Chapter 18 Investigating the Embroidery Tower

Chapter 18: Exploring the Embroidery Tower

Qin Jiao took a sip of tea, then suddenly realized he still hadn't heard about Zhao Yunzhi's situation, so he asked, "Your Highness, is Zhao Yunzhi no longer a suspect? Wasn't it said he went to the South Province Mortuary to pay respects to someone?"

"Can't say he's not a suspect, but currently there's no clear evidence."

"What does that mean?"

Qin Jiao didn't quite get what Xie Nai meant, and Luo Yue stepped in to clarify: "Here's the situation. We interrogated Zhao Yunzhi this afternoon. Although the Puzhi grass at Liming Academy was all managed by him, it's all over the academy—anyone could have used it to commit murder. Zhao Yunzhi claimed he didn't know Xue Lin's death had anything to do with it. As for going to the South Province Mortuary, he said it was to pay respects to Xu Rujin's deceased fiancé in her stead."

"He went to pay respects to Xu Rujin's fiancé for her?"

The Puzhi grass thing could be explained away, but helping Xu Rujin honor her fiancé seemed a bit odd.

"I find it suspicious too, but Xu Rujin's mother came forward and testified that her daughter was too ill from grief over her fiancé's death to travel, so she asked Zhao Yunzhi to go in her place."

"Hmm... that reasoning's a bit forced. Unless..."

He Zhao continued Qin Jiao's thought: "Unless Xu Rujin and Zhao Yunzhi are more than just friends."

As He Zhao finished speaking, Luo Bei chimed in: "But I asked others in the academy, and they all said Xu Rujin and her fiancé Li Chengwei had a very close relationship.

Li Chengwei was a promising scholar with a bright future, yet he still got engaged to Xu Rujin, the daughter of a cleaner. The two grew up together, and if Li Chengwei hadn't drowned in the river, they would have been married by now."

With such deep affection between them, could Zhao Yunzhi possibly come between them?

"Of course, it's also possible Zhao Yunzhi was close to both Xu Rujin and Li Chengwei, which would make sense."

Qin Jiao remembered how gentle Xu Rujin seemed and felt she wasn't malicious.

"So does that mean Zhao Yunzhi is no longer a suspect?" He Zhao asked, hesitant.

"But he did visit the Embroidery Tower," Luo Yue replied.

"The Embroidery Tower again?"

"And that's not all. I suddenly remembered—this Zhao Yunzhi also cross-dresses, which is quite suspicious!"

Talking about Zhao Yunzhi reminded He Zhao of the Guest Tea House, and that brought back the image of Zhao Yunzhi's cabinet full of beautiful dresses. Now, thinking back to the robust, bear-like figure of Zhao Yunzhi... the image immediately came to mind.

Qin Jiao was silent for a moment. Compared to that, He Zhao's flashy style suddenly seemed tame compared to Zhao Yunzhi cross-dressing.

"Since there's currently no clear evidence linking Zhao Yunzhi to the murder case, we need to get to the Embroidery Tower quickly, before anything changes."

Qin Jiao was sorting things out in his mind: from Xue Lin's death to the strange scent at the crime scene, to tracking down the Puzhi grass and Liming Academy's Zhao Yunzhi, and now the Embroidery Tower came up. Layer upon layer of connections, threads of clues—like countless strands, seemingly chaotic yet orderly.

It felt like someone was leading them forward, through a thousand tangled threads where light and darkness intertwined, eerie and strange.

"Let's go, let's go! Tomorrow!" He Zhao urged eagerly.

As Qin Jiao spoke with He Zhao and the others, Xie Nai stayed quiet, quietly listening to their discussion.

Finally, Qin Jiao had one more question. He looked at Xie Nai: "Your Highness, did you find who poisoned the victims' families at Liming Academy today?"

Qin Jiao was hoping for good news that would help the case a lot, but unfortunately, Xie Nai simply replied: "No."

The young man's eyes, once bright and fiery, now clouded over: "Alright... then we'll visit the Embroidery Tower tomorrow."

The next day.

Qin Jiao remembered the Embroidery Tower as standing in the center of South Province City, with the river that circled the city flowing in front. In early winter, the river sparkled, with withered lotuses scattered artfully, and boats laden with goods glided by, their oars stirring up splashes.

The Embroidery Tower, true to its name, was a tower dedicated to embroidery. It had four floors: the first floor sold fabrics and piece goods, the second sold ready-made garments, the third offered custom tailoring for nobles, and the fourth housed the embroiderers.

"Sir, what do you think of this one? It's our latest piece—the blue suits the young master well."

At that moment, on the third floor of the Embroidery Tower, fine silks and embroidered garments were laid out all around, but none seemed to catch the eyes of the noble gentleman before them.

Faced with the manager's enthusiastic recommendation, Xie Nai swept a cold, clear gaze over them without speaking.

Seeing Xie Nai's silence, the manager glanced at the hundred taels of gold on the table, then after a moment's thought, said: "To be honest, we have a treasure here that might suit the young master perfectly. However, the price..."

Before the manager could finish, Luo Yue, standing behind Xie Nai, placed a carved box on the table. When he opened it, not only the manager but even Qin Jiao gasped. Inside were a thousand taels of gold, neatly stacked.

"Our master cherishes the young master like the apple of his eye. Everything he uses is custom-made by renowned craftsmen from the Capital's Tongjia Mansion. We're only passing through here on business and got delayed.

I heard the Embroidery Tower is the most famous in South Province. Don't worry about money—just bring out your finest items. If the young master takes a liking to them, our master will reward you generously."

The manager, dazzled by the thousand taels of gold, stammered: "Forgive me for not recognizing such distinguished guests. Please wait, I'll fetch the garments immediately."

"Hurry back," Luo Yue said coldly, maintaining his aloof demeanor.

Qin Jiao stared at Luo Yue, both shocked and admiring: What a story! "The apple of his eye," "everything custom-made by famous craftsmen"... His talent for making things up was almost matching He Zhao's.

Perhaps Qin Jiao's gaze was too intense, making Luo Yue suddenly a bit embarrassed. "Master, I'll go take a look around."

Xie Nai glanced at the bright-eyed Qin Jiao, then at Luo Yue, and finally waved his hand to grant Luo Yue's request.

Today, Xie Nai had brought Qin Jiao and Luo Yue to investigate the Embroidery Tower. To avoid drawing attention, the three disguised themselves as ordinary customers.

Using the pretext of buying clothes for Qin Jiao, Xie Nai had covered all three floors of the Embroidery Tower.

When they arrived, the tower was being elaborately decorated, as if preparing to welcome some important figure. Black-clad guards kept a sharp watch on every entrant. Maids and servants bustled about sweeping and cleaning. The items and ornaments in the hall were all valuable, and various fresh flowers had just been picked, still bearing dewdrops.

Soon, Luo Yue returned from gathering information.

He had subtly questioned some servants in the tower. Apparently, an important guest was expected tomorrow, so the tower was being meticulously prepared. From the top manager down to the lowliest maids and servants, no one dared slack off.

An important guest?

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