Chapter 85: The Enigma of Guancun Village

Shen Qianmo truly hadn’t expected Madam Cui to come begging her for help in utter desperation. Seeing Madam Cui, who had always spoken to her harshly, now lowering her head for once, she found herself unaccustomed to the sight.

She patiently listened to Madam Cui’s tearful, faltering pleas, and soon had a general grasp of Shen Qianxue’s current state.

It all stemmed from the ruse Shen Qianxue had pulled during the Qixi Banquet, when she had suffered a deep wound on her back. The imperial physician had hastily performed only the most basic bandaging to stop the bleeding, and after returning to the mansion, Shen Qianxue received no proper treatment. As a result, the wound had festered and become infected; she now suffered a relentless high fever and had remained unconscious for two days.

But now, the Prince Rong’s manor was under strict guard by imperial soldiers on the emperor’s orders. The princess consort was bedridden with illness, and Meng Yunce vented all his anger on Shen Qianxue, wholly indifferent to whether she lived or died. The entire household was gripped by fear; who would care about the fate of a mere concubine like Shen Qianxue?

It was laughable—did Madam Cui act out of confusion, or did she still see her as the same naive, dim-witted Shen Qianmo? Shen Qianxue’s ploy had clearly been devised to entrap her, and now, because of that very scheme, Shen Qianxue was gravely ill. Was she, Shen Qianmo, expected to rush to the Prince Rong’s manor and save her?

She was sorry, but she wasn’t some saint, nor was she foolish to that extent.

“If Sister Qianxue is ill, the Prince Rong’s household physicians will surely tend to her. Mother, you needn’t be so anxious. Besides, my medical skills are unremarkable—I fear I am powerless to help, so please forgive me.” Her tone was cold, her expression plainly showing she had no interest in wasting words.

Madam Cui, having no other recourse, fell to her knees with a thud before Shen Qianmo, sobbing, “Mo’er, I beg you as your mother, please save Xue’er. She is truly at death’s door; that is why she sent me such a plea.”

In the Great Sheng Dynasty, propriety and ritual were paramount. Madam Cui was, after all, her mother in name. Now, seeing her kneel so straight-backed before her, Shen Qianmo truly felt she could not accept such deference.

She quickly helped Madam Cui up, frowning slightly. No matter what, a mother’s devotion to her child was deeply moving. And though Madam Cui had treated the original owner of this body with endless cruelty, there was still a debt of upbringing, however nominal. She could not be utterly heartless.

After a moment’s thought, she instructed Lvzhu to fetch a small porcelain bottle from the room, then wrote out a prescription and handed it to Madam Cui.

“Apply the medicine in this bottle to the wound three times a day. The prescription is to be taken internally, also three times daily; it should treat the festering and infection. As for how to get the medicine into Prince Rong’s manor, Mother, you will have to manage that yourself.”

She had copied this recipe from Master Duan’s medical texts; it was sure to be effective. As for Shen Qianxue, she believed she had already shown the utmost mercy.

Since the downfall of Prince Rong’s household was orchestrated by Meng Yuanheng, how could she possibly go there herself at a time like this?

Watching Madam Cui stagger away with the medicine, Lvzhu was indignant.

“Hmph, she brought this on herself! If Second Miss hadn’t schemed so hard against you, how would she have ended up like this? Miss, you’re too softhearted—why give her such good medicine?”

Shen Qianmo merely smiled, unconcerned. Why did she do this? Simply for her own peace of mind.

She didn’t care for the opinions of others; what mattered was having no regrets upon reflection.

As for Shen Qianxue’s fate from now on, it was no longer her concern.

And, in truth, she had no time to bother with Shen Qianxue any further, for a major case soon rocked the capital.

In the nearby countryside, at Guan Family Village, the bodies of several abandoned children were discovered.

Guan Family Village was an ancient settlement west of Shengjing, small, with just over two hundred households, nestled by mountains and rivers, its people simple and self-sufficient, untouched by worldly strife.

But in the pre-dawn hours of that day, the village’s peace was shattered by a scream from the long-abandoned Temple of Lord Guan outside the village.

When nearby villagers roused by the call arrived at the temple, every last one of them was horrified by the scene within.

Five children’s corpses lay scattered in a corner of the temple; what was even more gruesome was that each child’s eyes had been gouged out, leaving only bloody, gaping holes. Their faces, obscured by blood and torn flesh, appeared especially dreadful.

The village elder, upon seeing this, nearly fainted from terror. His white beard trembling, he quickly ordered someone to report the matter to the Capital Prefecture.

Guan Family Village fell under the capital’s jurisdiction. With such a grave crime, the prefectural authorities were naturally to be notified first.

Prefect Zhu Deng was alarmed upon receiving the report. He hurried to the scene and promptly reported the case to the Ministry of Justice as well.

Lu Ziqing, upon learning of the case, could not sit still.

Since his appointment as Minister of Justice, Lu Ziqing had grown even busier. Yet he had always favored hands-on involvement; with any difficult or major case, he would generally take charge himself.

This case of murdered children, with such a savage modus operandi—and occurring under the emperor’s very nose—required his personal attention.

Before setting out, he sent Zhan Zhao to invite Shen Qianmo from the Duke’s residence.

He wasn’t sure why, but perhaps subconsciously he already regarded Shen Qianmo as his investigative partner. It seemed that as long as she was there, no case would elude them, and his heart would inexplicably settle.

Since becoming Minister of Justice, he had been consumed by official duties and hadn’t seen Shen Qianmo in days. Now, with such a perfect opportunity before him, he intended to seize it.

He knew Shen Qianmo was not averse to investigations; in fact, she showed a keen enthusiasm. He was certain this case would pique her interest.

By the time Shen Qianmo arrived at Guan Family Village with Lu Ziqing, it was almost noon.

The constables of the Capital Prefecture had already sealed off the Temple of Lord Guan, keeping bystanders outside.

There weren’t many onlookers at the scene, only a few bold souls peering from a distance. Most villagers, terrified, had long since fled rather than linger in such a ghastly place.

Shen Qianmo, under the curious gaze of the prefectural officers, followed Lu Ziqing into the temple.

The temple, ruined by a great fire years ago and never repaired, was now a desolate ruin, its walls crumbling, cobwebs everywhere, decrepit and forlorn.

The five small bodies had been laid out in a row on the floor by the officers. Zhu Deng, the prefect, a stout man in his fifties with a neat goatee and bright, sharp eyes, was directing the constables to cover the corpses with white cloth.

Their deaths were so horrific, he could barely bring himself to look.

Seeing Lu Ziqing enter, he stepped forward and bowed. “Your Excellency Lu, I am at your service.”

As a fourth-rank official, Zhu Deng’s status was far below that of the second-rank Minister of Justice; the formality was appropriate.

Lu Ziqing, tall and imposing, made the already cramped temple feel even smaller as he entered. With a blank expression, he nodded to Zhu Deng and said succinctly, “There’s no need for ceremony, Prefect Zhu. Please recount the case details once more.”

“Yes.” Zhu Deng was about to speak when he caught sight of Shen Qianmo, who had stepped out from behind Lu Ziqing, and paused in surprise. He asked hesitantly, “Your Excellency, this young lady is…”

Why would Lord Lu bring a frail-looking woman to such a bloody, fearsome crime scene? Unless she was…

Lu Ziqing’s usually stern face softened considerably as he watched Shen Qianmo walk directly to the corpses. He glanced at the dumbfounded Zhu Deng and explained, “This is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Shen, whom I have invited to assist the Ministry in the investigation. Prefect Zhu, you need not worry.”

So that was it. Zhu Deng thought, his suspicion confirmed—this was the famed future Lady Xuan.

The entire capital was abuzz with debate over whether the Duke’s eldest daughter, the future Lady Xuan, was a demoness. Zhu Deng, naturally, had heard the rumors. But since she had come at Lord Lu’s invitation, he had no objections.

Even Lu Ziqing, known for his pride and strictness, treated her with unusual respect and courtesy—clearly, this future Lady Xuan was no ordinary woman.

Shen Qianmo, for her part, kept her eyes fixed only on the five corpses laid out before her.

It was her professional habit: once she entered a crime scene, she became wholly absorbed in her work.

She examined each of the bodies in turn, her gaze focused and undistracted.

All five were boys, close in age—about eleven or twelve—varying in build. Though their clothing was bloodstained, the fine craftsmanship and luxurious fabrics suggested they came from wealthy families. Because their eyes had been gouged out, each face was smeared with blood, and the gaping holes on their faces seemed especially grisly in the dim, ruined temple.

The killer’s methods were unspeakably cruel. Seeing those tender faces, Shen Qianmo’s brows knit slightly, her gaze growing cold.

After inspecting the last body, she gently covered them with the cloth, stood, and reported her findings to Lu Ziqing.

“Preliminary judgment: all five children died from having their necks twisted, causing their carotid arteries to rupture. Time of death is roughly six hours ago. Judging from the bleeding, their eyes were likely gouged out postmortem.”

While Shen Qianmo examined the bodies, Lu Ziqing stood behind her. But with the children’s faces rendered unrecognizable, he could not identify them.

Still, from their clothing, they did not appear to be from ordinary families.

If these children were of noble birth, the case would be all the more troublesome. Lu Ziqing’s already grim face darkened further as he asked Zhu Deng in a low voice, “Have you identified the victims, Prefect Zhu?”

“Not yet, Your Excellency. We are still investigating,” Zhu Deng replied.

Lu Ziqing nodded. The crime had only just been discovered; it was understandable that there was no progress yet.

A thorough search of the temple revealed nothing suspicious besides a confusion of footprints on the floor.

Just then, a constable from the Ministry of Justice entered to report, “Your Excellency, a man has been found unconscious outside the temple. Please come and see.”