Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“You never intended to let Yinyue live from the very beginning; these silk curtains are proof,” Lin Qing said.

Liu Xiangxue naturally denied it. “Zhiyi is afraid of interacting with others. I arranged everything this way for her own good.”

Chu Zhiyi tried to speak but hesitated and ultimately said nothing, merely stepping away from Liu Xiangxue.

“Chu Zhiyi is just making excuses. You wanted her and Jingyue to serve as your witnesses to prove you never left,” Lin Qing unhesitatingly exposed her. “You had prepared the teacup long ago and placed it nearby, planning to find a chance to spill it. But when Lin Junrou, the third daughter of the Zhao family, had a conflict, you took the opportunity to knock over the teacup and wet your clothes. Then, using that as an excuse, you changed your outfit and had Qiu Mengchuan impersonate Qing’er to take the stage.”

Lin Qing continued, “But Qiu Mengchuan cannot play the zither, so he cut the strings with a dagger. That’s why the cuts on the strings are so neat. However, he applied too much force, causing the strings to snap back and cut his hand. It only grazed the skin without drawing blood, and the wound was narrow and straight.”

Chu Zhiyi’s voice was barely audible. “But I did hear Liu Xiangxue’s voice at the time.”

“That’s not hard. Qiu Mengchuan can alter his voice,” Lin Qing pointed to his neck. “By manipulating airflow and his Adam’s apple, and practicing bone-shrinking techniques, his neck is thicker than a normal person’s. Although few in the martial world know this, it’s not unheard of. Finding a witness won’t be difficult.”

She looked toward Qiu Mengchuan and smiled. “Would you like me to find some witnesses?”

Qiu Mengchuan’s face darkened. “No need, I admit it.”

“We found skin fragments and gold powder under Yinyue’s nails,” Lin Qing said as she grabbed Liu Xiangxue’s hand. “Look at the wounds on your hand—uneven in thickness, extending to your nails. Yet, these nails are freshly dyed, as if untouched, trying to cover up the truth. It’s transparent.”

She released Liu Xiangxue’s hand. “Even if we ignore your newly dyed nails, the pond is shallow, bordered by stones. If you wanted to drown Yinyue, you’d have to enter the water and press her head underwater. During her struggle, your nails would accidentally scratch your hand. After drowning her, you hurried back, so your wet clothes wouldn’t have had time to dry.”

Liu Xiangxue staggered, nearly falling, and sobbed softly, “Lord Liu said earlier, to confirm a murder, motive and evidence identifying the culprit are both necessary. I’m just a woman; what benefit could I possibly gain from such a crime? I have no motive!”

“You do,” Lin Qing stared into her eyes. “Because you are a spy from Gouyue, you know well the importance of the Rui King’s birthday banquet. You took the opportunity to kill those ministers, even the emperor, to cause chaos in the Da Yuan court, giving Gouyue a chance to invade.”

Lin Qing gave Liu Xiangxue no chance to defend herself. “You know martial arts. Your breathing pattern—four short breaths, then three long—appears chaotic but follows a certain rhythm. Your footsteps are erratic but light, clearly practiced deliberately. Gouyue’s territory is special, infested with poisonous plants and insects. Locals habitually wear a spice made from Coltsfoot to repel bugs. Once worn, its scent clings and is hard to remove.”

She continued, “You wore heavy incense to mask the Coltsfoot scent. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to Coltsfoot. When you approached, I sneezed repeatedly. The Gouyue spies causing trouble during the raid on the Wang family were sent by you. You are their handler!”

With that, she strode to the ancient zither beside Liu Xiangxue and cleaved it in two with her sword. A ledger hidden inside slipped out and fell to the ground.

Liu Xiangxue’s expression changed instantly; her hands curled into claws, her figure shifted like a phantom as she lunged at Lin Qing. Then, feinting, she darted toward the ledger.

Lin Qing was prepared, rolling aside and grabbing the ledger first. Guards swarmed and pinned Liu Xiangxue to the ground.

“The most dangerous place is often the safest. No one would expect you to hide the Gouyue spy roster inside a zither,” Lin Qing said, handing the ledger to Li Mingxiao.

Li Mingxiao flipped through the pages. Seeing several familiar names, including officials he had personally promoted, his handsome face quickly darkened.

Li Chenxuan knelt laboriously. “Your Majesty, I beg your order to capture these spies and bring them to justice!”

“The Rui King is unwell; let him recuperate at home,” Li Mingxiao replied, tossing the ledger back to Lin Qing. “Lin Qing, arrest them by name.”

“Yes, sir!” Lin Qing secured the ledger.

Li Chenxuan bowed his head, barely restraining the urge to seize the ledger from Lin Qing and kill her outright. But despite his resentment, he held back. This time, the Rui King’s household was truly doomed.

With the case resolved, Li Mingxiao did not linger and returned to the palace.

Liu Xiangxue and Qiu Mengchuan were taken away under guard. The other officials were escorted home by their own people. Though the poison was neutralized, they still needed time to recover.

“Lady Lin, since the matter is clear, may I trouble you to detoxify my poison?” Li Chenxuan said, eager to leave but recalling the pill Lin Qing had given him, he held his tongue.

“Prince, please don’t slander me. I merely gave you a sugar pill to ease your bitter mouth. How could I poison you?” Lin Qing suppressed an eye-roll. She wasn’t foolish—there was no way she would poison Li Chenxuan. It was just a candy she had been hiding in her pocket.

Li Chenxuan exhaled deeply in frustration. “I feel unwell. Do as you please.”

His dark, unclear gaze scanned the ledger in Lin Qing’s hand. Being pushed away by attendants, he left, and they also sent Lin Junrou away.

Jiang Ruonan, who had been following Princess Fuhui, glanced at Lin Qing, then suddenly ran back, shoving something into her hand before fleeing at a speed as if chased by ghosts, even tripping slightly.

Lin Qing looked down at the object—a jade whistle inscribed with the character “Nan.”

Hearing Liu Ye approach, she quickly hid the whistle. After all, carrying someone’s name is delicate. She’d find a chance to return it quietly later.

Liu Ye glanced briefly at her sleeve. “Lady Lin, it seems some matters remain unsaid.”

Lin Qing replied, “Without evidence, we can’t rely on mere speculation.”

Her cases were ninety percent truth, ten percent ambiguity.

Sometimes, one must feign ignorance. Things are rarely purely black or white. If everything were laid bare, some might panic and desperately protect the culprit, allowing them to escape justice. It’s better to take what should be taken, release what should be released, let the culprit be punished, and give the deceased justice.

Liu Ye understood, clasped his hands respectfully, and said sincerely, “Lady Lin, your mind is meticulous. I admire you.”

“Mr. Liu, you’re too kind,” Lin Qing smiled. There was still much work ahead.

After a moment’s hesitation, Liu Ye asked, “May I invite Lady Lin to dinner on the next day off?”

“Sure. By the way,” Lin Qing clapped her hands, “the Tianlu Guard has caught the spies. I don’t know which country they’re from. They’re temporarily held in a firewood shed in an abandoned estate west of here. The Tianlu Division is busy these days; these people should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice.”

Those arrested were naturally Mu Wantang’s men. Whenever the secret service caught one, they knocked them out and locked them all away.

Mu Wantang only realized half his squad was missing after regrouping. Discovering Lin Qing was behind it, already suffering internal injuries from anger, he finally couldn’t hold back and coughed up black blood.

His subordinate was startled and hurried to support him. “Master, are you alright?”

Mu Wantang closed his eyes and took a deep breath, waving off his subordinate. His voice was weary and weak. “I studied Lin Qing long ago and thought my judgment sound. Using her benefits our plans most. Unexpectedly, the entire scheme collapsed.”

“He… how can he be so shameless!” Mu Wantang gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear a piece of flesh from Lin Qing.

His subordinate held an exquisite wooden box. “Master, at least we obtained the Mu family heirloom.”

Looking at the box, Mu Wantang comforted himself. Well, it’s not a total loss.

He asked, “How many did you send?”

“Ten.”

“How many returned?”

His subordinate was silent for a moment. “Two. The rest were knocked out by Tianlu Division’s secret guards.”

Mu Wantang: “...”