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“Mother—”
Zhèng Yún Ní cried out softly, running towards that woman’s side with due haste.
As she supported that woman to her feet, she turned her head back to look at Huò Wēi Lóu. Upon seeing that Huò Wēi Lóu was not angered, she breathed out in relief.
“Mother, why did ȳou come out?”
Zhèng Yún Ní asked in a gentle voice, but that woman was still giggling as she stared at Zhèng Wén Yàn’s corpse.
At the side, Fu gonggong gaped in shock, because the woman that Zhèng Yún Ní called her mother was clearly mentally unstable. He could not resist throwing a glance at Huò Wēi Lóu, only to see Huò Wēi Lóu observing the Marquis Anqing Furen with a profound and unfathomable gaze.
Fu gonggong stepped forward, “Oldest Youngest Lady, this person is [your] esteemed mother?”
Zhèng Yún Ní hummed in response. At this moment, two maidservants that were losing their heads out of fear ran over to the courtyard entrance. Once Zhèng Yún Ní saw them, the gentleness on her face faded and she berated them in a strict voice: “How do you attend to your duties? How could you allow Mother to come out alone? What if something happens?”
The two maidservants knelt on the ground with a loud bang. “Oldest Youngest Lady, please appease [your] anger. Furen refused to drink her medicine at night, and insisted on going out to see the snow. In the end, she threw off the cloak and the older woman-servant in charge of her medication, running away once she stepped out of the door, and the maidservants couldn’t catch up to her…”
Perhaps in consideration of the fact that there were outsiders at the scene, Zhèng Yún Ní spoke with much restraint: “It’s so cold right now, not sending Mother back yet?”
The two maidservants stood up quickly, pulling on Marquis Anqing Furen’s arms to walk outwards, but Marquis Anqing Furen refused to leave, strange laughter spilling from her mouth ceaselessly. Zhèng Yún Ní was only afraid that things would get ugly if the commotion was prolonged, so she said in a low voice: “Where’s the stupid girl? Go and call the stupid girl—”
As she said that, she went forward to coax Marquis Anqing Furen softly. Marquis Anqing Furen stared at Zhèng Yún Ní, as if she had come to her senses for a second. Zhèng Yún Ní quickly seized the chance, bringing away Marquis Anqing Furen with the help of the two maidservants, even if it meant having to resort to dragging and pulling.
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In an instant, the courtyard was so quiet a pin drop could be heard. Third Furen’s wails had stopped, and the others did not even dare to breathe loudly.
Fu gonggong’s lips twitched upon seeing that, and as though he was trying to ease the atmosphere, he walked up to Second Furen, “Second Furen, why is the stupid girl being called upon… when Da Furen… is like that?”
Having encountered the stupid girl once, Fu gonggong could remember that child’s appearance and her inferior status, so he could not avoid becoming a little curious.
Second Furen heaved a sigh, “Oldest Sister-in-law has been sick for many years. That stupid girl was picked up by Oldest Sister-in-law from the roadside when she went outside once. Maybe it was because she found her pitiful; that stupid girl is somewhat foolish and stupid too, and she doesn’t really talk on most days, but Oldest Sister-in-law likes her either way. Therefore, whenever her illness flares up terribly, Yún Ní will order that stupid girl to stay with Oldest Sister-in-law for a while.”
Bó Ruò Yōu issued a small sigh when she heard that. It turns out that terrible illness that kept Da Furen from meeting any guests was actually an affliction of madness. And that deranged Da Furen, had an unexpected fondness for a foolish and stupid girl…
A vestige of strangeness slowly rose up her heart, which made Bó Ruò Yōu think of the case subconsciously, but when she remembered how one of them was insane while the other was muddleheaded, it made her feel like she was treating every tree or bush as an enemy soldier.
Huò Wēi Lóu’s expression was still dark and impossible to read. At this moment, he spoke out: “Let’s leave.”
Without missing a beat, Bó Ruò Yōu kept pace with Huò Wēi Lóu behind him, heading straight for the west courtyard from the current courtyard entrance. On their way there, Fu gonggong noted that neither of them was talking, so he coughed lightly and said: “One wonders how long Da Furen has been ill for.”
“There was hearsay that she has been ill for more than ten years.”
Evidently, Huò Wēi Lóu had been aware of this early on. Fu gonggong’s lip corners twitched a few times before he chose to remain silent as well.
Their group reached the west courtyard, and because the injury was at the back, the corpse was promptly placed on his stomach on the rug, and Bó Ruò Yōu immediately started examining the corpse.
Zhèng Wén Yàn’s robes were very tidy, without the slightest trace of pulling, tugging, or physical conflict, which was besides the creases that had been formed after he was lying prone on the writing desk. Owing to the murderer’s modus operandi of always using a tranquilising drug first, they managed to ensure that they would leave the least amount of traces at the crime scene.
There were no bruises on the corpse as well, and after Bó Ruò Yōu carefully examined the corpse, she pulled out the murder weapon.
“The length of the demon-capitulating pestle is approximately four inches long, and roughly two and a half inches of its length was pierced into the back of the deceased’s heart. A large volume of blood flowed out from the wound, and he consequently died from the excessive blood loss caused by the wound in his cardiovascular organ. There are no other injuries on the corpse’s exterior, except the slight gaping of the skin edges outside the stab wound. The wound is deep, the inner walls are smooth, and the weapon was only inserted once. Judging from the angle in which the weapon was impaled, the murderer should have stood behind the deceased when the stabbing occurred, and because the deceased was lying on his stomach and facing downwards, the murderer directly pierced the demon-capitulating pestle into the back of his heart.”
Having spoken to this point, Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she subconsciously looked towards Huò Wēi Lóu.
Huò Wēi Lóu stared back at her as Bó Ruò Yōu stated: “The deceased’s height does not surpass 6 feet, which makes him slightly shorter than Hou’ye, and he was lying on the writing desk back then. If the murderer was as tall as Hou’ye or Fu gonggong, the angle of the incision should go down straight and vertically.
Bó Ruò Yōu displayed the demon-capitulating pestle, “Zheng san’ye was completely defenceless after he was knocked out, and the murderer only stabbed him once. Anyone in those circumstances would definitely choose the angle that is the easiest to exert force: if they are tall, and yet they choose to stab in an oblique angle, then the hand holding the demon-capitulating pestle would be in a very strange posture, and it would become difficult to cause a deep wound instead. If it was someone around min’nü’s height, it’s more likely that they could try for a downwards or horizontal stab, but the current wound, is slightly angled…”
Bó Ruò Yōu’s words reached its conclusion, “Unless, the murderer is shorter than min’nü by two parts.”
Lao Furen died because her illness flared up violently, whilst Zhèng Wén Chén died from falling off a building; on the former two victims, there were no fatal wounds that the murderer directly left behind. Although Zhèng Wén Yàn’s robes were neat and there were no other injuries on his body, the murderer chose to use a demon-capitulating pestle to kill him. This wound was iron-clad evidence of a crime, but how could the murderer have realised that a normal method of killing someone could actually expose their stature.
A faint glint appeared in the bottom of Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes. “The murderer’s height is only around five feet.”
Bó Ruò Yōu nodded her head. At this moment, an embroidered emissary stepped in from outside, “Hou’ye, there’s a discovery outside the courtyard.”
Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyebrows arched minutely, and Fu gonggong immediately said: “Hou’ye should go, laonu will stay.”
Huò Wēi Lóu swept a look towards Bó Ruò Yōu, before turning around to leave. Once he departed, Fu gonggong sighed as he watched his back figure. Feeling perplexed, Bó Ruò Yōu asked, “Gonggong, what’s the matter?”
Fu gonggong turned and said smilingly, “This case is becoming more incomprehensible as it progresses, and it is unknown when it can be solved.”
Seeing that Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes were still trained on him, Fu gonggong added, “Truth to be told, when Hou’ye arrived at the Marquis Residence, he was merely planning to take a look before leaving, but he did not anticipate that Lao Furen’s death would be so contentious, and that the Second Master would be dead. After all that has been said and done, Marquis Xinyang went out of his way to ask for a favour despite being at his age prior to [our] departure, so he stayed. However, Hou’ye still has another official business attached to his person, and the more it is delayed, the more disadvantageous it will be.”
Bó Ruò Yōu suddenly saw the light, offering a hasty reply, “Min’nü will give her utmost effort.”
Fu gonggong laughed out loud, pulling over the wide lounging chair to sit down. “Zajia is not trying to urge you, zajia can see that you are a good lady who does her utmost.”
Lips curling slightly, Bó Ruò Yōu did not utter another word, only lowering her eyes to continue examining the corpse.
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The cause of death was already clear since the murderer’s method of killing was not complicated and there wasn’t a need to dissect the corpse, but once Bó Ruò Yōu thought about how Huò Wēi Lóu had pressing official business to attend to, she wanted to find more clues. The timely rescue in the morning had already been placed deeply in her heart.
However, regardless of how Bó Ruò Yōu tossed and turned the corpse to examine it, no new clues surfaced from the corpse. She was slightly anxious in the moment, and as she stared at Zhèng Wén Yàn’s face, which seemed to be alive, she could not help but sigh. Upon turning her head back, she saw that Fu gonggong was reclining on the back of the chair, having fallen into a drowsy nap out of sheer exhaustion. It was only then that Bó Ruò Yōu realised that the night colours had deepened.
Huò Wēi Lóu did not return at all, perhaps because a clue of greater importance was discovered outside the courtyard. Bó Ruò Yōu tidied up Zhèng Wén Yàn’s remains before stepping out of the door with light footsteps. Outside the doors, a mourning lantern underneath the eaves casted a spot of white light, and once the night wind blew by, the lantern’s shadow mottled and shook. Bó Ruò Yōu tightened her cloak, and she was about to go back inside to wake up Fu gonggong lest he caught a cold, but in one careless glance, she caught a glimpse of a person standing in the darkness near the courtyard entrance.
Frowning, Bó Ruò Yōu started walking towards the centre of the courtyard. “Who’s there?”
Bó Ruò Yōu vocalised her question after coming to a standstill. Very quickly, a figure dressed in white robes stepped out of the darkness.
Bó Ruò Yōu fixed her eyes in that direction. In the next moment, she retreated one step back as if she had seen a ghost.
Because she saw Zhèng Wén Yàn, who she had been carefully examining just prior. At this moment, he was actually standing upright in the darkness, and his pair of dark and deep eyes were staring at her…