With no news of Qiulu yet, Zhen Shicheng turned his attention to the autopsy results.
The Marchioness of Yongchang hadn’t died from a single blow but had several wounds. In such a situation, wouldn’t she have made a sound to wake the marquis sleeping right beside her?
As Zhen Shicheng pondered this question, his gaze unconsciously fell on Jiang Si.
This young lady who had gone straight to the wardrobe and discovered crucial evidence – could she know something?
Perhaps he should hear her thoughts.
With this in mind, Zhen Shicheng strode towards Jiang Si.
Xie Qingao thought Zhen Shicheng was coming to question her. Her lips trembled as she began, “Sir—”
Zhen Shicheng smiled kindly. “No need to be nervous, Miss Xie. I have some questions for Miss Jiang.”
Jiang Si smiled. “What would you like to ask, Magistrate Zhen?”
“Miss Jiang, let’s speak privately for a moment.”
“Si’er—” Suddenly bereft of her mother, Xie Qingao had grown exceptionally dependent on Jiang Si.
Jiang Si patted Xie Qingao’s hand reassuringly before walking away with Zhen Shicheng.
Xie Qingao watched them stop under a distant tree before turning to her brother Xie Yinlou. She asked anxiously, “Brother, what do you think Magistrate Zhen wants to ask Si’er?”
Xie Yinlou’s gaze still followed that graceful figure as he replied in a low voice, “Perhaps he’s asking how she discovered the anomaly in the wardrobe.”
This was indeed what Zhen Shicheng wanted to ask. After hearing the question, Jiang Si was silent for a moment before answering frankly, “I smelled a strange fragrance, and that fragrance originated from the wardrobe.”
“A strange fragrance?” Zhen Shicheng recalled the overwhelming smell of blood and shook his head, looking at Jiang Si with amazement. “How did you smell it, Miss Jiang? This official spent quite some time there and could smell nothing but blood.”
Thinking carefully, there had been a faint fragrance lingering in the wardrobe, but he had assumed it was the lady’s usual perfume.
Jiang Si blinked, her tone playful. “Perhaps this humble girl is especially gifted.”
Zhen Shicheng smiled.
He didn’t think Jiang Si was trying to fool him.
In his many years as an official, he had seen all sorts of people and things. Some were extraordinary – those with photographic memories, those born with innate knowledge. In comparison, this young lady’s exceptional sense of smell seemed quite ordinary.
However, such a talent was truly heaven-sent for solving cases.
Zhen Shicheng stared intently at Jiang Si, wishing his son would hurry up and trick— no, marry this girl home. Then he could rightfully put her talents to use.
“Miss Jiang, this official has a question to discuss with you.” Jiang Si’s uniqueness had unconsciously led this capable third-rank official to treat her as an equal.
“Please ask, Magistrate Zhen.” Jiang Si showed no sign of being overwhelmed by the honor, maintaining her composure.
From her previous life to this one, she had learned and changed much. However, she remained unskilled at flattery and currying favor.
This was likely due to her inherent nature. She had never been a smooth operator, but rather a somewhat proud, stubborn girl prone to small fits of temper.
“Under what circumstances would a victim suffer multiple attacks without making a sound to alert someone sleeping right beside them?” Zhen Shicheng already had a guess, but he enjoyed hearing others’ views for mutual verification.
If their guesses aligned, it would be extremely satisfying.
Jiang Si wasn’t surprised by Zhen Shicheng’s question. She calmly shared her thoughts: “This humble girl believes it was some kind of sleeping incense. If the killer wanted to avoid alerting the person sleeping next to the victim, simply preventing the victim from making a sound wouldn’t be foolproof. After all, everyone’s sleep patterns differ. Some people sleep through thunderstorms, while others wake at the slightest unpleasant smell. So I think the most likely scenario is that both Marquis Yongchang and his wife inhaled some kind of sleeping incense, allowing the killer to successfully carry out the murder and frame the marquis.”
Zhen Shicheng nodded repeatedly, clapping his hands. “Well said! That’s the most likely possibility!”
Jiang Si frowned in thought, then added, “This humble girl has another guess.”
“Go on.” Zhen Shicheng’s attitude towards Jiang Si grew increasingly respectful.
“That sleeping incense might have been lit by the killer while hiding in the wardrobe. That’s why the scent was strongest there.”
Jiang Si had been pondering the nature of that strange fragrance from the beginning. If it were the killer’s perfume, it was unlikely to linger in the room for so long.
Upon hearing the female coroner’s autopsy report, she had a sudden realization about the most likely source of the lingering scent.
“However, there’s one thing this humble girl can’t figure out. If the sleeping incense was lit in the wardrobe, how did the killer ensure they wouldn’t be affected?”
Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard. “There are many types of sleeping incense. The killer must have taken precautions before using it.”
As they were talking, a yamen runner hurried over. “Sir, we’ve found the person!”
Zhen Shicheng immediately stopped his conversation with Jiang Si. “Where is she?”
“In the lotus pond in the manor’s garden.”
Zhen Shicheng immediately followed his subordinate to the lotus pond.
The edge of the lotus pond was already crowded with people. Seeing Zhen Shicheng approach, a yamen runner called out, “Make way! Our magistrate is here!”
The crowd parted, creating a path.
Jiang Si followed right behind Zhen Shicheng. As the crowd made way, she immediately saw the woman lying by the water’s edge.
The woman’s upper body was slumped over the edge of the pond, her swollen face visible from the side. Her lower body was still submerged, her clothes tangled with lotus leaves. The scene was terrifying.
Xie Qingao stared at the corpse by the pond, her hands tightly clenched.
The servants’ discussions buzzed around them.
“It is Qiulu. How did she end up dead here?”
“It’s so frightening. Maybe Qiulu killed the marchioness and then committed suicide out of guilt.”
Xie Qingao trembled as she gripped Jiang Si’s hand. Despite the June heat, the young girl’s hand was ice-cold. “Si’er, my mother always treated Qiulu well. How could she—”
Jiang Si gently squeezed Xie Qingao’s hand back. “Let’s wait for Magistrate Zhen to investigate before jumping to conclusions.”
As the female coroner examined the body, Zhen Shicheng continued his questioning.
“Marquis, since Qiulu was on night duty last night, didn’t you see her?”
“We did see her. Although Qiulu was on night duty, my wife sent her to rest.”
“Around what time was that?”
Marquis Yongchang thought for a moment. “It should have been around the end of the xu hour or the beginning of the hai hour.” (Around 9-11 PM)
Zhen Shicheng slowly scanned the crowd. “Did anyone see Qiulu after that?”
The maids and old women in the main courtyard couldn’t help but look towards the head maid, Dongxue.
Everyone knew that the marchioness’s four head maids slept two to a room, and Dongxue shared a room with Qiulu.
Dongxue fell to her knees in fright. “This servant is a light sleeper. I can say for certain that Qiulu never returned!”
“So no one saw Qiulu after the beginning of the hai hour?” (After around 9-11 PM)
Everyone remained silent.
“Speak up!” Marquis Yongchang roared.
At this moment, a timid voice spoke up: “There’s something this servant doesn’t know if she should say—”
“Feel free to speak. This official will take responsibility,” Zhen Shicheng looked at the maid who had spoken.