Before the announcement in Chapter 2 had even faded, a streak of bright red...
Before the announcement had even finished, a figure in bright red stepped across the threshold and entered.
The newcomer was about twenty years old, with his hair tied up in a golden crown and dressed in a bright red wedding robe befitting a prince, but the cold aura emanating from him made him look less festive.
His gaze swept over everyone in the hall, finally landing on Qin Liang. His brows furrowed slightly, but there was no trace of disgust or sorrow in his eyes.
"Lord Qin," he greeted, his tone devoid of any emotion, "I am late."
Qin Liang stood frozen in place, his hand still clutching the hem of his robe. After a long while, he remembered to cup his hands in greeting, "Your...Your Highness."
Liu suddenly looked up, her face streaked with tears. When she saw the red robe, she turned and buried her face in the arms of a servant, bursting into sobs. Qin Liang sternly stopped her, saying, "Madam!"
Prince Rui, Xiao Yunzhan, seemed oblivious to the chaos and walked straight into the hall, saying, "This morning, the manor was full of guests, and we were just about to prepare the sedan chair to welcome the bride when we heard that something had happened in the manor."
Most of those who came to offer their congratulations were members of the imperial family and court officials. If they were not handled properly, it might disturb the Emperor's ears. Therefore, I had to settle them all first. I came directly here without even changing my clothes. I hope Lord Qin will not take offense.”
These words are reasonable, yet they reveal a calmness that seems out of place with the surrounding sorrow.
"Your Highness is too kind," Qin Liang said hoarsely. "My daughter... my daughter's matter has brought shame upon Your Highness."
"It's hardly shameful," Xiao Yunzhan said calmly. "I heard it was a maid in the manor who discovered it first?"
Qin Liang said, "She is my daughter's personal maid, her name is..."
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yunzhan raised his hand to stop him, "No need to elaborate, I will review the case file later." He changed the subject and looked at Pei Lin, "Is this the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Pei?"
Pei Lin cupped his hands in greeting: "It is indeed I."
"I have long heard of Minister Pei's unparalleled ability to solve cases." Xiao Yunzhan's gaze lingered on him for a moment. "I urge Minister Pei to thoroughly investigate the matter concerning Madam Qin."
If it was truly suicide by hanging, the world should know the reason; if there are hidden circumstances…
He paused, then continued, "I also want to know who dared to provoke the people of Prince Rui's mansion on the day His Majesty has chosen."
Pei Zhiwei's heart stirred slightly. He said to involve the people of Prince Rui's mansion, rather than the Qin family. Was he emphasizing the significance of this marriage, or...?
When he stepped into the main hall, his gait was steady, and each step he took was evenly weighted, which showed that his lower body was extremely solid. Moreover, he walked so quietly that it was almost impossible to hear any sound, which indicated that his skills were extraordinary.
She subconsciously compared the boots in front of her with the half-footprint on the carpet.
Xiao Yunzhan was tall and slender, estimated to be six feet three inches tall, with feet nine inches long.
The half-shoe print she found in her boudoir, judging from the proportions of the imprint, indicated a foot length of at most eight and a half inches, corresponding to a height of no more than six feet.
Therefore, Xiao Yunzhan is definitely not the man who left that half-footprint.
"Officer Li, have you taken all the statements from the Qin family?" Pei Zhiwei turned and stared into his eyes.
"Especially the men in the household, have you inquired about their whereabouts from 1-3 AM to 3-5 AM last night?"
A hint of panic flashed across Xiao Li's face behind him, and he quickly explained, "Miss Pei, you don't know, but my brothers and I have carefully examined the scene."
The doors and windows were locked from the inside, the window paper was intact, and there were no signs of prying on the door frames.
The coroner's examination was even more detailed, stating that the rope marks were formed before death, there was a gap behind the neck, and the height of the footstool and the depth of the shoe prints matched, with no signs of struggle.
He swallowed hard and continued, "The on-site investigation and the coroner's conclusions match, and everyone thinks... thinks it was suicide by hanging."
So they didn't take statements from everyone individually, only questioning the maid who first discovered the body, the servants who removed the body, and Lord Qin and his wife.
"We must not be so careless." Pei Zhiwei's voice deepened, her gaze sweeping over Qin Chaochao's boudoir.
"There are always exceptions. There may be possibilities that we haven't thought of yet. We can't completely rule out other possibilities at the moment."
She paused, her tone softening yet still firm.
"Please have Constable Li pass on the order that all the men in the Qin household wait in the east wing and the women wait in the west wing. No one should be left out."
Conduct a routine check to ensure everyone can clearly state their whereabouts, and then ask if there's anything we don't know.
Xiao Li was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously touched the back of his head.
Just now, Madam Pei discovered the half-footprint that they had missed, and now Madam Pei's expression is so solemn.
This made him wonder if there was something he had overlooked.
"Yes, yes, yes, I'll take care of it right away." He didn't dare to think any further and quickly agreed.
Watching Xiao Li's hurried departure, Pei Zhiwei let out a soft sigh.
She wasn't certain it was murder, but that half-faded footprint kept lingering in her mind.
But if it was determined to be suicide by hanging, the fact that only half of Qin Chaochao's footprint was left on the low stool made her feel that something was amiss.
When she entered the hall, Xiao Yunzhan was discussing the guests who came and went at the Qin residence with Pei Lin. Seeing her enter, Pei Lin took the opportunity to ask, "Zhiwei, were any discoveries made at the scene?"
Pei Zhiwei answered truthfully: "They are just some scattered traces, and it is not clear whether they are important or not. We need to gather all the witness testimonies to make a clear conclusion."
Xiao Yunzhan looked at her, a faint smile appearing on his lips: "Madam Pei seems to be skilled at examining traces."
"I only glanced at them a few times while accompanying my father on his business trip," Pei Zhiwei replied, lowering her eyes. "Having seen them so many times, I've also memorized some methods of identification."
"Oh?" Xiao Yunzhan raised an eyebrow. "Then, in Madam Pei's opinion, what exactly caused Madam Qin's death?"
The question came out of nowhere, and the hall fell silent instantly.
Pei Zhiwei met his probing gaze and calmly replied, "It's hard to say at the moment."
The scene looked like a suicide by hanging, but there were some inconsistencies. We needed to question everyone in the household to get a definitive answer.
Xiao Yunzhan nodded, his fingertips gently stroking the rim of the teacup: "I really don't understand. How could a perfectly fine young lady, about to be married, take her own life on the eve of her wedding?"
Qin Liang's face grew even uglier upon hearing this, and his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
Liu sat to the side, though she had stopped wailing, suppressed sobs still occasionally escaped her throat.
Seeing this, Pei Lin changed the subject at the right time: "Your Highness was entertaining guests at the manor this morning, you must have met quite a few colleagues? Have you heard any gossip about the Qin family?"
Xiao Yunzhan thought for a moment and shook his head: "Most of the people came to offer their congratulations, and didn't say anything else."
Just then, Xiao Li rushed in, bowed to everyone in the hall, and then turned to Pei Zhiwei.
"Madam Pei, everyone has been settled as instructed."
Pei Zhiwei nodded: "Go wait in the east courtyard first, I'll be right there."
She turned to Xiao Yunzhan and curtsied, saying, "Your Highness, I'd like to go and take a look at the east wing."
Pei Lin instructed, "Investigate carefully."
"yes."
When Pei Zhiwei arrived at the east courtyard, he simply stood under the corridor and had Xiao Li question everyone in turn about their names, duties, and where they had been from 1-3 AM to 3-5 AM the previous night.
He stood silently to the side, estimating the size of each person with his eyes.
In the open space of the east courtyard, dozens of men stood in order, each with a different expression.
Some had their hands clasped in front of their abdomens, looking completely at ease; others, however, kept glancing around, their fingers unconsciously fidgeting with their sleeves, revealing a hint of panic.
Xiao Li stepped forward with paper and pen, and called out loudly, "Listen up, everyone. Take turns stating your name, what job you do in the government, and tell us where you were from 1-3 AM to 3-5 AM last night. Can anyone testify?"
The first to step forward was Qin Zhong, the steward of the Qin family. He was over fifty years old, slightly overweight, and less than five feet five inches tall.
He said loudly, "This old servant, Qin Zhong, was on night duty in the main hall last night, taking turns with two servants to keep watch. They can all testify to that."
Pei Zhiwei's gaze swept over his foot, and the size clearly did not match the footprint, so she nodded slightly, indicating the next one.
After several people reported their names, most of them were guards or servants, and their height was mostly between five feet eight inches and six feet.
Pei Zhiwei's gaze lingered on their shoes and figures, secretly noting down several whose heights were similar to the estimated values. Among them, a small, thin young servant stood out.
When it was his turn, the servant lowered his head even further and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "I...I am Liang San, the gardener of the manor."
"Where were you from 1 AM to 3 AM last night?" Xiao Li pressed.
Liang San's shoulders trembled violently, his fingers twisting the hem of his clothes: "I... am sleeping in my own room."
"Can anyone testify?"
"No...no, I live alone." His voice grew even lower, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Pei Zhiwei's gaze lingered on him for a few more moments.
The young man was about five feet nine inches tall and had a slender build. The size of the worn cloth shoes he wore was exactly the same as the size she had calculated.
But she didn't show it on her face at all. She only tapped the paper lightly when Xiao Li was taking notes, indicating that the person should be marked.
After a short while, most of the men whose height met the criteria were guards. Although their leg lengths were similar, their heights were more than half an inch higher.
Liang San, however, looked the most flustered, and his height and leg length were exactly within the range of what was expected.
After everyone had finished reporting, Pei Zhiwei said to Xiao Li, "Tell everyone to wait in the courtyard and not to wander around." As she spoke, her gaze fell on Liang San, "Come with me, I have a few questions for you."
Upon hearing this, Liang San's face turned pale instantly, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel down. He was only able to stand up after being helped up by the constable next to him.
His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded silently and followed Pei Zhiwei to the side courtyard.
Upon entering the side courtyard, Pei Zhiwei dismissed everyone around her before slowly speaking, "Liang San, were you truly in your room all night?"
Liang San gripped the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out, "I...I wouldn't dare to lie."
"You don't dare to lie?" Pei Zhiwei looked at him calmly. "But you seem to have something on your mind."
These words seemed to strike a nerve with Liang San. He abruptly raised his head, his eyes red and brimming with tears: "Wife, I really didn't harm anyone! It's just...it's just..."
"Just what?"
With a sob in his voice, Liang San said, "My mother suddenly coughed up blood yesterday. The doctor said that she needed expensive medicine to save her life, but I... I really can't afford it."
I heard... I heard that there were dowry items piled up in the lady's courtyard, so I thought I'd take advantage of the chaos to... grab a couple of items to exchange for money, but as soon as I got to the courtyard gate, I saw..."
He choked up, his voice trembling: "I saw a man standing outside my wife's door, and she opened the door herself."
The boy thought he had stumbled upon something he shouldn't have seen, and was so frightened he almost jumped out of his skin. He didn't dare look closely and turned to run away!
Pei Zhiwei's heart skipped a beat, and she pressed, "Are you sure Miss Qin opened the door willingly? What was the man's build like?"
“Absolutely true!” Liang San nodded repeatedly. “The lights were on inside the room at the time, and I could see clearly that it was Miss herself. She was standing inside the door and looked quite calm.”
The man... had his back to me, and he didn't seem very tall. I couldn't really see his face clearly because I was too scared at the time.
Pei Zhiwei remained silent for a moment. Liang San's words clearly implied that a man had indeed entered Qin Niangzi's boudoir. Who exactly was that man?
Looking at the tearful woman before her, she suddenly asked, "Did you see anything else while you were running?"
Liang San was stunned for a moment, then shook his head blankly: "I...I don't remember. I was just running, my mind was completely blank."
Pei Zhiwei nodded and didn't ask any further questions, only telling him to wait in the side courtyard.
She returned to the east wing and said to Xiao Li, "Ask again in detail if anyone saw any unfamiliar faces enter the mansion last night."
After several rounds of questioning, the whereabouts of those men of similar build were all clear to everyone.
The other men either didn't match the size or had solid alibis, and all said they had never seen a strange man in the mansion.
Pei Zhiwei stood under the corridor, looking at the crowd still waiting in the courtyard. She gradually realized that the person who left that half footprint was not from the manor.
Why would a stranger be personally invited into Qin Chaochao's boudoir late at night?
Why was it that no one else, besides Liang San, witnessed it? And what connection is there between him and Qin Chaochao's death?
Pei Zhiwei took a deep breath and turned to walk towards the main hall.
These findings need to be shared with my father. Perhaps we can glean some clues about the stranger from Qin Liang or Liu Shi.
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