Bai Lu approached and took a look, “Is it a poison needle?”
“No, just an ordinary needle,” Shen Chu Yun replied.
Shen Chu Yun measured it with his hand, “This kind of thickness and length of a golden needle, piercing directly into the Baihui acupoint, even if it’s not poisoned, is enough to be lethal.”
Turning to Bai Lu, who seemed somewhat puzzled and doubtful, Shen Chu Yun kindly smiled, “Don’t believe it? The dungeon is right next door, want to find a death row convict to try it on?”
Bai Lu was startled, “No, no need! Human experiments are too cruel!”
“Human experiments?” Shen Chu Yun stroked his chin thoughtfully, approvingly saying, “This term is interesting.”
Bai Lu: “…Perverted, this guy is definitely a pervert of the worst kind!”
Shen Chu Yun washed his hands in a copper basin, seemingly done examining the body. Bai Lu, still uneasy, continued to ask, “Is that all? Can we find the culprit from this golden needle? Why would the culprit target Concubine Mei? What’s their motive? Will they harm others?”
It seemed like there were quite a few people who wanted Chu Ya dead, like himself… Lin Xiao’an was one, Bai Lu suspected the culprit who killed Concubine Mei might be related to the Sky Wolf Cult. To eliminate factors that might harm Chu Ya, Bai Lu felt he must investigate thoroughly.
Shen Chu Yun, looking pensive, glanced at the needle as if understanding something, then asked meaningfully, “What do you think?”
“What do I think?” Bai Lu didn’t expect to be asked in return and struggled with his not-so-bright mind for a moment.
“Using a needle to kill someone, piercing through acupoints, feels like it was done by a woman with not much strength?”
Shen Chu Yun sincerely praised, “Oh, a woman, anything else?”
Bai Lu shook his head honestly, “I can’t think of anything else.”
He wasn’t really cut out to be a detective. Associating the culprit with a woman was probably just from watching wuxia dramas where female warriors often used needles as weapons.
“In that case, don’t think about it,” Shen Chu Yun said with deep meaning, “Some things are better off left unclear. The clearer the investigation, the easier it is to attract trouble and bring disaster upon oneself.”
Bai Lu didn’t know what riddle he was playing at. Straightforward by nature, he hated being given such ambiguous responses and retorted without much courtesy, “Why shouldn’t we investigate? I’m a palace guard now, and if there’s a murderer in the palace, shouldn’t I investigate?”
Challenged like this, Shen Chu Yun wasn’t angry but looked at him with an amused smile, “Young Master Bai, what do you think is the most important duty of a guard?”
Bai Lu was taken aback, then asserted, “Of course, it’s to protect the palace and punish evildoers.”
“No,” Shen Chu Yun smiled, “It’s to obey the master’s orders.”
With different goals, they couldn’t collaborate. Bai Lu left the mortuary in a huff, muttering to himself as he ascended the steps, “Obey the master’s orders, isn’t that just being a dog…”
Watching his angry figure, Shen Chu Yun shook his head helplessly. Under the heavens, who wasn’t a subject of His Majesty?
Then he picked up the plate with the needle, sighed lightly, and said with a hint of blame, “How many times have I said it? Every time you kill, you forget to remove the needle.”
“I’ve told you so many times, don’t leave the needle in the body. You must do things without leaving traces, not giving anyone a handle to catch you.”
In the study, Chu Ya sat behind his desk, looking grim with a tone of reproach.
The atmosphere in the spacious study became heavy, the air oppressive.
Standing beside the white jade curtain was a girl of seventeen or eighteen, with a pure and lovely appearance, wearing a cute pink dress. Being reprimanded by His Majesty, she couldn’t help but stick out her tongue and then pretended to look very apologetic, “It’s the servant’s negligence, Your Majesty, please forgive.”
Following that, he tried his luck again, “But since the Palace’s forensic is Shen Chu Yun, it shouldn’t matter, right?”
“Doesn’t matter?” Chu Ya narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at her displeased, and said coldly, “This isn’t the first time. I don’t care what special preferences you have, whether you like leaving needles in the body or other things. If there’s a next time, I’ll consider training new Shadow Guards.”
Under Chu Ya’s command were seven loyal Shadow Guards, each with exceptional skills, and their number had never changed. So when would new Shadow Guards be trained? Of course, it would be when a current Shadow Guard died and there was a vacancy.
Chu Ya’s words were definitely not just empty threats. He was serious; a Emperor doesn’t joke.
As soon as Chu Ya finished speaking, the girl felt a chill down her spine, her heart pounding, and cold sweat broke out. She quickly restrained her expression and kneeled down sincerely this time, truly admitting her mistake.
“I understand, I know my mistake! I’ll offer my finger as an apology and ask for Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
After saying that, she pulled out a sharp palm knife from her skirt, pressed her left hand on the ground, and raised the knife in her right hand high, ready to chop off her little finger!
At the critical moment, before blood splattered everywhere, Chu Ya waved his hand to stop this bloody self-punishment in time.
He said calmly, “This time let it go. Don’t dirty my study. You may leave now. Also, since the task is over, don’t wear women’s clothes to see me anymore. It disgusts me.”
He knew he had just narrowly escaped death’s door. Putting away the palm knife, he stood up with cold sweat on his back.
Although the Shadow Guards regarded death as home, they should die in the tasks assigned by their master, die in loyalty, die in merit, not because of mistakes made by their master and executed. Such a death would even be ridiculed by their colleagues in the afterlife…
But! Death was one thing, being called disgusting for wearing women’s clothes, how could that be? Clearly, he was cute!
Bai Lu returned to the Bailu Palace, first went to the main hall, didn’t see Chu Ya, and asked the guards at the gate, only then did he learn that Chu Ya was in the study.
Bai Lu wanted to report the results of the autopsy to Chu Ya, so he turned and walked towards the study. Just as he entered the courtyard, he saw the door of the study being pushed open from the inside, and a petite and delicate girl walked out from inside.
The girl raised her head and saw Bai Lu, snorted coldly with an air of arrogance, didn’t say hello, and walked straight ahead.
This attitude seemed familiar, too much like Concubine Mei’s style. Bai Lu stared at the girl’s receding figure and muttered to himself, “Bi Tao? What is she doing here?”
Could it be an affair?!
Suddenly, Bai Lu felt a bit green on his head. He quickly walked up to the door, craned his neck to peek inside, hoping to find some ambiguous clues.
But Chu Ya was sitting calmly behind the desk, reading a book, dressed neatly, with a steady demeanor, showing no signs of wrongdoing.
Seeing Bai Lu hesitating at the door, Chu Ya smiled wryly, put down the book in his hand, “What’s wrong? Not coming in?”
Bai Lu hesitantly walked to the desk, and asked hesitantly, “What was that just now?”
“Huh? Are you talking about Concubine Mei’s maid? I called her over to ask about something.”
Chu Ya opened his arms, indicating for Bai Lu to come sit on his lap, “Come here, A-Bai, let me hold you.”
Bai Lu thought for a moment, took a few steps forward, but instead of sitting in his lap, he sat on the wide dragon desk without any courtesy, lifted his feet and stepped on Chu Ya’s knees without reservation, facing him, “Is that so? What did you ask her?”
Chu Ya laughed helplessly, “Why does your tone sound like interrogating a criminal? I just asked some things about Concubine Mei.”
“Concubine Mei? Bai Lu immediately put his feet down when it came to serious matters, sitting upright, and asked, “What did she say?”
Chu Ya, pretending to be calm, made up some nonsense, “It is said that since the start of the house arrest, Concubine Mei locked herself in her bedroom, refusing to eat or come out, not allowing anyone in. So the servants in Donghua Pavilion don’t know when Concubine Mei was killed.”
“I see.” Bai Lu reported what he had seen in the mortuary to Chu Ya, “I just went to the mortuary and made a trip. Shen Chu Yun found out the cause of Concubine Mei’s death.”
Chu Ya was very surprised, pretending to be amazed, “Oh? What’s the cause of death?”
“It’s a needle…” Bai Lu gestured with both hands, “About this long, golden, pierced from Concubine Mei’s head. Shen Chu Yun said it was a fatal wound.”
Chu Ya was very surprised, pretending to be amazed, “Oh? It was a needle?”
“I didn’t expect it either. I also think it’s incredible to kill with a needle. The culprit must be a habitual offender.”
Bai Lu suddenly felt worried and earnestly warned Chu Ya, “You better be careful.”
Chu Ya’s expression froze, his conscience sometimes pricking him like a small needle, feeling inexplicably guilty. He paused slightly and nodded, “I know, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Bai Lu poked Chu Ya’s chest with his finger, sternly saying, “You better not have any accidents. If something happens to you, my mom will kill me to accompany you!”
Chu Ya, helpless, said, “Just because of this? Can’t you be more concerned about me?”
Bai Lu widened his eyes, seriously saying, “I am serious, when our lives are tied together, isn’t that serious enough? When we’re forced to die for each other, isn’t that serious enough?!”
Chu Ya didn’t know what he was thinking of, couldn’t help but smile, pulled Bai Lu into his arms, and went to kiss his lips, indulgently saying, “Alright, whatever A-Bai says is right.”
“Don’t get too comfortable.” Bai Lu pushed him away mercilessly, questioning coldly, “Shen Chu Yun told me that you asked him to make something for me. What is it?”
Chu Ya smiled with a hint of teasing, “Oh? He already told you?”
“Don’t play games, just tell me.”
“Alright.” Chu Ya pretended to sigh, then half seriously and half jokingly smiled, “It’s something specially made for you, a set of special ‘tools’.”
Knew it, but not what I expected 🤨