There is a god in the sky

Chapter 263 The Case of Wu Meiren's Sudden Death 2

Wu Meiren's body is still placed in her bedroom.

It was perfectly normal for people to die in the harem. If the emperor hadn't ordered Xiao Ji to find the murderer, Consort Wu would have been sent out of the palace for burial long ago.

When Shen Lan entered, she saw many palace maids and eunuchs moving things.

"Be careful, this is Consort Zhao's favorite vase, a gift from the Emperor, more valuable than your lives!"

Shen Lan stepped aside.

"The main hall here is where Consort Xie lives; it seems she's moving out."

Xiao Ji led Shen Lan to the side hall. Compared to the liveliness of the main hall, this place was deserted and there wasn't even a mourning hall.

The body was placed in the coffin, dressed only in an undergarment, and its hair was messy and unkempt.

"I instructed them not to disturb the body and to have someone collect it after you have examined it."

"She must have been an extremely beautiful woman," Shen Lan said, looking at the woman in the coffin.

The faces of the dead are usually not very good-looking, pale and ashen, but Wu Meiren's face shows that she was extremely beautiful when she was alive.

Seeing Shen Lan open her toolbox, Xiao Ji instructed a female official to take notes while he went outside and led his men to survey the side hall.

When he entered the palace before, the emperor was also there, and there were many people, so he was unable to properly inspect the scene.

However, there were signs of sweeping on the ground, so the trace he was looking for was probably gone.

"My lord, Consort Lin has been confined to her quarters. Should we go to Shuyu Palace to question her first?"

"No, let's wait for the autopsy results first."

Shen Lan put on gloves and pried open the deceased's mouth and nose to examine him. The signs of drowning were obvious, and the time of death was probably around 1:00 AM.

But who would bathe at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)?

Most people are asleep at this hour, so why take a bath so late?

She asked the palace maid beside her, "Does Consort Wu have a habit of staying up late?"

"No."

"Where does the hot water for Wu Meiren's daily baths come from?"

The palace maid replied in a low voice, "There is a small kitchen in the main hall where you can boil water."

"Is it far? Is it open 24 hours a day?"

"No, the fire is turned off after 7 PM. Unless the Emperor himself comes, it's not far, just a few steps away."

Shen Lan nodded, pulled open Wu Meiren's inner garment, and checked her body for any signs of sexual intercourse.

According to her guess, she may have had sexual intercourse before bathing, which is why she bathed at that time.

The palace maid standing nearby wanted to stop her, but Lord Xiao had previously instructed her to only record the autopsy report and not to interfere with the coroner's autopsy.

Fortunately, it was a female coroner, otherwise she would definitely have stopped it.

"When was the last time Consort Wu served the emperor?" Shen Lan asked again.

The palace maid bit her lip and said, "It must have been about a month ago. Ever since Consort Lin gained favor, the Emperor has rarely come."

"When did Consort Lin arrive last night?"

"He arrived at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) and danced with Consort Wu for an hour. Afterward, the two sat and chatted for a while. Consort Wu started to sweat and then said she wanted to take a bath."

"The two of them bathed together?"

"Yes, it was a bit chilly at night. My master was worried that Consort Lin would catch a cold if she went out in the wind after sweating, so he had her bathe and change before leaving."

Do the two of them see each other often?

Shen Lan still remembered that there had been rumors that Consort Wu had lost the Emperor's favor and was at odds with Consort Lin.

If they weren't on good terms, why would they be chatting and dancing together in the middle of the night?

And how close would a relationship have to be for someone to agree to shower together?

"There have been quite a few lately. Sometimes it's the beauty going to Shuyu Palace, and sometimes it's Consort Lin coming over."

Shen Lan then asked, "Were you the first to discover that Consort Wu was dead?"

"Yes, it was this servant who was on night duty last night."

Shen Lan looked up in confusion, "Since there were palace maids on night duty, why didn't they serve her while she bathed? How long had passed between her entering the bathhouse and when you discovered she was dead?"

The palace maid was so frightened that she knelt down. "I was sleepy at the time. After helping the beauty change her clothes, I left. When I woke up again and ran back in, I saw... I saw the beauty leaning against the bathtub, lifeless. I am very sure that it was no more than half an hour ago. The water was still warm at the time."

Moreover…and Lady Lin was also in the bathhouse at the time, which is why I said she killed Lady Wu.”

It turned out to be her.

Shen Lan didn't understand why Xiao Ji would leave this palace maid here as his assistant. Wasn't she suspicious?

"Please go and invite Lord Xiao in."

Shen Lan gently dressed the deceased, then took out a comb to style her hair, and also checked her scalp.

When Xiao Ji came in, she had already styled the deceased's hair into a beautiful flying fairy bun and was about to apply makeup to the deceased.

What were the findings?

"He drowned himself. There were no external injuries on his body, not even any signs of struggle. But considering what the palace maid said, we cannot rule out the possibility that someone poisoned him, causing him to fall into the water unconscious."

She looked up and asked Xiao Ji, "Has the bathroom been checked? Are there any water stains, fingernail marks, or anything like that on the rim of the tub?"

"We checked it immediately, and apart from some minor scratches on the bottom, we couldn't find any traces left by the deceased."

According to the two men, if someone had pushed the deceased into the water to drown him, the deceased would have struggled, and there would have been marks left under his fingernails and on the edge of the bathtub.

Unless the murderer has considered all of these things and erased all traces.

However, judging from the time it took for the palace maids to enter and leave the bathing room, it is unlikely that anyone could have completed all of this and escaped in such a short time.

After coming out of the house, Shen Lan asked Xiao Ji, "When did Consort Lin leave last night?"

"She said she would go back after midnight, but Wu Meiren said she wanted to soak a little longer."

When she came out, she didn't see any palace maids on night duty, so she left with her entourage.

"How did the palace maid hear them arguing?"

"Since Lin Cairen didn't admit it, and the dead can't speak, so it's not yet confirmed whether it's true or false."

Xiao Ji looked at the empty palace; now only the imperial guards remained.

The emperor ordered him to solve the case within three days, and he could not afford to delay for even a moment.

"Come on, I'll take you to see Consort Lin."

Shen Lan jogged to catch up, thinking to herself: Wherever she goes, the case follows.

She was suspected of killing Qingman last time, and now she's caught up in another murder case. I wonder if she's scared.

In the side hall of Shuyu Palace, all the servants were locked up, and the Imperial Guards were stationed outside the door, forbidding Consort Lin from stepping out.

Before she was cleared of suspicion, Lin Miaoniang was like a lamb to the slaughter, unable to even see the emperor.

She knew very well that this whole thing was aimed at her.

A gust of wind rattled the window, and someone stood outside watching her.

Lin Miaoniang turned around, frowned, and asked, "You have connections everywhere, do you really not know who killed Consort Wu?"

"Her death was too sudden. I haven't found out who the murderer is yet, and the Emperor ordered Xiao Ji to take over the case, so it's not convenient for me to send someone to investigate."

“I believe in Lord Xiao’s abilities, but this is the palace, and he may not be able to investigate freely.”

"You want me to help him?"

"Yes." Lin Miaoniang walked over, leaned against the window and looked outside. She asked, "Li Ge, are there many people in this palace who hate me? Who want me dead?"

"Probably, since you're so favored."

"I am just a lowly concubine now, and they can't even stand up to me. If I were to rise higher, wouldn't even the Empress not tolerate me?" Lin Miaoniang revealed a sinister expression.

"Are you scared?"

"I'm not afraid, I think the harem isn't chaotic enough."

"You'll have to get past Xiao Ji first. If you fail, you'll die. If you do, the Emperor's favor towards you will only increase."

As Li Ge prepared to leave, he said to her with his back to her, "Also, Shen Lan is here."