S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 3 Chapter 86

Lucky Murderer 16 – Lucky Chessboard

---

There are some places in the world that seem to be out of touch with the times, and in case they do catch up, people don't even care anymore, and perhaps the most representative of this are antique shops.

No matter how developed the shopping streets are, antique shops are still mostly street stalls. There are also well-decorated shops, but what they sell on the surface are only decorative items, if you really want to buy anything, you have to have acquaintances to do so.

However, contrary to Zhan Zhao and the others' expectations, Xiao Wang was not just a common gangster who ran a street stall.

Zhao Hu led the group into a quaint shop called 'Mo Xiang Zhai', which mainly sold jade, calligraphy, and paintings, and was tastefully decorated.

"What would you like, gentlemen?" The maid, who was very young and wearing a nice red cheongsam, came out and asked Zhan Zhao and the others politely.

"Oh." Zhao Hu was quite at ease and asked her, "Is Xiao Wang here? If he asks, just say Zhao Hu is looking for him."

"Oh, okay." The young girl went in, and not long after, a young man in an odd robe with long hair came running out, "Oh my! Brother Hu, how did you get in through the front door?!"

After Xiao Wang came out, he came face-to-face with Zhan Zhao, Bai Yutang, and the others, and immediately leaned against the counter and pounded on the glass, "Oh my god, the SCI captain has been brought in, I'm dead!"

The crowd looked at each other, then at Zhao Hu.

Zhao Hu frowned, "Don't cry and cry, there's something to ask you."

Xiao Wang hurriedly told the service lady to close the door. It was normal for antique shops to close, that meant there was a big sale and the buyer wanted to see the real thing.

The young girl hurriedly went to lower the roller shutters and close the doors.

Xiao Wang took a deep breath and looked at Bai Yutang while trembling, "Oh... Hello Captain Bai."

Zhan Zhao observed him for a moment and found that this person was in his twenties, with willow eyebrows and phoenix eyes. His appearance was good, it was just that although the outfit looked very stable, his personality seemed to want to be slippery.

Seeing the crowd standing, Xiao Wang hurriedly invited everyone to take their seats, and the young girl went to pour tea for the crowd, serving up a covered bowl of tea that was ancient and fragrant.

"Hehe." After drinking the tea, Xiao Wang asked the crowd, "A few distinguished guests, what are your orders for me?"

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao took a sip of the tea and felt that the tea was good. He put the cup down and asked, "Boss Wang, Lian Qianzhong is here with you, right?"

"Cough cough cough..." Xiao Wang spewed out a mouthful of tea and coughed as he looked at Zhan Zhao, "This, this..."

"Oh..." Zhan Zhao nodded, “Here."

"Not here!" Xiao Wang wiped his mouth and hurriedly shook his head, “He's not here with me!"

Bai Yutang was a bit puzzled as to why Zhan Zhao was asking this.

Ma Han drank water and watched the fun, he didn't like to talk much, but Zhan Zhao was definitely right.

Zhao Hu sat next to him and ate melon seeds as he introduced him to the shop's walnut cakes.

When Zhan Zhao saw Xiao Wang's reaction, he smiled, "So you know Lian Qianzhong."

"Uh… I don't know him." Xiao Wang shook his head.

"Then how come you didn't ask who Lian Qianzhong was at first, but instead were too busy disassociating?" Zhan Zhao broke open a pine nut and tasted it, smiling faintly.

"Ahem." Xiao Wang looked at Zhan Zhao with some caution, someone in the road had already said that this Zhan Zhao could read minds and was a godly man, "This, Dr. Zhan, Lian Qianzhong is a big boss, I have definitely heard of him, but I'm not familiar with him! How would a big shot like him know a small character like me?"

"Oh, then you know where he is?" Although Zhan Zhao was asking, his tone was still very certain.

"I don't know... Didn't the newspaper say that he ran away." Xiao Wang laughed dryly.

"Oh." Zhan Zhao nodded, "If you don't say it, you'll be sued for selling fake goods, and if you lie, you'll be sued for dumping cultural relics."

"This..."

Xiao Wang stomped his feet and looked at Zhao Hu for help, "Brother Hu, you... give me a fair word...!"

Zhao Hu shrugged his shoulders and pointed to Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, "These two are my superiors."

"I..."

"Xiao Wang," Zhao Hu bit into his snack and laughed, “didn't you read Dr. Zhan's book before, don't play tricks with him, be careful of him hypnotising you... and ah, the captain is here, I can't protect you if you play tricks, give an honest account."

"Ah..." Xiao Wang hesitated for half a day, then sat down with a sigh, looked at Zhan Zhao and then at Bai Yutang, and said, "I do know where he is, but you must not say that I told you! Otherwise my life will be in danger!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at each other and both nodded their heads.

"Lian Qianzhong is the big boss, he and his father are no small players, but they seem to have run into trouble recently!" Xiao Wang lowered his voice, "There's a group of people stronger than them targeting them... I really don't know exactly what's going on, but then again, the Lian family do it all for the sake of two words."

The crowd listened intently, "Which two words?"

“Take refuge!" Xiao Wang smiled faintly, "Lian Qianzhong still has people in his hands, they want to avoid that group of people and find one thing."

"What is it?"

“Cough cough" Xiao Wang coughed.

When Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were a little puzzled, Zhao Hu poked Zhan Zhao, "Dr. Zhan, the rules are to pay informant fees."

"You need money for that too?" Zhan Zhao was a little displeased and raised an eyebrow at Bai Yutang – Xiao Bai pays!

Bai Yutang had no choice but to take money out of his pocket and give it to him. He charged five hundred at a time, and supposedly he gave them a discount.

Xiao Wang took the money and smiled, then came over and whispered, "Gentlemen, have you ever heard of Tang Zhongzong Li Xian, the Emperor of Tang?"

Zhan Zhao nodded, “Well, less than two months after succeeding the throne, he was abrogated by Wu Zetian as the King of Luling, and when Wu Zetian later died, he regained the throne."

"That's right!" Xiao Wang clapped his hands, "This Zhongzong, like his father, was strictly controlled by his wife, one Empress Wu and the other Empress Wei, which made both emperors confused. Empress Wei, the wife of Zhongzong, liked to play backgammon, similar to modern Ludo or Monopoly, with coloured characters, chess pieces, and chips."

Zhan Zhao touched his chin, “Hmm... Empress Wei often played backgammon with Wu Sansi, and they had an affair while playing, right, and Shangguan Wan'er.” (Angel: Shangguan Wan’er ws an author from the Tang Dynasty.)

"Yo… sure enough, those who have a PhD are all knowledgeable!” Xiao Wang hurriedly flattered, and Zhan Zhao coughed, gesturing for him to continue.

"Ahem, when Zhongzong was in distress back then, he and Empress Wei were a couple in hardship. Empress Wei had saved his life, so he was doting on this wife, although he still let his wife's daughter die of poison later." Xiao Wang took out a box with an old volume of ancient books inside, "And this book, it is the posthumous book of a court painter at that time!"

"Is this backgammon?" Zhan Zhao looked at the scroll, there was a chessboard as big as a table.

"That's right. Back then, Zhongzong was too honest and loved his wife, and exclusively counted chips for Empress Wei, but Empress Wei always lost." Xiao Wang made a motion of shaking dice, "Zhongzong had a rare ancient jade, which was said to have received the grace of the gods, and several times Zhongzong survived great disasters thanks to its blessing, which could bring good luck. Empress Wei then clamoured for Zhongzong to find an artisan to make a pair of dice of the ancient jade!"

The corners of both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang's mouths twitched subconsciously – an incompetent ruler.

"In order to be worthy of this set of dice, and of course mainly to please his wife," Xiao Wang smiled and shook his head, “the old man Zhongzong spared no expense in creating a gold chessboard, a flag inlaid with gold and jade, and a jasper box with chips of different values made of various precious stones! It is said that this precious chess set is called the Lucky Chessboard, and Empress Wei seldom lost a game of chess with it, so she loved it very much"

Zhan Zhao and the others looked at each other. Just by listening to it, they thought it was worth a lot of money!

"Empress Wei poisoned Zhongzong and tried to take over from Empress Wu. It was not long before Li Longji killed her, and the Empress lost her title and was relegated to a concubine." Xiao Wang said, stretching out three fingers, “Of Empress Wei's three daughters, Princess Yongshou died early, the remaining two, Changning and Anle, were both powerful like their mother,crazy people want to be second to the Emperor... Then again, these Tang Dynasty women are tough ah! Anle and Empress Wei died together, but Changning married quite well. After leaving the palace, she was extravagantly wealthy, and made money all over the place. No one has ever found her tomb. According to historical records, Princess Changning was buried with her innumerable wealth, which she had amassed by selling her official titles and vassals. The chessboard is also missing, and there is much evidence that she took it. No one really knows where her grave is, as she had a lot of burial goods and was afraid of theft. But I dare say that her tomb is one of the most interesting tombs that can be found today! And if it was emptied, even just that lucky chessboard, tsk – that's a real treasure!"

Xiao Wang was talking with spittle in the air, and Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang thought it sounded like it was indeed a clue, or rather – a motive.

"In the Lian family's map, there is a record of this ancient tomb?" Bai Yutang asked.

"Oh, half!" Xiao Wang shook his head with a regretful expression, "Tsk, Boss Lian's masterpiece from back in the day!"

"How so?" The crowd was puzzled.

"Boss Lian kept the map in two pieces back then, there wasn't much benefit to be gained unless the whole map was kept as particularly large treasure tombs were torn in two, half was left for his family and half was kept close to him. He did not want that big benefit to be taken away by others... especially at that time, the most feared thing was that they would fall into the hands of the Japanese, which could leave a foul legacy for years!"

Zhan Zhao and the others all nodded their heads, the so-called people dying for money, this case first originated from that Song Dynasty tomb that Boss Lian had robbed in the end... they were trying to find that other half of the drawing!

“Ah.” Zhan Zhao asked Xiao Wang, "You talk about motives for half a day, where exactly is Lian Qianzhong?"

Xiao Wang smiled and rubbed his hand again – Money!

Zhan Zhao squinted at him – Ripping us off?

Xiao Wang then said, "This is information only I have, no one else knows about it, it's double the price!"

Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang helplessly, who had no choice but to continue paying, thinking that he would have to swipe his card if this Xiao Wang went on.

After getting the money, Xiao Wang was satisfied and said, "Let me tell you a rule of the trade! It's not easy to rob tombs nowadays, especially since some places have gone to archaeological teams, so you have to find a place to hide!"

The crowd all nodded their heads, signalling their understanding.

"If you're hiding out, you have to have a place to meet, so that you can get information from all sides. What kind of shop can be opened and closed whenever you want, and no one will suspect you if you come and go?"

"A newsstand!" Zhao Hu said immediately.

Xiao Wang smiled. Zhan Zhao froze, and Bai Yutang frowned, asking, "A lottery shop?"

Xiao Wang clapped his hands, "As expected of Captain Bai! I haven't said anything, but you guys guessed it yourselves."

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang subconsciously had a twitch in their hearts – They always felt that there was something wrong with the lottery ticket, it was suspicious. How come they didn't think of it in the first place, that this whole lottery shop itself had something wrong with it!

"Cat.”

Bai Yutang called out to Zhan Zhao, who smiled – signalling to Bai Yutang that he was not in a hurry.

Bai Yutang wasn't in a hurry, they had been in contact with the archaeological team anyway, and they weren't opening the tomb anytime soon. They couldn't go to that lottery shop right away, so as not to alert the snake, but he didn't understand what else Zhan Zhao had to ask.

“Well, Dr. Zhan, I've said everything I know." Xiao Wang smiled helplessly, "I can't say anything else if you ask me again!"

"No more questions." Zhan Zhao said with a smile, "I'll buy something."

"Buy something?" Xiao Wang laughed dryly, "Buy what?"

Zhan Zhao calculated the total amount of money Bai Yutang had just given him, and reached out to point at the long, narrow silver knife sitting in the middle of the table, "That one!"

Xiao Wang drew a cold breath, "That... is the treasure of my shop..."

Zhan Zhao raised his eyebrows, "It's really something good! I will take that one, how much is it?"

Xiao Wang took a deep breath and held out three fingers.

"Three hundred yuan, ah, it's not expensive!" Zhan Zhao smiled.

Xiao Wang almost jerked over, "Dr. Zhan, three hundred thousand!"

"Three thousand." Zhan Zhao sat on the ground and bargained back. Xiao Wang opened his mouth for half a day without saying anything, before saying, "Dr. Zhan, that, that knife is very ancient and rusted, it can't be pulled out, it's useless even if you buy it."

"No way, it's very new!" Zhao Hu went over, reached over and took the knife, and pulled it twice, but it really didn't move.

"Yoo-hoo!" Zhao Hu wiped his hand and pulled hard again, but still couldn't pull it out, so he asked Ma Han to try. Ma Han pulled it and shook his head too, “Are you seeking death? It's a pity it's such a good sheath."

“Look," Xiao Wang began to pat his chest again, "I said it a long time ago, this knife has not been able to find someone who can draw it out, and if there is someone who can draw it out, three hundred is three hundred."

As soon as his words fell, he heard a “clang” sound, and Bai Yutang unsheathed the knife without any effort.

......

Bai Yutang reached out and lifted the knife up to his eyes, and the room flashed with cold light.

Bai Yutang looked at the sharp blade. The knife looked like new, not even a single nick, but it was heavy in his hand, and at a glance it looked like it had the heft of an ancient object, not at all comparable to modern steel tools.

"Good stuff.” Ma Han nodded.

"Here." Zhan Zhao reached out and patted the dumbfounded Xiao Wang's shoulder, "You said it! Three hundred is three hundred."

"I... I..." Xiao Wang stammered softly.

"I won't extort you." Zhan Zhao laughed, "Five hundred, two hundred more than your three hundred."

Xiao Wang was a little breathless, "Five... five hundred..."

"If you don't give me change, how about giving me a pendant for the knife as well?" Zhan Zhao's eyes twinkled brightly.

Xiao Wang felt his heart twitch.

Reaching out and pointing to a white jade kitten pendant sitting on the counter, Zhan Zhao said, "Just that one, it's just right for a knife pendant, so there's no need for change."

"Well..." Xiao Wang's eyes went white and he passed out.

Afterwards, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang said goodbye with a full harvest.

Xiao Wang sent them to the door, asking Zhan Zhao with some confusion, “Right, Dr. Zhan, how did you know that I know where Lian Qianzhong is?"

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly, "Because of your reaction when we came in."

"Reaction?" Xiao Wang froze.

"You obviously don't want to have anything to do with this." Zhan Zhao picked up the corner of his mouth, "I just guessed you might know what we wanted to know most, so I tested you, and you said it all yourself."

Xiao Wang’s eyes showed animosity, this person is remarkable!

"By the way." Zhan Zhao asked him, “where did you find this knife?"

"It is said to have been unearthed from a Song Dynasty tomb, a small grave with nothing in it, just a knife and a sword buried together. I got this knife by chance, and the sword is nowhere to be found, but it can't be drawn out either." As he said that, he looked at Bai Yutang and smiled somewhat helplessly, "Perhaps there really is a destined person, this kind of ancient sword all more or less have some spiritual energy."

Zhan Zhao thanked him and went away.

Xiao Wang returned to the shop and closed the door, suddenly covering his heart, “Aiya, aiya."

The young girl rushed to help him, “Boss, what's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong... heartache ah, what else could it be?" Xiao Wang cried, "Oh, that Zhan Zhao is more powerful than the legend, he took away the two most valuable items from my shop at once."

"He bought them, didn't he give you five hundred dollars?" The young girl snickered.

"You're still laughing, pack your things!"

"What for?"

"Moving!" Xiao Wang hurriedly moved overnight, and that night, it is said that Xiao Wang's shop was burned down. No one knows exactly who did it, but the door locks show signs of being tampered with, probably to destroy evidence after a break-in burglary... In any case, it was left untouched. Because even if you go inside, it is just an empty mansion full of broken tile jars.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: May 18, 2022 by Angel