I fulfilled the female supporting role's wish and I succeeded

"What a beautiful lotus!" Qiao Wanwan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. It was the first time she had seen such a gorgeous lotus. Each lotus was blooming extremely fully, with layers of petals stacked up and tightly clustered together, emitting a faint fragrance. This fragrance was different from the ordinary lotus fragrance, but it had a hint of sweetness and charm, which made people unable to help but indulge in it.

Li Xiangyi's gaze fell on the area around the lotus pond. He saw that the railings made of white marble by the pond were carved with exquisite patterns. Every detail was handled to perfection, showing the superb skills of the craftsmen.

"Butler Jiang, what kind of lotus is this? Why is it so gorgeous and eye-catching?" Li Xiangyi pointed at the lotus in the pond and asked casually.

Housekeeper Jiang looked in the direction of Li Xiangyi's finger, a hint of pride on her face. She smiled and said, "Your Excellency has a good eye! This is our master's most treasured treasure, named 'Liuguang Yuwan'."

"Our master is obsessed with lotuses. For years, he devoted himself to the study of lotus cultivation, and finally cultivated this rare treasure. This 'Liuguang Yuwan' flower is not only brilliantly colored, but also blooms for an extremely long time, blooming year-round. The master meticulously developed a set of lotus cultivation secrets to cultivate such a precious lotus, and he named it Liuguang Yuwan. Cailian Manor is also famous because of Liuguang Yuwan, and has therefore attracted many dignitaries and nobles. Therefore, this lotus is particularly precious to Cailian Manor."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Li Xiangyi nodded, pretending to understand, but a trace of doubt arose in his heart. Liuguang Yuwan, the name sounds elegant, but the lotus is so voluptuous and red that it makes people feel a little uneasy.

"Please come this way, gentlemen. The master is waiting in the front hall." Butler Jiang said, and led a few people forward.

At this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from not far away, breaking the tranquility in the courtyard.

"Master, please spare me! Master, please spare me!" A woman's cry rang out miserably, her voice filled with fear and despair.

"Hmph! You slut, how dare you break my most beloved jade ruyi? You must be tired of living!" A man's voice sounded immediately afterwards. His voice was low and majestic, with a hint of uncontrollable anger.

"Master, I didn't mean it. Please forgive me this time!" The woman's cries became more and more miserable, mixed with the "slap" sound of whipping, which made people shudder.

"Let you go? I'm going to beat you to death today!" the man roared. "Come here, beat me hard! Twenty lashes, not a single one less!"

"Stop!" Fang Duobing couldn't bear it anymore. He shouted loudly, and with a flash of his body, he rushed towards the direction where the voice came from.

Li Xiangyi, Di Feisheng and Qiao Wanwan looked at each other and hurriedly followed.

A few people walked around a rockery and saw a spacious courtyard. A middle-aged man in a brocade robe was waving a whip and beating a maid who was kneeling on the ground. The maid was ragged and her body was covered with bloodstains, but she was still begging desperately.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass into my Cai Lian Manor!" When the middle-aged man saw someone breaking in, he immediately stopped what he was doing, turned around and asked sternly.

This middle-aged man was of burly build, with a dignified face and a pair of bright eyes, which made him look intimidating without even being angry. He was wearing a brocade robe embroidered with gold thread, a jade belt around his waist, and a pair of black soap boots on his feet. He looked very impressive and was obviously Guo Qian, the owner of Cailian Manor.

Fang Duobing stepped forward quickly, pulled out the Baichuan Courtyard token from his bosom, flashed it in front of Guo Qian, and said loudly, "We are detectives from Baichuan Courtyard, and we have been ordered to investigate the murder case at Cailian Manor!"

Guo Qian's expression changed slightly. He looked Fang Duobing up and down, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"So you are the masters from Baichuan Court. I am so sorry for your disrespect." Guo Qian bowed, his tone quite polite. "I wonder what brings you here?"

"Master Guo, your Cailian Manor is well-known far and wide, but you are so harsh to a maid. It won't look good if the news gets out, right?" Fang Duobing said righteously, pointing at the maid who was beaten to death on the ground.

"This..." A trace of embarrassment flashed across Guo Qian's face. He coughed twice and explained, "Your Excellency may not know, this maid was clumsy and broke my most beloved jade ruyi. I was angry for a moment, so..."

"Even so, you can't take human life lightly!" Fang Duobing interrupted Guo Qian and continued, "Human life is at stake, how can we treat it lightly?"

"Yes, yes, your Excellency is right." Guo Qian nodded repeatedly, his attitude humble, but he secretly groaned inwardly. Why did the detective from Baichuan Court come at this time? What bad luck!

"Come here, take this girl down to heal her wounds." Li Xiangyi said, his voice gentle but unquestionable.

"Yes, yes." Guo Qian hurriedly ordered the servants to take the maid away, and then personally led Li Xiangyi and others to the front hall.

The front hall was decorated in a magnificent style, with a huge landscape painting hanging in the center and several carved mahogany chairs covered with brocade cushions placed on both sides. The air was filled with a light sandalwood scent, which was very relaxing and refreshing.

"Please take a seat, gentlemen." Guo Qian asked everyone to sit down and instructed the servants to serve fragrant tea.

After everyone was seated, Guo Qian cleared his throat and said, "I wonder what brings you here, gentlemen? If there is anything I can do for you, I will do my best."

Fang Duobing picked up the teacup, took a sip, then put it down and said, "Master Guo, we are here to investigate the murder case at Cailian Manor."

"Murder?" Guo Qian's face changed, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. "This... Cailian Manor has indeed been in turmoil recently. On the eve of their wedding, the bride accidentally drowned. It's truly heartbreaking."

"Master Guo, as far as I know, this is the third bride in Cailian Manor who died on her wedding night, right?" Li Xiangyi spoke slowly, his voice calm, but with a hint of unquestionable majesty.

Guo Qian's body trembled slightly. He raised his head and looked at Li Xiangyi, his eyes flickering. "This... this lord is talking about, this is the third one."

"Oh? How did the government determine the cause of death of the first two brides?" Li Xiangyi continued to ask, his tone still calm, but giving people an invisible pressure.

"Your Excellency, the cause of death of the first two brides was ruled accidental by the government." Guo Qian lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly. "The first was ten years ago, and the second was seven years ago. The government sent people to investigate at the time, and they were indeed accidental deaths."

"Accident?" Fang Duobing sneered, "Master Guo, your Cailian Manor has had brides accidentally die on their wedding nights one after another. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

"This..." Guo Qian was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer.