“Where did Little Song Zi encounter the murderer?” Sun Mu Qing frowned briefly before asking with confusion.
Qin Wan remained silent, suddenly stopping in her tracks.
As she stopped, the crowd following behind her also halted. Qin Wan narrowed her eyes and spoke with a solemn voice.
“It was right here—”
Qin Wan stood in a covered corridor. Directly ahead was the latrine Master Dong had mentioned earlier, while to her west was a courtyard. Across the courtyard was another covered corridor leading elsewhere. Qin Wan looked around and said, “When Little Song Zi left his room in the middle of the night, there was only one possibility – he needed to use the latrine.”
Qin Wan took two steps forward. This time, instead of walking directly into the courtyard, she walked to where the two corridors intersected. Looking at the corridor opposite, she said, “Just as he was about to reach the latrine, he saw the killer.”
Qin Wan’s solemn tone sent chills down everyone’s spines. It was as if they had all become Little Song Zi, encountering that ruthless killer. Song Li, following behind everyone, said, “What makes you say that?! How do you know he went where you say he did?”
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “If I’m not mistaken, there should be a passageway at the end of the opposite corridor that leads directly to the courtyard where the crime occurred. Little Song Zi saw the killer’s shadowy figure, and finding it suspicious, followed. When the killer discovered he was being followed, they naturally chose to head toward a secluded area, going toward the back eaves gutter of the courtyard. However, they didn’t expect Little Song Zi to continue following.”
Master Dong frowned slightly, “How does Nine Miss know there’s a passageway there? Has Nine Miss been here before?”
Qin Wan shook her head, “I haven’t been here before, but this is the only explanation that makes sense. It had already snowed the night Little Song Zi died. If he had walked through the snow after leaving his room, his shoes would have been wet, yet his shoes were dry.”
Qin Wan continued forward, circling to the opposite covered corridor. Following it forward, sure enough, after a short while, a dim passageway appeared before her. This passage was wedged between two rows of main buildings, with eaves meeting overhead, blocking the snow and wind, thus keeping it dry. Qin Wan led everyone through the passage, and indeed, they arrived at one side of the courtyard where the crime occurred. She walked along the foundation steps next to the courtyard wall, circling to the back eaves gutter from another side.
Little Song Zi’s body lay cold on the ground.
Sun Mu Qing’s eyes suddenly widened with joy. Even though he hadn’t walked the path Qin Wan led them on, yet they had truly arrived at the crime scene. “Nine Miss… you’re… you’re even more impressive than my junior sister!”
Qin Wan smiled bitterly at these words. In the past, when she was at Medicine Valley, she had only occasionally discussed case-solving with Sun Mu Qing but had never actually solved cases in front of him. Now that she had resolved a real case, it was naturally more impressive than her previous theoretical discussions. Qin Wan’s heart steadied slightly, and she gave Sun Mu Qing a slight smile.
Song Li raised his eyebrows, “Fine… even if Miss Qin is correct, who is the killer?”
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “Earlier, Constable Song said Little Song Zi didn’t struggle when he died, but that’s not true. From the wounds on Little Song Zi’s body, the knife was likely taken from Little Song Zi’s own hands by the killer.”
“The killer was sneaking around the mansion in the late night, and Little Song Zi became suspicious. His knife was likely taken from the storage room – we saw earlier that where Little Song Zi discovered the killer was very close to the storage room.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Master Dong immediately said, “That storage room is indeed where nearby servants keep their work tools. The kitchen utensils are also stored there, and Little Song Zi would sometimes sharpen knives there after finishing his work, storing them in that room afterward. Moreover, that storage room isn’t usually locked.”
Qin Wan nodded, “There are scratch marks on Little Song Zi’s right wrist, with bruising, indicating the killer grabbed very forcefully. At the same time, there are marks of being struck on his left cheek. I suspect the killer grabbed Little Song Zi’s knife-wielding right hand while attacking with their right hand, then wrested the knife away before taking his life.”
“One thing is certain – the killer is male and one filled with tremendous hatred. It’s possible that his hatred wasn’t even directed at Little Song Zi; he only killed him because he was discovered, leading to this brutal murder.”
Song Li raised an eyebrow, “How can you be sure he didn’t hate Little Song Zi?!”
Qin Wan’s eyes narrowed briefly, “Because this wasn’t a premeditated murder – it was coincidental. If someone else had gone to relieve themselves that night instead of Little Song Zi, that person might have been the one to die.”
Song Li’s lips moved several times, wanting to object but finding no grounds to do so. The others who heard Qin Wan’s words not only found them very reasonable, but she had also detailed Little Song Zi’s route, his encounter with the killer, and their fight scene with great precision. Compared to Song Li’s simple deductions, Qin Wan’s words were more credible.
“Nine Miss, if that’s the case, who is the killer? And what was their purpose?”
As Master Dong asked earnestly, Qin Wan fell into thought. After a moment, she asked, “Master Dong, the place where I said Little Song Zi encountered the killer, what is that corridor near?”
Master Dong thought for a moment, “If you continue forward from there, you’ll reach the medicine storehouse, and beyond that is Young Master’s Ren Xin Court.”
Qin Wan’s gaze darkened slightly, “Could the killer’s target have been Ren Xin Court?”
Master Dong was surprised, “You mean… the killer was trying to sneak into Ren Xin Court?”
Qin Wan pressed her lips together, but before she could speak, Master Dong continued, “That’s impossible. The servants in the household all have good temperaments. Even if someone harbored ill intentions, they wouldn’t think of harming Young Master. Since these servants arrived at the mansion, whenever they’ve had even a headache or fever, Young Master personally treated them, and they can freely use the medicines. No one would harbor murderous intentions toward Young Master.”
Hearing this, Qin Wan sighed. Master Dong’s words made some sense, and after all, Qin Wan didn’t understand the personalities and backgrounds of everyone in the household. For now, she could only use Master Dong’s words as a reference.
Qin Wan held out her hand, “Master Dong, look at this – has anyone in the household worn clothing made of this material?”
In Qin Wan’s palm lay that piece of cotton fabric. Master Dong took it and examined it carefully, shaking his head, “This cotton is of poor quality. The winter clothes Young Master has made for the servants are better than this.”
Qin Wan’s gaze darkened slightly, “Could it be… someone from outside the household?”
“Isn’t it possible that a person changed clothes when going out to do evil deeds at night?”
Song Li suddenly asked. He felt quite resentful that Qin Wan had become the center of attention, and this question was merely an attempt to show off. However, he hadn’t expected that upon hearing his words, Qin Wan would nod, “That’s possible.”
Song Li’s eyes widened slightly, and he found himself at a loss for words.
Qin Wan looked at the piece of cotton fabric in Master Dong’s hands, “Master Dong, this is clothing the killer wore – it’s the most direct evidence. I don’t know the household personnel, so how to investigate this material will depend on Constable Song and Master Dong’s arrangements.”
By speaking this way, Qin Wan was suggesting whether to search everyone’s clothing. Without other evidence, this was the most direct method. Master Dong nodded, “Thank you, Nine Miss. We must investigate for Little Song Zi’s sake.”
Hearing this, Song Li let out a light snort, “Still have to search after all…”
Before he finished speaking, Song Li felt a cool gaze sweep over him. His spine stiffened, and he turned to see Qin Yan looking at him. Song Li’s scalp tingled, and he quickly stopped showing his annoyance, becoming much more respectful toward Qin Wan. Qin Wan then glanced at Little Song Zi’s body, “Let’s prepare his body for burial first.”
Little Song Zi’s body had been waiting here for two days, yet Song Li and his group who came were all incompetent. Little Li Zi and others who were close to Little Song Zi couldn’t bear it anymore. Now that Qin Wan said this, Master Dong also felt relieved, “Good, thank you so much, Nine Miss.”
Qin Wan nodded with a sound of agreement. She had now said everything she could think of, but anything else was temporarily beyond her ability. After all, this was a case where many traces had been covered by heavy snow – it was impossible to identify the killer solely from the corpse. Qin Wan stepped back twice, frowning as she thought about her earlier speculation: why would the killer be wandering there in the middle of the night?
Was their target originally one of the male servants?
Qin Wan shook her head. This possibility was too small. The servants’ quarters were adjacent to each other. If someone wanted to commit murder, it would be better to wait for when the servants were working alone outside. Qin Wan still leaned toward the possibility that the killer’s target might have been somewhere in that area, and coincidentally, that place was closer to Ren Xin Court. But who in this household would dare harbor murderous thoughts toward Sun Hao Yue?
Or perhaps the killer wasn’t there to murder that night?
But if not for murder, why brutally kill Little Song Zi?
Such cruel hatred – who was it directed at?
“Nine Sister, that’s enough for now. Let’s go back first.”
Qin Yan’s voice brought Qin Wan back from her thoughts. As she came to, she met Qin Yan’s somewhat profound gaze. Qin Wan’s heart trembled slightly. She knew that her current actions would certainly give Qin Yan a new perspective on her. Qin Wan and Qin Yan’s eyes met for a moment, her gaze steady and determined, neither avoiding nor wavering. She didn’t want to use case-solving to show off, but if it could make Qin Yan think highly of her, it seemed beneficial as well. After all, what she wanted to do couldn’t be accomplished by being quiet and appearing weak.
“Alright, let’s go back and wait for news from Master Dong…”
Qin Wan nodded, and Qin Shuang, who had been silent throughout, came to Qin Wan’s side. Her eyes were bright as she looked at Qin Wan, “Heavens, how did you do that? I used to think you were quite slow, but you’ve truly amazed me just now…”
Qin Shuang’s amazement was completely unconcealed, and Qin Wan couldn’t help but laugh.
Being praised for her intelligence by Qin Shuang didn’t seem to be something particularly worth rejoicing over. “I just thought it through. Everything has cause and effect – what we see now is the result, and if we trace backward, we can naturally discover some clues.”
“Nine Miss!” Sun Mu Qing called out softly, stepping forward quickly, “Nine Miss, who taught you what you just said?”
Qin Wan turned to look at Sun Mu Qing, her heart tightening slightly, “I just thought of it myself, why?”
Sun Mu Qing gave Qin Wan a profound look, smiling bitterly, “It’s just too coincidental. My junior sister used to say the same thing.” As he finished speaking, Sun Mu Qing added meaningfully, “Somehow, I feel Nine Miss is quite similar to my junior sister…”