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"Who are you doubting?" Chang Tai looked into Xing Ruyi's eyes. "Is it him?"
"It can't be called doubt; it's just a hypothesis. If Madam Yun's disappearance is indeed related to Red Willow, then the most suitable person would be him, the one who was called by Master to break down the door. Brother Chang, think about it: the so-called locked room was initially communicated by Red Willow. Even Lord Yun did not verify it when he was summoned by Red Willow; instead, he had someone break down the door directly. The door was opened with a crash. There are two possibilities regarding this broken door: one is that the door was never locked, just closed, and the so-called breaking in was merely a conspiracy between Red Willow and that person.
Brother Chang just mentioned that the person who broke down the door was skilled in martial arts, so removing the wooden bolt after breaking down the door shouldn't be difficult for him. As for Red Willow, she would naturally be responsible for diverting everyone's attention. Therefore, Red Willow conspiring with someone has both motive and feasibility. However, to confirm this speculation, I will need you to investigate further, Brother Chang."
Chang Tai nodded. "But there is a third possibility."
"This third possibility doesn't require outside help; it requires skill. However, the person with this skill must also be from Yun Manor. Otherwise, no matter how meticulously arranged, there would still be significant flaws."
"Skill?"
"Exactly, skill! Brother Chang, can you be certain that what you saw in the room that day was spider silk?"
"It should have been spider silk." Chang Tai recalled carefully. "I remember glancing at it because the light in the bedroom was decent enough to see the reflection of the silk."
"You only glanced at it and didn't go up to examine it closely, right?"
Chang Tai nodded. "At that time, everyone's attention was focused on searching for Madam Yun, observing the furnishings in the room and any traces of where Madam Yun might have been hidden or taken away. We overlooked the spider silk."
A hint of regret appeared on Chang Tai's face. "So, does your earlier mention of skill relate to this spider silk?"
"This is the third hypothesis. If a skilled person could knock out or harm Madam Yun and then tie fine threads to the door bolt, wrap them around an object in the room, and go outside after closing the door gently, they could then lightly pull on the threads to secure the door quietly before cutting them off. When everyone bursts in through the door, this person would only need to retract the threads from the bolt to remain undetected. However, due to the high level of skill required for this method, I suspect that even people from Yun Manor might not use it."
"In that case, Red Willow remains the prime suspect!"
"If it's man-made, then indeed Red Willow is the prime suspect. But if it's not man-made..." Xing Ruyi suddenly recalled what that piece of clothing looked like.
"What if it's not man-made?"
"I can't shake off the feeling that there seems to be some secret hidden within that piece of clothing."
"What secrets can be hidden in clothing? Moreover, that fabric is so special that a single glance can see right through it. What puzzles me is why Madam Yun would spend such a large sum on a piece of clothing that can only be admired and not worn," Chang Tai shook his head repeatedly. "As the saying goes, women dress up to please those they love. Dressing up is mostly for the eyes of those they like. Even if it's not for someone they like, it's still for others to see. But the outfit Madam Yun bought seems like it can only be worn in the bedroom; if she goes out, it would have to be layered underneath. This garment, which can only be worn in the bedroom as lingerie, no matter how beautiful it is, how many people can actually see it? Analyzing from this perspective, I can understand why Lord Yun was so angry at that time, even going so far as to quarrel with Madam Yun and moving out of the bedroom."
"It really doesn't align with the psychology of women, especially someone like Madam Yun who pays great attention to her appearance. Therefore, we need to investigate this clothing matter further. It's still early; why don't Fox Demon and Brother Chang part ways here? Fox Demon can look into the clothing issue while Brother Chang investigates Red Willow and those suspicious individuals in Yun Manor."
"How about I accompany you to Yun Village? I always feel something is off about that place. As for Red Willow and the people in Yun Manor, we can investigate them when we return."
"That's fine; I can have the fox accompany me. It’s also a good opportunity to take Yin Yuan out for a stroll. You know how he is; he can't hold back his excitement. He has had quite a hard time during these days at the Yun Family Gathering." Xing Ruyi said, her eyes brightening with a hint of sweetness, making her expression lively.
Chang Tai noticed this but felt disappointed inside. Ultimately, he held back his feelings and replied affirmatively before turning away. Just after parting ways, not having walked a hundred steps, both Chang Tai and Xing Ruyi were stopped by people from Yun Manor. The one who stopped Xing Ruyi was none other than the martial artist responsible for crashing through doors that Chang Tai had mentioned earlier, while the one who stopped Chang Tai was the steward of Yun Manor, whom Xing Ruyi and Chang Tai had seen before.
"Cloud Steward, what's going on? Why are you blocking my path with Brother Chang?"
"Ruyi, please forgive us; it's not that we want to stop you two, but there has been another incident at Yun Manor." The steward said anxiously. "The Yamen has dispatched someone else over there; however, due to delays in travel, it might take at least a tea's worth of time before they arrive. My master thought since Ruyi's Rouge Shop is in Town and Lord Chang hasn't returned to Yamen yet, he hurriedly sent someone over to invite you both."
"Another incident! Could it be that someone has gone missing again?"
"You're correct; someone has gone missing again. Not only that, but they disappeared from the lady's room."
"Madam Yun's room? Who went missing?"
"It’s someone both Ruyi and Lord Chang have seen before—it's the lady's personal maid, the one named Red Willow."
"Red Willow is missing?" Xing Ruyi suddenly recalled the piercing scream she heard just after leaving Yun Manor. She vaguely felt that scream belonged to Red Willow. "But she was perfectly fine when we left Yun Manor; she even personally saw us off at the door before leaving. How could she disappear in such a short time? Has the steward sent someone to search thoroughly? Is it truly confirmed that she went missing from Madam Yun's bedroom?"
"They searched! Not only in the lady's courtyard but throughout all of Yun Manor as well. They also asked around at the front and back doors but did not see Red Willow leave."
"If she wasn't found and no one saw her leave, how can you be sure she went missing from Madam Yun's Bedroom? Did anyone witness her entering Madam Yun's Bedroom and never coming out again?"
"That hasn't happened; if someone had seen her enter, it would have been better—at least it wouldn't cause such panic now." The steward wiped sweat from his forehead. "Ruyi and Lord Chang should return home first; as for this matter, we will discuss it while walking. It’s strange that such an unusual incident has occurred at home again; my master is anxious about it, and his condition is worsening. Some people are spreading rumors that Madam's Bedroom is haunted and that Red Willow was taken by ghosts. Now those maids who signed Contracts of Servitude are crying together while those who haven't signed are demanding their wages and wanting to go home. In just half a day, our household has turned into chaos."
"This matter is still inconclusive, so why is there chaos in the manor?"
"Perhaps it's just bad luck. Ever since the New Year, our Yun Family Gathering has been plagued with incidents one after another. First, there was the issue with the Hu Family, and then the Night Watchman incident. Now it seems that this misfortune has come around to our Yun Manor," the steward sighed repeatedly before continuing, "Let's start with the matter of Red Willow. Ruyi and Lord Chang, when you left, it was Red Willow who saw you off. We all know this, and some servants saw Red Willow return through the front gate, but whether she entered the lady's courtyard is unclear."
"If it's unclear, how can we be sure she went missing from the lady's Bedroom?"
"Voices! Someone heard Red Willow calling for help, and they followed that sound until they reached the lady's courtyard."
"And then?"
"The first person who heard the voice was A Gui, one of our long-term workers responsible for maintaining the garden. At that time, he was clearing dead branches in the neighboring courtyard. When he heard Red Willow's cries, he hurried over to the lady's courtyard. He realized the sound was coming from the lady's Bedroom, and since the door was tightly shut, he felt frightened and ran away."
"When I heard the commotion and rushed to the lady's courtyard with others, there was already no sound. I pushed on the door and found it locked from the inside, which startled me. I clearly remember that after the lady went missing, Master ordered that this Bedroom not be locked to facilitate investigations by the Government Office."
"And what about the door? Was it also forced open?"
"It was forced open, just like when the lady went missing." Before the steward could speak further, the servant responsible for breaking down the door interjected. While speaking, he rubbed his arm: "When the steward sent someone to find me, I was quite puzzled as to why the lady's Bedroom had been locked again. When I arrived at the door, I didn't act recklessly like last time; I first pushed on it gently. Seeing it wouldn't budge, I then used force to break it down. Strangely enough, just one push and it opened. Just like last time, I stumbled right through the doorway and fell into roughly the same spot as before. The latch had shifted though; it ended up under my arm and really hurt."
"And what about Red Willow? Did you see her?"
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