Miss Truth
Chapter 86 - 54 Dream

Chapter 86: Chapter 54 Dream

The voice wasn’t Yin Miaomiao’s, but that did not completely rule her out as a suspect. The incident at the tea banquet seemed rightful at first glance, yet there were certain details that were peculiar—with Yin Miaomiao’s behavior being one of them.

Having learned these clues, an entire murder process was vaguely taking shape.

Someone was targeting Qin Silang. This person did not wish to kill him directly; rather, the aim was to ruin his reputation first, then to have him suffer in agony, despised by the world and ultimately executed for murder.

This person must have hated him, hatred for the Qin Family not excluded. Either Upper Assistant Qin had offended someone without providing them an opportunity to strike back, so they started by destroying his son step by step—after all, if Qin Musheng truly faced the charge of murder, Upper Assistant Qin’s political career would inevitably be implicated. Another possibility was that Qin Musheng had committed some outrageous and devastating act, thus warranting such revenge.

The murderer initially poisoned Han Shan with a slow-acting poison. The poisoner must have been someone who could often approach him and had a certain knowledge of poisons. Could that person be Cui Mei?

During the tea banquet at the Yin residence, Cui Mei conspired with an accomplice from the same household to frame Qin Silang, but was caught in the act by Wan Lu—which led to killing to silence her. What puzzled Ran Yan was that the Yin Family was known for their strict upbringing of their daughters, producing paragons of obedience and virtue with extremely conservative thinking. Why, then, would they allow a courtesan to enter and exit freely? If someone was collaborating with her, that person must hold a very high position in the Yin Family.

Yin Miaomiao had said that her maid, before dying, had been borrowed by Wei Niang to arrange the tea party two days prior. So, could the person collaborating with Cui Mei be Wei Niang?

Wei Niang was considered a semi-authority within the Yin household. If one wished to look into her background, it shouldn’t be difficult. Ran Yan had considered asking Qin Silang if he had offended anyone, but considering their absurd marriage agreement and the current phase of distancing their relations, another meeting might invite unnecessary trouble.

Ran Yan left Wan Lu’s room with a resolution to visit Inspector Liu early the next morning to share these clues, and to request an autopsy. She was a forensic doctor, not a professional detective; without a body, and merely with these inconclusive clues, it would be difficult for her to piece together the entire incident.

After taking a bath, Ran Yan returned to her bedroom, where Xing Niang helped her twist her hair. She then decided to open the gift from the Lu household that had arrived during the day, leaning against the round waisted cot.

As expected, the box contained a medical book titled "Extraordinary Meridians." In the modern era, Ran Yan had briefly studied this subject, and was thus not unfamiliar with extraordinary meridians. However, traditional medicine is vast and profound, and she dared not claim mastery. To merely skim the surface in ancient medical practice might allow her to muddle along, but this was not Ran Yan’s usual style.

In Great Tang, Ran Yan could not become a forensic doctor, but diligently learning medical skills would be beneficial and not harmful. She was determined to study traditional medicine seriously to add an extra layer of insurance for her survival in the ancient era. She knew the treatments for many difficult disorders from later times and understood the human body like the back of her hand, a definite advantage. Was it not a waste if she did not achieve some renown?

"Wife, you should rest early," Xing Niang said, noticing Ran Yan’s engrossment, and couldn’t help reminding her.

"Mm," Ran Yan hesitated for a moment before setting aside the medical books.

Xing Niang knew that Ran Yan would wake up from nightmares every night. She reached out to hold her delicate, cool hand, "Have no fear, wife. Your servant will sleep in the outer room."

Ran Yan felt warmth in her heart and patted Xing Niang’s hand, "It’s all right."

Xing Niang saw Ran Yan to her couch with a heart full of pity, glanced at her tenderly, placed the corner lamp outside the canopy, drew the bamboo curtain and the gauze drapes, and quietly retreated.

Reflecting, Xing Niang lamented how the original mistress had been extremely fragile but had grown tough inside and out, showing no sign of distress even with nightly nightmares. It was all pushed by the lord and the Gao family! As she thought of those two, Xing Niang’s teeth clenched in anger; Gao’s behavior could be overlooked, for few stepmothers were decent, but the lord was the wife’s biological father! Such a father truly chills the heart.

Even within Zheng of Xingyang, where political marriages dominated noble clan life, there were still traces of paternal affection.

The pitter-patter of light rain fell on the banana leaves outside the window like a lullaby. Listening to the sound of the rain, Ran Yan slowly drifted into a deep sleep.