The night was thick and heavy when suddenly a figure darted out, startling both Gu Yunwu and Li Si. The newcomer was a ragged old beggar with gray hair and tattered clothes.
Li Si felt a scream surge from deep in his belly, rush straight to his head, and nearly burst out of his throat. But since they were only one street away from the Gu Mansion, he forced it back down with sheer willpower, afraid a single shout would draw people over.
As for Gu Yunwu, he seemed completely used to being a ghost by now. Without anyone noticing, he had already hopped up onto a nearby roof and was peeking down curiously.
Leaving Gu Yunwu aside — who was “delicate and helpless” to begin with — Li Si was not someone who scared easily. It was ridiculous, really. As an underworld official, he had seen monsters with green eyes and sharp fangs, hideous faces, blood-drenched horrors of every kind. Yet after just a few days in the mortal world, an old beggar had managed to give him a genuine scare.
“What did you just say?” he demanded.
“Shh…” The beggar lifted a finger for silence, glancing around nervously. “Girl, your forehead is dark, your spirit scattered — there must be a ghost near you. If this continues, you’ll meet with disaster tonight. But don’t worry, I can give you a talisman. Keep it on you, and the calamity will be resolved. Not expensive, only one tael of silver.”
In this pitch-black alley, who could tell whether a forehead was “dark” or not? Li Si almost laughed.
But the part about having a ghost nearby — that was spot on. Gu Yunwu floated down and whispered in his ear: “This is the fortune-teller who sets up shop outside the Gu Mansion gates.”
“Elder, do you realize what hour it is? The shops have all closed, and you’re still doing business? Best go home before you really do run into some wandering ghost.” Li Si tried to talk him down politely and made to leave.
“Wait, wait.” The old man stepped forward, quick and nimble, blocking his way with surprising agility — not at all like a gray-haired elder. “The Gu Mansion is not peaceful tonight. I heard there’s been a thief. I can’t let a young lady walk alone. If you don’t want me, I can always call someone from the Gu Mansion to accompany you.”
Such a subtle threat — refreshingly new.
“Forget it. It’s just one tael of silver. The road’s dark and slippery; let him guide you,” Gu Yunwu said gently, smoothing things over when he noticed Li Si’s face darken.
Li Si thought it over and nodded. “Fine. But I don’t have money on me. Elder, if you don’t mind, come with me to a friend’s house to fetch it.”
And so, the old and the young struck a cheerful bargain and set off together, chatting along the way.
“How long have you been in this trade, elder?” Li Si asked.
“Oh, not long, not long. Just two hundred years or so.” The old man waved a hand modestly, chuckling.
“Oh? And do you know Master Gu and Madam Liu of the Gu Mansion?” Li Si asked — not noticing anything odd.
“Of course I know them!” The old man became talkative, like a floodgate opening. “Annan Town isn’t big. It’s nestled deep in the southwest mountains — far from the emperor’s reach. Aside from officials exiled here, hardly anyone moves in. It must’ve been exactly twenty years ago when Gu Changwei and his wife suddenly arrived in town. Strange thing — the couple looked nothing like common folk, dignified and refined. Yet when they moved, they brought no servants. Almost like…”
“Like they were running away.”
“Exactly. After they settled here, they opened a small pawnshop. Gu Changwei’s wife was truly stunning, a beauty that could topple kingdoms. She caused quite the stir back then — everyone in town gossiped about her. But after moving here, Madam Li rarely showed her face. People didn’t even know her name. The next we heard of her, she had died in childbirth. And the little son she bore also passed away recently. Such pity, such tragedy.” The old man sighed, shaking his head.
“And then?”
“Gu Changwei proved capable. The pawnshop thrived, then he began lending money, opened a bank, and step by step became a wealthy man in these parts. As for Madam Liu — she was the daughter of a Jiangnan antique dealer, a rich young lady herself. Cold in temperament, but a good person.”
“Oh? And how do you know she’s a good person?”
“I read it in the stars, calculated it on my fingers.”
“I get it — she was one of your best customers,” Li Si muttered, rolling his eyes.
The old man only chuckled, saying nothing more.
By then, they had arrived at Yu Yun Teahouse. When Xia Yuan heard the demand for a tael of silver, she flew into a rage, quarreled bitterly with the old man, and scolded Li Si so fiercely his head spun. Her husband, a gentle-looking doctor surnamed Qin, hurried to calm things down. Secretly, he slipped the old man half a string of coins as “guide money,” finally settling the matter.
It wasn’t Li Si’s fault, really — as a newcomer, how could he know how much a tael of silver was worth? Gu Yunwu, on the other hand, had lived for twenty years in comfort as a rich young master.
Even as he left, the fortune-teller refused to give up, repeatedly asking Li Si: “Are you sure you don’t want my talisman?” Only after Xia Yuan firmly drove him away did the encounter end.
Once inside, they shut the door quickly. Three people and one ghost sat down in a circle, as if they were about to play mahjong.
Chun Tao pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and spread it on the table. Doctor Qin carefully lifted the herbs one by one, examining them closely. “Indeed, these are top-quality tonics. In our practice we say some medicines must never be combined. But this prescription includes aconite — which clearly clashes with the other herbs. This doesn’t look like a formula my master would have prescribed. Did Young Master Gu drink this regularly?”
“Every few years Master Gu invites a new physician, so the formula often changes. That’s not unusual,” Xia Yuan said.
“This prescription, if taken long-term, would lead to liver failure and weakness of the limbs. If he then caught a cold or another illness, it could indeed kill him. But taken for just two years, it shouldn’t be fatal on its own. Are you suspecting Master Gu?”
Suspecting? Xia Yuan nearly wanted to write Gu Changwei’s name directly on the accusation sheet. For years, he had personally overseen every doctor and every purchase of herbs — proof, it was said, of his deep love for his son. Hearing Doctor Qin’s conclusion, she felt deeply disappointed. She had endured this long, waiting only for solid proof.
Li Si sat silently, chin propped on his hand. In his heart, he had already suspected Gu Changwei for some time, but he hadn’t wanted to say it, to spare the poor young master more grief. Although the final nail wasn’t hammered in yet, the culprit behind Gu Yunwu’s lifelong frailty was almost certain. Gu Changwei must have tampered with the medicine long ago, switching physicians repeatedly to avoid discovery.
Seen in this light, Chun Tao’s habit of throwing away Gu Yunwu’s medicine may not have been mere childishness. Perhaps Madam Liu had realized something, which was why she sent Chun Tao to the Yunsheng Pavilion. Maybe she really had wanted to save Gu Yunwu, just as the old fortune-teller implied.
But why? Gu Changwei had fled with Madam Li — surely they were a loving couple. If he resented Gu Yunwu for causing her death in childbirth, he could have abandoned or killed him long ago. Why raise him for years only to plot against him now? The only explanation Li Si found reasonable was that Gu Changwei feared Gu Yunwu showing his face in public — feared his beauty might cause trouble.
“Chun Tao, think carefully. In the days before the young master’s death, was there anything unusual?” Xia Yuan pressed.
Li Si froze — how could he know? It was Chun Tao who prepared the medicine. She might recall some detail. But he wasn’t Chun Tao.
“On his last day alive, I heard Chun Tao complaining outside,” Gu Yunwu said, his tone light, detached, as if it had nothing to do with him. “If I were poisoning someone, I’d make sure they drank it, then take back the evidence.”
That day, Chun Tao had grumbled: It’s just a calming medicine, how precious could it be? Why send someone to watch me? Do they look down on me?
Li Si blinked at Gu Yunwu, then suddenly remembered something. He pulled out a sachet. “Doctor, look at this.”
Doctor Qin sifted through the sachet’s herbs and uncovered a tiny stalk-like fragment. His face paled. “This is… a poisonous fungus. Rare, but unmistakable. It grows only in the mountains far to the west. I saw it once while traveling with my master. Even in small amounts it causes hallucinations; in larger doses, organ failure and death. Locals never touch it.”
Perhaps, on an ordinary afternoon, Chun Tao had finished embroidering a new sachet. Just then, the master sent over a new calming medicine, said to be priceless. She secretly slipped some into the sachet, thinking: If I give this to young master, he’ll be happy.
Her unintentional act left behind the final chance for the truth to come to light.
“Outrageous.” Xia Yuan’s eyes filled with tears. “Can this be used as evidence?”
“Madam, you mean to take this to the magistrate?” Doctor Qin’s face turned pale. He was an honest man and never imagined things would go so far.
“Stop her.” Gu Yunwu’s voice grew cold and firm, his face serious. “Without Chun Tao’s testimony, this evidence means nothing. And Chun Tao is already dead. Anyone willing to kill once will kill again to cover it up. Reporting this rashly will only drag you into danger.”
Li Si was about to pass along Gu Yunwu’s warning when suddenly, there came a knock at the door. The room instantly fell silent.
Li Si cursed in his heart: You had to talk about danger, didn’t you? And here it is, danger knocking at our door. Damn crow’s mouth.
The knock came again. A voice asked politely:
“Is Chun Tao here? Our lady wishes to see her.”
