Motive

The candlelight flickered, casting a shadow of the three in the room on the window and making the room sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

The night seemed even quieter and longer at this moment.

Wen Yuansi’s eyes shone especially brightly and his words cut straight to the point, “Where’s the letter?”

If Yun Nianyao was holding onto a very important piece of secret correspondence, where was it now?

Because of the murder case, the scene of the crime had been cordoned off and searched thoroughly. The authorities had not found anything that remotely resembled something like that.

Zhao Zhi gripped his teacup and shook his head, “No idea. Yun Nianyao only asked Lu Guangzong to help her find a calligraphy expert but did not tell him why. She did not tell him about the letter either.”

He was just as curious to find out where the letter was, but unfortunately, he was not able to find it.

Wen Yuansi fell into deep thought.

The woman was dead and that letter was gone…was this pointing toward something?

But Song Caitang asked a completely different question, “Were Qi Zhaoyuan and Yun Nianyao a loving husband and wife?”

“I think they were doing pretty okay. I never heard anything about them having any disagreement during my time in the capital. The Yun family and the Qi family were both living in harmony too.”

Halfway through saying that, Zhao Zhi seemed to understand why she was asking this question. His lips curled into an arrogant yet mocking smile, “If you still suspect that Qi Zhaoyuan is the killer, then I’d like to put in a word for him at this point. If he really wanted to kill Yun Nianyao, why go through so much trouble? He could have kept her in the house, killed her, then tell everyone that she fell ill from worrying about her family and passed on. Wouldn’t that have been much easier and a lot less trouble?”

“And even if he didn’t want to do that, he could have done something on her journey here. Never mind a pregnant woman – even if a woman made such a journey under normal circumstances, the chances of running into trouble along the way are very high.”

Why bother to wait till she arrived at Tianhua Temple, settled in well, then kill her?

Qi Zhaoyuan would have to be completely out of his mind.

He couldn’t have killed her himself, since he was still in the capital at the time of the murder. He didn’t have the time to kill her and would have had to hire a killer to do so. That sounded even more ridiculous.

This woman was so clever, yet she hadn’t thought of this?!

Song Caitang did not respond immediately and just smiled as she looked at him. The look in her eyes seemed to be asking him: Do I look like a very stupid person to you?

Any suspicion surrounding Qi Zhaoyuan could be ruled out by now and it was also clear why he had not spoken the truth in the beginning. If no other clues pointing toward him were found, suspecting Qi Zhaoyuan was a waste of time.

She had obviously thought of all these. What she wanted to know was something else, “Would Qi Zhaoyuan know the things inside the victim’s room?”

This secret correspondence was very important, so to make sure she did not lose it, Yun Nianyao must have hidden it very well and might have disguised it as something else. Since she had carried it with her all the way from the capital, Qi Zhaoyuan might have checked through them before she left.

Zhao Zhi paused for a moment. His expression stiffened.

This woman always made sure she slapped him in the face at all times!!

He lowered his head to take a sip of tea. His teeth knocked loudly against the teacup and his voice was gruff, “Women have so many things. Men aren’t so detailed and wouldn’t be able to recognize every single item. I’ve brought him to Yun Nianyao’s room too, but he couldn’t confirm if anything was missing. But he should be able to recognize if an item belongs to her or not.”

Pak! The flame crackled as a spark flew brightly.

The three of them did not speak for a while. It was pin drop silence in the room.

“Why don’t we go through all the details of the case again.” Wen Yuansi leaned forward and placed his elbows against the table. His eyes were bright and there was a faint smile on his face, “We might find something.”

Song Caitang raised her brows slightly, her gaze thoughtful, “Sure.”

Zhao Zhi folded his arms and leaned back lazily in his chair. He started the ball rolling, “On the morning of the 8^th day of the 2^nd month, Yun Nianyao got up and she was in a very good mood.”

Song Caitang looked thoughtful, “She was in a good mood partly because her baby was doing well and wasn’t causing her discomfort, and partly because Lu Guangzong was going to visit her in the afternoon. There was hope for the matter she was worried about and things might move in a good direction. She had great confidence and trust in Lu Guangzong.”

Wen Yuansi glanced downward, “But after she finished breakfast, the effects of the poison in the castor beans struck her. She didn’t know the effects of this poison and because the symptoms resembled morning sickness, she did not think twice about it. She was just feeling very unwell and that dampened her mood.”

No matter how troubled she was about other matters, as someone who was about to become a mother, her love for her child took first place in her heart. Yun Nianyao and Qi Zhaoyuan were a loving couple and this was their first child several years after their only child. This child was important and she was very careful throughout her pregnancy, yet her morning sickness was severe and she even coughed up blood. How good could her mood be after that?

To get some fresh air that could ease her nausea, she walked out of her room and decided to take a stroll outside.

And that was why she looked so downcast when she met with Gao Zhuo.

Zhao Zhi said, “She looked troubled and distracted, so even though she hosted him properly, her thoughts were all over the place. That’s why she didn’t notice that Gao Zhuo’s flute tassel had caught onto her sleeve.

Wen Yuansi continued, “At the same time, An Pengyi and the other two were busy stealing something from her room. Gao Zhuo vaguely caught sight of one of them.”

“According to An Pengyi’s statement, he didn’t know what Shi Qun had stolen, but based on the things he boasted about during their subsequent conversations, he knows that this item was simply placed on a shelf and wasn’t well hidden at all…”

Song Caitang added quietly, “Does that mean that Yun Nianyao had been playing with it just before leaving the room and just placed it on the shelf for the time being?”

It was easy to understand the conflicting emotions Yun Nianyao had at that point in time. She was looking forward to meeting with Lu Guangzong, but she was also afraid that he wouldn’t be able to help her, since her family was in an extremely sticky situation.

She looked downcast not only because of her own health, but also because she was worried about this.

It made sense for her to be very distracted when talking to Gao Zhuo.

Zhao Zhi nodded, then went on, “After she returned to her room, Yun Nianyao still felt unwell. As she moved about, lay down, sat down and so on, the tassel might have rolled onto the mattress or pillow, then rolled back in after she had changed into her pajamas.”

Wen Yuansi agreed with that conjecture. If Gao Zhuo was not the killer, then this was the only way to explain why his flute tassel had appeared in the victim’s sleeve. As for the alcohol stains on it…

“The victim ate sweet fermented rice balls.”

Yun Nianyao was an aristocrat and would have learned to eat such that she never dropped any food on herself. But she wasn’t in very good shape by that time, so an accident like that could very well have happened.

Song Caitang’s gaze glimmered slightly, “That’s right. While her maid, Yuzhu, had run off to make red bean pancakes, someone had taken this chance to bring a bowl of the sweet fermented rice balls in, got the victim to eat it, then killed the victim.”

“Did the killer only mean to offer her the dessert, but ended up killing her after their conversation went awry? Or did the killer already intend to kill her and had a plan in mind?”

What did Yun Nianyao and the killer discuss?

This was very vital to the case.

Zhao Zhi tapped his fingertips against the table, “And this golden ball. Did Yun Nianyao realize it was missing?”

Lu Guangzong had connections to a huge network of important people. His promise to Yun Nianyao carried a lot of weight and he was pretty much the only one who could save her family now. If she realized it was missing, she would be in a terrible mood.

Wen Yuansi frowned slightly, “Do you think Pacification Commissioner Lu might have decided against helping her and tried to take the ball back?”

Regretting a decision was very common. The Yun family issue was a very difficult one, so this thought might have occurred to him.

The direction of this case kept changing, so the parts that seemed very suspicious before no longer seemed suspicious now. Instead, those areas that weren’t suspicious before seemed very suspicious now.

Song Caitang clasped her hands together and tapped her slim fingers against the back of her hands. Her gaze seemed cloudy and mysterious, “Have you guys noticed something? It seems like every person connected to this case has a motive for killing her, and only one person doesn’t.”

The room fell silent.

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes, “Gao Zhuo’s is love, Qi Zhaoyuan’s is to protect his family, Madam Ji’s is her jealousy…”

Wen Yuansi chimed in, “Pacification Commissioner Lu might be afraid to be implicated.”

There was only one person who seemed to be everywhere in this case, yet somehow not connected to the rest at all.

“Madam Ge,” Song Caitang raised her head slightly. Her eyes reflected the candle flame exactly.

“Isn’t her appearance in this case a little strange?”

Zhao Zhi commented, “She has nothing to do with the messy love triangle surrounding the victim and doesn’t stand to gain or lose from any of this. She seems to be in a very innocent but unlucky position of being part of this case, and has to cooperate with the investigation at the same time.”

Wen Yuansi added, “And her personality is excellent. She’s always worried for others and counsels them.”

Was all that worrying and counseling really out of the kindness of her own heart?

Song Caitang quickly sorted through her thoughts and asked Zhao Zhi, “Madam Ge said that Madam Ji had stuffed a bowl of the sweet fermented rice balls into her hands. She said she ate it herself, so where’s the bowl?”

Zhao Zhi answered, “The runners found it in Madam Ge’s room.”

Song Caitang asked another question, “Then, what about the ones that Madam Ji gave to Gao Zhuo?”

Wen Yuansi answered this time, “Gao Zhuo threw them outside the door and didn’t see them the next morning. He doesn’t know if they were taken away by a cleaner or if someone else took them. As for the bowl they dug out from the ground in front of his residence, he has no idea where it could have come from.”

In other words, the killer must have used the bowl and purposely buried it there to frame Gao Zhuo.

Song Caitang asked again, “Who knew about Madam Ji giving Gao Zhuo sweet fermented rice balls?”

Zhao Zhi licked his lips, “It seems everyone knows that Madam Ji is besotted with Gao Zhuo and she doesn’t bother hiding it either. A lot of people found out about this very quickly.”

So, Madam Ge was in the clear again.

“Is she good at archery then?”

Song Caitang remembered the third time her life had been endangered.

“Nope,” Zhao Zhi was very certain, “Based on her size, strength and other factors, she doesn’t look like someone who is trained in such sports or martial arts.”

“What about the castor beans?”

Wen Yuansi shook his head and sighed, “It’s been hard to find out where these beans could have come from. The authorities have tried very hard and we’ve only found one local merchant who has sold this thing before. It will take time for us to investigate further.”

Madam Ge was like someone who had waded through a pool without any traces of water left on her. It was as though she was part of the case, yet didn’t seem entangled in any way.

If she were innocent, then all of this was pure coincidence. If she were the killer, then everything was going the way she wanted…

That would make her a very frightening character.

She would be a very intelligent, steady person with very meticulous planning. It was going to be very difficult to find concrete evidence and make her admit to her guilt.

The three of them exchanged grim glances.

“Anyhow,” Song Caitang narrowed her eyes and tapped a finger on the table, “any murderer must have a motive. Regardless of whether one is trying to just poison another or actually kill someone, none of this happened by accident. The poisoning and eventual death of Yun Nianyao were all carried out deliberately by the killer. It could be love, revenge, money, or some other benefit, but the killer’s motive definitely falls into at least one of these categories.”

She looked at the two men in front of her, “Since we’re all suspicious of her, then I think we should investigate Madam Ge thoroughly. I feel like we know way too little about her.”

Zhao Zhi agreed wholeheartedly and nodded, “We should do that.”

“And this golden ball. Does anybody know about this item that belongs to the pacification commissioner? What use does it have, how does one use it, and is there anything happening in relation to it? We should take note of these too.”

Song Caitang’s brows were slightly raised, exuding a bold and intelligent air. The clear ripples in her eyes were very enchanting.

Zhao Zhi paused for a moment before getting up lazily, “I’ll go and find out more about Madam Ge…”

Wen Yuansi stopped him from leaving, “Surveillance Commissioner Zhao, perhaps you might not have to do that yourself.”

“Oh?” Zhao Zhi turned to look at him, “You know her well?”

Wen Yuansi smiled faintly, “I wouldn’t say that I know her well, but her husband is from the Lin family, a prominent family in this area. Governor Zhang has been in charge of this province for many years and knows the family quite well. Please take a seat while I ask Governor Zhang to come over. He might provide us with some helpful information.”

Zhao Zhi was pleasantly surprised that there was an easier way to get this done. He plonked himself back onto the chair and waved a hand at Wen Yuansi as he told him to hurry.

Song Caitang glanced at Zhao Zhi.

Zhao Zhi raised his brow real high, “Hmm? I’m attending to this case with great urgency but you still find fault with that?”

“Oh no, no,” Song Caitang smiled gently and refilled his teacup personally before pushing it back toward him, “You’ve worked very, very hard.

Zhao Zhi became even more wary.

As the saying goes, nobody tries to win another’s favor without expecting something in return! That person had to either be a swindler or a thief!

But even though he remained wary and watched her very cautiously, she did not do anything. She remained seated in silence as they waited for Wen Yuansi to return.

It was as though…she had really just wanted to refill his tea.

Wen Yuansi was eager to crack the case, so he returned very quickly. Governor Zhang had clearly been dragged out of bed and hadn’t even managed to get his coat on properly. The buttons on his collar were done wrongly too.

But he really did know some things about the Lin family.

“Not too long ago, the Lin family’s medical business ran into some trouble. It seems like someone was purposely trying to make things difficult for them. Someone intercepted their sales channels and took those sales away.” Governor Zhang finally caught his breath and let out a long sigh after drinking two whole cups of tea, “Gao Zhuo and Madam Ge were on good terms from before, so when this happened to the business, Gao Zhuo used his connections to settle it. That’s why Madam Ge has been so protective of Gao Zhuo throughout this case…”

Zhao Zhi said, “Was that the end of the Lin family woes?”

Song Caitang asked, “Who did this to the Lin family? Do they have any connections to the capital?”

They spoke at almost the same time, so Governor Zhang blinked in surprise and burst out laughing, “The two of you are always so well coordinated! But I think it’s best that you ask me questions one at a time. Otherwise it’ll be too hard for me to answer them!”

He looked down and thought through these things for a while before realizing that this matter was actually quite significant. He had never thought in this direction before.

His expression became more solemn as he responded, “I don’t know exactly what happened, but as a high ranking official around here, I do get a lot of news about some of these prominent families. The Lin family did get into pretty serious trouble, so even though Gao Zhuo helped them out, he only managed to tide them over once. As long as the family wanted to continue in this line, they were going to continue running into problems. And I believe…the family has been targeted by someone with connections to the capital.”

Zhao Zhi and Song Caitang immediately exchanged glances.

Their suspicions were right!

Wen Yuansi remarked, “I suppose the Lin family must have gone around to ask others for help.”

“That’s right,” Governor Zhang stroked his beard as he nodded slightly, “They’ve asked every person with even the slightest bit of status or acclaim, or connections. They’ve even talked to me several times too.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much and didn’t hail from a powerful family. There was really nothing he could have done for them.

Zhao Zhi snorted, “In other words, they might have tried asking Lu Guangzong for help.”

“When people are desperate, they will look for opportunities in every place possible. But there’s no way the Lin family would have gotten a chance to speak to the pacification commissioner. Pacification Commissioner Lu is from the capital, so he’s of very high standing and is very wealthy. The doctors he hires are all retired doctors who used to work for the palace, so he has no ties to the Lins at all. If anybody from the Lin family tried to talk to him, they would have been turned away immediately.”

Governor Zhang tried his best to remember what happened and recounted it in detail to the other three.

The more he spoke, the more everyone was certain. Madam Ge’s motive for killing Yun Nianyao was immediately obvious now.

The fog over this case was slowly but surely clearing up. The truth seemed to be right in front of their eyes now. They all began to get very excited and could barely sit still.

Song Caitang put her teacup down. She was full of smiles, “I’ll go find out more about Madam Ge tomorrow.”

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, “I’ll ask Lu Guangzong again if the Lin family or Madam Ge has ever tried to ask him for help and what happened. And I’ll go find out if Madam Ge has anyone with martial arts training in her employment.”

Wen Yuansi straightened his sleeves, “I’ll continue tracing where the castor beans came from and ask the neighboring provinces if they have any information.”

At this juncture, Song Caitang reminded Wen Yuansi, “Keep an eye on Madam Ji.”

The result that the murderer would want the most, the result that would ensure their safety, was not that the case couldn’t be cracked and turned into a cold case that would be revisited from time to time. The result they wanted was an actual conclusion to the case. They wanted to see someone being convicted of the crime.

The murderer in this case was very clever and seemed to be working hard to create a killer for the authorities.

The original target was probably Gao Zhuo, but since Madam Ji had taken the rap for him and even came up with evidence to prove that she was the murderer, then the real killer was going to shift their target to Madam Ji instead.

Keeping an eye on Madam Ji was definitely going to yield results!