Ji Yunwei looked at Cui Wangshu again and saw that her brows and eyes were cool and clear. Even on the bumpy road, she sat ramrod straight. The slight relaxation in her waist did not make her seem indolent; instead, it added a sense of ease born from having everything under control.
The way she savored her tea was composed and elegant, clearly the result of rigorous upbringing from a young age.
Ji Yunwei came from a humble background and had always studied under the former Dali Temple Minister Shen Yan, where she heard many tales about this Minister of Rites.
After entering officialdom, she felt somewhat outmatched by the court intrigues. Her ambition lay in solving cases, not climbing the ranks. After hearing how Cui Wangshu navigated the vortex of power at the center, she admired her even more.
Opinions on this Minister of Rites were mixed, with both praise and criticism.
Some officials said she and the Cui Family were ambitious wolves, monopolizing politics, forming cliques, and sidelining the Emperor.
Others said Minister Cui was upright in office, respectful to the worthy, with brilliant achievements over many years in court. Though her temperament was aloof, she was mild-mannered and courteous, promoting many isolated officials who refused to join factions.
The common folk said the Minister was kind and gentle. Not only had she improved life for the impoverished people of the western border with scarce resources, but through diplomacy-established trade, she also proposed tax reductions for farmers, doing real good for the people.
Many years ago, when Ji Yunwei was just a minor county lieutenant, she had pursued the capital city girl case all the way to the Ghost Market, nearly losing her life to the Yellow Springs. There, she encountered Cui Wangshu, who for some reason had appeared in the Ghost Market.
The woman’s embrace, filled with a cold fragrance, carried her out of the eerie Ghost Market, and then arranged for her severe wounds to be treated. Though Cui Wangshu might not remember her, Ji Yunwei had never forgotten.
So she refused to believe that the gentle and powerful woman who saved her life was the ambitious wolf some people described.
Ji Yunwei took a sip of tea and hesitated. “Minister, have you heard the rumors about yourself?”
Cui Wangshu looked at her and smiled faintly. “Saying I’m an ambitious wolf, forming cliques for selfish gain?”
Ji Yunwei frowned. For some reason, hearing Cui Wangshu say it herself felt even worse than hearing it from others.
“The Minister knows all about it. Aren’t you angry?”
Cui Wangshu shook her head. “They’re just harmless words. In the time it would take to get angry, I could have finished the day’s official duties, couldn’t I?”
Ji Yunwei couldn’t help but ask more. “But what if these words affect your career?”
Cui Wangshu paused with her teacup raised and said slowly, “That day will never come.”
Ji Yunwei was shocked inside, swallowed, and asked no more prying questions.
Tongzhou was not far from the Capital City. Cui Wangshu and the others traveled day and night without rest, covering the road in two days and arriving just before sunset on the third.
The Tongzhou Ancha Shi personally welcomed them at the city gate and arranged lodging at the yamen office.
The Ancha Shi had originally planned a welcoming banquet at Yunxiao Tower, Tongzhou’s largest restaurant, but Ji Yunwei refused. She was single-minded about reviewing the case first.
The Ancha Shi’s expression changed, and he cautiously glanced at Cui Wangshu’s face. Only then did Ji Yunwei realize her mistake and inwardly cursed herself.
Who was she to make decisions in front of the Minister?
Cui Wangshu showed no emotion on her face and simply said, “As Ji Vice Minister suggests, let’s go to the yamen office first to understand the case.”
Since the Minister had spoken, the Ancha Shi could say no more and led the two to the yamen office.
On the way, the Ancha Shi briefly explained the known situation.
A week earlier, the Kang Kingdom envoy Yelu Narqi and her delegation passed through Tongzhou. Their carriage broke down, so they rested there. The Ancha Shi had wanted to house them in the state yamen office, but they refused.
Yelu Narqi said they had long heard of Tongzhou’s world-famous clay figurines and chose to stay at an inn specializing in them. Before the carriage was repaired, they planned to enjoy Tongzhou’s scenery and not trouble the Ancha Shi.
But that very night, the clay figurines in Yelu Narqi’s room were controlled by ghosts—or so it was said. Someone reportedly heard Yelu Narqi shout, “There’s a ghost! Help!”
Yelu Narqi was stabbed through with a sword, her heart vanished, and her head severed. Her death was gruesome.
Everyone said it was the work of ghosts.
At this, Cui Wangshu raised an eyebrow. The Ancha Shi looked complicated, while the younger Ji Yunwei remained utterly serious.
Ji Yunwei frowned. “Were all the people at the inn that night brought back to the yamen office for questioning and signatures?”
The Ancha Shi said, “Everyone except the delegation signed.”
Ji Yunwei asked again, “Did the coroner examine the body?”
The Ancha Shi replied, “Yes.”
Ji Yunwei nodded. “Please have someone prepare. I’ll reexamine it shortly.”
Surprise flashed across the Ancha Shi’s face, as if he hadn’t expected the young Dali Temple Vice Minister to be versed even in coroner work.
“And the Minister…?”
Cui Wangshu said, “Investigation isn’t my specialty. Leave it to Vice Minister Ji. I’ll go meet the remaining delegation.”
Appeasing the Kang Kingdom delegation was the priority now. With their envoy Yelu Narqi meeting harm in Great Zhao, it could affect relations between the two nations.
The Ancha Shi nodded. “Very well.”
In the yamen office, Yelu Narqi’s body was still kept there. Though stored carefully in the ice chamber due to the passage of time, corruption had set in, making it swollen and horrific.
The Ancha Shi retched at the sight of the corpse. Ji Yunwei, accustomed to such scenes, calmly said, “Leave this to me. You’ve had a hard journey, Ancha Shi. Go rest.”
The Ancha Shi endured the foul air and nodded before leaving.
By then, Cui Wangshu had met the Kang Kingdom delegation. With their envoy dead, their faces were grim. When Cui Wangshu arrived, Deputy Envoy Baoliji rose hastily. “Minister.”
Cui Wangshu was mild and courteous. “No need for formalities, Deputy Envoy. Kang Kingdom and Great Zhao are friendly nations. Treat this as your own home.”
Baoliji was distraught. “Has the Minister found any leads on the killer? Yelu and I were colleagues and old friends.”
As he spoke, tears welled in Baoliji’s eyes. “Please find the killer soon so we can take her body back for burial.”
Cui Wangshu nodded. “The Emperor learned of this and was furious yet heartbroken. He sent Vice Minister Ji and me here posthaste, day and night. Rest assured, Deputy Envoy—Great Zhao will see this through and ensure Yelu doesn’t die unjustly.”
Hearing this, Baoliji felt a measure of relief, no longer as lost as before.
Though everyone at the inn that night was suspect, the delegation’s status made interrogation unwise. If clues pointed their way later, Cui Wangshu would have to handle it.
With Baoliji in poor shape, Cui Wangshu didn’t press, offered comfort, and left.
Afterward, lost in thought, Cui Wangshu summoned pen and ink, wrote a confidential letter, and sent it express to the Capital City.
Once done, she headed to the ice chamber to check on Ji Yunwei.
Ji Yunwei had indeed found something. The initial coroner lacked experience; with the head missing, they hadn’t properly confirmed the body’s identity, and it wasn’t recorded.
Ji Yunwei reprimanded them harshly. While verifying the deceased’s identity in detail, she noticed a thin callus on the left middle finger of the corpse.
The Minister had said Yelu Narqi was left-handed.
Upon close inspection, there was a tiny needle hole at the spot where the finger gripped a pen, previously obscured by ink.
The killer had been swift and decisive. The sword wound at the heart was neat, with flesh curling and bloodstains clear—it had been dug out before Yelu Narqi stopped breathing.
The neck wound was the same: decapitated while still alive.
The clay figurine murder case had Tongzhou in panic. Tongzhou’s clay figurines were world-famous; if they were truly killers, the region’s reputation would be ruined. No longer lifelike wonders, they’d be associated with murder.
Ji Yunwei knew the case’s importance and was extra cautious in her examination.
Wounds from human muscle movement differed from those by mechanisms.
When a person wielded a sword, bodily tissues altered the force, making the cut gradual.
Mechanisms lacked such human flexibility.
Ji Yunwei examined the corpse for an hour. Exhausted at the end, she washed up and stepped out to find Cui Wangshu waiting in the outer hall. Her weary eyes lit up.
Cui Wangshu poured her a cup of tea. “You’ve worked hard. Any findings?”
Ji Yunwei sat and said, “No ghost did the killing—just someone playing tricks. The perpetrator was a woman.”
She glanced at Cui Wangshu and gestured to her earlobe height. “About half a head shorter than the Minister. Not very strong, but ruthless and cold-blooded.”
Cui Wangshu frowned. She hadn’t expected a woman.
“What next? Any ideas?”
Ji Yunwei drained her tea. “I want to see that clay figurine inn.”
Cui Wangshu nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
Ji Yunwei panicked. “No, Minister, rest. This is my job—how can I trouble you?”
Cui Wangshu frowned. “If the case isn’t solved, I can’t account to the Kang Kingdom delegation.”
Moreover, when she previously failed to divine the killer with her Divination Chip Technique, Cui Wangshu had felt an ominous premonition.
For a Diviner, the depth of heavenly secrets depended on their mental strength and connection to the matter.
Cui Wangshu’s mental strength was strong, and her Divination Chip Technique surpassed her master Liu Wuyong’s—she was second to none.
If anyone in the world outdid her, it might be Liu Xuan, who had entered the Divine Realm.
Back at the Imperial Mausoleum, step-by-step divinations hadn’t revealed impenetrable secrets. Yet this clay figurine case stymied her.
In her years, only three things had eluded her divination: her own origins, the identity of the person on the mausoleum altar, and this case.
If it wasn’t her own issue, then the case was deeply tied to her—explaining why she couldn’t divine it. Thus, she decided to accompany Ji Yunwei.
But Cui Wangshu couldn’t figure out how it connected to her, since she had already divined it involved someone from Kang Kingdom.
Seeing her insistence, Ji Yunwei nodded. “Alright then. But I’m worried about accidents—I might not protect you.”
Cui Wangshu raised an eyebrow. “No worries. I’ll protect myself. If something happens, look after yourself.”
Ji Yunwei blinked. She had never heard the Minister knew martial arts, but recalled the masterful Onyx Iron Fan on the carriage.
That Onyx Iron Fan was no ordinary weapon—ancient and lethal, not easily controlled.
She was probably overthinking. How could someone as capable as the Minister have weaknesses? Maybe she just knew martial arts quietly.
