Chapter 56

Chapter 56

For a moment, Shen Anning felt as if she had been transported back to the night of the palace banquet, to the scene where he had gripped her throat, demanding to know her true identity.

Her heart clenched.

She knew Lu Suian was exceptionally perceptive, especially in his official duties and, more specifically, in solving cases, where he possessed an uncanny intuition.

Whether through subtle probing or feigned inquiry, the slightest misstep would inevitably be seized upon by him.

Indeed, the next moment, Lu Suian shed his earlier casual demeanor. His fingers gently traced the side of the teacup, but his gaze remained fixed intently on her face, a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny. After a long pause, he curved his lips into a slight smile and said, “Oh? I was unaware my wife also possessed such insights into investigating cases.”

Though he spoke with a faint smile, his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

He was even more perceptive than she had imagined.

Yet, with a life at stake, even if it aroused his suspicion, Shen Anning had no choice but to take the risk. After all, even if he grew suspicious, he had no concrete evidence. No matter how resourceful Lu Suian might be, he could never uncover the true reasons behind her knowledge.

With this thought, she felt somewhat relieved and replied calmly with a faint smile, “You jest, my lord. What insights could I possibly have into investigations? I merely discussed the matter briefly with Sister Ying and the others on our way back to the city today.”

Who else could have been in the carriage on the return journey besides Pei Qingying? As a young woman from a secluded inner chamber, Pei Qingying was too inexperienced to offer such perceptive views. So, where else could these insights have come from? The answer was obvious.

Indeed, upon hearing this, most of the suspicion in Lu Suian’s mind dissipated, though he found little comfort in it. After all, no man would be pleased to know his wife had been chatting and laughing animatedly with another man.

The scene of them conversing cheerfully throughout the journey seemed to play out before his eyes.

Lu Suian found that the tea in his hand had lost all its fragrance.

Meanwhile, Shen Anning continued with a sigh, “The girl on the mountain today was just sixteen years old, even younger than I am. To die so mysteriously is truly a pity. Since we met briefly, I cannot bear to see her death go unavenged. My lord, is there any way I can be of help?”

She lifted her gaze and looked directly at Lu Suian, her question sincere and earnest.

The girl in the yellow dress earlier had been pale and drained, on the verge of collapse when she asked them for water. If only Shen Anning had been more attentive or stayed with her a little longer, perhaps the girl could have avoided the killer.

Having died a tragic death in her previous life, Shen Anning couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt.

Seeing her so deeply affected, Lu Suian felt a slight stir in his heart.

He was not skilled in comforting or consoling others, nor was he accustomed to discussing official matters or case details with family. The cases he handled were often gruesome, involving either brutal corpses or twisted human nature, which tended to frighten women of the inner chambers. His father, Lu Jingrong, was more concerned with court affairs and showed little interest in the lives and deaths of ordinary people. Moreover, having grown up reserved and distant, Lu Suian had never developed the habit of sharing his thoughts with others.

Seeing Shen Anning’s remorse and sorrow, he recognized her kindness and sensed that she was more intelligent and perceptive than he had imagined. Her earlier analysis of the case had been remarkably astute. For once, he felt inclined to engage in conversation with her and said, “If you have any other insights, feel free to share them. I’d like to hear—they might prove useful to the case.”

In investigations, it was crucial to avoid relying on a single perspective. Although he spoke little at the Dali Temple, he never hesitated to seek advice from colleagues when faced with difficult cases.

The victims in this case were all women, so hearing a woman’s perspective might indeed be beneficial.

Shen Anning seemed to hesitate for a moment before suddenly taking out an old doll from behind her and showing it to him. “I found this doll near the city gates on our way back today. The guards said several opera troupes have passed through recently—it likely belongs to someone from one of them. Given that the killer managed to commit crimes in two widely separated and unrelated locations within three days, do you think the killer could be someone who travels from place to place, like a member of a troupe, an acrobat, or a peddler?”

At these words, Lu Suian’s hand, still holding the teacup, paused slightly. He stared at her intently before responding calmly, “What makes you so certain?”

Shen Anning explained, “The first crime occurred within the city, the second outside it. This suggests the killer can move between both locations. However, someone who regularly travels between these two places would likely not be foolish enough to draw attention to themselves so blatantly. So, if we rule out those with fixed routines, the remaining suspects would be those who move about randomly—like troupes or peddlers. Such individuals often blend into crowds and have opportunities to interact with women. The killer could hide among them, committing crimes wherever they go, and their mobile lifestyle would provide cover, making it harder to detect them.”

She paused briefly, as if organizing her thoughts, then continued, “When I was young, I loved watching acrobatics and often gathered around opera stages. In villages, where shopping is inconvenient, peddlers are always welcomed eagerly. Women, who rarely go out, are usually wary of strange men but tend to let their guard down around such figures. If the killer today acted out of revenge, it might have been premeditated. But if the crimes were random, I believe these types of individuals are more likely to be responsible. Moreover, people in these roles are often looked down on and often mistreated. I once saw a young acrobat girl whipped until she was covered in blood for poor performance. Elders in the village also say that those in troupes often have difficult lives, and among the unfortunate, there are always some who become resentful. If pushed too far, it’s not impossible for someone to turn violent and twisted.”

Shen Anning analyzed the situation thoroughly, subtly steering the suspicion toward troupes and similar groups.

Lu Suian had initially listened casually, merely humoring his wife. But as she spoke, his expression grew increasingly somber. His eagle-like eyes locked onto her face, unmoving.

It was only after a long while that he looked down and realized the tea in his cup had gone cold.

He placed the cup down slowly on the small table and regarded his wife with a complex expression before saying slowly, “I never expected your insights to be far beyond ordinary people's.”

He spoke these words while suppressing the shock rising within him.

After a pause, he lifted his eyes to her again and asked, “Is this also the result of your discussion with the young lady of the Pei family in the carriage today?”

As he asked, he watched her intently, not missing a single flicker of emotion on her face.

This time, Shen Anning slowly shook her head. “No, this is something I thought deeply about after returning home today.”

She added, somewhat self-consciously, “I apologize for showing off my ignorance in front of you, my lord. Please don’t laugh. I only wish to find the killer quickly, so that girl may rest in peace.”

Lu Suian stared at her, as if weighing the truth of her words. After a long silence, he finally said, “The identity of today’s victim has been confirmed. She lived in Zhuxi Village at the foot of Xiaoqiong Mountain. The village elder’s father celebrated his seventieth birthday last night and happened to hire a performing troupe for the occasion. The troupe left this morning—”

After confirming the victim’s identity, Lu Suian had combined this case with the dismemberment case in the eastern city for investigation. The first step, much like what Shen Anning had suggested, was to investigate everyone in the village who had properties in the city, had connections there, or had entered the city in the past five days, and then investigate them one by one.

The second step was to investigate all clues related to strangers appearing near Xiaoqiong Mountain.

His approach and reasoning matched almost perfectly with Shen Anning’s earlier words, without the slightest discrepancy.

Until the troupe clue emerged.

And this was the result of years of experience in solving cases.

Yet Shen Anning, a woman who rarely left the inner chambers, had arrived at the same conclusions he had.

What’s more, she had deduced the troupe clue based solely on an old doll found near the city gates, despite knowing none of the details of the case from within the confines of her home.

How could he not view her in a new light?

And how could he not be filled with doubt?

Was it a coincidence?

Or—

Lu Suian’s sharp gaze seemed to pierce through Shen Anning's facade.

His stare sent chills down her spine. She hadn’t expected Lu Suian to have already uncovered the troupe clue. Why hadn’t he mentioned it earlier, making her take such an unnecessary risk?

Though her heart raced, she showed no outward sign of alarm. After a moment, she pretended to be clueless and looked up at him with surprise. “Could it really be someone from the troupe? Did I actually guess correctly? You're not fooling me, are you, my lord?”

She appeared both incredulous and amazed, as several emotions played across her face. Finally, she smiled wryly in relief. “Well, at least it wasn’t for nothing that I spent the night reading so many dime novels.”

As she spoke, she turned slightly, revealing seven or eight scattered dime novels on the couch behind her.

As if to say, it was all thanks to them.

Then she quickly followed up, “Will you be returning to the city tonight to capture the killer, my lord?”

She added with faint concern, “The killer seems to have been in a murderous frenzy. If he isn’t caught soon, I worry he might kill again.”

She murmured, half to herself, half as if hinting at something.

But Lu Suian only narrowed his eyes at her, not replying. After a moment, his gaze shifted from her surprised and relieved expression to the dime novels—tales about gods and ghosts, or mysterious and puzzling detective stories.

His wife had been reading crime storybooks, which Lu Suian was aware of.

If the words Shen Anning just uttered were not merely coincidental guesses or suggestions from others, then his wife Shen Anning was far cleverer and more insightful than he had imagined.

Lu Suian felt that there was always something unfathomable about his wife Shen Anning that he couldn't quite grasp.

He silently observed Shen Anning for a long, long time before finally withdrawing his gaze.

This was indeed the reason he had returned to the city that very night. As Shen Anning had said, the suspect was clearly killing in a frenzy, having reached the point of a crime of passion. If not apprehended soon, further incidents were bound to occur.

However, these opera troupes were not large ones. They were drifters with no fixed address, moving from place to place, performing in one location before moving on to the next, making their whereabouts hard to pin down.

In the Upper Capital, there were many such seedy and chaotic places and people, making the investigation a painstaking and draining process.

Thinking this, Lu Suian did not continue to answer Shen Anning's question, nor did he intend to delay any further.

He raised his gaze to the window—he thought it was already late. He needed to return to the yamen and dispatch people to search for and arrest the suspect overnight.

Noticing the room was chilly and drafty in the small building, exacerbated by the dampness near the water, his eyes fell upon a length of soft smoke silk on the couch as he withdrew his gaze.

The silk was thin as mist, ethereal like clouds or smoke.

Beneath the mist, an alabaster skin stood out strikingly.

It was his wife Shen Anning's bare foot.

As it turned out, the weather was muggy and hot. After her bath, Shen Anning had not put on shoes or socks. In her speaking with Lu Suian, she was so absorbed that she had not noticed her foot inadvertently slipping out from under her skirt.

A woman's feet were among her most private parts.

Shen Anning had been waiting for Lu Suian's answer to put her mind at ease. But when he remained silent, she followed his gaze and, in the next moment, realized what had happened. She immediately tried to withdraw her exposed foot.

But it was too late—his hand was already there, holding it with just enough pressure.

Before she knew it, her foot was already in someone else's hand.

Lu Suian held his wife's foot in his palm.

It was small, no larger than his palm, so pale it was almost dazzling, and so delicate it seemed as if it might melt away in his hand like the finest suet jade.

For a moment, Lu Suian was momentarily mesmerized. Before he even realized what he was doing, his rough fingertips had begun to gently massage and knead it.

Shen Anning's face flushed bright red.

"You scoundrel," she cursed inwardly, but in her overwhelming shame and anger, the words accidentally slipped out.

Her flustered, delicate voice, in the dimly lit night, held no threat. Instead, it carried a strange allure, as if gently scraping against his eardrums.

Lu Suian sighed softly.

Unfortunately, he had official duties to attend to tonight.

Regretfully, he gave her soft foot a firm squeeze. Then, suddenly, he closed in on Shen Anning.

Startled, Shen Anning immediately pressed her hands against his chest to stop him from advancing further.

But after a moment, Lu Suian merely smiled faintly, looking down at her, and said, "Even if you desired it tonight, my lady, it's not happening tonight."

As he spoke, his long arm reached around her waist. Before Shen Anning could react, he lifted her horizontally from the couch and began carrying her out, saying, "This place is too damp. It's unsuitable for prolonged stays after autumn. If you like it here, I can accompany you for a short stay next summer. Tonight, however, you shall return to the main bedchamber."

With that, he carried her step by step back to the main bedchamber.