Chapter 3 In the main hall, Qin Liang faced the morning wine...
In the main hall, Qin Liang stared blankly at the long-extinguished oil lamp.
Madam Liu sat on a pearwood chair, clutching a plain handkerchief in her hand. The edges of the handkerchief were wrinkled from being soaked in tears, and she kept rubbing it.
As soon as Pei Zhiwei stepped across the threshold, she saw Xiao Yunzhan standing by the window.
Morning light streamed through the carved window lattice, casting dappled patterns on his bright red wedding robe, the gold-embroidered python pattern moving slowly with his subtle movements.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his eyes still frost-like. When he saw it was Pei Zhiwei, his expression softened slightly.
"How's the investigation going?" Xiao Yunzhan's voice was emotionless, but his fingertips were gently tapping on the windowsill.
Pei Zhiwei curtsied and took out half a footprint that he had drawn at the scene.
"This is half a fresh footprint found on the carpet at the scene. Judging from its shape, it should be about eight and a half inches long."
It appears to have been left by a tall, thin man, who was about five feet eight inches to six feet tall.
The men in the Qin household either didn't match the physical descriptions or had solid alibis.
Only Liang San's height matched, but he said he had never been inside the inner room.
She added, "I just had someone investigate Liang San's background. He worked as a gardener in the manor for five years and is known as a filial son. His mother has been bedridden for many years."
The servants in the same courtyard said that he was very timid and didn't dare to raise his head when he saw his master, let alone have any dealings with Madam Qin.
His mother did indeed cough up blood suddenly yesterday, and the neighbors all saw him rushing to fetch a doctor.
She paused, then continued, "Although Liang San's figure and footprints match, it's not necessarily him who left them."
The doors and windows were intact, with no signs of forced entry. There was no indication of a struggle inside, and no one heard any shouting or cries for help.
Qin Liang frowned: "What do you mean?"
"If the footprints really are Liang San's, and he sneaked into Madam Qin's inner room late at night, Madam Qin would definitely scold him severely, or at least alert the maids in the courtyard."
Pei Zhiwei stated clearly, "But all of the current circumstances indicate that the man was personally invited into the room by Madam Qin, and definitely did not force his way in."
She then produced Liang San's confession, saying, "And this part of Liang San's confession can also corroborate it. He..."
Just then, I saw that Madam Qin opened the door herself, and a man was standing outside.
Unfortunately, he was too timid. Thinking he had stumbled upon something he shouldn't have seen, he was terrified and didn't get a clear look at the man's face.
Xiao Yunzhan continued, "So, this man knows Madam Qin, and their relationship is quite special."
Pei Zhiwei pondered to herself, although rumors circulated that Madam Qin had a sweetheart, it was hard to say whether the man Liang San had seen was actually him.
If she really has someone she loves, it's incredibly audacious of her to have a secret rendezvous on the eve of her wedding.
"So, an outsider has infiltrated?" Pei Lin looked up at Qin Liang. "Are the guards at the Qin residence just for show?"
Seeing the shame on Qin Liang's face and the slight trembling of his hands, Xiao Yunzhan spoke up for him: "Lord Qin comes from a family of scholars and is also an official who speaks out against injustice. He has always only known how to bury himself in writing memorials and making suggestions."
I'm really not an expert when it comes to martial arts.
The guards in the manor only know some basic martial arts; they're fine for guarding the house on ordinary days, but if they encounter a skilled martial artist or an expert who has come specifically to infiltrate…
The yamen runners beside him nodded in agreement. This Lord Qin was indeed a typical civil official. He was upright enough, but his adaptability was lacking. No wonder the guards were just for show.
Upon hearing these words, Liu's crying, which had already stopped, started louder again.
"Chaochao is our only daughter. She has been pampered since she was a child and has never had any involvement with other men..."
Xiao Yunzhan tapped the paper with the footprints drawn on it, and the paper made a crisp sound.
"Pei Shaoqing, investigate! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find that man."
The constables nearby muttered to themselves, wondering if Prince Rui had actually believed the rumors circulating in the streets, which was why he was so concerned about this still unresolved murder case.
Pei Lin turned to Xiao Yunzhan, "Your Highness, in my opinion, we should first investigate whether Lady Qin has any acquaintances with men."
Xiao Yunzhan nodded: "Call Qin Niangzi's personal maid."
Before long, Chun Tao was led to the main hall. As soon as she entered, she knelt down and trembled uncontrollably: "This servant...this servant greets Your Highness, greets Your Excellency."
"Your name is Chuntao?" Pei Zhiwei softened her tone. "How many years have you been with your wife?"
“Reporting to my mistress, I have been with you since I was eight years old, for ten years now,” Chun Tao said, her voice trembling.
"Then you should know best what's on Qin Niangzi's mind," Pei Zhiwei asked. "There are rumors that your wife has someone she loves. Is that true?"
Chun Tao suddenly looked up, her face deathly pale: "No! Absolutely not!"
My wife is pure and virtuous, and she rarely sees other men. How could such a thing happen?
Those are just rumors circulating in the streets; don't take them seriously!
“Oh?” Pei Lin raised an eyebrow. “But last night someone saw a man enter Madam Qin’s courtyard, and Madam Qin herself opened the door.”
"Then...then you must have seen wrong!" Chun Tao cried anxiously.
"Besides us few who serve her closely, no men are ever allowed near the lady's courtyard, let alone in the dead of night!"
Xiao Yunzhan suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a sense of authority: "I will ask you one more time, does your wife have someone she loves?"
Chun Tao was so frightened that she kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead hitting the blue brick floor with a "thud": "This servant dares not deceive Your Highness! My lady really has no one in her heart!"
Her mind was only on...only on this marriage that was about to take place... When she said the last few words, her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible unless you listened carefully.
Pei Zhiwei and Pei Lin exchanged a glance. Seeing Chun Tao's earnest expression, she didn't seem to be lying, but there was something strange about the whole thing.
Pei Lin looked at Xiao Yunzhan: "Your Highness, my daughter has already had the yamen runners invite all the maids of the Qin family to wait in the west wing."
In my opinion, we should send my daughter over there to inquire further; perhaps she'll make some new discoveries.
Xiao Yunzhan nodded: "Go ahead."
In the main room of the west courtyard, dozens of maids lined up in an orderly fashion, each looking nervous and unsure of what to do with their hands and feet.
Pei Zhiwei sat at the head of the table, her gaze slowly sweeping over everyone: "Everyone, there's no need to panic. I've invited you all here today simply to ask about Lady Qin."
Anyone who can provide useful clues will be handsomely rewarded; but if someone knows something and doesn't report it, then the law is merciless, and they can't blame anyone else.
After saying that, she winked at Xiao Li, signaling him to start asking questions.
From the lowly servants responsible for sweeping and cleaning to the first-class maids who served her personally, they all came forward to report, saying that they had never seen Madam Qin have any dealings with other men.
When asked about the last maid who served her personally, the maid shrank her neck, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, and timidly said, "Reporting to...reporting to my mistress, on the third day of last month, I saw a young man hand a brocade box to my mistress, but my mistress did not accept it. Does...does that count?"
"How can you be sure it was the third day of last month?" Pei Zhiwei pressed, her gaze falling on the maid's slightly trembling hands.
The maid swallowed hard, composed herself, and replied, "My lady, when she attends banquets, she is always accompanied by Sister Chuntao."
On the third day of last month, Sister Chuntao caught a cold and wasn't feeling well, so Madam asked me to go with her. That's why I remember it so well.
"Did you get a good look at that young man?" Pei Zhiwei asked again.
The maid lowered her head even further, her voice barely audible: "I was too far away to see his face clearly, but I could see that he had a white jade pendant hanging from his waist, and he looked like a young master from a wealthy family."
Pei Zhiwei's heart skipped a beat, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened around the corner of her sleeve. With this new clue, she turned and went back to the main hall.
While Chuntao was still kneeling on the ground, she cut to the chase: "Chuntao, do you know your crime?"
Chun Tao looked up blankly, her eyes filled with fear, her voice trembling with tears: "This servant...this servant really doesn't know what mistake I made."
"We just asked the other servants in the manor, and some of them said they saw a young master giving gifts to your mistress. Is that true?"
Pei Zhiwei's tone was calm, yet carried an air of authority.
Chun Tao's face turned deathly pale in an instant, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
"Didn't you say your wife didn't have a sweetheart? Then why are men sending her gifts?"
Pei Lin frowned, his voice suddenly turning stern, startling Chun Tao so much that she trembled violently.
With a thud, Chun Tao crashed heavily to the ground, leaving a red mark on her forehead.
"My wife truly has no one she loves! This servant would never dare to lie!"
"Then how do you explain all this?" Pei Zhiwei pressed on relentlessly.
Chun Tao cried so hard she could hardly breathe, and sobbed, "Yes...yes, someone admires my wife, but my wife has never been interested in him!"
Every time that young man sent something, his wife would either push it back or return it unopened…
"You said that Madam Qin doesn't have a sweetheart, but that person only admires her unilaterally."
Why has she been sitting there sighing so much lately? She even said she didn't want to get married?
Chun Tao paused, twisting the hem of her skirt with her fingers, and stammered, "My lady... my lady feels that His Highness has no affection for her whatsoever."
"Oh?" Pei Zhiwei and Xiao Yunzhan exchanged a glance.
Chuntao bit her lower lip, as if she had made a huge decision.
"Actually, when the marriage was first arranged, my wife was apprehensive, but she never said she was unwilling."
Until last month's flower-viewing banquet, the lady bumped into His Highness in the corridor..."
"What exactly happened at that time?" Pei Zhiwei pressed.
"That day, it was just His Highness and my wife in the corridor. My wife was holding a freshly picked crabapple in her hand. She wanted to go up and pay her respects, but His Highness... His Highness didn't even lift his eyelids and just walked away."
Chun Tao's voice grew softer and softer, "After my wife came back, she locked herself in her room and cried for the entire afternoon."
She said that His Highness didn't care about her at all, and that she wouldn't have a good life if she married him, so it was better not to marry at all...
The hall was completely silent.
Pei Zhiwei suddenly realized that Qin Niangzi's reluctance to marry was not because she had a sweetheart, but because of this grievance.
She stole a glance at Xiao Yunzhan and saw his fingertips unconsciously caressing the jade pendant at his waist, his eyes swirling with indescribable emotions, and his lips pressed tightly together, remaining silent.
"Who is that young man who admires Lady Qin?" Xiao Yunzhan suddenly asked, his voice slightly hoarse.
Chun Tao hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and said, "It's...it's the second son of Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Revenue."
Upon hearing this, Qin Liang's expression changed drastically, and he slammed his hand on the table: "It's him!"
Madam Liu was also astonished: "How could it be the second son of the Zhang family?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com