“What are you looking at?” Lu Chang asked.
He and Song Qingzhao had walked over to Ming Shu’s side, both bending down to look. But Ming Shu didn’t give them a chance to see clearly, quickly gathering up the torn pages.
“I’m looking for other possibilities,” Ming Shu said without looking up.
“What kind of possibilities?” Song Qingzhao asked curiously.
Ming Shu stood up, tucking the notebook into her chest. She grinned, “I’ll tell you once I’ve confirmed it. Wait here for a bit.”
As she spoke, she walked towards the door. Lu Chang followed, but she pushed him back.
“Don’t follow me. Wait here,” she said excitedly as she ran out. Turning back, she added, “Brother, you’re clever. As your sister, I must be just as smart. Let’s see who finds the clue first!”
Lu Chang had sparked Ming Shu’s competitive spirit, and she was eager to match wits with her brother.
Lu Chang and Song Qingzhao were stunned. By the time they recovered, Ming Shu had vanished, leaving just the two of them in the room.
Without Ming Shu, Lu Chang and Song Qingzhao suddenly found themselves in an awkward situation. Neither seemed to know what to say. They exchanged glances before looking away. Song Qingzhao broke the silence: “Your sister’s personality is really…” He wanted to compliment Ming Shu but couldn’t find the right words. Recalling her usual behavior, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
Lu Chang turned away, not echoing Song Qingzhao’s sentiment.
He had no desire to discuss Ming Shu with Song Qingzhao.
Lu Chang’s taciturn nature was nothing new, and Song Qingzhao didn’t mind. As a fellow talented individual, he felt both competitive and mutually appreciative towards Lu Chang. Being Ming Shu’s brother also gave Song Qingzhao an odd sense of viewing Lu Chang as an elder.
“I wonder what she discovered,” Song Qingzhao mused.
“Whatever she found, let’s continue our investigation,” Lu Chang said, circling back to the corpse. He made a gesture mimicking the killer’s action, saying, “If someone stabbed Yang Zishu’s neck with the sleeve arrow twice, blood should have sprayed out. The killer’s clothes should be stained with Yang Zishu’s blood. Where are those bloodstained clothes?”
“We should have people search Tang Li and Xie Xi’s rooms and the surrounding areas for clues. Also, this place was on His Highness’s tour route, which was decided in advance but not shared with everyone. Based on what we know, the killer choosing Huantao Pavilion wasn’t spontaneous but premeditated. Though we don’t know the reason yet, we can start by investigating the servants who’ve been cleaning this area recently. We might uncover something,” Song Qingzhao pondered.
Lu Chang approved of his idea: “That makes sense. Let’s split up. I’ll trouble you to question the people, and I’ll handle the bloodstained clothes.”
Song Qingzhao nodded and walked to the door, but then remembered Ming Shu. Curious about her discovery, he wanted to wait for her return before investigating. He paused at the doorway, about to speak to Lu Chang, when Lu Chang said, “It’s getting dark. We won’t be able to investigate well in the dark. Time is of the essence, Young Master Song. Please go quickly.”
At these words, Song Qingzhao couldn’t delay any longer. He nodded in agreement and left Huantao Pavilion. After walking a short distance, he belatedly realized that despite agreeing to investigate together, it seemed Lu Chang had sent him away.
Lu Chang watched Song Qingzhao leave. After walking around the room once more, he stopped at the open window, bending down to check for clues. Suddenly, rustling sounds came from the bushes below, as if something was moving towards the window. Lu Chang frowned, about to investigate, when a pair of hands suddenly gripped the windowsill. Ming Shu’s head appeared abruptly, trying to climb through the window, nearly colliding with Lu Chang.
Their faces were close as Ming Shu grinned, calling out “Brother.” Lu Chang quickly stepped back.
“Give me a hand!” Ming Shu asked for help as she climbed through the window.
Lu Chang helped her into the room, noticing leaves stuck to her hair and clothes. She was out of breath. He began plucking leaves off her, saying, “Were you out thieving?” As soon as he spoke, he realized something.
She had left through the front door, and in the brief time he’d spoken with Song Qingzhao, she had made it to the back of Huantao Pavilion.
Ming Shu looked somewhat proud, holding up a crumpled piece of paper. She was about to speak when she noticed Song Qingzhao’s absence. “Where’s Song Qingzhao?” she asked.
“He left,” Lu Chang replied.
“Didn’t we agree to investigate together? How disloyal of him,” Ming Shu frowned.
Lu Chang didn’t comment on this, instead asking, “What’s that?”
Ming Shu’s attention shifted from Song Qingzhao to her discovery. She unfolded the paper.
“Look what I found, brother!”
It was a crumpled piece of calligraphy, the strokes powerful and the work of a master. However, it was now stained with blood.
“This is the missing manuscript from Huantao Pavilion,” Ming Shu said proudly.
Originally, a genuine manuscript by a great scholar had been displayed on the desk in Huantao Pavilion for the Third Prince and Minister of Rites to admire. But after the murder, that manuscript had disappeared.
“This manuscript… where did you find it?” Lu Chang’s eyes sharpened, realizing Ming Shu had found a crucial breakthrough.
“Heh,” Ming Shu grinned like a sly fox, mysteriously beckoning him closer.
Lu Chang obliged, leaning in. Her warm breath tickled his ear as she whispered, her voice as fine as silk.
A simple sentence completely overturned all their earlier deductions.
“This manuscript is the real evidence the killer discarded along their escape route. Based on the scene, Yang Zishu entered this room willingly, not under duress. Perhaps because he was confined to his room and couldn’t meet the Third Prince and Lord Lu, he resorted to this plan. Knowing the Prince would certainly visit Huantao Pavilion, he secretly snuck in with the poem Tang Li had written for him, intending to present it to the Prince for attention.
After entering, he put away this manuscript meant for the Prince’s viewing and laid out his prepared poem. But he didn’t put the original manuscript far away; it was probably still on the table. After the murder, the killer’s hands were bloody and they were in a hurry to escape. They grabbed this manuscript to wipe off the blood, and unable to destroy it in time, hastily discarded it in a hidden spot along their escape route.”
Lu Chang continued Ming Shu’s line of reasoning, speaking slowly.
“Mm-hmm,” Ming Shu nodded in agreement, adding, “I also guess the killer must have told Yang Zishu that Huantao Pavilion was suitable for presenting his poem to the Prince. Yang Zishu believed them and entered. If everything was premeditated, the killer must have scouted the location in advance and inquired about the Prince’s tour route to finalize this plan. Recently, because of the Prince’s visit, Madam He assigned people to thoroughly clean these pavilions. We should question these people to see if we can uncover any clues.”
“Song Qingzhao has already gone to do that,” Lu Chang said reluctantly.
Ming Shu’s eyes widened: “He’s so smart!”
Lu Chang immediately felt like he’d shot himself in the foot. He remained silent. Observing his expression, Ming Shu felt she might have said something wrong and quickly added, “Of course, not as smart as you and me, brother!”
“Flatterer!” Lu Chang lightly scolded.
Ming Shu tugged at his sleeve: “Come on, let’s go find Song Qingshao and see what he’s learned.”
“Why the rush? He can investigate on his own. We have other matters to look into. It’s faster if we split up,” Lu Chang said calmly as they left the room.
“Investigate what?” Ming Shu asked.
“According to our deductions, the killer has an alibi. How will you disprove it? Or how will you prove that they killed in Huantao Pavilion while in plain sight of everyone?”
Lu Chang posed a challenging question to Ming Shu.
Ming Shu was stumped, furrowing her brow.
Indeed, she had just found a hidden alley between two buildings from the front of Huantao Pavilion – the route the Third Prince and others had taken – and then circled to the back to climb through the window. But that morning, everyone on this route had been focused on following the Third Prince. How could someone slip away unnoticed?
“Ming Shu, there’s someone behind you!” Lu Chang suddenly said while she was thinking.
Ming Shu was startled and quickly turned around.
There was no one there.
She clutched her chest in annoyance: “Brother, why are you scaring me?”
Lu Chang smiled faintly without speaking. Ming Shu remained irritated, but seeing Lu Chang’s smile, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind like lightning.
Behind… behind…
“Brother, if I remember correctly, there are 73 students in the academy. Besides Tang Li, Xie Xi, and Yang Zishu, the other 70 accompanied the Third Prince and Lord Lu on the tour. You were in groups of three, so with 70 people, that’s 23 full groups plus one person. The one standing at the very back…”
The person standing at the very back was everyone’s blind spot.
With a hypothesis in mind, they needed to verify it.
Ming Shu eagerly dragged Lu Chang to find the person in charge of arranging the students’ positions. They quickly obtained a list, and she then pulled Lu Chang toward where the students were gathered to cross-check.
Fortunately, due to the Third Prince overseeing the investigation, no one dared to leave. The students were still seated in the courtyard of Chongming Hall, arranged as they had been earlier that day. Exhausted from the day’s events, they sat listlessly – some dozing, others whispering among themselves.
Ming Shu and Lu Chang stood in the corridor, swiftly checking the list against the students’ positions from afar.
The students’ positions matched the list perfectly.
The last person sat alone, staring blankly at the ground. No one around him engaged in conversation.
“It’s him…” Ming Shu murmured.
“What are you doing here?” Song Qingzhao’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
Ming Shu turned, eager to ask about his progress when she saw Song Qingzhao.
“Let’s talk outside,” Lu Chang intervened.
The three left Chongming Hall, finding a secluded spot to talk.
Night had fallen, and the mountain wind blew cold. Yet Ming Shu felt her blood boiling with excitement. Her eyes, reflecting the lamplight, shone brightly as she looked at Song Qingzhao. Even the usually reserved Song Qingzhao showed signs of excitement as he spoke: “I found something. I questioned the servants responsible for cleaning this area recently. According to their descriptions, there was one name that kept coming up among the people they encountered. That person is…”
“Wait!” Ming Shu interrupted him. “We’ve made a discovery too and have a suspect. How about we count to three and all say it together?”
She looked at Song Qingzhao and Lu Chang with sparkling eyes.
This childish suggestion carried a hint of naivety. Normally, given Lu Chang and Song Qingzhao’s personalities, they would have refused to play along. But tonight was different. Her eyes, expression, and words carried an irresistible charm.
It seemed that in the monotonous adult world, being playful like a child occasionally was refreshing and enjoyable.
Neither Lu Chang nor Song Qingzhao refused.
Their silence was taken as agreement. Ming Shu held up three fingers and began counting down: “Three, two, one…”
Three voices rang out simultaneously.
“Zhang Song!”