Fu Xiujin did not respond to their words. Instead, he asked them to explain what they had been doing from the previous evening until dawn, and whether they had any alibis.
He Tian immediately explained that the previous evening, he had prepared dinner and then cleaned the kitchen with a maid. Around midnight, he cooked late-night snacks for Madam Guo and the other concubines. After finishing everything, he returned to the servants’ quarters, chatted with the other servants, and then went to rest.
Liu Dali said that after dinner, he played cards with the other guards until the second watch of the night, after which he began patrolling the estate.
Steward Wang summoned the relevant people, and each confirmed their testimonies. Suddenly, there were no suspects left for the time of the crime.
Fu Xiujin thought for a moment, then asked the crowd, “Who else saw Master Cao after the evening?”
Concubine Su immediately stepped forward, jealousy in her voice, “Concubine Chen, of course. The master spent the night in her room.”
At that, Steward Wang seemed to recall something. He slapped his forehead and said to Yao Shu and the others, “Yesterday morning, I went to Concubine Chen’s room to serve breakfast, but she told me the master had already eaten and gone to the study to check the account books. She said he instructed not to be disturbed.”
Now, Concubine Chen was implicated, and Madam Guo grew more troubled. She ordered someone to bring Concubine Chen out.
Soon, a figure in white appeared before everyone. Yao Shu looked at her and sighed unconsciously, while Fu Xiujin’s eyes showed disappointment.
Such a frail, petite figure did not match someone capable of strangling Master Cao with bare hands.
On the way to fetch her, Madam Guo had already explained Concubine Chen’s background. She was a seamstress who once sold embroidery on the street until Master Cao forced her into marriage as a concubine. She had lived in the household for over a year, quiet and meek, not the type to cause trouble.
Fu Xiujin still followed procedure, asking her about the previous night. Concubine Chen lowered her head, trembling, clutching her sleeves, and whispered her defense: Master Cao had drunk some wine and spent the night in her room. During the drinking, Steward Wang had come to deliver a late-night snack. The next morning, Master Cao went to the study, instructing her to tell Steward Wang not to disturb him, as he wanted to check the account books himself.
Steward Wang, hearing his name, immediately stepped forward and confirmed it. He said that when he delivered the snack, Master Cao was indeed alive, though he complained that the delivery had interrupted his mood.
Meanwhile, Yao Shu carefully examined the study. Apart from the broken cup, everything was neatly arranged, with no signs of struggle. It did not look like the primary crime scene.
Just as she was about to give up, a nearby bookshelf caught her attention. The dark red color of the wood was strikingly similar to the powder found beneath Cao Hongfa’s fingernails. She examined the bookshelf from top to bottom, but found no scratches. Clearly, Master Cao had not been killed in the study.
“Coroner Yao, is there something wrong with this bookshelf?” Madam Guo, seeing Yao Shu’s focus, asked anxiously.
Yao Shu was about to shake her head when she suddenly realized something. Pointing at the bookshelf, she asked, “Steward Wang, where else in the household is there furniture of this color? Could you take me to see?”
Steward Wang thought for a moment, then said, “This is a red sandalwood bookshelf the master ordered last year. It came with a matching luohan bed, which is in Concubine Chen’s room. At the time, the master favored her greatly and sent all the good things to her quarters. I remember it clearly.”
At this, Concubine Chen panicked. She didn’t understand why Yao Shu was suddenly asking about furniture. She bit her lip, looking pitiful, too afraid to speak.
“I want to see Concubine Chen’s room. The powder under the master’s fingernails matches this red sandalwood. I suspect it came from such furniture.”
Following Yao Shu’s reasoning, Fu Xiujin strode to the corpse and scrutinized it, confirming her suspicion. Madam Guo, seeing his grave expression, immediately ordered Steward Wang to lead them to Concubine Chen’s quarters.
As expected, Zhao Shaobai and Yao Shu examined the bed closely. Soon, they found three scratch marks on the bed’s headboard, and Zhao Shaobai discovered a broken fingernail beneath the bed.
It seemed the crime had happened in haste—the killer had forgotten to check and clean the scene, leaving such obvious evidence. Clearly, the murderer had been in a panic.
Smack! A sharp slap rang out.
Concubine Chen covered her face, standing aside, while Concubine Su’s eyes blazed with fury. She had long resented her younger rival. “You treacherous little wretch! The master treated you so well—how could you kill him? He gave you everything, what more did you want?!”
Concubine Su lunged to scratch Concubine Chen’s face, but Zhao Shaobai quickly restrained her, preventing a whole fight.
“I—I didn’t kill the master! Yesterday I was in my room embroidering all day; I never went to the study. Many maids can testify for me. It really wasn’t me!”
Tears streamed down Concubine Chen’s face. Clearly, her height and strength did not match the crime. Master Cao was nearly twice her size—she could not have moved him to the study unnoticed. Moreover, the voice that scolded Concubine Su in the study the next morning had clearly been a man’s.
“Whether Concubine Chen killed him cannot yet be determined. But this is certainly the crime scene. Everyone else, leave us. We need to search further.” Yao Shu’s mind raced. Now that the scene was found, they could focus on the method and weapon, which might lead to the killer.
Madam Guo ordered everyone out, leaving only Fu Xiujin, Zhao Shaobai, and Yao Shu. Yao Shu immediately began examining the bed. Zhao Shaobai joined her, while Fu Xiujin stepped outside to instruct Madam Guo to guard the body, his eyes scanning the crowd as if he were casually looking.
The two searched around the bed but found nothing. Yao Shu then removed her embroidered shoes and climbed onto the bed. Zhao Shaobai straightened his back, stretching, and accidentally knocked against the bedframe with a dull thump.
Yao Shu suddenly had an idea. She leapt down, ran behind Zhao Shaobai, and wrapped her hands around his neck. Zhao Shaobai nearly threw her off in shock.
“Don’t move. At this height, Concubine Chen’s stature would be just enough to strangle Master Cao’s neck.”