Bo Ruoyou forced herself to remain calm, suppressing the scream that almost escaped her lips. There are no ghosts in this world. What stood before her was a man — a man who looked exactly like Zheng Wenyan.
Just as this thought formed, a servant came up behind him. “Fourth Master, this is where Second and Third Masters lie in state. The old madam’s mourning hall is further northwest.”
Zheng Wenrong stood still.
Behind Bo Ruoyou, Eunuch Fu gasped in fright. “Heavens above, am I seeing things?”
Bo Ruoyou turned. Eunuch Fu had one foot over the threshold, the other still inside, clutching the doorframe, his face pale with shock at the sight of Zheng Wenrong.
Zheng Wenrong looked at Eunuch Fu, then at Bo Ruoyou. Her composure only made his calmness more striking. He bowed politely. “I am Zheng Wenrong.”
Eunuch Fu’s expression shifted several times before he finally stepped away from the doorframe, coughing lightly as he came forward. “So you are Fourth Master Zheng?”
Zheng Wenrong nodded. Eunuch Fu’s face grew shadowed and unreadable.
Up close, it was clear: though Zheng Wenrong and Zheng Wenyan shared identical features, their bearing was entirely different. Zheng Wenrong appeared more mature, his aura tranquil and steady, his eyes calm and unruffled. Dressed in wide-sleeved white Daoist robes, he carried an air of otherworldly detachment.
Though born a noble son of the Marquis’s household, Zheng Wenrong seemed more like a wandering Daoist scholar.
The servant asked again: “Fourth Master, shall we first pay respects to the old madam?”
Zheng Wenrong agreed softly, bowed once more to Eunuch Fu and Bo Ruoyou, then turned to leave. His manner was aloof, courteous yet untouched by worldly concerns, showing no excess emotion.
As he departed, Eunuch Fu’s gaze grew meaningful. “Our dynasty has long held that twins are inauspicious. So it seems the so-called Third Master Zheng was the unlucky one — and this is where the saying comes from…”
Twins are rare in the world. When twin children are born, there are tales of evil spirits splitting souls and bringing misfortune. If twins are born into the imperial family, it is said to cause chaos in government and calamity for the realm. The belief that twins bring harm to their mother has long circulated. Thus, whether among commoners or royals, whenever twins are born, the rule is that one child must go while the other remains. Yet many parents cannot bear it, and so the weaker child is often sent away to be raised elsewhere, at least preserving its life.
Bo Ruoyou frowned, watching Zheng Wenrong depart. “Could this be the secret the Marquis’s household sought to conceal? But now that Fourth Master has returned, nothing can be hidden.”
Eunuch Fu sighed. “With the old madam gone, and such matters arising in the household, not returning would be too unfilial.”
As Bo Ruoyou pondered, an Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived. “Eunuch, Miss Bo, the Marquis requests your presence.”
Led by the guard, Bo Ruoyou soon found Huo Weilou.
Outside Zheng Wenyan’s study lay a grove of wintersweet blossoms. It was the first month of the year, and the plum trees were in full bloom, their fragrance heavy in the air. Within this grove, the guards had found traces of the killer.
Huo Weilou pointed to one of the trees. “Look.”
Bo Ruoyou first saw a set of footprints marked in the snow. On the trunk of a plum tree nearby was a smear of fresh red blood. It was human blood. She looked around and asked: “Marquis, was blood found inside the courtyard?”
Huo Weilou shook his head. “No.”
Bo Ruoyou said: “Then it must be the killer’s own blood. In the study, there was no spatter, no stains elsewhere. Unless by accident, the killer would not have carried Zheng Wenyan’s blood. And since no traces were left in the courtyard, this blood must be his own. The tree bark is rough. Judging from the amount and height of the blood, it was likely a scrape. The wound should be on the upper body — most likely the hands or arms. The cut is obvious…”
She examined further, then looked at the footprints. Measuring them with her hand, she noted the size. The prints were evenly pressed, larger than she expected. Her brows furrowed in thought.
Huo Weilou’s gaze sharpened. “Well?”
Bo Ruoyou hesitated, then said: “My foster father taught me that foot length often correlates with height. Normally, a person’s height is about seven times their foot length. These prints are seven inches long. Calculated, that makes the killer taller than we just deduced.”
Huo Weilou frowned.
Bo Ruoyou followed the prints a few steps. Compared side by side, the killer’s footprints were nearly the same size as hers, but slightly shallower.
Bo Ruoyou spoke firmly: “Unless… the killer is thinner than I am. The footprints are nearly the same size, so by rights the killer should be of similar stature. But there is another possibility.”
She crouched low, then lifted her gaze to Huo Weilou. “He may have been ill, or lived in poverty with poor diet. That would explain why the footprints match mine in size, yet his body is much more slender and shorter.”
Huo Weilou said: “So — the killer is about five feet tall, thin, perhaps weakened by illness or malnutrition. Tonight, after committing the crime, he also sustained a clear external wound. Moreover, he is skilled with narcotics, familiar with the household layout, and capable of climbing. Summon everyone in the estate at once. Search them one by one according to these traits.”
He gave the order without hesitation. Several Embroidered Uniform Guards responded immediately and went to the front courtyard.
Seeing Bo Ruoyou studying the direction of the footprints, Huo Weilou added: “Beyond this plum grove lies the main path of the estate. The snow there has been swept clean — the trail ends here.”
Bo Ruoyou rose with some regret. “Third Master Zheng’s body has been examined again, but no further clues were found. The vajra pestle bears only traces of candle smoke. It was used in rituals today — nothing unusual.”
Her brows knit, her face heavy with helplessness, as though failing to find more evidence meant she had not done her duty. Huo Weilou was about to speak when Eunuch Fu stepped forward. “Marquis, did you know the Fourth Master has returned?”
Huo Weilou nodded, his tone suddenly colder. “I know. He and Zheng Wenyan are twin brothers.”
Since Huo Weilou had guards watching the estate’s main paths, he naturally knew Zheng Wenrong had returned. Eunuch Fu frowned. “Nanny Yu spoke vaguely before. When asked why Third Master was called ‘unlucky,’ she evaded the question. Could it be because the brothers are twins?”
The plum grove was silent, the starless night lit only by torchlight, casting broken shadows. Eunuch Fu’s words echoed in the cold wind, but no answer came.
Huo Weilou said darkly, “If that were all, it would be simple. What I fear is something harder to speak of.”
The existence of twins in the Marquis’s household might be shameful if revealed, but it would not destroy them. Yet now, with murders committed and Marquis Wuzhao himself questioning them, they still dared conceal the truth. If it were only about twins, neither Huo Weilou nor Bo Ruoyou could believe it. And the killer, who had struck three times, leaving the words “repay life” — was this connected to the twins?
Huo Weilou did not linger. He quickly led men out of the grove to search for suspects.
At that moment, Prefect He arrived from the front courtyard. “Marquis, the Taoist has been summoned from Sanqing Temple outside the city, a man of some renown. He calculated roughly: this year is indeed a yin year. As for yin days, only New Year’s Day was one. The old madam’s seventh day and today’s second seventh-day were not.”
Huo Weilou frowned, thinking. “Count forward from this year’s New Year’s Day, back fifteen years. Also, calculate the birthdates of Zheng Wenchen and his brothers.”
Such calculations would take time. Prefect He agreed, and knowing Huo Weilou had new leads and was about to question the household, followed him to the front courtyard.
There, the hall was filled with people. Inside stood the household masters; outside, all the servants.
The guards reported: “Marquis, aside from the old nurse and the Marchioness, everyone is here.”
Nanny Yu never left the ancestral hall, and the Marchioness was mad, neither fitting the suspect’s stature.
Huo Weilou nodded and entered the main hall. Inside, all the wives and young masters were present, including the Third Madam.
Huo Weilou took the chief seat, his face cold and commanding.
With Zheng Wenyan gone, Zheng Wenan had become the acting head. He stepped forward respectfully. “Marquis, have you found new clues?”
The Third Madam still wept, Zheng Hao clinging to her sleeve, his face pale with fear after the earlier shock.
Huo Weilou swept his gaze across the hall. “Where is Fourth Master Zheng?”
Zheng Wenan’s expression shifted. “Fourth Brother only returned tonight. He could not possibly be the killer. He need not be summoned.”
Outside the hall stood nearly a hundred servants of the Marquis’s household, from stewards to maids. Zheng Wenan lowered his voice, clearly unwilling for Zheng Wenrong to appear before them.
Huo Weilou’s gaze darkened, and Zheng Wenan’s eyes filled with pleading. “Marquis, if you must see Fourth Brother, wait until the crowd disperses. I beg you…”
As he spoke, Zheng Wenan lifted his robe and knelt, truly imploring. But before Huo Weilou could reply, a commotion erupted in the courtyard. Zheng Wenan looked out — and nearly fainted.
It was Zheng Wenrong himself, arriving!
He walked slowly, directly toward the main hall. The servants, seeing a man identical to Zheng Wenyan, panicked. The timid ones collapsed to the ground in fright. Zheng Wenan shut his eyes, despair written across his face.
At the front, Zheng Yunní glared coldly at Zheng Wenrong, her gaze so fierce it seemed she wished to devour him on the spot.
Bo Ruoyou, standing beside Huo Weilou, sighed inwardly. So the eldest daughter of the household also knew of the twin brothers. She was about to look away when her brows suddenly furrowed. On Zheng Yunní’s tightly clenched hand was a glaring, fresh red wound.