Chapter 39 – Face Ruined

Chapter 39 - Face Ruined

As the group attempted to flee, Long Qiao strolled over and placed his hand in front of them, sternly stating, "Gentlemen, this is a murder case. Please take a closer look."

"No need, no need," they replied, trying hard to suppress their nausea as they waved their hands. "We've seen him. He's indeed Ma Xiuneng's lackey. That's right, that's right."

At this moment, Jiang Yunxin rose from her seat and walked to another corpse.

"There's still one more," she said, swiftly pulling back the white cloth.

Another bloodied body was revealed to all present.

Jiang Yunxin was taken aback; Niu You's death was even more gruesome than Li Lu's, which she had not anticipated.

Long Qiao's words were truly too subtle.

He had mentioned that both victims were stabbed multiple times. When Jiang Yunxin saw the wounds on Li Lu, she found Long Qiao's description to be rather restrained. Upon seeing Niu You, she now felt a deep sense of sympathy for these men.

The stab wounds on Li Lu were all in his chest and abdomen, each one fatal, turning his upper body into a bloody mess.

But Niu You was different.

There was only one stab wound on his chest.

All the other cuts were on his face.

Even Jiang Yunxin couldn't help but frown slightly. As a forensic expert for so many years, she had never seen a murderer use such a brutal method to kill.

Niu You's face was mangled beyond recognition, with no distinction between his nose and mouth. Though those who knew him well could still discern his features upon close inspection, at first glance, the wounds on his face seemed to have blossomed like flowers.

His entire face had been torn apart.

The visual impact was far more intense than Lu's injuries. The few young masters, who were already feeling nauseous, could no longer hold back and vomited uncontrollably.

Jiang Yunxin and Long Qiao disdainfully moved aside.

They would definitely make these young masters clean up the mess later; otherwise, the Criminal Justice Bureau would end up bearing the brunt of it.

How could one describe these young masters? Similar to Ma Xiuneng, regardless of their appearance, they usually dressed up and carried a folding fan to pretend to be refined gentlemen, thinking of themselves as the cream of the crop in the capital city.

This was likely the most humiliating day of these young talents' lives. Not only did they vomit all over the floor, but they also dirtied themselves. And not just themselves, but also those around them.

Seeing Long Qiao and Jiang Yunxin's undisguised disgust, they felt an overwhelming sense of shame, as if they had lost all their dignity for generations.

If news of today's incident were to spread, how could they face anyone in the future?

Yet, they had no control over their bodies. They couldn't stop the nausea, nor could they hold it back.

Jiang Yunxin and Long Qiao watched them quietly for a moment. Then, Jiang Yunxin spoke, "Perhaps you're unaware, but Ma Xiuneng suffered an even more miserable death. Maybe he wronged some girl in his past."

None of them dared to respond.

Jiang Yunxin continued, intentionally planting seeds of fear, "By the way, since you were such good friends with Ma Xiuneng, be cautious these days. The killer didn't spare even his lackey... who knows what might happen..."

None of them had seen Ma Xiuneng's corpse, but from the whispers they heard, it was said to have been gruesome.

In contrast, the two corpses before their eyes were undeniably real. Their faces, a ghostly white from either fear or vomiting, looked as if they had been dusted with three pounds of flour.

Jiang Yunxin removed her mask.

She approached one of them.

It was Zhang Zhong, the very person who had been spreading gossip about her.

His information was the most up-to-date because his family had a close relationship with the Ma family, hence he knew all sorts of trivia.

Jiang Yunxin said, "Young Master Zhang, right? I have a question for you."

Zhang Zhong was utterly stunned and stammered, "Wh-What do you want to ask?"

Jiang Yunxin continued, "Just now at Misty Rain Tower, I heard you mention that according to reliable sources, Miss Jiang and Ma Xiuneng, though not yet engaged, were already deeply smitten with each other. That Miss Jiang has a particular fondness for Ma Xiuneng and they're inseparable, showing affection for one another?"

Even Jiang Yunxin felt nauseated by her own words.

Zhang Zhong didn't quite understand, but since those were indeed his words, he nodded in confirmation.

Jiang Yunxin said, "As far as I know, while there's an intention for the two families to form an alliance, Miss Jiang doesn't hold any interest in Ma Xiuneng and has already turned down this marriage proposal."

Everyone: "Huh?"

Jiang Yunxin said, "Frankly speaking, when it comes to marriage, are you gentlemen worthy partners? Your backgrounds may be impressive, but if you had sisters, would you wish for them to marry someone like you? Given your character?"

Silenced by her words, Zhang Zhong felt indignant and retorted, "Miss Jiang is different."

Curious, Jiang Yunxin asked, "How so?"

Assuming she was unaware, Zhang Zhong explained, "Miss Jiang isn't favored in the Jiang family. Despite being a legitimate daughter, her mother passed away early, leaving her without support. Though Matthew is known to be a bit of a ladies' man, she'll be his main wife. It's still better than staying at home."

Jiang Yunxin felt a pang in her heart.

Long Qiao glanced at Jiang Yunxin with concern, fearing she might lose her temper.

Despite her recent behavior in the Criminal Affairs Bureau, showing great obedience and even meekness before Fang Mingyan, Long Qiao saw through this facade. He believed that Jiang Yunxin wasn't truly a gentle and submissive person. Just from the nature of her work, which involved seeing blood and corpses, he knew she couldn't be timid or weak.

Jiang Yunxin exhaled softly.

Phew.

Since ancient times, a child with a mother is cherished like a treasure, while one without is as insignificant as grass. She understood and endured. No longer a naive child, she had weathered the toughest phase, and she no longer needed the Jiang family's affection or familial warmth.

If it existed, she would welcome and reciprocate it.

If not, then so be it.

Jiang Yunxin scoffed, "You don't even know Miss Jiang, how can you possibly know her thoughts? To baselessly speculate and publicly slander her reputation is truly despicable."

Jiang Yunxin had even consulted Xue Dongyang on whether she could sue Zhang Zhong.

Was there a defamation law in this era?

Surely, the authorities would intervene if someone's innocence was so wantonly maligned, wouldn't they?

Xue Dongyang assured her definitively, "Yes, there is."

However, he still recommended that the matter be settled privately.

Why? Because initially, only a few knew about it, confined to Zhang Zhong's casual remarks among their circle of friends. It might have been mere hearsay, something that would fade away after being said. Even if it spread, people were aware of these individuals' reputations and might not believe the rumors.

Xue Dongyang attempted to reassure Jiang Yunxin.

Being a young lady, she had never paid attention to such matters, hence she was unaware that certain whispers never reached her ears.

In truth, such incidents were abundant in the capital. Not only among common folk or officials' families, but even within the imperial palace, where princesses and noble ladies engaged in secretive conversations and scandalous affairs – the stories were endless.

They were narrated with such vivid detail that one might believe they had been crouching beneath the emperor's bed the previous night.