In the darkness, four eyes met and quickly looked away. Two hands simultaneously groped on the ground, trying to retrieve the only source of light, until they accidentally touched.
Yuanxi felt the warm sensation from the hand and immediately felt both shy and embarrassed, quickly trying to withdraw her hand. Who would have known that hand would grip hers even more firmly? His eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness, his voice low and seductive: “Why are your hands so cold?”
“It’s because you frightened me!” Yuanxi struggled to suppress this phrase that had risen to her throat, blushing as she forcefully pulled her hand free. Finally finding the candle and lighting it again, in the flickering candlelight she discovered a pair of probing eyes staring fixedly at her. Feeling somewhat guilty, she smoothed her hair and lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
Xiao Du couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. He had deliberately left the corpse brazenly in the room just to see if anyone would be unable to resist returning to investigate. He hadn’t expected to catch the real culprit, but instead saw his restless new bride. Now she was putting on the act of a frightened little wife, as if he had somehow wronged her. Very well—since she was unwilling to speak, he would have to ask.
“Why did you come here?”
Yuanxi felt the person before her emanating a dangerous aura. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive and unbearable. Fortunately, her mind was still clear, knowing that only by telling the truth could she most quickly dispel his suspicions. So she lowered her head and said softly: “I… I think there’s something wrong with this corpse.”
“Oh?” Xiao Du narrowed his eyes, curiously examining her: “You only glanced at it a few times from outside—what makes you think there’s something wrong with this corpse?”
Yuanxi dared not look at him, only pointing at the bloodstains on the wall and saying softly: “If she died from being knocked against the wall, this blood should have sprayed out from the back of her head and would have splattered everywhere. But these bloodstains flowed down evenly, so…”
“So what?” Xiao Du quickly pressed.
“So I suspect this blood was poured on the wall by someone after she died.”
Xiao Du’s heart skipped a beat as many key points suddenly became clear to him. He glanced at her again: “Since when do young ladies from the Chancellor’s mansion need to learn criminal investigation?”
Yuanxi knew he was deliberately teasing her and felt somewhat displeased, but still honestly replied: “No… it’s because I personally enjoy reading such books and have learned a little superficial knowledge.”
“Based merely on theories from your books, should I believe what you’re saying?” Xiao Du clasped his hands behind his back and moved another step closer to her.
“It can be verified!” Yuanxi turned around excitedly, but upon meeting that gaze so close at hand, her heart became confused again, and she quickly turned her face back to the corpse. Xiao Du immediately felt somewhat uncomfortable—how was it that in her eyes, he seemed more frightening than this corpse?
Yuanxi steadied her mind, holding the candle as she walked to the corpse’s side, illuminating the wound on the back of the head: “We only need to use a knife to open her skull to naturally know how she really died.”
Xiao Du listened with half-belief and casually responded: “Then why don’t you hurry up and do it?”
Yuanxi’s face reflected in the candlelight showed confusion before she replied with some embarrassment: “I’ve only seen illustrations in books but have never actually touched a corpse. If my hand isn’t steady or accurate enough, I’m afraid I might destroy important evidence.”
Xiao Du frowned: “Then call for a coroner.” He suddenly paused, immediately realizing that calling a coroner would mean involving the authorities, and if there were any complications then, it wouldn’t be something he could suppress.
Yuanxi said nothing but fixed her gaze on Xiao Du’s hands. These hands were steady and broad with calluses on the tiger’s mouth—they should be accustomed to wielding weapons and witnessing life and death. If used for surgery, they would be most suitable. Xiao Du followed her gaze and immediately understood her meaning, unable to help but widen his eyes and shout: “I am the dignified Marquis Xuanyuan—you want me to help you examine a corpse!”
Seeing him angry, Yuanxi could only speak softly to persuade: “If you don’t do it, that’s fine. Any military officer would work, but they all seem drunk. It looks like we can only wait until tomorrow.”
Xiao Du glared as he weighed his options, finally having to admit that doing it himself would be simplest and most reliable. But he was somewhat unwilling—this woman clearly looked gentle and weak, so why could she always get him completely under her control? So with a stern face, he reluctantly took out a dagger and walked to the corpse, concentrating carefully.
Since it had been left too long, the corpse had already stiffened. Xiao Du skillfully cut along the wound with the knife until he carved off a piece of flesh from the skull. The putrid smell emanated from it, immediately filling the entire room. Xiao Du’s hand stopped. The familiar smell of rotting flesh and the sensation of the blade piercing skin and flesh reminded him of some deliberately forgotten memories. Now these memories surged over him, making his whole body cold and wanting to vomit but unable to. Just then, a fragrant scent entered his nostrils. It turned out Yuanxi, eager to know the results, had unknowingly moved close to his side. Xiao Du rubbed his nose, for the first time finding the incense on a woman so pleasant. Yuanxi, unaware of his thoughts, pointed excitedly at the exposed flesh: “Look, the color of blood in this wound is different!”
Xiao Du quickly leaned in to look carefully. Indeed, the outer edges of the wound showed brighter red blood, while the area near the skull was brownish-red—the color of old blood. On the skull bone, traces of hard object penetration could be faintly seen. He immediately understood: someone had first killed her with a hard object, then deliberately crashed the corpse against the wall to create new wounds, and the bright red blood was also deliberately splashed on afterward.
He pondered further: Zheng Long had said he indeed had intimate relations with that maid, and the marks on her thighs could verify this. But this maid had clearly been dead for a long time—how could this be explained? As he thought this, he looked in that direction. Yuanxi followed his gaze downward. Having read medical books, she naturally understood what that sticky substance was. This made her blush—she could neither look nor not look.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Du immediately felt he had regained some ground and deliberately sighed: “This area I surely cannot examine.” After speaking, he deliberately fixed his gaze on her.
Who would have known that Yuanxi, blushing, nodded and continued: “This area should be examined by an experienced nanny.”
The smile that had just appeared on Xiao Du’s face immediately froze, feeling quite defeated. At this moment, he heard Yuanxi say again: “I think the murderer should be a woman.”
“How can you tell?”
“Look,” Yuanxi pointed at the scratches on her neck: “These wounds should be scratched by a woman’s fingernails.” Her voice suddenly stopped as she widened her eyes and suddenly reached toward the corpse’s neck…
“What? You mean I slept with a dead person!” After hearing Xiao Du finish speaking, Zheng Long’s face turned pale, his expression as ugly as if he had just swallowed a fly.
Xiao Du found it amusing inwardly but still maintained a stern face: “You’ll have to ask yourself that. Look carefully—was the person who helped you into the room really her or not?”
Zheng Long looked at the swollen face on the bed and immediately felt acid rising in his stomach. Unfortunately, he had been too drunk at the time, and all the maids dressed similarly. With the corpse’s face covered in wounds, there was really no way to determine.
Seeing him sweating profusely from fear, Xiao Du finally felt much of his pent-up frustration from the night released. He said leisurely: “Don’t worry. I’ve already had the mansion’s nannies examine her—there’s no bodily fluid inside her, proving it wasn’t the person you were intimate with. Moreover, a section of broken nail painted with rouge was found in her neck. The killer should be a woman. I think someone deliberately lured you into the trap, then while you were dead asleep, moved this corpse over to deliberately frame you.”
Zheng Long breathed a sigh of relief, then became furious: “When I find out who dared to harm me, I’ll skin her alive and extract her tendons!” He looked at Xiao Du’s somewhat weary profile and said with a tearful face: “It’s all my fault for being temporarily blinded by lust and ruining Your Lordship’s wedding night.”
Hearing this, Xiao Du paused, then walked to the window and slightly curved his lips: “That doesn’t matter. Chancellor Xia’s daughter is quite interesting. Before I figure out her true nature, I won’t give her a chance to conceive an heir.” His gaze became sharp again as he slowly lifted the window panel and continued: “I only want to know now—who staged such a good show!”
At this moment, the first blush of dawn gradually appeared on the horizon. Thin mist rose, birds chirped softly—this night was finally about to pass.
Because Yuanxi was concerned about serving tea to her parents-in-law early in the morning, although she had been exhausted to the extreme, she dared not sleep deeply. She only removed her outer robe and took a nap on the bed. Upon hearing the watch drum sound, she quickly had An’he and Nanny Yu help her wash and dress, arranging her hair in a hanging horse bun before hurrying out.
Walking to the hanging flower gate of the covered walkway, she saw Xiao Du standing by a corridor pillar with arms crossed, wearing a moon-white cloud-patterned palace silk brocade robe. Bathed in the morning sunlight, he was like a jade tree in bloom, brilliantly radiant. Upon seeing Yuanxi emerge, he smiled warmly at her: “Did my wife sleep well last night?”
Yuanxi couldn’t help but roll her eyes inwardly, reluctantly responding with the same pretentious manner while secretly sighing: why was it that after the same sleepless night, this person could recover his spirits so quickly while she had to desperately apply powder and rouge to make her complexion not look so terrible? Nanny Li and An’he beside her also quickly paid their respects to Xiao Du. An’he, having been caught by him standing guard outside the door yesterday, now saw him like a mouse seeing a cat—she hurriedly curtsied and hid behind Yuanxi, not daring to make a sound.
Yuanxi followed Xiao Du through corridors and courtyards until they finally reached the main room where the old marquis and madam resided. Upon entering, she saw the room full of people either standing or sitting, all in silk robes and fine clothes. The gold hairpins and step-shakers in their hair made her eyes somewhat dizzy. Her feet were already somewhat unsteady from fatigue, and when crossing the threshold, she accidentally stumbled and pitched forward.
Just as Yuanxi was thinking shamefully that she would embarrass herself in front of everyone, a pair of large hands had already firmly caught her. Looking up, she met Xiao Du’s concerned eyes as he gently instructed: “Wife, be careful.” Like the most tender and affectionate husband in the world, Yuanxi blinked in surprise, momentarily forgetting to be shy as she was helped into the room in a daze.
Xiao Yunjing, seated in the place of honor, nodded approvingly, seeming quite satisfied with this scene. Madam Zhao sitting beside him had an indifferent expression, only sweeping her gaze over Yuanxi once. Her deep eyes, still as an ancient well, revealed no emotion whatsoever.
Yuanxi steadied her mind and quickly knelt before the two, receiving the tea cup handed by a nearby maid. Taking a deep breath, she said: “Father, Mother, please drink tea.”
Xiao Yunjing accepted the tea, smiled as he sipped it, then took out a red envelope and handed it over. Yuanxi looked up to thank him, taking the opportunity to study her two parents-in-law: the old marquis had a square face with broad shoulders, sword-like brows and bright eyes—possessing the distinctive heroic bearing of a military general. In comparison, Xiao Du’s features were somewhat too refined. Though Madam Zhao wore elaborate accessories, her frail constitution was evident, yet she also possessed a delicate charm like a weak willow in the wind. Her face, full of sickly pallor, couldn’t hide her once world-toppling beauty. But those eyes—even when smiling—held no warmth whatsoever. When they stared directly at her face, they inexplicably made Yuanxi’s hands tremble.
She quickly lowered her head to hide the panic in her heart, then discovered something: what was she supposed to do next? The room suddenly fell quiet as everyone tactfully stopped speaking, waiting for the new daughter-in-law to say a few flattering words. But Yuanxi had never dealt with such a situation before. The more nervous she became, the blanker her mind went, unable to think of what to say.
Seeing Yuanxi frowning in annoyance and staring blankly, Xiao Du couldn’t help but cover the smile at the corner of his mouth with his fist. What new daughter-in-law was as wooden as her? However, from this it seemed she truly was unworldly, or perhaps her scheming was so deep that she could deceive them all. As for which was her true face, he had plenty of time to slowly verify.
Yuanxi stood awkwardly in the center of the room, seeing her husband standing leisurely to the side with no intention of helping, becoming anxious to the point of sweating. Fortunately, just then, a delicate cry came from far outside the door, breaking this embarrassing silence for her: “Oh my, I’m late!”