In the private room.

Xie Zhifei in official robes, arms crossed, sat upright and proper in his chair.

“All sit. Don’t be polite.”

The seven sat down nervously. Attendants immediately added tea and poured wine.

Xie Zhifei raised his wine cup. “Like this—let’s eat first. After we’re full, we’ll talk. Everyone, don’t be polite.”

Those who handled funeral matters rarely ate in outside restaurants. Many people found them to carry the smell of the dead.

Never mind sitting at the same table to eat—even standing close, people would cover their mouths and noses.

This Commander Xie before them not only didn’t avoid taboos but seemed quite hospitable. The seven exchanged glances, then all raised their wine cups.

The wine was good wine, the dishes even better dishes. Compared to what their wives made at home, who knew how many times better.

The sharp-eyed, quick-handed attendant beside them—whichever wine cup emptied, immediately refilled it.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes.

Seeing they’d eaten about enough, Xie Zhifei used his eyes to inquire of the attendant standing to one side.

The attendant nodded to him. With a “snap,” Xie Zhifei set down his chopsticks.

Seeing this, the seven also set down their chopsticks.

Xie Zhifei put on his official airs. “Among you, who prepared bodies in the old general’s eldest son’s courtyard? Raise your hands for me to see.”

Of the seven, three raised their hands.

“Come, you three tell me—when preparing bodies in Old Master Zheng’s courtyard, what did you discover?”

The three looked at each other, none daring to speak.

Not speaking?

Xie Zhifei’s finger stroked the cup’s rim, smiling. “What, ate Commander Xie’s wine but still want to embarrass Commander Xie?”

At these words, all seven men’s expressions tightened.

Xie Zhifei lazily propped up one long leg, that roguish energy coming back.

“I like courtesy before force. Those who give Third Master face—even little beggars, I’ll call them brother. If bullied, Third Master stands up for them.

Those who want to oppose Third Master—Third Master gives them a thumbs up, but won’t give them a good face.”

He smiled. “Not only won’t give it, but will cause trouble everywhere, forcing them until they can’t survive in this capital and scram for me!”

“Commander Xie.”

Of the three, the white-haired man could no longer sit still. He quickly stood and said respectfully: “Reporting to Commander Xie, I was responsible for carrying corpses. I discovered nothing.”

Saying this, the white-haired man raised three fingers. “If I spoke even one false word, may heaven strike me with lightning and I die a terrible death.”

Xie Zhifei nodded toward the man beside him. “You also discovered nothing?”

That man stood up with an ingratiating smile. “Commander Xie, I too was responsible for carrying corpses. You’re an official, I’m common folk—I dare not oppose you.”

Xie Zhifei’s gaze shifted to look at the man across from him, thin as a bamboo pole. “You were responsible for preparing bodies?”

Thin Bamboo Pole immediately stood ramrod straight. “Commander Xie, I’ll tell you in detail. Everyone I handled—all had their throats cut with one blade.”

Xie Zhifei: “No second blade?”

Thin Bamboo Pole shook his head. “None. Only the great general’s eldest son—his wounds were more numerous.”

Xie Zhifei: “How many more?”

Thin Bamboo Pole thought carefully. “About six or seven places. Each one quite deep. When I cleansed his body, I, I even used needles to sew those wounds closed, stitch by stitch.”

Six or seven places?

Xie Zhifei raised his eyes to look at the attendant: matched basically with what was written in the case files—suffered six knife wounds, fell dead.

The attendant was Yan Sanhe in male disguise.

She closed her eyes imperceptibly.

Xie Zhifei: “What about Old Master Zheng’s face—what expression?”

Thin Bamboo Pole sighed heavily. “I’ve prepared bodies for most of my life. This was the first time I saw eyelids that couldn’t be closed no matter what. Truly died with eyes open!”

Xie Zhifei’s hand beneath the table instantly clenched into a fist. “Later, so you just let him enter the coffin with eyes open?”

“We in this trade have a saying—those who enter the coffin with eyes open have heavy resentment, can’t reincarnate, and become wandering ghosts.”

Thin Bamboo Pole’s eyelids drooped. “Later I sewed two stitches in his left eye and right eye each, then burned some spirit money, sending him on his way.”

Xie Zhifei was silent for a while, slowly unclenching his fist. He raised his head, took a deep breath, and looked at Yan Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe gently closed her eyes.

Xie Zhifei said calmly: “Alright. You three drink the tea on the windowsill, then you can leave first.”

That’s it?

Nothing more?

The three felt their hearts ease. Walking to the windowsill, they saw seven tea cups placed there.

The three each picked up one, raised their heads to drink, then walked out.

Xie Zhifei looked at the remaining four. “Among you, who prepared bodies in Fourth Master’s courtyard?”

Of the four, three more raised their hands.

Xie Zhifei and Yan Sanhe’s gazes almost simultaneously fell on the person who hadn’t raised his hand.

Why was there only one person preparing bodies at the Begonia Garden?

Was it because the Begonia Garden had fewer people?

Or had someone deliberately arranged it this way?

Also, this person seemed quite young!

Xie Zhifei reached up to rub between his brows. “All of you speak—what was special about Fourth Master’s courtyard?”

“Half his courtyard was burned, so several corpses were like… like being roasted.”

“The manner of death was all the same.”

“I prepared the body for Fourth Master Zheng. Other places on his body also had injuries, but none fatal. The blade at his throat was the fatal one. The ground was full of sprayed blood. Half his body was scorched.”

“His right hand, even unto death, gripped tightly a long blade. No matter how I pried, I couldn’t open it.”

“Later I had to shatter the finger bones before I could take the blade.”

“After I returned, I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. Later I went to the temple and burned incense for three days straight before feeling a bit better.”

Xie Zhifei’s face had lost all trace of blood. “The half ivory waist token beside him—did any of you see it?”

“Reporting to Your Excellency, I didn’t see it.”

“I didn’t see it either.”

“Your Excellency, when we went to the Zheng residence to prepare bodies, it was already the seventeenth or eighteenth of the seventh month. Those official masters had already investigated eight hundred times over. How could we still see any waist token?”

Xie Zhifei sat rigidly for a long while before managing to say: “You three may also leave.”

“Wait.”

Yan Sanhe walked behind Xie Zhifei. “When you prepared bodies, who supervised you?”

The four looked at her in shock—this attendant was actually a young lady!

“This is an expert our Commandery invited.”

Xie Zhifei’s thin lips pressed together, showing a trace of coldness. “Just answer her questions.”

“Many people supervised.”

“There were Embroidered Uniform Guards and also Ministry of Justice people.”

“About a dozen or so.”

Even corpse preparation was supervised?

And they say there’s no foul play!

Yan Sanhe sneered coldly in her heart. “After you finish your tea, you may also leave.”

Unlike the previous three, these three fled the private room as if escaping after drinking their tea.

Mother of mercy, this world truly had all kinds of strange things—even young ladies were interrogation experts. Fortunately, everything they said was truth. Otherwise, who knows if they could have walked out of this private room.

In the private room, only one person remained.

This person was indeed young, about thirty-five or thirty-six in appearance. Not tall, not short, not fat, not thin. If examined closely, his face wasn’t bad—at least squarely shaped.

Xie Zhifei stood up, using his eyes to signal Yan Sanhe to sit.

Yan Sanhe wasn’t polite. She lifted her robe corner and sat down openly, her finger tapping on the table repeatedly, her gaze always resting on this person’s face.

People have human qi, corpses have corpse smell.

Those who dealt with corpses long-term would more or less carry some corpse qi.

The older in years, the heavier the corpse qi.

Very strange.

Just now when pouring wine for him, she felt not the slightest corpse smell on this person.