Chapter 228: Laying the Body to Rest

Chapter 228: Preparing the Body for Burial

Xie Yan nodded, "Mingchao, I understand."

He was not the type to be unreasonably jealous or petty.

"Don't worry."

Lu Mingchao gazed at the fingers that rested on the back of her hand.

Xie Yan's hands were long and bony, used for drawing bows, taming horses, and wielding swords. They weren't smooth or flawless, with calluses on the tiger's mouth and fingertips.

Yet, these very hands radiated a warm, jade-like glow, making her feel deeply secure and comfortable.

She had traveled into this world from another, not as a naive teenager.

She no longer envied the dramatic, intense love stories filled with highs and lows, where love was cold and fleeting.

She yearned for steadfastness and emotional stability.

She and A Yan would eventually reach the end of their journey and watch the clouds rise.

Lu Mingchao lowered her head, gently nuzzling her chin against the back of Xie Yan's hand, whispering softly, "How fortunate I am."

Xie Yan stood quietly, his eyes tender and serene.

Outside the window, the bamboo grove swayed, casting dappled shadows across his face.

Lu Mingchao looked up, and the picturesque scene before her took her breath away.

"Wait for my return."

The golden ring on her finger gleamed brilliantly in the warm spring sunlight.

Xie Yan thought, his heart at peace.

Like drinking water, only the drinker knows its temperature.

...

"Xie Yan respectfully greets Magistrate Xu." Xie Yan bowed.

Magistrate Xu rubbed his aching temples, "Sit."

"What brings you here, nephew?"

Xie Yan sat down as instructed, slightly frowning, "Are you feeling unwell, Your Honor?"

"Just a minor ailment, nothing serious."

Despite his words, the fatigue in Magistrate Xu's voice was unmistakable.

Heir Gu had just arrived when Sun Zhiye died.

Who knew what chaos would ensue next.

"Following Heir Gu's instructions, I sent a Yamen Runner to inform Madam Sun."

"But according to the neighbors, Madam Sun has gone out to visit family and friends, and her return is uncertain."

Xie Yan's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Visiting family and friends?

Most likely, she has taken the second young master of the Sun family's mistress with her and left Changhe County.

"Your Honor, I humbly propose that the matter of handling the burial arrangements be entrusted to me. I will ensure it is done properly," Xie Yan stated directly.

Magistrate Xu's heart skipped a beat in alarm, and he couldn't help but wonder.

Was he planning to completely destroy the body?

No matter the hatred, one shouldn't desecrate the dead.

With a single glance, Xie Yan realized Magistrate Xu had misunderstood and quickly clarified, "Death settles all debts. I plan to prepare a modest coffin for Sun Zhiye and find a suitable burial site so he may rest in peace."

Magistrate Xu let out a sigh of relief, and his opinion of Xie Yan improved somewhat.

"Then I entrust it to you."

"Young man, you have a truly kind heart."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Xie Yan said, bowing his head and cupping his hands.

"Besides Sun Zhiye's funeral arrangements, there is one more matter I wish to discuss with Your Honor."

With one troublesome matter resolved, Magistrate Xu felt a wave of relief.

He waved his hand dismissively, "Speak your mind."

Xie Yan laid out his plan to Magistrate Xu, leaving him dumbfounded.

This was turning Princess Pingning into a weapon!

These young people had boundless audacity!

With Yongming Grand Princess still alive, Princess Pingning's status was almost royal.

With a few casual words, Xie Yan proposed using Princess Pingning against Heir Gu.

Birds of a feather flock together, and those who run with the bold become reckless.

Magistrate Xu doubted his naive son could stay clear of such schemes.

Otherwise, his frail frame couldn't handle the fallout or clean up the mess.

"Is this feasible?" Xie Yan asked.

Magistrate Xu: ...

Is this feasible?

Magistrate Xu attempted to hide his unease by lifting his teacup. His calm expression betrayed no extra emotion, but the ripples in the tea revealed the turmoil in his heart.

Would it still be possible for him to return to Runan and take up farming?

Magistrate Xu recalled his father's advice, swallowed hard, and steeled himself, "It's feasible."

"I'll write to my elder brother right away, and he'll let my sister-in-law know," said Magistrate Xu.

"Thanks, Your Honor," replied Xie Yan.

Magistrate Xu forced a smile, "It's the least I can do."

Xie Yan spotted Sun Zhiye's body, covered with a straw mat, in the open area outside the county jail.

The straw mat was stained with large, drying patches of blood.

Xie Yan lifted the straw mat, revealing Sun Zhiye's pale, lifeless face.

One arm dangled stiffly at his side, the other clutching his robe tightly, as if protecting something within even in death.

Xie Yan re-covered the body with the straw mat, then took out some silver pieces from his pouch and handed them to the jailer on duty, saying earnestly, "Could you, brother jailer, arrange for a clean burial shroud and a simple coffin?"

"Keep the rest for your trouble."

The jailer weighed the silver in his hand, his eyes gleaming. "Mr. Xie, just wait here; I'll handle it immediately."

With silver to be made, even death's bad luck could turn into good fortune.

"Wait," Xie Yan added. "Brother jailer, did Sun Zhiye have any last wishes?"

The jailer tucked the silver into his sleeve and scratched his head. "I recall Sun Zhiye begging Madam Sun a few days ago for writing materials, books, and paintings."

Xie Yan frowned slightly and handed over more silver. "I'll have to trouble you once more, brother jailer."

"Not a problem at all!" The jailer beamed.

He then called over two servants busy with sweeping and chores, and they left together.

Xie Yan stood beneath a gnarled, flowerless wild plum tree, quietly waiting for the jailer to return.

The jailer, a straightforward man motivated by money, didn't keep Xie Yan waiting.

Xie Yan turned around and allowed the jailer to change Sun Zhiye into the burial shroud.

A soft thud signaled something had fallen to the ground.

The jailer clicked his tongue in surprise. "Who knew Sun Zhiye was such a cultured man? I figured he was guarding treasure, but it was just a bundle of dried plum petals."

The cloth wrapping the plum petals had come undone, and a gust of wind scattered the petals, some landing on the wild plum tree that had long since shed its flowers.

For a moment, it felt as if winter, with its subtle plum scent, lingered on, and spring, with its blooming flowers and revival of all things, had never arrived.

Xie Yan looked up, pondering how the blood-stained plum petals were startlingly red.

Could these plum petals have been picked by Mingchao?

Xie Yan turned to gaze at Sun Zhiye, now neatly dressed, his feelings a tangled web.

Mingchao was his wife, his alone, untouchable by anyone.

Not merely a few plum petals, but even a whole plum tree wouldn't make a difference.

Xie Yan bent down and placed the cloth carrying the scent of plum blossoms into Sun Zhiye's simple coffin.

Hmm, the plum petals aren't needed.

Even withered plum blossom petals deserve to bask in the sunlight, not lie in a dark grave.

"Mr. Xie is indeed a man of great kindness."

"Sun Zhiye, who committed countless wrongdoings, was abandoned by everyone and met a wretched end, with no one to claim his body."

"If it weren't for Mr. Xie, Sun Zhiye would either have been thrown into a mass grave to be devoured by crows and wild dogs, or temporarily placed in the benevolent hall five miles outside the city."

"In any case, he would never have the chance to rest in peace."

"Unmanly."