Under Lu Ying's sharp, murderous gaze, Wang Daxia showed no trace of guilt. "Of course I came to demand my private savings from Commander Lu."
Lu Ying asked, "Didn't you return long ago? Why did you only come after dark?"
Wang Daxia replied, "The weather was stiflingly hot. I found a place to drink tea and eat, waiting for the sun to set and the heat to subside before coming over."
Wang Daxia was devising ways to cover his tracks during that period.
Lu Ying didn't suspect anything and brought Wang Daxia to report to Commander Lu Bing.
Having stayed up almost all night investigating the case, Lu Bing, concerned about Lu Ying after learning of the major breakthrough in the case and the bookboy's death by lightning strike, had remained at the yamen without returning home even after dark.
As soon as they entered, the two caught a whiff of medicine—Lu Bing was drinking a medicinal brew.
Lu Ying immediately cast aside his fatigue, his face filled with concern. "What's wrong, Lord Lu? Are you unwell?"
"It's nothing, just a summer tonic prescribed by the imperial physician," Lu Bing rinsed his mouth and ordered a plate of lychees to be brought over. The bottom of the plate was piled with ice, topped with over twenty lychees, their stems and leaves still fresh. He said, "A basket of lychees was sent as tribute from the south, and His Majesty gifted half to me. Since I'm taking tonic medicine, it's not suitable for me to consume such raw and cooling foods. You may have them."
Lychees were an absolute rarity in the capital during early summer.
Wang Daxia's fingers twitched with anticipation, his mouth watering. "Lord Lu, may this humble commoner try one?"
Lu Bing smiled and nodded. "I heard you managed to get the bookboy to talk. Merit deserves reward—go ahead."
Without hesitation, Wang Daxia grabbed a large handful, peeled off the soft shells, and greedily sucked the snow-white lychee flesh.
Lu Ying, wholly focused on solving the case, had no appetite. He recounted the decade-long feud between the Chen and He families. "...From the current perspective, the prime suspect is Miss He Er, who escaped back then. She is now seventeen years old. Based on a comparison of the guest list from the Resemblance Inn, only a young widow named Wei Caiwei matches the age."
"Not only that, but all three consecutive murders occurred within the seven days after she arrived in the capital. Moreover, she is an itinerant doctor, wandering the streets and alleys all day to treat patients. This would allow her to track Chen Dalao's movements without drawing attention, and it aligns with the highly poisonous needle found on Thousand Household Chen's saddle."
Wang Daxia, who had been eating lychees on the side, interjected, "But according to her testimony yesterday, the day after she checked into the Resemblance Inn, she had a dispute with the innkeeper over the room rate, which the innkeeper confirmed. If she were truly the murderer and had achieved her revenge, she should have left the capital immediately. Why did she not only stay but also linger until after noon the next day and argue with the innkeeper?"
Wang Daxia skillfully shifted the blame to reduce suspicion on Wei Caiwei. "This humble commoner finds it contradictory. If it were me, I'd kill them all and flee. Moreover, the first three acts of revenge were meticulously planned, leaving no evidence or clues behind. How could such a person make mistakes like oversleeping and arguing with the innkeeper over a trivial room rate? This is the second contradiction."
With a sharp slap, Lu Ying struck the table, causing the ice in the plate to tremble. "Since you question my judgment, then tell me—who is the murderer?"Wang Daxia peeled his seventh lychee. "I'm an expert at indulgence, but a complete amateur when it comes to investigations—certainly no match for Commander Lu's family expertise. I was just thinking: if I were the killer, what would I do? First, I'd never be foolish enough to record my real household certificate details in the inn's register, especially my age. Dressing older, changing seventeen to twenty-seven—easy enough, right? The innkeeper wouldn't bother checking."
"Second, after killing Thousand Household Chen, everyone involved in my sister's death would be dead. Why stay in the capital? Wait for the authorities to arrest me? I'd check out first thing the next morning and disappear. I definitely wouldn't leave my real capital address in the register either, making it easy for constables to track me down."
Wang Daxia swallowed a whole lychee pulp in one gulp. "So, I think Commander Lu shouldn't fixate solely on Wei Caiwei. Look more carefully through the register for women in their twenties or thirties, or even youths—disguising as a man would be even more discreet. I checked the register: over a dozen listed addresses lead nowhere, correct?"
This stumped Lu Ying. "Eleven guests provided false addresses. We haven't located any of them yet."
Wang Daxia picked up an eighth lychee. "I suspect the killer is likely among those eleven."
Lu Ying snorted coldly. "You keep defending this young widow—are you seduced by her beauty?"
Internally panicking like walking a tightrope, Wang Daxia maintained a cheerful facade. "I'm famously virtuous—even the former Top Courtesan Miss Yingying couldn't tempt me. Why would I fancy a moderately attractive young widow? Preposterous!"
Not only could Wang Daxia obfuscate, he also knew how to provoke. "Forgive my cynicism, but Commander Lu's fixation on Wei Caiwei is because she's the easiest target—simplest to arrest. Apply some torture, and she'll confess to anything. You'd solve the case quickly and gain fame."
"As for the eleven suspects who falsified the inn register..." Wang Daxia's eyes held mockery. "Finding them is like fishing a needle from the ocean. The case would go cold, hard to solve, no merit earned."
"You bastard!" Lu Ying erupted, grabbing Wang Daxia's collar and slamming him against the wall. "You're desperate to reclaim your private savings and see everyone as equally unscrupulous!" "I will summon Wei Caiwei to the Embroidered Uniform Guard again, and I'll still investigate all eleven untraceable suspects. I solve cases on merit, never bullying a young widow with forced confessions just for glory."
Wang Daxia thought: I don't believe a word! The Embroidered Uniform Guard nearly shot me dead that night! If not for the young widow's warning, I'd be a pincushion by now.
As Wang Daxia and Lu Ying traded verbal blows, Lu Ying escalated to physical confrontation.
Lu Bing remained calm, quietly peeling lychees and removing pits with chopsticks, placing the prepared fruit on a plate. "You haven't eaten dinner, have you? No wonder you're irritable from hunger. The killer remains at large, yet you're fighting allies. Have something to eat first."
Lu Ying still didn't release his grip, glaring furiously at Wang Daxia.Lu Bing sighed, "When I was young, I was just like you—working tirelessly without regard for food or rest. Now that I'm old, I'm plagued with ailments and have to take these dreadful herbal tonics even when nothing's wrong. Don't follow in my footsteps; your health is what matters most."
Only then did Lu Ying relent, returning to his seat to eat lychees.
Wang Daxia crouched in the corner, not daring to return to his seat, and complained to Lu Bing, "Commander Lu's temper is even fiercer than my father's! I can't take it anymore. Please return my private savings and let me go!"
Wang Daxia had mastered the art of playing hard to get, using it to clear any suspicion from himself. His true intention was to remain at the Imperial Guard Office to "supervise" the investigation, ready to muddy the waters of a case that was initially straightforward.
With a fatherly heart, Lu Bing continued peeling lychees for Lu Ying. "You think you can just eat my lychees and walk away? Dream on. You're not leaving until this case is solved."
Lu Ying said, "Lord Lu, you should go home and rest. I've already sent someone to summon Wei Caiwei again. I'll be staying at the office tonight to interrogate her and won't be returning home."
"No rush. Finish your lychees first. You've lost weight these past few days," Lu Bing replied, still peeling lychees.
Wang Daxia, tempted by the fruit, crept over and reached for the lychees in the ice basin.
Smack! Lu Bing swatted his hand away as if shooing a fly. "You've eaten enough. Be careful, or you'll get overheated."
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Lu, but this commoner isn't afraid of a little heat," Wang Daxia said, reaching out again.
Just as Lu Bing was about to swat his hand once more, a covert scout rushed in, panting, "My lords, I trailed Wei Caiwei to a women's bathhouse. She didn't come out for a long time, so I had no choice but to reveal my identity as an Embroidered Uniform Guard and question the bathhouse owner. The owner said she never entered the bathhouse—she left through the back door. I fear she may have fled to avoid punishment."
Finally vindicated in his judgment, Lu Ying set down his fruit fork and raised his chin triumphantly at Wang Daxia. "Issue my orders: have a portrait artist draw her likeness. We'll issue a nationwide warrant for the suspect Wei Caiwei."
No sooner had he spoken than a soldier ran in from the entrance to report, "There's a woman at the gate claiming to be the itinerant doctor Wei Caiwei. She insists on seeing Commander Lu."
This left not only Lu Ying but even Wang Daxia stunned: What's going on? Wasn't the young widow hiding at Miss Yingying's place? Why is she turning herself in? Did she forget my warning?
Wei Caiwei followed the guard inside, her face pale with alarm. "Commander Lu, this humble woman discovered someone shadowing me suspiciously this afternoon. I don't know if they're after my money, my virtue, or if it's related to your case—perhaps the culprit wants to silence me. It's true that the room I stayed in that night had a view of the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen's entrance. But I swear I saw nothing unusual. Now that I'm being stalked by villains and living alone, I fear for my safety. I beg you, Lord Lu, to assign someone to protect me and apprehend the stalker quickly."
Author's Note: This chapter gives out 100 red envelopes to console readers who didn't guess (or guess blindly) correctly last night or arrived too late.
The answers are DCCBDBD. I reminded everyone that if all else fails, just choose C, so the first reader who guessed blindly still got 200 points. In the future, when playing this game, never give up—even frantically tapping B on your phone would work.
Congratulations to the five readers who guessed correctly or answered fastest: Lou Cen (200-point big red envelope), s (200-point big red envelope), (●—●) (200-point big red envelope), and Eight Thousand Miles of Clouds Breaking Moon (100-point big red envelope).
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