The killer had left almost no traces at the scene.

To be able to kill someone at Wenlai Pavilion while evading the guards outside Xing Xiyang’s door, the killer was not only clever but also a highly skilled master.

Ji Yinshu thought for a moment, then walked back to the corpse.

Right beside the pit where the body was buried, she saw a trail of blood in a curved arc. Presumably, this was blood that had sprayed onto the ground when the killer slashed Xing Xiyang’s neck with the sharp blade.

Hmm?

She roughly understood something.

Afterward, she ordered: “A few of you come here and dig out the body.”

Several guards then found tools and carefully dug out the lower half of Xing Xiyang’s body that had been buried underground.

The body lay flat on the ground, already somewhat stiff.

Ji Yinshu crouched down to examine it. Xing Xiyang’s clothes were covered in blood. His lower body, having been buried in the earth where it was damp, had clothes and boots sticky with mud. She examined the corpse thoroughly but found nothing, and there were no signs of dragging marks behind the heels either. So she simply removed the deceased’s boots and tapped them downward.

“Thud.” A muffled sound.

A button fell out from inside the shoe.

Everyone’s gaze also fell upon that button.

Why would there be a button inside the boot?

Ji Yinshu picked up the button, cleaned it, rubbed it in her hand for a while, and examined it carefully.

This was a very ordinary wooden button. Generally, wealthy households would have buttons made of silk or jade. Although Xing Xiyang wasn’t dressed luxuriously, he was still a wealthy man after all. Moreover, there were no signs of missing buttons on his clothing.

It seemed—

This must have been left by the killer.

But there were no signs of struggle in the surrounding area. Based on calculation, when the killer was burying Xing Xiyang in the earth, a button from their clothing had accidentally fallen into his boot.

Ji Yinshu’s gaze swept over each person in the courtyard one by one, asking: “Who was responsible for guarding Xing Xiyang?”

From the crowd: “It was us two.” The speaker was a rather thin man with two small mustaches. His face bore no威嚴 at all, but his eyes were quite alert. As he stepped forward timidly, beside him was another man who was very tall, of medium build, with a fierce and menacing appearance. His hands were tucked inside his sleeves, and his shoulders slightly hunched.

Ji Yinshu asked: “At the second quarter of the mao hour, did neither of you notice anything unusual in the courtyard?”

They both shook their heads!

“Didn’t you hear any sounds?”

“No, we didn’t!”

“Did you two leave together at any point?”

The thin man thought for a moment and said: “Yes, we suddenly had stomach aches and really couldn’t hold it. At the time, we couldn’t find anyone to take our place, so we had no choice but to leave to go to the latrine.”

“What time was this?”

“Probably… around the chou hour today, before dawn.”

“That’s it then!” Ji Yinshu had clarified the timeline.

The tall man looked confused and said: “But Master Ji, you said President Xing died at the second quarter of the mao hour today. Even if we left during the chou hour, President Xing hadn’t met with trouble yet at that time.”

“That’s correct. At that time, Xing Xiyang indeed hadn’t died yet, but the killer took advantage of the brief period when you two left to dig the pit.”

Ah?

Everyone was confused.

Chief Justice Yu stepped forward and asked: “Master Ji, what leads you to this conclusion?” She pointed to the curved bloodstain beside the pit and explained: “That bloodstain sprayed from the deceased’s neck, and it’s right next to the pit. Before we dug out Xing Xiyang’s body, that bloodstain showed no signs whatsoever of being covered by soil. If the killer had dug the pit after killing the deceased, then during this process, how could this bloodstain that sprayed from the deceased’s neck, being so close to the pit, not have been covered or disturbed? This shows that the killer dug the pit before the murder, which means…” She paused slightly, looking at the two men who had been guarding Xing Xiyang, “during the time when you both had stomach aches and went to the latrine, the killer snuck in and dug this small pit. Then, at the second quarter of the mao hour when Xing Xiyang got up and came out of his room, the killer killed him right at this spot and threw him into this pit.”

Decisive and certain!

“So that’s how it was.”

Everyone was enlightened!

But—

Capital Magistrate asked: “If the killer had a grudge against Xing Xiyang, they could have just killed him directly. Why go to such trouble to dig this pit? Isn’t this unnecessary?”

How absurd!

To kill someone and still do all this—wasn’t it troublesome! Before Ji Yinshu could speak, Jingrong frowned and said: “This case is the same as Jiao Shiniang’s case. The killer murdered someone and then performed a series of strange actions. It’s very clear that the killer is the same person, and the killer’s purpose isn’t as simple as just murder—there must be other motives behind this.” He turned to instruct Chief Justice Yu, “Jiao Shiniang and Xing Xiyang were lovers—there was already a connection between them. The killer may also be connected to these two! And the enmity is not small! Chief Justice Yu, I’m entrusting this matter to you to investigate. This prince and Master Ji need to know in the shortest time possible exactly who is connected to Jiao Shiniang and Xing Xiyang.”

“Yes.” He acknowledged the order.

The Minister of Justice stepped forward and asked: “Then Your Highness, shall we leave the body here undisturbed for now, or carry it to the Ministry of Justice’s morgue?”

“Carry it to the Ministry of Justice.”

“Yes.”

Several guards from the Ministry of Justice found a large white cloth, covered the body with it, and also collected the mask and the cut rope.

“Wait.” Ji Yinshu called out.

She stepped forward.

Ordered: “Send the mask and rope to Prince Rong’s residence.”

Guard: “Yes.”

They then carried the body away, taking the mask and rope with them.

Zhao Zhiwen from the Qiyang Commerce Association saw the body being moved away and let out a long sigh, saying: “How inauspicious—the Commerce Festival was going well and now this happens.”

Zhao Zhiwen’s petty manner was fully on display.

Hearing this, a flash of sharpness crossed Jingrong’s eyes. He strode over to stand before him and asked: “You are Zhao Zhiwen, president of the Qiyang Commerce Association, correct?”

This sudden question made Zhao Zhiwen freeze.

He met Jingrong’s gaze—those eyes seemed ready to devour him alive. Fear immediately rose in his eyes. He swallowed and forced his lips to move: “Yes.”

“Then did you hear clearly what this prince just instructed Chief Justice Yu?”

“I… heard clearly.”

“Good that you heard clearly. And the words you just spoke, as well as what you said earlier, this prince also heard clearly. From your tone, you seem to very much wish for Xing Xiyang’s death.”

Ugh!

“I’ve been wronged.”

“You needn’t rush to cry injustice. Whether or not you’re connected to this matter, Chief Justice Yu will investigate thoroughly shortly. But before that, you must cooperate fully.” Jingrong’s face showed no ripples, but his tone was like red-hot iron, searing toward him mercilessly.

Because Zhao Zhiwen was seven or eight years older than Jingrong and quite concerned with saving face, he still felt somewhat unconvinced.

“Your Highness, this Zhao does not engage in the business of murder.” Jingrong’s thin lips curved: “Why fear the ghost’s knock if you’ve done nothing wrong?”