Half an hour later, Xu Lianmeng had restored the corpse to its basic state. The crowd reentered the room, where the rotten stench still lingered in the air. One by one, they covered their mouths and noses, determined not to vomit again.
“Madam Fu died of poisoning.”
Her words elicited a range of reactions from the onlookers—some wide-eyed in shock, others lost in heavy thought.
Xu Lianmeng continued, “On Madam Fu’s body, there wasn’t only the wound on the back of her head—there was poison as well. Furthermore, her arms and shoulders bear needle marks, and there are bruises in places hidden from outsiders. In this official’s opinion, this was the result of prolonged abuse.”
Tao Chuyi jumped in right after. “Temple Deputy Fu, what crime should you be charged with?”
She finished speaking and ducked back behind the others, giggling foolishly to herself. Back in the day, she had secretly watched her father preside over trials in court, picking up a few choice phrases along the way.
The speaker had meant no harm, but the listeners took it to heart. Every gaze in the room turned toward Temple Deputy Fu, brimming with scrutiny and doubt.
“I didn’t kill her,” he protested. “I love her so much I haven’t had enough time with her—how could I possibly kill her?”
Temple Deputy Fu sounded deeply aggrieved. “Prince Consort, you can’t just slander people without proof!”
Tao Chuyi, hiding behind Xu Lianmeng, pouted. That bad Fu guy was yelling at her again.
“Temple Deputy Fu, don’t rush to conclusions,” Xu Lianmeng said, stepping forward to redirect the attention onto herself. “What the Prince Consort said was merely a hypothesis. But it’s grounded in fact. The Prince Consort isn’t accusing you of murder—rather, of administering private punishment and abusing your lawful wife. What crime is that?”
Temple Deputy Fu stammered for ages before managing to spit out a few words. “I… I didn’t…”
Before he could finish his excuses, Xu Lianmeng pressed on. “The locations of Madam Fu’s injuries are such that only a spouse could have inflicted them. This person shared an extremely intimate relationship with her. To cover their tracks, they chose spots no one else would see—including the needle marks. Your Highness the Princess should be familiar with such methods. In the palace, when a master abuses a maid without wanting it discovered, they prick her with needles, leaving the maid to suffer in silence.”
At that, Nangong Yunshang turned to Temple Deputy Fu, her expression darkening. “Confess the truth at once!”
With a thud, Temple Deputy Fu dropped to his knees. He buried his face in his hands, and this burly man suddenly broke into blubbering sobs.
“She was always sneaking off with other men,” he confessed. “I’ve forgiven her at least three times already. I loved her too much—I didn’t want to divorce her. But she only got worse. I lost my temper and hurt her, but I never intended to kill her, and I certainly never poisoned her.”
His testimony rang neither clearly true nor obviously false. The mansion’s steward and maids were summoned to vouch for him, claiming that Madam Fu had indeed been promiscuous in life.
Before leaving Fu Mansion, Tao Chuyi stuck close to Xu Lianmeng’s side, peppering her with questions.
“Sister Xu, I want to learn how to examine corpses too.”
Xu Lianmeng glanced toward the distance, then curved her lips in a smile. Her cool features softened instantly, blooming like flowers in spring.
“Of course. Young Master Tao is welcome anytime.”
“Prince Consort!”
Nangong Yunshang stood at the door. She had already strode out ahead but paused her steps, waiting for the pest who kept buzzing around everyone else.
“Come here. We’re heading back to the mansion.”
Tao Chuyi waved goodbye and dashed over, trailing behind Nangong Yunshang as she boarded the carriage.
The clouds of suspicion over Fu Mansion had yet to clear. Rumor had it that Temple Deputy Fu had a daughter, now sixteen years old. They had visited twice without catching sight of Miss Fu; the servants only claimed she was away at her studies.
“Princess, do you think Temple Deputy Fu was telling the truth?” Yinghong asked. She racked her brains but couldn’t tell.
Nangong Yunshang drew the curtain closed and snorted coldly. “Not necessarily. Even if the entire household vouches for him, it doesn’t erase his suspicions. Servants depend on him for their livelihoods, after all.”
Yinghong’s eyes widened in realization. “So they might all be lying under oath? What nerve.”
“That’s precisely why this Princess despises men,” Nangong Yunshang said. “So righteous on the surface, but rotten and vicious underneath—bullying the weak and utterly spineless.”
Her words hung in the air, plunging the inside and outside of the carriage into silence. Only the rumble of the wheels remained.
Tao Chuyi fixed her with wide, innocent eyes, silently protesting her undeserved lumping in with the rest.
Nangong coughed lightly twice to dispel the awkwardness. “Well… you don’t count as one of them. You’re still just a child.”
Man? Woman? Child?
Tao Chuyi’s head spun from the mental gymnastics. Too much brainpower required. Whatever she was, the grasshopper was way more fun.
Nangong breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she saw Tao Chuyi pick up the grasshopper woven by Liuzi. Crisis averted. She had her reasons—rooted in her upbringing—for hating men, but this silly Prince Consort? She didn’t mind her at all. Foolish, yes, but sincere to a fault.
“Chuyi, do you… like Miss Xu?”
Tao Chuyi tilted her head in deep thought while holding up the grasshopper. After careful consideration, she shook her head.
Nangong Yunshang blinked in confusion. “You don’t? Then why are you always trailing after her?”
“Chuyi thinks she’s really amazing!”
Tao Chuyi paused, then added, “Chuyi wants to be amazing too.”
Nangong Yunshang let out a soft chuckle, amused at herself for imagining this little fool grasped the nuances of romance.
“Good child, you are amazing.”
Tao Chuyi’s eyes flew wide, her face lighting up with pure delight. Fairy Sister had praised her! She was amazing! Just as she knew!
Overjoyed, she didn’t just dance with her hands and feet—she leaped to her feet, bouncing and hopping about until the carriage shook as if it might fall apart.
Yinghong swayed left and right from the jolts. “Prince Consort! Prince Consort, please stop jumping!”
But no amount of pleading worked. Tao Chuyi remained lost in her bliss.
Until Nangong Yunshang spoke. “I’m feeling a bit unwell, Prince Consort.”
Tao Chuyi stopped dead in her tracks as if by miracle. She sat back down quietly, resuming her pitiful expression. The eyes she turned on Nangong Yunshang were the very picture of a puppy’s pleading gaze.
Nangong Yunshang couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m fine now. As long as the Prince Consort stays still, I’ll be just fine.”
She had figured it out: the way to handle this simpleton was to stroke her fur the right way.
“Mm!”
Tao Chuyi straightened her back, placed her hands neatly on her knees, and sat perfectly upright. No moving unless told.
Yinghong’s laughter drifted in from outside. “Only the Princess knows how to manage the Prince Consort.”
The carriage came to an abrupt halt, the horses’ whinnies echoing down the cobblestone lane.
Nangong Yunshang frowned slightly. “What’s going on?”
“A young lady has blocked the carriage,” Yinghong reported.
“Please, Your Highness the Princess—seek justice for this subject!”
Tao Chuyi hopped out of the carriage first, landing right in front of the girl. She bent down to peer closely at her face. For some reason, the girl’s brows and eyes reminded her of that bad Fu guy.
Intimidated by the stare, the girl shuddered but steeled herself and thrust the blood letter high.
“Please, Your Highness the Princess—avenge this subject’s mother!”
Nangong Yunshang leaned halfway out. “Who are you?”
The girl looked up. “This subject is Fu Yueer, daughter of Dali Temple’s Temple Deputy Fu. The victim, Madam Fu, was my mother.”
The group exchanged stunned glances. They had been trying to track down Miss Fu’s whereabouts, and there she stood before them.
Without a word, Tao Chuyi helped her to her feet and patted her shoulder. “Whoever you’re accusing, just say the word. Your Highness the Princess will take care of him.”
Being a simpleton, everyone in the Princess Mansion treated Tao Chuyi like a little child. Her precocious declaration had Yinghong and the guards stifling chuckles behind their hands.
Nangong Yunshang let out a sigh. At least this one knew who was in charge.
“Miss Fu, speak freely.”
