be punished
He said that Master Liu's killing of Chun Chan was an impulsive act, just as Duan Wenjin knew that it wasn't Master Liu who killed Madam Liu.
—Under this premise, killing the cicada was indeed impulsive.
Lin Yi thought of a mystery novel he had read before. The murderer hadn't actually killed anyone, but believed he had, so he killed any potential witnesses to silence them. The fake murderer then picked up the knife and became the real killer.
Foolish, impulsive, and even cowardly and pathetic.
The feelings I had for the characters while reading the book were remarkably similar to Duan Wenjin's feelings for Liu Yuanwai at this moment.
Duan Wenjin seemed to know that killing the Third Madam was not Liu Yuanwai's true intention. Or perhaps, he knew that he wasn't the one who killed her in the first place!
This realization sent a chill down Lin Yi's spine. So she hurriedly said goodbye to Duan Wenjin and returned to Laiyue Teahouse to meet up with the two of them.
"Is that what he said?" Xie Chengnan asked, seemingly to himself.
Meanwhile, Feng Zhengxian, who was eavesdropping, muttered in a low voice, "I didn't hear that clearly, but I heard something about 'me' and 'you,' and something about 'sweetheart.'"
Now that we have met him in person, let's return to our residence and explore him another day.
They said they would investigate another day, but the very next day, the man Feng Zhengxian sent to keep watch brought back news.
“Actually, I received a message yesterday that Duan Qitian, who is also Duan Wenjin’s father, was going back to Mingzhou. I took you to the teahouse yesterday, thinking that we might run into him and see what kind of person this new hall master is. I didn’t expect that we would run into that incident yesterday, and we were exposed before we even got to see his father.”
"But I had Mingzhu keep an eye on what happened afterward, and guess what?"
No one played along with his guessing game, and Feng Zhengxian, finding it uninteresting but not embarrassed, continued, "Yesterday, his father, the new hall master Duan Qitian, came back and threw a huge tantrum, punishing everyone in the hall, but he punished his own son the most severely."
Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly remembered what Duan Wenjin had told her yesterday: "But some people don't think that way."
Xie Chengnan asked, "Why was he punished?"
"It's all because of that old man lying at the door... suffering from convulsions. Duan Qitian felt that Duan Wenjin handled the matter wrongly, that he shouldn't have so blatantly admitted that the medicinal herbs came from Renjitang, unjustly bearing the stigma of inferior quality. I just don't understand, how else could he have handled it? What Duan Wenjin did was already the best solution. To be honest, although I, this young master, am knowledgeable and exceptionally intelligent, I couldn't possibly have handled it better than him in that situation. What more does his father want? If he's so capable, let him do it himself. Having a father like that is truly a misfortune. Fortunately, my old man isn't like that..."
Seeing Feng Zhengxian so indignant, Lin Yi couldn't help but worry, "How was he punished?"
"They made him kneel at the door all night, and I don't know if it was a whip or a ruler, but they hit him about thirty times. My men didn't go in, but judging from the sound, they showed no mercy."
"..." This punishment is indeed too harsh.
"I think my previous guess might actually be true. Look at Duan Qitian, he can be so ruthless to his own son, and he's so nitpicky. He even bullies the small clinics around here. He was never a good person to begin with, and he's capable of harming his own son's mistress too."
While Feng Zhengxian's words were unfounded speculation, they might not be entirely untrue. Judging from this incident, Duan Qitian was far too harsh on his son and the servants in the brothel. Duan Wenjin's attitude also suggests that Duan Qitian has always acted this way; this is likely not the first time he has been punished.
It's also possible that Duan Qitian discovered this during one of Duan Wenjin's meetings with Madam Liu. As the head of the main hall, he could easily have learned about Madam Liu's pregnancy at Renji Hall with just a little attention.
Given his intolerant nature and extreme concern for his reputation, he decided to go all the way and kill both his unborn child to prevent future troubles.
...Thinking about it this way, it actually makes sense.
"I want to go see him," Lin Yi said.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment after he finished speaking. Unaware of what was happening, Lin asked Xie Chengnan, "Are you coming with me this afternoon?"
"Go if you want, why ask me?" Xie Chengnan put down his chopsticks. "I'm done eating."
Lin Yi was taken aback. She thought Xie Chengnan would go with her, since he had promised to investigate the matter with her, even though he was unwilling.
"Aren't we going together?" Lin Yi asked, still hoping Xie Chengnan would accompany her.
"No, I'll go to Wanmuchun this afternoon," Xie Chengnan said.
"Wan Muchun?"
"Let's go listen to some music."
...Xie Chengnan, do you listen to music in your spare time? You do...have quite a refined taste.
After lunch, Lin Yi went to Renjitang, while Xie Chengnan went straight to Wanmuchun's old haunt.
"Young Master Marquis is here again?" Yao Niang walked gracefully, her laughter preceding her arrival.
Xie Chengnan went straight to the point: "I remember you had an inn in Fangshuo."
"That's right."
Does Fang Shuo have a Renjitang clinic?
"There is indeed one."
"Could you help me check if anything related to Fang Shuo has happened recently?"
"That's easy to investigate, but it's not easy to send a message."
Xie Chengnan asked in surprise, "What about your network of contacts?"
"The crackdown has been very strict lately, and I don't know what decree was issued by the higher authorities. It is said that when foreign envoys pass through, the civilian intelligence network has been shut down, for fear of being arrested as spies of an enemy country."
"I understand. Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me? I didn't even help you." Yao Niang suddenly realized something, her beautiful eyes widening abruptly. "Could it be that you—!"
Xie Chengnan blinked innocently at her, then shook his head.
I don't know if it's not true, or if it's something that can't be said.
Yao Niang, however, found a rare hint of playfulness in this action, which brought her some comfort.
This child was actually quite cynical, with a nonchalant, teasing air always in his eyes. But when discussing serious matters, he would unconsciously suppress his smile. That serious demeanor would involuntarily remind her of someone from the past.
In fact, Xie Chengnan didn't come to see her often, and his visits to Wanmu Spring were mostly about old matters.
Those old stories are long gone, and Yao Niang always hopes to forget them, yet she is repeatedly forced to pursue them. In the past few months, he has come to see her more often, no longer for the past, but for his newlywed wife.
Yao Niang didn't know whether this change was good or bad. It's just that Miss Qiu was probably too good at causing trouble. Every time she came to Xie Chengnan, she was in a hurry, and the things she was asked to investigate were all private secrets that had nothing to do with her.
Just when Miss Qiu was finally released from the Mingdu prison, Xie Chengnan arrived again, still investigating the Liu family affair. Fortunately, he showed some of his former self, although what he did could be described as utterly rebellious.
When Xie Chengnan returned to the Xie residence, Qiu Qing had not yet returned. Feng Zhengxian had moved a rocking chair and was lying by the door, swaying back and forth in the sun.
"Oh, you're back."
"What about the others?" Xie Chengnan asked.
"Your wife went to Renjitang and hasn't returned yet. That little maid went with her."
Hearing that Qiu Qing hadn't gone to Renjitang alone, Xie Chengnan inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
Feng Zhengxian continued, “Your brother is sleeping in the house. Cang Xie went to buy him candied hawthorns. The cook is preparing dinner.”
"Besides these, I'm the only living person left in the manor."
"Your house is too shabby. With so few servants, it doesn't look like a proper nobleman's residence at all. How about I send you a few maids and servants? I'll pay their wages."
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not used to having too many people."
Feng Zhengxian curled his lip, thinking to himself, "Everyone says wild boars can't eat fine chaff, but the Yong'an Marquis's mansion used to be a renowned phoenix's nest. How did it fall to such a state? Sure enough, it's his young master Feng who knows how to manage a household better."
"Cheng Nan, is your brother still the same? I just knocked on his door, and he didn't even answer."
"Yeah, it's the same as before, sometimes good, sometimes bad." Xie Chengnan was drawing water from the well in the yard, and his voice sounded a little muffled.
Feng Zhengxian moved his lips, wanting to say a few words to comfort Xie Chengnan, such as, things will always get better, whether it's Xie Chengfeng or the Yong'an Marquis's mansion. Or, life is full of ups and downs, but after all the twists and turns, I'm still by your side... He only had this thought for a moment before he got goosebumps all over his body. It was not only cheesy and pretentious, but Xie Chengnan didn't need such comfort.
So he stopped talking and looked up at the sky.
The sky was a deep blue, tinged with the pale yellow hue of the approaching sunset.
At dinner time, unlike usual when the group would chat and exchange information and discuss countermeasures, the three of them ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Lin Yi was reviewing what he had learned from Duan Wenjin that day, while Xie Chengnan was pondering Yao Niang's words. Fang Shuo was between Lingnan and Mingdu, and if he were entering An from Nanzhao, this was the only route. But Nanzhao had signed a truce agreement with An during the Southern Frontier campaign, and now, before the agreement had expired, were they already making moves? If so, why hadn't his spies in the Southern Frontier sent any messages? But if it wasn't Nanzhao, which country would enter An via Fang Shuo?
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the garlic sprouts slipping from his chopsticks. He then put the empty chopsticks into his mouth and even chewed them a couple of times as if he were doing it properly.
Feng Zhengxian watched from the sidelines, feeling sorry for the two of them. He wiped his face, nearly collapsing in distress. "Can't you two just talk things out? Do you have to do this?"
Lin Yi and Xie Chengnan looked up at the same time, their words and tones exactly the same: "What's wrong with us?"
"What else is wrong? Why can't you say what the misunderstanding is? Why do you have to keep it bottled up inside? Just talk it out. Don't take it out on this whole meal. I can't even eat it."
It turned out that he thought the two were still arguing because Qiu Qing also went to see Duan Wenjin.
Lin Yi looked at Xie Chengnan with a puzzled expression: "What misunderstanding do we have?"
Xie Chengnan shrugged. "Just think of it as him sleeping too much this afternoon and having a fit of hysteria."
Lin nodded: "I see."
Feng Zhengxian puffed out his cheeks in anger. He felt that he must have owed these two a lot of money in his past life!
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