TEFSCBSS Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Here’s a Secret Room for You to Unravel

“That’s correct.”

The entire room was in an uproar.

The servant continued, “The riddle is quite simple, but it mentions a funeral, which means this funeral is significant—it was the catalyst that led Xiao Hong to decide to kill her sister.”

“My master believes that Xiao Hong met a man she admired at the funeral. However, after the funeral ended, the man left, and when she tried to find him, her family refused, as it was against proper etiquette. Eventually, she became lovesick, almost driven mad, and thought that for the man to appear again, she would need another funeral. So, she killed her sister.”

“She killed her sister just to see that man again at the funeral. Thus, it was a love murder, yet not entirely a love murder; the sister’s death was merely a tool.”

Gasp— The crowd was stunned! (w(?Д?)w)

It was hard to believe that this eerie answer could be so shocking! They stared at Su Li, eager to know if this was indeed the correct interpretation.

Su Li was also surprised. She hadn’t expected the ancient minds to be so sharp, coming up with such a bizarre direction so quickly! It seemed like the difficulty would have to be increased for the next round!

She nodded gravely, took five taels of silver, and handed it to the servant, along with a flower lantern.

“Your master is incredibly wise, I admire him.”

The crowd expressed some regret. After all, five taels of silver could keep them living in the capital for two or three months!

But it didn’t matter—there were still over forty taels left! Everyone was determined to win.

Su Li scanned the room and gave a bright, cheerful smile, “Indeed, the capital is full of talent. This first riddle was just an appetizer. Now, let’s move on to the second riddle.”

The crowd refocused, but instead of revealing the next riddle or continuing with the turtle soup, Su Li motioned for Zhao Si to lift the corner of the velvet cloth on a high platform.

When they had first arrived, they had noticed this simple platform—it only had a long table and a few chairs in the center, but in the southeast corner, there was a tall rectangular object covered by a red velvet cloth. No one knew what was hidden underneath.

Zhao Si wasn’t nervous under the crowd’s gaze, but thinking about what was underneath the cloth made him feel a bit embarrassed. He hoped that no one would misinterpret his character after they saw what was under it.

He sighed silently in his heart but kept his face calm, mimicking his boss’s expressionless look, walking over to the cloth, and slowly lifting it. As he pulled it back a third of the way, with a swift motion, he tore the cloth off completely.

The crowd gasped as they saw what was hidden beneath—a simple, makeshift outhouse.

It looked so real, as though it had been dug up from their backyard and placed there.

Well, other than the lack of that certain smell, it was exactly like the outhouse in their homes.

Su Li didn’t mind the crowd’s reactions at all. She looked at the outhouse as if it were some rare treasure.

She waved her fan and shook her head, “Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look at this outhouse. Yes, it’s an outhouse, but it hasn’t been used yet. I simply recreated it in a one-to-one scale, and there’s no filth involved.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd’s expressions softened a little, but they still furrowed their brows.

“I don’t understand what this outhouse has to do with the second riddle. It can’t be a contest about who can poop the most, can it?”

Hearing Liu the butcher mumble this, Wang Qingmu nearly jumped up to cover his mouth. What an ear-piercing voice!

Su Li heard Liu the butcher’s words and gave him a delighted look, “Liu the butcher, you’re spot on! You’ve hit the nail on the head!”

Everyone was stunned. Was there going to be a contest to see who could poop?

For over forty taels of silver, it didn’t seem completely out of the question… or was it?

Just as some were hesitating about unbuttoning their pants, Su Li began to sigh.

“Sigh… A few years ago, I visited a place called Huai Tree Village and attended a wedding banquet.”

“The customs there are different from ours. During weddings, friends and relatives are always asked to play pranks on the groom—like doing a thousand push-ups on the spot or climbing a tree. But the wedding I attended was different. There was a friend of the groom who was… well, let’s just say, ‘wise’ enough to suggest a contest to see who could poop the most.”

The crowd stared at her, their expressions a mix of confusion and disbelief. They thought the word “wise” was a compliment at first, but now they realized it wasn’t exactly a compliment.

Su Li continued, “Since it was a wedding banquet, everyone had been drinking. When they heard about the contest, they got excited. Those who hadn’t drunk tried to stop them, but in the end, three participants were chosen, and they occupied the village’s three public outhouses.”

She pointed to the prop beside her, “See? It looks like this, but it’s nowhere near as bad as the real thing.”

“The contest was in full swing, and the relatives outside were eagerly watching. Eventually, two contestants came out of the outhouses, pale and limping.”

“Oh? So who was the winner? Was it the groom?” Liu the butcher asked eagerly.

Wang Qingmu quickly distanced himself from Liu the butcher. He could tell Liu was itching to pull someone into the contest for real!

Su Li once again praised Liu the butcher, “You’re wise!”

“Yes, the winner was the groom.”

“The groom stayed in the outhouse after the other two were eliminated, but after two-quarters of an hour, no one came out.”

“The relatives grew impatient, thinking they could be eating and drinking instead. They yelled for the groom to come out, but there was no sound from the outhouse.”

Liu the butcher, encouraged, continued guessing, “Did the groom fall asleep from drinking and tumble into the pit?”

The crowd turned away, visibly annoyed. Although they had the same thought, they didn’t want to admit it.

“At that time, we all thought the same, so we rushed over to try to open the door and carry the groom out, but the small wooden door wouldn’t budge,” Su Li said, her expression growing more serious, “Someone stood on a stone to try to peek through the ventilation gap on the roof of the outhouse. What they saw… was something unexpected.”

Su Li drew out the suspense, speaking in a low tone, “What they saw was the groom, dead!”

“The groom had slipped against the door and fallen to the ground, which is why the door wouldn’t open! But there, lodged in his chest, was a silver hairpin!”

The crowd gasped in shock. What bad luck the groom had!

But… how could someone kill in such a public place without being noticed?

Su Li sensed the mood had shifted, and with a light tone, she concluded, “That’s the second riddle for today—how did the murder happen in this locked room?”

“What’s a locked room mystery? It’s a murder in a space that is isolated, with no way for anyone to enter. That’s the locked room mystery.”