Da Li Temple - Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Smart

Hearing Official Li’s words, everyone present was stunned.
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Lin Wanqing lifted the pen suddenly, wasting her beautiful small letters.
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Official Li seemed satisfied with the crowd’s reaction, lightly laughed, and said, “Yesterday, that thug committed another crime, and I caught him.”
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“Is ……” Lin Wanqing felt a tug in his sleeve before he could utter the words of inquiry. He turned his head to see Liang Weiping’s twisted face. The latter huffed and shook his head like a muscle spasm. So Lin Wanqing swallowed back the words that came to his mouth.

She could only raise her eyes glumly to look at Lord Su on the main seat. Under the obscure light, he had a bland face as if it was none of his business.
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Official Li was also stunned by his reaction. With some embarrassment, he cleared his throat, saying: “I captured this person when he was committing an act of murder in the outer residence of Lord Song.”
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If the previous layouts were all a pretension, then this sentence, undoubtedly, was ‘throwing stones in still waters.’ Not to mention Lin Wanqing, even Lord Su in the upper seat unconsciously leaned forward.
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“Did Lord Li talk about Song Zhengxing, Lord Song?”
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“Exactly, exactly.” Official Li nodded repeatedly and continued, “Last night, I received a letter from the servants in Lord Song’s other courtyards, saying that a concubine who was recuperating there had met with an untimely death. Luckily, the aunt was found in time, although we lost her, but at least she didn’t let the culprit escape. So I arrested the person and interrogated him overnight. The culprit had confessed to his crime this morning and pleaded guilty.”
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Su Moyi’s pupils shook, but his voice remained calm as he said, “That concubine, is she the Marquis’ cousin who married Lord Song two years ago?”
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Official Li’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He smiled fawningly and said, “Lord Su is smart and straightforward. The deceased is that cousin lady.”

Su Moyi leaned back and asked in a cracked voice, “What is the prisoner’s identity?”
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“He’s one of the guards of the Golden Guards, named Wang Hu.”

The scene was silent for a long time. Su Moy’s originally slightly furrowed brows tightened a few more points, “Then how is Lord Li sure that he is the murderer?”
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Official Li’s greasy face flushed with a hint of smugness. He turned the case file in his hand casually.
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“That concubine’s death was consistent with the previous murders. Besides, if Wang Hu is not the murderer, how can he explain his presence at the crime scene? Moreover, he confessed to what he did. We also found the murder weapon that he couldn’t discard yet at the crime scene.”
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After saying that, Official Li fished out the murder weapon that the magistrate had presented to him earlier. It was a standard firewood cutter, three inches long and one inch wide, with a thick back and thin blade.
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Lin Wanqing was stunned. If she remembered correctly, the victims of those previous cases did leave cuts from the sharp blade on their bodies.
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But —

This kind of blade couldn’t create the victim’s wounds. In particular, the fatal wound on the chest shows deep trauma, and occasionally, one or two wounds are still vaguely symmetrical. This case has been unresolved because of this suspicion.
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If the murderer’s tool of the crime is such a blade, how could it cause such injuries?
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The words in her stomach began to stir again, like a boiling pot of water, gurgling and blowing so much that Lin Wanqing’s hand began to shake. Her sleeve, however, was once again tugged by Liang Weiping.

This time, Liang Weiping looked at her with pleading eyes, with four big words written all over his face – ‘Mind your own business.’
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“……” Lin Wanqing buried her head, took a deep breath, and cooled down the water’s temperature in her stomach by a few degrees.
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Official Li’s croaky voice came with a bit of discomforting stickiness. His voice was like a bell, righteously said: “Damn this thief. So lustful. He even didn’t spare a sick woman. Taking advantage of the night and wearing a mask to murder! Disregarding that he is a Golden Guard, eating the salary of the court!” He slapped the table.
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Su Moyi did not say a word. He silently tilted back, the corner of his mouth tacked up an ambiguous smile. Like the dense rain outside the corridor, with a hint of coolness.
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“Then, what Lord Li means is that this case can be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for approval and considered closed?”
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“This ……” Official Li choked, fawning: “I already caught this case offender. Naturally, I do not dare to bother Lord Su to re-trial. I planned to send the dossier to the Ministry of Justice today, helping to clean that gang of old things that eat free salary, to share the Emperor’s worries.”
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The atmosphere stagnated for a moment. No one dared to speak more until Su Moyi had.
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The smile on Official Li’s face had stiffened. When he almost couldn’t strain himself, a few crisp knocks broke the deadlock.
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Su Moyi slightly converged his sight. His well-defined knuckles tapped on the chair armrests at his side, emitting a muffled sound, causing people to be alarmed.
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Lin Wanqing’s heart boiled with some indefinable expectations. Anyone who had seriously looked at those cases would notice this suspicion. Official Li’s clumsy means have undoubtedly tried to make Su Moyi a fool in court. If Su Moyi had some ability, Official Li wouldn’t mislead him.
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However, the next moment, Su Moyi’s calm voice shattered Lin Wanqing’s calculations. He still didn’t change his expression, twiddling his thumb and forefinger in boredom.
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“Since that’s the case, I’ll trouble Lord Li to report to the Ministry of Justice.”
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Lin Wanqing almost choked herself and incredulously looked at Su Moyi. However, she saw him looking at Official Li blandly with a touch of mockery on his lips. He got up, flicked his wide sleeves, turned around, and marched towards the back of the screen.
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Lin Wanqing was baffled. She felt tightness in her chest as if her internal organs swirled, and that restless breath returned. ‘Tengteng’ rushed to her throat, suffocating, and she gasped for air.
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She didn’t know where the pen in her hand had fallen. She only felt that her hands and feet were not listening to her. Between groggy moments, she heard a quivering voice squeezed out of her throat.
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“Wang Hu is not a murderer.” A stone stirred up a thousand waves. She let out a startled hiccup and quickly covered her mouth. She had spoken the words and splashed the water. Everyone had heard it.
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She subconsciously went to look at Liang Weiping, only to see that he had a pained look on his face. On the side, Official Li was shocked, with a bit of imperceptible apprehension.
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“What did you say?” The corner of Official Li’s eyes twitched. His expression went from unnatural to extremely unnatural.
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Lin Wanqing didn’t dare to answer immediately, her eyes crossing over him to glance at Su Moyi. That person, however, only slightly paused in his steps, still expressionless. But a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he looked at her silently.
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The atmosphere was unusually stagnant.
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Boosting herself, Lin Wanqing lowered her head and respectfully said, “Wang Hu is not a murderer.”
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“Nonsense!” Before the words fell, Official Li’s shocked voice rang out. He flung his wide, and his fleshy face bouncing. He shouted angrily, “I already caught the culprit. The murderer’s motive is clear, and his modus operandi is clear. He has already confessed to the crime. Who allows you, a small bookkeeper, to talk nonsense!”
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“But didn’t Lord think there is a problem?”
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“What problem?”
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Lin Wanqing asked, “Lord Li said that Wang Hu was at the scene of the crime?”
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“Exactly.”
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“Then why was he wearing a mask? My Lord, have you forgotten that the culprit blindfolded all of the victims with black cloth in those previous cases? Since the murderer had already blindfolded their eyes, why did he need to wear a mask? Isn’t this unnecessary?”
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“This ……” Official Li choked, momentarily speechless.
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Lin Wanqing continued, “Not to mention whether the murder weapon and the injuries on the victim’s body from the earlier match, let’s just say that since this Wang Hu is a Golden Guard, and he committed the crime while patrolling at night. Why didn’t he choose the longsword he carried with him as his tool, but instead, he had to bring a separate blade like this that was neither too big nor too small?”

“Ah …… this ……” Official Li’s face was full of embarrassment, and he had already begun to wipe his sweat silently.
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“Also, the previous serial cases showed an exact uniformity. From the identity of the victims, the wounds, and the poses at the time of discovery. It shows that the murderer has fixed his pattern. So why would someone who used to commit murders during the day suddenly shift his pattern to a nighttime crime?”
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“Shut up!” Official Li was forced into a corner by this barrage of questions. He flung the spool of dossiers on his desk toward Lin Wanqing. He said furiously, “The culprit has already confessed to the crime. Can he still wrongly accuse himself?!”
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“Then, in case ……”
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“You shut your mouth! You are a small recorder. Do you want to rob the judge’s work? You’re acting against your superiors. You’re too unbridled!”
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Lin Wanqing’s rebuttal was interrupted as Official Li raised his official stance. She banned her voice because further defense was just a moth to a flame, not helpful.
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Unless —
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Her unwilling mind gathered together, and Lin Wanqing sidestepped and turned her head to look at Su Moyi.
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He was still motionless, standing with his hands behind his back, with a perfectly carved face.

She already said this point. Even if this person is not Da Li Temple’s leader, as long as he was not a rascal noble son, he wouldn’t let this matter be over.
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Lin Wanqing took Su Moyi as her only hope at this time.
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A clear, low laugh came, and the man before her revealed the emotion discernible to the naked eye today. His gaze merely lingered on Lin Wanqing for less than a breath before turning to the sweat-soaked Official Li on the other side.
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“Lord Li has solved the case with great speed, but his efforts in managing the subordinates are lacking.” After he finished speaking, he seriously patted Official Li’s shoulder. When he turned around and traveled away, he did not look at Lin Wanqing.
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“It’s …… is me who has no control over my subordinates …… I let Lord Su look at the joke ……”
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Being left behind, Official Li was like being pardoned, holding up his sleeve and wiping the crystal beads on his forehead, not knowing whether it was sweat or oil.
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After seeing Su Moyi traveling far away, he ruthlessly shouted Lin Wanqing, “Since you don’t want to do the recording, you don’t have to do it. Tomorrow, you will leave my Government Office and find another job!” Official Li flung his sleeves and caught up with Su Moyi’s footsteps.

T/N: The author used so many idioms and flowery words. I tried my best to simplify it yet still keep the meanings. I want this to be an enjoyable read, not some Chinese lesson. Or do you guys prefer a lot of notes and explanations? Comment, please!