Gu frowned, his voice low and sharp.
“The case’s already reached the higher-ups. A royal inspector, a governor’s son, and a military officer’s family are all tangled in it. Everyone in the yan (governnt office in feudal China)’s walking on eggshells—who dares ddle?”
I stepped forward, palms together like a man begging for alms.
“Sir Gu, don’t get wrong! I’m no big shot, but I do know herbs and anatomy. Back in Shenmu Village—uh, before I died—wait, before that, I even examined bones and diagnosed poisons! I don’t need to enter the main hall, I won’t touch the corpse, I won’t even breathe near the body if you don’t want to! Just let look around, see what she used for her face powder—I can probably guess what killed her from the scent alone! Really, I swear, not a step out of line!”
Mu snorted from the side.
“He’s not lying. Back in Shenmu Village, he did sniff a few corpses of livestock and bugs. Nearly passed out from it too.”
I glared at him.
“Can you not sell out for once?”
Gu went quiet for a mont, eyes asuring us both. Then he sighed.
“Fine. I’m on duty tomorrow. I’ll arrange a pass for you two to enter the Liu estate. But—only the outer courtyard. One day. You touch anything you shouldn’t, you’re on your own.”
Mu grinned.
“Still the sa righteous Gu as ever.”
I was so moved I nearly knelt right there.
“Sir Gu! You’re a living saint! If I make it through this alive, I’ll light incense to your na!”
Mu scoffed.
“You sound like you just passed the imperial exam, not begged your way into a cri scene.”
I chuckled but inside—oh, inside I was thrumming.
Because this? This was the turning point.
Even trash protagonists get their mont of glory… provided they don’t get murdered first.
The next morning, we slipped into the Liu estate. Well—slipped is generous. Gu had given us permission, sure, but only through the side gate, under the excuse of “inspection work.” No main hall, no private rooms, no asking questions. If anything went wrong, he’d disown us faster than you could say “body count.”
“Stay quiet,” he warned before leaving. “Walk where you’re told. See what you can—but don’t run your mouth. And for heaven’s sake, don’t get caught.”
I nodded vigorously, then rubbed a bit of dust off his sleeve.
“Just borrowing so of your official aura, Sir Gu.”
Mu rolled his eyes.
“You earn so actual rit first, then maybe he would admit you’re related.”
And just like that, I strutted—well, skulked—into the Liu estate’s outer courtyard, guilt and excitent tangled in my gut.
Strange thing though—
For broad daylight, the place felt… wrong. The air was too still. A row of old pagoda trees bent over the back wall, their branches blotting out half the sunlight. The ground was littered with uncollected leaves, and a faint scent hung in the air—powder, dicine, and sothing… tallic.
My chest tightened.
It felt like soone was tapping a finger right over my heart, softly, rhythmically, annoyingly.
“This… was her room?” I whispered.
Mu nodded.
“The one the servants said was haunted. Screams, whispers, the works—all from here.”
“Looks normal enough to .”
“Try saying that again at midnight.”
I shut up.
We weren’t allowed in the main hall, but Miss Liu’s private quarters had a back window leading into a small garden. The wall wasn’t high, and the gatekeeper clearly didn’t care about two suspicious n pretending to “look for herbs.”
So we snuck in.
And the first thing that hit was the sll.
Not decay—sothing worse.
“Weird sll,” I muttered.
“dicine, perfu, and… blood?” Mu said.
That word blood snapped sothing in my head into place.
I started prowling around—careful not to touch anything important—until a little rouge box on the dressing table caught my eye. The lid shimred with a dull, sickly red.
Not the soft pink of court ladies’ blush.
This was darker. Wetter.
I rubbed a bit between my fingers and sniffed.
Instant regret.
“Hiss—hellfire.”
“What is it?” Mu Cangli asked.
“This rouge isn’t just makeup,” I said. “It’s mixed with sothing else.”
“And you know that how?”
“Thin skin. Been slapped enough to tell the difference.”
Mu: …
I flipped the box, and the bottom gave a soft click. Hidden compartnt.
Inside was a piece of jade tied with red string—smooth, pale, and carved with a single character.
“Zhuo…” I read softly.
My brain whirred.
Everyone in this house was a Liu. So why was there a jade token engraved Zhuo hidden in her rouge box?
“Could it be… a lover’s token?”
Mu raised a brow, maybe surprised I’d managed a semi-intelligent guess.
“You think the haunting was fake? That she faked it to sneak out?”
“Exactly,” I said, eyes gleaming. “She said a ‘jade-armored ghost’ wanted her gone. Maybe she made it up! All this ghost nonsense could be a cover for eloping—with this Zhuo fellow!”
I stood, dusted my hands, and looked triumphant.
“The ‘ghost’ might’ve just been a man in armor. No spirit—just scandal.”
Mu sighed.
“Then poor Lu must’ve stumbled upon the scene and got frad for it.”
“And the real killer?” I said, voice low. “Could be the man she loved. Or soone else who loved her too much.”
A sharp ahem cut through the silence.
We turned.
Gu was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, expression colder than mountain rain.
“Did I—or did I not—say ‘outer courtyard only’?”
Cold sweat slid down my back.
“Sir Gu! Misunderstanding! We were just… passing by! Didn’t even step into the main hall!”
Mu stepped up smoothly.
“My fault. I persuaded him. I thought this was part of the outer court. If we’ve offended, I’ll take the bla.”
Gu stared for a long mont, then exhaled slowly.
“Fine. Since you an well… Keep what you found to yourselves. If anyone asks, you never left the corridor.”
“Understood!” I said quickly, nearly weeping with gratitude. “Sir Gu, you’re my savior reborn!”
He gave a small, unreadable smile and left.
I leaned closer to Mu, whispering,
“He talks cold, but he’s got a good heart.”
“Better than yours,” Mu muttered.
“Naturally,” I said earnestly. “I’m not as clever, not as handso, barely hanging on to my—”
“Shut up,” he said flatly. “Say one more word, I’m hauling you back to the mountain myself.”
I grinned. He didn’t notice slip the jade token into my sleeve.
Because deep down, I already knew—
this case was bigger than a jealous lover and a dead heiress.
And sowhere in this ss…
lay the truth that could help finish my mission.
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