“Big Sister, without conclusive evidence, it is better not to accuse others carelessly,” Li Qian said to Li Gui.
The tear tracks on Li Gui’s face slowly faded, and her gaze grew sharper and sharper. She walked to Li Qian’s side and asked him, “Little Brother, have you found out what this poison is?”
Li Qian nodded and said solemnly, “If I have not mistaken it, this should be Duxing Powder. Duxing Powder is originally in solid blocks, but after volatilizing for a long time, it gradually turns into poisonous gas. Once inhaled, it kills.”
“So the poisonous gas wasn’t blown in. I was just wondering about that. How could poisonous gas be preserved long enough to be carried onto the roof and then blown into the room?”
“The Duxing Powder should not have been thrown down from the roof. If it had been thrown directly down, there should have been a sound, and it would inevitably have drawn attention. Moreover, after the fragrance of Duxing Powder finishes evaporating, it leaves behind something like a dried-up block of wood. There is nothing like that on the floor at all.”
After listening to Li Qian, Mu Xueshi began searching all around the room, and Li Gui also widened her phoenix eyes and started looking through the room. In the end, they searched inside and out but found no residue. Mu Xueshi even had the servants go up onto the roof to look, but they found nothing there either.
“How could this be…” Mu Xueshi scratched his head. “Could someone have taken that thing away?”
Thinking this, Mu Xueshi called in the attendant outside.
“Let me ask you, before I came in, who else entered this room?”
“Replying to my lord, no one entered at all. Only this servant poked a hole in the window paper.”
Mu Xueshi nodded and began sweeping his gaze around the window again. Aside from that hole, there was no damage anywhere, meaning no one had stuffed the Duxing Powder in or taken it out from that direction.
“I’ve got it.” Two sharp gleams suddenly flashed in Mu Xueshi’s eyes.
Li Qian and Li Gui both turned their gazes toward Mu Xueshi.
“Could someone have lain on the roof, suspended the Duxing Powder with a rope, and then, once it had almost finished evaporating, pulled that rope back up?”
After saying it, Mu Xueshi rejected the idea himself. He felt that doing things this way would be a little too troublesome.
“It is not necessarily impossible. Not every murderer has a good mind. According to what you just said, it is possible that the murderer did not want anyone else to know what kind of poison this was. Since this poison is very rare, investigating it would probably be rather difficult.”
Mu Xueshi nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said to the attendant outside the door, “Go see whether there are any footprints on the roof.”
The attendant immediately looked troubled when he heard this and said to Mu Xueshi, “My lord, you already had us go up there just now. How could there be no footprints now…”
Before Mu Xueshi could speak, Li Qian interjected from the side, “Perhaps it was not done by a person. Even if that person had taken an antidote, staying on the roof for so long would still make it easy to be discovered.”
When Li Qian said this, Mu Xueshi seemed to think of something. His gaze grew somewhat complicated, and he did not continue speaking.
Li Gui found several workers from Changxin Courtyard and had them carry Wu Cai’s body away. She accompanied those workers herself and helped bury Wu Cai. During this time, Wu Cai had suffered a great deal. For him, rather than remain in this world and endure torment, it was better to be laid to rest sooner.
Mu Xueshi crouched blankly beside the threshold, thinking of the scene when he had first met Wu Cai. Wu Cai had been the most vividly expressive person in this manor. He had quarreled with Mu Xueshi, had his hand broken by the Third Prince, yet still thanked Mu Xueshi the next day; he had taken Mu Xueshi to Changxin Courtyard, where Mu Xueshi had met Li Qian, allowing him to clear his name…
Feeling someone pat his head, Mu Xueshi lifted it and saw Li Qian’s face.
“Actually, there is something I have always wanted to tell you…” Li Qian paused, then said to Mu Xueshi, “That time when he framed you in court, he did it because someone sent by His Majesty’s side threatened him with death, leaving Wu Cai no choice. He was human too, and he feared death as well. But everyone dies in the end, and in the end, he still could not escape this calamity…”
Mu Xueshi lowered his head. Several drops of water stained the empty patch of ground beneath his feet.
“Actually, he had always loved your father deeply. It was only because he often went to our place that people found something to gossip about. Wu Cai never once did anything to betray Grand Tutor Mu. Those so-called acts of adultery were only crimes others forced upon him.”
Mu Xueshi nodded and said hoarsely, “I know.”
“Actually, Wu Cai once told me something, but I do not know whether I should say it.”
“Say it.”
Li Qian thought for a moment, then suddenly shook his head and stood up. “Those words would be greatly disrespectful to you. I still cannot say them.”
Mu Xueshi stood up as if angered and said loudly to Li Qian, “Since we are friends, why do you have to hesitate when speaking? With me, there is no such thing as respect or disrespect, only honesty or dishonesty.”
Seeing Mu Xueshi become angry, Li Qian hurriedly took his hand and sighed. “He told me that the one who was truly committing adultery was actually Grand Tutor Mu’s wife. He saw it with his own eyes once. Because Madam is your mother and is carrying a child, I could not bring myself to mention this matter to you.”
Mu Xueshi instantly felt as if lightning and thunder were crashing through his mind, because Li Qian’s words happened to match one of his own suspicions.
“Xueshi, I have to go keep my sister company. Take care of yourself here. As for what I said just now, just pretend I never said it.”
Mu Xueshi grabbed Li Qian at once. “There is still something I need to trouble you with…” He had only spoken halfway when he suddenly felt that saying this at such a time was inappropriate, so he waved his hand and said, “Forget it. Go take care of your own matters first. In a couple of days, I will go pay respects at Wu Cai’s grave.”
“It’s all right. Say it. I will leave after you finish. I also want justice for Wu Cai as soon as possible.”
Mu Xueshi nodded and ordered a servant to bring over the bundle placed in the main hall. Before long, the servant delivered the bundle into Mu Xueshi’s hands.
“There are many soup ingredients inside. When you have time, help me see whether there is anything unusual among them.”
“All right.”
Li Qian carried the bundle and soon left the Judicial Affairs Manor.
Mu Xueshi stood alone in the open space of the courtyard, feeling a sour ache in his heart, as if he wanted to cry. How he wished the Third Prince were standing beside him right now, so he could properly pour out everything to him. Even a single sentence from the Third Prince would give him great comfort…
In the southeast corner of the courtyard, Su Ying was pulling a little wooden carriage with a rope, running happily back and forth. Circling around beside him was Eunuch Shangde. The two seemed to be playing with great enthusiasm.
Mu Xueshi looked at the attendant standing beside him and asked, “Has there been any news from the person I sent to find His Highness the Second Prince?”
The attendant shook his head. “I have not seen him return.”
Mu Xueshi sighed, knowing Su Ying could not hold out for much longer. If the Second Prince still did not come, he would probably use his ultimate move again—wailing loudly.
While Su Ying had not yet started crying and clinging to him for his Father, Mu Xueshi quietly went to the stable, brought along two guards with excellent martial arts, and left through the side gate.
…
“Mother, may Xueshi come in?”
The sudden knock on the door startled Madam. When she heard Mu Xueshi’s voice, her heart settled slightly.
“So it is Xueshi. Come in.”
Madam instructed a maid to brew a cup of tea for Mu Xueshi, then had servants support her as she sat across from him, facing him with a gentle expression.
Yet Mu Xueshi felt uncomfortable all over under Madam’s gaze. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “Mother, Xueshi came this time because there is something I would like to ask of you.”
“When Xueshi speaks with Mother, why mention asking or not asking? Just say whatever it is.”
Mu Xueshi paused, then said to Madam, “I want… I want your parrot. Is that all right?”
After hearing this, Madam revealed a surprised expression.
“What does Xueshi want that parrot for?”
Mu Xueshi’s heartbeat could not help quickening, and his words became somewhat halting.
“It is just… to… to play with. I think it is very interesting. Last time, when Xueshi mentioned this to Mother, Mother said you might as well give it to me. But at the time, I did not agree because I felt that it kept Mother company and Mother would be reluctant to part with it…”
“And now you think Mother would be willing to part with it?” Madam smiled faintly.
Mu Xueshi had not expected Madam to say this, and he immediately became very nervous.
“No… I… I just like it… I want to borrow it to play with for a few days.”
Madam sighed and said to Mu Xueshi, “Ai, Xue’er is right. This bird has now become Mother’s only companion. Let alone giving it to you, even letting Xue’er take it away to play with for a few days would make Mother very sad.”
Madam’s sudden change in attitude made Mu Xueshi begin to suspect even more what exactly this parrot meant to her…
“Then… Mother, may Xueshi play with it for a while? Just in this courtyard.”
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s pleading gaze, Madam felt that if she still refused, it would be rather unreasonable. After all, the current Mu Xueshi was already very different from the previous Mu Xueshi.
With the help of a little maid, Mu Xueshi had the parrot land on his shoulder, then walked outside carefully. Before he went out, Madam reminded him, “Do not touch the parrot’s head. It will peck you with its beak.”
Mu Xueshi gave a sound of acknowledgment and walked into the courtyard. When he reached a patch of grass, Mu Xueshi crouched down and said to the parrot on his shoulder, “Come down, come down.”
Unexpectedly, the parrot also said, “Come down, come down.”
Mu Xueshi giggled. Seeing the maid not far away staring at him, the laughter in his mouth slowly changed flavor.
“Haha…” Mu Xueshi began running around the courtyard, with the parrot following behind him. Whenever Mu Xueshi stopped, the parrot immediately landed on his shoulder. Mu Xueshi tried to reach out and touch it, but before his hand could reach its body, the parrot quickly flew up to avoid his touch.
Mu Xueshi felt that this parrot was very intelligent, a good bird. If there were a chance, he definitely had to bring it to his side to raise.
When the maid began paying less attention to him, Mu Xueshi called one of his guards over and had him pour two bowls of water.
The guard obediently went to the bucket by the well, scooped two bowls of water, and brought them to Mu Xueshi.
Mu Xueshi picked up one bowl and placed the other on the ground.
“Drink water!” Mu Xueshi said as he took a sip from the bowl in his hand.
The other bowl of water was placed on the ground. The parrot looked over in that direction but did not fly over.
Mu Xueshi grew somewhat anxious. He took another sip from the bowl in his hand and said loudly, “Drink water.”
The parrot also said, “Drink water,” but it did not fly down to the ground to drink. It still perched on the flower branch.
Mu Xueshi sighed and moved his own bowl away from his mouth. As a result, the parrot immediately flew over and took a sip from Mu Xueshi’s bowl.
Good heavens, what a clever parrot! Mu Xueshi could not help clicking his tongue in wonder. The reason this parrot would not drink from the previous bowl must have been because it was afraid there was poison inside.
Unfortunately, no matter how clever it was, it still could not beat him…
Thinking this, Mu Xueshi used a small bottle to scoop some water from that bowl, then twisted the stopper shut and tucked it into his sleeve.
…
After Mu Xueshi left, Madam asked the maid beside her, “What did Young Master play with the parrot today?”
Hearing Madam’s question, the maid hurriedly said, “This servant only saw Young Master teasing the parrot and teaching it to speak. I did not see anything else.”
After hearing this, Madam frowned and murmured to herself, “Why has this child’s temperament changed so greatly…”
Futile Devices Scans 
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