Chapter 140 (1/2)
Chapter 140: A Haze of the Rusted Nail
Because of the frowning eyes, Shangguan Yangyus's two triangular eyes looked even uglier. He gently rubbed the spa.r.s.e beard under his jaw, looking at Lin Ling with an abomination, and said, ”Indeed, you have brought back the return doc.u.ment from the Military Ministry and Imperial Center Administration also proved your ident.i.ty. So the government won't punish you for your leaving the barrack privately. However, you should be aware that the case has already ended for a long time. If the coffin is to be reexamined for your unproved words, isn't it too rash?”
Those words showed that the conversation between the two sides did not go well previously in the yamen of Chang'an Local Government, let alone a pleasant dialogue. After a moment of silence, Lin Ling said softly, ”Dear prefectural magistrate, if Chang'an Local Government insists in not re-examinating the coffin, I have to invite someone of the Military Ministry.”
”You're using Military Ministry to threaten me?” Shangguan Yangyu had always been a coward official. But now he had the opportunity to be the leader of the local government in Chang'an and was unwilling to lose face in front of his subordinates. So he sneered and reminded the opposite. ”The censor is buried in the tomb. Even if the case is changed, it's also the capital's security problem. If the government doesn't say anything, even the Military Ministry is not justified to intervene it. Do you need me to go to the Royal Government arguing with your general?”
Lin Ling thought about the military adviser's suggestions before the departure and looked at the prefectural magistrate of Chang'an City. He suddenly understood something and said with a smile, ”Your Grace, I just found something doubtful. So I informed Chang'an Local Government. Since you're willing to come to the cemetery, you must naturally want to investigate the case. But I just don't know what you need me to pay attention to. Please say it bluntly.”
Shangguan Yangyu became slightly happy. After gently rubbing the beard and thinking for a moment, he said emotionlessly, ”If any case has something doubtful, whether the censor's or ordinary people's, the government is on behalf of his Majesty to manage the jurisdiction of Chang'an City and naturally has to seriously deal with it. But you have to be clear, this matter has nothing to do with the Military Ministry or General Xia Hou.”
Lin Ling understood the implicit meaning in the prefectural magistrate's words. After a moment of pondering, he lowered the voice to ask, ”I've returned to Chang'an for other business. But accidentally I discovered... something wrong with the censor's remains in the tomb?”
”That's it.” Shangguan Yangyu glanced at him indifferently and said, ”And you have to remember that regardless of the later outcome of opening the coffin, you can only secretly investigate it before finding the suspicious culprit. Especially don't let the wife of Censor Mansion know it.”
An officer who listened to these words said embarra.s.sedly, ”Your Grace, if you want to open the coffin to have an autopsy, you'd better inform the Censor Mansion. Otherwise, it'll be very hard for us to be in the right if we later start a lawsuit.”
Shangguan Yangyu listened to the subordinate's advice but did not answer, still quietly watching Lin Ling. The meaning of his reaction was very clear. The opposite must bear the responsibility of ignoring the Censor Mansion to open the coffin.
Neither in the name of the Military Ministry or General Xia Hou, if it did not go well later, one also had to bear the responsibility. Lin Ling's face showed a bitter smile. He thought that Chang'an city's officials, whether the Book officials he has dealt with the other day or the prefectural magistrate who lowered the status to come on his own today, were all so cunning.
If under other circ.u.mstances, Lin Ling was certainly unwilling to bear the responsibility. Without the protection of Military Ministry and the general, even if he was a Psyche Master in Seethrough state, he would get in trouble when facing the anger of the Censor Mansion. However, ordered by the general, he was very sure there was something wrong with the remains in the tomb. So after a moment of silence, he watched the officer Shangguan Yangyu and nodded to say, ”As you wish.”
”Very good.” Shangguan Yangyu looked calm but began to feel the rising anxiety inside the heart. This Psyche Master from the northeastern border army dared to bear such a heavy responsibility, which showed that he was very sure about the situation in the tomb. Therefore, there seemed to be some conspiracies hidden in the censor Zhang Yiqi's death.
The coroner official held all kinds of tools waiting beside the censor's tomb. Until at noon in the spring, with the most positive Qi in a day, the cemetery workers shouted loudly and transferred a clean tomb that was swept by the family yesterday into a noisy site under the command of Chang'an Local Government officials.
The tomb was opened from the back, with a black coffin lying peacefully in the damp grave. The workers put the wooden racks above the tomb and tied seven ropes. They shouted together and spent a long time to hang the heavy coffin up.
As the coffin was opened, Shangguan Yangyu quickly covered his nose with a handkerchief, only to find nothing smelly after a moment. He frowned and looked inside at a distance from the crowd. He saw the coronery who was stooping his body to have a careful autopsy and vaguely saw something that might be the bones or funeral objects.
After a moment, the coroner went outside the crowd and bowed to Shangguan Yangyu with a respect. Then he uncovered the oil-soaked mask on the nose and mouth. And the sound was made accompanied by a rich mint smell.
”Your Grace, I didn't find anything doubtful.”
”Ah?” Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yangyu glanced at Lin Ling who kept silent beside. His eyes did not show anger or disappointment after being fooled by others, but showed the sense of questioning, for he clearly knew it was certainly not so simple.
Lin Ling looked at the coroner and asked, ”Have you checked the censor's head?”
”Of course I did.” The coroner did not know his ident.i.ty, so he answered it very bluntly.
After a long time of silence, Lin Ling looked at Shangguan Yangyu and said, ”There is a hard object stuck in the censor's skull. I'm not sure it's an iron nail or something else.”