Jiang Yichuan muttered, a hint of fear in his voice, his brows tightly knitted. His fingers unconsciously gripped the table edge until his knuckles turned white.

"My Lord, what happened?" Hu Qi asked, confused.

Jiang Yichuan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze heavy:

"Su Xingyao knew about the Du sisters' habit of switching rooms and clothes."

"But Manager Zhang already confessed to the poisoning - what does this prove?" Hu Qi asked, bewildered.

Jiang Yichuan's gaze sharpened like a blade as he stared at the serving boy, making him shiver:

"Zhang's poisoning is true, but he may have been merely a pawn..."

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Yichuan's eyes, as if he'd grasped something crucial:

"This game was Su Xingyao's from the start."

"Lady Su wanted to harm Du Qingdai too?" Qi Feng stood up abruptly, his face changing.

"No, her target was always Du Qingshuang." Jiang Yichuan's eyes flashed cold as steel, each word sharp as a blade.

"Think about it - who best knew the Du sisters' habit of switching rooms? Who would know most intimately about her bedmate's private affairs? Su knew exactly how to make a frightened bird fly straight into her trap."

These words struck Hu Qi and Qi Feng like lightning.

Qi Feng frowned deeply, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, his eyes gleaming. Hu Qi's round face turned red with concentration, clearly struggling to piece something together.

"Oh my word!"

Hu Qi suddenly slapped his thigh so hard the teacups jumped:

"I remember now! Didn't that servant say he 'heard Manager Zhang plotting poison while warming food in the kitchen' -"

He pointed at the serving boy who was still serving dishes, his voice rising sharply:

"It must have been when Lady Su went to find this servant in the kitchen that she overheard Manager Zhang's poisoning plan!"

"Exactly!" Jiang Yichuan gave a cold laugh, his gaze sharp as a blade. "What a masterful chain of schemes by Lady Su! First, she secretly entered Du Qingshuang's room to set up the trap, creating the illusion that someone had broken in."

"Then, while chatting with Du Qingshuang, she casually mentioned that someone meant her harm. When Du Qingshuang returned to her room and found it tampered with, how could she not believe it?"

His eyes grew colder: "As for that person in black, hah, it was nothing but a play she fabricated out of thin air!"

"That explains it," Qi Feng suddenly understood, "no wonder Manager Zhang said 'Du Qingshuang was fine while talking to Lady Su, but rushed back to her room in panic right after.'"

"What a clever way to kill by borrowing another's knife..." Hu Qi shuddered, "but how did she ensure the poison meant for Du Qingdai would end up with Du Qingshuang instead?"

A fragrant breeze wafted by, and before the three could react, a sweet voice responded: "What assurance? It was simply a gamble."

Su Xingyao appeared before them with graceful steps.

Her lips curved in a smile, but frost lurked in her eyes:

"I bet on Du Qingshuang's burning hatred for her sister. I bet she would switch rooms with her sister, planning to have her sister die in her place."

Her voice was sweet as honey, but hidden with blade-sharp edges: "With that room switch, my gamble had a chance of success."

She glided to Jiang Yichuan's side, her slender fingers tapping the table edge, her smile deepening while her eyes grew colder:

"Since I won the bet, naturally I can't be called the murderer."

Her tone was casual, as if discussing something trivial: "After all, Du Qingshuang entered the game willingly - she must accept the outcome of her gamble."

She straightened up gracefully, lightly touching her hair ornament, her red lips parting:

"It's just that this time, the stake was her life."

Cold laughter echoed through the hall, like the sound of snow falling on frozen ground. As the laughter faded, she raised her delicate hand, examining it in the candlelight:

"My hands are cleaner than anyone's."

She gently caressed her fingertips, her eyes cold, as if admiring her own "innocence." Then, she called to several sisters: "Take good care of His Highness." With that, she turned and left, leaving only a swaying silhouette.

Her skirts swished elegantly, that flash of red appearing and disappearing in the shadows.

Watching her retreating figure, Jiang Yichuan suddenly recalled the priest's words: "Neither pure nor impure, between good and evil, all is illusion."

His gaze hardened, a chill running through his heart - this woman who emerged from a brothel had proven remarkably cunning.

After a cup of tea's time, Su Xingyao had changed into plain white robes, pacing leisurely in the hall. Her gaze kept drifting intentionally yet seemingly carelessly toward the bronze mirror in the corner.

Her reflection in the mirror showed her in snow-white clothes, cold as frost. But those eyes seemed to be watching something invisible.

Jiang Yichuan gently touched the jade pendant in his sleeve, his mind made up.

The secrets of Peach Blossom House, it seemed, ran far deeper than they appeared on the surface.