Chapter 140: Gao Laotai Is Dead
Lu Chengjing shook his head: “No, they won’t come looking again.”
Chu Xu knew that group of assassins were death warriors who wouldn’t stop until they achieved their goal. This scholar surnamed Lu was so certain that the assassins wouldn’t come looking again—there was only one possibility: that group of assassins were all dead.
His little head turned quickly. Connecting it to the question Lu Chengjing had just asked him, he instantly exclaimed in shock: “You suspect the assassins were sent by my family?”
Without waiting for Lu Chengjing to reply, he first shook his head vigorously, which tugged at the wound on his back, and he let out a soft “hiss.”
Sucking in cool air, he said: “Absolutely impossible. My family would never harm me!”
Lu Chengjing neither confirmed nor denied it. He asked him: “Who knows about your return to the capital?”
Chu Xu muttered: “Father sent a letter home in advance. Grandmother and Mother definitely know, Father and Elder Brother also know. I don’t know about anyone else.”
His family was simple, with extremely good relationships. He was the youngest child, and everyone doted on him and protected him—how could they possibly harm him?
Lu Chengjing said: “Even if it wasn’t your family, it should still have some relation to your household.”
Chu Xu furrowed his little brows, lying on the pillow as he tried hard to recall everyone from childhood to now who had a grudge against him, and families that had enmity with his own.
With his mind occupied thinking about these things, he forgot to sigh.
Lu Chengjing had achieved his goal and went back to continue rehabilitation training for his right hand.
While flexing his fingers, he thought about matters concerning Chu Xu.
Since a letter had been sent home in advance, if Chu Xu didn’t return home for a long time, Duke Dingguo’s Mansion would definitely send people to look for him. Perhaps the military camp would also send people.
So there was no need for them to escort Chu Xu back to the capital. They just needed to wait for the people looking for Chu Xu to arrive. At that time, those people would naturally take him away.
Actually, a faster method would be to directly send a letter to the border pass, so that Chu Xu’s father and brother would send someone to pick him up.
But this method had too many variables and was prone to complications.
The safest way was still to wait until Chu Xu’s injuries healed before making plans.
Just as he was thinking, a clamor suddenly came from outside.
“What’s happening outside?” Chu Xu was the restless type. He stretched out his little head, wanting to see the excitement.
Lu Chengjing put down the two round stones held in his palm and went out to look.
The reason for the commotion was: Gao Laotai had died.
Xiao Huan said: “She probably died two days ago.”
“Two days?” Shang Wan was somewhat surprised. After two days, the corpse should already smell, right?
Lu Chengjing asked: “What about Gao Qi?”
“No one’s found him.” Xiao Huan said while hanging up clothes, “Someone said they saw Gao Qi at the village entrance yesterday afternoon. He was disheveled and acting crazy, like he was sick. His face was as pale as a ghost, he’d lost so much weight he was skin and bones, and even his voice had changed.”
From a normal man turning into an eunuch—his voice really could have changed.
“The villagers are searching everywhere for him now.”
Shang Wan thought for a moment and said: “Let’s help look for him too.”
They searched until evening but didn’t even catch a glimpse of Gao Qi.
Leaving Gao Laotai’s corpse there wasn’t an option; it had to be buried. The villagers gathered at the Gao Family home, discussing how to handle the funeral.
Gao Laotai had hanged herself from the beam. When discovered, she was still swinging from the beam.
Shang Wan had seen the bruise mark on her neck. It was in the middle of her neck, encircling it evenly, with uniform depth and severity—clearly, she had been strangled to death and then hung from the beam.
As for who the killer was, the greatest suspect was the missing Gao Qi.
But the villagers didn’t seem to think Gao Laotai had been murdered. They all assumed she had hanged herself.
After all, with the successive changes in the family—first discovering that the daughter-in-law had cuckolded her son, then the grandson becoming an eunuch, then the daughter-in-law being killed, and the grandson going mad afterward—an old lady of her age couldn’t bear it and might have sought death in a moment of despair.
Many people sighed over how pitiful Gao Laotai was. She had been strong her whole life, but in the end, there wasn’t even anyone to shatter the basin for her passing.
Shang Wan didn’t stay to discuss the funeral with everyone and went straight home.
“Strangled?” After hearing Shang Wan’s words, Lu Chengjing furrowed his brows tightly, puzzled as to why Gao Qi would strangle Gao Laotai.
Shang Wan propped her chin with one hand and guessed: “Possibly because turning into an eunuch was too stimulating, his mental state deteriorated day by day, leading to a crime of passion.”
Lu Chengjing asked: “What is a crime of passion?”
Shang Wan gave a simple explanation: “It’s when there’s no prior planning. An idea suddenly arises in the heat of emotion, and one acts to kill.”
Lu Chengjing nodded, feeling that this description was quite fitting.
Shi Tou looked at the two of them: “Since Gao Laotai was murdered, should we report it to the authorities?”
“Of course we should report it to the authorities.” Shang Wan smiled, her finger lightly tapping the table. “How can we let a murderer escape punishment?”
Xiao Huan inexplicably sensed a hint of malice in her sister’s smile. Her sister had said “report to the authorities,” not “kill,” right?
Shi Tou was so carefree he didn’t notice at all. He said: “Then tomorrow I’ll hitch up the ox cart and go into the city to report it.”
“No, don’t go. Tell the village chief about this and let the village chief go.” Lu Chengjing picked up the cup and took a sip of water. His long lashes lowered, concealing the dark light in his eyes.
The next day near noon, Dongning County Yamen received a report: an old woman in Elm Tree Village had been strangled to death in her home, and the murderer was at large.
Dan Dajun stood at the Elm Tree Village entrance and sighed. This village had just had a woman die a few days ago—how was there another death?
He waved his hand forward: “Let’s go, into the village.”
Gao Laotai’s corpse hadn’t been buried yet and was still laid out at the Gao Family home.
After the coroner examined the corpse, he said to Dan Dajun: “The deceased was indeed strangled first and then hung from the beam to make it look like suicide by hanging.”
Dan Dajun let out a light sigh. This old lady was already so old—even if she lived, she wouldn’t have more than a couple of years left. Why would the killer target her?
He summoned Village Chief Lin to inquire about the circumstances of discovering the corpse.
Village Chief Lin had already recounted it countless times, so now he spoke very smoothly.
Ever since Gui Shi died and Gao Qi stopped handling things, the villagers, considering the old lady’s age and their fellow villagers’ bond, would check on her every few days, help her fetch water, chop wood, and do other laborious tasks.
Yesterday, Luo Da passed by and had just caught two fish. Thinking to give the smaller one to the old lady to make soup, he knocked on the Gao Family door.
The door wasn’t locked and opened with a knock.
Villagers often forgot to lock their doors, so Luo Da didn’t think much of it. He called out to Gao Laotai a couple of times and went in.
He didn’t see the old lady at home and thought she had gone for a stroll in the village. So he put the fish in the small water jar in the kitchen himself.
Although he didn’t like Gao Qi, thinking that Gao Qi had lost that bit of meat between his legs, and as a fellow man, he felt some sympathy. Since he was already there, he went to check on Gao Qi too.
He knocked on the door but got no response. One push and it opened. The room was a mess, as if it had been ransacked, and Gao Qi wasn’t there.
Although Luo Da was puzzled, with no one home at the Gao Family, it wasn’t good for an outsider like him to linger.
Just as he was about to leave, suddenly several mice ran out from the room where Gao Laotai lived. The door was slightly ajar, and a strange smell wafted out.
