Two voices rang out as Yan Chi and Qin Wan turned to look at each other.
Their eyes both lit up, neither expecting the other to say the same thing.
Madam Jiang frowned, first surprised, then looked toward Qin Wan and Yan Chi. “He’s lying? How so?”
Yan Chi’s eyes narrowed slightly, with depths of contemplation in his gaze. “Please, let Ninth Miss explain.”
Qin Wan’s lips moved slightly, but her gaze shifted toward Yue Ning. “Surely not only His Highness the Prince and I but also the Young Princess and the Marquis inside know that this Wei Wu is lying.”
A faint light flashed in Madam Jiang’s eyes as she turned to look at Yue Ning.
Yue Ning had only been frowning, feeling something was amiss, but hearing both Yan Chi and Qin Wan say this confirmed her suspicions. Meeting Madam Jiang’s gaze, she finally said, “Mother, you don’t know martial arts and have never fought anyone, so hearing this man’s account, you only understand that they fought, but can’t detect where the problems lie…”
Madam Jiang nodded, “Indeed.”
Yue Ning glanced at Yan Chi and Qin Wan. “This man said Second Brother grabbed the deceased’s shoulder, twisted him, and kicked him down to his knees. This movement would mean Second Brother twisted his arm behind him, and the deceased was facing away from Second Brother when kicked down.”
After speaking, Yue Ning looked at Qin Wan, clearly expecting her to continue.
Qin Wan obliged, “The deceased was impulsive enough to fight with the Second Young Master, but once subdued and having witnessed the Second Young Master’s martial prowess, he absolutely wouldn’t invite more trouble. At that moment, with his back to the Second Young Master, his first reaction after getting up would be to flee, yet Wei Wu claims that as soon as he stood up, the Second Young Master kicked him in the chest…”
Madam Jiang froze, her eyes flickering for several moments before suddenly realizing, “Having just stood up, he was facing away from Qing’er. Even if Qing’er kicked him, it would have been in the back – how could it have been in the chest…”
As Qin Wan and the others nodded, Madam Jiang’s face showed doubt. “But… could he have misspoken in his agitation…”
Yan Chi stepped forward, also standing by the window to look inside. Their section of the corridor was dimly lit – they could clearly see the people in the room, but those inside would have difficulty noticing them. They faced directly toward Yue Qiong, who sat in the head position, while Wei Wu and the others sat on either side, all turned toward Yue Qiong and thus unlikely to notice anyone outside the window.
Yan Chi said, “Listen, Madam. Wei Wu described every detail clearly and coherently. There’s no reason for there to be a flaw here. The only possibility is that he wanted to lie but, being unfamiliar with martial arts, told a low-level lie.”
Indeed, inside the room, Wei Wu was still recounting, “The Second Young Master’s martial arts are formidable. One could tell he was holding back at the time, but Brother Lin was dazed from the beating and wouldn’t back down, so the Second Young Master threw four consecutive punches at his ribs—”
“Four punches? How do you remember so precisely?”
Yue Qiong asked calmly, and Wei Wu hurriedly replied, “Because someone had recognized the Second Young Master’s identity by then, and we felt it wasn’t appropriate and kept trying to break up the fight, so we watched especially carefully.”
Wei Wu glanced at the others, who all nodded in agreement.
Madam Jiang’s face still showed traces of doubt. “This… he just had a slip of the tongue. That’s not enough to prove he’s lying. Besides, why would he lie?”
Given the situation and her past experiences, Qin Wan felt this case wasn’t as simple as the Second Young Master killing someone. Scenes from her past travels with her father flashed through her mind.
What would Father do in this situation?
“Madam,” Qin Wan spoke again after a moment, “there’s a way to know if he’s lying.”
Madam Jiang quickly asked, “What way?”
Qin Wan looked into the room, scanning Wei Wu up and down. “When people lie, they have subconscious movements. If you observe enough, you’ll notice these subconscious movements are common to everyone when they’re lying.”
After a brief pause, she continued, “Just have the Marquis question the earlier inconsistency. If Wei Wu is lying, his demeanor and expression will certainly change.”
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes. “His gaze will lower, his eyelids will droop, and his body will lean forward slightly in tension. Right now his hands are at his sides and his feet point toward the Marquis, but if he’s lying, his hands might move to his knees, showing he wants to end the questioning, and his feet will turn toward the door, indicating he wants to escape the situation.”
Madam Jiang’s eyes widened, while beside her, Yan Chi and Yue Ning also looked at Qin Wan in disbelief.
How could Qin Wan predict Wei Wu’s reactions so precisely when human behavioral habits were so varied?
Qin Wan smiled. “Madam can try it – perhaps I’m wrong.”
Having witnessed Qin Wan’s medical skills, Madam Jiang trusted her completely. While looking at Qin Wan with amazement, she beckoned to Lu Yun, who quickly came forward. Madam Jiang relayed Qin Wan’s suggestions, and Lu Yun entered the side hall under the pretense of serving tea.
From outside the window, everyone saw Yue Qiong’s brows furrow slightly when he heard Lu Yun’s message, then casually glanced toward the window. Only after Lu Yun left did his expression return to normal.
“Marquis? What happened?”
Wei Wu, being astute, actively inquired about what Lu Yun had said to cause such a reaction.
Yue Qiong sighed, “Prefect Huo has been delayed by some matters. He might not arrive for another hour.”
Wei Wu quickly nodded, appearing accommodating and friendly, even showing a somewhat ingratiating smile. “No matter, since the Marquis is willing to seek justice for Brother Lin, what’s another hour’s wait for us brothers?”
Yue Qiong nodded, but suddenly said, “Brother Wei, you mentioned earlier that my son kicked Brother Lin in the chest. Could you specify where exactly?”
Wei Wu’s smile froze, his gaze quickly dropping. His eyelids drooped, and his body hunched forward as he spoke slowly, as if trying to recall, “Well, it seems like—”
As he spoke, his half-clenched fist fell to his knee, and he shifted uncomfortably, one foot unconsciously turning toward the door.
“It seems like it was around here…”
In an instant, all the reactions Qin Wan had predicted appeared in Wei Wu’s behavior. Inside, Yue Qiong watched as Wei Wu placed his hand over his left chest area. Outside, Madam Jiang and the others looked at Qin Wan with bright eyes.
“Wan’er, you’re truly prophetic!”
Madam Jiang grabbed Qin Wan’s wrist. “Wan’er, does this confirm he’s lying?”
Qin Wan looked reassuringly at Madam Jiang but apologetically said, “Madam, not yet.”
Madam Jiang’s brows furrowed. “Why not? Everything you predicted came true…”
“Behavior and demeanor can only let us speculate whether he’s lying. They can point us in the right direction for uncovering the truth, but to confirm he’s lying, speculation isn’t enough – we need more concrete evidence.”
Madam Jiang frowned. “If he’s lying, does it relate to this murder case?”
Qin Wan nodded. “It’s possible.”
Madam Jiang seemed to see hope. This sixteen-year-old girl not only possessed remarkable medical skills but could also observe people with such astounding detail. If what she said was true, could there be more to this case? Could it directly affect how Qing’er’s crime would be judged?
Madam Jiang’s voice trembled with excitement. “Wan’er, how do we find the evidence?”
Qin Wan’s wrist ached from Madam Jiang’s grip. Meeting Madam Jiang’s reddened eyes, Qin Wan suddenly felt touched. She pressed her lips together, as if making some determination, and said, “The evidence is on the corpse!”