Lin Qingge habitually rubbed her chin, "Whether it was murder is not yet certain, but there are indeed a few suspicious points."
"A few suspicious points?"
"Firstly, a woman adorns herself for the one who knows her. If it were truly as Liu Jinhua claimed, that her bond with Chen Chong was deep, she wouldn't neglect her appearance. Even if she didn't carry makeup with her, she would at least check her reflection. Yet, the bronze mirror in the room was put away in a drawer. Moreover, the dressing table bore marks of having recently fallen over."
"Secondly, there's Liu Jinhua's attitude. Although she cried genuinely, when she heard this official state that Chen Chong died of 'ma shang feng' and it was an accident, her immediate reaction wasn't grief but rather a sigh of relief. Furthermore, did you notice the slight skin exposed beneath her clothes had obvious bruises?"
"I initially wondered why Lord Lin suddenly changed your demeanor, thinking you were finally giving up on Madam Lin, that crooked necked tree, and seeking other flowers and grasses. I didn't expect I had overestimated you, Lord Lin~"
Hearing the teasing in the other's words, Lin Qingge rolled her eyes towards the sky and continued, "Besides the above, the placement of the incense burner is also quite strange. In such a large room, why was it placed under the bed?"
"Perhaps for better effect?"
"Aren't you afraid that too much of a good thing can be detrimental?"
As soon as Lin Qingge spoke, she and Murong Bai exchanged glances, seeing surprise and understanding in each other's eyes.
"So, Lord Lin, you suspect Liu Jinhua?"
"It's only a suspicion. After all, Chen Chong's death from 'ma shang feng' is an undisputed fact. And according to Liu Jinhua, the incense burner was brought by Chen Chong himself and never passed through her hands. Moreover, with Chen Chong, her provider, dead, someone who relied on beauty for sustenance like her would be like a duckweed without support. In other words, she herself would be the first to suffer."
At this moment, Hua Jinrong, with her superior social skills, returned after chatting with guests peeking out from the adjacent rooms. Seeing Hua Jinrong's exaggerated expression, as if witnessing a sensational event, Lin Qingge raised an eyebrow, "What, any discoveries?"
"My Lord, you might not know, but I just finished inquiring with the guest next door. He's a regular here. According to him, Chen Chong, like himself, enjoyed coming here for scented baths and had booked a long-term private room. But unlike him, who hired the establishment's girls for service, Chen Chong brought his own beautiful companion."
Hua Jinrong spoke vaguely, but Lin Qingge understood. It seemed the scented bathhouse offered other special services besides scented baths. However, given Chen Chong brought his mistress, the quality of the women offering these special services was likely not very high. Hua Jinrong then leaned in close to her ear and whispered mysteriously, "My Lord, the guest next door also said that Chen Chong was extremely promiscuous and seemed to have a penchant for sadomasochism."
"Sadomasochism?"
"The guest next door said that whenever Chen Chong and his companion came, there would be crashing sounds and the woman's intermittent cries for mercy from the room. It's said that on one occasion, Chen Chong forced the woman onto broken porcelain shards. The maid responsible for cleaning, upon entering the room and seeing the bloody mess on the floor, was almost scared out of her wits. Another time, the woman was choked to the point of losing consciousness, and Chen Chong had to pinch her philtrum and slap her face repeatedly to revive her. Even so, the woman still followed Chen Chong meekly. The guest next door also said that when Chen Chong was in high spirits, he once cursed loudly, saying the woman was merely a plaything sold to him by her family, and as long as her family wanted to benefit from him, the woman had to obey him unconditionally."
"Tsk, what a scoundrel!"
Hearing Hua Jinrong's curse, Lin Qingge shook her head, "No, he's worse than a scoundrel. No wonder the bronze mirror was put away. Liu Jinhua must have been afraid of repeating past mistakes."
Ancient bronze mirrors, though not made of glass, due to their high tin content, were brittle and hard, making them extremely easy to break. The shattered edges of a bronze mirror were neat, much like shards of glass, and if someone accidentally stepped on or touched them, they could easily be cut.
However—
Before Lin Qingge could ponder further, Yan Tinghao arrived to report, "My Lord, this subordinate discovered a cellar in the back courtyard of the scented bathhouse. It is suspected that multiple abducted women are being held inside."
"Abducted women?"
Lin Qingge narrowed her eyes slightly, her sharp gaze sweeping towards the manager of the scented bathhouse, who, after settling Liu Jinhua, was rushing over.
"Coroner Murong, stay behind to guard the crime scene. Advisor Hua, find someone to send messages to the Yi Zhuang and the deceased Chen Chong's residence. Constable Yan, apprehend the manager of the scented bathhouse and escort him to the back courtyard with me to take a look!"
"Yes!"
Yan Tinghao responded with a "yes" and sprinted forward, apprehending the manager of the scented bathhouse and dragging him along to lead the way.
They arrived at the back courtyard. After passing through a winding alley, Lin Qingge and the other two finally reached the side room with the cellar that Yan Tinghao had mentioned. Walking inside and peering down through the uncovered cellar entrance, Lin Qingge saw seven or eight delicate women locked inside. Unaware of what inhuman torture they had endured, the women had blank expressions and vacant eyes.
Seeing this, Lin Qingge asked curiously, "Constable Yan, how did you discover this place?" The women were like soulless puppets, neither crying nor making a sound. In such a state, it would be difficult for anyone passing by to notice. Moreover, this place was secluded and rarely passed by. And she had explicitly instructed Yan Tinghao to keep everyone from leaving; how did this simpleton end up in the back courtyard?
"Well..."
Yan Tinghao scratched his head, trying his best to organize his words. "Reporting to my Lord, actually, actually, someone deliberately led this subordinate here."
"Someone led you here? Who was it, and where are they now?"
"This subordinate does not know."
Yan Tinghao continued to scratch his head. Seeing his Lord's displeased expression, he added, "Reporting to my Lord, the person who led me here had extremely high Qinggong. Although this subordinate did not see their face, their figure looked somewhat familiar, similar to the one who abducted the young master."
"You mean the flower thief?"
Yan Tinghao had encountered the flower thief twice before, so recognizing him by his back was not surprising. However, the focus now was on these young women. Lin Qingge looked at the sweat-drenched manager of the scented bathhouse beside her and smiled coldly, "Speak, what's going on?"