On the morning of the seventh day, Qin Guan and Fuling emerged from the western rear courtyard. The servants of Qin Manor, hiding not far away, watched them with a mix of curiosity and reverence.
"After seven days of rituals, Ninth Miss is still fine. Does that mean she's truly alive again?"
"Indeed! If it were truly some evil fox spirit possession, the monks would have exorcised it long ago!"
"I think it's not an evil spirit but Buddha Possession. After all, Fuling was saved by Ninth Miss!"
The murmurs continued. Fuling snorted lightly, "Miss clearly wasn't dead, yet they insisted she was. When she woke up, they tried to smear her with talk of fox spirits. Now that the rituals are done, they should finally shut their mouths."
After seven days of confinement, Qin Guan had finally accepted her identity as the Ninth Miss of Qin Manor and settled her mind.
The pressing matter now was naturally to uncover the reason behind this Ninth Miss's death. What puzzled her was that during these seven days, not a single person had come to inquire. Did the murderer not fear she might wake up and reveal the truth?
Today, Qin Guan wore a moon-white gown with wide sleeves, her cascading ink-black hair tied up simply with a plain hairpin. Bathed in the morning light, her demeanor was pure and elegant, her features as clear and bright as Haoyue (the bright moon). She spoke little, only saying softly, "Tell me again what happened that day."
Fuling felt a pang of heartache—her mistress truly couldn't remember the past.
"That day, Miss had lunch and took a half-hour nap. In the afternoon, we heard Young Master Huo had arrived at the manor, and Miss seemed a bit unsettled. But Young Master Huo only spoke with the eldest and second young masters—he wouldn’t have invited us."
"Miss was feeling down and didn’t eat much at dinner. After dinner, she suddenly said she wanted to go for a walk."
Fuling blamed herself. "It’s my fault—I forgot to bring a cloak when I accompanied Miss out. That night turned chilly, and when we reached the lotus pond, a sudden gust of wind made it even colder."
"I wanted Miss to go back, but she wanted to stay by the pond a little longer. So I told her to wait while I went back to fetch her cloak. I was gone for less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but when I returned to the pond, Miss was gone!"
Fuling’s nose tingled with emotion. "I panicked. Miss was timid, and it was late at night by the pond—one misstep and she could’ve fallen in. I frantically searched the area but couldn’t find her. Thinking she might have returned to the courtyard, I went back to check, but she wasn’t there either..."
"I searched for half the night. Then, in the later hours, it started to rain. With no other options, I went to the steward, but I was stopped outside his courtyard. Desperate, I knelt outside his gate and stayed there for over half an hour."
Though Fuling was usually kind and lively, her voice now carried bitterness. "The steward never showed his face. As dawn approached, someone suddenly came and said Miss had jumped into the lake..."
Even though eight days had passed, Fuling’s eyes still reddened at the memory. "At that moment, I felt like the sky had collapsed."
Qin Guan patted her hand reassuringly. "Then I was fished out and quickly taken to the ancestral hall?"
"Yes!" Fuling sniffled. "Old Madam said it was inauspicious and had monks perform rituals for a day. They planned to take Miss out for burial the next morning."Qin Guan narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before suddenly looking up. "Is this the lotus pond you mentioned?"
The two had been walking south and had arrived at a square-shaped lotus pond about thirty meters across.
At the tail end of summer transitioning into autumn, the pond was filled with graceful lotus leaves. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of lotuses through the air.
Pavilions and waterside buildings surrounded the pond, with a covered bridge at its center leading to a gazebo on the opposite side.
"That's right. Miss was standing right by this bridge rail back then."
The northern side of the pond only had a wooden walkway circling it, while all the pavilions and buildings were on the southern side. Qin Guan had come from the north and now stood at the bridge's northern end. "Where is Crescent Lake?" she suddenly asked.
Fuling looked puzzled. "Crescent Lake is further south. When I heard Miss had jumped into the lake, I wondered how she'd gotten all the way there. With our status and Miss disliking trouble, she usually only came as far as this lotus pond."
Because she hadn't walked there herself.
Qin Guan silently noted this in her heart. "Take me to see it."
They crossed the covered bridge over the lotus pond and came upon an artificial hill with a gazebo beside it. Behind the gazebo stood two more buildings with upturned eaves. Along their walk, Qin Guan had observed that despite being just a branch of the Qin family in Jinzhou, the manor displayed remarkable luxury. The estate featured scenic views every few steps and buildings at regular intervals, elegantly laid out to showcase the owner's noble status.
After walking for another half an hour, they reached Crescent Lake.
True to its name, the lake was crescent-shaped with lush vegetation along its banks and two small lakeside cottages standing quietly. Currently, the lakeside was deserted except for an occasional servant who would steal glances before hurrying away.
Clearly, the shock of Qin Guan's return from death still lingered.
"Does Miss remember? Further south from here, the left side leads to the young masters' and misses' quarters, while the right goes to the concubines' residences. Old Madam stays at the Buddhist shrine to the east, and the master and mistress are in the main courtyard at the front..."
Fuling pointed briefly, but Qin Guan didn't respond, only asking, "Where exactly was I pulled from the water that day?"
Fuling quickly walked forward about ten paces. "Here, right here..."
There lay a massive natural Black Tortoise Stone, half on shore and half submerged in the lake. Standing on the rock provided an unobstructed view of the entire lake. Qin Guan stepped onto the stone.
"Miss, don't go there—"
Fuling spoke with lingering fear, but Qin Guan shook her head. Though she said nothing, an undeniable authority radiated from her presence that made Fuling hesitate and refrain from further protest.
Watching Qin Guan step forward, Fuling felt slightly dazed.
Her young mistress was completely different from before!
Gazing at the shimmering lake surface, Qin Guan frowned slightly. The water here was indeed deep enough to drown someone, but Qin Guan hadn't drowned—she'd been dumped here after death. For disposing of a body, this prominent Black Tortoise Stone seemed rather conspicuous.
Ninth Miss must have been killed on the night of July 21st before being dumped into the lake in the dead of night.
This confirmed the killer was someone from Qin Manor. Yet even at night, with so many servants around, there was always a risk of being seen. The murderer would naturally choose a more concealed spot for disposal.
Qin Guan crouched down and dipped her hand into the water, carefully sensing its flow.
Crescent Lake wasn't stagnant—while its surface appeared calm, there were certainly undercurrents below that could move a body.
After a moment, Qin Guan turned her gaze toward a grove of flowering trees about twenty meters upstream from the Black Tortoise Stone.It was a grove of hibiscus trees. The blooming season had already passed, leaving only lush greenery. Qin Guan stood up and walked slowly toward it. Fuling wanted to follow, but after taking just two steps, Qin Guan said, "Wait here."
When pondering a case, Qin Guan disliked being disturbed—even by the sound of footsteps.
Ninth Miss had been in a pitiable situation, timid by nature, yet not one to provoke trouble. Why had she been killed? And where? Could it have been this very hibiscus grove? Her clothes had been changed and burned, leaving only the injuries on her body, which provided no immediate clues. The abrasions could have been caused by rough ground anywhere.
Qin Guan gazed intently at the emerald-green lake.
This was where the body had been discovered—there had to be clues here!
The sky had brightened, the sun climbing over the horizon. Qin Guan walked to the lakeside by the grove, her sharp eyes scanning the area. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss, but unwilling to give up, she leaned forward to examine the lakebed.
Just as Qin Guan was engrossed in her search, a shadow suddenly fell over her from behind.
Thinking it was Fuling, she instinctively turned to speak—but the moment she did, a pair of hands shoved her violently forward!
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