Case One: The Twin Corpses in the Flowerbed
Madam Song and Madam Lin took the bodies of Yue Tianhu and Yue Tiannan back to Yongcheng for burial.
Ren Wenshu was sent back to the yamen in time, and with the emergency treatment from Zhong Li, he was safe, though he needed to stay in bed for a while.
Ren Zhong blamed Miao Fenghua for his son's injury. For Miao Fenghua, being on the verge of death, one more or one less made no difference, especially since Ren Wenshu was indeed injured by her.
By the time Zhong Li finished her work and walked out of the yamen, the setting sun was painting the sky.
She looked at the bustling Yonghua Street and was about to head towards the Jinzhou Restaurant when a familiar voice called out from behind her.
"You've been out so late, making this young prince wait."
Zhong Li turned her head. Lu Wuxie, with his arms crossed, emerged from beside the stone lions in front of the yamen. Today he wore a plain silk robe, and the sunlight falling on his face gave him an unexpectedly gentle aura.
"His Highness waited for me?" She pointed to herself. "Why didn't His Highness wait for me at the Xie manor?"
Lu Wuxie slowly approached Zhong Li. The sunset was somewhat blinding, forcing him to squint as he looked at her face. Perhaps it was due to her working day and night to solve the case; he felt she had become a bit thinner.
"Haven't you been eating properly?" He didn't answer her question but instead asked another.
Zhong Li was confused for a moment. When she realized what was happening, Lu Wuxie had already taken her arm and was leading her into an alley adjacent to Yonghua Street.
"Where is Your Highness taking me?" Zhong Li tried to resist but found Lu Wuxie's grip surprisingly strong; she couldn't break free.
Lu Wuxie led Zhong Li directly to a restaurant.
He casually ordered a braised duck and a few small dishes, not bothering to check if the waiter had heard. He closed the door to the private room and pulled out a chair for Zhong Li to sit.
"What is Your Highness doing?"
"This building is opposite the Baiyan Tower," Lu Wuxie said, turning to look out the window.
Zhong Li followed his gaze and looked out the window as well.
She saw a man sitting in a private room on the second floor of the Baiyan Tower across the street.
From his back, the man's posture was slightly hunched forward, with a few strands of white hair. He appeared to be around sixty years old.
"Who is that?" Zhong Li asked.
"My grandfather, Xie Xu," Lu Wuxie replied curtly.
As he spoke, a woman emerged from behind the beaded curtain of the private room opposite. Although her face was partially veiled, her eyes alone indicated she was a beauty.
"That is Qi Shuishui, the courtesan of Baiyan Tower," Lu Wuxie added.
Zhong Li didn't quite understand why Lu Wuxie had brought her to see this.
But the thought only flashed through her mind for a moment. When Qi Shuishui's veil slipped from her face, Zhong Li's heart skipped a beat. This face...
"You also think she looks familiar, don't you?" Lu Wuxie said, also looking at Qi Shuishui's face.
Zhong Li nodded. "Yes. If Your Highness hadn't described Xie Xiaoyun's temperament to me before, she would be the second person to look exactly like Xie Xiaoyun."
Lu Wuxie casually poured two cups of clear wine, placing one in front of Zhong Li and bringing the other to his lips, sipping it gently. "I've been at Baiyan Tower these past few days.
Initially, I only came to persuade my grandfather to return home. It wasn't until I saw the appearance of the courtesan of Baiyan Tower that I understood why my grandfather wasn't coming home."
"Is it related to Qi Shuishui's appearance?" Zhong Li asked, as she knew nothing about the Xie family's affairs.
"Because Xie Xiaoyun died, I never told you about this before," Lu Wuxie said, finishing the wine in his cup. "When my grandfather was young, he and his sibling both liked the same woman. However, as the eldest son, my grandfather had an arranged marriage and was forced to marry my current grandmother, Madam Liang."
Hearing this, Zhong Li could already guess what happened next. This woman likely married Xie Xu's brother. Now, seeing someone who resembled his former love, Xie Xu, in his later years, was perhaps trying to compensate for some regrets in his heart.
"So, Xie Xiaoyun, whom Xie Xiaoyun was preparing to offer to Your Highness as a wife, was actually grandfather's intention?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie first shook his head, then nodded to correct himself. "It was to be a concubine. I just didn't expect Xie Yunxi to exploit the loophole and create a fake Xie Xiaoyun."
Zhong Li picked up the clear wine in front of her and took a sip, watching the old man across the street begin to joke with Qi Shuishui. Sometimes, people were truly strange; they forced their own unwilling and unfinished affairs onto their descendants.
"So, His Highness's recent busyness has been investigating Qi Shuishui's identity?" she asked, looking at Lu Wuxie's clear and handsome face. Although he carried a hint of nonchalance as always, with prolonged observation, one could notice a trace of weariness in his eyes.
Lu Wuxie nodded in assent and casually picked up wooden chopsticks, placing a piece of duck meat into her bowl.
Zhong Li looked at the duck meat in her bowl. For some reason, the things that had been weighing on her heart these past few days suddenly felt as if they had been cleared, bringing a sense of relief.
She pondered for a moment and then asked, "So, what have you found?"
Lu Wuxie shook his head. "Qi Shuishui's background is simple. She was sold into the Jiaofang at a young age and later became the courtesan of Baiyan Tower. Her resemblance to Xie Xiaoyun might just be a coincidence."
Coincidence? Was it really a coincidence?
Zhong Li looked at the fine gauze curtain that had been drawn in front of the opposite room, lost in thought.
Lu Wuxie looked at the untouched food in his bowl, his unfocused eyes gradually becoming worried. "Lin Jin mentioned that you haven't rested these past two days?"
Zhong Li met his gaze upon hearing this.
For a moment, she thought she was mistaken. In Lu Wuxie's eyes, she saw overwhelming concern and... reproach.
"Weren't we supposed to solve the case within three days?" Zhong Li explained.
Lu Wuxie sighed softly and casually blew on the small bowl of porridge that the waiter had just served, placing it in front of her. "Don't push yourself like this anymore. Your health is the most important thing."
Zhong Li lowered her gaze and began to eat the porridge in front of her.
"By the way," Lu Wuxie retracted his gaze from the Baiyan Tower and asked, "How did you figure out Madam Song was pregnant, Li'er?"
Zhong Li swallowed the porridge in her mouth and, while rolling up duck meat, said, "It was her instinctual behavior."
"How so?"
"Motherhood!" Zhong Li said. "Although Madam Song wore loose clothing to conceal it well, her maternal instinct made her exceptionally protective of the child in her womb. Whether walking or kneeling, her movements were exceptionally cautious, which is one thing. Occasionally holding her belly was another. More importantly, pregnant women walk differently than normal women."
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuxie recalled Madam Song's gait. Although not obvious, upon closer observation, one could indeed notice a slight tendency towards a pigeon-toed stance.
Zhong Li finished the duck roll in her hand and suddenly remembered that Lu Wuxie had led the yamen officials to search Miao Fenghua's residence that afternoon. She casually asked, "What was the result of His Highness's search for Shatra Grass?"
It was better if she hadn't asked. As soon as she did, Lu Wuxie's expression darkened. "In Miao Fenghua's cellar, we not only found a large quantity of Shatra Grass but also discovered something else."
"What is it?"
"Ledgers," Lu Wuxie said, his thin lips tightening. "Ledgers detailing the sales of Shatra Grass to various regions, including Jincheng."
Jincheng?
Zhong Li's hand paused mid-bite. What did this mean? This forbidden item in the Southern Yue Kingdom had secretly flowed into the imperial city, and it was likely available for purchase in the black market.
"Is there any detail on who handled the sales in Jincheng?"
Lu Wuxie shook his head. "There were only sales destinations, no downstream clients."