Zhong Li initially suspected Liu Wu, standing at the door, or Wei Fu, who was holding Wu Xiu Chu, as the murderers. However, she never expected Liu Wu to suddenly utter such a sentence.
"Liu Wu, what do you mean by that?" Lan Heng asked, his expression darkening.
Liu Wu glanced back at Lan Heng and cupped his hands. "Replying to Lord Lan, about an hour ago, I came out of my room to look for Wei Fu. I knocked on her door for a long time, but there was no response. Fearing that something had happened to Wei Fu, like Shen Hong before, I asked Lord Xu for help."
As he spoke, Liu Wu looked at Xu Qing beside him.
Xu Qing nodded.
"Lord Xu also knocked and called out at first, but Wei Fu never responded. Fearing something had happened, we broke down the door," Liu Wu continued.
Listening to Liu Wu's words, Zhong Li's gaze fell upon the door of the private room. The doors in such establishments were usually bolted from the inside, and Wei Fu's door was no exception. In simple terms, the door could only be locked if someone was inside; without anyone within, the door could never be secured.
She stood up and walked to the bolt, immediately noticing the precariously hanging door knocker. She knew that Xu Qing had broken in, and Liu Wu was not lying.
"What happened next?" Zhong Li asked.
Liu Wu's face suddenly showed fear, and he glared at Wu Xiu Chu's corpse on the ground. "The moment Lord Xu and I opened the door, we saw Wu Xiu Chu's body lying there."
"Then where is Wei Fu?" Zhong Li raised an eyebrow, surprised by Wu Xiu Chu's presence in Wei Fu's room.
Wei Fu then interjected, "I was in the room next door."
As she spoke, Wei Fu pointed to another private room.
Zhong Li looked up at the nameplate hanging above the private room, 'Qingshan,' and asked, "Why were you there?"
Wei Fu shook her head, her face full of confusion. She bit her lip, tearfully looking at Wu Xiu Chu's corpse. "This morning, I had some drinks with Lord Xu. Around an hour before noon, I felt tired and went back to my own room."
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the private room where Wu Xiu Chu had died, her implication obvious.
"Is that so?" Zhong Li's eyes turned to Xu Qing upon hearing this.
Although Xu Qing disliked Zhong Li's scrutinizing gaze, he had to answer obediently since a death had occurred within his jurisdiction. "Yes, I personally escorted Miss Wei to her room."
"Was Lord Xu still clear-headed after drinking?" Zhong Li, knowing that alcohol could make people forgetful, reminded him cautiously.
Xu Qing seemed displeased by such words, his expression darkening. "What does Miss Zhong mean by that? I know my own alcohol tolerance. I was perfectly sober at the time!"
"Oh? Then why do I feel like Lord Xu took a nap?" Zhong Li said, her gaze fixed on his waist sash.
The official attire, which should have been neatly fastened, was slightly disheveled, and the sash holding his waist was crooked, clearly the result of being dressed in haste.
After all, these officials had to face the Emperor in the morning, and appearances were very important.
Xu Qing lowered his gaze, his face flushing. Just as he was about to say something, Lan Heng spoke, "Lord Xu, the Dali Temple regulations prohibit drinking while on duty. You will be disciplined upon your return."
Hearing this, Xu Qing dared not argue further and lowered his head, cupping his hands.
Zhong Li glanced at Xu Qing and continued, "What happened next? How did Lord Xu wake up?"
Xu Qing, his cheeks flushed red, replied, "I was resting on my bed when I suddenly heard Ban Lead Liu knocking. He said something had happened to Wei Fu and the door couldn't be opened. Fearing for Miss Wei, I rushed with him to Wei Fu's room and then broke down the door."
"What did you see? Is there any discrepancy with what Ban Lead Liu said?" Zhong Li asked.
Xu Qing shook his head. "No. There was a woman lying there, her back to the door."
He pointed to the spot where Wei Fu had been holding the corpse.
"Then how did Lord Xu go to find a doctor?" Zhong Li inquired, as this was something she found questionable. When Wu Xiu Chu had met with an accident, why did Xu Qing not check on her first but instead went to find a doctor?
"That was me," Liu Wu answered before Xu Qing could. "Wu Xiu Chu's health was always poor. When I saw her lying on the ground, my first thought was to find a doctor. However, I am not as quick as Lord Xu, so I asked Lord Xu to run the errand."
"Oh?" Zhong Li's expression showed a hint of surprise. "Ban Lead Liu, before even clearly seeing who was lying on the ground, how did you determine it was Wu Xiu Chu?"
Liu Wu quickly explained, "Wei Fu and Wu Xiu Chu are the famous dan roles of the Liu Family Troupe. Not only are their personalities vastly different in private, but their attire and style are also distinct. Wei Fu always favored white, while Wu Xiu Chu usually wore sky-blue or jade-green outer garments."
Zhong Li nodded. Liu Wu's reasoning was somewhat plausible.
Then, her gaze swept over Xu Qing and settled on Wei Fu. "So, when did Miss Wei appear here?"
Wei Fu dabbed her tears and replied, "Didn't I have some drinks with Lord Xu earlier? My alcohol tolerance is not good, so I lay down and fell asleep in my room. I vaguely heard some commotion outside, so I rushed out. Then you, Miss Zhong, saw me."
"Rushed out, from the 'Qingshan' private room?" Zhong Li asked.
"Yes!" Wei Fu nodded.
Zhong Li shifted her gaze to Liu Wu. Liu Wu nodded, and then she looked at the constables who had rushed over due to the incident in the private room.
Several constables all nodded.
"When did you go to the Qingshan private room?" Zhong Li asked again.
This time, Wei Fu did not answer her. Instead, she frowned and said with a look of horror, "I want to know that too. I just took a nap, and suddenly I was in the next room, and Sister Wu was dead. This... this is too strange. *Sob sob*... it's all my fault... If I hadn't been greedy for wine, perhaps Sister Wu wouldn't have died."
As Wei Fu spoke, she began to sob again.
Zhong Li looked at the thin white shirt she was wearing, and her gaze inadvertently swept over the sachet at her waist.
Embroidery?
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, but it was too quick for her to grasp.
"What is it?" Lan Heng asked, seeing Zhong Li's fleeting frown.
Zhong Li shook her head. She couldn't articulate it for a moment, so she turned to examine the private room.
The private rooms in Huanxi Lou were no different from ordinary ones. The windows opened to the street outside. As for whether a person could move smoothly between two rooms, Zhong Li thought that only masters of Qinggong like Lu Wu Xie or Lan Heng could manage. As for Wei Fu... it was impossible.
She then inspected all the facilities in the private room, including the walls. Indeed, there were no hidden mechanisms or secret compartments.
So, was it a locked-room murder? Did Wu Xiu Chu strangle herself?
Thinking of this, Zhong Li found it amusing. She walked to Wu Xiu Chu's corpse, put on gloves, and began to examine the body's rigor mortis and lividity.
Suddenly, she noticed something in Wu Xiu Chu's palm.
Lan Heng also noticed it and quickly leaned closer to retrieve what was in Wu Xiu Chu's hand.
It was two characters torn from a piece of paper – 'Nan Ping.'