"This is more luxurious than the Emperor's Golden Hall!" Lu Wuxie exclaimed as he entered the room, picking up a gilded cup from the table and admiring it. His gaze then fell upon the purple clay teapot placed on the table.
His expression darkened. "Is there hot water?" he asked Ah Wang, who was following him.
Ah Wang nodded and unhooked the water flask from his waist.
Lu Wuxie took it and poured all the hot water into the purple clay teapot.
As he had expected, the seemingly unremarkable purple clay teapot changed color. Through the warm clear water, two sparrows and fish, painted on the pot's surface, could be seen.
"It is indeed an item from the previous dynasty," Zhong Li said, her face sinking.
Lu Wuxie explained, "This teapot has a story. It's rumored that a Grand Master of the Dali Temple in the previous dynasty solved a cold case with this teapot, after which its value soared. When the Lin Kingdom was destroyed, the teapot's whereabouts became unknown. I never thought I'd see this rare object again in this place."
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes. "So these people are not simple, to be able to obtain such an item."
As she spoke, she walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and glanced inside. Finding the clothes to be of vibrant colors and excellent texture, she then moved to the dressing case, opening several drawers to inspect them all.
She continued until she saw a hairpin in the last drawer.
The hairpin was unusual, unlike the common ear-of-rice shaped pins worn by women. It was flat, with a wide base and a fine, slightly curved tip, likely used for styling hair. The base was intricately carved with a blooming orchid, adorned with a large pearl. Beside the pearl, two characters were engraved in the blank space: Yu Lan.
"Is it really you?" Zhong Li murmured to herself.
Lu Wuxie heard her and walked over. "What did you find?"
Zhong Li handed the hairpin to Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie took it and initially glanced at it casually. Upon seeing the large pearl, his expression immediately darkened. "This belonged to Empress Ruan. How could it be here?"
Hearing this, Zhong Li asked, "Is this the former Empress's?"
"Yes," Lu Wuxie replied curtly. "This pearl is a South Sea treasure, its color and luster are of the highest quality. Yingzhou presented one such pearl as tribute back then, and Empress Ruan loved it, so the Emperor ordered this to be made. By the way, I saw you staring at this hairpin earlier, Zhong Li. Did you discover something?"
Zhong Li nodded. "Does the Duke remember the scratch on Tian Lianxue's face?"
Lu Wuxie recalled the details from the autopsy report. "Do you mean..."
"When I examined the wounds on Tian Lianxue's face, I noticed that the deepest part of the scratch had missing flesh. I couldn't imagine what kind of sharp object could cause such a wound. Now, seeing this unique hairpin, it all makes sense. Of course, if possible, testing it on some pork might further clarify things."
Lu Wuxie shook his head and walked to the window, holding the hairpin up to the sunlight for examination.
Seeing him do so, Zhong Li leaned closer.
Lu Wuxie was searching for something, constantly turning the hairpin. After a while, he said, "No need to find pork. This hairpin is the evidence."
"How can Mo Cang be so certain?" Zhong Li asked.
"Do you remember the renowned Master Zhou Qiang from the Gu Ling case, Zhong Li?" Lu Wuxie inquired.
Zhong Li nodded. She knew that items crafted by Zhou Qiang were exceptionally exquisite and difficult to obtain, even at great expense. Could this hairpin also be Zhou Qiang's work?
"This is one of Zhou Qiang's early works," Lu Wuxie said, pulling Zhong Li closer and positioning her to look at the hairpin with him in the sunlight.
Zhong Li examined it closely and discovered why noblewomen in Jincheng were so obsessed with Zhou Qiang's creations. The orchid he carved had incredibly clear stamen and pistils, and the veins on each petal were remarkably defined. If colored, it would appear as a lifelike orchid.
"This level of craftsmanship, so meticulous, is truly rare... Wait!" As her voice of admiration escaped, her sharp eyes spotted faint streaks of crimson on the veins of a petal.
Lu Wuxie knew she had seen it. "If I'm not mistaken, that should be Tian Lianxue's blood. Although the hairpin's owner tried diligently to wipe it clean, the crevice beneath the pearl is small, and it happened to be on the petal's veins. Naturally, they wouldn't have noticed."
"So even the most careful plans can have a flaw," Zhong Li finished Lu Wuxie's sentence. She casually took a small cloth bag from her waist and placed the hairpin inside, considering it evidence.
The two continued their search in the room.
Zhong Li found many personal belongings of women, each exquisite and priceless. However, as they looked around, she and Lu Wuxie felt something was missing, yet nothing seemed out of place.
"The resident here should be an unmarried woman," Zhong Li stated after thoroughly searching, as she walked downstairs with Lu Wuxie.
"Yes, there's no sign of any man living in the main house. I'm just curious what kind of woman would be kept like a caged bird," Lu Wuxie agreed with Zhong Li's assessment.
Zhong Li continued, "Wu Xingyan has two sons, both of whom are married, and he is currently detained by the Ministry of Justice. As for his nephews, Wu Zhong and Wu You. According to the information provided by Lord Ren, Wu Zhong's wife is already detained at the yamen. Wu You is unmarried but has reached middle age. He previously kept an outer chamber who bore him a daughter. If the person in this building was kept by him, how could he not have taken advantage?"
"So, Zhong Li, do you have a better deduction?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li took a deep breath, met Lu Wuxie's gaze, and smiled, asking in return, "Mo Cang, have you already guessed who it is?"
Lu Wuxie's expression darkened. "Yes. Living in such a residence, being able to command Wu Zhong and Wu You of the Wu family's bank, wearing the former Empress's hairpin, using the former Crown Prince's purple clay teapot, killing Tian Lianxue, and having someone arrange the aftermath. There is only one person..."
"Shen Ying!" they both exclaimed the answer in unison.
Zhong Li quickly followed up, "But I find it strange. Why is Shen Ying in Jinzhou? And what was her relationship with the Empress? Furthermore, according to the dates on the Wu family's land deed, this house is only about ten years old. So where was Shen Ying before that? If she was always with the Shen family, why would the Empress confine her in this residence for so long?"
Lu Wuxie listened to Zhong Li's barrage of questions and shook his head. "I told you everything about twenty years ago. The Crown Prince was the Empress's biological son, but not of the Lu family bloodline. As for Shen Ying, that's why I had been approaching Tian Lianxue earlier. However, before I could figure things out, she died."
"Right!" Mentioning Tian Lianxue, Zhong Li had another question. "You said Tian Lianxue was well and good in Jincheng, why did she come to Jinzhou?"
Lu Wuxie smiled. "Do you remember what Yin Su said, that a man named Hong had hired Tian Lianxue twice?"
"So we need to investigate this man named Hong thoroughly?" Zhong Li's brows furrowed. "It's a bit difficult. Yin Su didn't provide any strong clues. We're like blind men trying to describe an elephant. The madam of Hualou cannot be moved for now. All we can do is try."
"I do have someone in mind," Lu Wuxie said.
"Who?" Zhong Li asked.
Just as Lu Wuxie was about to speak, Ah Wang ran over anxiously from a distance. "My Lord, sir! We... we've found an ice cellar!"