However—

Ji Yunshu shook her head, dismissing that thought. Her eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly as she began examining Granny Lin’s body. First, she rolled up the sleeves a few inches, exposing the livor mortis. She pressed two fingers together against it, noting traces of the discoloration fading and dispersing. Then she pried open the corpse’s eyes to examine them.

She reached a conclusion in her mind!

Cai Da watched, shouting indignantly, “What are you doing? My mother is already dead, and you’re still humiliating her like this?”

“…”

“Stop that!” he rebuked.

Shout all you want—even if you shout until the heavens break, no one will pay you any mind.

Ji Yunshu continued her examination undeterred!

She inspected the body from head to hands, and indeed made significant discoveries.

Caught under Granny Lin’s yellowed fingernails was a long strand of hair—jet black, somewhat coarse but not greasy. She could definitively determine it wasn’t from Granny Lin’s head of white hair. It might have been left by the killer. She took out a silk handkerchief, placed the hair on it and wrapped it up, then continued her examination.

Everyone around stared dumbfounded.

What was happening?

What was Master Ji looking at?

Only Jingrong watched calmly—this woman had probably discovered something. Things were about to get busy.

Then—

Ji Yunshu’s gaze fell upon Granny Lin’s shoes. Her slender, delicate eyebrows drew together toward the center of her brow.

She removed the pair of coarse cloth shoes, turned them over to examine the soles. The soles were stained with some light red mud, and there was also a layer of something shiny and oily. Next, she examined the heel area of the shoe, where there were fresh friction marks. Though not severe, the cloth-sewn shoes had still split open along several seams. The torn areas were also shiny with oil. She simply wiped her finger across it, then brought it to her nose to sniff lightly.

Mm!

It was oil.

Lard!

So she hadn’t been wrong!

Marquis Kang was puzzled, but he also knew that Master Ji was exceptional at solving cases with meticulous thinking. This particular behavior surely meant he found the corpse suspicious.

He asked, “Master Ji, is there something strange about Sister Lin’s corpse?”

“Very strange indeed!”

“She didn’t die from the fall?”

“She did die from the fall.”

“Huh?” Marquis Kang was confused.

Ji Yunshu explained unhurriedly, “The person did indeed die from a fall, but…” She pointed at Granny Lin’s forehead. “When a person’s head strikes the ground or a relatively flat surface, the wound will only present two possibilities: one is a light impact where the skin doesn’t break and the wound swells outward; the other is a severe impact where the skin splits outward around the wound evenly and regularly. However, the wound on Granny Lin’s forehead is not like that. The torn flesh is irregular, and the center of the wound was even crushed into mangled flesh bunched together, exposing the bone underneath. Clearly, she struck something uneven and sharp. Therefore, this is not the primary crime scene.”

Hearing this explanation, everyone was vaguely understanding!

But they still craned their necks to look, and it did seem to be the case.

So did that mean this really wasn’t the primary crime scene? That Granny Lin had died elsewhere?

Marquis Kang pressed further, “If she didn’t die in this room, then where did she die? And if she died elsewhere, how did she end up in this room? Who is the killer?”

Everyone had the same questions in their hearts!

Ji Yunshu slowly stood up, her expression grave. “Based on the livor mortis on the body and the degree of cloudiness in the eyeballs, the time of death should have been during the chou hour early this morning. At that time, it was already quite late. Was Granny Lin carrying that cup out? Or coming in? But whether she was carrying it in or out, the position where the person fell is very strange. Let’s say she was carrying it in—the table was right by the door, so why wouldn’t she place the cup on the table instead of carrying it toward the bed? Was she going to put the cup on the bed? But I can see Granny Lin’s room is clean and tidy; she doesn’t seem like such a careless person. But if she was carrying it out, the direction her head was facing should have been toward the door! Why would it be toward the bed? Therefore, someone clearly arranged her this way, but that person made an oversight and neglected the directional positioning.”

“Then… who exactly is the killer?”

She raised the pair of shoes in her hand, pointing the heel and sole toward everyone. “Who the killer is, I don’t yet know, but where the primary crime scene is—these shoes can tell us that.”

So everyone widened their eyes to look.

But they were just ordinary shoes! Made of coarse cloth, crudely crafted, even quite dull in color. There was nothing strange about them!

Then they heard Ji Yunshu say, “The soles of Granny Lin’s shoes are stained with light red soil, and there are fresh wear marks on the heels. Both the soles and the worn areas have a layer of grease—lard! I believe that after Granny Lin struck the stone and died, someone dragged her all the way to this room. The heels wore through and also picked up oil stains. So then, is there anywhere in the estate that has stones, this kind of light red soil, and would even have lard? If we can determine that, we can probably find the primary crime scene.”

Stones?

Light red soil?

And lard too?

What kind of strange place was that?

Everyone began scratching their heads thinking, when suddenly someone in the crowd shouted, “I know!”

You speak!

“It’s the backyard behind the kitchen.”

Eh!

When everyone heard this, they all began remembering. “Right, the backyard behind the kitchen! There’s a small plot there for growing vegetables that uses this kind of light red soil. And because it’s the kitchen, the floor is greasy. What’s more, there are several decorative rocks standing beside that plot.”

Ji Yunshu nodded. “Take me there.”

So Marquis Kang ordered several people to guard Granny Lin’s corpse, allowing no one near, including Cai Da, and then went with Ji Yunshu to the kitchen backyard.

Indeed, the stones, light red soil, and lard on the floor were all present.

During the chou hour, what was Granny Lin doing here?

Ji Yunshu examined those decorative rocks and indeed found bloodstains on them.

“Marquis Kang, who normally takes the night shift in the kitchen?”

To prevent young maids or servants from stealing food, wealthy households would have people take turns keeping watch in the kitchen at night.

Marquis Kang immediately summoned the managing steward and asked.

Finally, they brought out two relatively young fellows who had both been helping in the kitchen.

Ji Yunshu asked, “Last night during the chou hour, did you see Granny Lin?”

Both shook their heads in unison!

“Then who else came in?”

They shook their heads in unison again!

Ji Yunshu’s sharp gaze intensified, seeing through their subterfuge. “You two tell the truth—where did you go last night during the chou hour?”

Eh!

This time, the two didn’t shake their heads. They looked at each other, fear growing in their hearts.

Marquis Kang immediately roared, “Speak!”

“Replying to the Marquis, at that time we… returned to our rooms. Because strange incidents have been happening continuously in the estate recently, we were frightened, so we only kept watch until the zi hour before going back to our rooms.”

Terrified, they dared not lie.