Lin Yiniang and Third Yiniang, also in mourning attire, knelt behind He Qingyi. Their faces, however, showed little grief. One's daughter had been taken by the Old Madam, and the other's daughter's whereabouts were unknown. They had no concern for the lives of others.
"Envoy from Lanyue arrives."
Xiao Man's expression shifted slightly, but she did not look up, continuing to toss paper money into the brazier, piece by piece.
Wen Mohan led the delegation to pay their respects. Prime Minister Yao offered incense with Lan Qin, then stood before Xiao Man. "Please accept our condolences."
Third Yiniang was very curious about the appearance of the Lanyue envoy. She had heard that all officials in the Lanyue court were women. Seeing Prime Minister Yao in male attire, with no trace of femininity, she was filled with questions. However, she was then drawn to the woman beside Prime Minister Yao and involuntarily stood up.
"Xiang'er," Third Yiniang exclaimed.
Lan Qin's expression was cold. She merely glanced indifferently at Third Yiniang and feigned ignorance.
"This lady must have mistaken someone. This is the Third Princess of Lanyue," Yao Ran introduced gently. Her gaze fell on Xiao Man, whose expression was one of deep sorrow and her face was pale. It was clear that Xiao Zhen's murder had deeply affected her.
Third Yiniang took a step forward, wanting to confirm if she had indeed mistaken someone. However, Xiao Man suddenly stood up, blocking Third Yiniang's path. "Thank you, Prime Minister Yao, and Third Princess."
"I have always admired General Xiao's reputation. My uninvited arrival to pay respects, I hope the Eldest Miss will not blame me."
"Guests are welcome. Thank you both for your concern for my father," Xiao Man said, her gaze sweeping over Lan Qin. Lan Qin looked away guiltily, remaining silent.
"It is our duty."
"Someone, please escort Prime Minister Yao and the Third Princess for tea."
"Please." A maid immediately stepped forward and led the two away for tea.
Third Yiniang wanted to follow, but Xiao Man stopped her. "Third Yiniang, where are you going?"
"Eldest Miss, that is Second Miss, she is my daughter, my daughter!" Third Yiniang said excitedly.
"Third Yiniang likely forgot, Second Sister has already passed away," Xiao Man said coldly. "That person is the Third Princess of Lanyue and has nothing to do with us."
"But that clearly is..."
"I said she is the Third Princess of Lanyue and has nothing to do with us!" Xiao Man raised her voice. "Third Yiniang is too tired and is having hallucinations. Someone, escort Third Yiniang back and take good care of her."
"Eldest Miss, that really is..." The maid quickly covered Third Yiniang's mouth and dragged her away.
Lin Yiniang cowered behind He Qingyi. She truly did not wish to see Xiao Man. She had originally intended to seek refuge with Xiao Man, but had been used by Cen Yu and ended up harming Xiao Man. Now, she was afraid whenever she saw Xiao Man.
The General's manor was bustling with visitors. Xiao family's former subordinates came one after another to pay their respects, each filled with righteous indignation, shouting that the murderer would be found and torn to pieces. Bai Linglong, newly married, upon hearing of Xiao Zhen's demise, came with Xue Meng to comfort Xiao Man.
From her initial overwhelming grief, Xiao Man gradually calmed down, numbly accepting the pitying gazes of everyone, shutting out all the surrounding noise. This continued until Dongfang Wei returned.
When Dongfang Wei returned, Xiao Man found an excuse to retreat to Shuiyue Xiaozhu.
"I had people search the Nanluo Villa from top to bottom. Then, based on the clues from the Jingzhao Prefecture, we found these items." Dongfang Wei opened the cloth bundle. Inside lay a waist token, several poisoned needles, an exquisite incense burner, and a fragment of unknown material.
"This waist token is..."
"A waist token of a Lanyue dark guard. It belongs to either Yao Ran or Lan Qin."
Xiao Man's eyes flickered, and a killing intent seemed to flash in her eyes, so quickly it was like an illusion. She then picked up the incense burner. The incense ash had already been cleared, but a residual fragrance remained. "This is the scent of 'Ten Li Fragrance'."
"Yes, the General was likely attacked after being affected by 'Ten Li Fragrance', losing his ability to resist." Su Dan Novel Network.
"So, the killer is someone familiar!"
The killer is familiar! Xiao Man immediately recalled Xiao Zhen's shattered palm bones. His palm bones were shattered; could someone be trying to cover something up?
"Xiang Xue, give me the autopsy report," Xiao Man said immediately.
Xiang Xue took out the autopsy report from the cabinet and handed it to Xiao Man.
Xiao Man opened it and examined it carefully. Dongfang Wei leaned in. "His sternum was shattered, but it wasn't a fatal wound. That's strange."
"How so?"
"You are also a master of martial arts. If you truly intended to kill someone, and you shattered their sternum with one palm strike, yet didn't kill them, why?"
"There are two possibilities. One is that the force was suddenly withdrawn, and the other is that the force was intentionally controlled."
"If it's the first possibility, suddenly retracting the palm strike would inevitably result in a backlash. In the capital, there are only a handful of people who possess the skill to shatter your father's sternum with such force!" Dongfang Wei stated confidently. "Even I could not control the force to only shatter your father's sternum without killing him."
"I want a list," Xiao Man said slowly. "A list of everyone who could possibly be involved."
"Later, I will have someone get the list for you," Dongfang Wei said decisively. "Furthermore, 'Ten Li Fragrance' is not something an ordinary person can obtain. Let the Tianji Pavilion investigate it; they might be able to trace its origin."
Xiao Man nodded in agreement. She flipped to the night of the palm bone fracture. It clearly recorded that Xiao Zhen's palm bones were shattered, and all ten fingers had varying degrees of damage. On his left hand, except for his little finger and thumb, almost all other fingers were shattered. His right hand had similar damage. It looked as if they were deliberately shattered by someone.
"What kind of hatred, what kind of vendetta would lead someone to treat the General this way?" Dongfang Wei was deeply shocked. The Xiao family was a prestigious family in the capital, and Xiao Zhen held military power. Xiao Luo guarded Yunzhong City. The father and son, one internally and one externally, even if someone in the court wanted to deal with him, they would have to weigh it carefully. Even if they truly wanted to deal with Xiao Zhen, they would need the capability.
"Why did my father leave the city?" Xiao Man asked abruptly. "It was such a significant event, General Xue's family wedding. Why did my father abandon his role as the officiant and go outside the city?"
Dongfang Wei was also puzzled. "Perhaps you need to ask your father's dark guards."
"Everyone he took with him is dead."
Dongfang Wei smacked his forehead. That was right, all the dark guards around the General were dead. "However, the scene was rather strange."
"How so?"
"If they intended to kill, why would they hide the bodies of the dark guards in the backyard?" Dongfang Wei, being a martial artist, was straightforward. Killing someone and then creating so much complexity was truly baffling.
"Yes, why hide the bodies after killing someone?"
"Also, the courtyard was clearly cleaned up. Apart from the room where the General was, the traces of fighting elsewhere were all removed," Dongfang Wei said doubtfully. "It all feels like a trap."