Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: Not a Trace

Following the incident, Lin Fei bore the primary responsibility. He had initially reported the matter to the imperial court with great trepidation, only to be tasked with investigating the case and uncovering the mastermind behind it in order to redeem himself.

"Young Master Han, apart from that last banquet, have you seen this examinee in private?"

He shook his head. They were not acquaintances, so why would they have met? Lin Fei subsequently questioned other students in the remaining rooms, but most had never seen him. It was also determined that the time of death occurred on the very night the victim left Magistrate Lu’s residence. All other examinees had already returned to the inn by then and had not stepped out.

This was strange. Who would commit such a cold-blooded murder? It could only be professional jealousy or a motive involving wealth. Yet, after making inquiries, he discovered that the victim was merely a penniless scholar, ruling out the latter. But with a life extinguished, could they simply sit by and do nothing? Lin Fei felt uneasy, still suspecting Magistrate Lu.

"You mentioned that the victim was poisoned," Lin Fei said, looking troubled. "Although it wasn't the infamous 'Crowned Crane Red,' it must have been some fast-acting toxin. Could it be that on his way back, the residual toxins in his body spread?"

This far-fetched theory was plausible, but the mastermind was certainly someone else; it was never going to be as simple as they suggested.

"You are overthinking it," Han Qing said coldly, a trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes. How had this man become so foolish since entering the fray? He failed to notice that his recent actions were being orchestrated by others.

"But no one saw his journey home, and the body we recovered had been submerged for a full day. Is it even possible to find evidence?"

"Did the coroner not examine him?"

"He did, but after a long investigation, he could not find the weapon used."

With no external injuries, poisoning was the only possibility, yet no toxins were detected in the body. What was going on? The pulse had ceased completely. The current situation was truly baffling.

"Furthermore, the Emperor has not given me much time. I must uncover the truth within a week," Lin Fei said anxiously. Ever since the influx of scholars arriving in the capital for the examinations, he had been plagued by these matters. Reflecting on it now, he realized how unlucky he was; he had missed out on the examinations himself, and now all these messy cases were being dumped on him.

"Take me to the place where the body was recovered," Han Qing said abruptly. If the crime happened that night, the killer must have left traces. Even if a day had passed, there had to be clues. Yet, after searching for half a day, they found nothing.

"When we pulled him out, we found only the body. There were no tools nearby," Lin Fei said after some thought. That was the strange part. Logically, if the body had been dragged from elsewhere, the soil along the path should have been stained with dust and blood. They had sent men to search, but found nothing. There were no signs of a struggle along the way, either. Could he have committed suicide by jumping into the river?

"But the essays he wrote were praised by several masters. It is impossible for him to have thrown his life away," Lin Fei reasoned, though he quickly dismissed the thought. He had heard that Scholar Liu had a mother at home; he would never act in such a way. Even if he disregarded his own future career, he would still consider his family.

"Let's return to the courtyard first." Some things were better left unsaid. Han Qing was reminding him to be wary of his surroundings; who knew if others had been planted nearby?

Once they reached a restaurant, Han Qing voiced his suspicions. "Young Master Han, have you noticed something peculiar?"

"There was likely no second person present. Your guess may be half-true: he might have simply fallen into the river himself."

"What?" That sounded absurd. "I have made inquiries, and I haven't heard of him being threatened, blackmailed, or facing any setbacks."

Han Qing nodded. That was indeed the logic.

"Then there is no other way to prove it? All the other examinees returned to their inns that night and never left. Only he did not return..."

Han Qing spoke nonchalantly. "So, everyone else has an alibi, and this case is completely unsolvable? It has reached a dead end."

"You might as well tell the Emperor that you are too stupid to solve this case."

"What?" Han Qing was offering him a suggestion—one that, at the very least, would save his head.

"I worked so hard to reach this official position. Are you saying all my efforts in the first half of my life should be thrown away?"

"Otherwise? If you cannot find the culprit in a few days, who will take the blame?"

Lin Fei nodded, feeling extremely indignant. Was there truly no other way?

"Have you interrogated the scholars who were close to him?"

"I asked them this morning. They were all staying at the inn at the time, and both the innkeeper and the waiter can testify to that."

That meant the investigation had formed a closed loop, offering little value. Going back and forth like this was useless.

"Which inn are the three of them staying at now? Write down the location for me; I will go and question them myself," Han Qing said calmly. Standard questioning would lead nowhere. Besides, these three were highly suspicious. Beyond them, no one else had a clear motive.

"Take more men with you when you go, and be careful," Lin Fei advised. Though he didn't know if these scholars possessed martial arts skills, it was safer to bring more guards. If necessary, the servants from the Lin estate could also be put to use.

"Understood."

That afternoon, Han Qing went to the inn and spoke with the three examinees. However, their testimonies were almost identical to what they had told Magistrate Lin. This was clearly suspicious, as if they had memorized a script in advance.