Back in her room, Zhu Yan was perplexed. She couldn’t understand why today’s case seemed to conclude so hastily and smoothly, leaving her with no leads to follow. It felt as if some peculiar circumstances were intertwined within the case, giving her a headache.
As Zhu Yan closed the door, showing no signs of sleepiness, Shen Du sat beside her. “What’s wrong? Are you becoming more energetic the later it gets? It’s so late, why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Of course not,” Zhu Yan quickly explained, looking at Shen Du with earnest eyes. “I just feel this case was resolved too easily. Do you think there might be hidden aspects we’re missing?”
Shen Du pondered for a moment. “To say it was easy isn’t entirely accurate. Initially, Xu Jize didn’t confess to his crimes. It was only when faced with torture that he revealed everything. Why, do you still feel something’s amiss?”
Hearing Shen Du’s words, Zhu Yan began to doubt her intuition. If Shen Du hadn’t noticed anything, perhaps she was just overtired?
Rubbing her forehead, Zhu Yan decided to let it go, sighing deeply. “Never mind, it’s late. Let’s get some rest.”
As she prepared to go to bed, Shen Du suddenly grabbed her wrist, fixing her with a scrutinizing gaze.
“You’ve finished with your questions, but I have two things to discuss with you. Sit down, let’s clear things up before we rest.”
Zhu Yan was taken aback. Hadn’t he just urged her to sleep? Now he wanted to talk? Was he trying to get her to rest or keep her awake?
Before Zhu Yan could speak, Shen Du continued, “You’ve been suspecting this case isn’t as simple as it seems, and I’ve had my thoughts too. But we needn’t worry too much. The bride kidnapping case is closed, but now we have a new murder case with the kidnapper dead and missing his eyes. It’s hard to believe these cases aren’t connected.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan had a sudden realization. This was exactly what had been bothering her.
No wonder she felt something was off. This case had led to another, and the peculiarity of the new case left her deeply puzzled.
“Yes, exactly! Why would the killer take the victim’s eyes after murdering him? What use is a pair of eyes?”
Seeing Zhu Yan’s brightened expression, Shen Du’s lips curved into a slight smile. Understanding his woman still required his guidance. “The reason for taking the victim’s eyes needs further investigation. It’s not something we can solve quickly, so we shouldn’t fret over it. However, there’s another matter you must explain to me.”
Zhu Yan was startled. Had she done something to offend Shen Du? Why did he look at her so strangely?
“W-what matter?” She quickly ran through the events of the past few days in her mind, completely at a loss.
She hadn’t done anything “outrageous,” so why was Shen Du looking at her like this?
Shen Du’s deep eyes reflected an unusual light as he leaned forward, his face close to Zhu Yan’s. His thin lips parted, and his low, magnetic voice sounded near her ear, “Have you taken a liking to that Xu Jize?”
Zhu Yan nearly spat blood. How could he say such a thing? When had she ever shown interest in Xu Jize?
“Have you lost your mind? When did you see me interested in him? Besides, he’s nothing but a beast, worse than an animal. Even if my taste were terrible, I wouldn’t be interested in such scum!”
Shen Du’s expression remained calm, his upturned lips full of meaning. He had anticipated her response.
“If you’re not interested in him, why did you show mercy twice when touching him?”
“…” Zhu Yan’s mind was in complete disarray, unable to comprehend Shen Du’s meaning.
What mercy? When had she touched Xu Jize?
“Have you forgotten?” Seeing Zhu Yan’s confused expression, Shen Du suddenly took her hand and placed it on his shoulder.
With this gesture, Zhu Yan suddenly remembered. It was earlier in the courtroom when she had touched Xu Jize twice.
But it was all for the investigation. Was Shen Du jealous over something like this?
Realizing this, Zhu Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “If you call that showing mercy, then what about when I examine corpses and have to touch even more men? Why don’t you accuse me of being merciless to them?”
“The dead and the living are different. Unless you want Xu Jize to become a corpse?” Shen Du said ominously, sending a chill down Zhu Yan’s spine.
“Alright, alright, I won’t argue with you.” Zhu Yan pushed Shen Du away and lay down on the bed, ready to sleep. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Zhu Yan sat up startled, but Shen Du had already opened the door. Jing Lin stood there, handing him a letter.
Taking the letter, Jing Lin disappeared as Shen Du walked back to the bed, and opened it.
“What is it? Is it a letter from Chang’an?” Zhu Yan seemed very concerned about news from Chang’an, but Shen Du shook his head, reading the contents aloud, “There’s no news from Chang’an yet, but there’s new progress on the current case.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan quickly sat beside Shen Du, staring intently at the letter. “You had someone investigate him?”
Zhu Yan was surprised by Shen Du’s actions. While appearing unconcerned, he had secretly ordered an investigation.
However, the Empress had tasked her with investigating whether this person had treasonous intentions, while Shen Du’s assignment seemed to be about investigating the Fire Moth Party members.
Had Shen Du asked Jing Lin to investigate this person for her sake?
Setting this thought aside, regarding the missing bride case, there was no indication that the victim, “Er Laipi,” had any mortal enemies. So why was he killed by the murderer?
Was the killer’s appearance a coincidence or a planned event? If they killed “Er Laipi,” why spare the bride who was also present?
It seemed that as one case closed, another opened.
With the bride kidnapping case resolved, the Du and Li families rescheduled the wedding. It was said that before this new wedding, they agreed to visit a temple together and chose a new auspicious date.
Moreover, both families sent a plaque to the magistrate’s office, praising Mo Qianzi and the Yingzhou office for their divine judgment in solving cases and alleviating the people’s worries.
This was indeed a great honor.
Of course, after this incident, no one ever hired male attendants for wedding ceremonies again.