168.

The murder mystery game began according to the procedure, starting with each person introducing themselves.

First to speak was Lord Lu, a man above tens of thousands.

Lu Haochu cleared his throat and squeezed his voice to say, “I’m sure you all know me. I am Grand Eunuch Lu, the Emperor’s close confidant and personal attendant.”

He embodied his role fully, portraying it vividly.

This sentence caused the two girls to cover their mouths and burst into laughter.

Lu Haochu continued, “I take care of the Emperor’s daily life, food, and drink… Last night, I saw the General, the Prime Minister, and the Prince all paying their respects to the Emperor in succession. Then, the Emperor summoned Lady Zhang to attend to him. I spent the whole night outside the palace, keeping watch, but I didn’t see anyone enter or leave.”

The Prime Minister beside him skeptically asked, “So, the Emperor disappeared, and you don’t know where he went?”

Lu Haochu protested, “No matter how closely I watched, I couldn’t possibly see through the bedcovers. The one who shared the bed with the Emperor last night was Lady Zhang.”

Next came Lady Zhang’s self-introduction…

Su Hui listened attentively, taking notes and analyzing.

He wrote while contemplating how to make others overlook him as the culprit and how to shift the blame.

First, he needed to understand the motives of the others to determine a strategy for shifting the blame based on the information.

This murder mystery was set in a palace, with characters from the court, so naturally, they were all influential figures. Many of them had reasons to want to kill the Emperor.

The grand eunuch who held sway over the palace, the favored concubines, the ambitious Prime Minister, the powerful General, and his own role—all the characters’ setups already indicated the author’s intentions.

It seemed like each character was just a step away from higher authority.

However, the power struggle seemed too obvious; it was definitely just the surface motive.

The true motive would be hidden underneath.

In such games, several characters often have motives, and during voting, when players decide who is more likely the culprit, an essential factor comes into play—the urgency to commit the murder.

By weakening the urgency for the Regent, the urgency for the other characters’ motives becomes stronger, and it makes him safer.

Su Hui looked down at the script he had received. His reason for committing the murder was written there:

This year, there had been droughts and locust plagues. The Regent had repeatedly requested disaster relief funds, but the Emperor had consistently rejected them, granting only a small sum and even planning a grand birthday celebration.

The peasants on the brink of entering the capital were forming a rebellion, and some had even started collaborating with foreign enemies. Meanwhile, the palace remained caught in its own web of intrigue, with the nobles reveling in luxury.

The first wave of peasants had already entered the capital.

To prevent further suffering, the Regent had to kill the Emperor, or else the downfall of the entire capital was imminent.

As the Regent, he had no power to quell the storm, leaving him no choice but to resort to a scheme to seize the throne.

Reading up to this point, Su Hui felt a bit sympathetic towards this character.

If only the Emperor were more reliable; the Regent might not have resorted to such measures.

Afterward, Su Hui began a meticulous analysis.

The hints that he was the murderer were actually hidden in the opening lines, but many people wouldn’t scrutinize these details. Most would consider the opening lines as just setting the scene, overlooking any hidden meaning, and quickly move past them.

Only those familiar with advanced gameplay would meticulously study every word and sentence, discovering the subtle clues.

The fact that he was the murderer would likely also be presented in other parts of the script and the props.

For instance, the script of the Prime Minister might contain a detailed description of the current situation in the capital.

Looking at the young man playing the Prime Minister, Su Hui felt relieved. He didn’t seem like a seasoned player; if he hadn’t played many murder mysteries, he might ignore the hints concealed within the script.

The Regent’s motive was a result of the larger circumstances, while the apparent urgency seemed to stem from personal enmity or revenge.

If another character had strong personal enmity or was in a life-threatening situation, it would be more suitable to shift the blame to them.

However, the blame-shifting couldn’t be too obvious; it had to be a single, decisive move.

Several people introduced themselves, and it was finally Su Hui’s turn.

As Su Hui stepped forward, he began, “Today, I invited Inspector Lu to join us.”

This statement substituted one person for another, revealing the character dynamics.

Su Hui subtly planted suggestions into the minds of the others, bringing himself closer to the detective role.

By revealing that he had invited the inspector himself, he took a bold step in manipulating perceptions. How could someone who had actively called for the inspector’s help be the audacious murderer?

Su Hui continued, “The Emperor ascended to the throne at the age of twelve, and I’ve been assisting him since thirteen years ago, serving as the Regent. I am the person the Emperor trusts most, and he consults me on all matters, big and small. Last night, I visited the Emperor after the Lord, and we discussed court affairs for a while. Later, I left. When I left, the Emperor was perfectly fine, and everything was normal.”

According to the testimonies of the others, Lady Zhang was likely the last person to see the Emperor. She woke up in the middle of the night and found the Emperor missing from the palace. In a hurry, she summoned the eunuch guarding the hall, Lord Lu, but no one had seen the Emperor, so she hastily sought the Regent’s presence in the palace.

At this point, the script introduced a plot twist. A eunuch who was outside the palace encountered the Regent at the palace gate and urgently ushered him inside.

As a detective, Lu Siyu noticed this detail and asked Su Hui, “How did the Regent manage to enter the palace so quickly? Were you forewarned about the Emperor’s disappearance?”

Su Hui explained, “As the Regent, I’m usually the first to arrive every morning and often discuss matters with the Emperor before the morning court session.”

Lu Siyu further inquired, “What were you planning to discuss with the Emperor?”

With Lu Siyu’s question, Su Hui’s response would differ from what was in the script. If he were any other character, he would answer according to the script. Lately, he had been discussing arrangements for the displaced peasants and relief efforts with the Emperor, but telling the truth might lead to his exposure. As the murderer, he had the privilege to lie. Now, he hadn’t chosen a specific scapegoat yet and began casting blame around.

He lowered his head and replied, “Border conflicts. I received a battle report last night—enemy forces have been invading the borders.”

One blame was shifted onto General Li’s shoulders. It seemed that General Li might have received advance information and was suspected of collusion.

Lu Suyu acknowledged with a nod, jotting something down on paper.

After everyone had introduced themselves and their timelines, the game moved on to the collection of clues and simple investigations.

The setup even included a replica of the Emperor’s dragon throne, study, and sleeping chamber. Each person had their designated investigation area.

As clues were found one by one, the situation became less straightforward.

Three days before the Emperor’s disappearance, a masked figure dressed in black had infiltrated the palace in an attempt to assassinate the Emperor. The culprit had left an arrow behind, inscribed with the Prime Minister’s seal.

Although Lu Haochu’s character held a high position in the palace, he had been a target of criticism within the court. Not long ago, while the Emperor was admiring flowers in the rear garden, he had docked Lu’s salary for the month over a minor incident and even promoted a young eunuch, hinting at his replacement.

Lady Zhang also faced various crises. With the harem unattended, her family held significant power and she was a popular candidate for Empress. Yet rumors circulated in the palace that she had been unfaithful. A mysterious white powder had been found in her sleeping chamber.

General Li, with control over the military, was someone the Emperor had long wanted to weaken. She possessed a jade pendant suspected to belong to an enemy general.

The Prime Minister had taken bribes, managed disaster relief poorly, and created financial deficits, fearing the Emperor’s reproach.

After reviewing the clues he had gathered and visiting the Emperor’s study, Su Hui deliberately placed his own dissenting memorial in a discreet spot, among others, where it wouldn’t stand out.

However, Lu Suyu discovered the memorial as evidence and placed it on the table.

The Emperor’s response was ruthless, rejecting not only the Regent’s plea but also blocking aid to the disaster-stricken.

This memorial exposed the Regent’s direct motive.

Yet this motive wasn’t conventional, and it seemed other players hadn’t realized it by this point.

With the investigations completed, the group started their deliberation. A staff member, dressed like a palace maid, opened the door, carrying pastries and beverages.

The maid curtsied, saying, “Esteemed guests, you’ve worked hard on solving the case. These pastries and drinks are gifts from our establishment. Please enjoy.”

“That’s perfect timing. I’m a bit hungry,” Lu Haochu remarked as he picked up a piece of mung bean cake and began eating, even lifting his pinky finger, fully immersing himself in the role.

Others also got their afternoon tea. The actress portraying the Empress picked up a handful of melon seeds.

Su Hui fetched a few nuts, not eating them but playing with them in his hand. Then, he took a cup of hot tea.

Only Lu Siyu ordered plain water. He wrote the character relationships on a whiteboard, organizing the connections and various clues professionally.

When he got to the Regent’s character, he drew a question mark next to it.

Su Hui became increasingly aware that he seemed to have attracted the attention of this Inspector.

Everyone ate, drank, and began sharing the clues they had found during the investigations.

Next came the most exciting part: the revelations and exposing each other’s secrets.

They began by discussing the markings on the arrow.

The Prime Minister immediately countered, “This definitely isn’t mine. Who would try to assassinate someone and use an arrow with their own emblem so conspicuously? It’s like leaving a logo behind for everyone to see.”

Lu Haochu asked, “What if you had planned to explain it exactly like that to the Emperor, as an excuse?”

Su Hui pretended to speak impartially, “The Emperor is naturally suspicious. Someone might have wanted to frame the Prime Minister.”

Lu Siyu also sealed this conclusion with his agreement, “The arrow definitely doesn’t belong to the Prime Minister.”

Everyone nodded and began discussing who might have framed the Prime Minister.

At the scene, only Su Hui knew the truth: he was the one who attempted the assassination, deliberately using the Prime Minister’s emblem to cast suspicion on him. However, during the preparation of the tools, he accidentally left a half-finished piece with the same emblem at his residence.

Su Hui had found this crucial piece of evidence, which other players hadn’t. Now he proactively revealed it, and no one suspected him anymore.

He cast another scapegoat, took a sip of tea with his head lowered, and when he looked up, he saw Lu Suyu staring at him.

Su Hui lowered his head again.

The subsequent plot became even more intricate, featuring some unexpected twists.

The Empress’s secret lover was General Li?

In fact, they were just very close friends, and General Li was trying to help the Empress escape from the palace?

General Li was actually pregnant, and the child was the offspring of an enemy general? They were truly in love?

Lord Lu was a fake eunuch; he was actually a loyal noble whose whole family had been framed by the Prime Minister. The Emperor ordered their execution, while the others were exiled. Lord Lu entered the palace with the intention of seeking revenge?

After finding the evidence, Lu Haochu revealed his identity as the fake eunuch, feeling triumphant.

He was quite active in this round, clearly enjoying himself and generating a lot of laughter. He had injected humor into the situation, making everyone laugh along.

The Prime Minister, fearing suspicion about embezzlement of disaster relief funds, didn’t offer much analysis about the domestic situation, which eased Su Hui’s worries. As he watched everyone bantering, he felt like he was watching a melodramatic soap opera, slightly exaggerated but well set up. Everyone’s acting skills were excellent.

At this point, the script arrived at another plot point.

The partition of the secret chamber was opened, and a dummy wearing dragon robes fell in.

Lu Haochu rushed over and shook the dummy, wailing, “Emperor, what happened to you?!”

Finally, there was a body, which would greatly assist in finding the murderer.

A doctor-like NPC came to examine, saying, “The Emperor was poisoned and has been dead for a while. I am powerless to reverse this. Our former Emperor has passed away,” wiping a few tears.

Lu Suyu led a few players to the place where the body was laid out. They stripped the dummy’s clothes, leaving nothing behind, not even underwear.

Finally, Lu Haochu shouted, “Please spare the Emperor’s dignity…”

Li Yanyan pushed him, “Wow, even now you’re concerned about the Emperor’s dignity. Could it be you’re the murderer and afraid we might discover something?”

Laughter rippled through the group again.

On the sidelines, Su Hui calculated the situation. Originally, he had planned to change his strategy this round, not shifting the blame onto Lu Haochu. This way, he would naturally have Lu Haochu’s voting support.

However, Lu Haochu’s character had a complete motive, and he was very active. Passing the blame to him was the best choice. Su Hui was about 80% confident he could deceive the others this way. Still, this would arouse Lu Haochu’s suspicions, as well as that Inspector…

To throw the blame seamlessly, he needed to come up with a plan.

Though Lu Siyu didn’t say much, he occasionally glanced at him, giving Su Hui a sense of playing against a worthy opponent.

As the murderer, winning the game meant guiding the majority of players to vote incorrectly.

Although a few elite players might see through everything, if the murderer could secure the votes of most common players, they could still win.

In other words, the outcome and direction of the game were decided by the common players.

Time quickly passed, and the game had already been underway for two hours.

In the final self-defense phase, everyone pulled out all their tricks, asserting that they weren’t responsible for the Emperor’s demise.

The Empress even mentioned she had planned to poison the Emperor, but before she could, he disappeared.

General Li claimed she couldn’t have attempted assassination due to her pregnancy, asserting her innocence.

Lu Haochu stated his direct enemy was the Prime Minister, and killing the Emperor wasn’t his primary goal.

When it came to Su Hui’s turn, he began, “In fact, during the investigation, some clues were found. Today’s interrogation was a scheme between me and the Emperor. The late Emperor suspected that someone wanted to kill him, so he had me cooperate. He intended to hide in the secret chamber and observe who the murderer was. That’s also the reason why I was able to arrive at the palace in time…”

He chose to half-reveal some plot details, not saying everything explicitly but shifting the suspicion onto those in the palace.

Upon hearing this, the crowd received new information, leading to another intense discussion.

Lu Siyu raised his head sharply and asked Su Hui, “So you mean, Lord, you already knew the Emperor was hiding in the secret chamber?”

Su Hui calmly admitted, “Yes. But obviously, I wasn’t the only one aware of this. The plan for the Emperor to enter the secret chamber was discovered and exploited by someone.”

There’s an unwritten rule in murder mystery games that the decisive conditions won’t be met by only one person; otherwise, the murderer would be too obvious. Others likely knew about this plan, making it highly probable that the person was the murderer.

Going by regular reasoning, the Empress and the eunuch were the most suspicious, but the Empress’s motives were insufficient.

In this case…

Lu Haochu’s suspicion became the greatest. Seeking revenge for family and self-preservation. His self-defense also lacked conviction.

While Su Hui didn’t explicitly state who else was suspicious, Lu Haochu still felt several glances were directed at him.

He sensed a familiar pattern…

Lu Suyu stood up, opened his fan, and began to summarize, “Time is almost up. Next, we will proceed to the voting. As the detective in this case, I want to remind everyone that I believe the environment of the case, the background of the entire story, is crucial. With internal and external troubles, various signs indicate that this Emperor isn’t a benevolent ruler. Sometimes, in such tumultuous circumstances, the Emperor’s passing might not necessarily be a bad thing. The culprit might not be acting out of malice either. Therefore, please treasure your vote, cast it for the true culprit, and win the game.”

Su Hui thought to himself that Lu Siyu indeed saw through everything. Those words were quite suggestive, just stopping short of outright accusing him of being the murderer.

Without Lu Siyu, his chances of winning today might have been around 80%, but now, with Lu Siyu having hinted a few times, Su Hui felt his winning odds wavered around 50%. He wasn’t sure if he could successfully escape.

The selected culprits were written on pieces of paper and placed into the box, awaiting the revelation of the answer.