“New Year’s is just two days away, but I’m afraid we can’t wait that long,” said Qin Wan with slightly furrowed brows. She then asked, “Are Lu Jingcheng’s two personal attendants still in the garden?”

Bai Feng nodded, “Yes, they’re still under supervision. After all, they failed to protect Fourth Young Master, which contributed to his death.”

Qin Wan pondered briefly, “I wonder if Aunt would allow me to see these people.”

Bai Feng and Bai Ying exchanged glances, “If the Princess Consort and Madam explain the situation clearly, it should be possible.”

Qin Wan decided to act on this thought immediately. She first summoned Elder Nanny Huang. After explaining her intentions, Elder Nanny Huang questioned, “What does the Princess Consort wish to ask? This servant has already questioned them about that night’s events, including whether the Fourth Young Master had any enemies. Everything was thoroughly investigated. Those people were Fourth Young Master’s trusted servants, and now that this has happened, they’re most frightened. Perhaps you could let this servant question them? We should be able to get answers.”

Though Elder Nanny Huang had indeed interrogated these servants before, Qin Wan’s questions this time concerned the Fifth House, and she hadn’t yet told Lu Youxin about her suspicions regarding the Fifth House and the matter of the Crown Prince’s registry. After some thought, Qin Wan said, “It’s fine. My questions are somewhat scattered, and I need to observe their reactions. If it’s convenient, Elder Nanny, please make the arrangements. You need not concern yourself with this matter afterward.”

Elder Nanny Huang naturally wouldn’t refuse Qin Wan’s request, though she worried about troubling her. Upon hearing this, she immediately went to make arrangements. Shortly after, Elder Nanny Huang returned to Hantan Court and led Qin Wan toward the servants’ quarters. Lu Jingcheng’s servants were confined in a simple courtyard of the servants’ quarters, with two male servants in one room and two maids in another. Having been confined for many days, these people had already resigned themselves to the fact that they could never stay in the Lu family again!

Elder Nanny Huang led Qin Wan to the main room of this courtyard, explained where each person was being held, and then left. Qin Wan sat down in the main room with Bai Feng and others, thought for a moment, and said, “First, bring that maid over…”

Bai Feng immediately went to fetch her. Fuling whispered, “Princess Consort, now that you’ve shown yourself, won’t this cause complications?”

Qin Wan shook her head, “It won’t. After this, we’ll just need to explain that these people must remain confined here. They won’t leave White Deer Isle before I depart.”

Fuling breathed a sigh of relief. Soon after, the two maids were brought in first.

Having been confined for days, the two maids who entered looked quite disheveled. Upon entering, they saw an unfamiliar young lady and were quite surprised. They exchanged glances before hurriedly kneeling on the ground. Not knowing Qin Wan’s identity, they didn’t know how to address her and simply remained prostrate, not daring to show any disrespect.

These two were Lu Jingcheng’s maids, brought along because they were highly favored by him. Though currently only maids, they would likely be elevated to concubines after Lu Jingcheng’s marriage. Qin Wan observed them briefly, noting that despite their current bedraggled state, they were indeed quite attractive with delicate features. Having been confined and frightened these past few days, their bodies began trembling before she even spoke.

Qin Wan deliberately remained silent at first. Being an unfamiliar face suddenly appearing, these two clever servants would surely be measuring the situation.

As Qin Wan remained silent, the two became increasingly uneasy. Though they didn’t recognize her, Qin Wan’s elegant clothing and striking appearance, combined with her youth yet authority to question them, made them nervous. Having served beside Lu Jingcheng for so long, they had never seen such a young lady in the Lu family. Unable to figure out her identity, they grew more anxious, and soon their eyes reddened.

“How long have you served Lu Jingcheng?”

After a while, Qin Wan finally asked. The two servants’ expressions changed slightly, their hearts sinking further.

If she were a Lu family young lady, she would never directly use Lu Jingcheng’s name, indicating she was from outside the family…

And for an outsider to be sitting here with Family Head Lu Youxin’s permission, her status must be extraordinary.

“This servant… we two have served Fourth Young Master for five years.”

Qin Wan acknowledged this with a mild “hmm” and continued neutrally, “Recount the events of that day once more.”

The two servants exchanged glances, and the one who had spoken earlier tremblingly said, “That day, Fourth Young Master was injured outside and had an argument with Madam. That evening, people from both the Third and Fourth Houses came to see Fourth Young Master. After everyone left, while it was still early, Fourth Young Master was feeling unwell and in a poor mood. Shortly after, he said he wanted to rest. We two servants helped Fourth Young Master wash up, then withdrew. When we left, Fourth Young Master was dozing, though we’re not sure if he was fully asleep. The floor heating was still warm then.”

“The next morning, we servants all woke up together. We didn’t dare wake Fourth Young Master, but when it came time for his medicine, we finally went to knock. There was no response no matter how we called. We felt something was wrong, so we looked through the window, and that’s when we knew something had happened…”

As she spoke, the maid began crying, “We truly don’t know what happened that night. It was the dead of winter, and we slept soundly. Neither of us got up during the night, and we never heard the Fourth Young Master call for anyone. No one knew the floor heating in Fourth Young Master’s room had gone out…”

These people had been confined all this time, and since Elder Nanny Huang only questioned without explaining, they still didn’t know that Lu Jingcheng hadn’t died from freezing.

“The floor heating in Qingsong Court failed strangely. Did Fourth Young Master have any enemies?”

The two exchanged glances again, and the other one hesitantly said, “No… none… Though Fourth Young Master had a temper, throughout White Deer Isle, no servant would dare defy him. If we must mention someone… it would be Fifth Young Master. Fourth Young Master had offended Fifth Young Master long ago…”

“For what reason?” Though Qin Wan knew, she still asked.

“It was… it was several years ago. Fourth Young Master took a liking to a young maid in Fifth Young Master’s household and wanted… wanted to take her, but Fifth Young Master refused. That’s how they became enemies…”

“In the past month or two, did Lu Jingcheng have any arguments with Lu Jingxiu?”

“No, no. After arriving at White Deer Isle, the Fourth Young Master either went to Jianzhou City or stayed in the garden. He barely crossed paths with Fifth Young Master, let alone have any conflicts.”

Qin Wan fell silent at this point, then after a moment said, “About a month ago, someone saw Lu Jingcheng go to the Plum Garden late at night. Not only that but seven or eight days later, Lu Jingcheng went again. Do you know about this?”

At this question, the two maids who had gradually become calm in their responses suddenly changed expression, both lowering their heads and nervously clutching their skirts.

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, her gaze growing colder, “Lu Jingcheng’s cause of death is suspicious. If we cannot find out who harmed him, then you all will have to take the blame.”

Though Qin Wan’s words were threatening, they were also true. Someone would have to take responsibility for Lu Jingcheng’s death, and if she weren’t here and Lu Youxin didn’t want to report to the authorities, the Lu Bogong couple likely wouldn’t spare these servants.

“We… we don’t know very clearly…”

Hearing this, Qin Wan’s tone softened slightly, “That’s fine, just tell me what you do know.”

The maid who had spoken the most, clearly more eager to clear herself, swallowed hard and said, “Fourth Young Master was indeed… indeed acting strangely for several days. Not only did he like going to the Plum Garden during the day, but he also went at night, and he didn’t want us to follow. I remember that time over a month ago because Fourth Young Master caught a cold after returning. Fourth Young Master hated taking medicine the most, but Second Madam doted on him most, and if she saw Fourth Young Master ill, she would surely punish us. We were worried then, but surprisingly, Fourth Young Master happily took his medicine. That cold cleared up in just two days, and we were relieved. After that… Fourth Young Master went several more times…”

Qin Wan frowned, “After the first time, he went more than once?”

The maid nodded, “Yes… more than once, usually around the first watch. We two are Fourth Young Master’s maids and sometimes stayed in his room, but during those days, Fourth Young Master’s mood was subdued. We could tell that Fourth Young Master went to the Plum Garden wanting to meet someone, but sometimes he would return unsuccessful, and then his temper would be very bad. As far as I remember, Fourth Young Master returned happy only three times after going out.”

Lu Suiyong said he saw Lu Jingcheng twice, so he must have happened to catch two occasions while missing the other times.

Qin Wan’s eyes lit up slightly – she should have questioned these maids earlier! Not being able to show herself before had wasted so much time!

Qin Wan took a shallow breath, “Did he never tell you what he went out to do?”

The two servants exchanged another glance and shook their heads, “Although we served Fourth Young Master closely, he didn’t tell us everything, especially about whom he was involved with outside. We dared not ask about such matters.”

Though Lu Jingcheng appeared weak and lecherous, he presumably cared about maintaining his dignity in front of his servants.

Qin Wan looked at the two and suddenly said, “Lu Jingcheng kept an erotic pictorial book in the tall cabinet by his bed. You must know about it?”

At this question, even in their current disheveled and frightened state, the two instantly blushed. An erotic pictorial was an extremely private item, and Qin Wan, looking so young, asked about it so calmly…

Not just these two, but even Fuling’s eyes widened. She turned to look at Bai Ying, who remained unperturbed.

Fuling knew Qin Wan had brought back two books from Lu Jingcheng’s quarters but hadn’t known they were erotic pictorials…

Seeing Qin Wan’s composed demeanor, she straightened her back and also pretended to be unfazed. However, when her gaze accidentally met Bai Feng’s, her cheeks burned red.

“We… we know about it…”

The erotic pictorial depicted bedroom matters, and Lu Jingcheng, being depraved and lecherous, had experienced countless encounters. Viewing such books was not something he considered shameful, especially in front of these two servants – he probably found it amusing.

Seeing the two servants’ flushed faces, Qin Wan’s tone grew more serious, “That pictorial was different from ordinary ones. Do you know what was depicted in the final pages?”

At these words, the two servants lowered their heads even further, hunching their shoulders, their ears turning completely red.

“Yes, we know…”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “Then do you know if your master had such… preferences?”

Though Qin Wan spoke indirectly, the two servants understood.

“Fourth Young Master… he indeed had…”

One servant tremblingly spoke, and the other continued, “It only started in the latter half of this year. Fourth Young Master went out with friends and was taken to… that kind of place… It seems he experienced it once, and after returning, he couldn’t control himself anymore. That’s why he had someone buy this pictorial. Fourth Young Master valued appearances… Once we heard him say he seemed to have kept a male companion outside…”

At this point, Qin Wan fell into deep thought. Male servants and intimate chamber maids were different – these two would know more about private matters, while the two male servants had other uses.

“Among the young masters at White Deer Isle, who was your Fourth Young Master closer to? Besides Fifth Young Master – between Sixth Young Master and Ninth Young Master, who did he prefer?”

At this question, the two thought for a moment, and the more talkative one said, “If we must say, it would be Ninth Young Master… Fourth Young Master liked to associate with beautiful people, regardless of gender. Ninth Young Master is handsome, and Fourth Young Master occasionally mentioned this.”

Qin Wan asked, “How did he mention it?”

“Just things like… ‘Old Nine’s looks are becoming more eye-catching,’ or ‘Old Nine’s appearance is more pleasing than so-and-so.’ Fourth Young Master usually compared him to famous beautiful actors from outside…”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes and looked at the two again, “Is there anything else you wish to say?”

The two looked up at her in confusion, and Qin Wan said, “You were Lu Jingcheng’s closest servants. His sudden death must have left you with many doubts. If you find anything particularly strange, you may speak up. If it’s useful, it will count as a merit for you.”

At these words, the two immediately showed anxiety, their eyes darting as they thought hard. After a while, one said, “This servant remembers something, though I don’t know if it’s useful…”

Qin Wan gestured for her to continue, and the servant said, “This servant remembers that when Fourth Young Master returned from his second nighttime outing, he was quite angry and said some frightening things… like ‘You can’t escape master’s grasp’ and ‘If you anger master, your whole family will pay.’ At the time, this servant thought that since he had been going out alone at night, we didn’t know who he was meeting, but regardless of who it was, he must have taken a fancy to someone again, and that person probably refused him, which is why he was like that. The person was probably some servant in the garden, one with backing, otherwise he would have simply taken them by force…”

Though they served Lu Jingcheng, these two knew how vicious his nature was.

After saying this, the other servant, seemingly afraid of being left behind, quickly thought and said, “This servant also remembers something… though it might not be useful…”

Seeing no objection in Qin Wan’s eyes, the servant continued, “This servant was mainly responsible for Fourth Young Master’s meals. Just now we mentioned the Fourth Young Master being good to the Ninth Young Master, but this servant doesn’t think so. It’s like this: after coming to White Deer Isle, because there were many people, everyone ate from the main kitchen. Fourth Young Master was pampered since childhood, and after coming here, when he learned that Fifth Master took a bowl of ginseng soup every evening for his health, Fourth Young Master suddenly wanted the same. Fourth Young Master was young and healthy and didn’t need such supplements, but it was as if he wanted to oppose Fifth Master, insisting on taking this bowl of ginseng soup… This soup was made with hundred-year-old wild ginseng plus various precious herbs, and just the brewing took an entire afternoon. If Fourth Young Master wanted it, he could have asked in advance, but he never did. Instead, when it was almost time, he would send this servant to the kitchen to demand it. The kitchen staff didn’t dare defy the Fourth Young Master, so they always had to portion some for him, leaving an insufficient amount sent to Qingzhu Court. Fifth Master naturally knew about this, but being known for his gentle nature, he wasn’t angry, so Madam still doesn’t know about this matter.”

Qin Wan’s brows immediately furrowed, “Would he take food from other households? Did he demand the ginseng soup every time?”

The servant shook her head, “Other households didn’t have such precious foods, and Fourth Young Master wasn’t particularly fond of eating, so this servant feels Fourth Young Master meant to oppose the Fifth House. However, he didn’t make trouble every day, it was about every few days starting about a month and a half ago…”

Speaking thus, the servant suddenly widened her eyes, “Right, this servant remembers, the days Fourth Young Master demanded ginseng soup were the same days he went out alone! Also, the Fourth Young Master asked for ginseng soup on the day he was injured. Since he was injured, we didn’t think much of him wanting the soup then.”

At these words, the other maid looked at her, and their eyes met in sudden realization!

Hearing this, Qin Wan slowly sat up straight, and after a moment, she nodded, “Very good, what you’ve said is not without help. You may withdraw now. I will tell Madam about your cooperation today.”

The two servants gratefully kowtowed before withdrawing.

Once they left, Qin Wan fell into deep thought. Fuling said softly, “It seems this Lu Jingcheng did have a lover and more than twice! Most likely… most likely it was a man…” Fuling’s tone carried some disgust, and seeing Qin Wan’s silence, she dared not say more.

Shortly after, Qin Wan said, “Bring in those two male servants as well.”

Bai Feng acknowledged and left. Qin Wan sighed – these matters needed her questioning to be uncovered layer by layer. Elder Nanny Huang had thought things too simple initially. As she thought this, Lu Jingcheng’s two male servants arrived. These two servants were proper in appearance, one tall and one short, looking sharp and clever.

However, these two had also been confined for many days, and their state was similar to the two maids, both disheveled and frightened. Upon entering, they immediately performed a deep kowtow.

Qin Wan let them wait just as she had done with the maids. Seeing their wariness replaced by fear, she then began asking several simple questions, mainly about whether Lu Jingcheng had any enemies. Though they were male servants, their answers matched the maids’ – within White Deer Isle, the only person who openly had enmity with Lu Jingcheng was Lu Jingxiu, while with others, Lu Jingcheng maintained surface politeness. Others knew his bad temper and wouldn’t provoke him deliberately.

After a pause, Qin Wan asked, “Do you know about Lu Jingcheng’s involvement with Hu Guangde?”

While they had answered the previous questions fluently since Elder Nanny Huang had asked them before, this question struck like a bolt from the blue, frightening the color from their faces! Seeing this, Qin Wan gave a cold smile, her serious and chilling gaze hanging over their heads. Within moments, cold sweat began dripping down their faces.

The tall servant wiped his face and swallowed first, “Yes… this lowly one knows…”

Qin Wan nodded calmly, “You need not be afraid. Hu Guangde has already been captured and brought to the garden. Just tell me what you know.”

The tall servant trembled, while the shorter one looked even more desperate. As Lu Jingcheng’s henchmen who delivered messages back and forth, they naturally knew everything. A major case involving over twenty lives, plus harming the Fifth House – they understood the gravity of the situation.

Hearing that Hu Guangde had been captured, the tall servant closed his eyes briefly, and when he reopened them, they were filled with pleading, “This lowly one… knows about this matter. About half a year ago, Second Master and Madam were discussing the Fifth House’s mining business. He said Xiushan Mining’s income was substantial and shouldn’t be controlled by the Fifth House, and that it would be better if it returned to the First House’s hands. But Madam seemed protective of the Fifth House in her words, and particularly valued Ninth Young Master. The second Master returned in a rage, saying Madam wanted to choose the Ninth Young Master as heir. This caused quite an uproar in the Second House at the time, and when Fourth Young Master learned of this, he was especially resentful.”

“After that, the Fourth Young Master began plotting against the Fifth House. He first tried to find fault with the Fifth Master and Fifth Madam, but after investigating for a long time, he couldn’t find anything. Then he tried to see if there was any impropriety with Ninth Young Master…”

At this point, the tall servant’s eyes flickered, and he changed course, “But nothing was found there either. Fourth Young Master was very disappointed, so he gradually turned his attention to Xiushan Mine. Three months ago, the Fourth Young Master made contact with Hu Guangde. The idea for the mining accident came from Hu Guangde. At the time… no one expected it would become so serious, with over twenty people dying at once. After it happened, Fourth Young Master was initially frightened, but when he learned that two key managers had fled, he finally relaxed.”

Qin Wan stared at the tall servant, “How did your Fourth Young Master investigate Ninth Young Master?”

At this question, cold sweat poured down the tall servant’s face, “Just… just investigating whether Ninth Young Master had any impropriety at the clan school, that’s all…”

Qin Wan’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She stared at the tall servant for a while, then turned to look at the shorter one, who had been pale-faced since Qin Wan mentioned the mining accident. His eyes now flickered with light, but he hunched over, afraid to speak.

Qin Wan looked at him, “Since he won’t tell the truth, you tell it. Between the two of you, surely someone wants to survive.”

At Qin Wan’s words, both tall and short looked at her, shock in their eyes. The difference was that the tall one’s eyes were full of fear, while hope flickered in the shorter one’s eyes.

The shorter one swallowed and said with difficulty, “Miss… what do you want to know? About what Fourth Young Master investigated about Ninth Young Master?”

Qin Wan nodded, and the short one hurriedly said, “Fourth Young Master at that time—”

“Fourth Young Master investigated Ninth Young Master and discovered his background, learning that Ninth Young Master wasn’t Fifth Master’s biological son!”

Just as the short one began, the tall one spilled the truth like falling beans. He nervously looked at Qin Wan, “Please forgive this lowly one, Miss! This lowly one just now… just now told lies. From now on, this lowly one won’t dare deceive Miss with a single word. Please forgive…”

The tall one knocked his head on the ground twice with loud thuds. The short one looked at him in surprise, annoyance growing in his eyes.

Qin Wan found their behavior somewhat amusing, but as long as she could get the truth, she didn’t care whose mouth it came from.

“When did this happen?”

“It was when Fourth Young Master made contact with Hu Guangde!”

This time, the short one rushed to answer first. The tall one turned to glare at him, and the two ended up staring at each other right in front of Qin Wan.

Qin Wan was happy to see this development, “If you knew about Ninth Young Master’s background, why still cause the mining accident?”

The tall one suddenly crawled forward on his knees, eagerly saying, “Because Fourth Young Master had already made contact with Hu Guangde by then and knew Hu Guangde held a grudge against the Fifth House. Moreover, since Madam hadn’t revealed Ninth Young Master’s background, what if she intended to choose him regardless of opposition? Fourth Young Master thought that since Hu Guangde was available, he might as well use him to ensure the Fifth House couldn’t recover, thus settling everything at once! Besides, if the Xiushan matter failed, they still had the leverage of Ninth Young Master’s background!”

After answering, the tall one proudly stuck out his chest, while the short one clenched his fists in anger beside him.

Qin Wan nodded, “Was Second Master aware of the mining accident?”

“No—”

“No—”

This time, the two answered in unison.

Hearing their identical answers, Qin Wan knew they were telling the truth.

Looking at them both, Qin Wan asked again, “After coming to White Deer Isle, did you know about your Fourth Young Master going alone to Plum Garden at night?”

“Yes—”

“Yes—”

Qin Wan smiled, “Do you know who he met in Plum Garden?”

“Don’t know!”

“Don’t know about that—”

By now, these two were constantly trying to answer first, making Qin Wan and Bai Feng’s group both want to laugh and cry.

To perform even better, the tall one quickly added, “Because Fourth Young Master wouldn’t let us follow. He always said he was just going for a casual walk, then left. We two were happy to be free, so we didn’t concern ourselves…”

Qin Wan nodded, “Did he show any unusual behavior after returning?”

At this question, the short one hurriedly said, “Yes! Sometimes he was happy, sometimes he returned angry. We didn’t know who he had met and didn’t dare ask. But from Fourth Young Master’s behavior, it seemed he had taken a fancy to someone in the garden.”

This matched Qin Wan’s deductions and was similar to what the two maids had said.

Qin Wan nodded, “I heard Lu Jingcheng kept an actor in Jianzhou City. Is this true?”

“Yes!”

“It’s true!”

They answered together again, and as soon as the words fell, the short one hurriedly added, “It was an actor from the Qinchun Garden Theatre Troupe. That person was very handsome and from a very poor family. Fourth Young Master took a liking to him and spent a lot of money. That person was sensible and didn’t mind, so they became involved. However, such matters couldn’t be made public, so Fourth Young Master still spent more time at Huamanlow when he went to Jianzhou City.”

After the short one finished, the tall one quickly added, “That’s right. Fourth Young Master’s frequent visits to brothels were already disliked by Madam, and even Second Master disapproved. If people knew he was also involved with men, it would probably anger the Second Master to death. Fourth Young Master knew this, so he was very careful about this matter.”

Qin Wan was very satisfied with these two’s survival instincts and asked again, “Do you know about Lu Jingcheng taking Fifth Master’s ginseng soup?”

These two didn’t know Qin Wan’s identity but hadn’t expected her to know everything, so they dared not be careless now.

“Yes, yes! Yan’er mentioned it once! Said that Fourth Young Master seemed to dislike Fifth Master and didn’t respect him at all, that’s why he kept taking Fifth Master’s medicinal soup.”

“This lowly one knows too. But Fifth Master never spoke up about these matters. Either he considered the Fourth Young Master’s behavior as childish and didn’t take it to heart, or he feared the Second House and didn’t want to create more conflicts over such matters. Anyway, this happened several times, and Fifth Master never made a fuss about it.”

A glint flashed in Qin Wan’s eyes, “Think carefully, were the days when Lu Jingcheng took Fifth Master’s ginseng soup the same days he went out alone?”

The two looked bewildered at these words. After exchanging glances, the tall one nodded first, “It seems so. The few times Yan’er mentioned it were exactly the days when Fourth Young Master went out…”

At his words, the short one also nodded, “It seems to be so.”

Having formed a conclusion in her mind, Qin Wan asked further, “What was Lu Jingcheng’s attitude toward the Sixth Young Master and Ninth Young Master?”

“Fourth Young Master looked down on Sixth Young Master and usually ignored him completely. This was also because the Sixth Young Master always followed the Fifth Young Master. Since the Fourth Young Master was very much at odds with the Fifth Young Master, he naturally felt disgust toward the Sixth Young Master too. As for Ninth Young Master, they rarely interacted.”

After the tall one finished, the short one nodded and said, “Fourth Young Master wasn’t close to any of his brothers, though he had many friends outside… He looked down on the Sixth Young Master and felt superior to the Ninth Young Master too. The Fifth House was already the lowest among the main family branches, and even more so after learning about Ninth Young Master’s background, thinking he was just an adopted son…”

Qin Wan frowned, “These days, did Lu Jingcheng pay any attention to Ninth Young Master? Or did they have any arguments after the meeting?”

The two looked at each other again, appearing confused. After a moment, the short one suddenly said, “This lowly one remembers something! It was about a month ago. Once, the Fourth Young Master suddenly asked me what Ninth Young Master usually liked to do…”

Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “How did you answer? What happened after?”

The short one thought for a moment and said, “Ninth Young Master usually doesn’t like going out, generally staying in Qingzhu Court to attend to the sick. His only daily outing is to the Medicine Lodge. Very rarely, Ninth Young Master would go to other places in the garden, like feeding the white deer in the Deer Garden, or sometimes when making small items, he’d go to the storage room to find tools and such. Apart from the Medicine Lodge and Qingzhu Court, the Ninth Young Master had no specific places he needed to go. That’s what I told Fourth Young Master then, and he just nodded without saying much.”

Hearing this, the tall one also tilted his head in thought and said, “This lowly one also remembers something. After coming to White Deer Isle, though Fourth Young Master didn’t interact with his brothers, he would still pay attention to what everyone was doing, because this time was about competing for the heir position. I remember once the Fourth Young Master asked what the other young masters were doing these days, and this lowly one said the Fifth Young Master and Sixth Young Master had gone to Jianzhou City to meet friends, while the Ninth Young Master seemed to be making plum blossom wine.”

Qin Wan’s hand on the armrest suddenly clenched, “Plum blossom wine? How did you know?”

The tall one said bewilderedly, “Besides the servants each house brought, there were also people who had been in the garden for years. This lowly one had asked around then. Ninth Young Master liked making this and that, and at that time the plum blossoms had just bloomed, and Jianzhou had its first heavy snow, so he was making plum blossom wine.”

Lu Jinghe was naturally skilled at making things, and making such things seemed perfectly normal to others, but only Qin Wan knew the unusualness of this. Like weaving a web, piece by piece, grid by grid, it finally formed a complete spider’s web, and from this, all the threads of the matter emerged.

“Plum blossom wine—” Qin Wan murmured, slightly lost in thought.

Qin Wan had asked about many trivial matters that seemed unrelated to Lu Jingcheng’s death, but now she suddenly stopped asking and only murmured “plum blossom wine.” These two were completely bewildered. After waiting for a while with no response from Qin Wan, they exchanged glances, not knowing what to do.

“Everything we said is true, we didn’t dare deceive Miss with a single word.”

“Yes, yes, Miss, please put in a good word for us with Madam. We didn’t want to harm anyone, and we didn’t harm Fourth Young Master…”

As they kept kowtowing, Qin Wan came back to herself and looked at them, “Regarding the mining accident, was it only known to you three and Hu Guangde?”

At this question, they immediately nodded. The short one said, “Previously, we only communicated with Hu Guangde through letters. Others couldn’t possibly know. Fourth Young Master and we knew this matter was significant and didn’t dare let out the slightest hint. After reaching Jianzhou, we only met Hu Guangde once, and the Fourth Young Master was very cautious about it.”

“What did Lu Jingcheng intend to do to the Fifth House with this matter? Did he want Fifth Master to be imprisoned? Or just to make the Fifth House lose Xiushan Mining?”

At this question, the tall one frowned and said, “Initially, the plan was to ruin Fifth Master’s reputation, it best if he spent a few days in prison. But after being at White Deer Isle for a few days, Fourth Young Master suddenly changed his mind. He even instructed this lowly one once to keep track of those two fleeing managers’ whereabouts, saying it might be useful in the future.”

Qin Wan frowned, “He surely didn’t intend to let the authorities find those two people?”

The tall one hurriedly nodded, “Yes, Fourth Young Master wouldn’t let the authorities find those two while alive, but… but while they couldn’t be found alive, they could be found… dead.”

Knowing his guilt, the tall one’s voice trailed off as he hunched his shoulders.

Qin Wan felt a chill in her heart. Lu Jingcheng had originally intended for those two to disappear far away without a trace, but now he had started tracking their whereabouts. The difference between alive and dead was that he feared they might implicate him if caught alive, but if they were found dead, the Fifth House would have a chance to clear their name.

If Lu Jingcheng could conspire with Hu Guangde to frame the Fifth House, why would he suddenly want to give them a chance?!

A possibility emerged in Qin Wan’s mind, and when she pieced it together with the information from her previous investigation and what she heard today, a complete network of connections appeared. The depth in her eyes gradually gave way to a trace of regret. She sat upright, unable to speak for a long time.

With Qin Wan silent, the two became even more afraid and nervous. After a long while, Qin Wan finally spoke, “That’s all for today. You may withdraw.”

The two seemed to want to beg for mercy but couldn’t speak, and Qin Wan wasn’t as lenient with them as she had been with the two maids. These two were involved in the mining accident; as Lu Jingcheng’s henchmen, if Lu Jingcheng hadn’t died, they probably wouldn’t have known what remorse meant.

Bai Feng led the two away, and the room fell silent. Being a temporarily prepared room, it had no fireplace or floor heating. After questioning for so long, Qin Wan’s hands and feet were ice-cold. When she stood up, her body trembled, and Fuling quickly supported her, “Princess Consort, are you alright?”

Qin Wan’s face was full of contemplation, looking somewhat depressed. She shook her head and didn’t let Fuling continue supporting her.

She walked out the door to find that the weather, which had been clear in the morning, had now turned gloomy, with strong cold winds – another heavy snow was about to fall.

Qin Wan slowly walked toward Wutong Court, but halfway there, she changed her mind and turned toward Hantan Pavilion instead. Fuling, seeing her expression, was worried, “Princess Consort, what have you realized? They said so much, but this servant still hasn’t figured it out.”

Qin Wan sighed, her tone compassionate and weary, “I know who the killer is.”