Chapter 66: Secret Chamber

After breakfast, Ren Yao went back to bed to catch up on his sleep. Jiang Ling was supposed to be staring at Tianxiang Tower, but as he was looking, his eyes inexplicably fell on Ren Yao.

Ren Yao was aggressive during the day, but surprisingly well-behaved and harmless when she was asleep. She lay on her side, with her legs slightly curled up on her chest, like a baby in amniotic fluid.

This is a very insecure posture. Is she afraid of something in her dream?

Jiang Ling didn't realize that he had been staring at Ren Yao for a long time. His mind was wandering. He thought that the peonies in Luoyang should be in full bloom now, but it was a pity that they couldn't see them this year. At the same time, he thought that Chang'an also had many famous temples and historical sites. He wondered if Qujiang Lake would be fun...

There was a sudden noise at the door, and Jiang Ling came back to his senses. He subconsciously stood up with his knife in his hand. The door opened a crack, and a man nimbly came in from outside. When he looked up and saw Jiang Ling with his sword drawn, he was stunned: "What are you doing?"

Jiang Ling saw Ming Huashang and then slowly realized: "It's you."

"Yes." Ming Huashang looked at him in surprise, "My second brother just blew the signal, didn't you hear it?"

Jiang Ling's breathing was slightly choking, and Ming Huashang knew it from his expression: "No way, at such an important moment, you were actually distracted? We are still carrying out the mission, what are you thinking about?"

Jiang Ling was embarrassed. He didn't know why he was so distracted just now that he didn't hear anything. He said, "Speak softly, she's still sleeping."

However, Ren Yao had already gotten up in a daze when he heard the noise: "Who is it?"

After hearing Ming Huazhang's signal, Ming Huashang immediately told his brother Xie Jichuan to test the medicine. Ming Huazhang went to find Xie Jichuan, and Ming Huashang went to Jiang Ling and Ren Yao's room to wait, and told them what happened in the morning.

"Did the dumb slave put drugs in the wine?"

"Not just dumb slaves." Ming Huashang said, "The real mastermind is the madam."

Ren Yao didn't know whether she had just woken up and her mind was not clear or the turn of events was too bizarre. She was stunned and couldn't understand: "Why would the madam do this?"

Ming Huashang shook her head. "It's hard to say. Let's wait for the results from Second Brother and Brother Xie. If the autopsy proves that Zhang Ziyun died of Duimengsan, then we can catch the madam and ask her the reason in person."

"Unfortunately, we can't do that now." A cold and sarcastic voice suddenly came from outside the window. Ming Huashang and the other two turned around and saw that the window had been pushed open at some point. A figure was sitting on the windowsill, looking at them with a smile.

Another dark figure jumped down from the gap, landed lightly on the ground, and said lightly: "Don't waste time, hurry in, be careful not to be seen by passers-by on the road."

Ming Huashang was overjoyed: "Second brother!"

Xie Jichuan put away his long legs, landed lightly on the ground, and said, "Second sister, I'm still here, why do you only have him in your eyes?"

Ming Huazhang didn't even bother to look at him. He sat down at the table and said, "Ignore him. I went to Yizhuang and saw Zhang Ziyun's body. The autopsy will take a long time. Xie Jichuan, you go ahead and tell your story first."

Xie Jichuan closed the window, found a place to sit down, and said, "I asked the pharmacy, and the medicine in the dumb slave house is commonly used in brothels. One of them is called Diemengsan. This is a powerful drug. After taking it, the body will be hot, unconscious, and dizzy as if in a dream. It works best with wine. The doctor originally used this medicine to prepare Mafeisan, but after it was introduced to brothels, the original intention was completely changed. Brothels often use this medicine to confuse women and force them to submit. Of course, there are also some customers who have special hobbies and use this medicine to add to their pleasure."

Xie Jichuan's words became more and more outrageous. Ming Huazhang coughed and glanced at him coldly. Xie Jichuan waved his hands: "Okay, then I have nothing to say. This is all I know."

In fact, Ming Huashang knew all about it. She had said much more explicit things when chatting with the maids. But now that Ming Huazhang was there, Ming Huashang felt a little embarrassed. She pretended not to understand and changed the subject, "Why did the madam give Zhang Ziyun the drug?"

"It's not clear yet." Ming Huazhang took over the leadership and said, "According to the file records, when Zhang Ziyun died, a three-inch-long dagger fell to his right hand and there was a knife wound on the right side of his neck. There was no trace of a third person at the scene, so Jingzhao Prefecture judged that he committed suicide. I have seen Zhang Ziyun's body. Although the wound on his neck pierced a blood vessel, the edge of the wound did not shrink, and there was no purple-black blood clot under the skin. In theory, cutting the middle carotid artery would cause heavy bleeding, and the surrounding area should be red and swollen, but his wound was very smooth."

Ming Huashang, Jiang Ling, and Ren Yao were relatively new to the subject and had never learned wound identification, so they were stunned. Xie Jichuan understood a little: "You mean..."

"The wound on his neck was faked after his death, deliberately made to look like suicide. There must have been a third person at the scene."

"That means someone must have entered Fengqingsiyuan between the hours of 11 pm and 15 pm on that day," Xie Jichuan asked. "Have you found out the real cause of his death?"

"His face was cyanotic, his eyes were punctately hemorrhaged, and his lips and fingernails were purple-red. He must have died of suffocation." Ming Huazhang saw the other three people staring with their eyes wide open like woodchucks, and considerately changed the explanation, "In other words, he was suffocated to death."

Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling said in unison, "I understand now. Zhang Ziyun is still a man after all. If they wanted to smother him to death without anyone outside hearing, the murderer must be a young and strong man."

"Not necessarily." Ming Huashang suddenly said, "Xie Axiong, how long will the effect of Diemeng Powder last?"

Xie Jichuan thought for a moment and said, "About an hour."

Ming Huashang nodded thoughtfully: "That's right. Don't forget that the madam added Duomengsan to Zhang Ziyun's wine, and the wine was delivered at the time of the dog hour. If he drank this wine, he would probably still be in a coma when the murderer entered."

Ming Huazhang nodded gently: "I specifically asked Yuehu, he said that when he entered the house that day, he saw wine vessels on the table and two wine jars on the ground, one of which was half drunk. The onset of the dream disorder is very fast. Although it is not certain when he drank, at least before the hour of Hai, Zhang Ziyun was in a coma. In other words, during this period of time, no matter whether it is a man or a woman, young or old, he could easily be suffocated to death."

Very good. After discussing for a long time, the scope of the murderer has not been reduced at all. Ren Yao was a little disappointed: "After so much trouble, I don't know how the murderer entered the secret room, and I don't know who the murderer is. It's been a day, and there is no progress at all."

"Who said that?" Ming Huashang said, "In fact, the murderer has already revealed a lot. The more complicated the murder method, the more it shows that he is a coward."

"Timid?"

"Yes." Ming Huashang stared at one place, as if recalling someone he knew. "He created the murder in a closed room, which shows that he is meticulous but timid and cautious. After suffocating Zhang Ziyun to death, he used a dagger to fake suicide, which shows that he was afraid of being implicated. His position must be very weak. It is certain that he is not a killer sent by the court, ministers or a prince."

After Ming Huashang's explanation, Ren Yao also thought it made sense. Imagine if she was sent to assassinate Zhang San, she would definitely take the painting and run away immediately after success, and would never waste time and effort to fake suicide. Ren Yao suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "He is in Tianxiang Tower!"

"That's right." Ming Huashang said, "He needs to continue living in Tianxiang Tower, so he is so restrained and cautious. We can rule out the guests and temporary servants that day. The murderer must be a girl in Tianxiang Tower or a slave who signed a death contract."

Finally seeing hope, Ren Yao's mood cheered up. Jiang Ling patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don't be anxious. You see, we will find a way after discussing it."

Ming Huazhang had also thought of this, but there were too many women and servants in Tianxiang Tower, so they could not make it public and had to further narrow the scope. Ming Huazhang asked: "What conditions do you need to give a more accurate portrait?"

Ming Huashang said truthfully: "It's hard to say, we have to look at the crime scene. But I still can't figure out how the secret room was formed. I originally thought that poison or drugs were used to kill people from a distance, but you said that Zhang Ziyun was suffocated to death. This is strange. During that time, Fengqing Siyuan was watched like an iron barrel by the people of Xuanxiaowei. How did he get in?"

This was also the question that troubled Ming Huazhang all night. Ming Huazhang had specially surveyed the terrain yesterday and found no blind spots for surveillance. Ming Huazhang remembered something and said, "Oh, there is one more thing that may be useful to you. I found red threads in the cracks of Zhang Ziyun's fingernails, but there was no similar color on Zhang Ziyun's clothes. Maybe the murderer was wearing a red shirt that day."

Xie Jichuan asked: "What material is it made of?"

Ming Huazhang said: "It's too small to be seen. It should be a kind of silk or gauze fabric that can be spun."

Ren Yao and Jiang Ling immediately recalled the person in red in Tianxianglou. Jiang Ling tried to ask, "Madam?"

Ren Yao added: "Shancha also likes to wear red skirts."

Ming Huashang thought it was strange: "Would a person who is so meticulous and can deceive dozens of eyes wear red silk clothes to kill people? It is conspicuous and expensive, and it is easy to leave traces at the scene. I am afraid that only Shancha would like this kind of clothes."

Speaking of camellia, something vaguely crossed Ming Huachang's mind. Ming Huachang just said that this thin thread was found from the cracks in Zhang Ziyun's fingernails?

Ming Huashang suddenly had an idea and said loudly, "I remember that I also saw a red thread on the third floor stairs. At that time, I thought that some unlucky person had his clothes hooked like me. Is it possible that these two things are related?"

Ming Huazhang became noticeably serious and said in a deep voice, "Take me to see it quickly."

"No problem. But..." Ming Huashang glanced outside, looking embarrassed, "But now almost everyone in Tianxiang Tower is awake. If we block them on the stairs, it will be too conspicuous."

This is true, especially since there are so many prostitutes living on the third floor, there will be a lot of noise. Ming Huazhang pondered for a moment. Jiang Ling was a little hungry, but everyone was discussing the mission, so he was embarrassed to ask for a meal, so he grabbed a piece of fruit to fill his stomach.

He bit the fruit open with a snap, and after taking two bites, he noticed Ming Huazhang looking at him. Jiang Ling was a bit nervous as he couldn't finish the fruit, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

It was almost noon when the coquettish Prince Jiang finally woke up. As soon as he woke up, he asked the madam to call all the girls in the building to accompany him for fun. Of course, the madam did not dare to refuse. Except for Shancha who had a leg injury, she drove everyone downstairs and sang, danced and played music in the lobby to make sure that Prince Jiang had a good time.

Jiang Ling smiled as he enjoyed the luxurious treatment of having dozens of girls surrounding him. He dodged the unknown hand again and asked Ren Yao with a stiff smile, "How long will they take? I can't hold on any longer."

Ren Yao was also in a state of panic. If Jiang Ling hadn't cried and begged for someone to stay with him, Ren Yao wouldn't have wanted to play the role of a "pampered maid". She would have preferred to go with Ming Huazhang and the others to investigate the case.

Facts proved that she should have been a little harder. Ren Yao endured the pungent smell of powder and said with difficulty: "Just bear with it a little longer, it will probably be over soon."

Everyone was in the lobby waiting on the prince, and the third floor seemed especially deserted. Shancha was sulking in her room, and she closed the doors and windows, so she wouldn't notice that the stairs on the east floor were particularly busy.

Ming Huashang, Ming Huazhang, and Xie Jichuan gathered on the stairs. Ming Huashang found the wooden board based on his memory and said, "Second brother, Brother Xie, come and look. It's right here."

Ming Huazhang bent his knees and half-knelt, slowly and steadily pulling out a thin thread from the gap between the wooden thorns. Xie Jichuan stood on the other side and asked, "Same?"

Minghua Zhangju looked at it in front of him and nodded with certainty: "Same."

This thread was quite long. Ming Huashang leaned over to take a look and said, "It looks like it was pulled out of silk."

The three of them looked at each other and immediately thought of "the red silk cloth that Shancha used for dancing."

Ming Huazhang asked Xie Jichuan to put away the evidence. He helped Ming Huachang stand up from the stairs and said, "It seems my intuition was right. The red silk cloth that inexplicably became shorter is closely related to the murder. Why did the murderer cut a piece of silk cloth?"

Ming Huachang was frightened when she saw the dark gap under the stairs. She swayed a little without noticing. Ming Huazhang quickly stepped forward and held her: "Be careful."

The staircase was narrow, and after three people stood there was no room to move. Ming Huashang seemed to be completely hanging on Ming Huazhang's arms. She was a little embarrassed, and carefully moved to the side and said, "I'm fine, I'll just hold on to the wall."

Ming Huazhang disagreed: "There's not even a place to hold on to the wall, and you're still holding on to me..."

Ming Huazhang suddenly stopped, and Ming Huashang curiously followed his line of sight. There was only a ventilation window above. Ming Huashang asked, "Second brother, what's wrong with you?"

Ming Huazhang looked very cold and said to Xie Jichuan, "Just look at her."

Xie Jichuan stood next to Ming Huashang and asked, "What did you find?"

Ming Huazhang did not answer, but walked downstairs in two steps. He saw a ventilation window in the same position on the second floor. Ming Huachang felt something was wrong, and cautiously chased after him and said, "Second brother, is there something wrong with this window? I went in and saw that it was a small compartment, and there was no passage to Fengqing Siyuan."

"No, there must be one." Ming Huazhang's face turned pale and his eyes were dark. "Oh no, we made a big mistake last night. We might have let the murderer get away."

"What?"

Ming Huazhang pointed to the small square window on the second-floor wall and said, "He was able to enter the crime scene from here last night. He may have destroyed important evidence."

Xie Jichuan followed from behind, looked her up and down, frowned and said, "This size can fit a woman of average size, but the window is so high and there is no foothold on the wall, so she can't climb up."

"Yes." Ming Huazhang looked at the place where he had just discovered the thin thread and said, "Do you remember how Shancha danced? Just put the silk ribbon on the wooden board on the third floor, and she can stand on the second floor stairs and hold the ribbon to climb into the ventilation window."

Xie Jichuan looked at the wooden planks of the stairs and the position of the ventilation windows. His expression grew colder as he looked at them. "It looks OK, but it's better to find a woman to try it on."

Everyone subconsciously looked outside. In the lobby, Ren Yao sat next to Jiang Ling, surrounded by frivolous and graceful young women, who were enthusiastically feeding them snacks.

Looks like he's very busy.

Xie Jichuan's expression was a little subtle: "I'm afraid they can't hear me even if I blow the signal. Should I go and call her over?"

Ming Huashang measured the distance up and down, and suddenly said, "Second brother, let me try."

Ming Huazhang was startled and instinctively objected: "No, it's too dangerous. What if I fall?"

Ming Huashang also knew that Ren Yao's skills were much better than hers, so it would be more appropriate to let Ren Yao explore the way. But now Jiang Ling and Ren Yao were being watched by many eyes, and if Ren Yao was called away rashly, it would probably cause trouble.

Ming Huashang stretched her arms and legs and said, "It's okay, I can do it. Besides, I still have my second brother."

Xie Jichuan said quietly, "With him around, will it not hurt if you fall down or what?"

Why does Ming Huashang always mention "my second brother" everywhere, as if as long as Ming Huazhang is around, there is nothing to worry about even if the sky falls.

"Shut up." Ming Huazhang glared at Xie Jichuan coldly, "Go to that small compartment and pick her up from inside."

Although Xie Jichuan was treacherous, he still took advantage of the moment and slipped into the compartment to clear the way for Ming Huachang. Ming Huazhang took out the soft rope he carried with him, tied it to the wooden ladder that had just been hung with red silk, and once again warned: "Be careful."

Ming Huashang looked outside, and when no one was looking, she ran up to the second floor stairs and caught the soft rope Ming Huazhang threw down: "I know."

Ming Huazhang looked at her struggling to climb the wall with the rope, and hesitated to speak. Finally, he sighed, went to the back to hold her waist, and half-carried her to the ventilation window: "Be careful."

She didn't even come to check whether the rope on the third floor was tied securely, but went to try it herself just because of his words. How could he be so trusted?

Ming Huashang climbed into the air vent with the help of Ming Huazhang. Before she could figure out how to get her lower body in, a pair of slender and slightly cold hands reached out from inside, grasped her arms and carried her down.

Ming Huashang returned to the ground dazed and subconsciously grabbed the arm of the person in front of him: "Xie brother, wait a moment, I feel a little dizzy."

At this moment, the door next to them opened slightly, Ming Huazhang flashed in, and paused when he saw them.

Ming Huazhang looked at Xie Jichuan quietly, and Xie Jichuan calmly let go and said, "It seems that your guess is feasible."

Although Ming Huashang's demonstration was a mess, it at least proved that this route was effective. If it were a woman with stronger waist and legs, she should be able to rely on the rope to support herself, climb up the stairs to the air vent, and enter the cabin.

Ming Huazhang quietly put his arm around Ming Huashang's wrist, pulled her to his side, and said, "You go find the secret passage, I'll stay with her."

This compartment was used for servants to rest temporarily, and the space was very limited. Ming Huazhang helped Ming Huashang sit down, giving Xie Jichuan room to walk out.

Xie Jichuan groped in the dark. Ming Huashang paused for a moment, then came to her senses and said embarrassedly: "I have caused trouble for you again..."

"It's not a problem." Ming Huazhang said, "It's me who's bothering you."

It was very dark after the door of the cubicle was closed. Ming Huashang could not even see her own legs. Ming Huazhang seemed to sense her fear and slowly held her palm tightly, silently telling her that he was there.

The darkness was wrapped in the unknown and fear, but his breath was steady and his hands were strong, giving people a strong sense of security. Ming Huashang felt at peace for some reason. He didn't know which girl was singing outside. A brothel was not a place to expect elegant music. The lascivious music floated in through the crack of the door. When Ming Huashang heard the content inside, his fingertips curled up awkwardly.

Her fingers accidentally touched Ming Huazhang's palm, and Ming Huazhang thought she was afraid, so he held her tighter. In the chaos, only the boy beside him had a strong presence.

Ming Huashang was embarrassed to remain silent, so she made small talk: "So, on the day of the murder, the murderer used this method to enter the room on the second floor?"

A deep and clear voice came from the side: "That's right. Judging from the time, it should be around 12:00 p.m. when the madam brought wine to Zhang Ziyun. Not long after, Shancha performed a dance from the third floor to the stage. The maid stuffed the ribbon into the curtain, and the murderer quietly hid behind it. He cut off a piece of the ribbon when no one was paying attention and hid in the stairs. He hung the ribbon on the stairs above his head, climbed into this compartment through the air vent with the help of the ribbon, and then entered the Fengqing Siyuan next door through the secret door, smothering the unconscious Zhang Ziyun to death."

Ming Huazhang said with certainty: "So, there must be a passage to Fengqingsiyuan here."

"You should be more than just talking." A cold voice came from the darkness, "Second sister is old enough, she should be able to rest by herself. Can you come over and help?"

Ming Huashang felt embarrassed and quickly stood up and said, "I'm here to look for it too."

Ming Huashang couldn't see, so she searched by feeling. It was as if she had touched a cool wall. Just as she was about to explore it carefully, someone grabbed her wrist.

Xie Jichuan's voice sounded, "Sister, it's me."

Ming Huashang stepped back awkwardly and bumped into another person's arms. Ming Huazhang held her arm and led her to the wall, saying, "You are not needed for this kind of rough work. Just wait patiently."

"Hey." Xie Jichuan said in a bad tone, "The people doing the rough work are still here."

Ming Huashang said, "Second brother, don't worry about me, go and help Brother Xie."

Ming Huazhang hummed, but his body didn't move. Xie Jichuan made a dissatisfied sound, and Ming Huazhang just flipped the wooden shelf beside him to deal with Xie Jichuan, just to be perfunctory.

Ming Huazhang suddenly asked, "Who lives in the northernmost room on the third floor?"

"Are you referring to the room closest to the stairs?" Ming Huashang looked up and said, "I specifically asked, and it turns out that Yuqiong lives there."

According to the layout of Tianxiang Tower, Yuqiong's room is just above this compartment. There is also a ventilation window on the wall, and one can climb out and directly enter the stairwell.

Ming Huazhang responded slowly, saying, "Then we have to consider one more person. It is very likely that Yuqiong also went out last night, but we didn't see her."

Although Shancha was the only one who could perform the flying dance in Tianxiang Building, Yuqiong grew up in the Jiaofang Department and might not be unfamiliar with dancing. With her body shape, she was fully capable of climbing out of the air vent in her room, landing on the stairs, then jumping from the third floor to the second floor, climbing into the compartment air vent without alerting the outsiders, and opening the secret door to enter the scene.

If it was really her, then she could have come and gone without anyone noticing last night, and no one would have known what evidence she had destroyed.

This is really detrimental to their investigation.

"I've thought about this question too." Xie Jichuan's voice suddenly rang out in the darkness, "But on the day of the murder, she was in the west building, and to get to the east building she had to go through the lobby, so the murderer couldn't have been her."

Ming Huazhang sighed softly and said, "But someone came here last night."

Xie Jichuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately responded: "Did you find the secret door?"

"I guess so." Ming Huazhang pointed to the wooden shelf on the south wall. "I thought this wooden shelf was a bit strange when I came in. The space in the compartment is so small, why not make a high shelf? Now I understand, because the outline of this wooden shelf just blocks the door."

Ming Huashang reached out to touch it. Yes, she only cared about finding cracks on the wall and the ground, but ignored the most obvious place. Xie Jichuan came over and did not even check whether it was real or not. He said sourly, "How did you find it?"

"It's mainly to accompany my sister." Ming Huazhang said slowly, "I flipped through it and saw a light here. If there is light, there must be a gap."

Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan moved the wooden frame away, and Ming Huazhang tried to push it, and it opened.

Ming Huazhang had a calm expression and walked in first.

Fortunately, the loud singing and dancing outside blocked their movements. Ming Huashang finally entered the room and saw the familiar layout and the rough ground in front of her. She knew that this was the scene of the murder - Fengqing Siyuan.

Their previous assumption was completely correct. The murderer was very likely to have returned to the scene for a second time and destroyed some clues. The person who went out last night, the madam, Shancha, the dumb slave, and Yuqiong who had a special geographical advantage, were all possible.