The flowerbed clearly showed signs of having its traces erased. Apart from some damage to the flowers and grass, not a single flaw could be seen. Wu Caiwei and Shangguan Ke slowly parted the grass, and upon closer inspection, differences could be discerned. For instance, the soil beneath some blades of grass was looser than beneath others. Gently pushing aside the loose soil layer and digging downwards according to the disturbed earth, a few footprints soon appeared.
"What is this?" Lou Qinshu asked in surprise.
"They are the killer's footprints. They jumped down from such a high wall, and their feet sank quite deeply. When erasing the traces, they dared not step on them, so they could only use their hands to fill these footprints as much as possible, making them look no different from the surrounding ground," Wu Caiwei said with confidence.
"Amazing, truly amazing," Lou Qinshu praised, giving a thumbs up. Everyone claimed to be intelligent, but compared to these two, he was like a mere novice.
Carefully, they made impressions of the footprints. Judging by their size and depth, it was basically confirmed that two men were responsible.
With these discoveries, Lou Qinshu gained confidence. The next day, he summoned all the male members of the household. The masters and mistresses soon got wind of the news and came to watch the spectacle.
"Qinshu, why such a commotion so early in the morning? Have you made any discoveries?" Old Madam Lou, upon hearing the commotion, rushed over without even eating breakfast, asking nervously.
"Reporting to Grandmother, we have indeed made some discoveries, but they are not yet confirmed and should not be disclosed. Please wait and see," A person behind him brought over a stool and placed it beside him, gesturing for Old Madam Lou to sit. Sudannovel.com
He then instructed all the male household members in the courtyard to sit on the ground and take off their shoes, comparing them one by one. Old Madam Lou, witnessing this scene, felt it was undignified and immediately reprimanded, "What sort of behavior is this?"
Lou Qinshu ignored her completely. He had just lost his wife, and it was normal for him to be angry.
Targets were quickly identified. Looking at the men singled out, some looked bewildered, while others, though feigning calmness, could not hide the cold sweat on their brows.
Lou Qinshu directly ordered the arrest of two of them. The moment they were pinned down, they cried out in injustice, "This servant is wrongly accused! This servant has served diligently for so many years in the Lou family, and if not for merit, at least for effort. What offense have we committed?"
"How can you arrest them just like that? He is an old servant of our family. You must provide a reason, otherwise, it will be difficult to convince everyone," Old Madam Lou was startled by this turn of events and a bad premonition arose in her heart. She quickly inquired.
Lou Qinshu ignored everyone and directly instructed his trusted subordinates, "Beat them, beat them hard. It is better to kill the innocent than to let the guilty go. Moreover, I already have evidence proving their guilt. Beat them until they confess."
After a moment's thought, he further instructed a few people to bring the families of these two male servants over. Today, there would be no easy way out.
"Our Lou family has always been benevolent. Such a commotion might damage our mansion's reputation," Second Madam Lou quickly stepped forward, looking panicked.
Old Madam Lou, seeing her anxious demeanor, knew that she might have been the one to orchestrate this. She quickly agreed, "Exactly. Our Lou family's centuries-old reputation cannot be ruined because of a mere young madam. Let's put an end to this matter here."
"It seems Grandmother does not take the lives of those in our third branch seriously at all. Will I also be dismissed with a mere word if I am killed one day?" Lou Qinshu scoffed sarcastically.
"Are you trying to be rebellious? Do you not heed Grandmother's words?" Old Madam Lou narrowed her eyes and stared at him intently.
"If it were any other matter, Grandmother's words would certainly hold sway. But now that a life has been lost, she was my wife, and it is my responsibility to find the true killer for her. If Grandmother does not allow me to investigate, I will report it to the authorities. We already have evidence, and once the government intervenes, the results will be known quickly," Lou Qinshu said, his eyes red.
"Are you threatening me?" Old Madam Lou looked at him with disappointment. Although she did not care about the third branch, he was still her grandson, whom she had placed great hopes on. Her heart sank to the bottom.
"Has Grandmother considered my feelings? Do you know that she was the only wife I would ever have in this life? I once swore to heaven that I would only marry her in this lifetime, and I will keep my word. Moreover, no one else would catch my eye."
Old Madam Lou looked at his affectionate demeanor and the dazzling light in his eyes when he spoke of her. She felt a moment of daze. She had never realized her grandson cared for her so deeply. But then again, she could understand. After all, he had never gone on blind dates for so many years, let alone agreed to any marriage proposals. This was the first woman he had actively pursued. If he did not truly love her, why would he break his pattern?
Old Madam Lou knew that whether she interfered or not, today's events would surely alienate the third branch. She sat down heavily on a stool, her mind a complete blank.
Soon, both families were brought before Lou Qinshu. Seeing the two men, who were beaten half to death but still refused to confess, he said with ill intent, "Whether you speak or not, you will not leave this door today. Coincidentally, I have also brought your wives and children here. You'll have company."
If they were merely seeking their own lives, the two men felt it was inconsequential. However, their families were kneeling not far away, weeping silently. Hearing their cries, their hearts ached, and they could not help but look at Second Madam.
Second Madam Lou knew things were going downhill when Old Madam relented. She had promised each of these men two hundred taels of silver and to help their families get out of servitude. The two men were prepared to sacrifice themselves for their families. But seeing the current situation, it seemed there would be no easy resolution.
Just as Second Madam Lou was about to speak, Lou Qinshu calmly said, "I advise Second Uncle to stop interfering. Someone has seen you interacting with them. I didn't believe it at first, but if Second Aunt speaks further, I will suspect that you have been colluding with them all along."
"Nonsense, how is that possible? Who would be so wicked as to utter such a lie?" Second Madam Lou forced a smile.
Seeing that Second Madam was unreliable, the two men before them quickly confessed their deeds.
They had sneaked into the courtyard and carried the unconscious Gao Xuejuan to the well. To avoid making any noise, they were very gentle. Fortunately, the well was quite full, and they had favorable timing and circumstances. They never expected to be discovered.
Second Madam Lou's face turned pale. Although she usually disdained the third branch, she understood that the household could not function without them. When these two men revealed her involvement, she began to tremble uncontrollably, afraid to meet anyone's gaze.
"The evidence is conclusive. I wonder how Grandmother intends to punish Second Aunt," Lou Qinshu said, staring intently at her.
"We are all family. Even if your Second Aunt did it, she was afraid your new wife would disrupt the harmony of the family. It's just that her methods were a bit extreme. I think it's best to turn a big problem into a small one." Old Madam Lou quickly tried to excuse her.
"And next, will you turn a small problem into nothing and pretend this never happened?" Lou Qinshu let out a cold laugh.