The woman saw Ran Yan pause in her steps, slightly lifted her eyes, and nodded slightly toward Ran Yan before gracefully turning away, as if the chains weighing over a dozen Silver hanging from her feet were nothing more than a mere decoration.
"Wei Wife," Ran Yan had never seen her before, but the moment she laid eyes on her, she was certain that this woman must be Wei Wife.
Wei Wife stopped and slightly turned her body, speaking in a clear and indifferent tone, "You must be Ran Shiqi, a pleasure to meet you."
Such a woman, who seemed as if she had stepped out of an ink painting, so elegant and composed—it would be truly difficult to convince anyone she was a murderer without substantial evidence.
But Ran Yan noticed something: Wei Wife had not paid any attention to Wan Lu. If the woman who had conspired with Cui Mei was indeed her, how could she have failed to recognise Wan Lu?
"Cui Mei..." As Ran Yan spoke the name, she saw Wei Wife’s body stiffen slightly, then said, "What is she to you?"
Wei Wife slowly closed her eyes, her rosy lips slightly parted, "Daughter, she’s my daughter."
When she spoke the last two words, Wei Wife’s body tensed, her voice trembling. After a moment, she regained her composure, turned to look at Ran Yan, and asked with a slight smile, "May I ask you for a favor?"
"Speak," Ran Yan said.
Wei Wife walked back slowly, stood in front of Ran Yan, and gently took her hand, saying, "After I die, could you spend two Silver to hire someone to attend to my body and bury me with Cui Mei? I think you might need it."
The last sentence confused the others. Wei Wife gracefully bowed to Ran Yan and quickly turned to leave.
Ran Yan tightened her grip on the slightly warm and damp paper in her hand and called out to the departing figure, "I will help you."
Delayed by the encounter with Wei Wife, Ran Yan pocketed the item Wei Wife had given her and quickly led Wan Lu away with haste.
To catch a criminal, one couldn’t ride leisurely in a carriage. Thankfully, Ran Yan used to often visit the equestrian grounds, taking horse riding as a leisure activity. Before Inspector Liu could even ask, Ran Yan grabbed the horsewhip from the Government Official, mounted the horse, and pulled Wan Lu up with her.
Ran Yan ignored the astonishment on Wan Lu’s face and said, "Hold on to me."
As instructed, Wan Lu wrapped her arms around Ran Yan’s slender waist. Immediately, Ran Yan flicked the whip, and with a snap, the horse took a few trotting steps before bursting forth like a gust of wind.
Dust rose from the ground, leaving the government soldiers and the Government Official staring dumbfounded at the rapidly receding figure.
Liu Pinrang was somewhat surprised, but had no time to dwell on it, and hurriedly spurred his horse to follow.
After a swift gallop, Ran Yan almost arrived at the riverside at the same time as the government soldiers’ Team Leader, Yang Yong.
Ran Yan’s horse was carrying two people, yet Yang Yong, riding alone, barely caught up. He looked at Ran Yan admiringly, then was struck by her looks—seeing her clearly for the first time in the morning light, her jade-like face was beaded with perspiration, which made her fair complexion glisten even more translucently. Having heard the rumors over the past few days, Yang Yong found it hard to reconcile this delicate and beautiful face with someone capable of dissecting a corpse with a knife.
Ran Yan and Wan Lu had just dismounted when Liu Pinrang and others had also arrived.
This was the willow dike where Yin Miaomiao and Qin Silang had been on the night of the Qixi Festival. During the daytime, the weeping willows swayed gently, the clear water reflected the blue sky, and scattered flowers bloomed amidst the grass by the riverbank—a truly rare beautiful sight.
Wan Lu was riding a horse for the first time and looked a bit pale from being jostled around, running over to lean on a tree trunk, gasping for breath.
Liu Pinrang surveyed the surroundings and asked, "Seventeen Wife, why come here?"
Ran Yan was just about to explain when she heard Wan Lu scream out, "Wife, there is blood!"
Liu Pinrang and the others immediately dismounted and hurried over.
Ran Yan followed Wan Lu’s pointing finger and saw a pool of blood concealed under the grass, which had trickled down the slope of the embankment into the river, forming meandering patterns where the water met the shore.
Liu Pinrang quickly ordered someone to go down and check. Shortly afterward, a voice came from below, "Reporting to the Inspector, there’s no one down here, but there are dragging marks next to the bloodstain."
"Could it be a drowned corpse?" Thinking of Yin Wanwan’s drowned body, Liu Pinrang immediately said.
Ran Yan slid down to the river bank and personally examined the dragged bloodstain. It was half a zhang long and clearly had been dragged for a distance from the edge of the embankment. The bloodstain hadn’t extended into the river; it stopped halfway.
If moving the body required dragging, why would the marks vanish halfway? Whether drowning the body or relocating it, this situation should not occur.
Liu Pinrang on the embankment instructed the government soldiers to search within a mile, while he personally came down to check the bloodstains. He was frantic with anxiety. The case seemed to be coming to a conclusion—there was a suspect, eyewitnesses, and some evidence. They were only one step away from the truth, yet many puzzles remained unsolved, and the suspect had vanished, possibly even murdered!
Could it be that it wasn’t as Wei Wife had said, and Yin Miaomiao wasn’t the mastermind?
Liu Pinrang was at his wits’ end. He gazed at the half-zhang-long bloodstain, took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, and carefully observed the other bloodstains on the riverbank.
"Could something have happened to Third Wife Yin?" Wan Lu said.
Ran Yan stared at the blood in the water, silent.
"Wan Lu, what is my relationship with Yin Miaomiao?" Ran Yan whispered.
In a soft voice, Wan Lu said, "Wife, could it be that you’ve discovered something and want to shield her?"
"Just answer me," Ran Yan frowned.
After hemming and hawing, Wan Lu replied, "Wife, besides having a good relationship with Fourth Wife Yin, you have just an ordinary relationship with the other wives." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)