Calling the Door
"Found this! Everyone can leave after asking clearly."
Wei Ling walked up with the toolbox, her cold gaze sweeping across the crowd before landing on Yu Qiuping, who was attempting to avoid her eyes.
Governor Yu glared at Yu Qiuping and her servant in anger. He then snapped at the young maid, Honglai, "Why haven't you taken your lady back?"
What kind of respectable lady stands outside a gambling house watching chaos unfold?
"Wait a moment." Wei Ling raised her hand to stop them, her eyes scanning Yu Qiuping. "When did Miss Yu arrive? Did you see anything just now?"
Honglai, visibly anxious, stepped in front of her mistress and hurriedly defended her. "My lady was just taking a walk because she was bored. As soon as we arrived in front of this gambling house, we heard someone shouting about a dead body. We didn't see anything! We were just stuck in the crowd."
"Is your lady so idle that she takes walks near gambling houses?"
Yu Qiuping's face alternated between pale and flushed. She bit her lip and lowered her head, saying nothing.
Wei Ling, however, did not press further. She turned to Governor Yu and smiled slightly. "Sir, let's go inside and examine the body first. The others can stay here to interrogate the crowd."
Governor Yu threw one last glare at his daughter before turning to his officer. "Mr. Chen!" he called out, then hurriedly followed Chen Buyu and Wei Ling into the gambling house.
The sweating manager stepped forward and bowed. "Sir."
"Who is the deceased?"
The manager let out a bitter smile. "I don't know, sir. We see so many faces here every day—I truly don't recognize this one."
"Besides," he hesitated, his expression turning uneasy, "this person's face... Sigh. Sir, you'll understand when you see it."
"The body was hidden under a table in the main hall. If not for a fight that broke out and overturned it, we wouldn't have discovered it until tomorrow."
He stopped, pointing ahead with a horrified expression. "Sir, it's over there. I only took one glance and nearly threw up. Please be careful."
Governor Yu remained composed. "Is the stomach hollowed out?"
Having already seen three corpses in similar condition, he thought himself prepared for a fourth.
He was wrong.
Moments later, Governor Yu staggered out of the gambling house, gripping the doorframe as he vomited.
Meanwhile, Wei Ling calmly rubbed sesame oil under her nose, put on a pair of silver-threaded gloves, and crouched beside the body to examine it. "Judging from the expression and rigor mortis, the time of death is more than six hours ago."
Several yamen officers stood behind her, their faces pale. The corpse was in a gruesome state, yet this female officer remained utterly composed. Meanwhile, the men struggled to hold back their nausea.
They couldn't help but admire her steel-like nerves.
"The stomach was cut open, just like the previous three victims. The heart and liver are missing."
"The face was... smashed. Judging by the wounds, the killer likely used two machetes, repeatedly hacking at the deceased's face."
"There are no visible wounds on the neck."
Wei Ling then lifted the body's limbs to inspect further. "The hands and feet were broken. Judging from the angle, it seems someone grabbed the limbs and forcefully bent them backward, causing the fractures."
Governor Yu, still keeping his distance, called out, "Mr. Wei, do you believe these murders were committed by the same person? Could this be the work of a demon?"
Wei Ling stood up, brushing dust from her sleeves. "We'll need further examination to be sure. However, smashing the victim's face repeatedly suggests the killer wanted to obscure their identity. A demon would typically kill more straightforwardly, not in such a methodical manner."
Governor Yu's eyes gleamed with realization. "Then Lord Wei believes this is a series of murders committed by a human?"
Chen Buyu approached them. "We should take the body back for further examination. But with the face so mutilated, how do we determine the victim's identity?"
Wei Ling frowned. "It won't be easy. Even my master would struggle to reconstruct the face in a short time."
"What's the difficulty?" A voice interrupted.
Mu Feng strode in confidently. "The governor has a bone-touching expert. I can analyze bone structure—perhaps I can help identify the victim."
But the moment he approached the body and got a good look, his expression changed. He turned pale and gagged.
Suihu Changqing, standing behind him, expressionlessly handed over a jade bucket. "Young Master, please squat down and vomit properly."
As expected—Mu Feng loved meddling in crime scenes, but always ended up like this.
"I've seen the prince!" Everyone saluted respectfully.
Mu Zhao waved them off. "No need for formalities."
"The second batch of disaster relief grain just arrived. The prince and I were on our way to the city gate to oversee the distribution when we passed by and learned of this case," Lu Qian said. He glanced at the corpse and fell into thought. "Xiao Feng is right about one thing."
"Governor Yu, the Jin Linlang family has a highly skilled bone-touching expert. Perhaps she can help us reconstruct the victim's face."
"The murderer deliberately disfigured the victim to mislead the investigation."
"If we can restore the face, we may uncover new clues."
"Sir." A guard hurried over, handing Wei Ling a bright red cloth. "This was found near the body. The gambling house manager says it doesn't belong here."
Wei Ling took it, examined it closely, and then sniffed it. "The fabric is low-quality, but it's silk. It looks like part of a baby's swaddle."
The room fell silent. Everyone exchanged puzzled glances.
As the corpse was carefully wrapped and carried away, Yu Qiuping took several steps back, pulling Honglai with her. She found the sight ominous.
Governor Yu, meanwhile, accompanied Prince Mu and Lord Lu. Seeing that his eldest daughter had been questioned by the guards, he glared at her once more, signaling for her to go home at once.
Yu Qiuping gripped her handkerchief tightly, watching Prince Mu and his group leave.
She left the scene in a sullen mood.
Honglai, following close behind, muttered enviously, "Oh, Second Miss has such good fortune. The madam arranged a marriage for her, and if she weds into the Lu family of the capital, she'll rise even higher."
Yu Qiuping pursed her lips, saying nothing.
She had left home in good spirits, but returned disappointed.
Worse still, she feared her father would scold her. Her expression was tense.
Outside the governor's mansion, a body covered in white cloth lay on the ground, surrounded by a crowd.
As Yu Qiuping approached, she heard an angry shout from outside the gates.
"Bring out Yu Linlang from your governor's mansion!"
Two burly women forcefully pushed past the guards. "Let her come out!"
Yu Qiuping's eyes suddenly brightened.
Yu Linlang—a rural girl who had been forcibly brought into the family—had caused trouble.
The governor's wife wouldn't have time to care whether she had left the house or not.
Her priority would be dealing with Yu Linlang.
This turn of events was an unexpected boon.