Chapter 9: The Tragedy

After burying Luo Cheng’s family, Third Uncle seized an opportunity to visit the provincial capital checkpoint and discovered it was under lockdown. Undeterred, he tried another route only to find that not just the provincial capital checkpoint, but all surrounding checkpoints were guarded.

Qingya County was being strictly controlled!

This revelation left Third Uncle deeply unsettled. Although unsure of what exactly was happening behind the scenes, the current situation was undoubtedly ominous for ordinary people like him.

Recalling the imperial corpses he had buried a few days earlier, his unease intensified, making it impossible for him to remain idle.

‘I can’t just sit here waiting for disaster.’

With this thought, Third Uncle immediately headed to Wang Laozuan’s house. Since the old man managed to send his granddaughter away, he must have some connections or means at his disposal.

By the time he returned to the inner city, it was already dusk.

Exhausted from searching all day, Third Uncle barely had the energy, but there was no time to rest. Guided by memory, he swiftly arrived at Wang Laozuan’s residence.

It was a relatively modest dwelling.

Better than Third Uncle’s cramped abode, as Wang Laozuan needed to care for his granddaughter; he would endure hardship himself before letting her suffer.

Taking a deep breath, Third Uncle glanced around cautiously, then briskly approached and gently tapped twice on the door ring.

Dong dong.

His knocks echoed with no response.

Are they asleep?

A sense of unease stirred within Third Uncle, but recalling that he had seen Wang Laozuan at Luo Cheng’s house earlier today, he managed to suppress his anxiety. Knowing Wang Laozuan was more cautious than him, there must be some backup plan in place. With this thought, he lowered his voice and called out softly:

“Wang Laozuan, open up, it’s me, Chen Dahé.”

“Chen Dahé” was actually Third Uncle’s full name; however, he rarely used it, and only a few people at the county yamen knew him by that title. Since Wang Laozuan was his colleague, they had previously exchanged their proper names.

Unfortunately, despite Third Uncle’s persistent knocking, there was not a single sound or movement from inside the house.

No footsteps, no one coming to the door.

He stopped and pressed his eye against the crack in the door to peek inside. As soon as he leaned closer, a sharp odor assaulted his senses.

Blood?

Third Uncle’s heart skipped a beat.

Relieved, his quick glance revealed nothing amiss in the inner courtyard, no horrifying scenes visible. However, he dared not linger any longer. Something must have gone terribly wrong for Wang Laozuan; otherwise, the smell of blood wouldn’t permeate the yard.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Third Uncle swiftly stood up and ran towards the main street without looking back.

With more people around, the assailants likely wouldn’t dare to commit murder openly.

Unseen behind the door, a body hung half-limp from its frame, drops of blood trickling down from the corner of its mouth. This corpse was none other than Wang Laozuan, who had spoken with Third Uncle earlier that day. Alongside him were his granddaughter, whom he entrusted to be sent away safely, and several unrelated bodies - all brokers who helped facilitate her escape. The person orchestrating this clearly intended to leave no witnesses.

The mystery remained why they waited until now to strike.

Panicked, Third Uncle sprinted home.

His nephew, Chen Luo, hadn’t returned yet, which came as a relief. It was better if he stayed with Cripple Ma; at least, being a martial practitioner, Cripple Ma could fend off some trouble should it arise.

Though it might betray their friendship, compared to his nephew’s life, sacrificing a friend like Cripple Ma seemed justifiable. At most, Third Uncle would burn extra incense for him during holidays as penance.

“Silver, yes! Silver!”

In his haste, Third Uncle rushed to his bedroom, lifted the bedboard, and pried open the third hidden plank beneath. Revealed inside was a large stack of silver notes. These savings, meant for Chen Luo’s future dowry, were typically kept untouched at the bottom of his chest.

But faced with a life-or-death situation, there was no time for second thoughts.

He swiftly grabbed the silver notes and turned to head for the county yamen.

His plan was set: tonight, he would take his nephew Chen Luo to stay at the yamen. He couldn’t imagine anyone daring enough to commit murder within its walls.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just as Third Uncle stuffed the silver notes into his robe, knocking sounds came from outside.

“Old Chen! Old Chen! We’ve got another case.”

The voice sent a shiver down Third Uncle’s spine, instinctively causing him to grip the dagger by his bedhead. However, upon recognizing the source of the voice, he slightly relaxed.

It belonged to Jiang Danian, the constable—a familiar face with whom he often enjoyed drinking and carousing, making them ‘kindred spirits’ through shared interests.

“What is it?” Still cautious, Third Uncle shouted out loud.

With nightfall approaching and Jiang Danian suddenly showing up, something felt off.

“There’s been another incident over there. The higher-ups want you to go clean it up.” Outside, Jiang Danian grumbled, clearly displeased about being assigned a task at this hour.

More deaths? Third Uncle’s heart skipped a beat, involuntarily recalling his encounter outside Wang Laozuan’s house earlier.

Surely not again!

“Why don’t they send Wang Laozuan? I just finished dealing with Luo Cheng this morning, and now I’m ready to sleep.”

A sudden idea struck Third Uncle, offering a way to inquire about Wang Laozuan’s situation. He promptly declined Jiang Danian’s request, stating he needed rest. Instead, he suggested sending someone from the county yamen to find Wang Laozuan. This would allow him to confirm Wang Laozuan’s status without putting himself at risk—a perfect solution!

“The dead are Wang Laozuan and his entire family. You want me to go fetch him from the underworld?” Jiang Danian cursed outside, indicating by his voice that he had already entered the room.

“What?!” Third Uncle pushed open the door, shock written all over his face.

His inner unease was instantly confirmed.

In just one day, both Luo Cheng and Wang Laozuan had died. Would it be his turn next? The thought chilled Third Uncle to the bone, causing him to tune out everything else Jiang Danian said.

“Well, if you’re not asleep yet, hurry up and help me clean up. If we delay any longer, we won’t get a spot at Little Taohong’s later.”

Jiang Danian, oblivious to Third Uncle’s distress, noticed him fully dressed and immediately pulled him along for the cleanup task. In these turbulent times, leaving corpses unattended could easily lead to complications. That’s precisely what corpse collectors were meant to handle.

Wang Laozuan’s family lay dead within the county walls, disrupting the County Magistrate’s peace. Naturally, orders for their immediate removal were issued overnight.

Together, Third Uncle and Jiang Danian approached the scene.

As they opened the gate, Third Uncle’s steps halted abruptly.

A pungent, blood-soaked odor assaulted his senses, confirming the scent he had detected earlier at the entrance.

In the yard lay five bodies scattered haphazardly; among them, Third Uncle recognized two - Wang Laozuan and his granddaughter. Despite Wang Laozuan’s desperate efforts, he couldn’t save her from their fate. The remaining three were strangers, likely Qingya County’s smugglers, as per Jiang Danian’s explanation, who specialized in sneaking people to the provincial capital.

Jiang Danian continued rambling beside him, but not a single word registered with Third Uncle. His mind was consumed by the gruesome images of Luo Cheng and Wang Laozuan’s tragic ends, along with thoughts of their families.

“They’re silencing everyone!” Third Uncle’s eyes turned bloodshot, realizing now the true purpose behind that dead eunuch’s actions.

To eliminate all traces.

He wouldn’t spare anyone who could potentially reveal information, no matter how remote the chance. It was better to kill mistakenly than let even one escape!

From these higher-ups’ perspective, lives like theirs, mere lowly ants, held no value.

The only puzzling aspect remained why the eunuch had allowed them to return. Was there something overlooked? Or did he intend to claim more victims?