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墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi Cosmetic Shop
"It should just be a coincidence! The Yun Family Gathering and Yun Village are inherently connected, so it's normal for people from the Yun Family Gathering to stay in Yun Village for business. There are some overlaps between the two, but nothing significant."
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it!" Xing Ruyi thought of that outfit, feeling a vague sense of unease rising in her heart.
"When Brother Chang first came, did you notice anything unusual in that room? I always feel that this Bedroom is too clean. Although things are still haphazardly placed, it seems to maintain the state it was in before the owner went missing. However, there are obvious signs that someone has cleaned and tidied up. The Fox Demon couldn't see the scene where Yun Madam went missing, so many things cannot be accurately judged."
"There are indeed signs that the room has been cleaned. Compared to when I first came, there are definitely some differences. But this isn't the time to discuss it."
"Then let's walk and see if what the Fox Demon thinks aligns with some of your judgments, Brother Chang."
Chang Tai nodded while recalling his first visit to Yun Manor: "When I arrived at the scene, there were already many people standing outside the Bedroom door, coming and going, making it impossible to find any useful traces. The door to the Bedroom was, as Red Willow said, broken open. The person responsible for breaking down the door was also present that day; he was robust and had martial arts training, so he struck with considerable force and broke the door open in one go, falling inside with the impact. On the floor inside, we found corresponding traces."
"What about inside the room? Was there anything noteworthy?"
"There was a strange smell, but I can't pinpoint it." Chang Tai's expression showed some hesitation: "There was a water stain on the floor; I don't know if it was splashed by someone or something else. The location of that stain is somewhat odd. Additionally, there were some cobwebs in the room. I asked the servant responsible for cleaning the room, and she said they had never found spiders in this room before. However, after Lord Yun and Yun Madam had an argument, Yun Madam forbade them from entering this room again. So in those days before Yun Madam's incident, they only cleaned outside in the yard. I wonder if a spider got in during that time and spun webs inside."
"These matters seem to have little connection to Yun Madam's disappearance."
"If there were a definite connection, it would seem somewhat forced. But if there were absolutely no connection at all, then the existence of these oddities would also be puzzling. Suppose Yun Madam didn't go missing but was harmed by someone; then these lingering doubts could very well be evidence left by the Killer."
"What do you mean, Brother Chang?"
"In this woman's Bedroom, it's normal for there to be scents from incense or powders, but that peculiar smell feels both unfamiliar and oddly familiar to me. I suspect it might be something like an aphrodisiac. The water stain on the floor is quite deep; it doesn't look like traces from plain water or tea being spilled. I suspect it was deliberately left by the Killer to cover up some kind of evidence. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of the main investigators on this case; I was just following the County Magistrate to observe at the scene back then, so I couldn't examine things closely in front of those Constables. Coming back today, I intended to take a closer look at those traces, but surprisingly, this room has been thoroughly cleaned."
"So Brother Chang suspects that Yun Madam's disappearance was intentional?"
"There is indeed such a concern, but the room is sealed tight. How could the perpetrator have quietly taken Yun Madam away? I know you are meticulous, Fox Demon; you always have your unique insights when it comes to solving cases. That's why I called you back to Xing—to hope you can see what I cannot."
"Whether it's a locked-room disappearance case or a murder case presented to us as a locked-room scenario, we both know that this so-called locked room is merely a result of careful planning by the murderer. Because you didn't arrive at the crime scene immediately, many circumstances remain unclear; thus it's difficult to provide an accurate judgment. Similar cases can serve as references for you and Brother Chang."
"I knew I'd always learn many interesting things from you, Fox Demon." Chang Tai said as his expression relaxed: "Are all your similar cases locked-room disappearances?"
"That's one way to put it, but I won't go into the specifics of the case with you, Brother Chang. You know how Fox Demon is; once they start talking, it's like a story that goes on forever, filled with details and embellishments. By the time they're done, even Fox Demon might not remember what the main point was." Xing Ruyi stuck out her tongue. "In the many cases that Fox Demon has seen, there are three typical types of missing person or murder cases.
The first type is when the murderer deliberately arranges the room to look like a locked room. After committing the crime, they create some noise to attract attention from others and then hide behind the door, waiting for someone to break in. Usually, these locked room cases occur in places with a lot of people, such as large households, temples, or inns.
Due to the loud commotion, many people will inevitably come to see what’s happening. When the door is broken down, everyone will rush in, eager to see the excitement, and their attention will be focused inside the room. At this moment, the murderer can blend in with the crowd watching and perfectly conceal themselves.
Yun Manor is a large household, and since the incident occurred in the guest room of the lady of the house, and Red Willow had already stirred up a lot of talk about it beforehand, there would definitely be quite a few onlookers besides Master and his servants. When the door was broken down, Master would be the first to enter out of concern for his wife, followed closely by others who would want to check inside. If the murderer were hiding behind the door at that moment, they could easily remain undetected.
However, we weren't at the scene of the crime, and since it has been tampered with, all of this is merely speculation. If the murderer was indeed hiding behind the door at that time, we can conclude that they must be someone from within Yun Manor who wouldn’t raise suspicion in front of their master. Moreover, Yun Madam must still have been in the room but was hidden away by the murderer."
"I’ve heard of similar cases before, but I haven't personally handled any in such a heavily guarded area like the capital," Chang Tai said solemnly, regretting not having examined the scene more thoroughly that day. If the murderer really was hiding in Yun Manor, then it’s very likely that Yun Madam was moved after they arrived at Yun Manor.
"You mentioned three types earlier; what are the other two?"
"The second type I refer to as conspiracy!"
Xing Ruyi held up two fingers.
"Conspiracy?"
"Yes! Conspiracy! As for this person, I assume you’ve suspected them too, Brother Chang."
"Yun Madam's personal maid, Red Willow!"
"Exactly! Red Willow is Yun Madam's personal maid; although she may not have been officially recognized as such, she likely also served as one of her dowry maids and was Lord Yun's concubine maid. Therefore, her status within Yun Family is somewhat special. The last person seen with Yun Madam before her disappearance was her!"
"Not only that; this morning she was also the one who went to wake Yun Madam up and responded when someone was in the room! After discovering that Madam was missing and banging on doors and windows to call Master over, it was still her!" Chang Tai added.
"Yes! All these actions are related to Red Willow; they are things she has become accustomed to doing regularly. However, precisely because of this habit—because others think she should be doing these things—they naturally overlook any suspicions surrounding her. I wonder if you noticed that when Red Willow mentioned picking up Yun Madam's dress earlier, she seemed quite pleased with herself but showed no excessive concern for the dress itself. Why do you think that is?"
"Because it’s Yun Madam's dress and not her own; therefore she doesn’t need to care about it—she just needs to feel proud?"
"Brother Chang, you really don't understand women at all. For women, the instinct to like beautiful clothes is almost innate. Even someone like Fox Demon, who usually doesn't care much about appearances, was naturally attracted to that dress when she saw it. She couldn't help but want to get closer to it, touch it, and even thought about wanting to possess it. To put it bluntly, Fox Demon’s taste in clothing has been spoiled by Embroidered Workshop over the past two years; this ordinary style and fabric simply do not catch her eye."
"Fox Demon, I actually agree with you on this!" Brother Chang replied.
"Now think about it, Brother Chang. A person who is used to wearing Embroidered Workshop's garments almost lost control when she saw Yun Madam's dress. How could Red Willow, a mere maid, remain so calm and indifferent towards that dress?"
"Why is that?"
Chang Tai felt his mind starting to get tangled again. He had encountered many women in his life, but those he had truly interacted with could be counted on one hand, and each had a different personality. He was not good at deciphering women's thoughts.
"If Red Willow hadn't seen better dresses before, then she must be very certain that Yun Madam's dress will ultimately belong to her. Fox Demon leans towards this second possibility! It's not that there aren't better dresses in the world; it's just that even if there are, given Red Willow's status as a mere maid, she probably can't afford them. So the only answer can be the second one—she is very certain that this dress will be hers."
From this reasoning, it follows that Red Willow has a motive to harm her mistress. Moreover, although she is the lady's personal maid and also a concubine of Master, she has never been promoted to a secondary wife. The reason for this is likely related to Master’s affection for this lady. Brother Chang, think about it: if this lady were to go missing, wouldn't Red Willow then have the opportunity to elevate her status from a concubine to a secondary wife? If Red Willow were to scheme a bit more behind the scenes, she might even strive harder to become Lord Yun's legitimate wife and another lady of the Yun Family."
"Does Red Willow dare to do that?" Chang Tai stopped in his tracks. "From what Red Willow described, she still has some feelings for Yun Madam; she wouldn't go so far as to act so ruthlessly, would she?"
"It’s not about whether she dares; it's about whether she would." Xing Ruyi also halted and turned to look into Chang Tai's eyes. "As they say, human hearts are inscrutable; even those closest to us can harm each other for trivial gains. What more can we say when they are merely master and servant? Just from how Red Willow spoke today and her demeanor, it's clear she's not content with her identity as a maid. So if she harbored such thoughts, it wouldn't be surprising."
Xing Ruyi paused for a moment before continuing: "But if there is collusion involved, could that person be him?"
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