Why Are You Here

Zhao Zhi had found a small bottle. He opened it and found two pale red pills inside. They smelled a little pungent and the smell made one feel nauseous.

Given the scene before them, it was clear what these little pills could be.

It had to be the poison!

Sang Zheng’s eyes widened just a little as he stared at the bottle and denied it with an expressionless face. “I don’t know what this is.”

“That doesn’t sound right. The design on the bottle is something that only your people would use,” Zhao Zhi stared straight at him, “And if you didn’t know what this was, why would you want to hide it from sight? And if Miss Song hadn’t said that the victim was poisoned, were you going to come back after everyone had left to take this bottle away secretly?”

Sang Zheng stared back at Zhao Zhi silently for a long time before he finally opened his mouth again, “Everybody knows that’s a design that’s unique to my people. And the only person at today’s party with any connection to them is myself. I noticed that bottle the minute I walked in and I knew immediately that someone was trying to frame me. Would I just let it stay in plain sight? That would be foolish of me, no?”

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes at Sang Zheng. “Is that so?”

“I was born in Da’an and I grew up in Da’an. Only my mother is a foreigner, and everyone knows that! I’ve never taken a fancy to this sort of bottle and anyone in this room could have found it. Why must it definitely belong to me? And why would I kill Fourth Missy Gan? I have no feud with her and I don’t even know her!”

“Maybe you did it for the sake of the Countess,” Zhao Zhi glanced at Madam Wei. “She saved your life in the past and I heard that you’ve always been thankful but couldn’t find a good way to repay the favor.”

Sang Zheng scoffed. “While it’s true that one ought to return any favor they’ve received, I know very well what I ought to do and what I ought not to do. Besides,” he glanced at Madam Wei, then scanned the rest of the room, “to put it bluntly, the Countess can have absolutely anything she wants and is capable in everything she does. Why would she want to use someone like me who could be a potential weakness?”

Zhao Zhi looked toward Zeng Deyong and his wife. “What do the both of you think?”

Madam Wei pressed a handkerchief against her lips gently and elegantly. “I know the world outside has some misunderstandings about me, but I would never do anything to hurt another person. That is both beneath me and something that I wouldn’t even need to do. Mr. Sang’s observations are correct.”

Zeng Deyong, as always, supported his wife wholeheartedly, “Of course! My wife is the kindest and most magnanimous of women! She can have anything she wants and she lives a good and happy life! Why would she want to kill another person? That would be so foolish! It’s impossible!”

The only problem was that while he spoke with great confidence, his eyes were trembling and his expression looked a little panicky, so these words ended up making him seem even more suspicious instead.

In the end, he cleverly found a good reason. “It definitely can’t be my wife! My wife is a woman, not a man. She couldn’t have done this to Madam Gan!”

Madam Wei patted her husband’s back and gave him an encouraging look before turning back to Zhao Zhi. “I heard that when the authorities investigate a case, they rely on evidence, on doing thorough checks on the people connected to the case, the time that each person came into contact with one another, whether they have alibis, a motive, and the one who first discovers the body is usually the most suspicious…”

Even as she said that last bit, she looked gently at Gan Zhixuan and spoke extremely gently as well, “Xuan’er, don’t be afraid, go ahead and cooperate with the investigation. You weren’t the one who did this, so the family will definitely stand up for you and make sure that you’re safe. After all… you’re my husband’s son, so you are my son too.”

Gan Zhixuan had been in a shocked and terrified daze right from the start. He looked completely helpless and his entire body was shaking. He was clearly very afraid, but nobody knew if he was afraid because Fourth Missy Gan was dead and there would be nobody in this world who would care for him wholeheartedly anymore, or if he was afraid that this turn of events would affect his future or the impression his father and other mother would have of him.

Song Caitang observed him for a while longer. He probably really wanted to cry, but did his best to hold himself back. He was afraid that Zeng Deyong and Madam Wei would think he was being immature.

“I didn’t… it wasn’t me… Mother, you must believe me…”

This earnestly said “Mother” clearly referred to Madam Wei. His biological mother had died but he didn’t shed a tear. But when Madam Wei expressed concern for him with such gentleness, he started crying. That was how much Madam Wei’s words affected him.

At that moment, everyone in the room understood one thing. Regardless of whether you were familiar with Gan Zhixuan or whether you even knew him, this part alone was enough for all to see clearly – this Gan Zhixuan was doing everything within his means to climb the social ladder. He did his best to gain the favor of his father’s official wife, using extraordinary means and ensured a bright future ahead. He had probably forgotten that Fourth Missy Gan existed, or perhaps, her existence was actually a stumbling block to him, someone who was pulling him back from achieving more.

Gan Zhixuan covered his face and cried especially loudly, “Why would I kill my mother… I mean, my second mother… she wasn’t very mature, but she had gone through a lot in order to bring me up and she brought me back to my family… Even if I were someone with little conscience, I couldn’t possibly do something this heartless… of course, it couldn’t be Mother either. Mother has been extremely wonderful to me and she has been so kind to me ever since I stepped into this household. She even asked if I had enough to eat and wear. There’s no aspect that she’s not thought of, there’s no aspect that she’s not gone into great detail… she even encouraged me to improve myself and taught me how to become a man who could take charge of the count’s household…”

The front bit was to defend himself, while the back part was to help Madam Wei.

Everyone in the room was speechless. It was rare to come across such a dumb boy.

Zhao Zhi changed the topic and asked him, “Then tell us, why did you appear in this room? Weren’t you very busy? Weren’t you so busy that you didn’t have time to greet the guests and even had to take charge of the kitchen?”

These words carried some sarcasm, but Gan Zhixuan didn’t pick up any of it, focusing on finding a good reason to explain himself, “It was precisely because I was so busy, I didn’t even notice where I was walking. I was just walking past when I got to this area, who would have known…”

“You’re lying! Your mother just died, so she’s watching you from above! Are you sure you don’t want to speak the truth?!”

Gan Zhixuan shuddered in fear, but he kept his mouth shut and refused to say anymore.

Wen Yuansi stepped in to help. He took a step forward and said gently, “The Count is throwing a huge party today and there are a lot of guests here. Do you really think absolutely nobody saw you at all?”

His voice was gentle, but also a little pushy. His little reminder was hinting at some things…

Gan Zhixuan’s expression shifted a little as he smiled apologetically at Lu Yuxue who was standing to the side. He pointed at her and said, “I came to look for her.”

Zhao Zhi raised an eyebrow at Wen Yuansi. That was a sharp observation.

Wen Yuansi smiled faintly in return, as if to say, “You’re just as astute.”

Of course, Wen Yuansi hadn’t seen Gan Zhixuan at all. But since Gan Zhixuan seemed so confident and refused to say anymore, the boy must have thought that his surroundings were quiet and nobody was around to notice him. Unfortunately, everyone knew how hard he had been staring at Lu Yuxue earlier and there was something a little odd about Lu Yuxue’s expression as well. If there wasn’t something here, then Wen Yuansi felt that his years as an investigative officer must have been a complete waste!

Zhao Zhi glanced at Lu Yuxue and Lu Yuxue looked very aggrieved and anxious, as though she really wanted to say something. But Zhao Zhi ignored her and asked Gan Zhixuan instead, “How did you know she was here?”

“I saw her earlier…” Gan Zhixuan bowed his head slightly as his face reddened. “At that time, Miss Lu looked like she was a little unwell, perhaps she had breathed in too much of the air from the burner and needed some fresh air, so I helped her to move aside and let her sit down. But I was very busy and didn’t have time to sit down with her, so I quickly ran off. After I was done, I felt bad for doing that. I should have called a maid over to serve her or something. I was very worried and decided to come back to take a look.”

His expression and words were filled with emotion. It was so obvious that he had something for Lu Yuxue.

Song Caitang looked very carefully at Gan Zhixuan’s micro-expressions, then looked at Lu Yuxue before going into deep thought.

As she did that, she happened to look past Wei He’an. This man was not looking at anything in particular. His head was slightly bowed and he looked calm and quiet.

Zhao Zhi turned his attention to Lu Yuxue and asked, “And why were you here?”

Lu Yuxue gripped her handkerchief and looked upset as she shook her head slightly. “I really just happened to walk past. This murder has nothing to do with me and I’m not hiding any poison on myself either…”

“You and Gan Zhixuan—”

“There’s nothing between us,” Lu Yuxue cut him off as she not only stared straight at Gan Zhixuan but also rejected him outright with her words. “You know very well that I do not have any feelings for you, but that has nothing to do with your mother. I was not angry with her and I never thought of killing her.”

Gan Zhixuan paled and his voice was weak, “I understand… it’s just that I’m being questioned by the authorities and I have to give an honest answer. I’m not suspecting you… please don’t misunderstand me.”

Lu Yuxue looked back at Zhao Zhi and bit her lip slightly. “I wasn’t feeling well at that time and I did come out for some fresh air, so I ended up in the vicinity of this room. But I only got to the corridor outside and didn’t come all the way in here. I don’t have any idea what happened here.”

Gan Zhixuan immediately helped to corroborate her statement, “That’s right. Miss Lu only got to the corridor outside. When I came over, I also only got to the corridor. But I noticed from afar that the door to this room was open, so I came over to take a look, and it turned out to be…”

His voice choked up at this point and he couldn’t carry on.

The room fell silent again.

Zhao Zhi scanned the room and saw that there were more people he hadn’t questioned, so he moved on. “Wei He’an, did you come here within the last two hours?”

Wei He’an bowed with a very solemn look on his face. “I’m helping my aunt to host this party, so I’ve been to many parts of the house. I did come close by within the last two hours, but I didn’t come into this room and I didn’t hear any unusual noises coming from here either.”

“Why did you come to this area?”

“I was helping my aunt to get something,” said Wei He’an with a pleasant smile on his face. “Everyone in the house is too busy to help her, so since we’re family, I wanted to help wherever I could.”

Zhao Zhi raised an eyebrow as he looked at Madam Wei. “Is that so?”

Madam Wei nodded. “That’s right. He’s the most sensible and filial child in my entire family.”

Wei He’an bowed awkwardly toward his aunt when he heard her compliment him, as though he was a little embarrassed by her nice words. Madam Wei gave him a consoling smile in return. This aunt and nephew were really on pretty good terms.

“What about you, Qiu Wenkang?” Zhao Zhi turned to the last person in the room, the administrator for the crown prince’s residence and office. “Did you know the victim?”

Qiu Wenkang kept a small moustache and his official robes made him look like an upright man. “Sir, I dare not say that I don’t know her at all. Almost everyone knows about the commotion within the Count’s household. After all, the beautiful and charming Madam Wei who had famously managed to keep her husband from taking in a concubine for more than a decade—”

Zhao Zhi cut him off and asked, “Were you here within the last two hours?”

“Not at all,” Qiu Wenkang shook his head. “I stayed only within the outer yard where the main party was being held and did not come here at all but…”

He paused to think, glanced at Zeng Deyong, then decided to just say it.

“About four hours ago, I went to the guestroom within the outer yard. I saw the Count speaking to the deceased in a secluded place, and heard him tell her to look for him later on.”