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The gleaming reflection of the water surface rippled slightly. The yellow plum blossoms that had sunk to the bottom were only the flowers, not the branches. It was unlikely that someone had plucked off the plum blossoms and threw it inside the water, flower by flower. Moreover, all the remains of the flowers were flourishing as opposed to having reached the end of its lifespan, then carried over by the wind.
Similarly, Chūn Táo clearly discerned the things beneath the water, and she remarked with a touch of surprise, “There’s actually plum flowers in the water…”
Bó Ruò Yōu looked at the lotus pond in front of her, then glanced towards the plum forest in the north, “Is this lotus pond dried up all year round?”
Chūn Táo thought about it, “That wouldn’t be strictly accurate. When it rains frequently during the spring and summer seasons, the lotus pond does accumulate some water, but once autumn and winter arrives, it dries up again. The gardeners tend to throw in some lotus pods inside during the rainy spring season. If luck holds, then some flowers will bloom during summer, but if the conditions are less than optimal, it will remain empty. This place scarcely receives any visitors for the most part, so it doesn’t matter if it’s unsightly.”
It was unknown what Bó Ruò Yōu was thinking since she suddenly asked: “When the residence was drawing over the flowing water from Huanhua Brook, how was the ditch constructed?”
When the Qinwang of the previous dynasty was around, the residence had three internal lakes; since the water could converge enough to form a lake, it shouldn’t be as simple as just drawing over the water. In all likelihood, a buried culvert was constructed.
However, Chūn Táo was at a loss as she said: “This… Nubi doesn’t know, she only heard that a lot of craftsmen were employed, and it generated tremendous amounts of noise.”
Bó Ruò Yōu looked into the lotus pond again, though she was quick to turn around and march towards the plum forest. She just came to the plum forest last night, but she only surveyed it from the periphery. This time round, she plunged into the forest directly.
The other remaining areas of the residence were wintersweet trees, with this piece of land being the only place with yellow plum blossoms, and between the plum forest and the lotus pond was the huge bamboo forest. She did not see any bamboo leaves inside the lotus pond, and yet she discovered yellow plum blossoms, why was that?
The plum forest only felt heavily scented at night, but during the day, an expanse of yellow plum blossoms was flourishing, and the scenery was very pleasing to the eye. It was currently halfway into January; with the weather gradually warming, there were flower petals as she had expected, for the first batch of plum flowers that had blossomed was already starting to fall.
The embroidered emissaries had combed through the area last night, and she could perceive that the tracks on the ground were somewhat disorderly as she scanned it. Furthermore, the embroidered emissary reported that there were marks left behind by humans, so the murderer must have paced around the forest before.
Thoughts moving, Bó Ruò Yōu trekked deeper into the plum forest. The plum forest was not as dense as the bamboo forest which made it harder for people to hide. Bó Ruò Yōu started and stopped, causing the fragrance of the plum flowers to eventually fumigate her body. Just when she was struggling to organise her thoughts, she saw a well in the distance.
The embroidered emissary also mentioned the well last night.
Since the well had been abandoned for many years, the well walls had long collapsed, and it was completely surrounded by moss and weeds. If it was only given a sweeping glance, perhaps it wouldn’t be recognised as a well at all. However, what attracted Bó Ruò Yōu’s attention were the two stumps of plum trees beside the well. The flowering branches of those two plum trees were extended horizontally, and if the flower petals fell, it could land inside the well. Bó Ruò Yōu walked over to the well in quick strides.
The well walls had long collapsed, but the well opening which was large enough to fit a water bucket was still perfectly accessible. As she stood by the well entrance and looked down, it was pitch-black inside, so it was hard to perceive anything. Besides that, there was also a dark and moist smell of sludge drifting out from the well, which Bó Ruò Yōu found inexplicably familiar.
Chūn Táo stood at the side, somewhat perplexed. “Guniang, most of the wells in this forest were dug for the sake of watering the garden, it’s not used for drinking or cooking, and the well on this end has long been abandoned.”
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Bó Ruò Yōu nodded. The snow at the periphery of the well walls were beginning to melt, causing the snow water to follow the well walls and flow into the darkness. Bó Ruò Yōu leaned over to look down further, but she could not see anything. Feeling slightly anxious in her heart, she placed a palm on the collapsed well border that barely reached her knees, poking her body inside to take a look. The more her body leaned forward, the heavier the pressure exerted on the well border was. All of a sudden, one of the bricks loosened, and her body immediately fell forward…
“Guniang!”
Chūn Táo screamed in shock, grabbing hold of Bó Ruò Yōu’s arm. Bó Ruò Yōu was similarly frightened, propping up her body and taking a step back. Chūn Táo’s small face was slightly pale, “Guniang should be more careful, if [you] fell down, [your] legs would still be broken even if [you] got off easy!”
Bó Ruò Yōu felt a sense of déjà vu upon hearing that, and then she heard Chūn Táo say: “[I’ve] heard that this was the well that the stupid girl fell into that year.”
Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart jolted, expression tightening as she asked: “The well that the stupid girl fell into back then, was this well opening?”
Chūn Táo nodded, “Yeah, which is why this place is very dangerous.”
Bó Ruò Yōu’s voice was wrought with more anxiety, “And you said that she remained in there for several days back then?”
Chūn Táo nodded again, “Yes, allegedly it was three to four days.”
“How was she discovered then?”
Chūn Táo pondered briefly, “It seemed like there was a young male servant who came to the forest to do something, and he heard movement inside the well. Back then, everyone knew that the stupid girl had disappeared and had assumed that she ran away. Subsequently, the young male servant called for back-up, but because this well opening is narrow, most men can’t go down. Hence, they could only lower a rope and let the stupid girl bind herself, then have the others pull her out together.”
The loud noises next to her ear were like claps of thunder; her heart seemed to be palpitating like a beating drum. As Bó Ruò Yōu stared at the ominously black well opening, a terrifying thought suddenly emerged from the bottom of her heart. Chūn Táo could not decipher what she was thinking, but she could see her complexion paling as palpable fear overwhelmed her eyes, as if she had thought of something dreadful, and Chūn Táo could not help but become scared as well.
“Guniang, what’s wrong, did nubi say something wrong?”
Bó Ruò Yōu did not respond, only shaking her head. Without any rhyme or reason, she slowly pivoted on her heels, gaze searching their surroundings. She was certain that there must be traces near the well, but she did not know where the traces were. She continued to aimlessly scan her surroundings in a clockwise fashion, and suddenly, her eyes fixed itself on the plum tree east of the well.
The plum forest was rather old, and the thinnest plum tree was the circumference of a bowl at least, whereas the plum trees near the well opening, perhaps by virtue of its proximity to water, were much sturdier than the others. The girth of the plum tree in the east was thick enough for one person to hug it, and Bó Ruò Yōu discovered several faint streaks on the bark. With tightly knitted eyebrows, she went forward and circled around the tree.
The plum tree’s bark was a coarse dark brown with lines of cracks, and around the height of Bó Ruò Yōu’s waist was a few circles of faint marks, like they had been worn down before. Moreover, these marks were distributed unevenly, with the face that were closer to the well being lighter as compared to the other side which was deeper. Bó Ruò Yōu’s expression changed a few times, and when she looked at the well opening once more, the depths of her eyes were filled with barely restrained fear, as if some man-eating monster was hidden at the bottom of the well.
The breeze carrying the odorous sludge drifted out. The ends of the plum trees were rustled by the wind, causing a few petals to fall. The petals swayed as they slowly entered the well opening, descending into the darkness without a sound.
Bó Ruò Yōu abruptly whipped around and stalked off, with Chūn Táo quickly keeping pace with her, “Where is guniang going?”
Bó Ruò Yōu originally wanted to go to the ancestral hall, but once Chūn Táo asked that question, she unexpectedly veered into another direction, towards the front hall where they came from.
Bó Ruò Yōu’s gait was brisk, to the point where Chūn Táo had to break into a small jog to keep up with her, “Guniang, whatever is the matter?”
Bó Ruò Yōu shook her head, not forthcoming with any answers. Once the gentle temperament around her body weakened, it actually brought forward some sharp momentum. Chūn Táo had gotten close to her and spoken without any reservation precisely because of her gentleness and goodwill, but upon seeing this other side of her, she was astounded, and she no longer dared to speak more.
Bó Ruò Yōu arrived at the study where Zhèng Wén Yàn was murdered.
Because this was a scene of the crime, there were government hirelings standing guard at the entrance. When they saw Bó Ruò Yōu approaching, the government hirelings did not stop her, which allowed Bó Ruò Yōu to enter the study directly. She stopped in front of the ventilation window she discovered earlier, then moved over a stool to stand on it.
Her stature was not tall, and it was very difficult for her to see its full appearance. Bó Ruò Yōu’s gaze swept across the room, landing on the tea table at the side. After jumping down from the stool in an agile manner, she called for Chūn Táo’s help to drag over the tea table, then she stepped on the chair and stood on the table. Chūn Táo, who witnessed the entire process, was wide-eyed and dumbstruck.
Now that Bó Ruò Yōu was standing on the table, she finally saw the full appearance of the ventilation window clearly.
Bó Ruò Yōu took two additional glances before getting off the table. After putting the table and chair back into its original position, she stepped out of the study courtyard’s doors and made her way towards the ancestral hall.
She needed to find Huò Wēi Lóu.
……
After Huò Wēi Lóu departed from the front courtyard, he headed for the burnt ancestral hall, with Fu gonggong trailing after him, who was under the inexplicable impression that Huò Wēi Lóu was in a good mood today. He stepped closer and said: “Hou’ye, His Second Highness’ marriage is going to be met with a setback, ȳou seem quite happy.”
Huò Wēi Lóu frowned, “What does that mean?”
Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, “His Second Highness is three years younger than ȳou, and not only was he betrothed since an early age, but he was also bestowed a marriage by the Emperor last year. Once this case ends, and if there are no huge changes, he will be getting married in March. Laonu sees that while ȳou don’t say it with your mouth, ȳou are actually quite jealous in [your] heart.”
Huò Wēi Lóu: “……”
Fu gonggong exhaled audibly, lowering his voice as he mumbled: “The Emperor has tried to confer marriages to ȳou numerous times, but it was fended off by ȳou time and time again. Ȳou are not getting younger anymore, yet there is no one for company, ȳou don’t even know what others having been saying about ȳou…”
Unable to tolerate it any further, Huò Wēi Lóu halted in his footsteps, but before he could turn around, Fu gonggong started to slap his own mouth, “Aiyo, look at this mouth of laonu‘s, it only knows how to spout nonsense. Hou’ye is serving the country and its people, what does marriage count for, if laonu has to give his opinion, a woman that is well-matched with Hou’ye is hard to find.”
Huò Wēi Lóu scowled as he gave Fu gonggong a sweeping glance, then raised his foot to continue walking forward. Fu gonggong chortled as he trailed after him, “Laonu is just cracking a few jokes, laonu gets the sense that Hou’ye is in a good mood today, and perhaps, the case might be solved in one breath today.”
Huò Wēi Lóu raised his eyebrows, he was in a good mood? Since when was he in a good mood?
Fu gonggong had been attending to Huò Wēi Lóu for so many years, so how could he be unaware of what he was thinking? He said: “Laonu noticed it when he stepped into the room just now, and on the contrary, it was Bó guniang who was slightly nervous. Sigh, it has already been a few days, and yet Bó guniang is still afraid of ȳou.”
Afraid of him?
Huò Wēi Lóu issued a light snort, she was hardly afraid of him.
In an instant, Huò Wēi Lóu remembered Bó Ruò Yōu’s appearance when she said that she wanted to repay him. She actually felt that putting in effort to investigate the case was repaying him.
Huò Wēi Lóu chuckled internally. If everyone thought like her, then why would there be a need for him to use thunderous tactics in the officialdom? If it was that simple, they would only need to confer favours to the hundred officials, both military and civil alike. She was truly childish and naive to a worrying extent.
Although that was what he thought in the depths of his heart, Huò Wēi Lóu did not realise that his countenance had softened by a degree.
Fu gonggong then remarked: “Speaking of which, it’s quite a pity. Bó guniang is a lady, and yet she’s planning to be a coroner for the rest of her life. If this goes on, it will be difficult for her to marry…”
A coroner had a low social position to begin with, and they frequently kept the dead as company, which ordinary family would be willing to marry a woman like that?
Huò Wēi Lóu’s focus was on the first line, “When did she say that she wanted to be a coroner for the rest of her life?”
Fu gonggong replied: “The day Zheng san’ye (3rd) met with his demise, when laonu was accompanying her to examine the Second Master’s corpse and the question was casually thrown out along the way. She said that she didn’t believe in Gods or the Taoist philosophy, and since she has the skills of a coroner, she trusts the blade in her hands even more. Once this case is solved, she intends to continue being a coroner.”
Doubts emerged from the bottom of Huò Wēi Lóu’s heart again.
He had seen high-ranking military officials who have campaigned for more than ten years, seen good officials who planned for the commoners’ good fortune; they were either deeply loyal, were fuelled by righteous bravery, or selfless, but no matter how devoted they were to righteousness to the extent where it inspired reverence, they still had something they wished for. Bó Ruò Yōu was a lady, both intelligent and beautiful, and yet she chose the most challenging profession. If she didn’t have any requests, then she must surely be a saint.
“Did she say anything else?”
Huò Wēi Lóu posed another question, to which Fu gonggong shook his head. “That she didn’t. Laonu was thinking that since we will be heading for Luozhou in a few days, there was no need to ask more. It’s just that laonu is slightly worried for her, and it’s unclear if she has ever contemplated these issues before.”
The world was more difficult for women; if she persisted in being a coroner, it would genuinely be difficult for her to find a good husband.
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It was unknown what Huò Wēi Lóu was thinking since he did not make a single utterance. Shortly after, they arrived at the ancestral hall.
The accumulated snow was beginning to melt and the area around the burnt ancestral hall was muddy. The government hirelings, alongside the guards and young male servants from the residence, were busy at work while some embroidered emissaries were supervising at the side. Once they saw Huò Wēi Lóu coming over, the embroidered emissary standing guard at this place greeted him.
Huò Wēi Lóu asked: “How is it going?”
The embroidered emissary said a deep vice, “Very slowly. Most of the lumber was burned until there was practically none left, to say nothing of remaining books, silks and fabrics which had been turned into ash; wanting to find clues won’t be easy at all.”
Huò Wēi Lóu moved closer. The timber and other materials at the outermost periphery had been moved away, hence only a few scorched black and broken could be seen left standing. Suddenly, Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyebrows twitched as he looked towards what was supposed to be the back of the central hall, “They’ve started smashing the walls?”
The broken walls that were not completely destroyed in the fire had to be demolished, but the embroidered emissary said, “Not yet, the cleaning up of the various debris is still ongoing right now.”
Huò Wēi Lóu’s phoenix eyes squinted slightly. When buildings were being constructed, the brackets for the wooden rafters and/or beams would be set aside above the wall first, but presently, the brackets in this particular wall body were clearly lower than the others. Huò Wēi Lóu immediately strode over to the broken wall and stopped in front of it. Although the wall was utterly scorched, it only emphasised the fact that it was indeed different from the rest.
Underneath the wall, there was a large pile of rubble and wood that was not removed yet. Huò Wēi Lóu stated, “Clean up this area first, this area underneath the wall seems to have caved in, check if there’s anything buried there.”
This building had been built for many years. The location of the ancestral hall was of utmost importance; thus, it would never collapse without any cause or reason. When he remembered how his embroidered emissaries had guessed that there was a secret room inside the ancestral hall, Huò Wēi Lóu’s expression became grave immediately.
Upon seeing that, Hè Chéng said: “Cleaning up this area will probably take a day and night, there will be more waiting again.”
“Perhaps there’s no need to wait that long.”
The voice that suddenly rang out made Huò Wēi Lóu and his entourage turn their bodies, and they promptly saw Bó Ruò Yōu sprinting over. Because she was running too fast, even her breathing was slightly laboured. She bowed, “Hou’ye, Daren, min’nü has made a discovery.”
Huò Wēi Lóu’s pupils dilated, “What discovery?”
Bó Ruò Yōu swallowed her saliva before saying: “It is more than likely that there is a secret room underneath the ancestral hall. Not only that, but the secret room might also be linked with the buried culvert that was left behind in the residence in its early years. Zheng da xiaojie’s disappearance that year, the stupid girl being rescued out despite her broken leg, it’s possible that they are both related to the buried culvert.”
Hè Chéng furrowed his brows, “Buried culvert? Why is a buried culvert being brought up without any rhyme or reason?”
Bó Ruò Yōu pursed her lips slightly, “Because… Min’nü deduces that, the murderer who killed Lao Furen, Zheng er’ye, and Zheng san’ye, is currently hiding in the culvert.”
The murderer was hiding in the culvert?!
Up until now, though there had been many points of suspicion, the murderer’s identity had never been confirmed, and yet Bó Ruò Yōu was now stating the place where the murderer was hiding. How did they even get to this point?
Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes grew heavy. Fu gonggong could not help but say: “Bó guniang, is there any evidence?”
Bó Ruò Yōu nodded, “There is evidence. Please follow min’nü, it’s in the north-facing plum forest.”
The plum forest had been searched last night and there were clearly no yields. However, Bó Ruò Yōu was now declaring otherwise, stating that there was evidence left behind in the plum forest. Although Huò Wēi Lóu’s visage was grim, he did not doubt her. He first ordered the embroidered emissary to clean up this collapsed portion of the ground before following Bó Ruò Yōu to the plum forest. They travelled straight from the ancestral hall to the plum forest by using a laid-out path that cut through the pine and cypress trees which stood in great numbers.  Outside the small path was an abandoned grass hut, and the plum forest was east of the grass hut.
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Bó Ruò Yōu spoke as they walked, “Prior to this, min’nü discovered that the lotus pond in the eastern bamboo forest had flowing water, with fallen yellow plum flower petals inside said flowing waters, and the quantity was not little, which min’nü found to be strange. Subsequently, min’nü went to the plum forest and realised that there was a well opening in the middle of the plum forest with plum trees growing at the side, and the flower petals happened to fall inside the well.”
Hè Chéng said, “That well opening was checked last night, and it has been abandoned for many years…”
“Daren’s words are not wrong; this is all thanks to the sun being out today.”
At this moment, the sun was already inclining towards the west, and most of the snow in their surroundings were melting. As they walked underneath the pine and cypress trees, some of the snow water was even dripping down.
“The snow started to melt and flowed into the well, and with the existence of flowing water beneath, the water carried the flower petals and flowed into the lotus pond, which was then discovered by min’nü. Once min’nü learned that there used to be internal lakes within the residence, and the lakes were formed from the flowing waters that was channelled from Huanhua Brook, she ascertained that a buried culvert must have been constructed to accomplish it.”
Huò Wēi Lóu said in a deep voice: “Even if that was the case, how was it deduced that the murderer is hiding in the culvert?”
Bó Ruò Yōu answered, “Because of the stupid girl. The stupid girl is of a low and inferior identity, was supposed to be an irrelevant person, but she appeared at a place where the murderer appeared last night, and in a place where the plum forest and bamboo forest intersected. Just prior, min’nü was made aware that when the stupid girl accidentally fell into the plum forest’s well two years ago, she remained in the well for three to four days before she was rescued. Given that min’nü has diagnosed her leg injury before, she can affirm that while the injury has healed now, her legs didn’t just break, it must have seen blood back then. She is a muddle-headed and feeble person to begin with; the fact that she can still cry for help after three to four days in those conditions, is honestly strange.”
After giving a pause, Bó Ruò Yōu continued, “Min’nü believes that, it was made possible because someone helped her at the bottom of the well.”
When an ordinary and debilitated woman fell inside a well, let alone being injured, even if they weren’t injured, it would be hard for them to survive after being starved for three to four days. However, the stupid girl managed to endure for three to four days while being injured, and the only explanation for it was that someone at the bottom of the well gave her food, and even went as far as helping treat her injury.
Bó Ruò Yōu’s words made Hè Chéng shiver all over, though not from cold, “What you mean to say is… The buried culvert hides a…. person who cannot be seen in light, and this person killed Lao Furen and the Zheng brothers?”
Bó Ruò Yōu did not hesitate in the slightest, “Yes. The stupid girl might be dull-witted, but she’s just very slow to react. Since this person saved her, the stupid girl would have the intent to repay this debt of gratitude. Afterwards, it’s highly likely that under the stupid girl’s assistance, this person managed to come out from the buried culvert.”
Hè ChÊng felt his hair standing on its ends just from listening. The stupid girl falling into the well happened two years ago. This Marquis Anqing Residence appeared to have the glory and splendour befitting of feudal aristocrats, but underneath this official residence with uninterrupted pavilions and buildings, actually lived a person?
Was this person a human or a ghost exactly?
Once she caught sight of Hè Chéng’s pallor, Bó Ruò Yōu stated: “Certainly, this conjecture is hard to believe. Min’nü didn’t think towards this trajectory at the beginning, but the stupid girl managing to survive with little hindrances after falling into a well and suffering from a heavy injury, Momo Yu unexpectedly setting fire to the ancestral hall for the sake of concealing the evidence, and the caving in of the ancestral hall, allowed min’nü to conceive of this possibility.”
Fu gonggong said, “If someone is truly hiding underneath the Marquis Residence, who would that person be?”
At this moment, their group had reached the fringe of the plum forest. Fu gonggong’s question made Bó Ruò Yōu halt in her footsteps momentarily. With a short pause, she replied, “It should be a person who cannot be seen in the light because she was hidden away by the Marquis Residence.”
Incomprehension spread across Fu gonggong and Hè Chéng’s face, whereas Huò Wēi Lóu was staring at Bó Ruò Yōu because he understood what she was implying, “You are saying that the Marquis Residence didn’t only falsely report Zhèng Yún Ní’s birthdate, but they are also hiding something more important than that?”
Bó Ruò Yōu promptly nodded, “Da Furen’s tender affection for the stupid girl was something min’nü couldn’t make sense of at the start. Why wasn’t it someone else, but the stupid girl? Now that it has been linked to the great efforts that the Marquis Residence expended for the sake of securing the Oldest Young Lady and His Second Highness’ marriage, however, min’nü thought that, perhaps, what the residence wants to conceal, isn’t necessarily just the fact that the Oldest Young Lady was born on an inauspicious day.
“On the night Zheng si’ye (4th) returned to the residence, he once said this line, ‘Being born as twins is already inauspicious as it is, and if one were born in a Yin year and Yin hour, it would truly be a yin foetus coming to wreak havoc in the world’. The Oldest Young Lady’s birthdate is already inauspicious, but if Da Furen also delivered a pair of twin daughters, then Lao Furen must have understood that the Marquis Residence could no longer be tied in marriage with His Second Highness, which was why she made the decision to keep one while hiding another, and it also on these same grounds that Da Furen’s insanity becomes fair and reasonable. Moreover, her tenderness towards the stupid girl, the similarities in her brows and eyes that she shares with Zheng da xiaojie, and the scent satchels she made for her daughters, are exactly the same as well.”
“Twin daughters…” Hè Chéng’s pupils trembled lightly, “This… If that is true, then the Marquis Residence is genuinely guilty of deceiving the monarch!”
Fu gonggong was somewhat surprised, but he was not as shocked as Hè Chéng, who had become unlike himself. “In order to protect their high position and great wealth, the more they are influential families with centuries-old foundations, the more unscrupulous they are capable of becoming. If it is explained this way, then everything makes sense.”
Hè Chéng frowned and said: “But the stupid girl is ugly, and you also said that she only bears similarities to the Oldest Young Lady in her brows and eyes…”
Bó Ruò Yōu wavered for a moment, “Min’nü has not apprehended this point either, except min’nü reckons that there must be anomalies underground, and if she can go down to investigate, find the murderer’s hideout, and capture the murderer, then the reasons will be elucidated.”
Having reached the well opening, Huò Wēi Lóu first ordered an embroidered emissary to bring more men before asking: “Where was the evidence left at?”
Bó Ruò Yōu walked towards the plum tree in the east swiftly, “This section has traces that a tethered rope left behind. The stupid girl was pulled up by the servants with a rope back then, and min’nü presumes that she learned that method from her experience with it, and she proceeded to use the same method when she was saving the person below. And when the murderer killed Zheng er’ye, the method of rappelling down from the Moon-viewing Pavilion was also utilised.
“Additionally, min’nü also went to the study where Zheng san’ye was murdered just now. It’s true that the ventilation window is quite small, but min’nü theorises that the murderer might be slender, which enabled her to climb through the window opening.”
Seeing that Bó Ruò Yōu had done so many things without saying anything, Fu gonggong gasped with visible admiration, “Bó guniang, you are truly attentive to even the finest hair, for being able to notice these. Many of the side branches and minor details appear to be completely unrelated, but who could have thought that once they have been linked together, everything would have its due explanation instead.”
Bó Ruò Yōu glanced at Huò Wēi Lóu before lowering her eyes and saying: “It’s just a conjecture, one only hopes that the conjecture isn’t wrong.”
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The embroidered emissaries brought ropes and other tools to the well opening. However, the well opening was only the size of a water bucket. A water bucket could be lowered, but these embroidered emissaries were all broad, wide, and tall; in essence, it would be very difficult for them to go down.
After a moment of hesitation, Bó Ruò Yōu said: “Hou’ye, maybe the guard with a smaller stature can be called upon, and in addition to min’nü, [we] can go down to investigate.”
Bó Ruò Yōu’s body figure was slender and she could naturally go down, except she did not dare overestimate herself, which was why she made the suggestion to call the guard by the name of Zhào Wǔ. Zhào Wǔ was previously suspected because he had a small and short figure and was proficient in martial arts. He was never seen again after he was proven to be unrelated to the case, but since it was difficult for a normal man to go down, he could be deployed for this particular task.
However, Huò Wēi Lóu scrutinised her for a moment, “If there is really a mystery below, both of you going still would still be inadequate.”
Having said that, Huò Wēi Lóu retracted his line of sight, “Bore the well.”
Bó Ruò Yōu wanted to speak but stopped herself. As Huò Wēi Lóu commanded the embroidered emissaries to bore the well, he passed down another order: “Go and arrest the stupid girl.”
If there were no mistakes in Bó Ruò Yōu’s deduction, then it was highly likely that the stupid girl was the murderer’s accomplice, which made her arrest a matter of course.
Even though digging a well took some time, it was the most dependable method in the end. Moreover, if there really was another world under the Marquis Residence, Huò Wēi Lóu and Hè Chéng had to personally see it as well. Since the embroidered emissaries each possessed Herculean strength, and were clean and efficient, they managed to dig up the protruding border of the wall without needing much time, and they started to dig a huge pit around the well opening.
Owing to the fact that it was used to irrigate and water the garden, it was not as deep as they imagined. By the time the last shred of twilight settled over the horizon, the large pit had turned into a large funnel shape, and an embroidered emissary had already jumped to the bottom of the well.
“Hou’ye, there is indeed a half-person tall culvert below.”
Bó Ruò Yōu had her fists clenched as she waited, and when she heard those words, her heart finally relaxed.
At this moment, the embroidered emissary who was dispatched to arrest the stupid girl returned to the well, but he said, “Hou’ye, the stupid girl has disappeared.”
Huò Wēi Lóu knitted his brows, to which the embroidered emissary said: “The last person to see her was Da Furen’s maidservant. During noon, Da Furen called for the stupid girl to converse with her, and after she stayed with Da Furen for a double-hour, she took her leave. She was supposed to return to her courtyard, but she has vanished since then. All of the government hirelings responsible for watching over the crucial roads of the residence said that they didn’t see her at all.”
Huò Wēi Lóu’s sword eyebrows bunched together as he turned around to look at the black well bottom. The stupid girl had disappeared, was she together with the murderer?
“Her disappearance is not worrying; it is only worrisome when the murderer disappears as well.”
After Huò Wēi Lóu was done speaking, he ordered the embroidered emissaries to light the torches before he started to make his way to the bottom of the well with skilful agility. Hè Chéng quickly followed him upon seeing that, but his round body proceeded to slip when he stepped on the slope. Subsequently, he slid to the bottom, which was accompanied by the sound of chafing friction before a loud thud was heard. At the bottom, Hè Chéng landed on his butt right in front of Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes, and he was in so much pain he was baring his teeth, but he did not dare display more awkwardness, so he clambered to his feet hastily. On the other hand, the embroidered emissaries who were watching from the side lines had to suppress their laughter by coughing lightly.
Fu gonggong was getting on with his years, so it was inconvenient for him to go down and torment himself, whereas Bó Ruò Yōu was unwilling to pass on her responsibility to someone else.
At the bottom, there were embroidered emissaries who had gone ahead to scout the road first, and they returned to report: “Hou’ye, thirty feet from this position is a fake mountain rock at the bottom of a lake, and there used to be an exit, but it has been blocked up by a large quantity of sand and stone which had been poured in. As of now, only the lower half is still accessible to water, the yellow plum flowers that Bó guniang that noticed had flowed into that entry way, and its final destination should be that lotus pond in the east.”
The culvert was made out of huge stone steps, and it was only half a person tall. Wanting to move in this space would require them to bend their bodies. Huò Wēi Lóu used the fire torch to illuminate it, and only saw that there were rivulets of water flowing at the bottom of the culvert, which was expected, and most of it was from the snow water within the sludge.
He nodded his head, “Continue searching west.”
Someone started heading west once his words landed. The embroidered emissary holding a fire torch then said: “Hou’ye, please—”
But Huò Wēi Lóu did move. He raised his eyes and looked to the surface, as if he was waiting for something.
The embroidered emissary looked over as well, and promptly saw Bó Ruò Yōu walking down from that slope. She was walking cautiously, but the snow and sludge was wet and slippery, and the sight of her was anxiety-inducing. When Bó Ruò Yōu was finally near the well bottom, she jumped down, and while she stumbled slightly, she managed to find her balance in the end. It was only then that Huò Wēi Lóu personally held the torch and headed west.
That embroidered emissary blinked owlishly, “Bó guniang, please go ahead first—”
Bó Ruò Yōu did not find it unusual as she went ahead to catch up. Since she heard what the embroidered emissary reported just now, she commented, “The place that was blocked in the east should be the lotus pond that was levelled out.”
Huò Wēi Lóu hummed in response. Behind them, Hè Chéng rubbed his lower back hipbone as he trailed after them.
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As they moved towards the west, all of them were bent over, and they merely noted that this buried culvert had been abandoned for many years. Green moss was scattered everywhere, with a rat or worm scuttling past from time to time. It was fortunate it was Bó Ruò Yōu who was following them, because if it was a normal young lady from an aristocratic family, they would probably flee with changed complexions. Although there was an occasional spider, spiderwebs were seldom seen in the entire culvert, since someone was frequently moving around this space.
Bó Ruò Yōu borrowed the light from the fire torch in Huò Wēi Lóu’s hand to carefully examine this culvert. The more she looked, the more human traces she discovered. As they continued to walk, she even saw old clothing percolating in the snow water, although she could not discern the colour. Concurrently, the malodour of putrefying sludge that was impossible to ignore hovered around Bó Ruò Yōu’s nostrils.
When this odour appeared again, Bó Ruò Yōu’s expression was hard to fathom in the moment.
Since the buried culvert was pitch-black, all the illumination was reliant on the fire torches; the deeper they travelled, the gloomier and colder it became, to a suffocating extent. Very quickly, the embroidered emissaries at the very front doubled back, “Hou’ye, there’s an iron door in front, and a few byways beyond it, but only one path has more human traces.”
Huò Wēi Lóu instructed: “Lead some men to investigate the other paths.”
The embroidered emissary complied while Huò Wēi Lóu led Bó Ruò Yōu and Hè Chéng towards the iron door.
Although it was called an iron door, it was merely an iron fencing with exceeding small gaps which was rusted and full of stains. There was a large lock on the iron door, which was locked shut, but the chain was forcibly broken. Bó Ruò Yōu stared at the lock and broken chain pensively.
Huò Wēi Lóu turned his head back to gaze at her, “What of it?”
Once Bó Ruò Yōu heard his question, she subconsciously straightened her waist to answer, but she forgot that she was currently inside a culvert. Just as she was about to knock the top of her head into the stone, Huò Wēi Lóu suddenly stretched his hand out to block it—
Bó Ruò Yōu only felt Huò Wēi Lóu’s palm pressing down on the top of her hair, which made her stiffen momentarily before she reacted by quickly bending her waist again. Huò Wēi Lóu withdrew his hand indifferently, and because his body was also bent forward, the distance between them appeared incredibly close. Bó Ruò Yōu wanted to retreat backwards, but Hè Chéng was behind her. Hè Chéng had fallen down and was being made to stoop over, so his waist and body were suffering for it, and his head was dripping with heavy perspiration from the exertion.
Unconsciously, Bó Ruò Yōu lowered her eyes, “The buried culvert was meant to channel the flowing water from outside. The fenced door was set up to fend against anyone trying to gain access to the residence with this path for one, and secondly, if it ever floods, it can prevent various junk outside from flowing into the internal lakes—”
Pausing, Bó Ruò Yōu lifted her head to look upwards. There was only cold and hard stone at the top of her head, of course, but they had been travelling west ever since they descended into the culvert, so they were probably under the pine and cypress forest which was between the plum forest and ancestral hall, “—But since this location is within the residence, perhaps this iron door only serves to stop some water plants.”
Conforming to her assumption, there was a huge amount of rotting water plants and branches on both sides of the iron door. Bó Ruò Yōu wrinkled her brows again as she looked back and forth, “Min’nü is contemplating, when was this locked chain break off.”
Huò Wēi Lóu replied: “If your words are true, then it must have broken off at least two years ago.”
It was only when this iron door was open, that the stupid girl had the possibility of being saved by someone.
Bó Ruò Yōu nodded without uttering another word. Then, Huò Wēi Lóu followed the culvert path which bore the most human traces and continued walking forward. As they moved deeper and deeper, the snow water beneath their feet started reducing more and more. When they neared the end, only sludge that had been dried up for many years remained beneath their feet. Very quickly, a section with a gradual slope appeared before their eyes, and at the end of the slope, was the appearance of another semi-covered iron door.
The iron door was still open, and its general structure was no different from the iron door just now. There was also a huge lock on it, but because this iron door was situated above a gradual slope, it was only affected by the damp and cold instead of water, so the rust was much fainter. Additionally, the chain on the door was broken as well.
Except this lock did not break off due to rust, but because it was forcibly smashed and it snapped off.
The chain was as thick as Bó Ruò Yōu’s thumb, and yet it was forcibly broken by someone. She could not begin to imagine how long it must have taken to break off this chain.
The iron door opened with a loud creak. Stone steps that led upwards appeared behind the door, and the ceiling of the walled-in path was raised up, which enabled Huò Wēi Lóu to straighten his waist. Huò Wēi Lóu held onto the fire torch as he climbed the stone steps to keep going upwards, but they barely had to walk up ten steps before a secret room immediately entered their view.
In just one glance, Bó Ruò Yōu could discern that this was a woman’s dwelling. The room was furnished with the simplest furniture: a raised bed was placed in the true north direction, but whether it was the bed curtains or brocade quilt, it looked extremely old, and in addition to how this place was untouched by light, the moisture was terribly heavy, and spots of mould could be seen on top.
On the west and leaning against the wall was a desk which had an oil lamp that was completely exhausted of its fuel resting on top. Bó Ruò Yōu stepped forward to take a look, only getting the sense that this oil lamp had not been ignited for many years.
There was another door in the northwest corner of the secret room. After Huò Wēi Lóu surveyed this secret room, he started towards that corner door, but his footsteps immediately ceased when he pushed open the door. In response, confusion rose within Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart, so she closed the distance between them, though her gaze sank slightly after she stopped beside Huò Wēi Lóu.
It was a partitioning door, but behind this door was a room teeming with collapsed and broken stones, like the sky and earth had abruptly collapsed on a perfectly sound house. Bó Ruò Yōu could not help but say, “This is…”
“This location resides under the ancestral hall.” Huò Wēi Lóu spoke, his tone of voice brimming with sternness. “As expected, there was a secret room beneath the ancestral hall, and someone was hidden here, but because they feared our discovery, they destroyed this place.”
Although the room behind the door was choked full of bricks, they could still perceive that it used to be rather large, and it had furniture and books. Bó Ruò Yōu sidestepped away from the door, and she happened to notice that a red brick was pressing down paper half.
It was an old and faintly yellow fine writing paper, which had a seven-line poem written on it. The ink was growing faint, and only the last two lines could be distinguished right now. The handwriting on the parchment was basically the same as the handwriting on the gold dusted paper.
Bó Ruò Yōu handed it to Huò Wēi Lóu with due haste, and once Huò Wēi Lóu glanced at it, he knew that Bó Ruò Yōu’s conjecture was probably correct. He twisted his body to look at the remains of this secret room, “The ancestral hall caught fire yesterday, you encountered the murderer last night, and there’s no one here right now; one fears that the murderer didn’t return to this place at all.”
Bó Ruò Yōu replied in a lowered voice, “Even the lock on the iron door that is linked to the buried culvert is opened. It is plausible that those above are unaware, or perhaps they have their guesses, but they don’t dare to search with great fanfare, and because they were afraid that Hou’ye would find out what happened in the past, they chose to carry it through, regardless of the consequence.”
Hè Chéng was similarly shellshocked as he stared at this room, “Xiao Bó, your conjecture really wasn’t wrong, it’s just that the murderer isn’t here, and one fears that she is hiding on the surface—”
Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart lurched upon hearing that, “Since we have come searching for this place, it’s highly likely that the people in the residence have received the news, and worse still, the murderer will be made aware of this too. The embroidered emissary that reported just now said that stupid girl is missing, will something bad happen?”
Huò Wēi Lóu scanned the entire room, his eyes becoming increasingly heavy. Bó Ruò Yōu was standing at his side, and she could feel the chill radiating off him in waves. Disregarding how the room was always damp and cold, Bó Ruò Yōu could not begin to imagine how someone managed to survive in this kind of environment. At least a prisoner in jail could still see the sunlight; in this place, it was basically akin to a dead man’s tomb.
As Bó Ruò Yōu was in the middle of her observation, she suddenly noticed that something was placed at the head of the bed. She went forward to take a look, and unexpectedly saw two brand-new cloth tiger shoes and a moon rabbit lantern that was accumulating dust. The tiger shoes were toys given to children, and the moon rabbit lantern was the most commonly seen lantern during the mid-autumn festival in Jiangnan. These two items were only brought here within these two years.
When that thought occurred to her, not only did Bó Ruò Yōu feel a chill run down her spine, but heavy sorrow also gushed out from the bottom of her heart.
Huò Wēi Lóu directed a look towards her, “Let’s leave. Those items, someone will be dispatched in a short while to seize everything as material evidence.”
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Bó Ruò Yōu nodded her head, following Huò Wēi Lóu back to the original road and returning to the dark culvert again. Everyone bent their waists, remaining silent for the whole journey. Bó Ruò Yōu had the heart to search for clues when they were arriving, but now her lips were pursed, and she could not utter a single word as she was going back. The culvert path was low and short, and she initially felt that it was very inconvenient to keep her waist bent, but in the time that it would have taken to consume a cup of tea – a short interval between coming and going – the inconvenience of movement was nothing compared to the boundless and never-ending darkness and frigidity; that was most oppressive, and what caused the most despair.
When they crossed the first iron door to return to the well opening, they were greeted with the cold wind that was blowing in from the outside, and it was only then that Bó Ruò Yōu felt the sense of oppressiveness dissipate by three parts. Fu gonggong heard the movement from above so he asked: “How was it? Was anyone there?”
Bó Ruò Yōu said with a constricted voice, “There was a place where someone stayed, but there was no one.”
Huò Wēi Lóu was standing beside her, “Go up and speak.”
Bó Ruò Yōu moved aside hastily to allow Huò Wēi Lóu to go first. Huò Wēi Lóu glanced at her before leaping up nimbly. Since the funnel was not dug to the bottom, there was a ledge that was half a person tall which Bó Ruò Yōu had to climb. She was fretting over it a little when Huò Wēi Lóu stretched his hand downwards from above, and while he did not speak, his phoenix eyes were staring at her from a higher point of elevation, its intention clear.
Huò Wēi Lóu had already handed his fire torch to another embroidered emissary. Presently, the night colours had already fallen deeply outside the buried culvert. Fu gonggong was standing at the top and he only hear their voices rather than see them, Hè Chéng was bent over and panting behind her, and the other embroidered emissaries were still stuck inside the culvert. Bó Ruò Yōu knew that she had to make space for them as soon as possible, but she did not expect that Huò Wēi Lóu would pull her up.
The light in their surroundings were dim; in a place where no one could see, Huò Wēi Lóu extended his hand towards her.
After hesitating for a moment, she offered her hand to Huò Wēi Lóu.
Huò Wēi Lóu’s palm was wide and calloused, but it was quite warm. He grabbed hold of her hand, and before she could react, he pulled her up as his other hand supported the side of her waist, basically hauling her entire person out of the well bottom. When Bó Ruò Yōu finally reacted, she was already standing beside Huò Wēi Lóu.
In a panicked state, she took a step back, “Many thanks to Hou’ye.”
After releasing her, Huò Wēi Lóu suddenly said: “How will [you] repay benhou this time?”
The lights were still dim. His manner of speaking gave the impression that he was occupying the high ground while looking down, but his voice was rather pleasant to the ear. Bó Ruò Yōu’s back went rigid from his question, and when she eventually raised her eyes to look at him, Huò Wēi Lóu had already turned around to move upwards.
She was cognizant that Huò Wēi Lóu was mocking what she said in the morning. Her mouth corners thinned as she climbed up.
Fu gonggong had been waiting for a long time, and once he saw Huò Wēi Lóu coming up, he welcomed him immediately, “Was someone really hidden underground?”
Huò Wēi Lóu nodded before asking again, “The stupid girl hasn’t been found yet?”
Fu gonggong nodded, “She hasn’t been found.”
When Bó Ruò Yōu reached the top, she happened to hear these words, which caused the knit of her brows to tighten even further. The unease at the bottom of her heart was only intensifying, and just as she tried to open her mouth, an embroidered emissary arrived from the forest, “Hou’ye, the stupid girl still hasn’t been found, but in addition to that, a servant just reported that the Marquis Residence’s Oldest Young Lady has disappeared as well!”
Once they heard those words, the expressions of Bó Ruò Yōu and Huò Wēi Lóu changed simultaneously.