"Have you found anything?"
Zhong Li's attention was entirely focused on the meat in her hand. Just as a terrible thought flashed through her mind, a man's voice drifted from above her. The characters on 筷書閣 flashed by.
Her hand trembled, and two pieces of meat almost fell to the ground.
Lu Wuxie noticed her lapse in composure. Knowing he might have startled her, he emulated her action, half-crouching on the ground, and asked again, "Have you found anything?"
Zhong Li turned her head, looking at the man beside her with a smile in his eyes. It was noon, and the sun was so bright it seemed to cast its rays directly on his face. For some reason, she felt he was less unrestrained and more approachable.
"Look at this meat," Zhong Li withdrew her gaze from him and placed the meat in her hand on the ground.
Lu Wuxie followed her gaze to the ground. He saw a large pile of salted meat chunks surrounding Zhong Li, meaning this woman had already searched the courtyard and examined a lot of meat.
He asked for a pair of gloves from his attendant, put them on, and began to examine the meat as Zhong Li had instructed.
"This meat seems to have only salt, no other treatment."
He sniffed it, enduring the stench, and then gently rubbed the sticky residue on the salted meat, stating his judgment.
Zhong Li nodded and asked, "Anything else?"
This time, Lu Wuxie weighed the meat in his hand a few times and compared several pieces of meat together. Finally, he seemed to realize something, saying, "The size of this meat..."
"Yes, these pieces of meat are all the same size. This means the person who cut the meat had excellent knife skills. Each piece of meat has roughly the same weight, and their sizes are difficult to distinguish by the naked eye," Zhong Li finished his sentence. "But that's not the main point..."
Lu Wuxie tightened his grip on the meat. He knew what Zhong Li was about to say.
"You mean the meat on Ming Xia's body and this meat..."
"Yes, if I'm not mistaken, it's the work of the same person. In other words..." Zhong Li paused, a flicker of determination in her eyes. "The ten-year-old case and Ming Xia's case were likely committed by the same person."
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuxie stared at Zhong Li, his lips pressed together.
Did she know what her words implied?
The former Dali Temple Minister, now the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Lord Chen, had made a mistake in a case, leaving a stain.
"If I remember correctly, didn't you once say that the culprit in the Ming Xia case was Miao Jie?" Lu Wuxie pondered for a moment before asking Zhong Li.
Zhong Li nodded. She recalled visiting Miao Jie in the Ministry of Justice prison and his reaction when she showed him the two hairpins. Although there was no concrete evidence, the murderous aura emanating from Miao Jie, and his fleeting, bloodthirsty gaze, made her believe she hadn't misjudged.
But Miao Jie was a blacksmith, and she had seen the calluses on his hands, which were indeed those of a blacksmith. Where had things gone wrong?
Lu Wuxie looked at her, seemingly sensing her current mood.
He looked up at the layers of clouds in the sky and said, "Let's go."
"Where to?" Zhong Li was taken aback.
"Isn't there still that scholar Xiao? Let's go find him." Lu Wuxie said, pulling her arm, parting the crowd of constables, and heading directly towards the carriage not far away.
The northern suburbs of Jincheng were vast and sparsely populated. The carriage galloped along the official road with a steady clop-clop. It wasn't until they passed through a small grove and entered a narrow, winding path that they were closer to their destination.
Before coming here, Zhong Li had inquired about Scholar Xiao from the villagers near Miao Jie's home.
It was rumored that his ancestors were officials, but his generation was incapable. He repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. Thus, Scholar Xiao felt ashamed to live in Jincheng any longer. He sold his family property and moved alone into the depths of this dense forest.
However, people have seven emotions and six desires, especially in the prosperous and bustling city of Jincheng, where one could easily be blinded by extravagance. It was this Scholar Xiao who sold the only valuable possession his family had for a courtesan at a pleasure house, an absurd act.
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie crossed a small bamboo bridge and arrived at a serene bamboo courtyard.
Lu Wuxie glanced at the three characters on the plaque, 'Guā Xīn Jū' (Widow's Heart Residence), and couldn't help but let out a sarcastic smile. It was quite ironic.
Zhong Li raised her hand to knock on the door when a clear male voice came from behind.
"Who are you two looking for?"
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie turned their heads in unison. They saw a man standing by the bridge, dressed in a plain white robe, with a refined and elegant demeanor. From a distance, he had the air of a graceful gentleman.
"Are you Master Xiao?" Zhong Li asked.
The man sized up Zhong Li from head to toe, his gaze finally settling on Lu Wuxie. He quickly clasped his hands together in a bow and said, "Who is this distinguished noble..."
It wasn't surprising that he called Lu Wuxie a noble. Judging by the thin silk shirt Lu Wuxie wore, which could support a household for two to three years, anyone would perceive this man as exceptionally wealthy.
Lu Wuxie did not answer Xiao Yuanhua's question, but instead retorted, "Did you go to Hua Man Lou a few days ago?"
With a four-cornered table, three bamboo chairs, and a pot of green tea with a cheap aroma, Xiao Yuanhua placed the last cup of clear tea in front of Zhong Li. Then, he took the red coral lotus hairpin handed to him by Lu Wuxie and said, "That's correct. Eight days ago, I went to Hua Man Lou to find Miss Lian Xue."
"Then this hairpin belongs to you too?" Zhong Li asked, sipping the clear tea, a bitter sensation entering her throat.
Xiao Yuanhua nodded, his gaze fixed on the red coral lotus hairpin. After a long while, he seemed to realize something and, with a 'thump,' knelt on the ground, crying out to the heavens outside the window, "Mother, it is I, your unfilial son, who was blinded by infatuation and sold your jewelry. If you are watching from heaven, please forgive your son!"
As he finished speaking, the sound of repeated kowtows echoed from within the room.
Zhong Li looked at Xiao Yuanhua's sudden action, completely bewildered.
Conversely, Lu Wuxie.
He was an uninhibited fellow, giving the man on the ground a cursory glance before acting as if nothing had happened, fanning himself and sipping his tea.
After an unknown amount of time, during which Xiao Yuanhua's kowtows began to be accompanied by sounds of pain, Lu Wuxie finally spoke, "Answer my questions, and this hairpin will be returned to you."
As soon as Lu Wuxie finished speaking, Xiao Yuanhua stopped his movements. He was already sitting on a chair opposite them.
"My Lord, please ask," Xiao Yuanhua said, as obedient as a student in an academy. He sat up straight, hands placed on his knees, ready to answer any question.
Lu Wuxie ignored him, casting a glance at Zhong Li.
Zhong Li naturally understood the meaning of his look. She cleared her throat and said, "Since this hairpin is yours, do you know where it came from?"
"I do," Xiao Yuanhua replied with a nod. "The palace."