As they passed through Qinren Ward, Zhu Yan suddenly spoke up, “Have you ever wondered why the female corpse was a courtesan?”
“Wasn’t Kuang Zhanxin one as well?” Shen Du responded to Zhu Yan’s question.
Zhu Yan shook her head, “I can’t help but feel we’ve overlooked many commonalities in this case. We just learned that besides Kuang Zhanxin, the other victim was also a courtesan. And then there’s the disappearance case in Fengle Ward. Could it be that those female corpses…”
“All doubts will be cleared once we reach Pingkang Ward. First, we need to confirm whether that female corpse is indeed Lan Yudie.”
Hearing Shen Du’s answer, Zhu Yan said no more.
Shen Du was right; everything at this point was mere speculation on her part.
After three years, the facial features were completely unrecognizable. Regardless, they needed to confirm the identity of the body first.
At Pingkang Ward.
Rong Zhui felt a bit uneasy upon seeing Zhu Yan arrive. Last time, she had lied about the Liang family affair. Could Zhu Yan be here to confront her about it?
“Rong Zhui, was Lan Yudie one of your girls?” Zhu Yan asked directly.
Rong Zhui’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of this name. She nodded repeatedly, “Yes, but she’s been missing for several years now.”
Zhu Yan and Shen Du exchanged glances before Zhu Yan continued, “Where did she live before?”
“She lived in Lanyan Pavilion with Kong Suier.”
Having received an answer, the two settled in a guest room prepared by Rong Zhui.
“Rong Zhui, could you please bring us Lan Yudie’s portrait that you kept?”
“Certainly, please wait a moment.”
Rong Zhui politely bowed and left.
“I hope my guess is correct,” Zhu Yan said, once again pondering her theory and forming a plan in her mind.
They looked at Lan Yudie’s portrait and placed Kuang Zhanxin’s beside it.
There seemed to be a similarity between the two, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was.
“Rong Zhui, I’ll keep these two portraits for now and return them after we’re done.”
“The people are gone; the portraits only serve to ease the pain of missing them. They don’t hold much meaning anymore. If you like them, you can keep them.”
Despite these words, Zhu Yan decided in her heart to return the portraits after use. After all, she was Kuang Zhanxin’s elder sister. With the person gone, keeping a portrait as a memento would be comforting.
Leaving Pingkang Ward, Zhu Yan confirmed her suspicion.
“That female corpse is indeed Lan Yudie.”
Shen Du looked at her, puzzled. “How can you be so sure?”
“Although the body has decayed and the facial features are indistinguishable, her portrait shows a thin forehead and a slightly small face, which perfectly matches that corpse. It can’t be a coincidence.”
All signs pointed to the dead body being Lan Yudie.
With this confirmation, Shen Du also thought of a direction to pursue.
They arrived at Fengle Ward, where several disappearances had occurred previously.
However, when they compared the portraits of the missing courtesans from Fengle Ward with those of Lan Yudie and Kuang Zhanxin, both were shocked.
While each face was unique, at first glance, there were several similarities among them.
“Don’t you think… there’s a resemblance between these women?” Zhu Yan furrowed her brows, feeling that the similarities before her eyes were bringing them closer to the truth of the case.
“I’m not blind,” Shen Du responded coldly.
His words were harsh, but the implication was that he agreed with Zhu Yan.
These women did indeed share some similarities, sometimes in the eyes, sometimes in the mouth, or the eyebrows, or their smiles…
“It seems the killer isn’t killing indiscriminately, but rather selecting targets deliberately,” Zhu Yan shared her view.
Shen Du nodded seriously, but suddenly, as if realizing something, he asked, “Who do they resemble?”
Shen Du’s sudden question startled Zhu Yan.
“Who?”
Zhu Yan looked at the portraits again, and after several comparisons, her pupils dilated in shock.
“Madam Tang!”
Shen Du remained silent, seemingly agreeing with Zhu Yan’s guess.
“But… there’s no reason, no reason to kill people just because they look like oneself. What could be her motive?”
Although Zhu Yan had never considered Madam Tang a suspect, the fact that these victims resembled her so closely left Zhu Yan confused. Could someone kill just because others looked like them? Wouldn’t that make these deaths unjust?
“I merely pointed out that these portraits resemble her. I haven’t confirmed that she’s the killer,” Shen Du responded coldly, his brows furrowed tightly like an unbreakable knot.
Zhu Yan was completely baffled. Without evidence, no one could claim Madam Tang was the killer. It would be absurd to determine guilt based solely on physical resemblance.
“Even if she’s not the killer, she must have some connection to the murderer,” Zhu Yan stated firmly. “Every victim resembles her in some way. This can’t be a coincidence; it must be intentional. Either the killer is doing this deliberately, or they’re trying to frame her. If there’s no grudge between them, why would the killer do this?”
“It’s too early to determine guilt. We must gather solid evidence before making any arrests,” Shen Du gave his final verdict, also warning Zhu Yan that her speculations, true or false, should only be shared with him and not spread further.
Zhu Yan understood his meaning. The incident with Princess Yong’an still chilled her heart, and she would not act rashly again.
“I understand your meaning, and I’ll be obedient.”
As she spoke, Zhu Yan looked up at Shen Du, and inadvertently, Shen Du was also looking at her.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, it felt like a meeting of kindred spirits, surprising Zhu Yan and making her feel unexpectedly different.
She seemed less averse to this man than before…
“Alright, let’s head back,” Shen Du said, putting away the portraits. Blinking frequently as if hiding something, he added, “Let’s see if the servants have prepared dinner.”
The two left Fengle Ward as night fell.
Walking through the bustling streets, there was a sense of a couple returning home after a day’s work.
Although the serial killings had caused panic, this was still Chang’an under the Emperor’s watchful eye, and the lives of the common people remained prosperous.
Passing by a jewelry stall, Zhu Yan stopped, her attention caught by a red plum blossom hairpin on the display cloth.
As a government official busy with cases every day, she rarely had time to adorn herself, but she was still a woman, and it was natural to appreciate beauty.
Shen Du noticed her interest and followed her gaze to the red plum blossom hairpin.
The design was simple yet elegant.
It would look beautiful on her.
“Ahem…” Shen Du cleared his throat and reminded her, “It’s getting late. If you’re not hungry, you can linger here. I’ll head back first.”
Zhu Yan was speechless. She wasn’t made of iron; of course, she was hungry after not eating for half a day.
She glanced back at the hairpin one last time, deciding to buy it when she received her monthly salary.
Having made up her mind, she followed Shen Du and left.