When the bailiff spoke, Madam Cao seemed perplexed. She wiped away her tears and asked, "Why is that? If you don't search for clues sooner, how will you catch the real culprit?"
The bailiff replied helplessly, "We naturally want to find the real culprit as soon as possible, but the imperial examinations are such an important event, not something people dare to delay. His Excellency's meaning is that everything will be decided after the candidates finish their exams tomorrow. Therefore, Madam Cao, you must not disrupt the order of the examination hall out of impulse, otherwise, the responsibility..."
Before the bailiff could finish, Madam Cao nodded "understandingly." "I understand. I won't make things difficult for anyone."
The bailiff nodded, but seeing her dejected appearance, she couldn't help but say, "Madam Cao, you should go back and rest early. We will protect the scene."
Madam Cao took one last lingering look at Prefect Leng, lying on the ground with a contorted expression, before turning to leave.
The moment she turned, "Yan Wu Jiao Jiao" keenly noticed the smirk on her lips.
This Madam Cao... something is wrong!
Nian Jiaojiao narrowed her eyes and followed.
...
Back in her room, Madam Cao closed the door behind her. However, she didn't move. She just lowered her head and leaned against the door.
"Yan Wu Jiao Jiao" sensed something was amiss.
Her body began to tremble slightly, and as time passed, her trembling grew more pronounced, until she finally burst into laughter.
Nian Jiaojiao's expression became grave.
She was right after all.
Even if this "Madam Cao" was not the murderer, the deceased's death was likely related to her.
Madam Cao looked up, her eyes revealing madness in the darkness.
Leng Xiangtao, Leng Xiangtao, you're finally dead!
Thinking of this, Madam Cao wanted to laugh out loud, but she couldn't.
So, she covered her mouth with her right hand and let out a somewhat strange laugh: "Heh heh heh, ha ha, heh heh heh, ha ha..."
Seeing this, "Yan Wu Jiao Jiao" retracted some of her smoke.
Good heavens.
Are all people in officialdom this crazy?
Fortunately, even though she had to participate in the imperial examinations, she didn't plan to pursue a career in officialdom...
Unaware that a "bystander" was in the room, Madam Cao, after laughing enough, walked slowly to her bed and sat down.
Next, she took out a small medicine packet from under her pillow and walked to the desk. She lit the oil lamp, pulled out a handkerchief from her懷 and covered her mouth and nose, then threw the small medicine packet into the oil lamp.
The medicine packet was made of paper and ignited upon contact with the oil fire. However, because there was something inside the packet, it produced thick smoke after burning.
Seeing this, Nian Jiaojiao knew that the other party was destroying evidence.
However, she did not come forward to stop her.
Putting aside the possibility of being discovered by someone hidden among them and having to explain herself, the deceased might not have been entirely innocent. Why should she get involved in something that had nothing to do with her?
She would just be an onlooker, watching the drama unfold from the sidelines.
Madam Cao watched the medicine packet disappear with the flames, a look of triumph on her face.
That's right, Leng Xiangtao died by her hand.
She had been planning this for a long time.
She first smeared the sleeping powder on Leng Xiangtao's teacup. After Leng Xiangtao returned to her room and had tea, she pretended to visit.
At this time, the other party had already passed out.
She then calmly took out her own teacup from her room, swapped it with the smeared teacup, and would clean the teacup later.
After wrapping the teacup in a handkerchief and putting it in her懷, she took out Leng Xiangtao's personal dagger and plunged it into her chest, killing her instantly.
Because she had to take the exam tomorrow, she had anticipated that Lord Liu would not immediately launch a large-scale investigation, which gave her the opportunity to destroy the evidence.
And Leng Xiangtao, wasn't she always advertising herself as a superior who treated her subordinates extremely well?
As Leng Xiangtao's confidante, who would suspect her?
As the smoke dissipated, Nian Jiaojiao found it uninteresting and left the room, returning to her own body.
She had witnessed a huge piece of gossip today.
She needed to sleep to digest it properly...
...
The next day.
As expected, everyone in the examination hall seemed oblivious to what had happened last night. After receiving their papers, they immediately buried their heads in their work.
Nian Jiaojiao also cleared her mind and joined the throng of examinees.
This time, Nian Jiaojiao submitted her paper early and left the examination hall.
As the first person to exit the examination hall, upon stepping out of the gate of the Qingzhou Examination Institute, she received "everyone's attention."
"Isn't the exam supposed to last all day today? How come a candidate is already out?"
"I don't know. Perhaps they couldn't continue."
The person answering looked at Nian Jiaojiao with disdain, as if looking at a "slacker."
"I wonder how my wife did in the exam. I'm truly worried."
"Alas, but look, this candidate is truly handsome and refined."
"Hmph, what's the use of being good-looking? A pretty boy who's useless, my wife's arm is thicker than her waist!"
Flower Pillow Jiao: ...
She could hear them, so... could you all be a little quieter...
"Hey, hey, hey, she's looking over. You're going to die!"
The man's best friend nudged his arm.
When their eyes met Nian Jiaojiao's, the man's face instantly flushed.