The courtyard in back was quite spacious. A pomegranate tree with lush branches and leaves spread freely, its branches scattered with small red flowers about to wither.

Qi Shuo stopped in the courtyard. “We won’t go inside. Yesterday we questioned the five companions your daughter frequently associated with. Today we plan to ask again.”

“Does the official mean that one of those girls is lying?”

“Elder Sister, please don’t overthink it. Let’s wait until everything is investigated clearly.”

The woman’s expression shifted as tears silently fell.

Qi Shuo turned to Constable Liu. “Constable Liu, trouble you to bring those five young ladies here.”

“Yes.” Constable Liu assumed Qi Shuo was too lazy to make multiple trips. Considering his status, he found nothing strange about this.

As a member of the imperial clan, it would already be good if he didn’t swagger about on horseback all day. How could he possibly run around under the blazing sun like these yamen runners?

As soon as Constable Liu left with his subordinates, Qi Shuo gave the woman several instructions.

The woman’s expression continuously changed before she finally nodded.

The courtyard quieted for a moment. A breeze blew through the pomegranate tree, scattering several withered flowers.

After quite a while, the woman spoke up. “Official, can the murderer who harmed Yan’er be found?”

Without waiting for Qi Shuo’s answer, she rubbed her swollen red eyes. “This humble woman has heard that last year a headless female corpse was discovered at Tianyuan Temple, and to this day the murderer still hasn’t been found…”

Qi Shuo glanced at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao consoled her warmly, “The net of Heaven is wide-meshed yet nothing escapes. Elder Sister, don’t worry—the murderer will be found sooner or later.”

In fact, many murder cases ultimately went unsolved, but this was clearly a serial case. As long as the murderer’s killing didn’t stop, the chances of exposing a flaw greatly increased.

Before long, the five young women arrived one after another with the yamen runners.

They all appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old. Being brought out of their homes by yamen runners made them obviously nervous. Especially seeing the haggard-looking woman, they became even more at a loss for where to put their hands and feet.

The woman rushed forward and knelt before the several young women. “I beg you, if any of you knows anything about Yan’er, please tell me. To this day, Yan’er’s head still hasn’t been found—she cannot rest in peace…”

These young girls had never encountered such a scene. Each one looked alarmed, not knowing what to do.

Lin Hao walked over, pulled the woman up, and handed her to Baozhu’s care. Her eyes swept over the several young women. “You needn’t be nervous. I’ll ask you some questions in the room. Once you’ve answered, you can leave.”

The five young women looked at each other, their nervousness lessening somewhat.

“This younger sister, please come with me first.” Lin Hao casually pointed to one person and turned first to walk into the room.

The selected young woman’s expression tightened. She stood rigidly in place for quite a while before slowly walking toward the room with her head slightly lowered.

The main room connected to the east and west rooms. Lin Hao waited in the west room—which happened to be Yan’er’s bedroom.

Having often come to play with Yan’er before, the young woman entering was very familiar with this room. This made her both relaxed and anxious, her emotions quite conflicted.

“Please sit.” Lin Hao pointed to a stool not far away.

The young woman hesitated before carefully sitting down.

“I’m going to ask you a few questions. I hope you can answer truthfully.”

The young woman nodded.

“The day Yan’er disappeared, did you see her?”

“No!” The young woman answered without thinking.

“You needn’t answer so hastily.” Lin Hao’s expression was gentle, her tone mild. “You see, I haven’t even asked your name. Once you leave this room, whichever of you five provides clues, it won’t be disclosed publicly. Think about Yan’er’s mother who lost her daughter, think about your friendship with Yan’er. I hope you’ll think carefully before answering.”

“Really?”

Lin Hao’s lips curved. “Of course.”

Analyzing the young novice’s words, that day Yan’er and her companion had merely exchanged a few quarrelsome words. The companion dared not admit it, simply fearing it would spread and invite gossip. Fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls had little cunning. Having eliminated their concerns, the possibility of getting them to talk was still quite high.

Sure enough, the young woman’s expression relaxed considerably. She instinctively glanced toward the window. Seeing it was tightly covered by curtains, she said in a small voice, “I truly didn’t go play with Yan’er that day, but I know recently Yan’er often played with Meihua. Meihua is the one in the white skirt in the courtyard…”

Lin Hao nodded and asked several more questions, which the young woman cooperatively answered.

“May I leave now?”

“Sit a bit longer.” Seeing the young woman’s puzzled look, Lin Hao gently explained, “By giving you all the same amount of time, others will be even less able to guess anything.”

Upon hearing this, the young woman’s face showed gratitude. “Thank you, Elder Sister—”

Perhaps having truly gained a sense of security, her eyes reddened and tears fell. “Elder Sister, you must find the murderer who harmed Yan’er. Yan’er suffered so terribly…”

“We definitely will.” Lin Hao patted her hand.

After sitting a while longer, the young woman left and another entered.

Lin Hao said much the same words. The entering young woman, like the previous one, let down her guard and spoke at length about matters related to Yan’er. Unfortunately, she too denied having played with Yan’er that day.

When the fourth young woman entered, Lin Hao imperceptibly swept her gaze over the girl’s white silk skirt and warmly invited her to sit.

“I wasn’t with Yan’er that day.”

“But they all say you’re the one who played with Yan’er most recently.”

“They’re lying!”

The young woman looked indignant, but Lin Hao detected some guilt. So she repeated those words again, finally saying, “Meihua, you’re a clever person. You should have noticed that the three before you spent about the same amount of time inside. You’ll be the same. Outsiders won’t know who went to Tianyuan Temple with Yan’er that day. What other concerns do you have? You’re only fifteen years old. Do you really want to live your whole life in guilt?”

“I—” Meihua’s lips moved.

These words struck her heart like heavy hammers, shaking her determination to conceal everything to the end.

“Meihua, if you tell what you know, not only can you help find the murderer who killed Yan’er so cruelly, but you can also help yourself emerge from the shadows more quickly. This isn’t just for Yan’er—it’s even more for yourself.”

There was technique in speaking. Every word Lin Hao said made Meihua feel that the authorities had already identified her. For a young girl without much experience, this was undoubtedly enormous pressure.

“Don’t you suspect that the person who went to Tianyuan Temple with Yan’er is the murderer?” Meihua blurted out.

Lin Hao’s heart settled, knowing Meihua’s mouth had been pried open.

“How could we? That day a monk saw them merely exchange a few quarrelsome words. Isn’t bickering between friends quite normal? How would that lead to murder and beheading? The authorities have long deduced that the murderer should be someone whose mind became twisted after encountering misfortune.”

“It truly won’t be spread around?”

“I guarantee it.”

“I, I’ll tell…” Meihua covered her face with both hands. The pressure she had endured these past days transformed into tears that flowed out.

Lin Hao silently offered a handkerchief.

Meihua didn’t take it. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and began speaking. “That day Yan’er and I went to Tianyuan Temple to pray for a marriage match. When we were confiding our innermost thoughts by the release pool, we discovered that the person in our hearts was the same man…”