The curtain has just fallen on the colorful stage, the music is still lingering, and the air is filled with a festive atmosphere.

The big red wedding character on the door of the room was blown up by the wind, making a rustling sound. Through the wide-open door, one could see a mahogany carved bed, on which lay a beautiful woman dressed as a maid. Unfortunately, her big almond eyes were staring at him lifelessly, her delicate dress had been torn to shreds, her face and body were covered with wounds, and bright red blood was gushing out from behind her head, staining the brocade quilt beneath her red.

Xiao Du's face was very ugly. Anyone who knew that a murder had occurred in the mansion during the wedding night would have a bad face. When he found that the dishevelled and bewildered man sitting next to the corpse was his cousin, Zheng Long, the military commander of the Xiao family army, his face became even darker.

At this moment, a crowd of people gathered at the door. Some covered their eyes and screamed in fear, some bravely peeked in, and some shouted that they would report to the authorities. Xiao Du clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms. Finally, he calmed himself down. He quickly found the chief steward Zhou Jingyuan in the crowd and asked him, "Have all the guests in the front yard left?"

Zhou Jingyuan hurriedly replied: "When Aunt Wang heard about this, she arranged for them to leave one after another. Some guests who were supposed to stay overnight were also invited by Aunt Wang to the farthest Lixiang Courtyard."

Xiao Du heaved a sigh of relief. His aunt had always done a good job in this regard. He looked around and found that the people who were watching the excitement were all servants and boys in the mansion. He shouted coldly, "Who was shouting to kill someone just now?" The surroundings immediately became quiet. Everyone looked at each other, and there was no response for a long time. Xiao Du saw that no one dared to recognize him, and he became a little irritated. He waved his hand impatiently and scolded, "Get out of here!"

The master spoke, and the servants dared not disobey, and the crowd finally dispersed slowly. However, Xiao Du narrowed his eyes and found his newlywed wife in the crowd, who was supposed to be waiting for him to return to the bridal chamber.

Yuan Xi was standing at the end of the crowd, staring at the corpse intently. Xiao Du tried to find fear or disgust on her face, but he only saw her eyebrows furrowed, as if she was concentrating on thinking about something. Moreover, the concentration and a little excitement on her face were so similar to the way she stared at his body just now!

Xiao Du quickly shook his head, putting aside this strange idea, and at the same time he found it more and more amusing: Why would a daughter of a prime minister, who should have been kept in seclusion in the inner chambers, have such an expression in front of a horribly dead corpse?

Yuan Xi stared at herself for a long time, until her sleeves were nearly torn off by the frightened maid An He, then she raised her head thoughtfully, but inadvertently met another inquiring gaze, and was immediately frightened and her heart jumped, and she lowered her head in shame. As a new bride, it was not a glorious thing to be caught red-handed when she ran to see the excitement. She quickly put on an innocent look of passing by, covered her face and hurried back to the room. Xiao Du's eyes circled her back for a while, and finally turned around and glared fiercely at Zheng Long in the room!

Zheng Long finally reacted at this moment, and quickly jumped up from the bed, ran over and grabbed his arm, shouting, "My Lord, I didn't do anything!"

Xiao Du shook off his hand with a sullen face, strode to the body, and carefully examined it. He saw a pair of bare thighs exposed from the torn skirt. The once fair and smooth skin was covered with scars and some white sticky gunk. Xiao Du turned around and gritted his teeth and said, "You didn't do anything? Huh?"

Zheng Long lowered his head in shame and murmured, "I was with her..., but I really didn't kill her!" Before he finished speaking, he was slapped hard on the face. Xiao Du was so angry that he pointed at his nose and shouted, "Let me ask you, were you drunk just now? Do you remember what you did?"

Zheng Long covered his face and said aggrievedly, "I drank too much. This girl helped me into the room and kept teasing me intentionally or unintentionally. I couldn't control myself for a moment and just went along with it. Then... then I fell asleep... but I really didn't kill her!"

Xiao Du tried hard to suppress the urge to beat him up, and said coldly: "Three years ago in Xiaoping Mountain, you were also drunk and dragged a village girl on the roadside into the tent. The village girl struggled hard but you still forced yourself on her. If I hadn't discovered it early, who knows what you would have done! You dare to say that you really did nothing this time!"

Zheng Long was stunned by his yelling. He felt a splitting headache but couldn't remember what happened. He could only make a bitter face and cry: "It was really this girl who seduced me first. I really didn't kill him. You have to believe me."

Xiao Du was so angry at him that his chest ached. He was thinking of giving him a good beating to vent his anger when he suddenly smelled a mixture of sandalwood and herbs coming from outside the door. His face suddenly changed and he quickly looked outside.

Standing at the door was a beautiful woman with a delicate figure, wearing a sandalwood colored silk gown, and being supported by a maid, panting. When she saw the person on the bed, she covered her chest with a pale face, but fortunately the maid next to her supported her and she did not fall to the ground.

Xiao Du walked over quickly, took her hand, and said softly, "Mom, why are you here?" Then he yelled at the nanny next to him, "Nanny Yu, you are also an old person by Mom's side, how can you be so ignorant? You knew that Mom was not in good health, but you still brought her here so late."

Madam Zhao just waved her hand and said in a weak but cold voice: "My maid died, why couldn't I come to see her?" Xiao Du was choked by his mother. He wanted to say something but didn't dare to open his mouth. He just stood aside in dismay.

Madam Zhao calmed down a little, then fixed her eyes on Zheng Long and asked in a sharp voice, "You are the one who killed Ping'er?" Although Zheng Long had fought for many years, he was frightened by this glance and said with a bitter face, "Aunt, you have to believe me, it really wasn't me!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Du glared at him fiercely, then took off his coat and put it on his mother, saying softly, "It's windy at night, mother, please take care of yourself. I will take care of this, and I will give you an answer tomorrow morning."

Madam Zhao's expression eased a little, and she said softly, "Ping'er has served me for so many years. I only borrowed her to help you on your wedding day. Who would have known..." Her eyes welled up with tears and her throat choked. Nanny Yu quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Madam Zhao wiped her tears, covered her mouth and coughed a few times, then stared at Xiao Du and said, "I know he is your cousin and a favorite general. Mother will not force you to do anything, but you must give me an explanation for this matter. I can't let Ping'er die unjustly." After that, she let Nanny Yu lead her and turned away.

Xiao Du looked at his mother's back as she left, and felt that the situation tonight was becoming more and more complicated. At this time, Zhou Jingyuan came running over again and said, "My father, please hurry over." Xiao Du raised his eyebrows, knowing that he could not hide this from his father, so he quickly took Zheng Long to Fengheyuan where the old father was.

Since resigning his title, the old marquis Xiao Yunjing has been planting flowers and grass, reading books and practicing calligraphy in the courtyard every day. He also set up a small bamboo garden behind his study. It was past three o'clock at this time. The uneven shadows of the bamboos reflected the stars in the Qiutang Pond, like the reflection of the Milky Way, extremely elegant. However, Xiao Du and Zheng Long had no interest in enjoying the scenery in the middle of the night. They just hurriedly walked through the corridor and entered the study where Xiao Yunjing was.

Turning around a flower-and-bird painted screen, Xiao Yunjing was sitting behind a rosewood table with a ruyi pattern. Next to him was a cup of freshly brewed tea. The person sitting next to him serving him tea had a powdered face, beautiful makeup, and golden hairpins. She was wearing a smoky, narrow-sleeved, double-breasted shirt. There were slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but her charm was undiminished. Xiao Du glanced over and understood the general idea in his mind. He bowed to the two of them and said, "Dad, Aunt Wang."

When Aunt Wang saw him coming in, she stood up quickly, walked up to him, held his hand and said, "Tonight is your good day, how could this happen!" As she spoke, her eyes became wet, she sighed continuously, and her face was full of worry. Zheng Long next to her felt even more uncomfortable and wanted to slap himself twice.

"Okay," Xiao Yunjing, who was sitting behind the desk, said to Aunt Wang, "Bingjun, you should go back to your room first. You have been very tired these days because of Du'er's marriage. Go back and rest early."

Aunt Wang shook her head quickly and said, "What's the point of talking about whether it's tiring or not as a family? Do you want me to send someone to inform my brother? If things get out of hand, he can take care of it in advance."

"No need," Xiao Du said calmly, "It's just a maid who died. There's no need to trouble Minister Wang." Aunt Wang looked back at Xiao Yunjing's face and said with a smile, "It's me who is meddling. Well, you guys discuss it. I'll go back to my room first." After that, she bowed and left.

Seeing Aunt Wang close the door and dismiss the servants waiting outside, Xiao Yunjing asked Xiao Du, "Who died?"

"She is my mother's personal maid, I think her name is Ping'er."

Xiao Yunjing picked up the teacup and took a sip, then asked with narrowed eyes, "What are you going to do?"

Xiao Du frowned and said, "If it was any other day, I could have suppressed it, but today, there are too many guests in the mansion, and they are all gossipy. I don't know if I can keep it secret. Now I have to suppress it for a while. I have just ordered no one to approach that room, and we will make plans after tomorrow morning."

Xiao Yunjing sighed and turned his gaze to Zheng Long. Zheng Long immediately knelt down and said in tears: "Uncle, I was wrong, but I really didn't kill anyone!"

Xiao Yunjing shook his head and sighed, "Do you know how many eyes are staring at you as a general of the Xiao family army after you return to Beijing this time? If this matter is used by someone with ulterior motives, it will not only affect you."

Zheng Long came to his senses at this moment. Could it be that someone was behind this? He suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and he was filled with hatred and regret. He no longer dared to speak up to refute anything.

Xiao Du didn't want his father to worry too much, so he stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, father. I will find a way to investigate this matter and will not let the Xiao family army be implicated."

Xiao Yunjing closed his eyes lightly, as if he was extremely tired, and said, "It's good that you understand it in your heart. Go back first. This matter must be resolved properly." He suddenly remembered something else and reminded, "Also, tonight should have been your wedding day. Remember to comfort your wife and don't scare her." Xiao Du recalled Yuan Xi's expression when he saw the corpse before, and thought that this was not a difficult task, so he nodded in agreement, and took Zheng Long to bow and leave the room.

Zheng Long followed Xiao Du, hesitated for a while, and finally mustered up the courage to catch up and asked, "My Lord, do you still want to go back to the bridal chamber?"

"Damn you!" Xiao Du was so angry that he couldn't help kicking him again. But no one noticed that in the bamboo forest behind them, a dark shadow waited until they were far away before quietly walking east and disappearing into the night.

The gongs of the fourth watch rang out, and the room outside the accident became deserted and eerie. Suddenly, two dark shadows appeared under the screen light outside the door, peeking into the room in the moonlight.

After a while, a timid female voice was heard saying, "Miss, let's go back quickly. It will be bad if we are discovered." This person was none other than An He, Yuan Xi's maid who came with her dowry.

Yuan Xi quickly made a gesture to her to keep quiet. She was also very scared in her heart, but she knew that if they waited until dawn and outsiders entered the house, many things might no longer be verified. So when she learned that Xiao Du would not return to the room tonight, she could no longer bear it. While Nanny Li was asleep, she took An He to the door of this room.

She pushed the door tentatively and found that it was not locked. She was immediately happy and whispered to An He, "You stay here and watch carefully. Call me if there is any movement." Seeing that An He was scared to tears, she comforted her, "Don't worry. The people in the Marquis' Mansion have been busy all night. No one should come to this dead room again."

An He nodded with a bitter face, and stood guard at the door with her chest hugged and neck hunched. Yuan Xi walked into the room carefully holding up her skirt, took out a candle from her arms and lit it, then looked carefully at the bed in the dim light.

At this moment, a voice came from the door: "My wife, why are you here instead of waiting for me in the room?"

Yuan Xi was so frightened that she almost cried out. The candle in her hand slipped to the ground, and the room suddenly fell into darkness again...