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墨書 Inktalez
The first thing the Constable did upon entering was to check the doors and windows. Aside from the bedroom's main door, which had been forced open, all the other windows were closed. Not only were they closed, but they were also nailed shut from the inside.
Chang Tai led Xing Ruyi to a window and pointed out a clever trap that had been set in the middle of it. Indeed, this mechanism could firmly secure the window, preventing it from budging even in strong winds of seven or eight degrees during winter. Additionally, there were two layers of curtains on the inside to ensure the room remained comfortable and warm.
"Within the entire residence, only this bedroom's window is like this," Red Willow said with a hint of resentment in her voice. "Master, the lady is delicate and cannot withstand cold winds, so a skilled craftsman was specially hired to modify this window. On the day she went missing, this window was also secured with nails from the inside."
"Then it seems that the lady's disappearance is indeed a case of a locked-room mystery."
"That's exactly why I hurried back to Xing today to ask you to come and investigate," Chang Tai whispered in Xing Ruyi's ear. "Can you see anything unusual in this room? If not, then her disappearance must have been caused by human intervention; if there is something, then it might be beyond what someone like me as a Constable can handle."
Xing Ruyi looked into Chang Tai's eyes and remained silent for a moment.
In the afternoon, while she was contemplating how to respond to Li Mao, Chang Tai rushed back to the residence. Upon seeing her, he didn't say anything but directly asked for help from the fox. The fox was surprisingly generous and simply said, "My Fox Demon hasn't eaten yet," before pushing her towards Chang Tai. Then she followed Chang Tai to Yun Manor and entered what was referred to as the crime scene.
Although it was the crime scene, this bedroom had clearly been cleaned up by someone. Even the window had been opened after the incident, as evidenced by the snow outside.
This window faced away from the sun, so sunlight couldn't reach it, causing the snow to linger. In contrast, on windows that hadn't been opened, the snow remained partially melted. The two windows in question showed clear signs of having been bumped against, with some marks even appearing old.
Most of the physical evidence at the scene had already been destroyed. As for witnesses, there was only Red Willow present. Xing Ruyi exchanged glances with Chang Tai and approached Red Willow: "This case seems simple at first glance, but upon deeper thought, it feels incredibly strange. It might be difficult for us to find any clues related to the lady's disappearance here. How about this? Brother Chang and I will return first and think carefully about everything that has happened here. If we come up with any leads, we'll come back to bother you."
Red Willow lowered her head; although she concealed it quickly, a glimmer of delight in her eyes did not escape Xing Ruyi's notice.
"Oh, by the way, I have two questions that I need Miss Red Willow's help with."
"Please ask, Ruyi!"
"The first question is whether there were any strange behaviors exhibited by Madam Yun before or after her disappearance or if anything unusual happened around her? Alternatively, did she do anything she wouldn't normally do?"
"Strange behaviors?" Red Willow furrowed her brow in thought. "If we're talking about odd occurrences, it would probably be her argument with Master. My lady has an exceptionally good temperament; since entering this household, she rarely argues with Master or even gets angry. Master is very firm; even when things don't go his way, my lady would still listen.
As for things she wouldn't normally do, it would likely be spending a large sum on this particular dress. Although my lady's background isn't lowly, her family isn't particularly wealthy either; even here with Master, it's just slightly better off than an average household. She has always been frugal; purchasing clothing is done on an annual basis with set limits for clothes, perfumes, rouge, and jewelry each year without exceeding those limits—except for this dress."
"However, thinking back, there is a reason why the lady is so fond of this dress, so strictly speaking, it isn't really an outrageous thing, right?"
"The Young Lady Red Willow is correct; women can never resist beautiful clothing. If it were the Fox Demon, she would undoubtedly be like Madam Ru, willing to pay any price to acquire it. Now that this dress is out of reach for the Fox Demon, could I ask Young Lady Red Willow to write down the address of the shop where it was purchased? Even if it's just to find a piece of fabric similar to this one, it would be worthwhile."
A hint of pride and a barely perceptible smirk appeared at the corner of Red Willow's mouth. "I am just a maid who hasn't had much education and can't recognize many characters, but I do remember the general location of that shop. As for whether Ruyi can find it, that depends on her own luck."
Red Willow began to recite a string of words, and Xing Ruyi was silently taken aback.
"Is the shopkeeper there also named Yun?"
"Most people in Yun Village have the surname Yun. Even at our Yun Family Gathering, most attendees share that surname." Red Willow straightened her back, her expression showing some impatience.
"Yes, yes, Young Lady Red Willow is right; it's my fault for not asking clearly. May I ask if the shopkeeper's name is Yun Sheng?"
"It seems that's what he is called!" Red Willow raised her eyebrows. "Ruyi just needs to remember the general location. Once you arrive at Yun Village, you can inquire further and might find it."
"Thank you!" Xing Ruyi said as she exchanged a glance with the fox.
The fox then bid farewell to Red Willow and left Yun Manor with Xing Ruyi.
Red Willow watched their retreating figures, let out a soft hum, then looked around to ensure no one was watching before returning to the bedroom where the incident occurred. She took down the dress hanging on the screen divider. First, she compared it in front of the mirror, then unable to resist any longer and disregarding the chill in the room, she removed her own clothing and put on the dress that had been bought back at great cost by the missing Madam Yun.
Originally, given their body types, this dress would be quite loose on Red Willow; however, miraculously, when she donned it, it fit perfectly as if it had been tailored specifically for her. Red Willow twirled in front of the mirror a couple of times and suddenly felt incredibly beautiful—perhaps even more so than Madam Yun.
Her hands glided along the edges of the dress as her eyes closed slightly, savoring the wonderful sensation of the smooth satin against her skin. Just as Red Willow became entranced and unable to extricate herself from this feeling, she suddenly felt a tightening around her body; it was as if the dress had come alive and was wrapping around her tighter and tighter.
Red Willow panicked; she opened her eyes and looked around wildly with unfocused pupils.
Could it be... could it be Madam's... ghost?
Red Willow was startled, her hands fumbling as she tried to tear off her clothes, but the garment felt as if it were glued to her skin. She began to feel breathless, her panicked hands clawing at her body. Suddenly, she spotted something on the Dressing Table. It was a pair of scissors, sharp enough to easily cut through her skin.
Red Willow reached out desperately for the scissors and finally grasped them tightly. With a fierce motion, she dragged them down towards her chest.
A stream of blood flowed from the wound, accompanied by Red Willow's piercing scream. As her body slumped to the ground, the tight constriction around her vanished instantly.
Red Willow clutched her chest, gasping for breath on the floor, her eyes still filled with the terror of having survived. She crawled toward the door, and just as her hand was about to reach outside, the slightly ajar door suddenly slammed shut.
"No! Please! Don't lock me in here!"
"Madam! Red Willow knows she was wrong! Red Willow shouldn't have harbored such thoughts and forgotten her place!"
"It is Red Willow who deserves to die, it is Red Sleeve who deserves to die; Red Willow should not have acted recklessly, Red Willow should not have touched Madam's clothes!"
Red Willow muttered to herself while continuously pounding on the door.
"Let me out! Is anyone out there? Please, help me escape!"
Despite Red Willow's loud cries and the occasional passing maids or servants outside, no one heard her pleas.
Inside and outside the door felt like two worlds divided.
Finally, Red Willow grew tired of shouting. She slowly turned around, pressing her back against the door while clutching her still bleeding chest.
She saw that Madam's garment had been hung back on the Screen Divider. However, its color had changed from an elegant and cool white to a seductive and passionate red.
Red Willow knew in her heart that this color was stained with her own blood.
Outside the gate, Xing Ruyi stopped in her tracks.
She turned back to glance outside and asked Chang Tai, "Did you hear a voice just now, Brother Chang?"
Chang Tai listened carefully and said, "It's the sound of the wind. It looks like it might snow again."
"No! It's not the wind. I think I just heard Red Willow's cries."
"Really?" Chang Tai listened again attentively. "I didn't hear anything."
"Maybe I imagined it!" Xing Ruyi rubbed her ears. "That Red Willow, born to be a maid, yet she has a heart that refuses to accept being just a maid. I can see a dark aura swirling above her head; she’s likely to encounter some misfortune in the next couple of days. It's a pity that her attitude is poor. If she were a bit nicer, perhaps I could help her resolve some issues."
"I'm afraid she wouldn't believe you," Chang Tai shook his head. "By the way, who is this Yun Sheng? You seemed a bit off when you mentioned him."
"Do you remember Hui Niang?"
"Of course! She's the woman who came to you for medicine the other night. I remember you sent Li Mao to take her back the next day, but you haven't mentioned her illness since then. Did she get better?"
"No! To cure her illness, it will likely take at least half a year. Before coming here, I was discussing it with the foxes, but we didn't reach any conclusions after talking for quite a while. Right now, I'm quite worried. I didn't expect to encounter something related to her here."
"Related to her... You mean Hui Niang? Could this Yun Sheng be..."
"If I'm not mistaken, that Yun Sheng should be Hui Niang's husband who is about to return home!"
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