CUI BUQU SNEEZED several times in rapid succession.
From the moment he'd woken, he'd been coughing. His handkerchief had barely left his hand. He felt fogged and drowsy, probably because he'd soaked in the rain the night before. Still, he spent over half of every year in a similar state—he'd long grown used to it.
The county magistrate of Anping walking next to him, however, was anxious. This close to Cui Buqu, Magistrate He could see how sick he looked. It was the end of the fifth month, and summer was approaching. Yet the hands peeking out from under this man's cloak were like icy jade, so thin and bony they were liable to snap at the slightest touch. He'd thought to ask after his health, but Governor Yuan spoke first.
"Why not have a doctor look you over? We can conduct the interrogation afterward." He didn't speak with the polite and perfunctory tone officials often used but with a senior's concern for his junior. The county magistrate glanced sidelong at the commandery governor.
"I'm fine," said Cui Buqu. He sneezed again. Feng Xiao must be speaking ill of him behind his back. He produced a small porcelain vial and tipped out a pill, then popped it into his mouth and swallowed without batting an eye, as if it were something he did every day.
Had Qiao Xian been there to see him taking tonics meant for modifying the workings of his body as treatment for his cold, she would have coughed up blood in her rage. But there were only two witnesses: Commandery Governor Yuan and Magistrate He. They had no understanding of medicine, so when the pills stopped his sneezing, they didn't chide him further.
By the time they'd reached the county office, the assistant magistrate was there with the group of related persons who had been temporarily detained in the prison while they awaited the county magistrate's questioning.
With both Cui Buqu and Commandery Governor Yuan present, the county magistrate dared not tarry. He immediately asked the assistant magistrate to bring forth the deceased's next of kin.
The next of kin was the husband of the dead woman, who was himself from a local family in the city. Their household was a wealthy one, and the deceased had been with child. She'd been overly anxious of late and had gone to Doctor Sun for a prescription to lower her chance of miscarriage. But after drinking two bowls of the concoction in the afternoon, she'd found herself suffering severe stomach pain by evening. She'd experienced vaginal bleeding that escalated to premature labor. Severe blood loss had claimed the lives of both mother and child.
She'd died after taking this medicine, despite being perfectly healthy beforehand. Her family immediately connected her death to the prescription. Her husband went to the county magistrate's office and filed a complaint, and the assistant magistrate brought his constables to arrest Doctor Sun and the pharmacy staff.
These tragic deaths had turned what should have been the joyous occasion of welcoming the birth of a child into a funeral. The husband's face was lined with sorrow. When he saw Doctor Sun, he surged forward and grabbed his collar. "Doctor Sun," he cried. "Our family trusted you completely. Why would you kill her?!"
Doctor Sun's hair and beard were wild and uncombed. He was a sorry sight, but still he shook his head. "Impossible. I've been practicing medicine for decades. I've never miswritten a prescription!"
Choking with grief and anger, the husband said, "I kept the jar of leftover ingredients and had it examined. They said it contained toad venom! That's poisonous! How could you prescribe it to a pregnant woman!"
Sun Jimin looked stricken. "It's not possible. I would never give a pregnant woman toad venom! Four maces of bitter orange, three maces of magnolia bark, three maces of red nutsedge, two maces of amomum fruit, two maces of baizhu, two maces of orange peel…"
He recited the ingredients one by one, then concluded, "The prescription was divided into three doses, all to be taken by a woman five months into her pregnancy. This was the prescription; I remember it clearly. It did not include toad venom!"
"Three doses of medicinal soup, and the victim consumed one," said the assistant magistrate. "The leftover ingredients for the remaining two doses are untouched. Does the lord magistrate wish to examine them?"
"Bring them here," said the county magistrate.
Someone fetched the jar of leftover herbs. Cui Buqu had been sick all his life; even if he couldn't treat himself, he had amassed a decent amount of medical knowledge and could recognize some herbs. Soon enough, he identified the toad venom in the jar of herbs, as well as in the remaining bagged portions of uncooked ingredients. He picked out the ingredients one by one. "In addition to the toad venom, there's also henbane. Were you perhaps worried the patient would die too slowly?"
Doctor Sun shook his head repeatedly. "It's impossible! Impossible! I never prescribed this!"
"The prescription?" Cui Buqu looked to the assistant magistrate.
After a trip to the pharmacy, it was normal practice for the patient to bring the medicine back home, where they'd brew and administer it. The written prescription itself remained at the pharmacy for safekeeping.
The assistant magistrate was a quick and capable man. He'd already ordered someone to gather up all the written prescriptions. "They're here, my lord!"
He brought out the prescription, but Cui Buqu didn't look at it. He gestured for someone to show it to Doctor Sun.
"We compared it to another of your prescriptions," the assistant magistrate said to the doctor. "The paper is that of Baoning Hall, and the handwriting matches. Do you have anything else to say?"
Doctor Sun took the prescription with an expression of disbelief. "This prescription…"
The assistant magistrate observed the change in his expression. "Are you saying you didn't write this?"
"No, let me think…" Sun Jimin murmured. His eyes widened. "This is the wrong prescription! This is what I prescribed Lady Lu. Aside from the toad venom, all the ingredients match!"
The assistant magistrate asked someone to bring out the pharmacy assistant, a youth seventeen or eighteen years old. He had a sharp-witted look about him, but just now he seemed nervous, his clever eyes darting around the room.
"Tell us everything you know again, in detail," said the assistant magistrate.
"Y-yes! Of course!" The youth bowed. "Yesterday morning, the madam was suffering from another stomachache, so she sent someone to ask Doctor Sun to prescribe her some medicine, as usual. This lowly one filled the prescription according to the instructions and took the medicine to the manor. Her maid was waiting at the gate to receive it."
The madam in question was none other than Cui-san's wife, Lady Lu.
Cui-san was the least accomplished of Cui Yong's four sons. He spent all his time on idle pursuits and had achieved nothing of note. He'd been confined to Boling for years, his father and brother watching his every move. While this prevented him from causing more problems, it didn't turn him into a diligent scholar. To stop him from wasting his life completely, Cui Yong had given him Baoning Hall, one of the Cui family's pharmacies, to manage. He was responsible for its financial management, and didn't need to share any profits with the rest of the family. It was a gift, but it also gave him something to occupy himself with.
In reality, the pharmacy was well-established. It was run by the shopkeeper and assistants, along with renowned physicians like Doctor Sun, so Cui-san needed to do scarcely any managing at all. Their so-called boss simply left everything to the shopkeeper and carried on with his life of leisure.
"That's right," said Sun Jimin. "Henbane is poisonous, but when neutralized with other herbs and taken in small doses, it can alleviate stomach pains. But the toad venom is wrong. I never prescribed her toad venom!"
The pharmacy assistant was surprised. "But Doctor Sun, I was next to you when you wrote it. I watched as you added each ingredient. How can you not remember?"
Sun Jimin refuted this claim immediately. "I'd never misremember! You must be mistaken. At any rate, that prescription was meant for Lady Lu. How did it end up with Lady Chen?!"
The assistant magistrate raised his chin and gestured to the pharmacy assistant. "Continue."
"Lady Chen came for a check-up at around the same time, and again, Doctor Sun was the one who wrote her prescription. I portioned out the ingredients for both prescriptions myself. As I was leaving, I ran into one of the Chen family servants. Both prescriptions were separated into three doses and stored in the same type of paper packet. This lowly servant must have mistakenly given the wrong medicine to Lady Chen!"
Now everything had become clear.
Doctor Sun had seen two patients and written two different prescriptions. The assistant had accidentally mixed up the packets of medicine. As a result, Lady Lu had escaped unscathed, while Lady Chen and her child had been poisoned in her stead.
"Sun Jimin, what do you have to say?" asked the country magistrate.
Doctor Sun looked at the prescription and smiled bitterly. "In all my years as a doctor, I have never miswritten a prescription nor mixed up an ingredient. I did not prescribe the toad venom."
The county magistrate sighed. "You're over seventy now, and your eyesight is weaker than it was. Miswriting a prescription to include an extra ingredient is not impossible. Even if you deny it, the evidence speaks for itself. You cannot escape the charge of manslaughter. Manslaughter is classed as one of the six types of homicide under Sui law, but it's a lighter charge than premeditated murder. You've saved countless lives in your years as a doctor. I'll appeal for leniency on your behalf and explain what happened, but the final decision will rest with the Ministry of Justice. Will you plead guilty?"
The doctor was of advanced age. Even if he was sentenced to whipping and exile rather than death, he wouldn't survive the punishment. However, the magistrate tactfully left this unsaid.
But Doctor Sun still shook his head. "I will not. I didn't miswrite the prescription."
At the same moment, a constable rushed in. "Lord Magistrate! Lady Lu, Cui-sanlang's wife, seeks an audience. She claims to have important information pertaining to the case!"
Magistrate He glanced over at Cui Buqu and Governor Yuan. When they registered no objection, he said, "Let her in."
In no time at all, a woman in red appeared at the door and bowed respectfully. "Greetings to the lord officials."
"No need for all the courtesies," said the county magistrate. "What information do you have to report? Tell us quickly."
"I ask the lord magistrate to please summon my husband. He must be questioned in person."
"Send for Cui-san," said Cui Buqu coolly.
Lady Lu couldn't help studying this man. Though the truth of Cui Buqu's identity had come as a lightning strike to Cui Yong and his sons, he'd forbidden them from spreading the knowledge further. Even Cui-jiuniang was unaware. All the rest of the Cui family knew was that Cui Buqu was the powerful and influential chief of the Zuoyue Bureau, and that he'd arrested Cui-dalang. They had no idea he was the son of Lady Yu, whom they considered a disgrace upon the family.
Lady Yu had been defiled by Cui-san. Though it'd been a monstrous act of rape, her reputation had been ruined; Cui Yong did not permit her to be buried in the family cemetery. Many of the Cui family's younger generation had bullied Cui Jie as children, but they hadn't been aware of his parentage. And as they'd grown up, their memories had faded. Many of them even mistakenly thought Cui-er had died without ever marrying.
But Lady Lu was an exception. She could never forget the humiliation she suffered on account of Lady Yu and her son. The previous night, Cui-san had come home in obvious distress. She'd hounded him with questions until he'd finally divulged some details. She knew Cui Jie wasn't dead, and that he'd in fact returned under a new identity.
The county magistrate, seeing her staring openly at Cui Buqu, was shocked to see a lady from the prestigious Lu clan of Fanyang acting so immodestly. He coughed. "Lady Lu, this is a court of law. These men are high-ranking officials; I ask you not to look directly at them without their permission."
"Apologies, Lord Magistrate," said Lady Lu. "It's only that Cui-langjun looked somewhat familiar, and I couldn't help but take a second glance."
Cui Buqu lowered his head and played with a jade accessory hanging from his belt, as if he hadn't heard her words. A strange feeling welled up within Lady Lu. She couldn't have said whether she was glad or disappointed.
Within the span of their conversation, Cui-san arrived. When he saw Lady Lu, he froze. Upon noticing that Cui Buqu was present as well, his face drained of color.
"Can you speak now?" the country magistrate asked Lady Lu.
Lady Lu bowed. "Bear witness, my lords. As Doctor Sun himself has said, he's been a physician for decades. How could he miswrite a prescription and kill someone by mistake? The answer is that he didn't make a mistake at all! He did it on purpose! I was Doctor Sun's intended target, but thanks to a fortunate coincidence, I escaped death!"
It was a stupefying statement.
Magistrate He glanced instinctively at Governor Yuan and Cui Buqu, but neither of them met his eyes. He had no choice but to turn back to Lady Lu. "That's quite the accusation, my lady. Be aware that bearing false witness carries the penalty of imprisonment."
"It is not false. I have evidence!"
"Speak."
"My husband has secretly been keeping a mistress," Lady Lu began. "I've always known, but I turned a blind eye for the sake of our family's peace and harmony. The mistress is from a respectable family. She got my husband to promise that if I were gone, he'd take her as his new wife. Then she'd be able to marry into the Cui clan."
Cui-san leapt to his feet. "Nonsense! That never happened!"
Lady Lu sneered. "You were cooing at each other beneath the grape vines in broad daylight. You felt no shame, yet you failed to realize the maid with you overheard and reported it back to me."
Cui-san was stunned. "Yu Song was your spy?!"
Lady Lu snorted coldly and went on. "Three days ago, one of his mistress's confidants went to Doctor Sun. What they discussed I don't know, but I do know the woman arrived with a bag of silver and returned empty-handed. They must have bribed Doctor Sun to prescribe medicine that would kill me!"
"Ridiculous!" Sun Jimin's white beard trembled with agitation. "All my life, I've moved through this world with a clear conscience. I could never do such a thing!"
"If the lord magistrate doesn't believe me, he can send someone to search Doctor Sun's house. Perhaps they'll find that bag of silver."
Lady Lu felt someone's eyes on her. Their regard was sharp as a knife, piercing her to the core. She looked up and met Cui Buqu's gaze.
The moment his ice-cold eyes met hers, she felt herself go weak.
She remembered another pair of eyes like those, inscrutable and tranquil. Inexplicably angry, she blurted, "You can also summon that 'second wife' of his and question her. She looks rather like an old acquaintance of yours, Cui-langjun. Perhaps you can guess whom!"
Only Cui Buqu and Governor Yuan took her meaning. Governor Yuan's expression finally went dark. "I have no further questions. Take Lady Lu away. Her shrill screeching is giving me a headache!"
"No need," said Cui Buqu. "Let her stay. She can witness the murderer's fate."
Lady Lu's lips had been pursed with confidence, but at this, an ominous feeling came over her.
Fortunately, the heavens seemed to be on her side. The men dispatched to search Doctor Sun's house returned quickly. With them was Cui-san's rumored mistress.
The mistress didn't have Lady Lu's bright and vivacious beauty. She was a delicate, refined woman who brought to mind willows swaying in the wind. Her eyes seemed to hold a certain fragility; she indeed looked somewhat familiar.
Governor Yuan realized at once. Those eyes, that mouth—did they not resemble Yu Mo's?
He glared furiously at Cui-san. Lady Lu sneered and stood straighter. Cui-san's mistress resembled Cui Buqu's mother. It ought to be humiliating for the man that sat before her—the man named Cui Buqu. When he saw this woman's face, he wouldn't feel nostalgia but burning anger, just like Governor Yuan. Cui-san's whore was done for.
But Lady Lu's burst of triumph swiftly faded. There was no anger on Cui Buqu's face. His gaze simply swept over the mistress to land again on Lady Lu.
She felt herself begin to panic. Had her ploy of killing someone with a borrowed knife failed?