Tian Lianxue seemed somewhat groggy upon arrival, but no one found it strange. After all, courtesans in the Willow Lane typically worked at night and rested for most of the day.
She followed Xu Qing into the room. Upon seeing Zhong Li dressed in a fitted outfit, her doe eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
"I always wondered why Miss Zhong never requested a courtesan when visiting the Flower Manifold, unlike His Highness. Turns out, you're a woman," Tian Lianxue remarked.
Zhong Li glanced at her but ignored the playful jab. Instead, she asked, "Was it you, Miss Tian, who accompanied His Highness to the Joyful Pavilion yesterday?"
Standing outside the private chamber and unable to see clearly inside, Tian Lianxue nonchalantly nodded. "Yes, His Highness was in a bad mood yesterday and came to the Flower Manifold for some amusement. I felt sorry for him, so I brought him to the Joyful Pavilion to listen to music. Why?"
As she spoke, she appraised Zhong Li, her tone turning unfriendly. "Miss Zhong, you've solved a few cases with His Highness and received imperial commendation. Have you grown so important that the Dali Temple now concerns itself with His Highness's visits to places of ill repute?"
Zhong Li found Tian Lianxue's words tedious. "The Dali Temple indeed cannot interfere with His Highness's visits to houses of ill repute. However, a dead man..."
"A dead man? Who?" Tian Lianxue asked, feigning surprise.
Zhong Li fixed her gaze on Tian Lianxue, ensuring her expression was artless, before saying, "Shen Hong."
"How could that be? Shen..." Tian Lianxue realized she had become too agitated and quickly covered her mouth.
Zhong Li seized the moment. Her gaze sharpened. "If I recall correctly, Miss Tian, you seem to know Shen Hong?"
"This..." Tian Lianxue's eyes darted about. Just as she was about to deny knowing him, her gaze happened to fall upon the waiter from the Joyful Pavilion opposite them. Her tone shifted. "Yes, I know Shen Hong. But that doesn't mean his death has anything to do with me!"
"How could it not?" Liu Gouzi, the waiter from the opposite pavilion, finally spoke. "Everyone knows Young Master Shen has always been infatuated with Miss Tian from the Flower Manifold. He even boasted to us that once he saved enough money, he would marry Miss Tian. Not just I, but everyone in the Joyful Pavilion knows this. Yesterday, when Miss Tian brought His Highness into the Joyful Pavilion, countless eyes were on them. Young Master Shen was standing on the stage and must have seen you. Your actions would undoubtedly have angered him. Otherwise, why would he have died in His Highness's private chamber for no reason?"
As the waiter finished speaking, all the onlookers in the Joyful Pavilion nodded in unison under Zhong Li's scrutiny. Zhong Li then shifted her gaze back to Tian Lianxue.
Tian Lianxue froze. Realizing she wouldn't be able to clear her name from the accusation of murder even if she explained it to the Yellow River, she said, "It's true that Shen Hong has always been infatuated with me. I did promise Shen Hong that if he had the money, he could redeem me from the Flower Manifold. However, I left very early yesterday. You can ask the waiter if you don't believe me."
Zhong Li’s gaze turned to the waiter again. Upon hearing this, the waiter quickly nodded. "Yesterday, after I finished clearing the wine cups, I retreated. Less than half the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, I saw Miss Tian leave the private chamber."
Half a cup of tea?
Upon hearing this timeframe, Zhong Li strode into the room and glanced at the first floor. Her gaze followed the backstage area towards the stairs leading to the second floor. According to the timeline, it would take about half a cup of tea for Shen Hong to come down from the stage after his performance and reach the second floor. But the waiter said it was less than half a cup of tea. This meant that Shen Hong arrived just as Tian Lianxue was leaving? In other words, Tian Lianxue had narrowly missed the time of Shen Hong's death.
With this thought, Zhong Li peered at the screen behind her and then addressed Tian Lianxue, "Where was His Highness at that time?"
Tian Lianxue blinked, followed Zhong Li's gaze to the screen, and hesitated.
"What? He came in with you. You don't know?" Zhong Li pressed.
Tian Lianxue bit her lip. "His Highness was in the room, sleeping on the bed behind the screen."
Upon hearing this, all eyes were drawn to the screen. Even though Lu Wuxie was still sitting on the bed, appearing detached from the situation, Tian Lianxue's words seemed to confirm Lu Wuxie's guilt. After all, the private chamber belonged to Lu Wuxie. When they entered, everyone had only seen Tian Lianxue and him. With Shen Hong's death and Tian Lianxue's departure, this was the only plausible explanation left.
"Linger," Zhong Li was deep in thought when Lan Heng emerged from within. "The scene has been thoroughly investigated, and the body has been taken back to the Dali Temple. What do you think..." Lan Heng's gaze also fell upon the area behind the screen, his unspoken thoughts evident.
How could Zhong Li not understand his meaning? Although Lu Wuxie was not related to her by blood, they had faced life and death together. In modern terms, they could be considered partners. Officially...
"Search!" Zhong Li said coldly. "Search everything on His Highness for any murder weapons or... evidence of the crime."
As soon as she spoke, not only Lan Heng but even Tian Lianxue's eyes widened in astonishment. Hands on her hips, she walked up to Zhong Li. "Miss Zhong, have you forgotten who brought you out of Anding County? Who recommended you to the Dali Temple? And now, with His Highness in trouble, you're kicking him while he's down?"
Kicking him while he's down?
After speaking, Zhong Li was about to walk past the screen when she heard Tian Lianxue's words. She stopped, turned back, and asked, "What does that mean, Miss Tian? It's as if you know for a fact that His Highness is guilty?"
Tian Lianxue frowned, finding Zhong Li's words somewhat incomprehensible. "The innocent will remain innocent, the guilty will remain guilty. If His Highness didn't kill anyone, or if he was framed..." She paused, looking deeply at Tian Lianxue until the latter began to shrink back slightly, then continued, "...I will help him clear his name."
"And if His Highness did kill someone..."
"Impossible!" Tian Lianxue's attempt at sophistry was cut off by Zhong Li's cold retort. "I believe him."
With that, Zhong Li turned and entered the area behind the screen. At that moment, Lu Wuxie was already dressed and leaned casually against the bedpost, gazing leisurely at the scenery outside.
"Your Highness," Zhong Li said, standing beside him.
Lu Wuxie looked up and met her eyes. "Can we go?" he asked, rising to leave.
"Your Highness," Zhong Li called out, stopping him. Lu Wuxie paused and looked at her.
"The Dali Temple requires a routine body search. Please cooperate, Your Highness." As she finished speaking, a constable emerged from behind her, carrying a tray, and bowed to Lu Wuxie.
"Whatever His Highness has on his person, please take it out yourself," Zhong Li said.
Lu Wuxie smiled at Zhong Li, his gaze filled with a complex emotion. He then glanced at Lan Heng, who was standing not far away, watching him intently, and slowly began to remove his belongings. Perhaps Lu Wuxie had left in a hurry, as he had little on him. Besides an empty coin purse, which he casually explained by saying he had gifted all his money to the servants of the Joyful Pavilion, there were only a few accessories. The only item that drew others' attention was a knife he finally drew from his sleeve. To the constables, the knife was quite peculiar: it had a long handle and a short blade, unseen in the Kingdom of Nan Yue. However, to Zhong Li, the knife was eerily familiar; it was a brand-new dissecting knife. She raised her eyes to meet Lu Wuxie's nonchalant gaze. Just as she was about to say something, Xu Qing walked over. Upon seeing the dissecting knife, he exclaimed, "Indeed, the murderer is undoubtedly His Highness."