Wang Baishi gave An Daming a distrustful look and said, "If you can't solve the case, then come with me and get your heads chopped off!"
An Daming shuddered in fright, and then his crotch became soaked. His pathetic appearance made even the cowardly Wang Baishi despise him!
"My lord." A constable ran over and whispered a few words in Wang Baishi's ear. Wang Baishi's face changed, his back hunched over, and he said in a trembling voice, "They've really come!?"
"yes."
Wang Baishi's legs went weak, and he immediately shouted angrily, "Then hurry up and go greet them!"
Yang Hu frowned, noticing that Wang Baishi's legs were also soaked. He sighed helplessly, then turned around and saw An Xin squatting by the roadside measuring something. He was slightly taken aback.
An Daming was pulled away by Wang Baishi and left in a hurry, and the courtyard became much quieter.
An Xin paused for a moment at a patch of grass, then carefully picked the tip of the grass and examined it closely. The tip of the grass was slightly dark, and when she rubbed it with her hand, a faint red color appeared on her fingertip. An Xin brought her fingertip to her nose and smelled it, then raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What did you find?" A voice came from beside her. An Xin turned around and saw Yang Hu. She smiled slightly and said, "Nothing. Oh? Where's my older brother?"
Yang Hu said "Oh" and said, "There must be someone important in the front yard. The master took him to greet him."
"An extraordinary person?" An Xin's tone was questioning, but she was clearly not interested in the topic. She stood up, put her hands behind her back, and walked slowly along the bluestone path with an indescribably peculiar gait.
Yang Hu couldn't help but follow her and say, "Yes, Shui Yue Rou was originally a candidate to enter the palace. She stayed in Shui Yue Pavilion to wait for someone from the palace to come and take her away. Alas, she was a rare talent in the county, writing plum blossom small regular script, but because she was unwilling to enter the palace, she died young."
An Xin stopped in front of a grassy field. The grass was bent over and looked like it had been crushed by something. In some places, the grass was crushed and mixed with mud, which looked rather pitiful.
An Xin circled the bushes twice, then groped around in them for a while before finally picking up a fist-sized stone and examining it closely.
Yang Hu secretly glanced at An Xin's serious expression. He had never seen such a woman before. When she was silent, she had a cold and aloof temperament, but when she spoke, she had a bright and cheerful charm that warmed people's hearts.
Yet, despite being so close to her, he had absolutely no idea what she was thinking!
"You write such beautiful plum blossom-shaped regular script?" An Xin suddenly asked.
Yang Hu was taken aback, thinking that she hadn't been listening to him at all.
"Yes, Shui Yue Rou left a final letter before she died, written in plum blossom-style small regular script. The handwriting is the same as the handwriting she left before," Yang Hu said hurriedly.
An Xin suddenly smiled at Yang Hu and said, "Brother Yang, may I take a look at that farewell letter?"
Yang Hu was taken aback by her smile and subconsciously said, "Okay." Then he realized something was amiss and quickly explained, "But the letter is with the magistrate as important evidence. We need to ask him before we can see it."
An Xin stood up and asked, "Has the crime scene been disturbed?"
Yang Hu said, "Apart from Shui Yue Rou's corpse, there wasn't much movement."
Anxin has a headache; what does it mean to not move much?
Don't these people know that the crime scene is the most important place to discover the truth?! But this is something I expected.
Yang Hu pushed open the door, and the room inside was clearly a woman's boudoir. Everything was neatly arranged, which naturally ruled out other causes of death.
Yang Hu said, "She died on her bed. There was no hidden door in this room. The only way to leave was through the doors and windows. But when we rushed in, we found that the doors and windows were blocked from the inside. So we guessed that she committed suicide, and we did find arsenic in her body."
An Xin stared at the door for a long time before asking, "Arsenic?"
Yang Hu nodded, and seeing that An Xin wasn't even looking at him, he added, "Yes, it's a very potent and not uncommon poison."
An Xin stared at the door. Doors in ancient times were not as sophisticated as those in modern times. The so-called locking from the inside was simply inserting the bolt from the inside. An Xin looked at the bolt and saw no signs of wear. She turned and walked to the window. The window was also bolted from the inside, and there was nothing strange about it.
Was it simply suicide?
---Aside---
Girls, please save this if you like it. Love you all~
Chapter Thirteen: Even Men Can Be Alluring
An Xin couldn't draw a conclusion yet, so she could only go and see Shui Yue Rou's body first.
"Who are the people around Shui Yue Rou?" An Xin looked up at the roof, then opened the window and looked out. Outside the window was a big tree with a thick trunk and horizontal branches that stretched out diagonally, a tree full of green leaves.
“One of them was her personal maid. Shui Yue Rou had a bad temper. According to this maid named Ying Gu, Shui Yue Rou would punish her whenever she lost her temper. I thought that if the murderer was someone else, Ying Gu could not be ruled out as a possibility. But before Shui Yue Rou was killed, she suddenly wanted to eat xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) on East Street in Yi'an County. However, it was already late at night and the shop had long since closed. But Ying Gu still went there. According to the shop owner, Ying Gu did knock on the door. The owner happened to have a basket of cold xiaolongbao left. Seeing that Ying Gu was pitiful, he sold it to her.” Yang Hu frowned slightly as he recalled.
An Xin pondered. If that's the case, Ying Gu has both a motive for murder and an alibi…
"Because Ying Gu had always been with Shui Yue Rou, she knew more about Shui Yue Rou's affairs. Before Shui Yue Rou was selected as a concubine, she had a relationship with a man who was a scholar taking the imperial examination. He was very frail, but he took the initiative to break up with Shui Yue Rou. Shui Yue Rou was heartbroken and desperate for many days because of this. She only gave up on him after she was selected as a concubine. But since the two separated, the scholar went to the capital and never came back."
An Xin listened to Yang Hu's detailed explanation while resting her chin on her hand. After he finished speaking, she bent down and touched the carpet embroidered with large red peonies. There was a spot on the carpet that was not soft and was slightly clumped.
An Xin rubbed it with her fingers; it was blood.
If it was suicide, why is there blood on the blanket? And what is the connection between this blood and the blood on the tips of the grass outside?
"Furthermore, Shui Yue Rou's parents died early, and she grew up with her aunt from a young age. Living under someone else's roof naturally brought her all sorts of hardships. This aunt did not treat her well, often calling her a burden and cursing her to die young. Shui Yue Rou's uncle was a hypocrite, a sanctimonious man who had tried to take advantage of her before. When Shui Yue Rou's aunt discovered this, Shui Yue Rou was beaten and kicked out of the house, and from then on, she had no further contact with him. When Shui Yue Rou was killed, her uncle Fu An was gambling at a gambling den, and her aunt Lin Ju was running a small tavern and was busy until very late. There are witnesses to testify to this."
An Xin remained silent for a long time before standing up and saying, "Brother Yang, I want to go see Shui Yue Rou's body."
Yang Hu looked at An Xin and smiled slightly, saying, "Then you need to come with me to the yamen."
Yi'an County was very small. An Xin followed Yang Hu and soon arrived at the yamen. Outside the yamen, there was a sedan chair with several solemn-faced guards standing on the side, motionless like four wooden stakes.
An Xin glanced at him in surprise. Yang Hu walked up to a guard at the gate and asked, "Who came?"
The constable muttered a few words under his breath, and Yang Hu's expression changed. He hurriedly walked inside, ignoring An Xin. An Xin quickly followed, but was stopped by someone.
An Xin called out urgently, "Brother Yang! Brother Yang!"
Yang Hu then remembered An Xin and looked at the guard at the gate, saying, "Let her in."
An Xin ran up to Yang Hu and said, "Is he someone extraordinary?"
Yang Hu nodded solemnly, then pulled her aside and said, "Wait for me here. This place is different from outside. If something happens, I won't be able to help you. Don't wander off. I'll come find you in a moment."
An Xin could only nod, thinking to herself, "You only said not to run around, you didn't say I couldn't wander around..."
Moreover, when she was thinking about problems, she liked to wander aimlessly. Many inspirations would suddenly appear during these walks. After passing through the covered walkway, she saw a corner of a pavilion in the distance, hidden by flowers and trees. Anxin took a step and walked over.
I never expected there would be people inside the pavilion!
The man in blue robes' back blocked the view of the person opposite him. From An Xin's direction, all she could see was the man leaning against the chaise lounge, the flowing hem of his robe trailing on the ground, and his long, slender fingers lazily resting on his knees. His fingernails were round and smooth, as if they had a flowing luster like jade.
As if sensing An Xin's arrival, the man in blue who was speaking suddenly stopped, turned around to look at An Xin, and seemed somewhat surprised before turning away.
An Xin felt that this person looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
However, since there were people around, she couldn't stay any longer, so she turned around and walked to the other side. When she got to the other side, An Xin casually glanced into the pavilion, and with just one glance, she was stunned.
The bright spring colors, as brilliant as brocade, were completely lost behind that person.
Flowers cast shadows on the path, hibiscus blooms beautifully in my dreams.
The man leaned against the railing beneath the verdant trees and jade-like blossoms, laughing and talking. The radiant sunset could not compare to the brilliance of his magnificent robes. His hair, as if tinged with gold, cascaded down to his waist. He held a colorful embroidered folding fan, obscuring half his face, leaving only his eyes, shimmering with the light of spring, gazing at her with the radiant glow of the sunset...
Such beauty exists in this world!
Even An Xin, who was not swayed by beauty, was momentarily stunned, feeling as if she were in a dream.
Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyelashes like the colors after rain, and her eyes like the morning sun. In her glances, she captivated the world and won the hearts of all.
"Uh, sir, shouldn't I go down first?" If the woman recognizes me, I'll have to give her an explanation.
"Yes." His gaze remained fixed on the person staring at him. Under the half-closed folding fan, the corners of his lips slightly lifted. He felt that he and she were somewhat destined for each other.
“…” Minghe was speechless. She stepped back, and no one paid any attention to her.
He stood up, his purple brocade flowing like water over the railing, and slowly walked to the other side.
An Xin stared at him without moving. His nose was like a finely carved piece of jade, his lips were like a fleeting red spider lily in the night, his chin was as exquisite as a thousand-year-old art treasure, and his skin was like snow on a flower, a lotus in the snow, and dew on a lotus, crystal clear and flawless.
The man's beauty was unparalleled.
He stood in the pavilion, she stood outside the pavilion, separated from him by a vermilion railing, not far, but not close either.
His gaze shifted, and his voice, as languid as a slow, melodious strumming of a zither, said, "Have you seen enough?"
An Xin looked away, her heart churning with emotion, but ultimately she only felt beauty. Then she wondered, who was this person? Judging from their appearance, they didn't seem like ordinary people. Could they be that extraordinary person?
From the palace?
The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
But it seems that all of this has nothing to do with me.
"Beauty is food for the eyes." An Xin gave a four-word comment without expression, then put her hands behind her head and slowly walked forward. After a few steps, she turned back to look at him again and said, "By the way, do you know where the morgue is?"
He covered half his face and smiled, "I just happen to know."
She then seemed to show some interest in him and said, "Take me to see it."
"I heard that you weren't the one who posted the official notice." He looked into her eyes, which were clear and bright, sparkling with an extraordinary light, as if all things could be revealed under those eyes.
Her features weren't particularly striking enough to make him stop and stare, but she seemed to exude a refined and elegant air from within, an air unlike any other flower in the world, which made him glance at her a few more times.
He thought that even if she were lost in the crowd, he would still be able to spot her at a glance and would never mistake her for someone else.
An Xin smiled warmly, "You know me? Who are you? Do we know each other?"
These three seemingly simple questions conceal a great mystery. If he answers, she will likely obtain a wealth of information given her reasoning abilities. Even if he doesn't answer, she will still know a lot. Clever women can sometimes be a headache.
He concealed his face with a folding fan and slowly smiled, saying, "Go to the morgue."
---Aside---
Weren't you amazed? Please save this, ladies!
Chapter Fourteen: Shameless Scoundrels
An Xin's gaze swept over his body. His slender fingers were unadorned, except for the colorful embroidery on the folding fan at his fingertips, and the exquisite necklace adorned with radiant jade.
The jade shimmered with light, extremely beautiful, just like the person before my eyes.
The jade surface is carved with red spider lilies, and the smooth, water-like luster flows from among the flowers; there is nothing else besides them.