There is a god in the sky

Chapter 171 The Dance Competition Scandal 6

"To commit murder in the Bixiao Tower, the killer is incredibly audacious."

"To be able to kill someone in the heavily guarded Bixiao Tower and then perfectly hide himself, he must be among today's guests or a participant."

"Since the real murder weapon is this rope, then Miao Niang's strip of cloth is useless, which means she is not the murderer."

The people watching outside were all dancers who hadn't been released yet.

"Her clothes were neat, her makeup was intact, and even the crevices under her fingernails were clean, which did not suggest that she had struggled violently before her death."

Even a normal person would struggle if their neck was strangled, especially since their hands would instinctively grab at the thing strangling them, which would inevitably cause some scratches.

Was she unconscious at the time?

Shen Lan examined her mouth and nasal cavity but found no trace of sedatives.

"Sir, I would like to see the suspect."

Having received permission, Shen Lan asked the guard at the door, "Where is the suspect, Lin Miaoniang?"

"He was detained in the next room."

Shen Lan asked Xiao Ji, "My lord, may I go over and ask you a few questions?"

Xiao Ji nodded; he was interrogating the maid.

She was Qingman's personal attendant, and shouldn't have been away from her for too long.

"Your Excellency is wise. My daughter lost the competition and was in a very bad mood. She ordered me to go find... to find Young Master Lu, so I left."

But Young Master Lu wouldn't see me. I waited for a long time before returning, only to find the young lady's corpse.

The maid's eyes were swollen from crying.

They looked like they had a deep bond between master and servant.

Shen Lan pushed open the door to the next room and saw Miao Niang sitting in front of the dressing table with her back to the door.

“I didn’t kill him,” she said softly.

Shen Lan took a blanket from the bed, went over, and covered her with it.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked.

Miao Niang looked up in fright and was overjoyed to see that it was Shen Lan.

"How is it you? How did my benefactor end up here?" She was wrapped in a blanket, her pretty face red from the cold.

Shen Lan walked up to her, sat down at the dressing table, and examined her closely.

I really want to ask her about her background, but I'm afraid that, like last time, my hope will turn into disappointment.

"How did the bandages on your hands end up in Qingman's room?"

Miao Niang said with a bitter smile, "When I went to her room, she humiliated me. We argued for a few words, and she tore off the bandage on my hand."

What kind of bizarre arguing pattern is this?

"Was she the one who harmed you last night?"

Miao Niang's eyelids twitched slightly, and she lowered her head, saying, "I'm not sure."

Shen Lan didn't ask any more questions. Based on the current situation, the murderer was either an adult male or there were two people working together. Otherwise, it was unlikely that a single woman could hang her up like that.

Are you familiar with her?

"We're not close. We've only met a few times. We're all competitors, so it's impossible for us to become friends."

Qingman died after the dance competition, making the motive for the murder somewhat difficult to guess.

If she had died before going on stage, it could be said that a contestant had killed her in order to win the championship.

After all, Qingman is the most popular candidate to win the championship.

Xiao Ji walked in from outside and raised an eyebrow when he saw the two people getting along well face to face.

When did these two people meet?

"Are you done asking?" Shen Lan held up Miao Niang's injured hand. "That white strip of cloth was used to bandage this hand. It was left in Qing Man's room after she tore it off."

"Who is she...?" Xiao Ji felt that the girl looked somewhat familiar at first glance.

"Does my lord remember the dancing queen we saw at the brothel? That's her."

Xiao Ji was still puzzled.

They may not have seen Miao Niangzi's true face at that time, so how did Shen Lan get to know her?

By the way, she seemed to care a lot about this dancer back then.

Shen Lan quickly learned about the events of the previous night, including how they brought Miao Niang to the competition today.

It can be said that she was also a witness to last night's accident.

Xiao Ji walked up to Miao Niang and commanded, "Please raise your hands."

Miao Niang raised her hands in confusion.

Xiao Ji leaned closer to examine them. The hands were as smooth as cream, with slender fingers, and could be described as perfect.

Unfortunately, a bright red wound lay across the center of her palm, ruining the beauty of the scene.

However, apart from that, there were no other injuries on these hands, not even a single bruise or mark.

To strangle someone with a thin rope, one must use a great deal of force.

In this way, even if there is no wound on the hand, there should be a trace.

"Alright, you can go back now, but don't leave Bianjing for the time being. Be ready to receive messages from the government at any time."

Miao Niang looked at him, then at Shen Lan, and asked the latter, "Does this gentleman believe what I said?"

“No, he only trusts his own judgment,” Shen Lan explained.

Miao Niang rose and curtsied to Xiao Ji, saying, "Thank you, sir, for clearing my name."

"I can't say I'm innocent, but there's really no evidence to prove you're the murderer."

After Xiao Ji finished speaking, he turned and left.

Shen Lan also wanted to go and see if she could find any clues. After saying goodbye to Miao Niang, she left the house.

Miao Niang sat in the chair, staring blankly at the mirror.

She thought she would be severely tortured, and that she would be thrown into prison and tortured regardless of whether she had killed anyone.

It turns out that even government officials require evidence when investigating cases.

What about all that she suffered before?

She laughed self-deprecatingly at herself in the mirror, her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her wounds, drawing blood.

"The door wasn't locked, but the maid's description was exaggerated. She said she knocked for a long time but no one answered. She could have just pushed the door open, so why did she have to wait for a response?"

Shen Lan closed the door and simulated the maid's movements.

"There are also discrepancies in the timeline. It would take at least an incense stick's time for the murderer to kill someone and hang the body, plus the time to clean up the traces. She went to find Lu Changzhi, which was only a few steps away."

Xiao Ji asked, "Then what was her reason for lying?"

"Either she was delayed by something else and was afraid of being blamed, or she deliberately concealed the truth. Maybe she knew who the murderer was."

Shen Lan's last sentence was also a guess.

It wasn't that she lied to the suspicious maid to favor Miao Niang, but rather that her intention to frame Miao Niang was rather obvious.

"Also, she said that Qingman was responsible for what happened to Miaoniang last night. Isn't she revealing a bit too much?"

Would a normal person truthfully confess the bad things their master has done?

Xiao Ji nodded, "He seems loyal to his master, but in reality, he has ulterior motives."

After the guests left, the princess left a female official behind to await an answer.

But murder cases can't be solved so quickly.

Seeing that the officers had only arrested Qingman's maid, the female official was puzzled, "Could she be the murderer?"

Xiao Ji answered truthfully, "No, there are just some suspicious points. We'll take her back for a thorough interrogation."

"Is that Lady Miao innocent?"

"That's what it looks like so far."

The lady-in-waiting patted her chest and said happily, "That's good. His Highness likes that girl very much and even plans to appoint her as the court dancer, in charge of the court dance repertoire. If she becomes a criminal, His Highness will definitely be unhappy."

Before leaving, the female official glanced at Shen Lan one more time and whispered to Xiao Ji, "Lord Xiao, be careful, your fiancée seems unhappy."

Xiao Ji was completely baffled.

The female official didn't say anything more and left with her maid.

He looked at Shen Lan and asked, "What does she mean?"

"A reminder that you need to go and coax your fiancée?" Shen Lan didn't know either, but the look she gave her just now seemed to have a deeper meaning.

Could it be that Miss Zhao is concerned about herself?

"My lord, after you returned to the capital, did you have a proper discussion about my matter with Miss Zhao?"

Xiao Ji had never even met his fiancée. Her maids and servants always ran errands for him, so why would he mention Shen Lan to them?

Shen Lan sighed, realizing she shouldn't have come today.

With everyone watching, Xiao Ji openly brought a female coroner to handle the case; the ladies and young women must have started to have all sorts of wild thoughts.