Chapter 64 – Why is washing undergarments improper?

Captain Liu had barely arrived at the Commander’s residence when he was summoned to the Commander-in-Chief’s study for a scolding.

It was called a scolding, but in reality, the Commander-in-Chief simply kept a stern expression and said a single sentence: “Keep an eye on Mu Nanjin for me.”

After that, the Commander-in-Chief’s aura rose to an almost unbearable intensity. His chilling, formidable presence pressed down on Captain Liu so heavily that he could barely breathe. Only after a full tea-time was he allowed to leave.

In all his years as a Jinyiwei, Captain Liu had never spent so long alone with the Commander-in-Chief. He did not know whether to feel fortunate or unlucky.

Once he left the study, Captain Liu discovered that Mu Nanjin had washed all of the Commander-in-Chief’s undergarments and, as if to ensure no one missed it, had hung them in the most conspicuous place in the study. Anyone coming in to report would have the “privilege” of seeing the Commander-in-Chief’s undergarments firsthand.

Captain Liu clutched his chest and went to find Mu Nanjin.

Mu Nanjin glanced at the hand he had pressed to his chest. “Feeling unwell?”

“I’m not sick.” Captain Liu’s chest hurt from anger, not illness.

He took a deep breath and said, “Mu Nanjin, could you do something a bit more… proper?”

Mu Nanjin furrowed her brows and looked at him. “You mean the tasks you gave me before weren’t proper?”

Captain Liu gritted his teeth. “I mean washing the Commander-in-Chief’s undergarments.”

Which unmarried girl would wash undergarments for a man she barely knew?

Mu Nanjin shot back, “Why is washing undergarments improper? Your wife washes yours every day. Is that improper too?”

“That’s different. My wife and I are married. It’s only natural that she washes my undergarments. You…”

“Captain Liu.”

Suddenly, someone interrupted him. He turned to see Tang Jingrui frowning slightly. “Captain Tang.”

Tang Jingrui said, “Captain Liu, come over. I need to speak with you. Mu Nanjin, Lord Kan wants to see you. Go to his study.”

“Oh.”

Mu Nanjin left.

Captain Liu turned to Tang Jingrui. “Captain Tang, why didn’t you let me finish before letting her leave?”

Tang Jingrui exhaled. “I know what you wanted to say to her. Her ignorance is my uncle and aunt’s fault. My uncle is a man and often away, so he hasn’t taught her much. As for my aunt… never mind. I’ll arrange for a nanny to teach her properly.”

He had already heard about the morning’s incident and believed Mu Nanjin’s lack of understanding about men and women was entirely their fault.

Captain Liu roughly understood the family situation and did not argue further. “She’s not a child anymore. If she needs guidance, it must start early. Otherwise, she might end up unable to marry.”

“Mm.”

Tang Jingrui immediately arranged for a nanny to instruct her in proper etiquette.

…

Mu Nanjin arrived at Kan Chaoyan’s study. Inside, besides Kan Chaoyan, there was a middle-aged man in black attire, with the Chinese character “门” (Men) embroidered on the right side of his chest. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s, his expression more severe than any temple deity’s statue, brows tightly furrowed, exuding worry as if facing a thorny problem.

Kan Chaoyan introduced him. “Mu girl, this is Superintendent Ji of the Six Gates.”

Superintendent Ji oversaw all officers and constables of the Six Gates, responsible for arrests, detentions, levy collection, investigating cases, and capturing criminals.

Mu Nanjin clasped her fists in greeting. “Greetings, Superintendent Ji.”

Superintendent Ji nodded and scanned her from head to toe.

Mu Nanjin, however, was lost in thought.

【Although Superintendent Ji is equal in rank to our Commander-in-Chief and several years older, he’s neither as handsome, nor as well-built, nor as imposing as our Commander-in-Chief.】

Superintendent Ji: “…?”

Was he really that inferior to the Commander-in-Chief?

“Cough, cough, cough.” Kan Chaoyan choked on his own saliva.

Mu Nanjin looked at him.

Kan Chaoyan quickly swallowed some water. “Mu girl, there have been over a dozen murders in the capital recently. The Six Gates are short-staffed and need to borrow personnel from our Jinyiwei. I’ve decided to send you, along with other Jinyiwei, to assist with the investigations.”

In reality, given Mu Nanjin’s rank, it should have been her superior, Captain Liu, who issued the order.

But since Superintendent Ji had never heard her thoughts, they had to bring Mu Nanjin in first to get him accustomed.

Unexpectedly, Mu Nanjin immediately judged him as inferior to the Commander-in-Chief.

Mu Nanjin said, “Oh.”

【I’m just an Ordinary Jinyiwei, a powerless little girl who’s never handled a case before. How could I help? Carry corpses? What if I faint on the spot at the sight of a dead body and embarrass the Jinyiwei?】

Kan Chaoyan: “…”

A powerless little girl?

Well, at least she did not lie. He could only chuckle.

【Ah, I understand. Old Comrade Kan doesn’t really want to help the Six Gates. He’s sending someone useless like me just to embarrass them.】

Superintendent Ji: “…”

In truth, it was precisely because he had heard that Mu Nanjin knew things others didn’t that he personally came to request her assistance.

Kan Chaoyan rubbed his forehead. “Mu Nanjin, go fetch Captain Liu. I have matters to discuss with him.”

“Oh.” Mu Nanjin left.

Superintendent Ji smiled. “This little girl is quite interesting.”

“Just don’t mind what she thinks in her head,” Kan Chaoyan said with relief. “I can’t speak freely about her, so I’ll send the person who knows her best along. With Captain Liu there, she’ll at least be… more manageable.”

“She’s just a little girl. How much trouble can she cause?”

Superintendent Ji paid little attention to Kan Chaoyan’s words.

Kan Chaoyan did not elaborate either. He believed only firsthand experience could make someone understand how powerless even the highest-ranking official could be in front of Mu Nanjin. Martial prowess meant nothing; authority meant nothing.

Before long, Captain Liu arrived.

Kan Chaoyan explained the matter of borrowing Mu Nanjin to him.

“Borrow Mu Nanjin, huh…” Captain Liu felt an impulse to refuse. “Can I make decisions about her matters?”

Superintendent Ji nodded. “You decide about your own personnel.”

Captain Liu asked further, “Among the Six Gates officials, are there any who are both officers and have official seals, preferably handsome young men?”

“There are a few good-looking young men in the office,” Superintendent Ji said, puzzled. “Why do you ask?”

“They’ll accompany her during the investigation,” Captain Liu explained briefly. “When does the investigation start?”

“I need to return to arrange what you just mentioned and warn the office to keep quiet. Tomorrow morning, you can bring Mu Nanjin to the Six Gates to meet me.”

The fact that she could hear Mu Nanjin’s thoughts was astonishing. Even though people were aware of it, those who had not heard her thoughts before would still be surprised and might even respond unknowingly to her inner voice.

Captain Liu nodded.

The next morning, he waited at the gate of the Mu Residence for Mu Nanjin to leave, planning to take her to the Six Gates.

The people at the Six Gates had been waiting for some time. When they saw Captain Liu arrive with a little girl, they were all excited.

They had already heard of Mu Nanjin but had never met her in person. They were genuinely curious whether they could actually hear her thoughts.

Captain Liu dismounted and said to Mu Nanjin, “We’re here.”

Mu Nanjin asked, “Is it just the two of us?”

“Of course not. We’ll meet the Six Gates people first, and then wait for the other Jinyiwei to arrive.”

To avoid arousing Mu Nanjin’s suspicion, Captain Liu had arranged for three other Captains to come along for the investigation, plus ten Ordinary Jinyiwei to assist.

“Oh.”

The officials of the Six Gates quickly came out to greet them.

“Captain Liu, you’ve finally arrived. We’ve been waiting here for a long time.”

The Fourth-Rank Chief Official smiled warmly and led the other officers to the gate to welcome Captain Liu and the others.

Captain Liu, overwhelmed by the attention, said politely, “Master Yang, you are too kind. We can go in and meet the Superintendent ourselves; there’s no need to trouble you to come out.”

Mu Nanjin glanced around at their faces.

“No trouble, no trouble. Please, come in,” Master Yang gestured courteously.

【Wow, so many handsome men at the Six Gates.】

The group hesitated slightly. To prevent Mu Nanjin from noticing, they continued walking forward.

【Does the Six Gates recruit based on looks? Even if the Superintendent isn’t as handsome as our Commander, at least he has good taste.】

“….”

The officials almost could not hold back their laughter.

Captain Liu twitched at the corner of his eye. He had asked the Superintendent of the Six Gates to assign a few good-looking officers to the investigation, not knowing these officials would outshine even the young men at the brothel.

【Having these handsome officials with me for the investigation makes my whole day enjoyable. When will the Jinyiwei ever have such treatment?】

【Maybe I should transfer. I want to work at the Six Gates.】

Captain Liu glared at her. “Keep up.”

Master Yang asked, feigning curiosity, “Captain Liu, is this the only female official in the current administration?”

Captain Liu snapped, “Who else could it be besides her?”

“She really is a lovely young girl.”

【Ugh, even the Six Gates officials have sweeter words than the Jinyiwei. No one in the Jinyiwei has ever complimented my looks.】

Captain Liu: “….”

Master Yang smiled and cleared his throat. “The study ahead is where the Superintendent handles affairs. I won’t accompany you inside. I’ll wait here.”

【Huh, the handsome men aren’t going in? Then I won’t go in either.】

Mu Nanjin also stopped.

Captain Liu did not bother with her and entered the Superintendent’s study.

Inside, the Superintendent had overheard what Mu Nanjin had said earlier. He stepped up to Captain Liu and lowered his voice. “You asked me to assign good-looking officers just for her?”

“Wait and see,” Captain Liu replied, not wanting to explain too much in case Mu Nanjin overheard.

Superintendent Ji nodded. “I’ll take you to the crime scene now.”

“Good.”

He and Captain Liu exited the Six Gates and happened to meet the Jinyiwei rushing from the Commander’s Mansion. Together, they escorted everyone along.

【They outshine us, they really do. The handsome men of the Six Gates outshine all of our Jinyiwei.】

【Captain Liu, you should have brought a couple of good-looking men too. This is embarrassing.】

Captain Liu really wanted to kick her off the horse.

He turned to Superintendent Ji. “I heard the Six Gates officials don’t marry virtuous wives but prefer intelligent girls. Is that true?”

Mu Nanjin immediately perked up her ears.

Superintendent Ji was momentarily taken aback. Although he did not know why Captain Liu brought this up, he answered, “People outside believe our speed in investigations comes not only from our abilities but also from having talented wives to assist us. That’s why they think we prefer intelligent girls. In truth, we appreciate both virtuous and talented wives.”

【Talented wives…】

【I need to show them how smart I am.】

【Even if I can’t marry anyone at the Six Gates, having a group of handsome men admire me is delightful enough.】

Everyone: “….”

Superintendent Ji probably understood why Captain Liu requested handsome men for the investigation.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a residence with a white cloth hanging on the door, indicating the household was in mourning. Inside came the sounds of sorrowful weeping.

Superintendent Ji said, “We’re here.”

Captain Liu dismounted. “This is…”

“Editor Du’s residence.”

“Then…”

“The deceased is Editor Du.”

Superintendent Ji instructed someone to enter and inform the household, then asked Captain Liu, “Miss Mu, are you afraid of seeing the body?”

Captain Liu responded decisively, “Not afraid.”

【Afraid? Afraid? Why didn’t Captain Liu say I’m afraid?】

【Oh, my delicate image is ruined. No boy will like me now.】

【Never mind. If Captain Liu said I was afraid, I wouldn’t be able to participate in the investigation and show my abilities.】

Everyone: “….”

Shortly after, a young man in mourning attire ran to the gate with the Six Gates officials.

Seeing so many officers, he quickly wiped his tears and greeted them. “Greetings, Masters.”

Superintendent Ji asked, “We are here to investigate. We hope we aren’t disturbing you.”

“Not at all. Please, Masters, help find the murderer of my father.”

Young Master Du invited them inside.

Inside the courtyard were many mourners, who shrank into corners upon seeing the officials.

Young Master Du hurried to explain the situation.

Editor Du’s wife ran out crying and knelt before Superintendent Ji. “Masters, you must help find the one who killed my husband.”

Superintendent Ji said, “We are already investigating the culprit. We hope you can delay the burial for a few days to allow us to work.”

Mrs. Du cried loudly. “Anything. Just find the murderer, and we’ll do it.”

Young Master Du gestured toward the main hall. “My father is lying inside.”

Superintendent Ji and Captain Liu entered the hall, offered incense, and then examined the body.

【Editor Du is dead. No wonder I hadn’t seen any news about him recently.】

【Wait, I didn’t see any report of his death. Did I miss it?】

【Let me examine the body first, then figure out what happened.】

Mu Nanjin stepped in front of the coffin and saw Editor Du lying inside. His skin clung to his bones, resembling a mummified corpse.

【A mummy?】

【How could it be a mummy?】

【From the looks of it, someone drained not just his blood but also his essence and soul.】

【Tsk, definitely not the work of a human.】

【No wonder the Six Gates couldn’t find the culprit. He’s not even human.】

Everyone: “….”

Not human?

Impossible.

An official responsible for the case sneered and deliberately asked Mu Nanjin, “Little girl, you’re staring so intently. Have you figured out who did it?”