Chapter 70 Familiar Shoeprints
Han Yan kept repeating, "He actually sent people to kill me... He actually wanted to kill me..."
Xie Ji was already shouting at the top of his lungs, "That kid knows the alleys of Yangdu like the backyard. He disappeared after turning two corners!"
Xiao Yunzhan and I split up to chase after them, but we didn't even catch a glimpse of them!
Xiao Yunzhan was much more composed than him. He approached and said, "The opponent's lightness skill is not top-notch, but he is too familiar with the terrain and specializes in running through narrow alleys and dark channels."
We chased them for two blocks, but finally lost track of them on the riverbank in the east of the city.
Pei Zhiwei didn't ask any more questions about pursuing someone; the most important thing right now was the woman in front of her.
"Don't be afraid, the person has already run away and won't be coming back."
The woman's body was still trembling slightly. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she widened her eyes and scanned the crowd.
"Are you...are you government officials?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Jingchang stepped forward and said, "I am Liu Jingchang, the magistrate of Yangdu County."
"Tell me what you need; there's no need to be afraid."
The woman's eyes lit up instantly, and she knelt down by the bedside with a thud, "Lord Liu!"
I'm going to report this to the authorities!
The collapse of the colorful display stand at Yuhuchun was no accident!
Someone did it on purpose!
Someone cut the main rope to kill Master Xu and Steward Chen!
Liu Jingchang's face instantly darkened. He stared into the woman's eyes: "You're saying someone did this on purpose? Who did it?"
"It's Xu Ren!" the woman cried out loudly.
"It's Xu Ren, the illegitimate son of Master Xu! The men who came to kill me just now were also sent by him!"
"How can you be so sure it's him?" Liu Jingchang pressed. "Do you have any evidence?"
The woman wiped away her tears forcefully. "When that masked man attacked just now, I heard him say something!"
He said, "My master said that only the dead can put his mind at ease!"
"I've never had such a deep grudge against anyone in my life. Who else could it be but Xu Ren?!"
The last line, "If it's not Xu Ren, then who is it?" was shouted so forcefully that his voice cracked.
Looking at her like this, Pei Zhiwei roughly understood what was going on.
She handed him a clean handkerchief and said softly, "Don't get agitated, speak slowly."
What is your relationship with Xu Ren? Why did he want to kill you?
The woman took the handkerchief, wiped away her tears, and gradually calmed down.
"My name is Han Yan, and I am a courtesan at this Yi Hong Courtyard. I have known Xu Ren for three years."
She seemed to be reminiscing about the past, a complex mix of emotions flashing in her eyes.
"The first time he came to Yihong Courtyard, he asked me to sing a song, saying that I sang better than the other ladies."
Later, he came often, and each time he only listened to me sing, never getting close to the other women.
He never looked down on me because of my lowly status, and even said that he himself was just an illegitimate son of a merchant family, not much more noble than me.
Han Yan's voice softened, "He told me many times that once he saved enough money, he would redeem me from my servitude and take me as his concubine."
But the madam was too greedy; although he was Master Xu's son, he didn't have much cash on hand.
Master Xu favored his eldest son, Xu Li, and entrusted all the family business to Xu Li.
Xu Ren could only run errands for Xu Li, delivering messages, without even getting a penny of extra income.
“He’s not reconciled,” Han Yan said, her fingers gripping the handkerchief tightly.
"She has complained to me many times, saying that she is already this age and is still like a gofer."
He had begged Master Xu many times, wanting to take charge of some affairs himself.
But Mr. Xu always rejected his proposal, saying that he was too unstable to do anything worthwhile.
Later, his uncle Liu Yang gave him an idea: to use the name "Second Son of the Xu Family" to collect "referral fees" from small merchants and then secretly lend money at exorbitant interest rates.
At first, it was done discreetly and went undetected, but Mr. Xu found out about it recently.
In front of the servants, Master Xu slapped him hard, saying that he "didn't even care about the family's reputation for a courtesan."
He also said, "Unless I die, you'll never touch the Xu family's business in your lifetime."
"And then?" Pei Zhiwei pressed. "Did he then decide to kill him?"
Han Yan took a breath and said, "He came to me that very night and said, 'Since Father has said so, let him die sooner.'"
I even advised him not to do anything foolish.
But he wouldn't listen to any of it, only saying, "Only if he dies can I get what I deserve."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jingchang frowned even more deeply: "So, the collapse of the Jade Pot Spring display stand was something you all planned together?"
Han Yan: "Yes... it was him who discussed it with me."
He said that Governor Zhang would be hosting a banquet for distinguished guests at Yuhuchun that day, and that Governor Zhang had long had feelings for me.
Given Governor Zhang's temperament, he will definitely force me to do so.
As long as I cause trouble with Governor Zhang, it will definitely attract everyone's attention, and he will take the opportunity to make his move.
But to everyone's surprise, Governor Zhang didn't order any singing or dancing that day; he only held a vegetarian banquet.
Xu Ren was extremely anxious, fearing that if he waited any longer, he would miss his chance.
Liu Jingchang stood aside, listening to Han Yan's words, and his heart skipped a beat.
He had only been the magistrate of Yangdu County for a year, and his relationship with Zhang Xuren was just a normal superior-subordinate one.
Zhang Xuren had invited him to banquets before, but he couldn't stand Zhang Xiao's bullying and domineering behavior, and felt that Zhang Xuren was a bad father. He hated him from the bottom of his heart and always made excuses to decline.
The reason I agreed to come to Yuhuchun this time was because I had previously studied several major cases handled by Pei Lin of the Dali Temple, and I admired him and wanted to take this opportunity to make his acquaintance.
But now that Han Yan has said this, will Prince Rui, the heir of the Marquis of Ding'an, and Lady Pei think that they are the same kind of people as Zhang Xuren?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but secretly glance at Xiao Yunzhan and Pei Zhiwei, only to find that they were both staring at Han Yan and not paying attention to him.
"And then?" Pei Zhiwei's voice pulled Liu Jingchang back to reality. She was waiting for her to continue. "If you couldn't get the support of Governor Zhang, how did you provoke the conflict?"
“It’s Zhang Xiao!” Han Yan said quickly.
"Just as Xu Ren and I were getting anxious, Zhang Xiao arrived with his men."
He saw me as soon as he got to the third floor and had someone invite me into his private room.
I felt that my opportunity had come.
Zhang Xiao is spoiled by his father. He can make a huge fuss over the smallest things. If I provoke him even slightly, he will definitely take action.
Sure enough, after I sang half a song, Zhang Xiao started getting restless.
She pointed to Xie Ji beside her, a hint of relief in her eyes.
I saw this young man pass by through the crack in the door of the private room.
His attire and the air he exuded suggested he was a wealthy young man.
Having spent so many years in brothels, I have a good eye for these things.
If he were to face off against Zhang Xiao, the commotion might be even greater, which would buy Xu Ren more time.
"So you deliberately went to Prince Xie's private room to ask for help?" Pei Zhiwei continued, following her words.
"Yes!" Han Yan nodded.
"When this young man arrived, the only empty room was the private room next door."
I reckon this young man is in that private room.
So when Zhang Xiao wasn't paying attention, I pushed him aside and ran to the next room.
As I predicted, things went very smoothly, and everyone's attention was drawn to it.
Pei Zhiwei frowned. What puzzled her most was something else: "How could Xu Ren be so sure that Xu Fengyan and Chen Gong would be standing under the trellis?"
What if they're not there? Wouldn't all our efforts have been wasted?
Mentioning this, Han Yan's eyes darkened: "He had someone paint a picture, saying it was a 'perspective and perspective'."
Up close, it's just an ordinary landscape; only from a distance can you see its exquisite beauty.
He instructed Liu Yang to present the painting to Master Xu at the appointed time, and to unfold the painting on the upper floor opposite Yuhuchun.
Master Xu was worried about not having any new gifts to give away, which is why he listened to Liu Yang and stood in the spot he designated to admire them.
Chen Gong, who always stayed by Master Xu's side, would naturally be there as well.
"Are you really that sure?" Pei Zhiwei still felt something was off.
"How could he have timed it so perfectly that the display stand collapsed just as he was admiring the painting?"
Han Yan: "He...he found a secluded spot outside the city and set up a colorful frame that was exactly the same size as the Jade Pot Spring."
After many attempts, I calculated exactly how long the rope would hold its shape after being cut to a specific point before breaking.
He said, "There's absolutely no mistake," and I... I believed him at the time.
Upon hearing this, Liu Jingchang turned to the constable beside him and ordered, "Take men to the Xu residence immediately and arrest Xu Ren!"
He then looked at Han Yan, his tone serious, "As an accomplice, you must also come back to the county office with me."
Han Yan raised her head, fiercely wiping away the tears on her face, her eyes filled with determination: "I'll go with you."
Anyway, I was given a second chance at life, so even if I die, I'll take Xu Ren with me!
He lied to me, used me, and now he wants to kill me to silence me. I will never let him get away with this!
Liu Jingchang: "Do you know the exact location where Xu Ren is experimenting with the colored frame outside the city?"
“I know! It’s near the abandoned kiln in the southwest outside the city. It’s a deserted place, no one will find it.”
Liu Jingchang sent several constables to verify the information, while he led the others downstairs.
Pei Zhiwei walked at the back, took out a piece of paper from her brocade bag, and carefully made a rubbing of the footprints left by the masked man.
After making the rubbings, she stared at the footprints on the paper for a long time, her brows slowly furrowing.
Xiao Yunzhan walked behind her and saw that she had been squatting there for a long time without moving, so he stopped and asked softly, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the footprints?"
Pei Zhiwei: "There's nothing wrong with the footprints themselves, it's just that I feel like I've seen them somewhere before, but I can't quite remember where."
Xiao Yunzhan couldn't see anything unusual either. "Don't worry too much. Maybe you'll remember when you see similar shoes later."
When Pei Zhiwei came downstairs, Liu Jingchang had already had a carriage prepared. Han Yan was led by a yamen runner into one carriage, while Pei Zhiwei, Xiao Yunzhan, and Xie Ji rode in another, heading towards the county yamen.
Xie Ji leaned against the car wall, still complaining about not catching up with the masked man: "That kid ran too fast. My and Xiao Yunzhan's lightness skills are not bad, right?"
He actually got away! If I catch him again, I'll definitely teach him a lesson!
Xiao Yunzhan didn't reply, only staring at the street scene outside the window, lost in thought.
Pei Zhiwei took out the rubbing paper from earlier and studied it carefully, but still couldn't recall seeing similar footprints anywhere, so she had to put the paper away again.
Just as the carriage turned a corner and was about to reach the county government office, a yamen runner suddenly rushed out from the side, panting, and blocked the carriage, shouting loudly, "Lord Liu!"
"Lord Liu! Are you in the carriage? I have urgent news to report!"
The carriage came to a sudden stop. Liu Jingchang lifted the curtain, frowned, and asked, "What's the panic? What happened?"
The constable ran out breathlessly, shouting, "Lord Liu! Something terrible has happened! The Xu residence... something has happened at the Xu residence! We just received a report that someone has died at the Xu residence!"
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