Chapter 27 Disagreement
Zhao Yangang paused, his brows furrowing with a barely perceptible tension: "Why is Madam Pei stopping me?"
Pei Zhiwei didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "You didn't stay in your room the whole time after midnight last night. You know that Wang Jingzong left the room."
Zhao Yan's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't panic and stammer like before. He simply said, "Does Madam Pei have any evidence for what you're saying? I made it clear when I gave my statement yesterday that I went to sleep after 9 PM and slept soundly. I didn't hear anything."
"The evidence is in your own words." Pei Zhiwei's voice was calm, without any aggressive sharpness, yet every word struck at the heart of the matter.
"Wang Jingzong said that he stayed in the room reading from the beginning of Hai (9-11 PM) to the beginning of Zi (11 PM-1 AM) last night. He also said that you are separated by a wall, and if he opened the door and went out, you should be able to hear the noise."
But you said you went to sleep after 9 PM.
“Since Wang Jingzong dared to say that you would definitely hear him if he opened the door, either he knows that you were not asleep at that time, or he has already colluded with you to insist that he never left the house.”
But you insist that you were "sleeping soundly and didn't hear anything," so either you're lying, or you're deliberately concealing the fact that you knew Wang Jingzong had left the room.
Zhao Yan was silent for a moment, then looked up at the night outside the courtyard and said in a calm tone, "If Madam Pei says so, then so be it. Anyway, the case is closed, and there's no point in dwelling on it anymore."
After saying that, he turned and walked past Pei Zhiwei, leaving the post station.
Pei Zhiwei didn't stop him anymore, nor did she ask any further questions.
There was definitely something fishy about Wang Jingzong, but she had no real evidence and didn't even know what he had been up to.
With two murders just occurring at the official post station, everyone was eager to leave and had no legitimate reason to press the matter further.
"What are you thinking about?"
A familiar voice came from behind her. Pei Zhiwei turned around and saw Xiao Yunzhan walking over.
"I was thinking about Zhao Yan," Pei Zhiwei answered truthfully.
“He must have known that Wang Jingzong had gone out, but why did he conceal this fact and deliberately leave clues to remind us during the questioning?”
Xiao Yunzhan followed her gaze to the direction where Zhao Yan had disappeared, his tone carrying a hint of understanding:
"He is young and of low rank, so it's normal for him to be afraid of getting into trouble."
Since there is no concrete evidence regarding Wang Jingzong's case, we can put it aside for now.
However, there's something I need to tell you right now. The sun has already set, and according to the rules, we can't sail. We'll have to stay at this official post station for another night."
Pei Zhiwei was slightly taken aback, then nodded.
"Very well. But yesterday you said you sent secret guards to keep an eye on him, do you know if Wang Jingzong left the post station last night?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunzhan's tone became more apologetic:
"The secret guards are mainly keeping an eye on the official ship we're on, and a few others are left in the east courtyard to protect our safety."
The west courtyard was the residence of officials, and since it was assumed that post station guards would watch over it, no one was specifically assigned to keep watch. Therefore, the secret guards did not notice whether he went out last night.
Pei Zhiwei understood.
The secret guards split into several groups for operations, and there was already a shortage of manpower. Moreover, no one expected that someone would die in the official post station, so it was understandable that they didn't pay attention to the West Courtyard.
She was about to speak when she noticed Xiao Yunzhan staring at her. His eyes held a serious expression, unlike the sharpness he displayed during his investigations; instead, they were gentler.
Xiao Yunzhan suddenly smiled: "I remember the first time I met you was at the Qin residence. At that time, I asked you if you liked solving cases?"
Pei Zhiwei was taken aback, somewhat surprised that he would bring this up: "What was my answer back then?"
“You said it was just your duty. You even said, ‘Finding the truth is the best way to give the deceased justice.’”
She was stunned for a moment. She hadn't thought much of what she said when she uttered it, but now that he had brought it up, she felt somewhat dazed.
Xiao Yunzhan stopped laughing and softened his tone:
"I met Wu Po today. He killed Liu Mingyuan to avenge his wife and daughter, and then framed Li Si. Tell me, what is such a person really thinking?"
Pei Zhiwei didn't answer immediately. She thought of the look in Wu Po's eyes when he was taken away; there was relief in them, but also sorrow.
“He probably can’t accept it,” she said slowly.
"I was relieved to think that the remnants of the cult had been brought to justice."
But the sudden discovery that Liu Mingyuan, a government official, was a remnant of the Holy Lotus Sect was bound to be difficult for him to accept.
She raised her head to meet Xiao Yunzhan's gaze, offering no judgment, only honesty: "I just don't agree with his approach."
Regardless of whether Liu Mingyuan is a remnant of the Holy Lotus Sect or deserves to die, Li Si is innocent.
To give himself an "explanation," he dragged innocent people into it; this is no longer a simple act of revenge, but indiscriminate killing.
Xiao Yunzhan simply watched her quietly without interrupting.
He had originally thought Pei Zhiwei was just meticulous, decisive, and efficient in investigating cases, but now he realized that she was more than that.
She could speak of the murderer's pain, yet still distinguish right from wrong; she could understand revenge, yet refused to condone harming the innocent.
Suddenly, his heart felt as if it had been struck by something.
"You're just a young woman, have you ever been afraid of getting involved in criminal matters?"
Pei Zhiwei felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and subconsciously looked away, looking at the twilight outside the courtyard: "Actually, I was afraid too."
For example, when investigating a case at the Qin residence, His Majesty decreed that the case be closed as a suicide by hanging.
At that time, I thought, if the investigation really couldn't be carried out, wouldn't Madam Qin be burdened with a stigma forever?
Also, when Feng Chao came over with the silver needles at the Temple of the Matchmaker, I was still scared when I thought about it later.
He feared he had miscalculated Feng Chao's skills, and in the end, he wouldn't be able to uncover the truth and would even lose his life.
She paused, then chuckled softly.
"But some things, once you see them, you can't pretend you didn't see them. With clues right in front of you, you can't live with yourself if you don't investigate."
She was stunned for a moment after she said it.
She rarely shared these thoughts with anyone, but tonight she spoke of them so naturally.
Xiao Yunzhan looked at her profile. The light from the lantern fell on her face, softening the sharpness she usually displayed when investigating cases, making her appear exceptionally real.
He suddenly felt that chatting with Pei Zhiwei was very comfortable. He didn't have to worry about his status as a prince, the rules of officialdom, or any scheming. He could simply talk about his thoughts.
He had never felt this kind of freedom before.
"When investigating cases in the future..." Xiao Yunzhan's words were on the tip of his tongue when, for some reason, his throat tightened. He coughed lightly, and the words lingered in his mouth.
"If you encounter any difficult cases in the future, don't try to handle them head-on. Lord Pei is so open-minded, he is naturally your best support. Moreover, now that I am here, I will not allow the truth to be covered up."
Pei Zhi smiled and nodded, "Okay."
The next day, just as dawn was breaking.
Pei Zhiwei, along with Pei Lin and Xiao Yunzhan, had just arrived at Guandu Ferry when they saw Wu Chuan standing at the bow of the boat, his face extremely pale.
Pei Zhiwei's heart skipped a beat, and she glanced at the waterline of the ship—it was unchanged from the day before.
In other words, they left the ship in the last two days, but the contents of the ship have not yet been moved.
She quietly tugged at Xiao Yunzhan's sleeve, gesturing for him to look at the ship, and then gave him a wink.
Xiao Yunzhan understood and nodded, signaling her not to make a fuss for now.
When Wu Chuan saw them coming, he hurriedly went to greet them, his tone deliberately ingratiating, but his smile seemed very forced.
"Your Highness, Lord Pei, Lady Pei, the boat is ready and can set sail at any time."
Pei Zhiwei didn't respond, but walked past Wu Chuanzheng and glanced at the boatmen behind him.
Those men looked even worse than Wu Chuanzheng. They all lowered their heads, their hands and feet were stiff, and they didn't dare to breathe.
She felt even more certain that there was something hidden in the boat, and that something had probably gone wrong.
Otherwise, Wu Chuanzheng wouldn't have risked being caught red-handed by them by not moving the things on the ship overnight.
Everyone boarded the ship one by one. Pei Lin and Xiao Yunzhan went into the cabin to discuss matters, while Pei Zhiwei remained standing at the ship's side without moving.
The thought raced through her mind: What exactly was Wu Chuanzheng hiding on the ship? Could it be related to the losses incurred in the Jiangnan canal transport?
However, their purpose in coming here was to inspect the canal transport, and coincidentally, this official ship was arranged by the canal transport authority itself.
If the contents of the ship are evidence of corruption in the canal transport system, wouldn't that be too risky...? Or are they planning to expose something they don't know?
Just then, Xiao Yunzhan's footsteps sounded behind him.
He held a map in his hand and laid it on the railing by the ship's side: "The bottom of this ship is 20% larger than that of an ordinary official ship, so it must have a mezzanine."
I just discussed it with Lord Pei. As is customary, once the ship reaches the Sizhou Canal, we need to rest at the official post station. We'll have the secret guards sneak back at night to check what's on board."
Pei Zhiwei leaned closer to look at the map. The location of the Sizhou Canal was circled, and next to it was a note that read, "The water is twelve feet deep, suitable for mooring boats."
She nodded: "The Sizhou Canal has just been dredged, and the water flow is stable. We still have to be careful that they don't move the things on the boat there."
Looking at her serious expression, Xiao Yunzhan's smile deepened. "That's even better. When you're with the person who takes over, you can investigate even more thoroughly."
He suddenly felt that investigating cases wasn't so boring because Pei Zhiwei was there.
In the past, I only felt that handling official business was a responsibility, but now, analyzing clues and figuring out countermeasures with her has become something to look forward to.
“Oh, right,” Xiao Yunzhan suddenly remembered something, “yesterday at the post station, you said you were afraid you wouldn’t be able to find out the truth. Actually, at that time, I felt that you were different from others.”
Pei Zhiwei was taken aback: "How is it different?"
"Others investigate cases either for fame and fortune, or simply to get by. Of course, some do it out of a sense of responsibility."
But you're different; you genuinely care about those who died." Xiao Yunzhan's voice was soft, yet every word was clear.
Pei Zhiwei's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head to look at the boat's reflection in the water.
"I just feel that no one should die in such an unclear way."
Xiao Yunzhan didn't say anything more, but just stood with her by the ship's railing.
A breeze swept across the water, carrying a bit of moisture, and it felt very comfortable on my face.
The two didn't talk about the case anymore, nor did they say anything else. They just stood there quietly, but neither of them felt awkward at all.
A thought suddenly popped into Pei Zhiwei's mind: If all investigations could be conducted like this in the future, it wouldn't be bad.
She quietly raised her eyes and glanced at Xiao Yunzhan beside her. He was gazing at the distant river, his profile soft and gentle.
She quickly lowered her head again, but her heart was beating faster than before.
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