"I..." Shen Tu Jue was once again speechless.
"Hm?" Zhong Li's expression was stern, as if withholding information made him even more suspicious.
Shen Tu Jue, angered, cursed in the Ying Zhou dialect before replying, "What could I have been doing? I was dragged out of bed by Zhong Shaoqing. I wasn't even wearing pants. What do you think I could have been doing?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several constables standing beside Zhong Li stifled their laughter, quickly composing themselves when they received Zhong Li's sidelong glance.
"So you're implying that because you were in bed, you have no suspicion?" Zhong Li asked.
"I..." Shen Tu Jue was about to go mad. If he had known a murder would occur today, he would never have come to Hua Man Lou.
Seeing his ashen face, Zhong Li pondered for a moment, his tone softening slightly, "Esteemed Emissary, I wish to ask, from the moment Qiong'er was brought in until she met her demise, did you notice anything unusual?"
"Unusual?" Shen Tu Jue thought for a moment and said, "She was quite normal when she came in. At first, she just..."
"Just what?" Zhong Li pressed.
Shen Tu Jue glanced at Zhong Li, gritted his teeth, and said, "She climbed into my bed and wanted to..."
He coughed lightly, glancing down at his lower garment.
Zhong Li raised an eyebrow. "Esteemed Emissary, please speak clearly."
"I..." Shen Tu Jue thought for a long time, then dropped a sentence, "Do the deed!"
Zhong Li raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.
"At first, everything was fine. I don't know how it happened, but just as we were enjoying ourselves, she seemed possessed. She suddenly got out of bed, muttering nonsensically, opened the window, and started climbing up. That's when you came in." Shen Tu Jue said.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li glanced at a young girl standing behind the madam and asked, "Were you in this private room at the time?"
The young girl nodded. "Reporting to Young Master Zhong, yes, this servant was in this private room serving the master."
"Was that scream also from you?" Zhong Li asked again.
"Yes, at that time..." She spoke, subtly glancing at Shen Tu Jue. Seeing that he had no intention of stopping her, she continued, "Sister Qiong'er had already started climbing the window. Coincidentally, I entered to serve her. In my fright, I cried out in terror."
"Where was the Esteemed Emissary at the time?" Zhong Li asked.
The young girl thought for a long time. "In bed, disheveled..."
"Good!" Zhong Li narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then focused his gaze back on the young girl. "I recall you. This isn't our first meeting, is it?"
The young girl was initially startled, then quickly nodded. "Yes, sir. Your memory is excellent. You saw me when Jin Yi met with his accident."
"I remember you were attending to Miss Tian at the time?" Zhong Li asked again.
The young girl nodded, glancing at the madam.
The madam reacted quickly and stepped forward a few paces to explain, "Lord Zhong, it's like this. Last year, Ming Xia died tragically, didn't she? Lian Xue needed someone to attend to her, so I had the maid who works in the back, Gu Ling, attend to her."
"Gu Ling?" Zhong Li murmured.
Gu Ling quickly stepped forward a few paces and knelt on the ground. "This servant is here."
Hearing this, Zhong Li's gaze finally settled back on Gu Ling.
The young girl's appearance was not striking; she was even a bit plain, especially her flat nose, which made her entire face seem sunken.
"Since you are a servant attending to Tian Lian Xue, why didn't you follow your mistress when she went out?" Zhong Li asked.
Despite her unremarkable appearance, Gu Ling was quite sharp. She replied, "Not all girls in Hua Man Lou have attendants. Some newcomers, especially those whose appearances are not particularly outstanding, have to manage themselves. Sister Qiong'er had already received a group of guests today.
This servant feared that Sister Qiong'er might not be able to handle it and stayed to offer some assistance. This matter was done with Miss Tian's consent."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Tian Lian Xue.
Tian Lian Xue, who had been standing by the side without speaking, nodded, confirming that Gu Ling's words were accurate.
After hearing Gu Ling's explanation, Zhong Li found no immediate flaws and pondered for a moment before looking up at the madam opposite him. "Mama."
The madam quickly stepped forward a few paces.
"If I recall correctly, Hua Man Lou had a similar case a few days ago, didn't it? The deceased was named Jin Yi?" Zhong Li asked.
"Uh... that's correct." The madam nodded.
"Now that this case has occurred again, it seems my Dali Temple has failed to resolve it.
Since someone has died, Hua Man Lou shall cease operations for the next few days. It will not be too late to resume business after the case is resolved." Saying this, Zhong Li stood up, preparing to leave.
"Sir!" Upon hearing her words, the madam reacted swiftly and stepped forward to block Zhong Li's path. "Sir, this establishment relies on these girls to survive. If you prevent us from operating, how will we all live?"
Zhong Li frowned, looking at the fawning madam. She knew that merchants in their line of work were cunning and detached from sentiment, but she hadn't expected them to be so heartless.
"Very well, if you wish to operate, you may."
The madam's expression brightened.
Zhong Li said coldly, "If another person dies, and Hua Man Lou can bear the responsibility, then you may operate."
"This..."
Zhong Li no longer paid attention to the madam. He turned to the Dali Temple constables who had followed him. "You few shall temporarily seal Hua Man Lou. Do not allow anyone here to leave. The rest of you, carry the body from outside the building back to Dali Temple."
"Yes!"
After giving her orders, Zhong Li glanced at Shen Tu Jue. "Esteemed Emissary, I will escort you back. However, until this case is thoroughly investigated, I kindly request that you do not leave Jin Cheng."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Jue narrowed his eyes. "Are you, Madam Zhong, essentially detaining us?"
Zhong Li smiled and shook her head. "This official dares not. However, as long as the deceased is a citizen of my Nan Yue Kingdom, regardless of her profession, I will ensure justice for her."
With that, Zhong Li made a gesture of invitation to Shen Tu Jue.
Shen Tu Jue stood up, put on his clothes, and looked at Zhong Li. After a while, he smiled and said, "Young Master Zhong, whether it is fortunate or unfortunate for Nan Yue to have you."
Zhong Li watched Shen Tu Jue's retreating back, a feeling growing in her heart that his words carried hidden meanings.
The next day.
Zhong Li sat in her official chair, looking at A Wu, who was bowing his head in silence opposite her.
The Hua Man Lou case was assigned to A Wu. Less than fifteen minutes ago, she had finished reviewing the case files from Hua Man Lou. The matter concerning Jin Yi had been concluded as suicide. By rights, she should have been confident in A Wu's work.
However, with another death at Hua Man Lou yesterday, and reviewing Jin Yi's case again, it could only be deemed as A Wu's negligence.
"Sir, this subordinate may have overlooked some details, leading to another similar murder at Hua Man Lou. Please punish me." A Wu knelt on the ground, his attitude of admitting fault sincere.
"A Wu, I called you here not to blame you." Zhong Li said, opening the file in her hand. "According to your records, this file appears to have no major issues at first glance. However, there is one point I must ask you about."
"Please tell me, Sir!"
"The conclusive evidence you used to determine Jin Yi's suicide was a suicide note she wrote, is that correct?" Zhong Li asked.
"Yes, it is. This subordinate also compared Jin Yi's handwriting and confirmed it was hers, which is why this subordinate concluded the case as suicide."
Zhong Li pondered for a moment, then slowly took something out of her sleeve and placed it on the table. "Early this morning, Hua Yao led people to search the room of the deceased Qiong'er. They also found this suicide note on her desk."