The night was deep, with fierce winds and sudden snow. White Deer Estate, with its recent death, seemed especially desolate and gloomy.
Though Lu Youxin had agreed to Qin Wan’s request, she remained extremely cautious. She first had Mama Huang clear all servants from the East Garden before accompanying Qin Wan.
To avoid drawing attention, Qin Wan brought only Bai Feng, Bai Ying, and Fu Ling, while Lu Youxin brought the two elder servants, Mama Deng, and Mama Huang, along with two lantern-bearing servants.
Heading east from Wutong Court, the secluded path—so pleasant during daylight with its lush trees—now appeared terrifying. The howling wind and swaying tree shadows made the servants’ lanterns flicker, casting dancing shadows on the ground.
Fu Ling held an umbrella while tightly gripping Qin Wan’s arm. Compared to Bai Ying, Fu Ling had seen far less of the world. In Lu Youxin’s presence, she struggled to maintain composure, trying not to show her fear.
As they reached the East Garden’s territory, its slight shabbiness compared to the West Garden became apparent. With many courtyards long uninhabited, it felt particularly desolate. Among the scattered independent courtyards, most occupied ones had their gates tightly shut. Lu Bohong and others had already retired, and even the Lu family servants dared not venture out. After all, someone had just died—a young man at that. According to Great Zhou customs, the younger the deceased, the more ominous their spirit.
“Aunt, where do my other uncles reside?” Qin Wan suddenly asked after walking in silence, startling one of the lantern-bearing servants who stumbled.
Lu Youxin glared at the servant before answering softly, “The East Garden has eight courtyards of various sizes. The second Brother and his wife arrived first and stayed in Qingfeng Court, which has two sections. Originally, Jingcheng was to stay with his parents, but since he brought several female servants and didn’t wish to live with his parents, he stayed in Qingsong Court.”
“Qingfeng Court is in that direction, closest to Wutong Court. Qingsong Court is farther away, separated by two unused courtyards that no one maintains. Later, when the Third and Fourth Branches arrived together, they stayed in the rear of Fenghe Court and Lanxiang Court, which are connected by a moon gate. The two branches have always been close, so they each took one courtyard. The Fifth Branch was originally in Jian City, but when I came, not wanting to stay in their mansion, they came here. After some earlier incidents in the Lu family, the Fifth Branch was questioned by other branches. Since your Fifth Uncle is weak and sickly, to prevent daily arguments, I had them stay in Qingzhu Court in the northeast. It’s a two-section courtyard where my ninth nephew Jinghe also stays with them.”
After a pause, Lu Youxin continued, “Oh yes, my fifth nephew Jingxun from the Third Branch and sixth nephew Jingyun from the Fourth Branch stay with their fathers. They arranged yesterday to drink together today and left for Jian City before dawn, not yet returned.”
As Lu Youxin spoke, she observed Qin Wan. On such a night with howling wind and fierce snow, even she felt uneasy outside, yet Qin Wan maintained her composed stride. This was especially evident in her calm, unhurried voice when speaking.
On such a night, Qin Wan’s voice brought her comfort.
Seeing Qin Wan’s thoughtful expression, Lu Youxin felt doubtful. There were many rumors about Princess Yongci—some said she was a reborn upright official who solved many strange cases, others claimed she had powerful backing that led to her rise, and some praised her medical skills as miraculous. However, her title “Yongci” (Forever Compassionate) acknowledged her medical skills, but Lu Youxin doubted her abilities in investigating cases and examining corpses.
After all, she came from a marquis family—what proper noble lady would learn to examine corpses!
Moreover, though Qin Wan lost her parents early and faced many hardships, how could a teenage girl surpass coroners with decades of experience?
When she learned Yan Chi would marry Qin Wan, Lu Youxin had specifically sent people to investigate in Jin Province. The investigation only confused her more. Rumors said Qin Wan had helped solve two strange major cases in Jin Province, but she couldn’t believe it. Her information indicated that though Qin Wan held the title of cousin in the Jin Province Qin family, she received little respect, living worse than a servant. If she had such abilities, why did she suffer so much in those years?
Thinking this, Lu Youxin looked at the current Qin Wan and felt uncertain, as she now seemed to match the reports from the capital.
Lost in thought, Lu Youxin looked up to find they had reached Qingsong Court.
Lu Youxin stopped, “The people in the courtyard have been sent away. He was found dead this morning, and since we haven’t determined the cause, we haven’t changed him into burial clothes—he’s still as he was. There are no memorial tablets or incense in the room, you—”
Lu Youxin’s eyes held worry. Qin Wan understood—that having a corpse without a memorial altar or incense was most inauspicious.
She smiled slightly, “Aunt need not worry, I don’t believe in such things.”
Lu Youxin hesitated, then nodded and entered Qingsong Court.
Qin Wan looked around. Qingsong Court had only one gate. “Is the courtyard gate usually locked?”
Lu Youxin replied, “Yes, though it’s within our compound, the wind and snow are strong at night. If not bolted from inside, the gate would blow open.”
Qin Wan nodded as they entered the courtyard.
Perhaps knowing there was a corpse in the main room, everyone felt the cold more intensely upon entering. The main room’s door was closed, with lights burning inside, appearing quiet yet mysterious. It was a single-section courtyard with a twenty-foot square flower bed just inside the gate, planted with several low pines fitting the courtyard’s name. Past the flower bed stood three main rooms, with corridors connecting to wing rooms on both sides.
Qin Wan looked around, “Where did his female servants stay?”
Lu Youxin pointed to the wing rooms, “He had two female servants and two male servants, plus two rough laborers assigned to this courtyard. The female servants stayed on the east side, male servants on the west. We questioned all of them today—they say they noticed nothing unusual last night and heard no calls.”
Qin Wan nodded and walked straight toward the main room. Lu Youxin saw no trace of fear on her face as she headed toward where the corpse lay, maintaining her casual, composed stride. Lu Youxin felt admiration and followed.
In her view, Qin Wan had already shown remarkable ability. Perhaps she had indeed studied investigation and corpse examination. Even if she was afraid now, she could appear calm and composed at all times. Just for this, she was far superior to most women.
Lu Youxin’s earlier doubts about Qin Wan had largely dissipated. Thinking of Yan Chi’s genuine affection for her, she felt more at ease.
Qin Wan reached the main door but didn’t rush to open it. As Mama Huang stepped forward to push it open, Qin Wan raised her hand, “Wait.”
Under the eaves, Qin Wan removed her hood. She rubbed her cold hands and suddenly crouched to examine a mark on the threshold. “What made this?”
Though the courtyard was old, one could still see the high quality of wood used in its construction. Moreover, the lacquer and paintings had been maintained over the years, otherwise they wouldn’t look so well-preserved. Yet there was a fresh mark on the threshold.
Lu Youxin hadn’t noticed such details. Seeing Qin Wan touch it, she said helplessly, “This morning when they called, the door was locked from inside. It must be from when they broke in…”
“The door was locked from inside?” Qin Wan looked up to ask. Lu Youxin nodded and repeated what Mama Huang had learned from questioning. Hearing this, Qin Wan quickly asked, “Where is the window?”
Lu Youxin didn’t know these details and looked to Mama Huang, who pointed to the west window, “Over there…”
Qin Wan went to the west corridor. At the window, she found a hole torn in the paper. She crouched slightly to look through the hole and immediately saw the bed under the west window inside. Lu Jingcheng now lay there, dead for many hours, his face covered with a white cloth.
Qin Wan nodded and returned to the door. She gently pushed it open and first examined the bolt’s position.
The door bolt was gone, with a fresh mark on the latch. Qin Wan looked around and found the bolt in a corner.
The wooden bolt, originally painted red, was now broken in two with much paint peeled off.
After examining these details, Qin Wan surveyed the room’s layout before removing her cloak and walking toward Lu Jingcheng’s body.
The room was decorated simply and elegantly. Being a guest quarter, it wasn’t luxurious. With the floor heating off, it was nearly as cold as outside. The dim lighting made the two young lantern-bearing servants hesitate as they approached the corpse by the window.
Qin Wan showed no reluctance. She walked to the corpse and without hesitation removed the white cloth from Lu Jingcheng’s face.
Seeing this, Lu Youxin’s heart jumped. Mama Deng and Mama Huang exchanged glances, their eyes showing not just surprise but horror!
Lu Jingcheng had been dead for at least a day. The body was already stiff, but the cold weather had prevented decay. At first glance, Lu Jingcheng’s face was grayish-white, his lips purple. Looking closer, his face showed an unusual pallor. Qin Wan leaned in to examine his exposed wrists, finding only a few very slight abrasions.
Lu Youxin and the others were already shocked to see Qin Wan approach the corpse, but watching her touch it without hesitation made their eyes widen further. Qin Wan’s expression was serious, completely different from earlier. Though she had been unsmiling and cool-voiced before, there had still been some gentleness. Now, Qin Wan was stern and frowning, focused and cold, unsettling even Lu Youxin.
Seeing Qin Wan begin to examine Lu Jingcheng’s clothes, Lu Youxin couldn’t help asking, “Wan’er, can you tell anything?”
Qin Wan usually disliked interruptions while examining corpses, but Lu Youxin was her elder, so she replied, “Haven’t determined the cause of death yet.”
Lu Youxin smiled bitterly, “The cause is clear—”
Qin Wan’s hand paused as she turned to face Lu Youxin. Her expressionless face made Lu Youxin tense uncomfortably. She hurriedly explained, “When the servants found him this morning, the room’s floor heating had long stopped. With frost on his brows and hair and his pale face, he must have frozen to death.”
Outside, wind and snow howled. Lu Youxin sighed, “It snowed last night. In such cold weather, freezing to death is common.”
Qin Wan raised an eyebrow slightly, “It wasn’t freezing that killed him.”
She turned back to continue examining Lu Jingcheng’s clothes, calmly explaining, “In such weather, someone lightly dressed and staying outside could indeed freeze to death. Not only is it cold outside, but there’s also bitter wind. However, even then, it would take at least an hour or two to die, unless one is very old, very young, or seriously ill. Though Lu Jingcheng was injured, his physique wasn’t poor, and yesterday’s injuries were just abrasions, not life-threatening. One simple point: he went to sleep, and then the floor heating stopped. Wouldn’t any normal person wake up from the cold? He knew there were servants in the wing rooms, so why didn’t he call someone to restart the heating?”
Qin Wan’s voice was steady, but unlike her usual calming stillness, her current quietness felt like the severe cold outside—silent yet bone-chillingly cruel. As she finished speaking word by word, the room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop, making the wind and snow outside seem more threatening. Lu Youxin felt goosebumps rise on her arms and unconsciously rubbed the back of her hand.
Qin Wan seemed unaware of how intimidating she appeared.
Lu Jingcheng wore an undergarment, indeed looking as if he had been sleeping.
After examining his undergarment and finding nothing unusual, Qin Wan stood and looked toward a nearby screen.
Two of Lu Jingcheng’s robes hung on the screen, including the blue robe he was found in yesterday. Qin Wan frowned as she went to examine them, her brows furrowing again. A moment later, she turned back to look at the bedside where Lu Jingcheng’s black boots stood.
Qin Wan hurried to the bed and picked up the boots for careful examination…
Lu Youxin was confused by her movements and continued hesitantly, “But the room was locked, and he was inside the whole time. He took medicine last night—if he slept too deeply, freezing to death isn’t impossible. In such weather, without floor heating or charcoal braziers, ice would form inside the room.”
“Aunt’s reasoning makes some sense,” Qin Wan said quietly, her eyes on the boots. “But what if someone came in here?”