Chapter Twenty-Three: The Inn Murder

Yunshuang was taken aback for a moment. She lowered her head and gazed at the little one, who was ill and a bit muddled, and spoke softly, “Er Ya, what’s wrong?”

“Mother…”

Er Ya still felt dizzy; she was clearly uncomfortable, yet for some reason, her heart was filled with an incomparable sense of peace and contentment. Unable to help herself, the corners of her mouth lifted in a tiny smile, and she murmured, “Er Ya feels so happy.”

Because she could sense that her mother loved her, that her mother would never abandon her—so she felt blissful.

Yunshuang couldn’t help but smile. She crouched down, gently stroked the little girl’s head, and said, “Alright, Mother knows. You have a good rest, hmm?”

After speaking, she instructed Gou Dan to keep an eye on Er Ya, then went to the kitchen to prepare a light, easily digestible porridge made with egg, minced meat, and millet. She also steamed a few sweet potatoes she had bought earlier for herself and Gou Dan.

Sweet potatoes were hard to digest, so Er Ya couldn’t eat them yet.

Lastly, she prepared an extra portion for the little apprentice on duty that night.

She worked alone in the back kitchen, surrounded by endless, silent darkness. As she busied herself, she couldn’t stop a sense of bewilderment from creeping over her.

She had been in this place for less than three days, yet inexplicably, she felt as if she had lived here for a very long time.

In her previous world, she was successful in her career. Her outstanding appearance meant she was never short of admirers, but her heart always felt empty. Having lacked familial warmth since childhood, she had always yearned deep down for a happy, complete family.

So when she arrived here and found herself with two children, she didn’t really resist. Only occasionally, when her mind wandered, would she feel a flicker of uncertainty—was she truly capable of raising these two children well?

That night, the three of them finished a simple dinner and went to sleep.

Yunshuang hadn’t slept well, so she rose very early the next day. As she prepared breakfast for Gou Dan and the others, she also made portions for Doctor Gao and his two young apprentices.

Er Ya had slept well and had no more fever. After a careful examination, Doctor Gao smiled and said, “Your daughter is much better. Observe her for another half day. If she doesn’t develop another fever, you can take her home.”

Yunshuang finally relaxed completely. She thanked Doctor Gao repeatedly and began thinking about seeking out Yan Fang to ask how the matters she’d entrusted to him yesterday were progressing.

Yesterday, Yan Fang had said he would stay in Shanyang County these few days and could be found at the yamen if needed.

But before Yunshuang could leave, a young soldier under Yan Fang’s command came to find her. His face was grave as he said, “Madam Yun, something has happened. Deputy Commander Yan told me to bring you quickly.”

This young soldier had been with Yan Fang’s group yesterday, so Yunshuang recognized him.

Something had happened?

A faint unease rose in Yunshuang’s heart. She immediately replied, “Very well, I can go right now.”

How could something have gone wrong? By all rights, the method she’d devised for Lady Luo should have been foolproof!

If it wasn’t her plan that had failed, then the only other possibility was that something had happened to someone involved.

At this moment, Doctor Gao happened to be seeing off a patient. Noticing Yunshuang standing to the side looking grim, he couldn’t help asking, “Madam Yun, has something happened? Is this your… husband?”

Since the young soldier was here on county business, he wasn’t in uniform and looked like any ordinary gentleman.

Yunshuang shook her head. “No, Doctor Gao, sorry to trouble you. I have something urgent to attend to. Could I ask you to look after Er Ya again?”

“Of course, of course,” Doctor Gao replied quickly, thinking something serious must have happened. “You can leave the child with me; go take care of your business.”

Yunshuang glanced apologetically toward the Tongxin Hall.

Once again, she had to leave the little girl here alone.

Although, based on the gossip Sister Hua had shared and the reputation of Tongxin Hall, Yunshuang knew Doctor Gao was a kind and responsible physician, it was impossible not to worry when leaving such a young child behind.

She could only do as she had yesterday—finish her business as quickly as possible and hurry back.

This time, she didn’t bring Gou Dan either, leaving him to watch over Er Ya. The young soldier’s words had made it clear that this was not a situation suitable for children.

Once out of Tongxin Hall, the young soldier quietly explained the situation to her. “Yesterday, as you suggested, Deputy Commander Yan had people keep a close watch on Lady Lianxin. Sure enough, this morning, she snuck out the Luo family’s back door and headed straight for Yiyuan Inn.”

Yiyuan Inn was one of the inns in Shanyang County.

There were only a handful of notable inns in the county; Yiyuan was a middling one—not the best, but not the worst.

The young soldier continued, “But when our people followed her to Yiyuan Inn, they found chaos. After inquiring, they learned that someone had died at the inn this morning!”

Someone had died!

Yunshuang’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t interrupt him.

“Our people were astonished, but what was even more surprising was that, after hearing someone had died at the inn, Lady Lianxin panicked. Before the yamen officials arrived, she slipped inside and found a woman among the crowd.

“That woman turned out to be none other than Lady Luo, who had been missing for so long!

“Now, because of the murder at Yiyuan Inn, the yamen has sealed off the whole place—no one is allowed out. As soon as Deputy Commander Yan learned of this, he sent me to find you.”

Yunshuang immediately asked, “Where is Deputy Commander Yan? Has he gone there?”

“He has,” the soldier nodded. “He’s gone with the Commander.”

Commander Jiang?

He really was taking this case seriously.

Yunshuang asked nothing more. There was no point—the young soldier hadn’t been to the crime scene and knew little else.

Yiyuan Inn wasn’t on the main street, but the street it stood on, Lai’an Street, was a bustling thoroughfare, second only to the main avenue in Shanyang County.

Before Yunshuang even reached the inn, she could see a crowd gathered outside, eager for a glimpse of the commotion. The young soldier led her in through the back entrance.

Yiyuan Inn was a sizeable, three-story building. The first floor served as a dining and resting area for guests, while the second and third floors were for lodging.

At that moment, everyone in the inn had been herded into the main hall on the first floor. Yamen officers guarded every exit, while a cacophony of voices echoed from the hall—

“…We didn’t kill anyone! Why won’t you let us leave?”

“Officers, I have a delivery to make outside town—how long will you keep us here?”

“I…I need to get back to my village. If I’m late, my wife and children will worry!”

“Silence!”

Suddenly, the shrill voice of Magistrate Ding rang out. He was a thin, reed-like man, but when he barked orders, he had a certain authority.

“The victim was killed in this inn this morning. The murderer knocked over a vase in the victim’s room during the attack. Once the body was discovered, Manager Shen immediately ordered that all exits be guarded, so the killer must still be among you!

“Until the yamen has finished its investigation, no one is to leave the inn. Anyone who tries will be treated as obstructing an official investigation—twenty strokes of the cane and a fine of one thousand copper coins!”

As his resolute words fell, the hubbub in the hall subsided considerably.

Yunshuang halted mid-stride. The young soldier leading her noticed right away and was about to ask what was wrong when she quickly said, “Please wait here a moment—I need to buy something,” and ran off.

When she returned, she was carrying a veiled hat, which she quickly placed on her head. “Let’s go.”

No matter the situation, keeping a low profile was the key to survival.

Yunshuang had no desire to become notorious in this world before she’d even found her footing.

The young soldier was speechless.

He had already found it puzzling that Deputy Commander Yan wanted him to bring Madam Yun to the crime scene. Now, his confusion had only deepened.

True, they had found Lady Luo thanks to her plan—but a murder had taken place. What good could Madam Yun do here? Was she buying the veiled hat to shield herself from the sight of the corpse?

Regardless of his misgivings, the young soldier dutifully led Yunshuang to the third-floor corridor outside the crime scene.

There, several people were already gathered—including Jiang Xiao and Yan Fang.

Yan Fang caught sight of Yunshuang in her veiled hat and was briefly startled, but he quickly came over, his face still full of shock. “Madam Yun, you’re here! Do you know? The woman who died today—it was none other than the mistress Fan Youliang has been keeping outside all this time!”