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The area outside the Heavenly Music House was crowded with onlookers.
The fact that so many people were attracted during the big New Year celebration showed that something big must have happened inside.
Several official carriages from the local authorities were parked nearby, displaying emblems from both the Jingzhao Office and the Ministry of Justice.
The involvement of two major government offices raised Gu Jiao's assessment of the incident by another level.
"Hey, old sir, what's happening at the Heavenly Music House?"
A young man who had arrived around the same time as Gu Jiao politely inquired to a middle-aged man standing nearby.
The middle-aged man stretched his neck to peer inside the Heavenly Music House. When he failed to see anything, he sighed disappointingly, then turned to the young man and said, "I heard someone died!"
"Di-died?" The young man was startled! Using that word during the New Year was too ominous. It took him a while before he could say the entire word.
"Who... died?" The young man asked.
After saying it once, saying it the second time didn't seem as difficult.
Gu Jiao hadn't paid much attention to their conversation initially. However, she overheard the middle-aged man saying, "Heavenly Music House's top courtesan!"
If she remembered correctly, the top courtesan at the Heavenly Music House seemed to be Mo Qianxue.
Gu Jiao had only met Mo Qianxue a few times. The first time, Mo Qianxue had told her the whereabouts of the assassin targeting the Emperor. The second time, Mo Qianxue revealed that the owner of the Heavenly Music House was a woman.
Afterward, when she visited the Heavenly Music House again, she was informed that Mo Qianxue had left on orders.
Since then, she had left the capital.
Could something have really happened to Mo Qianxue?
Having been away for just three months, there was already a sense of everything changing in the capital.
Gu Jiao circled around to the side entrance of the Heavenly Music House and easily leaped inside.
The courtyard wall of the Heavenly Music House was higher than usual. If it were three months ago, Gu Jiao might have had to put in some effort to climb it. However, now it was almost effortless.
It seemed the three months fighting at the border weren't wasted, especially the battle with Tian Lang, which had brought out a significant portion of her latent potential.
She was confident she had recovered more than thirty percent of her original strength.
Gu Jiao traversed a corridor adorned with red lanterns and followed the sound to the back door of the main hall.
The main hall was packed with people from the Heavenly Music House and official investigators who had come to handle the case. Gu Jiao glanced at the nearby Wutong tree, climbed it without any change in expression, and found an excellent vantage point to sit and observe.
She saw a dead body covered in white cloth lying on the ground. Several servant girls knelt beside it, weeping inconsolably. Among them was a servant girl Gu Jiao had seen by Mo Qianxue's side. contemporary romance
Gu Jiao couldn't recall her name, but she was certain she was one of Mo Qianxue's trusted servants.
"Miss... Miss..."
She wailed while leaning over the body.
The magistrate furrowed his brow and said, "All right. Stop crying. Cooperate with our investigation and let’s find out the killer who murdered your mistress as soon as possible, so your miss can rest in peace."
The servant girl lifted her head from the dead body and pointed towards some of the girls from the Heavenly Music House, "It's her! She killed my miss!"
From Gu Jiao's angle, she couldn't see who the servant girl was accusing, but as soon as the person spoke, Gu Jiao recognized the voice.
"Your mouth can eat anything! But don't let it spout random nonsense! Did you see me killing Sister Qianxue with your own eyes?!"
It was Hua Xiyao.
She held a certain status in the Heavenly Music House but was never comparable to Mo Qianxue.
Gu Jiao remembered that one incident where Hua Xiyao brought her to her room and tried to give her a type of aphrodisiac that actually had no effect on her. As a result, Mo Qianxue arrived and publicly slapped Hua Xiyao.
The servant girl sobbed as she accused, "It's you! I heard it with my own ears!"
Hua Xiyao didn't even lift her eyelids, "And what did you hear?"
The servant girl glared at her furiously. "I heard you say you would kill my miss! It wasn't just me. Hongyu and the others heard it too! If you don't believe it, let the officials ask them!"
The magistrate and Assistant Minister Li from the Ministry of Justice looked at the other girls who were all pressing their handkerchiefs against their faces, unable to refute the claim.
It seemed they had indeed heard something.
The two officials exchanged a glance.
"Humph. So what if I said it? Can't I even say that much?" Hua Xiyao sneered.
The servant girl turned to the magistrate and Assistant Minister Li. "Lords! It really was her!"
The magistrate asked, "Did you witness her kill your miss?"
"I... I didn't." The servant girl lowered her head.
Hua Xiyao chuckled wantonly.
The magistrate furrowed his brow. Officials shouldn't let emotions influence their investigations, but Hua Xiyao's attitude was quite audacious.
He turned to her. "When did you say such things, and why?"
Hua Xiyao glanced at her handkerchief and casually replied, "About two days ago. Mo Qianxue always bullies others because she's the top courtesan at the Heavenly Music House."
The servant girl shouted, "You're lying! My miss wouldn't do that!"
Hua Xiyao coldly looked at her. "Lord is questioning me, not you."
The servant girl was so angry that her face turned red. free.c om
Hua Xiyao continued, "Mo Qianxue wanted my rouge, but when I refused, she tried to forcefully take it. I warned her, saying that the owner was gone, who would support her now? As a result, she injured me. If you don't believe it, the Lords can take a look."
As Hua Xiyao spoke, she raised her left sleeve, revealing a bruised fair wrist and arm.
Officials should not stare inappropriately. Examining injuries was the job of specialized investigators and physicians.
However, they weren't present at the moment.
Assistant Minister Li and the magistrate quickly averted their gaze.
The magistrate cleared his throat and waved his hand. "Alright, alright."
Hua Xiyao leisurely pulled down her sleeve. "She left me injured like this. I only made a few harsh remarks, saying that sooner or later, I'd kill her. But Lords, she died before I even make a move."
The servant girl couldn't take it anymore. "You're still making excuses! Not only did you kill my miss, but you're also trying to tarnish her reputation! My miss wouldn't even touch your rouge!"
Hua Xiyao confidently stated, "If you don't believe it, go and check. Is there a box of Magnolia Pavilion rouge in your miss’s trousseau? I bought it personally from the Magnolia Pavilion. The shop owner knows it well. Take the rouge and ask; see if it's the one I bought! Don't say your miss bought it herself. You know whether she ever bought a Magnolia Pavilion rouge, and the shop owner knows too!"
The servant girl was momentarily unable to refute and stammered, "But, but aside from you, who would hate my miss enough to destroy her body like this?"
Hua Xiyao waved the handkerchief in her hand and mockingly remarked, "How would I know who your mistress offended outside?"
The servant girl was so enraged that she almost rushed forward to tear her apart!
The magistrate looked at Hua Xiyao again and asked, "What did you mean by saying the owner of Heavenly Music House is gone?"
Hua Xiyao hesitated for a moment before she replied, "...Our owner is dead."
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