167.

After the three of them had lunch, in the afternoon, as the condition of the cats stabilized, they set up the automatic feeders and prepared to go out.

Lu Junchi had arranged to meet his junior brother in the afternoon at 3 o’clock. They had agreed to meet at a ground floor café in Xin Plaza. Their murder mystery game session was scheduled from 2 to 2:30 PM, with the event venue being on the fourth floor of Xin Plaza.

This trip was very convenient.

After parking the car, Lu Junchi accompanied them to the fourth floor first. At the entrance of the murder mystery club, they registered.

The murder mystery club was called “Universe Murder Mystery.” It was quite renowned, well-known in the nearby cities and counties.

The club’s owner, a plump young man, warmly greeted Lu Haochu upon seeing him.

Today, the club had prepared a new script. It was set in ancient times. The club members were required to arrive between 2:00 and 2:30 PM for preparation, and the event was located on the fourth floor of Xin Plaza.

Lu Haochu was interested. “What’s the format of the game?”

The owner explained, “It’s a game for six players, with a palace mystery theme. It includes detective characters, and the detective, just like the players, has only one vote. All the props are newly acquired, and the game is thrilling and exciting. Snacks, drinks, and desserts are also provided.”

Lu Haochu’s interest was piqued. “Sounds interesting. Let’s go with that. Give us the character cards.”

The owner handed them the cards. “There are four male roles and two female roles. The detective role has already been drawn, leaving three roles available.” He added mysteriously, “You guys have a formidable opponent this time.”

Lu Haochu turned to look at Su Hui. He thought, can there be an opponent greater than Teacher Su?

Su Hui asked Lu Haochu to draw first. Lu Haochu rolled up his sleeves and said, “Let me try my luck.”

He drew from the bag, read the description on the card, and burst into laughter.

Lu Junchi took a look and read the line written on the card, “A man below one, above ten thousand.”

He looked at Lu Haochu. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

If it really did, then it might not be a good role.

Lu Haochu looked at Lu Junchi’s expression and knew what he was thinking. “Brother, you’re definitely overthinking it. This is a murder mystery game. All the roles are legitimate. This line suggests that my role holds high status and importance.”

As they talked, Su Hui finished drawing a card. When he opened it, it said, “You hold the destiny of the entire dynasty in your hands.”

Lu Junchi commented, “Now, that’s a role of high importance.”

Su Hui nodded. “Looks like a royal role?”

After selecting the cards, it was time to head to the dressing room, change clothes, and put on some basic makeup if required. For the ancient setting, the focus was mainly on hairstyling.

There were three makeup artists in the room, and they had prepared tea and pastries. Upon entering, the artists immediately inquired about their roles.

Su Hui opened the envelope. His character was a prince and a regent.

Another female makeup artist helped Lu Haochu with his makeup and asked, “What’s your role?”

She glanced at the writing on the envelope. “Oh, so you’re playing the eunuch role.”

Lu Haochu had just taken a sip of water, and he nearly spat it out upon hearing this. When he opened the envelope and saw the details, he realized he was playing a eunuch role. Not just any eunuch, but a major eunuch who supervised the imperial harem and was a favorite of the emperor.

Lu Junchi chuckled from the side.’*Below one person, above ten thousand’. Indeed, a good role. Go for it, Lord Lu!”

*to occupy a lofty position, second only to the emperor

The makeup artist consoled Lu Haochu, “Have you seen ‘The Four’? We’ve picked out nice costumes for you. They’re the kind that’s handsome, cool, and suave.”

Lu Haochu covered his face with his left hand and made a victory sign with his right, almost feeling like crying.

Su Hui went into the changing room first, leaving Lu Junchi curious as he wandered around.

Lu Haochu said, “Brother, you can take a look at the rooms first. If you find it interesting, maybe you can join us next time.”

Lu Junchi got a bit bored and agreed.

The makeup artist said, “Their room is in the ancient area, at Misty Blue Mountain.”

Lu Junchi noted it down and went in for a tour.

He had initially thought this murder mystery game would involve just a few rooms. However, it turned out to be quite large, more like the size of a medium-sized KTV. Many room doors were open, and some were closed, with players inside.

The entire murder mystery club was divided into several major areas: historical, modern, and future.

The differences were evident from the decoration.

The historical section had wooden floors, exuding an ancient charm. In addition to Chinese imperial court settings, there were also rooms designed in Western Rococo styles, Roman Renaissance styles, British styles, and even Republican era styles.

The modern area resembled present-day settings, designed as hospitals, restaurants, schools, KTV lounges, conference rooms, and various other locations.

The futuristic section was more distinctive, with various light tubes and halos above. Inside, various futuristic elements were integrated, including a room dedicated to the post-apocalyptic theme. The magical elements were also situated here.

Each room was equipped with paper and pens, along with whiteboards for analyzing clues. They even offered beverages and desserts that matched the respective backgrounds.

Outside, there was a script rating system, featuring snapshots of players, showcasing the top-rated scripts recently.

With such attention to detail, it’s no wonder their business was thriving.

Finally, Lu Junchi arrived at the room named Misty Blue Mountain. The door was half-open, and he was surprised to see two people already seated inside, both wearing ancient costumes.

The room was filled with soothing ancient-style music. In the middle stood an antique wooden table, surrounded by a few chairs. A folding screen and a table with a qin were placed beside it, and the qin rested on the table.

The entire setup exuded a strong sense of antiquity.

One player’s character seemed to be an empress, dressed in luxurious attire with a phoenix crown. The other was a young man dressed in traditional handsome clothing, holding a folding fan and playing with it while looking down, his fair and handsome appearance evident.

Lu Junchi remembered the shop owner mentioning that the detective’s role had been drawn by someone, and it was likely this young man.

When the young man lifted his head, Lu Junchi felt a sense of familiarity, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen him before.

Both players had their gaming laptops open. Upon hearing someone enter, they looked towards Lu Junchi.

The girl asked, “Are you also waiting to participate in the game?”

On the contrary, Lu Junchi felt a bit embarrassed, “My friend is participating. I’m just here to help with the room. Please continue.”

The girl acknowledged with an “Oh,” and to avoid disturbing them, Lu Junchi closed the door behind him.

After looking around, he felt it was almost time, so he headed to the dressing room.

Inside, he saw that Lu Haochu was already in costume. He was wearing eunuch’s attire and a hat, a look that immediately revealed his role.

Lu Haochu’s senior sister, Li Yanyan, had also arrived. She had changed into her armor, appearing as a female general.

There was also another young man in the room, getting his hair done, looking like a scholar or official.

Su Hui was busy with his phone, and his makeup was almost done.

Walking over, Lu Junchi’s eyes first fell on Su Hui’s back.

Usually, in modern clothes, he didn’t notice, but in ancient attire with a cinched waist, Su Hui’s waist appeared surprisingly slender.

Then, he looked at Su Hui’s outfit. He hadn’t expected the store’s costumes and makeup to be this exceptional. It looked just like the effect of historical drama outfits.

Su Hui’s hairstyle was the type with two strands of hair hanging down in front. He also had a braided bun at the back, and most of his hair was loose, which accentuated his looks by several levels.

Lu Junchi thought that this attire perfectly complemented Su Hui’s refined and elegant demeanor. The wide robes and sleeves exuded an air of elegance and nobility, and it even gave him a touch of celestial grace. For a moment, Lu Junchi hesitated to recognize him.

Seeing him approaching, Su Hui squinted at the mirror, “What do you think? I can’t see the specifics myself…”

Lu Junchi said, “You look like you’re about to become a deity. You could just walk onto the set of a fantasy drama.”

The makeup artist also smiled, “It looks great and very fitting. People might mistake you for a big star and ask for your autograph.”

Lu Junchi wanted to admire a bit more, but then he saw that the appointed time had come. He stood up and prepared to go downstairs.

On the other side, the hat and hairstyle were quickly finished as well.

Lu Haochu also called out, “It’s time. Professor Su, let’s go on stage.”

Leaving the Murder Mystery Club, Lu Junchi walked downstairs to the café. He saw that Song Wen was already seated on one of the sofas inside. He went in and greeted him.

Song Wen hadn’t changed much from their school days. “Senior Brother Lu, long time no see.”

Lu Junchi replied, “Indeed, long time no see. Why do you have time to come to Huadu today?”

After graduation, they hadn’t been in contact for a while. They had last talked about six months ago when Song Wen consulted Lu Junchi about a case.

Song Wen answered, “I’m here accompanying a friend. I heard there’s a well-known murder mystery game here, and my friend wanted to experience it.”

Listening to this, Lu Junchi’s first thought was, “What a coincidence, so am I.”

Song Wen continued, “I’ll treat you to dinner tonight, and I’ll introduce my friend to you.”

Lu Junchi said, “How about I treat you instead? My colleague and my little brother are coming over tonight.”

Downstairs, the two family members were chatting, amiably discussing who would be treating them tonight. Upstairs, the murder mystery game had already begun.

Su Hui looked at his script. The preface was written on it.

Year 116 of the Great Qian Dynasty.

It was also the 13th year of the emperor’s reign. This year was plagued with disasters, with severe drought and locusts during autumn, causing farmers to have almost no harvest. The granaries were in crisis. Meanwhile, the court was in turmoil, facing both internal and external challenges, and the entire nation was in a precarious state.

On an early morning in early winter, the empress discovered that the emperor was missing from the palace. The regent Prince Su was summoned to the imperial city to oversee the situation, and the eminent detective of the Six Panels was urgently called to the palace to investigate the truth.

The individuals who had met the emperor in the palace last night were gathered for questioning.

They were:

Regent Prince Su.

The Eunuch Superintendent, Lord Lu

The formidable female General, Lady Li

Last night, accompanying the Emperor was the Imperial Concubine, Lady Zhang

And also the Prime Minister

As dawn approached, under the guidance of the Divine Detective, they, along with the young man in the role of the Divine Detective, stood up. He introduced himself first, his voice cold yet pleasant: “I am the Divine Detective of the Six-Fan Gate, named Lu Siyu. You can call me Detective Lu. Today, I will guide you all in solving this peculiar case. Please introduce yourselves and recount your experiences during the audience with His Majesty last night.”

Lu Siyu paused here, raising his eyes to survey the surroundings. “I also have a question to ask everyone here. Does anyone know the whereabouts of the Emperor now? Has His Majesty disappeared, or has he passed away?”

Upon hearing his words, everyone shook their heads.

In one sentence, Lu Siyu pinpointed the unique aspect of this script.

Unlike the ordinary junior-level script killings, this case was an advanced-level script, one that would change as it developed.

At present, everyone’s basic introductions in their scripts all mentioned the Emperor’s disappearance, yet ultimately, they had to find the murderer.

Thus, their first task was to confirm the Emperor’s fate.

And each character needed to adjust their actions according to the evolving plot.

Su Hui felt like the name Lu Siyu was somewhat familiar. Suddenly, he remembered that he had seen it on an assignment. Then Su Hui carefully recollected. It was probably over a year ago; a graduate student from another school had come to the college for internship and had this name.

But Su Hui’s memory wasn’t great, especially during class; he didn’t pay much attention to individual students. Not to mention recognizing faces, he only had a vague impression of this name, remembering the student wrote very well.

If it was indeed him, then it was quite a coincidence.

With this in mind, Su Hui raised his head to look at Lu Siyu, his guard up around this Divine Detective.

Lu Siyu also glanced back at Su Hui, nodding politely.

Now Su Hui was even more certain; they might have met before.

Afterwards, Su Hui looked down at the character introduction in his hand and discreetly flipped to the last page.

He saw a sentence, “You are the murderer.”

In this round, he held the role of the murderer.

Then Su Hui flipped through the script from the beginning.

A few days ago, the Emperor had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.

Of course, this was intentionally designed by his boss.

Thus, the Emperor was greatly fearful. Su Hui, as his advisor, suggested that His Majesty feign disappearance to test the loyalty of his courtiers, to see who harbored rebellious thoughts.

Hence, the Emperor decided to execute a plan of feigned disappearance in tandem with him. The Emperor would hide away while he managed the overall situation, seeking out those plotting against him.

The Emperor concealed himself in a secret chamber, eavesdropping on the entire trial.

However, this regent prince of his had a cunning streak. Seizing this opportunity, he staged a real act, luring the Emperor into the hidden chamber and then releasing poisonous smoke to kill him.

Now the Emperor’s corpse lay just beyond the wall in the secret chamber.

And he was the only one who knew the truth.

Everyone had reviewed their scripts. Now, with the Divine Detective’s guidance, the game was about to begin.

TN:

I wanna try playing a Murder Mystery Game. With my 20+ years of experience in reading and watching criminal investigations related works, I feel like I would unlock my Sherlock Holmes persona.