Liu Qingsong choked, but before he could utter a word, he heard Liu Pinrang from the side say, "Inspector, how can you determine that the murderer wasn’t Jing Yuan?"
Xiao Song replied, "It has been investigated before. Jing Yuan was always reclusive and spent most of her time by the Temple Master’s side. The scene of the crime was at Guan Gong Temple, not Yue Lao Temple. Since it has been confirmed that the body wasn’t moved, why would they go there? The most likely scenario is that someone lured them there under false pretenses. After drawing them into the temple, the murder was then committed, so even if Nun Jing Yuan were the murderer, she would just be one of them."
Liu Pinrang nodded and said, "The Inspector’s analysis is reasonable. Could the murderer be Jing Hui?"
Xiao Song smiled noncommittally. He had suspected Jing Hui from the beginning, but unfortunately, due to lack of both witness testimony and physical evidence, and not even clarifying the motive for murder, there was no way to arrest her, especially now that Jing Yuan was the prime suspect.
Liu Pinrang sighed and said, "It seems we must quickly verify the identities of the several Buddhist nuns. I asked the Temple Master once, but she wasn’t very clear either. This background is indeed quite deep!"
In the rainy night, the fog was thick, adding a heavy sense of solemnity to the mountain atmosphere. Everyone fell silent, with only the crackling sound of torches burning, and occasionally, a Government Official would report finding some new objects.
Xiao Song, holding his umbrella, stood straight as a pine at the edge of the garden, quietly looking at the sprawling jade orchid flowerbed. Liu Pinrang and a few others, whether due to the cold or nervousness, occasionally rubbed their hands and stamped their feet.
There were hurried footsteps from behind. Liu Qingsong turned his head and instantly a smile blossomed on his face, joyfully saying, "Jiulang, look, so many lovely nuns."
Xiao Song remained unmoved, ignoring him utterly. It wasn’t until Wan Lu’s voice came through, "Lord Xiao, Inspector Liu, my mistress has sent me to deliver a letter," that Xiao Song turned around.
Xiao Song was intended to pass the letter to Liu Pinrang, but upon seeing Xiao Song’s compelling presence and remembering that he was the Inspector personally appointed by the Emperor, she handed the letter to him instead.
Liu Qingsong snuck closer, squinting his already small eyes to slits, looking up and down at Wan Lu a few times before his gaze shifted towards Ge Lan. He smacked his lips and said, "Jiulang, could these two be the maids of seventeenth lady? Tsk, tsk, you really do have good fortune with women!"
In Chang’an customs, a new bride’s personal maids often became concubines. Xiao Song’s previous two concubines were also the personal maids of the Lu and Du families. Their duty was to share the bed with the groom on the wedding night first, to teach the bride how to serve her husband by having her watch at the side.
Of course, these customs also depended on individual needs; if the groom insisted on not wanting them, no one would force them. Although Xiao Song’s bride had died before he could consummate the marriage, since they came under the pretext of being trial marriage maids, they still needed to be given a status.
Xiao Song’s face darkened slightly, while Wan Lu immediately blackened her face on the spot, glaring fiercely at Liu Qingsong and said, "Today, our Shilang said that Mr. Sang is my mistress’s fiancé. You better not talk nonsensically and tarnish my mistress’s reputation!"
Without paying heed, Xiao Song shook open the letter. Before he could steady it, Liu Qingsong approached again with a suggestive sigh, "The letter from Ruan, this must be a private letter, right? I say, your mistress still prefers our Lord Xiao, otherwise why would she write such a tender letter? Tsk, tsk, composing such a plaintive tune, is it because she resents Lord Xiao for not persevering?"
Xiao Song, without any warning, flicked his robes and kicked the incessantly babbling man two zhang away with his leg. The sheer ferocity of that kick caused Liu Pinrang and Yu Bohao, among others, to break out in a cold sweat.
Half of Wan Lu’s anger dissipated, and the harsh words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back as she resentfully said, "Serves him right."
"Thank my mistress on my behalf, Inspector Liu," Xiao Song said with his usual faint smile, as he handed the letter to Liu Pinrang.
Wan Lu gave a slight bow and returned with the group of nuns. It was not safe on the mountain now, and despite being guarded by Government officials, they wouldn’t dare to leave the temple alone under the cover of night, which was why Ran Yan had asked these nuns to accompany Wan Lu and Ge Lan.
"Inspector Liu, what do you think?" Xiao Song asked.
After reading the letter, Liu Pinrang handed it to Yu Bohao and pondered for a while before saying, "Huan Kong mentioned that his mother liked to hum this tune. Could this tune be related to the murderer?"
"The letter from Ruan is about Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao, two lords who accidentally entered a fairyland and became so enamored with the beauty that they forgot to return home. By the time they remembered their past, and subsequently returned to their hometown, they found that it was already in ruins, realizing that ten generations had passed. Later, Liu and Ruan returned to the foot of the mountain sadly. Liu Chen once again immersed himself in the mortal world, taking a wife and fathering children, producing offspring. And Ruan Zhao..." Xiao Song paused before continuing, "saw through the veil of life and left to become a monk."