TEFSCBSS Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Hunt for the Killer (Part 3)

“Maybe it’s true that only what can’t be obtained is truly precious. At this moment, the merchant’s young miss became Liu Butcher’s white moonlight, and he lavished even more affection on Yanran, renting a house in the county town, buying maidservants to serve her as she grew up and learned.”

“Later, Liu Butcher heard that the young miss had never remarried and had instead opened a small Buddhist temple at home, living alone. He was filled with guilt and pity, vowing to build a career and bring his beloved woman home.”

“To fulfill his ambition, he negotiated with another family from the same village, arranging a so-called betrothal, and began using his in-laws’ power to expand his business, eventually becoming one of the most successful merchants in the town.”

“At first, the family was willing to let Liu Butcher marry their daughter, but with one condition—his wife would not become a concubine, and their children could not be considered illegitimate, to avoid public scandal.”

“Thus, Liu Butcher spent a lot of time thinking and eventually came up with a plan.”

“He brought Yanran back to his home, and fabricated a huge lie, claiming that she was his biological daughter with his original wife, and that Xiao Hong had been swapped somehow. But, since Xiao Hong had no parents, they were willing to continue raising her.”

“The elders in the family were aware of Liu Butcher’s actions, but though they didn’t approve, there was nothing they could do to stop him.”

“His original wife was confused, truly believing that Yanran was her child, but she could never bond with her and still favored Xiao Hong, always comforting her. Little did she know, Liu Butcher had a far more sinister plan: to poison his wife, claiming she died of illness, and then openly be with his beloved.”

“By then, the foolish son and Xiao Hong vaguely sensed something was wrong, but they had no idea of the bizarre circumstances behind it.”

“To compensate Yanran and further seize wealth, Liu Butcher wanted his son-in-law to switch fiancées and marry Yanran instead.”

“The in-laws weren’t as eager as Liu Butcher, only wishing to satisfy their children’s wishes. Since their son loved Xiao Hong, they allowed the marriage without care for social status, which enraged Liu Butcher.”

“Although Yanran had no feelings for the groom, she was influenced by Liu Butcher and refused to accept being rejected and trampled on. The maid who had raised her had some basic knowledge of pharmacology and, with a fake death drug given by the elders, Yanran devised a plan to kill the maid and steal the treasure, swallowing the poison herself to fake her death. She bribed a beggar to pose as a Taoist priest, spreading lies to ruin others’ reputations and create an opportunity for herself.”

“And this is the story we are witnessing today.”

“Today marks the final act of the grand drama between her and Liu Butcher.”

“Yanran manipulated Li Tiezhu, pretending to be a ghost, luring out the groom’s weakness, and, in collaboration with Liu Butcher, planned to kill the groom on their wedding day.”

“Liu Butcher followed the plan and poisoned Xiao Hong early, first muting her speech so she couldn’t speak up, and then, by midnight, letting the poison kill her. Yanran would then appear and fulfill the lie written on the bathroom wall—coming back to life.”

“The in-laws only had one son, and Liu Butcher further planned to make Yanran their adopted daughter to claim their fortune.”

“This plan was despicable and malicious beyond belief!”

“Everyone, we’ve been deceived!”

Wang Bokao, initially fatigued, became furious as he recalled the letters he’d seen, and his voice broke as he shouted in anger.

“Everyone! These letters were hidden away by that foolish son! He discovered all the secrets but couldn’t speak out, so he left these pieces of evidence in front of us! He just wanted to clear his mother’s name and save his little sister!”

The four participants at the entrance of the tombstone had all come out by now, each reacting differently to Wang Bokao’s words.

Liu Butcher, though the villain in the story, showed no reaction, as he wasn’t truly the one who committed the crime—he was merely playing a game, feeling a bit melancholic.

Li Tiezhu, also tired, just wanted to go home, his dull nature making him a good actor under Su Li’s guidance.

But Han Yueyi, hearing these words, thought about the recent events surrounding the true and false daughters, and then about his betrothal. He cast a glance at Su Li—was this what she was subtly trying to tell him? Was Prime Minister Su planning to have him killed to gain benefits for the true daughter?

Su Li: Actually, I don’t know my background either. It’s just a shell I made up. But whether you die or I die, that’s a real thing.

Meanwhile, Wang Bokao continued urging the others to vote for Liu Butcher.

“Everyone, I don’t know how many of you haven’t voted yet, but—this is our last chance! If we don’t capture the true murderer, Liu Butcher, he will escape, and his plan will succeed, causing Xiao Hong’s tragic death!”

The crowd exchanged glances, their resolve shaken by Wang Bokao’s passionate words. Even Wang Qingmu was stunned.

He couldn’t even continue to argue or try to sway the vote.

It was simple—what Wang Bokao said was too convincing, and he knew Liu Butcher was the true killer. His original plan was to cast suspicion on Han Yueyi and Li Tiezhu, never praising Liu Butcher, so afterward, he could say he didn’t expect anyone to be so evil.

But if he argued in defense of Liu Butcher now, he would have no excuse for angering others once the script was over.

Thus, Wang Qingmu, helpless, pretended to be angry and thoughtful, saying nothing.

Finally, those who hadn’t voted made their decision as time ran out.

“To hell with it, I’ll vote for Liu Butcher!”

“Young Master Wang explained everything clearly, I have no choice but to believe him! I’m voting too!”

“Exactly!”

“We’re righteous, though not too bright, we can still tell right from wrong—Liu Butcher it is!”

“Vote for Liu Butcher!”

“Too bad I already voted, otherwise, I’d give him a vote too!”

At last, the remaining ten cast their votes.

Su Li arrived just in time, tapped the gong, and began counting the votes. In the end, Li Tiezhu received nine votes, Han Yueyi five, and Liu Butcher ten.

Su Li looked over the crowd, smiling with satisfaction, “The true murderer is Liu Butcher.”

Cheers erupted from the crowd. They had won! The ten voted for Liu Butcher, each receiving four taels of silver.

The others, though envious, still felt it was worth the experience, having gone through such an unusual and thrilling story with such a unique twist.

Su Li tapped the gong again, and the crowd fell silent, waiting for Boss Zhao to speak.

“Everyone, thank you for helping solve the case today. This is our first attempt here at the West Tower Script Store, and in the future, we’ll have more fun games for you to enjoy.”

“Today’s ‘The Past of Huai Tree Village’ comes to an end, but please keep the details of the script confidential, so others can have the same experience and enjoy it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. It was something best experienced firsthand, and they’d have their tales to tell later.

Su Li was grateful, and had Zhao Si step forward to distribute a small booklet to everyone, then led them to the first floor of the West Tower.

There, a rack had been set up, with small wooden plaques hanging on it, and above them, three large words were carved: “Leaderboard.”