Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie emerged from the inner hall just as Guo Xin’s family was leaving. Madam Luo seemed very pleased, giving a few instructions to Steward Liu before leaving the residence with Guo Xin.
The case of Guo Qi was filled with suspicious details. Zhong Li inquired from a servant about the location of Guo Qi’s study and, after bidding farewell to Lu Wuxie, who was preparing to leave the residence to contact Lan Heng, she entered the study alone.
According to the Third Madam, Qing Yuanfang, Guo Qi had been in his study before visiting her room. Therefore, the study was the most likely place where Guo Qi met his demise.
Guo Qi’s study was larger than anticipated, a room measuring three Zhang in length and width, almost the size of an inner hall in the Guo residence.
As Zhong Li entered the study, a faint scent of charcoal filled the air, causing her to frown.
Had Guo Qi been burning something before his death? Otherwise, with spring having arrived, there would be no need for a charcoal brazier.
Her gaze swept across rows of tall and short bookshelves, finally landing on a blackened charcoal basin in the corner.
Zhong Li quickly walked towards the brazier and used a pair of iron tongs placed nearby to stir the contents. As she had suspected, there were no charcoal pieces but rather flaky charcoal fragments. If her guess was correct, these were burnt sheets of Xuan paper.
Indeed, Guo Qi had been burning something in his study before his death.
She carefully lifted the charcoal paper layer by layer, holding onto a sliver of hope that something unburnt might remain in the basin. However, her heart sank. Guo Qi was meticulous in his actions. Apart from a short, burnt thread she found at the very bottom, she found nothing else.
Holding the thread, Zhong Li picked up a candlestick from the window shelf beside her and examined it closely under the sunlight.
No wonder this thread had survived. It turned out to be the kind of waxed thread used for binding account books. It was now a certainty that Guo Qi had been hiding some secret.
With this thought, Zhong Li stood up and walked to the nearby desk. Her eyes roamed over the desk and the bookshelves, noting several empty spaces on the shelves.
Based on Guo Qi’s organized classification of books on the shelves, she deduced that the missing items were likely two account books. Their whereabouts were now obvious.
As for the desk, Zhong Li looked at the paperweight on it. According to ancient customs, paperweights were usually placed on top of papers or at a corner of the Xuan paper on the left. However, the paperweight before her was simply placed aside carelessly, and it was even overturned. This indicated that Guo Qi had certainly pulled out several items from under the paperweight, causing it to flip over.
What could it have been?
Zhong Li frowned, looking doubtfully at the neat Xuan paper on the desk. Suddenly, her gaze shifted to the right, where she saw a cup of clear tea on the upper right corner of the desk.
The clear tea had been left out for two days, and most of its moisture had evaporated.
She took out a silver needle from her懷 and stirred it into the water. After a while, she lifted it and examined it under the sunlight. The tip of the silver needle was clean, but the bottom part of the needle, submerged in the water, had turned faintly black.
What was going on?
Zhong Li had tested numerous poisons, but she had never encountered such a situation. The silver needle submerged in the water showed no problem, but the tail end exposed to the air reacted to the poison.
Could it be…
She stared at the cup, quickly put on her gloves, picked up the cup from the desk, and inserted the silver needle again. As expected, the part where the silver needle changed color was at the rim of the cup. When she stirred, she had inadvertently touched the rim, causing the silver needle to detect the poison. This meant that Guo Qi had been poisoned while drinking water.
Zhong Li frowned and scanned the study again. She searched all the accessible teapots and pastries and found that apart from the cup on the desk, which contained poison, everything else was clean. So, by what method did the killer poison Guo Qi?
Applying the poison to his mouth?
Unless Guo Qi was already dead, it was impossible.
Just as she was at a loss, Steward Liu entered from outside.
“Esteemed Judge Zhong,” he said, greeting Zhong Li with a polite cupped-hand salute.
“Steward Liu,” Zhong Li replied courteously.
Steward Liu stood still, glancing at the bookshelf behind Zhong Li. “Esteemed Judge Zhong, I need to retrieve a household account book. May I ask if you could accommodate me?”
Zhong Li turned to look at the area behind her, which was precisely where the Guo family's internal accounts were kept. She said, “Steward Liu, the case of Governor Guo has not yet been cleared. This study is likely the scene of the crime. It is best not to disturb anything inside.”
Steward Liu nodded and replied, “How could I not know that? I truly do not wish to trouble you, Esteemed Judge Zhong. However, the eldest young lady is to be married. Since the First Madam was sent to the ancestral hall, the household accounts have been managed by the master. Madam has asked me to check how much silver is left in the household and how much can be disbursed. I only need to look at the numbers. I hope Esteemed Judge Zhong can be accommodating.”
Zhong Li pursed her lips, not answering immediately.
Steward Liu quickly added, “May I check it right here in the study, under Esteemed Judge Zhong’s watchful eye?”
“Very well!” Zhong Li thought for a moment and moved aside, clearing the space where the account books were kept.
Steward Liu bowed deeply in thanks and quickly went to the account books, proficiently taking out a ledger and placing it on the desk to peruse.
Zhong Li stood in front of him, watching his movements as he flipped through the pages, her eyes unconsciously narrowing.
She seemed to have figured something out.
Zhong Li’s gaze fell upon the iron tongs nearby. Casually, she asked a young officer at the door to fetch some water. She then rinsed the iron tongs with water, collected the rinsing water, and inserted the silver needle into it again.
Before long, the silver needle changed color.
Zhong Li then turned her attention to the cup she had held earlier. Following the same procedure, she inserted the silver needle into the water used to wash the cup. The silver needle changed color once more.
“I understand!” she murmured to herself.
Steward Liu, still engrossed in the account book, looked at Zhong Li in confusion.
“I know how your master died, but I have a question for you, Steward Liu,” Zhong Li said, looking at him.
Steward Liu wiped his fingertip, which had been moistened with saliva, on his clothes and saluted. “Esteemed Judge Zhong, please speak.”
“Who within the residence had unrestricted access to this study?” Zhong Li inquired.
Steward Liu replied, “Apart from the master and the mistress, only I can come and go freely in this study.”
“Good. Then, where were you, Steward Liu, on the night Governor Guo met his unfortunate end?” Zhong Li asked again.
“Are you suspecting me, Esteemed Judge Zhong?” Steward Liu’s eyes widened.
Zhong Li stated, “I am merely asking if you have an alibi.”
Steward Liu nodded quickly and answered, “Last night, after I served tea to the master, I went to the servants’ quarters to rest.”
“What time was that, and do you have any witnesses?”
Steward Liu nodded his head vigorously like a pestle. “Yes, of course, I do. I placed the items down after the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), and the master was busy in his room. On my way back, I passed by the Second Madam’s courtyard, and she can testify for me. Also, when I returned to my room to sleep, everyone in the courtyard of servants knew.”
“Good!” Zhong Li pursed her lips and looked at the ledger in Steward Liu’s hand. “Steward Liu, was Governor Guo the only one recording in that ledger?”
“Yes,” Steward Liu nodded.
“May I see it then?”
Steward Liu, not understanding, still handed the ledger over.