TSBDRA 73: I Love Him and He Loves Me. That’s Enough

The next to speak was Chi Siyuan. He had already returned to his usual state, gently fanning himself with a folding fan. “I entered the study at about the third quarter of the xū hour—around 8:15 PM. Just as I arrived, I saw the Eldest Princess leaving. She can vouch for me.”

Shen Youlian nodded, confirming that Chi Siyuan was telling the truth. Chi Siyuan continued, “My royal brother and I discussed matters regarding my fief. I stayed in the study for about fifteen minutes before I left.”

Xiang Yao suddenly interrupted with a question, “Was the emperor still alive at that time?”

“Of course,” Chi Siyuan nodded immediately. “How could I possibly harm my royal brother? Oh, right—when I left, I happened to see General Yan. He went into the study right after me.”

All eyes turned to Yan Yushan. He touched the hilt of the sword at his waist before speaking. “I entered the study during the hài hour—around 9 PM. On the way there, I did run into Prince Yuan.”

“The emperor said there were urgent military matters from the border that he wanted to discuss with me. So I went to the study around 9 PM, stayed for less than fifteen minutes, and then left,” Yan Yushan said.

Next was Xu Xishuang. He pulled his cloak tighter, hiding his figure and the clothes beneath. “Last night, Eunuch Yan came to tell me that it was my night to serve His Majesty. But I waited in my palace all night, and he never came. I didn’t see the emperor at all last night.”

Yu Shudie spoke next. “I drank too much at the palace banquet last night. As soon as it ended, I went straight back to the guest room Eunuch Yan arranged for me. I didn’t leave the room all night—I slept straight through until this morning. I didn’t see the emperor at all.”

Yan Yao nodded, confirming what both Xu Xishuang and Yu Shudie had said. “That’s right. Consort Xi and the Left Minister both stayed in their rooms all night.”

“After His Majesty chose Consort Xi’s name card last night,” Yan Yao added, “I went to the consort’s palace to inform him. Just as I was about to leave, Consort Xi accidentally spilled tea on my robe. I didn’t even have time to change clothes before I headed to the study to serve His Majesty tea. Right after he finished drinking, the Eldest Princess came in, and I left.”

Yan Yao continued, “There were quite a few drunken ministers at the banquet last night. I spent almost the entire night running around taking care of them and cleaning up the mess. The palace eunuchs and maids can all vouch for me. I was too busy—I didn’t see the emperor again after that. I only found out this morning that he hadn’t gone to the consort’s palace at all, and had been killed in the study.”

Finally, Xiang Yao said, “Yesterday afternoon, His Majesty complained of a headache. I treated him in the main hall, with the Eldest Princess and His Highness the Prince present—both of them can confirm that. After that, I wasn’t qualified to attend the banquet, so I stayed in the Imperial Medical Bureau all night. I didn’t see the emperor again and only heard the news of his death this morning.”

【Then based on this timeline, the last person to leave the study—Yan Yushan—is super suspicious】

【But remember, the killer is allowed to lie. Maybe the real killer did see the emperor last night and just lied about it】

【I think the study might not be the actual crime scene. Look—everyone after Xu Xishuang said they never saw the emperor or entered the study, yet they’re still suspects. Isn’t that strange?】

【Good point… hmm. So how did the emperor actually die?】

After hearing all the guests’ statements, Fei Yuan gave a devilish grin. He slowly pulled a stack of papers from inside his robe, unfolded them dramatically, and addressed the group.

“These pages contain the clues observed by the secret guards on duty last night,” he said.

“According to their reports, the times that each person claimed to enter and leave the study match the guards’ records. However—”

Fei Yuan’s tone shifted sharply as he opened another sheet of paper and waved it in front of the guests. “This one holds the coroner’s findings. After examining the body, the coroner concluded that the emperor most likely died between the first and second quarter of the hài hour—between 9:00 and 9:30 PM last night.”

Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to Yan Yushan.

He remained completely calm, expressionless as he stared steadily at Fei Yuan. Under that gaze, Fei Yuan visibly started to sweat, then quickly continued, “Ahem—what I’m about to say next is important. The coroner found that the emperor had two visible injuries. One was on the back of the head, likely caused by a sharp object, but the wound wasn’t deep. The second was to the chest. It was about half an inch deep. It seems to have missed the heart, slightly off-target.”

“Finally,” Fei Yuan added, “the emperor’s lips were dark purple, which suggests strong poisoning.” He tucked the papers away. “But since an autopsy wasn’t allowed, the coroner couldn’t determine whether the cause of death was the head wound, the stab to the chest, or the poison. That’s for you to investigate and figure out on your own.”

【Holy hell—what did the emperor do to deserve this?! Three different injuries, each one from a different weapon?】

【Or maybe… all three were done by the same killer?】

【I’m leaning toward three different people. One person wouldn’t have had enough time—and three culprits would make the real murderer harder to pin down】

【Right now, Yan Yushan is looking really suspicious. Personally, I think the fatal wound was the one to the chest—death from blood loss. But… something still feels off…】

“There was a stab wound to the chest?” Yan Yao asked, unable to hold back. “Then wouldn’t the emperor have cried out in pain when he was attacked? Didn’t any of you secret guards hear it?”

Fei Yuan was once again questioned about dereliction of duty. He opened his mouth to respond but quickly remembered he wasn’t supposed to reveal certain information, so he held back with visible effort.

Thankfully, Xu Xishuang stepped in to save him. After thinking for a moment, he said to Yan Yao, “Maybe the emperor was poisoned first. When he collapsed, he hit the back of his head on something sharp and lost consciousness. So when the killer stabbed him, he was still unconscious—unable to call for help.”

Yan Yao and the comment feed immediately had a lightbulb moment, “Right! That actually makes sense.”

The other guests also fell silent, lost in thought.

Then Xu Xishuang turned to Fei Yuan. “So we’re not allowed to examine the emperor’s body ourselves, is that right?”

“How dare you think you can just look at the emperor’s body whenever you please!” Fei Yuan put his hands on his hips. “You’re all suspects. Get moving and search each other’s rooms from last night. Record any evidence you find. Be back here in fifteen minutes to begin the first round of accusations!”

Upon hearing that they wouldn’t have to examine the “corpse” up close, Yu Shudie quietly let out a breath of relief, subtly released Yan Yao’s arm, and stood up to begin collecting evidence.

The screen split into seven feeds again, but many viewers chose to wait out the fifteen minutes and come back once the guests had returned to the study after collecting evidence.

Time passed quickly. Though fifteen minutes wasn’t long, most of the guests came back with something in hand—pieces of evidence they had found—each settling into their seat and waiting for host Fei Yuan to begin the first round of accusations.

After a quick discussion, the group agreed to follow the same speaking order as before. Shen Youlian was the first to speak. She pulled out a piece of evidence she had discovered and addressed the others. “I searched the room where the Left Minister stayed last night, and I must say—I was completely shocked. The seemingly loyal and upright Minister Yu turns out to have some very… ambitious intentions in private.”

“First,” she said, barely holding back a laugh as she unfolded a red slip of paper, “I have something truly scandalous to show everyone. As you can see, this is a marriage contract. And the names written on it are… Yu Shudie—pfft—ahem, and Xu Xishuang…”

She turned to Yu Shudie. “Care to explain, Minister?”

“As you can see,” Yu Shudie said through gritted teeth, face nearly green with embarrassment, “Xu Xishuang was once my beloved… wife. He was seized by the emperor and forced into the palace as Consort Xi. I’ve held a grudge against the emperor ever since. But that alone is not enough to make me a murderer. What I seek is power and glory beyond imagination. To kill for a woman… would be beneath me.”

【Hahaha help, Yu Shudie’s expression is priceless】

【Yan-ge: ??? You even went and got a marriage certificate behind my back?!】

Shen Youlian fought back her laughter and continued presenting the evidence. “Alright, you say a woman’s not worth killing for. Then let me show you something even better. Guess what I found under the Left Minister’s mattress?”

“This letter right here,” she said, holding up a page, “is correspondence between the Left Minister and the Prince. A proof of a conspiracy. The Left Minister actually plotted a rebellion with the Prince! She promised that once the emperor was dead, she would support the Prince in taking the throne. In return, the Prince promised her all sorts of benefits.” She raised another paper. “Now this sounds like motive enough for murder, doesn’t it?”

【What?! The Left Minister teamed up with the Prince?! Didn’t she try to recruit General Yan just yesterday afternoon too?!】

【Shen the Queen, sacrificing her own niece for justice! Honestly, Yu Shudie looks really suspicious now—she’s got multiple motives for killing the emperor】

Yu Shudie remained silent.

Beside her, Chi Siyuan had been in complete shock ever since Shen Youlian pulled out that marriage contract between the Left Minister and Consort Xi. Now that there was finally an opening, he seized the chance to speak up. “It’s true—I did ally with the Left Minister. But I never had the heart to kill my brother. That thought never once crossed my mind. He’s still my brother.”

“I searched the room where General Yan stayed last night,” Chi Siyuan continued, pulling out the jade pendant clenched in his hand. “I found this in the clothes he wore to the banquet. If I’m not mistaken, Consort Xi has one exactly like it—don’t you?”

Everyone turned their eyes to Xu Xishuang, who stood quietly in his cloak. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly undid the clasp at his neck and stood up, reluctantly removing the jade pendant from his waist.

Everyone except for Yan Yushan gathered around to take a closer look at the two identical fish-shaped pendants. It was clear—they were a matching pair.

Chi Siyuan continued, “I also found a letter in General Yan’s room. It was written to his deputy general at the border but hadn’t been sent yet. The gist of it was this, he knew that returning to the capital this time would likely mean the emperor stripping him of his military power—maybe even growing suspicious and killing him.”

“So, he decided to strike first. He killed the emperor to avenge the annihilation of his clan.” As he spoke, Chi Siyuan held up another item he had found. A longevity locket engraved with the character Yan. “General Yan, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Yan Yushan began, “Then let me start with my background. As you’ve probably guessed, I wasn’t born into a humble household. I am, in fact, the only surviving member of the Yan family—the same family the emperor wiped out years ago on fabricated charges.”

“I was saved by one of my father’s close friends, who smuggled me into the army and hid my identity all these years,” he said. “When I was a child, my father arranged a betrothal for me. My fiancée was—Xu Xishuang.”

Yan Yushan looked toward Xu Xishuang, his voice gentle. “That’s why we have matching pendants. All these years, I’ve never been able to forget him. I didn’t dare to hope he still remembered me… or was still waiting for me. After returning to the capital, I searched for his name, his whereabouts—yet I found nothing. It wasn’t until I saw the pendant at his waist that I realized… he hadn’t forgotten me either.”

“So even if he now belongs to someone else, even if he is the emperor’s consort—I don’t care.” Yan Yushan took Xu Xishuang’s hand. “I love him, and he loves me. That’s enough.”

This line wasn’t in the original script.

Xu Xishuang stared at Yan Yushan’s earnest eyes, momentarily speechless.

Off to the side, Chi Siyuan, hearing Yan Yushan’s heartfelt confession, was suddenly reminded of the soul-crushing angst from the tragic fanfic he had read the night before. His nose tingled and he nearly burst into tears.

Ughhh they love each other so much!! They should just be sweet and happy forever! No misunderstandings, no tragic separations! That awful emperor should just drop dead already!!!

On the other side, Yan Yao was grinning uncontrollably from Yan Yushan’s love confession, her lips practically stretched to her ears. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Chi Siyuan’s reddened eyes.

He was also staring at Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang, gaze gentle and full of affection. It was exactly like how she looked when she was deep into shipping a couple.

Except… he looked even more invested than she ever was.

Yan Yao: ??

【I knew it—Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang are true love!! A reunion against all odds! They never forgot each other, sob sob】

【This is why Yan-ge didn’t get mad about being “cheated on” earlier because it was real love!! They’re really in love!!】

【Yan-ge said he loves Xu Xishuang! He confessed in front of everyone! He said “I love him!!” I can die happy now】

【Usually when couples flaunt their love during a murder mystery game I get so annoyed, but why is Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang’s PDA so sweet?? I’ll gladly eat this dog food!】

【LMAO look at little cutie Chi Siyuan’s face—he looks like he’s crying from being moved, someone help!】

【You’re all too busy shipping and swooning over this love story—you’ve completely forgotten the Left Minister. She’s the one getting cheated on now, LOL】

【The emperor got cheated on too, but he’s already dead. Dead men tell no tales—HAHA I live for this drama, give us more!!】

Although the love between General Yan and Consort Xi is truly moving, this only makes General Yan an even more suspicious suspect—possibly even more so than Left Minister Yu Shudie—because his motive for murder appears to be far more urgent.

Yan Yushan was still holding Xu Xishuang’s hand, openly displaying affection right in front of the Left Minister. He continued, “The room I searched was Chief Eunuch Yan’s. In her room, I found a spirit tablet hidden behind the door. It read ‘Beloved Son Yan Yuanbao.’ Could it be that Chief Eunuch Yan once had a son who passed away?”

“In addition, I also found a secret letter detailing a conspiracy between her and Physician Xiang. Chief Yan instructed Physician Xiang to prepare a slow-acting poison. With prolonged exposure, it would gradually poison the emperor. The poison was made into incense, and I found a piece of it in Chief Yan’s room. Everyone, please take a look.” Yan Yushan pointed at the incense on the table. “Chief Yan could have burned this daily in the hall where the emperor resided, causing him to slowly inhale the poison. That may be why the emperor’s lips turned purplish-black after death.”

Before Yan Yao or Xiang Yao could respond, Yu Shudie quickly laid out the evidence she had found and placed it in front of everyone. “The room I searched was that of Physician Xiang. In his room, I found a medical text, and inside, a particular prescription was marked out in red ink.”

“This prescription was written by the former imperial physician—Physician Xiang’s father,” Yu Shudie said. “It was meant to treat the emperor’s headaches, but because the formula contains toxins that could affect one’s health with long-term use, the previous physician never submitted it. As a result of failing to cure the emperor, he was sentenced to death.”

She turned to look at Xiang Yao. “But Physician Xiang went ahead and used the prescription on the emperor, even knowing it was toxic. At the bottom of the page, there’s a small handwritten note stating that while the prescription is indeed poisonous, the effects develop extremely slowly—it might take twenty or thirty years before showing any serious consequences.”

“And more importantly,” she continued, “that same note warns that the prescription must never be used in combination with a plant called Ziwu Leaf. Even inhaling its scent can be fatal within less than forty-five minutes—utterly incurable.”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Yan Yao and Xiang Yao.

“My father found that formula in an ancient medical text,” Xiang Yao explained calmly. “He feared it might be risky, but I didn’t. So I gave it to the emperor, and the results were unexpectedly effective. The prescription I submitted to the emperor was visible to the rest of the Imperial Medical Bureau. If anyone saw it contained poison and reported it to the emperor, I would have been a dead man for sure.”

Xiang Yao said, “That’s why I decided to work with Eunuch Yan. We turned the real headache remedy into incense, which Eunuch Yan burned for the emperor daily. As for the prescription I handed over—it was just a mix of ordinary tonics, made to look like they were what cured the emperor’s headaches. I do want to avenge my father’s death, but there was no rush. I had no reason to act last night.”

Yan Yao added, “Yes. The memorial tablet General Yan found belongs to my son. Yan Yuanbao was my adopted child. He was executed by the emperor just for accidentally knocking over a teacup. I’ve held a grudge ever since. I wasn’t in a hurry to kill the emperor either. I was busy the whole night—he wasn’t killed by me.”

【Just when I thought we had our answer—plot twist! This murder mystery really isn’t going to be that easy.】

【Don’t forget the killer is allowed to lie! What if one of them—Yan Yao or Xiang Yao—isn’t telling the truth?】

【If the emperor was poisoned, then working backward from the estimated time of death, he must’ve been poisoned between the second and third quarter of the xū hour… which means… the Princess and the Prince?】

【My brain can’t take this anymore—who on earth is the killer?!】

Next, it was Xu Xishuang’s turn to speak. “I searched the Princess’s quarters. Inside, I found the late emperor’s secret decree—in it, the one he intended to pass the throne to was Prince Yuan, not the current emperor who is now dead.”

“I also found a secret letter outlining a plan between the Princess and the Prince Consort,” Xu Xishuang said, unfolding the paper in his hand. “In it, the Princess expressed her dissatisfaction with the emperor’s decision to send her daughter off for a political marriage. The Prince Consort suggested she use the late emperor’s decree to threaten the emperor into backing down.”

Xu Xishuang continued, “There was also a very interesting prescription in the Princess’s room—identical to the remedy left behind by Imperial Physician Xiang’s father.”

Shen Youlian sighed and explained, “Yes, I’m the emperor’s older sister. We were born of the same mother, and I suffer from the same headaches he did, but I’ve never used that remedy.”

“The reason I didn’t reveal the late emperor’s decree and allowed my brother to take the throne,” she glanced at Chi Siyuan, “is because I’ve always favored him more. Although Chi Siyuan is also my younger brother, we don’t share the same mother. I don’t fully trust him. I feared that if he ascended the throne, he might not treat me or my family well.”

Shen Youlian said, “Exactly because the Emperor and I share the same mother, I could never have killed him. I only wanted to use the edict to pressure him not to send my daughter away for a political marriage.”

Yan Yao immediately followed up, “Speaking of the edict, I searched the Prince’s quarters. In his room, I found two secret letters. One of them said that his advisor suspected the late Emperor’s edict was in the Princess’s possession. The Prince replied that he had confirmed this with the Princess and was planning to work with her. May I ask—did the Left Minister know about this?”

“I didn’t,” Yu Shudie replied. “If I had known the Princess had the late Emperor’s edict and that the Prince could rightfully reclaim the throne, would I have needed to ally with General Yan?”

At that, Yu Shudie turned to look at Xu Xishuang. “If I had known earlier that you and General Yan were involved… heh.”

Yan Yao nodded. “Since the Left Chancellor has admitted to working with General Yan, I’ll just state what the other letter in the Prince’s room said. The Prince already knew you were collaborating with General Yan, and he was very uneasy about your alliance with someone who holds military power. He feared you might eliminate him too and take the throne for yourself. In the letter, he asked his advisor whether he should cut ties with you.”

【Hahaha that “heh” from Yu Shudie was dripping with bitterness, I can’t stop laughing】

【Wait, this is getting so messy—why does it feel like everyone has some secret alliance or connection with someone else?】

【Honestly, I don’t buy Shen Youlian’s “we’re full siblings so I couldn’t kill him” excuse. Even blood brothers fight for the throne so why can’t a sister turn on her brother? And if she used poison, the timeline still fits】

【Plus, let’s be real—Prince Yuan definitely has strong resentment toward the Emperor. He knows the throne should’ve been his, and he’s watched someone else sit on it all this time. How could he not feel angry?】

【Am I the only one who thinks the Left Minister is just a big sad clown? Like, she tries to recruit allies, no one trusts her, and General Yan is literally sleeping with her wife hahahaha】

Lastly, Xiang Yao spoke. “I searched Consort Xi’s room. Under Xu Xishuang’s pillow, I found a dagger but there were no traces of blood on it.”

“Next to the dagger was a suicide note, addressed on the outside to be delivered to General Yan by the maid Xiao Hong. Since General Yan has already admitted to his relationship with Consort Xi, the contents of this note make perfect sense.” Xiang Yao continued, “In the note, Xu Xishuang says he recognized Yan Yushan and realized that Yan Yushan still loved him. He wrote that he still loved him as well, but their identities made it impossible for them to be together. He no longer wished to live in this world and planned to end it all tonight—waiting for the Emperor to come to the bedchamber and then using the dagger to die together with him.”

Beside him, Chi Siyuan and Yan Yao gasped: ! This plot! It’s exactly like that angsty fanfic! I’m gonna cry again, sob sob sob!

“But last night, the Emperor died in the study and never made it to Xu Xishuang’s bedchamber.”