Xiao Nuo took her hand, placed the duck skin in her palm, and said earnestly, "Sister, this duck skin is much more precious than you think. Now I'm giving it to you, but you have to exchange it for something else."
What should we use?
"One answer."
Feng Chenxi frowned: "What's the answer?"
Xiao Nuo stared intently at her and slowly said, "The answer to how my second brother took the Cold-Resting Powder."
P.S.: Jinjiang was down last night and couldn't update, so I'm making up for it now. I should be able to post another chapter tonight.
Also, a few words to a few old friends (Two Flowers, XP, Xiao Xin, Plum Blossom Fragrance, old readers, etc.): Seeing your IDs makes me very happy. I hope this article can bring you the same joy as when you read "The Wind and Smoke". If so, I will be satisfied.
Finally, thank you to Mingmei (MM, after lurking in Fengyanyin for so long, finally couldn't resist showing her face here? *covering her mouth and laughing*), Caomuren, Coco, Wei, Duoduo, Yun, Xiaoqian, Lisa, Kill, Tangtang, Feifeifei... Thank you to all the friends who left comments and ratings, thank you for your support. There are too many IDs to copy them all, but thank you all so much.
Another mystery emerges
Hanfu San, also known as "Wushi San" (Five-Stone Powder) or "Rushi San" (Rushi Powder) in the Tang Dynasty, is said to have been invented by Zhang Zhongjing during the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is composed of five ingredients: stalactite, amethyst, white quartz, sulfur, and red ochre. It was widely promoted by He Yan, a prince consort of the Wei Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. After taking this medicine, one must eat cold food, drink warm wine, take a cold bath, walk, and wear thin, old clothes. If the hair does not dissipate, the medicine must be used to induce it, hence the name "Hanfu San" (Cold Clothing Powder).
He Yan, Emperor Sima Pi of Jin, and Emperor Xianwen Tuoba Hong of Northern Wei all died from taking this drug, and Xiao Jian would also follow the same path.
I've already divided that piece of duck skin into several small pieces. Just looking at the surface, the color and smell are normal. If I were to add cold-natured powder to it, I would have ground the medicinal herbs into powder, mixed it with the eight other ingredients, stuffed it into the duck's cavity, and then, after steaming the duck, let the medicinal properties fully seep into the meat. In that case, there would be no trace of it.
I stood up and observed the mouse in the cage next to the desk. Since last night, I've been feeding it cold medicine every hour, and it's now running around the cage, banging its head and bleeding. It ignores all other food, but when I put duck skin in front of the cage, it suddenly becomes focused, constantly stretching out its paws to try and grab the piece of duck skin.
Although I had previously used three different methods to test the medicinal ingredients in the duck skin, the results were not very obvious. However, the performance of this mouse has finally made me more certain of my guess: there was indeed a cold medicine powder in the Eight Treasure Gourd Duck, but in very small amounts.
Such a small dose would require years of continuous consumption to become addictive. So the question now is—did Xiao Jian instruct You Li to do this, or did You Li secretly do it without Xiao Jian's knowledge? If You Li framed Xiao Jian, what was her motive?
Recalling the sight of her standing sadly outside Xiao Jian's door last night, it didn't seem like she was pretending. She clearly had feelings for Xiao Jian. Would a woman really harm the man she loved?
With many questions in mind, I opened the window. The sunlight outside made me squint; I realized it was almost noon. I turned around, wrapped the remaining duck skin in oil paper, and put it in my pocket.
—Now that this half of the duck skin has become important evidence, it is safer to carry it with you.
This may sound ridiculous, but it's true.
I was just about to go out to find Xiao Nuo when, as soon as I opened the door, someone tumbled in with a thud.
Reaching out to steady him, it was Xiao Nuo.
He rubbed his eyes, got up, and said, "Oh no, I actually fell asleep... Sister, have you found out yet?"
"When did you arrive?" I hadn't noticed at all! This discovery surprised me a little.
“After I got back, I kept thinking about it and felt uneasy. Maybe there's something I can do to help. So, to make it easier for you to find me, I've been waiting here since last night.” He looked into the house and asked, “How is it? Have you found out?”
I stared at him for a few moments, then stepped aside to let him pass, saying, "Let's talk inside."
He walked up to the rat cage, glanced at it for a few moments, then frowned and said, "It looks like it's in a lot of pain."
"That's how drug withdrawal works; it's even more painful and terrifying for humans, and therefore more destructive."
Is there a way to cure it?
"The effects of the drug are very mild; it still depends on each person's willpower. If it's Young Master Xiao, I believe he can quit."
Xiao Nuo turned her head, looked directly into my eyes, and slowly said, "In other words..."
"So you guessed right, You Li did indeed put the Cold-Repelling Powder in the dishes she prepared for Young Master Xiao. However, the amount was very small. If I'm not mistaken, with such a small amount, it would take at least three months of continuous consumption for him to become addicted."
Xiao Nuo asked in surprise, "Three months?"
I nodded and pondered, "The problem is... Young Master Xiao hasn't been in Baili City for the past two months. So I'm wondering if it's because Youli, as your second brother's maid, has to obey orders to put hallucinogenic drugs into the dishes to make them taste better, since her master likes to take them?"
“Impossible.” Xiao Nuo immediately rejected it. “Someone like my second brother, even if he really wanted to relieve stress by taking these hallucinogenic drugs, he wouldn’t ask someone else to do it for him.”
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Could there be a second possibility? For example, while my second brother was at home, You Li had been putting cold medicine in his food, but because the dosage was small, it was never detected. And after he returned home this time, You Li suddenly increased the dosage, triggering the drug addiction that was buried in his body, which caused him to faint yesterday?"
I looked at him quietly for a while and said, "If your second brother is truly innocent, this explanation is indeed the most convincing. However, you have to be very careful with the wording, or you'll make a mistake."
At this moment, the rat in the cage suddenly convulsed violently and died in great pain.
"See that?" I said, glancing at the dead rat. "A slight mishap could lead to something like this."
Xiao Nuo stared intently at the rat, her eyelids twitching a few times. She lowered her voice and said, word by word, "You, Li."
There was a look of grief and indignation on his face, a grief and indignation I had never seen before since I had known him.
He was no longer the carefree youth who knew no sorrow, or perhaps he never was. I turned to look out the window and said calmly, "Don't be so angry. Don't forget, your second brother is still alive."
"What do you mean?"
I turned around and slowly said, "Your second brother is still alive, but he's addicted to drugs. This means the poisoner had a very good grasp of the dosage. How could You Li, an ordinary maid, know so much?"
Xiao Nuo's eyes flashed, and he said, "You still suspect that You Li put the cold medicine in the food on my second brother's orders?"
"It could be your second brother, but it could also be someone else," I said calmly.
Xiao Nuo was silent for a moment, then said as she walked towards the door, "In any case, we should at least ask my second brother first, to see if he knows that there is poison in his food."
I raised an eyebrow and said, "If it really is your second brother, why would he admit it?"
Xiao Nuo paused, turned her head and said, "At least, shouldn't we give him a chance? A chance to defend himself?"
Walking along the gravel path and around the emerald lake, Xiao Nuo and I arrived at Xiao Jian's residence once again. Last night, the darkness obscured our view, but now, under the bright sunshine, we saw an exquisite bamboo house, a clear spring babbling beside it, and unidentified wildflowers blooming in front of the door, the green carpet stretching as far as the eye could see—a truly beautiful scene.
A person's character can often be reflected in their dwelling: the absence of bamboo suggests a refined taste; the natural growth of flowers without deliberate planting indicates a carefree and unpretentious nature; and the clear, continuous flow of spring water further suggests a pure and untainted character, free from distractions. Would such a person be a drug addict or a murderer?
As I walked and thought, I suddenly felt a tightness on my arm. I turned around and saw Xiao Nuo shaking her head at me, indicating that I should not go any further.
At the same moment, I heard the sound of water—a slight, irregular sound mixed in with the sound of spring water, like someone washing their face.
Xiao Nuo leaned close to my ear and whispered, "We'd better not go in now. There's a woman in my second brother's room."
"Are you definitely a woman?"
"Men usually don't wash their faces at noon because they think washing their faces once a day is already too much trouble, and it's best to wash them only once a month."
"But even if she's a woman, why would she wash her face at this time?"
"Maybe it's because my makeup is messed up, or maybe..." Xiao Nuo chuckled mischievously, "maybe it's because my hair is messed up, so I'm just washing my face."
As I imagined that scene, I suddenly realized something, and my cheeks began to burn. Could it be that Xiao Jian was...? I glanced at Xiao Nuo again; because he had leaned close to my ear to speak earlier, the distance between us was closer than I had imagined.
In a panic, I instinctively moved to the side to create some distance between us. But as soon as I did that, he suddenly grabbed my hand and hissed at me nervously.
At the far end of the long corridor, You Li came over carrying a food box.
Xiao Nuo and I quickly hid behind a tree. You Li walked past us without noticing, then stopped abruptly in front of the house.
Clearly, she also heard the sound of water.
"Second Young Master..." You Li pushed the door open, but it wouldn't budge. "May I come in?"
"What is it?" Xiao Jian's voice rang out from inside the room, sounding no longer as hoarse as yesterday.
Youli said happily, "Second Young Master, did you eat the midnight snack I left outside last night? You sound much more energetic. I also made a few light appetizers, including a chrysanthemum soup, which is your favorite!"
"Put it down."
You Li was startled, hesitated for a long time, and then put down the food box.
Xiao Jian then said, "You can leave now."
Youli gave an "oh," slowly turned around, took a few steps, looked back again, and then, as if she had thought of something, hid behind a rock by the mountain spring. This maid was quite clever.
Xiao Nuo and I exchanged a glance, keeping our expressions indifferent, but in our hearts we were thinking, "Xiao Jian ate the food You Li made yesterday? That means he took the Cold Medicine Powder again, no wonder he didn't have another attack of the poison."
Not long after, with a soft creak, the door opened. Xiao Jian came out and carried the food box inside. A soft, gentle voice drifted from inside the room to my ears: "I'm not hungry."
—A woman's voice!
Xiao Nuo was right, there really was a woman in Xiao Jian's room!
Who is that woman? And why is she in Xiao Jian's room? What kind of time is this to be looking for a woman?
A series of questions flooded my mind, but before I could delve into them, I saw Youli stagger out from behind the rock, her face ashen. She stared intently at the closed door, tears streaming down her face.
Xiao Nuo tugged at my hand, and I immediately left with him quietly.
I didn't get the questions I should have asked, and I did see the people I shouldn't have seen. Things seem to have become even more complicated. After returning to my room, I sighed to myself. Xiao Nuo, on the other hand, was leaning against the window, gazing at the scenery outside, looking quite interested, a far cry from her previous tension and anxiety.
"You seem a little happy?"
Xiao Nuo smiled and raised her head, saying, "Because I've found a good reason."
"You think Youli poisoned his food to frame him because your second brother had someone else in his life?"
Do you have a better explanation?
I pursed my lips and hesitated before asking, "Do you believe in your intuition?"
"intuition?"
“When I saw the expression on Miss Youli’s face just now, my intuition told me that she, like us, was learning for the first time that your second brother had a woman. If that’s the case, she couldn’t have started planning to harm your second brother months ago.”
Xiao Nuo frowned and remained silent. For a moment, I couldn't make sense of it either. Everything felt like a tangled mess, with clues everywhere, but none of them made sense.
Just as I sat down to pour myself a cup of tea to quench my thirst, I suddenly stood up in surprise and took a few steps back.
Xiao Nuo noticed immediately and turned to ask, "What's wrong?"
“Someone came into my room and touched this cage,” I said, pointing to the cage containing the dead rat. “I put a piece of duck skin on the table to lure the rat, so it should have died facing the desk. But look, its head is upside down.”
Xiao Nuo's eyes darkened and she calmed down.
Who entered my room? Why did they move this cage? And why did they put it back in its place so quietly? What did they discover in it?
First signs
August 13th is an inauspicious day; do not undertake any important matters.
Even without consulting the almanac, Qiao Laosan knew that today was definitely not a good day.
Because, as soon as he woke up early in the morning, he received the same terrible news as everyone else who came to participate in the sword-testing tournament—due to Madam Xiao's sudden illness, City Lord Xiao had canceled his decision to personally instruct his disciples in martial arts, let alone perform the Return to the Past Sword Technique in public.
Qiao Laosan thought about how he had been waiting outside the Baili Inn since before dawn, and had paid such a large sum of money to finally buy a satisfactory spot, but now it was all for nothing. He couldn't help but beat his chest and stamp his feet, feeling like crying but having no tears left.
Fortunately, the young master Xiao, who took over the affairs of Baili City, was reasonable and righteous. He not only publicly posted a notice to apologize to the guests, but also announced that after the martial arts competition on the third day, everyone could go to the Xiao residence to receive a full refund of their ticket money.