"Your humble servants pay respects to the Marquis and the Prefect."
The two matrons knelt trembling, their nervousness evident despite their bowed heads.
Huo Huaixin lifted his chin slightly, and a bailiff stepped forward with the wedding gown. "Do you two recognize this item?"
The matrons glanced up—one hesitated while the other nodded. "Y-yes, we do."
Huo Huaixin studied them and asked the one who had nodded, "What is this?"
The matron replied immediately, "This is our young mistress's wedding gown."
With a derisive snort, Huo Huaixin's voice turned icy. "Look carefully. As the matrons in charge of Miss Song's dowry, you should know every piece of her wedding attire best. This is not the gown she was wearing when she died—"
The two matrons trembled, beads of sweat forming on their brows.
Wei Yanzhi, standing nearby, spoke with heartfelt sorrow. "You two have served Xiao Rou for many years. Now that she has died unjustly, you must hold nothing back. How else can we clear her name?"
His earnest words seemed to stir memories of the deceased Song Rou, bringing tears to the matrons' eyes. Yet, their lips remained tightly pressed, as if struggling to speak.
Huo Huaixin narrowed his eyes and cut straight to the point. "Is Miss Song's spare wedding gown still here?"
Both lowered their heads. The one who had answered earlier looked terrified, while the hesitant one's eyes darted about uncertainly. Huo Huaixin's expression darkened as he barked, "Think carefully! This concerns a murder case. If you lie or withhold information, you'll be implicated as well. Could it be... you knew something about your mistress's death?"
At this, the first matron collapsed in fright. "My lord, no! We served our mistress for years—how could we harm her? My lord, it's not true...!"
Huo Huaixin turned to the other matron and said coldly, "You. Speak."
Though fear flickered in her eyes, this matron remained calmer. After a moment's hesitation, as if realizing there was no better option, she prostrated herself and stammered, "We dare not hide anything from you, my lord. This gown... it is indeed the spare one our mistress kept. Only... only..."
"Only what?!" Huo Huaixin's voice sharpened. Sensing this was a crucial lead, he was desperate for answers.
The matron glanced at her companion, who was pale with terror, then gritted her teeth. "Only... last night, when we were tidying our mistress's dowry, we discovered this gown was already missing!"
Huo Huaixin's eyes widened. "What?! You mean you noticed it was gone last night?!"
"Yes," the matron said stiffly. "The gown was worth a fortune, and with all the dowry items stored within the estate, we were at a loss when this happened. We were too frightened to act for two days before finally calming down. Knowing we'd be punished for our mistress's death, we thought to inventory her dowry quickly—perhaps the Duke's household might lessen our penalty when they arrived. But then... the gown was missing..."
"If you discovered it missing, why didn't you report it?!"The old servant bowed even lower. "Your Honor, this servant did not know at the time that this matter was related to the young lady's case. Moreover... moreover, failing to safeguard the young lady's belongings is also a crime. I was afraid and dared not speak up."
Huo Huaixin glanced at Yue Qiong, who then asked, "Where was the last time you organized the dowry? Can you estimate when the Wedding Gown went missing? Normally, who would have access to the Wedding Gown?"
"The last time... the last time was at Shili Temple, the night before coming to the Marquis's residence. At that time, one of the young lady's hairpins was missing, so we opened the dowry to retrieve a spare one. For the young lady's wedding, a complete set of the Phoenix Crown and Wedding Gown was prepared. Though we didn't take out the Wedding Gown then, we saw it was there. Normally, only the two of us and the young lady had the keys to the dowry chest."
Huo Huaixin frowned. "Are you certain about this?!"
The servant hastily nodded. "Yes, this servant remembers clearly. The young lady's personal maids all know about this. Your Honor may question them. If I speak even a single false word, may I be struck by lightning and die a wretched death!"
Huo Huaixin waved his hand dismissively; he wasn't interested in hearing curses or oaths. "Marquis, what do you make of this..."
Yue Qiong's expression darkened. "It seems the Wedding Gown is indeed missing. But from that night at Shili Temple to last night, there were three days and two nights in between. That night at Shili Temple, plus the journey here, and then the time spent in the residence—it's difficult to determine exactly when it went missing. Also, Song Shi's dowry was all stored in a separate courtyard in the East Courtyard. Although the courtyard and room doors were usually locked, if someone was determined to enter, it wouldn't have been impossible..."
"Indeed, this makes it hard to investigate," Huo Huaixin said, turning to the two servants. "Though withholding information isn't a crime, I don't know how the Duke's household will handle this. For now, you may return. If you recall anything, report it to me immediately. If you can help bring justice for your young lady, the Duke's household will surely treat you well."
The two servants had known the matter was exposed the moment they saw the Wedding Gown. With no choice, they nodded and withdrew.
Once they left, Wei Yanzhi murmured beside them, "Someone stole Xiao Rou's Wedding Gown... Prefect, where exactly did you find this gown?!"
Huo Huaixin turned to look at Wei Yanzhi and suddenly asked, "Where were you tonight, Young Master Wei?"
Wei Yanzhi was taken aback. "This afternoon, a few of us went to the Martial Arts Field for a competition. Later, His Highness Chi was injured, so we went to Song Garden and stayed until he recovered. By then, it was already late. I returned directly to the East Courtyard, washed up, and then began copying calligraphy. Just before the Second Young Master arrived, I had finished half a scroll—it's still on my desk. My guards can also testify..."
"Where do you reside, Young Master Wei?"
Wei Yanzhi pointed to the main room behind him. "Right here."
Huo Huaixin glanced at the constable beside him, who promptly entered Wei Yanzhi's quarters. Knowing Huo Huaixin suspected him, Wei Yanzhi remained calm, quietly waiting for the constable to emerge.
Seeing his composure, Huo Huaixin's doubts lessened by half. Soon, the constable returned and nodded to Huo Huaixin, who then clasped his hands in apology. "Young Master Wei, please don't take offense. This is standard procedure."
Wei Yanzhi shook his head urgently. "Then can the Prefect now speak plainly?"Huo Huaixin nodded and pointed at the wedding gown. "Just an hour ago, someone dressed in this gown pretended to be Miss Song to frighten people in the Marquis's residence. According to the servants' descriptions, the person was six feet tall and a man, which is why we're here to investigate."
Wei Yanzhi was utterly shocked. "Frighten people? Pretending to be Xiao Rou to scare others?"
Huo Huaixin confirmed, "So, Young Master Wei, did you see anyone leaving the East courtyard tonight?"
Wei Yanzhi, still dazed, shook his head. "I stayed in my room and didn't come out, so I didn't see anything." He paused, his voice strained as he added, "Could it... could it be Xiao Rou returning..."
Yue Qing stepped forward and patted Wei Yanzhi's shoulder. "Brother Yanzhi, you're overthinking this. Surely you don't believe in ghosts?"
Wei Yanzhi replied bitterly, "These past few days, I've been dreaming of Xiao Rou's vengeful spirit returning. She keeps asking me why I haven't found her murderer yet. I... I feel so guilty..."
Huo Huaixin sighed. "Young Master Wei, there's no need to rush. We're investigating this matter, and tonight might be the turning point. If we can find the impersonator, the case will likely be solved."
Wei Yanzhi nodded. "Then I'll wait with you for news."
Since Wei Yanzhi was no longer a suspect, Huo Huaixin agreed. With many male servants and guards from the Song family present, the constables meticulously questioned each one. By the time they finished, dawn was approaching.
"Sir, here are all the testimonies," said Qi Hang, the constable in charge of the interrogations, dark circles under his eyes as he handed a ledger to Huo Huaixin, who had been dozing off.
They were in a side hall of the East courtyard, where Huo Huaixin and the others had waited all night, their faces weary from the ordeal.
At Qi Hang's words, everyone perked up. Huo Huaixin waved his hand. "No need to read it. Just tell us—did you find anything?"
Qi Hang grimaced. "Nothing at all."
Huo Huaixin's brows furrowed. "Nothing?!"
"That's right. No one left the East courtyard, and everyone had alibis. Most were sharing rooms, so there were multiple witnesses. Also, none of the Song family guards are left-handed!"
Wei Yanzhi raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Left-handed?" Huo Huaixin hadn't mentioned this detail the previous night.
Huo Huaixin nodded but didn't explain how he knew. Instead, he looked at Yue Qiong, whose expression darkened. "Marquis, it seems the culprit isn't among the Song family guards. This complicates things. Could it... could it be someone from the Marquis's residence?"
Yue Qiong naturally found it hard to believe anyone from his household would do such a thing. But since the incident occurred there, he decisively said, "Brother Huo, would you like to investigate the Marquis's staff?"
After a brief hesitation, Huo Huaixin agreed. Yue Qiong then turned to Yue Qing and Yue Jia. "Gather all the servants."
Huo Huaixin had expected the night's investigation to yield some clues, but it turned up nothing. The case had once again become shrouded in mystery. Heavy-hearted, he left the East courtyard with Yue Qiong, who was equally disappointed, pinning their last hopes on the Marquis's household. But what motive would anyone there have to impersonate a ghost?
After a fruitless night of labor, Huo Ning also wore a somber expression.
Lost in thought, he walked slowly at the back of the group. By the time he snapped out of it, Yue Qiong and Huo Huaixin were already far ahead.He wasn't in a hurry, just pondering whether he had missed anything from the previous night. As he was thinking, his peripheral vision caught sight of several graceful figures approaching from the side corridor. Huo Ning initially thought he had encountered the young princess Yue Ning and was about to step aside, but upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't Yue Ning—it was Qin Guan, dressed in a sky-blue Ru skirt embroidered with interconnected lotus blossoms and pleated folds!
Huo Ning frowned, completely unprepared to see Qin Guan in the Marquis's residence.
The mockery she had directed at him that night still echoed in his ears, and today, he was here at the Marquis's residence to investigate a case!
With that thought, Huo Ning strode toward Qin Guan with an air of arrogance!
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