There is a god in the sky

Chapter 124 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 22

Shen Lan was still eating when she heard Sui Feng's voice.

"Damn it, they've been searching for an arm for two days and still haven't found the body, and they still dare to ask their master to help them investigate the case? What a bunch of useless trash!"

Shen Lan thought of the arm that had been fished out of the slaughterhouse, and immediately lost her appetite.

Xuan'er, puzzled, asked, "Why aren't you eating, sister?"

"You keep eating, I'll go find an adult."

Shen Lan walked out the door and saw Sui Feng talking to Xiao Ji, occasionally cursing, clearly quite angry.

Seeing her come out, Sui Feng found someone to complain to and pulled her aside, saying, "Miss Shen, please be the judge. This case is already difficult to solve, and we've made pretty good progress, but then Prefect Dou actually ordered his master to investigate unimportant cases. Isn't that infuriating?"

"The owner of that arm still hasn't been found? That shouldn't be the case. That hand has six fingers; people like that are rare."

Sui Feng's eyes lit up. "They probably haven't even noticed this yet. I'll go tell them."

It ran away with the wind, leaving only Shen Lan and Xiao Ji standing in the courtyard.

Xiao Ji reached out and plucked a yellow leaf from a tree, saying to Shen Lan, "I went to the Prince Zheng's residence this morning to inquire. That Lady Miao is going to the capital to compete in a dance competition, and she set off early this morning."

Shen Lan hadn't expected such a coincidence.

She said somewhat dejectedly, "Since we're both going to the capital, perhaps we'll meet in Bianjing."

Shen Lan calculated the time; even if the case dragged on for a few more days, it would still be manageable.

Xiao Ji, fearing she would be upset, asked, "Should we send someone to chase after her? Her boat can't have gone far."

"No need, it might not even be her."

Shen Lan was also uneasy. Her memory of Miao Niang was still from when she was a child, with that round, chubby little face that looked like a pufferfish when she was angry.

What will she look like when she grows up?

If Erhuzi becomes a little monk, it doesn't seem impossible for Miaoniang to become a dancer.

"They said the dance competition was organized by the Princess's residence. What kind of person is this Princess?" Shen Lan asked curiously.

All the way there, she was thinking about which faction she should align herself with after arriving in Beijing in order to contend with Liu Engui.

She, a mere coroner, could not possibly shake this great tree.

Xiao Ji grew up in Bianjing and had heard many stories about the eldest princess, some good and some bad.

"When the eldest princess was young, she was greatly favored by the late emperor. Half of the credit for our emperor's ascension to the throne goes to the eldest princess."

Therefore, after His Majesty ascended the throne, he trusted both the Eldest Princess and Prince Zheng, especially the Eldest Princess. Even though she was at odds with the Empress, the Emperor still favored her.

Shen Lan asked curiously, "Are the Eldest Princess and the Emperor born of the same mother?"

"No, the eldest princess and Prince Zheng are both born to the current Empress Dowager. This Empress Dowager was originally the late emperor's concubine, and was later promoted to the position of empress. The emperor is the late emperor's eldest son, and his birth mother was just a lowly palace maid who was later fostered in the concubine's palace."

Although it was only a few words, it showed how fierce the struggles in the palace were back then.

From this perspective, the emperor of the Daxi Dynasty was also a very powerful figure.

"The eldest princess is a very ambitious woman. When the late emperor passed away, if Prince Zheng hadn't been too young, she might not have supported the current emperor."

"Then the Emperor should be very wary of her." This includes Prince Zheng.

The fact that these two are still alive and well means either the eldest princess is so powerful that the emperor doesn't dare to take action against her, or the emperor is confident enough to suppress them.

Xiao Ji smiled enigmatically, “Nowadays, the powerful maternal relatives in the court are more influential, so it is inevitable that the eldest princess is favored.”

Shen Lan suddenly realized that the emperor wanted his wife and sister to compete against each other.

Indeed, emperors throughout history have understood the importance of checks and balances, knowing that if there is only one powerful force in the court, it will inevitably threaten the imperial power.

"Alright, you'll find out about these things when you get to the capital. Don't get involved in their struggles."

Although I haven't been in Bianjing for the past few years, I've heard quite a bit about the power struggles between the Crown Prince's faction and the Second Prince's faction.

Shen Lan's mind raced, and she asked, "Does the Eldest Princess support the Second Prince?"

"Maybe," Xiao Ji said, still unsure.

Is Liu Engui a member of the Crown Prince's faction?

Looking into her bright eyes, Xiao Ji felt a pang of regret for telling her all this.

“You…” He hesitated before reminding Shen Lan, “The Second Prince and the Eldest Princess are not good people either. In their eyes, a small town is insignificant. Don’t trust them easily.”

"I know, thank you for reminding me, sir."

Upon arriving in Bianjing, she had to be extremely cautious with every step she took.

She understood Xiao Ji's good intentions, but without enough leverage, she would have difficulty even seeing Liu Engui.

However, with imperial power supreme, she would not treat any superior as a lifeline.

"By the way, I heard something else when I went to Prince Zheng's residence today that you might find interesting."

"What?" Shen Lan listened attentively.

"Fu Qingyan learned from Prince Zheng that the Eldest Princess intended to set up a women's office to recruit top talents from all walks of life, and all of them must be women. If they have outstanding skills, they can be granted a proper official position."

Shen Lan grew up surrounded by ordinary people, far removed from the political center.

She thought that the Daxi Dynasty was the same as feudal society in history, valuing men over women and believing that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent.

Along her journey, apart from some female shopkeepers, she had never seen a female official.

"Can women also serve as officials?"

"Although it is rare, there are female officials in history. The princess's arrangement must be to find a new way to win over and help them."

Xiao Ji, fearing she wouldn't understand, explained to her: "The Empress comes from the Tong family. Old Master Tong is now the headmaster of Yishan Academy, with students all over the court and the country. Therefore, most scholars in the world support the orthodox system."

Although this female-run government office is still far from being established, it at least shows that the Princess has the power to appoint officials, and those powerful families would probably be happy to secure prestigious official positions for the women in their households.

"In other words, in the end these so-called female officials still came from powerful and wealthy families."

"It cannot be denied that the daughters of the powerful and wealthy have been educated since childhood, and have been involved in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, horseback riding and archery. Their knowledge and experience are far beyond those of ordinary women. Of course, Miss Shen is an exception."

Shen Lan's secrets are not only her background, but also her various self-taught skills.

Shen Lan raised an eyebrow, wanting to say that in her previous life she had studied for over twenty years, attending classes and doing exercises day and night, and was much more hardworking than the noble ladies here.

"If I have the opportunity, I will try my best to seize it."

Xiao Ji had confidence in her; aside from her profession as a coroner, she had many other skills to offer.

He came running back from outside, shouting and yelling.

Xiao Ji asked in surprise, "Why are you back so soon?"

"My lord, we've found it!"

"What did you find?"

"As soon as I mentioned the six fingers, someone in the yamen guessed the identity of the owner of the missing arm. When the yamen runners went to inquire, they found out that the man had been missing for half a month."

It must be said that both investigators and autopsies are indispensable.

The severed arm was brought back to the yamen, but the officials handling the case didn't even glance at it; they simply posted a notice outside.

No wonder you can't find it.