A crisp sound rang out inside the carriage.
Lu Wuxie, already restless outside the carriage, could no longer restrain himself upon hearing the unusual noise from within. He lifted the hem of his robes and leaped inside.
At that moment, Zhong Li sat inside the carriage, glaring fiercely at Huang San.
Huang San, terrified by Zhong Li's gaze, cowered in the corner, trembling.
The two stared fixedly at the man who had just burst in.
"Mo..."
Before Zhong Li could finish speaking,
Lu Wuxie, as if picking up a small chicken, hoisted Huang San up and coldly tossed him into a corner of the carriage. Without preamble, he unleashed a barrage of blows.
Zhong Li wanted to intervene, but recalling Huang San's despicable appearance and his obliviously provocative demeanor towards Lu Wuxie's temper, she merely said, "Take it easy," and proceeded to make tea to watch the spectacle.
The carriage swayed, leading outsiders to wonder what the three were doing inside.
When Huang San was once again seated before Zhong Li, his formerly emaciated form shone as brightly as a Maitreya Buddha in winter.
Zhong Li gazed at him, suppressing a smile, and asked, "Are you lucid now?"
Huang San glanced timidly at Lu Wuxie.
Seeing him wipe his dagger while casting a sidelong glance at him,
Huang San shivered and replied, "I am."
"Good, answer my questions!
Do you know Madam Hu next door?" Zhong Li asked.
Huang San nodded, "I do. She's good friends with my wife."
"Wife? Lin Xiuxiu?" Zhong Li inquired.
"Yes, Xiuxiu seems to have known her for a long time," Huang San said.
"Seems?" Zhong Li seized on the emphasis in his words.
Huang San explained, "Lord Zhong probably heard from Lord Liu before. Xiuxiu's husband died of illness less than two months after their marriage. I married her with a betrothal gift of five hundred taels. Before she married her previous husband, she was also from Liaocheng."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li's eyes narrowed. Huang San's statement, while seemingly lacking a focal point, contained a wealth of information that struck her as significant.
Liaocheng... Madam Hu...
"That's right," Huang San, sensing Zhong Li's hesitation, continued. "I only guessed they knew each other. It wasn't long after I married Xiuxiu that we acquired this house, and all of this was at Xiuxiu's suggestion.
Afterward, I often saw her frequenting Madam Hu's home. Of course, neighbors can be good friends, but Madam Hu became friendly with her as soon as we moved in, which is why I said they seemed to know each other long ago."
As Huang San spoke, Zhong Li recalled the bodice left in Madam Hu's wardrobe, which was now in Magistrate Liu's possession. She wondered if that item might belong to Lin Xiuxiu.
"Where is your wife now?" Zhong Li asked.
Huang San looked taken aback, "Does your lordship suspect Xiuxiu? How could that be... Wasn't Madam Hu raped and murdered?"
"Who told you she was raped and murdered?" Zhong Li's expression turned grave. She knew that any detail or outcome of a case remained confidential until it was solved. Regardless of public speculation, the yamen and Gu Qian would maintain strict silence.
Furthermore, being found naked at the time of death did not necessarily mean she was raped.
Huang San, realizing his slip, showed panic. "This... isn't that what everyone says?"
"Speak quickly!" Zhong Li sneered.
Beside her, Lu Wuxie again drew his dagger from its sheath.
Huang San, terrified, stammered, "Xiuxiu..."
Zhong Li looked at the young woman sitting opposite, playing with a lock of her hair and gazing distractedly outside. "Lin Xiuxiu, correct?"
Lin Xiuxiu looked up at Zhong Li and replied, "Yes."
Zhong Li tossed a bodice, retrieved from Magistrate Liu, onto the table. "Is this yours?"
Lin Xiuxiu picked it up, first sniffed it, and then held it against herself. "It seems so."
Zhong Li's eyes widened. She watched her fluid movements, astonished. Lu Wuxie was still in the carriage, yet this woman seemed entirely unconcerned?
Lu Wuxie also frowned and closed his eyes with impatience. He hadn't intended to see, but the carriage was so small, and he was listening to Zhong Li interrogate the suspect. Lin Xiuxiu's actions were so sudden that he...
"So you admit you knew Madam Hu?" Zhong Li asked.
Lin Xiuxiu froze, blinked several times, and then said, "I did know her, because we were neighbors. Don't neighbors look out for each other?"
"Is that so? Does that include sharing bodices? But in my opinion, Madam Hu wouldn't have been able to wear yours, would she?" Zhong Li, cutting off Lin Xiuxiu's words, asked sarcastically.
Lin Xiuxiu's face turned ashen, her lips trembling for a long time, unable to utter a response.
"Well?" Zhong Li pressed.
Lin Xiuxiu took a deep breath and said, "It's true, Madam Hu and I knew each other before. But so what? I merely left my bodice in her house. Does that prove anything?"
"Doesn't it prove anything? Since you often visited Madam Hu's house, I have reason to suspect you are also one of her murderers!"
"Haha!" As soon as Zhong Li finished speaking, Lin Xiuxiu burst into laughter. She raised an eyebrow slightly and said provocatively, "How ridiculous. Madam Hu was promiscuous. For her to end up raped and murdered like this, perhaps it was her own doing. I am a woman, and lacking that… appendage, how could I have raped her?
Let alone poisoned her."
"Poisoned?" Zhong Li's eyes narrowed upon hearing Lin Xiuxiu's final remark.
Lin Xiuxiu, realizing her slip, began to look flustered. After a long pause, she said, "In any case, her death has nothing to do with me. I heard your lordship is a renowned detective from the Dali Temple. I hope your lordship isn't trying to frame me just to close the case quickly, are you?"
Zhong Li curved her lips. "Naturally not."
"That's for the best." Lin Xiuxiu let out a sigh of relief. "If that's the case, does your lordship have any more questions?"
Zhong Li pondered for a moment. "You said you saw Old Qiao coming out of her room the day before Madam Hu died. Is that true?"
"That is correct. Didn't Old Qiao himself admit it?" Lin Xiuxiu's body relaxed slightly upon hearing Zhong Li ask about other suspects.
Zhong Li's gaze did not miss any of her movements. "Do you know if Old Qiao had any motive for murder?"
Lin Xiuxiu thought for a moment. "I don't know if it counts, but Old Qiao always argued with Madam Hu because of her improper relationship with Bi Chuan. He always felt that someone like Madam Hu was not fit to be the mother of his son.
But didn't he himself visit Madam Hu often? In short, it's unclear. Isn't your lordship a master detective? You can figure it out yourself."
With that, Lin Xiuxiu bowed to Zhong Li as a form of farewell and turned, leaping out of the carriage and heading towards her own small courtyard.
Zhong Li watched the woman's figure gradually disappear from her sight and fell into thought.
Lu Wuxie, seeing her lost in thought, walked to her side and took an outer shawl, draping it over her. "The carriage door is drafty, you'll catch a cold."
"Mo Cang," Zhong Li turned to the man behind her and said, "I've suddenly remembered a famous saying in the detective world."
"What is it?" Lu Wuxie asked.
"'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'"
"What kind of saying is that?" Lu Wuxie smiled, finding it rather convoluted.
Zhong Li said, "Isn't Magistrate Liu from the Feiyuan Pavilion?"
"Yes," Lu Wuxie nodded, already guessing Zhong Li's intentions.
"I want to ask him to act on my behalf, to go to Liaocheng and thoroughly investigate Lin Xiuxiu's affairs and her true relationship with Madam Hu."
"You suspect her?" Lu Wuxie was quite surprised. He had actually been listening in, and Lin Xiuxiu had the most suspicious points. However, she was a woman, and that alone seemed enough to dismiss all conjectures.
"So, are you helping or not?" Zhong Li pouted.
Lu Wuxie pulled her into his embrace. "There's no 'helping or not.' I am yours, and the Feiyuan Pavilion is temporarily under my command, which means the Feiyuan Pavilion is yours. When the Pavilion Master speaks, your subordinate will naturally carry it out."