Chapter 60, The Sixtieth Awakening
In the past few days, the two secretly visited several officials who were familiar with Qi Fang. They did not find Qi Fang to be any different. The waterwheel he designed a few days ago had a problem, but it had been improved quite well in the past two days.
Qi Fang's family only had what his salary could afford, and there were no additional expenses.
To use these two points alone to replace the idea of a poor scholar undergoing a face-changing surgery is utter nonsense. Does it mean that skills and brains can be replaced simultaneously? Wouldn't he just send some money to his family?
Duan Duwen had been investigating the case for the past few days until he was practically bald. He knew the three powerful families were involved in the snuff bottle case, and although he was annoyed by the Xia family's interference, he had turned a blind eye. Now, unable to find any clues, he was even more frustrated. He simply shrugged and buried the case at the very bottom of the list.
When Duan Duwen didn't show up, Qin Sihai naturally knew what he meant, but he didn't care and continued his investigation.
Qi Fang's household registration states that she has no family members, so it would be strange to invite her to dinner alone and then subtly inquire about her family. Fortunately, Qin Sihai's birthday is in a few days, and he has sent out invitations.
Naturally, he would send an invitation to the Minister of Works, who is the type to curry favor with the powerful and influential, and would definitely bring his most obedient people to curry favor with him. Qi Fang—is definitely the best candidate.
As expected, Qin Sihai saw Qi Fang as he wished. Perhaps because Duan Duwen had closed the case as an addiction-related murder, he looked perfectly normal and had a very good attitude.
When the Minister of Works brought Qi Fang to pay their respects, Qin Sihai simply exchanged pleasantries as usual and didn't pay much attention.
The Minister of Works was naturally very unwilling. He pulled Qi Fang aside and gave her a good scolding, saying, "Why were you like a block of wood just now? If you had drunk more wine and said some nice things, you would have gotten on his good side. He cherishes talent the most. If you don't show your talents properly, why should he even glance at you?"
Having spent so many years in officialdom, Qi Fang, powerless and without influence, had suffered countless scornful looks. Initially, he thought that simply not taking sides would be enough, but he hadn't expected that in this court dominated by aristocratic families, not taking sides was the biggest choice; no matter which side won, he wouldn't gain anything. Therefore, even though he disliked making connections, he still had to do so.
Qi Fang straightened his clothes, looked at the stuck winding stream, and rolled up his sleeves to place a small waterwheel. He had prepared this thing long ago, and as expected, Qin Sihai noticed it.
Qin Sihai beckoned him closer and chatted casually about everyday matters, such as whether he was used to working at the Ministry of Works and whether he was used to today's meal.
Actually, there's no need to ask any of this. Qin Sihai had already noticed that Qi Fang didn't like spicy food. If she had a different personality, a person from Sichuan shouldn't be unable to eat any spicy food at all.
Besides, none of the gossipy neighbors said that the snuff bottle user had changed his appearance.
Moreover, after talking to Qi Fang up close just now, I didn't see any signs of a face transplant on his face. Either he had the transplant for a long time, or he didn't have the transplant at all.
These two people seem to be completely unrelated, with no connection whatsoever.
The case seemed to have stalled again, but the restaurant staff at Wanxianglou had uncovered the source of the family's expensive fabrics. They could afford fabrics weighing an ounce per foot, their home was lavishly furnished, and they even had countless riches. Who gave them all this money?
After the banquet ended, the ordinary-looking man appeared beside Qin Sihai like a ghost and finally asked the question that had been bothering him: "Why is the Master so determined to investigate this case?"
Qin Sihai's parents were killed in a remote village when they were mistaken for soldiers from the Wu Kingdom who had come to kill snuff bottles while defending against a small foreign enemy. Qin Sihai's parents and their soldiers were condemned to eternal damnation for delaying military operations and their bodies were left to rot in the wilderness, never to be exonerated.
Therefore, Qin Sihai hated snuff bottles and everyone who smoked them.
But by the time he grew up, the Kingdom of Wu no longer strictly prohibited snuff bottles as Emperor Wu had done. He could not ban snuff bottles, nor could he ban people's desires.
He never understood why Zuo Qinghou would give him the Guest House, but Zuo Qinghou's step-by-step planning must have been for a reason.
Qin Sihai didn't want to answer that question, and instead asked, "And why did you go into the building?"
“My family died in the war, and I have nowhere to go.”
"that's all?"
“That’s it.” The man said frankly. In Zuo Qinghou’s remote paradise, there was no war, no greed or ambition. Wasn’t that enough?
The man continued, "I went to the battlefield in place of my cousin. After earning military merit, he became a minor official, while I continued to fight desperately. But soon the country was destroyed, and everything was lost."
Qin Sihai suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "I know." Then he ran out.
The bottle for the snuff bottle was just an ordinary bottle; who would keep it at home? Wouldn't it be unsightly? So the bottle was left there afterward.
Who would put the bottle there?
Qin Sihai caught up with Qi Fang on horseback. Qi Fang was a little uneasy, not knowing what Qin Sihai was going to do, but she could only follow Qin Sihai back to the Qin residence.
Qin Sihai poured two cups of hangover tea and said, "Do you know Wang Qing from Nanluo Alley?"
Slightly tipsy, Qi Fang broke out in a cold sweat. He looked at Qin Sihai in terror and asked in a trembling voice, "What are you going to do?"
"I want to ask you, why did you give them so much money?" Qin Sihai already had the answer in his mind, and was no longer afraid of alerting the enemy.
Perhaps because things had been exposed, Qi Fang slumped into a chair, no longer pretending, and said, "Why? Of course, they were the ones who threatened me. I was grateful to them for saving me, but they gave me a snuff bottle, hoping to make me pass the imperial examination and then tie me up to ensure their family's lifelong wealth and prosperity."
"You're an official, they're businessmen, how could they possibly restrain you? You've given them something on you, haven't you?" Qin Sihai cut to the chase.
Qi Fang's expression turned even more terrified, and she knelt down on the floor, saying, "The statute of limitations for the case has expired, you can't do anything to me now."
Qin Sihai nodded: "Yeah, I'm not from the Dali Temple, what are you afraid of?"
The alcohol had clouded her mind, but out of fear, Qi Fang blurted everything out: "I am not from Wu. I killed a scholar who saved me and impersonated him to come to Yingdu. They found out and used this to blackmail me into taking the imperial examinations and making me send them money all the time."
"Where did your money come from?"
"I didn't dare to inhale snuff from the snuff bottle, that stuff... that stuff eats people, it kills them. I always saved the powder inside and then sold it on the black market. But his family's deaths have nothing to do with me! Nothing to do with me!" Qi Fang became agitated and hurriedly tried to distance herself from the situation.
"How did he die?" Qin Sihai asked, finally voicing the question that had been troubling him.
“His parents nagged him every day, complaining that I, a beggar, could pass the exam while he couldn’t. He couldn’t stand it, so he continued studying. I just said it casually, and he believed it and started using a snuff bottle, asking me to buy him one. In the end, he went crazy and killed his whole family,” Qi Fang said, laughing as he spoke. His laughter was ferocious, and the veins on his face bulged, as if he had been using a snuff bottle. “In Wu, if you’ve studied but haven’t achieved anything, you can never hold your head up at home. His skills are so amazing; I’ve studied for so long and I’m only about 30 or 40 percent of them, hahaha, but you Wu people don’t recognize that, hahaha.”
Everything in his heart had an answer; Wang Qing's face was also slashed by himself in a mad rage after becoming addicted.
Feeling exhausted from an extremely boring case, Qin Sihai arranged for someone to take Qi Fang home.
Qi Fang, who thought she was going to jail, was shocked and incredulous, saying, "You're going to send me back? I encouraged others to smoke snuff bottles, and nothing happened?"
Qin Sihai withdrew his foot, turned back, and squatted down in front of him, saying, "You didn't kill anyone, so why are you so nervous? Whether you put down those three snuff bottles or not is none of your business. Besides, now that the fields are going to produce more crops, Lord Qi will be busy."
Qin Sihai stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes, and got up to leave: "Lord Qi is just drunk. Steward, please take him home quickly."
Qin Sihai's seemingly carefree departure wasn't truly so. During his three or four years in Sui, he never agreed with Zuo Qinghou's idea of prioritizing the protection of Zhu Yan for the sake of Sui's people. He argued with her more than once. Meanwhile, the people of the other smaller states were treated well in Wu.
At that time, Zuo Qinghou only asked, "Are there any southern restaurants on the streets of the capital?"
With just one sentence, Qin Sihai was completely silenced. In the vast capital city, it seemed that he could only find one restaurant that served border-style dishes.
He never paid attention to the fate of those fallen people.
But as long as youthful beauty remains, the world will never be at peace. This is Qin Sihai's obsession.
Therefore, when Zuo Qinghou finally gave the Wanxianglou restaurant to Qin Sihai, he was resistant. He didn't know what this woman was plotting, so he used it carefully and cautiously, and slowly found many talented people from Wu to settle in there.
But today, he seemed to understand what Zuo Qinghou meant.
The ban on snuff bottles couldn't be stopped, not because of the obstruction of the three powerful families, nor because the emperor turned a blind eye, but because human nature is unpredictable. Some people are after power and wealth, while others simply want to prove themselves. There will always be some who think those strange and intangible things are more important than human life.
Indeed, in this era, some lives are weighed by the pound, while others are counted individually, making them practically worthless. Even an emperor's life only has value when someone with power and influence is behind it; otherwise, wouldn't it be easily lost with a single wicked thought?
Unless the Crimson Flower becomes extinct tomorrow, this thing can never be banned.
So what if the Crimson Flower is gone? There are other things besides the Crimson Flower. Qin Sihai suddenly felt sorrowful. He really couldn't resist the snuff bottle. Zuo Qinghou giving him the Guest House of Ten Thousand Elephants was indeed nothing to worry about. The Guest House of Ten Thousand Elephants only made him realize faster that there was nothing he could do.
He sat under the tree, staring blankly at the dark night sky, devoid of any starlight, a sight that made one feel depressed.
Suddenly, a bowl of hangover soup was placed on the stone table in front of him. Qin Sihai said politely, "Thank you."
Zhu Qingyan sat down opposite him and said with concern like an elder sister, "You don't usually celebrate your birthday, so you must have drunk too much today because you were happy. Quickly drink some soup to sober up."
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