Chapter 318 - 304: An Uproar in the City...
The news of the theft of Miss An’s body from the An Mansion had already caused a massive uproar in Anhe City. After all, the An Mansion servants had scoured nearly every street and alley in the city, asking questions.
"Did you hear? The body of the young lady from the An Family in the south of the city was stolen!"
"My heavens! For real?! Who could be so vile? To not even leave the dead in peace?"
"It’s absolutely true! The An Mansion servants were asking if anyone saw suspicious people carrying a big chest!"
In an instant, from teahouses and taverns to street corners and back alleys, everyone was discussing this unprecedented case.
Reactions among the common folk varied.
The kind-hearted, upon hearing the news, wrung their hands and sighed, cursing the grave robber as utterly depraved and wishing them a terrible end.
Those who felt it was none of their business simply listened for a moment, shook their heads, and went back to worrying about their own livelihoods. After all, in times like these, putting food on your own table was more important than anything else.
Of course, there were also the troublemakers who lived for a bit of chaos.
"Hey, hey, have you heard? The latest news! Someone saw that storyteller from Yuelai Inn, Mu Ling—Miss An’s fiancé—carrying a big wooden chest into the Su Mansion!"
"What?! The Su Family?! You mean the one with the Immortal?"
"Now this is going to be a good show! Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry to the gates of the Su Mansion and have a look! We might even get to see Miss Su pass judgment in person!"
And so, countless onlookers, clutching bags of melon seeds and carrying small stools, called over their friends and began to gather in the direction of the Su Mansion.
Meanwhile, the community of casual players in Anhe City also exploded with discussion over the news.
[Regional Channel]:
[GossipLover]: Extra! Extra! Something big is happening in Anhe City! An Qinyao’s body was stolen, and rumor has it the NPC who stole it took the chest into the Su Mansion!
[TheCrowd]: WTF?! Stealing a corpse? That’s intense! Sounds like some major drama!
[IAmAPrefectToo]: Let’s go watch the drama, bros!
[JustLivingLife]: You think this will trigger a quest? Let’s gather at the Su Mansion gate! I want a front-row seat for the drama! Maybe Miss Su will even issue a high-reward quest?
[FuckTheSystem]: The Su Mansion? That Miss Su again? Hmph, we still haven’t settled the score with her for stopping us last time! Perfect. Let’s go see if we can cause some trouble for her!
Of course, a portion of the player base couldn’t care less.
[ILoveMerchantRuns]: Drama? What drama is more important than hauling goods and making money? Yo, the price of silk at the south gate just dropped again. Anyone wanna join?
[MerchantPro]: I’m in! Let’s go!!!
...
This case of corpse theft not only stirred up the common folk and the players but also quickly reached the ears of the various powers within the city.
In Wang’s Cloth Shop in the west of the city, Mr. Wang couldn’t help but let out a long sigh and shake his head repeatedly upon hearing the news. "What a sin! Miss An was such a fine young woman. Not only did she die young, but now she can’t even find peace in death..."
"And that Mu Ling... he always seemed like such a well-read and reasonable person. How could he do something so foolish? Sigh!"
Similarly, other gentry and prominent families, upon hearing the news, also hurried toward the Su Mansion.
Meanwhile, in the rear hall of the government office.
City Lord Zhao Decang and his advisor were leisurely sipping new tea. ’The biggest potential troublemaker, Ma Tietou, is already locked up. Surely nothing else can go wrong this time.’
However, trouble came one after another. A government official rushed in to report that the body of the young lady from the An Family in the south of the city had been stolen.
After hearing the report, Zhao Decang just gave a faint "Mm" without even raising an eyebrow.
The advisor commented from the side, "The An Mansion... for such a major incident to occur and them not even report it to the authorities, it truly is..."
"If they don’t report it, then it has nothing to do with us," Zhao Decang said, blowing on the foam of his tea with an air of indifference.
However, the official’s next words nearly made him drop the teacup in his hand.
"...Reporting to my lord, the rumor outside is that... that the storyteller from Yuelai Inn, Mu Ling, stole Miss An’s body and... and carried it into the Su Mansion..."
"What?!" Zhao Decang shot up from his chair, his leisurely expression completely gone, replaced by shock and anger.
"That Mu Ling! Is his brain filled with mush?! If he had to steal a corpse, fine, but of all the places to take it, he had to take it to the Su Mansion?!"
He paced back and forth in the room, fuming and muttering, "The Su Mansion! That’s a place presided over by the Su Family’s Immortal! I just finished discussing the city’s planning and important matters with the master of the Su Family, and now this guy has gone and caused this huge mess for me right after!"
"What is the Immortal’s status? And what is Mu Ling’s?! A broke-ass storyteller dares to ask an Immortal for a favor?! Does he even know his own place?! Even I have to bow and scrape when I see the Immortal, but him? He just shows up at her door with a coffin!"
The advisor, breaking out in a cold sweat, hurriedly tried to placate him, "My lord, calm your anger, my lord, calm your anger..."
Zhao Decang stopped pacing abruptly, forcing himself to recall the details of An Qinyao’s case. ’There... there shouldn’t be any major oversights... Besides, it’s not like I did it, so why should I have a guilty conscience? It was done so covertly, and Mr. An wouldn’t even allow an autopsy. It’s perfectly normal for the government office to be unable to solve it, right?’
He composed himself and immediately gave an order: "Since this matter now involves Miss Su, we can’t just stand by and do nothing!"
"Advisor, you take a team of Government Officials and wait outside the Su Mansion! Remember, don’t go in, just wait at the gate! See what instructions Miss Su might have! I’ll be right behind you!"
...
Meanwhile, in a small courtyard in the eastern part of the city, several people were gathered.
The clamor in the room made Liu Yue’s face look weary. She sat in her chair and let out a long sigh. ’That Ma Tietou, he’s more of a hindrance than a help... How did he manage to get himself caught...’
She rubbed her throbbing temples, her eyes filled with irritation and a sinister gloom.
’We haven’t even figured out the details of the Guixi Sect, and we still haven’t tested the attitude of that Immortal from the Su Family, but you? You went and got yourself captured! And by some "righteous hero," no less... You can just stay in there and cool your head!’
Just as Liu Yue was feeling vexed, the figures shuffled closer again.
They were men and women, old and young, but without exception, their faces all bore an unconcealable mixture of anxiety and greed.
"Yue..." a weaselly-looking young man spoke up first. "About... our business... are we really going to wait any longer? I’ve been drooling over his acres of prime paddy fields for a long time..."
"That’s right, Miss Liu," a relatively well-dressed woman next to him chimed in. "I’m also worried that if we keep dragging this out, I’m afraid delays will breed new problems...!"
In an instant, the room was filled with a cacophony of voices, all urging and complaining.
"All of you, shut up!!" Liu Yue slammed her hand on the table. Her pretty face, which usually wore a gentle smile, was now completely frosted over!