It was Saturday and the day was crisp and clear. The morning sunshine did not disappoint. It shone radiantly ,its ultra violet light constantly feeding the essential Vitamin D to people regardless of who they were ,what their background was as long as they got exposed to the sun. Saturday was the day when most people chose to do a bit of scrubbing their houses in places they never had before and getting rid of any lurking cobwebs. But that day ,Wen Mingye was in spirits for another thing.
"Xue Yao,do you actually believe that the assassins didn't leave a single evidence at the crime scene where Shan was found or Minister Jinxiu deliberately got rid of it?"Wen Mingye asked unanticipatedly.
Xue Yao instinctively let out an exasperated sigh,"Your Highness can't you realize that Minister Jinxiu doesn't want you to investigate about Young Master Jinxiu's death because you'll only aggravate the situation?"
"But Shan was my best friend I have every right to avenge him,"Wen Mingye argued back justifiably.
"Fine. Fine. But your Highness I think you should finish your assignments before going to carry out your investigation."
"I have no interest in pleasing that mister Mizi so my assignments I will complete them when we get back or tomorrow,"Wen Mingye spoke nonchalantly getting up from his seat.
"And where are we going?"Xue Yao asked curiously.
"You'll know when we get there,"Wen Mingye smirked with a mysterious look on his face.
As Xue Yao followed Wen Mingye across the town, he couldn't tell where they were going. But with Wen Mingye's innate stubbornness which seemingly got extreme from time to time,Xue Yao knew their destination would be an astonishing one. And sure his instincts were right and this he confirmed when they reached at the Minister of Justice's residence.
Unlike other ministers,Bixue Dao the Minister of Justice lived in solitude away from the bustling places in Mingzhou. He spent most of the time in his office at the Judiciary Bureau and only came home during the weekend. This was also the reason why Wen Mingye chose to visit him at such a day. Bixue Dao had only daughters and they had all been married so he lived with his wife Tan Lian and a few servants.
Wen Mingye and Xue Yao were cordially welcomed by Tan Lian who served them tea as they sat inside waiting for Bixue Dao. When Bixue Dao arrived,they gently placed their teacups on the table and stood to greet each other.
"Your Highness I'm really surprised by your visit,"Bixue Dao spoke sluggishly hinting something and chuckled awkwardly afterwards.
Wen Mingye was a smart person so he quickly understood what Bixue Dao was insinuating.
"Minister Bixue, here's the thing. I would like to know if there's any progress with Jinxiu Shan's case,"Wen Mingye spoke straightforwardly.
"Does Your Highness mean to ask if there's any clue that has been found?"
"Exactly."
"It's a strange case and no one is willing to investigate it. Up till now we haven't found any clues yet. The assassin was discreet and trackless. It's like it was one or two of them and that's why they managed to carry out the assassination without traces,"Bixue Dao deduced.
"Did you interrogate the servant who found Jinxiu Shan's body first?"
"Yes. But he didn't say much. The next time we wanted to interrogate him,we found out he had already been sent back to his hometown by the Jinxiu family."
"And where is his hometown?"Wen Mingye asked all of a sudden.
"No one knows and none of his fellow servants knows."
Wen Mingye left Bixue Dao's residence feeling a little disappointed. In his mind, there were a lot of questions. Why did the Jinxiu family send away the servant? Was it because they didn't want the case to be investigated? Or they already knew who the murderer was? These were the assumptions Wen Mingye made as they walked. He seemed so absentminded that Xue Yao had to call out his name a few times to get him back to reality.
Wen Mingye's face suddenly lit up with delight as if he had remembered something or discovered something substantial. He suddenly changed the route and Xue Yao only followed in compliance.
The only person who could answer his unanswered questions was Jinxiu Zhi and so they headed towards Minister Jinxiu's residence. He planned to make it look like a normal visit so he bought apples for Jinxiu Zhi along the way . Jinxiu Zhi loved apples especially the ones bought by someone that she liked or valued like Wen Mingye. She believed the more a person loved you or you loved them the higher the value of their gifts is regardless of the gift size.
When Wen Mingye arrived,Jinxiu Zhi was seated inside one of the open-air pavilions atthe residence. On the table,there was a pile of books and other stationeries. She seemed to be working on something. Wen Mingye and Xue Yao slinked along the pathway heading to the open- air pavilion hoping to surprise Jinxiu Zhi.
As planned,she was surprised and delighted to see them. She had been feeling weary as she tried to compose a poem and now that they were here she felt reenergized.
"You're very hardworking I haven't even started writing my poem,"Wen Mingye started the conversation casually hoping to arrived at the desired point.
"Brother Mingye, you're a smart person. I'm sure it won't take long for you to write one," Jinxiu Zhi complimented.
"Well, why do feel your comment sounds rather backhanded?"Wen Mingye smiled mischievously and they both laughed afterwards.
"How is it backhanded? You don't believe you're actually smart?"
"Maybe I am. By the way I noticed that Heart Pavilion has been locked,"Wen Mingye inquired indirectly changing the topic.
Heart Pavilion was the former residence of Jinxiu Shan.
"Yeah. My father said no one should go there."
"Really? Why?"Wen Mingye asked in curiosity.
Jinxiu Zhi leaned closer and whispered something ,"Brother Mingye,let me tell you, my brother's death is an Absolute Taboo now. My father has banned everyone from talking about it."
Wen Mingye yelped in surprised ,"Why?"
"I also don't know," Jinxiu Zhi replied,a glint of sadness visible in her beautiful almond eyes.
'It makes sense why the servant who found Shan's body was banished from the residence,'Wen Mingye thought silently.