Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 84 - 83: Something Fishy

Seeing that they were getting closer and closer to the embroidery tower, Zhu Yu turned around to ask Cao Chenfeng, "When you first met Miss Zhuang, was it on a boat like this passing through the river?"

Cao Chenfeng, looking at the embroidery tower again, found himself devoid of any romantic feelings, only feeling terrified. But now Zhu Yu was the only one who might prove his innocence, so he couldn’t be negligent.

So he forced himself to nod: "Yes, the first time I saw her was not far from here, a bit closer to that embroidery tower.

That day she called to me from the tower, saying her handkerchief had flown down and landed in the river, asking me to help her find it..."

"You said that day you helped her fetch the handkerchief. She called to you first, right?" Zhu Yu interrupted him. "You didn’t just happen to be passing below the embroidery tower and saw the handkerchief fall?"

"No." Cao Chenfeng shook his head, denying it. "I was merely passing by the embroidery tower that day and was a stranger to her. Why would I ask the boatman to row the boat beneath someone else’s embroidery tower?

She called to me from the tower, asking for help, and... I was momentarily confused and asked the boatman to row the boat over to help her find the handkerchief. It took quite a while to find it in the water."

As expected, Zhu Yu knew this would be the outcome.

The embroidery tower was located on a bank of Jiangyang. The river water sparkled brightly in the sunlight, and the handkerchief was not easily seen by passing boats unless it first caught the attention of someone on board.

Zhu Yu stood at the bow of the boat looking toward the embroidery tower. If Cao Chenfeng wasn’t lying, he passed through the river’s middle, not close to the Jiangyang shore. It would have been more troublesome to have someone row over to retrieve it than to have a servant jump into the river to fetch it.

And from the middle of the river, for someone on the embroidery tower to clearly see if a person on a boat was tall and handsome... Zhu Yu was skeptical.

However, these details weren’t important now, nor were they directly related to determining if Cao Chenfeng was the real murderer, so no need to delve into them at this juncture.

Soon, the boat reached below the embroidery tower and gradually approached the shore.

The government officers of the Jingzhao Mansion removed the seals and opened the gate to invite Zhu Yu and the others in. Zhuang Zhi followed behind, tears streaming as if seeing the familiar embroidery tower reminded him of his daughter’s tragic death, stirring his most painful memories.

The courtyard of the embroidery tower wasn’t large. After entering, Zhu Yu looked around, seeing a few small rooms below with a staircase leading straight up.

"Boss Zhuang, don’t cry right now. Who usually lives in this embroidery tower?" Zhu Yu asked Zhuang Zhi.

Zhuang Zhi could tell her tone wasn’t particularly polite, lacking sympathy for his deceased daughter. Coupled with her efforts to prove Cao Chenfeng’s innocence, he felt deeply unhappy, a flash of anger in his tear-reddened eyes, but he dared not show it.

"Usually, only a few maids and servants serve my daughter here." He wiped away tears and replied, "Upstairs is my daughter Lanlan’s boudoir. The maids and servants live below. The small kitchen and such are also downstairs.

I originally wanted her to peacefully study embroidery and virtue here, hoping she could marry well in the future. But... it turned into this outcome..."

Tearfully responding, Zhuang Zhi looked up at the embroidery tower before covering his face and crying again.

After hearing who lived in the embroidery tower, Zhu Yu had no further remarks, allowing Zhuang Zhi to cry alone. She stepped past him and headed upstairs, signaling to the government officials behind: "Cao Chenfeng should stay below, he doesn’t need to come up.

Boss Zhuang, you also stay back. No need to revisit painful memories by being there."

The governmental officials quickly stopped Zhuang Zhi, who was about to follow. Zhuang Zhi paused, hearing Zhu Yu’s words, could only nod and continued to sob aside.

The upper level of the embroidery tower had an outer corridor providing a view of the river scenery. Opening the bedroom door, it was quite spacious inside, filled with usual women’s boudoir items, nothing short of painting desks, embroidery frames, and musical instruments like guqin and pipa.

Clearly, Zhuang Zhi genuinely intended to groom his daughter as a sought-after match, putting in considerable effort.

In the bedroom, there were two windows on the wall forming an angle with the outer corridor. Zhu Yu headed straight for them, opening both.

From the windows, just like the corridor, one could see the roaring river below.

Zhu Yu stood by the window, gazing down and seeing the two boats at the riverbank. One was the one they just rode on, and the other had just docked, with people cautiously helping Duke Yan off the boat.

Despite his usual sharp and capable appearance, the old duke was being supported off the boat, his demeanor and steps showing an aged air.

Zhu Yu turned around, scrutinizing everything in the room with the light coming through the window.

At first glance, the room seemed entirely orderly. If not for the ochre stain on the floor beside the bed indicating a crime occurred here, it would seem as if Miss Zhuang merely stepped out and could return anytime.

Zhu Yu walked directly to the bedside, bending down to look at the dried bloodstain on the floor. The edges were clean, clearly showing that Zhuang Lanlan had fallen without any struggle, killed with one blow. Blood flowed from the wound, spreading on the floor beneath her, until the blood in her body ceased streaming.

After looking for a while, Zhu Yu suddenly stepped aside and squatted down.

"Is there something amiss?" Lu Qing followed without haste, seeing her squatting with her head tilted, peering at a spot on the floor illuminated by the light, careful not to block her light as he asked.

Zhu Yu, having scrutinized carefully, carefully used her middle and thumb to measure something without touching the floor. "Prince, there’s a bloody footprint here."

Lu Qing bent down like her, tilting his head. With the dim light, a barely noticeable footprint appeared near the dried bloodstain, almost blending with the dark wooden floor.

"Someone, bring a sheet of paper and a bowl of water." Lu Qing turned around and instructed a nearby government official.

The government official hurried to fetch the items, soon handing them over.

Lu Qing took the bowl, held a mouthful of water, and when it was warm, sprayed it over the inconspicuous footprint on the floor.

A fine mist evenly spread over the bloody footprint, and Lu Qing handed the paper to Zhu Yu, who carefully placed it on top. After some effort, they finally obtained a clear footprint impression.