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Xing Ruyi slept soundly, so much so that when she woke up, the sun had already passed noon. She picked up the bowl of rice porridge that the fox had made for her and opened the shop door, only to see Chang Tai standing there like a pillar.
"Brother Chang, is it so early?"
"It's not early; the sun has already passed its peak," Chang Tai replied, pulling out a white handkerchief from his sleeve. He opened it to reveal the silver hairpin that Xing Ruyi had taken from Aunt Hong's head last night. "I had someone examine it, and as you said, this hairpin is soaked in Aconite, but the method used is quite clever. Also, I have clarified the matter regarding the Xu Family's extermination; while Aunt Hong was not the mastermind, she was indeed involved."
"That's good to know; I don't want to be accused of being the poisoner," Xing Ruyi said as she buried her head in her porridge.
Chang Tai looked at her and couldn't help but smile. "It's strange; how did you know that the poison was on the hairpin?"
"I guessed," Xing Ruyi replied casually.
"You guessed?" Chang Tai was momentarily taken aback, feeling both amused and bewildered.
"I'm just kidding. If I could really guess that well, why would I still be running a shop? I could just set up a stall on the street and write two characters."
"Write two characters?"
"Exactly." Xing Ruyi grinned mischievously and dipped her finger in tea to write 'fortune-telling' on the table.
Chang Tai was once again stunned, finding it even more amusing.
"Fox Demon, what I'm asking you about is serious business."
"Because it's a serious matter, I answered quite seriously," Xing Ruyi said as she finished the last spoonful of porridge. "The medicine Jinluo is currently taking was all prescribed by me, so I naturally know more than others. However, when Jinluo fainted last night, I distinctly smelled the scent of Aconite on her. Aconite is originally a type of traditional Chinese medicine that expands blood vessels and rapidly lowers blood pressure, primarily used for the elderly. But due to its toxicity, the dosage must be extremely precise. Jinluo suffers from a deficiency syndrome, characterized by a dry cough that often affects the lungs, which is why it is referred to as tuberculosis. Aconite is not needed for treating this disease."
"I also consulted Liu, the manager of Jishengtang, and indeed, Jinluo's illness does not require Aconite," Chang Tai nodded. "It's just—"
"Brother Chang forgot what the Fox Demon does?" Xing Ruyi pointed to the back of the counter. "The Fox Demon sells Rouge and Face Powder and often uses various herbal medicines to create beauty prescriptions, so her sense of smell is naturally more acute than that of common people. Of course, I'm not that extraordinary; if it weren't for Hong Gu wanting to frame me and rushing up to me afterward, I wouldn't have noticed that the scent of Aconite in her hair was even stronger, thus uncovering the true secret of this poisoning."
Xing Ruyi gently peeled back the lower part of the silver hairpin with her fingertips. Beneath a thin layer of silver was a lump of pitch-black substance.
"Even if you smelled Aconite in Hong Gu's hair, you can't be certain that she was the one who poisoned Jinluo. After all, Hong Gu is the owner of Hongxiu Villa, and Jinluo is the most popular girl there; poisoning Jinluo wouldn't benefit Hong Gu at all."
"Brother Chang, are you trying to extract information from me?" Xing Ruyi crossed her arms.
"No, I'm just curious. If it were me, I would think that Hong Gu was framed by someone else. After all, anyone could access that hairpin, like those two maids beside Hong Gu."
"Unfortunately, I once overheard an argument between Hong Gu and Flower Bud, which made me aware that Flower Bud is actually Hong Gu's secretly born daughter. To undermine Hundred Flowers Pavilion, she deliberately sent her daughter there—on one hand to eavesdrop on their secrets and on the other to help attract customers for Hongxiu Villa. During their argument, they mentioned a person; coincidentally, Rui Tong had also inadvertently brought up Jinluo's background while describing it and mentioned that person's name. Even more coincidentally, that person is linked to the massacre of the Xu Family many years ago, and Jinluo happens to share the surname Xu with 'Jin' as her given name. 'Jinluo' is merely her stage name."
"So you conclude that Hong Gu is the murderer who poisoned Jinluo?"
"Wrong!" Xing Ruyi shook her finger. "I merely deduced that Hong Gu is likely connected to the massacre of the Xu Family from years ago. Additionally, I found out that Jinluo appeared at Hongxiu Villa shortly after the Xu Family massacre; the timing aligns quite well. However, returning to the point, Hong Gu's poisoning was not because of past events but because she knew she couldn't keep Jinluo anymore."
"Oh?" Chang Tai raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Xing Ruyi's answer. It should be noted that even during last night's interrogation, Hong Gu only admitted to putting Aconite in Jinluo's bowl but denied poisoning her altogether, claiming she had listened to a quack doctor’s advice for treating Jinluo's illness. Regarding the Xu Family massacre from years ago, she insisted she knew nothing about it and only had incidental ties with the mastermind behind it. This was also why Chang Tai had been waiting outside Ruyi Workshop early in the morning; he hoped to gather more information from Xing Ruyi. So far, his wait had proven worthwhile.
"Flower Bud eloping with Zhang Wulai has already caused Hong Gu considerable trouble. Although Jinluo is the top courtesan at Hongxiu Villa, she has a frail body; without her presence on stage, it would be problematic. According to Hong Gu's previous plan, after thoroughly bringing down Hundred Flowers Pavilion, she intended for Flower Bud to return to replace Jinluo as Luoyang's top courtesan. Now that Flower Bud has eloped and gone missing, Hong Gu's plans have fallen through; naturally, she feels quite frustrated. Yet at this moment, Jinluo has requested to redeem herself due to her poor health. Whether for immediate interests or to bury the tragedy of the Xu Family from years ago, Hong Gu will never allow Jinluo to leave."
After that, Xing Ruyi was not clear about the events, but as a Constable, and one who knew Yan Niang, Chang Tai naturally understood very well.
In February of that year, the Empress had a sudden whim to host a banquet for the officials in the Imperial Garden. In her excitement, she drunkenly ordered all the flowers to bloom. Overnight, the garden was filled with fragrance, but only the peonies stood proudly against the wind and snow, refusing to open even a single bud. As a result, the Empress ordered them to be expelled from the Imperial Garden and commanded that they be burned.
Outside the palace walls, Xing Ruyi looked at the charred remains of the peonies on the ground and angrily poked at the fox: "You dead fox, Stinky Fox! You claim to have such great powers, but look what happened! All the flowers that shouldn't have bloomed did, while those that should have bloomed didn't."
"What should we do now? I've already gotten three types of flower pollen out of four. Should I go dream of the Empress again and ask her to give a special order for the peonies?" Rui Tong, holding the flower pollen, squatted beside the peonies with a dejected expression.
"They're almost burnt to ashes; what good would another order do?" Xing Ruyi kicked Rui Tong in frustration: "Come on, you're still a demon. Can you at least have some intelligence? Doing something like using someone else's mouth to achieve your own convenience once is enough; are you not afraid of being condemned if you do it again?"
"What should we do then?" Rui Tong's face completely fell.
"Just let it be." Xing Ruyi pouted and picked up some of the burnt peony branches: "Where there's a will, there's a way. Why not try nurturing them with your own blood and effort?"
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