Chapter 108 Murder Cases At The Birthday Party (Part One)

"Blood streak?" Wu Qi instantly straightened up and said to Lady Shun Qing, "Your Ladyship, do you mind showing me the peach-shaped carving made of jadeite?"

Lady Shun Qing nodded and passed the peach-shaped carving to Wu Qi. Wu Qi examined it carefully for a while before he said hesitantly, "The jadeite is of top quality. Besides, judging from the craft, the peach-shaped carving is indeed a top-grade one. But it's not as good as the carvings made by Master Jing'an. I have heard that if a jadeite is stuffed in a dead man's mouth and buried with the dead body, it will bear blood streaks when it is taken out. But the peach-shaped carving is too big to be stuffed into a dead man's mouth. The blood streaks in the carving are an ominous indicator. I know that if a jadeite is stuffed in an animal's mouth before the animal is suffocated, the jadeite will bear blood streaks indicating that the animal died with strong resentment."

Upon hearing this, Lady Shun Qing frowned and said unhappily, "Anyway, the peach-shaped carving is an inauspicious object. It brings bad luck on such a happy day."

Yun Shang said gently, "Your Ladyship, who has touched the peach-shaped carving? When I presented the peach-shaped carving to you, there were no blood streaks in it. According to what Wu Qi said, it takes a long time to form blood streaks in a jadeite. Only a little time has passed since I presented the gift to you. How can there be blood streaks in the jadeite carving so quickly? I have every reason to suspect that the peach-shaped carving presented by me has been changed by someone."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jinhuan frowned and said to Lady Shun Qing, "Your Ladyship, I think someone is trying to frame Princess Yun Shang. The jadeite carving was presented by Princess Yun Shang. The schemer knows that If something is wrong with the carving, Princess Yun Shang will take the blame. Obviously, the schemer is trying to frame the Princess and curse you."

Yun Shang squinted and then replaced her expression with a subtle smile. Wang Jinhuan was quick-minded. If he had said that the schemer swapped the birthday gift, then the schemer would be charged with larceny and get a relatively lighter punishment. By claiming that the schemer was trying to frame the Princess and curse the Ladyship, those crimes would warrant a higher punishment. When found, the schemer would be put to death.

Yun Shang certainly knew that it was the Empress who made the plot. She knew it when she accepted the peach-shaped carving from the Empress. Yun Shang leaned back in her chair. She looked very composed, as if she had nothing to do with the ominous object. She said, "I believe that Prince Shun Qing and Your Ladyship will find the truth of the matter and prove me innocent."

Prince Shun Qing glanced at Yun Shang and found her to be calm. He thought highly of Yun Shang for being able to handle a challenging situation with ease. He rose to his feet and said, "This is a big matter and there are many guests present. We can't conduct an investigation. I will call all the people who have touched the peach-shaped carving t

mosphere had vanished in an instant. All the guests felt frightened.

The guests had been divided into two groups according to their gender and were brought to two different rooms in the mansion. Yun Shang, Prince Jing, Wang Jinhuan and Mrs. Wu were brought to Lady Shun Qing's house.

Except for Mrs. Wu who sobbed occasionally, all the other guests present, sipping their tea in silence.

"Your Lordship, I found this both on Mr. Wu and the housemaid." The butler walked hurriedly to Prince Shun Qing and reported. The butler held a tray on which lay two sachets. The sachets were embroidered with the same picture. The picture depicted two mandarin ducks playing in water. One was blue, the other was pink.

As Prince Shun Qing was about to reach for the sachets, the butler stopped him immediately and said, "Your Lordship, be careful. There is a certain poison in the sachets."

On hearing this, Prince Shun Qing withdrew his hand. An inquiring look appeared on his face. The butler said, "I have already asked the physician to check the sachets. The poison on the sachets were the cause of the housemaid and Mr. Wu's death."

"Really?" inquired Prince Jing. Prince Jing rose to his feet and stepped forward to reach for the two sachets. Prince Shun Qing instantly exclaimed, "Qingyan!"

Prince Jing smiled and said, "Uncle, it's all right. I have brought the poison-proof bead with me. I won't get poisoned even if I touch the poison." Prince Jing opened the two sachets and found a lock of hair and a parchment in both the sachets.

All the guests stepped forward to see these two items. Neat handwriting was displayed on the parchment. It said, "When those red beans* come in springtime, flushing on your southland branches, take home an armful for my sake, as a symbol of our love. From Ru Mo*. On the other parchment were bold and forceful words. It said, "If love between both sides can last for aye, why need they stay together night and day? From Qian An."

(TN: Red bean, called a love pea or a love token, is a symbol of romance; Ru Mo is a female name.)