Female-dominated society: Striving for the position of powerful minister, doting on Xiao Yunqing

Green Bamboo Garden

A lamp was lit under the eaves, and three corpses were laid out brightly in the courtyard, covered only by a white cloth.

A gust of wind blew, lifting a corner of the white cloth, revealing the gruesome state of his death.

Ling Qi looked at the corpses, then looked up at Mu Yunqing: "What should we do with these three? We can't just leave them in the yard forever."

"Fallen leaves return to their roots, let's send them back."

"Send them back?" Ling Qi jumped up angrily: "Then why did you let me transport them in the first place? Do you even know what kind of people these are...?"

These people are heavy and dirty! Seeing Mu Yunqing's indifferent expression, Ling Qi didn't dare to continue.

She was both timid and angry, and only dared to mutter under her breath. After muttering to herself, she had no choice but to take the person back.

_

Early the next morning, Mu Yunqing and his group set off to the west of the city to investigate the case.

The west side of the city is different from the south side. This area is inhabited by the wealthy and powerful. Regardless of whether they are officials or commoners, they are not easy to talk to once you get to the bottom of it.

Normally, carriages and horses had to drive carefully when passing through this area. If you disturbed the rest of these important people, you would either have your leg broken or be beaten to death.

The sun was high in the sky, and two figures in blue stood in front of the door. No one knew how long they had been standing there, but no one answered.

Wei Chengfeng wiped his sweat and advised, "Lord Mu, I feel we can't get in today. How about we try another place?"

“No need,” Mu Yunqing said calmly, “Let’s wait a little longer.”

Wei Chengfeng glanced at the tightly closed gates of the mansion, then at the two unmoved men, and finally swallowed his words, obediently standing beside Mu Yunqing.

As the old woman buying groceries passed by, she glanced at the three of them a few times before slamming the door shut. But her harsh words escaped through the crack in the door, not a single one missing.

"Two men standing so openly at someone's door, aren't they ashamed!"

"They even say they're investigating a case at the Dali Temple. I think it's all a pretense; they really just want to curry favor with us!"

"An insignificant official dares to dream of stepping through the door!"

"I bother!"

"Shameless thing!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Chengfeng timidly raised his eyes and comforted him, "Lord Mu, please don't take it to heart. These people don't know how to speak properly; it's really quite unpleasant."

Mu Yunqing seemed not to have heard anything, his expression remaining calm as ever.

Ling Qi couldn't hold back any longer. She stepped forward and pounded on the door, shouting, "Open the door! We are from the Dali Temple, here to investigate a case. If you don't open the door, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Mu Yunqing chuckled, "Your voice is so soft, are you trying to call for the ants to come out of their holes?"

“Lord Mu, be careful what you say…” Wei Chengfeng said in a low voice, “It’s not ants living in here, it’s tigers.”

"A tiger?" Mu Yunqing laughed. "Tigers are afraid of fire. It seems we have no choice but to use some methods." He took out the Dali Temple token and winked at his subordinates who had followed him.

Several constables immediately stepped forward and together began to ram the door. With a loud "bang," the door was forced open.

The maids and servants in the mansion rushed out in a panic to see what was happening. Mu Yunqing walked straight in and said loudly, "I am here on orders to investigate a case. Anyone who obstructs me will be considered to be interfering with official business."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Upon entering the hall, one sees a woman dressed in elegant attire sitting in a chair, her face full of displeasure.

Mu Yunqing stepped forward, showed his token, and asked, "A murder has occurred in the manor recently. Does Patriarch Cai know anything about it?"

Cai Fei snorted but did not reply.

Zhang Xunyu sent her a message yesterday, warning her to be careful of the people from the Dali Temple. Coincidentally, they came after her today.

He was just a low-ranking official of the sixth grade, yet he dared to use the name of the Dali Temple to put her above him.

She had originally planned to make these people wait a day to curb their momentum.

Ha, they actually barged in, not taking her seriously at all.

As she was pondering this, the person beside her suddenly spoke up: "What is Patriarch Cai thinking about? Is there perhaps something you're having trouble saying?"

“Lord Mu is overthinking it,” Cai Fei said with a smile. “What unspeakable difficulties could an ordinary person like me have?”

Mu Yunqing looked around the hall and said sarcastically, "If a mansion as large as the Cui family head's were just for an ordinary person, wouldn't my Dali Temple be nothing more than a stinking ditch?"

"You jest, sir. How could the Dali Temple be a stinking ditch?" She was so angry she could barely contain herself, but she could only smile and agree. A man so sharp-tongued was utterly unlikable.

Mu Yunqing's smile vanished, and he said solemnly, "Since Patriarch Cai knows that my Dali Temple is not some stinking ditch, please cooperate with our investigation."

These words left no room for refusal, so Cai Fei had no choice but to grit her teeth and agree.

He asked, "Where were you on the night of the incident?"

"I'm in my room." She wasn't lying. It was raining heavily that night, and she felt cold, so she stayed in her room and didn't go out.

"What was your relationship with the deceased, Liang Younian?"

Cai Fei was stunned: "The one who died was Liang Younian?"

"Otherwise, who does Patriarch Cai think died?" Mu Yunqing asked calmly, but his eyes were fixed on her.

Cai Fei felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and said, "I don't know much about what happened in the backyard. I only heard a servant mention it briefly, and I don't know who died."

Mu Yunqing frowned slightly, clearly not believing Cai Fei's words. "Patriarch Cai, as far as I know, Liang Younian is a servant in your household. Do you really know nothing about him?"

Cai Fei was startled, but remained calm on the surface. "Lord Mu, there are many people in my Cai household. This Liang Younian is just an ordinary servant. How can I care about everything?"

Mu Yunqing sneered, "An ordinary servant? Then why did he die in the backyard, a backyard that is usually off-limits to anyone but his trusted confidants?"

Cai Fei hurriedly said, "There are many guests coming and going in the mansion. It's not impossible that someone might sneak in." Although she said that, she had some doubts in her heart.

She once thought that it was Su Cheng, her unfavored concubine Su Cheng, who had died.

Su Cheng was arrogant and aloof. He had a cold face from the moment he entered the house and hadn't spoken a word to anyone. Even the servant who served him was someone he had brought from the Su family. He looked down on the Cai family and even more so on the position of a concubine.

The Su family forced her to marry into the family, and she kept Su Cheng because she thought he looked good.

On their wedding night, Cai Fei even went to see him with a somewhat pleasant expression, but unfortunately, she didn't even get through the door.

She was an extremely vengeful person, and Su Cheng had made her lose face. She wouldn't let him get away with it, so the next day she welcomed Liang Younian into her home.

One moment she's from a prestigious family, the next she's a courtesan—the difference in their social status is immense.

She clearly intended to embarrass Su Cheng. The Su family was displeased, but they didn't say much.

From that day on, she spoiled Liang Younian rotten. She indulged his every whim and sent him all the good things.

As time went on, Su Cheng grew envious. He even tried to reconcile with her, but she wouldn't listen.

She found it annoying to even glance at a man who couldn't please her, so she didn't bother with him.

All she knew was that Su had recently fallen ill and had asked her for money.

As for whether she was well or not, she had no idea. When she heard that someone had died in the manor, the first person she thought of was Su Cheng.

"Patriarch Cai has managed to absolve himself of all responsibility with just a few words. However..." Mu Yunqing probed, "You don't even feel sad that a servant in your household has died?"

“What you’re saying is ridiculous, sir,” Cai Fei sneered. “Most women in the brothel have three husbands and four servants. If one dies, they’ll be heartbroken every time. How can they live like that?”

Upon hearing Cai Fei's words, Mu Yunqing's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. "What Patriarch Cai says makes sense. However, Liang Younian's death is suspicious, with numerous bruises on his body, suggesting he was beaten. Doesn't Patriarch Cai fear that it was done by someone else in the manor?"

"Does Your Excellency suspect anyone in my household? My household has strict rules, and there is absolutely no such thing."

Mu Yunqing paced around Cai Fei and said, “Patriarch Cai, don’t be so quick to deny it. I’ve also heard that Liang Younian had a dispute with someone before his death, and that person seems to have been quite favored by Patriarch Cai.”

Cai Fei's heart skipped a beat, and a figure flashed through her mind. Could it be her? But she still said firmly, "My lord, please don't believe the rumors. The people in my household get along well and there would be no disputes."

Mu Yunqing's eyes were sharp. "I hope so. However, I still need to look around the mansion."

“Of course,” she said. “Lord Mu, please rest assured to investigate the case. If you need anything, just have your servants fetch it for you.”

Mu Yunqing nodded slightly and led Ling Qi and Wei Chengfeng to search the surroundings.

_

On the other hand, the case was investigated with remarkable ease, and the murderer was found without any effort.

It went very smoothly, which was quite strange.

Shen Chenxi stared at the withered pomegranate tree in front of her, and whether it was the cold or something else, a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

He turned around abruptly, only to find nothing behind him. There, he saw a mother and daughter sitting under the eaves, sewing.

"Lord Shen, it's cold outside. Please come in and sit down."

“I won’t stay any longer,” Shen Chenxi said. “The case is cleared, and I have to go back to the Dali Temple to handle the aftermath. I’ll come back another day.”

The woman got up and saw him off, then stared blankly at the pomegranate tree.

The daughter in her arms looked up and asked, "Mother, when will Father come back?"

"Father will be back in a few days," the woman said, patting her head affectionately. "Shall we wait a little longer?"

"But Mumu has been waiting for a long time."

"Mumu, be good," the woman hugged her tightly and coaxed, "Wait a few more days, and Daddy will come back to reunite with us."

These words were used to coax my little girl, and I often used them to coax her.

She hadn't seen Sun Xiaowu for a long time. Normally, she would have sent him a message.

But the man Lord Shen just told her, "Sun Xiaowu is in danger now. If you rashly send a message, you will only harm him. If you trust me, stay here for now and do not tell anyone your whereabouts."

“It’s true that Sun Xiaowu has been killing indiscriminately, and he will inevitably suffer some hardship, or even be imprisoned, but I will do my best to protect him. However, before that, you and your daughter must hide well. If you are discovered, I cannot protect either of you.”

"I can't protect anyone..." the woman murmured to herself. "In this situation, who can protect whom? It's just wishful thinking."

She knew what Sun Xiaowu had done; he had too many lives on his hands, and by all accounts, he deserved to die.

She had previously thought that such wicked people deserved to suffer a fate worse than death.

But if it were Sun Xiaowu, she just couldn't bring herself to resent him, and even repeatedly lied to herself that he wasn't a bad person.

After washing away the blood, he was still the virtuous and capable Sun Xiaowu that his neighbors talked about.

Even without his night clothes, he was still the good father in Mu Mu's eyes, and the husband of her Fan Chengjun.

But the blood couldn't be washed away, and it became increasingly difficult for him to take off his night clothes.

"too late……"

She lamented, "It's all too late."

_

At that moment, Sun Xiaowu was sitting on the roof, searching for the next lucky person.

The snow in winter is so cold; perhaps he wasn't referring to snow at all.

It's the human heart.

The first time he met Zhang Xunyu was also on a snowy day like this.

He came to Kyoto seeking medical treatment, but was robbed as soon as he got off the carriage. All his money was taken, and he had no money left on him.

On his deathbed, Zhang Xunyu saved him. Later, she also saved his wife and children. She bought him a house, taught him martial arts, and trained him to be a qualified assassin.

As she wished, he became a fine knife.

He remained loyal to her throughout, and even when he was in dire straits, he never considered betraying her.

But on that day, she surprisingly pushed him out to take the blame without hesitation.

People are always selfish. He knew this, but he never expected this day to come so soon, so soon that he felt becoming Sun Xiaowu was something that happened in his past life.

He looked down and saw that the street was still bustling with people.

In the small stall under the eaves, several pomegranate silk flowers were displayed brightly, so beautiful and eye-catching. On any other day, he would have bought them to give to Fan Chengjun.

His Ah Jun loved pomegranate flowers the most.

He remembered that there were many pomegranate flower hairpins in the dressing box at home, and Fan Chengjun would always wear them in different styles.

"But who would buy it for now..." He laughed self-deprecatingly.

Fan Chengjun is no longer in this world, and no one is worthy of even the most beautiful pomegranate silk flower.

"Young man!" the stall owner under the eaves called out to him, "I've seen you staring at it for a long time. If you like it, buy it. You won't be able to buy this kind of pattern next spring! Once you miss it, it's gone forever!"

"Once you miss it, you'll never have it again..." Shen Chenxi had said this to him as well.

That night, he was so worried about his wife and children that he wanted to sneak back to see them.

But when he reached the door, his house was already a ruin. Even the pomegranate tree in front of the door had been burned to ashes.

With a gust of wind, he had nothing left.

"Don't you understand?" Shen Chenxi said calmly, "Zhang Xunyu lied to you. She was afraid that your wife and children would avenge you, so she burned them alive. The sound of crying and screaming could be heard for miles around. Their deaths were so tragic that they didn't even have complete corpses."

“How tragic,” he sighed. “They did nothing wrong, yet they died here because of you. Your daughter, Mumu, was so young, she couldn’t even read properly, and before she died she was hoping you would come home, but instead she was waiting for a fire.”

“Sun Xiaowu, don’t you feel guilty? They all died because of you, but they knew nothing. They didn’t know you were a murderer, they didn’t know you had hundreds of lives on your hands, and even after they died, they were still worried about you.”

"If I were you, I would never live such a peaceful life. Even if I die, I would kill my enemies and avenge her and her daughter."

"I'll give you one day. If you've made up your mind, come find me at the Dali Temple." He tempted her, "Not only can I keep you alive, but I can also help you take revenge. Such a good deal, you won't get another chance if you miss it."

Sun Xiaowu suddenly raised his eyes and murmured, "Keep me alive, help me avenge myself..."