When Jiang Si uttered these words, it was like a thunderbolt striking the crowd.
The group’s gaze towards her suddenly changed. As more and more people gathered in the courtyard awaiting interrogation, Jiang Si had been standing quietly to the side, unnoticed. But with this single statement, she immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Isn’t this the Fourth Miss from the neighboring Earl of Dongping’s household? This Fourth Miss is known for her aloof and cool temperament. What’s gotten into her today, speaking so recklessly about such a serious matter?
Many people thought this to themselves.
When Zhen Shicheng heard Jiang Si’s words, his eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, “Miss Jiang, could you please explain your reasoning?”
He also didn’t believe the culprit was Zhao Yun, but his opinion was based on minute evidence he had discovered. What was this young lady’s rationale?
Zhen Shicheng’s eagerness left the crowd even more astonished. This Lord Zhen seemed to value Miss Jiang’s words highly. How peculiar.
Xie Yinlou gazed deeply at Jiang Si. It had been years since he had observed her so carefully. They had essentially grown up together. He had changed quite a bit, and she too was completely different from his past impressions. Xie Yinlou felt a touch of melancholy, though he couldn’t explain why.
Xie Qingyao couldn’t help but urge, “Asi, why do you say that? They found the bloody clothes buried in Concubine Yun’s courtyard. Isn’t that proof enough that she’s the murderer?”
Although she couldn’t understand how Zhao Yun could have sneaked into the main courtyard and hidden in her mother’s wardrobe, the bloody clothes were the most direct evidence. Besides Zhao Yun, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would harm her mother.
“Just because the bloody clothes were buried in Concubine Yun’s courtyard doesn’t necessarily mean she buried them there,” Jiang Si said casually.
The maid who had mentioned Zhao Yun burning paper money was so frightened that her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. “It wasn’t this servant who buried the bloody clothes!”
Jiang Si was stunned. She had truly just been speaking offhandedly; this wasn’t the real reason she was certain Zhao Yun wasn’t the murderer.
However, Xie Qingyao became suspicious of the maid’s reaction. With wide eyes, she said, “Could it be that you have a guilty conscience?”
At this point, the young girl, desperate to find her mother’s killer, was seeing enemies everywhere.
“This servant didn’t do it, truly didn’t do it—” The maid kowtowed frantically.
Xie Qingyao instinctively looked to Jiang Si for her reaction. Without realizing it, her friend had become the person she trusted most, at least more reliable than her father.
“Miss Jiang, please share your reasoning,” Zhen Shicheng said, unable to watch the little maid cause more confusion.
“Lord Zhen, I’d like to speak with you privately,” Jiang Si replied.
Zhen Shicheng was surprised at first, then smiled. “Very well, Miss Jiang. This way, please.”
As the two walked to a secluded spot, Xie Qingyao looked towards her elder brother.
Xie Yinlou nodded reassuringly to his sister, his gaze lingering on Jiang Si’s retreating figure.
In the corner, Zhen Shicheng stopped and smiled warmly at Jiang Si. “Miss Jiang, you may speak freely now.”
Jiang Si smiled. “My reasoning is quite simple. I deduced that the culprit isn’t Concubine Yun based on her hair.”
Zhen Shicheng’s eyes lit up, barely concealing his excitement. “Please, do tell!”
He believed Zhao Yun wasn’t the murderer for the same reason—the two strands of hair found in the wardrobe.
Could it be that Miss Jiang had reached the same conclusion as him?
No, he had discovered the hair in the clothes—
At this thought, Zhen Shicheng hesitated.
Come to think of it, the first person to notice something unusual about the wardrobe was the young lady before him. Perhaps she had already discovered those two strands of hair but deliberately overlooked them, leaving them for him to find.
Zhen Shicheng had never been so eager to hear someone else’s perspective on a case.
This feeling of meeting a worthy opponent, of encountering real talent, was exhilarating. It called for a celebration!
Zhen Shicheng couldn’t help but stroke his beard, thinking to himself: To think there’d come a day when he’d want to bring a young lady home to join his household. Alas, the people he’d encountered before were too foolish; he had no choice.
“Lord Zhen, do you remember my earlier deduction that the culprit likely lit some aromatic incense in the wardrobe?” Jiang Si asked.
As Zhen Shicheng nodded, Jiang Si’s answer caught him by surprise. “If the scent lingered in the wardrobe for so long, then the culprit who hid inside must have absorbed the same smell. Even if the murderer changed into clean clothes after the killing, they wouldn’t have had time to wash their hair—”
Before Jiang Si could finish, Zhen Shicheng clapped his hands. “Excellent! The crime occurred in the early morning. From Marquis Yongchang and others’ descriptions of the scene, as well as the autopsy conclusions, we can deduce that the most likely time of the murder was in the latter half of the night, possibly not long before the crime was discovered. At this time, the culprit could change out of the bloody clothes and even bury them, but washing their hair would not only be impossible but also too risky.”
Jiang Si nodded. “Indeed. Washing one’s hair in the middle of the night or early morning would be tantamount to announcing their guilt.”
Zhen Shicheng looked at Jiang Si with undisguised admiration. “Miss Jiang, your ability to deduce that the culprit’s hair would retain the scent is truly remarkable.”
It was amusing that both he and this young lady had concluded that Zhao Yun wasn’t the murderer based on hair but for entirely different reasons. And this made it all the more thrilling.
What could be more satisfying than meticulously unraveling the threads to find the blood-stained hands of the culprit hiding behind layers of fog?
Zhen Shicheng thought to himself: Once this case is closed, he must invite this young lady for a drink.
“Earlier, when no one was paying attention, I quietly approached Concubine Yun. Her hair—” Jiang Si’s expression became a bit strange, and she paused before continuing, “It seems she hasn’t washed it for several days. There was a sour smell of sweat, but no trace of that particular fragrance.”
Zhen Shicheng’s expression twisted slightly.
This little girl, what’s wrong with hair smelling a bit sour? When he gets busy, even his beard smells!
“Lord Zhen?” Seeing Zhen Shicheng’s odd expression, Jiang Si raised an eyebrow.
Zhen Shicheng quickly stroked his beard to calm himself. “Miss Jiang is correct.”
Jiang Si: “…”
“Has Miss Jiang made any other discoveries?” Zhen Shicheng asked.
Jiang Si shook her head. “The people from the inner quarters have only just arrived in the courtyard. I’ve only been able to check three or five individuals and haven’t found anyone with this particular scent yet.”
“In that case, I’ll continue questioning Zhao Yun to keep everyone’s attention. I’ll leave the task of finding the person with the distinct scent in their hair to you, Miss Jiang.” Zhen Shicheng bowed slightly to Jiang Si.
He wasn’t some pedantic old fool. If there was a shortcut, of course, he’d take it.
The violent death of a noblewoman was different from cases like “Yang the Imperial Uncle.” If it dragged on too long, as rumors outside grew wilder, the family might not be able to bear it and choose to randomly pin the crime on a scapegoat just to quell the gossip.
Even for the deceased, people tended to be harsher on women than men. So the sooner this case was solved, the better.
Jiang Si returned the bow. “I won’t let you down, my lord.”
As long as the culprit was indeed among these people, she would find them!
The two shared a smile, unexpectedly feeling a sense of friendship despite their age difference.
The onlookers watching from afar were completely baffled.
To think that the dignified Prefect of Shuntian would bow to the Fourth Miss Jiang—this shock was no less than hearing about the Madam’s violent death!