Chapter 32: Bastard

Jin Tang's body has been moved out and placed in an empty house in the northeast corner of the village, waiting for the arrival of the Jin family's coffin.

Sister Ying stood outside the crime scene, hesitant and fearful. Seeing Qian Deng approaching, she hurried over and asked, "County Lady, do you want to clean this room?"

Qian Deng looked at the blood-stained bedding on the bed and shook his head: "No, just like in the outer courtyard, everything should remain as it is."

Knowing that there was no need to clean up, Sister Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked inside with some panic, wanting to persuade the county lady not to enter such a place, but she didn't dare to speak.

Qian Deng asked, "Who arranged this place when you gentlemen came here?"

Sister Ying quickly replied, "I and my son Agui decorated all seven rooms."

"Thank you for your hard work. Are all the rooms in there filled with the same things?"

Sister Ying said, "Of course not. We don't see so many people coming to the farm, so we don't have many sets of things in the storeroom. For example, the cups and teapots, we just temporarily took a few sets of things that were captured from the rebels on the farm and used them first. But don't worry, County Lady, we have cleaned the things for guests repeatedly, so they are absolutely spotless!"

Qiandeng nodded, signaling her not to be nervous. "So, there are cups and bowls in this room too? How many are there in total?"

Sister Ying thought for a moment and said with certainty, "They are two cups with Qilin painted on them."

As soon as the word Qilin came out, Qiandeng felt his heart tremble slightly and asked, "Are you sure it's Qilin?"

Sister-in-law Ying nodded quickly and said, "Indeed! At that time, we not only washed the cups, but also boiled water in the pot. While the cook was boiling water, she chatted with me and asked me if my son Agui, now grown up, wanted to join the army and pursue a career like his father. I was worried that no one would help me. The cook said that Uncle Ying should find a chance to talk to you, the county lady. Among the candidates for the county lady's husband is a recorder of the Imperial Guard, who seems to be named Ji Qilin... I took note of it at the time and planned to talk to the head of the family when I got back."

Therefore, when arranging cups, pots, and lamps in each room, she went to the innermost room first, took out the pair of Qilin cups, and placed them upside down next to the teapot.

"At the time, I thought it would be a complete coincidence if this Qilin Cup happened to be used by a general named Qilin," Sister Ying said with shame. "Then, after I finished the arrangement and went back to talk to the head of the household, I found out that his name wasn't Qilin, it just had the character 'Lin' in it. But the Qilin Cup is definitely in this room, there's no doubt about it!"

Qiandeng nodded slowly, went inside and looked around the scene again.

Sister-in-law Ying plucked up her courage and helped her search every corner, including under the bed and at the foot of the cabinet. Indeed, the pair of Qilin cups placed in the room were not there.

She slapped her head and said, "Didn't the gentlemen have a dispute last night? I think something was broken and has been cleaned up."

Qiandeng frowned slightly. She remembered that Daimao had only brought a teapot last night, leaving her other hand empty. But if the cup had been broken, Aunt Xuanji would have asked her to bring a replacement.

It can be seen that there was at least one cup available in the house at that time, so there was no need to get another one.

After asking some other trivial questions and finding that there was nothing unusual, Qiandeng went out and walked into the house where Meng Lanxi lived and knocked on the half-open door.

There was no response from inside. Agui, who was guarding the gate, saw the commotion and hurried over to say, "County Lady, Mr. Meng, who lives here, just left. It seems someone is looking for him at the farm. He's at the east side gate."

Meng Lanxi rarely interacted with others when he was in the palace. Now someone actually came to the farm specifically to look for him, which was a bit strange.

Qian Deng pondered this as he walked to the east side gate. Before he could even catch a glimpse of Meng Lanxi, he heard a strange voice sneer, "Come to think you've got the support of the palace, have you forgotten how much our Meng family has fed you and your son over the years?"

Qiandeng frowned unconsciously and glanced sideways at the outside through the flower window.

Meng Lanxi was indeed outside the door. He stood under a tree with his back to her. Opposite her was a middle-aged man who was a little fat and dressed very neatly. His words were so vulgar and merciless.

But Meng Lanxi seemed accustomed to this, and said slowly, "Uncle, why are you angry? I'm not rejecting you or the Meng family. It's just that I'm relying on the county lady and temporarily staying in her territory. How can I have the confidence to promise you that the county lady will help us open up the northwest trade route?"

Only then did Qiandeng realize that the person who came to see Meng Lanxi was actually his uncle.

"That sounds nice, but apart from asking us for spices and money to curry favor with the county lady, have you ever helped our clan in any way?" Uncle Meng said angrily, "Besides, weren't you and your son living well when you were away from home? Why do you need our clan to pay so much since you moved into the palace?"

Meng Lanxi said in surprise, "After my mother passed away, everything went on as usual. How could my expenses have increased? Uncle, you can compare. The tuition for school, food and clothing for all four seasons, and miscellaneous expenses are all the same as before. How my mother lived before, I live the same way now. There is no difference."

"Really? Where does your mother earn her living?" Uncle Meng pondered, muttering to himself, "That's impossible. She never leaves the house. I don't see her making any money."

Meng Lanxi smiled, showing no sign of anger at all. "So, Uncle, think about this: I'm just an orphan with nothing. Why would the Jin family, the richest family in Chang'an, send their beloved youngest son to live with the county lady? Aren't they hoping to use this relationship to get through to the Anxi Protectorate? Even if you think I can rival Jin Tang, there's a world of difference between our Meng family and the Jin family. If his family can't do it, how can I possibly help the Meng family?"

This was said obediently, but the sarcasm hidden in it blocked all of Uncle Meng's words.

"The ice is thick as ice, and it didn't freeze overnight. There are so many people in the county lady's backyard. I need to be qualified to stand out. Besides, you also know that the county lady's backyard is not so easy to stay in. People who are stronger than me have often met with trouble, and this time..."

Uncle Meng saw that he had stopped talking and subconsciously asked, "What's wrong? Has another young master been in trouble?"

Meng Lanxi didn't answer, but just shook her head and said, "Forget it. Since my clan is so eager for quick success, I can't do anything about it. Uncle, please go back. From now on, you don't have to send me spices."

Uncle Meng hesitated for a few times, and finally softened his tone: "Forget it, I've brought everything you asked for this time. Take it first, and just serve the county lady well. If one day you really become a phoenix, it will be worth it for your relatives to have spent all their efforts to cultivate you. After all, you can't write two Meng characters with one stroke of the pen. We are the closest relatives!"

"Yes, Lanxi will always remember the kindness of the family." He bowed his head and respectfully saw his uncle off.

However, after the others left, his gentle exterior finally faded away. He flicked his sleeves lightly and sneered, "When useful, you're a close relative. When useless, you're a bastard... Didn't I remember anything back then?"

Qian Deng's heart moved slightly, but seeing that he was about to go back through the door, he didn't have time to think about it. He walked towards him and greeted him, "Mr. Meng, what are you doing here?"

"County Lady." As soon as he saw her coming, he immediately hid the rest of his expression. A faint smile filled his eyes, and the dimples on his cheeks were as gentle and charming as ever. "My uncle heard I was here and sent me something."