Chapter 13

The flower hall of Earl Weiyuan’s residence faces a lotus pond. In late summer and early autumn, the withered and decayed lotuses add to the somber atmosphere. Moreover, since Cui Wan’s corpse was discovered at the lotus pavilion, Zhao Yumian ordered that the windows on that side be shut tightly.

Upon hearing that Xie Xinglan had arrived with others, they went to greet him at the door. However, from afar, both furrowed their brows simultaneously.

Jian Fangfei asked, “Is that County Princess Yunyang?”

Zhao Yumian nodded. “That’s her. How did she encounter Xie Xinglan?”

When the group approached, Zhao Yumian noticed her brother’s expression was rather unpleasant. She refrained from asking too much and welcomed them into the hall.

Once seated, Xie Xinglan got straight to the point: “Xue Ming is dead. Are you aware?”

“We know,” Zhao Yumian sighed. “We found out yesterday afternoon. How did he die?”

Xie Xinglan carefully observed their expressions and calmly said, “On the surface, it appears to be suicide, with a note left behind. However, the note was actually written by the murderer, imitating his handwriting. He was murdered.”

The Zhao siblings and Jian Fangfei had already suspected as much, but upon hearing this confirmation, their expressions became even more serious.

Zhao Wangshu asked, “Wan’er was killed first, and now Xue Ming has been murdered. What are you here to ask today?”

“After returning to the residence the night before, did any of you leave again?”

Zhao Yumian shook her head. “I felt unwell after returning home that evening and even called a doctor to check on me. I haven’t stepped out of the residence since.”

At sixteen years old, Zhao Yumian was exquisitely beautiful but now appeared slightly frail and sickly, which elicited pity. Her delicate state seemed to suggest she wasn’t capable of violent deeds. Jian Fangfei added, “That night, I went home and did not go out again. The next day, when palace envoys arrived around noon, I went directly to the palace.”

Xie Xinglan had anticipated this and noticed their genuine and open demeanor. He then asked, “Do you know of anything peculiar between Cui Wan and Xue Ming?”

Zhao Wangshu raised his eyebrows, and Zhao Yumian hesitated before saying, “Are you asking whether Wan’er and Xue Ming had a private relationship?”

Xie Xinglan nodded and keenly observed her and Jian Fangfei. “You two were very close to Cui Wan. If she had any personal matters, she would surely have confided in you two. And since you often gathered in private, it’s unlikely that you would be completely unaware.”

Zhao Yumian looked at Jian Fangfei, who was lost in thought. Being two years older than Zhao Yumian and now eighteen, Jian Fangfei was naturally more mature and steady in her actions. After a moment, she looked at Xie Xinglan and asked, “Does this matter have a significant connection to the case?”

Xie Xinglan affirmed, and Jian Fangfei continued, “This isn’t something easy to discuss, as we must respect the deceased. However, given that the incidents involved just the two of them, I also find it peculiar. I can’t be certain if there was a romantic relationship between them, but Wan’er treated him differently than others. Three years ago, during the Autumn Festival, Wan’er gifted Xue Ming a sachet. Only Yumian and I knew about this.”

“Although exchanging gifts during festivals is common, sachets are personal items and somewhat taboo. After all, similar incidents that tarnished a woman’s reputation have occurred in noble families in the capital. Additionally, I know Wan’er didn’t wish to marry into Prince Huaiyang’s household. At the time, Yumian and I discussed it privately but ultimately decided to remain silent about it.”

Zhao Yumian and Jian Fangfei noticed some clues, but they had no intention of revealing them, nor did they have any reason to harm Xue Ming. Xie Xinglan found the case increasingly perplexing. At this moment, Qin Ying asked, “Do you know if Xue Ming had enmities with anyone, especially those who attended the banquet that night?”

Zhao Yumian frowned. “Xue Ming was gentle and mild-mannered. I’ve never seen him at odds with anyone.”

Zhao Wangshu added, “That’s right. I haven’t seen it either. The Xue family’s reputation is upright, and Xue Ming followed that tradition. He was always courteous. Even if disagreements arose, he was quite forgiving.”

Qin Ying furrowed her brows. Cui Wan and Xue Ming had a private relationship—if anyone should be nervous, it should be them. Xue Ming had a motive to harm Cui Wan, but why would the murderer kill Xue Ming? By leaving such a note, it was clear they not only wanted Xue Ming dead but also intended to expose their secret affair…

In a flash, a thought occurred to Qin Ying, but just as quickly, it vanished. She felt a hollow emptiness in her heart. When she tried to recall it, it was like wandering in a misty forest, unable to find her way.

“The Xue family may have an upright reputation, but from what we’ve discovered so far, Xue Ming doesn’t exactly live up to it.”

Xie Xinglan’s tone carried a hint of mockery. He had no patience for noble families constantly flaunting their reputations, claiming to be paragons of virtue and culture as if loyalty and righteousness were in their blood. Yet, only they knew that beneath the polished exterior, there were heaps of disgraceful secrets.

Zhao Wangshu and the others were left speechless. After all, Cui Wan had been betrothed yet still became entangled with Xue Ming. To say nothing of other matters, the mere fact that Xue Ming accepted her sachet already marked both of them as people who disregarded propriety and morals. Now, facing Xie Xinglan’s mockery, they could neither refute it nor defend themselves—they could only sever ties as quickly as possible.

Seeing that he couldn’t extract any more useful clues, Xie Xinglan decided not to linger and took his leave, with Qin Ying leaving alongside him.

Witnessing this, Zhao Yumian looked puzzled and turned to ask Zhao Wangshu. Zhao Wangshu responded oddly, “I have no idea what’s going on. Just now, I almost accidentally hurt Qin Ying. Xie Xinglan was furious—he nearly drew his blade against me. He seems to care a lot about Qin Ying.”

Jian Fangfei, astonished, said, “But isn’t Qin Ying in love with Muzhi? Previously, Xie Xinglan impeached Marquis Changqing’s household, and Qin Ying even went to the Empress Dowager to file a complaint against him. How could the two of them suddenly appear so close?”

The Zhao siblings exchanged glances, but none of them knew the answer.

After leaving Earl Weiyuan’s residence, Xie Xinglan still felt shaken by the unexpected incident moments earlier. From the beginning of the year until now, even though he had foreseen some of it, he couldn’t change the course of events. He was like a trapped beast, recklessly charging forward, only to end up battered and bloodied, unable to escape the predetermined outcome dictated by fate.

In his previous life, he was engrossed in the power struggle. In pursuit of credit, he had taken on the Wenzhou embezzlement case early on. When he returned to the capital, he learned that the Lu family had been raided, with the eldest Lu daughter imprisoned. At the time, he had paid little attention to the family of imperial physicians but remembered that a few days later, the death of the County Princess Yunyang plunged Marquis Linchuan and the Empress Dowager into deep sorrow.

This time, he resolved not to follow the old path. Instead, he took people to watch from the sidelines at Earl Zhongyuan’s residence. Yet unexpectedly, the eldest Lu daughter had cleared herself of suspicion on the night of the crime. The day after the incident, Xue Ming—who was supposed to live for seven more years—was found tragically dead in Qingyang Temple. Among all the individuals involved, the County Princess Yunyang played a pivotal role.

He had thought that Lu Roujia’s and Xue Ming’s fates had changed, and that Qin Ying would most likely escape her doomed outcome. However, the recent unexpected event had made his heart tighten with unease. He mounted his horse and instinctively urged it to ride alongside Qin Ying’s carriage.

Inside the carriage, Qin Ying heard the commotion, lifted the curtain, and asked, “Does Envoy Xie have any instructions?”

Xie Xinglan had no particular instructions, but seeing Qin Ying’s misunderstanding, he maintained his composure and said, “It is true that Cui Wan and Xue Ming had a private relationship. They believed they had hidden it well, but those who frequently interacted with them still noticed some traces. Wu Shuyue, Jian Fangfei, and Zhao Yumian were aware of it, so there must be others who know too. However, without a clear motive, this case is difficult to solve.”

Qin Ying nodded, then thoughtfully said, “The murderer did not act impulsively; there must be some hidden truth we have yet to uncover. At the moment, there are no clear leads. In my opinion, it would be better to start from the most fundamental aspects of the case.”

Xie Xinglan looked at her and asked, “What do you mean by fundamental?”

Qin Ying replied, “The victim’s body, the crime scene, and the weapon.”

Round and round they went, only to return to the questions that needed investigation at the very beginning of the case. Xie Xinglan said, “Qingyang Temple is desolate and chaotic, making it difficult to determine which traces at the scene were left by the murderer. Although the incense used was of high quality, it was not hard to purchase. The dagger that severed Xue Ming’s wrist is also quite common. As for the corpse, while the cause and time of death have been determined, there are no clues to identify the murderer.”

At that moment, Qin Ying suddenly said, “There are few leads at Qingyang Temple, but what about Earl Zhongyuan’s residence? Additionally, Xue Ming killed Cui Wan—what was the murderer doing at that time? And after seeing Cui Wan dead, the murderer chose to kill Xue Ming immediately. If they knew about the affair between the two and wanted to ruin their reputations publicly, then why not let Xue Ming live?”

Seeing that Xie Xinglan was listening intently, Qin Ying spoke with sudden insight, “If Xue Ming were alive, watching his reputation be destroyed and facing the contempt and disdain of everyone, wouldn’t that be more painful? But the murderer insisted on killing him that night. The murderer’s true purpose must have been—”

“To find a scapegoat!”

Xie Xinglan reacted swiftly. “The murderer used the method of writing a suicide note to make it appear that Xue Ming confessed to killing Cui Wan. Along with staging the crime scene as a suicide, the murderer intended for Xue Ming to take all the blame and bring the case to a close.”

He looked at Qin Ying, his eyes flickering with thought. The case had become entangled in complexity. The affair between Xue Ming and Cui Wan served as a mere distraction, leading people to instinctively think that Xue Ming killed Cui Wan to silence her. However, when piecing everything together, the murderer’s true motives naturally come into question.

Xie Xinglan was once again amazed by Qin Ying’s sharpness and continued, “I had initially considered the possibility that Xue Ming killed Cui Wan, and then the murderer killed Xue Ming, as an act of revenge for Cui Wan. However, if that were the case, the murderer would not have exposed their affair, tarnishing Cui Wan’s posthumous reputation. Therefore, it’s highly likely that the same murderer killed both Cui Wan and Xue Ming, and even wrote about their affair in the suicide note. The murderer must have harbored hatred for both of them.”

Qin Ying, rarely showing a pleasant expression, nodded and said, “Therefore, the location where Cui Wan was murdered, including the entire Earl Zhongyuan’s residence, needs to be thoroughly investigated again. Additionally, the key to this case is closely tied to their affair. Could it be that someone secretly admired one of them, only to discover their pre-existing relationship, and thus acted out of love turned into hate to exact vengeance on both?”

Xie Xinglan pondered for a moment before calling over Xie Jian to give instructions. Qin Ying noticed this and lowered the curtain, but even after Xie Jian left, Xie Xinglan remained outside the carriage, resembling a guard.

Qin Ying suddenly thought of the moment earlier when Xie Xinglan shielded her from an arrow. While feeling grateful, she realized that Xie Xinglan might not be as ruthless as she had thought. If he had stood by and watched Zhao Wangshu shoot her to death today, the entire Earl Weiyuan’s residence would have been doomed. Yet, he chose to save her.

Thinking about this, Qin Ying couldn’t help but lift the curtain for a glance. Xie Xinglan, atop his horse draped in golden sunlight, looked valiant, handsome, and graceful—she couldn’t even fathom the image of him drenched in blood, dying miserably in the icy winter snow.

…

When they returned to Earl Zhongyuan’s residence, Qin Ying and Xie Xinglan went together to Yingyue Lake.

Xie Xinglan summoned the guards to search around the entire lakeshore and instructed others to interrogate every individual in the residence. Qin Ying noted the extensive workload and decided to enter the cave on the eastern side of the fake mountain by herself.

With Shen Luo leading the way with a lantern, he couldn’t help but ask, “County Princess, what are you looking for here?”

Qin Ying replied, “Not looking for anything in particular—just curious about how challenging it is to navigate inside this cave.”

Bai Yuan whispered softly, “You’re truly fearless—there’s been deaths at the exit back there. Also, don’t you think this cave feels eerie, with the cold wind swirling around?”

The lantern swayed slightly as they moved, and the shadows of the three people on the stone walls flickered along with the whistling wind, creating an inexplicable sense of unease.

Qin Ying chuckled, “It’s not eerie wind—it’s the underground drainage channel below that’s blowing colder air than outside. I wonder which ingenious craftsman built this cavernous structure. There are no markings anywhere, so first-timers would take at least half an hour to find the exit.”

The maze-like path through the artificial mountain was uneven and filled with ups and downs, making Qin Ying’s progress particularly difficult. As she walked, she recalled the testimonies of the people from that night, unknowingly spending the time it took to burn two incense sticks in the cave.

Just as she suspected she might be lost, a distant call echoed from the direction of the cave entrance.

Shen Luo tilted his head to listen for a moment. “County Princess, it seems Envoy Xie is calling for you.” After another brief pause, his eyes widened slightly. “He’s calling your name directly.”

Qin Ying, with her hearing not as sharp as his, could only make out faint noises. She laughed dryly, “Let him call. He never showed me much respect anyway.”

Not only did he lack respect, he resented her and the rest of the imperial relatives. As they spoke, more voices came from afar, and this time Qin Ying could hear them clearly. She hurriedly said, “From the east—let’s head over.”

Following the sound’s direction, she navigated her way, but after taking two branching paths, she ended up disoriented. Just as she sighed over the difficulty of exiting this maze, a cold voice suddenly came from behind her.

“Qin Ying!”

Qin Ying turned around in surprise and unexpectedly met Xie Xinglan’s eyes, filled with anger. Before she could speak, she saw him stride forward with a sullen expression and ask, “Why are you running off on your own?”

Qin Ying exclaimed, “Ah! How is this running off?”

Before Xie Xinglan could respond, another figure appeared on the narrow path. Xie Jian, panting heavily, chased after Xie Xinglan but was left far behind. Seeing the two of them staring at each other, Xie Jian said, “Lord, you finally found the county princess! How strange! Just earlier, I clearly heard the county princess and her companions were close by, yet we’ve been searching for such a long time.”

Qin Ying turned to look at Xie Xinglan and asked, “Did you find out something from the servants in the estate?”

“No, nothing. You shouldn’t have ..”

Xie Xinglan originally wanted to say, “You shouldn’t have left my sight,” but gazing into her clear and serene black-and-white eyes, he changed his tone and said, “You shouldn’t have entered here on your own.”

Qin Ying was stunned. This was the crime scene, and he should have known she entered to search for clues. She chuckled helplessly and said, “Are you afraid that my actions alone will mess up your plans?”

Feeling utterly helpless, Qin Ying reflected on how the case had returned to its starting point. Yet, instead of focusing on the testimonies of the estate’s people, Xie Xinglan had started to suspect her. Seeing him remain silent, Qin Ying, with a faint smile, said, “If you’re really that uneasy, why not assign someone to follow and monitor me?”

It was a sarcastic remark, but to her utter surprise, Xie Xinglan pointed to the person beside him without hesitation and said, “Fine. I’ll assign him.”

Both Xie Jian and Qin Ying’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Qin Ying gritted her teeth. “You’re actually doing it!”

Xie Jian muttered bitterly, “Lord, what have I done wrong…”

Xie Xinglan, with an expressionless face, looked at Qin Ying, leaving no room for negotiation. Taking a deep breath, Qin Ying replayed the scene from earlier where Xie Xinglan shielded her from an arrow. Only then did she manage to suppress her anger. She smiled and said, “If Envoy Xie isn’t afraid of inconvenience, I have no objections.”

Xie Xinglan nodded, seemingly satisfied. Then, after dropping a casual “Follow this way,” he turned and walked off.

Qin Ying, fuming, begrudgingly followed him. In less than the time it takes for half a stick of incense to burn, they exited the artificial hill.

By now, the sun had already set behind the western hills. The entirety of the Earl’s residence, including Cui Han, was being meticulously interrogated by Longyi Guards. Starting from the midday banquet to the evening after the incident, every detail of what was seen and heard was recounted without omission. During the questioning, any peculiarities would be thoroughly investigated to establish their causes and consequences.

The interrogation was exceedingly tedious, requiring significant amounts of ink and paper. When night fell, interrogation locations ranged from the Zhaomu Pavilion to the flower hall in the front courtyard. Numerous testimonies were sent to Xie Xinglan, yet among the vast ocean of words, only a handful of useful clues were found.

As the evening grew late, Qin Ying, knowing that Qin Zhang would be worried about her returning home, decided not to stay longer. Around halfway through the hour of Xu (7-9 pm), she announced her intention to leave. Xie Xinglan didn’t object but instructed Xie Jian to accompany her back home.

Qin Ying boarded the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked outside for a while before muttering, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think he assigned someone to escort us home. How can a person’s nature change so drastically?”

Equally indignant on behalf of her mistress, Bai Yuan said, “The reputations of Longyi Guards’s Envoy were never good to begin with. But over the past six months, his actions have become increasingly unchecked. Rumors are that he’s fully inherited his father’s treacherous nature. This servant doesn’t understand why you insist on investigating this case. If you hadn’t waded into these troubled waters, we wouldn’t have had to deal with him at all.”

Qin Ying couldn’t explain and had no interest in pondering Xie Xinglan’s peculiar behavior for the time being. She closed her eyes and rested as the carriage journeyed on.

When they arrived outside the Marquis of Linchuan’s residence, Qin Ying had yet to step out of the carriage when Shen Luo spoke first, “County Princess, there’s someone—”

Suspicious, Qin Ying lifted the curtain. What came into view was a graceful figure.

It was none other than Lu Roujia.