The crowd outside the hall erupted into chaos with a collective roar.

Magistrate Xu couldn’t even spare a thought for crowd control. He unrolled the written complaint and read through it carefully, his expression turning by turns pale and then green. He beckoned Hua Yitang to approach and lowered his voice: “The charges stated in this complaint are no different from what Fang Ke described this morning. Yet the case was already tried and investigated this morning — Ji Gaoyang’s household was found to contain no poisonous substances, as you yourself witnessed with your own eyes.”

Hua Yitang: “I have since obtained concrete evidence.”

Magistrate Xu: “Truly?”

Hua Yitang nodded. “I ask Magistrate Xu to summon each plaintiff and witness listed in the complaint for questioning. I will ensure the truth of this case is brought fully to light.”

Magistrate Xu studied the young man before him. The youth’s gaze was steady and resolute, his bearing grave with confidence — he inspired a naturally arising trust in those who looked upon him. Magistrate Xu reflected further: if this case were truly as the complaint described, it would be an earth-shaking affair. If it could be heard to a clear verdict, it would reflect enormously well on his own reputation. And if it couldn’t — well, he could always put the blame on the Fourth Young Master. Either way, he himself had nothing to lose.

With that settled in his mind, Magistrate Xu made his decision. He cleared his throat, raised the gavel, and slammed it down with authority. “Officers — bring the defendant Ji Gaoyang—” At this point, he couldn’t help glancing at Hua Yitang. Hua Yitang gave his fan a gentle downward press. Magistrate Xu took the hint, called several of his trusted constables close, and gave them quiet instructions to act discreetly and return swiftly.

This elaborate air of secrecy had the spectators in the hall buzzing with delight. They concluded that this case had more dramatic reversals than a temple festival theater performance. They turned to each other, whispering and exchanging hot takes, each apparently in possession of some inside information.

Lin Sui’an stood in the middle of the crowd with Qian Jing in her arms, spine straight, all manner of wild speculation passing around her like a light breeze leaving no trace. Jin Ruo, however, was nowhere near as composed, and kept poking her in the arm.

“Yita and Mu Xia still aren’t back — what exactly did that fellow with the Hua surname send them to do? Hiding clues and refusing to say plainly what they are — what kind of habit is that?!”

Probably an occupational hazard for detectives — unable to reveal the truth until the very last moment. Or possibly Hua Yitang was simply doing it for the theatrical effect of it all.

“Things have come this far — fretting won’t help. We’re already here, so let’s watch the show.” Lin Sui’an said.

Jin Ruo: “…”

Even so, Lin Sui’an went over the case’s full arc in her mind. There were three crucial points:

First — confirmation of Lu Shi’s cause of death.

Second — the origin of the pearl hairpin.

Third — what exactly was the poison that killed Lu Shi.

Given the absence of a coroner, there was likely still no way to make an authoritative ruling on the cause of death. Hua Yitang would presumably need to work from the latter two points. But the problem was that one relied on her golden finger — which she obviously couldn’t say aloud and have anyone believe — and the other was the herb that had already been tested and found non-toxic. How exactly did Hua Yitang intend to prove it?

Lin Sui’an found herself genuinely curious.

The sound of chains rattled in from outside the hall. Lin Sui’an looked back in considerable surprise: it was Fang Ke, being escorted in by two jailors.

Hua Yitang tilted his head back slightly, fanning himself with a satisfied air.

Fang Ke frowned. “I’ve already told everything I know. What do you want with me?”

Hua Yitang: “To pry open that wooden-fish brain and open some light into those dead-fish eyes — let you watch how I reason out the case.”

Fang Ke paused. “You’ve found evidence?”

Hua Yitang gave three cold laughs — “hmm, hmm, hmm” — signaled the jailor to pull Fang Ke aside, then executed a little dance of his eyebrows in Lin Sui’an’s direction.

Jin Ruo: “…”

Lin Sui’an: “…”

Was this fellow still holding a grudge because Fang Ke had mocked his fashion sense?

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn, two constables returned escorting Ji Gaoyang. Ji Gaoyang was carrying his large medicine chest and had arrived in a sweat. When he knelt in the hall, his face wore an expression of complete bewilderment.

“Magistrate Xu, what is the matter this time?”

Magistrate Xu did not trouble himself with pleasantries this time. He slapped down the gavel with force. “Ji Gaoyang — confess immediately the details of how you poisoned Lu Shi to death!”

Ji Gaoyang shook his head resignedly. “This is a false accusation — Magistrate Xu decided the case just this morning. Has that already been forgotten so quickly?”

Magistrate Xu: “Ahem — well, before — the reason was—”

“I have now obtained evidence of your murder for financial gain.” Hua Yitang fanned himself and stepped forward.

Ji Gaoyang frowned. “Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master, even if you were displeased that I refused to help with the autopsy, there’s no need to frame me like this.”

Hua Yitang suddenly smiled — brilliant as a spring flower blooming. From his sleeve he drew the pearl hairpin and held it squarely before Ji Gaoyang’s eyes. “Do you recognize this?”

Lin Sui’an saw it clearly: in that instant, Ji Gaoyang’s back went taut with a jolt — the involuntary physical reaction of someone caught entirely off guard and utterly stunned. But it lasted only two breaths, and then he forced himself to relax. His voice, however, went sharp with a will of its own: “What is this? I’ve never seen it!”

Hua Yitang’s smile remained unchanged. He glanced back at Magistrate Xu. Magistrate Xu instantly understood, slapped down the gavel. “Bring in the witness!”

You Jiuniang swept in on a cloud of delicate fragrance, kneeling gracefully. “You Jiuniang pays respects to the Magistrate, and to Fourth Young Master.”

“You Jiuniang — have you seen the hairpin in Hua Fourth Young Master’s hand?” Magistrate Xu asked.

You Jiuniang: “I have. This humble woman sold it to the Fourth Young Master.”

“Where did you obtain this hairpin?”

“Ji Gaoyang sold it to me, saying it was part of his wife’s dowry.”

“Well, now, that is peculiar — I went specially to ask Madam Ji about it, and she said she had never owned any pearl ornaments,” Hua Yitang said. “Dr. Ji, shall we perhaps invite your honorable wife to come to court and clarify matters?”

“That won’t be necessary!” Ji Gaoyang said urgently. “This — this hairpin — the truth is I found it. I know — picking up lost property in the street and selling it instead of turning it in to the authorities constitutes something like theft. I accept whatever punishment the Magistrate sees fit to impose!”

Hua Yitang’s smile faded slightly. He tapped his wrist with the fan handle. Magistrate Xu immediately boomed: “Bring in the next witness!”

The one who took the stand was Tian Bao, the head steward of the Precious Treasures Pavilion who had sold the pearl to Lu Shi. Hua Yitang passed the pearl hairpin under his eyes and asked: “Steward Tian — do you recognize the pearl on this?”

Tian Bao took the hairpin and examined it closely. His face showed shock. “In reply to the Magistrate — the pearl on this is the very one I sold to Lu Shi!”

Hua Yitang raised his voice: “Steward Tian — are you certain?”

“In reply to the Magistrate — the pearl I sold to Lu Shi has a flaw. Here—” Tian Bao pointed to the pearl. “There is a raised protrusion at this spot. I cannot possibly be wrong about the shape and position.”

Ji Gaoyang’s complexion shifted. The entire hall erupted.

“This is actually Lu Shi’s hairpin?!”

“So that’s where the pearl ended up?!”

“Good heavens — can it truly be that Dr. Ji committed murder for money?!”

“Perhaps Lu Shi accidentally lost the hairpin and Dr. Ji happened to pick it up.”

“Hmph — what are the chances of that?”

“Dr. Ji is such a good man — he’d kill someone over one pearl hairpin? That doesn’t seem right at all!”

Hua Yitang stood over Ji Gaoyang, dangling the hairpin before his eyes. “Dr. Ji, you say this hairpin was something you found. Tell us precisely — where did you find it?”

Ji Gaoyang stumbled. “It — it was on a street in Beiyue Ward.”

“When did you find it?”

“It was — it was…”

“If Dr. Ji cannot recall, allow me to help.” Hua Yitang said. “You Jiuniang — when did you purchase the hairpin?”

You Jiuniang: “Five days ago. Dr. Ji came to see me in Sihe Ward, said his household was in straitened circumstances, and sold the hairpin to me.”

Hua Yitang: “Magistrate Xu, do you happen to recall the date of death recorded on the coroner’s examination sheet for Lu Shi?”

Magistrate Xu immediately pulled out the examination sheet. “Eight days ago.”

“If I recall correctly, that time of death was certified by Dr. Ji himself. Five days ago, Lu Shi had already been dead. So how did an ornament that had belonged to Lu Shi come to be lying on a street? Did it fly there of its own accord?”

“I remembered it wrong!” Ji Gaoyang said. “It was ten days ago. I was on my way home after examining Lu Shi, and I found it then.”

“So the pearl hairpin had gone missing while Lu Shi was still alive?”

“I suppose it must have been.”

“Then that is even stranger. Lu Shi lived in poverty — this pearl hairpin had cost him nearly every coin he had to his name. A possession that precious goes missing and he never reported it to the authorities? What manner of reasoning is that?”

“How would I know what he was thinking?” Ji Gaoyang said. “Perhaps the money he used to buy the pearl was of questionable origin, and he didn’t dare report it.”

“You are talking utter nonsense!” Xiao Yan broke through the crowd and rushed onto the floor of the hall. She swung her fists at Ji Gaoyang. “Master Lu would never do anything dishonest! It was you who killed Master Lu! It was you who stole Master Lu’s hairpin! It was you! I have a witness!”

Xiao Yan’s appearance was clearly beyond Hua Yitang’s expectations. He paused, then asked: “Who is your witness?”

Xiao Yan: “Six Pockmarks — the flat noodle vendor by the Qingyue River market!”

This announcement left everyone in the hall thoroughly puzzled — Lin Sui’an, Hua Yitang, and Jin Ruo included.

Jin Ruo raised his brow. “This Xiao Yan has some capability — she managed to find her way to Six Pockmarks.”

Lin Sui’an: “Pure Gate member through and through — getting paid twice for one piece of information.”

Magistrate Xu stared blankly at Hua Yitang. “Hua Fourth Young Master — your opinion on this—”

Hua Yitang: “Summon him.”

Magistrate Xu: “Bring Six Pockmarks—”

“Here I am, here I am!” Six Pockmarks wriggled cheerfully out of the crowd, gave a familiar bow to Jin Ruo and Lin Sui’an, then dropped smoothly to his knees in front of the hall. “In reply to the Magistrate — I am Six Pockmarks. Five days ago — the thirteenth of the tenth month, at the second quarter of the hour of Xu — I was in North Eight Alley of Beiyue Ward, and I saw Ji Gaoyang slinking and creeping over the wall into Lu Shi’s rear courtyard — he clearly had no good purpose in mind.”

“Bang!” Magistrate Xu brought the gavel down hard. “Ji Gaoyang — what do you have to say for yourself?!”

Ji Gaoyang’s eyes reddened. He kowtowed repeatedly and wept: “In reply to the Magistrate — I will confess everything. That day I went to give Lu Shi a follow-up examination. I knocked and knocked but Lu Shi did not come to the door. Worried, I climbed over the wall — and found Lu Shi’s body, with that hairpin clutched in his hand. I — I was overcome by greed in that moment and stole the hairpin. It is true that I acted out of cupidity and concealed it for fear of exposure. But when I arrived, Lu Shi was already dead! His death has nothing to do with me!”

Dead silence fell over the entire hall. Every pair of eyes looking at Ji Gaoyang was full of contempt.

Hua Yitang paced slowly to Ji Gaoyang’s side, hitched up his robe, and crouched to meet his gaze. His eyes were cold as ice. “Even now — you still won’t admit it?”

“I admit it!” Ji Gaoyang’s eyes swam with tears. “I admit I stole the hairpin. But I refuse to confess to killing anyone! I am a physician — I only save lives, I would never take one! How could I?!”

Hua Yitang pressed his lips together, and his gaze sharpened to a blade. He rose abruptly. “You Jiuniang — do you have what I asked you to bring?”

“I do!” You Jiuniang raised a white jade porcelain bottle in both hands. A constable delivered it to Magistrate Xu’s desk. Magistrate Xu picked it up and examined it. “What is this?”

“This is a proprietary medicine from the Ji Family clinic — known as Grape Tears.” Hua Yitang said.

Magistrate Xu was so startled he hastily set the bottle down and wiped his hands on his sleeve. “Is this the poison?!”

Hua Yitang turned his gaze to Ji Gaoyang, watching his tears recede drop by drop, watching his eyelids tremble uncontrollably, and spoke in a measured tone: “I once read a foreign volume — its Tang-language title translates as Records of Strange Treasures. The translation was incomplete, full of errors and omissions, but it made for rather interesting reading. Among its entries was a plant native to the nation of Xite — its flowers are small, bell-shaped; its fruits resemble small grapes and taste sweet. The juice of these fruits, distilled into vapor and diluted, produces a peculiar liquid. When a few drops are placed into the eye, the pupils dilate, giving the wearer an expression tender with feeling, bewitching to the beholder — it was greatly prized by the noble ladies of Xite. For this reason the plant was called ‘Beautiful Woman’s Dragon Nightshade.'” At this Hua Yitang paused. “Or as Dr. Ji calls it — Red Peach Dragon’s Nightshade.”

Ji Gaoyang: “I did indeed use Red Peach Dragon’s Nightshade to produce Grape Tears — but if this medicine can be placed in the eye, how could it possibly be toxic? And this very morning you all saw with your own eyes that the rabbits I keep consume this plant daily, with no signs of poisoning whatsoever.”

Hua Yitang’s expression remained unmoved. He gave his fan a light tap against his palm, and the crowd suddenly became aware of a mouthwatering aroma of meat. It was well past dinner hour, and the townspeople had been going hungry to watch the proceedings — the smell hit them full force, and stomachs began drumming in spontaneous protest. Involuntarily they turned to follow the scent, and saw a golden-haired, green-eyed youth carrying a pot of meat broth at a quick pace up into the hall. He set the pot before Ji Gaoyang, drew a large wooden ladle from his belt and dropped it into the pot, then said simply: “Eat.”

“Do have a taste — my Mu Xia’s culinary skill is second to none in all of Yangdu,” Hua Yitang said. “For those few fat rabbits of yours to end up simmered in a pot by his hand — that is a blessing earned in a previous life.”

Ji Gaoyang’s body began shaking beyond his control, yet he did not touch the pot of broth.

The spectators below were at a loss:

“The case isn’t resolved yet — why are we suddenly offering the man a meal?”

“He’s not called Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master for nothing — what a generous and hospitable soul.”

“That meat smells incredible — I want a bite.”

“Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master, is there any left? Could you share some with us too?”

Jin Ruo scratched his head. “What kind of tactic is this — feed the criminal a last meal and he’ll confess?”

Lin Sui’an stared wide-eyed, her gaze going back and forth between the meat broth and Ji Gaoyang. The biology knowledge buried in some forgotten corner of her brain stirred reluctantly, stood up for a brief shuffle, then lay back down.

She vaguely remembered — herbivores — had some sort of characteristic, didn’t they?

Oh, truly: “The more you need your books, the more you wish you’d read them — once past the final exam, it all disappears!”

Magistrate Xu was utterly lost and urgently whispered: “Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master — what is the meaning of this?”

Hua Yitang paid Magistrate Xu no mind whatsoever and simply fixed his gaze on Ji Gaoyang. “Dr. Ji, why won’t you eat? Are you dissatisfied with Mu Xia’s cooking?”

The veins along Ji Gaoyang’s neck and forehead stood out in stark relief, making his face look twisted and ghastly.

Hua Yitang let out a cold laugh, flicked open his fan, and continued: “The Records of Strange Treasures describes how, in Xite, there were people who mixed Beautiful Woman’s Dragon Nightshade in with fodder and fed it to livestock. The livestock were greatly fond of it and ate large quantities — their meat grew tender and their coats grew glossy. People who slaughtered this livestock and ate the meat were poisoned and died. Investigation revealed that though the plant was harmless to herbivorous animals — who can rapidly expel its alkaloids and thus avoid poisoning — prolonged consumption causes the plant’s toxins to permeate their flesh and blood. Humans who then consume this flesh will also surely die.”

At this, Hua Yitang turned to look at Fang Ke, who stood to the side of the hall, and lowered his voice: “And so, Beautiful Woman’s Dragon Nightshade is also known as Hell’s Dragon Nightshade.”

Dead silence. The entire hall recoiled in shock.

Fang Ke’s pupils contracted violently. He clenched his jaw.

Jin Ruo gasped in sudden understanding: “This profligate actually reads every last scrap of unorthodox book he can find!”

Lin Sui’an struck her palm. She seemed to recall now: some toxic plants are entirely safe for herbivorous animals, which can swiftly expel alkaloids from their systems, preventing poisoning. But long-term consumption of such plants causes the toxins to accumulate and corrode the herbivore’s flesh.

After a long pause, Magistrate Xu came back to himself and slammed down the gavel with great force: “Ji Gaoyang — what do you have to say?!”

Ji Gaoyang closed his eyes. His expression gradually became calm. He raised his head and looked quietly at Hua Yitang.

Hua Yitang’s face was set and cold. “I have already sent word to the Court of Judicial Review. They will dispatch a coroner in due course. It will require only a comparison between the toxin in Lu Shi’s body and the toxin found in Beautiful Woman’s Dragon Nightshade to establish your guilt. However you may argue, it is pointless.”

Ji Gaoyang let out a short laugh. “I never imagined I would be brought down by a good-for-nothing profligate.”

“Is it only for one hairpin that you killed Master Lu?! Dr. Ji — how could you possibly be — be this kind of person—” Xiao Yan wept and gasped, barely able to get the words out.

“He did not kill Lu Shi alone. The nine individuals recorded in Fang Ke’s coroner’s examination records were all killed by him using the same method.” Hua Yitang’s eyes had gone red. Each word came out as if forced through clenched teeth. “Why? They were destitute and alone in the world — old men with no quarrel with you, no grudge against you. You were loved and revered by the common people. You provided free consultations and even paid out of your own pocket to fetch medicine for them… you — you are a physician!“

“You are right. I am a physician. I am the divine healer the people venerate as a god.” The quiet, settled light of the sunset suffused Ji Gaoyang’s face, like a paintbrush dipped in gold powder tracing out an expression of compassionate sorrow. “And since I am a god, I can naturally control life and death. If I wish them to live, they live. If I wish them to die, they must die. In this Heyue City, I am the sovereign of life and death—”

“Eat filth!” Hua Yitang struck Ji Gaoyang from his god-pedestal with one slap. Ji Gaoyang, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, crumpled to the ground, and immediately after came a barrage of curses raining down on him from Hua Yitang: “You beast in human skin, you deranged, conscienceless, vile creature! You think yourself a god?! The way I see it, you ought to go fry in a cauldron of boiling oil in the eighteenth level of Hell for a few hundred years — nice crispy fried maggot is what you are!”

Every officer, spectator, constable, and court attendant in the hall was frozen in place — whether it was Ji Gaoyang’s true nature that had scared the wits out of them, or whether Hua Yitang’s extraordinary vocabulary of insults had cleansed their ears — no one reacted for a full moment. One slap was not sufficient to relieve Hua Yitang’s fury; he drew back his foot to deliver a kick — and at that precise moment, Ji Gaoyang suddenly struck. He knocked the pot of broth flying with one palm, and the full, deadly meat broth splashed with a roar toward Hua Yitang.

“You are the same — I want you dead, and you will die!”

Beautiful Woman’s Dragon Nightshade has a name well-known to most: Belladonna. Native to Europe, introduced in the 1930s. The setting is an alternate parallel world — no need to overthink the historical context!