Chapter 22
The two looked at each other with serious expressions.
"This performance is truly better than what's on stage." The troupe leader slowly unfolded the folding fan on the table. "Master Jinwuwei, I'm leaving this in your hands."
Qian Yuan stared at the note in front of him, his brows knitted together. "If I ask everyone in the troupe to compare the handwriting one by one, it will probably be very time-consuming and laborious."
If an entire opera troupe were to come and compare the handwriting, it would definitely be a huge project.
Jian Xinyi thought for a moment and said bluntly, "Then why not just check who entered this room today?"
"Oh, I almost forgot about you." The class leader snapped the folding fan in his hand and pressed it on Jian Xinyi's head. "No entry is allowed in Wanhua Pavilion. How did you get in?"
"Why do you care how I got in?" Jian Xinyi was particularly uncomfortable with the feeling of being suppressed. She twisted her body left and right, "Let me go now."
The class owner snorted coldly, "It's obvious that he got in through the hole in the wall."
"Master, now is not the time to dwell on this," Qian Yuan said coldly. "She does have a point. Who would normally come to the other courtyard?"
"My courtyard is also open, so anyone who knows where it is can come. But usually, no one bothers to bother me." The troupe owner straightened his robes slightly and sat down. "But the only people who come here often are the maids who bring food and drinks."
"Then investigate them first."
Qian Yuan walked out of the door and went straight to the kitchen.
Jian Xinyi also hurried to follow, not daring to be negligent.
But the class owner refused to give in and directly grabbed her hand, "Stop, I'm letting you go?"
Jian Xinyi quickly pretended to be teased, "You, what do you want to do?"
"Give me money."
The class leader spread out his right hand and spoke concisely.
Jian Xinyi gently pushed the class owner's hand back and started talking nonsense.
"Boss, I've actually been hiding this from you. I used to be famous for singing at home. How about I sing a song for you?"
"Oh? Then why don't you sing one for me?"
The class owner looked at her expectantly, with a hint of ridicule in his eyes.
"Sing if you want!"
Jian Xinyi stiffened her neck and chose one that ancient people could understand.
"I am not talented enough to win your favor~"
The sound became smaller and smaller in the end, and gradually became out of tune.
The class owner nodded, thankfully. "The vocals are good, but I'm a bit stage-frightened."
"But, you can't count on this to pay off the debt."
He stretched out his sinful right hand again and said, "Give me the money."
"You are so unkind, I..."
Jian Xinyi's unreasonable attitude scared herself.
Forget it, just consider it as paying the price for my recklessness.
She rummaged around and finally took out some small change.
"Here you go, I was wrong."
"If you admit your mistakes and correct them, it means you still have some conscience."
The boss immediately returned to his hideous appearance and walked out.
"When asking for the money, he had one face, and when he paid, he had another face. He's really acting like an actor, and he changes so quickly."
Jian Xinyi muttered to herself as she strolled around the troupe.
The actors around me were still discussing what happened today.
"Have you heard? Someone complained to the class owner, saying that Lingyan didn't kill Manru at all."
"It's so scary. I don't even dare to go out at night."
Either Lingyan killed Manru, or someone hated both of them.
Logically speaking, this should be a very simple case, why has it become so complicated?
Someone is hiding something, or there is something deeper that we don't know.
Just like the relationship between Liu Qin and Cheng Baisang at that time.
Jian Xinyi thought so, not noticing that there was someone blocking her way.
"I told you you were the chief constable and you actually acted like one. What were you thinking?"
Qian Yuan stood in the pavilion in the courtyard and pulled Jian Xinyi over with one hand. "I've been to the kitchen, and the handwriting doesn't match."
Jian Xinyi was a little depressed and sat down in the pavilion.
"Then this won't become an unsolved case?"
Qian Yuan found it a little funny. "It's our responsibility as the Jinwu Guards to make it an unsolved case. What are you worried about?"
"It just feels a bit sad that people are dead and the living can't even catch the murderer."
Jian Xinyi stood up and dusted herself off. "Forget it. I won't think about it anymore. I'll just sell my books."
"Actually, it's not like there's no progress. The boss and I have come up with a good plan."
"Good plan?"
Jian Xinyi was very confused, and looking at Qian Yuan's cunning eyes, she became even more confused.
"Whatever you want, I'll go find Dule to play."
She waved and walked out of the yard.
"Hey, where's the Dule people?"
Jian Xinyi walked around the troupe three times but didn't see Du Le and his group.
Seeing that it was getting dark, I guess they went backstage to rehearse.
As an outsider, Jian Xinyi couldn't go backstage, so she had to go back to the pavilion and sit down again, thinking of waiting for Du Le to come out.
Otherwise, wouldn’t you not come this time?
The winter night was getting colder and colder, and Jian Xinyi felt as if her whole body was frozen. She had no choice but to go backstage to get some warmth.
The yard was exceptionally quiet before the troupe's performance. Jian Xinyi felt a little scared and hugged her arms tightly.
The sound of stringed instruments could be heard faintly from afar, and if you listened carefully, you could hear some beeping and popping sounds.
Jian Xinyi looked towards the source of the sound and saw a faint glow of fire in the distance. She was afraid that there was a fire.
She hurried over, only to see the old housekeeper standing by the fire burning something.
Seeing that it was her, the old housekeeper's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he sighed, "Lingyan is really pitiful. After she died, no one even burned her things."
Jian Xinyi stared at the blazing fire and felt something strange in her heart.
In the middle of the firelight there was a pair of embroidered shoes that had not yet melted. They were obviously Dule's shoes.
She discovered on the first day she met Dule that the shoes were embroidered with a pair of little rabbits.
"Are these Manru's clothes?" she asked in a low voice.
"Yes, the woman she lived with gave it to me and told me to burn it."
The old housekeeper laughed, looking at Jian Xinyi's tightly knitted brows, and said in a more serious tone, "It's wrong to let you in today. It's getting late now, so go back early."
"Du Le and I have something to discuss, I'll be right back."
Jian Xinyi rushed to the backstage, wanting to verify some things.
The servant in the distance saw her running towards him and hurriedly stopped her, "Miss, no one is allowed to come near the backstage."
"Could you please call out the Lord Jinwu Guard inside? I have some clues about Manru's murder."
Seeing that she looked serious and didn't seem like someone talking nonsense, the servant had no choice but to go in and call Qian Yuan out.
"Using me to get backstage, your intentions are too obvious."
Qian Yuan found a big-sleeved shirt from somewhere and put it on, pretending to be Liang Shanbo but he was not even a bit as elegant as Liang Shanbo. He looked like a butcher reciting the Analects of Confucius.
Jian Xinyi suppressed the urge to complain and quickly pulled him over. "I really do need to talk to you about something. Do you know who Manru's roommate is?"
"Roommate? What's wrong?"
Seeing her serious face, Qian Yuan couldn't help but become a little serious as well.
Jian Xinyi quickly told him everything she had seen. "I just passed by the backyard and saw the housekeeper burning something. He said it was Manru's roommate's belongings, but there were clearly Dule's things among them."
"Is there anything wrong with that? Maybe it was just burned wrong."
Qian Yuan listened carefully and didn't think there was anything unreasonable.
"But how did Manru's roommate organize Dule's things together? They don't live together, so there's no chance that the things would get mixed up."
"this..."
"Anyway, go ask Manru's roommate what's going on." Jian Xinyi sat on the steps, chin in her hand. "I think there's something wrong with the housekeeper. It's more like he's destroying some evidence than burning relics."
Qian Yuan also sat down with her. "You...why don't you say that I'm the murderer? I went in and out of the backstage just to bribe the boss not to report me?"
"real?"
The night wind blew Jane Xinyi's hair, and she turned her head away.
The sound of stringed instruments gradually rose in the distance. Amid the melodious music, her bright eyes faced the stars in the night sky, and she just looked at the person opposite her quietly.
Qian Yuan's cheeks suddenly felt hot, and he turned his head away quietly, no longer looking at her.
"Of course it's fake. This is completely your own conjecture. You can't make random guesses without evidence."
The bright moonlight covered the entire staircase, and the warm color left the two speechless for a moment, immersed in this not-so-gentle night.
"I see."
A gentle breeze blew by, quietly carrying away her soft whispers.
Jian Xinyi felt a little cold in the wind, and she stood up and stamped her feet, "We'll go back after we're all happy."
"Well, shall I take you there?"
Qian Yuan looked at her thin back and felt a little reluctant.
She shook her head. "No, I'm familiar with this road."
Qian Yuan didn't say anything more, and walked into the backstage with his wide robe swung.
Jian Xinyi stared at the brightly lit backstage in a daze. Intermittent cheers came from afar, making the backyard seem particularly quiet.
And cold.
It would have been nice to bring a hand warmer.
When Du Le came out from the backstage, she saw Jian Xinyi standing alone in the backyard, so she hurried over.
"Sister Zhuiyu, why are you here?"
Dule didn't even take off her makeup; the thick powder made her face look pale.
"I'll give you some books."
Jian Xinyi still hadn't forgotten her old profession and gave her a few books.
Du Le took the book with a smile.
"This is the one you mentioned to me last time... Leave it to me. I promise to sell it to you at a good price."
"Thank you very much."
Jian Xinyi patted her shoulder, but couldn't help but ask her.
"Are you on good terms with Manru and her roommate?"
Dule was a little stunned, as if he was very surprised that Jian Xinyi would ask this question.
"Ah, I'm not very familiar with the people in the troupe. Mainly because I'm too young and can't talk much with the sisters."
But after a moment, she reacted
"Sister, are you...doubting me?"
"How could that be?" Jian Xinyi asked subconsciously, but she couldn't find any words to explain, so she had to change the subject quickly.
"Do you remember those little bunny embroidered shoes you wore before? Why don't you wear them lately?"
"Those shoes? What's wrong?"
Dole blinked rapidly and tilted his head to look at her.
"It was burned."
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