25: You are lying again, adults clearly

Zhang Yun was silent for a moment, then took off her scarf and handed it to Lin Qinghuang. The moment she removed the scarf, everyone indeed saw a ligature mark.

At this moment, they couldn't help but give Xie Weilou a thumbs up. He was truly divine; Xie Weilou had actually guessed that Zhang Yun had a ligature mark on her neck.

Xie Weilou looked at Zhang Yun: "Madam Xu, this mark on your neck is a ligature mark. Can you tell me who left it?"

"I... my husband..."

Zhang Yun said, lowering her head.

Xie Weilou heard this and showed no surprise. He said, "I'll go to Xu Pan's room to take a look."

Xu Pan's room.

Xie Weilou glanced around and saw a table with a wine pot on it.

The decor was somewhat similar to Zhang Zai's room; it was impeccably clean and not messy.

He ignored the table and walked towards a cabinet. After some searching, he found half a small tea cake.

He picked up the tea cake, sniffed it, and his eyes narrowed. It was a familiar scent; the tablecloth in Zhang Zai's room had the same smell earlier.

He put away the tea cake.

Xie Weilou walked out of the room.

"Any discoveries?"

Lin Qinghuang looked at Xie Weilou.

Xie Weilou shook his head and said, "None."

After speaking, he walked towards Steward Ma's house. The snow outside the house had been cleared, and the footprints on it were not obvious.

Not only was Steward Ma's house like this, but Zhang Yun's house was also the same; the footprints had been cleared.

Xie Weilou smiled faintly and said to Steward Ma: "Last night, the Water Ghost committed murder, causing widespread panic. Even something as important as reporting the crime was delayed until today, yet the accumulated snow on the ground has been swept away..."

"This... this was done by the house servant. He has always been very responsible."

Steward Ma said.

"Is that so? Only clearing the outside of your house and Madam Xu's house, but not Xu Pan's house? Is it because you think Xu Pan is dead and there's no need to clear it, or did someone only tell him to clear the outside of your and Madam Xu's houses?"

Xie Weilou stared directly at Steward Ma.

"This... this is the servant's idea. I don't understand it either. I will certainly punish him later."

Steward Ma said.

Xie Weilou said: "There's no need to punish him, after all, he cleared some things and naturally saw some things. If we ask him, we can certainly find out."

"......"

Steward Ma's pupils constricted.

Xie Weilou said to Lin Qinghuang: "Commander Lin, please search Madam Xu's room and see if there are any beautiful vases or similar items."

Lin Qinghuang looked at Xie Weilou speechlessly. Who was the commander? I asked you to investigate this matter, and now you're giving me orders?

However, she didn't say much and quickly walked towards Zhang Yun's room.

Steward Ma and Zhang Yun trembled; they knew it was over.

"Let's go! We'll go look in Steward Ma's room."

Xie Weilou smiled and led the people into Steward Ma's room.

Inside the room.

Items were neatly arranged and spotlessly clean.

Xie Weilou said: "The Water Ghost breaking in would definitely leave signs of smashing. This place is surprisingly clean."

Steward Ma said: "I've always loved cleanliness, so I specifically tidied up."

Xie Weilou said: "Then that's destroying evidence!"

"......"

Steward Ma froze for a second.

Xie Weilou leaned out and looked out the window, just catching sight of a subtle footprint on the adjacent eaves, and several claw marks on the wooden eaves next to the window.

He looked at Steward Ma and said: "Describe the scene of the Water Ghost breaking in and abducting Xu Pan."

Steward Ma pointed to the table and said: "At that time, the master and I were sitting here discussing the accounts. The Water Ghost instantly broke through the window, it was too fast, grabbing the master and rushing out. When I chased after it, the guards were already fighting with him."

"Steward Ma, you're lying again."

Xie Weilou stared at Steward Ma.

Steward Ma's expression froze, and he asked: "Please enlighten this humble one, sir."

He understood that he was finished today because he had too many flaws. The Tianquan Division could completely take him to prison for interrogation and make him confess honestly, but he just wanted to know what other flaws he had revealed.

"I'll tell you where you lied."

Zhang Long pointed to the broken windowsill and said: "In winter, Tianqi is cold, and paper becomes stiff from the frost. If it broke through the window from outside, the shattered window should be inward, but this window is outward, indicating that the Water Ghost rushed from inside to outside..."

Clearly, the previous case at Wansha House, specifically the hole in the doorway, had given him some experience, and it was the same this time.

"So that's how it is."

Steward Ma sighed, realizing he still wasn't careful enough.

Not long after, Lin Qinghuang brought back a broken vase, with some bloodstains still on the fragments.

"This... isn't this Steward Ma's celadon vase?"

Someone from the Xu family recognized it as Steward Ma's item by the damaged vase.

The bloodstains on this celadon vase, and its presence in Madam Xu's room, instantly led to a guess.

Xie Weilou said: "Steward Ma's broken vase grew legs and ran into Madam Xu's room. I heard that after a criminal commits a crime, they will first do three things: fabricate the scene, hide the corpse, and hide the murder weapon. Hiding the murder weapon usually isn't done in their own living place."

"When we previously examined the injury on Xu Pan's back of the head, we found that the wound was flat. If it were caused by a sharp stone, the wound should be concave. Only a smooth object would cause a flat wound. Now, it's Steward Ma's turn to continue to quibble."

Steward Ma said with a complex expression: "There's no need to quibble anymore. This lord is just playing cat and mouse. If I continue to quibble, I'll only make a fool of myself."

As the steward of the Xu Manor, he was aware of the official procedure for handling cases. In fact, they only needed to suspect him to arrest him and torture him, and he didn't believe he could withstand torture.

Moreover, his words had too many loopholes, and continuing to quibble was meaningless.

"Then speak!"

Xie Weilou looked at Steward Ma.

Steward Ma looked at Zhang Yun, who was pale as ashes beside him, and was silent for a second: "The master's health was not good. Half a month ago, he started sleeping in a separate room from his wife. Last night, he happened to see me and his wife... He suddenly went mad and tried to strangle his wife. In my desperation, I picked up a vase and killed him. The scarf on his wife's neck was something I hastily gave her to cover the ligature marks on her neck."

"What about the Water Ghost?"

Xie Weilou continued to ask.

Steward Ma shook his head and said: "There was no Water Ghost. That was Lu Zhao, the guard, whom I had impersonate it, in order to create a scene of the Water Ghost committing the crime. I originally thought it would at most be a minor oversight, but I didn't expect it to be full of holes."

"Steward Ma, it was actually you two."

Some people from the Xu Manor glared at Steward Ma and Madam Xu. These adulterous scoundrels, not only did they have an affair, but they also murdered the master. They truly deserved to die a thousand deaths.

Steward Ma and Madam Xu lowered their heads, their faces pale as ashes.

"Go call Lu Zhao over."

Xie Weilou glanced around.

"This humble one is already here."

A man dressed in a grey robe, wearing a mask, leaning on a crutch, and with only one leg, walked in. Despite his limp, he possessed martial prowess and was the most formidable guard in the Xu family.