Chapter 445: What did she see? (2/2)
“It won’t kill me. Unless I take care of the spy, I’ll feel like there’s a fish bone stuck in my throat all the time. The Duke of Qin’s estate tolerates no form of betrayal!” Han Yunxi’s voice rose significantly at the last line. Physically paralyzed in a corner, Su Xiaoyu sat there unmoving. It wasn’t clear whether she’d even heard the words.
Because esteemed wangfei was insistent, Baili Mingxiang had no choice. She carefully re-dressed Han Yunxi before leaving the room. Guards couldn’t come here as they pleased, but with Lil Thing around, she could set some of her fears at rest. There was no way Su Xiaoyu was escaping. Once she left the Leisurely Cloud Pavilion, Baili Mingxiang exhaled and told herself to stay calm no matter what. She could judge the situation when His Highness Duke of Qin returned before deciding what to do about the birthmark.
Han Yunxi remained lying on the low couch, her pupils much dimmer and pensive than before. Although her burns had been timely treated and the pain vastly reduced after applying the medicine, they still hurt. The sensation of burning, taut muscles gradually spread from her injuries to cover her entire back. Right now, the most important thing she needed to do was lie still for couple more days until the pain subsided before she moved. But the agony still couldn’t compare to the pain in her heart, or how much she’d been wounded inside.
After resting for a bit, Han Yunxi endured the pain to get up. The poisons she’d prepared to test with the wet charcoal was almost done, so she wanted to continue her experiments! This was the first time since the explosion that she’d felt such a need to uncover the truth. Still, as she passed by Su Xiaoyu, Han Yunxi stopped to ask, “Little Yu’er, were you just being careless? Confess and I’ll be lenient, refuse to admit and there’ll be severe punishment.”
Su Xiaoyu was caught off guard by her words. She never thought Han Yunxi would be asking her things like that right now. The one thing she feared after the failed explosion was Han Yunxi failing to find a culprit and summarily executing her with Zhao mama as the most likely suspects. But now it seemed like she’d overestimated Han Yunxi’s resolve.
This woman isn’t suited to be ruthless as all!
Su Xiaoyu looked up without hesitation and asked back, “Esteemed wangfei, you don’t trust me? You’re doubting me?”
Both conditions for confessing and denying had to be a sham. She wouldn’t fall for things like that. If Han Yunxi wasn’t planning to judge the culprit today, she’d take full advantage of her soft-headed tendencies.
Cold laughter flickered through Han Yunxi’s eyes. She’d asked the question on purpose but had no intentions of really forgiving the suspect. Once they were guilty, she’d never let them off! Enduring the pain, she walked to the study table and resumed her work. Soon enough, her poison was done.
Meanwhile, all of the Duke of Qin’s servants—young and old, male and female—had gathered in the Sunset Pavilion located in the gardens. When Han Yunxi arrived with Zhao mama and Su Xiaoyu, there was a hubbub of voices discussing the latest news. But everyone fell silent at the sight of their esteemed wangfei.
Baili Mingxiang and Xu Donglin quickly helped Han Yunxi put the charcoal, charcoal ashes, and poison on the stone table within the pavilion.
“Recently there was an exploding stove in Leisurely Cloud Pavilion, then a leaky roof in the storehouse. Moreover, esteemed wangfei was injured by burns today. Are all these things accidents or premeditate events? Does the Duke of Qin’s estate have spies—and if so, how many? Today, this wangfei will give everyone a clear answer!” Han Yunxi’s voice wasn’t very big, but it shook the hearts of all present. She had the aura and air of a true mistress of the house.
Her words sent an uproar through the crowd. Nobody knew anything beyond the exploding stove, nor expected the peaceful estate to hide such dangers. Su Xiaoyu stood on one side with a scornful look in her eyes. Sure, Han Yunxi had told everyone else about what happened, probably with the intention to discourage any would-be traitors. But unless she had ample evidence, it’d be close to impossible to win over the crowd. Instead, she’d make a laughingstock of herself.
As everyone settled down, Han Yunxi pointed at the items on the table and began to explain what how the mixture of charcoal and poison could solve the mystery. Any charcoal harboring explosive substances would create a reaction with the poison to form a brand new toxin. The servants were stunned by the explanation, especially since Han Yunxi’s detailed lecture helped them understand everything. They silently mused that there was no need for esteemed wangfei to take such pains. If any servant was suspect, they’d face nothing but death. It was all too common for large households to beat their servants to death, much less a place like the Duke of Qin’s estate. Still, esteemed wangfei’s minute methods earned both their acceptance and deep respect.
Su Xiaoyu was listening carefully as well, never expecting Han Yunxi to think up a way to use poisons like that. She really admired the woman’s efforts, and watched as Han Yunxi poured poison onto a charcoal sample. Her large, wide eyes held an icy coldness that didn’t fit her age as a child. Soon enough, the charcoal emitted a noxious odor upon contact with the poison.
Han Yunxi picked up the porcelain sample bottle and remarked, “There are explosive substances in this charcoal.”
After that, she did the same treatment with the damp charcoal, but elicited no reaction at all! Even without Han Yunxi’s explanation, everyone understood. Only the charcoal used in Leisurely Cloud Pavilion on the day of the explosion had explosive substances. The rest—even Leisurely Cloud Pavilion’s unused store of charcoal—weren’t explosive at all. Without a doubt, someone had tampered with the stove charcoal that day.
“I think no amount of coincidences can explain away this. The fact that the roof leaked and soaked the rest of the charcoal was no accident, either.” Han Yunxi’s tone was calm and even, but it sent an inexplicable sense of dread through her listeners.
Xu Donglin stepped forward and said coldly, “A craftsman determined that the storehouse roof tile was broken on purpose by a person inside the building. In other words, someone wanted to soak the charcoal on purpose.”
His words made the crowd even more uneasy. They never expected a series of clues like this to prove that there really was a spy in the well guarded Duke of Qin’s compound!
Su Xiaoyu’s eyes were still flashing with cold laughter. So what if Han Yunxi’s found all this out? How can she prove that I have anything to do with the case?