The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#681 - Jade bracelet

After going outside, Xia Huai said, "It seems that this time the strange object is most likely a bracelet."

She said this for a reason.

Because during their investigation in the jewelry store, they discovered that Shishi had obtained a jade bracelet a few days before falling from the building.

It was said to be a gift from a Western Regions merchant after he slept with her. Shishi liked it very much and often showed it off to her sisters after getting it.

According to Shishi's maid, Qiu Niang also seemed to like the jade bracelet very much, and later inquired whether Shishi had any plans to sell the jade bracelet for money.

Once, she went to Qiu Niang's room to find her, and because they were very familiar, she didn't knock.

As a result, after she went in, she found Qiu Niang hurriedly packing up her jewelry box, and she even got angry with her.

"There are three questions," Lu Jing said, holding up three fingers.

"First, the jade bracelet is not in Qiu Niang's belongings, so there is no way to prove that she took the jade bracelet."

"Second, according to the maid, even if Qiu Niang got the jade bracelet, it was about a month ago. From the time she got the jade bracelet to her death by jumping off the building, there were only more than twenty days in between, but Shishi died on the fourth day after getting the jade bracelet. Why is there such a big difference in the time of death between the two?"

"Third, and most importantly, from Shishi's fall to Qiu Niang's death, the jade bracelet only changed hands once, but eleven people died in between, and these eleven people are not from the same brothel. Logically speaking, they shouldn't have been able to come into contact with the jade bracelet. What's going on?"

"So, next we should go to other brothels to take a look," Xia Huai said.

After saying this, the two suddenly fell silent.

Since leaving the academy, the conversation between Lu Jing and Xia Huai has revolved around this case.

The good thing is that, under the guise of official business, Lu Jing finally got Xia Huai to speak, but the bad thing is that once they get away from the case, neither of them knows what to say.

Especially Xia Huai, Lu Jing found that compared to before, there were much fewer smiles on her face, and those two small dimples were about to disappear.

However, saving people is the most important thing right now, and personal matters can only be put aside for the time being.

After that, the two went to four more brothels and found connections between the jade bracelet and the different deceased.

Moreover, after their deaths, the jade bracelet also disappeared without a trace.

Finally, the two arrived at the yamen's morgue and found the prostitute who had just died last night.

Lu Jing carefully examined the corpse of the prostitute, and then said to Xia Huai, "Besides the injuries from falling from a height, there are no other wounds on her body, and there are no traces of being bound and dragged by ropes."

Xia Huai focused on examining the corpse's left wrist, pointing to a shallow mark on it and saying, "She also has the habit of wearing bracelets, but I don't know if she was wearing that jade bracelet."

After a pause, she added, "It's getting dark. We must find the whereabouts of the jade bracelet now, otherwise, I'm afraid there will be the sixteenth victim tonight."

Lu Jing nodded, "I have already asked people to investigate. In addition, I have also asked the gangs in the city for help, sending good people to keep an eye on all the brothels in the city. Once someone is about to fall from the building, they will intercept them in advance. So, next we can check the origin of the bracelet."

It must be said that, so far, the progress of this case has been quite smooth.

It seems simpler than any case Lu Jing had handled before.

Almost as soon as they started, they found the main culprit. The remaining question is how to deal with that strange object, and with Lu Jing's skills, this doesn't seem to be a concern.

However, Lu Jing couldn't be happy. If this case is solved tonight.

Wouldn't that mean that he and Xia Huai haven't made any progress on this trip?

So, Lu Jing tried to say, "After this case is over, shall we go see Doctor Jia together?"

Xia Huai remained silent.

"And my master, the old man has always wanted to see you."

"Senior Zhang, I have always admired him, but I think it will be very late when we finish the case, so let's not bother him, shall we?" Xia Huai finally spoke, politely declining.

"Then what about tomorrow morning?"

"Let's talk about tomorrow's affairs tomorrow."

Lu Jing wanted to say something more, but the yamen constable had already arrived, and he respectfully cupped his fist at Lu Jing, "Hero Lu."

"Constable Fei," Lu Jing could only turn his attention back to the matter at hand, politely returning the greeting, "Has the merchant been found?"

"The Western Regions merchant you mentioned only stayed in Wujiang City for less than three days before leaving in a hurry. As for the bracelet, he bought it from a pawnshop in the city, spending seventy taels of silver."

"Things from the pawnshop?" Lu Jing was stunned.

"Yes, the original owner of this bracelet is said to be a scholar surnamed Zeng. Although he failed to pass any imperial examinations, fortunately, his family was still well-off. He had an ancestral home in the city and several pieces of land outside the city. Even if he did nothing, he would at least have no worries about food and clothing.

"But unfortunately, he once went drinking with friends and met a girl named Hongzhu. The scholar surnamed Zeng was immediately captivated by Hongzhu's soul at first sight.

"After that, he often went to that brothel to look for Hongzhu. Because he was generous and often brought some small gifts, it didn't take long for that Hongzhu girl to favor him.

"The scholar surnamed Zeng thought he had found true love, so he became even more diligent, spending money like water. But after all, he was not from a wealthy family, and soon the money he had on hand was spent.

"So, he began to pawn valuable things at home, and even sold the land outside the city. When this money was also used up, he pawned the ancestral home and continued to indulge in pleasure with Hongzhu.

"The two made vows of eternal love. Seeing that the last sum of money was about to be spent, the scholar surnamed Zeng was afraid that he would never see his new lover again, so he instigated Hongzhu to elope with him.

"That night, he took ropes to Hongzhu's residence, preparing to escape together by climbing out of the window, but unexpectedly, Hongzhu temporarily changed her mind and was unwilling to live a life of hiding. Seeing that he was emotional, she even wanted to call the thugs in the building to drive him out.

"As a result, the scholar surnamed Zeng jumped out of the window in anger and fell to his death on the roadside. The bracelet is said to have been left to him by his mother. He had always cherished it, and finally pawned it to exchange for travel expenses, but unfortunately, he would never be able to use this money again," Constable Fei said.