Because Xu Qing's investigation would take some time.
The Dali Temple brought some people from the Prince Xian's residence back to dine, while Zhong Li waited for news from Xu Qing.
With nothing else to do, Zhong Li examined the rope Yuan Shang had used to hang himself.
After a while, when she was certain the rope was common and was about to examine other items, her gaze inadvertently fell upon one end of the knot. Within the knot, she saw a trace of vermilion.
“What is it? Found something?” Lan Heng sat beside her, observing her every move.
Zhong Li did not reply, but slowly untied the knot, revealing the trace of vermilion within.
“This is…” Lan Heng frowned and leaned closer to examine it.
At this moment, the two were extremely close. A fan covering Lu Wuxie’s face in the courtyard shifted slightly, but no one could discern his expression.
“This is from nail polish,” Zhong Li said.
Lan Heng did not understand Zhong Li’s meaning and looked confused.
Zhong Li glanced at him, unsurprised. After all, Lan Heng was not a woman and would not know about women’s grooming.
“Women love beauty and like to color their fingernails. The dye is usually from Impatiens. They take the petals, mash them, and place them on their nails, then wrap their nails with Impatiens leaves or other objects. After a day, they remove them, and their nails are dyed the color of Impatiens.
Judging by the rope, it seems that when the Impatiens was half-dried, the knot accidentally got stained,” Zhong Li explained.
Upon hearing this, Lan Heng’s expression brightened. “Then, if we find a woman who has colored her nails, does that mean we’ve found the killer?”
It’s not that simple.
Two cups of tea later, Zhong Li stood in the courtyard looking at seven or eight maids dressed as servants, and the thought crossed her mind.
“May I trouble you ladies to extend your hands,” she said.
The eight maids summoned to the courtyard exchanged glances and, following Zhong Li’s instructions, rolled up their sleeves and extended their hands.
Zhong Li walked past each maid, carefully examining their fingertips. Indeed, Lan Heng had, as she instructed, summoned all the servants in Prince Xian’s residence who had colored nails. However, the color and the age of the dye on these people’s hands did not match that on the rope.
Moreover, some of them had dyed their nails long ago, and the color had faded considerably, so Zhong Li quickly excluded them.
“How is it? None of them?” Lan Heng, seeing her expression, had guessed most of it but still asked with a sliver of hope.
Zhong Li shook her head, extinguishing the last bit of hope in his heart.
After a while, she raised her eyes and asked, “Are you sure, Lord Lan, that you have checked all the women in Prince Xian’s residence? Are these the only ones with colored nails?”
Lan Heng pondered this, his gaze slowly falling on the position of the main wife in the back courtyard. Just as he was about to speak, a little maid with two pigtails on her head said, “Miss Zhong, you are looking for people with dyed nails.”
Zhong Li turned to look at the little girl. She had an impression of her; it was A’Bi from the washing room in the back courtyard.
“A’Bi, from what you’re saying, do you know of others who have dyed their nails?” Zhong Li asked guidingly.
A’Bi nodded, counted the people in the courtyard with her fingers, and then looked for a while. “Yes, besides us sisters, there is one other person who hasn’t come.”
“Who!” Zhong Li pressed.
“Ping’er, a low-ranking maid who was recently transferred from the kitchen to the Princess’s side,” A’Bi nodded confidently.
Upon hearing the name, Lan Heng glanced at Xu Qing, who was standing to the side.
Xu Qing, receiving the order, hurried towards Xie Yunxi’s courtyard.
When he returned, Xu Qing was covered in tea stains and looked rather disheveled.
Zhong Li glanced at him, guessing that Xie Yunxi had made things difficult for Xu Qing.
“How is it?” Lan Heng, seeing Xu Qing in such a state, couldn’t help but frown, but without time to concern himself with his condition, he asked about Ping’er.
“My lord, it’s not good. Ping’er is dead in her room,” Xu Qing panted, pointing in the direction of Xie Yunxi’s courtyard.
Hearing this, everyone rushed towards Xie Yunxi’s courtyard.
When Lu Wuxie was the only one left in the courtyard, he slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at Zhong Li, who was following steadily behind everyone else.
“Young Master.” As he withdrew his gaze, a figure landed beside him.
Lu Wuxie closed his fan. The casual gaze he had moments before became sharp. “How is it?”
“The Crown Prince is back. I heard about your matters, and he made a scene in the Jinyang Hall all night yesterday.” the black-clothed figure said.
“Is that so? He knows too?” Lu Wuxie asked.
“Yes, Eunuch Yun also knows.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuxie took a deep breath, looked up at the sky, which was already nearing dusk, and said, “Go investigate the Xie family, the more detailed the better.”
“Yes!”
When Zhong Li arrived at Xie Yunxi’s courtyard, it was already in chaos.
Xing’er supported the fainted Xie Yunxi, looking anxiously at the arriving crowd.
The servants in the courtyard, as if seeing such a situation for the first time, shrieked and ran around in disarray.
Lan Heng frowned, seemingly impatient with the commotion. He glanced at Xu Qing beside him.
Xu Qing understood and waved behind him. The constables from the Dali Temple swiftly seized each servant, calming their emotions.
Zhong Li walked to Xing’er’s side and said, “Let me try.”
Xing’er nodded and moved aside.
Zhong Li applied pressure to a pressure point on Xie Yunxi’s body. With a deep gasp, Xie Yunxi awoke. Zhong Li bypassed them and headed straight for Ping’er’s room.
The room was not large and could be seen at a glance, with a table, a chair, and a bed. On the bed lay a woman. Her face was pretty among the servants. If not for her pale complexion and the lack of movement in her chest, she would have seemed peacefully asleep.
Zhong Li put on a mask and gloves and entered first.
At this moment, the room was filled with a strong smell of blood.
Following the scent of blood, Zhong Li slowly pulled back the quilt covering the woman. As she expected, the quilt was soaked in blood. The source of the blood was a knife wound on Ping’er’s wrist.
“Slitting her wrist?” Lan Heng stood beside Zhong Li, looking at the woman on the bed, neatly dressed in servant’s clothing.
Zhong Li nodded and squatted beside Ping’er to examine her. After a while, she said, “To be precise, it appears to be a wrist-slitting suicide.”
“Suicide?” Lan Heng was quite surprised.
Zhong Li turned over Ping’er’s arm and explained, “The deceased’s left wrist was cut. Judging by the depth of the wound, it’s deeper on the left and shallower on the right, consistent with a normal person’s habit of slitting their wrist. Furthermore, the dagger used for slitting the wrist is beside Ping’er.”
As she spoke, she pointed to the small dagger near Ping’er’s right hand. “The weapon is here, the wound is unremarkable. When I entered, I also observed the behavior of the people in the courtyard; there was nothing particularly unusual or attention-grabbing, so it is undoubtedly suicide.”
“Then what was the reason for her suicide?” Lan Heng asked.
This time, Zhong Li did not answer. Instead, she unbuttoned Ping’er’s clothes and removed her trousers. After a while, she said, “As expected, Ping’er had engaged in sexual activity before her death.”