Chapter 6: Her house was robbed!

The Yizhuang (corpse house).

Cao Chengwu’s body was laid out in the courtyard. A middle-aged man with a goatee hurried over; it was Coroner Zhang from the yamen.

Ye Chutang stood on one side with Ye Yunfeng, while the Cao family stood on the other. The atmosphere was tense.

Seeing the man arrive, Cao Chengwen immediately stepped forward and said urgently

"Coroner Zhang, you must conduct a thorough examination and uncover the truth behind my brother’s death!"

Coroner Zhang nodded repeatedly.

Ye Chutang watched from the side and suddenly remarked, "It is truly moving to see that even though you and your brother were not born of the same mother, your bond is so deep."

Cao Chengwen’s expression stiffened. "I grew up by my mother’s side and was raised alongside my brother; naturally, no one else can compare to our bond!"

All of Jiangling knew that Cao Deping, the owner of the Cao Restaurant, was a man of loose morals. His first wife died in childbirth after giving birth to a son, and less than a month later, he married her younger sister—the current Madam Cao.

Cao Chengwen was a few years older and had always been very close to his younger brother, indulging him greatly. Cao Chengwu had caused no shortage of trouble growing up, and it was almost always Cao Chengwen who helped him resolve it.

Only this time, things had gone too far. He was dead.

Ye Chutang nodded and said nothing more, yet Cao Chengwen felt uneasy, glancing at Ye Chutang from time to time.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Ye Chutang’s question had been...

He looked at Coroner Zhang again, secretly clenching his fists.

Time passed slowly.

Finally, Coroner Zhang finished the autopsy.

Wu Xu immediately asked, "How is it?"

Coroner Zhang sighed and said, "There are no serious external injuries on the body, but there are large patches of purpura, and he died of asphyxiation. I suspect... he ate something he was allergic to before he died. The time of death was likely around the Chou hour (1:00 AM – 3:00 AM) today."

This matched the conclusion Ye Chutang had reached.

Wu Xu nodded and turned to ask Ye Yunfeng, "What did you do after you fought with Cao Chengwu yesterday?"

Hearing the coroner’s words, Ye Yunfeng felt a sense of clarity, and his initial panic subsided significantly.

He said earnestly, "After I fought with him at the academy, I went straight home and didn't see him again. All my classmates at the academy can testify to this!"

Cao Chengwen frowned: "Who knows if you snuck back to find Chengwu later!"

Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow: "A-Feng’s every action at the academy yesterday is verified by his classmates. As for Cao Chengwu, as far as I know, he also went straight home after school. Young Master Cao suspects A-Feng did something in secret—he is only twelve years old; entering the Cao residence without anyone noticing would be a bit difficult, wouldn't it?"

Cao Chengwen’s expression was very ugly.

Because he knew clearly that Ye Chutang’s words were flawless.

After the two who had the conflict left the academy, they both went home and never had contact again.

Under these circumstances, trying to pin the blame on Ye Yunfeng was simply impossible!

"Besides, if it were really A-Feng who tampered with something, Cao Chengwu should have had an allergic reaction immediately, not waited until after a whole night had passed to be discovered," Ye Chutang continued. "And isn't it a strange coincidence that when the Second Young Master of the Cao family had a sudden illness, there happened to be not a single servant around to attend to him, and he wasn't discovered until the next morning?"

Madam Cao, who had been immersed in grief, was stunned by these words and looked up sharply: "W-what do you mean by that!?"

"Madam Cao should understand exactly what I mean."

Ye Chutang did not believe that a woman who had managed to hold onto the position of Madam Cao for so many years was truly brainless. She had likely been too overwhelmed by the sudden loss of her son to think clearly, but now, with just a little guidance, it wouldn't be hard for her to see where the problem lay.

—Cao Chengwu was allergic to river shrimp. Once he touched it, he would have an attack within half an hour. If he felt unwell, surely he would have known to call for help? Yet, nothing happened in the Cao household last night, and by the time the servants discovered the incident, he was already cold.

Whoever did this clearly intended to kill him outright, leaving him no chance at all.

Madam Cao’s eyes were filled with panic and fear.

At this moment, Wu Xu also asked, "Pardon me for asking, Madam Cao, but has your son offended anyone recently?"

"N-no..." Madam Cao recalled repeatedly, murmuring in disbelief, "Although he had a bit of a temper, it was always just petty squabbles. It certainly wouldn't reach the point of wanting to kill him!"

Her words were not without merit.

Cao Chengwu was fourteen this year, spoiled rotten by his family, and had often bullied the weak by relying on his family's status.

But to say he had made a mortal enemy was truly unlikely.

Ye Chutang’s gaze swept over Cao Chengwen calmly, and she asked as if unintentionally: "Then... what about Young Master Cao?"

Cao Chengwen jumped as if pricked by a needle and looked up sharply: "W-what!?"

Ye Chutang stared at him, not missing a single flicker of emotion on his face, though her tone remained calm and indifferent: "I said, since you and the Second Young Master were so close, you must be quite familiar with his situation. Can you think of any suspicious people?"

Cao Chengwen’s lips turned pale: "Oh, oh! Y-you mean that... I don't really know. I've been busy with the shop lately and haven't paid much attention to him."

Wu Xu pondered for a moment and said, "According to the time of death provided by Coroner Zhang, it is very likely that someone from the Cao residence did this."

He raised his hand.

"Start the investigation with those people!"

...

Ye Chutang took Ye Yunfeng back to the medical clinic to await the results of the yamen's investigation.

The sky had turned dark, and there was no one on the secluded path as the siblings walked side by side.

Ye Yunfeng was the type who couldn't hide his thoughts. Seeing that there was no one around, he finally couldn't help but lean over and whisper, "Sister, do you think that Cao Chengwen is suspicious?"

Ye Chutang didn't answer his question directly, but instead brought up another matter: "I heard that Boss Cao hasn't been in good health lately."

Although Ye Yunfeng had a blunt temper, he wasn't dull; he was quick to catch on.

When Ye Chutang said this, he reacted after a few seconds, instantly realizing something: "Sister, are you saying that Cao Chengwen is worried about Cao Chengwu competing with him for the family inheritance?"

Cao Chengwu was only fourteen and might not have had a concept of such things, but Cao Chengwen was already nineteen and would certainly be planning for himself.

As long as Cao Chengwu was dead, the Cao family would be his alone.

Ye Chutang didn't say yes, nor did she say no.

Ye Yunfeng scratched his head, still finding it hard to believe: "But they are brothers, after all. How could he bear to..."

Ye Chutang stopped in front of the medical clinic and then said to him with a faint smile: "You mustn't speak recklessly about things without evidence."

Ye Yunfeng immediately fell silent.

Ye Chutang pushed the door open, but the next moment, her smile froze on her face.

In the courtyard, the little milk-bun she had carefully looked after for three years was currently nestled in a man's arms, earnestly gnawing on a hibiscus cake.

Hearing the movement, the two—one large and one small—looked up in unison.

Meeting those deep, phoenix eyes that seemed to be smiling, only one thought crossed Ye Chutang’s mind—

Her house had been robbed!!!