Hearing this, Lin Hao's expression remained calm. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" Chief Jia raised an eyebrow, clearly dissatisfied with this answer.
"Princess Yi'an only came to buy floral water. Why did she run into the floral water shop after the incident occurred? Has Lord Jia asked Princess Yi'an for the reason?" Lin Hao asked in return.
"Princess Yi'an's emotions are currently very unstable. Certain questions must be verified through multiple sources; I hope Second Miss Lin understands." Chief Jia stared intently at Lin Hao, not missing a single change in her expression. "Princess Yi'an said there was a third person present at the time, but unfortunately, her mind was blurred and she did not see that person's face."
A third person?
Lin Hao and Qi Shuo exchanged a glance.
Chief Jia cleared his throat, interrupting their silent communication. "The reason I have come to ask Second Miss Lin for details is that Princess Yi'an mentioned a peculiar point: she smelled the scent of osmanthus on that person."
"Osmanthus?" Lin Hao frowned, her gaze sweeping across the shelves.
The shelves were divided into multiple levels of different heights. On one level, several bottles of fragrance were arranged neatly—it was precisely the newly arrived Muxixu.
Muxixu was steamed from osmanthus flowers; the scent of Muxixu was the scent of osmanthus.
"The floral water shop has just introduced Muxixu," Lin Hao said composedly. "Muxixu is a common fragrance in any floral water shop. If Lord Jia focuses his investigation on me, he is destined to waste his time."
Chief Jia cupped his hands. "It is not that I intend to make things difficult for Second Miss Lin, but this case is of great importance; not a single clue can be missed."
"Lord Jia, why don't we go to the teahouse and take a look together?" Qi Shuo suddenly spoke.
Chief Jia paused for a moment.
"We also hope the truth is uncovered quickly to restore Princess Yi'an's innocence."
Qi Shuo's words hit the mark for Chief Jia.
His superiors had specifically instructed him to do everything in his power to find the person mentioned by Princess Yi'an. The implication was that whether a third person existed or not, they had to be found regardless.
Chief Jia took Lin Hao and Qi Shuo to the teahouse.
Because such a major incident had occurred, the teahouse had ceased operations. Many bailiffs stood before the entrance to block curious citizens from approaching.
"It is this private room," the waiter leading them upstairs said, pointing to a door.
At Chief Jia's signal, the accompanying bailiffs stepped forward and opened the door.
The time from Princess Lingque's death to her discovery had been very short, meaning the scene had been under government control. To this day, the private room remained exactly as it was. As the door opened, a faint smell of blood wafted toward them.
On the tea table, on the chairs, on the floor—bloodstains were everywhere.
"Princess Lingque sat here, and Princess Yi'an sat here," the waiter pointed out their positions.
Chief Jia had already been here. Looking at the shapeless bloody footprints on the floor, he sighed, "Too many people entered at the time. Even if there were traces, they have been destroyed."
Qi Shuo did not respond to Chief Jia's words. Avoiding the chaotic footprints on the floor, he walked to the window.
This private room happened to be at the very edge. Two windows were open: one facing the street and the other facing a small alley. Looking out the window facing the street, one could see the curious onlookers and passing pedestrians.
Qi Shuo walked to the window facing the alley and observed for a moment before calling Chief Jia over. "Lord Jia, look. There is a lot of dust on both sides of the window frame, but at this specific spot, there are marks where it has been brushed away."
Chief Jia's expression shifted slightly. "Is the Heir saying that someone entered through this window?"
"That possibility cannot be ruled out."
"But if someone climbed through the window, wouldn't they have alerted the two princesses?" Chief Jia leaned out the window to look down and couldn't help but shake his head.
Jumping down from a height of two stories wasn't particularly difficult, but how did they get up?
Lin Hao sniffed gently. "Do you smell that?"
"What?" Chief Jia asked.
A light breeze blew, carrying a faint fragrance.
Qi Shuo uttered three words: "Osmanthus scent."
Chief Jia smelled it as well.
"Let's go outside and look," Qi Shuo said, turning to walk out.
Being inside the private room, their vision was inevitably limited.
The group left the teahouse and walked a few steps along the small alley before stopping. They looked up at the mottled perimeter wall.
The wall bricks bore the marks of time, with shallow moss growing in some places that felt slippery to the touch. What made them stop were the branches of an osmanthus tree protruding from inside the wall.
It was a Sweet Osmanthus tree nearly ten meters tall, lush with foliage and flowers like scattered stars. With every gust of wind, it sent a subtle fragrance to their noses—a scent much lighter than that of the Golden Osmanthus.
Before Lin Hao or Qi Shuo could say anything, Chief Jia had a suspicion. "Could that person have been hiding in this osmanthus tree?"
Qi Shuo looked up at the blue-tiled roof.
The height of the osmanthus tree exceeded the second story of the teahouse. If there truly were a third person, they could have used the tree to reach the roof, then hung upside down from the roof to enter the private room through the window. For someone with great agility, this would not be difficult to achieve.
Chief Jia immediately gathered the teahouse staff for questioning.
"From the moment the two princesses entered the teahouse until the incident occurred, who went to the backyard?"
Chief Jia's question caused the teahouse staff to look at one another in confusion.
The manager said hesitantly, "That was our busiest time. Too many people were going in and out of the back."
"Did any outsiders go there?" Qi Shuo asked.
The manager was stunned. "Outsiders?"
"The princesses' entry into the teahouse after leaving the floral water shop was random. If there was another killer who murdered Princess Lingque, the possibility that they happened to have the identity of a teahouse employee as cover is very small. It is more likely that they discovered the princesses had entered the teahouse and found an opportunity to slip in," Qi Shuo explained calmly.
Upon hearing this, the manager hurriedly denied it. "Certainly no outsiders entered. Outsiders are not allowed in the backyard."
"Manager, do not be so quick to deny it." Chief Jia strode toward a waiter and dragged him out.
The waiter was young. Being suddenly dragged out, he began to stutter. "L-L-Lord..."
"Do you know something?" Chief Jia asked coldly.
The waiter waved his hands frantically. "This humble citizen knows nothing—"
Chief Jia flew into a rage. "I noticed your expression was off just now, and yet you still refuse to admit it! I tell you, the Emperor is watching this case. Daring to conceal the truth is a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations!"
At the mention of the execution of nine generations, the waiter's legs went weak. He wept bitterly and said, "I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Chief Jia released his collar. "Speak."
"There... there was a guest who asked to use the restroom. I saw he was in a hurry, so I granted him the convenience..." The waiter fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing frantically. "This humble citizen really didn't know such a thing would happen! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!"
He didn't dare mention that he had taken money from the man, and to Chief Jia and the others, such a trivial detail didn't matter.
"Do you remember what the person looked like?" Qi Shuo asked.
The waiter nodded hurriedly. "I remember, I remember! That person was very thin—"
"Wait a moment." Qi Shuo interrupted him and said to the manager, "Please bring some brush and ink."
(End of Chapter)