Inside the Huanxi Building at this moment.
Wei Fu, dressed in a light gauze peplum top, her delicate butterfly valley on her back subtly shaking with her soft sobs, was already a renowned performer in the Huanxi Building, attracting the gaze of countless men. Now, appearing so frail, she left Xu Qing, who stood opposite her, utterly dazed.
"Miss Wei, please don't cry. Rest assured, as long as the Dali Temple officials are here, no one will harm you," Xu Qing promised, patting his chest.
Wei Fu pulled a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed her eyes before looking up at Xu Qing. "Thank you, Lord Xu, for your concern. But Wei Fu is merely an actress, how can I possibly trouble the Dali Temple so much? Sob sob..."
The more intensely Wei Fu cried, the tighter Xu Qing's heart felt. He wanted to reach out and pat her shoulder, but feared causing scandal due to their proximity. Thus, he settled for offering further comfort:
"Miss Wei, please rest assured. His Majesty is paying close attention to this case, and Lord Lan will certainly not take it lightly. I have already dispatched men to strictly guard all entrances and exits of the Huanxi Building. Once the case is solved, Miss Wei will be safe."
"Really?" Wei Fu asked, her delicate eyebrows rising as she looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing nodded, appearing confident.
"Then... how is the Dali Temple's investigation progressing? Have the culprits been apprehended?" Wei Fu inquired.
"This..." Xu Qing hesitated. The Dali Temple had regulations against revealing any case-related clues before the investigation was concluded.
"Why are you acting like this, Lord Xu? I am, after all, a victim. If you don't tell me anything about the case, how can I feel at ease? Or perhaps you suspect me, Lord?" Seeing this, Wei Fu began to cry again.
Xu Qing quickly waved his hands in reassurance. "Miss Wei, I absolutely have no such intentions. In fact, the case has not made any substantive progress. If there is any suspicion, it would likely fall on the heir of the Prince Xian's estate. However, as Miss Wei knows, the heir has the Regent King's protection, so no one dares to touch him."
"Then..." Hearing this, Wei Fu's eyes darted around in her sockets, and she asked again, "If the heir is truly the killer, he wouldn't also..."
"Rest assured!" Before Wei Fu could finish, Xu Qing hurriedly reassured her. "The heir has been ordered by Prince Xian to reflect in isolation and is certainly unable to leave his estate."
Upon hearing this, Wei Fu's tense emotions gradually relaxed. She let out a long sigh and bowed to Xu Qing. "Please forgive my behavior earlier, Lord Xu."
"Not at all," Xu Qing waved his hand. "This concerns Miss Wei's life and death; it is natural to be flustered."
Wei Fu nodded, her gaze filled with gratitude towards Xu Qing. Then, she offered him a charming smile and said, "Since Lord Xu has already sealed off the Huanxi Building so thoroughly, and nothing untoward will happen for a while, Wei Fu has some private wine that she would like to offer Lord Xu a taste."
"This..." Xu Qing heard this and was about to refuse.
However, Wei Fu gently pulled his sleeve and said, "This is a fine aged vintage from over ten years ago. Wei Fu wishes to express her gratitude for Lord Xu's assistance and is willing to share it."
"Miss Wei..." Xu Qing considered for a moment, still intending to refuse.
Wei Fu then added, "Just a little. Lord Xu is a man, after all, and it won't intoxicate you. Moreover, Wei Fu can sing. Wouldn't Lord Xu like to listen?"
Saying this, she took Xu Qing's hand and led him towards the private chambers on the second floor of the Huanxi Building.
Zhong Li and Lan Heng arrived at the Huanxi Building around noon.
Although Jin Cheng was not as hot as in the summer, the lingering heat of autumn was considerable. After walking along the street for less than an hour, Zhong Li felt the precursors of heatstroke.
Lan Heng knew she was sensitive to the heat. He casually bought a bowl of ice jelly, handed it to her, and then pushed open the doors of the Huanxi Building.
"Where is Xu Qing?" he asked, frowning when he saw only a few new constables guarding the entrance.
The young constable quickly cupped his hands towards Lan Heng. "Reporting to Your Lordship, Xu Daren is... not here."
"Not here? Off duty? Where did he go?" Lan Heng frowned, glancing towards the shaded private chambers. He noticed a subtle movement there.
The young constable's expression turned awkward, scratching his head, unsure how to respond.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from behind Lan Heng and Zhong Li.
The two turned to see Xu Qing running towards them from not far away, accompanied by an old physician carrying a medicine box.
"Da... Daren!" Upon seeing Lan Heng, Xu Qing's already anxious face showed a hint of panic.
Lan Heng narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Xu Qing and then settling on the old physician beside him. Before he could utter a question, a heart-wrenching cry erupted from a private chamber on the second floor: "Sister? Sister... Wake up, wake up! Lord Xu... Lord Xu, please hurry!"
Zhong Li recognized Wei Fu's voice. Her delicate eyebrows knit, and she quickly hurried towards the source of the sound.
Lan Heng, seeing this, had no time to question Xu Qing about other matters. He lifted his robe and followed.
The room Wei Fu occupied was the innermost private chamber of the Huanxi Building.
When Zhong Li arrived, the door to the private chamber was ajar. Liu Wu, the head of the Liu Family Troupe, stood outside the door with a look of bewilderment. As for Wei Fu, she knelt on the floor inside, cradling a woman dressed in a sky-blue robe with motifs of the Azure Sea.
"Miss Wei," Zhong Li said, stepping quickly into the room. She knelt opposite Wei Fu, intending to ask what had happened, but was stunned by the scene before her.
The woman in Wei Fu's arms had a purple-blue face, her slender white earrings dangling by her face. Her chest had long since ceased to rise and fall, and there were clear ligature marks on her neck. There was no need for an autopsy to determine the true cause of death.
At this moment, Lan Heng, Xu Qing, and the physician with the medicine box also arrived. The physician, unaware of the situation, was about to enter the room to examine the woman in Wei Fu's arms. Zhong Li, raising her eyes, sternly commanded, "Don't come in. This might be the murder scene!"
As her words fell, Wei Fu's soft sobs abruptly ceased. Lan Heng and Xu Qing also froze.
Wei Fu was the first to react. She hugged the woman tighter and cried out, "Sister Wu, how could this happen? How could this happen!"
Zhong Li cast a casual glance at Wei Fu and gave Lan Heng a signal.
Lan Heng waved his hand, and a few constables beside him stepped forward to pull Wei Fu away.
Finally, Zhong Li got a clear view of the female corpse before her.
The woman was approximately five feet three inches tall and around thirty years of age. Perhaps due to good maintenance and a pleasant appearance, if it weren't for the purplish-blue face caused by suffocation, Zhong Li was certain that the Sister Wu in Wei Fu's words would have been a great beauty.
"Do you know her?" Zhong Li asked, looking up at Wei Fu, whose furtive glances were occasionally directed at her.
Called out, Wei Fu quickly nodded. "She is Sister Wu, the costume performer of our Liu Family Troupe, and the most senior member after Yuan Shang."
Hearing this, Zhong Li's gaze turned to Liu Wu, the head of the Liu Family Troupe.
Liu Wu quickly nodded. "Yes, that's correct. The Sister Wu Wei Fu speaks of is Wu Xiuchu of the Liu Family Troupe."
"So she was murdered. Do you know anything about it?" Zhong Li raised an eyebrow, meeting Liu Wu's eyes.
Liu Wu, being somewhat experienced in the business world and having met many people, was still taken aback by Zhong Li's cold demeanor. Under her direct gaze, he couldn't help but shift his eyes. "How... how is this possible? Only Xiuchu was in this room. Who could have killed her?"