Chapter 9. She is not the murderer.
Chapter 9
When Shen Fengyu found Shen Suining at Chunfeng Pavilion, she had already changed out of her servant's clothes and transformed into a scholar in white robes, sitting quietly by the window playing the zither.
Inside the room, a musician held a pipa and played a duet with her called "Crane Soaring to the Sky".
Soft duckweed leaves, bright apricot blossoms, and a clear painted boat. A pair of mandarin ducks emerge from the green islet, accompanied by the sound of oarsmen's songs. The spring waters are calm and still. Springtime brings both rain and sunshine. Beautiful women accompany each other on the southern shore at dusk, their hearts filled with affection. (From "Crane Soaring to the Sky" in the *Donggao Qinpu*)
Although Shen Fengyu didn't understand music theory, she could see the way the musician looked at Shen Suining. The look was so tender it seemed like it could be squeezed to release water, and Shen Fengyu instantly felt uncomfortable all over.
When the music ended, Shen Fengyu stood at the door and clapped. The musician, perhaps not expecting a third person to be present, picked up her pipa and stood up, her cheeks instantly turning red.
Shen Fengyu nodded to her, "Go out first."
"Yes, young master." The musician bowed with her eyes lowered, and left, turning back every few steps.
After everyone else left, Shen Fengyu finally couldn't help but scold Shen Suining, "Can you please stop picking on a few girls wherever you go?"
"It's just playing a tune, what did I do to offend you?" Shen Suining seemed to be in a good mood, and deliberately played a cheerful and playful tune in response to Shen Fengyu. "I just like pretty faces."
Shen Fengyu rolled her eyes at her.
Looking back at the elders of the previous generation at Shuyu Manor, each of them was exceptionally devoted in love, unlike Shen Suining, who seemed to like anyone who was pretty.
"Is there any news about Sheng Qingge?"
Shen Fengyu hummed in agreement before getting down to business. "She's hiding in Qianchunfang to recover from her injuries. When Sheng Qingge was at Wanhualou, she was skilled at disguise. Although her disguises weren't as convincing as ours, she was still easy to spot in a crowd. Qianchunfang has many customers from all over the country, and with Song San Niang's protection, it's a good hiding place for her."
"Then let's not alert her yet. Let's keep a low profile these next few days and wait for the right opportunity. Once Sheng Qingge realizes that we're not here to kill her, she might come looking for us."
Shen Fengyu pondered for a moment, "But do you think Sheng Qingge will easily believe us?"
“We’ve been forced to this point, so we have no choice but to believe it,” Shen Suining sneered. “The influence of Shuyu Manor in the martial arts world is not something that others can easily match. If she can take the initiative to tell us who wants to kill her and why, even though Shuyu Manor won’t intervene openly, they can still find other ways to give her a chance to survive.”
"What if... someone in Huadu really wants her dead?"
“If those two from Huadu were after Sheng Qingge’s life, they’re utterly incompetent as assassins. I suspect they’re just like us, trying to find out something from Sheng Qingge. But Sheng Qingge is being hunted down right now, like a frightened bird, so they’re probably also racking their brains over this. To put it another way, if Sheng Qingge really dies so easily at their hands,” Shen Suining scoffed, “then she certainly doesn’t have the life to live.”
Although Shen Suining is usually not very serious, her ideas at crucial moments are very convincing to Shen Fengyu. Otherwise, she wouldn't have followed her so wholeheartedly among so many capable and righteous people in Shuyu Manor.
Hearing Shen Suining's confident demeanor, Shen Fengyu felt relieved and said, "Then let's wait and see."
“Hmm,” Shen Suining played a tune, then suddenly thought of something, “Right, we need to change our faces and identities again.”
Why?
"We don't want those two from the capital to get in our way." Shen Suining deliberately acted relaxed in front of He Hansheng, hoping to make him think that his mission was over and thus lower his guard against them.
Throughout the entire process, Shen Suining was unsure of He Hansheng and his group's purpose or whether it conflicted with her own. The only thing she was certain of was that the man had come south from the capital, and judging from his clothes and appearance, he likely held a high-ranking official position.
Based on their conversation, Shen Suining guessed that he was looking for Sheng Qingge most likely because of the deceased Princess Biyue, and that Sheng Qingge might be related to the princess's death.
In short, Shen Suining must not have any further dealings with them.
Shuyu Manor has an ironclad rule: one must not associate with court officials, nor participate in any matters that may involve politics. This is also what her parents value and worry about the most.
Shen Fengyu naturally understood this principle, but she felt a little regretful, "I was thinking that the boy would be your type."
Shen Suining: "?"
"You're getting bolder and bolder, daring to say things like this to my face." Shen Suining laughed angrily and threw a teacup at him.
Shen Fengyu reached out and caught it. "Isn't that right? I've always thought that our young master has special feelings for men he can't beat, especially since that kid is good-looking. He's good at both fighting and looks, isn't that exactly what you wanted?"
Shen Suining rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to her.
Just then, a commotion arose outside, and Shen Suining said irritably, "Go take a look."
"Okay."
No sooner had Shen Fengyu left than a window in the room suddenly opened, and a figure darted out, shooting something fiercely toward Shen Suining.
Shen Suining slammed her palm on the table and jumped to avoid it, causing the teapot on the table to shatter instantly, splashing tea everywhere.
Once she stopped, Shen Suining immediately ran to the window. Outside was a pond that had not yet thawed, and there was not a soul in sight.
She turned around and saw something mixed in with the shards on the ground.
Shen Suining squatted down to pick up the things, and accidentally pricked her finger on a shard stuck to it. She didn't feel any pain, and just sucked the blood from her fingertip. The thing that broke the teapot in her hand was the half of the gilded mask that Song Sanniang had worn on her face yesterday, which already had the marks of time on it.
"Third Sister..." Shen Suining's eyelids twitched, and a bad premonition rose in her heart.
A moment later, Shen Fengyu returned, her complexion noticeably worse than when she left.
"What happened?" Shen Suining's unease grew stronger.
“Sheng Qingge…something happened to her,” Shen Fengyu seemed still somewhat incredulous. “She died in Song San Niang’s room.”
...
At 3:45 AM, Song San Niang, who was supposed to be on duty at Nanfeng Pavilion, was still in her room, the door tightly closed.
Her personal maid, Xingchun, found it strange and worried that the Third Mistress might have gotten drunk the night before and missed the appointed time, so she pushed open the door to call her. As a result, she found Sheng Qingge lying in a pool of blood in a red dress, her face covered in blood and gore.
Xingchun was terrified and immediately reported it to the authorities. Chen Shilin, the prefect of Suzhou, rushed to the scene with his men.
The incident quickly became the talk of the town, and the once bustling Qianchunfang was deserted, forced to close its doors to visitors.
When Chen Shilin arrived at the crime scene, He Hansheng was already there.
Upon seeing the young man before him, Chen Shilin paused for a moment, then immediately raised his hand in a salute: "This humble official was unaware that the young marquis was also here. My apologies."
"It's alright." He Hansheng squatted on the ground, examining the injuries on the corpse.
Jiang Yuchu bowed to Chen Shilin: "Lord Marquis, you are here to investigate a case by order of His Majesty. It is not appropriate to make too much of a fuss. I hope you will not spread the word when you return."
“I understand, but…” Chen Shilin paused for a moment, “Could it be that the case Your Excellency is investigating is related to the case of Princess Biyue?”
Upon hearing this, He Hansheng stood up. "That is the case."
He Hansheng's mother, Princess Jinling, was the emperor's younger sister. In terms of kinship, Princess Biyue was He Hansheng's cousin.
Princess Biyue was the Emperor's first daughter. Although she was not born of the Empress, she was still favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She developed an arrogant and domineering personality from a young age. After marriage, she often beat and scolded the servants in the mansion because of her jealousy. At the beginning of the year, she even ordered her servants to gouge out her eyes because a maid glanced at her husband while serving at a family banquet.
Two months ago, Princess Biyue, who was six months pregnant, learned that her husband, Gu Wenlang, had committed adultery while she was pregnant. The two argued and fought at her residence, causing the princess to nearly miscarry. After the Imperial Hospital took great care of her and ensured the safety of the fetus, the princess suddenly died unexpectedly in her room one afternoon. Before this, Gu Wenlang had not returned home for seven days, and after the princess's death, he seemed to have vanished into thin air.
The Emperor was furious and immediately ordered the Gu family to be raided. However, because there was no evidence to prove that the princess and her unborn child were indeed killed by Gu Wenlang, the Emperor was opposed by the remonstrating officials and ministers. Helpless, the Emperor had to secretly summon He Hansheng, who had just inherited the title, to investigate the matter.
This matter caused a sensation in the imperial court, and remained unresolved for two whole months. Chen Shilin had naturally heard about it, and upon learning that He Hansheng had come south specifically for this case, he couldn't help but add: "The Imperial Son-in-Law visited Suzhou before his marriage and met me a few times. In my opinion, although the Imperial Son-in-Law is not as dashing as the Marquis, he is still a refined and humble scholar, and certainly not the kind of person who would kill his wife and children."
"He seems like an honest man, very kind and sincere." He Hansheng recalled his several interactions with Gu Wenlang and nodded in agreement. But you can know a person's face but not their heart. Who can be sure that a gentle and honest scholar would never kill someone with a knife?
While He Hansheng and Chen Shilin were talking, the female corpse on the ground was carried outside. Shen Suining disguised himself as a minor official and mingled among the coroners to personally examine the condition of the female corpse.
Just as she heard, his face was unrecognizable, and there were several deep wounds on his neck, as if he had been strangled to death from behind.
Shen Suining found it strange. Given Sheng Qingge's cautious and suspicious nature and her current situation, even if the other party was someone she had a close relationship with, it was impossible for her to leave her back to him without any precautions.
The other coroners undressed the female corpse to examine it, and Shen Suining took the opportunity to watch. She found that apart from a fatal wound on her neck and a scratched face, there were no other obvious injuries on her body.
Shen Suining's heart skipped a beat.
At this moment, He Hansheng and Chen Shilin came out of the house. Shen Suining subconsciously recognized their faces, but then realized that she had changed her face and relaxed.
He Hansheng, oblivious to the situation, looked at the coroners who were performing the autopsy and asked, "How did you determine that the deceased was Sheng Qingge, sir?"
"Actually, no conclusion has been reached yet. After my investigation, I found that two women are missing. One is Sheng Qingge, who fled all the way from Hangzhou, and the other is Song Sanniang from Qianchunfang. Both are possible. However, the first eyewitness who discovered the female corpse said that she saw Song Sanniang jump out of the window and escape after she opened the door. Therefore..."
Shen Suining heard every word Chen Shilin said clearly, and combined with her own guesses, she suddenly felt a chill creep up her spine.
...The female corpse before us is not Sheng Qingge, but Song Sanniang.
The coroner, who was examining the body, saw Shen Suining standing still and pushed her forcefully, saying, "Don't get in the way, come and help!"
Shen Suining was immersed in a strange emotion when she stumbled forward without warning. The half of the gilded mask she was carrying flew out with a "thud" and fell to the ground.
Shen Suining's pupils contracted, and she immediately tried to go forward to pick it up, but a guard who was closer to her picked it up first.
What is this?
Shen Suining turned to run, but the guard reacted quickly, drawing his sword swiftly from his waist. "Grab him!"
In an instant, the guards present drew their swords and stepped forward. Shen Suining took a step back, kicked the people in front of him to the ground with a flying kick, then caught the wrist that was swung from behind, took the sword, and threw the person away.
Jiang Yuchu and Chen Shilin immediately stood in front of He Hansheng.
Chen Shih-lin shouted, "This must be the murderer! Catch him!"
Although Shen Suining's martial arts skills were rumored to be mediocre, he was more than capable of taking down a few guards. Seeing that the "murderer" was about to escape, He Hansheng spoke up: "Yu Chu."
Jiang Yuchu used her lightness skill to leap into the air and kicked down heavily. Shen Suining, who had just finished dealing with the guards, had no time to dodge and could only cross her arms in front of her to block the kick.
Forced back several meters, Shen Suining clutched her chest and rolled a smoke bomb out of her sleeve, throwing it at the attacker.
In an instant, the courtyard was engulfed in thick smoke. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shen Suining used her lightness skill to fly onto the roof. Just when she was about to escape successfully, an iron chain suddenly flew out from the thick smoke below and grabbed her ankle precisely.
With a pull of the chain, Shen Suining slid down the roof in an instant, and tiles crashed to the ground. At that moment, Jiang Yuchu also flew onto the roof and punched down.
At this moment, a person jumped out from behind Shen Suining and kicked Jiang Yuchu away.
"Young Master, run!" Shen Fengyu tore off the iron chain tied to Shen Suining's ankle and pulled hard, instantly turning the chain into a weapon in her hand.
The guards jumped onto the roof one after another, and with Jiang Yuchu, a master, surrounding them, in desperation, Shen Fengyu released another smoke bomb, slapped Shen Suining away with a palm, and was then pinned to the roof by himself.
...
After the coroner examined the body, it was basically determined that the deceased was Song San Niang from Qianchunfang, while the real Sheng Qingge once again disappeared without a trace.
Shen Fengyu was imprisoned in the government jail as the murderer of Song San Niang. Having witnessed her abilities, the jail was heavily guarded both inside and outside, making it impossible for Shen Suining to break out of the jail alone.
Furthermore, the government concluded that even if the person was forcibly abducted, Shuyu Manor would be burdened with a fabricated death, thus severing its long-standing relationship with Qianchunfang.
Left with no other choice, Shen Suining could only don the blue bronze mask unique to Bifengtang and visit Chen Shilin's residence at night.
In his half-awake state, Chen Shilin saw a person sitting at the table by the window, which nearly scared him to death.
After seeing who it was, Chen Shilin breathed a sigh of relief, "So it's Hall Master Shen visiting."
Shen Suining cut to the chase: "I'm here to demand someone. The man you captured at the Nanfeng Pavilion in Qianchunfang today is my subordinate."
The prefects of various prefectures in Jiangnan have tacitly reached an unwritten agreement: to keep to themselves as far as possible from Shuyu Manor and other martial arts sects. As long as they do not do anything immoral, the prefects are willing to give them face.
But this time it involved a murder case, and Chen Shilin could not turn a blind eye. He could only say, "That person is involved in a murder case, and I'm afraid I cannot release him."
"She is not the murderer."
"How can Lord Shen prove that she isn't?"
Shen Suining was speechless. With just her clever words, she was absolutely unable to clear Shen Fengyu's name in prison, even if she was truly innocent.
After a moment's thought, Shen Suining said, "Give me a few days, and I will bring the real culprit back. Until then, you must treat her well and not use torture."
Chen Shilin was in a difficult position. “But the deceased is Song San Niang from Qianchunfang. I’m sure Master Shen knows about her status and reputation. Although Qianchunfang has been forced to close down, several managers come to the government office every day to make trouble, demanding that the murderer be executed on the spot to comfort the deceased’s soul. I’m afraid I can’t resist them.”
“Five days.” Shen Suining gave a specific time. “I will come back to ask for the person in five days.”
After saying that, Shen Suining jumped off the table, raised her hand and bowed deeply to Chen Shilin: "I'm counting on you."
Having said that, Chen Shilin naturally couldn't refuse and could only return the courtesy and agree: "This humble official will do his best."
A note from the author:
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