Chapter 9 Who is this visitor?
Zhang Qifeng stood in front of the mansion gate, watching Xiao Yunzhan, Pei Zhiwei and Zhou Ping disappear completely around the corner of the alley. The chill between his fingertips did not dissipate, but instead added to his heaviness.
The white parrot from the Western Regions under the eaves was still obliviously chattering, "Guests have arrived, serve tea." Its once clever and pleasing voice now sounded only grating and annoying.
He frowned, impatiently waving away the maid who tried to serve him, his voice low and suppressed: "Take this noisy thing to the backyard, and don't make a fuss here!"
The maidservant fell silent, hurriedly carrying the birdcage as she retreated.
Once the surroundings were finally quiet, Zhang Qifeng took a deep breath, suppressed the raging anger in his heart, and walked heavily back to his bedroom.
With the curtains hanging low, Zhang Yanzhi remained in a prone position. The faint red bloodstains on the white gauze on his back had expanded, appearing particularly striking against the backdrop of the plain brocade quilt.
Hearing familiar footsteps, he turned his head with difficulty, his voice hoarse and dry: "Father, they... are gone?"
“He’s gone.” Zhang Qifeng sat down heavily on the pear wood stool by the bed, his voice still tinged with anger. “Xiao Yunzhan is very protective of that Pei family girl; he wouldn’t let her suffer even the slightest grievance.”
Zhang Yanzhi was silent for a moment, as if gathering the courage to speak, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "Father... there is something I did not tell them the truth."
"What is it?" Zhang Qifeng's brows furrowed suddenly, his eyes sharp as knives.
“Yesterday in the alley… after that person stabbed me, he didn’t leave immediately.” Zhang Yanzhi’s voice was even lower, almost blending into the heavy shadows cast by the curtains.
He crouched down, leaned close to my ear... and said something, asking me to... make sure to pass on the message to you.
"What did you say?" Zhang Qifeng's breath hitched.
“He said…” Zhang Yanzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty, his eyes still filled with lingering fear and apprehension, “He said… ‘Don’t be greedy.’”
"Greedy...without...satisfaction?" Zhang Qifeng squeezed out these four words through gritted teeth, a sinister smirk suddenly curling at the corner of his mouth, his eyes surging with an intense, unyielding malice and ferocity.
He suddenly raised his hand and slammed his fist hard against the solid edge of the bed, making a dull thud that was particularly startling in the quiet bedroom: "Good! What a 'good for someone who's greedy for more'!"
His chest heaved violently, and the suppressed anger was about to burst out of his throat: "Back then, in the Grand Canal case, if it weren't for my Zhang family risking our lives and putting our heads on the line to take that blow from the Emperor's face for them!"
How could they have achieved their current official positions and lived such a carefree life?! Now that they've grown powerful, they dare to touch my son, Zhang Qifeng's son!
“Father…” Zhang Yanzhi’s shoulders shrank in shock at his father’s rage, and he pleaded in a tearful voice, “How about… we stop?”
They dare to draw their knives in the alley right under the emperor's nose... what wouldn't they dare to do? If this continues, the Zhang family... the Zhang family is probably going to..."
"Stop?!" Zhang Qifeng abruptly interrupted him, his voice rising sharply, filled with a furious frustration at his son's lack of progress.
"You think they'll act like nothing happened if we back down now?! We're already in the same boat with them after what happened back then! If the ship sinks, nobody survives! With your temper..."
He pointed at his son, his fingers trembling slightly with extreme anger, "He's just too soft! Too stupid! He doesn't understand anything! When things really come to a head, do you think the Zhang family can escape unscathed?!"
Zhang Yanzhi buried his head deep in the quilt after being scolded, his lips trembling as if he wanted to defend himself, but under his father's cold and sharp gaze, he ultimately couldn't utter a single word.
His fingers, gripping the quilt, trembled slightly. The wound on his back throbbed with pain from his emotional outburst, but it was nothing compared to the excruciating, boundless, spreading chilling fear that pierced his heart.
Xiao Yunzhan and the other two left the Zhang residence after noon.
The bustling crowds on East Street and the vibrant atmosphere of the marketplace somewhat eased the oppressive atmosphere within the Zhang residence.
"After searching for half a day, my stomach is empty. It's time to find a place to satisfy my hunger."
Xiao Yunzhan reined in his horse and turned his gaze to the gilded plaque of "Zui Xian Lou" (Drunken Immortal Pavilion) that gleamed in the sunlight on the street corner.
"Although the dishes here are home-style, they are exquisite, and the private room is quiet and secluded. It's a good time to discuss the case. What does Madam Pei think?"
Pei Zhiwei looked up and saw that the restaurant's entrance was spacious but not ostentatious, and the guests coming and going were mostly dressed elegantly. He nodded and said, "Your Highness's arrangements are excellent."
Zhou Ping quickly echoed, "Your Highness and Lady Pei have the final say!"
As soon as the three arrived at the door, the shopkeeper, dressed in a royal blue robe, came out with a big smile and bowed deeply to Xiao Yunzhan.
"Your Highness, it is an honor to have you here! Your usual place, 'Listening to the Pine Pavilion,' is cleaned every day, just waiting for you. I will now lead you up there."
Xiao Yunzhan nodded slightly. The shopkeeper led the way attentively, passing through the bustling lobby, up to the second-floor corridor, and pushed open a carved wooden door.
The private room was bright and clean, with a pot of lush green pine and bamboo growing vigorously by the window. The white porcelain tableware on the table was spotless and lustrous, and the yellow wine warming on the small bronze stove next to it was emitting a rich and enticing aroma.
After the shopkeeper bowed and withdrew, the waiter quickly served several dishes that were delicious in color, aroma and taste.
The private room returned to silence. Xiao Yunzhan first served Pei Zhiwei a small bowl of milky white fish soup, and then said to Zhou Ping, "Officer Zhou, please don't be shy. You've worked hard investigating the case today, so eat something to fill your stomach."
Pei Zhiwei took the warm soup bowl, feeling the warmth of the delicate porcelain with her fingertips, and replied softly, "Your Highness deliberately guided Zhang Yanzhi to think about 'silencing' him. What was your intention?"
Zhou Ping rubbed his hands together and smiled, but instead of picking up his chopsticks, he frowned and muttered to himself.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I still can't figure it out. Was Zhang Yanzhi's attack really not the work of the Shadow? After all, he was the only one who had seen the Shadow. It makes sense that the Shadow wanted to silence him."
"Nine out of ten of Zhang Yanzhi's explanations were probably lies," Xiao Yunzhan said calmly, picking up a piece of steamed perch and removing the fine bones.
"The only truth is that he 'has never offended anyone.' With his personality, he was protected by Zhang Qifeng like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, soft and timid. It's rare for him to even blush and argue, let alone make a blood feud with someone."
He put down his silver chopsticks and looked calmly at Pei Zhiwei: "There are only two things that could bring him to his death in this life: one is his infatuation with Qin Chaochao, and the other is pointing out the location where the shadowy figure climbed over the wall."
"Let's talk about Qin Chaochao first." A faint hint of sarcasm flashed across Xiao Yunzhan's lips.
"Her marriage to me was bestowed by His Majesty. The Qin family is currently in dire straits and barely able to take care of itself, so we dare not cause any trouble at this time and invite disaster upon ourselves."
"If I were to investigate his lust for his fiancée, I should have done so at the latest when Qin Chaochao returned the brocade box he offered; there's no need to wait until now."
“And then there’s the matter of identifying the shadowy figure.” He changed the subject, his eyes sharpening. “That does give the shadowy figure a reason to silence him. That’s why I deliberately led him to that conclusion.”
He gave a soft snort, his voice carrying a chilling insight. "Firstly, His Majesty, to save face for me, insists on closing the case as 'suicide by hanging.' As long as Zhang Yanzhi insists the assassination was a cover-up, I will have a legitimate reason to reopen the case. Secondly..."
He paused, looking directly at Pei Zhiwei, "You saw it too, Zhang Yanzhi is a man who can't hide his true intentions. If he was really just being targeted by the shadowy figure, when I pointed out that his lies would hinder Qin Chaochao's case, he would only be more eager to claim his innocence and that he was being silenced."
But his distracted, hesitant, and evasive demeanor just now clearly indicated that he knew there was more to the story, and that this story had nothing to do with Qin Chaochao's case!
Pei Zhiwei put down her soup bowl, her eyes showing even greater understanding: "No wonder Zhang Qifeng has been obstructing us at every turn, afraid that his son might say something inappropriate. If he truly cared about his son's safety, he would only hope that we would find the real culprit as soon as possible, why would he be so secretive?"
"That's not all." Xiao Yunzhan tapped his fingertips lightly on the smooth edge of the table. "Does Madam Pei remember anything unusual about the alley where Zhang Yanzhi was attacked?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhiwei immediately took out a neatly folded piece of Xuan paper from the brocade pouch at her waist, carefully unfolded it and laid it on the table, revealing a clear shoe print pattern. She then turned to look at Zhou Ping.
"Officer Zhou, when you were investigating the case yesterday with the sketch of the shadowy figure, did you mention the shadowy figure's characteristics to the other officers? For example, details such as shoes that are eight and a half inches long and a slender build."
Zhou Ping's expression hardened. He leaned closer to the table and stared at the rubbing. He immediately replied, "Yes, Madam, it was mentioned! At the time, I was thinking of checking for suspicious people among the onlookers, so I told a few brothers about the characteristics of the shadowy figure and asked them to keep an eye out."
Looking back now, there were quite a few people gathered around at the time; it's entirely possible that some people overheard and deliberately copied the features to forge traces!
“Exactly.” Pei Zhiwei pointed to the most complete shoe print on the rubbing paper. “If you look closely, the print is indeed eight and a half inches long, which at first glance matches the portrait.”
However, the pressure points were abnormal, with deep indentations on the forefoot and shallow, blurry marks on the heel, with even twisted and deformed edges, clearly indicating that the person was wearing shoes that were half an inch too big for their feet and deliberately walking on tiptoe.
Furthermore, the edges of the shoe print are brand new, showing no signs of wear from daily wear, indicating that they must be new shoes purchased temporarily, specifically for imitating the silhouette's shoe design.
Her fingertip moved to another, fainter rubbing: "The key evidence is this half-shoe print found on the old locust tree at the alley entrance. Although the print is faint, it is clearly measurable, and the shoe is only eight inches long."
Based on the depth of the shoe prints and the proportions of the body, the assassin's actual height should be around five feet seven inches. Comparing the two, it can be seen that the assassin had small feet and could not fit into eight-and-a-half-inch shoes, which is why the abnormally deep front and shallow back imprints were left.
The mark on the tree, hastily left undisguised, revealed his true shoe size.
Xiao Yunzhan picked up the rubbing and examined it closely, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "So that's how it is. Someone went to great lengths to imitate the shape of the shadowy shoes, with the aim of throwing this mud at the shadowy figure, guiding everyone to follow the 'silencing' lead, thereby covering up their true target—the Zhang family!"
“That’s exactly what I meant.” Pei Zhiwei said with certainty, “Moreover, this person’s skills are worlds apart from the shadowy figure. The shadowy figure could walk on the Qin mansion’s walls without leaving a trace, demonstrating his mastery of lightness skills.”
The assassin who killed Zhang Yanzhi left deep footprints on the locust tree, and a trace of clothing fiber remained where the bark was torn, indicating that his light-footed skills were clearly crude. This further confirms that the assassination was carried out by two different groups of people.
Zhou Ping became increasingly alarmed as he looked at the document. Realizing that his leak of information might have jeopardized the investigation, he immediately knelt on one knee and said, "I have failed in my duties and inadvertently revealed the shadowy figure's features. I beg Prince Rui to punish me!"
Xiao Yunzhan waved his hand, his tone calm: "Now that things have come to this, punishment is useless. Let this be the last time. Be careful during the follow-up investigation, and make sure the information is not leaked again."
Zhou Ping quickly stood up and gratefully cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Highness! I will certainly be more careful in the future!"
Xiao Yunzhan put down the rubbing paper, picked up his chopsticks again, and placed a piece of fresh, green seasonal vegetable into the small dish in front of Pei Zhiwei.
"Eat your meal first; cold food will upset your spleen and stomach. There's no rush to investigate the case."
As for Zhang Yanzhi, we'll find an opportunity to question him privately once his injuries have healed somewhat. With his father watching closely today, we won't get any real information out of him.”
Pei Zhiwei responded and lowered her head to eat quietly. Zhou Ping also picked up his chopsticks, eating while recalling his analysis, and felt his thoughts becoming much clearer.
The only sounds in the private room were the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks, while the faint sounds of bustling city life outside the window made the tranquility inside all the more apparent.
As the three dined, they exchanged their insights on the case in hushed tones, discussing everything from the blurry shoe print on the carpet in the Qin residence to the petals of magnolia blossoms falling in the backyard of the Zhang residence. Before they knew it, most of the dishes on the table had been eaten.
Just then, a series of footsteps approached from afar outside the tightly closed carved wooden door of the private room, and then the door was pushed open without any politeness.
A young man's voice, carrying a hint of nonchalant languor, rang out clearly: "Oh, isn't this His Highness Prince Rui? What a coincidence!"
Zhou Ping abruptly put down his chopsticks, his hand instinctively reaching for the sword at his waist. He looked warily towards the door and said in a deep voice, "Who goes there? How dare you trespass!"
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