"Where did Xiao Songzi encounter the murderer?"
Sun Muqing frowned slightly for a moment before asking with some confusion.
Qin Guan didn't respond. She suddenly stopped walking.
Her abrupt halt made the large group following her stop as well. Qin Guan narrowed her eyes, her voice cold and solemn.
"This is the place—"
Qin Guan stood on a covered corridor. Directly ahead of her was the latrine Dong Shu had mentioned earlier, while to her west was a central courtyard. Across the courtyard was another covered corridor leading elsewhere. Qin Guan glanced around and said, "There's only one reason Xiao Songzi would leave his room in the middle of the night—he needed to use the latrine."
As she spoke, she took two more steps forward. This time, she didn't proceed directly to the courtyard but instead stopped where the two corridors intersected. She looked toward the opposite corridor and said, "Just as he was about to reach the latrine, he saw the murderer."
Her grave tone sent chills down everyone's spines, as if they had all become Xiao Songzi and encountered the deranged killer. Song Li, who had been trailing behind the group, spoke up, "How can you be so sure?! You're just making assumptions about his movements!"
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, there should be a passageway at the end of that corridor leading directly to the courtyard where the crime occurred. Xiao Songzi saw the murderer's figure, noticed something suspicious, and followed. The murderer, realizing he was being tailed, naturally chose to head toward a secluded area. He went toward the rear eaves ditch, but unexpectedly, Xiao Songzi continued to follow."
Dong Shu frowned slightly. "How does Ninth Miss know there's a passageway there? Have you been here before?"
Qin Guan shook her head. "I haven't. But this is the only explanation that makes sense. On the night Xiao Songzi died, it had already snowed. If he had walked through the snow, his shoes would have been wet—yet the soles of his shoes were completely dry."
She continued forward, circling around to the opposite covered corridor. Following it, she soon came upon a dimly lit passageway sandwiched between two rows of main rooms, their eaves overlapping to block the wind and snow, keeping the path dry. Leading the group through the passageway, Qin Guan emerged at the side of the crime scene courtyard. She walked closely along the base of the courtyard wall, circling around to the rear eaves ditch.
Xiao Songzi's corpse lay cold and lifeless on the ground.
Sun Muqing's eyes widened in astonishment. The path Qin Guan had taken was one even he hadn't known about, yet it had indeed led them to the crime scene. "Ninth Miss... you're... you're even more impressive than my junior sister!"
Hearing this, Qin Guan smiled bitterly to herself. Back in Medicine King Valley, she had only occasionally discussed investigative techniques with Sun Muqing—she had never actually solved a real case in front of him. Now that she was dealing with an actual crime, her reasoning naturally surpassed mere theoretical discussions. Steadying herself, she gave Sun Muqing a faint smile.
Song Li raised an eyebrow. "Fine... even if what you say is true, then who is the murderer?"
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. "Earlier, Constable Song claimed Xiao Songzi didn't struggle before his death, but that's incorrect. Judging by the wounds on his body, the knife was likely wrested from Xiao Songzi's own hand by the murderer.""The murderer was sneaking around the mansion late at night, and Xiao Songzi became wary. It's highly likely his knife was taken from the storage room. Just now, we saw that the spot where Xiao Songzi discovered the murderer was very close to the storage room."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dong Shu immediately added, "That storage room is indeed where the nearby servants keep their tools. Kitchen utensils are also stored there. Xiao Songzi sometimes sharpens his knife after work and then stores it there. Moreover, that storage room is usually left unlocked."
Qin Guan nodded. "There are scratch marks and bruises on Xiao Songzi's right wrist, indicating the murderer grabbed him very forcefully. At the same time, there are signs of a blow on his left cheek. I suspect the murderer seized Xiao Songzi's knife-wielding right hand while attacking with his own right hand. Then, Xiao Songzi's knife was wrested away, leading to his death."
"One thing is certain: the murderer is a man, one filled with overwhelming hatred. It's even possible that his hatred wasn't directed at Xiao Songzi specifically—he might have killed him only because Xiao Songzi discovered his movements, resulting in the brutal murder."
Song Li raised an eyebrow. "How can you be sure he didn't hate Xiao Songzi?!"
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes slightly. "Simply because this wasn't a premeditated killing. It was a coincidence. If someone else had gone out to relieve themselves that night instead of Xiao Songzi, that person might have been the one to die."
Song Li's lips twitched, wanting to argue but finding no rebuttal. The others, however, found Qin Guan's reasoning not only highly plausible but also remarkably detailed—she had even reconstructed Xiao Songzi's path, the encounter with the murderer, and the struggle between them. Compared to Song Li's simplistic deduction, Qin Guan's account was far more credible.
"Ninth Miss, if that's the case, then who is the murderer? And what was his motive?"
Dong Shu's earnest question made Qin Guan pause in thought. After a moment, she asked, "Dong Shu, the corridor where Xiao Songzi encountered the murderer—what places are nearby?"
Dong Shu tilted his head in thought. "Further ahead from there is the medicine storage, and beyond that lies the Benevolence Courtyard, where the young master resides."
A shadow crossed Qin Guan's eyes. "Could the murderer's target have been the Benevolence Courtyard?"
Dong Shu looked surprised. "Are you saying... the murderer intended to infiltrate the Benevolence Courtyard?"
Qin Guan pressed her lips together, but before she could respond, Dong Shu continued, "That's impossible. All the servants in this household are good-natured and mild-tempered. Even if someone harbored ill intentions, they wouldn’t think of harming the young master! Every servant here has received medical care from the young master himself whenever they fell ill, and medicines are freely available. No one would bear murderous intent toward him."
Qin Guan sighed at this. Dong Shu’s words held some truth, and since Qin Guan didn’t fully understand the personalities and backgrounds of everyone in the household, she could only take his word for it for now.
Qin Guan extended her hand. "Dong Shu, take a look at this. Has anyone in the household worn clothing like this?"
In her palm lay the scrap of cotton fabric. Dong Shu took it and examined it carefully before shaking his head. "This cotton is of rather poor quality. The winter clothes the young master provides for the servants are much better than this."
Qin Guan’s expression darkened slightly. "Could it be... someone from outside the household?"
"Or perhaps the person changed clothes when going out at night to commit the crime?"Song Li suddenly spoke up again, his heart unwilling to accept that Qin Guan had become the center of attention. His words were merely an attempt to steal the spotlight, but to his surprise, Qin Guan nodded and said, "That's a possibility."
Song Li's eyes widened slightly, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.
Qin Guan looked at the cotton fabric strips in Dong Shu's hands. "Uncle Dong, these are clothes worn by the murderer—the most direct evidence. I’m not familiar with the household’s personnel, so how to verify this will be up to you and Constable Song to arrange."
By saying this, Qin Guan was suggesting whether they should search everyone’s clothing. Without other evidence, this was the most straightforward method. Dong Shu nodded. "Thank you, Ninth Miss. For Xiao Songzi’s sake, we must investigate further."
Song Li snorted lightly. "So it still comes down to a search—"
Before he could finish, he felt a cold gaze sweep over him. His spine stiffened as he turned to see Qin Yan staring at him. A chill ran down the back of Song Li’s neck, and he quickly suppressed his frustration, adopting a more respectful tone toward Qin Guan. Qin Guan then glanced at Xiao Songzi’s body. "Let’s prepare him for burial first."
Xiao Songzi’s body had been lying there for two days, yet Song Li and his men, a bunch of incompetents, had done nothing. Xiao Lizi and others who had been close to Xiao Songzi could no longer bear it. Hearing Qin Guan’s words, Dong Shu sighed in relief. "Yes, thank you, Ninth Miss."
Qin Guan nodded with a quiet "Mm." She had shared all she could think of for now, but there was little else she could do. After all, this was a case where heavy snow had erased many traces. It was impossible to identify the murderer based solely on the body. Qin Guan took two steps back, frowning as she revisited her earlier speculation. Why would the killer have been lurking there late at night?
Was their target originally one of the male servants?
Qin Guan shook her head—that possibility seemed too slim. The servants’ quarters were clustered together. If the killer intended to commit murder, it would have been easier to wait for a servant to be alone while working outside. Qin Guan still leaned toward the idea that the killer’s target might have been somewhere nearby—and coincidentally, the area was close to Benevolence Courtyard. But who in this household would dare harbor murderous intent toward Sun Haoyue?
Alternatively, had the killer not intended to kill that night?
But if not, why had they tortured and murdered Xiao Songzi?
Such cruel hatred—who was it truly directed at?
"Ninth Sister, there’s nothing more for now. Let’s head back."
Qin Yan’s voice pulled Qin Guan from her thoughts. When she looked up, she met his deep, inscrutable gaze. A shiver ran through her—she knew her actions today would undoubtedly alter Qin Yan’s perception of her. Qin Guan held his gaze steadily, unflinching and resolute. She had no desire to show off through solving the case, but if it earned Qin Yan’s respect, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, what she wanted to achieve couldn’t be done by remaining unnoticed and weak.
"Alright, let’s wait for Uncle Dong’s updates…" Qin Guan nodded.
Qin Shuang, who had remained silent the entire time, stepped closer to Qin Guan, her eyes shining with admiration. "Heavens, how did you do that? I used to think you were even a bit slow-witted, but just now—you left me utterly amazed!"
Qin Shuang’s astonishment was unrestrained, and Qin Guan couldn’t help but chuckle.Being praised by Qin Shuang for her intelligence didn't seem like something particularly worth celebrating. "It just occurred to me that everything has cause and effect. What we see now is the result, but if we trace backward, we can naturally uncover some clues."
"Ninth Miss!" Sun Muqing called out softly, quickly catching up with large strides. "Who told you those words you just said?"
Qin Guan turned to look at Sun Muqing, her heart tightening slightly. "I thought of it myself. Why do you ask?"
Sun Muqing gazed deeply at Qin Guan for a moment before smiling bitterly. "What a coincidence. My junior sister used to say those exact words." After a pause, he added meaningfully, "Somehow, I always feel Ninth Miss resembles my junior sister..."
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