Madam Luo stared at Zhong Li, her lips parting and closing several times, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.
“Madam Luo, of all the murderers I have encountered, you are the most intelligent. Without realizing it, you shifted the blame for the victim’s death onto someone else, absolving yourself. Not only that, you utilized the victim’s daily habits to burn all the evidence in the charcoal basin. But do you know that everything done leaves a trace?”
As Zhong Li spoke, the clarity in her eyes was a stark mockery reflected in Madam Luo’s gaze.
Madam Luo looked at the silver needle Zhong Li presented first and said, “Then where did you get this silver needle, Chief Official Zhong?”
“From the water used to wash clothes,” Zhong Li replied.
Madam Luo frowned, not quite understanding.
“Arsenic trioxide is in powdered form. Madam, you must understand that no matter how careful you are, to have this substance adhere to the bottom of every page of the books Guo Qi intended to burn, some of it is bound to fall onto clothes or the ground. Furthermore, to control the dosage, you would have meticulously and evenly applied it, timing it precisely.
On the other hand, you would also fear accidentally ingesting it, so you would have worn something on your hands. Everyone knows that wearing something on your hands reduces sensitivity. So, how would you have handled this powder? You wouldn’t be able to control where it accidentally fell, would you?”
Zhong Li asked Madam Luo with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Madam Luo finally understood and said, “Chief Official Zhong, if the double homicide case in Jinzhou and the Xie family case were mere coincidences, then now I truly know your capabilities. I underestimated you. Even if I burned my gloves, I would have overlooked other things.”
Zhong Li closed her eyes and sighed. She knew Madam Luo’s statement was an admission of her guilt.
“Madam, do you know? I always thought that those who practice vegetarianism and pray would not commit such inhuman acts.”
“I have not committed inhuman acts, nor have I wronged anyone! Even… even…” Madam Luo, made uneasy by Zhong Li’s words, roared hysterically, pointing a finger at the Guanyin statue not far away, “Even since my Lin’er passed away, I have been more devout, more diligent, and more proactive than anyone. Yet, what did she bring me?
What nonsense Buddha, what purity and detachment! I am already like this, and that scoundrel Guo Qi is still so shameless, so despicable!”
Zhong Li’s brows furrowed as she looked at Madam Luo. She recalled the piece of paper filled with words that Lu Wuxie had given her in the inner hall, stating that Guo Lin, Guo Qi’s legitimate son, had died by suicide. Her resentment towards Madam Luo was somewhat understood.
“Chief Official Zhong must have known about this before coming, right? Madam and Guo Qi have two children, one is Xin’er, whom you see now, and the other is Lin’er.” After Madam Luo’s outburst, she calmed down and began to narrate her motive for murder.
Zhong Li nodded, “I heard it was suicide…”
“Yes and no!” Madam Luo’s lips twitched bitterly as she looked through the window at the anxious crowd waiting outside the Buddhist hall, her gaze finally settling on ‘Second Madam’ Jiang.
“Sometimes I truly admire these male courtesans and eunuchs for their ability to live with such enduring humiliation, yet still have the audacity to stay with their patrons to beg for food and drink.”
Zhong Li followed her gaze, understanding Madam Luo’s implied meaning, and retorted, “Madam, you were also a noble daughter of a prominent family in your youth, weren’t you?”
Madam Luo turned back to Zhong Li, her eyes showing a lack of understanding for her statement, as if questioning what her background had to do with what she had just said.
“Therefore, Madam cannot understand or empathize with the joys and sorrows of the common people. Or rather, their sorrows. They have no joy, no happiness, and no right to complain or grumble about anything, because their very survival is a problem, so how can they experience other forms of happiness?
If Jiang had a choice, do you think he would be willing to live under someone else’s roof like this? Or to abandon his male dignity and become a passive plaything for others?” Zhong Li spoke, her gaze fixed on Madam Luo.
Madam Luo’s lips parted and closed, wanting to argue but realizing she had nothing to say.
She shook her head and changed the topic, saying, “After Lin’er died, Guo Qi had Jiang.”
Zhong Li frowned, somewhat confused by Madam Luo’s statement, until her subsequent words sent shivers down one’s spine.
“In Guo Qi’s heart, Jiang is merely a substitute for Lin’er.”
“Madam Luo, do you understand what you are saying?” Zhong Li’s heart skipped a beat. She remembered the content written on the Xuan paper Lu Wuxie had given her. It simply stated that Guo Qi was not unrelated to Guo Lin’s death, but she never expected that Guo Lin would…
Madam Luo nodded. By now, she no longer needed to pretend or force a smile. Stripped of her status as the mistress of a noble family, she was merely a woman grieving the loss of her beloved son.
“Of course, I know what I am saying. So many people envy my Guo family, especially since Lin’er was Guo Qi’s only son, with a dignified demeanor and extraordinary talent. After he married and established his career, he was bound to inherit the entire Guo family. But who would know the humiliation he endured behind closed doors?
In Guo Qi’s mind, Guo Lin was merely a forbidden pleasure he raised from childhood. At first, I didn’t know. I thought Guo Qi’s late returns home every night were due to his busy work schedule, until… *sob sob*…” Madam Luo’s voice trembled, and she was unable to utter a complete sentence, as if she had used all her strength.
Zhong Li’s brows furrowed deeply. She looked at Madam Luo with sympathy and asked, “Until Guo Lin committed suicide, is that right?”
Madam Luo nodded. As if hating her own incompetence and belated realization, she raised her hand and slapped herself across the face.
The sharp *slap* echoed throughout the Buddhist hall.
She shook her head frantically and said, “I am an incompetent mother. After Guo Lin left, I went to pack his belongings and found his suicide note. The note clearly stated that Guo Qi had touched his body with various flimsy excuses since childhood.
At first, he thought it was his father’s concern, until… when Guo Qi took advantage of him as he neared adulthood, he belatedly realized something was wrong. Gradually, he began to explore the outside world, and only then did he truly understand how perverse Guo Qi’s actions towards him were.
Since then, Lin’er suffered from madness, and he could no longer bear the torment, so he chose to end it all by suicide.”
Zhong Li pursed her lips and looked at the woman who had slumped to her knees. She wanted to comfort her but found herself unable to speak.
“Heh heh… *sob sob*…” Madam Luo cried and laughed. She looked up at the Guanyin statue standing not far away, shaking her head and shedding tears as she said, “That’s when I chose to practice vegetarianism and pray. I always felt that I hadn’t done enough, which led Lin’er to this.
But!”
As she spoke, she angrily slammed the ground and shouted, “That beast Guo Qi didn’t even spare my Xin’er!”