Chapter 110 Qi-Liang Boundary (Twenty-Two) Anything can happen...

As Jiuli emerged from the inner courtyard, intending to go to Xubai's study to find Yu Qi and the others, she passed by Xuyun's study on the way. Seeing a small plaque hanging on the door, inscribed with the name "Guiyanzhai," she suddenly stopped, as if possessed, and turned to the door.

The door happened to be unlocked, so he pushed it open and went inside. He saw a desk in front of him, with a row of bookshelves behind it, and two sets of tables and chairs on either side below. Behind the tables and chairs were more bookshelves. Jiuli looked around, then went behind the desk and casually flipped through the books. He found two bookmarks, both delicately carved from thin bamboo strips.

Both slips of paper bear inscriptions by Li Qingzhao. One slip reads, "This year, I'm at the ends of the earth, my temples are turning gray." The other slip reads, "Don't laugh at the flowers I've been wearing while drunk, for spring is like a person growing old."

Both lines lament the fleeting beauty and loneliness in one's heart. Looking at the carving technique, it seems familiar. Isn't it the same one I saw in Xu Bai's study? According to Xu Bai, this was made by his mother herself. Jiu Li held the bookmark and pondered. The bookmark that Enoki gave to his son was inscribed with ambitious phrases such as "One should be a hero in life." Why is the one given to Xu Yun full of sorrowful phrases?

These women's complaints didn't sound like they were directed at a child at all; they sounded more like they were directed at the man they loved, their husbands.

"What are you doing here, young lady?"

A servant suddenly entered, startling Jiuli so much that she dropped the bookmark on the floor. She quickly bent down to pick it up, put it back in the book, and returned the book to the shelf. She walked around the desk and said, "I got lost. I thought this was your second master's study, but it turns out it wasn't. However, I saw a lot of books here, even more than in Xu Bai's study, so I just flipped through them."

The servant laughed and said, "This is my master's study. The second master's study is just ahead. Miss, you've been wandering around our house for two or three days, and you still don't know the way?"

"It's not that I'm confused, your house is just too big. It's easy to get lost just walking around."

"It's alright. Mr. Yu and the others are having lunch in the Second Master's study right now. I'll take the young lady there."

The two closed the door behind them and walked towards the study. Jiuli noticed that the servant looked honest and simple, so she struck up a conversation with him and took the opportunity to ask him when Master Qi had passed away and what his relationship with his two wives was like.

"When our master passed away, he was still very young, not even forty yet. Miss, just think about it, how could the two ladies not be heartbroken? During the three months of mourning, the two ladies cried every day. The second concubine even cried so much that she fell ill and it took her more than a year to gradually recover."

"According to you, your second concubine and your husband have a very deep relationship?"

"Of course, our master is highly talented and handsome, truly a dignified figure. Ah, our young lady looks just like him, don't you think our young lady is good-looking?"

Jiuli nodded repeatedly, "How old was your grandfather when he passed away?"

"Our eldest uncle was fourteen years old at that time, and our second uncle was only eleven years old."

"Your second aunt must have been quite young back then?"

"I'm not young anymore, I'll be thirty soon."

Jiuli was shocked. Since Master Qi died, Xuyun grew older day by day and Enoki grew more and more lonely day by day. A vigorous young man and a lonely woman in her boudoir lived under the same roof day after day. Finally, one day, it was like a thunderbolt igniting a fire in the earth.

Perhaps no one else would dare to think of this, but she was different. She understood this possibility better than anyone else, especially since the two people were not related by blood. Wasn't it the same with Yu Qi? By chance, two people, a man and a woman, were trapped together, and as time went on, anything could happen.

Arriving at Xu Bai's study, where lunch had just ended, Yu Qi, needing to return to the yamen to inquire about the coroner's autopsy results, bid farewell to Xu Yun. Xu Bai, fearing being pressured by Yan Shu at the yamen, told Yu Qi he wouldn't go, choosing to stay at the mansion to continue the investigation, and only accompanied Xu Yun as they slowly saw the group to the gate.

Yu Qi nodded. "The murderer is probably inside. Find out how many people there are and find out their whereabouts last night."

Xu Bai still had doubts and asked, "But how did the murderer poison the house? Did the two Taoist priests open the door for the murderer and let him in to poison him?"

Zhang Da shook his head from behind, "I don't think so. With two pairs of eyes watching, even if the murderer got into the house, he wouldn't have had a chance to poison the body, unless the two Taoist priests were blind."

Du Zhong also said, "I think the murderer wanted to kill Fan Yi, and Tian Qing was implicated by Fan Yi."

The group chatted amongst themselves, but Xu Yun and Jiu Li remained silent. Jiu Li secretly observed Xu Yun's expression and, seeing him slightly furrow his brow in thought, suddenly said to him, "Brother Qi, when I came out from inside, I saw that Second Aunt seemed to be looking for you."

Xu Yun paused for a moment, then his eyes, which had been turbulent, quickly calmed down. "He probably wants to ask about the death this morning."

Jiuli smiled at him without saying a word, but pulled Xubai aside and whispered a few words to him. Yu Qi turned his head and saw this, called out to her, and she grabbed her skirt and ran out the door.

Xu Yun and Xu Bai turned back. Xu Yun noticed that Xu Bai's expression was a bit off, so he asked what Jiu Li had told him. Xu Bai was silent for a moment, then looked at him and smiled, "She told me that she had just eaten with my sister-in-law, and my sister-in-law also asked her about the two Taoist priests. My sister-in-law also told her that she had given that Fan a couple hundred taels of silver yesterday, saying it was a reward for their rituals. Brother, I don't manage the household expenses, I really didn't expect that a few rituals would cost two hundred taels of silver?"

Xu Yun held his hand and said with a smile, "You don't need to worry about household chores. Just focus on handling the case well and assisting the prince."

Xu Bai glanced at his hand, intentionally or unintentionally. He happened to lower his hand, and his sleeve fell down to cover most of the back of his hand. However, Xu Bai had sharp eyes and still noticed that his hand was a little red.

He casually withdrew his gaze and said with a sigh, "If it weren't for this murder in the family, I wouldn't have known that the family affairs were so chaotic. I can only blame myself for neglecting my family."

“It’s rare that Your Highness values ​​this so much. You don’t need to worry about things at home.” Xu Yun comforted him, changing his usual attitude, and said, “If Your Highness’s plan to establish an heir is hopeless, then whatever happens in the future will be what it is. But you should plan ahead on how to ensure that Your Highness leaves the capital for Guizhou.”

Xu Bai was startled. Xu Yun patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go in and tell the two ladies what happened today, so they won't be worried."

"Where's my older brother?"

"I'll go to the study to draft an official document first, and then I'll come in later."

After speaking, Xu Yun walked into the study. He had just sat down when he noticed that a book on the table had been moved from the left to the right. Just then, a servant brought in tea, so he asked the servant, "Has someone been to my study?"

"When I went to eat just now, Miss Jiuli came in. Did you miss something, sir?"

Xu Bai shook his head and remained silent. The servant was about to leave when he heard Xu Bai instruct him at the door: "Go to the storeroom and get some ointment for treating tinea."

The servant agreed and went off.

As expected, when Yu Qi and his party returned to the yamen, Yan Shu summoned them to the inner hall for questioning. As soon as the questioning was finished, the coroner examined the bodies and reported that the two Taoist priests had been poisoned after midnight. Upon dissecting their intestines and stomachs, signs of corrosion were found. The poison they had been poisoned with was consistent with Yu Qi's judgment; it was indeed oleander.

Yan Shu looked worried and sighed, “Now the Qi family has lost three lives. Regardless of whether the murderer was the master or the slave, the Qi brothers, as officials of the court, cannot escape blame.”

Jiuli couldn't help but worry, "Will the court dismiss them from their posts? Last time, in the Qinglian Temple case, didn't the emperor want to summon Bai to the capital to reward him?"

Yan Shu smiled at Yu Qi, "Merit is merit, and fault is fault. Some people can offset their merits and faults, while others must deal with each matter separately."

Jiuli understood that it all depended on the Emperor, but the Emperor's face was as unpredictable as the weather in June, changing in an instant.

She mumbled something silently, which Yu Qi noticed. He glared at her and said, "You all go out first. I have something to discuss with Lord Yan."

After a while, they returned to the room. Jiuli was chatting excitedly at the table, while Zhang Da and Du Zhong looked horrified and asked her if it was true or not. This aroused Yu Qi's curiosity, who asked what earth-shattering secret she was talking about.

Du Zhong hurriedly closed the door and said mysteriously, "Yu'er said that Qi Xuyun and Second Aunt have an affair."

Yu Qi walked over and sat down with a calm expression. "How did you figure that out?"

Zhang Da's eyes widened immediately. "Is that really true?!"

"Why don't you believe me?!" Jiuli sneered. "I'm sure you can't be wrong about something like this! Those bookmarks are the evidence. What elder would write such melancholy words on a bookmark given to a younger person? It was written by a woman specifically for a man to see. She wanted this man to know her loneliness and longing. You two are so careless. No wonder not many women like you!"

Zhang Da still looked at Yu Qi, "Sir, you don't seem surprised at all. Do you believe it too?"

Yu Qi simply said, "The world is vast and full of wonders."

Zhang Da clicked his tongue repeatedly, "How is this possible? Although Second Madam still has her charm, she is already forty years old, while Master Qi is only twenty-five or twenty-six. They are two completely different people! What's more, Second Madam is Master Qi's concubine. This is a complete disruption of social order!"

He spoke with righteous indignation, and Yu Qi was so shocked that he dared not utter a sound.

Jiuli, however, thought of herself and immediately retorted, "What's so strange about that? Second Aunt is Xu Bai's mother, not Master Qi's mother. Calling her 'Little Aunt' is just a form of address. I think Chen Zifang and Fan Yi have this leverage over us. If you don't believe me, go to Baiyun Temple tomorrow and investigate carefully. A while ago, the three women of the Qi family went to the Taoist ceremony. Qi Xuyun said he didn't go with them, but he must have gone there secretly for some reason. Maybe he was having a secret rendezvous with Second Aunt and was seen by these two."

Zhang Da was stunned for a moment, then turned to Yu Qi and asked, "Mr. Yu, when you asked me to investigate Baiyun Temple, was it to investigate this matter?"

Yu Qi nodded with a smile, "Whether Qi Xuyun went to Baiyun Temple that day or not, he must have left clues about their affair inside the temple. Unfortunately, these clues were discovered by Chen Zifang and Fan Yi. So, a Taoist priest and a servant both extorted money from their master in the Qi family."

Zhang Da stared in disbelief, but Du Zhong quickly changed the subject, "It's their business if they're lovers, we don't need to argue about who's right or wrong. Anyway, these two were killed because they knew things they shouldn't have known. Let's think about who the murderer is!"

At this moment, Zhang Da had no choice but to believe it. He nodded to himself, "If this gets out, the reputation and dignity of Second Aunt, Master Qi, and even the entire Qi family will be ruined. If someone with ulterior motives reports it to the Ministry of Personnel, I'm afraid Master Qi won't even be able to keep his official hat! Zhang Manbao may not care about Second Aunt, but does she not care about her own husband? I think it must be her!"

Jiuli pondered, "Since Zhang Manbao is willing to give money, why would she kill someone? In my opinion, the second concubine is more suspicious."

Zhang Da added, "It's hard to say. Maybe she'll still be uneasy even after paying her. The safest way to prevent leaks is to silence her."

Du Zhong said, "I think it's Qi Xuyun. He's more likely to kill someone. He's a man, and he's braver and stronger than a woman."

The group argued endlessly, so they had to ask Yu Qi. Yu Qi smiled, picked up the teapot and poured tea, "What you all say makes sense, but you've overlooked one issue: how did the three of them know that this secret had been leaked? Of course, Zhang Manbao found out after being blackmailed by Fan Yi, but what about Second Aunt and Qi Xuyun?"

Du Zhong blinked. "Perhaps Chen Zifang is trying to extort the two of them."

Yu Qi smiled and shook his head. "I'll just ask you, if you were Chen Zifang, a servant in the Qi household for over ten years, and you knew this secret, among these three people involved, who would you choose to blackmail?"

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.