An Xin kicked open the door to the warm hall. The hall was empty; there wasn't a single person in sight, not even a cockroach.
If this continues, when will we get any clues about the killer?
"Young master, this is the best wine in our Green Gauze Pavilion, please have a little!"
"Young master, shall I help you change your clothes?"
"Young master, a moment of passion on this night is worth a thousand pieces of gold, don't be shy anymore..."
"Enough! Get out of here!" With a furious shout, the door across the room slammed open, and an angry young man rushed out. His face was red, his hair was disheveled, and his clothes were torn to shreds. An Xin was stunned for a while before she recognized him.
“Hey, hey…” An Xin’s lips twitched. The stupidest people are those who tell others to get lost but then run out themselves.
Upon seeing An Xin, Feng Yi's face immediately stiffened. Anger, irritation, and all sorts of incomprehensible emotions were condensed on his face, making his handsome face look particularly ferocious.
Despite being the culprit, he showed no remorse. An Xin stepped forward and patted his shoulder, saying, "A man who isn't a bit of a playboy in his youth is wasting his life. It's just a few kisses and a few touches... It's nothing."
Feng Yi glanced at An Xin with grief and indignation. Although the boy had a good temper, he was blinded by anger at this moment and turned to leave.
An Xin was a few beats slower than usual. By the time she came to her senses, the young man was already almost downstairs. An Xin hurriedly followed and grabbed him, saying, "A real man shouldn't be so petty. It was just a joke, just a joke to make you laugh!"
Feng Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Are you happy now?"
An Xin couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw the huge lip print on his forehead.
Feng Yi turned and left, and An Xin hurriedly said, "I was wrong, okay? The clues are important, let's stop arguing, alright?"
Feng Yi remained silent with a dark expression.
An Xin casually pulled a handkerchief from the waist of a passing girl and wiped Feng Yi's face. The boy, whose face was dark, was suddenly stunned. He felt the strong fragrance of the handkerchief and did not find it unpleasant.
On the other side, the tightly closed door was pulled open, and someone slowly walked out. When their gaze fell on the scene at the corner of the building, they suddenly felt a chill.
Her face was obscured by a folding fan, only her eyes, shimmering with unfathomable beauty, lingered on the other side of the building corner.
While Feng Yi was in a daze, he suddenly felt a mysterious and profound gaze fall on him. He looked up and his eyes met the person's. He felt a tremor run through his body for no apparent reason.
Looking at his handsome face, which had regained its cleanliness, An Xin casually tossed aside the handkerchief and said, "It's clean now. If you're still angry, we'll just have to go our separate ways."
Feng Yi asked, "Do you know that person?"
An Xin was taken aback, turned around and glanced at Yan Zhen, then said without thinking, "I don't know her, what's wrong?"
Feng Yi suddenly shook his head and smiled, saying, "It's nothing."
Minghe was stunned. This woman... actually said so frankly that she didn't know the master. Just now, they even had physical intimacy. A woman's heart is truly unfathomable!
Yan Zhen raised the corners of her lips and said slowly, "Tell Jiang Lou to find the room they found, and then have him go to Beilong Mountain to see me."
Minghe, startled, replied, "Your subordinate obeys." Indeed... a prime minister's belly can hold a boat...
****
Even someone as composed as An Xin couldn't remain calm upon seeing Jiang Lou.
The man before her was indeed strikingly handsome, a striking contrast to his previous grotesque, heavily powdered face, even though he remained as subtly lecherous as before…
"You said a murder once happened here?" Jiang Lou's surprise was no less than seeing a celestial being descend from the heavens, but it always felt a bit contrived.
Feng Yi replied politely, "Yes, so please point out the room where Chen Guangzhi is, so that we can find clues as soon as possible."
Jiang Lou casually stroked the diamond-encrusted gold ring on his hand and said, "I know that Green Gauze Pavilion is always bustling with activity. Young Master Feng, even though the Feng Clan is known as the 'Upright Ruler of the World,' you can't just barge into my Green Gauze Pavilion, can you?"
Feng Yi suddenly found himself speechless. In Yi'an County, everyone knew the Feng Clan, and they always gave them face. He never expected that the owner of this Green Gauze Pavilion would actually...
"So, young master, you intend to protect the murderer?" An Xin asked expressionlessly. "The victim was murdered, and even if it has nothing to do with Green Gauze Pavilion, as a citizen of Dayi, I think you have an obligation to assist Young Master Feng in solving the case, right? Is this harassment an attempt to protect him or are you simply an accomplice?"
Jiang Lou suddenly burst into a big laugh, floated to An Xin's side and said with a grin, "This young master is a law-abiding citizen, whatever the beauty says is fine! I will do as you please!"
An Xin glanced at him and said, "Fine, now get as far away from me as you can!"
Chapter Thirty-Six: Clues
Jiang Lou was speechless, staring wide-eyed at An Xin.
An Xin already harbored some resentment towards Yan Zhen. Her intuition told her that this man was not someone to be trifled with. She couldn't afford to offend an opponent stronger than herself, so she decided to avoid him. Moreover, since Jiang Lou and Yan Zhen seemed to have an unusual relationship, she felt it was safer to keep a cold face and maintain a safe distance.
Moreover, she didn't want to drag out Chen Guangzhi's case, and she wanted to see if what Yan Zhen said about the ancient jade was true or false.
Jiang Lou's investigation confirmed that Chen Guangzhi had indeed visited the Green Gauze Pavilion before his death. The room was filled with faint incense, the bed had been neatly made, and almost all the clues in the room had been cleared away.
Feng Yi was locked out by Jiang Lou. An Xin walked around the room a few times. If the room wasn't cleaned by the murderer, then there must have been something missing... A red carpet was laid on the floor. An Xin casually lifted the red carpet, and the floor seemed to be damp.
An Xin fiddled with the incense burner for a moment, when suddenly the silver needle touched something hard. An Xin was startled and casually flipped the incense burner over onto the table. When she saw what was inside, she suddenly narrowed her eyes...
****
Sun Lüping was somewhat listless, and the bruises on her body from being whipped by Chen Guangzhi had clearly not yet healed. She was thin and huddled in a corner, which made people feel sorry for her.
Dewdrop was afraid that Sun Lüping might do something rash, so she stayed by her side the whole time. When she lost sight of her mistress, she happened to see Sun Lüping at the yamen when she returned, and comforted her all the way.
"Uncle Chen was a heavy drinker in his life, but he died in a wine vat. How ironic," Lu Zhu sighed. In the end, it was still Aunt Chen who was pitiful. She suffered so much during Uncle Chen's life, and now she had to be a widow for him. Thinking of this, Lu Zhu couldn't help but think of her young mistress. Since returning to Wuhua Village, she had completely severed ties with the Ling family. Then she thought of her second young mistress. She hadn't seen her for so many years, and she had almost forgotten what she looked like.
Upon hearing Lu Zhu's words, Sun Lüping's expression turned even more sorrowful.
Knowing she had touched on her sore spot, Dewdrop hurriedly said, "Second Aunt, don't be sad! Miss and Young Master Feng will definitely find the murderer! Ah, they're back!"
Sun Lüping trembled and suddenly raised her eyelashes.
An Xin's face was ashen. Her gaze fell on Sun Lüping, her eyes filled with pity and inscrutable intent. After a long while, she looked away and glanced at Feng Yi. Feng Yi said, "Sir, the murderer has been found."
Wang Baishi was overjoyed and jumped to his feet, saying, "Tell me quickly!"
Feng Yi hesitated slightly.
Wang Baishi said, "Bring those suspects up here!"
"No need!" An Xin interrupted him indifferently, stepped forward, and casually tossed an ordinary-looking hairpin in front of Sun Lüping, who trembled slightly.
Dewdrop, puzzled, asked, "Miss, why don't you call the suspects? Could it be that the murderer isn't one of them?"
An Xin's gaze swept coldly over Sun Lüping, and she said indifferently, "Second Aunt, admit it!"
The entire audience was astonished.
The dewdrop was also startled.
Sun Lüping's face paled slightly, and she said in a trembling voice, "Xin'er, what are you saying... I... I don't understand..."
An Xin said calmly, "Then I'll tell you something you can understand. Uncle Chen received a note at the wine shop, inviting him to meet at the Green Gauze Pavilion. Feng Yi and I rushed to the Green Gauze Pavilion, but it had already been cleaned. We only found this in the incense burner."
Sun Lüping said stiffly, "Is there anything wrong with an ordinary hairpin?"
An Xin stared intently at Sun Lüping and said, "Second Aunt, are you trying to say that this hairpin isn't yours?"
Sun Lüping said with a slight tremor, "I rarely wear jewelry. Although this hairpin is of average quality, it is still not something I can afford."
An Xin raised a cold, sarcastic smile and said, "Admittedly, this hairpin isn't yours, but you did put it there. It's just that your trick of framing someone isn't very clever."
Sun Lüping said, her face pale, "Xin'er, you should always have evidence to back up your words!"
An Xin said calmly, "Second Uncle Chen is a heavy drinker. When he's drunk, he beats people. Second Aunt, you were brutally beaten, so you must have been extremely resentful! That day, Second Uncle Chen was drunk again and beat you up. What probably made you want to kill him was the child in your womb that died tragically!"
Sun Lüping suddenly froze, staring wide-eyed at An Xin, her expression filled with terror.
"To avenge your child, you came up with this plan. Your initial intention was simple: to make people believe that Uncle Chen had drowned in a wine vat while drunk. However, you didn't time it well. By the time you sent Uncle Chen to the Jixiang Gambling House, you had already revealed your weakness. But Uncle Chen did drown, and in the end, he also died in a wine vat. Your thinking was quite clever, because you first drowned him, and then pushed him into the wine vat when no one was around. This way, you could create the illusion that he drowned."
"You're talking nonsense!" Sun Lüping became agitated. "There were so many people in the gambling den, how could I push him into the wine vat? Don't make false accusations."
An Xin said coldly, "It's just an illusion!"
Dewdrop exclaimed in shock, "What illusion are you talking about, Miss...?"
An Xin said calmly, "Whether it's Green Gauze Pavilion or that note, it's all just a series of illusions. When Uncle Chen came out of the wine shop, he suddenly saw the suspicious Sun Lüping. He was naturally suspicious, so he followed Sun Lüping all the way to the gambling house. There were many people in the gambling house at that time, and in order to avoid being discovered by Sun Lüping, Chen Guangzhi carefully avoided being discovered. He followed her to the backyard, but Sun Lüping disappeared. Chen Guangzhi saw the wine vat and naturally wanted to steal a drink when no one was paying attention. When he got close to the wine vat, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back, followed by numbness all over his body. Then he was pushed into the water and drowned. Afterwards, Sun Lüping moved his body to the woodshed and hid it. She left as if nothing had happened. At Shenshi (3-5 PM), she sneaked in again, dragged Chen Guangzhi's body out and threw it into the wine vat. Of course, in order to guard against Feng Yi, she filled Chen Guangzhi's fingernails with incense ash. Then she laid a series of clues to divert our judgment. As for this hairpin, it was naturally something she bought casually."
Sun Lüping's face turned deathly pale, and she almost screamed menacingly, "I need evidence! Do you have any evidence?!"
An Xin said calmly, "The evidence is on you, Second Aunt. I'm afraid you haven't had time to clean that hairpin yet!"
Sun Lüping suddenly staggered back a step.
“I think the wound on Uncle Chen’s back must match your hairpin perfectly. Since Chen Guangzhi died, you’ve been followed by someone, and you haven’t had time to wipe the blood off the hairpin, have you…”
Dewdrop covered her mouth in horror. Second Aunt killed Uncle Chen... How could that be!
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Painting
Sun Lüping's face turned ashen instantly, her body trembled, and she slowly collapsed to the ground.
An Xin's eyes were calm and indifferent, but her voice was like a demonic voice echoing throughout the room: "No matter how much you hate him, it cannot be a reason for you to kill him. Think carefully about what you've done."
Everyone fell into deep thought, but An Xin left quietly. She quickly headed towards Beilong Mountain. If something like the Ancient Spirit Jade appeared, An Xin felt that she would believe in the existence of gods in this world again.
The reason why Beilong Mountain is called Longshan (Dragon Mountain) is probably because, from a distance, the entire mountain resembles a reclining giant dragon. Coincidentally, when the mountain is close, it only appears tall and majestic, but when it is far away, its reflection in the water reveals the shape of a whole dragon, which is quite mysterious.
An Xin frowned as she gazed at the mountain, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She had heard that wild animals roamed the North Dragon Mountain, and if she went there rashly, she feared her heart might not be able to take it if she encountered one or two of them.
"This is an authentic work by the painting master Wu Daozi. I'll give you a discount: five hundred taels of silver. Young master, you've made a great deal!"
Wu Daozi?
An Xin raised an eyebrow sensitively and looked up. She saw a vendor selling his work to a man dressed in plain clothes. It goes without saying how rare and precious Wu Daozi's original works are. If just anyone could get them, that would be nonsense!
An Xin glanced at the man. Although his clothes were neat, they weren't extravagant, so he probably wasn't very rich. But seeing how focused he was on appreciating the painting, it seemed like he really believed the swindler's words.
Considering that five hundred taels of silver was no small sum, and unable to bear seeing the man go bankrupt, An Xin walked up behind him, patted his shoulder, and said, "Young master, this painting..."
The man was engrossed in watching when he heard this and turned around, looking slightly surprised.
An Xin felt that surge of emotion well up in her heart again. Her plain face was adorned with a pair of exceptionally beautiful eyes, which shone with a radiant light like precious jade, leaving An Xin speechless for a moment.
She looked at him, and he looked at her, speechless, until the vendor's impatient voice came: "Young master, do you still want this painting?"