Chapter Eighteen: The Wife of Pan

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  When I looked closely, all I saw was a woman in her late twenties sitting on the ground, wearing a red and yellow satin dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure. The soft curves of her body undulated with the smooth fabric, creating a dazzling display of beauty under the sunlight, exuding an air of mature charm. Looking up further, I saw that her features were only average, barely passable as pretty, except for her pale and delicate skin, and the subtle hint of seductive allure in the corners of her eyebrows and eyes. Even with a look of alarm on her face at this moment, she was still an alluring woman.

  Gao shouted: Ah, what a familiar woman! This woman looks like she's the best of the best, and at an age that's as fierce as a wolf. No wonder even Yang Xiong, such a robust man, can't satisfy her, and she still wants to flirt with Monk Pei Ruhai. With her plump, white, and delicate appearance, plus her deliberate flirting, it's easy to make the monks' souls dizzy. —— But who knows how Pan Qiaoer's ex-husband Wang Yasu actually died?

  On this side, the official was indulging in wild fancies, while on that side, the "盘妻" had already approached a certain part. Pan Qiaoyun saw that her illicit affair had been exposed, and the maid Ying'er again confessed everything, unable to deny it any longer. With a trembling heart, she revealed the whole process of how she had colluded with the monk Pei Ruhai: how he came to pay respects to Old Man Pan as his adopted father; how he pretended to go to the Bao'en Temple to burn incense; how he got Old Man Pan drunk and then said he was going to see the Buddha's tooth; how they designed to take advantage of Yang Xiong's absence on night duty to have a secret meeting at home; and how, under the pretext of teasing, they had driven Shi Xiu away.

  Gao Qiang was hiding in the tall grass, feeling like he was listening to a third-rate storyteller's dirty jokes. On the other side, Yang Xiong, wearing a green hat, had already become enraged and shouted: "You shameless woman!" Just as he was about to take action, Shi Xiu grabbed him and coldly laughed at Pan Qiaoyun, saying: "Sister-in-law, have you said everything now? Is there not even half a point of concealment left?"

  Pan Qiaoyun saw Yang Xiong's furious face, originally sallow but now iron-green with rage, and was so frightened that her soul was about to leave her body. Seeing Shi Xiu holding back Yang Xiong, she suddenly seemed to see a glimmer of hope and cried out in a shrill voice: "Uncle, please advise my husband, it's all this slave's fault, I only hope that for the sake of our marriage, you'll spare this slave this once!"

  Shi Xiu coldly smiled and said: "Sister-in-law, I only ask you, when did you get together with that Pei Ruhai?"

  Pan Qiaoyun lowered her head and said: "I've already told you everything, we met two years ago."

  Yang Xiong was just about to get angry, but Shi Xiu pulled him back and said: "Brother, wait a minute, I still have something to ask you, let me show you what this poisonous woman is really like!"

  As soon as this was said, several people in the field were shocked. Pan Qiaoyun's body shook and her head hung even lower. Yang Xiong was a confused mess, but he was a ruthless and straightforward man. Shi Xiu had spoken, so he suppressed his anger on one side and listened to Shi Xiu's questions.

  Gao Qiang was secretly displeased, and Shi Xiu's words seemed to have another hidden meaning. If Pan Qiaoyun had simply eloped with her lover, it would be impossible to mention the two words "poisonous woman". However, he heard Shi Xiu ask in a cold voice: "Sister-in-law, I'll ask you, how did your first husband, Wang Yaosi, die?"

  This sentence was like a bomb exploding in the scene, and Gao's heart suddenly opened up. Many things that were previously unclear became clear: it turned out that this Pan Dasao and that famous Wu family's wife were not only of the same surname but also of the same profession. Not only did they have an affair, but they also had a history of harming their husbands. That Wang Yaosi must have lost his life in such a way. Moreover, this Pan Qiaoer was even more ruthless than Pan Jinlian. Pan Jinlian only needed to kill her husband once to be free, but this Pan Qiaoer's lover was a monk, so even if she killed her husband, she couldn't marry him and had to find someone else to remarry, continuing the cycle of adultery and murder. If this were to happen in modern times, it wouldn't be uncommon for the headlines to read "Serial Marriage Killer Caught" with titles like "Poisonous Spider" or "Black Widow".

  Nanpan Qiaor heard this sentence, and her face turned pale with fright. She covered her mouth with one hand, but couldn't cover up the sound of her surprised cry: "Uncle, what do you mean by these words?"

  "Hmph!" Shi Xiu sneered and took a step forward, saying loudly: "Sister-in-law, you're not one to shed tears easily, are you? Your mouth is so tight! Unfortunately, your childhood sweetheart Pei Ruhai has already confessed everything. He told us how he couldn't marry you due to poverty, and how he was heartbroken when you married into the Wang family. He also told us how you rekindled your old flame with him, and how you were discovered by Wang, leading to his murder so that you could be together in the long run. Sister-in-law, you truly have a good mind for schemes and a skilled hand! I, Shi Xiu, can only admit that I'm not even half as capable as you!"

  Yang Xiong listened to this speech on the side, and his face, which was originally iron-blue with anger, had a few more shades of red. It seemed that he was so angry that he brought up hot blood: "You cheap woman, poisonous woman! If it weren't for my brother's cleverness in uncovering your dog-like scheme, I would have fallen into your poisonous hands long ago. What else can you say? Brother, help me hold down that little cheap thing Rong'er, and I will personally serve this cheap woman."

  "Hold on!" Pan Qiao'er saw that things were not going well, let out a shrill cry, and with tears in her eyes, she said to Yang Xiong: "Husband, although I am not your wife from childhood, for the past two years, I have been diligent in managing the household. Where have I served you poorly? Even if I made mistakes this time, it is said that a husband and wife share a hundred days of kindness, are you really going to harm me with poisonous hands? As for what Uncle said about me killing Wang Daoren, it's a grave injustice! At present, there is no evidence or witnesses, how can you believe Uncle's one-sided words and want to take my life?"

  Gao Jian shook his head secretly on one side, this Pan Qiaoer was a bit too fierce. When the knife was about to fall, he remained calm and composed, and with just a few words, he had won over Yang Xiong's emotions and reason. Yang Xiong was someone who couldn't make up his mind, and if it were just the two of them facing each other, the knife probably wouldn't have fallen. Unfortunately, there was still that natural nemesis, Shi Sanlang, standing beside him!

  "Ah, sister-in-law, you're indeed clever! Your nickname 'Qiao' is well-deserved. You're truly cunning beyond compare! However, it's a pity that my brother, being the hero he is, has already seen through your venomous heart and won't fall for your evil tricks again. Brother, why not take action? Don't listen to this poisonous woman's deceitful words!"

  Gao Jian saw that things were taking a turn for the worse and suddenly jumped out from the bushes, shouting: "Stop! How dare you take someone's life in broad daylight!"

  This shout startled everyone, Yang Xiong was about to step forward and capture Pan Qiao'er, but this sudden movement was not trivial. He hastily raised his head to look around when Xu Guanzhong's two stones flew out, one of which hit Yang Xiong's wrist. A "clang" sound was heard, and Yang Xiong's wrist felt numb and weak, unable to grasp the knife that had fallen to the ground.

  Another stone shot towards Shi Xiu, but Shi Sanlang was quick and agile. He drew his knife halfway out of its scabbard and held it horizontally in front of him, deflecting the flying stone with a loud clang. At the same time, he shouted: "Who is the good fellow on this road?"

  "A high-ranking official is here!" As soon as the voice fell, a snow-white blade flashed down from the white poplar tree, shooting straight at Yang Xiong's head. Yang Xiong was caught off guard and had no time to react, his hands were empty of any weapons. He rolled out several feet away on the ground before scrambling back up to his feet. By then, a sharp blade had already appeared in front of him, pointing directly at his forehead. The blade reflected the bright sunlight, making his eyes ache. A cold and piercing voice asked, "Are you going to run again?"

  Gao Jian was overjoyed at the sight, and the newcomer wore a green imperial guard uniform, who was indeed Lu Qian and Lu Yu.

  "Big brother!" Just as Lu Qian pounced down from the tree, Shi Xiu had reacted and let out a tiger's roar, making a move to pounce forward. But before he could do so, a sharp whistling sound was heard in the air, and an arrow shot straight down, pinning itself to the ground right at his feet, its tail still quivering.

  Shi Xiu was startled and stopped in his tracks, looking up to see that there was now an additional person on the ancient tomb. The newcomer wore a green robe and a small hat, with a handsome face that seemed to radiate light in the sunlight, yet had no expression whatsoever. In their hand was a crossbow with two arrows, trained on Shi Xiu from twenty paces away. Who else could it be but Langzi Yan Qing?

  In just an instant, the situation had completely fallen into Gao Qiu's control. Seeing Yang Xiong's life hanging by a thread under Lu Jian's knife, Shi Xiu was a man of great righteousness and would not abandon him no matter what. He could only stand in place, let out a sigh, and threw his waist knife to the ground, saying: "Forget it, today Shi Mou made a wrong move, I'll just wait for your orders."

  Seeing him clearly understand the situation and know what to take, Gao Jian's heart secretly liked it. This is the kind of person who can do great things! Since he had controlled the opponent's actions, Gao Jian could confidently and boldly make his appearance. He swaggered a few steps forward, smiled and bowed: "Two heroes are well, this lady is also well, I am Gao Jian, at your service."

  Yang Xiong half-knelt on the ground, his eyes fixed intently on the sharp blade in front of him, not daring to move a muscle, and only asked angrily: "Who are you?"

  Gao Jian suddenly opened the folding fan in his hand with a "pa" sound, shook it a few times, and thought to himself that this weather was indeed hot enough. He smiled and said: "I am just an unknown minor character, but you two are famous heroes. This one squatting on the ground must be Yang Xiong, the chief of the two prisons in Daming Mansion, and this handsome young man with a dignified appearance, isn't he Shi Sanlang, also known as Shi Xiu?"

  Shi Xiu's pupils slightly contracted, but his face remained expressionless: "Brother Gao, this is a matter for Director Yang to handle personally. If you want to intervene, relying solely on being an unknown minor official will likely be unconvincing, won't it?"

  "Not so, not so!" Gao Qiang Le exclaimed, pulling Wen: "Dean Yang is not much harmed, except for having a murderous heart towards his wife. However, since it has not been carried out yet, let's just forget about it; but as for you, Shi Xiaoge, you killed two people with your knife yesterday, and this case is now a crime."

  Lu Qian and the others were stunned by his words, but they didn't know how this High Commissioner knew that the murderer was the person in front of them. However, Gao Qiang was their superior, and it wasn't the right time to ask questions, so they endured and didn't ask.

  Shi Xiu remained calm and composed: "Brother Gao, are you here to arrest me with an official warrant? But these two don't seem like government officials, and this military officer doesn't appear to be a constable from the governor's mansion either!"

  Gao Feng's eyes sparkled with praise, and he was about to speak again when he saw Shi Xiu's body suddenly sway backwards, as if trying to escape. Meanwhile, Yan Qing on the other side had already drawn his bow full, and at this movement, a small arrow shot out instantly.

  Yan Qing's crossbow was practiced since childhood, within thirty steps, it was an example of no empty shots. However, this arrow fell into a void: Shi Xiu suddenly made a feint, pretending to retreat but actually advancing! Gao Qiang had not reacted yet, when he heard Xu Guanzhong shouting "Be careful, sir!" behind him. A grey shadow rushed forward, and a short blade appeared in front of his eyes.

  Recommendation from the Imperial Court: Zhou Xingwen's new book is a good read