Chapter 30 Double Confusion (010) She had pressed towards him like a dangerous force...

After the meal, Yu Qi specifically asked Jiu Li to clear away the dishes and take them to the kitchen, leaving Du Zhong alone in the room to inquire, as usual, about Xu Bai and Jiu Li's words and actions outside that morning.

"It's nothing. When we went out, Yu'er and I rode in a carriage, and Qi Xubai rode a horse. We didn't do anything out of line. However—"

Yu Qixuan sat down behind the desk, leaning back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of his abdomen, his gaze sharpening. "But what?"

"Oh, it has nothing to do with the fish." Du Zhong quickly smiled, his eyes gradually becoming unfocused. "I just think Qi Xubai is a bit strange, or maybe I'm just overthinking it."

Yu Qi's expression softened. "What's strange about it? Tell me."

He walked to the chair. “Everyone says that Qi Xubai, though just a minor official, loves the people like his own children. But this morning when we went to ask him to investigate that man surnamed Chu, he was unhurried, only worried about whether Yu’er had fully recovered and whether she would catch a cold if she went out. Actually, he has always cared about Yu’er, so it’s not strange. But I always feel that an official who loves the people like his own children shouldn’t be thinking about investigating cases. If he’s only concerned about women, it seems a bit like neglecting his duties.”

Yu Qi glanced at him sideways, remained silent, and thought carefully. Since the incident, Qi Xubai seemed to be busy chasing the murderer every day, but he relied on him and Jiu Li for everything. He was just assisting from the side as the chief officer. Was he powerless or did he simply not care about such a small matter?

"Go on."

Speaking of Chu Fengchun, Jiuli happened to return and overheard a few words. He quickly put down the small bamboo basket containing charcoal and went into the east inner room. "Uncle, don't you think Chu Fengchun is strange? He's from Sichuan, and he has no relatives or friends in Nanjing, nor any business. Why did he buy the lychee garden?"

Yu Qi said, "Didn't you ask him?"

Jiuli rolled her lips and shook her head, "I asked him, but he wouldn't say. Instead, he mocked me, saying it wasn't related to the case."

Although not related to the murder case, this person was indeed suspicious. However, since it was none of his business, Yu Qi lowered his eyelids and pondered for a moment, but then, too lazy to ask any further questions, he leaned back in his chair.

Du Zhong said, "However, he mentioned a hoodlum named Wan San. Wan San once told him that he had a way to force Master Li to lower the price. The yamen officials are currently investigating this Wan San."

Yu Qi glanced at Jiu Li with a smile and said, "The truth about Lin Mo's case is about to come out. You're going to win."

Jiuli felt that he was deliberately delaying Guan Zhan's case, and that winning wouldn't be very meaningful. He pursed his lips, moved a small stove to the corner of the wall, and went to the gauze cabinet to take the basket of charcoal.

The small stove was left over from brewing medicine a couple of days ago; she was too lazy to run back and forth to the kitchen to fetch water for cheaper tea. She didn't know how to start a fire, and after squatting there for ages trying to light it, she still couldn't get it going. Du Zhong scolded her for being clumsy while taking the tinder from her. She got up, still grumbling, and just then, she saw a familiar-looking woman enter the cave through the window.

It was Guan Youjun. Just like the last time I saw her, she was still dressed in plain white, without any jewelry. Her face was pale, but she had a slight smile on her face as she walked in the courtyard. She walked slowly, and her skirt seemed to turn into drifting catkins in the misty rain, floating with the wind, giving her a kind of ethereal beauty.

Behind her, a woman of similar age held an umbrella for her, while she carried a small box wrapped in blue brocade.

Jiuli guessed she was looking for Yu Qi, and she was right. She stood in the courtyard, looked into the window, and called out "Mr. Yu" to Yu Qi's profile. Yu Qi turned to look out the window and saw her, smiling and gesturing. Jiuli rarely saw him smile so kindly and warmly at strangers, and she was quite unaccustomed to it.

He led her to the outer room, where Youjun quietly instructed the woman to wait in the corridor. She gracefully lifted her skirt and entered, greeting him, "I've come today to bring my younger brother home."

Why didn't they go to Zhang Da to collect Guan Zhan's body? Jiu Li sat in front of the small stove, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, tilting her head to look outside.

"Just a couple of days ago, someone sent me some new tea. Although it wasn't pre-Qingming tea, I tasted it and found it to be excellent. So I prepared some to bring to you, sir. I hope you won't find it offensive."

Yu Qi waved for her to take a seat at the head of the table, saying, "Miss Guan, you're too kind."

"You're welcome. I appreciate your help with my brother's case."

She placed the box on the central table and opened it herself. Inside, the tea caddy was made of celadon Ru ware, which was quite valuable. It was truly a grand gesture; no wonder people said the Guan family was very wealthy.

Jiuli glanced at Du Zhong and saw that he was also staring at the other person, so she glared at him secretly.

"Now let's try Miss Guan's fine tea." Yu Qi took out the jar, called Jiu Li out from the gauze cabinet, and handed the jar to her.

Jiuli took the girl and saw Guan Youjun looking at her with a smile. "This is your niece, sir?"

Even his niece knows, so it seems they've inquired about it privately.

Yu Qi and Jiu Li pointed and said, "Greetings, Miss Guan."

Jiuli walked up to greet her, unsure of how to address her, and after some thought, called out "Sister Guan".

Youjun covered her mouth and laughed, the sound of her laughter blending with the sound of the rain outside the door, both sounding soft and clear. "You call me sister, but I am the same age as your uncle. Wouldn't that mess up the generations? You should call me aunt instead."

Jiuli laughed and said, "Doesn't calling you that make you sound old?"

"People always get old." She smiled wryly.

"The concubine will not grow old."

She smiled at Yu Qi, "Your girl is so good with words. I didn't expect to forget to bring a gift for you, Miss. Next time, I'll definitely bring one." Then she looked back at Jiu Li, "What kind of things does Miss usually like?"

The phrase "next time" didn't sound like a polite remark, and Jiu Li felt a little awkward. She could only shake her head and say, "I can't really say, Auntie, please don't bother."

She carefully examined Jiuli from head to toe, fixing her gaze on her slender wrist. "Our jewelry store received a batch of gemstones last month. I'll pick some out and make a bracelet for you. It's not good for a young lady to be too plain."

Yu Qi said, "How could I dare to spend money?"

"As the saying goes, a fine sword is given to a hero, but I think a precious pearl is given to a beauty. Neither is a waste of money." She said in a light tone, and then sighed with a smile. "I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a businessman, but sometimes I don't really act like one. People in our jewelry business often spend a lot of money to buy those gems. I should be happy, but at the same time, I feel sorry for those things. Someone like you, young lady, is a perfect match."

A woman should be genuinely happy to receive another woman's praise, but Jiu Li, while pleased, felt a little wistful. She thanked him twice, then carried the tea canister back to the east inner room.

Youjun followed her inside and saw Du Zhong. She praised him and said she would prepare a gift for him.

Du Zhong leaned closer to Jiu Li and whispered to her, "This Aunt Guan is truly a woman of great business acumen; she's so generous."

Jiuli didn't say a word, resting her elbows on her legs, slouching and fanning herself with a palm leaf fan. Sometimes she would glance at the fire, sometimes she would look up and look out. Her posture was nonchalant, but her ears were perked up to listen to her and Yu Qi's conversation.

It was nothing more than talking about Guan Zhan. Yu Qi mentioned that Zhang Da had detained Rou Ge, saying, "The yamen suspects that she hates your brother because of love."

Youjun looked surprised, but gradually seemed to understand. "If that's really the case, then my younger brother is also at fault. Speaking of my younger brother—"

She shook her head with a bitter smile. "Ever since he got married the year before last, I've been advising him to change his fickle nature, settle down, and learn to do something serious so I can feel at ease when the business is handed over to him. But he wouldn't listen to my advice, and my mother spoils him rotten. If he had listened to even a word I said, he wouldn't be in this state today."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't find a handkerchief in her sleeve, so Yu Qi handed her one. "It's said that emotions are hard to control. Even you can't control yourself, let alone others. The eldest daughter has done her duty as an older sister. There's no need to be overly sad and blame yourself. Besides, the feelings between men and women are ever-changing. No one can imagine that yesterday you were so in love, and today you hate each other to the bone."

She took it, a sorrowful smile spreading across her face. "Actually, that Rouge girl was also a pitiful person."

Yu Qi looked away and smiled. "The young lady is truly kind-hearted. She killed your brother and you still sympathize with her. I heard that the day you went to see her, you kindly offered her some money, and she cursed at you."

Youjun wiped away her tears and shook her head. "Which woman in the world isn't pitiful? I'm a woman too. I thought that since she and my brother had finally gotten along, and now that he's dead, it wouldn't be unreasonable to give her some money, or even let her scold me a bit. I never imagined that she would be the murderer of my brother—I don't know whether to hate her or pity her now. By the way, I wonder how the authorities will deal with her?"

"Naturally, it will be handled in accordance with the law."

She paused for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Now that I'm back, I can finally give my mother an explanation."

After she finished speaking, tea was brewed inside. Jiuli brought out two bowls, but she got up to take her leave. Yu Qi also got up to see her off to the door. After seeing her and her maid walk away with an umbrella, he clasped his hands and called Du Zhong over, "Don't you like to join in the fun? The Guan family is taking away a corpse. The procession must be quite grand. Aren't you going to go and take a look?"

Du Zhong glanced at his smiling face for a moment, nodded as if he understood, and also looked towards the east of the garden.

Sure enough, dozens of people from the Guan family, from the steward to ordinary servants, came and stood outside the room where the body was kept, all dressed in mourning clothes, weeping with their faces covered. Several patients from the garden also came to watch the spectacle. After searching for a while, Du Zhong saw Zhang Da sitting with Guan Youjun in an empty room separated by a Taihu rock, waiting for the people sent to the yamen to return.

A few moments later, a familiar-looking yamen runner came by. Zhang Da saw him and hurriedly called out to him from inside the lattice door, "Cai Jin, could you bring the documents?"

It turned out that this constable was Cai Jin. Zhang Da had mentioned him in Jiu Li's room that night. Du Zhong looked closely and realized why he looked so familiar. On the night Guan Zhan's body was discovered, he went out to call for help, and the first person to arrive was this Cai Jin.

Cai Jin indeed brought an official document, which he presented to Zhang Da for review. Zhang Da then ordered him to give it to Youjun for her approval and seal. After handing the document to Youjun, he stood before her.

Du Zhong looked at him, and a sense of doubt arose in his heart. Finding it hard to see clearly, he lowered his head and walked to the right. Looking from behind the Taihu stone, he could see that Cai Jin's gaze changed slightly when it fell on Guan Youjun's face.

After a while, Youjun pressed her fingerprint, then looked around for a handkerchief but couldn't find it. There was one in her sleeve, the one Yu Qi had given her earlier, but she hadn't bothered to take it out, whether she'd forgotten or not. Cai Jin, on the other hand, quickly reached into his pocket and gave her a handkerchief. She glanced at him, calmly accepted it, and stood up to thank Zhang Da.

Zhang Da stood up and said, "Miss Guan, there's no need to be so polite. How many days do you plan to keep the body at your residence? I'd like to inform you both, as you'll surely be visiting to pay your respects."

Youjun said, "My mother and I have agreed to keep the coffin in state for half a month. If you two gentlemen are willing to condescend to do so, we will certainly wait for you."

The three of them went outside and walked towards the morgue next door. Zhang Da took the opportunity to instruct Cai Jin to deliver the body.

A few servants from the Guan family entered the house, changed Guan Zhan into his burial clothes, carried him out, and placed him in the sandalwood coffin that had been brought in. The coffin was closed, and the whole family burst into tears. People scattered paper money and raised funeral banners, starting the procession. Guan Youjun was supported by servants on either side as she walked out. Du Zhong followed the onlookers to the gate, watching as Guan Youjun boarded the carriage, with Cai Jin following closely behind. A thought struck him, and he followed behind the procession.

After traveling east for about half an hour, we turned onto Xilong Street. After walking a short while longer, we saw the gate of the Guan family's residence. There was already a group of people waiting in front of the gate. The person in charge was an elderly woman, dressed in plain clothes, with tears streaming down her face. She was being comforted by people around her. She must be Mrs. Guan.

When Madam Guan saw the procession approaching, she threw herself onto the coffin and began to wail loudly. Guan Youjun, who must have heard her from inside the carriage, hurriedly lifted the curtain to get out. However, before the carriage had come to a complete stop, it jolted her and almost threw her off. Fortunately, Cai Jin reacted quickly and caught her.

She glanced at him once before withdrawing her arm and rushing forward to comfort Mrs. Guan.

No matter how much she pleaded and begged, Madam Guan ignored her, only crying out "My child," wiping her snot and tears all over her. Soon, the woman was sobbing uncontrollably and was helped inside by a group of servants. Guan Youjun stood there, straightened her clothes, and dusted herself off before going in herself. Naturally, Cai Jin followed her in.

The sky had cleared by then, so Du Zhong found a teahouse across the street and sat down. He waited until the afternoon before Cai Jin came out.

“He was inside for about two hours,” Du Zhongtian told Yu Qi when he returned after dark. “When he came out, he was carrying a food box in his hand. It was probably food he brought from the Guan family. It was brought out by the young wife who came with Guan Youjun today.”

Because he returned late, Jiuli and Yuqi had already eaten and left some food for him. Jiuli went to the kitchen to ask Aunt Zhou to heat it up. Just as she entered, she heard half a sentence, quickly closed the door, turned around, and excitedly walked to the round table, "Who is it? Who is it? Who saw whom out?"

Although Du Zhong had some snacks at the teahouse, he was getting hungry quickly at his age. After an hour or two, he couldn't hold on any longer and hurriedly grabbed the basket and set out the bowls and plates, saying, "Go, go, go!"

He sat down and began to wolf down his food. Jiu Li couldn't bear to watch and poured him a bowl of water. "Where did you go? You were gone for half a day and didn't come back until dark. Aren't you afraid of being kidnapped?"

Hearing her teasing him, Yu Qi, fearing the two would quarrel again, said, "Let him eat first."

Jiuli had no choice but to turn back to the chair and sit down. She turned to Yuqi and said, "You asked him to go and see what kind of excitement he was going to see at noon. I've asked you several times, but he won't tell me. Now that he's back, he should tell me, right?"

Yu Qi raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "You've been asking me all afternoon, aren't you annoyed?" "That's called learning without getting tired. Didn't you always tell me that to learn something, you have to ask more questions and listen more?"

I'm referring to scholarship.

She glanced at her with a smile, "It's all the same, we all ask when we don't understand."

He could only smile helplessly. A silver lamp sat between them, casting a yellowish glow on their faces, but not a waxy yellow; rather, it created a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

Du Zhong, holding the bowl, hurriedly swallowed a mouthful of food and said, "Master told me to go with Miss Guan to take a look. At first, I didn't know what to look at, but as I looked, I understood. It turns out you wanted me to look at the relationship between Cai Jin and the Guan family."

"What's the relationship between Cai Jin and the Guan family?" Jiu Li was completely confused. After thinking for a moment, she remembered that Yu Qi had asked Zhang Da about Cai Jin that night, and then she suddenly realized, "So, you sent Du Zhong to watch the excitement under the pretense, but to follow them. However, why do you suspect that Guan Zhan's death is related to that yamen runner named Cai Jin?"

Yu Qi held a teacup in his hand, wiping the rim of the cup with his head down. "I once said that there is no such thing as flying over rooftops and scaling walls in this world. When you went to Guan Zhan's room, the murderer was hiding in a dark corner of the courtyard. He only slipped out after you went inside. But not long after, Du Zhong ran out to call for help. He's always quick on his feet. Do you think he saw the murderer when he ran out?"

Jiuli pondered for a moment and then a flash of inspiration struck her. She slammed her hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and exclaimed excitedly, "That's it! He runs like a monkey. When he ran to the bamboo grove, he probably almost caught up with the murderer. The murderer was scared and simply turned around! Pretending to be someone who came running after hearing the noise. That's Cai Jin!"

As she spoke, she simply walked back and forth in front of him, touching her chin with one hand, "No wonder you didn't tell Zhang Da anything. Are you afraid he'll leak the news or protect his subordinates?"

Yu Qi watched her dance in front of him, her skirt fluttering and swirling around, and leaned back in his chair, amused. "It's my good fortune that you can sit still for a while."

She had no choice but to walk back to her chair and sit down, but she reached out and shook his arm that was resting on the table, saying, "Please tell me!"

"Not entirely. I just couldn't figure out Cai Jin's motive for killing Guan Zhan, so I could only remain inactive. It wasn't until Guan Youjun came to Liyuan that day and I met with her that I realized the key might lie within the Guan family themselves."

"Could it be that Cai Jin killed Guan Zhan because of some grudge against the Guan family?"

Yu Qi put down the cup and smiled, "It's not impossible."

Jiuli tilted her head to look at his smile, and only after looking for a while did she realize why he had been so approachable in front of Guan Youjun today. But she herself was a little hesitant to believe this suspicion. "Could it be related to Miss Guan?"

Just then, Du Zhong finished eating, wiped his mouth, and came to sit down next to me. "Today, the Guan family took Guan Zhan's body back and set up a mourning hall. The Guan family mansion is also decorated. Many people came to pay their respects. There were so many people coming and going. They should not have been able to take care of a small yamen runner, but it was Guan Youjun's personal person who sent him out. Moreover, I always feel that there is something wrong between Cai Jin and Guan Youjun."

Yu Qi asked, "What's wrong?"

Du Zhong pursed his lips and shook his head, "I can't really explain it. On the surface, the two of them don't seem to know each other very well, but I feel like Cai Jin is paying close attention to Guan Youjun's every move."

Yu Qi fell silent, then got up and slowly paced around, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiuli's eyes followed his every move. She wanted to ask, but was afraid of interrupting his train of thought, so she could only suppress her impatience and wait patiently.

But as he wandered around, he came to the green gauze cabinet door, tied his hands behind his back, turned his head and ordered, "It's getting late, you should all go to sleep early."

Jiuli nearly fainted from anger and hurriedly followed him into the east inner room. "You're the most annoying person ever! You only say half of what you mean, how can anyone sleep?"

Yu Qi stood behind the desk, took off his outer cloak and draped it over the back of the chair, turned around and sighed with a smile, "You're not usually a very impatient person, but it's almost midnight now. You've only just recovered from your illness, do you have to make yourself sick again before you're satisfied?"

She stood stubbornly before the table, and while she could tolerate the case alone, the thought of Guan Youjun stirred a strange curiosity within her. She felt that Guan Youjun was quite different from the women she had ever met before; the fact that she had vowed never to marry alone was enough to add a touch of legend to her.

Yu Qi walked to the bedside, glanced at her still standing there, and said sternly, "Aren't you leaving?"

She dawdled, looking down at her toes.

He could only say again, "I can't explain it clearly right now. Let me think about it, and I'll tell you first thing tomorrow morning."

She still lingered, unwilling to leave, feeling that this wasn't just about asking questions.

He had no choice but to come over and grab her wrist to escort her. When he opened the door, he heard the sound of rain and saw rain slanting into the corridor. He seemed worried about her walking, afraid that she might get wet and catch a cold, so he turned back inside to find an umbrella and personally escorted her back to the east wing.

As soon as Jiuli entered the house, she hurriedly lit the lamp. She could see Yu Qi's figure turn away at the door, as if he was about to leave immediately. She didn't even bother to touch the tinder anymore and called out to him in the darkness, "Uncle!"

Yu Qi turned around. The room was pitch black. She stood in front of the bed, just an obscure shadow. Suddenly, the shadow seemed unfamiliar.

"What do you think would happen if someone like Guan Youjun never got married?"

He fell silent for a long while before gently smiling and saying, "Guan Youjun was forced not to marry."

She paused, feeling she also had a reason for not marrying, but it hung in her mind like a cloud of doubt, impossible to pinpoint. Nevertheless, her foot involuntarily took a step forward in the darkness, as if by instinct, feeling that getting closer to him would reveal everything.

He saw the slender figure approach a little, but he thought it was a danger approaching him, and panicked for a moment. "Don't talk nonsense, go to sleep."

He left those words behind and fled in disarray.

She rushed to the door, but hesitated to call out to him. She could only close the door, and the slow, long creak was swallowed up by the sound of rain. She felt a nameless sense of loss.

It's said that spring rain brings warmth, and that's certainly true. The next day, Jiuli got up early; although it wasn't fully light, the chill had lessened considerably. Without even washing up, she went to the north room, still wanting to ask about Guan Youjun, but Yu Qi wasn't there. Strange, she hadn't heard the doctors coming from behind.

Du Zhong yawned as he walked out of the west inner room. "Master went out before dawn."

"Where are you going?" Jiuli asked, her eyes full of doubt. "Doctor Xu and the others are still behind us. Is he going on a round of clinics alone?"

"I went to the Guan family with Brother Zhang."

Upon hearing that it was the Guan family, she felt a small stone weigh on her heart, neither painful nor itchy, but just a little displeased. "Even if we're going to inquire about the case, it doesn't have to be this early."

Du Zhong sat down in the chair, poured himself a cup of cold tea, took a sip, nodded, then shook his head. "I think I heard Master ask Brother Zhang where he could find good wine and freshly slaughtered pigs and sheep. It seemed like he was going to return the gift to Guan Youjun yesterday, or maybe he was going to ask about a case. I was half asleep at the time, so I didn't ask any questions."

She twirled her skirt and landed on another chair, propping her chin up with her hand, lost in thought.

Sure enough, the tea wasn't given away for free. The most important thing is to reciprocate the gift. That's how relationships often work out. People give and receive gifts, and before you know it, a relationship is built.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.