TSBDRA 74: The Murderer is—

【So from what we see now, Xu Xishuang seems to have the least suspicion】

【And as a consort, he wouldn’t have had the means to do much. I think we can rule him out】

【No no no, I think it’s still too early to say—there’s still the second round of evidence search coming】

The first round of accusations concluded, and everyone had formed their own list of suspects. Fei Yuan, resisting the urge to spoil the ending, instructed the guests to begin the second round of evidence collection.

This time, they would go room by room together, aiming to uncover all remaining evidence without missing a single clue.

The seven guests headed first to Chi Siyuan’s room, as it was the closest to the study. After a thorough search, they pieced together, from various small items in the room, that the prince was far more cunning than he let on—possibly even more than the Left Minister. He had been hiding his ambitions under the guise of being a carefree noble with no interest in politics, but in truth, he had long been recruiting strategists and had gained the support of many court officials, all in preparation to seize the throne.

Xu Xishuang opened the wardrobe and turned to ask Chi Siyuan, “Your Highness, where’s the dark green outfit you wore to the banquet last night?”

Chi Siyuan remained silent.

Xu Xishuang exchanged a glance with Yan Yushan. General Yan bent down and tapped along the inside of the wardrobe, noticing an odd hollow sound beneath one section.

With Yan Yushan and Xiang Yao working together, they pried open the wooden panel and found the hidden clothing. It was Chi Siyuan’s outfit from the banquet. There were bloodstains on it, especially around the cuffs, which were almost entirely soaked in red.

【Damn, that’s some solid hiding. If Xu Xishuang hadn’t noticed the outfit was missing, they might’ve missed this clue altogether】

【I’m starting to suspect Chi Siyuan now. He kept saying he didn’t want to kill the emperor, but he could be lying and only the murderer is allowed to lie】

Under everyone’s gaze, Chi Siyuan pressed his lips together and began to explain. “Fine, I admit that when I was in the study with my royal brother last night, things got a little heated while we were talking.”

“I had already learned about the late emperor’s decree—that the throne was meant to go to me. I did feel resentment in my heart, but I never intended for my brother to die! I just wanted him to abdicate!” He gripped the folding fan tightly in his hand. “I originally wanted to talk things through calmly, but when I told him all this, he tried to kill me!”

Yan Yao couldn’t help but cut in, “So you killed him instead?”

“I didn’t!” Chi Siyuan scrambled to defend himself. “He came at me first! I didn’t want to die, we struggled, and somehow he lost his balance, hit the back of his head on the table corner, and passed out!”

Chi Siyuan clutched his head, voice trembling, “There was so much blood from the back of his head… I was terrified. I thought someone would find him and send him to the Imperial Medical Bureau, so I ran out of the study. I didn’t tell the Minister and just stayed in my room all night—I couldn’t sleep at all.”

Chi Siyuan said, “Then this morning, I got the news that my royal brother had died… I really didn’t mean to push him. I never intended to kill him. I didn’t use a blade, I didn’t poison him—I just accidentally pushed him, that’s all.”

【Damn, so it was you all along!】

【So that’s why your eyes were swollen this morning? And your lids red? Wow, talk about dedication—dude really gave it his all for this murder mystery game!】

【Wait, hold up. If what Chi Siyuan said is true, then at that point the emperor wasn’t poisoned yet, just knocked out—so the next person who entered, General Yan, might’ve been the one who actually stabbed him?】

【That makes Yan Yushan’s testimony absolutely crucial. If he went in and found the emperor already dead, then Chi Siyuan did it. If the emperor was still alive, then it means Yan Yushan’s stab was the killing blow.】

【But what if the emperor had already died from poisoning by the time General Yan went in? And if General Yan is the killer, remember—he can lie.】

Everyone present thought the same thing and turned their eyes to Yan Yushan.

Yan Yushan remained silent.

The guests knew that if they didn’t find definitive evidence, Yan Yushan wouldn’t speak easily. They quickly decided to head straight to his room and search every corner—down to the floorboards.

In the end, Yan Yao found a thin, blood-stained dagger hidden inside a narrow-necked vase.

She hadn’t expected to be the one to find the key piece of evidence. Feeling guilty, she shifted her gaze away, not daring to meet her boss’s eyes.

With the evidence now in the open, Yan Yushan couldn’t stay silent any longer. He said, “When I entered, I saw the emperor lying on the floor in a pool of blood. At first, I thought he was already dead. I came that night intending to kill him anyway, and the person before me had conveniently saved me the trouble, so I decided to quietly leave.”

“But just as I was about to go,” Yan Yushan continued, “I saw the emperor move slightly. He was still alive. I didn’t know if he had been poisoned, but I only had one thought in my mind—he couldn’t be allowed to live. So I drew my dagger.”

Yan Yushan looked at the dagger. “When I struck, he suddenly twitched again, so I missed—I didn’t hit the heart. I was afraid someone else might come in and catch me, so I left the study after less than fifteen minutes.”

Shen Youlian frowned. “So are you admitting it? That you killed the emperor?”

“No.” Yan Yushan looked up. “I was too flustered when I stabbed him, so the wound was shallow and didn’t reach the heart. He wouldn’t have died immediately.”

【…Why is there always another twist just when I think the case is solved? Is Yan Yushan lying or not, ahhh】

【Yan-ge is so calm—General Yan’s character really is the composed military type, huh?】

【Wait, what about the poison?】

As the comments scrolled past, Yu Shudie asked, “Was the emperor already poisoned at that time? Could you tell?”

“I didn’t notice,” Yan Yushan replied.

Yan Yushan’s answer didn’t lessen Chi Siyuan’s suspicion, and the poison still remained a mystery, so everyone continued to the next room. This time, they headed to Shen Youlian, the Princess Royal’s quarters, since she had also been aware of the poisonous remedy.

Shen Youlian’s room was filled with jewelry, and everyone carefully inspected each piece. There’s no blood nor suspicious powders. Finally, Yu Shudie found a sachet hidden in a secret compartment of a makeup box and placed it before everyone.

Shen Youlian explained, “This was a gift from Consort Xi.”

【The sachet! Damn, I almost forgot about that!】

【Wait, could the poison be in the sachet? Is this plot really going that dramatic?】

【If the poison is in the sachet, then based on the Princess Royal’s timing in the study, it matches perfectly with the onset of symptoms. No way, right?】

No one had expected this to involve Xu Xishuang again. Everyone turned to look at him. Xu Xishuang gave a slight nod, confirming that the sachet had indeed been a gift from him to Shen Youlian.

Shen Youlian continued, “Consort Xi gave me this sachet when I left the banquet. He said it was something he’d gotten from Physician Xiang, the same kind used to treat His Majesty’s headaches. I kept it on me, but it didn’t seem to help.”

“After the banquet, I was preoccupied with speaking to the Emperor about the marriage alliance, so I didn’t change clothes. I entered the study still carrying the sachet,” she explained. “It wasn’t until I returned to my quarters and saw the medicinal formula that I realized it was poisonous. I quickly removed the sachet and hid it in the secret compartment.”

If the sachet really had caused the Emperor’s death, then Xu Xishuang, who had given it to her, became highly suspicious.

Under everyone’s scrutiny, Xu Xishuang blinked calmly. “What I put in the sachet was a small piece cut from the incense used in my quarters.”

“The incense in my palace was given to me by Eunuch Yan, who said it came from Physician Xiang. I knew lighting it would relieve the Emperor’s headaches,” Xu Xishuang said. “When His Majesty’s headaches eased, he slept better and if he slept well, I could sometimes avoid serving him at night.”

“Last night, I was worried His Majesty would lose his temper at the banquet, so I asked Physician Xiang for a piece of incense. I had the eunuch bring it to me, cut a bit off, and placed it in the sachet before going to the banquet. When I saw the Princess Royal leave the banquet holding her temple, I realized she was having a headache too, so I gave her the sachet.”

Yan Yao nodded, confirming Xu Xishuang’s story. “I was the one who told him about the incense.”

“I knew Consort Xi was forced into the palace,” Yan Yao sighed. “Every time I saw him, I thought of my foster son, Yuanbao.”

“When he first arrived, Physician Xiang hadn’t yet come up with the prescription. The Emperor’s headaches only got worse, and the worse they got, the more violent his temper became. He’d go to Consort Xi’s quarters to beat him, to indulge his cruelty. After every night he served in bed, Consort Xi was covered in bruises. I couldn’t bear to see it.”

“After we finally got the incense, I gave it to Consort Xi, so he could burn it in his palace and help ease the Emperor’s pain a little—to make things a bit less unbearable for himself.”

【What?! That bastard Emperor actually dared to hit our gorgeous Consort Xi? He deserved to die! GOOD RIDDANCE!!】

【Ugh I’m so mad! Just how much did our beauty Xu Xishuang suffer in that palace?! I don’t care who killed that trash Emperor anymore, I’m giving the killer a standing ovation! Well done!!】

【Yan-ge, someone hit your wife—are you just gonna sit there and take it?!】

【Okay, okay, everyone calm down… but seriously, doesn’t this give Xu Xishuang an even stronger motive now?】

【What I really want to know is—was there actually poison in that sachet or not?】

【Come on, think—of course not! If it were poisonous, how is Princess Shen Youlian still alive when she had a headache and was wearing it too?】

【Exactly, that makes sense.】

To verify whether the sachet was poisonous, Imperial Physician Xiang Yao used the most straightforward method—he took out a roll of silver needles from his medical pouch, opened the sachet, and inserted a needle into the white incense inside. When he pulled the needle out, its color had turned purple.

Xiang Yao concluded, “It’s not poisoned, but this piece of incense is made entirely from ziwu leaf.”

Hearing this, Xu Xishuang looked startled, as if he truly hadn’t known there was anything wrong with the incense. After a moment, he blinked and said innocently, “The incense was given to me by Eunuch Yan.”

Yan Yao raised her hands. “I got it from Imperial Physician Xiang.”

Xiang Yao, still holding the needle, fell silent: “…”

【Ziwu leaf! The sachet itself isn’t toxic, but when combined with that other incense, it becomes deadly!】

This time, everyone went straight to Consort Xi’s bedchamber. They walked over to the incense burner, opened the lid, and sure enough—they found the piece with a missing corner, which matched the incense in the sachet exactly.

Xiang Yao took out another silver needle, tested the incense inside the burner, and once again, the needle turned purple.

【Xiang Yao: I’ll test myself】

【Oh my god, don’t tell me Xiang Yao is the real killer!】

【Wait a second, I’m getting confused. If the ziwu leaf really took effect, why weren’t the others who entered the study poisoned too? Why was it only the emperor?】

Yan Yao’s explanation puzzled even Yan Yushan. He asked her, “Chief Eunuch Yan, last night, was there incense burning in the banquet hall or the emperor’s study—the kind used to treat headaches?”

“The hall didn’t have any incense burning. After all, the incense contains trace amounts of toxins. We couldn’t let all the civil and military officials breathe it in. The study did have incense, but I extinguished it before leaving,” Yan Yao replied. “Maybe when the princess went in, there was still a faint scent lingering, so the emperor was affected but not the princess.”

Yan Yushan nodded, acknowledging the explanation. He walked over to the bookshelf in Consort Xi’s quarters, swept his gaze across the books, and paused for a moment.

With no further clues found in Xu Xishuang’s room, the group moved on to Xiang Yao’s residence in the Imperial Medical Bureau, the place where he had spent the previous night.

In this room, the group made a major discovery. Shen Youlian and Chi Siyuan found an entire cabinet full of prepared incense in Xiang Yao’s quarters. One by one, they tested them with silver needles and found two pieces that turned the needles purple.

Faced with everyone’s suspicious stares, Xiang Yao had no choice but to confess his hidden plotline. “Yes, I did prepare these poisons in advance to eventually kill the emperor. But I truly didn’t plan to act last night.”

“Chief Eunuch Yan knew I had these ready. We conspired to kill by proxy,” Xiang Yao sighed. “At first, I wanted to use Consort Xi’s hand to do it. Aside from Chief Eunuch Yan, he had the most contact with the emperor and could burn the ziwu incense in the bedchamber to kill him. But Chief Yan stopped me—he didn’t want Consort Xi to take the fall and die.”

Xiang Yao added, “I don’t know how ziwu-based incense ended up in Consort Xi’s chambers. The incense I gave him was harmless.”

【What if Xiang Yao is lying? What if he deliberately gave Xu Xishuang the wrong incense, and Xu Xishuang passed it to Shen Youlian, accidentally poisoning the emperor?】

【I think the culprit could be Yan Yao too. She seems like a good person, but what if she switched the incense on purpose to kill through someone else?】

【As much as I suspect Xu Xishuang, he didn’t know the recipe for the poison, right?】

【How are we so sure the emperor was poisoned? What if it really was that stab from Yan Yushan that killed him?】

Only one room remained unchecked—Yan Yao’s. Though everyone silently had a suspect in mind, they pressed on.

In Yan Yao’s quarters, Xu Xishuang noticed a line of characters on Yan Yuanbao’s spirit tablet. He turned and said to the group, “Yan Yuanbao’s death anniversary was yesterday.”

Yan Yao immediately defended herself. “Yes, yesterday was Yuanbao’s memorial, but I had no intention of killing the emperor. I was busy all night. I truly didn’t have the time.”

Fei Yuan had followed the group through the entire investigation. Feeling that the search had reached its peak, he clapped his hands and turned to the seven guests. “Alright,” he said, “this is your last chance to think it over. After that, it’s time to vote for the murderer.”

At this stage, the guests who appeared to be in the clear were Shen Youlian and Yu Shudie. Shen Youlian had no weapon, and when she left the emperor’s room, he was still alive. Even if poison was involved, the sachet she carried was given to her by someone else. As for Yu Shudie, she was the classic “tragic conspirator”—none of her allies had followed the plan, and she was completely in the dark.

However, no one could yet determine exactly how the emperor had died—whether it was the head injury, the knife wound, or the poison. That meant someone must have lied, stirring up the waters and obscuring the truth.

Because Yan Yushan wasn’t sure whether the emperor was poisoned when he stabbed him and hadn’t checked if he was still breathing before he left—Chi Siyuan remained a suspect. The three tied to the poison—Xu Xishuang, Yan Yao, and Xiang Yao—were also still on the list.

【This is so hard to choose, I’m going crazy!】

【I’m betting on Yan Yao. In murder mystery games, the ones who seem kind are often the real culprits, while the ones who look the most suspicious usually aren’t.】

【? Then by your logic, shouldn’t the most pitiful and innocent one—Xu Xishuang—be the hidden mastermind behind it all?】

The bullet screen was already close to erupting, with every kind of theory imaginable. The seven guests on stage were also struggling to decide. In the end, they each wrote down the name of the person they believed was the killer, one vote per person, and handed them to Fei Yuan, who would announce the results.

Fei Yuan cleared his throat smugly and said to everyone, “Alright, now I’ll reveal the results of the vote. First, Shen Youlian passed safely with zero votes. Then, another person who also received zero votes is—”

Fei Yuan deliberately paused, which drew a wave of anxious curses from the bullet screen, then slowly continued, “Yu Shudie and Chi Siyuan.”

“The ones who received one vote are…” Fei Yuan dragged out his words again, “Xu Xishuang and Xiang Yao!”

Fei Yuan asked, “Excuse me, let me interrupt for a moment—can I ask why none of you voted for Chi Siyuan?”

Shen Youlian answered Fei Yuan, “Here’s how I see it. I don’t think the wound on the back of the head could be fatal, and Yan Yushan’s statement was really suspicious. He’s a general and killed countless people so how could he panic like that? He stabbed someone and didn’t even check if they were actually dead? That’s shady no matter how you look at it.”

“So right now, the votes are focused on Yan Yushan and Yan Yao,” Fei Yuan said with a cheerful smile. “Let’s see who ended up getting the most votes.”

Fei Yuan raised his eyebrows. “Wow, the one who got more votes is—”

“Yan Yao!”

Fei Yuan asked in confusion, “Yan Yao got three votes, and Yan Yushan got two. Why is that?”

Chi Siyuan answered seriously, “I’m more inclined to believe the emperor was poisoned. Yan Yao is the head eunuch—she could’ve gotten poison from the imperial physicians, switched it out, and handed it to Consort Xi to kill for her. She could also precisely control the incense in the study, turning it off before the princess entered, and then leave the scene. It all feels a little too convenient, doesn’t it?”

“Plus, today is the memorial day for Yan Yuanbao. Killing her enemy on the day of her adopted son’s death would carry more meaning for the killer, and it would feel more like true revenge.” Chi Siyuan spoke with conviction. “So I think it was Eunuch Yan.”

【Hiss… that actually kind of makes sense.】

【So who’s the real killer? Fei Yuan, hurry up and tell us! Stop teasing already!!】

“Ahem,” Fei Yuan waved his hand dramatically. “Then now, imprison Eunuch Yan at once and execute her immediately!”

A group of men in black surged in from outside, pretending to drag Yan Yao away. Yan Yao looked completely dead inside. “It really wasn’t me. You’ve got the wrong person.”

Of course, the men in black didn’t actually take Yan Yao away. Once the game ended, everyone relaxed, settling back into their seats, waiting for Fei Yuan to announce whether they had caught the real culprit.

“Alright.” Fei Yuan clapped his hands with a smile. “Now, I will reveal your choice—”

“Was wrong!”

【Huh???】

【I told you Yan Yao definitely wasn’t the killer! None of you believed me before—do you believe me now?!】

【Damn it! Who was the killer then? They actually got away with it! What clue did we all miss?!】

“Killer, please step forward and confess.”

As everyone exchanged glances, Xu Xishuang tugged at the ribbon of his cloak and smiled at them. “It was me.”

【…What the hell】

【Who?! Say it again, who was it?!】

【Aaaaaah my brain is fried! I thought this melodramatic script was meant to fool the guests, but it fooled me—it fooled ME!】

【Xiang Yao was actually the only one who guessed right!】

【Whoever said Xu Xishuang was the killer earlier—show yourself! Tell us how you figured it out!】

While watching the votes come in, Fei Yuan had been holding back his laughter. Now he finally burst out laughing, and seeing everyone’s stunned expressions, he proudly put his hands on his hips. “Quick question—who was the only one who voted for Xu Xishuang?”

Xiang Yao said, “That was me. I was more inclined to believe the emperor was poisoned, but I knew I hadn’t given Consort Xi the wrong incense. However, he did have the authority to request Ziwu leaves from other imperial physicians. Eunuch Yan might not have had that authority. I also knew Eunuch Yan didn’t give him the recipe—but the killer could lie, so I decided to take a gamble.”

Xu Xishuang nodded. “That’s right. I got the Ziwu leaves from the imperial medical bureau and made the incense myself. I planned all of it.”

Xu Xishuang smiled. “The key piece of evidence you all missed was a medical book on my bookshelf. It contained the recipe.”

“Let me start from the beginning,” Xu Xishuang said softly. “Yesterday afternoon, I went for a walk in the garden to clear my head and accidentally overheard a conversation between the Left Minister and General Yan. That’s how I found out the emperor intended to have the general killed.”

“The moment I locked eyes with General Yan, I recognized him as my lover,” Xu Xishuang looked toward Yan Yushan. “But I was afraid he had already forgotten me. With the Left Minister present, I couldn’t reveal myself to him. I thought, even if he no longer remembers who I am, even if he doesn’t love me anymore, I must protect him. So I decided to kill the emperor first.”

“Not long after Eunuch Yan brought me the incense and told me it could help with the emperor’s headaches, I found the recipe in a medical book. I learned that Ziwu leaves could produce a deadly poison.” Xu Xishuang continued, “I deliberately requested new incense from Physician Xiang to deceive Eunuch Yan, and I switched it with the one I made using Ziwu leaves. I cut off a corner, kept it on me, and decided to die with the emperor.”

Xu Xishuang paused. “But at the banquet, the incense wasn’t lit in the main hall. Then I saw that General Yan still wore that jade pendant on his waist—I knew he still loved me. So I changed my mind. I couldn’t die. I had to kill through someone else’s hand.”

“So I gave the sachet to the princess. I knew about her daughter’s arranged marriage and that she would definitely go to the study after the banquet to confront the emperor. She would bring the scent of the Ziwu leaves to him, and that would poison him. I knew the princess might die too, but she and the emperor were both selfish people—I didn’t care whether she lived or died. As long as General Yan survived, that’s all that mattered to me. Besides, her death made it easier to cover up the truth,” Xu Xishuang said. “But I didn’t expect so many people to visit the emperor last night. In the end, only the emperor died, and the princess survived.”

Xu Xishuang added, “Oh, and the cup of tea I spilled on Eunuch Yan yesterday—that was on purpose. She’s a good person and helped me a lot, so I wanted her to change her clothes and avoid being near the poison. The dagger and the suicide note were just a ruse, a way to clear myself of suspicion.”

Xiang Yao couldn’t help but speak up. “But what if there were more people in the study last night—not just the emperor and the princess, but General Yan and the prince too? Wouldn’t all of them have died?”

“They wouldn’t,” Xu Xishuang replied. “The scent from the sachet only affects those in close proximity. With General Yan’s status, he wouldn’t be standing too close to members of the imperial family. So only the royals would have been affected. The emperor would never have allowed that many people into the study at once.”

Everyone was silent.

【I never would’ve guessed that Consort Xi was actually the unhinged one】

【Princess Shen: So what exactly did I do wrong this time??】

【So, the person Xiang Yao used as a knife (Xu Xishuang) used another person as a knife (the princess) to kill the emperor in the end?】

【My brain’s fried. Seriously fried. Why am I still getting hit with this drama bomb even at the ending?】

【Consort Xi: They all have to die, hahaha!!】

【Honestly, if they hadn’t missed that key medical book, it would’ve been easy to guess that Consort Xi was the real killer. Too bad they never found that piece of evidence. Sigh.】

【If I remember right… Wait, let me check the recording… Yep! Yan-ge stopped by Consort Xi’s bookshelf for a really long time!】

【…No way. Did Yan-ge figure out Xu Xishuang was the killer and deliberately not take the evidence? Pretending he didn’t notice?!】

【Damn. Damn damn damn.】

Fei Yuan cleared his throat. “Then I hereby announce the ending of this round of the murder mystery game. The real killer escapes, the head eunuch dies, a new emperor ascends the throne, the princess’s daughter no longer needs to be sent off for a political marriage, Consort Xi leaves the harem and heads to the border with General Yan. The lovers reunited. The imperial physician remains the imperial physician.”

“Game over! It’s time for everyone to hit the hot springs!” Fei Yuan said with a grin. “Hurry up and enjoy the day—we’re changing locations tomorrow!”

Xu Xishuang froze for a moment. “Wasn’t this supposed to be the last episode of the show?”

Fei Yuan quickly glanced at Yan Yushan, then paused for a second. “Mm… bonus episode.”