Case One: Twin Corpses in the Flowerbed
After Zhong Li had restored the facial features of another male corpse, Lu Wuxie returned to the morgue with several items.
He had searched for Ren Zhong according to her speculation.
As expected, that cunning Prefect Ren had hidden the belongings of both victims. If Lu Wuxie hadn't asked for them, Ren Zhong would have definitely obstructed Zhong Li.
"See if anything is missing," Lu Wuxie placed the bundles on a table devoid of corpses.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li dried the two portraits in her hands and began to examine the bundles.
Lu Wuxie walked to the table where Zhong Li had been standing, picked up the two portraits, and then compared them with the two male corpses lying on the wooden bed. Indeed, these were their likenesses.
However, speaking of which, the two deceased bore a striking resemblance to each other. The only difference was that one had a clearly defined lip line, while the other had a blurred lip line and an extra mole by the corner of his mouth.
"They look alike."
Lu Wuxie voiced his thoughts after his inspection.
Zhong Li, while laying out all the items from the bundles, replied, "Yes, whether it's their facial bone structure or their eyes and brows, these two appear to be cast from the same mold. I suspect they are related by blood."
"You mean they might be brothers?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li shrugged. In ancient times, without paternity tests, she couldn't speak with certainty.
Lu Wuxie, knowing her meticulous nature, didn't press further. Instead, he walked beside her and gazed at all the objects already placed on the wooden bed: several silver ingots, a few copper coins, two sets of clean undergarments and an outer robe, and two flatbreads.
As for the other package, it contained the same items.
"How is it?" he asked, looking at Zhong Li's focused expression.
"There are no traces of qiat grass. Of course, it's not entirely without findings. At least it proves that the two deceased, as I suspected, truly came to Jinzhou from elsewhere. And judging by the clothes they brought, they weren't planning to stay for too long," Zhong Li said, casually weighing a silver ingot.
Lu Wuxie nodded and added, "Yes, at least one thing can be ruled out."
Zhong Li curved her lips. "The killer wasn't after money, which means there's a high probability they knew each other."
Lu Wuxie neatly stacked the portraits of the two deceased, tucking them into his sleeve. Then, he pulled a key from his other sleeve and handed it to Zhong Li.
Zhong Li looked surprised, her eyes filled with confusion.
"You haven't slept all night. I've booked the best suite at Jinzhou's finest inn. You should go and rest. As for these portraits, I'll have Prefect Ren put up posters or visit houses to find people. Until then, patiently await my news." Saying this, Lu Wuxie took off the outer cloak draped over his shoulders and covered Zhong Li with it:
"It's cold outside today, and your clothes aren't enough to keep out the chill. Wear this."
With that, Lu Wuxie gently tightened the collar of the outer cloak on Zhong Li.
Zhong Li lowered her eyes, looking at the key in her hand. Before she could utter a refusal, the man opposite her seemed to sense it and tightened the collar of the cloak draped over her, saying, "Remember, we are in a partnership. If your health deteriorates, how will I be able to investigate my own affairs?"
After speaking, Lu Wuxie gave her no chance to respond and quickly turned, walking out of the morgue.
After a while, Lin Jin entered from outside. Seeing Zhong Li still in the same spot, he quickly said, "Miss Zhong, the Young Master has instructed me to escort you to the Jinzhou inn."
Zhong Li swallowed her unfinished words, nodded, tidied the bundles of the deceased on the wooden bed, and followed Lin Jin, who was carrying her medicine chest, out of the morgue.
At this moment, the sky was already showing the pale light of dawn. She boarded the carriage and looked back in the direction of the yamen hall. Lu Wuxie was inside, likely speaking with Prefect Ren. She lowered her gaze, her eyelashes fluttering, nodded to Lin Jin, and the carriage sped eastward.
The Jinzhou Inn was located in the most prosperous part of Yonghua Street.
Zhong Li bid farewell to Lin Jin, key in hand, and walked directly towards the Heavenly Number One room.
As the door was opened,
A fragrant aroma of delicious food wafted towards her.
Following the scent, Zhong Li bypassed the beaded curtain and entered the private room. On the table, large enough to seat six, an array of dishes was laid out, including her favorite braised duck.
Her brow furrowed slightly. She lightly touched the purse at her waist and turned, intending to go downstairs, when a figure nearly collided with her.
"Careful, miss. Don't burn yourself."
Zhong Li looked closely and saw that it was a waiter from the Jinzhou Inn. He was holding a bowl of West Lake beef soup that was precariously close to spilling.
Reminded, she quickly sidestepped to make way, and the waiter smoothly placed the beef soup on the table.
"Miss, all the dishes are served. Please enjoy," the waiter said, pulling a chair from under the table, wiping it clean, and gesturing towards Zhong Li before preparing to leave.
"Wait." Zhong Li didn't move but called out to the waiter. "I didn't order these dishes. Take them away and bring me a bowl of plain noodles."
The waiter froze, his eyes wide with bewilderment as he looked at her. "Miss, are you sure? All of these should be taken away?"
"Take them away. I don't have the money to pay you," Zhong Li stated frankly, giving her reason.
Upon hearing this, the waiter had a look of realization. "Miss, please don't worry. Your husband has already paid for these dishes. He specifically instructed us about your preferences: less salt, less oil, and good color. You see, these are all our inn's signature dishes. If they don't suit your taste, we'll change them for you at any time."
Husband? Miss?
At this moment, Zhong Li's mind was far from the polite words the waiter spoke. Her entire attention was fixated on those two words.
When did she become Lu Wuxie's—miss?
The waiter, having worked in inns and encountered many people, knew instantly he had misspoken. He quickly said, "Ah, so it's miss. It seems I've misunderstood.
A customer came to the inn early this morning. They asked for the Heavenly Number One room right away, and personally inspected all the items in the room, replacing anything that wasn't suitable with new ones. Then, they instructed me to prepare wine and dishes, and specifically mentioned the preferences of the person who would be enjoying this feast. When you arrived, I assumed you must be that gentleman's wife, as only a man would be so thoughtful towards his beloved, which is why I misspoke. I beg your pardon."
"It's alright, as long as the explanation is clear," Zhong Li said. Hearing the waiter's words, she felt a subtle heaviness in her heart, a mix of entanglement and a touch of joy.
The waiter quickly cupped his hands in apology, smiling, and slowly shuffled towards the door, preparing to leave.
The moment the door was about to close, the waiter couldn't help but say, "I think that gentleman is quite attentive to you, miss. Won't you consider it?"
Zhong Li, who was about to sit down to eat, paused. She turned to see the waiter scratching his head, seemingly afraid of angering her, before he closed the door and hurried away.
Zhong Li retracted her gaze, took a few deep breaths to calm her thoughts, and then slowly sat down on the stool. She began to observe the room's furnishings, recalling that the waiter had mentioned the room's arrangement was according to her preferences.
When she saw the bonsai, the rockery, and the landscape paintings on the screen of folded screens, her belief in the waiter's words was solidified. This was indeed her style.
She ate the braised duck in front of her, and in this rare moment of leisure, she unconsciously began to examine the most expensive room in the Jinzhou Inn.
"Did you hear? The old master of the Xie family has stirred up trouble again," a voice suddenly drifted up from downstairs.