Chapter 513: To Split Hairs
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Niaoniao was very curious. “Why is something from the palace in the hands
of the pirates?”
This was also something Xiao Juan could not figure out.
Yu Niaoniao took the bracelet from him and took a closer look at the sunlight outside the window. The more she looked at it, the more familiar it looked. Seeing her strange expression, Xiao Juan could not help but ask.
“What’s the matter?”
Yu Niaoniao stared at the bracelet and tried her best to search her memory.
“I think I’ve seen this bracelet somewhere. Where is it…
“Ah, right!”
“I remember now. My mother has an emerald bracelet that looks very similar to this bracelet!”
Xiao Juan looked surprised. “Are you sure?”
Yu Niaoniao pointed at the pattern on the inside of the bracelet and said.
“My mother’s bracelet also has this pattern on the inside. She usually treasured this bracelet and usually did not take it out. She would only take it out to wear it on very important occasions.
“She even told me that she wanted to leave that jade bracelet for me as a dowry.
I couldn’t have remembered wrongly.”
Xiao Juan said thoughtfully, “All the jewelry in the palace will be marked. The pattern on the inside of this bracelet is the mark. If the bracelet in your mother’s possesion had this pattern, it meant that the bracelet in her hand also came from the palace. But why does your mother have something from the palace?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “That bracelet was given to her by my stepfather. He said it was the Feng family’s heirloom.”
Xiao Juan said, “I’ve long heard of your stepfather and have sent someone to investigate him. Someone from the Feng family’s ancestors once became an official in the court, but their official positions were not high. It’s unlikely that they would be rewarded by the emperor.”
The two of them looked at the jade bracelet in their hands and felt that there was something fishy about its origins.
Xiao Juan put away the bracelet. “Everything in the palace is recorded. When we return to the Imperial Capital, I’ll go to the palace to investigate the origin of this bracelet.”
Yu Niaoniao nodded. “Yes.”
After the merchant ship left the dangerous beach, it drove even more steadily.
The rain outside the window gradually stopped.
In the evening, Lo Pingsha came to look for Xiao Juan.
“The autopsy results are back. The victim is a man, probably in his fifties. He was thin. He suffered from a variety of illnesses when he was alive. He had rheumatism and the joints in his knees were swollen. He should have felt terrible on a rainy day. His lungs were also a little swollen. It was a congenital lung disease. He should have coughed often when he was alive. The cause of death was obvious. An arrow pierced his heart and he died on the spot. He died quickly and barely experienced pain.”
Xiao Juan listened quietly and asked.
“Is that all?”
Lo Pingsha hesitated before speaking.
“There’s something else. The joints of his right wrist and fingers are slightly deformed. His cervical vertebrae are also slightly bent, as if caused by prolonged writing. But that’s just my guess. The body was burned too badly.
I’m not sure that’s true.”
Xiao Juan nodded. “I understand. It’s been hard on you. Go rest.”
“Aye. ”
Xiao Juan returned to the guest room and told Niaoniao the autopsy results.
Yu Niaoniao became even more curious.
“What kind of person writes for a long time? A teacher? A scholar? Or someone like me who earns money hi hilhli.shing hooks? Bilt either way. they must be cultured. Why would a cultured person appear in a pirate village?”
These days, scholars were very precious. Even if they were short of money, they could be private teachers for rich people or take in a few farmers’ disciples as students. If they really couldn’t, they could be accountants. They wouldn’t be reduced to becoming pirates.
Xiao Juan said slowly, “If we can find out the background of the jade bracelet, we might be able to find out the identity of the deceased.”
Yu Niaoniao sighed. “That’s all we can do now.”
After dinner, Xiao Juan wiped Niaoniao’s face and changed her dressing.
When they were done, they lay on the bed together.
Usually, Niaoniao would fall asleep almost as soon as she touched the pillow, but tonight, she opened her eyes and looked straight at the top of the bed. She did not fall asleep for a long time.
Xiao Juan sensed her abnormality and took the initiative to ask.
“What are you thinking?”
In the silent night, his voice was exceptionally deep. Coupled with the sound of the waves outside, it was especially reassuring.
Yu Niaoniao said, “I’m thinking about the jade bracelet. Could the deaths of my mother and stepfather have something to do with that bracelet?”
Xiao Juan could not answer this question.
Yu Niaoniao muttered.
“I’ve never thought of anything wrong with that bracelet before.
If you hadn’t happened to find this bracelet today, perhaps I wouldn’t have thought of it for the rest of my life. Were there many other clues like this?
But I ignored them.
To think that I claim to have a photographic memory. I’m actually a bad judge of character, right?”
Xiao Juan said in a low voice, “Don’t say that about yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. Perhaps you’re just thinking too much. That bracelet has nothing to do with your mother’s death.”
Yu Niaoniao shook her head. “You don’t have to comfort me. I’m too useless. I haven’t been able to find any useful clues that made my mother and stepfather die with grievances. That’s why they’re guiding us to find this bracelet.” Xiao Juan pulled her into his arms.
“Don’t split hairs to go down a dead end. It’s not what you think.”
He realized that although Niaoniao usually looked optimistic and open-minded; it was as if there was nothing in the world that could defeat her.
However, as long as it involved Madam Xie and Feng Lianghan’s deaths, it was very easy for Niaoniao to lose her mind.
In the end, it was because she cared too much.
Yu Niaoniao leaned into Xiao Juan’s arms and only calmed down after a long time.
She nuzzled the lapel of his shirt.
“I want to go back to Bashu.”
Xiao Juan said, “When I return to the Imperial Capital this time and settle what I’m doing, I’ll accompany you back to Bashu.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “I can’t wait anymore.”
Xiao Juan hugged her tighter. “Yes.”
Ten days later, the merchant ship successfully arrived at the crossing of Daqian City.
After Xiao Juan and the others landed, they bade farewell to Wang Yue.
When the local county magistrate learned that Duke Lang was here, he personally brought a group of officials to welcome him and warmly invited them to drink and eat.
Xiao Juan refused their banquet and mentioned the destruction of the pirates.
He asked tne county magistrate to send someone to tne pirates’ village to deal with the follow-up matters.
The county magistrate naturally agreed.
Those pirates had always been his greatest worry, but because the cunning pirates were extremely good at swimming and were very familiar with the terrain, he could not capture them at all with the few people in the county office,
Now that the group of pirates was dead, the county magistrate was very happy. At the end of the year, these would be his achievements!
Because of this, the county magistrate became even more enthusiastic about Duke Lang and the others.
He sent them all the way to the courier station and got someone to pack food from the best restaurant in the area and send it to the courier station. If not for the fact that he was afraid that Duke Lang would be unhappy, he would have stuffed himself into the courier station to stay.
At night, Xiao Juan removed the gauze and changed the dressing for Niaoniao as usual.
The wounds on her body had scabbed over. In places, the scabs began to fall off.
For the time being, she was recovering very well..
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺