The night was deep, with howling winds and sudden snowfall. White Deer Isle, where a death had occurred, appeared particularly desolate and eerie.
Although Lu You Xin had agreed to Qin Guan's request, she remained extremely cautious. She first had Huang Momo clear all the servants from the East Courtyard before setting off hand in hand with Qin Guan.
To avoid drawing attention, Qin Guan only brought Bai Feng, Baiying, and Fuling, while Lu You Xin was accompanied by the two Mommas, Deng and Huang, and two lantern-bearing attendants.
Heading east from Wutong Courtyard, the secluded path that was lush with trees and offered exquisite scenery during the day now seemed quite terrifying. The wind howled, tree shadows swayed, and the lanterns in the attendants' hands flickered wildly, casting menacing, claw-like shadows on the ground.
Fuling, holding an umbrella, tightly gripped Qin Guan's arm.
Compared to Baiying, Fuling had seen far less of the world. Moreover, in the presence of Lu You Xin and the others, she forced herself to remain calm and dared not show any sign of panic.
They arrived at the East Courtyard area. Compared to the West Courtyard, the East Courtyard appeared slightly more worn. Because the courtyards here had been unoccupied for years, it felt especially bleak and deserted. Independent small courtyards were scattered throughout, and at this moment, the gates of the occupied ones were mostly tightly shut. Even if Lu Bohong and the others had already retired for the night, the Lu family servants dared not venture out again. After all, someone had just died, and the deceased was a young man. According to Great Zhou customs, the younger the deceased, the more ominous the death.
"Aunt, may I ask where the other uncles are staying?"
After a silent journey, Qin Guan suddenly spoke, startling one of the lantern-bearing attendants so much that he stumbled and staggered.
Lu You Xin glared at the man before replying softly, "There are eight courtyards of varying sizes in the East Courtyard. The second branch's second brother and his wife arrived earliest and are staying in Green Maple Courtyard. Green Maple Courtyard has two sections; originally, Jingcheng was supposed to stay with his parents, but he brought several female servants this time and didn't want to live with them, so he's staying in Green Pine Courtyard."
"Green Maple Courtyard is in that direction, closest to Wutong Courtyard. Green Pine Courtyard is a bit farther, separated by two old, unoccupied courtyards that no one cleans now. Later, the third and fourth branches arrived together and stayed in the more remote Lotus Breeze Courtyard and Orchid Fragrance Courtyard. Lotus Breeze and Orchid Fragrance are connected by a Moon Cave Gate. Since these two branches have always been close, they each took one courtyard. The fifth branch originally lived in Jianzhou City, but because I came and didn't want to stay in their mansion, they came here. Previously, there was some trouble in the Lu family, and the fifth branch was questioned by the others. Your fifth uncle is frail and sickly, so to prevent them from arguing all day, I had them stay in Green Bamboo Courtyard in the northeast. It's a two-section courtyard, and my ninth nephew Jinghe is also staying with them."
After a pause, Lu You Xin added, "By the way, my fifth nephew Jingxiu is from the third branch, and my sixth nephew Jingyun is from the fourth branch. Since arriving here, they've been staying with their fathers. Last night, the two agreed to go drinking today and left for Jianzhou City before dawn. They haven't returned yet."
As she spoke, Lu You Xin observed Qin Guan. On such a dark, stormy night with fierce winds and heavy snow, even she felt somewhat unnerved walking outside. Yet Qin Guan remained composed and steady, a fact particularly evident in her calm, unhurried voice when she spoke.
On a night like this, Qin Guan's voice brought her a great sense of reassurance.Seeing Qin Guan lost in thought, Lu You Xin felt a stir of suspicion. There were many rumors about this Yongci County Princess outside—some said she was a reincarnated just official who had solved numerous strange cases, others claimed she had powerful backers enabling her rapid rise, and there were those who praised her medical skills as almost divine. However, her title was "Yongci" (Eternal Compassion), with the character "ci" (compassion) acknowledging her medical prowess. As for investigating cases and conducting corpse examinations, Lu You Xin found it hard to believe.
After all, she came from a noble family, a proper young lady of high birth—where would she have learned the art of corpse examination?
Even setting that aside, though Qin Guan lost her parents early and later faced many hardships, how could a teenage girl surpass coroners decades her senior?
When Lu You Xin learned that Yan Chi intended to marry Qin Guan, she specifically sent someone to Jinzhou to investigate. The findings only deepened her confusion. Rumors suggested Qin Guan had played a role in solving two bizarre major cases in Jinzhou, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. According to the information she obtained, although Qin Guan held the title of cousin young lady in the Qin Manor in Jinzhou, she was far from valued—a dignified young lady living worse than a servant. If she were truly so capable, why would she have suffered so much in those years?
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Lu You Xin observed Qin Guan and felt something was amiss. The Qin Guan before her now seemed to align well with the news from the capital.
Turning it over and over, Lu You Xin’s heart was shrouded in mist. She looked up and realized they had already arrived at Qingsong Courtyard.
Lu You Xin halted. "The people in the courtyard have been dismissed. He was found lifeless this morning. Since there’s no conclusion yet, we haven’t changed into mourning clothes or set up any arrangements. The body remains as it was, and there are no incense or soul streamers in the room. You—"
Worry flickered in Lu You Xin’s eyes. Qin Guan understood—leaving a deceased person without an ancestral hall or incense was considered highly inauspicious.
She couldn’t help but smile faintly. "Aunt, there’s no need to worry. I don’t believe in such things."
Lu You Xin hesitated for a moment, then nodded and turned to enter Qingsong Courtyard.
Qin Guan glanced around. The courtyard had only one gate. "Is the gate usually locked?"
Lu You Xin replied, "Yes, it is. Even though we’re at home, the wind and snow are fierce at night. If the inner bolt isn’t fastened, the gate blows open."
Qin Guan nodded, and the group entered the courtyard.
Perhaps because they knew there was a corpse in the main room, everyone felt an inexplicable chill as they stepped inside. The door to the main room was closed, and lamplight glowed within, creating an eerie silence. It was a single-entry courtyard: upon entering, they faced a flower bed about two zhang square, planted with several clusters of dwarf pines, fitting the courtyard’s name. Skirting the flower bed led to three main rooms, with corridors on either side connecting to the east and west wings.
Qin Guan looked around. "Where do the female servants he brought live?"
Lu You Xin pointed to the wing rooms. "He had two female servants and two young male attendants. The courtyard also has two rough labor servants. The female servants stay in the east wing, the male attendants in the west. They were all questioned earlier today—they said they noticed nothing unusual last night and didn’t hear any calls for help."
Qin Guan nodded and walked straight toward the main room. Seeing not a trace of fear on her face, Lu You Xin watched as Qin Guan advanced toward the place where the corpse lay with the calm composure of a leisurely stroll. A spark of admiration lit in Lu You Xin’s eyes, and she followed.In her view, Qin Guan had already come remarkably far. It was possible she had truly studied criminal investigation and corpse examination with someone. Even if she felt afraid now, she possessed the ability to appear calm and composed at all times—this alone made her superior to most women.
Lu Youxin had initially harbored many reservations about Qin Guan, but by this point, most of her doubts had dissipated. Moreover, considering Yan Chi’s genuine affection for Qin Guan, she decided to let the matter rest.
Qin Guan approached the main door but did not rush to push it open. Huang Momo stepped forward, intending to open it, but Qin Guan raised her hand. “Wait a moment.”
Moving under the eaves, Qin Guan removed her hood. Rubbing her chilled hands, she suddenly crouched down to examine a mark on the threshold. “How did this happen?”
Although the courtyard appeared aged, it was evident that high-quality timber had been used during its construction. Not only that, the vermilion lacquer and painted decorations had been maintained over the years, which explained their current impeccable state. Yet, there was a fresh scratch on the threshold.
Lu Youxin would never have noticed such details. Seeing Qin Guan touch the mark, she felt somewhat helpless. “When we knocked this morning, the door was locked from the inside. It must have been damaged when we forced it open…”
“The door was locked from the inside?”
Qin Guan looked up as she asked. Lu Youxin nodded and relayed everything Huang Momo had uncovered during her inquiries. Upon hearing this, Qin Guan immediately asked, “Where are the windows?”
Lu Youxin was unfamiliar with such specifics and turned to Huang Momo, who pointed toward the west side. “Over there…”
Qin Guan rose and walked to the western corridor. Reaching the window, she indeed noticed a torn corner of the window paper. Crouching slightly, she peered through the hole and caught sight of the bed beneath the west window inside the room. At that moment, Lu Jingcheng lay there—having been dead for some time, a white cloth covered his face.
Qin Guan nodded thoughtfully before returning to the main door. She pushed it open gently and entered, first examining the position of the door bolt.
The door bolt was already missing, and a fresh mark was visible on the latch. After searching around, Qin Guan spotted the broken bolt in a corner.
Made of wood and painted red, the bolt had snapped into two pieces, with much of the paint chipped off.
After inspecting these details, Qin Guan took a moment to survey the room’s layout. Then, removing her cape, she walked toward where Lu Jingcheng’s body lay.
The room was furnished simply and elegantly. As a guest courtyard, it lacked opulence, but because the Earth Dragon had long been extinguished, the interior was nearly as cold as outside. The dim lighting made the two young servants holding lanterns hesitate as they approached the corpse by the window.
Qin Guan, however, showed no hesitation. She walked straight to the body and, without a second thought, lifted the white cloth from Lu Jingcheng’s face.
At this sight, Lu Youxin’s heart skipped a beat. The two Mommas, Huang and Deng, exchanged glances—their eyes not only surprised but also filled with dread!
Lu Jingcheng had been dead for at least a day, his body already stiff. Due to the severe cold, there was no odor of decay. At a glance, his face appeared ashen, his lips purplish-blue. Upon closer inspection, an unusual pallor was evident. Qin Guan leaned in to examine his exposed wrists and other areas, finding only a few very minor abrasions.Lu Youxin and the others were astonished to see Qin Guan approach the corpse, and their eyes widened further when she unhesitatingly touched it. Qin Guan's expression was stern, entirely different from when she had spoken earlier. Though her face had been devoid of smiles and her voice cool before, there had still been a touch of gentleness in her demeanor. Now, however, she was unsmiling, her brow slightly furrowed, focused and cold, to the point that even Lu Youxin felt somewhat intimidated.
As Qin Guan began examining Lu Jingcheng's clothing, Lu Youxin couldn't hold back and asked, "Guan'er, have you noticed anything?"
Qin Guan typically disliked being disturbed during a corpse examination, but since Lu Youxin was an elder, she replied, "I haven't identified the cause of death yet."
Lu Youxin sighed bitterly, "The cause of death is actually already clear—"
Qin Guan paused her hands and turned to look at Lu Youxin. Her expressionless face made Lu Youxin tense up under her gaze, feeling quite uncomfortable. Hurriedly, Lu Youxin explained, "When the servants found him this morning, the Earth Dragon in the room had long been extinguished. There was frost on his eyebrows and hair, and his face was pale—he must have frozen to death."
Outside the window, the wind and snow howled. Lu Youxin sighed, "It snowed last night. In such cold weather, freezing to death is not uncommon."
Qin Guan's brow lifted faintly. "It wasn't freezing."
With that, she turned back and continued inspecting Lu Jingcheng's clothing, speaking calmly, "In weather like this, if someone were thinly dressed and stayed outside, they could indeed freeze to death because it's not just cold but also windy. Even then, it would take at least an hour or two to die, unless it's an elderly person, a child, or someone with a serious illness. Although Lu Jingcheng was injured, his physique wasn't poor, and yesterday's injuries were only abrasions, not life-threatening. Here's a simple point: he went to sleep first, and then the Earth Dragon went out. An ordinary person would have been awakened by the cold. Knowing there were servants in the side room, why didn't he call out to have the Earth Dragon relit?"Qin Guan's voice was very calm, but unlike the usual serene depth that brought reassurance, her quietness now felt like the bitter cold outside—silent yet penetrating with a bone-chilling cruelty." As she finished speaking word by word, the room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop, making the howling wind and snow outside seem even more abrupt and oppressive. Lu Youxin felt goosebumps rise on her arms and instinctively rubbed the back of her hand.
Qin Guan, however, didn't realize how intimidating she was at that moment.
Lu Jingcheng was wearing an undergarment, appearing as if he had been sleeping.
After examining his undergarment and finding nothing unusual, Qin Guan stood up again, her gaze sweeping to a nearby screen.
Hanging on the screen were two of Lu Jingcheng's robes, including the blue one he was found in yesterday. Frowning, Qin Guan walked over to inspect them, her brow creasing again. After a moment, she turned back to look beside the bed, where a pair of Lu Jingcheng's black short boots were placed.
Qin Guan quickly went to the bedside, picked up the boots, and examined them closely...
Lu Youxin was baffled by her back-and-forth movements and mustered the courage to add, "But the room was locked—he was inside the whole time. And last night, he took medicine. If he was sleeping too deeply, it's not impossible for him to freeze to death. In weather like this, without the Earth Dragon or a charcoal brazier, the room could ice over.""Aunt, there is some truth in your words." Qin Guan's gaze rested on the boots as she spoke calmly, "But what if someone has been here?"
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