On the street.
Su Wu Ming, Lu Ling Feng, Guo Zhuang, Pei Xi Jun, and Ying Tao stood together.
They gazed at the massive Ma Mansion.
Su Wu Ming said, "We're all on the same page. This Ma Mansion is full of inconsistencies. Ying Tao—"
Ying Tao immediately understood: "Understood."
She quickly took a few steps forward,
approaching an old man setting up a stall on the street.
"Good day, sir. I have a few young servants to sell to a good family. I hear that the Ma Mansion on this street is quite wealthy. Is that true?"
Ying Tao asked this while
Su Wu Ming and Lu Ling Feng discussed the matter nearby.
Su Wu Ming said, "According to you, this massive Ma Mansion, with such a vast stable, yet no maids in sight? It's quite strange! This old man has been running his business here for years, he must know something. Let's see what he says."
However,
the old man chuckled, "Ma'am, you've come to the right person. The lady of this Ma Mansion is kind-hearted, and she treats her servants well. Just the other day, she gave the whole house a day off. She's looking for a skilled horsewoman. You've come to the right place."
Ying Tao thanked him with a smile and turned to leave.
Unbeknownst to her,
after she turned away,
the old man silently glanced at the string of cash under his stall.
Next,
Ying Tao asked several other people.
The answers were mostly the same: the Ma Mansion had servants and maids, but they were all on leave that day.
Upon receiving this conclusion,
Su Wu Ming and Lu Ling Feng exchanged glances.
Both thought simultaneously: Is it really that coincidental?
They both decided, without consulting each other, to investigate the Ma Mansion again.
Knock, knock!
The grand door of the Ma Mansion was knocked upon.
However,
when they saw who opened the door,
they were all stunned.
Lu Ling Feng: "Wang Lin?"
Guo Zhuang: "Wang Shao Qing!"
Pei Xi Jun: "Greetings to the talented Wang!"
Ying Tao, looking at Wang Lin, tall and handsome, didn't know whether to greet him or not.
To greet him felt awkward, as they were not acquainted.
To remain silent would be rude.
It was said that
noble young masters from prestigious families placed great importance on etiquette and honor!
Thus, she was momentarily stumped.
Su Wu Ming, however,
adopted a very humble posture: "Su Wu Ming pays respects to Wang Shao Qing!"
He had to be humble.
First,
Wang Lin was from the Langya Wang clan, a renowned noble family. Although they had declined since the Sui and Tang dynasties, a withered camel was still larger than a horse! He, a commoner, could not simply bump into them.
Second,
he was not only handsome, but also extremely talented, destined to leave his name in history. He was a model scholar!
Third,
he held a high official position!
And for now, Su Wu Ming had to address him as a superior.
Fourth,
he had just saved his junior disciple, Lu Ling Feng, making him Lu Ling Feng's benefactor!
Wang Lin waved his hand: "What a coincidence. I just arrived myself. Come in. After hearing Lu Ling Feng's account of the case last night, I immediately sensed something was off about this Ma Mansion. So, I came here to investigate as quickly as possible."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Madame Ma appeared in the mansion.
She waved her hand: "Is it the Dali Temple here to investigate? I've instructed the servants to prepare some food. Come in, come in."
Soon,
they filed into the mansion.
Along the way,
many maids could be seen darting through the courtyards and stables.
...
After finishing dinner,
Wang Lin wiped his mouth and gave Madame Ma a look.
Madame Ma smiled slightly: "Then I'll excuse myself."
After taking a sip of tea,
Wang Lin said slowly, "I've inquired, and the Ma Mansion was robbed the night Sun Wang was killed. Furthermore, there's a trail of footprints below the wall facing the street. I believe they belong to Sun Wang."
"Oh?"
Guo Zhuang, sensing the opportunity, immediately ran out: "I'll go take a look."
Soon,
Madame Ma reappeared, dressed in a finely embroidered dress with a seductive makeup style, back at the dining table.
Her beautiful and graceful appearance
drew the three men's eyes, who were momentarily unable to look away.
However, this made Ying Tao and Pei Xi Jun anxious.
Before the two women could react,
Lu Ling Feng slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "That lipstick, that fragrance... It's the black ointment!"
"Some time ago, someone sent Madame Ma a lipstick, that's right, the black ointment. Madame Ma didn't know what it was, but she saw that it was the most luxurious product among the noble ladies in Chang'an. Women naturally love beauty, so she applied it. However, while wiping it off, the black ointment accidentally spilled and stained her underwear."
While Wang Lin was speaking,
Madame Ma produced a piece of underwear stained with dirt, along with the overturned black ointment dish.
"Let's go back to the day of the incident. Sun Wang, a year ago, followed someone to the Ma Mansion for a horse's medical treatment. After that, he became fixated on Madame Ma's beauty and harassed her repeatedly, until he was mysteriously beaten and left with a broken leg."
"However, that night, Sun Wang, drunk, remained obsessed with Madame Ma."
"He came to the Ma Mansion, intending to attack Madame Ma!"
"But this time, he miscalculated."
"Because he encountered the returning Ma Xiong!"
These words struck like a thunderbolt.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Lu Ling Feng: "Ma Xiong? The General Ma? Isn't he stationed in the Anxi Army?"
Su Wu Ming: "Brother Wang, since you say so, do you have any evidence?"
Wang Lin: "Evidence? ... The lipstick should have been sent by Ma Xiong. If I'm not mistaken, the black ointment was purchased from the Western Regions by Ma Xiong. If it's from the Western Regions, its ingredients must be different from Chang'an black ointment. Ask Old Fei, it should be easy to find out."
At this moment,
Guo Zhuang hurried back, out of breath.
"My lords, there are footprints under the wall. I rushed to the morgue and compared them carefully with the footprints of the Music Officer Sun Wang. They're exactly the same size!"
Hearing this,
everyone looked at Wang Lin.
Guo Zhuang echoed what everyone was thinking: "You are truly a divine being, Sir!"
Wang Lin smiled and waved his hand, continuing to speak:
"Last night, Sun Wang scaled the wall and intended to commit an indecent act upon Madame Ma. He went to Madame Ma's bedroom, but he couldn't find her. However, he saw the underwear and undergarments on the bed."
"So, Sun Wang, overjoyed, took the underwear and continued to look for Madame Ma."
"But then, he encountered Ma Xiong, who was looking for his horse, in the courtyard!"
"Ma Xiong, seeing Sun Wang like that, was furious. He leapt onto his horse and killed Sun Wang!"
"As for why the body was found in the marketplace instead of the Ma Mansion..."
"I guess Ma Xiong disguised himself as a horse, which must have taken some effort."
"That's right. The Mo Dao General, with his extraordinary martial arts skills. Lu Ling Feng, what have you realized?"
Lu Ling Feng, as if suddenly realizing the truth, said, "That Demon King is Ma Xiong! That Demon King's mount, the Chimera, is actually the horse he disguised as!!"
These words,
logical and convincing,
revealed the whole truth.
However,
Su Wu Ming frowned: "May I ask, Madame Ma, where were you on the night Sun Wang was killed? Such a significant event, how could you not know?"