"The deliberately thrown bait was meant to lure the tiger away from the mountain!" His target was Yan Hong in the yamen! Dammit! He had outsmarted them again!
Liu Rumei also didn't expect this man to be so cunning. No wonder Xue Zhan had repeatedly suffered setbacks at his hands.
Zhang Yan quickly said, "I'll go and inform the magistrate. There aren't many dye - houses inside and outside the city. We can check them one by one!"
Liu Rumei nodded. "Okay."
In this case, they had to find someone else for the matter regarding the Flower Mansion. "Guard Ye, please go there and bring back the person who painted cardamom on Peony's nails!"
Ye Zhe nodded. "Yes."
Mo Litian was also quite troubled at this moment. The case hadn't been solved yet, and now two more people had died. He didn't know how far this would escalate!
"Pass on my order. Have the city gates strictly inspected. We must arrest this person!"
The two guards felt relieved and quickly replied respectfully, "Yes."
Xiao Heyuan carried the body into the morgue and couldn't help sighing.
Liu Rumei frowned. Six people had died so far. If they couldn't catch the real culprit soon, God knows...
Ye Zhe was always efficient. He brought the person back in less than half an hour.
Looking at the pink - dressed woman in front of her, Liu Rumei frowned. Why did this woman look so familiar?
While she was thinking, the pink - dressed woman bowed respectfully to them and said nervously, "Caidie greets His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Liu."
Caidie?
The maid of Peony!
Liu Rumei finally remembered. This woman had stayed at the scene when Peony died. "Did you paint the cardamom on Peony's nails?"
Caidie nodded nervously. "Yes."
"Did you usually make Peony's cardamom? Has it ever been in the hands of others?"
A bad feeling welled up in Caidie's heart, but she still said nervously, "Yes. The cardamom that Sister Peony usually used was made by me. It never passed through anyone else's hands."
Mo Litian said coldly, "Do you know that there was Wu Shisan in your cardamom? Why did you kill Peony?"
Caidie's body trembled violently, and her face instantly showed panic. "What... What Wu Shisan?"
She quickly knelt in front of Mo Litian and kowtowed, saying, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please make a clear judgment. Even if you gave me a thousand guts, I wouldn't dare to harm Sister Peony!"
Not to mention that murder was a serious crime, the madam alone wouldn't spare her.
Mo Litian frowned slightly. "Are you sure no one touched it when you made the cardamom?"
Caidie quickly shook her head. Her face was already tear - streaked. "No! Your Highness the Crown Prince, I really didn't kill Sister Peony!"
Liu Rumei suddenly said, "Then who usually provided the materials for you to make the cardamom?"
"Madam. I always got them from Madam!"
Liu Rumei's expression turned solemn. Her eyes glanced at the cardamom on Caidie's hand. Her eyes flickered, and she said to the yamen runner, "Go and invite a doctor."
"Yes."
Caidie was already complaining in her heart. "Miss Liu, the petals for making the cardamom all passed through Madam's hands. I was only responsible for making it on weekdays."
Liu Rumei nodded indifferently. Her eyes fell on Caidie's hand. "Is the cardamom on your hand the same as that of Miss Peony?"
Caidie immediately shook her head. A self - mocking look flashed in her eyes. "How dare I use the same cardamom as Sister Peony? This was made from the leftovers of Sister Peony. The color is lighter and not so bright and beautiful."
Liu Rumei nodded and said softly, "Did Peony have any strange behavior before her death?"
Caidie shook her head. "No."
She was also very surprised when Peony died. How could such a good person jump off the building and commit suicide?
Mo Litian said indifferently, "Before Miss Peony's death, did she have any disputes with anyone in the Flower Mansion? Or who had the most contact with her?"
Caidie frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Sister Peony was always kind - hearted and never had any disputes with others. Except for before Sister Shaoyao left, there was no one else. As for contact, Your Highness the Crown Prince must know what kind of place the Flower Mansion is. Only Young Master Bai II often came to the Flower Mansion to call for Miss Peony."
Just as she was speaking, the yamen runner brought a doctor in. The doctor bowed to them and said, "This commoner greets His Highness the Crown Prince."
Mo Litian's gentle voice came slowly. "No need for such formalities."
Liu Rumei smiled at the doctor and said, "Please trouble the doctor to see if this young lady is unwell. And is there anything on the cardamom on her hand?"
The doctor quickly nodded, stepped forward to Caidie, and carefully felt her pulse. "This young lady's pulse is weak. She is in poor health. May I ask if the young lady has been unwell recently?"
Caidie was slightly stunned and said softly, "I've felt a bit bored and nauseous these days!"
The doctor immediately frowned. Liu Rumei quickly reminded, "Doctor, you might as well take a look at her cardamom."
The doctor instantly understood what she meant. He immediately lifted Caidie's hand and carefully examined it for a while but didn't find anything. He could only say to Caidie, "Forgive my rudeness, young lady."
Caidie also understood what he meant and didn't stop him. She let the doctor scrape off some of her cardamom.
The doctor put it into his mouth. Almost instantly, his face changed. "There is Wu Shisan in this cardamom!"
Liu Rumei and Mo Litian looked at each other immediately. "Sure enough!"
Caidie's face instantly turned pale. "This... How is it possible?"
This cardamom was clearly made by herself. How could there be Wu Shisan in it? Thinking of this, she kowtowed to Mo Litian again and said, "Your Highness, it really wasn't me! I didn't kill Miss Peony!"
Liu Rumei looked at Caidie's tear - streaked face and said softly, "Don't worry. His Highness the Crown Prince will never wrong anyone!"
After saying that, she said to the doctor, "Is this young lady poisoned by Wu Shisan?"
The doctor nodded. "Yes! Fortunately, the poisoning is not serious and can still be treated."
Liu Rumei nodded. It seemed that the reason Caidie wasn't as badly affected as Peony was that the cardamom on her hand was made from Peony's leftovers, and she had added some other things. The toxin wasn't as strong as Peony's. "Thank you. Please prescribe a medicine, doctor."
The doctor immediately nodded. "Yes."
Mo Litian said indifferently, "Miss Caidie, before the case is solved, you can only stay in the yamen for now."
Going back to the Flower Mansion would only bring danger.
Caidie also understood this and immediately nodded. "Yes, I understand."
After settling them down, Xiao Heyuan frowned and said, "If what Caidie said is true, then the one who poisoned Peony is the madam of the Flower Mansion, Lin Chunhua?"
Mo Litian took a sip of tea. "If it is really Lin Chunhua, then this person must also know the whereabouts of the missing people."