Chapter 23 Double Mystery (Part 3) Like a perfect couple, they tied the red ribbon and entered into a wedding ceremony...
As the two slowly made their way into the room, Jiuli felt that the spot where his thumb had just touched was still a little warm, making her unable to resist raising her hand to touch that small patch of skin.
She glanced at him, then, as if he had noticed, she quickly looked away. "Officer Zhang always says there's only one murderer. Since you didn't agree with him, I guess you think there are two murderers. In my opinion, there are two, one a novice and the other a veteran."
"You think so?" Yu Qi was very pleased and smiled. "What's your basis for this?"
"When you examined Lin Mo's body earlier, you said that the wound on Lin Mo's neck was caused by repeated cutting, and that Lin Mo died in bed, leaving a lot of blood and soaking the bedding, but there was no bloodstains splattered on the surrounding area. I think the murderer didn't cut the neck veins at first, only the throat. The person wasn't dead, so he wasn't sure, and that's why he kept cutting, and only later severed the major veins. But because his hand was pressed on Lin Mo's neck the whole time, there wasn't a large amount of blood splattering. It's clear that this person was a novice, not only was he unsteady with the knife, but he didn't even know exactly where the major veins on a person's neck were, and he didn't use much force either."
Yu Qi glanced at her with a smile and nodded, "Then what about the murderer who killed Guan Zhan?"
"The wound on Guan Zhan's neck was a fatal cut to the throat, about four inches long. To be able to strike from behind, and with the wound perfectly straight, the person must be at least as tall as Guan Zhan, a man who wields a long sword!"
“That’s right. Moreover, the murderer knew the pulse points on the neck very well. You see, although the wound runs from left to right, the incision point was in the middle of the neck, and the cut ended at the back of the neck. The attack was clean and swift; there was no reason for the murderer to make such a four-inch-long cut.”
"I understand!" Jiu Li jumped excitedly, splashing water all over their clothes. "He did it on purpose, to make people think that the person who killed Guan Zhan and the person who killed Lin Mo were the same person!"
Yu Qi smiled and said, "You've made rapid progress in these areas."
She smiled smugly, biting her lip, and glanced to the side.
"Alright, even the smartest brain needs to sleep, otherwise it won't be able to function."
When they returned, Du Zhong had already instructed the kitchen to prepare hot water. There was a large wooden tub in the east wing, which had been purchased for Jiu Li after she entered the garden, specifically for her to bathe in. Du Zhong complained about how troublesome it was for a young lady, but he asked three or four times if there was enough hot water. Seeing the fatigue on his face, Jiu Li didn't bother to say anything and just urged him to go back to his room to sleep.
After closing the door, the night grew even deeper and quieter. This commotion must have meant it was almost midnight. I thought I'd be too scared to sleep by what I'd seen at night, but instead, as soon as I soaked in the hot water, I started yawning with sleepiness. Then I remembered that Yu Qi's outer cloak had gotten dirty, so I took it and soaked it in the water too.
She rested her head on the edge of the tub, her clothes draped over her body, tinged with the smell of blood, and also with Yu Qi's scent. Suddenly, the mingled aromas felt familiar. With her eyes closed, through the hazy smoke, she seemed to return to that smoky night many years ago, when Yu Qi appeared like a divine being, lifting her from a cradle. In his arms, she could also smell the medicinal scent and the stench of blood.
The next day, before dawn, Jiu Li was groggily woken up by a noise. She got up, dressed, and went out to see what was going on. It seemed like they were arguing outside in the courtyard. Yu Qi also came out of the main house and waved to her, "Go inside and wash up. I'll go check on things."
After leaving the hospital, I walked a short distance along the path and stood under an old tree. I saw that some timid patients were packing their bags to go home, but several constables were blocking the road. One of them, the leader, shouted, "There have been two murders. The people living in the garden are highly suspected. Without orders from above, no one is allowed to leave the garden!"
Those who knew him well craned their necks and shouted, "Boss Ji, isn't it precisely because two people have already died that we need to go out? Otherwise, who knows who will be the next to die!"
Someone chimed in, "That's right! We didn't kill anyone, what's the point of detaining us here? If you're so capable, go and take the spirit of Miss Li's unborn child!"
"Yeah, go ahead and take the ghost if you dare!"
"If you can't catch the ghost, are you going to keep us living people here to pay for your crimes?!"
Amid the commotion, Yu Qi suddenly saw Jiu Li walk past him and quickly grabbed her, asking, "Where are you going?"
“I went and told them there was no ghost, that the ghost was Sister Rouge in disguise.”
Yu Qi pulled her back to his side and smiled. "Whether it's a ghost taking lives or a person killing someone, they are all afraid. It's useless for you to say there are no ghosts. That's just nonsense. If you're going to talk about something, talk about something real."
"What is real?"
As luck would have it, Xu Bai suddenly appeared from that road, walked to the crowd, raised his hands to quell his aura, as if he had something to say.
Yu Qi nodded his chin at him from afar, "Listen to what he says, what he says is true."
Then Xu Bai addressed the crowd, saying, “The talk of ghosts and gods is nothing but rumors. None of you have seen them with your own eyes, but the pain and suffering you all endure are real. You could be in mortal danger if you’re not careful. Now, the imperial court has generously provided you with silver and grain, and the government has invited renowned doctors to treat you here for free. You’re eating free food and drinking free medicine, and your illnesses are almost cured. If you rush out because of these rumors, there will be no free medicine or good doctors outside. If you delay your treatment and risk your life, you will only have yourself to blame. I urge you to consider this carefully.”
The group looked at each other and whispered amongst themselves.
Seeing this, Xu Bai smiled and reassured everyone, "Please don't be afraid. The government has kept you here for two reasons: first, because of your illness, and second, to expedite the investigation. We have no intention of using you as scapegoats. Besides, this is not an easy place to get away with this. If we can't get to the bottom of this case, wouldn't we be making a fool of ourselves in front of you all? Please rest assured, everyone. From this day forward, I will increase the number of people patrolling the garden day and night, and each court will also send people to guard it. We will ensure that the murderer does not harm another person!"
After everyone had spoken their minds, they agreed that the argument made sense and gradually stopped insisting on going out.
Then Du Zhong came over from the crowd carrying a basket box, and said with a grin, "I can't believe that Qi Xubai is so young, but he speaks like an old man."
Yu Qi watched Xu Bai mingling among the crowd from afar, and couldn't help but chuckle softly, his eyes filled with disdain, before turning back to the courtyard.
Du Zhong brought out tea for Yu Qi and went into the east wing. Jiu Li had already set out breakfast, and the two of them sat cross-legged on the couch to eat. Du Zhong talked about Rou Ge's condition, "After I sent her back last night, she didn't talk much. Hey, I don't think it's a big deal. She's just frightened. Xiao A Jin is taking care of her."
The shock was secondary; Jiu Li saw that she seemed to be suffering from grief and sorrow. However, she refused to show it, probably because she was afraid to admit that she had feelings for Guan Zhan.
Love is a strange thing. If you love someone, why hide it and deceive others? Deceiving others is one thing, but why deceive yourself? She couldn't figure it out, so she put down her bowl and sighed deeply.
"Are you scared too? Why are you sighing so early in the morning?" Du Zhong glared at her while holding his bowl.
She glared at him but didn't say anything. Then she heard hurried footsteps outside, followed by a knock on the door.
It turned out that Xu Bai had come into the courtyard, wearing a honey-colored straight robe, and stood at the door. He glanced at Yu Qi's room and asked, "Mr. Yu, haven't you taken your seat yet?"
The wind was cold and the fog was heavy. Du Zhong brewed some tea and then casually closed the door. He stepped aside and said, "I've been up for a while and we're having tea with the door closed. My master only drinks tea in the morning. We have breakfast here. Would Lord Qi like to join us?"
Xu Bai was about to exchange pleasantries when he glanced into the house and saw Jiu Li holding chopsticks and tilting her head to look over. She hadn't combed her hair yet, and her black hair was disheveled, with a clump sliding down her back to her chest. "You rushed back to the garden so early, I'm afraid you didn't have breakfast at home, right? If you don't mind, come and have some with us."
He smiled and nodded, then went inside. There were no chairs to sit on, so Du Zhong asked him to sit on the couch and picked up a bowl for him to squeeze in with Jiu Li.
Jiuli quickly cleared out a plate of lotus leaf pancakes and placed it in front of him. She picked up some stir-fried mixed vegetables and shredded chicken, rolled them into a lotus leaf pancake, and handed it to him. "Today is the Spring Equinox. These are spring pancakes that Sister Wu prepared for you."
Which Mrs. Wu?
“She’s from the kitchen. You probably wouldn’t recognize her if you didn’t go to the kitchen.” Jiu Li said with a smile, then suddenly her expression turned serious. She climbed off the bed in a huff and started searching around.
The two men, with their four eyes, followed her everywhere, searching her thoroughly. Finally, they saw her pull out a bundle from under the bed, bring it to the couch, and open it.
Du Zhong glanced down and saw that it was the undergarment Lin Mo had been wearing when he died, stained with blood. He quickly moved to sit further inside, saying, "Why did you take this out while we were eating?!"
"I wouldn't have remembered if it weren't for eating." Jiuli picked up the bright red-stained undergarment and sniffed it inch by inch. "This garment is stained with lard! It must have been spilled with noodle soup!"
Du Zhong laughed and said, "No wonder you could smell the difference."
It's unusual to be able to smell something else amidst this overwhelming, pungent stench of blood. Xu Bai put down his chopsticks, shook his head with a smile, and said, "Your nose is so sensitive?"
Du Zhong laughed and said, "It's not that she has a keen sense of smell, it's that she has a grudge against lard."
What do you mean?
Jiuli quickly pinched his arm to stop him from talking. He hunched over and squeezed under the window. "When she was little, she loved to eat cheese. After eating too much, she didn't like to eat rice. The old lady forbade her to eat anymore. She secretly went to the kitchen and mistakenly scooped up a spoonful of lard instead of cheese. Her mouth was covered in oil, and she was so disgusted that she dry-heaved for two days. From then on, she felt nauseous whenever she saw lard."
Xu Bai looked at her and smiled, and she blushed slightly. She rolled her eyes at Du Zhong and said, "Why are you bringing up old stories as anecdotes? Be careful, or I'll dig up all the embarrassing things you did when you were a child!"
As she spoke, she smelled the blood-stained undergarment again, and pinched Yue Mei's eyebrows, saying, "It's pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles."
Xu Bai took the clothes and frowned. "What's so strange about that? It's just that I spilled some soup while eating."
"The strange thing is that this is his inner garment. Lin Mo's outer garment hanging on the rack was clean, without any bloodstains or noodle soup. This shows that he ate the noodles after taking off his outer garment. So, before he died, there must have been someone else who saw him."
Xu Bai immediately understood, "The person who delivered his midnight snack?"
Jiuli nodded, clutching her clothes. "Yes, he took my laxative that night and had diarrhea several times. He must have been hungry by nightfall."
Now that there was a new lead, Xu Bai couldn't help but smile. Seeing her tie up the bundle, he went to the corner of the wall and poured water into the basin with a copper kettle. "Come, let me help you wash your hands."
Just then, Yu Qi walked down to the corridor. The door was half-closed, and he saw Jiu Li and him standing in front of the washbasin stand. One of them was smiling as she scooped up water to wash her hands. After washing, she lightly dusted them off, and the other smiled as she handed her a towel to dry her hands. The two young people each held one corner of the towel, looking like a perfect couple getting married.
He had considered this scenario before. Although he felt uncomfortable thinking about it, he was relatively calm, thinking that such a day would come sooner or later. Just as rain is inevitable and a woman should marry when she comes of age, it was all a natural thing.
But now that I see this is just a similar situation, I suddenly feel a lump in my throat, unable to breathe properly, feeling depressed and suffocated, like that day outside the corridor, where I wanted the sun to shine but couldn't, it was always gloomy and gray.
Not finding him inside, he quietly watched. Their few simple movements were too irritating to look at, so he had to turn his eyes away. After a moment, he cut his hand, smiled, and pushed open the half-closed door. "Lord Qi rushed back to the garden before dawn, not in a hurry to check Guan Zhan's body, but in a hurry to come here to act as a servant."
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