Part Two: Crimson Begonias Chapter Fourteen: The True Culprit Revealed

At that very moment, Yubing flicked her fingers, and a faint, elusive scent drifted into Su Liuyun’s nose. Startled, she immediately stepped back, her eyes brimming with wariness.

After placing Xinru’s body in the center of the hall, Yubing straightened up and stood by, waiting for the county magistrate’s next questions.

Who could have guessed that the county magistrate was truly a character; every time he faced this young lady, he found himself unable to keep up with her shrewdness. This time, he simply threw up his hands, decided to remain uninvolved, and sat back to quietly observe the proceedings.

“Yubing, why don’t you explain instead!” Zhang Huai edged closer to her, eyeing Su Liuyun with marked suspicion.

“Miss Liuyun, you must be quite surprised, aren’t you? That place was so hard to find—how could I possibly have discovered it?” Ignoring the magistrate, Yubing met the cunning, fox-like gaze of Su Liuyun, leaving her no room to evade.

“How amusing. What does any of this have to do with me?” Su Liuyun’s expression remained calm. “For all you know, it’s a case of the thief crying ‘stop thief!’”

“In your entire scheme, your work was flawless—except for one single flaw: that cup of calming tea!” Yubing caught a fleeting trace of panic deep within Su Liuyun’s eyes and smiled, sensing her guess was correct. Her purpose achieved, she turned away from Su Liuyun.

“That night, just before the end of the hour of the dog, I left Qingfeng Pavilion to treat a patient. Both my young mistress and Xiaoyue are aware of this.” She turned to seek confirmation from Xiaoyue in the crowd.

“I saw her leave at the time—I can vouch for that!” Noting Yubing’s glance, Xiaoyue nodded knowingly. It was the truth; she had nothing to hide.

“Yes, I know as well!” Although her wounds still ached, Begonia, at Yubing’s prompting, persisted in recounting all that had happened after Yubing left that day. “...After I fell asleep in Brother Tian’s arms, I knew nothing else until I was awakened with cold water in the county hall.”

“But the coroner has already searched the entire Ruyi Pavilion and found no trace of any narcotic incense or the like!” At this, the county magistrate’s composure broke. If he didn’t interject now, people might think he had ordered Begonia’s forced confession.

“That’s true. An ordinary coroner would find nothing, for this is no common narcotic incense from the underworld. The murderer was clever—she combined only two of the most ordinary things. The resulting scent was so faint, and at the time, the brothel was filled with men and women drenched in heavy perfumes. Amid such crowds, the subtle scent would be easily masked. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this.” As she spoke, Yubing flipped her hand, and gently unwrapped a silk handkerchief to reveal something.

Everyone craned their necks to see what she held.

“It’s just a burnt leaf, isn’t it?”

“Looks like a leaf to me!”

“No, it doesn’t come from a tall tree.”

“Yes! I’ve seen this leaf before—there are plenty on the back hill!”

“But I have no idea what it’s called.”

“I remember my grandfather mentioned it... Something peach, I think.”

“That’s right, there’s one growing in front of my house! I was planning to let it grow taller before chopping it down for firewood!”

“Then you should count yourself lucky for being late!” Hearing someone at the door mention using it for firewood, Yubing couldn’t help but laugh wryly. She placed the handkerchief and leaf on the desk. “Otherwise, inhaling too much of its scent is poisonous! After falling unconscious, you’d never wake again!”

“But it’s just a leaf—how could it be so dangerous?” The county magistrate, puzzled, picked up the unremarkable leaf from the desk, scrutinizing it for any sign of difference from ordinary leaves.

Yubing explained, “Because this is no ordinary leaf. It’s an oleander leaf, commonly found on the back hill. The leaf contains a certain substance that, when heated, releases a faint scent. Even a small whiff can induce hallucinations and then unconsciousness. Prolonged exposure is fatal! See here—the leaf is mostly scorched by the candlestick. Coroners usually search for the ashes of typical narcotic incense and overlook the potted plants right under their noses. Naturally, they’d conclude there was no narcotic involved.”

“So... so… does that mean I really wronged Begonia? That I misjudged the case? And I’ve already reported it to the Ministry of Justice—what now…” Realizing his error, the magistrate could no longer sit still. He shot to his feet as if his seat were on fire and hurried over to Yubing, forcing a smile. “Heh, as you know, I’ve only just arrived here and am unfamiliar with local matters!”

After helping Begonia up, Yubing found it hard to feel any goodwill toward this muddled magistrate—especially since he’d punished Begonia without distinguishing right from wrong. She disliked him all the more and said curtly, “Shall we continue? If not, I’ll take my mistress and leave now!”

He laughed awkwardly, backing away as he urged, “Yes, yes, please continue.” Of course—if she left, where would he find another culprit?

“Perhaps everyone here has the same question: If Begonia is innocent, how did Ma Tian die?” As she spoke, Yubing helped her mistress to a chair, gently settling her before turning to the magistrate, who had been silently observing. “Sir, now that you think about it, didn’t you notice some contradictions in yesterday’s hearing?”

“Let’s see…” The magistrate snatched up the written record to review. “Right! If Begonia was unconscious, how could she have killed anyone? If there was nothing wrong with the calming tea, why did Xinru disappear? And Ma Tian was to marry Begonia the next day—why couldn’t he wait to talk after the wedding? What was so urgent that he had to see her the night before?”

“All these questions—only the killer can answer them!” With a faint smile, Yubing swept her gaze over the assembly, finally fixing her eyes coldly on Su Liuyun. “Am I right, Miss Liuyun?”

“What? She’s the murderer?”

“How could she be the killer?”

“Yes! Su Liuyun was the farthest from the scene at the time—it’s impossible! Besides, she had no motive!”

...

“Look, Miss Liuyun, see how many people are defending you! I must admit, your performance is impressive.” As everyone sought reasons for this murderess’s innocence, Yubing couldn’t help but click her tongue in reluctant admiration. Suddenly, her tone shifted: “But you made one fatal mistake—sending Xinru to deliver the tea! Had you chosen someone else, I might not have suspected you so soon.”

“Hmph, you’ve said so much, but you still haven’t revealed a motive!” Now that everything was out in the open, Su Liuyun dropped her pretense and reverted to a killer’s cold indifference.

“You want a motive? Very well—let’s see if I’m correct.” Yubing met Su Liuyun’s eyes, enunciating each word: “Your motive is a tragic mistake.”

“How so?” The magistrate finally managed to interject.

“Actually, her target was not Ma Tian, but my mistress. The one she intended to drug was Ma Tian.” Yubing looked at her again before continuing, “But unfortunately, Ma Tian drank the tea first, and my mistress was unharmed.”

“Wait, wait!” The magistrate could not help but interrupt again. “Didn’t the coroner say the tea wasn’t poisoned?”

“There was no poison in the tea.”

“Then how did Ma Tian die?”

“I never said Ma Tian was poisoned.”

The magistrate was silent. Indeed, she had never claimed he died of poisoning. Realizing his mind was muddled, he retreated quietly, resolving not to interrupt again no matter how many doubts he had.

“There was no poison in the cup—but there was an insect! Ma Tian’s blood was drained alive by this special creature.” Yubing gestured to Xinru’s lifeless body on the floor. Addressing Su Liuyun, she continued, “Just as Xinru died—a matching fate. Well, Miss Liuyun, shall we open her up and let everyone see your handiwork?”

“Hmph! Xinru deserved to die. She wouldn’t listen! If she’d been more obedient and stayed away, perhaps she’d still be alive!” Su Liuyun forced herself to appear calm, but her tightly clenched fists betrayed her sorrow. It seemed she had truly loved Ma Tian.

“You’re wrong.” Yubing shook her head, mourning Xinru’s loyalty. “She was simply too faithful. I may not know what you asked of her, but I know why she disobeyed. As she was leaving Ruyi Pavilion, she happened to see Ma Tian hurrying inside. Realizing the man in your heart had come, she rushed back to tell you—so you could see him. Sadly, she didn’t know death awaited her, and she never emerged again.”

“Hmph! She brought it on herself!” A flicker of guilt flashed in Su Liuyun’s eyes before cold indifference returned. “If she hadn’t barged in while I was feeding my little darling and seen what she shouldn’t have, I wouldn’t have killed her!”

“Little darling? What is that?” The magistrate could not resist voicing the question on everyone’s mind.

“It’s called a blood leech—the insect in that fatal cup of tea,” Zhang Huai, who had been observing, explained. “It’s a rare creature, surviving only in high temperatures and feeding on fresh human blood. To my knowledge, it’s nearly impossible to find—one might not see it in a lifetime. I wonder where she acquired it.”

“What on earth is going on?” The magistrate was now thoroughly bewildered.

Seeing the confusion on everyone’s faces, Yubing decided to lay everything bare: “Actually, it all began with Su Liuyun’s childhood…”