Chapter 116 Her Peach Blossom Spring
Qin Shaozong sheathed his ring-pommel sword, but instead of having the servant report immediately, he said, "Come with me."
He led his men up to the second floor, and Dai Li, curious, followed.
Once they reached the second floor, completely separated from the people below, Qin Shaozong said, "Tell me the truth."
The maid knelt down with a thud. “My lord, everyone is joining in, and I can’t be left out. I… I’ve only been in this bookstore for seven months. At first, I didn’t join the owners, but the owners and the manager sometimes don’t hide from me when they worship. They say that the Eternal Mother advocates equality for all, and that as long as you believe in the religion, you can ascend to paradise after death.”
Perhaps because he was anxious, he spoke incoherently and unclearly.
Qin Shaozong didn't interrupt him; Dai Li was also listening.
"About three months ago, the master said he was going south to Jingzhou to visit relatives. Before he left, he mentioned that a distant relative might come to the bookstore and would be managing it for him for a while, asking us to take good care of them. About two months later, they indeed arrived. Leading them were two young men, oh, and a young lady. They had the master's token in their possession. That young lady stayed at the bookstore afterward; she has a room on the third floor," the maid said.
"What are the names of the distant relatives of the landlord? Where did they live later?" Qin Shaozong asked.
The maid shook her head. "I don't know their specific names. I only know that their surname is 'Bai' because I've heard the shopkeeper call them 'Young Master Bai.' As for where they live, I know even less. These two 'Young Master Bai's' were personally served by the shopkeeper, and they had the most contact with him. Apart from the initial period, they didn't come to the bookstore much afterward. On the other hand, the young lady who stayed here, I was ordered around by her a few times, but it was all just serving tea and water, nothing special."
Dai Li asked, "What do those two young men look like?"
After a long pause, the maid finally managed to utter the four words, "well-proportioned features."
"Is there nothing memorable about it?" Dai Li asked upon seeing this.
The maid nodded repeatedly, not daring to look directly at Dai Li, and only focused her gaze on her jade pendant. "Indeed, it's quite ordinary, nothing outstanding."
Qin Shaozong: "The young lady upstairs sent someone to look for them. Are you aware of this?"
The maid nodded and said she knew, adding that she had happened to run into him once.
Qin Shaozong then asked, "From the time that person was sent out to when Bai Langjun arrived at the bookstore, did it take about half an hour?"
The maid froze, frowning as she tried to recall, "It seems...it seems so."
Afterwards, Qin Shaozong asked some more questions, such as who in the bookstore had the most contact with them besides the shopkeeper; whether any outsiders visited them during the time the two stayed in the bookstore; how often they came to the bookstore; and whether the young lady upstairs often went out, etc.
The maid knows the answers to some questions, but is completely clueless about others.
Qin Shaozong didn't say anything about it. After asking the question, he ordered the guards to watch over the man and keep him under house arrest on the second floor.
"Madam, let's go downstairs first." Qin Shaozong took the torch from the guard.
Dai Li asked him in a low voice, "Qin Changgeng, do you still want to interrogate that shopkeeper?"
From the maid's words, the manager clearly knew a lot of information, perhaps even where they lived.
The staircase wasn't wide, only allowing one strong man to pass at a time; for two people to walk side by side, only a petite woman could manage. Dai Li and Qin Shaozong descended the stairs one after the other.
He held the torch behind, and since the steps behind were higher than those in front, the torchlight illuminated the path beneath Dai Li's feet clearly.
In response to her question, the man replied, "We will conduct a joint trial, but we won't waste any more words on someone who refuses to listen to reason and will only seek punishment."
The saying "If you refuse a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty cup" is very simple and emotionless, yet it determines the future of a person and even their entire family.
An invisible wind blew by, brushing away the dust from a corner of Dai Li's memory.
Her memories drifted back to more than half a year ago, to that private room where guests were being entertained. After the words "If you don't listen to a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty cup," a sharp blade flew in from outside and hummed as it embedded itself in the inner wall.
At that moment, the trajectory of fate veered off course. The rest of her life took a completely different turn, one she had never imagined before.
Dai Li stopped and kept looking back at Qin Shaozong behind her.
He held the torch and pulled it slightly inward, positioning himself in a safe area away from her.
Noticing her turn around, the man raised an eyebrow. "How is it?"
Compared to the cold sharpness of their first meeting, Qin Shaozong was now undoubtedly more peaceful. A warm, fiery light danced in his eyes, and his amber-brown pupils reflected the woman's figure, his gaze completely fixed on the person before him.
He stood on high, looking down at her, also from a superior position, but without the intimidating pressure he had shown when facing the fat shopkeeper.
Dai Li slowly shook her head and continued walking down.
Upon returning to the first floor, the three maids who had been standing still earlier all knelt down with a thud, each one of them rattling off what they knew.
Some say that a merchant surnamed Zhao from the east of the city came to see the two young men several times, and each time he stayed on the third floor for at least half an hour before leaving.
Some say that the other party specifically left a servant for the young lady on the third floor to run errands and deliver messages.
Some people say that since the two young men appeared, servants from a wealthy family have frequently appeared in the bookstore.
"Which wealthy family?" Qin Shaozong, who had been observing coldly, suddenly asked.
The maid was overjoyed at first to receive a response, but soon shook her head in distress. "I don't know. When I saw that man, I only noticed that his clothes were much better than those of ordinary people, and I heard him calling me 'benefactor' repeatedly. That's how I knew he was a servant of a wealthy family."
"What does this person look like?" Qin Shaozong asked.
The maid described the situation truthfully, perhaps out of fear, and went into great detail, even mentioning a large, hairy black mole on the side of the other person's neck.
Qin Shaozong glanced at Hu Bao beside him, who nodded to indicate that he had made a note of it.
Just then, a fast horse galloped in through the night.
"Father, we've found him!" The person who came was none other than Qin Qinian himself.
The young man, dressed in a black and red outfit, reined in his horse and said excitedly, "It's quite a coincidence that there are only two places with osmanthus trees around here, and neither of them is by the roadside. One is an empty house, and the other is occupied."
Qin Shaozong narrowed his eyes. "Should we have someone guard that empty house?"
Qin Qinian said he had sent someone.
This is Yuyang, his father's territory, where soldiers are plentiful. Although the first place was deserted, just in case, he still sent people to guard it closely.
Qin Shaozong turned to look at Dai Li, "Madam, let's go take a look."
Dai Li naturally agreed.
Horses are much faster than donkey carts, and in less than a quarter of an hour, Dai Li saw a house surrounded by many people.
This place is not an "urban village". Looking around, you can't find a single house with one courtyard. They are all at least two or even three courtyards.
The enclosed house was a three-courtyard house, with guards holding torches and halberds at both the front and back gates.
The door was wide open, allowing an unobstructed view into the interior. Before dismounting, Dai Li saw about a dozen people gathered in the front hall, including men, women, and children.
“Father, this family is surnamed Shang, and there are twenty-seven people in the family, including servants. They are all here.” Qin Qinian dismounted.
"Are you sure there are no omissions?" Qin Shaozong asked.
Qin Qinian firmly replied, "No, my son sent people to conduct a thorough search."
Dai Li followed the father and son inside.
All around were soldiers holding torches, the firelight clearly illuminating every terrified face.
The oldest man was already fifty, and below him were several men in their thirties, their faces showing some resemblance.
Dai Li pursed her lips.
Qin Shaozong frowned almost imperceptibly.
Unaware of the unusual behavior between the two, Qin Qinian excitedly called out to Dai Li, "Madam Dai, please take a look and see if the white elephant is among them."
Turning his head, he said to the Shang family, "Raise your heads."
As Dai Li walked past the Shang family's house, Qin Shaozong turned and headed towards the osmanthus tree not far away.
The tree, about ten feet tall, was planted in the front yard. Osmanthus flowers bloom in September and October, and now it is late autumn, with clusters of crimson osmanthus blossoms hanging on the tree.
A color slightly lighter than fire adorned the entire tree, some petals even falling to the ground. However, perhaps due to the servants' diligent sweeping, there weren't many petals on the ground.
Qin Shaozong lowered his eyes and looked at the ground for a moment, but saw no cart tracks. He called Hu Bao over, "Where is this family's donkey?"
Hu Bao: "They're kept in the donkey shed in the backyard."
Qin Shaozong asked no more questions and walked to the donkey shed in the backyard.
After inspecting each of the Shang family members, Dai Li finally approached a young woman with her hair in a bun and asked her, "Did you hear a loud noise this afternoon?"
The young woman, though puzzled, nodded truthfully, "There are indeed important people."
“The loud noise came from a house collapsing.” Dai Li looked into her eyes. “If we dig deeper, it means that two groups of people from out of town came to commit robbery and murder. They just didn’t expect that the other party’s house was in disrepair and they accidentally capsized in the ditch, which exposed their whereabouts.”
Upon hearing "murder for money," the young woman turned pale. Perhaps because they were both women, and the voice was so gentle, she forgot her fear and asked, "Have the thieves been caught?"
Dai Li nodded: "They caught them, but only one group. The other group is still hiding in the county. That group of thieves is very good at talking and building relationships with people, and then staying in their houses. The search tonight was all to catch the thieves. Have you received any distant relatives or friends visiting in the last two months?"
"No," the woman shook her head.
Dai Li lowered her eyes, turned to Qin Qinian who was staring in astonishment, and shook her head: "Not this household."
Her lie wasn't clever, but the other party was a young woman, and given tonight's terrifying search, she must have been completely flustered.
If this family had truly welcomed Bai Xiang and his group inside, they would have instinctively looked at the pillar of their household after she asked her last question.
Whether it's simple doubt or a search for some kind of support, they won't immediately shake their heads.
At this moment, Qin Shaozong returned from the backyard, saying, "This is not the place."
Qin Qinian looked at Dai Li, then at his father, scratching his head in confusion. He couldn't figure it out, but he followed the crowd and left the front yard of the house.
Qin Shaozong walked to Dai Li's mare, helped her mount, and after she was settled, he turned to ask, "Qin San, where is the other household?"
Qin Qinian pointed the way: "This way, please follow me!"
...
From above, one could see a nimble fire serpent darting through the vast city. In a fleeting moment, the serpent seemed to spot a delicacy similarly engulfed in flames, and with its mouth wide open, it swallowed it whole, merging completely with it.
"My lord," Wei Qing, who was guarding the place, bowed.
Qin Shaozong: "Has there been any unusual activity here?"
Wei Qing said no.
This house, also a three-courtyard residence, is much easier to inspect when empty. After passing through the main gate, there are covered corridors on both sides. The end of the corridors connects to the side rooms, and behind the hanging flower gate is the entrance to the inner courtyard.
As Dai Li walked around, she noticed that the house was quite clean and didn't seem like it had been vacant for a long time.
"Qinian, how long has this house been vacant?" Dai Li asked.
After he finished speaking, no one from the boy replied.
Just as Dai Li was about to turn her head, she heard the man beside her say calmly, "That kid just rushed off to another place with his men. He's already sixteen years old, yet he's still so impetuous."
His disdain was palpable.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Dai Li, and she realized that this might be a good opportunity.
An excellent opportunity to lay the groundwork.
"He's only sixteen. In my area, whether it's a young lady or a young gentleman, sixteen is still an age of innocence and carefree joy. Every day they study with their teacher, and after class they call their friends to play, and after they've had their fun, they go home to have dinner." Because there were other people following behind, Dai Li lowered her voice a little.
The night breeze made the soft, watery sound even more indistinct.
Qin Shaozong's eyes flickered slightly, and he turned to Wei Qing behind him, saying, "You take your men to investigate elsewhere; you don't need to come along."
Wei Qing originally wanted to leave some men for Qin Shaozong, but saw his superior wave his hand, signaling him to take them all away.
After Wei Qing and the others left, Qin Shaozong said, "According to what you just said, could the girls in Peach Blossom Spring also be able to read?"
“Of course,” Dai Li said with a smile. “Men and women can live together, work for equal pay, and as long as the woman’s physique is up to standard and she is willing, she can don armor and go into battle to protect the country and its people. Where I live, female soldiers are not uncommon.”
Qin Shaozong subconsciously frowned.
Clearly, he found Dai Li's words difficult to understand and did not agree with them.
Men and women live together, receive equal pay for equal work, and there are even female soldiers.
How can women go to the battlefield? It's utterly absurd! Fighting on the battlefield and protecting one's country is a man's job.
If one cannot even protect one's own wife and daughters and they have to personally don armor and go into battle, then one is truly ashamed before heaven and earth and one's ancestors, and what face does one have to live in this world?
I might as well just slit my own throat.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here I am, please give me some nutrient solution! [Hands clasped in prayer]
The little red envelope has been sent, baby, please check if you've received it! =3=
It's okay if you don't have good luck, let's try again!
The system will randomly select 100 lucky winners (regardless of the order of comments). Simply leave a comment to participate! [pat on the head]
Participation requirements: Subscription rate of 70% or higher
Lottery draw time: Results will be sent out after tomorrow's update.
By the way, tomorrow we'll finish this part and start the next one [doge face with rose in hand]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
