After Rebirth, My Aloof Husband Can Hear My Inner Thoughts [Transmigration & Rebirth] - Chapter 22

That Heart Lock Pendant was undeniably conspicuous.

Wen Lingzhou also noticed Xie Zhizhou’s gaze. He curved his lips slightly before resuming his usual solemnity, his eyes still fixed on the two figures in the distance. “I suppose Lord Xie recognizes this jade pendant.”

Xie Zhizhou remained unruffled. “I don’t recognize it. It just resembles the one Lin Shengshen gave me, so I took a second look.”

Wen Lingzhou naturally knew that Lin Shengshen had given Xie Zhizhou many tokens of affection, while he and Lin Shengshen likely shared only this pair of Heart Lock Pendants.

Had Lin Shengshen ever taken hers out to wear?

Even if she only occasionally held it, reminiscing about their past feelings, he would be content.

Xie Zhizhou interrupted his reverie. “Lin Shengshen has given me so many things, but only that Heart Lock Pendant truly stood out to me, which is why it left an impression. General Wen, what is the origin of this Heart Lock Pendant of yours?”

Wen Lingzhou grew irritated at the sight of Xie Zhizhou so openly basking in Lin Shengshen’s admiration, but his expression remained unchanged as he replied gravely, “Since it’s a Heart Lock Pendant, it was naturally a gift from a beloved.”

A gift from a beloved?

Xie Zhizhou’s hand clenched abruptly beneath his sleeve, then slowly relaxed. He chuckled lightly. “General, you campaign across the lands, drifting and unsettled, likely leaving your wives and concubines to lonely nights. I won’t wish for you and your beloved to end up together.”

Wen Lingzhou also smiled. “Lord Xie, you live a solitary life, free from worldly desires. I won’t wish you a harmonious union lasting a hundred years, either.”

As they exchanged barbs, Lin Shengshen, like a butterfly fluttering through flowers, had already lifted her skirt and followed Xu Wei to the back of the crowd.

“Young Master, Lord Wu has arrived.” Yuan Qing’s words instantly snapped Xie Zhizhou out of his thoughts.

His gaze shifted away from the jade pendant, and he glanced at Lin Shengshen, who stood not far away, her head barely reaching Xu Wei’s shoulder. Xie Zhizhou took a deep breath, turned around, and strode back to the corpse.

Lord Wu appeared to be around fifty years old, with a neatly trimmed beard and dressed in a deep maroon straight robe. His posture was quite upright, and as he strode forward, he carried the dignified bearing of a household head.

Xie Zhizhou held an official rank similar to Lord Wu’s. After exchanging nods, he said, “Lord Wu, the cause of this woman’s death has yet to be determined. Please disperse the crowd to the main hall and have the household guards patrol and secure the area.”

Lord Wu nodded and issued the orders. Glancing at the woman beneath the plum tree, whose disheveled clothes were stained with blood that had seeped into the soil, he furrowed his brow and asked, “Lord Xie, is this… a suicide or the work of an assassin?”

When the servants discovered the body, they were terrified. As they ran to spread the news, they kept shouting: “There’s an assassin!”

Xie Zhizhou studied Lord Wu’s expression, narrowing his eyes slightly, and replied ambiguously, “Suicide—”

Lord Wu’s eyes flickered.

“—or the work of an assassin. We’ll need a coroner to examine the body.”

Lord Wu smiled wryly. “Today was meant to be a joyous occasion. Who would have thought such an ill-omened event would occur? I’ve troubled you, Lord Xie. Another day, I will personally visit to apologize.”

Xie Zhizhou nodded. “You are too kind, Lord Wu.”

“I’ve heard that your wife and younger sister are also here today. Where are they now? For their safety, I’ll have my wife accompany them to the rear courtyard to rest.”

Xie Zhizhou turned his head and saw Lin Shengshen standing beside Xu Wei, craning her neck to peer through the crowd at the scene.

Xu Wei was much taller than her. After watching for a while, he bent down to whisper to her, perhaps even cracking a joke or two.

Lin Shengshen, annoyed, stood on her tiptoes and rapped Xu Wei’s forehead…

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Lord Wu, puzzled, was about to follow Xie Zhizhou’s gaze when he saw Xie Zhizhou already striding through the crowd.

Lin Shengshen was trying to find out who had died. Xu Wei told her it was a frail woman in an ivory-white dress, the front of which was drenched in crimson blood.

Just as she was about to ask more, she felt herself being pulled sideways as someone grabbed her wrist and dragged her away. Following the strong, firm arm upward, she saw it was Xie Zhizhou.

“Hey, what are you doing? Let go of me!” Her commotion drew sidelong glances from the surrounding crowd.

Xie Zhizhou walked swiftly with long strides, offering no explanation. When he reached Lord Wu, he forced a polite smile. “There’s no need to trouble you, Lord Wu. I’ll take my wife with me.”

Then he instructed, “Yuan Qing, go watch over the Second Young Lady.”

Lord Wu glanced back and forth between Xie Zhizhou and Lin Shengshen, smiling. “Lord Xie and Miss Lin share a harmonious bond.”

Dispensing with further pleasantries, Lord Wu left to attend to the guests.

[This Lord Wu really knows how to say the wrong things.]

Lin Shengshen rubbed her wrist.

[And Xu Wei—I asked him for so long, and he still couldn’t describe what the dead woman looked like. Well, since I’ve made it to the front, I might as well see for myself.]

Xie Zhizhou glanced in Xu Wei’s direction and saw the handsome young man tilting his head to look their way, his eyes brimming with youthful arrogance. Even when his gaze met Xie Zhizhou’s, he showed no restraint.

Reckless youth.

Xie Zhizhou took two steps and positioned himself beside Lin Shengshen, blocking her view.

Lin Shengshen remained completely unaware. Now standing closer, she could clearly see the woman—

There was simply too much blood, splattered all over her face and body. No wonder Xu Wei couldn’t describe her features.

But as Lin Shengshen studied the face carefully, it felt strangely familiar.

[This figure…]

“Xunniang?” Lin Shengshen gasped sharply. “Is that Xunniang?”

Xie Zhizhou looked down at her, his expression unreadable, and said seriously, “Do you know her?”

“Are you afraid of blood?” Xie Zhizhou asked her.

Lin Shengshen shook her head. Having coughed up so much blood before her death in her previous life, what was there left to fear?

Xie Zhizhou took her hand and led her to the side of the corpse, instructing a servant nearby, “Fetch a handkerchief.” Before the servant could move, Lin Shengshen took out a white handkerchief embroidered with weeping begonia from her sleeve and handed it to Xie Zhizhou.

“Use this.”

Xie Zhizhou did not take it.

“Once it’s stained with blood, this handkerchief will be ruined.”

The embroidery was exquisite, clearly the result of much effort.

Lin Shengshen crouched down. The woman lying in the pool of blood looked increasingly familiar the more she stared. She murmured, “No matter who she is, shouldn’t she deserve a decent handkerchief even in death?”

Xie Zhizhou stared at her face for a moment before shifting his gaze away. He took the handkerchief and personally wiped the blood from the corpse’s face.

A delicate yet sorrowful face was revealed, its expression not distorted.

Among the crowd being evacuated were many female attendants from the Four Departments and Six Bureaus. Someone exclaimed, “It’s Xunniang!”

Instantly, several attendants broke through the guards’ blockade, threw themselves to their knees beside the corpse, and wept bitterly. “How could this happen? She was perfectly fine this morning. How could it be Xunniang?”

The coroner finally arrived, and the surrounding crowd had been cleared. Wu Zhen stood with his hands behind his back, watching calmly from a few steps away.

Xie Zhizhou took Lin Shengshen’s hand again and walked a few steps to stand under the banyan tree.

This spot was shaded from the sun.

Only then did Lin Shengshen realize that she had been led around by the hand earlier. It wasn’t by the sleeve or the wrist—she felt somewhat uncomfortable and rubbed her palm against the fabric inside her sleeve.

Noticing this movement, Xie Zhizhou frowned.

Was it disgust? Or something else…

If he remembered correctly, when Wen Lingzhou went to pick her up at Zhonghua Gate, he had also helped her into the carriage by holding her hand. Had she secretly wiped her hand inside her sleeve that day, just as she was doing now?

A few attendants who were usually close to Xunniang were kept behind. After weeping for a while, they threw themselves at Xie Zhizhou’s feet. “My lord, my lord, you must seek justice for Xunniang!”

Xie Zhizhou remained unmoved. As the chief judicial officer of the Dali Temple, he should not involve himself in civilian murder cases like this. However, the incident had occurred suddenly, with many guests at the Wu residence. He had taken charge immediately, partly out of instinct and partly because… the method of a single slash to the throat was all too familiar.

The assassin who had been haunting Yunjing these days had struck again.

Just a month ago, the fourth-rank official Zhang Yin had died in a dark alley by the same method.

Could it be the same perpetrator?

But if it were the same person, why would the assassin target a mere female attendant?

Wu Zhen stepped forward at the right moment and rebuked them sternly, “You lowly creatures, step back! How dare you act so presumptuously before Lord Xie!”

The attendants shrank back in fear, glancing at the body being carried away as they wept silently.

Xie Zhizhou raised a hand to stop Wu Zhen, took a step forward, and asked, “Did Xunniang have any regular acquaintances?”

A younger one among them said, “This servant…”

She hesitated for a moment, glanced at Wu Zhen, and fell silent.

Wu Zhen scolded, “You wretch, stammering like that—what is the meaning of this?” His tone was fierce.

Lin Shengshen stepped out from the shadows of the tree and stood before the maidservant, blocking Lord Wu’s line of sight. She bent down and spoke gently, “Tell me, what did you see?”

The maidservant shook her head, “This humble servant saw nothing…”

[This Lord Wu is definitely hiding something.]

Lin Shengshen said, “Xunniang came to Baoxiang Tower every month to purchase incense, spending lavishly. Perhaps the murderer killed her for her wealth.”

Xie Zhizhou looked at Lin Shengshen.

[Since she won’t tell the truth, don’t blame me for fishing for information.]

A smile played on Xie Zhizhou’s lips, “My lady is right. For a minor incense mistress to spend so extravagantly, could it be she stole from her master’s property…”

[Hiss… My lady? Tsk tsk…]

Lin Shengshen shuddered with disgust.

The maidservant suddenly lifted her head, “Impossible! It can’t be! Xunniang wouldn’t do that! Her mother is gravely ill—she’s been borrowing money everywhere these days. How could she possibly spend lavishly?”

Lin Shengshen nodded.

[That’s right. When I encountered Xunniang at Baoxiang Tower some days ago, I did hear her mother was ill. Moreover, she always dressed simply and elegantly. Even the young maidservants wore some hairpins and ornaments for such an important occasion today, yet she only wore a single bamboo hairpin.]

Xie Zhizhou’s eyes brightened slightly, surprised that Lin Shengshen had observed such minute details in just a few glances.

Lin Shengshen continued, “Her mother is gravely ill, so she stole property—isn’t that perfectly logical?” She turned to look at Lord Wu, “Lord Wu, it’s hard to guard against thieves within the household.”

Lord Wu’s expression eased slightly as he cupped his hands, “I’ve long heard of Lady Lin’s wisdom, and now I see the rumors don’t do you justice.”

“Wretched scum!” Lord Wu glared at the maidservants, “Now that this matter is cleared up—Xunniang stole property and committed suicide out of guilt—what more do you have to say? Get out of here now!”

As the maidservants trembled and prepared to retreat, Lin Shengshen glanced at Xie Zhizhou.

Understanding her meaning, he added, “Lord Wu, this maidservant was evasive and protected the thief. I believe she deserves twenty cane strikes.”

[I didn’t expect Xie Zhizhou to be quite clever—he actually knew what I wanted to do.]

Lord Wu smiled, “Lord Xie makes a valid point. Guards!”

The maidservant trembled like a leaf in the wind, gritted her teeth, and threw herself to the ground, crying out, “Xunniang definitely didn’t steal anything! She must have been driven to her death! This morning, I saw Lord Wu following her behind the rockery! It’s absolutely true, Lord Xie!”

Lin Shengshen smiled gently, stepped forward to help the maidservant up, and took out a handkerchief to wipe the dirt from her cheeks. “Speak slowly, tell the truth.”

[If only you had said so earlier. Ah, you’ve frightened the poor girl.]

By now, Lord Wu’s attendants had closed in and, at his urging, made as if to snatch the maidservant from Lin Shengshen’s grasp.

Xie Zhizhou stepped forward, placing a protective hand loosely around Lin Shengshen’s waist as his gaze swept over the surrounding people. The atmosphere instantly chilled.

Lord Wu looked puzzled, “Lord Xie, this… we can’t listen to her nonsense.”

Xie Zhizhou sneered, “Since there’s a new lead, we must investigate thoroughly. To prevent another wrongful death in the Wu residence, I have no choice but to fulfill my duty.”

Lord Wu looked displeased but waved his attendants back.

Lin Shengshen felt a warmth at her waist. Though Xie Zhizhou’s hand was only hovering loosely around her, why did it feel so scorching?

She sidestepped slightly, moving away from Xie Zhizhou’s hand.

Sensing her obvious distance and resistance, Xie Zhizhou’s eyes dimmed, and he withdrew his hand to stand aside once more.

Since the maid had already revealed some information, there was no reason to hesitate or conceal anything further.

After all, speaking out would offend someone, but staying silent would also offend someone and earn her a beating, making Xunniang’s death unjust.

“This humble maid, Xiaowan, was very close to Xunniang. A few days ago, her mother fell ill, and she borrowed ten taels of silver from me to buy medicine. She worked diligently during the day and cared for her bedridden mother at night, enduring great hardship.”

Xiaowan wiped her tears and continued, “Even under such hardship, she never entertained any improper thoughts.”

“But him!” Xiaowan pointed at Wu Zhen. “He had long coveted Xunniang’s body, but he was hindered by his wife’s strict watch and Xunniang’s unwillingness, so he never succeeded.”

Wu Zhen’s neatly trimmed beard was now disheveled as he cursed angrily, “You vile wretch, spouting nonsense!”

Xiaowan shrank behind Lin Shengshen, while Xie Zhizhou stepped in front of Lin Shengshen. “Continue.”

“Xunniang was short on money, so Lord Wu tried to coerce her into submission by withholding her wages—he had delayed paying her for two months!”

“This morning, I saw Lord Wu secretly following Xunniang to the rockery. Who knows if he forced her, driving her to take her own life?”

A few days earlier, Zhang Cheng had been publicly exposed by Xie Zhizhou in court for privately purchasing Jiangnan “skinny horses,” keeping them at his residence, and trading them with other officials.

The scandal had stirred up a storm, and who in the court would dare to have any moral failings now?

Even Wu Zhen had been behaving cautiously, afraid of causing trouble and displeasing His Majesty.

Xie Zhizhou cast a cold glance at him. “Lord Wu, if this is true, the Dali Temple must take over Xunniang’s case. I hope you will cooperate.”

“Slander!” Wu Zhen had long lost his earlier composure and elegance. “That seductress caught me off guard today and slashed my arm. How could such an insolent rebel take her own life?”

“Lord Wu has refined tastes.”

Wu Zhen averted his gaze.

[I never noticed before how sarcastic Xie Zhizhou’s words could be.]

Lin Shengshen’s smile stiffened.

[Since Wu Zhen admitted to harassing Xunniang, the case should be easier to investigate now.]

Just then, the coroner rushed in to report, “Lord Xie, the deceased died from a sharp weapon cutting her throat—a single fatal strike. It was not suicide.”

Xie Zhizhou showed no surprise, having already anticipated this outcome.

“Moreover… there is a strange odor on the deceased’s body. We must wait a moment for a coroner well-versed in pharmacology to conduct another examination.”

[A single fatal strike?]

Lin Shengshen glanced at Wu Zhen. Though he carried himself with an upright demeanor, he was merely a scholar and did not seem capable of delivering a fatal blow with a single strike.

Upon hearing that the cause of death was a sharp weapon to the throat, Wu Zhen’s tense expression suddenly relaxed, and even his beard seemed to perk up slightly. He sneered, “Lord Xie, Miss Lin, these maids have slandered their master. I will handle them myself.”

Xiaowan and the other maids cried out in fear. Lin Shengshen bent down to comfort them, her eyes coldly sweeping over Wu Zhen.

[Then it seems it wasn’t Wu Zhen… But he threatened Xunniang first. Who knows if he indirectly caused her death!]

Xie Zhizhou ordered coldly, “Take Xiaowan and the other maids to the woodshed. Station guards from the Dali Temple there and allow no one to approach.”

Only then did Lin Shengshen feel reassured, and she began to ponder carefully again.

[And, a strange odor?]

Frowning, she strode toward the room where the body was being kept.

Xie Zhizhou watched as several female attendants were taken away, and Wu Zhen flicked his sleeves with a cold snort before departing. Only then did he stride toward the room where the body was laid out.

Lin Shengshen had just reached the doorway when someone stopped her.

Wen Lingzhou looked grave, his tone serious and concerned. “Shengshen, there’s a corpse inside. You mustn’t go in.”

Lin Shengshen waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not afraid, don’t worry.” If there were any suspicious odors, they might dissipate quickly. Rather than wasting time finding someone else, it was better for her to go in and smell for herself.

When it came to the art of fragrance, she was quite confident.

Wen Lingzhou did not step aside and instead moved forward to grab Lin Shengshen’s sleeve, but a figure blocked his path.

Xie Zhizhou had somehow approached and now stood between Lin Shengshen and Wen Lingzhou. “General Wen, the Dali Temple is handling this case. Please step back.”

His voice was cold and heavy, like the perpetual ice and snow of North Dai Mountain.

[Why does Xie Zhizhou always show up whenever I run into Wen Lingzhou?]

Lin Shengshen couldn’t be bothered to argue. Seizing the moment while the two men were confronting each other, she lifted her skirt and entered the room.

Inside, Lin Shengshen carefully examined the scents in Xunniang’s fingernails and on her clothing.

The coroner nearby, seeing how bold this young woman was, felt a surge of respect.

He had heard that the woman Lord Xie married was the youngest daughter of Chancellor Lin—a delicate beauty who only knew how to recite poetry and admire the moon, indulging in romantic fantasies. After marrying into the Xie residence, she failed to win her husband’s affection and spent her days wallowing in self-pity… But now, it seemed the rumors were untrue.

Lin Shengshen circled the corpse, sniffing for a long time. Aside from the common fragrances used at today’s banquet, such as lotus leaf, sandalwood, frankincense, and musk, there was also a pungent, bitter odor mixed in.

Galangal and cardamom? Lin Shengshen shook her head—it shouldn’t be so pungent.

Nutmeg and galangal? She shook her head again.

The bitter scent was somewhat familiar, as if she had smelled it in her childhood. She thought for a long time—

Could it be hellebore?!

Hellebore grew in the northern regions, with a pungent and intensely bitter smell. It was an extremely toxic medicinal herb…

It would never be used in incense-making. Why would Xunniang have the scent of hellebore on her?

Outside, Xie Zhizhou and Wen Lingzhou stood in a stalemate. Under the bright sunlight, the Heart Lock Pendant at Wen Lingzhou’s waist gleamed dazzlingly.

They had already said too much earlier; now, without another word, the hostility between them was palpable.

So the two stood in silence, their expressions inscrutable.

The atmosphere had frozen over when Xu Wei strode over, one hand holding a folding fan lightly against his forehead, the other holding a bowl of iced milk pudding—

Lin Shengshen’s favorite.

In the small patch of shade, his face was handsome and bright, a faint smile always playing on his lips. He glanced into the room and asked, “Why did A-Jie go inside?”

Xie Zhizhou and Wen Lingzhou spoke in unison: “Get lost.”