When Ersi and Er’an heard the name *Manyifang*, their faces turned pale. They had never been to Madam’s pastry shop, but they knew its name—it was indeed called *Manyifang*!
What terrible timing—how could trouble arise just as their young mistress had taken over the shop?
Seeing Su Liuyue hurrying forward, they had no choice but to follow quickly. As they drew closer to the crowd gathered outside the shop, Su Liuyue finally heard what they were saying—
“…Tsk, tsk. I heard it was a love affair gone wrong. Shopkeeper Yuan had an affair with the wife of the neighboring bookshop owner. Afraid of being exposed, he hardened his heart and killed her!”
“Heavens! How do you know Shopkeeper Yuan was the killer?”
“How could it be otherwise? Heaven may forgive misfortune, but self‑inflicted sin cannot be escaped. They say after killing her, Shopkeeper Yuan tried to flee, but slipped and fainted! The body was first discovered by Liu Ergui, a clerk from the bookshop next door. He found Shopkeeper Yuan lying right beside the dead woman. If he isn’t the killer, who else could it be?”
“This… this is awful! *Manyifang’s* pastries haven’t been as good these past few years, but my wife still liked them!”
Su Liuyue’s eyes darkened, her steps faltering as she listened.
At that moment, a sorrowful male voice rose from the crowd: “Please, my lords, see clearly! I am not the killer! I truly did not kill anyone!”
Immediately, a cold, harsh voice snapped back: “Silence! Whether you are the murderer or not, this official will decide!”
Su Liuyue lifted her gaze. Through the gaps in the crowd, she glimpsed a square‑faced, broad‑shouldered middle‑aged man in crimson official robes, pacing anxiously. He barked at the officer beside him: “Have you not yet summoned the people the victim met before her death? How long has it been? Useless fools!”
The officers dared not meet his eyes, bowing their heads and answering cautiously.
Su Liuyue frowned slightly.
The man pressed his lips tightly, restless pacing, clenched his hands behind his back, and his fingers twitched—all betrayed his agitation, even panic. For him to be here meant he was from the Capital Yamen. Judging by his robe color, his rank was not low. A man of his position must have handled hundreds of cases. This was, at face value, just another ordinary murder. Why was he so unsettled? And if he was this agitated, could he truly investigate properly?
Su Liuyue had always despised those who let personal emotions interfere with cases. If this man had been her subordinate, she would have sent him back to reflect in shame. Thinking quickly, she pushed her way into the crowd until she reached the front. She had worn a veiled hat today to avoid being recognized. Her sudden movement drew the attention of the onlookers, briefly distracting them from the murder case.
Ersi and Er’an hurried after her, carefully shielding their mistress.
Su Liuyue paid no attention to the stares around her. Once she reached the front, her view opened up, and she immediately spotted a slightly round middle‑aged man with a small tuft of beard, looking honest and simple.
At the moment, his face was haggard and panicked, his hair bun disheveled. His dark blue robe bore several conspicuous stains, mostly concentrated on the right sleeve. His collar was torn in several places, as if clawed at. He was being supported by a boy of fifteen or sixteen, his body swaying unsteadily, staring helplessly at the nearby official.
Su Liuyue fixed her gaze on him.
He was clearly the prime suspect in this case—the shopkeeper Yuan of *Manyifang*. When he turned slightly, she noticed blood on the back of his head. From the crowd’s earlier discussion, it seemed he had been injured there. The dark stains on his robe must have been blood he picked up when collapsing beside the victim.
She recalled her uncle once saying that Shopkeeper Yuan had served her maternal grandfather in the past. He was known for his honesty and reliability, with some skill and ability, and her grandfather had trusted him greatly.
Not long after Su Liuyue reached the front, the official grew impatient again. He yanked a nearby officer and barked: “Where are the witnesses? Can’t you find them?!”
The officer, terrified, stammered with a pale face: “They… they should be here soon. Please, Assistant Prefect Lu, be patient…”
Assistant Prefect Lu clenched his jaw, veins bulging as he gripped the officer’s hand tightly, growling low: “Try sitting in my place and see if you can be patient! This case was personally assigned to me by the Prefect, who also serves as Capital Prefect. He’s been purging the Capital Prefecture staff—do you think I can afford to be patient?”
His face was fierce, like a ghost. The poor officer trembled, nearly in tears.
Fortunately, after venting, Assistant Prefect Lu shoved him aside and shouted: “Go! See what those useless fools are doing! Finding a few people shouldn’t take until next New Year’s Eve!”
Before he finished, a hurried voice rang out from the distance: “Assistant Prefect Lu, we’ve found them! We’ve found them!”
Several officers pushed through the crowd, bringing two people. One was a young man, the other a petite, slender young woman. Her face wasn’t strikingly beautiful, but pleasant enough.
One officer stepped forward, bowed, and reported: “Assistant Prefect Lu, these two, like Liu Ergui earlier, are clerks from the *Qilu Bookshop*. The man is Zheng Yaozu, the woman is Miss Sun. There’s a Yangzheng Academy nearby. They had gone there to deliver ink and brushes to students who had placed orders, which is why they were difficult to find.”
Assistant Prefect Lu frowned slightly at the sight of Miss Sun. “Your bookshop… actually employs a female clerk?”
A young man who had already been present quickly stepped forward and said: “Reporting to Assistant Prefect Lu, Miss Sun’s father was once a licentiate scholar, but… but he passed away a few years ago. Miss Sun and her mother have lived nearby since then. Because of financial hardship, she had no choice but to seek work. Our shopkeeper is a kind man. Seeing that Miss Sun, as a woman, was pitiful, and that she unusually knew how to read and write, he kept her on to do odd jobs at the bookshop…”
This man was likely Liu Ergui, the clerk mentioned earlier by the officers. Together with Zheng Yaozu and Miss Sun, he was also a worker at *Qilu Bookshop*.
In ancient times, literate people were rare, and women who could read and were willing to work outside were rarer still. So the shopkeeper’s decision to employ Miss Sun was understandable.
Assistant Prefect Lu, however, clearly had no patience for such details. He suddenly pointed to the body of a woman lying not far away and barked: “That deceased is your shopkeeper’s wife. You all should recognize her! Liu Ergui said you each saw her today. Tell this official exactly when you saw her, and whether she showed any unusual behavior at the time!”
Su Liuyue followed the direction of his finger, her eyes narrowing slightly. She had already noticed the corpse when she reached the front. It lay in an alley between *Manyifang* and *Qilu Bookshop*. From her position, she could clearly see the body’s condition.