Ink Burns

Chapter 39: The Emergence of Memory (4000 chapters)

Cheng Xinghe's pupils suddenly dilated and then suddenly shrank, his mind a jumble of confusion. The excitement of killing someone and his father with his own hands, the exhaustion of sleeping for less than ten hours in three consecutive days, and the fatigue of kneeling and guarding the casket for a long time all combined to make his eyes bloodshot.

Bronze mirror, why wasn’t it destroyed!
Why did the murder weapon appear here?

Was it unintentional or intentional?!
If it was Wuxin, he was already so exhausted, why was his mother still so incompetent, dragging her feet at such a critical moment and increasing the risk!

If you are interested
Cheng Xinghe subconsciously looked at his mother Duan, then moved to He, who was standing aside with her head lowered, respectful and timid, and then slowly scanned the people on the scene one by one - that night, after He screamed, there were at least five or six people who rushed into the main hall in a panic, including the personal maid, the old woman, Doctor Cao who was invited into the courtyard, and the maid beside his younger sister.
Master Cheng held up the heavy square bronze mirror, his brows unable to conceal his excitement: "The evidence is right here! This bronze mirror is embedded with a pebble-sized azure sapphire. It is definitely not a good item that can be used by maids and old women!"

Master Cheng Er turned the mirror over a few times and saw faint bloodstains on the edge of the bronze mirror: "Here, here! There are bloodstains here! Report it to the police! Invite the coroner to perform an autopsy! Investigate the case! Find out who bought this square bronze mirror, and we will know who is the real murderer of my brother!"

"No!"

In silence, Cheng Xinghe immediately stopped him loudly - who hid the bronze mirror in the corpse was a small matter, the more important thing was what was happening right now! How could he get through this difficult time?
When I should use my brain, it's a mess!
The elders of the Cheng family clan also spoke up with him: "No!"

Cheng Xinghe's refusal did not deter Master Cheng Er, but the Cheng family elder's stop made Master Cheng Er's face stiffen: "Uncle, are you trying to cover up for me!?"

Shan Yue stood behind the pillar with his head down, but his peripheral vision closely followed the figure of the elder from the Cheng family.

Since ancient times, imperial power did not extend below the township level, and only clans existed below the county level. The smaller the town, the greater the power of the clan, and they even had the right to decide life and death. For example, burying pigs in cages, awarding white silk, and closing ancestral halls were all ordered by clan elders, and the punishment was immediate without the need to obtain the consent of local officials. As long as no one reported it to the officials, no crime would occur.

In one part of her chessboard, the position of the Cheng family clan is the only unclear one.

Will you insure someone? Who will you insure? How will you insure?
This was something she couldn't predict.

Shan Yue clenched her fists: I have been servile in the Cheng family for more than ten days, and have been hiding in the Shantang Street of Suzhou Prefecture for eight years. These time accounts must be counted! ? She does not pray to the heavens, does not worship gods, kicks over the City God Temple, despises the Guanyin statue, and only worships one god for the rest of her life! Whoever kills these evil people, she will worship him! She can worship the wild spirits, the plants and trees, the Black and White Impermanence, and the Yama of Fengdu!
The head of the Cheng family, called Uncle Cheng Qi, walked out slowly and said, "We can investigate the real murderer, but we can't report it to the police. Daxing is dead, and the Cheng family is in grief, but we can't do anything too extreme. If word gets out that there is a disloyal, unfilial, unkind and unjust murderer in our Cheng family, how will all the children of the Cheng family live?! Will those who study still take the imperial examinations? Will those who study medicine still be doctors? Will those who do business still have credibility?"

"In my opinion, we should investigate inside first. When the facts are revealed, the man slit his neck with a knife and buried him in two overlapping coffins. We don't have to explain to anyone outside and we can explain to everyone inside as well." Seventh uncle Tao Baozhen spoke with a strong Songjiang accent and his speech was unclear. If you didn't listen carefully, you wouldn't understand him.

Shan Yue's clenched hands loosened slightly.

"Then Uncle Seven, how do you say we should investigate?" Master Cheng was also satisfied with this explanation.

Uncle Qi coughed twice and said, "How do we investigate? We ordinary people don't have the drastic measures that the government has. We can only question everyone one by one, in separate rooms. The person being interrogated sits on a steel splint. If they answer incorrectly, they will be whipped. After a few whips, some people can't stand it anymore."

The power of a clan always carries with it a hint of cruelty.

Shan Yue lowered her head, glanced sideways, and touched the finely crafted silver hairpin given to her by Duan on her hair. Her hand tilted, and the hairpin turned over, revealing a hibiscus flower mark.

The second wife, Mrs. He, was short and could not block He Yaoniang beside her.

He Yaoniang successfully noticed Shanyue's movements, frowned slightly in confusion, then her eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned over to whisper in the ear of Second Madam He.

Master Cheng Er thought for a moment and was about to agree.

He said at the right time: "You are all masters, so you don't understand that this square bronze mirror is a woman's toy. It is well-made and made of solid materials. It must have cost a lot of money. Things of this quality are usually produced by big stores on the street."

He paused for a moment and winked at her husband: "Products from big stores must have a mark - the main hall is full of delicate girls, and it is always bad to see blood, especially when the eldest sister-in-law is the daughter of the old prefect's advisor. How can you use private punishment before the case is concluded? Isn't it justified?"

What this means is that once a conclusion has been drawn and a legitimate reason has been established, one can speak freely and call for war and killing.

Shanyue glanced at He. The second wife seemed to be simple-minded and dull, but in fact, they were more united, smarter and more ambitious than the first wife and her husband. Otherwise, why would they send their own niece to the embroidery tower of the Cheng family?
He smiled and said, "My husband, please take a look and see if there is a shop mark on the bronze mirror. If there is a mark, we can find the seller and send a steward to swindle him. Then we will know who the owner of the mirror is, right?"

Master Cheng Er turned over the back and said, "There is a word 'Chang'!"

"It was bought from Changji Jewelry!" He said loudly.

After thinking for a moment, Uncle Qi made the final decision: "Send the steward who is often with Daxing to ask." He also called out: "Old Nine, you go with them to see what's going on."

Someone immediately took the order and left.

Cheng Xinghe felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest, but he couldn't even say a word to stop it - he had no right to stop it! If he stopped the investigation at this time, wouldn't that be surrendering himself! ?
Duan was also very anxious and swallowed nervously, but dared not show it at all. She took a deep breath and thought about it, but she was extremely sad to find that there was no one around her available!
"Yuen Niang, you still have some friendship with Lord Liu. You...you should secretly go to Liu's Mansion and ask Lord Liu to take into consideration the Cheng family's many years of loyalty and send someone to call Dalang over - the better to hide for a while!" There is no one around her who can be used, so she can only try this He, with whom she has not been together for long!

Duan turned her back and instructed Shanyue in a low voice.

Shanyue felt like laughing.

The mouse sends a gift to the cat's house.

Even if you are desperate, you can't do anything desperate.

Shan Yue nodded repeatedly, walked back, dragged his feet, and walked out of the corridor of the mourning hall, but saw a corner of a white linen dress quickly disappearing behind the wall, bringing with it a faint scent of wisteria.

who is it?

Shan Yue stood behind a tall pillar and thought for a moment, then decisively turned back to the mourning hall, bent down and whispered to Duan: "The Cheng family is everywhere, and several doors are sealed. If I rashly leave the house, I am afraid it will cause disputes. I dare not."

A paper face and a hollow person!

Duan was so angry that her chest hurt.

Shanyue saw the servant beside Cheng Xinghe running in hurriedly from the back and nodding to Cheng Xinghe from a distance.

Time was wasted as they went back and forth. Seeing that the steward and Uncle Cheng Jiu who had gone with them were coming back together, Duan grabbed Shanyue's wrist and said angrily, "You must protect Dalang later! You were in the main hall yesterday and you insisted that the eldest master fainted for no reason. If Dalang's crime is proven, you will not be able to survive! The wealthy families in the capital and the wives of the first wives are all dreams! When the second wife takes over the family, there will be no way for you to survive!"

The dimples that usually appeared at the corners of Duan's mouth had long since flattened, leaving only anxiety and hostility between her brows.

Shan Yue was so frightened that his face turned pale instantly.

Only then did Duan feel relieved.

Uncle Cheng Jiu spoke up, and his words were concise: ". Manager Cheng and I pretended to return the goods and blackmailed the owner of Changji Jewelry. The owner got anxious when he heard it and said that this was a bronze mirror that our eldest young master had specially ordered from Changji three months ago, and that he had given it to our eldest young mistress as a birthday gift before the 18th of this month. Our eldest young master took it away yesterday evening, and it was recorded in the account. He even signed the account book, so he can't deny it."

Inside the mourning hall, everyone was in an uproar!
Son, son, son killed his father!? The son actually smashed his father to death?!

How can this be possible!
Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

The Cheng family members who came from Shewei Village looked at Cheng Xinghe with unfriendly and sharp eyes.

Cheng Xingyu shouted loudly: "Ridiculous! This is the bronze mirror I bought. Is it the one I killed my father? Why would I kill my father?! This is my biological father!"

Master Cheng Qi sat down with his back bent: "Then why did your bronze mirror appear on Daxing's body?"

Cheng Xinghe was speechless for a moment, and his eyes quickly glanced at his mother Duan. He was about to say something, but stopped himself and just started to talk nonsense: "How do I know why the bronze mirror is on my father's body!?"

For some reason, Cheng Xinghe seemed to have gained enough confidence. He spoke not as briefly as before, but with more reasoning: "Anyone can make this bronze mirror. I have always been generous in buying things for the eldest young lady. Even if the second uncle heard about it, he might fake one to slander me! After I went home yesterday, I didn't go back to the main courtyard at all. How could I kill my father!?"

"You didn't go back to the main courtyard?" Uncle Cheng frowned and asked, "Then where were you?"

Shanyue looked at Cheng Xinghe quietly. In some families with some rules, descendants must pay their respects before returning home. The side courtyard where Cheng Xinghe lived was only twenty steps away from the main courtyard. Even if he returned to his own courtyard, he would not have missed the main courtyard gate.

This excuse is as leaky as a sieve.

"I!" Cheng Xinghe answered loudly, but the ending tone dropped again, as if he was covering up something.

"Master, it's with me!"

A girl walked into the mourning hall.

The mourners were dressed in white linen clothes, with the faint scent of wisteria flowers.

Shan Yue raised her head slightly, her eyelids drooped slightly, and a hint of regret leaked out from her lips.

It’s Lin Yueyue from the Embroidery Tower.

As the daughter of an old acquaintance of the Cheng family, she entered the Cheng family's embroidery building.

Lin Yueyue looked calm, but a closer look at the trembling hands hidden in his sleeves revealed his determination to make a desperate move: "After returning home, the young master went to the embroidery building and to my place. He was not in the main courtyard, so how could he kill the old master?"

Lin Yueyue still had her hair loose, and she was not a married woman.

Even those members of the Cheng family who did not know about the Cheng family embroidery tower could tell that this was not Cheng Xinghe's concubine or maid.

"Who are you? Why did Dalang go to your place?" asked Uncle Seven.

Lin Yueyue bit her lower lip lightly with her pearly teeth. Her voice was slightly trembling, but she became more and more resolute as she spoke: "I am the daughter of an old friend adopted by the Cheng family. I have been in the Cheng family for three years. I have been with the young master for more than a year without any status. If the young master was not in the main courtyard yesterday, why would I come out as a virgin to testify for him? If I was not afraid that the young master would be slandered for protecting me, why would I rush out shamelessly?!"

Shan Yue clenched his back teeth.

Emotional offensive may not work on her.

But it must work for some little girls.

However, she did not expect that this little girl would be Lin Yueyue - Lin Yueyue made her feel inexplicably familiar. She looked very familiar from the first sight. When it was late at night, she calmed down and thought carefully, and then she realized that Lin Yueyue was actually a bit similar to the girl with the teardrop mole on the horse rack that night!
Similar in shape!

Just similar in appearance!

At a certain angle and under a certain light and shadow, the eyebrows and face shape seem to have some common similarities!

Shan Yue is very sure!

Very sure!

That woman's face! That tone of voice! That flamboyant and cruel appearance! It appeared again and again in her dreams! As soon as she closed her eyes, the group of people on the horse rack emerged in the darkness!

Just because of hatred, she couldn't forget it!

What's more, she can draw! She can extract the relationship between people, skin and flesh, bones and light at a glance!
But, they are similar in appearance, not in spirit!
The mountain moon seemed to have opened up a key point.

Wait! The scent of wisteria!
That arrogant and vicious woman, who was the center of attention, had a string of wisteria flowers made of crystal gems adorning her hair that night!
Shan Yue suddenly turned his head and looked at Cheng Xinghe, who looked confident, as if he had seen through all his masks!

For some unknown reason, Cheng Xinghe fell deeply in love with the "princess" that night!
And he was, little by little, shaping and changing a woman who looked a bit like that princess into the "princess" in his memory.
Shan Yue didn't know whether he was nervous or excited. He could only swallow his saliva with difficulty to hide his excited heart.

In the mourning hall, the gong was still beating.

Lin Yueyue suddenly appeared, risking her reputation and innocence to prove Cheng Xinghe's absence.

Duan quietly lowered her head and let out a long sigh, feeling much more relaxed: although she did not think that her eldest son's gentle treatment of the girls in the embroidery building would have any great effect, it now seemed that she was too narrow-minded.
"Now that Dalang has given his explanation, what is the truth?" Uncle Seventh glanced around the mourning hall and his eyes fell on Duan.

Cheng Xinghe also looked at Duan, and suddenly lifted his skirt, walked to his biological mother Duan, bent down slightly, and squatted down slowly like a filial son, his eyes full of compassion and sorrow: "Mom, did my father beat you again last night?"

Shan Yue felt an inexplicable bitterness in his heart.

She roughly understood what Cheng Xinghe was going to do.

In this chessboard, it is not the elders who are difficult to control.

But the human heart.

(End of this chapter)