"I'VE SUSPECTED Yuwen Eying for some time now," Cui Buqu said when Feng Xiao had finished.
"Since when?"
"Since the thousand-lantern banquet."
Cui Buqu interacted very little with the imperial granddaughter, but he'd observed her at the empress's side several times. Duchess Yuwen had a gentle demeanor. Put more bluntly, she was introverted, shy, and a poor speaker.
This perfectly described Duchess Yuwen's behavior throughout most of the thousand-lantern banquet—but when Cui Buqu had tried to leave, she had taken the initiative to pursue him. She and her mother had been greatly embarrassed by the scene he'd made, and she'd confronted him over why he hadn't warned Princess Leping before exposing the criminals.
Perhaps confronted wasn't the right word. Duchess Yuwen's eyes had been sheened with tears as she bowed and pressed her forehead to the ground. Everyone at the scene had thought Cui Buqu too harsh, so cruel he forced even the emperor's granddaughter to kneel to him. Quite a few memorials criticizing him had landed on the emperor's desk in the aftermath.
It was then that the first thread of suspicion had unspooled in Cui Buqu's mind.
"At the time you said one word," Feng Xiao recalled. "Strange."
"That's right. Duchess Yuwen's strategy of attacking by feigning defeat was not only brilliant, it was completely out of character."
Others might not have noted these small details, but after the thousand-lantern banquet, Cui Buqu considered everyone in the princess's residence suspicious. The subtle incongruence in Duchess Yuwen's behavior had therefore caught his eye.
"Ren Yue's scheme at the thousand-lantern banquet was ambitious. Nearly half the capital's nobles fell into his trap. But he was only the princess's lover, not the master of the residence. He shouldn't have been able to command so many people, and he and his collaborators folded too quickly when they were caught. I also found that strange.
"Back at Mount Tiannan," Cui Buqu continued, "Fan Yun warned me. He said there's a greater, more powerful force at court who supports Xiao Lü. When I probed the empress, she confirmed that Princess Leping gave birth to twin daughters. One was born sick and passed away without even receiving a name."
Feng Xiao was silent for a moment. "You're saying Duchess Yuwen's twin sister is alive, and for some reason she's colluding with Xiao Lü?"
Cui Buqu nodded.
"I tested her at the palace gates," Feng Xiao said. "Her reaction resembled that of any ordinary person."
Cui Buqu was as keen as ever; he immediately caught the key word in his statement: resembled, not was.
Duchess Yuwen was supposed to be an ordinary girl, not just resemble one.
"Martial artists react instinctively to danger," Feng Xiao continued, his eyes bright with interest. "I could see it: She wanted to move yet stopped herself to maintain the facade. I touched her face to check for signs of a disguise, but I got a pleasant surprise instead. Her forbearance is commendable."
A former princess, now a duchess. Duchess Yuwen's situation was unique in all of history. She should have been a blessed daughter of the heavens, her hands too soft to carry even a pail of water. Yet it seemed this Duchess Yuwen was a martial artist—and in Feng Xiao's opinion, a decent one.
"But all of this is pure conjecture," said Cui Buqu. "We have no evidence. If we act rashly, we'll frighten the snake off before we can catch it."
Feng Xiao agreed. "All we can do now is investigate the deaths of Li Mu and Liu Fang. Li Mu went mad before his death, while Liu Fang died quietly and even left a suicide note."
"He might not have written the note," Cui Buqu reminded him.
Feng Xiao nodded. "I asked the Li family. They said in the days leading up to his madness, Li Mu had been suffering from excessive heat in his lungs. They called a doctor, who prescribed him medicine for his cough. He took a few doses and saw some improvement."
Cui Buqu narrowed his eyes. "Medicine?"
"Goldthread, isatis root, fish mint, and a few more."
"A bitter ingredient, and another with a strong smell. Very similar to the last case, the—"
"Bowl of silver ear and lotus seed soup at Yandang Mountain Estate?" Feng Xiao finished for him.
Cui Buqu blinked.
Feng Xiao's lips quirked at the corners, then flattened as if the smile had never been. "That soup had a strong smell from the fish maw, and the people of Yandang Mountain Estate suddenly turned mad and killed each other—it is similar. But Liu Fang's death was different. I examined his corpse using the method you taught me. Strangulation marks from hanging should be dark in the center and fainter on either side from the pressure of the noose. The marks on his neck were even. He didn't impulsively take his life after the emperor reprimanded him. He was murdered."
"So perhaps Xiao Lü killed Liu Fang to create a certain narrative," Cui Buqu said, "and right now he's lurking in the dark plotting an even greater conspiracy."
"But Li Mu and the murders at Yandang Mountain Estate, along with the gu array we stepped into, seem to be the work of another hand. Their goal is to—" Here Feng Xiao paused. "Stir up chaos they can benefit from?"
Cui Buqu gazed intently at the woodgrain of the table, his mind focused but his thoughts elsewhere, as if he could see the Eight Trigrams of Fuxi etched within the table's surface. He sat so long Feng Xiao began to wonder if he'd taken leave of his senses, or else hadn't heard him at all. Finally he said, "I suspect the Göktürks."
"Hm?" Feng Xiao's tone invited him to continue.
"The Göktürks are ambitious. They claimed to have submitted, but it won't last. If an opportunity to strike presents itself, they won't hesitate to attack. That's the first reason. The second is that all poisonous gu arts originated within the Pyu city-states. These techniques worked their way through the southwest and up the Yangzte, reaching the Tangut, Tuyuhun, and Khocho peoples. The techniques are well-concealed and poorly understood, and the shamans of the north especially love using them in underhanded maneuvers. And third: The gu poisons and that array only appeared after the seventh prince Kuhezhen arrived in the capital."
Feng Xiao smiled. "What a coincidence. The Prince of Qin is hosting a banquet at his residence tonight. Kuhezhen should be in attendance."
Cui Buqu had just drawn breath to reply when he sat up straight and peered down at the street below. Feng Xiao followed his line of sight.
A familiar figure was strolling through the crowd at the entrance of Luqi Pavilion, surrounded by maids who kept pace with her.
Duchess Yuwen.
By now, it was well past six in the evening. The Prince of Qin's banquet would start at seven. The sea of people downstairs had split into two opposing streams: One headed north to watch the fireworks, the other south to see the lanterns. Duchess Yuwen and her attendants were making their way south. She must have received an invitation from the Prince of Qin, but if she went to stroll the festival now, she'd surely miss the evening banquet.
Cui Buqu rapped three times on the tabletop, and Guan Shanhai pushed open the door and entered. Cui Buqu pointed outside. "Follow Yuwen Eying. Find out where she's going and report back to me."
With a swift nod, Guan Shanhai disappeared behind the door.
Feng Xiao got to his feet. "It seems you won't be joining me at the Prince of Qin's residence after all. In that case, I'll take my leave first, lest I miss all the fun."
"Have a safe trip. No need to see me off."
Feng Xiao held up the jar of divine ointment and waggled it in front of Cui Buqu. "Do you really not know who sent this? If you don't, I'll throw it away."
Cui Buqu ducked his head and began to eat, as if he'd only just realized there was an exquisite feast laid out before him.
Feng Xiao sneered and shoved a folding fan into Cui Buqu's hand.
Cui Buqu frowned. He held it loosely, as if it might burn his fingers.
"No throwing it away!" Feng Xiao warned.
"I heard there used to be a saying about gifting fans as tokens of affection. I never imagined Deputy Chief Feng harbored such deep feelings for me." Cui Buqu eased the fan open. His lips twitched, and he was unable to say another word.
On the spread fan was a portrait of a tall and ethereal figure standing on the banks of the Yellow River, facing the water. The subject was none other than Feng-er.
He really did want to throw it away. "Qin Miaoyu said you entered the palace to ask the emperor for a painter. Was it to paint this thing?" he asked, voice rising with incredulity.
Feng Xiao leaned forward and spoke softly into his ear. "Since you gave me the divine ointment as a token of your affection, I had to repay you with something even more precious. I thought it over carefully: Why, the most precious thing in the world is myself. Since it's impossible for you to see me whenever you like, now you can look at my portrait to console yourself. It's nearly as good as the real thing."
Before Cui Buqu could erupt in rage, Feng Xiao beat a swift retreat. Pulling the little jars close to his chest, he strode out with a bright laugh.
Cui Buqu was so affronted his hair stood on end. He reached out, ready to tear the fan to pieces lest Feng Xiao grow even more gleeful. But when he glimpsed the painted surface, his hand stopped of its own accord.
The court painter really was an artist of incredible skill. The figure on the fan was lifelike, almost ready to leap off the paper. After a moment, Cui Buqu discreetly tucked the fan away.
Not long after Feng Xiao took his leave, Guan Shanhai returned with his findings.
"Lord Chief, she continued south. After exiting the city, instead of going to see the lanterns, she sat alone at Liuying Pavilion. She was still there when I came back to report. To avoid alerting her, I dared not get any closer and left Wang Jiu to keep watch instead."
Cui Buqu frowned in silence for a while. "She noticed you."
Guan Shanhai was taken aback. "Impossible," he blurted. "Your subordinate kept his distance…"
"I'm not blaming you." Cui Buqu waved a hand. "Liuying Pavilion sits atop a rocky hill, surrounded by open space. It's far from the festival, so crowds are unlikely to gather there. And it's winter—the trees are bare and offer no cover. As long as the people with her paid attention, they were sure to notice you. It's also possible she went there on purpose and was waiting for you to approach."
"On purpose?" echoed Guan Shanhai.
Cui Buqu nodded. "She's waiting for us to willingly take the bait. Come, let's go and play the fish tonight."
He rose and led Guan Shanhai and the others out.
Guan Shanhai noticed the new folding fan in Cui Buqu's hand. Though puzzled, he wasn't one to poke his nose into other people's business. He stuck to his duties, never asking any more questions than necessary.
Cui Buqu suddenly stopped. "Later, when you have the time, go inquire about when the Jiejian Bureau plans to return the painter they borrowed from the court."
"Understood."