portrait happily, "This is my wife, this is my wife! I found my wife!"

When the soldiers guarding the gate heard that the woman's family had come to claim her, they brought Zhuzi to Shen Mao.

Shen Mao held up the portrait in his hand, "Who is this?"

Zhuzi knelt on the ground and said excitedly, "This is my wife, Xiao'e! Sir, have you found my wife?"

Shen Mao nodded and signaled his master to take Zhuzi to identify the person.

Zhuzi followed the master happily and finally stopped at the charity cemetery.

"Sir, is Xiao'e in here?" Zhuzi looked around and found it a little eerie.

The master nodded and opened the door.

The room was filled with beds covered with white sheets, and each bed had a number written at the end.

Zhuzi crossed his arms and walked to bed number 20 with his master. "Sir, where is Xiao'e?"

The master slowly lifted the white cloth on the bed and said, "Here..."

Zhuzi didn't think much about it and looked at the bed. The woman on the bed looked gray and lifeless. "Xiao... Xiao'e? Sir, what happened to Xiao'e?"

Zhuzi said while looking at Xiao'e's belly, "Where is my child... my child?" Then he pulled away the white cloth covering Xiao'e's body, "Ah..."

Zhuzi's painful cries echoed throughout the charity cemetery.

Finally, Zhuzi was helped out, and the people at the door gathered around and asked about Xiao'e's situation.

Zhuzi sat on the ground and burst into tears, "Xiao'e was murdered... and the baby in her belly is gone..."

When the people heard this, they were immediately furious. They were worried that their wives and daughters would also be killed, and they all wanted to rush to the Dali Temple.

The soldiers at the gate were unable to stop so many people, so they had to close the gate and report to Shen Mao.

Shen Mao was watching the coroner's examination at the funeral home. When he heard the report from the soldiers, he frowned.

The Dali Temple Shaoqing suggested, "Sir, you should appease the people first, otherwise it will be difficult for you to go out and handle cases if it is always like this!"

Shen Mao nodded, and stood at the gate of the mansion with the officers and soldiers, "Dear fellow villagers, I am Shen Mao, the Minister of Dali Temple!"

When the people crowded at the door heard that the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple had come out in person, they gradually quieted down.

"All officials of the Dali Temple have taken the case of the missing pregnant woman very seriously and have made a series of arrangements. However, the murderer was too cunning and harmed Xiao'e. But please rest assured, fellow villagers, the Dali Temple will do its best to investigate and will severely punish the murderer! And please leave quickly, fellow villagers, and don't delay the officers and soldiers in their investigation!" Shen Mao spoke sincerely and even bowed to the people at the end.

When the common people saw such a high-ranking official bowing to them, they didn't want to offend Shen Mao, so they left in twos and threes.

Shen Mao looked at the people leaving and felt that the burden on his shoulders was extremely heavy.

After examination by the coroner, it was found that Xiao'e's stomach was cut open while she was still alive... The incision left by the man was very neat, and it was obvious that the man was an expert.

This method of harming people is simply outrageous! When Shen Mao saw the inspection results, he angrily slammed the table! "Order it down, double the number of patrols, and change the curfew to 10:00! If you find any suspicious people, report it immediately!"

The master took the order and went down. Shen Mao in the room leaned back in his chair tiredly, wondering if there were any better protective measures, but he was so tired that he fell asleep on the table while thinking.

Just after midnight, the master came running over in a panic, "Sir, it's bad, another pregnant woman has disappeared at home!"

Shen Mao was awakened all of a sudden. Without even bothering to wash his face, he followed his master to the house to investigate the scene.

When Shen Mao entered the room, the family member was sitting on the ground crying. The lawyer helped them up and said, "This is Lord Shen, the Minister of the Dali Temple. Tell him what happened!"

A man knelt on the ground and sobbed, "Sir, because a pregnant woman in Beijing went missing, my wife hasn't been out for half a month. Today, she went to bed early as usual. In the middle of the night, I suddenly remembered that the pigs were not fed yet, so I wanted to get up and check, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect that my wife who was lying on the couch just now was gone, and even the couch was cold... I went to look for her in a hurry, but couldn't find her, so I had to report it to the official! Sir, please find my wife! She is still pregnant! Woo woo..."

After hearing this, Shen Mao immediately took people to the inner room to check.

The windows were closed and not damaged, and all the money was untouched, which showed that the murderer was very skilled in martial arts and had a clear purpose: he was not after money, but only wanted to capture people.

Other than that, there are no clues...