Chapter 112 The Boundary Between Qi and Liang (Twenty-Four): Fleeing from Crime or Committing Suicide...

Xu Bai recalled that it was around that time that a graceful widow and a vigorous young man came together and began to secretly engage in illicit affairs.

He stared blankly for a long time with his eyelids drooping, then suddenly felt a nausea in his stomach and rushed to the underside of the corridor, where he leaned against the railing and began to dry heave. Looking up, he saw Yuqing and Xiuzhi standing under the corridor, looking at him with concern.

Did they all hear it? How much did they hear? He wished there was a crack in the ground he could disappear into.

Jiuli rushed out the door, asking, "Are you alright?"

He shook his head and waved his hands, unable to speak, his stomach churning, yet nothing came out. After a while, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and in front of Yu Qingxiuzhi, forced a smile, his gaze shifting uncertainly, "The talisman at Baiyun Temple, I think someone framed her, yes, it must be a frame-up! Widows are always surrounded by gossip, and my mother has offended many people over the years managing the household. Someone must be holding a grudge and deliberately framing her, it must be—"

Jiuli, Yuqing, and Xiuzhi remained silent, but Du Zhong stepped forward and said, "If you don't believe me, we'll go to the yamen right now to examine the handwriting."

Xiuzhi walked over and secretly tugged at him. He was unconvinced and went straight to Xubai, staring at him intently. He smiled and said, "Anyway, we'll have someone from your household identify the writing on that talisman tomorrow. I don't think this matter should be publicized. Instead of having someone else identify it, you should identify it yourself. Do you dare to go?"

Xu Bai glared at him, feeling forced to go. After a moment of stunned silence, he could only nod slowly.

So the three of them instructed Yuqing and Xiuzhi to lock the door, and then took the inkstone and returned to the county office. Just then, Zhang Da was about to go home. Seeing the three of them returning in the dark, he guessed that they must have made an important discovery. When he saw Xu Bai's pale face, he did not dare to ask him. Instead, he quietly asked Du Zhong. Du Zhong explained in a low voice as he walked into Yu Qi's room.

Yu Qi was still sitting at his desk looking at two talismans. He was not surprised to see the group of people coming over. He simply stepped out of his desk and handed the two talismans to Xu Bai for identification. After hearing from Jiu Li that an inkstone with a lot of bloodstains had been found in Xu Yun's study, he went to the Eight Immortals table to examine it.

Jiuli looked toward the desk and saw Xu Bai holding two talismans, lost in thought. Not wanting to go over and comfort him, she could only lower her head and say to Yu Qi, "I checked at home, and it is indeed blood."

Yu Qi examined the blood again and found it to be correct. He frowned, moved the candle closer, and examined the inkstone intently, turning it over and over.

Zhang Da picked up the blood-stained paper from the table and examined it closely. He glanced at everyone in horror, "It really is Grandpa Qi?"

At this moment, Xu Bai slowly walked over, his face dejected and his eyes gloomy. He placed two talismans on the table and said, "Arrest Qi Xuyun immediately."

Because of the scandalous affair, it was best not to make it public, especially since Qi Xuyun was just a civil official. Therefore, Xu Bai only brought Zhang Da and A Liu with him to the Qi residence. It was just past midnight when the gatekeeper saw him returning home with two yamen runners. He was puzzled and asked a question, but Xu Bai could only make up an excuse to brush it off.

Zhang Da and A Liu waited in the study outside, while Xu Bai went to Xu Yun's courtyard. The main room was still lit. He knocked on the door and came in. Only Man Bao was there, wearing clothes and doing needlework on the couch.

When asked about Xu Yun, Manbao sighed and said, "Your elder brother went out an hour ago, saying he had an important official document to return from the yamen. You came here so late at night, is there something important you need to see him about?"

Xu Bai smiled and replied dismissively, "It's nothing, I was just feeling down and couldn't sleep, so I came to talk to my brother. Since he's not home, I'll head back now. Sister-in-law, please get some rest."

After taking his leave, he went to his study outside and ordered Zhang Da and A Liu to go to the Ministry of Rites to arrest the person.

To their surprise, their efforts throughout the night were fruitless. The next morning, Jiuli and Duzhong arrived at the yamen, only to find Zhang Da and A Liu sitting in Yu Qi's room, speculating about Xu Yun's whereabouts. Jiuli asked and learned that Xu Yun had not been to the yamen the previous night, and Zhang Da and A Liu guessed that he had most likely fled to avoid punishment.

Jiuli glanced at Yu Qi's expression and saw that he remained silent, only sitting behind his desk examining the inkstone. She then sat down at the octagonal table and asked softly, "Where will Brother Qi run off to?"

Zhang Da shook his head. "Even Lord Qi doesn't know. He's all over the country, who knows where he'll run off to? He's an official, as long as he shows his official credentials when he leaves the city, who would dare to stop him for questioning?"

"Should we issue an arrest warrant?"

Zhang Da still shook his head. "Just now, Lord Yan said that Qi Xuyun is an official appointed by the imperial court. Before the imperial court issues an order, no notices can be posted. Instead, people can be ordered to search and arrest him secretly."

Jiuli glanced at Yu Qi from afar, and seeing that he wasn't looking in their direction, she leaned closer and asked, "What did Xu Bai say?"

"Alas, Lord Qi didn't say anything, only that this matter should not be publicized before Master Qi is brought to justice, and instructed us that if anyone in his household asked, we should say that the case has not yet been investigated."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. This morning, Lord Yan wanted to see him and sent someone to the Qi family to invite him, saying that he had disappeared early in the morning."

Du Zhong secretly suspected that he might know his brother's whereabouts, but was just going through the motions for the authorities while secretly helping his brother escape.

Jiuli, however, was thinking that although catching the suspect was the most important thing at the moment, the suspect was Xu Bai's older brother. From a public perspective, he was probably afraid of not being able to explain himself to the officials; from a private perspective, he was even more afraid of hearing people gossiping about his mother and his older brother's affair. He was also afraid of being questioned at home, so he must have hidden himself in a quiet place at this time.

As she was wondering where to find Xu Bai, she suddenly heard Yu Qi sneer from behind his desk, "You seem quite concerned about him. What, are you afraid he can't even handle this little setback? I don't think this is a big deal for him. He'll figure it out in a few days."

Jiuli sensed the sarcasm in his voice, so she could only purse her lips and shuffle over to the table. "You know everything about him. You know him better than his family."

“Just by looking at his decision last night, you can tell he’s a man who puts the greater good before personal feelings.” Yu Qi still had a mocking smile on his lips. He finally put down the inkstone, relaxed his brows, and stood up. “Officer Zhang, you will come with me to Chen Zifang’s house.”

Zhang Da stood up in confusion, pointing towards the door with his backhand, "Going to Chen Zifang's house? What about Qi Xuyun—"

"Aren't there two teams searching outside? Whether they find anything or not, we can't just sit here and wait. Come with me to take care of some other important business."

Contrary to her usual behavior, Jiu Li didn't insist on going along, but silently followed the three of them out of the government office. Seeing that Yu Qi was walking ahead and not paying much attention to her, she quietly slipped into the crowd of people coming and going in the other direction. They walked westward back to Liuli Street, emerged from one of the long alleys, and reached Panlong Road, where they turned into a riverside restaurant.

Although the restaurant was not grand, it was unusually quiet and elegant. On the left side of the hall, a row of small rooms were separated by floor-length bamboo curtains. Jiu Li searched the rooms one by one and sure enough, he found Xu Bai, who was drunk, in the last small room.

The place is cramped, barely big enough for a square table. Outside the railing grow some weeping willows, and occasionally a small boat glides by on the river beyond. On the opposite bank, another row of willows casts their shadows on the continuous stretch of green-tiled roofs, where roosters crow and dogs bark. It's a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle, a serene and peaceful scene. Jiuli once heard him mention that when he was still a student, he often met friends here for drinks. But after entering officialdom, he feared that drinking would interfere with his duties, so he drank less.

Jiuli called over a waiter and ordered a bowl of hangover soup before waking Xubai. Xubai raised his neck and vaguely saw her face, gave a drunken laugh, and slumped back onto the table. "It's you. Did you catch my older brother?"

"No." Jiuli sat down, and seeing tea on the table, poured him a cup to help him sober up. "You came here to drink so early in the morning?"

Xu Bai buried his face in his arms, his lazy voice laced with sarcasm, "They're probably busy hunting down my elder brother right now, aren't they? Anyway, I should avoid suspicion, so I might as well hide. I wonder if Mr. Yu suspects that I've hidden my elder brother?"

"My uncle and the others went to Chen Zifang's house."

He turned his face toward her, smiling as he looked at her for a moment, "Where are you going? Why don't you come with me?"

Jiuli pursed her lips and said, "I'm a little worried about you."

"You're keeping an eye on me because you're afraid I'll secretly contact my older brother?"

She sighed softly, "I was afraid you might do something rash."

He chuckled softly from under his nose, staring at her without blinking. "Why would I be upset about something because of my mother and my older brother? It's not surprising, really."

Jiuli suddenly felt guilty and lowered his eyes to look at the table. He then sat up and laughed, "Is this what they call 'love growing over time'? Because there's only this one man I'm with every day, so I can only like him?"

This question was directed at Enkiyu and Xuyun, as well as at her and Yuqi. Jiuli knew she didn't know how to refute his disdain, so she could only shake her head. "I think women are just easily attracted to men who care about what's on their minds. For over a decade, you've only been focused on reading your books and scheming your big plans. Have you ever taken the time to care about your mother?"

When asked the question, Xu Bai remained silent, feeling short of breath and his chest heaving violently.

Jiuli then asked, "If you just think about it, even though your mother is your mother, she is still a woman, then you won't find it hard to accept."

Xu Bai smiled and shook his head, having nothing to say, and poured himself a glass of wine, which he then drank in one gulp.

She then asked, "Does your household know about your elder brother's disappearance?"

“I didn’t tell them. My sister-in-law asked me this morning, and I just said that my brother had important official business to attend to in the capital. He left in a hurry overnight, without taking many people with him or packing any luggage. He just sent someone from the government office to tell me.”

Do your family members believe it?

"Whether they believe it or not, they have nowhere to verify it."

Jiuli nodded, then suddenly heard something suspicious, "Your older brother didn't bring any valuables?"

“He didn’t bring anything. This morning, I was talking to my sister-in-law about my brother’s trip to Beijing, and she was wondering why he didn’t send someone back to pack some luggage.” As he spoke of this, Xu Bai began to have doubts. If Xu Yun had fled out of fear of punishment, why didn’t he even bring any luggage?

He suddenly shivered, instantly sobering up considerably. He quickly stood up, exclaiming, "Oh no! Back to the yamen!"

Given Xu Yun's upright and honest character, even if he had broken the law, he shouldn't have fled. Jiu Li immediately realized that he was probably looking for a place to commit suicide out of fear of punishment! The two hurriedly returned to the yamen, just in time to meet the search party who came back to report that Xu Bai had not been seen leaving the city at any of the city gates.

Most people who flee from the city do so by running away into the wilderness or to other places. Xu Yun was not seen leaving the city, which shows that he had no intention of escaping.

Xu Bai panicked and slumped into a chair, a cold sweat suddenly breaking out on his forehead.

Jiuli hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Where does your eldest brother usually go?"

He racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. His elder brother was usually either at the yamen or at home. He didn't seem to go anywhere often. He neither frequented brothels nor liked socializing. Apart from his family, he was all alone.

Seeing that he couldn't answer, Jiuli hurriedly pulled him up, "Don't just sit there! Let's go ask your mother, maybe she knows!"

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Author's note: Thank you for reading. I'm sorry, I'm experiencing side effects from the medication I took. I feel nauseous and not in good spirits, so this is all I can write for now. I'll switch to a different medication tomorrow.