As night had reached the third watch, Li Shubai and Fan Yingxi returned to their residences first. When Zhou Xiang saw them out, he instructed Zhou Ziqin to investigate thoroughly.

Zhou Ziqin quickly grabbed Li Shubai’s horse reins and said, “Your Highness, please let Chonggu stay here for now. No matter what, he needs to help me – you know I can’t manage without him!”

Li Shubai turned his head to glance at Huang Zixia, who gave him a slight nod and then followed Zhou Ziqin back.

The garden at the Prefecture Lord’s mansion wasn’t very large, so the so-called dock was just for show, mainly consisting of a large platform.

Following the steps down from the platform’s edge led to a pool. The pool had now been drained, revealing a floor paved with blue stones. Mud and duckweed were tangled together, and the poor constables were scooping up mud with their hands, searching for the murder weapon. However, forget about weapons – they hadn’t even found a single thin piece of metal.

“Could it be that the weapon was so thin and narrow that it was washed away directly during the draining?” Zhou Ziqin worried aloud.

Huang Zixia shook his head: “The drain is covered with copper mesh – a weapon an inch wide couldn’t get through.”

The unfortunate constables had no choice but to call over another batch of mansion servants. Water was poured down bucket by bucket, washing away all the silt in search of the weapon.

While they searched for the weapon, Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin prepared their ledgers and began questioning those present.

Since Fan Yuanlong had drunk too much, although he had been shocked and half-sober by Qi Teng’s death, he was now beginning to feel drowsy again, so he was arranged to go first.

Sitting across from Zhou Ziqin, Fan Yuanlong held his head, wearing a face of false grief, reeking of alcohol, and slurring his words: “Brother Qi died so tragically! I must avenge him! Young Constable Zhou, you absolutely must catch the killer! Otherwise… otherwise our brotherhood will have been wasted…”

Zhou Ziqin thought silently, what brotherhood do I have with you?

Drunk people talk too much – without needing to ask anything, Fan Yuanlong had already started getting to the point: “In this case, let me tell you, it was Yu Xuan who did it, Yu Xuan!”

Yu Xuan stood not far away, his hands behind his back, looking up at the scattered stars in the sky, and saying nothing.

“Why do you say it was Yu Xuan? I have evidence! Back when people said a great beauty had come to Chengdu Prefecture, I didn’t believe it… but unexpectedly, it was true… What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think the fairy was Yu Xuan? Pah! I’m talking about Fu Xinruan! The Lady Fu from Songhua Lane!” His mouth sprayed spittle as he went completely off-topic, but Zhou Ziqin glanced at Huang Zixia and still silently recorded it all.

Seeing that he completely avoided mentioning his past infatuation with Fu Xinruan, Huang Zixia asked, “I heard you also had some interactions with Fu Xinruan?”

“Seems like… seems like I did, but later, found out her heart belonged to another, I was so angry.” Fan Yuanlong supported his heavy head, spraying alcohol fumes everywhere. “She was truly a fairy, walking from one end of Wutong Street to the other, was there such a beauty? Let me tell you, one time I secretly… secretly followed Lady Fu, wanting to catch her lover and give him a good beating. Guess where I saw her go? Hahaha… Qing Garden! Yu Xuan and his group were there having a poetry society meeting! She stood far away, and when I followed her gaze, wouldn’t you know it, her little eyes were fixed right on Yu Xuan! Among that whole group, only he was shining brightly – what promising young Magistrate Qi, what cultured Chen Lunyun of Shu Prefecture, what Four Great Talents and Eight Great Poets, all dog shit! I was so angry, truly, pimps love money, girls love pretty boys, damn it, what’s so great about being good-looking…”

Zhou Ziqin looked at Fan Yuanlong’s drinker’s nose and drooping eyes, then at Yu Xuan’s refined and handsome profile, and thought silently to himself, being able to look that good is naturally impressive, no wonder you’re not convinced.

By this point, Fan Yuanlong had completely lost his logic and was just rambling: “My heart was shattered at the time, I decided right then to cut off all relations with women! I even went to the night entertainment district to find a male companion! Ah but later I still went back to women, this matter is humiliating, let’s not mention it, let’s talk about the important things…”

Zhou Ziqin’s eyes were about to pop out as he pondered whether to write down the part about the Prefecture Lord’s son seeking male companions. Huang Zixia glanced at his ledger and said, “Don’t record anything unrelated to this case.”

Zhou Ziqin nodded silently, hearing Huang Zixia ask further: “So, you just said Yu Xuan killed Qi Teng – why do you say that?”

“This is what I think – Yu Xuan has fallen so low now, how could he not hate Qi Teng? Originally Yu Xuan was the most prestigious talent in Chengdu Prefecture, but who knew Qi Teng would gain my father’s favor, suddenly transform and steal his position, so Fu Xinruan became disappointed in him, her heart also turned to Wen Yang, and end she couldn’t get over the old feelings and died together with Wen Yang! Who do you think Yu Xuan would blame? Qi Teng of course…”

Zhou Ziqin was speechless at this completely illogical drunk talk and couldn’t help stopping his brush again, turning to look at Huang Zixia. But Huang Zixia was leaning back in his chair and continued questioning: “If that’s the case, he was quite far from Qi Teng tonight – do you think he had an opportunity to kill?”

“Yes! Absolutely!” Fan Yuanlong insisted, “I went to look at the flower petals at the time, and then that young lady… the one by the lantern, her looks were quite nice, so I wanted to get closer and chat, but Yu Xuan immediately pulled me away! Hey, if it wasn’t because she was Fu Xinruan’s sister if it wasn’t because he had feelings for Fu Xinruan, would he have pulled me away?”

At this point, even Huang Zixia stopped responding to him, but he was very excited and kept chattering non-stop: “Listen carefully, the important part is hereafter he pulled me away, he left me by the bushes! The cold wind made me dizzy at the time, so I threw up terribly by the bushes, and when I looked back, that guy wasn’t behind me at all – where do you think he went? Maybe he went straight along the bushes, approached Brother Qi who was sitting by the gauze screen, and since it was so dark, he took out a knife and stabbed him, poof… wuwuwuwu, my poor Brother Qi, you died so tragically…”

Huang Zixia couldn’t be bothered to pursue whether Fan Yuanlong was drunk or pretending to be crazy, and changed the topic: “What happened after you threw up?”

“I was dizzy then, after throwing up I collapsed under the bushes, don’t know if I fell asleep or passed out. When I woke up, I had already been pulled up to sit by the railing. Someone brought me sobering soup, and then said Brother Qi was dead! I was stunned at the time…”

“So you also don’t know when the blood stains got on your clothes?”

“How could I possibly know? I was unconscious at the time – I’m telling you it was Yu Xuan!” He leaned close to them with an expression of having figured out the truth, his eyes rolling toward Yu Xuan’s direction. “He killed Brother Qi while I was unconscious! Then wiped the knife clean on me to frame me, and finally threw away the weapon to hide the truth! Hurry and arrest him, this is definitely what happened!”

Huang Zixia said in a flat tone: “Young Master Fan, I know you’ve had many grievances with Yu Xuan before – your cousin was exiled for breaking the law, which wasn’t unrelated to Yu Xuan. But now when the truth is still unclear, is it appropriate for you to decisively say he committed the crime?”

Fan Yuanlong hadn’t expected that she would know the grudges between himself and Yu Xuan so clearly. He gaped for a while before firmly denying: “Are you saying I’m slandering him? No! My father is about to take him under his wing, what grievances would I have?”

Huang Zixia also didn’t wish to get entangled in these matters unrelated to the case. She raised her hand to gesture Yu Xuan over, and Fan Yuanlong had no choice but to leave sullenly.

Yu Xuan refused to sit in the chair Fan Yuanlong had sat in, instead dragging over another chair to sit down.

Zhou Ziqin asked while recording: “Where were you when the incident occurred last night?”

Yu Xuan looked down at the wood grain on the table and said calmly: “Last night I was originally sitting in the back, but because Young Master Fan was drunkenly harassing others, I pulled him away and took him to the edge of the bushes.”

Zhou Ziqin quickly asked: “Then what? Did you stay by his side or leave?”

Yu Xuan didn’t raise his head, his voice still calm: “I left. The stench of drunk vomit almost splattered on my clothes, so I came back to watch Madam Gong Sun’s sword dance.”

“Evidence?” Zhou Ziqin asked again.

Yu Xuan thought for a moment and said: “I was standing at the very back, probably no one saw me. As for witness testimony, I have none.”

Zhou Ziqin asked further: “Then do you have physical evidence?”

Yu Xuan said nothing but stood up and began demonstrating movements in front of them. He spun, jumped, bent his body, and arched his back. Although the movements weren’t very coordinated or precise, merely approximating the general idea, they could immediately see that it was exactly the latter half of the dance Madam Gong Sun had just performed.

When he finished with a fish-lying pose, gentle applause came from the side. It was Gong Sun Yuan clapping in admiration: “Master Yu truly has an exceptional memory. After A Ruan modified this dance, I’ve only performed it once in public, yet Master Yu could remember almost all the dance steps after seeing it just once.”

Yu Xuan stood up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and looked at Huang Zixia saying: “If I had gone to kill someone at that time, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to see Madam Gong Sun’s exquisite dance.”

The evidence was conclusive – even Fan Yuanlong, who had been crouching nearby waiting to catch him out, had nothing to say.

Gong Sun Yuan and Yin Luyi sat down together in the chairs before them. Yin Luyi’s face showed anxiety and grief, and Gong Sun Yuan gently patted her hand, saying: “Don’t worry, Constable Zhou and Master Yang will surely be able to distinguish right from wrong.”

She turned to look at Zhou Ziqin, a forced smile appearing on her face, and asked: “I wonder if Constable Zhou and Master Yang think we are suspicious?”

Zhou Ziqin hurriedly said: “Well, Master Yang and I just discussed this you two are the least likely to have committed the crime. Since you were both in the water pavilion the whole time, in full view of everyone, how could you possibly have gone to kill someone?”

Huang Zixia nodded and said: “We’re just questioning you two as a matter of procedure. Did you have any previous interactions with Magistrate Qi Teng?”

Gong Sun Yuan and Yin Luyi shook their heads together. Gong Sun Yuan said: “Although we’ve come to Shu Prefecture several times before, it was always just to perform by invitation. My last visit to Shu Prefecture was five years ago, while Luyi has only been to Long Prefecture once seven years ago, never setting foot in Chengdu Prefecture. We had never met Magistrate Qi before, how could we have had any interactions?”

Huang Zixia said: “We will send people to investigate this. Please don’t worry, the authorities will not implicate innocent uninvolved people.”

“Thank you, Constable Zhou, Master Yang.” Gong Sun Yuan said, then looked at them earnestly and asked, “I wonder if there has been any progress in my little sister A Ruan’s case?”

Zhou Ziqin looked quite embarrassed and said: “We’re investigating… there’s been some progress, please give us more time, Madam.”

Gong Sun Yuan said nothing more, only bowing with Yin Luyi to them.