"real?"
Su Yan nodded. "I suspect that this was a setup by the murderer from the very beginning. This portrait was deliberately used to draw the government's attention to you. This is not a coincidence, but a carefully planned scheme."
In fact, Su Yan also found it strange at first. A murder occurred within just six hours, and the heavy rain at Baima Temple just happened to delay the government's actions. Now that she thought about it, it was all part of the murderer's plan from the beginning.
"However, that painting must be connected to the murderer. Can you tell me who the original artist of that portrait was?"
"It is Zhang Jingzhi, the prefect of Yangzhou."
"Zhang Jingzhi?"
Su Yan found the name somewhat familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before. After a moment's thought, she remembered that the main culprit in the corrupt official case that shocked Chang'an ten years ago was named Zhang Zhizhi.
She had followed her senior uncle Lu Yuanxiu, the former vice minister of the Dali Temple, since she was a child, and had heard about many cases, including the case of the Yangzhou prefect's embezzlement, which involved 200,000 taels of silver and had far-reaching implications. It could be said that half of the Liang Dynasty was about to collapse.
The current emperor was furious, and more than a hundred members of the Zhang family alone were executed.
If the murderer is related to Zhang Zhizhi, or if it's a gang seeking revenge, why would they target four courtesans?
"Is the corruption case of the Yangzhou prefect ten years ago related to you four sisters?" Su Yan pressed.
Xin Yunniang looked dazed and nodded blankly. Her eyes accidentally caught sight of a tiny hole on Su Yan's earlobe, and she was momentarily stunned. She then echoed Su Yan's words, saying, "I guess it's somewhat related?"
"Ten years ago, my sisters and I were just getting married and performing for a living when a wealthy man from Jiangnan came and gave us a large sum of money. He told us to go to his mansion to gather guests on the day of the Awakening of Insects, and then go to the government office to report the mansion owner for embezzling government silver. Later, I learned that the person who drew our portraits that day was Zhang Zhizhi, the prefect of Yangzhou. Later, the Zhang family was also raided, and we four sisters were terrified. So we redeemed ourselves from the brothel and came to live in Chang'an. You know what happened after that, sir."
Su Yan's mind raced. She hadn't expected that the murder of a mere courtesan would lead to a ten-year-old cold case. Now she was in a real bind.
Have you ever seen the official silver that Zhang Jingzhi secretly kept?
Xin Yunniang shook her head, "No... Let alone money, that prefect was very honest and frugal. Even his everyday clothes were patched. But his painting skills were truly first-class. Later, the prefect even gave the paintings he had finished to the four of us sisters."
"But why did you just say the portrait was burned?"
“After the prefect got into trouble, the four of us sisters were afraid of being implicated, so we burned the portrait to avoid getting into trouble.”
"Who is this wealthy gentleman you mentioned? What is his name?"
Xin Yunniang then shook her head, "I don't know his name. I only heard Lord Zhang call him 'Brother Qiu.' He hasn't shown his face since the prefect's incident."
"What is the relationship between Zhang Jingzhi and that wealthy gentleman surnamed 'Qiu'?"
"They seem to be getting along well, and they even call each other confidants."
After listening to Xin Yunniang's account, Su Yan roughly understood the truth.
A close friend orchestrated a scheme that framed his friend, leading to his imprisonment and the execution of his entire family. The story is truly shocking and heartbreaking.
"I already know. Don't worry, leave the rest to me to find out the truth."
Just as Su Yan was about to leave, Xin Yunniang called out to her.
"Sir, wait a minute..."
Su Yan turned around. "What's wrong?"
Xin Yunniang stared at Su Yan, her expression hesitant, as if she wanted to say something.
"You...you're a woman, right?"
Upon hearing this, Su Yan's pupils dilated slightly in shock, but she quickly regained her composure. "How could this be? Are you perhaps confused from fright?"
Xin Yunniang, however, was very certain of her eyesight. "I've been in brothels since I can remember. I've seen all kinds of men and women in my life. Don't worry, sir, I won't tell anyone about this. I just want to remind you that the hole in your earlobe needs to be covered with ointment. Even I can see it, so it can't be hidden from the world."
Su Yan subconsciously touched her earlobe. She couldn't tell from her fingers whether there was a hole Xin Yunniang had mentioned, but she knew that the original owner of this body had worn earrings, so she knew that Xin Yunniang was not lying.
"Thank you..."
"You're welcome. Although I don't know why you did this, I believe you must have had a reason to do it. But better safe than sorry."
"Farewell..." After saying goodbye to Xin Yunniang, Su Yan left the torture chamber.
As soon as she stepped out of the torture chamber, the corridor was empty. Fortunately, no one had heard her conversation with Xin Yunniang.
Su Yan took the information about the portrait directly to Shen Yao's study.
"Zhang Jingzhi?"
Su Yan looked at Shen Yao in front of the desk, "Sir, have you heard of the Prefect of Yangzhou?"
Shen Yao nodded. "I once happened to look through Zhang Jingzhi's files at the Dali Temple."
“The murderer must be connected to Zhang Jingzhi, but the Zhang family was wiped out ten years ago. Why don’t we check if there are any Zhang family advisors or survivors?”
Shen Yao thought Su Yan's suggestion was good and quickly put it into practice, mobilizing all his connections in Chang'an.
Sure enough, they discovered a little bit of information.
Ten years ago, the entire Zhang family was indeed executed, but one wet nurse was spared. More importantly, the wet nurse had a daughter who was the same age as Zhang Jingzhi's eldest daughter, Zhang Lanzhen, and had also lived in Chang'an for a long time.
The county scouts quickly located the residence of the Zhang family's wet nurse, but by the time Su Yan and her group arrived, the place was already deserted.
After inquiring with the neighbors, it was learned that the wet nurse had passed away two years ago, and her daughter had disappeared without a trace.
"Just a little bit short... always just a little bit short."
Su Yan looked up at the sky and sighed. The clues she had finally found had been cut off. She felt that God must be playing a trick on her. Every time she was closest to the truth, she always just missed it.
Seeing Su Yan squatting at the door sighing, Shen Yao went over to comfort her, "Don't be discouraged. Now that we know the wet nurse has a daughter, we can continue to investigate."
"Although Chang'an is prosperous, it is not without its dark side. Finding a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl is like finding a needle in a haystack."
After Su Yan finished lamenting, she suddenly realized something, abruptly stood up from the ground, and asked Shen Yao, "My lord, is Zhang Lanzhen the same age as the wet nurse's daughter?"
Shen Yao nodded, puzzled. "Not bad."
Upon hearing this, Su Yan slapped her forehead, "How could I have forgotten about her too?"
As luck would have it, the person who could keep track of the four people in the painting, and even infiltrate their lives, and who was only fifteen or sixteen years old, was none other than her.
Because she was so young, Su Yan didn't take her seriously, never expecting to be tricked by someone who was blind to her true nature.
Su Yan urged Shen Yao anxiously, "My lord, we must hurry and catch the culprit. This time, the murderer has escaped."
"Arrest someone?" Shen Yao looked confused. "Arrest whom?"
Su Yan solemnly said, "Yun Hua, the maid, Ying Liu."
Hearing Su Yan's words, Sun San was even more confused, "Ying Liu? Why do you want to capture that little girl?"
"Oh dear, Brother Sun, I don't have time to explain. I can only say that Yingliu is very likely the wet nurse's daughter. Even if she is not the murderer, she is very likely an accomplice."
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