Micro Expressions

Song Caitang had been analyzing Lu Shen’s mental state and used a special way to make him want to stay and have tea with her. Her methods aimed to make him feel less wary and guarded around her, and her initial attempts had worked.

But she was an expert in examining corpses and everyone knew she was part of an official criminal investigation team. Those two things about her alone made everyone want to avoid her.

She had to make herself even more approachable and even more frail.

After Lu Shen had taken a seat, she raised her hand and poured him some tea in an elegant fashion, “I might be a coroner and I help the authorities with criminal cases, but I’m not an official, so I won’t do anything that I shouldn’t be doing. We’re at the Gao family’s party and that in itself is significant. You can relax and be casual.”

The hot steam slowly rose and hit his nostrils with the refreshing smell of freshly brewed tea. The sound of tea flowing out of the pot and into the cup somehow made Lu Shen’s heart quieten down.

He knew that since his father had just passed on, he had to be very careful at all times, since the situation had not stabilized yet. It was hard to tell who might be plotting against him and what their plans were, so it was best to not go anywhere near anybody and not to believe anyone.

But… he was simply too tired.

He looked at Song Caitang.

Her brows were pretty and her eyes were clear, her dress was soft and she was a woman. Regardless of how talented she was or how capable she was, she couldn’t become much of a challenge because she was a woman. She had all sorts of frustrations in life… like him.

Not only was she not going to do anything out of line because they were at a fancy party, but Song Caitang was also only assisting the authorities and did not have the right to interrogate him.

So… it seemed like he really didn’t have to worry. He could just relax and rest here for a while.

He exhaled slowly, then picked up his cup and sipped the tea slowly.

During this time, Song Caitang did not say anything.

It was only until he was about done that she finally said, “You must be very sad about the passing of Commissioner Lu.”

Lu Shen stopped drinking and looked at Song Caitang. The corners of his lips were slightly downturned.

When one was sad, the corners of their lips would curve downward to varying degrees.

Song Caitang looked down as she made more tea and said in a clear voice, “Drowning to death is a very painful way to die because it’s hard to breathe and you keep choking on water. The pain makes the process feel longer than it is. It might have lasted only a few seconds, but the victim would have felt like they’d gone through hell…“

“The person who did that was very cruel.”

“The good part is, there were no signs of struggling on Commissioner Lu’s hands and legs, so he went through this while being completely unconscious.”

Song Caitang looked like she was concentrating on making tea, but she was actually observing Lu Shen.

Lu Shen’s gaze kept following her.

Their gazes met again and again.

When talking to another person, if the person’s gaze meets yours for at least 60% of the time you’re talking, it means that the listener is interested in what you’re saying.

In other words, Lu Shen… did not mind this topic.

It must have been a long time since anyone spoke to him about his father.

But what surprised Song Caitang was that Lu Shen’s forehead was very expressive. The muscles were clearly moving, forming tiny wrinkles that changed a little at a time.

This meant that Lu Shen was feeling sad, grieved, anxious, or… even guilty.

She could understand why he would feel sad, or even anxious, since the case was still not solved. But guilt?

Why?

Was she mistaken?

Song Caitang looked down at the sky blue teacup on the table, “I met with Commissioner Lu two months ago at Tianhua Temple and I felt that he was a strict and well-disciplined man who did everything by the book. Did he have very high expectations of you? Was he also very strict on you?”

Lu Shen’s lips trembled slightly and seemed a little upset, “Yes, he was. Every parent wants their children to succeed, so my father too, hoped that I would be able to stand tall and go far. Compared to everyone else, he was exceptionally strict on me because he hoped that I would be able to go down this path well.”

“I have no father,” Song Caitang’s gaze dimmed a little, “You live in Luanze, so perhaps you might have heard my story before. I was not in my right mind for a long time and even after I regained my senses, my mind was completely blank and I didn’t even know what my own name was. The Guans were complete strangers to me. Sometimes, I would hate my father for it. Why didn’t he take good care of me? Why did he leave me at such a young age? Why did he allow me to end up in the care of others? Questions like that…“

“Have you ever felt that way?”

Lu Shen paused for a moment, “What?”

Song Caitang looked straight at him and emphasized every syllable, “Hated your father.”

Lu Shen’s expression froze for a while before smiling sadly, “My father was always punishing me. I’m already so old, yet he always disciplined me like I’m a kid. Sometimes, the people around me would feel that he was going too far, but I know deep inside that he’s doing this for my good. Why would I hate him?”

He covered his face and sounded full of regret, “It’s normal for people to disagree and quarrel when they live and work together, but I really didn’t mean it. When I think about how I actually argued with him before he went missing, and now I don’t even have the chance to quarrel with him…“

He was lying.

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes slightly.

There were many ways a person showed that they were lying. For example, they might touch their nose, their gaze would lose focus, they might shrug, their tone of voice might change, their lips might curl upward unnaturally and so on. Non-professionals might judge these actions wrongly, so Song Caitang did not notice the exact details, but observed the quality and the duration.

Expressions had differing qualities. For example, when one was genuinely smiling, wrinkles would form around the mouth and eyes, and would be very proportionate to the face. But when someone’s smile was fake, it made you feel uncomfortable not only because the rest of the face did not express joy and their gaze was somewhat dead, the wrinkles and muscle movement were definitely not coordinated.

A true change in emotions usually only lasted for a short while. If the person had the exact same expression for a long time, that was probably faked.

Most importantly, a person needed to already have a certain feeling inside before saying something because of the way they felt. For example, if you were angry, your expression would show it before you started scolding the other person. But if a person started scolding the other person before showing an angry expression, then that could be an act.

Of course, this entire process went by very quickly, so anybody who didn’t have the expertise or training wouldn’t be able to catch it.

Song Caitang noticed that Lu Shen’s expression had changed a lot. The sadness and hurt he felt over his father’s death was real, but it was also clear that he had some hatred for his father, unlike how he claimed that he understood that his father did it for his own good.

It was normal for a family to develop a little hate for each other under certain circumstances, and his case was actually quite understandable. But trying to cover it up only made it more obvious.

Song Caitang could not help but suspect that Lu Shen had ill intentions toward Lu Guangzong. It wasn’t as simple as the feelings of hatred.

He also seemed to look guilty.

Very guilty.

It was very likely that he… had done something.

Song Caitang’s mind started thinking quickly. What could Lu Shen have done to Lu Guangzong?

The argument with his father was clearly not it, since that wouldn’t affect him like this. As someone who had been in public service for a while now, Lu Shen should be even better at making arguments. Arguing with his father and standing up against him wasn’t something he needed to hide, or feel guilty about as well.

She had to keep sounding him out.

Her eyes sparkled like the stars, “You were so close to your father, so I’m sure you took it really hard when you first heard the news.”

The sound of his knuckles cracking was loud, “Yes.”

His expression was one of anger. Nothing about that looked fake at all.

Song Caitang paused to think, then said in a less serious tone of voice, “When I regained my senses, everything was blank. I didn’t have any of my previous memories, and my parents had passed away. I was the only one left in the world. Sometimes, I would feel scared and wonder why I was the only one left. I would wonder if their departure from this world was my fault, or whether they had sacrificed something so that I would live. I would wonder if I’m actually carrying the guilt of causing their deaths.”

Everything she was saying was intentional. Most of it was acting, but this one carried some true emotions.

Song Caitang had really considered this possibility before.

And because she had thought about it before, the way she said it sounded extremely sincere and honest.

Lu Shen looked at her and couldn’t help but imagine himself in her shoes…

In that instant, his pupils dilated. He blinked a few times and let out an awkward laugh, “Why would you think that way? That’s not possible, hur hur…“

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes.

Lu Shen was afraid. Guilty. He didn’t like hearing such words.

And so…

It confirmed a very bold guess Song Caitang had in her mind.

She continued asking, “Do you think your father was a good man?”

Lu Shen froze for a second. His Adam’s apple quivered before he asked a question in reply, “Why do you ask such a question?”

Song Caitang stared carefully at his face. He seemed very surprised, but he was faking it.

“Governor Pang claimed that your father made use of his status and rank to commit many shameless deeds, Niu Baoshan claimed your father had an affair with Madam Gan, and recently there have been rumors…“ Song Caitang listed these things with a faint smile, “so I just wanted to ask.”

“I don’t know. My father never discussed what he did with me.”

He was blinking way too many times. Perhaps his eyes were too dry, which was a sign that he was overly focused. His pupils were overly dilated too…

When one was extremely focused and their pupils dilated, it was usually because they were nervous, afraid, angry or feeling guilty.

It was clear that this question had really hit him hard.

But Song Caitang did not back off. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. She continued, “You never noticed at all? You lived in the same house and you were allowed into the study as well.”

Lu Shen was already as nervous as a tense bowstring, so when he heard the word “study”, he reacted strongly and immediately blurted, “There was nothing in the study!”

Immediately after saying that, he knew he shouldn’t have said it. That was as good as admitting that he had searched the study before.

His heart trembled when he looked at Song Caitang’s black eyes that seemed able to see through everything. He had slipped up just a bit and she had been sensitive enough to put two and two together already!

Intelligent people did not need to elaborate too much and they would know what each other was talking about.

It seemed like no number of lies would suffice to get him out of this. Lu Shen swallowed some saliva and tried to find a recourse, “Regardless of whether it was his official work or his private acquaintances, I don’t know about any of it. My father never talked about it. I don’t know if he has any money either. But a really good opportunity came by not too long ago and I just needed 30,000 pieces of silver to make up for the amount I lacked. But when I asked my father for it, he said he didn’t have money and didn’t want to give me any.”

He bowed his head and started talking rather quickly, “My father had always been an upright official who didn’t take bribes, so we didn’t have a lot of extra money lying around. But if we tightened our belts a little and borrowed some money, I’m pretty sure we would have hit that amount. But my father just turned me down and refused to do anything to help me. He didn’t want to help me to get a promotion. So, I had no choice but to try to find some other way…“

In other words, he was admitting to searching Lu Guangzong’s study for this reason.

A man’s study was usually a place of importance, and they would often include some hidden compartments in the design. Money could be placed there too.

Song Caitang now understood why Wen Yuansi reported that Lu Guangzong’s study had been searched after he had been reported missing.

Lu Shen had not spoken the truth then.

“Who would have known… my father suddenly went missing, then left the world in this manner…“ Lu Shen did his best to prove that he was innocent and met Song Caitang’s gaze, “I just wanted to be an official. In the end, I failed to get the full amount of money, and I even have to complete filial mourning.”

He was trying to say that he did have some ambition and a good chance had come by, but Lu Guangzong refused to help him and that did make him angry with his father. But that anger wasn’t enough to make him kill his father. Besides the fact that doing so would go against his morals, the most important part was that he would have to go through filial mourning if Lu Guangzong were to die. The death of a parent meant he was obliged to resign from his post and remain with the family, so he wouldn’t be able to remain as an official.

That was definitely not what he wanted.

Song Caitang’s lips curved upward slightly as she listened to him, “Well, family is like the lips and teeth of a mouth. They need each other but sometimes the teeth might bite the lips. You didn’t have to explain this much.”

A breeze blew past. It was a little warm.

Some flowers and leaves fell off the branches with the wind and landed on the grass among the cobblestone, rustling quietly as they did so.

Lu Shen looked at how Song Caitang’s skirt hem was swaying slightly in the breeze. The sunshine on her youthful face covered her in a golden, brilliant glow.

By now, he had already figured out what was going on. Song Caitang was a clever woman, so since she happened to run into him, she decided to try sounding him out.

But to his own surprise, he wasn’t turned off by her questions.

Perhaps he had wanted to tell someone about all these things a long time ago. He wished someone was willing to listen to him all this time.

But that was all he was willing to say.

He rubbed his face and let out a long sigh.

Song Caitang observed the changes in his expression and knew that this was about all he was going to say, so she didn’t probe him further. She moved on to another resin instead, “I noticed that your head butler, Loo Zhong, seems really considerate and attentive. Did he grow up in your family?”

Now that the topic had shifted away from himself, Lu Shen was more relaxed. He drank some tea, then shook his head, “No. More than ten years ago, he ran into some bandits in the mountains. His family was killed and he was on the brink of death himself. My father happened to pass by and saved him, and he also settled those bandits. Loo Zhong had nowhere to go but he was also very grateful to my father, so he agreed to work for the family. He’s quite capable, very smart and extremely loyal too. My father liked him, so he kept him by his side and he eventually became our head butler.”

Song Caitang asked, “Where’s he from?”

“He said he’s from a small county south of Zhending.”

“Has he ever gone back before?”

“His entire family died and that devastated him, so he stayed with my father for the past ten years and has never left.”

“He didn’t even send any letters or a message back?”

“Er… I’m not sure about that. I don’t think so, though. The bandit incident really made him sad.”

She nodded.

In other words, the Lu family never did any background checks and took Loo Zhong at his word.

Because they didn’t think it was necessary.

“Loo Zhong knows everything about your father?”

Lu Shen paused for a moment, then said, “It’s not possible for him to know absolutely everything, since my father was a very strict and careful man. But as the head butler, he served my father very closely, so he probably knows more than I do.”

Song Caitang looked at Lu Shen, then suddenly asked a question with deep implications, “Do you think your father’s disappearance has anything to do with Loo Zhong?”

Lu Shen’s gaze flickered as he answered without thinking, “I don’t think so…“

After replying, his hands were clenched into fists. His brows were slightly furrowed and he pursed his lips tightly.

He regretted his answer.

He regretted answering too quickly? Or something else?

Song Caitang ran a finger around the rim of her teacup. “What about the day your father reappeared? Did Loo Zhong go to that small pub?”

“I do not know,” he shook his head, “I had no appointments at night and I don’t know what the servants do during those times.”

“Then… do you think Loo Zhong has any motive for killing?” asked Song Caitang in a slow voice, “Toward your father, that is.”

Lu Shen seemed really baffled as he shook his head, “I… have no idea.”

“Has he gone into your father’s study?”

“No.”

He had answered in a slightly louder voice, which exuded some confidence. He had been trying to get his hands on some money and kept his eye on the study. If Loo Zhong had gone in, he should have noticed.

But she tapped the table with her fingertips and emphasized her words, “I’m asking if Loo Zhong went to the study after your father’s body was discovered.”

He got it now. “You suspect him?”

She shook her head, “For as long as we don’t have concrete evidence, we need to know as much as we can about every person who is connected in any way to the case.”

Lu Shen closed his eyes to think, then told her everything he knew and had observed.

She listened to him very seriously and thought hard about what he told her.

He suddenly felt like this whole situation wasn’t too bad.

Song Caitang was really putting effort into investigating this case.

She had been trying to see if he was suspicious in any way earlier, but he didn’t take issue with that, as long as…

“You’re able to crack the case, right?” He looked at Song Caitang with a gaze that was calmer than it had ever been.

Song Caitang’s brows relaxed in the spring sunshine, her eyes sparkling brightly with confidence, “Of course!”

Once she had seen Lu Shen off, she straightened her dress and left to look for Zhao Zhi.

She knew what she needed to do next.