Standoff

Night had fallen by the time the door to the corpse examination room opened once more.

But Song Caitang didn’t look tired at all. Her expression was relaxed and her brows were slightly lifted. Her eyes sparkled brightly, as though they reflected the entire starry sky.

“If the city gates weren’t already locked, I’d like to enter right now.”

Zhao Zhi leaned against a pillar along the corridor. His stance and tone remained as arrogant as ever, and exuded the laziness that only aristocrats possessed, “That’s not difficult. I’ll just ram the gates open.”

Perhaps it was too late and she was starting to see things, but Song Caitang felt like his gaze burned way too passionately and too brightly now, unlike his usual gaze.

But when she looked harder, that passion was gone again, as though she had been mistaken.

Wen Yuansi arrived shortly after she started examining the body and had just kept the autopsy report properly. He smiled faintly as he took a step forward with his hands folded behind him, “It’s not very nice to disturb the public at this hour, so I think we should leave this to tomorrow. Besides, we still haven’t found some important things yet, so we need time to get those things too.”

Song Caitang suddenly thought of something that made her break into a mysterious smile, “I’m good with that. Tomorrow is a good day to do this.”

She raised her chin slightly to let the cool night breeze blow past her face. She glanced at Zhao Zhi, then at Wen Yuansi, and said in a voice as calm and quiet as the night, “Which one of you will look for the one with martial arts training and investigate the evidence we just found?”

Zhao Zhi wasn’t going to pass this chance up, “Of course I’ll do it.”

Song Caitang went on, “Then controlling the crowd tomorrow…”

Wen Yuansi smiled, “I’ll do that.”

Zhao Zhi glanced at him.

“My grandmother will be there tomorrow. I’ll be able to control the men outside, but if the women become uncooperative, then I can get her to help,” Wen Yuansi smiled elegantly at Song Caitang, “I guarantee there won’t be any chaos.”

Song Caitang went on, “As for the initial attack, laying of the trap and interrogation, I’m just the right person for it, so I’ll do it?”

Wen Yuansi responded, “I’ll await your exciting performance.”

Zhao Zhi snorted and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get what you need exactly when your interrogation reaches its climax!”

Under the dim starry sky, the three stood outside the door and exchanged glances. It was as though they were about to carry out a noble mission each.

There was no need to say more or to even bid each other farewell. They knew what each other’s thoughts were. They knew what they had to do now and what they had to do the next day!

Zhao Zhi waved lazily and sauntered off first.

Wen Yuansi smiled faintly as he placed a hand over his other fist politely toward Song Caitang, then walked off.

Qingqiao…had come to pick up Song Caitang. Song Caitang put her arm on Qingqiao’s hand and walked out slowly, the beads on the tassels in her hair tinkling as they hit each other.

The carriage was prepared first thing the next morning, but Song Caitang did not leave her residence.

She got Qingqiao and Qinxiu to look out for any information or movement from the other people staying at the temple. She finally got dressed, hopped onto the carriage and left after 9am.

Her re-examination of Yun Nianyao’s body the night before had been conducted very quietly and very few people knew about it, but it was impossible to hide this matter for long. Anybody with an interest in the case would have found out about it by this morning and would start speculating as well as watch what Song Caitang and the authorities would do next.

The moment they saw Song Caitang leave her residence, everyone immediately instructed their servants to get their horses and carriages ready to follow behind her!

“Hurry up! Never mind the carriage, I’ll take the horse today!”

“Hurry, hurry! I need to know what that girl is up to this time!”

“I’ve placed a big bet on this one, so I’ve got to catch up with her!!”

Not only were Governor Zhang, Governor Li, Coroner Sun and Judge Guo hot on her heels, even Gao Zhuo and Qi Zhaoyuan followed behind Song Caitang, since their movement wasn’t restricted.

Song Caitang ignored the string of people behind her and headed straight for her destination. Her carriage did not stop at all and quickly arrived at the Gao family residence.

The Gaos were a new aristocratic family in Luanze and they had relatives in the capital. Madam Zhang had previously hinted to Song Caitang that as long as she behaved herself, she would bring her to the party hosted by the Gaos. A number of young women of high standing from the capital would be in attendance.

These were women that like the Guans would never be able to come into contact with because they were too far down the social ladder. But these were women from prominent families, well-educated, well brought up and connected to so many important people. Everyone in Luanze wanted to become acquainted with them.

This was a family party, but anyone with some status, power or money in Luanze were invited and were sure to come.

Madam Ge was here too.

Song Caitang got off her carriage and straightened her dress.

A servant at the door came to ask for her invitation card, “Could I check which family you’re from? The party has already started.”

Of course, Song Caitang didn’t have an invitation card.

Then again, she wasn’t here to be a guest.

She didn’t even need to give instructions. Qingqiao took out the badge prepared ahead of time, glared sternly at the servant and stuffed the badge into his face, “We’re here for criminal investigation purposes!”

The servant stared at them blankly. The authorities hired women now? Since when?

And she was so young and pretty too!

Any servant put in charge of receiving guests would have undergone training and would certainly recognize a badge from the authorities. His employers were of high standing and weren’t afraid of trouble, so he would be at fault if he did not allow someone with a genuine badge to go in. Besides, if these people offended his employers through sheer incompetence…that wasn’t his problem anymore.

With that in mind, he stepped aside and let them through. Of course, his expression wasn’t the friendliest either.

Song Caitang ignored him altogether and marched all the way into the main hall with Qingqiao and Qinxiu in tow.

At this hour, all the guests had already arrived but lunch wasn’t served yet, so this was the time when the party was at its noisiest, which made the location easy to locate. She just had to head for where the scenery was the prettiest and where the voices were the loudest.

She did not look at anything else and focused on finding Madam Ge.

But Qingqiao’s expression was tense and walked with wary steps. Her palms were slightly sweaty.

She spotted many, many familiar faces…

There was First Madam Wu, who had argued with Song Caitang in the coffin home; Fu Xiuxiu, who had argued with Song Caitang at Tianhua Temple; Madam Zhang and Guan Rongrong who had argued with Song Caitang at home…they were all gathered here!

And all of them were looking at her Young Mistress very…to say they were looking at her strangely was to put it nicely. They were basically all glaring at her!

Qingqiao carefully looked around and finally found Guan Qing and Guan Wan.

She was glad that Eldest Young Mistress was here too.

At least she could help if anything went wrong!

“Mrs. Lin,” Song Caitang made a beeline for Madam Ge with a burning look in her eyes as she raised her voice, “I need to have a word with you!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at her. Her sudden appearance and the way she called out to someone so loudly…

It was inappropriate for the occasion, and a show of disrespect as someone younger.

Song Caitang guessed that Madam Ge wouldn’t want to speak to her privately. Doing that would only spark more rumors. It was hard to say whose reputation would be more badly damaged by doing so.

Just like what she had expected, Madam Ge frowned slightly for just a split second before putting on a faint smile, “Miss Song, what is the matter? As you can see, I can’t leave this place, so if it’s not something that a young lady like yourself cannot discuss in public, why don’t we talk about it right here?”

Song Caitang raised an eyebrow and stared straight at her, “You sure you want to talk about this right here?”

As she spoke, she scanned the crowd as though to say, don’t regret it.

Madam Ge adjusted the jade bangle on her wrist as her smile slowly grew wider, “Why not? Miss Song, are you afraid of something? My conscience is clear and I have nothing to hide.”

“That makes sense,” Song Caitang’s tone hardened, “You weren’t even afraid to commit murder, so this is nothing to you.”

She didn’t raise her voice, so her speaking volume wasn’t high. But it was loud enough for everyone to hear her clearly.

The words “commit murder” were like a hammer that struck everyone’s hearts hard.

The entire place fell silent for a few seconds before the sound of people breathing could be heard again.

Commit murder?

Madam Ge had committed murder?

Very few knew who Song Caitang was, but some did. Some people in the crowd whispered her name to each other.

The murder of an aristocrat in Tianhua Temple was a major case in Luanze and shrouded in mystery, so almost everyone knew about it. The dissecting of the victim’s body in the course of investigation only added to the hype around it. It only took a few keywords for everyone to immediately connect the dots.

So, Song Caitang had come to accuse…Madam Ge of being the killer?

Madam Ge was the one who killed Yun Nianyao?

Qingqiao flashed their badge when Song Caitang walked in, but she didn’t do that now. The mistress of the Gao household initially frowned and wanted to step forward to handle the situation, since she didn’t want anything unpleasant to happen at her family party. But after hearing what this was all about, not only did she not step forward, but she even waved her hand lightly to motion to all the servants to leave the room.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and did not talk anymore. Their attention was focused on the two in the middle.

The people following behind Song Caitang had arrived as well, and this was the first thing they heard when they entered the hall. Their eyes and mouths were gaping in shock.

The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly. It was as though a giant meteorite had crash landed on the hall, exploding loudly and leaving nothing but dust and smoke in its wake.

Madam Ge smiled faintly, “Miss Song, perhaps there’s a misunderstanding here. Everyone at this party knows the sort of person I am.”

She raised a hand and pointed randomly at the crowd, “Mrs. Wang suffered excessive bleeding after giving birth and her health became very poor. I’ve been giving her acupuncture for years now.”

“Mrs. Liu has chronic headaches. I use my golden needles on the entire side of her head and they stay there for four hours.”

“Miss Fang caught a cold that wouldn’t go away after falling into water one winter. I’ve treated her for three years.”

One after another, she pointed to the various ladies in the room and described the kindness she had shown to them through her medical prowess, “If I were the heartless sort, I would have killed so many people by now. But have you ever heard about it? I’ve administered treatment and medicine all these years. Have I ever slipped up? My husband’s family has been selling medicine in pill form and liquid form, as well as herbs – has anything gone wrong before?”

The crowd remained silent. Madam Ge gave a pleased nod, then turned back to look at Song Caitang, “Everyone can see for themselves. If I were really someone with ill intent, I wouldn’t have so many people willing to come so close to me. What do you think, Miss Song?”

“Or does Miss Song have a different perspective because you spent all ten odd years of your life growing up differently?”

A gleam lit up in Song Caitang’s eyes.

Until now, Madam Ge was still calm and confident. She was able to stay on topic, push it in the direction she wanted and even found a way to diss her. This woman was a tough nut to crack!

But once Madam Ge said those things, everyone looked at Song Caitang differently.

This party was held in the inner house because only the womenfolk had been invited. Many of the women present were even of higher standing than Song Caitang was, but everyone had fallen sick before. Everyone had bought medicine from the Lins and consulted doctors from the same family. Madam Ge’s performance over the past years had been very impressive as the mistress of the Lin household too. How could she be a killer?

On the contrary, Song Caitang had appeared from absolutely nowhere. She was pretty, but she was scrawny, sharp-tongued and didn’t have any of the gentleness expected of a young lady her age. How could she just barge in and accuse another person of being a murderer? That was going over the line, wasn’t it?

The expressions of the people in the hall became more judgmental and critical toward Song Caitang. And those who already didn’t like her in the first place had plenty of nasty things to say about her.

First Madam Wu scoffed disdainfully, “Those are really nasty words. You haven’t lived many years but you think you can judge a person accurately?”

Fu Xiuxiu was younger and of a lower status, so she couldn’t direct her remarks at Song Caitang. So, she went in a different direction, choosing to glance sideways at the Guan family, “I wonder which family raised a woman like her. I’d be panicking on her behalf by now.”

The smile on Madam Zhang’s face had already disappeared once everyone started turning on Song Caitang. Her expression was completely stiff now.

Guan Rongrong couldn’t control her temper and raised her voice, “Song Caitang! What in the world is wrong with you?! Be quiet and come here! Don’t you feel embarrassed at all?!”

Guan Wan hid behind Guan Qing and quietly tugged at her older sister’s sleeve.

Guan Qing raised an eyebrow as she used one hand to pull Guan Rongrong back and used her other hand to clamp the younger girl’s mouth. She whispered, “Do you know where you are? This is no place for you to talk.”

Guan Rongrong had a look of horror as she saw how everyone was staring at her now, as well as her own mother’s disapproving glance.

Madam Zhang wanted to rein Song Caitang in too, but this was not the right time for her to speak.

She was at a Gao family party and this was a matter that involved the authorities. There were representatives from both sides, but neither was doing anything to stop this situation. It was clear that regardless of what the truth was or how this whole thing turned out, both sides were supportive of Song Caitang’s actions.

Since she knew this, she also knew that she could not do anything now.

As for what happens after this…

If Song Caitang did a good job, it would look like she had taught her well as her aunt. But if she embarrassed herself, it didn’t matter. The girl’s surname was Song, not Guan, so she belonged to another family. What Song Caitang did wouldn’t affect the Guans.

Madam Zhang had already started thinking about how to tidy up this situation once it blew over and how to make use of it.

Old Madam Li was present as well, and she was seated very close to the center too. She glanced at Song Caitang concernedly, as if to ask if the younger woman needed any help.

Song Caitang shook her head slightly and even smiled at the old lady to reassure her.

Madam Ge was very intelligent and knew how to shift the conversation in her favor. Song Caitang knew that was going to happen, so she didn’t come empty handed. She was confident that she could destroy Madam Ge’s confidence bit by bit and make her confess to the crime!

“Yun Nianyao was an aristocrat from the capital. She was all by herself as she died in Tianhua Temple in Luanze. Aren’t you all curious about who killed her?”

Song Caitang stood in the crowd and scanned the guests. Her brows were slightly raised and her voice was clear, “Even if you’re not curious…she was an aristocrat, and both herself and her husband hail from very prominent families. The capital is watching this case closely. Aren’t you afraid that you’d be accused of obstructing justice by behaving like this?”

That…was true, though.

Nobody wanted to get themselves into unnecessary trouble. Once their own skin was involved, they stopped being an active participant. Nobody tried to speak up for Madam Ge anymore.

After all, as the saying goes, one’s heart is hidden behind a layer of skin. Who knew what you were really like?

Madam Ge was in the medical profession and she was very good at her work. But who knew what she was truly like privately?

When they thought about it more carefully, they realised that she did know a lot of people and seemed quite close to them, but if they had to name someone especially close…they couldn’t think of anyone.

Also, this Song Caitang seemed to have come prepared. Perhaps she really had evidence…

The atmosphere in the room seemed to have turned against Madam Ge, but Madam Ge remained as calm as ever. She didn’t seem to mind at all, “Miss Song, you don’t have to go so far. On the day of the murder, the 8^th day of the 2^nd month, I was indeed at Tianhua Temple. If you have any questions, I will certainly answer them to the best of my knowledge. But I really did not kill Yun Nianyao.”

Her expression looked sincere, and it even exuded a sense of resignation, as though she was trying her best to accommodate someone younger than herself.

Song Caitang sighed, “That’s the expression you’ve used to fool Yun Nianyao, as well as everyone else here.”

Just then, Madam Ge’s head maid came running over, “Madam, I just got news from Tianhua Temple. Those poisonous castor beans have been discovered in Mrs. Fu’s room.”

Her actions were befitting of her status as a maid and her head was bowed, but her voice was chirpy. She sure sounded happy.

Madam Ge’s smile grew even more sincere now, “See? Mrs. Fu has already admitted to being the killer and the castor beans that you found after examining the body have been found in her room too. Why are you making things difficult for me here instead of going after the real killer? Don’t you think you’ve gone a little too far?”

Song Caitang raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?”

Madam Ge looked at her with kindness in her eyes, “Like I said, there was a misunderstanding.”

Song Caitang pressed on, “The castor beans have been discovered? When?”

Madam Ge replied, “Just now – didn’t you hear what my maid said?”

“Castor beans have been discovered in Mrs. Fu’s room, yet as the coroner for the case, I’ve not heard anything. Why is that so? And it’s not just me – there’s Magistrate Wen, Governor Zhang and Governor Li here too,” Song Caitang pointed them out one by one as she spoke, “and none of them have heard about this. But someone had specially sent news to you?”

“Madam Ge, I suppose you must be watching everything very closely round the clock, watching for any advancements in the case, in case you miss something.”

Madam Ge’s smile froze.

“Let me think…besides the authorities, who would be most concerned about how the case is doing?” Song Caitang broke into a bright smile, “I think…only the killer would be so concerned.”

Madam Ge’s fingers stiffened as she subconsciously clenched them into fists.

“Also…” Song Caitang’s eyes gleamed so brightly, it was hard to look her straight in the eye, “How did your subordinates know that the items found in Mrs. Fu’s room were castor beans? Did anybody specifically identify them as castor beans?”