Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Of the eleven Players present, two had yet to speak.

After the Third Young Master finished his statement, everyone’s eyes fell on Zheng Jueming and the Player acting as the Second Master.

“I’ll go first, then,” Zheng Jueming said, clearing his throat.

“On the night of the murder, I went to the Master’s courtyard, but it was very early on while the Master was still alive. Qin Nan said it was around eight o’clock, but when I went to see the Master, it wasn’t even dark yet. I sought him out regarding some financial matters within the family. After we finished talking, I went out to handle some business and returned directly to my own courtyard. That’s about it. I didn’t kill the Master, and besides, I have no motive for murder.” Zheng Jueming was a bit nervous, but his explanation was reasonably sound.

Finally, only the Second Master remained.

“That day, I went to my elder brother’s courtyard to find him. When I arrived, he was talking to Zheng Jueming, so I waited outside for a while. Later, an N-” The Second Master paused, swallowing his original word before continuing, “A maid. A maid told me that my brother wanted me to wait in the side hall. I thought about it and went. After that, I drank a cup of tea and seemed to black out. When I woke up again, I was already in my own room.” At this point, he looked somewhat aggrieved.

Qin Nan’s lips curled up slightly.

It seemed this person was the most pitiful of the lot.

He believed the man wasn’t lying; after all, no one else would likely have such an experience. He said he had fainted, but he had likely been drugged or knocked unconscious-he just didn’t know who the culprit was.

With that, the confession phase for the eleven Players concluded.

Next was the information-sharing phase.

Xia Zeqin was still the first to speak. He looked at Qin Nan and said, “I learned from an old woman in Father’s courtyard that on the night of the murder, Father had called me over to discuss business. While she thought it was me and Father talking in the room, Qin Nan had been there, lurking by the door and eavesdropping. She chased him away after spotting him. This point matches what Qin Nan said and what I discovered from the old woman. Although no one can prove whether the rest of what Qin Nan said is true or false, just for the fact that you could fairly and justly state that the person talking to Father in the room wasn’t me, I’ll believe you this time. The murderer who killed Father must be someone else.”

“What a coincidence. The clues I investigated are also related to you.” Qin Nan met Xia Zeqin’s gaze. “The servants in Xia Zeqin’s courtyard can verify his story; he has an alibi. Next is Xu Tian. The maid only saw her return to her room to rest, but she couldn’t be entirely certain if Xu Tian stayed there. However, Xu Tian has already admitted to disguising herself as the Eldest Young Master to see Father. Regardless of what happened afterward, at least on this point, Xu Tian shouldn’t be lying.”

“I didn’t expect us to be able to coexist so peacefully,” Xia Zeqin said, his words laced with hidden meaning.

Qin Nan was unfazed. “I have a sense of the bigger picture.”

“Aside from Qin Nan, I have another piece of news regarding Zheng Jueming.” Xia Zeqin skipped past his exchange with Qin Nan and looked toward Zheng Jueming. “You owe a large sum of money outside because of gambling, don’t you?”

Zheng Jueming froze for a moment, then nodded with a rather grim expression. “Yes, I failed to control myself for a moment and owe the gambling den some money. That shouldn’t have anything to do with the murder, right?”

“Hard to say. Could it be a murder for financial gain?” Xia Zeqin’s lips quirked up.

Zheng Jueming seemed to grow angry. “Your speculation is completely baseless. If you say it was for money, I could just as easily say you hated the Master and struck him down yourself.”
Xia Zeqin let out a short laugh. “I have an alibi. Do you?”

Zheng Jueming: “…”

Zheng Jueming snorted coldly and remained silent, refusing to speak further.

Xia Zeqin didn’t care about Zheng Jueming’s attempts to drag him down. “Those two clues are all I have for now.”

“In addition to what Qin Nan mentioned, I have a clue regarding the Second Master,” Jian Fan spoke up. When the situation required it, Jian Fan was capable of speaking at length. “A servant saw the Second Master and the Master having a heated argument over money.”

The “Second Master” widened his eyes. “This… I passed out right after that. What could I have possibly done?”

He felt somewhat wronged, but since he was the one who had said it, no one could corroborate his claim.

Xia Zeqin chuckled. “Fine, no one’s suspecting you.”

“Really?” The “Second Master” seemed a bit skeptical.

Xia Zeqin snorted and ignored him, turning instead to Qin Weiyi. “Qin Weiyi, what about your side?”

“Three points. First, the relationship between the Third Young Master and the Third Young Lady is poor. However, when the Third Young Lady first married into the family, they were inseparable. That lasted until one day when they suddenly had a massive row. Since then, they haven’t been able to stand the sight of each other and have been sleeping in separate rooms.”

If they were sleeping in separate rooms, how did the Third Young Lady get pregnant?

Mu Xin’s face turned slightly pale. She seemed even more terrified now, curling herself into a small ball.

Qin Weiyi continued, “Second point: someone saw Doctor Jian and the Eldest Miss meeting in private. They seem to share a deep connection.”

Jian Fan shot a glance at Qin Weiyi.

Why did the clues he brought up seem to target The Infirm and Disabled Team?

“And the third point?” Lu Jing asked.

Qin Weiyi looked at Lu Jing with an expression that seemed to say, *Poor kid, I’m talking about you.*

“Third point: Fourth Young Master, someone said they saw you secretly buying a dagger outside,” Qin Weiyi said with a hint of helplessness.

With Jian Fan and Qin Weiyi in a temporary partnership, the clues Qin Weiyi obtained were indeed unerringly accurate-and they all hit his own teammates.

Finally, it was Xu Tian’s group’s turn.

“We have a clue regarding Qin Weiyi. A servant said they saw your Father-in-law scolding you in private. It seems you stole something from the manor, and your Father-in-law ordered you to return it within a set timeframe,” Xu Tian said.

Well then, the fire had spread to Qin Weiyi himself.

Combined with the items found in Qin Weiyi’s room earlier, he was under heavy suspicion.

It was highly probable that he had stolen something from the house to hock at a pawnshop for money, only to be discovered by the deceased. The deceased then gave Qin Weiyi a deadline to return the item, which Qin Weiyi certainly couldn’t meet. Consequently, he might have harbored resentment, or perhaps the deceased threatened to report him to the authorities, leading Qin Weiyi to kill him.

In theory, it made sense. If this were a real-life Murder Mystery Game, the character Qin Weiyi would definitely be someone to watch closely. But right now, Qin Nan didn’t think for a second that Qin Weiyi was the killer.

Qin Weiyi didn’t seem intent on explaining himself either. He shrugged. “That did happen. However, while I might have the guts to steal, I don’t have the guts to kill. Besides, if it were for money, I wouldn’t go so far as to castrate the Master or set up something as cryptic as a Taiji Diagram.”

“Who knows?” Zheng Jueming suddenly chimed in.

Mu Xin, who had been feigning fear the whole time, suddenly glanced at Zheng Jueming. But she quickly reverted to her terrified, panicked state and lowered her head.

No one knew what she was thinking.