Tao Chun was both embarrassed and annoyed. She glanced around; fortunately, Miss Su’s courtyard rarely saw visitors. Otherwise, if anyone saw Miss Su painting something like that, her reputation would be ruined!
Su Yihan snorted, rolling up the painting and handing it to Tao Chun:
“Take it and keep it safe.”
“Yes!” Tao Chun’s face was determined. She would hide the spring palace painting somewhere no one could ever find it.
After securing the scroll, she exhaled with satisfaction and beamed:
“Miss, the sun is bright today. Shall we go for a walk?”
Now that the temperature had risen, a short outing would be beneficial, as long as they had umbrellas to avoid direct sunlight.
“Let’s go.”
Tao Chun hurried inside to fetch an oil-paper umbrella and held it over Su Yihan.
Yet Su Yihan still wore a straw hat to conceal her face.
The main street was bustling with life—the cries of candied hawker vendors, the smell of fragrances, rouge, silks, and satins filling the air.
Tao Chun glanced around at the various stalls, enjoying herself, until they eventually reached Moonlight River.
Moonlight River was a famous meeting place. Many romantic gatherings took place there; women would release flower lanterns by the water, and the young noble ladies and gentlemen often came boating in the heat.
By coincidence, that day was no exception.
Tao Chun scouted ahead and returned:
“Miss, up ahead is a boating event hosted by Miss Qi Xueyou and her group. Miss Shen Xinyao is also present.”
It was strange—Shen Xinyao could actually mingle with Qi Xueyou.
“Miss, should we avoid them?” Tao Chun asked.
Su Yihan lightly replied, “Mm.”
Suddenly, screams rang out:
“Someone’s dead!”
“A c… corpse! Call the authorities!”
Su Yihan had just lifted a step when the shouts and cries came from the painted boat.
She stepped forward, boarded a small boat, and tossed a copper coin to the boatman:
“Follow that painted boat.”
“Yes, Miss!”
The small boat was fast and quickly caught up.
Tao Chun announced their identity:
“Su Yihan of the Su family.”
The attendants on the painted boat hastily lowered a ladder. Su Yihan climbed aboard.
By social protocol, Qi Xueyou stood in the center, elegant and poised.
Her figure was full and graceful. She wore a white low-cut dress under a sheer silk overlay, tied with a white sash. Her hair was styled in a flowing cloud bun, adorned with pearl flowers, her fair skin flushed slightly, with graceful brows and sparkling eyes.
Being ranked second on the capital’s beauty list was no joke; her appearance and family background justified it.
“Miss Su,” Qi Xueyou greeted with a respectful bow.
Su Yihan removed her hat.
It was their first meeting. Qi Xueyou’s brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes gentle yet unreadable, a mix of curiosity and caution. Her expression carried a subtle sorrow, her presence delicate and captivating—serene as a flower reflected in water, yet graceful in movement.
Everyone was still recovering from shock. Su Yihan asked calmly:
“Where is the body?”
People instinctively made way. On the boat’s floor lay a corpse, prison garments tightly fitting the woman’s body. Her eyes were rolled back, soaked with water.
The immersion hadn’t lasted long—the body wasn’t pale yet, and the face was still clearly visible.
It was Xiaoluo, the one who should have been imprisoned.
After the news of Zhuang Manqing’s suicide spread, today Xiaoluo’s body was dumped into the river. The real culprit, Cheng Guan, had already been punished. What benefit was there in eliminating Xiaoluo completely?
Who would do such a thing?
Su Yihan glanced briefly:
“Where did the body surface?”
Shen Xinyao snorted:
“Lord Su is skilled at cases, unlike you. Why posture like that?”
“Marquis Qing’an is courteous, but Miss Shen lacks manners entirely,” Su Yihan retorted calmly.
“Who’s the one lacking manners!” Shen Xinyao snapped, approaching Su Yihan, her gaze sharp.
Su Yihan smiled lightly:
“Miss Shen, you’d better stay back. Don’t risk me pretending to stumble and push you into the water.”
Shen Xinyao, though angry, was momentarily intimidated. The sickly girl seemed capable of such a deed. She silently stepped back.
Qi Xueyou spoke gently:
“The body floated up over there.”
She pointed the way. Su Yihan looked in that direction—it wasn’t downstream, but a little distance away.
Clearly, someone had timed it to make passersby encounter the corpse. They calculated the floating time, knowing Qi Xueyou would host a boating gathering today.
“Who discovered the body first?”
Qi Xueyou’s eyes were gentle:
“It was Ruishuang.”
Han Ruishuang, the illegitimate daughter of the Han family.
Her body trembled slightly, pupils constricted. She stammered:
“I… I… just wanted to see the fish in the lake… but then… then I looked down and…”
She had come face to face with a corpse. The eyes were wide open, staring blankly.
“Such a timid one,” Shen Xinyao sneered.
Tao Chun whispered:
“The loudest scream I heard from the shore was yours…”
She scolded others for being timid—how shameless.
Soon, the authorities arrived.
It was the Six Doors (Liusanmen). For someone like Xiaoluo, without status, cases were usually handled by them.
“Miss… aren’t you going to take this case?” Tao Chun asked softly.
Su Yihan shook her head lightly.
As long as it didn’t concern her father’s interests or safety, the case was irrelevant to her. Though it was clearly a complex matter, it fell under the Six Doors’ jurisdiction.
Cao Hao, a captain of the Six Doors, arrived with a team of constables. The Six Doors were hostile to the Jin Yi Wei, due to strict hierarchies—they disliked the Wei’s superiority.
Thus, they had no particular fondness for Su Yihan either; after all, Su Jin had initially taken a case from the Six Doors for her sake.
“Miss Su is here as well,” Cao Hao said, smiling without warmth, alert.
Su Yihan smiled lightly:
“I’m just here to observe, Captain Cao, please proceed.”
The boat docked. The noble ladies, feeling disgusted, left first.
Su Yihan stayed behind.
Qi Xueyou gently remarked:
“Miss Su, the scene of a coroner examining a body isn’t very visually appealing…”
“A personal preference,” Su Yihan replied.
Shen Xinyao, though nauseated, wanted to appear brave and stayed, blurting:
“You have this special preference, I want to see too!”
“By all means.”
Cao Hao began the autopsy himself.
“Few livor mortis spots; time of death estimated within four to five hours.”
Removing the prison garments revealed marks of whipping—bruises covered her body:
“No torture was inflicted after death. The victim was abused to death while alive.”
“The weapon was a whip. Besides the face, the body was densely scarred, showing the perpetrator wanted the victim’s identity exposed.”
“No sedatives were found in the mouth or stomach. There were indications of gagging, blood on the tongue, struggles while conscious.”
This was excessively cruel and blatant. To beat someone to death while conscious—what deep hatred must the killer have harbored?