Chapter 14: Clues to the Murderer

Chapter 14: Clues to the Murderer

When Chun Tao came in and saw A Yuan in a daze, she thought something had happened.

"Mistress..."

A Yuan slowly raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes swollen and red, "Tell Nanny Zhu, we don’t need to sell the pouches anymore."

"What happened?" Chun Tao knew her mistress was short of money. Besides the embroidery work for the old lady and the second wife, these pouches were what she had stayed up all night stitching.

"...The Heir Apparent found out about it."

.......

Since that day, Wei Xun hadn’t stepped into A Yuan’s courtyard for half a month.

Not only in the long term, but even his colleagues at the office felt his low mood.

"Lord Wei, we’ve made progress in the case!"

Deputy Prefect Qi walked over excitedly with the case file, completely unaffected by Wei Xun’s mood.

"All four victims visited Jinxiu Pavilion. I suspect the murderer is related to Jinxiu Pavilion!"

Widow Tao was a regular customer at Jinxiu Pavilion, and the twin sisters had also bought their sewing supplies there. Along with Liu Niangzi’s pouch, the four seemingly unrelated cases were perfectly linked.

"Thanks to Lord Wei’s keen insight, otherwise we wouldn’t have thought to look for clues from the pouch."

Deputy Prefect Qi gazed at him with admiration, but Wei Xun’s expression was grim.

He had been giving A Yuan the cold shoulder these days, hoping she would admit her mistake, but A Yuan had stayed in her courtyard, not even stepping out.

Yes, she was just a little liar, and her previous docility was all an act to deceive him.

Only he believed it, thinking he’d marry a gentle and virtuous wife to spare her from harsh treatment.

Now it seemed he was the one being played for a fool.

Wei Xun’s eyes suddenly turned cold, his voice cutting, "Take them into custody!"

The owner of Jinxiu Pavilion was a woman who still had her charms, named Qin, whom others called Sanniang.

Qin Sanniang had come to the capital ten years ago. She had no children, and her husband had died early, managing to keep the embroidery shop running on her own.

The capital was home to countless famous embroidery shops, and Jinxiu Pavilion was not conspicuous. No one would have thought this shop would be connected to the case of the missing young women.

"Officers, we are just a small business, usually very law-abiding. How could we possibly do anything illegal?"

Qin Sanniang swayed her hips seductively, trying to flatter Wei Xun and the others.

But Wei Xun had never been interested in women, and Deputy Prefect Qi was a bookish type who only cared about his official duties. Her charms were wasted on them.

"Whether it’s illegal or not will be known after the investigation. Conduct the search!"

At Wei Xun’s command, the officers from Jingzhao Prefecture stormed in.

The customers at Jinxiu Pavilion had already been cleared out. Apart from Qin Sanniang and a clerk, there was no one else left inside.

Seeing the officers storm in, Qin Sanniang’s face turned pale.

"Officers, there’s really nothing inside, please, don’t search..."

But the soldiers paid no heed to her.

The Embroidered Pavilion was modest in size, and after searching the front shop, nothing was found.

The commanding officer approached Lord Wei for instructions. Lord Wei observed Qin Sanniang's strained composure and spoke in a deep voice, "Search the rear courtyard."

"Crash!"

At this, Qin Sanniang's legs buckled, and she knocked over the embroidery frame behind her.

"It's the end, it's the end..."

The rear courtyard served as the living quarters for her and her assistant, with only one main hall and two side rooms. The soldiers split up to search, and in less time than it takes to sip a cup of tea, they made a discovery.

"My lord, we've discovered a secret passage in Qin Sanniang's chamber!"

Lord Wei and Deputy Prefect Qi locked eyes, their expressions darkening.

The secret passage was under Qin Sanniang's bed. Had Lord Wei not insisted on leaving no stone unturned, the soldiers would not have found it.

The bed plank was removed, unveiling a stone staircase.

"My lord, shall we proceed?"

As Lord Wei prepared to descend, Lin Bao hastily intervened.

"No arguments; we both descend."

"Count me in as well!"

Deputy Prefect Qi was not to be left behind, and finally, all three stepped onto the stone staircase.

Lin Bao, lantern in hand, took the lead, with Lord Wei and Deputy Prefect Qi bringing up the rear.

The secret passage stretched long and narrow, and upon descending, they were assaulted by a foul stench.

Lord Wei's gaze sharpened, and all three men's faces hardened.

After a brief walk, no longer than half a cup of tea's time, the passage abruptly widened, revealing a chamber ahead.

The room was not large, its stone walls adorned with several torches, and various instruments like whips and shackles.

Bound to those instruments were the lifeless forms of four women.

The chill had preserved the bodies, preventing decomposition, yet the confined area was thick with the stench of death, particularly as the four had endured unspeakable torment, their bodies marred beyond recognition.

"Ugh!"

Deputy Prefect Qi couldn't hold back and vomited.

"Lord Wei, the murderer deserves to be executed by a thousand cuts!"

Both had worked on cases in Jingzhao Prefecture for many years, but this was the first time they had encountered such a heinous criminal.

Thinking of the suffering of the four, Deputy Prefect Qi's body trembled.

"Be certain, justice will be served!"

Lord Wei glanced back at the four corpses and led Lin Bao and Deputy Prefect Qi back to the Embroidered Pavilion.

The scheme was uncovered, and Qin Sanniang was already terrified out of her wits. "Officers, I didn’t kill anyone, it has nothing to do with me. If you want to arrest someone, go after others..."

Wei Xun stared at her, his dark eyes unfathomable, radiating a bone-chilling coldness.

"Take her away. Extract the mastermind behind this. If she refuses to talk... resort to torture."

Anyone could see that Wei Xun was furious.

Right under the Emperor’s nose, someone was using cruel methods to persecute innocent women. If the killer isn’t caught, who knew how many more women would suffer, and the reputation of Jingzhao Prefecture would be ruined.

......

"Lord Wei, who do you suspect is the killer?"

Deputy Prefect Qi had been inhaling camphor for some time, and he finally felt a bit better.

With his nose covered, he discussed the case with Wei Xun.

Wei Xun’s deep eyes narrowed slightly. The person who could commit such a crime under the watch of Jingzhao Prefecture must be someone of high status. The brothel was just a cover.

And those who could evade the eyes of Jingzhao Prefecture were even fewer. He already had a suspect in mind.

Wei Xun turned to look in the direction of the palace, his expression serious for the first time.

The only question was, which one of them was the killer?

......

A Yuan had been on edge lately, even dreaming of Wei Xun’s cold face scolding her.

"Mistress, why don’t you plead with the Heir Apparent? What if he’s not angry?"

Chun Tao couldn’t bear to see her master so anxious. Lately, with the Heir Apparent absent, the servants in the Marquis’s household had been treating them poorly, even daring to send kitchen scraps. Not to mention the Second Madam’s arrogance, who had the audacity to order the master to do embroidery for Su Yingxue.

A Yuan twisted her handkerchief nervously, her resolve wavering.

She still had to make it in the Marquis’s household. She could endure some hardships herself, but she couldn’t drag Chun Tao into it, especially since Chun Tao’s mother, Madam Zhu, had lost her job because of her.

A Yuan’s chest felt heavy with bitterness. Chun Tao had kept it from her, but she had learned about Madam Zhu’s situation from a cleaning maid.

She had always hated burdening others, but now that she knew about Madam Zhu’s plight, she couldn’t sit still.

"Fine, I’ll go."