Interrogation (1)

Just like how one had to eat a mouthful of rice at one time, a case had to be cracked bit by bit. After a long time of preparation and evidence gathering, the investigation team had everything they needed to convict the guilty today. They were in no hurry.

Everyone involved in this case was gathered here today, so they were going to crack this entire case wide open slowly and in great detail, so that nobody could argue or find any loopholes.

A few words from Song Caitang had been enough to force Madam Wei to admit to what she had done.

Madam Wei admitted to trying to force Lu Yuxue and her nephew together. “I did place the incense inside the room and I did convince both Lu Yuxue and Wei He’an to head toward that room. But in the end, nothing happened between them and I didn’t kill that woman!”

As she spoke, she glared at Wei He’an angrily.

She had worked so hard for his sake! But he didn’t seem to realize this and didn’t know how to help her out!

“Who would have thought that Fourth Missy Gan would end up there?” Madam Wei’s pretty eyes were wide and round, and she got angrier as she spoke. “She deserved to die for ruining my plans!”

Song Caitang sighed. “Madam Wei, don’t look down on others like that. Fourth Missy Gan did not enter that room on her own accord.”

Madam Wei froze. She was confused. “She didn’t enter that room on her own accord? What do you mean?”

“Well, you’ve got to look at who you were trying to trap in the first place.” Song Caitang looked at Lu Yuxue.

Lu Yuxue held her teacup in her hand and didn’t speak.

If her cousin was the one asking her questions, she would have answered out of respect. But Song Caitang was nothing to her. There was no need to respond.

Madam Wei was not the best of schemers, but she wasn’t stupid. Given the context of the conversation and how Song Caitang was staring straight at Lu Yuxue, she would be an idiot if she still didn’t get it.

“It was you…” She pointed a finger at Lu Yuxue angrily.

This matter was bound to come to light and there was no point in denying it now. Lu Yuxue had a flicker in her eyes as she stared calmly at Madam Wei. “So, you’re allowed to scheme against others, but you don’t allow your victims to fight back? That doesn’t make sense.”

This time, not only was Madam Wei shocked, but Gan Zhixuan’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You… you…”

Qi Yan was very entertained by all this. He raised an eyebrow and fanned himself as he said, “Open your eyes wide, silly boy. She’s not the perfect, docile woman you thought she was!”

“But my mother… doesn’t know her, so how…”

Qi Yan just scoffed.

Zhao Zhi nearly scoffed too, but he managed to elegantly swallow his tea.

“You think they didn’t know each other, but that doesn’t mean they really didn’t know each other,” said Song Caitang quietly. “How much do you remember about what happened a few years ago?”

Gan Zhixuan was stunned by this question.

A few years ago? When was that?

But based on what Qi Yan asked him the last time, he realized she was talking about the time he was in Qingxian with his mother five years ago. He had been with Fourth Missy Gan the whole way, so he should have been part of everything she did. Even if he didn’t do anything, he would have known about what happened. But he had been like a block of wood who didn’t process anything at all. Besides his obsession with finding out who his father was, he didn’t know or care about anything else. Even if he saw something, he didn’t remember it. Fourth Missy Gan braved great dangers and nearly got killed, plus she even buried a dead body. Yet, he remembered absolutely nothing.

Song Caitang sighed inwardly for poor Fourth Missy Gan. “You noticed something odd about Lu Yuxue back then, didn’t you?”

Gan Zhixuan’s gaze was shifty. “I…”

“You didn’t know what happened to Lu Yuxue earlier in the room and didn’t know that she had gotten your mother to be her scapegoat either. But her face was all red and she was panting, so you must have made some guesses. You like her very much and you didn’t want anyone else to get a chance, so you quickly offered your help and hoped to get close to her…”

“And that was the time you saw your mother.” Song Caitang spoke confidently, “But you ignored her. All you thought and cared about was Lu Yuxue.”

Gan Zhixuan’s pupils trembled and he nearly fell to the floor. He stared at Song Caitang as though she was a ghost.

How did she know that!

Nobody saw him do that and he never told anyone about what he was thinking back then! How did she know!

Were the rumors true after all? She could read minds?

“Do you know that because you ignored her, because you decided to take care of Lu Yuxue instead, you caused the death of your own mother?”

Song Caitang did not speak loudly, but every word she uttered felt like a ton of bricks coming down on Gan Zhixuan. He felt like he could barely breathe.

His entire body started shaking. “No… I didn’t… I didn’t know…”

Song Caitang went on, “Did you think you were an innocent party because you didn’t know anything, so you can’t be blamed for anything? Did you also think that your mother was used to doing things all by herself, so she’d be fine no matter where she went?”

Gan Zhixuan avoided her gaze and did not speak.

Song Caitang sighed quietly. “What a spoiled child.”

“If it was someone else who saw her, we wouldn’t be able to blame them for not doing anything. But not you,” Qi Yan couldn’t help but butt in as he fanned himself noisily. “You’re Fourth Missy Gan’s son! Her biological son!”

“She did so much for you, shouldering the burden of bringing you up all by herself, making sure that you were free to do anything you wanted without suffering and without having to even grow up. But you’re no longer a child, Gan Zhixuan. Have you ever given back to your mother at all?”

Gan Zhixuan shrank back and wished he could become part of the floor. He didn’t dare to look at anyone at all.

Zhao Zhi tapped his knuckles against the table. “So, do you still like her now?”

It was obvious who this “her” was.

Gan Zhixuan looked up suddenly at Lu Yuxue. There was anger, frustration and confusion in his eyes. He was very conflicted now.

Everyone else in the room who didn’t know about any of this looked rather conflicted too. Madam Wei, in particular, stared at Lu Yuxue like she was a stranger.

This young woman looked so frail and gentle, as though a strong gust of wind could knock her over. But she was not weak at all and she was very clever too!

How did she manage to get Fourth Missy Gan to do this?

After all, Fourth Missy Gan wasn’t as stupid as her son and wouldn’t just believe anything others said.

Lu Yuxue was originally fine with the whole situation. She didn’t care that everyone was staring at her and wasn’t bothered by whether they liked her or not. She knew what her aim in life was and what was important for her future goals. But she was upset that Zhao Zhi was also glaring at her.

“Cousin… how could you talk about me like that?” Her eyes were slightly red, as though she was aggrieved and angry. “I just didn’t want to walk into another person’s trap.”

Her pretty frown and teary eyes would have made anyone feel bad for her. For example, Gan Zhixuan’s expression instantly changed completely.

But Zhao Zhi was used to her acting and didn’t even give her a second look. “Continue.”

Song Caitang nodded and went on, “But it’s quite clear that we have more than one clever person here…”

She had only kept an eye on Zeng Deyong and Sang Zheng from the corner of her eye, so it seemed like she wasn’t giving these men of authority the attention they were used to. It also made her look even more confident, calm and unbothered by what was happening. Lu Yuxue was so angry, her grip was about to destroy her handkerchief soon.

The other clever person Song Caitang was referring to was Wei He’an.

“He’s the one who really has nothing to do with Fourth Missy Gan. His aunt instructed him to get something and that’s how he ended up along that corridor, where he noticed the unwell Lu Yuxue and Gan Zhixuan taking care of her. He would have figured out what was going on immediately. Perhaps he noticed Fourth Missy Gan as well, but he did not say anything about that.”

She turned to look at Wei He’an. “Is that what happened?”

Wei He’an smiled faintly and admitted to it, “Indeed, it is impossible to hide anything from you, Miss Song.”

“Shortly after that, I ran into Lu Yuxue elsewhere. After she walked away, you came walking toward her but along a different corridor. Both of you exchanged glances and seemed rather surprised to see each other. My guess is that…” Song Caitang narrowed her eyes. “You thought that Lu Yuxue and Gan Zhixuan had done the deed, so you were surprised to see her.”

“As for Lu Yuxue,” Song Caitang turned to Lu Yuxue, “You thought that the whole setup had remained the same, except that one person had been switched out. Which meant that Fourth Missy Gan would have done the deed with Wei He’an. That was why you were also surprised to see him.”

Wei He’an stared at Song Caitang with greater admiration in his eyes.

But Lu Yuxue stared at her even more unhappily.

Their expressions said everything.

The two of them were clever people, so when they realized they were being set up, they were a little nervous and didn’t know what was going on at first, but they managed to wriggle their way out of the situation quickly. But after thinking about what happened and making some observations, it didn’t take them long to figure out what this trap was all about.

Allowing someone else to walk into the trap for them might result in a bad ending for another person, but they weren’t bothered by that.

Lu Yuxue was angry that Madam Wei had schemed against her, so if the concubine of the count ended up sleeping with Madam Wei’s nephew, it would have nothing to do with her and she would even have gotten revenge against Madam Wei.

Wei He’an had nothing to do with any of this and didn’t even like Madam Wei in the first place. He had no attachment to the count’s concubine and son either. But if Lu Yuxue and Gan Zhixuan ended up together, Madam Wei would definitely hit the roof. He was happy to see her tear her hair out.

That perfectly explained why both of them were surprised to see each other along the corridor that day.

Madam Wei clutched a nearby table. She could barely stand now.

“You… you…” She glared at Wei He’an with a pained look on her face. “Why did you do that! Haven’t I been good enough to you?!”

Hadn’t he always been very respectful toward her and very protective of her? Why didn’t he say anything or help her out after noticing that her plans had failed?

Didn’t he know that she had done all this for his sake?!

“Madam Wei, please calm down.” Song Caitang raised an eyebrow slightly and her smile contained no joy. “If you’re already having trouble accepting reality now, what are you going to do later?”

There were plenty of heart attacks coming up.

Madam Wei glared at her. “Watch your words!” How dare you say such things!

Song Caitang just smiled back at her.

The room was suddenly very quiet.

Everyone’s expressions flinched. The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense.

Almost everyone connected to the case had been accounted for already. There was just one very important question left.

Who was the other person in the room?

Fourth Missy Gan was already inside, while Madam Wei, Gan Zhixuan, Lu Yuxue and Wei He’an had been busy with other things elsewhere…

“Who would have seized this chance to enter the room and commit murder?”

After an odd pause, Song Caitang went on, “At this time, who would have the strongest motive, the most time, and the most flexibility to do such a thing?”

Qi Yan got up to back her up, “This person is extremely familiar with both this estate and the party’s program for the day! You know very well who it has to be!”

Madam Wei had a look of shock on her face as she turned to look at her husband, then at Sang Zheng.

Besides herself, the person who was the most familiar with this place was her husband. Sang Zheng was always concerned about her and would always take a look at anything she was doing…

Not even her nephew was as familiar as them when it came to the layout of the estate and the program for the day.

The killer… was one of them?!

Sang Zheng didn’t say anything, but Zeng Deyong narrowed his eyes and stared at Song Caitang, “Miss Song, why don’t you just speak your mind? Aren’t you tired of speaking in riddles?”

Song Caitang ignored him. Ignoring a chauvinistic man would make him even angrier, after all.

“Aphrodisiac incense sticks were lighted in the room and Fourth Missy Gan would have smelled them the minute she walked in. But she didn’t walk out again. Why? Was it because she couldn’t understand why and wanted to find answers? Or did she know that she knew too much and that this day would come sooner or later?”

Song Caitang stared straight at Gan Zhixuan. “Your mother stopped you from searching for your father more than once. She always told you that doing this will result in death. Do you know why?”

Gan Zhixuan… really had no idea why.

He gulped and instinctively turned to look at Madam Wei.

As far as he knew, his mother was afraid only because his father had an official wife. His mother was only a lowly concubine and he was that lowly concubine’s son.

But after he was reunited with his father, he felt that his mother had been overly paranoid. His father’s wife was very friendly and very accepting of him.

But now, he wasn’t so sure anymore…

Qi Yan fanned himself violently. He was so angry, he couldn’t be bothered to yell at this boy.

Did this boy forget to bring his brain along with him when he was born?!

Song Caitang glanced past Zeng Deyong, then continued asking Gan Zhixuan, “Five years ago, when you stayed at a guesthouse in Qingxian with your mother. Your mother buried a corpse in the yard. Surely you remember that, right?”

Of course he didn’t remember a thing. He was so shocked by these words. “B-b-buried a… corpse?!”

How could that even be?!

“That’s impossible! My mother can be strong willed, but she’s not someone who would commit murder!”

“You’re right,” said Qi Yan in a sarcastic voice, “the one who would commit murder is you. You were so young, but you were so worried that someone would snatch your mother from you that you purposely fed someone a poisoned biscuit.”

He was referring to Niu Xingzu.

More than a decade ago in Luanze, Niu Xingzu and Fourth Missy Gan were neighbors. They fell in love and nearly got married, but unfortunately, things did not end well for them.

Gan Zhixuan shut his mouth again.

He knew what sort of person he was and what he had done before. He knew that very well.

Qi Yan wasn’t counting on a reply from this coward anyway, so he fanned himself and narrowed his eyes as he scanned the hall, “To be honest, the investigating team did not expect to discover that all of you were around five years ago in Qingxian.”

Song Caitang had mentioned Qingxian five years ago and about Fourth Missy Gan burying a corpse. Qi Yan’s additional comment was clearly hinting at something here…

Everyone’s expressions were different and the atmosphere grew tense again.

Madam Wei’s eyes widened, because she clearly didn’t know about this matter. Zeng Deyong and Sang Zheng, however, seemed less tense and angry. It was as if this made them calm down.

They were even more wary now.

Song Caitang took note of the changes in their expression, but continued talking to Gan Zhixuan, “Did you know that someone was trying to kill your mother and frame you for it?”

Gan Zhixuan was even more startled. “Someone… wanted to kill my mother… and frame me for it?!”

He felt like everything that he was hearing today was completely different from what he had imagined. Everything sounded insane!

“Why would anybody want to hurt my mother and I? We don’t have any feud with anybody!”

Song Caitang stared steely at him, her eyes shining frighteningly bright, “Because of your ambitiousness. Because you were so besotted with becoming rich and becoming a member of high society, and you wanted more. Because you started finding your mother very troublesome, you saw her as a burden, someone who was dragging you down.”

And so, Gan Zhixuan would have been the perfect person to frame.

Gan Zhixuan stared back at her blankly. His mind was filled with so many confusing thoughts. He felt like he understood some things, but also… like he didn’t understand anything at all.

Song Caitang did not wait for him to answer her. During this time, her gaze was fixed on one man who had just been standing by the side. She turned and said in a quiet voice, “Am I right to say that? Sang Zheng?”

The room seemed even quieter now.

Gan Zhixuan looked confused. Did that mean… the person who killed his mother was Sang Zheng?

Sang Zheng pursed his lips slightly and glared at Song Caitang rather nastily.

Zhao Zhi scoffed and allowed the teacup in his hand to land loudly on the table.

The quieter the space, the more shocking such a sound would be, and the more it would affect the hearts of people.

Sang Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

But Song Caitang turned suddenly to look at Zeng Deyong. “Count Zeng doesn’t seem surprised by this at all.”

Zeng Deyong snorted and stared down at her. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, Miss Song.”

Song Caitang wasn’t afraid at all and even broke into a smile. “Is it because Sang Zheng has done too many of such deeds for your wife that you’re already used to it?”

“How dare you!”
“Watch your words!”

Both Zeng Deyong and Sang Zheng shouted in unison.

But all their angry shouts were met with Song Caitang’s even brighter smile.

It was obvious which party was getting antsy and on the losing end, and which party had the winning hand.

Sang Zheng said, “Miss Song, do you have proof to back up what you said? Everyone saw it for themselves that day. Someone was obviously trying to set me up! If I really wanted to frame Gan Zhixuan, why would I use that sort of bottle and that sort of poison? Wouldn’t that become evidence against me?”

What he said made very good sense. Everyone remembered clearly that they had found a bottle containing poison at the scene of the crime that day. The design on the bottle was unique to Sang Zheng’s mother’s people, and the poison inside was grown in an area where the same people lived. Sang Zheng would have had the greatest access to this poison. It wouldn’t make sense for him to use such items to frame someone like Gan Zhixuan.

“You want evidence…” Song Caitang looked out of the window and noticed the corner of a green robe. “Oh, we’re just in time.”