Chapter 128: Young people should not be too vigorous!

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“That vile woman was having an affair outside and contracted a venereal disease, which she concealed all along. My son found out the night before last, and despite her desperate pleas not to expose her, my son was furious, scolded her harshly, and wanted to cast her out of the household,”

“Seeing that her begging was futile, the vile woman ran to the well and threatened to kill herself. Alas, she accidentally fell in, and by the time she was rescued, she had already passed away. As an official, I found this matter disgraceful to my family’s reputation, so I did not report it,

but unexpectedly, it has drawn the attention of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.”

While speaking, Yang Wanlou sighed, his words filled with indignation.

“Marshal Yang need not be angry; if she indeed had an affair, her death is indeed no loss. But if that’s not the case…” Chen Yuan looked at Yang Wanlou with a calm demeanor.

He did not choose to believe these unilateral words.

Yang Wanlou’s face turned angry:

“What do you mean by this, Patrol Guard Chen? Are you suggesting that I am lying?”

“Marshal Yang, there’s no need for anger. The truth of the matter will be clear upon inspection…” Chen Yuan’s tone remained very calm, in stark contrast to the somewhat irritated Yang Wanlou.

After taking a deep breath, Yang Wanlou said in a low voice:

“I have lost my composure. Since Patrol Guard Chen wishes to see, then let’s have a look. Fortunately, the body of that vile woman has not yet been buried.”

After saying this, Yang Wanlou flung his sleeves and turned to lead the way.

But the moment he turned around, Yang Wanlou’s expression became extremely somber, as if he had suddenly become another person.

“Patrol Guard Chen, please…”

The middle-aged butler said softly.

Chen Yuan nodded his head and followed behind him.

The Yang Family’s mansion was very large; Chen Yuan estimated that it had at least three courtyards. While following behind Yang Wanlou, Chen Yuan kept opening his Heavenly Eye to watch where the Yang Family’s ancestral hall was located.

However, there was no response at all.

It seems that the Yang Family’s ancestral hall was in a very hidden place.

There was not much recorded about Yang Wanlou’s daughter-in-law, Madam Yan, in the Heavenly Patrol Bureau’s files. Her father was also an official, but he had been disgraced years ago.

She had not been implicated, supposedly because Marshal Yang had pulled some strings behind the scenes.

As to how he had done it, that remained unknown.

Soon, Yang Wanlou brought Chen Yuan to the most remote room in the Yang Family’s house. The surrounding houses were uninhabited and seemed somewhat cluttered.

He pushed the door open, and inside there was a black coffin, well-sealed and fastened with rivets, seemingly prepared for a swift burial.

“Although this vile woman has tarnished the Yang Family’s reputation, I have still prepared a coffin for her.” Yang Wanlou said with some displeasure, pointing at the coffin ahead of him.

Chen Yuan nodded and said nothing, stepping forward to remove the rivets one by one and then, with a strong push, he slid the coffin lid aside.

The corpse was revealed.

The whole body was pale and swollen from being soaked in water, clearly indicating that quite a bit of well water was trapped in her belly. Chen Yuan’s gaze narrowed slightly as he casually asked:

“Previously you mentioned Marshal Yang, that Madam Yan fell into the well accidentally?”

“Yes.”

“And she was immediately pulled out?”

If she had been pulled out immediately, the body would not be as bloated, and not turned pale from being soaked.

Yang Wanlou looked at Chen Yuan:

“My son is frail by nature and not versed in martial arts; he couldn’t rescue her quickly. Therefore, this vile woman was soaked in the well for a long time, causing her to bloat like this,” Yang Wanlou said, along with an explanation.

Chen Yuan picked up a stick from the side and poked at Madam Yan’s body, which was slightly stiff.

“Marshal Yang, I wish to examine the body…”

“How would you like to examine it?” Yang Wanlou frowned.

“What do you think, Marshal Yang?”

Chen Yuan replied.

He didn’t know much about examining a body; he actually wanted to look for traces on Madam Yan’s body. After all, Yang Wanlou had mentioned that she had a venereal disease, and that would definitely leave some marks.

At the very least, there would be some small red bumps on her body.

(Don’t ask how the author knows this)

Yang Wanlou’s expression turned slightly sour as he quickly refused:

“No, that cannot be. Although Madam Yan has disgraced our family, she is now a corpse of the Yang Family. How can her body be inspected by Patrol Guard Chen, a man? If word of this got out, how could my Yang Family face anyone?”

“Hehe…”

“Moreover, this death was an accident; there’s nothing suspicious about it. I haven’t even reported it to the authorities. Patrol Guard Chen, please have a quick look. After you’re done, I will bury her at once, out of sight.”

Chen Yuan didn’t respond and lifted Madam Yan’s arm, carefully scanning over her body.

Soon, Chen Yuan focused on Madam Yan’s fingernails, which did not have any scratches or signs of damage…

Anyone with common sense knows that if one accidentally falls into a well and dies, they would instinctively claw at anything nearby. Given the well’s hard walls, a forceful struggle would certainly break and damage the nails, leaving behind traces of blood and tissue.

But on Madam Yan’s body…

Everything was neat and showed no signs of struggling in the well. Even if she had a death wish, instinct would make her claw, unless she was placed in the well after death!

“Has Patrol Guard Chen discovered something?”

Yang Wanlou watched Chen Yuan closely, urging him.

“What’s the rush, Marshal Yang? Of course, I have found something.”

“What is it?”

He quickly asked.

“Haha, why so nervous, Lord Yang? I was just joking,” Chen Yuan laughed and shifted his gaze away from Madam Yan’s body. He could now confirm.

Madam Yan’s death was definitely not as Yang Wanlou had described; he had lied!

As for why he lied, Chen Yuan’s mind also began to conjure up some possibilities, but none of these could be considered conclusive evidence to directly arrest Yang Wanlou.

Moreover, Chen Yuan’s purpose was not solely focused on Mrs. Yan’s death.

His goal was to locate the Yang Family ancestral hall, and the command given to him by Zhang Xuan was to find the missing Silver from before.

“Yang Wanlou certainly doesn’t appreciate the jokes of Patrol Guard Chen.”

Yang Wanlou’s expression was grave.

“Where is the well into which Mrs. Yan fell? I need to have another look…” said Chen Yuan, his tone shifting.

“Hmph, the people from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau have too much idle time, investigating even the death of a woman so closely. It seems that tomorrow, I must report to the Magistrate so that he assigns your Heavenly Patrol Bureau other matters,” Yang Wanlou retorted with disdain.

“The Magistrate has no authority over the Heavenly Patrol Bureau; Yang Sima’s threats would be best kept to himself. Otherwise, Chen Yuan has reason to suspect you are involved in Mrs. Yan’s death!”

Chen Yuan stated bluntly.

“How dare you threaten me?”

“Is this a threat, or does Yang Sima have a guilty conscience, fearing to let Chen Yuan inspect the crime scene, lest I discover something?”

Chen Yuan gazed unflinchingly into Yang Wanlou’s eyes.

His power mattered not; it was beyond his reach to oversee the affairs of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau. Their primary duty was to serve as the eyes of Heaven, to inspect all matters under the sky.

Yang Wanlou was taken aback by the staunchness of the junior Heavenly Patrol Guard, taking in a deep breath before responding in a hushed tone:

“Patrol Guard Chen, young people should not be overzealous.”

Chen Yuan smiled, somewhat disdainfully:

“Isn’t it characteristic of youth to be zealous?”

“You…”

“Master, it’s no trouble for me to show Patrol Guard Chen…” the butler interjected hastily.

Yang Wanlou looked at Chen Yuan, suppressing the fury in his heart:

“Fine, then you take Patrol Guard Chen for a look. But if you find nothing, I’d like to see what you have to say!” After those words, Yang Wanlou left with a sweep of his sleeve.

“Do not be angered, Patrol Guard Chen. The master is merely dissatisfied with the young mistress…” the butler quickly offered with an apologetic smile.

“It’s no bother. However, do remind Yang Sima that with age, one shouldn’t be so irritable. Excessive anger harms the body,” replied Chen Yuan with a smile.

“Hehe… Patrol Guard Chen, please follow me. The well is in the backyard,” said the butler, gesturing with his hand.

“Butler, lead the way promptly,” Chen Yuan responded.

Following the Yang mansion’s butler towards the backyard, Chen Yuan asked many questions along the way, which the butler answered. If he genuinely couldn’t answer, he merely smiled.

“Butler Yang, I’ve walked through a good portion of your mansion; why haven’t I seen the ancestral hall yet?” Chen Yuan asked subtly.

The butler was slightly startled, then with narrowed eyes, he whispered:

“I’m not too sure about that…”

Chen Yuan’s gaze sharpened. Could the butler of the Yang mansion truly be unaware of the location of the ancestral hall?

Clearly, he was merely reluctant to say more.

“Why does Patrol Guard Chen ask this question?”

“Oh, no particular reason, just asking casually,” responded Chen Yuan.

The butler smiled, pointing toward a well next to a willow tree:

“Patrol Guard Chen, this is where the young mistress fell.”

Chen Yuan surveyed the well from top to bottom. There was nothing remarkable about it. As he approached and peered inside, the water appeared murky, with no possibility of seeing its depths.

Moreover, the area around the well seemed to have been cleaned, looking spotless, almost as if it had been deliberately tidied.

The butler stood by calmly watching Chen Yuan look around, his expression unchanged and detached, as if he were merely an observer.

“Have you finished inspecting, Patrol Guard Chen?” the butler asked with a smile.

“What’s the rush… By the way, is the son of Yang Sima present in the mansion? Since Mrs. Yan was his wife, it is customary for me to inquire further,” Chen Yuan added.

“The young master is of weak constitution and has been upset by the matter concerning the young mistress, so…”

The butler began to refuse tactfully.

However, before he could finish speaking, Chen Yuan interjected:

“Alright, I’ll be careful. Butler Yang, lead the way.”

“I…”

“Since you are aware of the working style of our Heavenly Patrol Bureau, you would not refuse my request, would you?” Chen Yuan threatened bluntly.

“Follow me, Patrol Guard Chen,” the butler said, his voice tight. He gave Chen Yuan a deep look and then turned to lead the way.

…

“Young Master Yang.”

Seeing the pale-faced young man on the bed, Chen Yuan softly called out.

The young man on the sickbed slowly opened his eyes, scanning Chen Yuan with a hint of suspicion, as if questioning who he was.

Before Chen Yuan could speak, the butler quickly explained:

“Young master, this is Patrol Guard Chen from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, here to investigate the matter of the young mistress’s accidental fall into the well.”

“There is nothing to investigate, Patrol Guard Chen, please leave. That woman simply fell into the water by accident…” After a moment of silence, Yang Qing’an spoke in a low voice.

“Yang Sima stated that Mrs. Yan was unchaste, afflicted with venereal disease, and upon being discovered by Young Master Yang, she threatened to take her life and accidentally fell into the well. Is that the case?” Chen Yuan pressed, staring intently at Yang Qing’an.

“What!”