Chapter 103 Qi-Liang Realm (Fifteen) You're just jealous! ...
After the meal, Yu Qi and Zhang Da were about to return to their office when Xu Bai escorted them to the side gate. Looking towards the gate, they saw the setting sun casting long shadows on the walls of the houses across the way, the sun gradually sinking behind the western mountains. It was already this late, and Qi Xuyun still hadn't returned home. He was merely a junior official in the Ministry of Rites in Southern Zhili; how could he be so busy with official duties?
Jiuli pondered to herself, then pulled Xubai aside and whispered a few words to him.
As Yu Qi was stepping out the door, he turned back to see the two of them whispering behind him. Suppressing his displeasure, he waited until they finished talking before calling Jiu Li over and instructing him, "It's getting late. You and Zhong'er can go home on your own."
Jiuli immediately pouted and silently resisted. After a while, he made an excuse that he had something to discuss with everyone and insisted on dragging Du Zhong back to the yamen with him and Zhang Da.
Jiuli went straight to the duty room where Yu Qi was sleeping and hurriedly told Zhang Da to untie the handcuffs on Yu Qi's wrists. Seeing that his wrists were a little red from being rubbed, she felt sorry for him and glanced at Zhang Da. "Brother Zhang, you should have removed these handcuffs for your uncle when you arrived at the Qi residence. Why did you delay until you came back?"
Zhang Da sat at the octagonal table and chuckled, "There are still so many servants in the Qi family. If they see this and spread it around, they won't say the government is being biased, but instead they'll say that the teacher doesn't respect the law."
Jiuli sat behind the octagonal table, her skirt fluttering, and said irritably, "Isn't it all because of that Xu Qing spreading those rumors outside? He's just hoping to ruin my uncle's reputation so that our Yu family's business can't continue! Doesn't your yamen do anything about it?"
“He didn’t come to the yamen to accuse Mr. Yu of anything, and his testimony last time wasn’t false, so how can the yamen handle it?” Zhang Da finished speaking, his eyes darting around, and he leaned in with a smile. “Actually, it’s not difficult to deal with him. He runs a pharmacy, and many of his businesses rely on the Wei family to mediate. You and Wei Hong could just ask him for help privately, right?”
Du Zhong couldn't stop him in time, so he quickly looked at Yu Qi, only to see him standing with his back to the dragon gate rack hanging up the outer cloak he had just taken off. He paused for a moment, then glanced back at him, his gaze like two icy arrows shot towards the table.
Jiuli was still thinking to himself, "That's it! The Wei family is the leading family in the pharmaceutical industry, and the Xu family's business must rely heavily on them. Although rejecting the Wei family's marriage proposal earlier angered Old Madam Wei, Wei Hong probably wouldn't hold a grudge; he wasn't the petty type." So, he rested his hands on the table, propped his chin on his hand, and grinned at Zhang Da.
Yu Qi rubbed his wrist and walked over slowly. When he saw the smile on Jiu Li's face, he said with a hint of sarcasm, "What, you still want to use your beauty to seduce Wei Hong? I've raised you with so much care, and you don't even know how to respect yourself?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had spoken too harshly. However, he couldn't very well admit it in front of others, so he turned away and tied his hands behind his back.
As expected, Jiu Li's face immediately darkened, and she stood up abruptly. "How am I lacking self-respect? Even if a deal falls through, we can still be friends. Is it wrong to make friends?!"
He glanced at her indifferently. "Have you ever seen a young lady making friends with a man?"
"No young lady of a family spends all her time running around investigating cases, and you still allowed it, so why can't you allow her to make friends?"
Seeing Du Zhong's expression, Zhang Da chuckled awkwardly, "Stop arguing, stop arguing. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have mentioned the Wei family. You two sit down first. In a few days, I'll send someone to the Xu family's shop to warn them. They should have some reservations then."
To everyone's surprise, Yu Qi didn't buy it and kept a cold face.
"Mr. Yu, Mr. Yu, please have a seat!" Zhang Da stood up with a smile, trying to go around and pull him to sit down.
Seeing that things were not going well, Du Zhong grabbed him before he could leave, saying, "Brother Zhang, let's go to the kitchen and see why the tea hasn't been brewed yet." With that, he pulled Zhang Da away in a flash.
As soon as the two of them left, Yu Qi went to close the door, his expression softening. He glanced at Jiu Li and said earnestly, "Making friends isn't necessarily a bad thing, but Wei Hong and Qi Xubai have both been engaged to you. If you continue to associate with them too closely, who will say anything good about you? Under these circumstances—"
Before she could finish speaking, Jiu Li, already impatient, plopped back down on her stool and covered her ears. "I don't want to hear it! All this rambling on and on, isn't it just because you're unhappy, but you insist on saying it's for my reputation and dignity!"
Yu Qi laughed in annoyance, "What do I have to be unhappy about?"
Her eyes darted around, and she stood up, lowering her hands. "What do you think? You're just jealous! As long as I talk to a man a little more, except for Du Zhong, you get upset and you always have a good reason for it."
Yu Qi felt exposed under her intense gaze, so he coughed to cover it up, his face becoming even more righteous and awe-inspiring. "What's with all this talk about jealousy? Humph, I'm not as petty as those men!" As he spoke, he twisted his hands behind his back. "Besides, what right do those two have to make me jealous?"
Jiuli looked away, shaking her head and clicking her tongue twice. "I never imagined you were such a hypocrite—"
He saw the mischievous disdain in her eyes, felt a surge of anger, pulled her close, and, afraid she would flinch, pressed his hand against the back of her neck, tilted her head back, and gave her a hard kiss. "What's wrong? You're a little different from the dignified 'uncle' you used to know? Are you disappointed?"
She didn't know why, but she liked his coercion, his oppression, and being under his control. She thought it was probably because people have a bit of a masochistic streak, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
She casually clung to his neck, tilted her head back, and giggled.
A beam of setting sun shone through the window, passing under their noses and casting its light on the wall. Yu Qi looked at her radiant face and smiled helplessly, pulling her close and shaking her gently. "What are you laughing at? Hmm?"
Jiuli pursed her lips and shook her head. After a while, she said, "I remember when I was little, you wanted to abandon me several times because you thought I was a burden. But now you seem very reluctant to part with me."
"Who hasn't made a mistake?" Yu Qi sighed, touching her face. "I will never abandon you for the rest of my life."
She tilted her head to the side, but couldn't help laughing. She trusted him even without his guarantees because they had a secure relationship.
He gently touched her face and said, "But don't run around recklessly! Even if I cripple you, I can still afford to take care of you."
She was fearless. "You can find me wherever I go, what's there to be afraid of?"
That's the downside of youth, but also its advantage—no matter how dangerous the world is, you still have a spirit of adventure. He fell in love with her, so young, and even though she caused him headaches, he could only endure it.
"Wouldn't it be easier for both of us if we didn't run?" he mumbled with a smile, his words barely audible, his ears turning red as if he were a little embarrassed.
Jiuli knew he was ashamed to admit his selfish possessiveness. He had lectured her too much in the past, always teaching her that although women should be gentle and compliant, they should also be independent and self-reliant, so as not to be bound by others in the future. This "others" naturally referred to her future husband's family.
But when it comes to himself, there's no logic to it, and he's just as domineering.
She smiled and tilted her eyes, as if teasing him.
Yu Qi felt very uncomfortable being looked at by her, and was also afraid that someone might suddenly open the door and come in, so he let go of her hand.
She clung to his neck, her eyes filled with a hint of resentment.
"This isn't at home; there are people coming and going outside." He gave her a reassuring kiss, smiled, and went to open the door. She could only secretly glare at his retreating figure from behind.
As soon as the door opened, Youjun stood before them. Both of them were somewhat surprised. Yuqi was surprised that she had come, while Youjun was surprised by the smile on his face. It was a kind of gentleness she had never seen before. She used to think that his dark eyes were an abyss, but now she discovered that there was a shimmering light beneath them, leading to another paradise.
He turned his head and looked into the house, and sure enough, Jiu Li was inside. His smile couldn't possibly be for anyone else, but it seemed different from when he was with Jiu Li in the past.
“I heard about your wrongful conviction, sir, so I came to see you.” Youjun entered the room and looked around carefully. “Seeing that you live in such a house, I am relieved. It is clear that what Ah Liu said was true; the yamen does not treat you as a criminal.”
"Hasn't Ah Liu already finished her shift and gone home?" Jiu Li pondered for a moment, guessing that she had probably come by earlier, but they were at the Qi family's place at the time, so she came again now. It's remarkable that she doesn't do business with the Yu family, yet she has repeatedly shown goodwill; isn't that a kind of affection?
However, she never made it clear, and Jiuli and Yuqi were happy to play dumb. Jiuli hurriedly moved a stool next to the octagonal table for her to sit down. "Don't worry, Auntie. Lord Yan is not a fool. He won't really consider my uncle a suspect. Right now, we are investigating the Qi family's case. Once we find out the truth, my uncle will naturally be cleared of suspicion and can go home."
Youjun smiled and nodded, her eyes darting across her face. "So, Lord Qi didn't go to the capital either?"
Judging from his tone, he seemed to know about her and Xu Bai's departure from Nanjing that day. He truly had eyes and ears everywhere. Jiu Li glanced at Yu Qi and chuckled awkwardly, "Auntie, please don't make fun of me. Don't listen to the nonsense outside. Xu Bai and I didn't elope. I had some business to attend to in the capital, so I traveled with him."
Youjun gave her a reproachful look, "What important business could you possibly have that requires you to go to the capital?"
Yu Qi chimed in, "She just wants to go out and have some fun."
It would have been better if he hadn't interrupted, but once he did, the young prince knew he was pretty much right. Jiu Li did indeed have some inseparable connection with the capital and even the imperial city. Otherwise, why would Prince Zhao's official boat be willing to take a girl who was not related to him? A prince of such high status would not necessarily be so approachable.
She felt a little frustrated because Yu Qi wouldn't say it outright, and felt that he was treating her with unusual distance.
"It's fine to just have fun in Nanjing. The capital isn't a place to play around casually." She smiled gently and pulled Jiuli to sit down. "You don't know, there are powerful and influential people everywhere in the capital. If you say something unintentionally, you might offend them, and you can't afford to take the consequences."
As they were talking, Du Zhong and Zhang Da returned with hot tea. When they saw that You Jun was also there and that the situation between Yu Qi and Jiu Li had eased, Zhang Da felt refreshed and chuckled, “Luckily, I filled this pot of tea to the brim. Come, Miss Guan, please try some of the tea from our yamen.”
Jiuli pouted and said, "Brother Zhang is confused too. What good tea doesn't your aunt have at home? Why would she care about the tea allowance from the yamen?"
Youjun helped turn over the teacups on the table. "We have all kinds of tea, but not the tea from the government. Thanks to Mr. Yu, we can have government tea without having to go to court."
Everyone sat down around the table, except for Jiuli and Duzhong, who squeezed together. Youjun then became concerned about the fire at the Qi residence. Knowing that only an unused hall had burned down, she smiled and shook her head, "That's nothing. The Qi family has a big house and many empty rooms, so it's not a big loss for them. It's just strange that a servant died. I heard Ah Liu say that the person was killed by something? Has the murder weapon been found?"
Zhang Da cursed Ah Liu inwardly. How could he casually tell outsiders such a thing? Especially Guan Youjun, who was the mastermind behind Guan Zhan's murder!
"Everything that could be burned in that house was burned down; there's nothing left," Du Zhong sighed, spreading his hands.
When Youjun saw him, she couldn't help but think of Guan Zhan, and she couldn't help but smile and comfort him, "A thing that can kill someone must be some kind of hard, blunt weapon. How could such a thing be so easily burned? Perhaps the murder weapon was taken away by the murderer."
Yu Qi followed her words and thought about it. Although it wasn't entirely true, it made sense. He remembered that although there were many miscellaneous items in Sishixuan, they were all tables and chairs, which weren't very handy.
This shows that the murderer must have come prepared, and the blunt weapon he brought must have been heavy and handy. Chen Zifang had drunk a lot of alcohol that afternoon and was somewhat hungover. The murderer took advantage of his unpreparedness and struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious. Before Chen Zifang could call out, the murderer repeatedly struck him until he died.
While still pondering, Zhang Da sighed across from him, "But the Qi mansion is so big, with countless things, where are we going to find such a murder weapon? Maybe the murderer has already thrown the murder weapon outside the mansion, and even if we turn the Qi mansion upside down, we may not be able to find it."
In her despair, Youjun smiled and said, "Actually, I came here today to tell you something. Whether or not to keep the clues is up to you to decide."
Zhang Da, Du Zhong, and Jiu Li asked in surprise, "What is it?"
Youjun glanced at the three of them and said, “A few days ago, I went to Baiyun Temple and saw several ladies and grandmothers of the Qi family there with their servants. When I left, I happened to see their eldest mistress and a Taoist priest pulling and arguing in the back corridor of the side hall, hiding from people. I don’t know what they were saying.”
Jiuli hurriedly asked, "Is it Grandma Zhang Manbao? What does the Taoist priest look like?"
“Although I’m not familiar with the ladies of their family, I wouldn’t mistake a person. I also know that Taoist priest, whose Buddhist name is Fan Yi.” Youjun picked up her tea, took a sip, and then smiled, “Don’t tell Lord Qi that I said this, lest he take offense.”
The crowd fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts, except for Jiu Li, who muttered, "It seems Man Bao really has something going on with that Taoist priest—"
Zhang Da asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Among the Taoist priests who performed the ritual at the Qi family today, the leader was that Master Fan. I noticed that Manbao looked at him with a strange expression, but—Manbao didn't say anything nice about him, as if she disliked him."
"Dislike and aversion?" Zhang Da initially thought it might mean that Zhang Manbao had an affair with the Taoist priest, but upon hearing this, he became confused again. "Dislike and aversion? What could that be?"
Du Zhong suddenly realized and lightly slapped the table. "I know! It's probably because the two of them were having some kind of affair, and that Taoist priest was trying to blackmail Manbao with it. That's why Manbao both dislikes and fears him."
Jiuli then recalled the scene on the way to visit Madam Qi with Manbao earlier that day. While chatting with Manbao, she lamented that the mansion was in turmoil at the time, and Xuyun was still so busy and running around, which might have worn him out.
Manbao chuckled softly, "He's always willing to go to the yamen even when he has nothing to do."
Sensing a hint of disdain in her tone, Jiu Li became wary and deliberately probed, "Why do you keep running to the yamen if there's nothing wrong? Officials are all eager to have a relaxed life and will avoid trouble whenever possible."
Manbao paused for a moment and said, "He finds home too boring and prefers to hide in the government office."
Jiuli found it even stranger. The Qi family wasn't large, and the men didn't have to worry about household chores. What could be bothering them? She secretly glanced at Manbao and noticed that her smile seemed to carry another emotion, light and airy, like a wisp of melancholy after she had come to terms with things.
Thinking about it now, could it be that the couple had long been outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds?
That makes perfect sense! Jiuli slammed her hand on the table. "That's right! I think there's something off between Manbao and Qi Xuyun! Don't you all think they're being too polite to each other?"
Zhang Da waved his hand, "Hey, Uncle Qi has always been polite and refined, and Madam Qi is also a well-bred young lady. As husband and wife, they naturally respect each other. Isn't there a saying that couples should treat each other with the utmost respect?"
"Mutual respect is in the heart, not on the surface. Do you and your sister-in-law also show such politeness on the surface?"
"We are uncultured people, how can we compare to them, scholars?"
Jiuli sat up abruptly, tapping his chin with his finger as he slowly paced around the table. “Whether they are scholars or rough men, they are all human beings. Humans have emotions, especially couples. When they are in love, they are inseparable from each other. Who cares about being polite? Being too polite is not good. It makes them feel distant. I think that a couple who bickers is actually more affectionate than one who is polite to each other.”
Youjun's smiling eyes followed her, "Look at this girl, she's not even married yet, but she speaks so eloquently."
Yu Qi then coughed lightly, "What do you know about matters between husband and wife? Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not making this up; I'm drawing a logical and well-founded conclusion!"
Yu Qi smiled and said, "Where are your reasons and evidence?"
"When we left the Qi family, I quietly asked Xu Bai if his elder brother often stayed out so late. He said yes! I then asked why the Ministry of Rites in Southern Zhili, which only manages matters related to imperial tomb sacrifices and doesn't hold sacrifices every day, still had so much to do. He said he didn't know either, only that his elder brother often complained about the noise at home and preferred to read in the office of the yamen. Think about it, Qi Xuyun is the head of the household, who dares to bother him? It's not like he doesn't want peace and quiet at home, it's just that his wife bothers him."
“What Xiaoyuer said makes a lot of sense, it’s not just nonsense.” Zhang Da said, pointing two fingers on the table. “Why don’t we think about it this way: perhaps Qi Xuyun and Zhang Manbao have been sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams for many years. Zhang Manbao couldn’t stand the loneliness and hooked up with that Taoist priest Fanyi. This matter was accidentally discovered by the servant Chen Zifang, who used it to blackmail Zhang Manbao. He wasn’t satisfied with blackmailing her once, he wanted to blackmail her a second time.”
"According to Liu, Zhao Wu, and Ma Jin, on the 12th, Chen Zifang said he had something to do and was not in a hurry to go home, but he did not leave the mansion. This means that the matter he was talking about had to be done at the mansion. What could it be? Maybe he wanted to secretly meet with Zhang Manbao to extort money! Zhang Manbao was afraid of being blackmailed by Chen Zifang for a long time, so that night he brought a weapon to the Sishixuan to meet him and killed Chen Zifang."
Du Zhong hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, yes, she killed Chen Zifang. Since she had nowhere to dispose of the body, she hid it in the cabinet in Sishixuan. The next day, when Master came to the Qi family, she heard that Madam Qi had ordered someone to invite Master to Sishixuan. So she came up with a plan to destroy the evidence and frame someone else!"
Seeing that the two of them were speaking in unison and making perfect sense, Jiuli hesitated and said, "To prove that your theory is true, firstly, we need to find the murder weapon; secondly, we need to find evidence of Manbao's affair with the Taoist priest."
After speaking, seeing that the two of them were just staring straight at her, she asked, "Am I wrong?"
Zhang Dayi smiled and said, "You're right about everything, but it all depends on you. You're a young lady, so you can talk to Zhang Manbao. Today you cured her daughter's intestinal spasms, which will make it even easier for you to befriend her. You can also come and go from her room, and it will be cheaper for you to investigate her than for us. Mr. Yu, don't you think so?"
Although Yu Qi felt that what the two men said made sense, he still had many doubts. However, since there were no other clues to investigate at the moment, he could only nod.
Zhang Da hesitated, "Should we discuss these matters with Lord Qi?"
Yu Qi pondered for a moment and said, "Don't tell him yet. Since they are his family, whether he will show favoritism or not, it may influence his judgment. It's better to avoid trouble. Just continue to deal with him as before."
Everyone nodded in silence. Yu Qi turned to Youjun and bowed to her. "I have a favor to ask of you, Miss. You are well-informed. Could you please inquire about the character of that Daoist Fan? Also, could you tell me who from the Qi family you saw at Baiyun Temple that day?"
Youjun nodded in agreement and said, "Besides the two ladies and one grandmother, there were only serving wives and maids, and the rest were servants and sedan chair carriers."
"The Qi brothers, Xu Bai and Qi Xubai, are not here?"
Youjun smiled and shook her head. "I specifically asked Madam Qi, and she said that both young masters were busy with their own affairs and they didn't like visiting temples and monasteries, so they didn't go."
As they were talking, a constable carrying a lantern knocked on the door and came in, asking why the lamps weren't lit. Only then did everyone realize that it was already dusk.
Youjun was about to take her leave, but stopped and asked, "I came here by carriage, so why don't you take Yu'er and Zhong'er home with you, so that the servants don't have to take them?"
Jiuli resented her meddling, glanced at Yu Qi hesitantly, and seeing that he didn't try to persuade her to stay, she had no choice but to stand up and say, "Thank you so much, Auntie."
Yu Qi saw them off at the door. Youjun led the two of them out of the government office and onto the palanquin. But they had only gone a short distance when Jiuli suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Oh no! I've left something behind! Aunt, you should take Du Zhong back first. You don't need to wait for me. I'll have Brother Zhang take me there later."
As she was about to bend down and stand up, Youjun pulled her back, saying, "What's so important? Can't you come and get it tomorrow? Your uncle is there, do you think he'll lose it?"
"I'm not worried about losing my things, but I'm the kind of person who can't sleep well if I'm thinking about something. Auntie, don't worry about me, you guys go ahead." Jiuli chuckled and stubbornly pulled away, jumped off the carriage, and turned to walk back.
As Youjun watched her walk into the moonlight, she had no choice but to retreat back into the carriage. While ordering the servant to drive the carriage, she smiled at Du Zhong.
The smile seemed unfathomable, and Du Zhong immediately got goosebumps. He also chuckled awkwardly, "She's always been forgetful since she was little."
Youjun just smiled and didn't say anything. After a while, she suddenly changed the subject, "I remember you had a servant in your family surnamed Guo, didn't you?"
This question left Du Zhong completely bewildered, and he couldn't help but sit up straight. "Why is Aunt asking about my servants?"
"It's nothing. I just thought she looked familiar. I only remembered her when I got to the yamen today. I think I've seen her there before. No wonder she looked familiar. Did she work there before?"
Du Zhong nodded hesitantly, "She did indeed work in the kitchen of the yamen, in charge of tea."
Youjun paused for a moment, then smiled, "People who have worked in the government office must be quick-witted and efficient. It's a pity that we can't find such good servants in our family."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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