Chapter 91: Silk Threads

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Yunyi and Jiang Caiping rose early and headed toward the dance hall. As they passed a pavilion, they noticed a crowd gathered there, pointing and murmuring about something. A few people covered their faces in fear and backed away. Curious, Jiang Caiping tugged Yunyi over. Upon approaching, they realized the object of attention was the lifeless body of a small dog lying on its back on the grass. Its limbs were twisted unnaturally, and its belly had been slashed open, exposing its internal organs. Fortunately, it was winter, so there were no flies or insects swarming around—otherwise, the scene would have been even more grotesque.

Jiang Caiping hadn’t expected such a horrifying sight and recoiled in shock. “Who left this here?”

The bystanders shook their heads. “We don’t know. We just arrived and found the dog dead like this, its belly cut open. Who could be so cruel?”

Sunshi timidly asked, “Does anyone know if someone in the residence owned a dog like this?” After being expelled from the governor’s residence by Li Shimin and falling ill herself, she had become much more fearful, barely daring to speak loudly.

The crowd exchanged glances, all shaking their heads. After a moment, someone recalled something. “I remember yesterday Fifth Young Master was searching for a dog in the back garden. Could this be it?”

Zhang Chenyue hesitated. “Surely not. Who would dare harm a dog brought back by Fifth Young Master? Would they have the guts of a tiger or leopard?”

The person ventured cautiously, “Or… should we invite Fifth Young Master over to take a look?”

“What are you all looking at?” A soft voice sounded from behind them. Turning around, they saw Ji Rong. Zhang Chenyue hurried over to support her. “Sister, aren’t you still unwell? Why have you come out?”

Ji Rong smiled faintly. “After resting overnight, I feel better. I haven’t practiced dancing for a while, so I thought I’d go to the music hall. But as soon as I got here, I saw all of you gathered.”

Before Zhang Chenyue could stop her, Ji Rong leaned forward to look.

“Ahh!” Ji Rong let out a startled cry and took several steps back, horrified. “How… how could this happen?”

Zhang Chenyue shook her head. “Sister, you’re unwell. Don’t look at this. Let me help you to the music hall.”

Just as Ji Rong was about to agree, her expression suddenly changed. She pushed Zhang Chenyue aside and rushed to the dog’s corpse, muttering, “This fur color… Could it be… No, it can’t be.”

Zhang Chenyue heard her clearly and quickly asked, “Sister, do you recognize this dog?”

Ignoring her, Ji Rong stared intently at the corpse. After a long moment, she trembled and said, “Chenyue, hurry and fetch Fifth Young Master from Yuxiu Pavilion.”

Her words shocked everyone. Even Jiang Caiping couldn’t help but ask, “You mean this is the dog Fifth Young Master lost?”

Ji Rong’s expression was grave. “Yesterday, when I passed through the back garden, I saw Fifth Young Master searching for a dog and asked him about its appearance. The fur color and size match this one—it must be correct.” Urging Zhang Chenyue, who was still frozen in place, into action, the latter finally snapped out of it and hurried to Yuxiu Pavilion.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a figure rushed over—it was Li Zhiyun, followed by Lady Wan and others.

When he saw the dog’s corpse in the grass, Li Zhiyun froze. It was Ah Mu—really Ah Mu. He knelt down, trembling as he cradled the cold, tiny body, calling out softly, “Ah Mu, Ah Mu,” tears streaming down his face.

Ah Mu was a gift from his master, meant to keep him company during lonely days on the mountain. Ah Mu was very close to him, always rushing over to lick his feet whenever he called. This time, he had brought Ah Mu back with him, unwilling to leave it behind on the mountain. Who would have thought that after just one day…

He abruptly looked up, his expression fierce. “Who did this! Who killed Ah Mu?”

Sunshi and the others trembled, frantically shaking their heads. At that moment, Lady Wan arrived, and everyone quickly bowed. Li Zhiyun held Ah Mu’s small corpse and said sorrowfully, “Mother, someone… someone killed Ah Mu.”

Lady Wan gently stroked Li Zhiyun’s head and spoke softly, “I see, my child. Rest assured, Mother will find the culprit who killed Ah Mu.” As she spoke, she ran her hand over Ah Mu’s frightening corpse. When she touched the right hind leg, her expression shifted slightly. She then examined the remaining three legs, finding them similarly broken.

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, her eyes caught sight of a few thin peacock-blue silk threads tangled between Ah Mu’s right front paw claws. Carefully extracting them, she examined them closely in the winter light, then swept her gaze over Yunyi and the others. Her voice grew icy. “Who discovered this first?”

A woman beside Yunyi stepped forward timidly. “Esteemed Lady, I was the first to notice.” Before Lady Wan could question her further, she hastily added, waving her hands, “But I swear I didn’t kill Ah Mu! When we arrived, it was already dead. It has nothing to do with us. Please believe me, esteemed Lady!”

The woman pointed to another girl, who quickly nodded. “Yes, it was already dead when we arrived. It’s not our fault, esteemed Lady. Please investigate thoroughly.”

Lady Wan ignored their pleas and simply asked, “How do you know this is Zhiyun’s dog?”

Ji Rong stepped forward. “Esteemed Lady, yesterday I overheard Fifth Young Master mention Ah Mu’s appearance. It matches this corpse closely. That’s why I asked Chenyue to fetch Fifth Young Master. I hoped it wouldn’t be his dog, but alas…” She sighed deeply, shaking her head.

Lady Wan summoned Zhaixing. “Go inform Aunty Yang that today’s dance practice is canceled. Also, send for Aunty Fang.”

The women could understand Lady Wan’s first instruction—given that Fifth Young Master’s dog had been killed, it was reasonable to detain them until the matter was resolved. But why summon Aunty Fang, who managed the embroidery room? What did she have to do with Ah Mu’s death?

Only those with sharp minds—and those who had noticed Lady Wan extracting the silk threads from Ah Mu’s claws—guessed her intentions. Yunyi was among them. However, her thoughts went deeper. Those peacock-blue silk threads… they looked so familiar, almost like…

She quickly glanced at Ji Rong, whose eyes were lowered, revealing nothing. Yet the more Yunyi thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. In a low voice, she began, “Caiping, you…”

Before she could continue, Lady Wan noticed her and spoke sharply. “Do you have something to say that I shouldn’t hear?”

Yunyi swallowed her words and replied instead, “Esteemed Lady, I merely noticed you standing for a long time and thought you might tire. I wanted Caiping to bring a chair from nearby.”

Lady Wan’s lips curved slightly in a faint smile. “How considerate of you. But there’s no need for trouble—the pavilion offers seating.” After a pause, she added, “Last time, you accompanied Second Young Master to paint snow lotuses on the mountain, yes?” When Yunyi nodded, she continued coolly, “To be favored by Second Young Master suggests your painting skills are extraordinary. I must see them for myself someday.”

“Second Young Master flatters me. Meixue is truly honored. My painting skills are rudimentary and unworthy of esteemed Lady’s attention.”