Coroner's Diary

Qin Guan fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Aunt, where in the garden are there small stones?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Lu You Xin thought for a moment and replied, "Almost every flowerbed has some."

Qin Guan tilted her head in thought. "But right now, the flowerbeds are covered in layers of snow. Even if someone fell on the ground, it might not leave marks on them. Is there any place with small stones where the snow is very thin or there's no snow at all?"

Lu You Xin looked at Huang Momo, who said, "This servant vaguely remembers that the flowerbeds near Plum Garden are covered by corridors and pavilions. The ground there is paved with stones, and generally, there isn't much snow—"

Qin Guan nodded and explained, "The old wounds on his shoulders and back were all left by Bai Feng yesterday, while the new injuries were sustained when he died. The new wounds are narrow and deep, completely different from the old ones. Such wounds are usually caused by sharp, hard objects. I suspect it might be something like stones."

The two Mommas, Deng and Huang, brightened visibly, their gazes at Qin Guan now filled with reverence.

Qin Guan glanced outside and said, "Tomorrow, I'll find an opportunity to go to Plum Garden and take a look. Going there now would only attract attention."

Although it was late at night and most people were asleep, Plum Garden was a scenic spot. Being seen there so late would be highly unusual.

Lu You Xin nodded. "Then I'll take you back now."

The corpse examination was over. Without an autopsy, the information they had gathered was limited.

Qin Guan looked toward the door again and walked over.

The door bolt lay broken on the ground, but there were few other traces. Qin Guan stood at the doorway, looking left and right, and suddenly turned her attention to the window frame closest to the door. The window was tightly shut, and the paper pane showed no obvious holes. However, Qin Guan did not let her guard down. She leaned close to the window and examined it for a long time. Suddenly, in the lower left corner, she discovered an extremely tiny hole, no bigger than a needle tip. In the dim light of the evening, it would have been impossible to notice without Qin Guan's careful observation.

Qin Guan stood there for a moment, a faint glimmer in her eyes, before turning and saying, "Aunt, let's go."

Lu You Xin had no idea what Qin Guan was looking at. Seeing Qin Guan remove her gauntlet and put her cape back on, she led her outside. As soon as they stepped out, the biting cold wind hit them, and Qin Guan shivered slightly from the chill. As they walked, Qin Guan asked, "Lu Jingcheng is the fourth in the family ranking? If you were to choose an heir one day, would you consider him?"

Lu You Xin couldn't help but laugh at this but shook her head. "Yes, he's the fourth, but even if I were to choose, I wouldn't pick him."

Seeing Qin Guan's curious gaze and knowing those around them were trustworthy, Lu You Xin explained, "Jingcheng is the only son of the second branch. His parents dote on him excessively, which has led to some flaws in his character. In comparison, Jingyun from the fourth branch and Jinghe from the fifth branch are much better."

Qin Guan pondered for a moment. "So, are you really planning to choose an heir from among your nephews?"

Lu You Xin shook her head. "Not for now. But the Lu family head will need to be replaced eventually. I want to take advantage of these years while my health is still good to observe carefully. If none of these nephews are suitable, there are other children in the clan. In any case, we must choose someone capable of shouldering great responsibilities."Qin Guan felt a pang of pity as she thought of Lu Youxin’s lifelong unmarried state, yet being a junior, she naturally couldn’t ask why Lu Youxin had never married.

Qin Guan nodded slightly. "Now that the second, third, fourth, and fifth branches have all arrived—aside from the second branch, which goes without saying—which of the others does Aunt think might be involved? There’s no need to pinpoint the culprit; just share how these families usually interact. Lu Jingcheng’s death was undoubtedly murder."

Lu Youxin’s expression grew more solemn. "The Lu family consists of five main branches, not to mention countless collateral lines. The eldest branch, of course, maintains appearances even if they lack genuine respect. After them comes the second branch, which controls significant family assets and speaks with considerable authority—though these assets belong to the collective estate. The third and fourth branches are in similar positions and have been close for years. Jingxiu, the eldest son of the third branch, though not as reckless as Jingcheng, is impulsive and brash. He enjoys socializing, whether with nobles or martial artists, and spends his time practicing archery and horsemanship or carousing with friends. In my eyes, he lacks real substance. Jingyun, on the other hand, is less hot-headed than Jingxiu and somewhat studious, though not particularly bright. Having grown up following Jingxiu, he defers to him in everything and has made little progress himself. In fact, he’s out drinking with Jingxiu tonight and hasn’t returned yet."

After a pause, Lu Youxin turned to the fifth branch. "Among the branches, the fifth originated from a concubine’s line and has produced few outstanding descendants over the years. In this generation, Fifth Brother has only one child, Jinghe. Fifth Brother is frail and unassertive, while his wife comes from a humble background and is mild-tempered. Their family was bullied relentlessly in the past, nearly driven out of the ancestral home. But Fifth Brother is kind-hearted and often aids poorer children in the clan, which I’ve observed. That’s why, five years ago, I entrusted them with a Mining Industry operation. Though not particularly shrewd, Fifth Brother is diligent. The recent accident wasn’t his fault—otherwise, with over twenty lives lost, I wouldn’t have defended him so strongly. Two foremen were arrested, but two others fled, leaving the cause of the accident unclear. As for Jinghe, he’s as frail as his father. Their branch’s earlier struggles delayed his education, so his progress has been slow. Fortunately, he’s hardworking, though he remains average in achievement. With his father ill, he spends most of his time caring for him."

Qin Guan narrowed her eyes. Lu Jingcheng’s late-night outing likely wasn’t to meet elders. While meeting his brothers seemed improbable, there were no other women in the estate. If he were secretly meeting a servant girl, there’d be no need to sneak out—he could simply summon her to his courtyard.

Thus, meeting his brothers seemed the most plausible explanation.

Though no autopsy had been performed, Lu Jingcheng had likely been smothered, with minimal signs of struggle. Even if injured days prior, killing him so cleanly would be difficult for an ordinary person.

Among his three younger brothers, only Lu Jingxiu was skilled in martial arts.

Qin Guan frowned. "Is there any connection between the third and second branches—whether conflict or collaboration in business?"Lu Youxin, hearing Qin Guan's suspicion towards Lu Jingxiu, quickly interjected, "There shouldn't be any—"

Before Lu Youxin could finish, Huang Momo beside her suddenly spoke up, "Miss, it's not that there isn't any, but I'm not sure what kind of grudge the princess consort is referring to?"

Qin Guan replied, "Regardless of severity or scale, tell me what you know."

Huang Momo then said, "I know of one incident from last year at the ancestral residence. At that time, the fourth young master took a liking to a maid serving the fifth young master. She was the youngest daughter of the fifth young master's wet nurse and was quite pretty. The fourth young master likely behaved inappropriately toward her. When the fifth young master found out, he stormed over and struck the fourth young master, leaving a scar on his face. Miss was away in Huzhou on business at the time, so she didn't know about it."

Qin Guan frowned. "After that, their relationship must have been quite strained, right?"

Huang Momo nodded. "Indeed. Whenever the fourth and fifth young masters met, they would look down on each other even more. Unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn't exchange a single word. The fourth young master harbored deep resentment toward the fifth young master, but since the fifth young master was skilled in martial arts, he didn't dare act openly. He only dared to scheme behind the scenes, though I'm not entirely sure what tricks he used."

Qin Guan acknowledged softly and asked further, "What about the fourth and fifth branches of the family? Do they have any involvement with the fourth young master?"

Lu Youxin sighed. "Of course not. The fourth branch is on good terms with the third branch and relies heavily on them. They are also very respectful toward the second branch. As for the fifth branch, it's even more so. Jingcheng used to bully the younger ones frequently, but he's improved as he's grown older."

Huang Momo added, "That's right, that's right. The fifth young master even stood up for the sixth young master once and nearly got into a fight with the fourth young master again."

Listening to this, Qin Guan became increasingly convinced that Lu Jingxiu and Lu Jingcheng had the greatest enmity between them. She asked, "When did the two who left the residence depart?"

Huang Momo, who had been tasked with questioning the servants carefully, promptly replied, "I asked the servants at Lanxiang Courtyard. They said the two young masters left before dawn, around halfway through the mao hour. The fifth young master has many friends and quite a few in Jianzhou City. This time, he went to meet with them."

Leaving so early... If they left right after committing the murder, it wasn't impossible.

Qin Guan said, "I wonder when they'll return tomorrow. Once they're back, Auntie, please summon them to the main hall for questioning. Notify me in advance—I'd like to observe their reactions from behind a screen while you question them."

Lu Youxin smiled at this. "They'll definitely be back after noon tomorrow. I'll send someone to fetch you then."

Though she said this, Lu Youxin felt that when it came to reading people and discerning their intentions, she was the true expert. Qin Guan, after all, was still too young. She might be clever and skilled at solving cases, but judging people was not so simple. Thinking this, Lu Youxin said nothing more and escorted Qin Guan to Han Dan Hall before taking her leave.

Upon entering her room, Qin Guan first washed up and scrubbed her hands several times with scented soap before lying down on the bed. It was already quite late, and the howling wind and snow outside grew louder. Qin Guan closed her eyes, but sleep eluded her. This case was not as complicated as some of the previous ones, but the inability to perform an autopsy and her current inconvenient status, which made it difficult to investigate personally, added further obstacles. On the other hand, the advantage was that the suspects were limited, and she already had a primary person of interest.Lu Jingxiu... was of a bold and impulsive nature, fond of martial arts. If he had a quarrel with Lu Jingcheng and then killed him in a fit of rage, it would be an extremely easy matter.

Thinking this, Qin Guan suddenly furrowed her brows—

No, her reasoning was flawed... The reason why Lu Jingcheng ran out in the middle of the night was still unknown, but it was highly unlikely that he went to meet Lu Jingxiu secretly, as the two were sworn enemies. She also remembered the locations of the courtyards Lu Youxin had mentioned earlier—the courtyard where Lu Jingxiu lived was quite far from Lu Jingcheng's Green Pine Courtyard. The possibility of the two running into each other was also slim, as at that hour, Lu Jingxiu should have been sound asleep, preparing to wake up early the next day.

Frowning, Qin Guan now reduced her suspicion of the first suspect. Unless further evidence could be found, it made no sense logically.

As for the other two, Jingyun and Jinghe, she had yet to uncover any clues about them.

If it wasn't any of these people, could it possibly be a servant in the garden who committed the murder...?

Qin Guan's thoughts were muddled and uncertain, and amidst this chaotic pondering, she drifted into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Qin Guan rose and went to Plum Garden. Plum Garden was a scenic spot by the lake. Since she had encountered Lu Jingcheng there the day before, this time she was very cautious. She first sent Bai Feng to check Plum Garden before bringing others along.

Upon arriving at Plum Garden, she saw that it was indeed as Huang Momo had described—dominated by winding corridors and pavilions, with only a thin layer of snow drifting on the gravel paths.

Qin Guan stepped onto the cross-shaped path. Her soft boots made the walk somewhat uncomfortable, but at this moment, the slight pain only sharpened her recollection of the wounds on Lu Jingcheng's body. As she observed the shapes of the stones on the ground and reflected, she walked for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn before suddenly stopping beside a cluster of bamboo.

This was the center of the plum grove, where an octagonal pavilion stood beside a clump of green bamboo. The pavilion and the bamboo tips were covered in snow, but near the bamboo cluster, the snow was slightly thinner. Qin Guan walked to the bamboo cluster and immediately noticed a few protruding stones. Looking more closely, it seemed there were dark red stains on those stones.