Da Li Temple - Chapter 25.2

Chapter 25.2
Brothel

“Is there more?” Su Moyi couldn’t help but interject, his cold voice causing the courtesan who spoke earlier to tremble, nearly biting her tongue. She stammered, “I, I also heard that ……”
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Lin Wanqing glared at him instantly, “Lord is busy with official duties. Let’s leave this questioning to me.”
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“……” Su Moyi buried his head and did his own thing.
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Lin Wanqing’s questioning voice was soft and gentle. Her voice was like the red curtains in the room, mixed with the fragrant incense, somewhat intoxicating.
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Su Moyi, who was reviewing the case file on the side, held back a few times but finally couldn’t help but raise his eyes to look at her. The light in the room was bright, illuminating the person’s micro-expressions in every detail. Unlike most prison workers, Lin Wanqing’s eyes were gentle when she asked questions, not overbearing and not bossy as if it was just a greeting between friends, without a trace of interrogation. She would smile and say, ‘no harm.’ She also gnawed on her nails when she was fascinated.
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Candlelight gradually dimmed, and the night was deep when Lin Wanqing asked the last person.
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Su Moyi looked at his hand. So far, he only added two lines of words in the documents. He held his forehead in distress.
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“Lord,” Lin Wanqing organized the things at hand, “I’m done asking.”
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“En,” Su Mo Yi lifted his brush, his gaze fell on the corner of her ruffled robe vainly, “can there be any gains?”

“Several of the deceased and the victims were in different brothels in District Nan,” Lin Wanqing looked at the notes in her hand and said, “Therefore, I asked if these brothels could have any common places to use.”
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“Is there?” Su Moyi asked.
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“There is,” Lin Wanqing pointed with the tip of her brush to the top few lines on the note and said, “The girls in the brothels need to learn the qin and poetry. Therefore, they will hire a good teacher, and famous families compete for the job.”
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After a pause, she added, “Also, the most famous tailor in Sheng City that makes the girls’ clothes and headgear. And the mamas who teach the girls boudoir matters. We must question them slowly.”
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The speaker has no intention, but the listener does. Lin Wanqing didn’t realize that Lord Su’s face had silently reddened to the base of his neck. After collecting her things, she got up and said, “It’s getting late. I’ll take my leave first.” That smear of greenish gray stood up and bent down to take the notes.
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“Wait,” Su Moyi called out to her. He suddenly remembered the carriage that followed him today had parked outside District Nan. If they saw Lin Wanqing strutting out of there so late at night, his Imperial Grandmother would surely do strange things.
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He got up, marched to the window, gently pushed open the lightly covered window, and said, “Did you see those two men down there?”
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Lin Wanqing marched over, poked her head, searched for a long time, and said doubtfully, “Where are they?”
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Su Moyi pointed to two slightly taller women across the street in front of the brothel and said, “Those two.”
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“Isn’t this …… woman?”
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Su Moyi couldn’t help but sneer, “Just allow you to dress up as a man and not allow others to dress up as women?”
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Lin Wanqing choked and stopped talking.
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He put down the curtain and continued, “These two people followed me to Ping Kang Hall. They thought it was too eye-catching for a man to stand around outside, so they changed into women’s clothes. This way, they can’t be distinguished from the courtesans who seduce customers.”

“Imperial Grandmother sent them to spy on me,” Su Moyi sat on the couch and picked up the teacup, “Last time in the Taiyi Pond, the matter that you fell into the water made Imperial Grandmother suspicious. If you don’t want to cause more trouble, pay attention when you’re leaving. Don’t let them discover you.”
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“Oh ……” Lin Wanqing answered, collecting her things and walking away. Walking to the door, before she could go and push the door, she heard the sound of a fallen teacup from behind her.
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There was a clang and a splash.
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Su Moyi looked like he was possessed. His eyes were empty and bright as he looked at Lin Wanqing. The expensive teacup shattered all over the ground, the tea water wetting the train of his robe.
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“Lord?” Lin Wanqing was startled by his appearance. She suspiciously marched over. When she was about to pat his shoulder, Su Moyi grabbed her hand.
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“I know!” He abruptly became excited.
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“What does the Lord know?” Lin Wanqing asked. He squeezed her wrist to the point of pain.
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Su Moyi didn’t care at all. He tugged Lin Wanqing to get up suddenly, “That murderer, I know why we haven’t been able to find out about him!”
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“Huh?” Lin Wanqing didn’t expect he was talking about this matter and asked, “Why?”
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“Because all we’ve been checking for is men!”
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Lin Wanqing blinked, “Rape and murder cases …… do we still have to check women?”
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“Confused!” Su Moyi hatefully shrugged off Lin Wanqing’s hand, pushed open the window, and pointed at the two people who stalked him, “What we’re looking for is this kind of man.”
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“When it comes to rape and murder cases, the first subject of suspicion are all men. No one will check women.” Su Moyi snatched the note from Lin Wanqing’s hand, unfolded and browsed it.
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“But it’s difficult for a man to enter a woman’s boudoir at night, let alone daytime. The time of these cases all happened during the day, which means that the murderer is the object of no suspicion.”
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The candle flame in front of her eyes flickered, and the broken links in her brain finally connected. Lin Wanqing hurriedly squeezed her body under the firelight and scanned the cases’ details.
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The time of the crime was daytime; the method of the crime was bondage; the season of the crime was all in the late fall and early east, or the change of season in late spring and early summer; the wounds of the deceased showed different forms, there were; wide blunt stab wounds, sharp blade scratches, and the nipples that cut neatly by something —
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Their eyes rested simultaneously on the column of dressmaking recorded in the note.
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The murderer was a tailor!
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The crime happened during the change of season because it was the time for sewing new clothes; tailors would bring a soft ruler and scissors. That soft ruler was used for binding, while the scissors were the murder weapon!
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No one would have thought it wrong for a tailor dressed as a woman to be alone with her and make her clothes. In this way, the murderer had the conditions to commit the crime.
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“Yes!” Lin Wanqing’s lips trembled from excitement, “I remember a courtesan said that there was a top-notch seamstress in District Nan and that everyone would beg heavily for his service.”
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“Is he a mute?” Su Moyi asked.
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Lin Wanqing was stunned, looking at Su Moyi with an expression of having seen a ghost, and finally nodded slowly, incredulously saying, “How do you know he is ……”
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Su Moyi couldn’t wait to rush out. He casually grabbed a cloak from a coat rack on the side and hooded it over Lin Wanqing.
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“People in his circle were not rough men from the government offices. These songstresses and musicians are so sensitive to sound. If he doesn’t pretend to be mute, can this man’s identity be hidden for so long?”
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Su Moyi pushed open the door and said to Ye Qing in the other room, “Go to the Da Li Temple and bring people to go with me to the embroidery workshop.”