Miss Truth
Chapter 179 - 114 Midnight Singing_2

Chapter 179: Chapter 114 Midnight Singing_2

Xiao Song glanced at her but was not at all distracted by her attempt to change the subject, "As an officer of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, I may let him off temporarily, but I cannot let him go for a lifetime. Either he will be arrested by me and brought to justice, or I will have to roll down from the position of Assistant Minister of Ministry of Justice, or he will have to assassinate me—there is no fourth possibility. So if you insist on being close to him, don’t blame me when the time comes."

Though there is a Minister of the Ministry of Justice above the Assistant Minister, it has always been the case on the official court that when blame comes down from above, it’s those who do the actual work who have to bear it. The Minister of the Ministry of Justice cannot escape responsibility, but the first to suffer will surely be those below him.

Ran Yan sighed and responded with a subdued acknowledgment. To Ran Yan, Su Fu was an exceptionally compatible person— they rarely spoke to each other, but when they did, they could carry on a meaningful conversation. He could be a very good friend, and perhaps, as time went on, they might even come together.

Ran Yan had thought this through very rationally. Generally speaking, she was not passive; if she truly had feelings for someone, she would definitely take the initiative rather than waiting for the other person to pursue her.

Xiao Song dropped her off at the entrance of Yingmei Temple and, wanting to say a few words, eventually settled on, "Take care."

Ran Yan silently nodded, watched him walk down the mountain, then turned to enter the courtyard.

Xiao Song stopped in his tracks and looked back, smiling wryly at himself. He felt both relieved and pained that all the women who met him were both afraid and clingy, which annoyed him. Yet this time, he felt it would’ve been nice if Ran Yan had been like that too.

"My lord."

Bai Yi, accompanied by several guards, was waiting at the base of the mountain. Seeing Xiao Song coming down leisurely, he immediately waved his guards away and, with a respectful bow, said, "The investigation is clear—the mastermind behind the release of the rumor about Ran Shiqi’s examination of the corpse is her stepmother, Lady Gao."

Xiao Song’s eyebrows slightly lifted. Having followed him for many years, Bai Yi understood the significance behind this slight gesture and waited with his head bowed for his lord’s command to assassinate.

In this world, murder and arson are not condoned unless you consider whom you’re killing, what fire you’re setting, and the means you employ to kill and set fire. For example, someone like Su Fu who kills a court official outright with force is utterly unforgivable. However, if Xiao Song were to kill a government official, he would never use force; similarly, those he did kill with force would never be anyone important.

"Hah! Lady Gao truly has some clever tricks up her sleeve; she inadvertently gave me such a huge gift. I have benefited from it and must return the favor tomorrow. This is the way of dealing with people." Xiao Song spoke leisurely, and as he reached the words "dealing with people," a faint, almost imperceptible killing intent began to emanate.

Bai Yi suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. The "favor" from their lord was not something just anyone could handle.

Lady Gao spread this rumor to tarnish Ran Yan’s reputation, and most families with a bit of status would not be willing to marry her. Of course, Sang Chen was never like most people. If it weren’t for Sang Chen’s intervention, this incident could also be seen as an indirect gift for him, buying time to investigate the "wife-killing" matter, hence a considerable favor.

Under the bright moon, Ran Yan, Ge Lan, and Wan Lu walked from the front hall to the back courtyard of Yingmei Temple. Just after passing the hall, suddenly the faint sound of singing could be heard. The voice was very soft, as if hummed absentmindedly, but the tune was so mournful that it chilled one to the bone in the night.

Ran Yan hesitated, then lightened her footsteps and slowly approached the source of the singing.

The singing turned into quiet sobs, and following the sound, Ran Yan passed through a small side gate beside the corridor. Wan Lu, behind her, accidentally brushed against the door with her arm, causing the door panel to shake slightly with a "creak."

The sound wasn’t loud, but in the quiet of the night, it was particularly grating.

The sobbing stopped abruptly, and a shadow darted into the bushes. Wan Lu, realizing she had caused trouble, wanted to redeem herself by capturing the shadow. For a moment, she cast aside all fear and plunged into the bushes.

There was a rustling from within, followed by Wan Lu’s surprised and angry voice, "Why is it you again! Why are you out here in the pitch dark, playing tricks instead of sleeping!"

As her words fell, Ran Yan and Ge Lan heard a clear "slap." Ran Yan couldn’t help but curl her lips, imagining Wan Lu had slapped someone’s "source of wisdom" again.

A sobbing sound came from the bushes, and Wan Lu dragged Huan Kong out from among them. Hearing her cry so pitifully, Wan Lu’s tone softened, "We were passing by and heard someone singing in the dead of night, of course we had to come and see. You can’t blame me for that."

Huan Kong’s tearful eyes glared at her as she retorted with a choke, "I love to sing at night, who asked you to come out and listen!"

"Hey, you stubborn little nun, you’d rather suffer punishment than accept a toast, huh!" said Wan Lu as she raised her hand to slap her bald head.

Wan Lu wasn’t really using much force, but because there was no hair, the sound was particularly sharp when she slapped.

"What were you singing?" Ran Yan said as she looked at Huan Kong’s eyes, which were like walnuts, and spoke in a gentle tone.

Huan Kong thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know, it’s a song my mother often hummed when I was a child."

Ran Yan looked around them—trees were densely grouped and the ground was covered with fallen leaves. They were clearly no longer in Yingmei Temple. Exiting through that small side gate had brought them outside the temple. Surveying the surroundings, Ran Yan’s gaze landed on a group of bright red flower trees three yards away.

She drew closer and caught the faint scent of flowers mixed with an almost imperceptible peculiar smell. Ran Yan couldn’t help but ask, "What flowers are these?"

Seeing that she didn’t seem too difficult to approach, Huan Kong boldly replied, "They are begonias; my mother’s favorite flower."

"Is that so..." Ran Yan bent down to smell again; that peculiar smell was... blood!

Ran Yan immediately said, "Is this your mother’s grave?"

Huan Kong nodded.

"I’ve decided to help you with the examination; go find something to dig up the grave," said Ran Yan as she crouched down to carefully inspect the soil around the roots of the begonias.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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