Chapter 31: Portrait Artist

Chapter 31: Portrait Artist

Almost brushing past each other, Ma Xiuneng's parents entered as Jiang Yunxin left.

Jiang Yunxin bowed her head and rushed out. At that moment, overwhelmed by grief, they paid no attention to the random person passing by.

Then, wails of sorrow echoed from within the room.

Knowing someone had died was one thing; seeing their corpse was another, and witnessing such a gruesome sight was yet another matter altogether.

Jiang Yunxin left the courtyard and arrived at the outer reception hall.

All the servants in the residence had gathered there, while Xue Dongyang, accompanied by the Criminal Bureau officials, was conducting an investigation.

They had already questioned everyone once. The people in the yard attested to each other, declaring that they lacked both the ability and motive to commit murder.

Although Ma Xiuneng was morally corrupt in his relationships, he was generous towards his subordinates. Perhaps aware of the many wicked deeds he'd committed, he understood that if he didn't maintain good relations with even his closest attendants, who knew when they might turn on him?

Xue Dongyang's focus now was on the undeniable culprit - the woman from the previous night. There was no need to determine the time of death from the body; it occurred after she and Ma Xiuneng entered the room, in the middle of the night.

The identity of the woman was insignificant, and naturally, they had no knowledge of her name. According to the maid, after Ma Xiuneng had embraced the woman and brought her into the residence, he had addressed her with terms of endearment, never once uttering her actual name.

The woman's brutal treatment of Ma Xiuneng suggested she had come prepared.

She had approached him and ensnared him solely for the purpose of killing him. Furthermore, using such a ruthless method indicated that it was likely an act of vengeance.

Why would a vengeful assassin reveal her true name? Hence, whether they overheard it or not made little difference. Even if they had, her name would undoubtedly be a fabrication.

At present, the most critical piece of information was the woman's appearance.

The woman entered, her face veiled, yet the veil allowed her eyes to be seen, and it was a sheer veil, not utterly concealing her features.

Thus, both maidservants and the young servant boy caught a glimpse.

Her height could be ascertained, but her voice was uncertain, for she never spoke a word in front of others, only emitting two coquettish giggles.

As for the features hidden beneath the thin veil, that was a more intricate matter.

They saw, but didn't see clearly, stuck in a state of uncertainty.

Initially, everyone spoke genuinely, saying they didn't see clearly because it was indeed the case; they truly hadn't seen well.

If that woman were to reappear before them and they were asked to identify her, perhaps they could. But in the absence of any clues now, describing her accurately was a daunting task.

Some people had distinct facial features: double eyelids, large eyes, fair or dark skin, dimples or no dimples, a high nose bridge, or a cute canine tooth.

Yet, others were unremarkable, blending into the crowd effortlessly. There were also those who were beautiful, yet their features didn't stand out. Add heavy makeup to the mix, and identifying them became even more challenging.

It wasn't the first or second time Ma Xiuneng brought a girl back. The maidservants and attendants had grown accustomed to it, finding nothing unusual in the situation. They dared not examine the girls he brought closely, thus leaving only shallow impressions.

Their panic originated from the entrance of Ma Xiuneng's parents just now. Seeing the servants on the ground, they were filled with both hatred and anger. In their view, the entire household staff had failed to protect their young master. Threatening to kill them all and bury them alongside Ma Xiuneng if the culprit wasn't found, their words struck fear into the hearts of the servants.

Of course, such actions defied the law, but wealthy and powerful families often acted outside the law. For Ma Xiuneng's parents to eliminate a few servants was an easy feat.

Thus, their nerves, which had just begun to calm, tensed up again. They started brainstorming frantically, wishing they could pluck out their eyeballs, throw them back into yesterday, and see the killer's face clearly.

With three people and three voices, they initially hesitated but gradually found their rhythm as they spoke more freely.

However, each had a different notion. Some said the woman had double eyelids, while others claimed she had single ones. Yet another mentioned a mole at the corner of her eye.

Xue Dongyang found it impossible to continue questioning them. He knew that these people weren't deliberately lying; they were genuinely terrified.

Their memories had become muddled, and the sense of impending danger compelled them to recall something, anything, even if it was just to alleviate their anxiety.

"Brother Xue," Jiang Yunxin observed from the side and approached them.

She couldn't continue this line of questioning. It wouldn't yield any results, and even if it did, the accounts wouldn't be reliable.

Xue Dongyang, equally frustrated, paused before joining her.

Jiang Yunxin said, "Stop asking. They're all too scared to think straight."

Xue Dongyang sighed. "I understand, but they're the only three who've seen the murderer. If they can't remember what the killer looked like, it'll be extremely challenging to solve this case."

Usually, Matthew Neng's two henchmen, known as Oddball and Crooked Fruit, were never far behind him. However, yesterday, they were curiously absent, presumably dispatched by him for some task that kept them away until now.

These three individuals were the sole witnesses to the perpetrator.

Jiang Yunxin frowned, it was indeed an issue.

"Perhaps we could hire a painter," she suggested. "Interview them separately and have the painter sketch based on their descriptions. Once we have a rough image of the culprit, they might recall something more."

It was a feasible solution, but Xue Dongyang pondered for a moment before instructing someone to fetch the clerk from the Criminal Justice Bureau.

The bureau's clerk, Yan Yangbing, arrived promptly. Jiang Yunxin was acquainted with him.

In no time, they found a room where the three witnesses were individually summoned to give their accounts. Yan Yangbing produced three separate sketches.

Frankly, Jiang Yunxin wasn't entirely satisfied.

She felt that the paintings of this era tended to be somewhat vague, capturing both the likeness and spirit, yet leaving one unsatisfied.

Moreover, the three paintings, based on the trio's descriptions, depicted distinct individuals. The physique and lower halves of the faces were similar, but the exposed eyes varied significantly. When placed together, the drawings seemed to represent three different people altogether.

All three shook their heads, feeling that the portrait the artist had drawn based on their descriptions didn't quite resemble the murderer. The sketches from the other two's descriptions didn't seem like the culprit either.

The four of them exchanged looks of consternation.

The county magistrate had no choice but to admit, "Calligraphy and painting aren't my forte."

I'm not some renowned master; I'm just a humble clerk paid two taels of silver a month.

Xue Dongyang sighed. "There truly aren't many famous painters in the capital."

Not that there aren't any, but those accomplished masters, with their paintings fetching hundreds or even thousands of taels, wouldn't bother visiting for a murder case like this. Let alone that the victim's reputation was so poor—if it were a well-respected philanthropist, perhaps they could be convinced to help out.

Jiang Yunxin gazed at the three portraits before her and suddenly thought of someone.

"I have a recommendation," she said. "Though not a renowned master, this person is an expert and paints exceptionally well."