East of Qingzhou Prefecture City, Li Yan's residence.
This residence could not be called a top-tier mansion, yet it had blue-brick walls and red tiles, with a plaque reading "Li Mansion" hanging above its vermilion-lacquered gates.
As expected of an official—it was far grander than an ordinary commoner's home.
The moment they entered the gates, they heard heart-rending sobs from the main hall. A woman in plain-colored skirts was sprawled over a table, weeping bitterly.
Her hair was disheveled and her eyes swollen red. She was Madam Zhang, Li Yan's second wife.
Li Yan's first wife had died of illness years ago. Madam Zhang was the wife he had married afterward.
She was around thirty.
Two maidservants in white stood beside her, clearly having already learned of Li Yan's death.
"Madam, please restrain your grief."
Captain Li stepped forward.
"We are Imperial Guard, ordered to investigate Clerk Li's case. There are some matters we would like to ask you about."
Madam Zhang raised her head and studied them through tear-blurred eyes. When she saw the conspicuous Flying Fish Robes, she abruptly came to her senses.
Her crying eased somewhat as she choked out,
"My husband... how could he just be gone like that? What was it you couldn't let go of? Without you, how am I supposed to live from now on?"
Faced with this situation, Su Fei spoke gently.
"Madam, Lord Li Yan may not necessarily have died by suicide. This case is of great importance. Please calm yourself and think carefully—has Clerk Li shown any unusual behavior recently?"
At those words, Madam Zhang froze.
She tried hard to steady her emotions for a while.
Su Fei took the opportunity to observe her.
Mm, she was genuinely grieving. There likely was no lover; Li Yan's death appeared to have nothing to do with her.
"Unusual behavior... let me think."
"Starting about half a year ago, my husband often said, 'If it is a blessing, it is no disaster; if it is a disaster, there is no hiding from it.' When I asked what had happened, he refused to say, only sighing again and again."
"And he often woke in the middle of the night to drink alone in his study. Sometimes he would just sit there in a daze. Several times, I heard him smashing things in the study. When I asked what was wrong, he only said it was nothing and told me not to meddle."
Su Fei's gaze tightened slightly.
"Did he ever mention having a grudge against anyone? Or did he have any particularly close friends?"
Madam Zhang shook her head.
"My husband had a good temper. Apart from working at the armory, he spent his days reading at home. I never heard of him offending anyone. Even when servants made mistakes, he could not bear to reprimand them harshly."
"As for friends, my husband often went drinking with Deputy Commander Zhao. Sometimes he would not return until midnight. Every time he came back, his expression was somewhat off, as if something weighed on his mind."
Captain Li raised an eyebrow.
"Zhao Feiying?"
"Were the two of them very close?"
Madam Zhang nodded.
"I suppose so."
"I do not know the details. They never discussed official business in front of me. Deputy Commander Zhao often came to visit, sometimes bringing tonics, saying my husband worked hard managing the armory. A few days ago, they even went drinking at Drunken Immortal Tower together. My husband was terribly drunk when he returned."
Su Fei swept his gaze across the main hall's furnishings before it landed on a landscape painting hanging on the wall—the edges of its scroll were somewhat worn.
It had clearly been touched often. He stepped closer and looked carefully. At the painting's inscription were three words: "A Gift from Feiying."
"Was this painting given by Deputy Commander Zhao?"
Following his gaze, Madam Zhang nodded.
"Yes. Deputy Commander Zhao gave it to him last month. He said my husband liked landscapes and had specially bought it."
Su Fei said,
"Thank you for telling us, Madam. We will not disturb you further. If you recall anything else, you may come to the Thousand Households Office and find us at any time."
As they left Li Mansion, Captain Li could not help saying,
"This Zhao Feiying truly has a problem. Li Yan was drinking with him only days before his death. Perhaps Zhao Feiying was the one who drove Li Yan to his death."
Su Fei stared toward the distant Qingzhou Army camp, his eyes profound.
"I believe so as well. This case cannot be separated from Zhao Feiying."
Next, Su Fei proposed taking a look around Li Yan's home to search for evidence.
How could Madam Zhang dare refuse a request from the Imperial Guard?
The God-tier Insight Technique activated on its own as Su Fei wandered about, stopping and starting.
He arrived at the small garden within Li Mansion.
The garden was not large, and it contained only ordinary trees and flowers.
Only an old servant stood there with shears, trimming branches and leaves.
Su Fei's gaze stopped beside a rosebush. Though the roses bloomed luxuriantly, the soil around its roots was unusually loose, several shades lighter than the surrounding earth.
It had clearly been disturbed recently.
"Old brother, are you responsible for all the flowers and plants here? How often do you turn the soil?"
Seeing Su Fei's Flying Fish Robe, the old servant did not dare be negligent.
"In reply to milord, this humble one is only responsible for pruning the flowers and plants. I have never taken part in matters such as digging up soil."
Su Fei stepped forward, gripped the rosebush by its stems with both hands, and with a slight exertion pulled out the entire plant, roots and all.
Beneath it was a palm-sized oilcloth pouch, its opening tied with hemp rope and firmly pressed beneath the roots.
"Commander Su, did you find something?"
Captain Li noticed the anomaly. Seeing the little pouch in Su Fei's hand, he immediately perked up.
Su Fei untied the hemp rope and poured out its contents. It was a folded sheet of hemp paper.
When he unfolded it, there was only a single line written in charcoal pencil, the handwriting somewhat scrawled.
One could see the turmoil in the writer's heart.
Number Sixty-Three, Fufang Street.
"Fufang Street?"
Captain Li frowned.
"That is an old street south of Qingzhou Prefecture City, filled with general stores and residences. There are quite a few outsiders there. How could it be connected to Li Yan?"
Holding the note, Su Fei found Madam Zhang. She took one look at it.
"The handwriting is indeed my husband's, but he never mentioned this address to me."
Su Fei turned to Captain Li.
"This address is definitely not an ordinary residence. There is most likely something there.
"Li Yan deliberately hid this address beneath the flowers before his death. He clearly feared someone would find it."
Captain Li nodded in agreement.
"That is right. Perhaps it hides some clue, or some important object."
Su Fei replanted the rosebush in the soil and made an immediate decision.
"Time waits for no one. Come, let us go take a look at Number Sixty-Three, Fufang Street."
Fufang Street lay at the southern end of Qingzhou Prefecture City. Once they arrived, low earthen houses lined both sides of the road.
Su Fei and Captain Li followed the house numbers until they found Number Sixty-Three, Fufang Street: it was a mourning hall.
The plaque read "Bai Family Mourning Hall." White lanterns hung outside, and there was not a soul at the entrance.
Su Fei raised his hand and knocked on the mourning hall's wooden door. The doorboard let out a dull creak, especially jarring in the silent old street.
After a moment, dragging footsteps sounded from inside, followed by the soft clink of a bolt being drawn.
"Who is it?"
An aged voice sounded. The wooden door slowly opened, revealing a face covered in wrinkles.
The old man wore a black robe, his hair white as frost and his eyes clouded. Yet when his gaze swept over the Flying Fish Robes on Su Fei and Captain Li, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Without giving anything away, Su Fei assessed him. His body appeared hunched, but his shoulders were steady and his steps light.
"So it is the honored officers of the Imperial Guard. May I ask what brings you here? This mourning hall only keeps corpses and sells coffins. This old man merely watches over bodies; I fear I cannot be of help to the Imperial Guard."
Su Fei noticed it.
The old man's voice carried a trace of tension.
Before you continue