Zhong Li pushed open the door of the wood shed and looked at the gloom within. She picked up the oil lamp offered by Steward Zhang and walked in.
"Scribe Zhong, be careful," Steward Zhang warned from the doorway. Although he didn't believe in such nonsense, he had heard too many stories to not feel a bit timid.
Zhong Li nodded and proceeded into the wood shed.
The wood shed at the Xie manor was larger than those in normal households, divided into two adjoining rooms. The outer room was for confinement, where Madam Fang and Xiang’er were kept. According to Steward Zhang, the inner room was filled with discarded items, mostly belonging to female servants.
Zhong Li had been to the outer room when rescuing Madam Fang, and it hadn't struck her as particularly noteworthy. Nevertheless, she thoroughly inspected it. Then, she approached the door of the inner room and took out Steward Wang's key, ready to unlock it.
Before meeting Lu Wuxie, Zhong Li had little knowledge of locks. However, having spent so much time with him, she had learned a thing or two through osmosis.
She gazed at the two palm-sized locks in her hand, a sense of curiosity stirring within her. If her eyes didn't deceive her, these were the twin-eared bronze locks specially made in the Lin Kingdom a century ago. Their advantage was a complex core, making them difficult for thieves to pick. Legend had it that they were designed by Lady Yu Xiaowan, the wife of Bai Yan, the Grand Minister of Justice of the Lin Kingdom, specifically to secure important criminals.
The disadvantage was also obvious: they were too large and cumbersome, making them inconvenient to handle. More importantly, if the key was lost, it would be very difficult for an ordinary person to open them.
With this thought, Zhong Li looked at the bronze key in her hand, a flicker of worry crossing her mind.
As expected, when she inserted the key into the bronze lock, there was no response. Her face fell; the key was fake.
"Let me," Lu Wuxie's voice sounded from behind her.
Zhong Li turned her head and asked, "When did you arrive, Young Lord?"
"I was just at my maternal grandmother's room. When I returned, I couldn't find you. I asked Xiang'er and came here," Lu Wuxie replied.
"Are you also curious about the Xie family's wood shed?" Zhong Li sidestepped, yielding the lock to Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie glanced at the bronze lock, pondered for a moment, then took out a hairpin-like object from his waist. As he attempted to pick the lock, he said, "Curiosity is one thing, but I was afraid you might be scared, wasn't I?"
Zhong Li blinked. As the lock clicked open, the door to the inner room swung ajar. It was pitch black inside, like a long-sealed sarcophagus.
"Xie..." Before she could finish her thanks, her oil lamp was taken away, and Lu Wuxie was already leading her towards the inner room.
Just as Steward Zhang had said, this room had clearly not been used for a long time. A musty smell carrying the scent of dust assailed them.
Fortunately, Zhong Li carried a mask with her. She handed one to Lu Wuxie, and they ventured deeper into the room.
The oil lamp cast a dim, yellowish light. Numerous discarded objects were scattered around, with the majority appearing to be women's belongings, from small bronze mirrors to grand chaise lounges.
As Zhong Li followed Lu Wuxie, her gaze swept across everything. Suddenly, she felt the person in front of her stop. Puzzled, she looked up and saw Lu Wuxie standing before a dressing table, his eyes fixed on something within a drawer.
"What is it?" she inquired.
Lu Wuxie didn't answer. He simply pulled the drawer open wider and took out a dust-covered object.
He examined it carefully and then casually took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe it clean.
Zhong Li saw clearly what it was: a hairpin.
"This belongs to Xie Xiaoyun," Lu Wuxie said with a frown.
"Xie Xiaoyun's? How did it end up here?" A bad premonition faintly surfaced in Zhong Li's mind.
Lu Wuxie looked at the hairpin, then finally spoke, "Li'er, I remember telling you that Xie Xiaoyun resembled maternal grandmother the most."
Zhong Li nodded. "So, your maternal grandfather doted on Xie Xiaoyun?"
"Yes, he practically cherished her like his own granddaughter. When I was young, I visited Jinzhou once with my mother. Xie Xiaoyun was living with the main family then."
Zhong Li knew that in ancient noble families, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate offspring was very clear. Xie Xu had been the only legitimate son of the Xie family, with the rest being illegitimate sons from collateral branches. If Xie Xiaoyun had lived by Xie Xu's side back then, it showed how much he doted on the young girl.
"Did Old Master Xie perhaps intend to groom her as the heir's consort then?" Zhong Li asked. After all, within the entire Xie family, there was no better marriage than marrying into the Prince of Xian's manor. Xie Xu, being such an astute person, would have been well aware of this.
Lu Wuxie shook his head, then nodded again. "Perhaps, but this heir had no such intentions."
Saying this, he turned and looked deeply at Zhong Li.
Zhong Li's attention was entirely focused on the hairpin, and she didn't notice Lu Wuxie's gaze. She observed the gilded jade hairpin carved with a swirling cloud pattern and had a general idea of Xie Xiaoyun's personality.
Thinking back to the Xie Xiaoyun from the Jia manor and the styles of the jewelry stolen by a few maids, it was no wonder Lu Wuxie recognized it at a glance.
The two continued deeper into the room. Fortunately, it was daytime, and the inner room had latticed windows. Faint sunlight filtered through the gaps, illuminating the surrounding walls clearly.
"We're at the end," Lu Wuxie said.
Zhong Li followed his gaze forward. Indeed, there was a wall before them with nothing beyond it. However, the wood shed appeared to have been neglected for years, and there was a faint crack on the wall.
"This is just a storage room. How did Madam Fang go mad?" Zhong Li murmured to herself. Initially, she had suspected Xiang'er had deliberately tried to scare Madam Fang.
But she quickly dismissed the thought. The rumors of ghosts in the Xie family's wood shed had been around for a long time. No matter how capable Xiang'er was, she wouldn't have plotted such a long-term scheme.
So, where did the problem lie?
As she pondered, her gaze drifted along the crack in the wall. Zhong Li was a perfectionist, especially when it came to things being crooked and irregularly cracked. It felt as if someone were hiding inside, peeking out.
With that thought, Zhong Li froze. Why would she have such a strange and fearful notion?
Just as she found it amusing, her eyes inadvertently fell upon the spot where the crack met the floor.
What was that?
Zhong Li moved past Lu Wuxie and crouched down to examine it.
Lu Wuxie also noticed her odd behavior and brought the oil lamp closer so she could see clearly.
Zhong Li was crouched on the ground, staring intently at small, sesame-sized brown particles.
"What is this?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li didn't answer immediately. She took out an embroidered handkerchief from her pocket, placed the particles on it, and observed them closely.
After a while, she looked up, her gaze sharp, and analyzed, "If I'm not mistaken, these particles are the pupae of blowflies. There might be a corpse inside the wall."