lamb

That shout snapped everyone back to reality!

Under the bright sun, a young man collapsed, bleeding from all seven orifices, amidst the stains of his silk skirt and wine. His hairpins and bracelets lay scattered among the ruts of his carriage, and a broken piece of jade lay ruthlessly to one side.

A pale-faced, bearded young man with greasy flesh was caught in the sudden gust of wind from the falling man's body. His clothes were stained with fresh blood. After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly flew into a rage and rushed forward to tear off his clothes—

Ouch!

The next instant, its round body crashed to the ground!

"This, this—!" He was incoherent and unable to speak.

Another servant came forward with a winnowing basket, sweeping away half of the broken glass and wine stains. Suddenly, he touched a soft lump of flesh and blood. Upon closer inspection, he exclaimed in horror, "This...this is the third son of the Cui family!"

"How did he die in a brothel?!"

Cui Jue, the beloved and pampered Third Prince Cui, has lost his life today.

On the second-floor corridor, between the curtains, Xie Lingxi slowly crawled out of the wheelchair, which was no longer recognizable. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was deathly pale and covered in blood.

Unaware that her legs were tangled in the gauze curtain, she accidentally pulled off a few beads, which hit the woman on the head.

As soon as I raised my head—

"Ah! A ghost!"

The brothel erupted in chaos. Fearing the female ghost would haunt them, the ladies and gentlemen scattered like birds, covering their heads. The Third Young Master Cui plummeted from the high tower; the anonymous female ghost hung suspended by the east corridor on the second floor…

Half an hour later, this brothel, which had been lush and verdant for years, was sealed off and investigated.

...

Xiao Yin never expected that Cui Sanlang, who had been drinking with him just a few days ago, would suddenly die in the brothel.

Upon hearing the news, he rushed over with his men, carried a stretcher, picked up the body piece by piece, and carefully carried it back to the Dali Temple. He then inspected the brothel with his seal, dismissing all the irrelevant people.

The owner of that brothel, Liu Rumei, was of marriageable age and always wore a veil, so her expression was not visible. Liu Rumei spoke calmly, "The death of someone is none of my business. Instead, it has ruined my business. Who will compensate me?"

Xiao Yin naturally could not agree to that, saying, "Once this case is resolved, the Ministry of Revenue will make the decision."

Liu Rumei asked, "How many days?"

"Hard to say." Xiao Yin didn't want to get entangled with her, dodging Liu Rumei's suddenly close-up chest, and said coldly, "Boss Liu, be careful. If they really investigate, your Qilou has quite a few shady dealings!"

Liu Rumei smiled.

Xiao Yin's initial investigation was very thorough; he summoned several people who had been near Cui Jue at the time and questioned them about the situation.

It was only late afternoon when the clock struck three. Amidst the sounds of string and wind instruments, a wheelchair carrying a person suddenly rushed into the room, sliding like an eel onto the terrace and knocking Cui Sanlang down in the waist.

"wheelchair?"

Xiao Yin gestured for someone to come forward, "Where is the person on top of the wheelchair?"

"I don't know, it was too chaotic at the time, how could we notice..." The crowd chimed in, "Sir, we've said everything we need to say, please don't make us suffer any more..."

Xiao Yin waved his hand irritably, and they breathed a sigh of relief, shakily pulling up their belts as they ran away.

He left his men and crept up to the second-floor corridor, where he indeed saw a shattered carriage frame, completely mangled from the violent impact.

The still-intact backrest was golden and crimson, with intricate and delicate floral patterns faintly visible. Xiao Yin leaned down to examine it closely—

It is golden rosewood!

This wood is rare and priceless; only the wealthy and powerful in Chang'an could afford it. Having made up his mind, he was about to send someone to carry the item back to the Dali Temple when he suddenly noticed a corner of fabric tucked into the gap.

It was a light blue color, with ripples flowing across it.

A feeling of déjà vu.

At this moment, Liu Rumei stepped forward leisurely, glanced at the gauze curtain, and said, "This gauze is called 'Floating Light.' Three pieces of it were smashed by this wheelchair, and they need to be included in the accounts."

Isn't this a scam?

Xiao Yin calmly tucked the tattered clothes into his sleeve. "There's a cause for every wrong, and a debt for every debt. You don't need to tell me that, Madam Liu."

This creditor...

He understood the situation and ignored whatever Liu Rumei was saying. After finishing his business, he nodded to everyone and stepped out of the Qilou gate.

As dusk fell, the streets were filled with the sounds of drums and lanterns, creating a scene of completely different charm from the brothels.

Xiao Yin looked around, and then, without making a sound, got into a carriage.

The moment they stepped inside, the steed galloped off, leaving the surrounding scenery behind.

The person in front of him was calm and composed, propping his elbow on his hand, clearly having been waiting for him for a long time. Xiao Yin clutched the tattered clothes in his hand, his eyes darkened, and he opened his mouth: "Princess."

Yan Ying smoothed her hair. "Lord Xiao, why be so formal?"

"If we're talking about kinship, I should call you elder brother."

The eldest princess and the current emperor are siblings born of the same mother; they can be considered direct cousins.

Seeing that Xiao Yin still had a cold expression, Yan Ying was not annoyed.

She had just noticed the object tightly clutched in Xiao Yin's hand with her sharp eyes, and her expression showed a hint of surprise. "Could it be that my cousin found this place because he saw this piece of fabric?"

She hid a princess's mark within that intertwined floral pattern.

Xiao Yin nodded: "Where is she?"

Yan Ying asked knowingly, "Who?"

"Xie Lingxi".

"Oh—" Yan Ying drawled, pondering a rumor from years ago, "'Childhood sweethearts, golden boy and jade girl'... Did you and Xie San Niang really have a relationship?"

For some reason, these words made Xiao Yin's face darken suddenly. He restrained himself from stepping forward to silence Yan Ying and said solemnly, "Princess, be careful what you say."

The carriage was still moving, and judging from the tracks, it seemed to be heading towards the Dali Temple.

Xiao Yin already had doubts, so he cut to the chase: "Why did Lingxi appear at Qilou? And why did she kill Cui Sanlang?"

He stared intently into the princess's eyes and whispered, "Why is the princess mingling among them?"

Now that things have come to this, how could Xiao Yin believe that this was an accident?

If this matter involves Xie Lingxi, it inevitably brings to mind the recent discord within the Cui family.

On that day, the Cui siblings were publicly humiliated by Cui Jue, and Cui Niangzi was Xie Lingxi's close friend... It seems reasonable that she would kill her friend to avenge her.

But he knew that Xie Lingxi, with her magnanimity, would never do such a despicable thing as killing someone to vent her anger.

Was it a coincidence that no one present could see the face of the person in the wheelchair? Or was it a carefully planned scheme?

The night was desolate; through the carriage wall, one could hear the sound of dew sliding down. The watchman's bell rang, signaling the second watch of the night, and a cold wind filled the thin spring clothes.

Xiao Yin waited for a long time before Yan Ying finally replied, "Cousin guessed correctly."

"This case is by no means an unsolved mystery."

She lit a candle, illuminating a corner of the spacious and comfortable car, her expression deep and somber: "Who killed Cui Sanlang is not important. What is important is why he killed Cui Sanlang."

Xiao Yin: "Why?"

Yan Ying remained silent, raising an eyebrow and smoothing her hair with an air of elegance. "Why does my cousin ask me? I am a princess of the inner palace; how could I possibly understand the intricacies of men from the previous dynasty?"

"Oh……"

Xiao Yin curled his lips, "No, what I want to find out is who killed Cui Sanlang."

...

"Tap tap" —

The carriage stopped at the side gate of Dali Temple. It was pitch black all around, with only an ochre lantern overhead.

Xiao Yin had excellent night vision and strode ahead, ignoring the princess behind him.

He gently pushed open the half-closed door of the purification hall and saw a male corpse and a white sheet spread out in the middle. Just as he was about to close the door, he suddenly heard soft, shallow breathing sounds coming from inside the room—

"who?!"

My gaze shifted to the back of the door, where a corner was bathed in moonlight. The woman on the chair slowly turned around and spoke, "Xiao, Yin."

Xiao Yin caught a glimpse of her side where her clothes had been cut by an inch, and all her hairpins and ornaments were gone, her black hair casually draped over her back. He lit a lamp and asked, "Can you see clearly?"

"Thank you for lighting the lamp."

Hearing this explanation, the woman seemed unperturbed, remaining as calm as a lake.

Xiao Yin then put on a mask and gloves, removed the shroud covering Cui Jue, paused for a moment, and then covered him up completely again.

"It seems there's no need for an autopsy."

Cui Jue was shattered into pieces, his original appearance unrecognizable. Even though the coroner managed to piece him back together into a human form, ...

He recalled the bright red liver and gallbladder he had just seen and managed not to vomit.

"He did indeed fall to his death from the connecting corridor."

Everything happened in an instant. The hurricane swung the wheelchair beneath her, and she clung tightly to the handrail to avoid falling from the high-rise building.

Although his face was covered, the impact with the flesh of the纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled, dissolute young man) was real.

Only after standing in the ice-filled, silent hall did Xie Lingxi's cold sweat subside, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Our princess truly possesses extraordinary abilities."

Xiao Yin understood.

Yan Ying led Xie Lingxi to the Qilou and used her to get rid of Cui Jue, but why did she then show kindness by covering Xie Lingxi's face?

If you want this case to remain unsolved, you've really miscalculated.

Xie Lingxi analyzed, "How could Lord Cui let his son die without knowing why? He is currently at the height of his power, and how many upheavals will he stir up in the court?"

Xiao Yin continued, "The princess is not a fool. She has already planned everything we can think of. Now I only want to know, who is this scapegoat?"

...

Liu Xu waited in the brothel for three incense sticks.

He believed Xie Lingxi's words and went to the government office, but he was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of paperwork and couldn't get away. Finally, after verifying a huge amount, a graceful young woman came to his door, demanding justice from beginning to end.

After listening for a while, I finally understood that the brothel had suffered an unexpected disaster. A young man had died, and a whole set of items, including lamps and curtains, had been destroyed. The owner felt wronged and was determined to get an explanation from the Ministry of Revenue.

What business is it of his?

He sent someone to the Three Judicial Offices.

Liu Rumei, however, said that Lord Xiao of the Dali Temple had specifically requested that the matter of compensation be addressed to the Ministry of Revenue. She was just a weak woman and had no other choice but to bother him.

He came to the brothel as she had asked, and after sitting down and drinking a cup of tea, Lady Liu said she was going to look for some accounts and then disappeared.

Half of the courtyard of the Qilou building was empty, and some chairs, benches, floors, and flower walls were fenced off by inspectors, prohibiting them from touching them.

Liu Xu examined her for a long time, but he was really worried about Xie Lingxi's illness. Seeing that it was getting dark and he couldn't wait for Liu Rumei to come, he had to leave.

He then thought that he should go and say goodbye to his employer, lest the woman make a fuss and accuse him of dereliction of duty and immorality at the Censorate.

Having thought it through, he went upstairs.

The surroundings were deathly silent, dark and without light, and there was not a sound of flowers or birds. Liu Xu felt as if he were standing on a graveyard.

"Snap—"

He heard the clinking of porcelain cups coming from the room above, and his heart eased. Just as he was about to go upstairs, he heard someone say, "Wasn't it agreed that it would be three days from now? How come he died today? And he died in my boudoir."

!

Liu Xu paused.

The speaker was clearly Lady Liu, who had just arrived. She said with dissatisfaction, "Not only did you ruin so many things for me, but you also almost exposed the truth because you didn't arrange things properly."

A scholar replied to her, "That princess is really difficult to get along with."

"Yes, who knew she would change her mind so easily... In my opinion, that desolate mountain is the perfect place to kill and dump the body."

Another person, with a slightly rougher voice, said, "In any case, this matter is over and there's no need to mention it again—make sure that hothead you found doesn't get away."

Liu Rumei laughed: "How could that be?"

"..."

Fortunately, Liu Xu had practiced martial arts since childhood, and his hearing and eyesight were excellent.

Hold on until now.

He leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy and seeing flowers before his eyes. The distant sounds were not very clear, as if they were filled with water—something must have been put in that tea!

There was a rustling of chairs and stools, as if the people in the room were about to leave. Without time to think, he leaped up and scrambled out the window.

Due to the strong effects of the drug, he was dizzy upon landing and accidentally fractured his shinbone.

Recalling the strange medicines and herbs that Xie Lingxi usually stuffed into his sachet, he took them out haphazardly and swallowed them. Because he moved too quickly, he coughed three times, covering his mouth.

commit a sin!