Walking Into The Trap

When Song Caitang discussed the case with Zhao Zhi and Wen Yuansi and analyzed the sort of murderer they were looking for, she knew that Madam Ge was not going to admit to her guilt that easily.

This woman was very intelligent, very good at getting out of sticky situations and nothing seemed to faze her at all. Even if you could find enough evidence to charge her with the crime, she might still have some way to wriggle her way out by looking for a scapegoat or something like that.

She was the mistress of the Lin household, so she was always accompanied by servants. Her servants might know how to do some of the things she knew how to do, and the servants were at the same places at the same time as her. Furthermore, servants were usually very loyal, so it would make sense for them to commit crimes thinking it was of help to their employers.

If she decided to put the blame on a servant, the authorities would get someone who would admit to all the crimes and match all the evidence found, but was not the actual killer.

In a feudal society like this, a person’s status gave them too much of an advantage in life. If the case eventually concluded this way, there was little the authorities could do. A murderer could actually slip through the cracks and avoid arrest just like that.

Song Caitang wasn’t going to let that happen.

She didn’t have some great ambition to get rid of every rich and powerful person who thought themselves above the law. She merely had some principles that she stuck to in life. There were some things that she couldn’t control, but she was not about to let the killer standing right in front of her get away!

Based on the way Madam Ge did things, besides being very clever and meticulous in crafting her plans, there was one more thing of note. She cared a lot about her reputation. What others thought of her.

The more people there were, the more eager such a person would be to show off. But once the opposite happened, this person would also breakdown easily.

The way Song Caitang had marched in to accuse Madam Ge of murder at a fancy party of the Gao family meant that things could end two ways. Either, Song Caitang failed to produce enough evidence, so Madam Ge could use the chance to argue her way out of this and even gain sympathy from the people here. She would also cement her image as someone who couldn’t be the killer. Even if it was eventually traced to her again, she could use today’s events to insist on her innocence. At the same time, she could turn this into an embarrassment to Song Caitang so that the young woman would walk with her tail between her legs for the rest of her life.

Or, Song Caitang had a plan and she was slowly pushing Madam Ge into a corner. She was going to throw evidence after evidence at Madam Ge, to make it impossible for her to explain everything away, and to finally admit her guilt in front of everyone!

And once she did that, she would not be able to take it back.

Doing this was very difficult. One had to make sure the crowd didn’t become rowdy, had to read the room, had to understand Madam Ge’s psyche well, and had to ask the right questions at the right time. Otherwise, it would be difficult to get this result.

Zhao Zhi was too fierce, while Wen Yuansi worked for the authorities. They both had their own matters to attend to as well, so they were not suitable candidates for this mission. Song Caitang was the only one who could do it.

She was an excellent coroner, but a coroner’s job was despised by the society of this era. Madam Ge would already have contempt toward her in the first place. Contempt led to a sense of superiority, so she wouldn’t be as wary and would be more likely to walk into this trap.

Song Caitang had everything prepared before coming here. Even the chance to discover those supposed castor beans was something that she had already planned with Zhao Zhi and Wen Yuansi to allow Madam Ge to find out about it.

She had already switched the items found in Madam Ji’s room. The items that were removed from the room in the morning were not castor beans at all.

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes, “Did Madam Ge already know that castor beans were placed there?”

“You mean it’s not?”

Upon hearing Song Caitang’s response and spotting her head maid’s horrified expression, Madam Ge realized that she had walked into a trap!

In that instant, she didn’t have the time to think about how something she had placed there ahead of time could have turned into something else. Her thoughts moved past that at record speed even as she continued to smile faintly and speak calmly, “The way the authorities investigate cases have really become more and more bizarre. There are so many things behind the scenes that keep changing. The poison that Miss Song herself identified had been discovered in the killer’s room, yet now, you’re saying it’s not the poison.”

She did not wait for a response from Song Caitang and went on, “I believe everyone connected to this case would be keeping tabs on the case like myself. Otherwise, all these people wouldn’t have come as well…”

She pointed a finger toward the people who had followed behind Song Caitang. Besides those representing the authorities like Governor Zhang, Governor Li, Coroner Sun and Judge Guo, she was also pointing at Gao Zhuo and Qi Zhaoyuan.

“I’ve left someone behind at Tianhua Temple to watch the situation and keep me updated. Is there something wrong with that? You’re calling me a killer just because of that? Don’t you think you’re pushing it a little too far?”

“You purposely spread information and put up smokescreens, which misled us into believing that the new discovery had to be castor beans, and I’m suspicious because of that?” Madam Ge folded her arms and smiled faintly, “Miss Song, that’s not how you solve cases, you know?”

Up till now, Madam Ge continued to exude that same confidence she had right from the start. Her gaze seemed to say, If you can’t find sufficient evidence and you can’t trap me with my own words, then you can forget about arresting me!

It was hard for the atmosphere in the room to remain the same after she continued being so confident.

For example, Coroner Sun let out a long, long sigh.

He hoped that the killer wasn’t Madam Ge. If it were Gao Zhuo or Madam Ji – he didn’t care which one – he could at least claim some credit for their arrest. But what was he going to do if the killer turned out to be someone whom only Song Caitang thought of? That bet he had with Song Caitang was still valid!

Judge Guo felt that nothing was going right. If Song Caitang managed to get a grip on this case, then what was the point of his high position of authority? Who was the real prefectural judge now, him or Song Caitang? Never mind his hopes that Governor Li would become his backer and lead him to greater heights. He might have to quit public service altogether at this rate! Governor Li was counting on Zhao Zhi to crack this case, and Zhao Zhi supported Song Caitang. He, on the other hand, supported Coroner Sun, which put him on the wrong side of the situation…

Governor Zhang was extremely happy, though. He was waiting for Song Caitang to give him a big surprise! Anybody who tried to kick up a fuss now would be deemed as trying to go against him!

And so, he helped to control the crowd by watching everyone warily. He didn’t want anyone to suddenly come forward and ruin Song Caitang’s plans.

But while he could keep most of the people here under control, he couldn’t hold Governor Li back.

Governor Li noticed that Zhao Zhi wasn’t around, so he started getting ideas again…

Wen Yuansi noticed and took a step toward him to block his way. He threw Governor Li a friendly smile and said, “The wind is strong today, Governor Li. I think it’s best if you stay here where it’s warm to prevent catching a chill.”

Governor Li shuddered.

The night before, Zhao Zhi had gone to his room in the middle of night, shocking him awake and had even crushed a table corner in the process. And now, this smiling tiger had come to stand in his way…His plans to turn the situation in his favor had gone wrong time and again. Could it be that this case was destined to belong to someone else, and he’d definitely suffer if he tried to interfere?

Governor Li returned to his original position, glanced sideways at Wen Yuansi and didn’t speak anymore.

On the other side, old Madam Li, Guan Qing and Guan Wan were doing what they could to control the ladies in the room…

The entire venue was protected inside and outside. Everyone was calm and silent, and everything was going smoothly!

Song Caitang was assured by their actions and focused on her standoff with Madam Ge.

“The bowl that used to contain the sweet fermented rice balls found outside Gao Zhuo’s residence. You buried that bowl there, didn’t you?” Her eyes were clear and bright, as though they could reflect everything in the world. “You didn’t eat the bowl of rice balls that Mrs. Fu gave you at all. Instead, you brought it to Yun Nianyao.”

“After killing Yun Nianyao, you began setting everything up. You wanted to make someone the killer, someone who wasn’t you. You picked Gao Zhuo. This bowl of rice balls was supposed to be for him anyway, but you saw that he didn’t want it and just left it at the door. So, in the darkness of night, you secretly buried that bowl outside his door.”

“You know how Gao Zhuo feels about Yun Nianyao, and you might even know about those paintings and writings he kept in his room. So, you purposely kept mentioning Mrs. Fu and Yun Nianyao to agitate him, so that he would react badly and make others suspicious of him.”

Song Caitang looked squarely at Madam Ge, “Besides the fact that he has spent many years pining after someone he can never have, Mr. Gao is a good man and he even helped you before. Madam Ge, don’t you think there’s a limit to how ungrateful one can be?”

Madam Ge narrowed her eyes slightly, “Miss Song, you can’t just say such things without any evidence!” She looked toward Gao Zhuo, who stood behind the crowd, and said in a loud voice, “Mr. Gao, you know very well that I’ve been very genuine toward you!”

The look in Gao Zhuo’s eyes was one of confusion, and great pain.

One moment was filled with Madam Ge, who had been gentle and understanding toward him, and had comforted him and helped him during this time. The next moment was filled with Yun Nianyao’s pale and lifeless face.

He wanted to believe in Madam Ge, but his Yaoyao had died too tragically for him to ignore!

“I don’t know… I don’t know…”

His opinion didn’t matter now, so Song Caitang didn’t bother paying him any attention. She kept her eye on Madam Ge and said, “My older sister ran into several dangerous encounters recently. You’re behind that, aren’t you?”

Madam Ge was confused. “Your older sister?”

Song Caitang clarified, “My eldest cousin, Guan Qing.”

Guan Qing was initially surprised that Song Caitang was suddenly mentioning her, but it didn’t take long for her to realize what Song Caitang was referring to. She glared at Madam Ge like her eyes could shoot arrows!

Guan Wan didn’t understand and tugged at her sister’s dress worriedly, “Sis…”

“Don’t worry, everything’s fine.” Guan Qing patted her younger sister’s hand.

Song Caitang was still talking, “You returned to your residence after you killed Yun Nianyao, but my sister happened to wake up at that hour. She didn’t see you, but you saw her. You believed that she must have seen you, or you were worried that she might remember seeing someone. So, you decided it was safer to take an innocent life than to have an unknown variable out there. And so… you decided to target my sister a few times. Isn’t that right, Madam Ge?”

“Isn’t Mrs. Fu behind what happened to your sister?” Madam Ge’s expression remained calm as she narrowed her eyes a little. “Mrs. Fu and your aunt discussed Guan Qing’s marriage prospects, but Guan Qing has a stubborn nature and would never agree to it. If they wanted her to agree to this marriage, they would have to use some other methods to make it happen. She would learn to be obedient after being taught a few lessons. The Tianhua Temple guards locked Mr. Wang up that day. I thought everyone knew about that.”

“In fact, Guan Qing managed to escape that crisis because I dropped hints in front of you and Guan Qing. You were the one who said you were grateful for that. But despite helping you, you’ve turned around to bite me instead. What sort of logic is this?”

Song Caitang laughed, “Mrs. Lin, you’re really amazing. No matter what it is, you’re able to think ahead and find someone to blame for everything that’s happened. You’re able to tell lies in such a convincing manner. I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you today.”

“Mrs. Fu has already admitted that the only thing she has done to my sister is that incident involving Mr. Wang, and she did not do anything after that. The dangerous incidences my sister ran into were all your doing! There’s no point in denying it. The surveillance commissioner has already done an investigation of this matter and has confirmed that the person who shifted the fake rocks and pushed it toward my sister when she came close enough works for the Lin family!”

Madam Ge was silent for a while before shrugging, “Well, like you said so yourself, it was someone in our employment and not me. I might be their employer, but I wouldn’t know what goes on in their heads. If one of mine has committed a crime, you can go ahead and arrest them. I’m a very reasonable employer and I won’t try to speak up for them if they’ve really done something like that.”

She looked straight into Song Caitang’s eyes and said in a grave voice, “I really don’t know if someone’s paying to do this or what. Why do you keep questioning me like this even though you’ve already arrested someone who has admitted to this crime? Is it someone who has a feud with my family? Someone from the capital?”

She thought that these words would be able to scare a young lady like Song Caitang into shutting up. But instead of shutting up, Song Caitang actually burst out laughing.

Madam Ge was stunned.

Then, she spotted Madam Ji.

Madam Ji protected her belly with her hands as she carefully walked over with her maid’s help, “Because I’m not the killer! I was too emotional and didn’t think before speaking, that’s all! I didn’t kill Yun Nianyao, and I didn’t poison her!”

Madam Ge’s eyes narrowed, “Huh. This is the first time I’m hearing that a murderer who’s already admitted to their crime can actually take their admission back.”

She was finally getting a little angry.

Song Caitang threw Madam Ji a glance.

Madam Ji then went on, “I’m just a woman with no medical knowledge! How would I even know what castor beans are? When Miss Song came to my room yesterday and discovered them in my room, I nearly fainted in fright! Madam Ge, when did you put those things in my room? Did you intend to frame me right from the start?”

“What castor beans? Madam Ji, watch your words!” Madam Ge’s gaze was a little fierce, which frightened Madam Ji and made her shrink back.

Song Caitang smiled faintly, “The surveillance commissioner took those things away secretly yesterday and replaced them with wheatberries. The items removed from her room in front of everyone with great fanfare were also wheatberries. You’re right to say that anyone connected to the case would be following the case closely. But when the others heard about the discovery in Madam Ji’s room, they didn’t know what those things were, yet you identified them as castor beans. If you didn’t already know about them beforehand, I can’t think of a scenario where you would know what those things were.”

Madam Ji’s eyes were bloodshot from anger, “Madam Ge, how could you frame me like this!”

“I did have issues with Yun Nianyao, but I never thought of killing her! And about Guan Qing’s prospective marriage, even though the discussion had been between Madam Zhang and I, you knew about it too! That’s how you were able to drop those hints!”

“You’re really good at pretending to be a good person, huh! You give a sweet first, then you whip them real hard! You’re so good at making it look like someone else is to blame when someone gets hurt, so no matter what happens to Guan Qing, it’s none of your business! But the arms of justice are long and they don’t miss anyone – you’ve still been found out by Miss Song!”

These words implicated more people. Song Caitang’s aunt, Madam Zhang, was deeply embarrassed now. Her entire face was as white as a sheet and she was furious.

Guan Rongrong couldn’t stand hearing such things and stood up for her mother, “How dare you spout nonsense like that! My mother didn’t do any of those things!”

Madam Ji merely scoffed, “Your mother knows best if she did those things or not!”

Guan Rongrong bit her lip. No matter how aggressive she was, her status was lower than a married woman’s and she had no say in this matter at all. Since she didn’t dare to argue with Madam Ji anymore, the only thing she could do was yell at Song Caitang, “Stop embarrassing yourself like this! Come back here this instant!”

Song Caitang didn’t even bother to look at her. She smiled at Madam Ji to show her gratitude.

Madam Ji had regretted taking the rap because she found out that she was with a child.

It was true that she liked Gao Zhuo very much and refused to forget him even after so many years had passed. But now, she was pregnant. Perhaps the fact that she remained childless made her feel insecure in her marriage. She didn’t feel like she belonged to her husband’s family and kept longing to go back to the past. After finding out that she was pregnant, her motherhood instincts kicked in. The most important thing to her right now was no longer her unrequited love, but the child in her womb.

After all, it wasn’t as though she stood a chance with Gao Zhuo.

Moreover, her husband’s family treated her well and her own family continued to support her. If she was willing to forget Gao Zhuo and moved on, both sides of the family would be so much happier for her.

She was sincerely sorry for causing so much trouble for everyone in the past and she was determined to live her life properly from now on. Even if there were still rumors out there… they would eventually pass!

She regretted taking the rap for Gao Zhuo and didn’t want to act noble for the sake of love anymore. Everything seemed hopeless until Song Caitang walked into her residence. Song Caitang was such a clever woman, so she was sure that this young lady would be able to help her!

As long as Song Caitang could get her out of this mess, she was willing to do anything!

That was why she had been very cooperative and answered all of Song Caitang’s questions honestly and in great detail. She also agreed to all of Song Caitang’s requests…

Her appearance had sent ripples through the crowd.

Before this, the crowd had been a little more on Madam Ge’s side, partly because Madam Ge seemed so confident, and also because Madam Ji had already been arrested for murder. But now…

The winds had changed directions.

And Madam Ge’s expression was beginning to waver.

Song Caitang didn’t give her any time to think or catch her breath and quickly went on, “The arrow shot at me in the middle of the night was your doing too, right?”

Madam Ge scoffed at the accusation, “Ha! You are really good at making things up! I don’t have training in any martial arts, so how could I have done that?”

Song Caitang took a step forward, “What about the jade token? The jade token you brought with you when you paid Pacification Commissioner Lu a visit. Where did you get it from?”

Madam Ge’s eyes immediately calmed down again. She retrieved a dark green piece of jade from her sleeve, “Are you referring to this?”

The color of the jade was close, but the translucency was poor, the pattern wasn’t consistent and had sweat stains on it. It looked really awful.

That wasn’t the one that went missing from Yun Nianyao’s room.

This was a different piece that Madam Ge had already prepared in case she was asked about it!

The way she seemed prepared for every situation and was able to answer any questions thrown at her… made her the most suspicious person of all!

Everyone stared at Madam Ge in a completely different light now.

Song Caitang sighed quietly as she looked at Madam Ge, “Did you really think that you committed the perfect crime and left absolutely no evidence behind at all?”