Chapter Fourteen: Inviting the Spirit Is Easy, Sending It Away Is Hard
The Next Day at Noon
“How can a living person vanish without a trace?”
Wei Shiqi, pacing back and forth in the side hall of the Northern Command Headquarters, voiced his frustration.
Lu Chenzhou also felt troubled. Having just dealt with those corpses in the imperial tomb, the chief astronomer suddenly disappeared without any sign. After searching half a day, no one had seen him, and the household staff said he hadn’t returned.
“Just great, even the Embroidered Uniform Guard dares to act,” Wei Shiqi slammed his palm on the tea table, veins bulging on his hand.
Lu Chenzhou pondered aloud, “Is there really something in this world that can turn a person into blood water in an instant?”
“What?” Wei Shiqi was puzzled, but recalling the blood mixed with earth he saw on the way down from the tomb, he had some suspicions.
“Boss,” a messenger reported from outside the door.
Wei Shiqi gestured him in.
The messenger whispered a few words into Wei Shiqi’s ear and then withdrew.
Lu Chenzhou rose to leave, but Wei Shiqi stopped him. “Lord Lu, don’t go yet. I have an important lead.”
“Tell me.”
Leaning against the doorframe, Lu Chenzhou listened intently.
“My men said that yesterday Li Rong sent a letter to Jiming Temple. No one knows what was written, but strangely, no one at the temple saw anyone deliver the letter, and the messenger vanished.”
Wei Shiqi fixed his gaze on Lu Chenzhou.
“So the letter was intercepted en route, and perhaps that letter is the cause of Inspector Li’s death.”
Lu Chenzhou’s thoughts aligned with Wei Shiqi’s. Both uttered the words “Netherworld Pavilion” in unison.
“But what is their purpose?”
“Let’s set that aside for now. Our priority is to find those from the Netherworld Pavilion. The old man from the Mysterious Pavilion mentioned a key point.”
Wei Shiqi continued, “The woman with the peculiar fragrance.”
Lu Chenzhou nodded.
But in a sprawling city like Nanjing, finding one person was no easy task.
“It’s hard, which is why we need the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s involvement. The Ministry of Punishment’s men couldn’t even come close to our skills.”
Lu Chenzhou seemed prepared; his visit to the Northern Command was to discuss the next steps.
Wei Shiqi was no fool either. He sized up Lu Chenzhou but said nothing.
“Arrest Shen Hua and question her in the interrogation prison.”
“When did you start suspecting her?”
“The old servant at the Jiang residence is loyal, but only to his master.”
From the start, Lu Chenzhou was certain that Shen Hua was orchestrating events behind the scenes at the Ministry’s main prison but lacked proof. He had interrogated the old servant, learning that on the day he guarded outside the Mysterious Pavilion, he had indeed smelled that strange fragrance and heard Shen Hua muttering unintelligible words to someone before leaving.
Wei Shiqi was unsurprised. He teased, “Lord Lu, who usually frequents the pleasure quarters, turns out to be quite the angler. But if we act now, we might not catch her. Shen Hua is no ordinary doctor; her clinic’s backyard hides countless secrets, especially given its location near the Ghost Market.”
Lu Chenzhou sighed lightly. “Wei Captain, are you trying to fool me?”
Feigning confusion, Wei Shiqi asked, “What do you mean?”
“You and your Northern Command have been inside that clinic countless times, yet found nothing. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so anxious.”
Lu Chenzhou was no fool either; he knew well the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s methods.
Wei Shiqi chuckled, “Seems I don’t know you as well as I thought, Lord Lu.”
Their exchange was laced with cautious probing. Though Lu Chenzhou and Wei Shiqi had known each other for years, he understood that no member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could be truly trusted. They served only one master, their hands stained with the blood of countless officials. Their involvement in the imperial tomb case likely implicated people deep within the court.
“There’s one more person I need the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate.”
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“Are you talking about Zhou Zheng?”
Lu Chenzhou turned sharply to Wei Shiqi, a strange smile playing on his lips. “Captain Wei, today I see a new side of you. I thought we were on the same path, but you hide much deeper than I imagined.”
Wei Shiqi laughed as he stepped outside. His subordinates followed, with an elderly eunuch trailing behind.
“Eunuch Chen, tell us about Zhou Zheng.”
The old eunuch’s face was lined with wrinkles, streaks of black still visible among his white hair.
Lu Chenzhou smiled, “Eunuch Chen, we meet again.”
The day after the incident, Lu Chenzhou had met Eunuch Chen, but such a man would not speak much to the Ministry of Personnel. The Embroidered Uniform Guard, however, had means—one interrogation prison was enough to make him talk.
Eunuch Chen forced a smile and replied, “About two weeks before the incident, I often heard noises at night. But it was raining continuously, making it difficult to investigate.”
“What kind of noises?”
Lu Chenzhou asked.
“A clanging sound, coming from beneath the ground. Though old and with poor eyesight, my hearing remains sharp.”
Lu Chenzhou and Wei Shiqi exchanged a glance, both suspecting the source of the noise. Wei Shiqi pressed, “Did you inform Zhou Zheng?”
Eunuch Chen quickly nodded, “Of course. The Xiaoling Guards are responsible for protecting the imperial tomb. We’re all tied together—if anything goes wrong, he and I would be the first to lose our heads.”
“What was Zhou Zheng’s attitude?”
Eunuch Chen looked at Wei Shiqi, “For two or three nights, I heard the sounds and reported them to Commander Zhou alone. I warned him about cunning tomb robbers and suggested increasing patrols and adjusting schedules to catch them.”
“But he didn’t follow your advice?”
Lu Chenzhou guessed.
Eunuch Chen lowered his head and nodded.
“Were items stolen from the tomb?”
“I do not know.”
Wei Shiqi said, “Lord Lu, you’re naïve. Everyone who went inside is gone. No one knows what’s inside or what’s taken.”
“That’s the key.”
Lu Chenzhou added, “He told us to go to the Netherworld Pavilion. A tomb guard who knows both the Netherworld Pavilion and the Mysterious Pavilion, and even pointed out the knife marks on the corpses’ necks. While it seems helpful, perhaps he’s hiding something.”
“Could he be working with Shen Hua?”
“Unlikely. She discovered the secret tunnel, and also found the Wuwang Study. These are mere suspicions without proof.”
Wei Shiqi had Eunuch Chen taken away, then asked Lu Chenzhou, “What now? No detainees, no leads, and we’ve lost a few brothers and the chief astronomer. We can cover up the deaths of our own, but Li Rong’s death is impossible to hide. The Crown Prince is sharp.”
Before Wei Shiqi could continue, Lu Chenzhou stepped forward with a smile, “Someone’s here.”
Wei Shiqi followed his gaze to see Shen Hua, dressed all in black, her face pale as paper, approaching behind the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Lu Chenzhou said, “What kind of person always wears black?”
Wei Shiqi answered without hesitation, “Black is convenient for covert actions.”
As Shen Hua drew near, both men stepped forward to greet her.
Wei Shiqi spoke first, “Doctor Shen, you’re the first woman to walk into the Northern Command on her own.”
Shen Hua kept her expression cold, glanced at Lu Chenzhou, and said, “If I give you valuable information, will there be a reward?”
Lu Chenzhou added jokingly, “And you’re the first doctor to ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard for a reward.”
Shen Hua understood their implication but ignored it, continuing, “I believe Captain Wei values life more than money.”
Wei Shiqi teased, “We’ll see if your information is truly useful.”
“The noble from the tomb smelled of earth and blood, and I’ve seen him before in the Ghost Market.”
In one sentence, she revealed two clues: those who live underground have an earthy scent, and the Ghost Market is a place where goods are bought without questions, often fetching good prices—if the buyer dares.
Two hours earlier, Shen Hua had received a fine ancient jade from her master’s envoy. This jade was a royal burial item, to be sent to the Northern Command as a favor to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. But Shen Hua knew she was being set up. At the tomb, they had already known the noble was near death, marked not only by the earthy scent but also by the black thread on his hand—a sign of abandonment.
“In that case, Doctor Shen, please come with us to the interrogation prison. We will bring Zhou Zheng in for questioning.”
After speaking, Wei Shiqi clapped twice. Suddenly, over a dozen Embroidered Uniform Guards appeared outside, each brandishing a blade, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
---
Lu Chenzhou’s face showed confusion as he glanced at Shen Hua. She furrowed her brows, sensing she was trapped.
“Captain Wei, what is the meaning of this?”
Shen Hua asked pointedly.
Lu Chenzhou was also puzzled but waited for Wei Shiqi’s answer.
Wei Shiqi’s calm shattered instantly. Now radiating the aura of a victor, his eyes fixed on Shen Hua like a long-pursued prey.
“Shen Hua, from Danzhou?”
Wei Shiqi sneered, “A month ago, I sent men to check your household registration in Danzhou. You arrived there twelve years ago. Where were you before that?”
Shen Hua never expected she was already the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s target. Even Lu Chenzhou hadn’t realized how deep Wei Shiqi’s deception ran, but now was not the time for questions.
“A refugee,” she replied coldly.
Her gaze swept over Lu Chenzhou, then shifted toward the armed Embroidered Uniform Guards outside, calculating when she had been marked.
“Which refugee learns skills like Doctor Shen’s and even takes an interest in gunpowder?” she thought, feeling unease.
Wei Shiqi took the package handed to him by a subordinate.
Lu Chenzhou’s curiosity grew; he stepped forward and opened it. Inside were large amounts of sulfur, saltpeter, and soapberry.
Shen Hua exhaled deeply and then said sarcastically, “Your Excellency may not know, but I also study alchemy. Any doctor could tell whether these ingredients are for medicine or for gunpowder.”
A faint smile flickered on Wei Shiqi’s lips, showing no intention of letting her off easily.
“There’s a house in West City that’s been empty for over ten years. The original owner’s surname was Xia. Do you know it?”
“Are you referring to the house near the floating bridge in West City?”
Wei Shiqi nodded smugly.
Shen Hua continued, “I only went there a few times to inquire at the dental shop, planning to open a clinic there. The price was too high for me. I don’t know who the previous owner was.”
Wei Shiqi tapped his finger on his sword sheath, his gaze involuntarily drifting outside.
“That house’s owner was a high official over a decade ago but was involved in a scandal and eliminated. They say no one was left alive in the entire household, making it a cursed place. That dental shop isn’t trustworthy.”
Lu Chenzhou was confused, but the owner Wei Shiqi mentioned triggered faint memories. He was only a teenager then, and the reasons were unclear. The Jingnan rebellion threw Nanjing into chaos, but his father was a low-ranking official and survived.
Shen Hua replied, “Ten years have passed. If there was truly something in that house, it would have long gone to the underworld. But if not, I’d like to see it—after all, the highest official I’ve met in Nanjing is you.”
Seeing Shen Hua’s flawless words, Wei Shiqi lost patience, signaling the Embroidered Uniform Guards outside to enter.
In moments, Shen Hua was surrounded.
“Captain, have you ever heard the saying: ‘It’s easy to invite the gods, but hard to send them away’?” she asked, her usual coldness replaced by a smile that unsettled everyone.
Few who entered the interrogation prison left whole—either dead or broken. No matter the rank, all suffered. Shen Hua walked in calmly. The Embroidered Uniform Guard knew she was unlike the officials, so they refrained from immediate torture, choosing first to imprison her and consider their next move.
After an hour, the door to Shen Hua’s cell opened, and Lu Chenzhou entered alone.
“The person is gone?”
Shen Hua’s eyes were closed as she spoke.
“How did you know Zhou Zheng disappeared?”
Lu Chenzhou asked, confused as he approached.
“A dying tomb robber would rather flee than be tortured in the interrogation prison. Besides, what he took from the tomb could support him for generations. If it were me, I’d find a swift horse and disguise myself to leave the city.”
Lu Chenzhou looked at her in disbelief. “You only met him once at the tomb, yet you already knew his background?”
Shen Hua’s tone held a trace of mockery. “I was only responsible for examining the corpse. Nothing else was my concern.”
Lu Chenzhou shook his head helplessly and said, “Alright.”
He peered outside the cell and then approached her. “Sorry to trouble you. I’ll find a way to get you out.”
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