Сhарtеr 65: Nеw Susрicions
"Тhаt's right," thе соnstable cоntinuеd. "My rеlative is а роеt. Тhеir family hаs always been crооked frоm toр tо bоttоm. Mу rеlаtivе is а regulаr at the Bright Наll, but who wоuld have thought hе'd be fine whilе his son endеd uр lоsing his lifе in suсh а рlacе."
Zhu Yаn, who hаd bееn listening nеarbу, frоwned deерly. "Нow did you lеarn the identitу оf thе deсeased?"
"Аnswеring thе madаm, his sоn hаsn't bееn dеad fоr lоng. At first, еverуone thоught he hаd gоnе missing. But just а fеw dауs ago, when thе Western Brightness Tеmple uneаrthed a рair оf skеletоns, we had people come to identify them. My relative recognized one of them as his son at a glance, and the other was a courtesan from the Bright Hall."
The skeletons discovered a few days ago—he must be referring to the pair belonging to Lüyun.
Zhu Yan nodded slightly. Another pair of skeletons had their identities confirmed.
Returning to the Shen residence, the two discussed the case once more.
"Lüyun and the poet's son—according to Rong Zhui, the man's name is Su Mu, aged twenty. Ever since Lüyun arrived at the Bright Hall, Su Mu often came to visit. He had always been Lüyun's patron, so when the two went missing, Rong Zhui didn't think much of it. From this perspective, Rong Zhui truly isn't the murderer."
Zhu Yan shared her thoughts, and Shen Du beside her nodded slightly. Suddenly, Shen Du seemed to recall something.
"Have you noticed that from the cases four or five years ago to the present ones, there's a recurring small detail among the victims?"
Hearing Shen Du's words, Zhu Yan frowned deeply. "What detail?"
Shen Du stood up. "The ages of these people are clearly decreasing. Or perhaps the murderer is doing this intentionally."
Zhu Yan's frown deepened. With Shen Du's reminder, she realized it was indeed the case.
"But... what does that indicate?" Zhu Yan still didn't fully understand. The victims' ages were decreasing—what could that mean?
"What kind of person most needs the young?" Shen Du tossed the question back to Zhu Yan. "Hypothesize—what kind of person most needs the hearts of the young?"
"All the victims had their hearts removed, and their ages are decreasing. Could it be that the murderer is already old?" Zhu Yan voiced her speculation.
Shen Du neither directly refuted Zhu Yan's guess nor indirectly agreed. He merely furrowed his brows, as if muttering to himself, "If that's truly the case, things might become troublesome."
"What do you mean?" Zhu Yan pressed further.
But Shen Du seemed to realize he had said too much and quickly covered it up with a light cough. "Nothing. I was just speculating—if the murderer truly follows such a logic in killing, then who would be the next target if they were to commit another crime?"
"Someone younger, connected to the brothel," Zhu Yan stated solemnly. "From the beginning until now, all the victims have been linked to brothels. Even if the murderer plans to kill again, it will undoubtedly still be connected to a brothel."
Shen Du nodded. The two had finally aligned their thoughts.
"Now that we have a direction, catching the culprit won't be difficult," Shen Du said calmly, then looked meaningfully at Zhu Yan. "We've both worked hard these past days. Let's rest well tonight."Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan shuddered all over, quickly crossing her arms over her chest and taking several steps back. "What do you mean? Could it be you’ve decided to share a bed with me?"
"Why not?" Shen Du teased, looking at Zhu Yan. He thought her current demeanor resembled that of an amusing child.
"Of course not," Zhu Yan retorted without hesitation. "The time given by the Empress is running short. Besides, my life is in your hands, and I don’t have many days left. Considering how long I’ve worked hard with you on this case, at least let me keep my body intact."
Shen Du was amused by Zhu Yan’s words, wondering what this woman was always thinking about.
He had no intention of taking liberties with her, yet she had steered the conversation in that direction herself.
"You are also the lady of the Shen family. Even if you die, in the eyes of others, you are still my woman. What’s the point of preserving your chastity?"
Shen Du felt it had been a long time since he had bantered with Zhu Yan like this. Since the topic had come up today, he might as well have a proper discussion with this woman.
"That’s different," Zhu Yan declared righteously. "What others say is their business. How we conduct ourselves is our own. Since you don’t like me and I don’t like you, there’s no need for us to perform the duties of a real married couple. Let’s leave each other with respect. Even if we die, in our next lives, we won’t have wronged the person meant for us."
"You think quite far ahead," Shen Du remarked, his tone somewhat nonchalant. After a busy day, he was indeed a bit tired. After a few more teasing remarks, he stood up, preparing to leave.
"Where are you going?" Zhu Yan suddenly called out just as he reached the door.
Shen Du stopped and turned to look at her. "What? Can’t bear to see your husband leave?"
Zhu Yan glanced at the bed. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t shared it before.
Besides, with so little time left, lying together to discuss the case might actually help with its progress.
"The bed today is quite large. If you don’t mind, we can sleep on our respective sides as usual and discuss the case. It might help with the progress, after all..."
She trailed off, unable to finish.
"After all, what?" Shen Du pressed.
"After all... we don’t have much time left."
For some reason, Zhu Yan felt an inexplicable sadness in her heart. The time given by the Empress was running out, and Shen Du’s situation was growing increasingly perilous.
Seeing Zhu Yan’s concern, a strange emotion suddenly stirred in Shen Du’s heart, like a warm current flowing through, bringing with it a sense of reassurance.
"Don’t worry," Shen Du said lightly, still teasing. "If we really fail to solve the case within the deadline, I’ll leave you a way out. Spending your life with a dim lamp and ancient Buddha is still better than growing old alone, without companionship."
Zhu Yan’s eyes widened. Though she knew Shen Du was teasing her, she couldn’t help feeling displeased. "Who wants to become a nun? Let me tell you, if you’re really killed by the Empress, within a month, I’ll marry someone else. On the wedding day, I’ll make a grand celebration, hire the Furong Garden troupe to perform for three days straight, just to celebrate."
Shen Du was visibly displeased with Zhu Yan’s retort, his expression darkening slightly. "Are you really that eager for me to die?""Of course," Zhu Yan replied, her anger still simmering. "Did you think what I just said was about your time running out? In reality, I was worried about being dragged down by you. Besides, you only gave me three months to live—I’m truly afraid I might die before you."
For some reason, as she spoke, Zhu Yan’s nose tingled with a sudden ache, and her voice trembled with a hint of choked emotion.
Shen Du was not angered by Zhu Yan’s words. Instead, an inexplicable sense of pity welled up within him.
Ever since the day they married, this woman had not known a single day of peace by his side. She had done nothing wrong, yet he had teased her with such words. Was he truly being too harsh?
"I…" Shen Du didn’t know how to comfort her. Seeing the look of grievance on Zhu Yan’s face, he clenched his fist. "It’s getting late. You should rest early."
With that, Shen Du turned and left.
Watching Shen Du disappear into the night, Zhu Yan felt a tumult of emotions in her heart.
She had originally intended to keep Shen Du there to discuss the case, but somehow, she had ended up saying those words, as if she had angered him.
She hadn’t meant to provoke Shen Du intentionally; it was just that his earlier remarks had stirred her displeasure.
Zhu Yan stood dazed at the doorway for a long while, lost in thought. After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, she finally turned slightly and closed the door.
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