Chapter Nine: The Proof of Time

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“If that’s the case, let’s set this matter aside for now. Let us examine the timeline!” It seemed that only a breakthrough in the timing might be possible. His cold gaze swept over those gathered as the magistrate asked, “Who was the first to discover the deceased?”

“Reporting to your honor, it was this old woman who found her first.” From the crowd stepped out a middle-aged woman, heavily made up and flamboyantly dressed.

“Your honor! I have worked my fingers to the bone for half my life, and now I’ve lost everything! Please, you must help me! I can’t just lose all that money for nothing! Surely you could see fit to return some to me? Haitang has been living in my Breezewind Pavilion, eating and drinking well for so long. I can’t walk away empty-handed…” The moment she set eyes on the magistrate, she launched into a tirade of complaints, her endless chatter making him furrow his brow.

“Silence. Speak only when spoken to!” barked the scribe, who was recording the proceedings nearby. “Show proper respect—kneel before the magistrate!”

“Your humble servant, the widow of Yu Feng and manageress of Breezewind Pavilion, greets your honor.” This time, she had learned her lesson and dared not utter another word. As soon as she knelt, she didn’t even dare raise her head.

“Raise your head!” At the sight of the garishly painted face before him, he couldn’t help but shudder. Now, regretting his command, he averted his eyes. “Tell me, what were you doing at the scene of the crime?”

“I went to call for Haitang. Who could have guessed she’d be unconscious?” The madam’s answer came at once; she was eager not to arouse suspicion.

“Where were you between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m.? What were you doing?” the magistrate pressed, for as the first to arrive at the scene, she was naturally the prime suspect.

“I was in the main hall, overseeing the servants. I was afraid they wouldn’t do their tasks properly!” She cast a glance at the magistrate before continuing, “When it grew late and Haitang still hadn’t come down, I went to fetch her. Who could have known…”

“You’re certain that when you called her, no one answered, and the door was bolted from within?” The magistrate cut her off, unwilling to give her any more chance to ramble.

“Yes! I broke the door down myself. The situation was urgent—I couldn’t think of anything else! But, your honor, could I be compensated for the door? Not only did I lose money, I lost a door as well!” The madam looked utterly aggrieved.

“Who can vouch for you?” Seeing her pitiful expression, the magistrate only felt more uncomfortable and hastened to ask.

“Xiaoyue can! And everyone in the main hall knows.”

“Summon Xiaoyue!” The magistrate struck the desk sharply. At last, he thought, I’m spared the sight of that woman’s thick rouge. He truly could not endure her any longer.

“Your servant Xiaoyue greets your honor!” rang out a clear voice as Xiaoyue, dressed in a dark green skirt and blouse, knelt before the court.

“Xiaoyue, let me ask you: where were you between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. last night, and what were you doing?” The magistrate repeated his customary question.

“I was in the main hall, cutting colored ribbons with Sister Yubing. They’re for decorating tomorrow—no, today, for Miss Haitang’s wedding.” Xiaoyue was still somewhat dazed, evidently deeply shaken by last night’s events.

“Then how did you end up at the scene?” the magistrate asked in curiosity. After all, the main hall on the first floor and the Ruyi Pavilion on the third were worlds apart.

“Before anything happened, I took the finished ribbons up to the people in the pavilion—they’d need them for today’s decorations. On my way back, passing by Ruyi Pavilion, I saw… I saw…” Xiaoyue’s eyes were wide with terror, and she could not bring herself to finish.

“That’s enough, don’t be afraid. Can anyone vouch for you?” The magistrate’s voice softened, seeing her so frightened.

“Everyone in the pavilion can, and Sister Yubing was helping me earlier—she left only a little while ago.” The shock of seeing Ma Tian’s death still haunted Xiaoyue.

“When did she leave?” The magistrate sighed inwardly as yet another name emerged, but he could only follow procedure.

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“I think it was near the end of the hour of the dog,” Xiaoyue said uncertainly, then added, “Yes, it was around then. I saw Xinru return to her room to make tea for her mistress.”

“Summon Yubing!” The magistrate struck the desk again.

“Summon Yubing to court!” the bailiffs cried in unison. Outside the crowd, Yubing stood, eyes half-shut, her bearing calm as a mountain. She dared not step forward while the truth was unclear. Though she had an alibi, it could hardly be explained.

“Your honor, Yubing disappeared last night. No one knows where she went!” Suddenly, a pleasant voice echoed through the silent hall, “Even my maidservant vanished with her, and we couldn’t find them anywhere!” With these words, a woman in a red silk dress overlaid with black gauze entered the hall, her manner soft as water.

“Xinru is missing?” For the first time, Haitang cried out in alarm, “She brought me tea last night—how could she be missing?”

“And who are you?” The magistrate ignored Haitang, staring in awe at the bewitching newcomer.

“I am Su Liuyun, dancer at Breezewind Pavilion, greeting your honor.” With a graceful curtsy, Su Liuyun replied in a delicate voice.

“Su Liuyun, is it? When did you discover your maid was missing?” The magistrate gazed at the beauty before him, eager to please, without so much as a question for the also-missing Yubing.

“It was around 9 p.m. last night. We were all rehearsing in the rear courtyard. I was thirsty and sent her to make me some tea, but she never returned. I went to look for her but couldn’t find her anywhere.” Su Liuyun knelt before the court, her sorrow evident; after all, she and her maid had been together for five or six years.

“Had she shown any unusual behavior, or seen anyone suspicious?” A mere maid—who could possibly wish her harm? The magistrate was mystified.

“No, I saw no one seek her out,” Su Liuyun replied, just as perplexed—a living person, vanished without a trace.

“And where were you between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. last night? What were you doing?” The magistrate repeated, undeterred.

“I was rehearsing in the rear courtyard with Bai Yun.” Su Liuyun answered truthfully.

“Who can confirm this?”

“Bai Yun!” Su Liuyun replied.

“And who is Bai Yun?” The magistrate’s curiosity was piqued, having heard the name several times now.

“She works at the Breezewind Pavilion, same as I. She is a songstress, while I am a dancer,” Su Liuyun answered, glancing up at the magistrate.

“Summon Bai Yun!” The magistrate glanced at Su Liuyun kneeling before him and struck the desk again.

“Your servant, Bai Yun, songstress of Breezewind Pavilion, greets your honor!” A woman in a pale yellow skirt entered, bowed, and knelt.

“Where were you between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. last night, and what were you doing?” The magistrate rubbed his brow, the question now second nature.

“Reporting to your honor, I was rehearsing in the rear courtyard with Sister Liuyun and the others.” Bai Yun was puzzled—why question her, when the deceased died in Ruyi Pavilion?

“Did you go to Ruyi Pavilion at any time during that period?” the magistrate asked, eyeing the elegant woman before him.

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“No, not until after the incident occurred,” Bai Yun answered calmly.

“Who can vouch for you?”

“The madam, and everyone in the rear courtyard can testify!”

“Very well! You may all rise and step aside.” With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them, then turned to the scribe, instructing, “Clerk Yang, bring the record of this inquiry to Qiuhaitang for review!”

“Yes, your honor!” Rising, the clerk placed the written record before the pale-faced Qiuhaitang, then returned to his seat.

“Qiuhaitang, of all those questioned, only you remained in Ruyi Pavilion throughout! What have you to say for yourself?” The magistrate’s tone was icy, tinged with anger.

“Your honor! I drank a soothing tea and fell asleep! How am I to explain that?” Staring at the pile of questionnaires before her, Qiuhaitang felt utter despair.

“The broken cup—was it the soothing tea?” The magistrate glanced at the coroner, who shook his head in disbelief. After years in the trade, he knew what went into such tea—some sour jujube seed, a little cinnabar, nothing more.

“Who brought you the tea? When did it arrive?” The magistrate frowned at the coroner’s response.

“It was midway through the hour of the pig—Xinru brought it, saying Yubing had sent her.”

“And when did she leave?”

“Near the end of the hour of the pig, I think? Yes, just as she left, he entered.” Qiuhaitang’s answer was uncertain.

“During that time, did he behave unusually?” The magistrate pressed.

“He seemed to have traveled a long way and was very thirsty—he drank the soothing tea I’d had as soon as he arrived.” As Qiuhaitang recalled the moment, a faint, weak smile touched her lips.

“And who can prove you didn’t poison the tea he drank?” The magistrate’s words hinted at accusation as he looked at Qiuhaitang, who refused to confess.

“No one—how could anyone prove it?” Qiuhaitang shook her head in grief. “But I truly have been wronged, your honor! I beg you to see the truth and clear my name!” she cried, her face full of misery and despair.

“If no one can prove Ma Tian was not killed by your hand, and the coroner found the broken, poisoned cup in your room, where you were alone, and you were the last to see the deceased alive, with the door bolted from within—Qiuhaitang, if not you, then who?” At this, the magistrate paused.

“Ask everyone in the hall—who would believe it wasn’t you?” He pieced together each statement, every detail, and at last the case was clear. The evidence was overwhelming—no one could overturn it now!

The magistrate heard the chorus of agreement from those around him. To have solved the poisoning at Breezewind Pavilion with such speed was another feather in his cap—promotion was surely within reach!