Master Liu's face immediately showed disappointment. Just then, Meng Changqing walked in with his new wife, smiling and saying, "Brother Liu, are you troubled by something? Your brows are so furrowed. Tell me, brother, perhaps I can help."
"It's a small matter, not worth mentioning," Master Liu replied without hesitation. Recently, he had a batch of goods that Master Meng particularly desired, but he had already promised it to someone else. Seeing him trying to curry favor, he quickly dismissed the thought of transferring it to him.
Meng Changqing felt a pang in his heart, not expecting such bluntness. His new wife, being adept at reading expressions, immediately changed the subject. She handed the box she was holding to the shopkeeper and said gently, "This is a box of rubies from my dowry. Please find me a beautiful design to make a set of jewelry."
Upon hearing this, Master Liu quickly looked up. The shopkeeper had just opened the box, and everyone took a deep breath.
"Such beautiful gems," Master Liu exclaimed first, his face filled with joy.
"Is this Madam Meng? My wife particularly loves rubies. I've been looking for a ruby jewelry set for her and haven't found one. Would you be willing to part with them?" he asked, looking eagerly at Meng Changqing and his wife.
Seeing their stunned silence, he assumed they were unwilling and quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer a loss. Tell me how much you want in silver, and we can discuss those goods."
Meng Changqing was overjoyed, thinking he had found what he sought without even trying, a fortunate coincidence. He quickly looked at his wife.
Although Madam Meng was reluctant to part with the rubies, she could tell how important they were to her husband. Moreover, they were newlyweds, still deeply in love. After a moment's thought, she agreed.
Master Liu immediately asked the shopkeeper to bring out all the designs. He wanted to choose a unique one for his wife, one that would make everyone envious when she went out.
Wu Caiwei watched them with a sense of unreality. In both her past and present life, Master Liu received the rubies on this very day. However, this time, without her, everyone should be able to survive, shouldn't they?
She quietly followed behind him, watching him take the Meng couple to a restaurant for a lavish meal. She then watched him happily return to the Liu residence to share the good news with his wife.
Until nightfall, there was no news of Master Liu's demise. She finally breathed a sigh of relief and slept soundly, waking up late the next morning.
As soon as she opened her door, she saw Feng Yi standing there. She rolled her eyes helplessly, "Why are you haunting me? By the way, did anything unusual happen today? For instance, about Master Liu..."
Feng Yi stared at her, waiting for her to continue, but after a long wait, he was still left hanging. He was puzzled why she was speaking so haltingly today, trying to pique his curiosity.
Seeing his expression, Wu Caiwei knew it was as she had imagined. Otherwise, given her apparent concern for Master Liu yesterday, he would have been the first to report any news to her today.
So, she happily went shopping, tasting every delicious thing she saw, planning to stay in the city for a few more days before returning to visit her baby.
She had been away from him for several days and wondered if the little one was eating well. Honestly, she missed him a bit.
On the morning of the third day, she packed her belongings, slung them over her shoulder, settled her bill with the shopkeeper, and happily set out to find an ox cart to take her back to the village.
As soon as she reached the main street, she heard people chattering. "Did you hear? Master Liu died last night."
"Really? What happened? I saw him yesterday. He didn't look like he was sick."
"Who knows? I don't know exactly what happened. I only heard that the officials went there early this morning."
"Let's go and see the excitement."
...
Wu Caiwei quickly followed the crowd towards the Liu residence. This time, the entrance to the Liu family mansion was crowded. Soon, the body was carried away by the officials.
Wu Caiwei followed them all the way to the yamen. Madam Liu was already there, weeping and recounting the events.
As she listened, Wu Caiwei felt a sense of déjà vu. If she hadn't been standing in the crowd, she would have thought everything was just as it was in her previous life.
"Reporting to Your Honor, the rubies do have a problem, just as Madam Liu described," a doctor said in a low voice as he entered the court.
The county magistrate nodded. The doctor bowed and left. He was a regular at the yamen; the magistrate always called him for examinations in cases, and he was familiar with the procedure. Knowing there was nothing else for him, he left to return to his pharmacy.
"It's unjust, Your Honor! My father bought these as my dowry, intending to have jewelry made for myself. I never expected to encounter Master Liu. And Master Liu, doting on his wife, offered a handsome sum and took them from me. It was all a coincidence," Madam Meng cried out. Although she tried to remain calm, tears couldn't help but fall. She never imagined that her small act of kindness would lead to a murder case.
"I implore Your Honor to investigate. It's possible someone intended to harm my wife, but their plan backfired and caused Master Liu's death," Meng Changqing said after some thought, kneeling down. While he desired those goods, it didn't mean he wanted to be involved in a murder. He trusted his wife implicitly; she would never have handed them over without his consent.
The county magistrate then summoned the owner of the jewelry shop. His account was no different from that of the Meng couple.
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu wept even louder. The county magistrate was in a headache. At this point, everything was clear: it was all a series of coincidences, and the Meng couple was not involved. The crucial task was to find the person who sold the rubies to the Xu family. Just as he was about to adjourn the court,
Wu Caiwei, to everyone's astonishment, stepped into the court. She said calmly, "This humble woman, Zhou Shaoqiu, pays her respects to Your Honor. It's quite a coincidence, but I've seen Master Liu many times in the past few days. Perhaps I can offer some clues to Your Honor. But before that, I request Your Honor to let me examine the rubies."
The county magistrate was silent for a moment, then nodded to his scribe. The scribe quickly brought the rubies before her.
Wu Caiwei picked up a ruby and held it up to the sunlight, then sniffed it. Meng Changqing watched her serious demeanor, his heart pounding. He wondered what her intentions were; he always felt that this woman's appearance boded no good.
After a while, she thanked the scribe.
"What did you see?" the county magistrate asked her with a stern expression.
"This humble woman dares not speculate wildly. I implore Your Honor to summon several doctors to examine these rubies and determine if they contain any poison." Although she spoke with feigned uncertainty, Wu Caiwei's expression was full of confidence. This made the county magistrate wonder, could there really be something hidden within these rubies?