Chapter 12: Is there a grudge?
The carved wooden window of the private room was half-open, and the noise of East Street downstairs drifted in, intertwining with the crisp sound of the copper bells on the eaves.
“Your Highness, Lord Pei.” Zhou Ping’s voice rang out from outside the door, crisp and clear.
"Scholar Su and Young Master Lin have been found and are waiting downstairs. I have explained the situation to them, and they are both willing to cooperate with the questioning."
Xiao Yunzhan raised his eyes and said in a steady voice, "Please invite Scholar Su up first."
He paused, then turned to Pei Zhiwei, his tone becoming more serious, "Pay attention to his gait and posture in a moment."
Their height and shoe size matched the estimates made at the Qin residence, which was another reason for inviting them – to see if they could discover any suspicious points related to the footprints.
Pei Lin put down his teacup, casually straightened his clothes, and looked at his daughter: "Listen carefully to the questions later, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Pei Zhiwei nodded, pushed the notebook to the side of the table, and gently pressed her fingertips on the three characters "Wang Yulan".
This is the first case of "refusing to marry and then hanging himself" that Xie Ji mentioned.
A short while later, the door was gently pushed open, and a young man wearing a faded blue cloth robe walked in.
His hands trembled slightly as he hung at his sides. He was about twenty years old, thin as a newly sprouted bamboo, and his face was pale from years of not seeing the sun. His hair was held in place by a single, smooth wooden hairpin.
When entering, I walked very lightly, with my knees slightly bent and my steps so small they were almost restrained. Each step involved my heel landing firmly first, followed by the ball of my foot slowly touching the ground.
Pei Zhiwei stared at his ankle for a couple of seconds, then shook her head almost imperceptibly.
This person's ankle strength is weak; he probably hasn't even practiced ordinary boxing and kicking.
Xiao Yunzhan and Pei Lin exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's intentions.
"This humble subject, Su Wenqing, greets Your Highness and Your Excellency." Su Wenqing bowed, his shoulders still trembling slightly, his voice carrying a hint of unquenched timidity, and he dared not raise his head too high.
His gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Xiao Yunzhan.
"Please sit down," Pei Lin said gently, gesturing to the chair opposite him.
"Don't be nervous. I invited you here today to ask about Wang Yulan, the second daughter of the Wang family."
Su Wenqing sat down as instructed, her hands still tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
Upon hearing the name "Wang Yulan," his shoulders visibly trembled, and his eyes instantly reddened.
He lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "This humble subject and Yulan... are indeed mutually in love. However, from beginning to end, our feelings have remained within the bounds of propriety, and we have never overstepped the bounds in the slightest."
"How did you two meet?" Pei Lin asked, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table.
“Last March, at the Yue Lao Temple fair.” Su Wenqing’s voice was somewhat dazed.
"There was an event that day to recite poems related to the moon, and that's when I met Yulan."
Seeing that her poems were excellent, I went up to her and struck up a conversation... and we quickly became acquainted.
Xiao Yunzhan sat quietly to the side, then suddenly spoke up: "Later, the Wang family arranged a marriage for her with the heir of the Marquis of Ding'an. Didn't you ever think about taking her with you?"
Su Wenqing lowered her head even further, her voice choked with emotion: "I've thought about it... how could I not have thought about it?"
Yulan told me she didn't want to get married and begged me to take her away.
But I... I'm just a poor scholar, barely able to support myself, how could I possibly be a burden to her?
He raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye, his fingertips trembling slightly.
I told her to wait a little longer, and that I would definitely go to the Wang family to propose marriage after I passed the imperial examination.
But the light in her eyes dimmed day by day… Then one day, she asked to meet me at the teahouse and said, 'Wenqing, let's end this here.'
"You agreed right then and there?" Pei Zhiwei asked, her gaze falling on his tense profile.
Su Wenqing nodded, her voice full of regret: "I... I thought she had come to her senses and that a marriage into a wealthy family was the best outcome for her."
I just said 'okay'...and watched her turn and leave without even a word to stop her."
"And then?" Pei Zhiwei pressed.
"Later, I couldn't let it go, so I secretly went to see her near the Wang family's house a few more times."
Su Wenqing's voice was almost inaudible, "Once I saw her coming out of 'Linglong Pavilion' with her maid, carrying a jewelry box in her hand, and she had a smile on her face..."
I thought she had truly come to terms with it, so I gave up and told myself to wish each other well from now on.
After a moment of silence, his voice suddenly rose and then quickly fell, filled with pain: "But just a few days later, I heard that Yulan's old illness had relapsed and she had died suddenly!"
I don't believe it!
She has always been in good health and rarely even catches a cold, so how could she have an old ailment?
I secretly found her personal maid, who told me through tears that her mistress had hanged herself in her room...
The Wang family, fearing embarrassment, claimed it was a recurrence of an old illness.
He covered his face with his hands, his shoulders trembling violently.
“It’s all my fault… If I hadn’t hesitated, if I had taken her away, she wouldn’t have died… I broke her heart, which led her to her death…”
Seeing his grief-stricken state, Pei Lin remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Go and rest now. Do not leave the capital in the coming days. If further questions are needed, we will seek you out again."
Su Wenqing stood up, bowed deeply, and staggered away.
"Zhou Ping, bring Young Master Lin up here," Xiao Yunzhan instructed.
The man who came in this time was wearing a lake-blue long robe. His face was handsome, but he was shrouded in a sense of dejection.
He wasn't as flustered as Su Wenqing, but his face was terribly pale.
Pei Zhiwei noticed that his steps were more steady than Su Wenqing's. When he landed, the ball of his foot landed first, and his knees were slightly bent to absorb the force. When he raised his hand, his arm swung slightly more.
She probably knew some basic martial arts, but was clearly not proficient. She shook her head slightly again.
"This humble subject, Lin Mo'an, greets Your Highness and Your Excellency." Lin Mo'an bowed, his voice weary.
"Sit down," Pei Lin gestured.
"I've invited you here today to ask about Shen Qingyuan, the second daughter of the Shen family, who is a secretary in the Ministry of Rites. I've heard that you and she were once in love?"
"Yes," Lin Mo'an replied in a low voice.
"Then why didn't you do anything when she got engaged to the Duke's son?" Pei Lin continued to ask.
"I wanted to take her with me!" Lin Mo'an's voice suddenly rose and then quickly fell, full of self-reproach.
"But my mother found out, and she strongly disagreed!"
He said that if I insisted on taking Qingyuan away, the Lin family would completely offend the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and even my father's official position would be in jeopardy.
I...I was terrified then, afraid of implicating my whole family...and afterwards I avoided seeing her."
Before he could finish speaking, tears unexpectedly streamed down his face. He abruptly turned his face away, his shoulders trembling slightly, his voice choked with barely suppressed sobs.
"Later...later she asked me to meet her and said to me in person...'Let's never see each other again.'"
"I actually... I actually believed it, and I even shamefully breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that at least... at least it was over..."
"You haven't seen him since?" Pei Zhiwei stared at him and asked.
Lin Mo'an nodded heavily, barely able to utter a complete sentence, every word laced with regret.
"The next news I heard about her was that she suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away... Qingyuan had been practicing dance since she was a child, and her body was healthier than anyone else's. How could she have fallen seriously ill?"
I didn't believe it... I pressed my mother relentlessly until she finally revealed the truth..."
He closed his eyes, overwhelmed with anguish. "It was suicide... My uncle's family, concerned about their reputation, insisted it was a sudden illness... It's all my fault... If I had been more assertive then and taken her away, she would never have..."
Pei Lin remained silent for a moment, then finally let out a soft sigh: "You may also leave now. Do not leave the capital in the coming days, and be ready to be summoned at any time."
There was a moment of stillness in the private room.
Xiao Yunzhan picked up the yellow wine beside him, took a small sip, and then broke the silence.
"We have already sent people to look for Wang Yulan's personal maid Qinghe and Shen Qingyuan's maid Huaping."
After their master left, both of them were sold off by the master's family and their whereabouts became difficult to trace, requiring some effort to find.
Now we finally have a location, but the journey is long, and it will take several more days to return to the capital.
He turned his gaze to Zhou Ping, who was standing to the side, and ordered, "Go and bring Qin Chaochao's personal maid."
"Yes." Zhou Ping accepted the order and left.
A moment later, a maid dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) walked in with her head down. It was Chun Tao, Qin Chaochao's personal maid.
In just two days, she looked increasingly haggard, with dark circles under her eyes. Upon entering the room, she knelt down and bowed respectfully, her head bowed very low.
"Get up and answer, sit down." Pei Lin's tone remained calm, trying to soothe her tension.
"I called you here today simply to ask you a few more questions about your wife's life. Tell me the truth, there's no need to be afraid."
Chun Tao carefully sat halfway on the stool as instructed, her back still taut.
"This servant...this servant will tell you everything I know."
Pei Lin hesitated for a moment before asking the crucial question: "Did your wife ever have anyone else she loved before she passed away?"
Chuntao shook her head without hesitation.
"No.
The master values his wife's reputation highly. His wife prefers quiet and usually spends her days either talking with the madam or reading and doing needlework in her room, rarely seeing any men outside.
A few days ago, because of the prince's cold treatment, the lady did make a scene for a few days, saying that she did not want to marry.
But after talking with his wife, he said he had come to a realization.
She even told me, "Mother is right. The Prince Rui's mansion has an upright and honest reputation. Perhaps if we spend more time together, we can live happily ever after."
"After she figured it out, did she do anything unusual?" Pei Zhiwei asked Chun Tao.
Chun Tao thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head: "Nothing unusual."
The lady also took me to the 'Linglong Pavilion' to pick out many pieces of jewelry, and then to the cloth shop to select several bolts of fine silk, saying that she wanted to make clothes for the prince.
"This servant believes that Madam has truly come to her senses and is ready to marry."
"Was there anything unusual the night of the incident?" Xiao Yunzhan asked.
Chun Tao's eyes reddened. "That night, Madam came and spoke with you for a while, and then you told me to go and rest first."
This servant thought that Madam was worried about this servant having to get up early on her wedding day..."
Her voice choked with sobs, tears streaming down her face, "It wasn't until the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) that I went to wake you, Madam, only to find that you were already..."
She sobbed uncontrollably, "This servant really didn't notice anything wrong... That day, my lady told me that she was a little nervous but also looking forward to the wedding tomorrow..."
How could it suddenly be like this…
“Go to the next room and carefully recall where your wife went between the time of the arranged marriage and the time of the incident. Make a list and give it to Constable Zhou,” Pei Zhiwei suddenly said.
Chun Tao stood up, wiped away her tears, bowed, and silently withdrew.
After she left, Pei Zhiwei spread out her notebook, pointed to the records, and slowly said, "Currently, it seems that the three cases have several things in common:
Wang Yulan, Shen Qingyuan, and Qin Chaochao were all betrothed to relatives of higher social standing than their own families;
The three girls were initially unwilling to marry, and after a period of commotion, they all said they had "come to their senses" and began to prepare for their weddings with peace of mind.
In the end, they all hanged themselves without warning. Except for Lord Qin, the families, to save face, concealed the truth and claimed it was due to old illnesses or other reasons.
“However, we cannot be completely certain about the fact that it happened ‘without any warning’,” Pei Lin added. “We can only confirm it after we ask Wang Yulan’s maid Qinghe and Shen Qingyuan’s Huaping.”
Xiao Yunzhan put down his wine cup, his gaze shifting from the shoe print rubbing on the table to Pei Zhiwei: "Madam Pei, are you certain that those two people just now were not shadows? What if they were skilled at disguise?"
Pei Zhiwei shook her head, her tone certain: "Even if they are skilled at disguise, the figures and gaits of these two are far different from the shadowy figure. I would never mistake them."
Xiao Yunzhan nodded, his voice deepening: "If these three cases are indeed related, the murderer's target is very clear—he specifically targets women who 'refuse to marry into wealthy families but then change their minds.'"
But why is he doing this? Does he have a grudge against these powerful families, or does he have other plans?
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