"Looking for someone?" Old Hou rubbed his hands eagerly. "Who?"
Jiang Yushu sat upright, her face pale and soft in the candlelight. She slowly said, "A person with no name or surname, whose existence is uncertain."
"Huh?" Old Hou was stunned. He said embarrassmently, "We need at least one or two clues. Otherwise, we won't know where to start looking."
Jiang Yushu said gently, "I know this matter is difficult, so I won't make any specific requests. Just do your best. Our county's governor, surnamed Jing, courtesy name Yuanshan, was found drowned in a river two weeks ago. Now, a witness named Li Chang claims to have seen a 'man carrying a wooden stick' running away from the riverbank. Based on this, many suspect foul play. Speculation is rife, and the authorities must investigate quickly to quell the controversy."
"Oh, so that's what it is! I've heard a little about it, but I've been busy and haven't paid much attention." Old Hou rubbed his palms. "Do you want me to find out the whereabouts of the murder suspect?"
Jiang Yushu nodded and instructed, "The authorities are investigating. Keep a close eye on Li Chang first. If he's lying, that means the alleged murderer doesn't exist. If he's not lying, try to find out more. A living person, with all his food, clothing, shelter, transportation, relatives, and friends, it's impossible for him to leave no trace. We should investigate both openly and covertly, hopefully we can find some clues."
"As usual, proceed cautiously, investigate carefully, and report any significant findings immediately. How do you do that?"
Old Hou considered for a moment, then nodded decisively, replying as if to a mantra, "It is my great honor to be able to serve you, Your Excellency! I understand. I will go back and immediately study and find out more about Li Chang's character."
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "Okay." She gave Zou Gui a look, and he understood. He took out the purse he had prepared in advance, handed it to the secret guard, and said familiarly, "If Brother Hou does a good job, our wife will definitely treat you unfairly!"
"Thank you very much." Old Hou hurriedly stood up, took the reward with both hands, thanked him respectfully, and then bowed and said, "Well, without further ado, I will take my leave and find a way to handle the matter immediately."
"go."
Jiang Yushu watched the secret guard leave, still sitting upright, thinking for a long time.
As the night deepened, the maid brought midnight snacks.
"Madam, the bird's nest soup is ready. Would you like to try it?" Cuimei opened the lid and stirred it. The bird's nest soup with rock sugar and wolfberry was steaming hot.
Jiang Yushu came back to her senses, stood up, waved her hand, and answered tiredly, "You ate. I've been traveling for days, and my stomach is upset from the bumpy ride. I need to eat light food and fast for a few days to build up my appetite." After she finished speaking, she walked out slowly, yawning with her hand covering her mouth. "I'm so sleepy, I'm going to bed!"
"Ah? Okay, okay." Cuimei thanked for the reward and urged the little girl to make the bed.
On her way back to her bedroom, Jiang Yushu suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "Have you prepared the funeral gifts? I'm going to pay my respects to Mr. Jing tomorrow."
"The housekeeper will have it ready in the evening and can be taken to the Jing Mansion at any time."
"Okay." She was extremely sleepy. Although she had many official duties weighing on her mind, she had no energy to think and fell asleep almost as soon as she touched the pillow.
At the same time, Li Mansion
"snort!"
Wen Xi's face darkened with anger, and he didn't bother to hide it in front of his brother-in-law. He cursed in disgust: "Tigress, unreasonable, absolutely unreasonable."
"Next time your sister dares to act unreasonably, I will throw the divorce letter in her face!"
Li Qigong frowned, holding the wine glass absentmindedly, and said soothingly, "Alright, brother-in-law, calm down and don't be so petty with women. Next time we meet, I will definitely talk to my sister and tell her not to be so suspicious and jealous all the time."
"You must talk to her, otherwise, life will be unbearable!" Wen Xi took a gulp of wine, raised his hand to touch the scratches on his cheek with his nails, and complained: "Men support the family, and they can't avoid social engagements on weekdays. I made an appointment with friends to discuss business, but she mistakenly thought it was a night of drinking, and she got jealous, crying and making a fuss, and scratched my face." He deliberately omitted the fact that he was the one who slapped his wife first.
"How are we going to meet people tomorrow?"
Li Qigong casually suggested, "It's just a few shallow scratches. What's there to be afraid of? Why not just say it was scratched by a cat?"
"Tsk, forget it. Now everyone in the government office knows that I married a tigress." Wen Xi took out a handkerchief and carefully pressed the scratch. He was so angry that he wanted to divorce his wife.
Li Qigong glanced at him, suppressed his impatience, and said solemnly, "Let's put aside the trivial household matters for now and talk about business! Brother-in-law, if Old Deng is caught, the situation will be too complicated. He will probably not be able to withstand the torture and give up on his superiors. In the end, the investigation may even implicate us."
"No, no!" Wen Xi swallowed his saliva, leaned closer, and whispered, "I just secretly met with Lao Deng's boss last night. He patted his chest and said, 'Lao Deng has hidden his identity and has escaped far away. Even if the court issued a wanted order, they might not be able to catch him!'"
"Are you serious?"
Wen Xi nodded vigorously, trying to comfort the other party and himself. "The middleman is different from Lao Deng. His family has lived in the neighboring county for generations. He can escape, but he can't. He wouldn't dare lie to me. We are all in this together."
"Pray to God, I hope Old Deng has escaped to the ends of the earth and lives out his days at large."
"He's a veteran, a desperado with a long list of crimes to his name. He knows he'll die if caught, so he'd rather resist arrest and die than be jailed and tortured." Wen Xi took a bite of the food, but it tasted bland. "Well, he shouldn't get us into trouble."
Li Qigong took a sip of wine, swirling it around in his mouth, his cheeks bulging. He swallowed the wine and gritted his teeth, "Li Chang, Li Chang... Man proposes, God disposes. There's always a loophole. Back then, we tried every possible way to get rid of the old scholar's relatives and students, but unexpectedly, Li Chang suddenly got the idea and went fishing with the old man. Even more unexpectedly, he discovered Old Deng."
Wen Xi was uneasy, but pretended to be nonchalant. "It's okay. Li Chang only saw Lao Deng's back from a distance. He didn't even see Lao Deng's face. He doesn't know anything. If we can't catch Lao Deng, we have no evidence. The case will never be solved. If it drags on for three to five years, it will become an unsolved case and will be slowly forgotten. It won't hurt us at all."
"I hope so."
"Li Chang, huh, he's tired of living and is courting death. Let him live a few more years. One day, I'll settle accounts with him!" Wen Xi had no appetite. He folded his arms, leaned back in his chair, and, with a paunchy belly, teased, "Oh, Li Chang is clearly from your Lijiabao, but he's on good terms with Jingzhen. The Li clan leader has no way of disciplining his children."
Li Qigong's face was gloomy, and he said coldly, "Qifan's death was a thorn in my side. His sight of Old Deng was another thorn in my side. Traitors must be removed, or else the thorn in our flesh will prick us uncomfortably."
"We must remove it, but we have to wait until the storm has died down, to avoid suspicion from the outside world."
Li Qigong put down his wine glass and said, "I understand." He asked with a smile, "How confident are you that you can get the textile workshop's approval order? We have already accepted the gift. It would not be good to just take the money and not do the work."
"I know!" Wen Xi said confidently, "The magistrate is back. I'll find a suitable time to bring it up with her, tomorrow at the earliest or the day after tomorrow at the latest. It won't be enough if we just agree. We also need her nod before it's final."
"Hurry up." Li Qigong moved closer, and he and his uncle sat next to each other, discussing until late at night.
next day
Jiang Yushu summoned all the minor officials, discussed some official business, and then went to Jing Mansion in a grand manner to pay tribute to the instructor.
Jing Yuanshan drowned, and his relatives, friends and students either received the obituary or heard the tragic news, and came to pay their respects.
Inside the mourning hall, there were bursts of crying. When the wind blew, the white mourning curtains and drapes fluttered, brushing against the black coffin again and again.
Jiang Yushu led the crowd to the door, and the announcement spread inside, "The magistrate has arrived——"
After a while, Jing Yuanshan's wife was surrounded by the younger generation, all dressed in plain clothes. The old woman, who was once strong and healthy, had aged almost overnight. She was extremely haggard, with red and swollen eyes and a hoarse voice. Before anyone could get close, she knelt on the ground and pleaded:
"Master Jiang! Please, sir, uphold justice, solve the case, and let Yuanshan rest in peace!"
"Please investigate thoroughly and punish the murderer severely!"
"The current witnesses indicate that Mr. Wang was murdered. The authorities must catch the murderer."
Led by the old woman, the descendants and students of the deceased knelt one after another, leaving the ground covered in white. They wailed and pleaded, and feelings of sorrow and grief were overwhelming.
Jiang Yushu was surrounded by guards and subordinates. She sighed, signaled the guards to step aside, and personally supported Jing's wife, comforting her: "Old lady, please don't worry. Since it has become a case, the government will investigate thoroughly. The instructor is an official appointed by the court. If it is found that Mr. Jing was murdered, the murderer will undoubtedly be sentenced to death!"
"Well, has the government caught the murderer?" Jing's wife asked expectantly.
Jiang Yushu replied sternly, "We're currently investigating fully. I'll let you know as soon as we have any results." She supported the old man and walked towards the mourning hall. "It's a great pity that our county has lost such a dedicated and responsible teacher. As a colleague, I'd like to go and burn some incense for the old man."
"Oh, please, please." Mrs. Jing staggered, so weak that she had to be carried by her son. She choked up and whispered, "Thank you, sir, for putting aside past grudges and coming to pay your respects."
Jiang Yushu said softly, "As it should be. There is no real rift between the magistrate and the teacher."
The next moment, Jing Yuanshan's eldest son bowed and handed incense to Jiang Yushu, who took it, bowed solemnly, lowered her head, observed a moment of silence, and then offered incense.
The accompanying minor officials offered incense, sighed with regret, and tried their best to persuade the family of the deceased. Li Qigong and Wen Xi were among them, without any unusual behavior.
When Jiang Yushu left the mourning hall, Jing Yuanshan's descendants and their wives wept and kowtowed in farewell. She signaled the chief clerk to support the deceased's eldest son, said a few words of comfort to him, and then solemnly left, quickly ordering: "Let's go and check out the grain workshop!"
Wen Xi trotted after him, full of energy. "It has already been cleaned up, waiting for the county lord's inspection! Slow down, please slow down, and be careful of the steps."
So, the group walked out of Jing Mansion and rushed to the workshop under construction.
It was a sunny day in Tuning, but on the official road three hundred miles away from Qinzhou, it was raining heavily.
"drive!"
"Pah, it's raining so hard!"
The driver spat out the rain, wiped his face, and cracked the whip vigorously. The escort leading the way shouted, "There's a dilapidated temple ahead. Hurry, go there and take shelter from the rain!"
After traveling for ten days, Guo Hongxuan's excitement gradually faded, and he gradually got tired of the scenery along the way. He had only one thought left: to reach Qinzhou as soon as possible and bury the coffin as soon as possible.
As he did not have enough money, he could only hire a small carriage, which carried Tian Susu and her servant. He did not want his beloved to think that he was reckless, so he rode the horse most of the time and squeezed for a seat with the driver when he was tired.
In the wind and rain, Guo Hongxuan rode closer, leaned forward and asked, "Susu?"
"Ah—ah!" Tian Susu opened the curtains and was unexpectedly drenched in the rain. She subconsciously covered her face for fear that her makeup would be ruined.
"Hahaha~" Guo Hongxuan laughed, "Are you scared?"
Tian Susu pursed her lips and smiled, "No." She suggested softly, "It's raining heavily, young master, be careful not to catch a cold. Come in and take shelter."
Guo Hongxuan shook his head, and replied with the grace of a gentleman, "Ah, this little rain is nothing! Back in the day, when I was exiled, I had to keep going even in the storm."
"But--"
"You two sit down," the sound of wind and rain covered the courtesan's voice. Guo Hongxuan didn't hear clearly and said to himself, "I'll go take a look at the back." After he finished speaking, he flicked his whip and rode away.
"Hey—sir?"
The maid held up the curtains that were fluttering in the wind with her left hand and took out a handkerchief with her right hand. "Miss, wipe off the rain quickly. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Tian Susu, however, first took out her diamond-shaped mirror, then took the handkerchief. In the bumpy carriage, she wiped the rain off her face in the mirror and examined her face. She sighed softly and murmured, "I really don't understand. Tell me, what on earth is he thinking?"
"Young Master Guo is originally from a noble family, a gentleman, so he is not as impatient as ordinary playboys who would touch a girl on the first day they met." The trusted maid whispered in her ear, praising: "The Guo family has strict rules and regulations, so the young master raised here is naturally more polite than ordinary men."
Tian Susu frowned, "But he's so polite! Since we've known each other, the most he's done is hold my hand, hug me, and even—" She couldn't help but complain, "We've been traveling for ten days, and when we stay overnight, we enjoy playing music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but he never stays. He'd rather chat with the escort than spend time with me."
"T-T-T-Maybe he's embarrassed?"
Tian Susu bit her lip, "I guess so."
"Since the young lady has made up her mind, why not take the initiative?" the maidservant said bluntly. "After all, everyone knows that he redeemed her, so it would be strange if they weren't together. In my opinion, it would be best if she had a child as soon as possible. A mother's status depends on her having a child. Then, once the matter is settled, perhaps the Guo family will relent."
Tian Susu thought more long-term. "That's right. A woman can't live without children. If I can give birth to a son for him, in the future, even if he gets tired of the old and loves the new, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. For the sake of the child, my benefactor shouldn't treat me harshly."
"Yes!"
The master is honored, the servant is honored. The maid encouraged him, "It just so happens that it's raining heavily today. When we stay at the inn tonight, I'll ask the innkeeper to make ginger wine to ward off the cold! Then, when we get drunk... With your beauty, I don't believe Mr. Guo won't be tempted!"
Tian Susu smiled shyly and said angrily, "Little hoof, stop shouting. Be careful that outsiders hear you and laugh at us."
Born in a brothel, are you afraid of being ridiculed? Is there any hope for your survival?
"Don't worry about how others laugh at you! What's the point of fame? Wealth and glory are the real things." The maidservant served diligently, wishing to stay away from the brothel completely and live a life without worries about food and clothing.
Tian Susu agreed deeply, "Then, I'll try again tonight."
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