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The only reason why Bó Ruò Yōu managed not to scream was because she forced herself to stay calm.
There were no ghosts in the world; the person in front of her was human, he was a man that looked exactly the same as Zhèng WÊn Yàn.
Just as that thought formed, a young male servant trailed after the newcomer. “Fourth Master, this is the place where the departed spirits of Second Master and Third Master temporarily rest. Lao Furen’s mourning hall is further in the northwest direction.”
Zheng si’ye (4th) stood there without moving. At this moment, a soft gasp sounded from behind Bó Ruò Yōu. Fu gonggong had been startled too. “Dear gods, has zajia’s eyes become dim?”
Bó Ruò Yōu looked over her shoulder and saw Fu gonggong with one foot across the threshold while his other foot was still stuck inside. Owing to the fact that he had just seen Zheng si’ye, half of his body was propped against the doorframe, his expression coloured with trepidation.
Zheng si’ye looked at Fu gonggong, then looked at Bó Ruò Yōu. With this comparison, it became more apparent that Bó Ruò Yōu was overly composed. He cupped his hands towards the pair, “This humble one is Zhèng Wén Róng.”
Fu gonggong’s expression changed a few times before he finally moved his body away from the doorframe. He let out a light cough as he walked over. “You are the Fourth Master of the Zheng Family?”
Zhèng Wén Róng nodded, to which Fu gonggong’s visage turned dark and indecipherable.
Now that he was standing closer, he could perceive that while Zhèng Wén Yàn and Zhèng Wén Róng shared similar facial features, the temperament that enveloped their body was somewhat different. Zhèng Wén Róng’s appearance was a touch older than Zhèng Wén Yàn, his overall temperament was serene and quiet, eyes were devoid of great billows or any ripples of shock, and since he was wearing a white, wide-sleeved Taoist robe, it added some flavour of an immortal cultivator’s bones to him.
They were both noble sons from a Marquis Residence, but this Zheng si’ye seemed like an honest and eminent travelling Taoist devotee in dire straits.
The young male servant behind him spoke again: “Fourth Master, do [you] want to offer sacrifices to Lao Furen first?”
Zhèng Wén Róng hummed in response, cupping his hands towards Fu gonggong and Bó Ruò Yōu again before turning around and leaving.
His expression was sparse; while he possessed the etiquette and decorum, it was like he did not consume the food of common mortals with his lack of superfluous emotions. Fu gonggong’s eyes deepened with meaning, “This dynasty always had the saying that having twins is inauspicious. As it turns out, the reason why Zheng san’ye (3rd) was deemed as inauspicious originated from this…”
Having twins born into the world was a rare occurrence; once a pair of twins appeared, there was bound to be rumours of a trouble-causing evil thing splitting its soul into half to become yin foetuses, and if someone from the imperial family gave birth to twins, then there would be the danger of a demonic star of calamity emerging in the world which would cause disorder the court. Or there could be rumours such as an evil spirit cursing the mother, which has been circulating for an even longer period of time. Therefore, regardless of whether it was the common folk or the imperial clan, there was a custom where one child would be reduced and one child would be returned, if twins were ever born. However, a lot of parents in the streets could not bear to do it, so they would send the weaker or younger child to another place for raising, because at least they would be able to keep their lives.
Bó Ruò Yōu furrowed her brows tightly in the direction that Zhèng Wén Róng left in. “Could this be the secret that the Marquis Residence tried to keep? Now that Zheng si’ye has returned, it can’t be concealed any longer.”
Fu gonggong sighed, “Lao Furen has passed away, and such things have occurred in the residence, it would be too unfilial if he chooses not to return.”
Just as Bó Ruò Yōu was mulling over it, an embroidered emissary came over, “Gonggong, Bó guniang, Hou’ye invites the two [of you] over.”
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With the embroidered emissary leading the way, Bó Ruò Yōu met up with Huò Wēi Lóu very quickly. There was a wintersweet flower forest outside of Zhèng Wén Yàn’s study courtyard. It was currently in the first lunar new month, the wintersweet flowers were blossoming; its dark fragrance assailing, and it was in this forest that the embroidered emissaries found traces of the murderer.
Upon noticing that Bó Ruò Yōu had arrived, he pointed at the trunk of a wintersweet tree. “Take a look.”
Bó Ruò Yōu inspected the set of footprints (going back and forth) that were left in the snowy ground first, and on one side of the wintersweet tree bark, there was a smear of bright red blood.
The bloodstain was human blood. Bó Ruò Yōu looked left and right, before asking Huò Wēi Lóu, “Did Hou’ye discover any bloodstains in the courtyard?”
Huò Wēi Lóu shook his head, “Not at all.”
Bó Ruò Yōu replied, “Then it must be the murderer’s own blood. The bloodstains within the study did not sputter, nor did it splatter onto another surface, unless the murderer accidentally stained themselves with Zheng san’ye‘s blood. But they didn’t leave any traces within the courtyard when they were leaving, so the blood here can only be theirs. The bark of a wintersweet tree is coarse, and judging from the amount of blood and the height of it, it is highly likely that it came from a scratch, the wound being on the upper half of their body. Their hands and arms are the most likely contenders, and the wound would be obvious…”
After Bó Ruò Yōu was done inspecting it, she could not help but study the footprints on the ground. She stretched her hand out to measure the size of the footprint. The indents of the front and back footprints were even, and it was slighter bigger than what Bó Ruò Yōu had imagined, which caused her brows to lock tightly as she sank into deep contemplation.
Huò Wēi Lóu’s pupils congealed, “What of it?”
After a moment of hesitation, Bó Ruò Yōu stated, “Yifu once said that the size of a person’s foot is greatly related to their height, and under normal circumstances, a person’s height would be around seven times of a foot’s length, give or take a bit. This foot length is nine inches, and upon calculation, they are slightly taller than what was initially deduced.”
Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows scrunched together as Bó Ruò Yōu followed the footprints to walk a few steps. With the comparison, it was clear that the footprints that the murderer left behind was no different from her size, and yet it was shallower than her footprints by a bit…
“The murderer is thinner than min’nü, but the footprints are no different. Logically speaking, they should be around min’nü’s height, though there is a possibility.” Half-kneeling on the ground, Bó Ruò Yōu raised her head to gaze at Huò Wēi Lóu as she spoke to this point, “It’s highly possible that they were sick before, or they had a destitute livelihood without proper nutrition or meals, which led to their stature being thinner and shorter, despite having the same foot size as min’nü.”
Huò Wēi Lóu then said: “The murderer’s height is around 5 feet with a slender figure, perhaps due an illness or insufficient nutrition, and when they left the crime scene tonight, they were inflicted with an obvious superficial injury. Additionally, the murderer is good at using knock-out drugs, understands the layout of the residence, and has a certain level of skill in wall climbing. Call and gather everyone in the residence immediately, and conduct an inspection according to these criteria.”
Huò Wēi Lóu made a prompt decision, and a few embroidered emissaries responded in the positive, immediately moving towards the front courtyard. Then, Huò Wēi Lóu saw Bó Ruò Yōu looking in the direction of where the footprints extended to, saying: “After exiting this patch of wintersweet trees is the main road of the residence. The snow has been swept away completely, and the foot trail broke off.”
Bó Ruò Yōu stood up with some regret. “Zheng san’ye’s corpse has been carefully examined once more, but there were no other clues. That demon-capitulating pestle only had soot from the candle flames as well. The demon-capitulating pestle was used for the religious ceremony, so it’s extremely normal.”
Bó Ruò Yōu’s brows scrunched together, her complexion heavy and helpless, as if she had done her job ineffectively because she could not find more clues. Huò Wēi Lóu was on the verge of saying something when Fu gonggong stepped forward and said: “Does Hou’ye know that the residence’s Zheng si’ye has returned?”
Huò Wēi Lóu nodded, his tone of voice becoming two parts colder in an instant. “Yes, he and Zhèng Wén Yàn are twin brothers.”
Since Huò Wēi Lóu had ordered the embroidered emissaries to watch over the crucial roads within the residence, he was naturally informed of Zhèng Wén Róng’s return to the residence. Fu gonggong frowned, saying: “It was hard to comprehend Momo Yu’s previous words, and when she was asked about why Zheng san’ye was called inauspicious, she concealed it for the most part, but does the fact that the brothers are twins have any relation to the case?”
The wintersweet forest was cold and desolate. Underneath the starless and moonless sky, only the torches were causing mottled lights and shadows. Fu gonggong’s words echoed in the cold winds, but no one gave him an answer. Huò Wēi Lóu said in a deep voice, “If only that was the case, then it would be simpler. If there is anything to worry about, it is that there is another matter too embarrassing to mention.”
Although having twins in a Marquis Residence did not sound good in public, it would not harm their roots. Despite the current chain of homicides and Marquis Wuzhao personally conducting the interrogations, they still had the gall to conceal it. If they were just concealing the matter of the twin brothers, let alone Huò Wēi Lóu being sceptical, even Bó Ruò Yōu felt that it was not possible.
The murderer behind the scenes killed three people in succession. Furthermore, the sentence ‘pay with one’s life’, why would it be related to the twin brothers, and if yes, how so?
Huò Wēi Lóu did not stay in the forest for long, and he quickly led his subordinates out of the wintersweet forest to search for possible suspects. At this moment, Hè Chéng came over from the front courtyard, “Hou’ye, the Taoist priest has been invited over, he’s a Taoist priest from Sanqing Temple which is located outside the city, and he is rather well-known. After he did a rough calculation, he confirmed that this year did belong to a yin year, and as for yin hour, starting from first (of January) until today, only the New Year’s Day belongs to that category. As for Lao Furen’s first seventh and second seventh, neither were yin days.”
Huò Wēi Lóu frowned, though what he was thinking was unclear. He spoke up: “Continue counting backwards, starting from this year’s New Year Day, until fifteen years back. Additionally, calculate the birthday of Zhèng Wén Chén and his brothers.”
Since he wanted to calculate the hours and days, tracing backwards by more than a dozen of years, it was bound to take up a lot of time. Hè Chéng complied, and then he learned that Huò Wēi Lóu had obtained new clues and was planning to inspect everyone, so he followed him to the front courtyard.
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The front courtyard was packed to the brim with people. The masters of the Marquis Residence were standing inside the hall while all the servants were standing outside the hall.
An embroidered emissary said: “Hou’ye, apart from that old Momo and Da Furen, the rest are here.”
Momo Yu refused to step out of the ancestral hall, Da Furen was suffering from madness, and their statures did not conform to the criteria either. Huò Wēi Lóu nodded and strode into the main hall. All of the Furen and Young Masters, Third Furen included, were present. Huò Wēi Lóu sat on the main seat, cold and oppressive in expression. Without Zhèng Wén Yàn, Zhèng Wén Ān became the main host, so he stepped forward and asked respectfully, “Hou’ye, is there a new clue?”
Third Furen was still crying, and Zhèng Hào was holding onto Third Furen’s robe sleeve tightly as he continued to struggle with his trauma. Upon seeing this battle array, he was terrified to the point where his small face was deathly white.
Huò Wēi Lóu swept across the people inside the hall with his eyes, “Where is Zheng si’ye?”
Zhèng Wén Ān’s complexion changed slightly, “Fourth Older Brother just returned to the residence tonight, there’s no doubt that it’s impossible for him to harm anyone, he… doesn’t need to be here, right?”
Outside the hall were all the servants in the Marquis Residence, from the stewards down to the sweeping, coarse labour female servants. When Zhèng Wén Ān was speaking, his volume was suppressed, which was more than enough to prove that he was not willing to allow Zhèng Wén Róng make an appearance right now. Huò Wēi Lóu stared at him with deep eyes, which caused Zhèng Wén Ān to reveal a beseeching expression. “Hou’ye, if ȳou wish to meet Fourth Brother, call for him after the servants are dismissed, please…”
As Zhèng Wén Ān uttered those words, he pulled up his robes and knelt down to genuinely beg him. However, before Huò Wēi Lóu could even speak, a sudden shock-induced clamour broke out in the courtyard outside the hall. Zhèng Wén Ān looked outside hastily, and just one look nearly made Zhèng Wén Ān keel over with darkened vision.
Because Zhèng WÊn Róng came on his own!
His gait was slow as he headed for the main hall directly. When the servants saw a person who looked exactly the same as Zhèng Wén Yàn appear, the more timid ones were scared to the point where they collapsed to the ground. Zhèng Wén Ān closed his eyes in palpable despair, and Zhèng Yún Ní, who standing right at the front, glared at Zhèng Wén Róng coldly, like she loathed the fact that she could not swallow Zhèng Wén Róng into her stomach right then and there.
Bó Ruò Yōu was standing beside Huò Wēi Lóu, and she could not help but sigh a little upon witnessing this scene. It turns out the Marquis Residence’s Oldest Young Lady was also aware of Zhèng Wén Yàn and Zhèng Wén Róng being twin brothers.
Bó Ruò Yōu was about to move her gaze away when her refined brows abruptly creased. On the back of Zhèng Yún Ní’s tightly curled hands, was actually a streak of injury that was eye-piercingly bright in red…
  |   TOC   | 
OFFICIAL LIST OF CHARACTERS FOR ARC 1:
MAIN CHARACTERS
Bó Ruò Yōu (薄若幽)
The female protagonist of the novel, who is a coroner. During conversations, she is typically addressed as Bó guniang or Xiao Bó.
Her parents and younger brother passed away when she was younger, and she is currently being raised by her foster father, ChĂŠng YĂšn ZhÄŤ.
Huò Wēi Lóu (霍危楼)
The male protagonist of the novel, with the official title of Marquis Wuzhao, hence he is typically addressed as Hou’ye (which means Marquis), and he refers to himself as benhou.
His mother is the Eldest Princess, his father is Duke Ding (deceased), which makes the current Emperor Jianhe his maternal younger uncle. He holds control over the Embroidered Emissaries – who are special check-and-balance officials/soldiers appointed by the Emperor – and oversees the Court of Punishment.
Fu gonggong (福公公)
A personal eunuch who has served Huò Wēi Lóu for a long time.
Hè ChÊng (贺成)
The Prefectural Magistrate of Luozhou, the main official in charge of this case.
ZHENG FAMILY (or the Marquis Anqing Residence)
† Old Marquis Anqing & † Marquis Anqing
Old Marquis Anqing is the father of five sons, which includes Marquis Anqing.
Marquis Anqing is the father of Zhèng Yún Ní, the oldest son of Lao Furen, and the husband of Da Furen, though he died of an illness three years after he inherited his title.
† Lao Furen (老夫人)
The old matriarch of the family, the first deceased of the case, having died from a flare-up of an invisible illness in the Buddha-worshipping Hall. The mother of five sons (listed below).
† Zhèng Wén Chén (郑文宸)
The second son of Lao Furen, the second deceased of this case. He was knocked out with Datura stramonium and pushed off the Moon-viewing Pavilion.
Typically addressed as Second Master or Zheng er’ye. The father of Zhèng Xiāo, his wife being Second Furen.
† Zhèng Wén Yàn (郑文宴)
The third son of Lao Furen, the third deceased of this case. He was knocked out with Datura stramonium, and was later stabbed in the heart from the back with a demon-capitulating pestle in his courtyard-study.
Typically addressed as Third Master or Zheng san’ye. The father of Zhèng Hào, his wife being Third Furen.
Zhèng Wén Róng (郑文容)
The fourth son of Lao Furen. Typically addressed as Fourth Master or Zheng si’ye.
He was sent away from the Marquis Residence ever since he was young to be raised in a Taoist temple. The younger twin brother of Zhèng WÊn Yàn.
Zhèng Wén Ān (郑文安)
The fifth and youngest son of Lao Furen. Typically addressed as Fifth Master or Zheng wu’ye, his wife being Fifth Furen.
Da Furen (大复人)
The wife of the deceased Marquis Anqing, and mother of Zhèng Yún Ní. She is otherwise known as Marquis Anqing Furen in an official capacity.
She has suffered from hysteria for many years, her condition worsening over the years.
Second Furen (二夫人)
The wife of the recently deceased Zhèng WÊn ChÊn, the mother of Zhèng Xiāo.
Third Furen (三夫人)
The wife of the recently deceased Zhèng WÊn Yàn, the mother of Zhèng Hào.
Zhèng Yún Ní (郑云霓)
Daughter of Marquis Anqing and Da Furen, who is currently engaged to the Second Prince after a marriage bestowal by Emperor Jianhe. Being the first-born daughter in her generation, she is typically addressed as the Oldest Young Lady or Zheng da xiaojie.
Zhèng Xiāo (郑潇)
Son of Zhèng Wén Chén and Second Furen. Being the first-born son in his generation, he is typically addressed as Da Gongzi by others, or Xiāo’er by his mother.
Zhèng Hào (郑浩)
Son of Zhèng Wén Yàn and Third Furen. Being the second-born son in his generation, he is typically addressed as Er Gongzi by others, or Hào’er by his mother.
Stupid Girl (傻姑) – Dim-witted girl with a notable burn scar on the left side of her face, of whom Da Furen picked up from the roadside years ago.
Chūn Táo (春桃) – Bó Ruò Yōu’s temporary maidservant during her stay in the residence.
Mò Shū & Huà Yì (墨书 & 画意) – Zhèng Yún Ní’s close maidservants.
Mò Xiāng (墨香) – a close maidservant of Lao Furen.