Chapter 21

“Guniang, this is it.” Chūn Táo pointed at the eastmost part of the bamboo forest, “Allegedly, the lotus pond was already dry back then. The Oldest Young Lady wasn’t injured from the fall, but the late Marquis cherished Oldest Young Lady like a treasure, and immediately ordered for this area to be filled and levelled out.”

Bó Ruò Yōu frowned, “The Oldest Young Lady was just six-years-old back then, and she was in the throes of her illness, she’s supposed to be properly looked after; how did she manage to fall in?”

Chūn Táo shook her head, “Nubi does not know.”

This area was in a desolate place, and while this incident happened ten years ago, an Oldest Young Lady, who once suffered from hysteria and fully experienced the care of her servants, would never arbitrarily drop into a lotus pond. Could it be that the murderer had done something here back then?

“Are there any slave-servants who have taken care of and attended to the Oldest Young Lady for more than ten years?”

Chūn Táo revealed a difficult expression, “Guniang, nubi isn’t informed about this. The older sisters by the Oldest Young Lady’s side have taken care of her for quite some time, but whether it has been more than ten years or not, nubi is honestly ignorant.”

The skies had fully brightened. After rounds of the winter sun climbing up to the clouds, spreading gloom across the upper atmosphere for several consecutive days, they finally ushered in a sunny day today. Bó Ruò Yōu raised her eyes to look at the sky dome, “It’s fine, I’ll ask someone else.”

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Huò Wēi Lóu was planning to question the servants today in any case. Therefore, when Bó Ruò Yōu reached the front courtyard, Hè Chéng was already present with the government hirelings. Bó Ruò Yōu quickly went up, inviting Hè Chéng to the side before she said: “Daren, have the Oldest Young Lady’s servants been questioned?”

Hè Chéng said, “Of course they’ve been questioned. For the past few days, the Oldest Young Lady always had someone by her side, the case has nothing to do with her.”

Bó Ruò Yōu muttered irresolutely to herself for a moment, “[I am] not asking about the witness testimonies or lack of, but asking about the Oldest Young Lady’s affairs when she was younger. Min’nü heard that the Oldest Young Lady had fallen ill when she was younger, and not long after that, she even fell into a lotus pond once. All these were old incidents that happened ten years ago.”

Hè Chéng immediately wrinkled his eyebrows, “Old incidents that happened ten years ago… the Oldest Young Lady was only five- to six-years-old then, no? You’re suspecting that that the murderer had begun moving then?”

Bó Ruò Yōu shook her head, “Min’nü doesn’t know how to describe it. But the stupid girl coincidentally appeared at the side of the forest, and although the Oldest Young Lady stated that the stupid girl went there to pick plums flowers, min’nü can’t shake off how strange it feels. Da Furen picked her up without any cause or reason, and treats her with such immense, tender affection, as if she was taking her for a daughter…”

Having spoken to this point, Bó Ruò Yōu’s expression abruptly changed, “Daren, Momo Yu once said that she was sent to the ancestral hall because of a small concubine’s death?”

Bó Ruò Yōu did not follow them to the ancestral hall that day, so she didn’t personally hear Momo Yu’s explanation. Hè Chéng said: “Yes, she said that when she was taking care of the Marquis’ small concubine during her childbirth, both the mother and child died, hence why there are no sons at the Marquis’ knees, and Lao Furen punished her by making her guard the ancestral hall.”

Bó Ruò Yōu shook her head, “That’s not right… this explanation isn’t right…”

“What isn’t right?”

A deep and low voice sounded from behind them. Bó Ruò Yōu promptly saw Huò Wēi Lóu approaching with his embroidered emissaries once she turned around. She bowed, first talking about the scent satchel she saw in the stupid girl’s bedroom last night, then repeated Chūn Táo’s original words, “If Da Furen only made one scent satchel and only gave it to the stupid girl, then it could still be explained as her recognising the wrong person in her illness, but she clearly made two.

“Momo Yu said that the Marquis once had a small concubine who died during childbirth, but Zheng si’ye (4th) said that the Marquis was a loyal and proper man, who would never admit concubines. Moreover, after Zheng er’ye (2nd) and Zheng san’ye (3rd) were met with their demise, min’nü only saw their wives and no concubines, and added with the fact that there are no servants that have served for more than fifteen years in this residence, no one knows what happened that year. Hence, whether or not this small concubine exists, is honestly a cause for suspicion.”

Bó Ruò Yōu continued, “Next are the circumstances of the residence: Momo Yu said that she was sent to the ancestral hall because of the small concubine’s death, but why was it Da Furen who went mad afterwards? Zheng si’ye said that she fell ill the year after she gave to the Oldest Young Lady, and for the same reasons, min’nü suspects that the accident that Momo Yu was talking about, isn’t about some small concubine, but Da Furen!”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes deepened, “Keep talking.”

Bó Ruò Yōu pursed her lips slightly and said: “Min’nü suspects that, Da Furen’s son died prematurely, and Da Furen succumbed to her illness because of the child’s premature death.”

After giving a pause, Bó Ruò Yōu’s expression changed again, “That’s not right, it wasn’t her son who died prematurely, maybe… Maybe it’s a daughter that died prematurely…”

Fifteen years ago, Da Furen had a daughter that died prematurely? Which is why she was afflicted with madness?!

Hè Chéng’s complexion distorted slightly, “There is no evidence…”

“If the child that Da Furen lost prematurely was a son, one fears that she would be rather tender and affectionate towards a young man of a similar age.”

Hè Chéng refuted, “But the stupid girl’s appearance is ugly and frightening…”

With regards to this point, Bó Ruò Yōu had yet to make sense of it as well, so she could only say: “Min’nü realised that the stupid girl’s brows and eyes, share a three-part similarity with the Oldest Young Lady. Perhaps that’s the reason why it gave rise to heartfelt tenderness within Da Furen at first sight.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s tone of voice was wavering slightly, because even she failed to notice the similarities between the two at first glance. With Da Furen’s muddled state of mind, could she discern the similarities clearly from one look alone? Furthermore, there was a crude scar on the stupid girl’s face; if an ordinary person saw it, they would only find it terrifying.

Unable to make a decision, Hè Chéng turned and looked towards Huò Wēi Lóu, who conversely, seemed to be mulling over something deeply, “Where is the Taoist priest?”

Hè Chéng replied without missing a beat: “Just in the wing-room, he’s still calculating, xiaguan will go and see him now.”

“Tell him that he must calculate the Sixteenth Year of Jianhe accurately.”

If Da Furen truly lost a female infant prematurely, then corroborating with Zhèng Wén Róng’s words, it was the year after Zhèng Yún Ní was born.

Hè Chéng immediately complied, but shortly after, he paused like he had come to his senses, “Is Hou’ye suspecting… that these homicides, are related to that child?”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded, “Coroner Bó’s words are not without logic. After this case happened, the people within the residence have stayed mute as if their mouths were sealed. Momo Yu has quite a lot to conceal as well, and it must be for the sake of protecting the biggest secret buried in this residence.”

Hè Chéng’s eyes brightened slightly, immediately going out of the door to look for that Taoist priest.

Bó Ruò Yōu promptly said to Huò Wēi Lóu: “One asks Hou’ye to question the servants by the Oldest Young Lady’s side, with regards to the illness she had during her childhood, and the accident where she fell into the lotus pond when she was younger. Min’nü also heard that she was nearly burned when she was young, but the specifics of the situation are unknown. This incident happened after the Oldest Young Lady’s illness, and it is reckoned that the details can be inquired.”

Upon seeing Huò Wēi Lóu’s gaze deepen, Bó Ruò Yōu recounted Chūn Táo’s words again, and what had happened when she went to see the bamboo forest this morning, “That place is remote, and since the Oldest Young Lady was still sick that year, how did she manage to fall in for no reason at all? Although min’nü can’t ascertain if that accident is related to the case, she keeps getting the sense that it is all rather strange.”

In truth, Huò Wēi Lóu was not aware that she had done so much. The gaze he regarded her with became deep with meaning again, then he signalled for an embroidered emissary and passed down the instructions. It goes without saying that someone went forward to make those inquiries, and without needing much time, the embroidered emissary returned and said: “Hou’ye, all of the maidservants by the Oldest Young Lady’s side entered the residence eight years ago, and they are unaware of what happened that year.”

Once that answer was given, Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows arched a little. Most of the maidservants of the young ladies from influential families would usually start serving and taking care of their mistresses starting from their childhood, while Zhèng Yún Ní’s maidservants ran contrary since all of them entered the residence eight years ago. Huò Wēi Lóu’s gaze became resolved, “Call for the steward who has served the residence for thirteen years, and anyone who has served the residence for more than ten years, call for them as well.”

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The steward arrived at the main hall very quickly. Inside the hall, Huò Wēi Lóu was sitting on the main seat with heavy eyes and an oppressive imposing manner. After the steward bowed, he wiped the sweat on his forehead and heard Huò Wēi Lóu ask: “Ten years ago, were you on duty within the residence?”

The steward nodded, “Ten years ago, xiaoren was responsible for the purchases in the Marquis Residence.”

Huò Wēi Lóu said. “Are you aware of how the Oldest Young Lady succumbed to hysteria that year?”

The steward frowned as he did a brief recollection, saying: “That was during a wintry day, halfway through the winter months, give or take. The Oldest Young Lady was lost for an entire night at first, and after she was discovered, she became slightly off-kilter…”

Huò Wēi Lóu knitted his brows, “Lost for an entire night?”

The steward nodded, “Although it happened a long time ago, it caused a huge uproar that year. The Oldest Young Lady is as precious as a thousand pieces of gold, and not a single mistake can be tolerated. When the Oldest Young Lady disappeared that night, everyone in the whole residence was looking for her, and she remained missing for the entire night. In the end, it was the morning of the second day where the Oldest Young Lady appeared on her own, but she had succumbed to hysteria.”

“How did she come back on her own?”

The steward thought about it again, “It seems like she was discovered in the eastern bamboo forest. When she was discovered, her body was frozen stiff, and her body was dirty, but that forest had been searched the night before and the Oldest Young Lady was nowhere to be seen. No matter how the Oldest Young Lady was questioned later, she couldn’t seem to remember where she went that night… this incident is known by many, and it was unavoidable that gods and ghosts were dragged into the topic. Afterwards, Lao Furen forbade everyone from bringing up this matter again, and no one dared to speak of it again.”

It was the eastern bamboo forest again.

Bó Ruò Yōu’s pale fists curled tightly underneath her sleeves.

Likewise, Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes sharpened momentarily. He asked him: “Shortly thereafter, she fell into the lotus pond again before she fully recovered from her illness, are you aware of this incident?”

The steward revealed some trembling fear on his visage as his voice became distant, “Speaking of this matter, it was even stranger…”

…..

The author has something to say: the truth is in front.