AUBTN -Chapter 326 Investigating the Crime Scene

Su Hewan stepped out from behind Shen Jue and calmly swept her gaze across the members of the Xiao family.

“Princess Consort, Heir Apparent, we understand your grief. But do you really want the prince’s death to remain a mystery forever?”

“If we continue confronting each other outside the manor and miss the best window to investigate, allowing the real killer to destroy the evidence and escape justice, then the prince truly will never rest in peace!”

【At a time like this, the only option is to redirect the conflict. Shift their hatred for Shen Jue and Lu Yan onto fear of the unknown murderer instead.】

Hearing Su Hewan’s calm analysis, Shen Jue slightly raised a brow, a trace of approval flashing through his eyes.

Yu Qing quickly jumped in as well, her eyes reddening instantly.

“Exactly! My prince was framed too! If the real killer isn’t found, then seven days from now we’ll be buried alongside him! Your Highness, we’re all tied to the same rope now. Only by finding evidence can we clear our names and give justice to the dead!”

【Oh my god, my acting is incredible. If the Oscars don’t give me an award for these instant tears, it’ll be a complete injustice!】

Lu Yan forcibly suppressed the smile tugging at his lips and looked steadily at the Xiao family.

Liu Chaoru and her three sons were left speechless by the two women’s words.

“Fine…” Xiao Yunting gritted out through clenched teeth as he slowly loosened his grip on the sword hilt.

“I’d like to see exactly what kind of tricks you can uncover. Men, take them to the study!”

Passing through layer after layer of corridors, the group arrived at the study where Prince Zhennan had lived and worked before his death.

The place had already been sealed off, with guards from the manor standing watch all around it.

The moment the door was pushed open, a thick stench of blood rushed toward them.

The furnishings inside were ancient and imposing. Military manuals and maps were arranged in perfect order. There were no signs whatsoever of ransacking or struggle.

The only jarring sight was the pool of dried, blackened blood behind the writing desk.

Shen Jue, Lu Yan, and Song Yu immediately stepped forward to investigate.

“The windows were locked from the inside, and the door bar was latched as well. If the door had been forced open, the bar would’ve snapped. Judging by the damage, when the servants realized something was wrong this morning, they must have called the guards to ram the door open,” Lu Yan said coldly as he carefully inspected the wooden latch on the window frame.

Shen Jue crouched beside the bloodstain, his long fingers brushing across the floor as he sneered.

“One slash across the throat. The wound was extremely deep. Judging from the blood spatter, the killer attacked from behind. But… Xiao Zhengnan was highly skilled in martial arts. Who could have stood behind him without him noticing?”

Su Hewan stood nearby, her gaze moving across every detail in the room.

【Doors and windows locked tight, no signs of forced entry. This is a classic locked-room murder. Either some kind of mechanism was used… or after entering the room, the killer used a method to lock the door from outside. There’s also another possibility… the murderer never left this room at all!】

The moment Shen Jue heard her thoughts, he abruptly lifted his head and swept his gaze across the spacious study that nevertheless offered nowhere for a person to hide.

No secret compartments. No hidden mezzanine.

Meanwhile, Yu Qing had not been idle either. While the others investigated the scene, she skillfully pulled aside the young servant who had been standing guard outside the study the previous night.

“Little brother, don’t be afraid.” Yu Qing put on the gentle expression of a caring older sister and slipped a piece of silver into his sleeve.

“I just want to ask about last night. Did the prince… behave strangely in any way?”

The servant had been trembling in fear, but soothed by Yu Qing’s warm and reassuring performance, he gradually calmed down.

Swallowing nervously, he answered in a low voice, “Replying to Madam… the prince was in a terrible mood last night. He didn’t even eat dinner and locked himself in the study, saying he would see no one.”

“No one?” Su Hewan sharply caught onto the key point and stepped forward.

“Then during that time, did anyone enter the room at all? Even someone delivering tea?”

“Absolutely not!” the servant swore to the heavens.

“This servant stood guard outside the entire time, but…”

The servant’s face suddenly filled with extreme terror.

“But what?” Both Lu Yan and Shen Jue walked over as well, their overwhelming presence instantly suffocating the servant.

“But… around midnight, roughly at the third quarter of the Chou hour, this servant went to the latrine because of stomach trouble. When I came back, I vaguely… seemed to hear voices talking inside the study!”

“Talking?” Song Yu suddenly rushed up from behind and urgently asked, startling Yu Qing!

“Talking to whom? A man or a woman? Did you hear clearly?” Yu Qing patted her chest before continuing to question him.

“This servant couldn’t hear who it was. The voice was very, very low… but I swear, absolutely no one came out!”

“If no one came out…”

“Then it’s possible the murderer never left after killing him.”

A cool, clear voice suddenly sounded behind Yu Qing.

“Good grief!”

Yu Qing jumped backward at once and slammed directly into Su Hewan’s arms!

Then she patted her chest and gasped heavily while rolling her eyes at Su Hewan.

“What is wrong with you people?! One after another, you walk and talk without making a sound! You scared me to death!”

Su Hewan could not help laughing.

“Alright, alright, it’s all my fault!”

At that moment, Shen Jue also walked outside the door.

He cast Su Hewan an interested glance.

“In locked-room murders, the most classic trick is concealment. If the doors and windows were truly perfectly locked from the inside, then the murderer’s only escape route would be that there’s something unusual about this room itself.”

Su Hewan’s analysis was calm and methodical.

Shen Jue nodded in agreement and said quietly, “My wife means… there’s a secret passage in this study?”

“The Prince of Zhennan spent years fighting on battlefields and was extremely meticulous. A confidential place like this, used to store important military manuals and letters, would usually have hidden mechanisms or secret compartments as a precaution. There might even be a secret tunnel leading directly outside the estate.”

After thinking for a moment, Su Hewan continued, “We should search carefully. The murderer most likely sneaked in through the secret passage and returned the same way after the killing.”

“Search!” Lu Yan ordered sharply.

The imperial guards and Eastern Depot agents immediately began searching inch by inch.

Half an hour later—

Zhao Zhou and Chang Lin returned drenched in sweat to report.

“We turned the entire study upside down. We even inspected the tiles on the roof beams. There are no mechanisms, no hidden compartments, and even less a secret passage! The walls are all solid blue bricks, and the ground beneath was reinforced with three layers of rammed earth. Digging through would be absolutely impossible!”

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the study became unbearably heavy.

Song Yu wiped away sweat and said bitterly, “Th-This really feels haunted, doesn’t it? Could it really be like the rumors outside say—a vengeful ghost claiming a life?”

“As the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Song actually believes such absurd nonsense?” Lu Yan scoffed coldly.

“As long as a person has done something, traces will always be left behind.”

Su Hewan walked to the desk and tapped lightly on a map of the capital’s power distribution spread across it. Her voice remained perfectly calm.

“Since we can’t find flaws at the crime scene, then we investigate the motive instead. Under heaven, all bustle is for profit. With the Prince of Zhennan dead, who stands to benefit the most?”

Shen Jue’s gaze darkened instantly as he immediately thought of one person.