Сhаpter 14: Сluеs tо thе Мurderer
When Сhun Тao еntered аnd sаw А’Yuаn’s distrаught аpреаrаnce, shе thought something had hарpеnеd.
“Маstеr…”
A’Yuаn slоwlу raised hеr hеad, hеr watery аlmond еyes red аnd swollеn. “Tеll Grаnny Zhu therе’s no need tо sеll thе рouchеs аnуmоre.”
“What hаpрened?” Сhun Taо knew her mаster was short оn mоnеy. Веsides the embrоiderу wоrk for the оld madam аnd the sесоnd wife, thеse pоuches wеrе sоmething she had gritted her teeth and stауed up late tо еmbroider.
“…Thе уoung master found out.”
……
Since that day, half a month had passed without Wei Xun setting foot in A’Yuan’s courtyard.
Not only Chang Yuan, but even his colleagues at the government office could feel his low spirits.
“Lord Wei, there’s a breakthrough in the case!”
Qi Shaoyin walked over excitedly with the case files, completely unaffected by Wei Xun’s mood.
“All four victims had been to the Brocade Pavilion. I suspect the murderer is connected to the Brocade Pavilion!”
Widow Tao was a regular customer at the Brocade Pavilion, and the twin sisters had also bought their sewing supplies there. Combined with Lady Liu’s pouch, the four seemingly unrelated individuals were perfectly linked together.
“Thanks to Lord Wei’s sharp insight, we would never have thought to look for clues from the pouches.”
Qi Shaoyin looked at him with admiration, but Wei Xun’s expression remained grim.
He had been ignoring A’Yuan these days, hoping she would take the initiative to admit her mistake. Yet A’Yuan had stayed holed up in her courtyard without even stepping outside.
Indeed, she was just a little liar. Her previous obedience had all been an act to deceive him.
Only he had believed it, even thinking of marrying a gentle and virtuous wife so she could avoid harsh treatment.
Now, looking back, he realized he was the fool who had been played all along.
Wei Xun’s eyes suddenly turned cold, his voice sharp. “Arrest them!”
The owner of the Brocade Pavilion was a woman who retained her charm, surnamed Qin. Others called her Sanniang.
Qin Sanniang had come to the capital ten years ago. She had no children, her husband had passed away early, and she had managed to revive this embroidery shop in the capital on her own.
There were countless famous embroidery shops in the capital, and the Brocade Pavilion was not particularly eye-catching. No one would have thought this shop would be connected to the case of the missing young women.
“Officers, we’re just a small business. We’ve always been law-abiding. How could we possibly do anything illegal?”
Qin Sanniang swayed her hips, speaking ingratiatingly to Wei Xun and the others.
But Wei Xun had never been interested in women, and Qi Shaoyin was a bookworm whose mind was solely on official duties. Her flirtatious glances were destined to be wasted.
“Whether it’s illegal or not will be determined after the search. Search!”
At Wei Xun’s command, the officers from the Capital Prefecture rushed inside.
The customers of the Brocade Pavilion had long been evacuated. Apart from Qin Sanniang and a shop assistant, there was no one else inside.
Seeing the officers charge in, Qin Sanniang’s face turned pale.
“Officers, there’s really nothing inside. Please don’t search…”
But how would the officers listen to her?
The Brocade Pavilion was not large. After searching the front shop, nothing was found.
The leading officer came to ask for Wei Xun’s instructions. Wei Xun glanced at Qin Sanniang’s forced composure and said in a deep voice, “Search the backyard.”
“Thud!”
Hearing this, Qin Sanniang’s legs gave way, and she knocked over the embroidery frame behind her.
“It’s over, it’s over…”
The backyard was where she and the shop assistant usually lived. There was only one main hall and two side rooms. The officers split up to search, and in less than the time it took to finish a cup of tea, they made a discovery.
“Sir, there’s a secret passage in Qin Sanniang’s bedroom!”
Wei Xun and Qi Shaoyin exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave.The secret passage was under Qin Sanniang’s bed. If Wei Xun hadn’t ordered every nook and cranny to be searched, the soldiers would never have discovered it.
When the bed board was lifted, a stone staircase appeared before their eyes.
“Sir, shall we go down?”
Lin Bao saw Wei Xun about to descend and quickly stopped him.
“No need to argue. Both you and I will go down.”
“Then I’m going too!”
Not wanting to be left behind, Qi Shaoyin insisted. In the end, all three stepped onto the stone staircase.
Lin Bao led the way with a lantern, while Wei Xun and Qi Shaoyin brought up the rear.
The passage was narrow and long, and as soon as they descended, a foul, rotting smell assaulted their senses.
Wei Xun’s eyes narrowed. The expressions on all three faces were grim.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the passage suddenly widened, revealing a room before them.
The room was not large. Stone walls held several torches, along with various instruments like whips and shackles.
And on those instruments, four female corpses were bound.
Due to the cold weather, the bodies had not decomposed, but the enclosed space still reeked of decay. Especially since all four had suffered torture before death, not a single patch of flesh on their bodies remained intact.
“Ugh!”
Qi Shaoyin couldn’t hold back and vomited on the spot.
“Lord Wei, this murderer deserves death by a thousand cuts!”
Both of them had handled cases at the Capital Prefecture for years, but this was the first time they had encountered such a deranged criminal.
Thinking of the suffering the four women endured, Qi Shaoyin trembled uncontrollably.
“Rest assured, he will not escape justice!”
Wei Xun glanced back at the four corpses before leading Lin Bao and Qi Shaoyin back to the Brocade Pavilion.
With the truth exposed, Qin Sanniang was already terrified out of her wits. “Officers, I didn’t kill them! It has nothing to do with me! If you want to arrest someone, go arrest someone else…”
Wei Xun stared at her, his dark eyes unfathomable, radiating a bone-chilling coldness.
“Take her away. Find out who is behind this. If she refuses to talk… use 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 murderer was not uncovered, who knew how many more women would suffer? The reputation of the Capital Prefecture would also be ruined.
……
“Lord Wei, who do you think the murderer is?”
Qi Shaoyin had been sniffing camphor for a while before he felt somewhat better.
Covering his nose, he discussed the case with Wei Xun.
Wei Xun’s deep eyes narrowed slightly. The person capable of committing such crimes under the nose of the Capital Prefecture must be someone of noble status. The Brocade Pavilion was merely a front.
And those who could evade the Capital Prefecture’s surveillance were even fewer. He already had someone in mind.
Wei Xun turned to look in the direction of the palace, his expression turning grave for the first time.
The only question was, which one among them was the murderer.
……
These past few days, A’Yuan had been living in constant fear. Even in her dreams, she saw Wei Xun’s cold face scolding her angrily.
“Master, why don’t you go beg the Young Master? What if he isn’t angry?”
Chun Tao couldn’t bear to see her master so anxious and unsettled. These days, with the Young Master not visiting, the servants in the Marquis’s estate were once again judging people by their status. Even the kitchen dared to send leftovers and cold dishes, not to mention the Second Madam’s arrogance—she actually ordered A’Yuan to do embroidery work for Su Yingxue.
A’Yuan twisted her handkerchief in her fingers, her resolve already wavering.
She still had to survive in the Marquis’s estate. She could endure hardship herself, but she couldn’t drag Chun Tao down, especially since Chun Tao’s mother, Granny Zhu, had lost her job because of her.
A’Yuan’s heart ached with bitterness. Chun Tao had kept it from her, but she had eventually learned about it from a cleaning maid.She usually hated to trouble others, and now that she had heard about Granny Zhu, she naturally couldn’t sit still.
“Alright, I’ll go.”