Chunfang’s hesitation made Xie Qingyao impatient. She said coldly, “Just say it!”
At a time like this, was there anything that needed to be hidden?
“Later, after the Earl was diagnosed with sleepwalking, Madame was worried about the Earl being unsafe at night while unconscious, so she started sleeping on the outside. This way, if the Earl sleepwalked, she could hear the movement and wake up in time…” Chunfang, who had served Madame Earl of Yongchang for many years, choked up as she spoke.
Xie Qingyao was in tears, covering her face as she cried, “Asi, my father and mother were so good to each other. Why did this have to happen?”
Jiang Si examined the blood-stained bedding.
If someone else had killed Madame Earl of Yongchang, because she was sleeping on the outside, it was very possible that the sleeping Earl wouldn’t have been disturbed. After the killer had committed the act, they could have placed the candlestick in the Earl’s hand. When the Earl woke up and suddenly saw his wife’s tragic death, his first reaction would have been to grab the candlestick beside him…
Of course, this was just speculation based on the premise that the Earl wasn’t the killer. It couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that the Earl was the murderer, after all, people could do unimaginable things while sleepwalking.
Jiang Si closed her eyes and sniffed lightly.
She was trying to detect any unusual scents amidst the overwhelming smell of blood in the room.
Madame Earl of Yongchang was fond of fragrances. As Jiang Si concentrated, she could smell a faint orchid scent lingering in the room. Sure enough, there was a pot of four-season orchids on the flower stand.
What other special scents were there?
Jiang Si strained to distinguish the smells and finally detected a very faint, sweet, and cloying scent.
This scent was so light, almost imperceptible. Jiang Si felt it was pure luck that she could smell it at all.
She kept her eyes closed and followed the scent, moving forward.
Xie Qingyao grabbed her hand. “Asi, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Si opened her eyes, and the faint scent she had picked up instantly vanished. She looked down to see a blood-stained candlestick lying at her feet.
One more step, and she would have stepped on the candlestick.
Besides this bloodied candlestick, there were chaotic bloody footprints on the ground, clearly left by the servants in the confusion after the incident.
Jiang Si didn’t answer Xie Qingyao’s question. She tried her best to recapture that scent, gradually detecting that elusive smell again, and followed it in a certain direction.
Circling the fallen screen and avoiding the bloodstains on the floor, Jiang Si finally stopped in front of a wardrobe.
The wardrobe was divided into upper and lower sections. The upper part had four cabinet doors, while the lower part had eight drawers, symmetrically arranged. The cabinet surface was carved with exquisite patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and insects.
Such cabinets could be found in any wealthy home, even made of similar wood. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it.
“Asi, what are you looking at?” Xie Qingyao asked, puzzled.
Jiang Si took a deep breath and reached out to open two of the cabinet doors.
Inside were clothes, neatly folded and placed at the back, not filling the entire cabinet.
Xie Qingyao glanced at it and frowned.
The clothes on top looked wrinkled, showing that the maids hadn’t been very careful.
Jiang Si sniffed lightly.
The source of the scent was indeed here.
She couldn’t quite place what this smell was, but she was certain it wasn’t the usual fragrance used to scent clothes.
“Asi, have you discovered something?” Xie Qingyao grew increasingly confused by Jiang Si’s strange behavior.
Jiang Si carefully examined the contents of the cabinet, when suddenly she noticed two fingerprints in a hidden corner.
The fingerprints weren’t complete, but they were very clear on the smooth, lacquered surface of the cabinet.
Jiang Si narrowed her eyes and leaned in for a closer look.
Given the angle and position of the fingerprints, it was unlikely they were left by maids putting away clothes.
“Qingyao, come and look at this.”
Under Jiang Si’s guidance, Xie Qingyao saw the two fingerprints.
“Qingyao, do you know what this means?”
Xie Qingyao shook her head in confusion. “Asi, just tell me directly. My mind is in such a mess right now, I can’t think of anything.”
The sudden, violent change had left this usually lively and cheerful girl dull-witted, lacking her usual quick thinking.
“Someone has hidden in this wardrobe,” Jiang Si stated in her conclusion.
Xie Qingyao’s almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened. “What did you say?”
Before Jiang Si could answer, Xie Qingyao’s expression became excited. “Who would hide in the wardrobe?”
By now, she had already guessed the answer: the person hiding in the wardrobe must be the killer!
Xie Qingyao grabbed Jiang Si’s wrist. “Asi, if there was a killer, that proves my mother wasn’t killed by my father, right?”
Jiang Si put an arm around Xie Qingyao’s shoulders and said softly, “Of course.”
With this discovery, she could now be certain that someone else had killed Madame Earl of Yongchang.
This had always been the most likely possibility, but evidence was needed to prove it. The fact that someone had hidden in the wardrobe was the strongest evidence.
But what was that scent?
“I’m going to tell father and brother!” Xie Qingyao could hardly contain her excitement as she pulled Jiang Si towards the door.
Without realizing it, this young girl had already begun to rely on Jiang Si as her main support.
Jiang Si didn’t move with her. “Qingyao, I have a suggestion—”
Xie Qingyao paused. “Tell me.”
“Why don’t we report this to the authorities? The current Shuntian Prefecture Magistrate, Lord Zhen, is known for his brilliant case-solving skills. He recently solved the case of the Changheng Marquis’s heir torturing and killing ten women, as well as the sudden death of ‘Imperial Uncle Yang’. If your father invites him, he will surely catch the killer and bring justice for your mother.”
At present, the Earl of Yongchang is severely traumatized, and Xie Qingyao is just a naive young girl. As for Xie Yinlou, Jiang Si didn’t believe he could catch the killer on his own.
After careful consideration, inviting Lord Zhen to intervene seemed the most appropriate course of action.
Of course, given that the deceased was a Madame, any noble family would be reluctant to involve official authorities. These aristocratic families valued their reputation highly and would find it difficult to accept questioning from officials, let alone allow coroners to examine the body of such a high-ranking deceased.
As expected, when Jiang Si suggested this, Xie Qingyao was stunned and didn’t react for a while.
Jiang Si persuaded her, “Right now, what could be more important than clearing your father’s name, relieving him of the guilt of killing his wife, and finding the real killer to avenge your mother?”
Xie Qingyao snapped out of her daze. “You’re right, I’ll go tell father and brother right away!”
As Xie Qingyao hurried out, Jiang Si glanced at the two maids guarding the door and instructed Aman, “You stay here for now.”
Since the killer was someone else, how could they be sure that the maids who served Madame Earl of Yongchang were innocent? To be safe, it was best to leave Aman here to guard and prevent any tampering with the evidence they had discovered.
At this time, the Earl of Yongchang was tied up and unable to move. He had gradually stopped cursing and now lay motionless, as if lifeless.
Jiang Ancheng looked at his old neighbor, who seemed to have aged ten years in an instant and sighed deeply.
How could such a thing have happened?
“Father!” Xie Qingyao ran over quickly, lifting her skirts. In her haste, she stumbled and fell to her knees at her father’s feet. “Asi has discovered that someone else killed Mother!”
Xie Yinlou, who had been silent all this time, couldn’t help but look towards Jiang Si.