This man had some brains—unfortunately, not much.
Su Liuyue cast him a cool glance, her lips curving faintly: “If this cannot be considered evidence, then would Shopkeeper Cao be willing to let the yamen examine his body? The victim struggled before death; the killer must bear scratches. Since you insist you are not the murderer, surely you have none of those marks?”
Shopkeeper Cao’s body stiffened instantly.
“The victim was most likely killed while Zheng and Liu were delivering books to Yangzheng Academy. During that time, Shopkeeper Cao claimed he was at Jinyang Pavilion discussing business. Surely that cannot be false. If we ask the attendants there, they can testify he was indeed at Jinyang Pavilion—and that he has worn the same clothes all day, without changing.”
Shopkeeper Cao swayed, the last trace of color draining from his face.
“Speaking of which…” Su Liuyue suddenly smiled, her voice gentle and almost kind: “I wondered why you had Miss Sun handle your wife’s body. Why not move her yourself? Then I heard Assistant Prefect Lu say that when Shopkeeper Yuan received the note, his only clerk had just been sent out to deliver goods. Why at that exact moment? Why not earlier or later? Why precisely when you were framing Shopkeeper Yuan? I suspect, Shopkeeper Cao, you were too busy—pretending to be a customer ordering pastries from *Manyifang*, writing the note, bribing a beggar to deliver it to Shopkeeper Yuan. You had no time to deal with your wife’s body yourself.”
Her tone was almost sympathetic: “Finding a beggar is difficult. Finding a pastry customer is not. If you were not the killer, then surely that customer had nothing to do with you.”
As soon as she finished, there was a heavy thud. Shopkeeper Cao collapsed onto the ground, his face filled with despair.
Su Liuyue only looked at him coldly.
This murder had been impulsive. Though they quickly thought to frame Shopkeeper Yuan, they overlooked many details. In truth, once suspicion fell on them, their flaws were countless.
The three doubts she raised—if Shopkeeper Cao failed to answer even one—were damning evidence. And judging by his expression, her deductions were not entirely wrong. She had guessed nearly all of it.
At that moment, Miss Sun, who had remained silent, suddenly fell to her knees, covering her face and sobbing bitterly.
Zheng Yaozu and Liu Ergui, standing beside her, recoiled in shock, staring at their shopkeeper and Miss Sun in utter disbelief.
Seeing that Shopkeeper Cao was left speechless, Su Liuyue slowly swept her gaze over the still‑bewildered crowd before finally turning to Assistant Prefect Lu: “Assistant Prefect Lu, the situation is now clear. The ones who killed the victim and framed Shopkeeper Yuan were Shopkeeper Cao and Miss Sun! The clerks at *Qilu Bookshop* said the victim had recently come in several times to ask about Shopkeeper Cao’s whereabouts. It seems she had begun to suspect her husband was seeing someone outside. Today, she came again to inquire, learned that he was at Jinyang Pavilion, and hurried away. Up to this point, the clerks’ testimonies are consistent.”
“The problem lies in what happened afterward. After Zheng and Liu went to Yangzheng Academy to deliver goods, only Miss Sun remained in the shop. If I am not mistaken, Shopkeeper Cao returned then, and he and Miss Sun were together. The victim, perhaps failing to find him at Jinyang Pavilion or perhaps hearing some rumor, suddenly returned to Qilu Bookshop and caught them in the act. That is when she was brutally murdered!”
“Assistant Prefect Lu told me earlier that Qilu Bookshop has a back door leading directly to this alley. At that time, the street was quiet. Through that back door, Miss Sun could easily drag the body here without attracting notice.”
“The victim struggled before death; there were blood and skin flakes under her nails. This means the person she fought either had torn clothing or scratches on exposed skin. Miss Sun shows neither. Therefore, the one who fought with her could only have been Shopkeeper Cao. Afterward, he likely changed clothes. Assistant Prefect Lu, you might send men to check the nearby clothing shops—you may find something interesting.”
“It’s… it’s all her fault! All her fault!” Suddenly, Shopkeeper Cao lifted his head from where he had collapsed, glaring at Su Liuyue with hatred, gritting his teeth: “It was that woman—domineering and jealous—always forbidding me to take concubines! A man should have three wives and four concubines; that is only natural. By what right did she deny me? By what right!”
Su Liuyue paused, her gaze cold as she lowered her eyes to him: “So you killed your own wife? If I am not mistaken, her maid is also unlikely to have survived.”
After killing his wife, he deliberately left Qilu Bookshop to fabricate an alibi, pretending he had never been there that day. The time between his departure and when he was brought back was long enough for him to do many things.
Earlier, when Su Liuyue heard the crowd mention that the victim had no maid with her today, she felt a bad premonition.
Assistant Prefect Lu turned sharply, staring at Su Liuyue in astonishment.
This murder case—could there really be another victim?!
Knowing there was no way back, Shopkeeper Cao suddenly laughed wildly, his expression twisted with both pride and despair: “That wretched maid deserved it! Always whispering in my wife’s ear, stirring suspicion against me. She made my wife doubt me!”
“Today, after finishing business at Jinyang Pavilion, I bought a hairpin at the door for Xiao He. The attendants at Jinyang Pavilion saw me. When my wife came looking for me there, they told her about it. That wretched maid then urged my wife, saying the hairpin must have been bought for someone else. If not for her, my wife wouldn’t have rushed back to Qilu Bookshop! She wouldn’t have caught me with Xiao He!”
“Ha! Later, on my way back to Jinyang Pavilion, I ran into that maid. My wife had stormed off so quickly in her anger that the maid couldn’t keep up. I had never intended to spare her. She delivered herself to me, haha! She delivered herself to me!”
By now, he no longer resembled the refined gentleman he had once seemed, but a beast wearing human skin.
Assistant Magistrate Lu strode forward, glaring furiously: “So! You killed not just one person! Where is that maid now?”
But Shopkeeper Cao only sneered, refusing to answer.
Assistant Prefect Lu’s temper flared again. He kicked him hard, about to order him taken back to the yamen for interrogation, when that familiar crisp voice rang out once more: “After killing, he wanted to hurry back to Jinyang Pavilion, pretending he had just come out from there. He met the maid on the road. He had time to kill her, but not to dispose of the body properly. He must have hidden it temporarily. Along the road, there aren’t many places to hide a corpse. Assistant Prefect Lu should have men search the wells, abandoned shrines, or houses that have been unoccupied recently.”
As Su Liuyue spoke each word, Shopkeeper Cao’s face remained twisted with smug malice—until she mentioned “unoccupied houses.” Then his brow twitched ever so slightly.
Su Liuyue sneered inwardly, then turned to Assistant Prefect Lu: “Assistant Prefect Lu should focus the search on houses that have been vacant lately.”
Her tone carried absolute certainty.
Shopkeeper Cao’s eyes flew wide. He stared at her in disbelief, blurting: “You… how do you know?!”
Assistant Prefect Lu’s brow twitched. Why did those words sound strangely familiar?
The crowd stared at Su Liuyue as though she were some uncanny creature.
Judging by Shopkeeper Cao’s reaction, had she guessed correctly again?
What was with this young woman? How could she so easily see through anyone’s thoughts?
Su Liuyue turned, her gaze cool, lips curved faintly: “Nothing more than a simple deduction.”
Then she looked at Assistant Prefect Lu: “Now that everything is clear, Assistant Prefect Lu, shouldn’t you arrest the murderer?”
Assistant Prefect Lu, who had just opened his mouth to ask about her “simple deduction,” froze, then nodded reflexively: “Oh, yes. He should be arrested. He should indeed be arrested.”
“Men, seize the criminals at once and escort them back to the Capital Yamen!”