Chapter 15: Ahhhhh! Why Is It a Human Head?!

Liu Shuyi reached the doorway just as the beautiful maid and the beggar parted ways. His gaze casually flicked toward the beggar, but as he was about to look away, he suddenly paused.

“Young master!” Wan’er hurried up to Liu Shuyi, her delicate and charming face blocking his view. Her eyes curved into a smile as she said, “Did you see those boxes in the courtyard? They’re filled with treasures—silks and brocades, and copper coins too. We’re really going to live well now.”

Hearing Wan’er’s joyful words, like a songbird’s trill, Liu Shuyi withdrew his gaze and nodded with a smile. Under the sunlight, Wan’er’s flawless face seemed even more radiant, the fine down on her skin shimmering. She counted off on her fingers as she spoke, “With this money, so many things can be done.”

“We can buy you new robes, new shoes, a new turban, and more meat to eat. No more minced meat for you.”

“And the house can be repaired too. If the roof isn’t fixed before summer, the whole place will rot away…”

Watching Wan’er carefully calculate like a diligent housekeeper, Liu Shuyi chuckled and shook his head. He reached out and gently ruffled her soft hair. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” Wan’er looked up in confusion.

“You wanted new clothes, right? Let’s go buy them—for me, for you, and for Chang Bo. No one in the family should be left out.”

Liu Shuyi was not stingy. Now that money was no longer an issue, no one should be shortchanged.

Wan’er’s eyes sparkled instantly. “I get some too?”

“If you weren’t family, then no.” Liu Shuyi smiled.

“No, no, of course I am!” Wan’er shook her head vigorously like a rattle.

Liu Shuyi cast a subtle glance toward the direction where the beggar had gone, then smiled and said, “In that case, don’t ask silly questions. Let’s go—pick whatever you want, buy whatever you want…”

He waved his hand grandly and, unusually, spoke with a hint of youthful bravado, “Today, everything’s on me… the young master will foot the bill.”

Seeing Liu Shuyi’s spirited demeanor, Wan’er sniffled softly and said, “The young master no longer hides his talents; the pearl finally shines through the dust—it’s wonderful.”

“Still not coming?” Liu Shuyi took a few steps and suddenly noticed the pretty maid staring blankly at him. He waved and called out, “Coming! Young master, wait for me~”

……

“Ah, Director Liu!”

Outside the tailor’s shop.

Liu Shuyi leaned against the doorframe, yawning and bored as the beautiful maid tried on clothes. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice.

Turning his head, he saw Cheng Chumo dressed in black armor, his dark skin almost matching the armor, leading the Imperial Guards briskly from the east side of the street.

“Commander Cheng.”

Liu Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting. Seeing Cheng Chumo in a hurry, he asked with curiosity, “Are you on official business?”

“Don’t mention it,” Cheng Chumo waved his hand with a grim expression. “Last night, after you caught Zhao Chengyi, I was ordered to take people to the Zhao mansion to secure the family and search for evidence—looking for the dragon robe and paper kite he used for ghost tricks, and the disaster relief funds that went missing last year.”

“Did it go badly?” Liu Shuyi guessed.

“Badly doesn’t cover it!” Cheng Chumo shook his head. “We searched the entire Zhao mansion and found no trace of the dragon robe or paper kite. The tens of thousands in relief funds are gone too.”

“Not only that, I wanted to arrest Zhao Chengyi’s wife and children to interrogate them for secrets, but…” He looked toward Liu Shuyi and shook his head, “They weren’t even at the Zhao mansion.”

“Not at the mansion?”

Liu Shuyi was unsurprised that the robe and kite weren’t found. After all, those who needed to be silenced were already killed. The ghost of the Duke of Xiang would no longer have reason to exist. Keeping it around would only be a risk.

It was only natural that Zhao Chengyi destroyed the evidence immediately after killing Zhao Ci.

As for the missing disaster relief money, it was also not strange. Hiding tens of thousands of coins at home was risky—if a thief discovered it, or a servant leaked the secret, Zhao Chengyi would be doomed.

So hiding it outside his residence made sense.

Moreover, Zhao Chengyi clearly had a more powerful backer. Framing a fourth-rank minister was no small matter and likely had higher-level instigation.

It was quite possible the relief funds were in that person’s hands.

That nothing was found on this trip was perfectly normal.

But the disappearance of Zhao Chengyi’s wife and children was surprising.

Liu Shuyi asked, “Have you questioned the Zhao household servants? Do they know where the wife and children went?”

“Of course.” Cheng Chumo’s face grew more troubled. “But they all say they don’t know.”

“They don’t know where they went?”

“Not only that, they don’t even know when they disappeared.”

Liu Shuyi’s expression grew serious.

He realized something was amiss.

He asked, “When was the last time anyone saw Zhao Chengyi’s wife and children?”

“Around the hour of the dog. They had dinner and then went to their rooms to rest.”

Cheng Chumo knew Liu Shuyi’s abilities and spoke without reservation.

His face was grim. Last night he thought the mission would be simple, something easily accomplished. But with no evidence, no funds, and now no people, it was a complete failure.

Within the Imperial Guards, he competed fiercely with Zhou Mo. If such a simple task was bungled, Zhou Mo would seize the opportunity to crush him, making his position precarious.

His chance at promotion could be lost.

Right now, only Liu Shuyi might be able to help.

Liu Shuyi didn’t know Cheng Chumo’s predicament. He only knew that Zhao Chengyi was caught because of him, and that Zhao Chengyi held secrets about himself. Since this matter had come to him, he could not ignore it.

He looked at Cheng Chumo thoughtfully and said, “So Zhao Chengyi’s wife and children disappeared suddenly last night. None of the Zhao servants saw how they left?”

“Yes.”

“Have you questioned Zhao Chengyi? He was arrested last night, and his wife and children vanished secretly the same night. It’s no coincidence. It’s probably related to him. Maybe they were hidden away when we summoned him to the Ministry of Revenue, so he realized he might be exposed and hid them for their safety.”

But upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo’s face grew even grimmer.

His gaze toward Liu Shuyi faltered, as if uncertain how to speak.

Liu Shuyi, accustomed to reading people, saw Cheng Chumo’s expression and felt a chill. “Something’s happened to Zhao Chengyi?”

Cheng Chumo nodded solemnly. “He was killed in prison.”

“Killed!?” Liu Shuyi’s pupils dilated. “In prison? Wasn’t he guarded? How could he be killed?”

“By the very guards assigned to watch him.”

Cheng Chumo said, “Last night, we escorted Zhao Chengyi to the Ministry of Justice prison and explicitly ordered the jailers to keep a tight watch on him—no one was to get near to prevent collusion.”

“And yet…”

He shook his head. “We took every precaution, but didn’t expect the jailer to attack!”

He stared at Liu Shuyi. “Suddenly, the jailer pulled a dagger from his sleeve and without warning stabbed Zhao Chengyi three times in the heart, killing him instantly! Then, without hesitation, he slit his own throat with the same dagger.”

“That jailer had no family—he was completely alone. After his death, we couldn’t even find anyone to claim the body, so there’s no way to investigate through relatives.”

Listening to this, Liu Shuyi frowned deeply.

He said, “It seems Zhao Chengyi was silenced. Was it that ‘he’ Zhao Chengyi mentioned?”

“To have a killer inside the Ministry of Justice prison and an assassination so swift and clean…”

“That ‘he’ is no ordinary person.”

Cheng Chumo nodded quickly. “Deputy Director Du thinks the same. The entire Ministry of Justice is now investigating itself to prevent another jailer from hiding in their ranks.”

Such a pawn was hardly uncovered by self-examination alone.

Liu Shuyi’s eyes flickered. With Zhao Chengyi dead, who else would know his secret? Except for that ‘he’ and perhaps Zhao Chengyi’s wife and children…

But the wife and children vanished mysteriously—where to look?

“What’s that?”

“What a huge eagle!”

While Liu Shuyi frowned in thought, suddenly, voices arose nearby.

He and Cheng Chumo instinctively looked up.

Two eagles were soaring overhead, their gray-brown wings spread wide, casting a shadow that nearly blocked the sky.

Clutched in their talons seemed to be something.

Suddenly, one eagle released its grip.

A round, plump object fell from the sky—heading straight toward Liu Shuyi and the nearby Cheng Chumo.

Cheng Chumo barely had time to react, instinctively opening his hands.

Then he caught the falling object delivered by the eagle.

Immediately after, Cheng Chumo’s dark face turned pale.

He stared at the object in his arms, his pupils shrinking, and screamed loudly.

“Ahhhhhh… it’s a head! A human head!”

“Damn it! How can it be a head?!”

“This… isn’t this the head of Mrs. Zhao Chengyi?!”