Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 10 The Disappearing Teacup

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was in an uproar, and they looked at the servant with great suspicion.

Lin Zhiqing gave Aunt Mu a look, and Aunt Mu understood and took advantage of the chaos to sneak out.

Lu Huai narrowed his eyes, glanced at Aunt Mu's back, and did not say anything. Instead, he looked at Xiao Cui.

Xiao Cui was already at a loss as to what to do because of this sudden incident, and when she was looked at like this by outsiders, she suddenly felt ashamed for not managing her own yard well.

But this shame quickly turned into anger: "The young lady has treated you well, so please tell me what's going on with this tea set?"

The servant shuddered and knelt down suddenly. "Miss Zhiqing, this rhinoceros-skin lacquer tea set originally consisted of five pieces. I've been working in this courtyard for five years. You must make the decision for me!"

As he spoke, he kept kowtowing, and blood immediately appeared on his head.

When the people around saw this situation, there was a bit more pity in their eyes.

But Lin Zhiqing didn't buy it. She didn't respond and just watched the boy crying quietly.

Her eyes were clear, seemingly calm but also very sharp, as if everyone's disguise was exposed in front of him.

As time passed, the boy's crying and shouting gradually subsided, and he said fewer words.

No one knew what Lin Zhiqing was keeping secret, but she was reluctant to speak and no one dared to raise any objections.

Even Lu Huai was waiting leisurely.

But they didn't have to wait long before Aunt Mu's voice came from outside the door: "Miss, I found the remaining rhinoceros lacquer tea sets."

As soon as these words were spoken, the servant was the first to react.

His body suddenly straightened up and he swallowed subconsciously.

Lin Zhiqing glanced at him and called Aunt Mu in.

Aunt Mu walked in, holding a rhinoceros-skin lacquer teacup and a saucer, amidst the mixed looks of the crowd.

After Aunt Mu placed the tea set on the table, Lu Huai looked at it with great interest, while Lin Zhiqing stood up and stood in front of the servant.

She was thin, but in the eyes of everyone, she gave off an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Under this feeling of oppression, the boy soon couldn't hold on any longer.

All the strength in his body seemed to be drained away, and he slumped to the ground helplessly: "Miss Zhiqing, my old mother was diagnosed with hysteria, and I really have no money, so..."

Having said this, he seemed to have thought of something and burst into tears with genuine emotion.

When everyone heard this, their expressions were moved.

Only Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai remained expressionless.

"How many teacups are there in this rhinoceros-skin lacquer tea set?" Lin Zhiqing's voice was very calm.

Without a second thought, the servant held up three fingers and said, "Miss Zhiqing, I only had these evil thoughts because I was desperate. You must believe me!"

As soon as these words were spoken, before Lin Zhiqing could express his opinion, the short maid spoke up indignantly, "Everyone in this mansion knows that the young lady has been poisoned. You might have stolen the poisoned tea set, which is why the mansion doctor couldn't diagnose the source of the poison."

As soon as she said this, everyone immediately thought of the reason why Lin Zhiqing gathered them here.

For a moment, the crowd that had just felt sympathy for the servant changed their tone and began to speculate wildly. The servant had not expected that he was involved in the poisoning case, and immediately shook his head to deny that he had anything to do with the poisoning.

But two fists cannot fight four hands, and his excuses were quickly drowned out by the spit of those people.

Following everyone's lead, Xiao Cui also believed that the person who poisoned her young lady was the servant, and she urged Lin Zhiqing to make a decision.

Lin Zhiqing shook his head slightly and turned to look at Lu Huai: "What do you think?"

There was a smile in her eyes and she looked relaxed.

Lu Huai shrugged and looked at the servant, but his gaze only stayed on him for a few seconds before he looked at the short maid again.

The maidservant didn't seem to expect anyone to notice her, and she didn't have time to hide the gloating expression on her face.

Lu Huai raised his eyebrows and said to her bluntly, "Tell me, how many teacups are there in that rhinoceros lacquer tea set?"

Hearing this, the short maid swallowed her saliva and said, "Master Lu, I am only responsible for the miscellaneous matters in the courtyard. This tea set is not my responsibility."

"Among these chores, is serving tea or water included?" Lu Huai didn't even blink.

The short maid paused for a moment before nodding.

Xiao Cui was confused and couldn't help asking, "Master Lu, this maid is only responsible for miscellaneous tasks on weekdays. Could it be that she is related to my young lady's affairs?"

Lu Huai didn't answer, but stood up and walked to the maid: "There are two rhinoceros hide lacquer teacups on the table. The servant has a rhinoceros hide lacquer teacup. I guess you have a teacup with poison."

"What...what, Mr. Lu, please stop slandering me!" Before the others could recover from Lu Huai's words, the short maidservant retorted sharply.

Lu Huai slowly shook his head: "The tea stains on the table are small. It's clearly not the result of a teacup being deliberately knocked over. Instead, it looks more like it was dropped on the floor while cleaning up."

"And you've been nagging that boy just now, clearly trying to lead us to identify him as the murderer and thus remove yourself from suspicion."

Lu Huai's words surprised Lin Zhiqing. She thought Lu Huai didn't notice the tea stains on the table, but she didn't interrupt him and looked at the short maid.

The short maid's face showed a panic, but before she could argue, Lu Huai pointed at her feet: "There is a small tea stain on the back of your shoe."

The short maid was startled, and then quickly looked at her shoes.

The others also looked in the direction Lu Huai pointed.

Lin Zhiqing quickly noticed the tea stain, which she had not noticed before.

Lu Huai was more perceptive than she had originally thought. He could detect everything, from the tea stains on the ground to the flaws on the maid's body.

More importantly, he remained calm when he obtained these clues, and Lin Zhiqing thought he had not observed carefully at all.

After hearing what Lu Huai said, the maid fell to her knees with a plop: "Miss Zhiqing, I really don't know what Master Lu is talking about. I didn't poison you!"

"I was flying a kite and was thirsty. I happened to meet the nanny who was cleaning the room, so I asked her for a cup of tea. This tea stain must have been accidentally got on me at that time!" She spoke quickly with a somewhat forced smile on her face.

But there are no wrinkles at the corners of her eyes when she smiles.

The corrugator supercilii muscle is located between the frontalis muscle and the orbicularis oculi muscle, close to the brow. When it contracts, it can pull the eyebrows inward and downward, and create a small longitudinal groove on the nose.

This means that this person is most likely lying!

(End of this chapter)