Volume 2: Female Corpse in Monk's Clothes Chapter 99: Mysterious Visitor (Part 1)
Shangyuan City, Xiliu Hutong.
Chen Youjia, an official of Yu, had already set up a mourning shed, hung up white banners, and prepared the coffin.
However, the coffin is still empty.
"Sir," Chen You begged Xu Zun in the small room in the side hall, "Can you please be flexible and let us take Xiaoying's body back?
"Our family holds funerals according to the etiquette of the Xuan Dao. If the soul-calling deadline is exceeded, it will delay the reincarnation of my Xiaoying!"
"Don't worry," Xu Zun said, "Only if the murderer is caught, Madam Zun will not die with regrets. That will make it easier for her to reincarnate."
"This..." Chen You had never heard of such a statement and was immediately speechless.
"Let me ask you something," Xu Zun asked, "Have you ever heard of the names Ran Lin and Lian Yushu?"
"Hmm..." Chen You thought about it and shook his head.
At this moment, in addition to Xu Zun, there were also Lu Mingyue, Huo Anu and the extremely helpless Taoist Wei Beihui following behind.
"Lian Yusu is the daughter of Mr. Lian," Xu Zun added.
"Mr. Lian?" Chen You nodded slightly, "Could it be Mr. Lian from the east city? I've heard of him, I've heard of him... His family is very wealthy, some say he's the richest man in Shangyuan!
"Sir, why are you asking him? How can I, a small official, know such a prominent person?"
"Okay, I have a few more questions to ask," Xu Zun said, "Does Madam Zun like to light sandalwood or something like that?"
"Sandalwood? This..." Chen You pointed at the funeral hall, "My family believes in Xuan Dao, and we often burn incense. Not often, but every day."
But there was indeed sandalwood burning in the mourning hall, but it was not the scent that Xu Zun wanted.
"No..." Xu Zun shook his head and said, "In addition to these commonly used ones, does your wife also light some special sandalwood? Or... incense or something like that?"
"This... this has never happened before, has it?"
Chen You was not sure, so he called his maid to ask for details.
The maid said that Xiaoying never lit incense.
"Brother Xu," Lu Mingyue whispered to Xu Zun from behind, "What are you asking about the use of this sandalwood incense?"
"The dead have a special scent on them," Xu Zun said, "I want to know about it."
"That's great," Lu Mingyue said, "I know a little about this. Let me smell it later! Can what kind of fragrance it is?
"Also," she added, "there is a girl called Qingqing in our academy. Her family runs an aromatherapy shop. The incense burner I'm using now was given to me by her. If I can't smell it, then she will definitely be able to smell it!"
"Great," Xu Zun sighed sincerely, "This is really... the more friends you have, the easier it is to walk the road!"
Next, Xu Zun asked Chen You and Xiaoying's maid some routine questions.
After the maid left, Xu Zun finally revealed the ultimate purpose of his trip and asked Chen You:
"Chen Yuli, I heard that you used to be a jailer, right?"
"My Lord, yes," Chen You said without hesitation, "It was during the Xianyuan period. I worked in the prison in the south of Shangyuan City. I only worked there for one year before I was transferred to the granary..."
"Oh..." Xu Zun nodded and asked, "Then, have you ever seen the famous monk Liankong at that time?"
"Ah?" Chen You swallowed his saliva and nodded, "I have seen it. Once a colleague was sick and I brought him a meal!"
"Really?" Xu Zun asked, "Have you talked to him?"
"No... no!" Chen You said hurriedly, "That evil monk is a murderer, I dare not talk to him. I remember that when I brought him food, he was lying on the table writing his scriptures!"
"Then..." Xu Zun asked again, "Did you hear any secrets about that monk at that time? Were there any other jailers who were particularly interested in Lian Kong?"
"This..." Chen You replied, "Of course there are secrets, and there are quite a few! For such a big case, naturally someone would make up some stories.
“But I can’t remember what it was about!
"As for the people who are interested in that monk, when I left the South Prison, the monk had only been incarcerated for a few months. It seems... there is no such person as you mentioned, but..."
oh?
Hearing this "but", Xu Zun instantly perked up.
"I remember when I was in the South Prison," Chen You recalled, "in addition to the abbot of the temple, there was a person who went to the South Prison to visit the monk almost every week."
"What?" Xu Zun and the others were surprised and asked, "Who is it?"
"Then I don't know!" Chen You replied, "I only know that the man was of noble status and always had many followers.
"I asked my colleagues, and they didn't know who that person was. They only knew that every time he visited Liankong, he would stay for a long time."
"How strange!" Lu Mingyue whispered behind Xu Zun, "He must be someone important to be able to go in and see the prisoner, right?"
"Yes, yes," Chen You added, "He must be someone powerful. Without the connections with the county governor, it would be impossible for him to get in!"
oh……
Xu Zun already had an idea in mind. If he wanted to know who this mysterious visitor was, he just had to find Taimin and ask him.
"Alas..." At this moment, Chen You thought of his lovely wife and sighed, "I never thought that ten years later, it would happen to me!
"My Lord... my Xiaoying is wearing a monk's robe, and people are saying that the monk-robed killer has been resurrected!
"Can you tell me if this is true?"
Tsk tsk…
This was not the first time Xu Zun had heard such talk. It seemed that the rumors about the monk-robed killer could no longer be stopped.
"Don't get excited, Chen Yuli," Xu Zun had to advise, "Don't believe the rumors, don't worry, we will definitely get to the bottom of the case as soon as possible!
"Oh, right," Xu Zun thought of something and said, "I have one last favor to trouble Chen Yuli. Please give me your wife's birth date..."
…
On the way back to the county government office, Lu Mingyue naturally couldn't keep her mouth idle.
"It's horrible," she said, clenching her fists. "I was still a child at that time! Even though I was a child, I can still remember this horrible case.
"Someone seems to have said that the monk killer is a flying demon that preys on girls. We were so scared that we didn't even dare to sleep..."
"Master Xu," Wei Beihui, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly joined the discussion and asked Xu Zun, "In your opinion, did the county constables really arrest the wrong person?"
"I've read the files," Xu Zun said. "Monk Liankong confessed to his crimes, and the details of his confession are consistent with the scene. Even if the wrong person was arrested, the county constable cannot be blamed entirely."
"Then..." Wei Beihui shook the dustpan and said meaningfully, "I just don't understand. If the murderer really arrested the wrong person back then, why did he wait until now to commit the crime?"
"So," Xu Zun said, "we need to find out who that mysterious visitor is as soon as possible!"
"Wulian Tianzun," Wei Beihui suddenly stopped and chanted the Buddhist name, saying to Xu Zun, "You are totally wrong to make such arbitrary assumptions! I can tell you right now who that mysterious visitor is!"
"Oh?" Xu Zun and others were surprised.
"That person," Wei Bei turned his hand and said the answer, "is the Marquis of Changping..."
