"Zhong Li, what do you mean by this? Speak clearly!" Xu Qing frowned, glancing at Wei Fu, who appeared startled and innocent, and said angrily.
Zhong Li glanced at Xu Qing. That glance, though seemingly casual, was filled with utter helplessness, as if to say, 'Lord Xu, I've already explained this much, how can you still not understand?'
Xu Qing felt insulted, his face flushing red with anger.
Zhong Li explained, "Everyone has watched plays. Everyone knows that transitions between scenes have intermissions. The play 'Nan Ping Diao' is mostly filled with lewd jokes. Therefore, the stage setting must be designed to provoke thought. This means more use of lighting and shadow techniques, which takes more time. So, each scene transition should take about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, correct?"
She said this while looking at Wei Fu and Liu Wu.
However, she didn't expect these two to give her any answers.
Zhong Li withdrew her gaze and continued, "I recall the waiter at Huanxi Tower saying that when Tian Lianxue left, Shen Hong, who was playing Wang Kui, was committing suicide. This means Shen Hong was not in the prince's room at this time. So, let's assume that Wei Fu, who had no part in the play, slipped into the prince's room while Tian Lianxue was leaving?"
"Zhong Li, what are you saying? Don't speak nonsense, just making things up!" Wei Fu, upon hearing this, shed her pitiful demeanor and shouted angrily.
Zhong Li smiled and said, "Since Miss Wei believes I'm speaking nonsense, I'd like to ask you a question."
Wei Fu frowned.
"The wardrobe in Miss Wei's room is rather peculiar. Zhong Li cannot understand it and hopes you can explain it to me."
Wei Fu pursed her lips and remained silent. She had a feeling Zhong Li was setting a trap for her.
"Manager Liu said Miss Wei likes plain-colored clothing, especially that most of her clothes are white 'beizi' shirts, is that correct?" Zhong Li asked again.
Wei Fu did not want to answer, but seeing that everyone in the court was watching, she cautiously nodded.
"Then why did I see so many goose-yellow 'ruqun' in Miss Wei's wardrobe?" Zhong Li retorted.
Wei Fu was stunned. Her lips parted, and after a long while, she managed to stammer, "Those were from a few years ago... I liked them then, but I don't anymore."
"Oh!" Zhong Li showed a look of sudden realization and then asked, "Then why are Miss Wei's clothes increasingly resembling those of Miss Tian, the courtesan at Huanmanlou?"
As she spoke, she looked at Wei Fu's current attire, a white 'beizi' shirt with butterfly embroidery. Wei Fu was already slender, and wearing such a thin garment, which made her look like a prostitute from behind, truly made her resemble Tian Lianxue.
"I was wondering why Miss Wei's demeanor and actions seemed so familiar. It turns out she resembles Miss Tian from Huanmanlou so much."
"Exactly, exactly. If I remember correctly, Miss Wei didn't dress like this before."
"Mhm mhm!"
"Zhong Li!" Wei Fu, hearing the whispers of the surrounding constables, her face turned ashen, then red. She glared at Zhong Li and said, "Just changing a style of clothing and a fashion can become your excuse to frame me for the murder of Shen Hong. Is there no law?"
Zhong Li stared at the furious Wei Fu and said, "Yes, the style of clothing is indeed a personal preference and cannot be key evidence for your murder of Shen Hong. Even though it's widely known that Shen Hong was infatuated with Tian Lianxue, you knew that by dressing like this, Shen Hong would mistake you, and Shen Hong would follow your figure into the prince's room."
"You!" Wei Fu was so cornered by Zhong Li's words that she couldn't find a single retort.
Zhong Li smiled and walked up to Wei Fu, saying, "Miss Wei, do you perhaps feel that you have executed the Shen Hong case flawlessly? Even if you had ample time to kill him, Dali Temple has no direct evidence to prove you killed him?"
Wei Fu raised an eyebrow, looking disdainful.
Zhong Li ignored her and casually took out a piece of paper from her robe, presenting it to everyone.
On the white Xuan paper was drawn a rhombus-shaped figure.
"What is this?" Xu Qing asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
After presenting the paper to Lan Heng, Zhong Li said, "This is the shape of the fatal wound on Shen Hong's corpse. Lord Xu, what do you think formed this?"
"A spear, it should be a spear," Xu Qing replied, then regretted it. It was well-known that spears in cold weapons varied in length, from about four feet to nearly twenty feet. If someone had brought such a weapon to kill Shen Hong, unless everyone at Huanxi Tower that day was blind, they would have been captured on the spot.
Zhong Li looked at Xu Qing and said, "Lord Xu guessed correctly, it is a spear."
"No... impossible, this spear..."
"Does Lord Xu remember that a hundred years ago, the kingdom of Lin had a weapon that was also called a spear, just that its length differed from the spears of Nan Yue. This spear was only a little over a foot long and could be hidden in a sleeve or a tall boot, specifically used for assassinations and ambushes," Zhong Li reminded him.
After she finished speaking, everyone suddenly understood.
Lu Wuxie supported his forehead and thought for a moment, "Indeed, this short spear was very popular in the kingdom of Lin a hundred years ago. The reason it was abandoned in Nan Yue was simply that the spear was too short, unsuitable for warfare. However, this does not mean this item disappeared from Nan Yue. If my memory serves me correctly, such spears were still active in..."
"Plays!" He finished the sentence, and Zhong Li echoed him in unison.
Instantly, all eyes fell back on Wei Fu.
Indeed, Wei Fu's previously confident expression became significantly more guilty.
Regardless of whether a country prospered or perished, culture was unified. Therefore, many operas would sing about events from previous dynasties, and related props would certainly be indispensable.
"This short spear might seem simple, but crafting one is very difficult. Furthermore, the blueprints for the short spear were lost when they reached Nan Yue. Huanxi Tower must have kept this item with great caution. Coincidentally, a few days ago, when Madam Liu at Huanxi Tower took me to the prop room, I inadvertently flipped through the records of short spear rentals. The last person who used this item... was Wei Fu."
Zhong Li looked at Wei Fu.
Wei Fu's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, losing all her haughty demeanor.
"Although Miss Wei is a 'huadan' actress, as far as I know, most of the actors in the Liu family troupe were trained by Wu Xiu Chu. So, Miss Wei should know how to use a short spear, right?" Zhong Li continued.
Wei Fu chuckled, her gaze towards Zhong Li filled with resentment and hatred.
"I thought I had done everything flawlessly. Zhong Li, if it weren't for you, Huanxi Tower would have long been mine." As she spoke, her gaze fell on Liu Wu.
Liu Wu, who had been standing stunned, jolted. He looked up at Wei Fu incredulously.
Her words were deeply meaningful. 'I' not 'we', implied that he, Liu Wu, was also part of her murder plan.
"What, didn't expect it? Manager Liu?" Wei Fu sneered. She knew that with the two murder cases on her, no amount of eloquent speech could change the outcome. It was better to break the pot and let it shatter. She might as well confess everything.
Liu Wu swallowed with difficulty several times and said, "You... you poisonous woman, you poisonous woman!"
"Hahaha!" Wei Fu threw her head back and laughed, her voice echoing throughout the hall.