Snow falls and the wind blows

Chapter 29

Chu Hui's face stiffened. She quickly glanced at Xiao Duan, then looked down at her rice bowl. "I, Brother Duan, don't have any skills right now. In a few years, when I've learned my skills, will you let me follow you to explore the world and solve cases?" The boy's eyes were bright and clear, his brows full of longing. His hands, which were resting on his lap, slowly clenched into fists, waiting for Xiao Duan's answer.

Before Xiao Duan could speak, Qing Zi sneered, "You brat, so that's what you were planning!"

Chu Hui blushed slightly under Qing Zi's gaze, but her eyes remained fixed on Xiao Duan: "Brother Duan, is it alright?"

Xiao Duan nodded slightly: "Let's eat." It seemed he would have to talk to Brother Jiang about the child before leaving. Xiao Duan didn't think his way of life was anything special; today's incident was the best example. If it hadn't been Zhou Yufei who had just fought with him, if today hadn't been in Hangzhou, even if he had been beaten to death, no one would necessarily have come to his aid. Jiang Cheng was right that day; this path was difficult, and he had no choice, but Chu Hui was different.

After lunch, Xiao Duan leaned against the headboard for a nap, while Qing Zi quietly packed her things. About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, someone knocked on the door, and Zhan Yun's clear voice rang out from outside: "Xiao Duan."

Xiao Duan opened his eyes, sat on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes, saying softly, "Wait for me in the room when you're ready. We'll leave when I get back."

Inside the room, everyone took their seats. Zhan Yun placed a book, a small jade pestle, and a white porcelain bowl on the table, then nodded slightly to Zhu Fangqing, indicating that she could begin speaking.

Zhu Fangqing's beautiful eyes were slightly red and swollen. She stood up, bowed to everyone, and then walked gracefully to the table. She said slowly, "After my sister's accident, we were all wondering who could have done such a thing..." Zhu Fangqing reached out and touched the dark blue book. She smiled and looked at Zhan Yun and the others, "Until yesterday, the three young masters brought that pot of flowers to my room and asked me to identify it. That flower was planted by me personally under that clump of 'Jade Hall Roses'."

Zhu Fangqing took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly: "I've been growing and cultivating flowers for so many years, and in the end, I actually planted a poisonous weed with my own hands! It's laughable that I searched through all the relevant books in the house that night, and finally found this book by Qiaosi's bedside, only then did I realize what I had planted! The poppy, the culprit that killed my sister and two others, and I, foolishly, still watered and loosened the soil for it every day..."

"Madam, could you please explain more clearly who brought this flower back to the Zhu residence, and why you planted it in the flowerbed and took such good care of it?" Tao Hanzhi frowned. The younger generation looked calm, but he and Li Qinglan were completely confused.

Zhu Fangqing nodded gently: "About a month ago, my sister, Qiaosi, a few servants from the manor, and I went to Yandang Valley to collect flower petals for making rouge. When we got home, Qiaosi took that flower out of the flower basket and secretly begged me to plant it for her. I asked her what kind of flower it was, and she said she didn't know, but she thought the fragrance was quite special. She said she would check the book and if it wasn't poisonous, she would grind some of the flower juice and maybe she could make an even more special rouge fragrance."

“I was overjoyed when I heard that, because this child had never really cared about the shop's business before, and my sister had often punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for it. In our Zhu family, although the men used to take care of the business outside, the women were always responsible for grinding rouge. When it came to Qiaosi and Qiaolian's generation, the only boy in the family went north to become an official, which was a great joy for the family. However, this meant that the responsibility of ‘Zui Zhuyan’ (the rouge brand) fell on the two sisters. Qiaolian was very good at running the shop, but she didn't have any talent for grinding rouge. My sister often told me that Qiaosi just didn't put her heart into it; if she wanted to, she could make an amazing rouge.” Zhu Fangqing's eyes shone like glass as she spoke of her family's past, and a smile played on her lips, as if she was very nostalgic for those days.

Zhao Ting sneered, "Thanks to her, those boxes of rouge are truly top-quality."

Sitting opposite, Xiao Duan frowned: "Madam, please continue."

"When I came across the description of poppies in that book, I was completely stunned. The symptoms described in it after someone accidentally ate poppy petals were almost exactly the same as my sister's reactions before she died. Later that evening, when my sister-in-law and the others called Qiaosi out for sweet soup, I searched all over her room and finally found a jade pestle and a small bowl under the bed. I remembered that my father had mentioned the method of testing for poison with a silver needle when he was alive, so I poured some water on the pestle and the small bowl, pulled out a silver hairpin and touched the water, and the hairpin quickly turned completely black." As Zhu Fangqing said this, tears welled up in her eyes again, and she slowly sat down, holding onto the armrest of a wooden chair.

“I put the book back on the bedside table and took the jade pestle and small bowl back to my room. I thought about it all night and felt that this matter couldn't be kept secret for long. In addition, several people are coming to the manor to see those masters today. With all that going on, they will definitely suspect Qiaosi.” Zhu Fangqing gripped the armrest tightly and looked at Zhan Yun apologetically: “This morning, I stood outside the door for a long time. I know it's not right, but I still held onto a sliver of hope…”

Li Qinglan stroked his beard, frowned, looked at the roof beam, exchanged a glance with Tao Hanzhi, and then turned to look at Xiao Duan. Xiao Duan smiled and said softly, "It sounds a bit confusing, let me help you two sort it out again."

“About a month ago, while everyone was collecting flower petals in Yandang Valley, Zhu Qiaosi dug up a poppy and brought it back to the Zhu residence in a flower basket. Of course, she must have known about the flower's uses beforehand.” Li Qinglan and Tao Hanzhi nodded in understanding.

Xiao Duan continued, "After returning, she entrusted the poppy to the lady of the house, asking her to take care of it. When the flower bloomed, she would pluck the petals, grind them into juice, and store it in a container, waiting for the right moment. Because she was very familiar with the process of making rouge at home, she waited until the last two days before packaging the rouge. When the craftsmen weren't looking, she brushed a layer of juice into the three empty boxes. Then, just in case, she took another box of rouge that had already been packaged. She didn't destroy the poppy plant either. Because if Mr. Zhu didn't choose from the three boxes of rouge on the side of the table, she could repeat the trick, grind the juice again, drip a few drops into that box of rouge, and finally, when Mr. Zhu wasn't in the room, switch the two boxes of rouge, and that would be it."

Jiang Cheng, who had been listening quietly, spoke up: "Then why didn't she just do it from the beginning? Wouldn't it have been less likely to be discovered if she had just dripped a few drops of poisoned flower juice into Boss Zhu's rouge box? She went through all this trouble, killing two other innocent women and damaging the reputation of her own rouge shop. This just doesn't make sense!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Duan smiled slightly and turned to look at Zhu Fangqing, who was sitting to the side silently shedding tears: "Madam, you should know the reason behind this."

Zhu Fangqing nodded, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, "She...she did it all for me...that child is so foolish...I...I don't need her to do these things for me..."

When asked about Zhu Qiaosi's motive for murdering her biological mother, Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting were also puzzled. Although all signs pointed to Zhu Qiaosi as the culprit, this was a rational deduction based on the evidence. From the perspective of the motive for the murder, it was quite perplexing.

Everyone in the room turned their gaze to Xiao Duan, but Xiao Duan kept staring at Zhu Fangqing: "Madam, if I'm not mistaken, you and Xu Shilan, did you once...?"

Zhu Fangqing looked up in surprise: "How did you know?"

Xiao Duan replied casually, "It's just speculation. When you gave Zhu Qiaosi that box of rouge this morning, you didn't tell her that it was a gift from her mother, did you?"

Mentioning the box of rouge, Zhu Fangqing's eyes dimmed, and after a long silence, she finally said, "I never imagined she hated me so much..."

"Perhaps in your eyes, what happened back then is long gone, and your relationship with Xu Shilan is completely innocent and aboveboard, with nothing to hide. But Boss Zhu may not think so. And what kind of woman she is, perhaps Zhu Qiaosi knows better than you or anyone else in the Zhu family." Xiao Duan said softly, "So, if Zhu Qiaosi had known from the beginning that the box of rouge was a gift from Boss Zhu to you, she would not only not have used it herself, but she would also never have let you touch it again."

"Xiao Duan, do you mean that Miss Zhu Qiaosi not only hates her biological mother, but also wishes her family's cosmetics shop would go bankrupt, which is why she did all these things?" Jiang Cheng stared in disbelief, finding it hard to process this information.

“Madam, Miss Zhu Qiaosi should be fifteen years old by now, right?” Li Qinglan asked with a very serious expression.

Zhu Fangqing wiped her tears with one sleeve: "I just turned 18 this year. What's wrong?"

For a moment, the room was silent. Zhu Fangqing looked to Xiao Duan for help. Xiao Duan was expressionless and said softly, "According to the principle of severe punishment for the fourth of the 'Ten Abominations' in the first volume of the Song Xing Tong, which is the crime of 'rebellion and treason', and considering that Zhu Qiaolian has already passed the age of coming of age, she should be beheaded according to the law. 'No pardon is allowed, and there will be no delay.'"

No sooner had Xiao Duan finished speaking than Zhu Fangqing knelt down with a thud, sobbing, "Please, Your Honor, show leniency!" She kowtowed repeatedly, weeping uncontrollably, "Lord Li, I beg you, please spare her life! Qiaosi did all those foolish things for me, I planted the flowers, she's just a child!"

Li Qinglan quickly rose and walked to Zhu Fangqing, gesturing for two maids to help her up. Zhu Fangqing, however, insisted on kneeling, saying, "Lord Li, I know Qiaosi killed someone and deserves punishment. I'm prepared; if you banish her somewhere, I'll follow. Even if I can only watch from afar, I..." Zhu Fangqing's voice was hoarse from crying, her hairpins falling to the ground, her hair slightly disheveled, "Please, spare her life! If she dies, I don't want to live either..."

Li Qinglan sighed and said in a deep voice, “Madam, the law of the land is supreme and cannot be violated. Zhu Qiaosi has killed three people, including her own mother. ‘Heinous’ is one of the ten heinous crimes, ‘close relatives within five degrees of kin slaughtering each other, utterly wicked and rebellious, and utterly devoid of humanity.’ There can be no leniency whatsoever. Now the witnesses and evidence are conclusive, and the trial will be held in three days, with the execution to take place immediately. Zhu Qiaosi may stay temporarily in the backyard of the government office for the next few days. Zhu’s family members may come to visit, but only one person may enter at a time, and an officer must be present. This is already the greatest leniency I can offer. I hope Madam will act accordingly.”

Zhu Fangqing was helped up by two maids and sat down on a chair, still sobbing. Xiao Duan stood up and bowed slightly to Li Qinglan and Tao Hanzhi: "Lord Li, Mr. Tao, farewell." Then he turned to Jiang Cheng: "Brother Jiang, may I speak with you in private?"

The two went into the courtyard, and Xiao Duan gave Jiang Cheng another round of instructions regarding Chu Hui's matter. Jiang Cheng nodded repeatedly, saying it was only natural. They chatted for a while longer, and Jiang Cheng brought up the case they had just discussed, still somewhat shaken: "Xiao Duan, how could someone poison their own mother for their aunt! This is simply..."

Xiao Duan sighed softly: "The reasons behind this are probably unclear even to them. But in Zhu Qiaosi's heart, she probably already considers Zhu Fangqing to be her mother. Her actions are not only to protect Zhu Fangqing, but also to help her and Xu Shilan get together."

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth, his handsome face slightly distorted: "The more I think about it, the harder it is for me to understand. Is she clever or foolish? Is she naive or worldly-wise...?"

Xiao Duan smiled slightly: "In her heart, as long as her aunt and father can live well, other people's lives are like grass, not worth a second glance."

Jiang Cheng glanced at Xiao Duan with some annoyance.

Chapter Ten: The Truth • Farewell...

"Could you please stop laughing at a time like this? It's giving me the creeps."

Xiao Duan couldn't help but smile: "I'm just trying to understand Zhu Qiaosi's behavior from her perspective. It was you who insisted on asking."

Jiang Cheng sighed and gently patted Xiao Duan's shoulder: "Xiao Duan, take care. Come visit me whenever you have time. I've even kept your junior apprentice under my wing."

Xiao Duan nodded: "Brother Jiang, take care."

Chu Hui had hired a carriage for the two of them early in the morning and was waiting at the courtyard gate. Qing Zi put the bundle into the carriage and stood to the side waiting for Xiao Duan to come over, while giving Chu Hui some rather domineering instructions, which made the young man's face turn pale and then green.

As Xiao Duan walked to the door, he heard Zhan Yun calling softly from behind. Xiao Duan stopped, but did not turn around; he simply stood quietly in place.

Zhou Yufei was pushed by Zhao Ting and staggered two steps to Duan Chen. "Um... Duan Chen." Zhou Yufei looked down at Duan Chen, his amber eyes darting around uncomfortably. "Duan Chen, I was wrong just now. I apologize to you here."

Inside the house, the three of them were almost completely silent, listening to Xiao Duan analyze the case. Before that, Zhou Yufei had been harshly criticized by the two, and after honestly explaining why she had made things difficult for Xiao Duan, she was dragged to a corner of the yard and kicked several times. Knowing she was a girl, you still treated her so cruelly!

Zhou Yufei felt quite aggrieved, saying that at first he only recognized her face, and upon closer inspection, he was only 60-70% sure. The remaining 30% was only confirmed during the fight. After all, a person's movement style generally doesn't change, and with that final embrace and their eyes meeting, Young Master Zhou dared to guarantee that Xiao Duan was indeed the cold and alluring beauty from the "Fragrant Snow Pavilion" in Bianjing that night.