Chapter 25 Double Mystery (05) An extraordinary woman. ...
Seeing that Xu Bai was lost in thought and not speaking, Jiu Li tapped the table a few times, shaking the silver lamp in the center. The flame on it trembled several times, as if shaking off a few starlight into Xu Bai's eyes, making his gaze towards her gradually shine.
After regaining his senses, he nodded with a smile, "It's a really important discovery, thanks to your keen observation."
These words clearly carried a hint of flattery, and Jiu Li couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. He straightened his back and immediately called in a yamen runner from the doorway. Under the pretext of having a late-night snack, he ordered the runner to go to the kitchen and tell him that he had ordered three bowls of soup noodles.
The three chatted and laughed for about half an hour before Zhou Sao finally arrived carrying a basket. Since it was late at night and few people were around, her face was no longer covered. Upon closer inspection, she was fair-skinned, with a slender waist, and possessed the mature charm of a woman.
According to Guan Zhan's assessment of Lin Mo, such beauty was enough to arouse Lin Mo's evil intentions.
Jiuli stood up to greet her, glancing at her with a sly smile, "You're Aunt Zhou?"
“Exactly.” Aunt Zhou glanced at her timidly, nodded, and hurriedly handed over the basket box. “This is the noodles the master ordered. Eat it while it’s hot. If you don’t eat it now, the noodles will clump together after walking this far.”
Jiuli took the basket and put it into the small dining room. As Zhou Sao was leaving, she called out to her, "Zhou Sao, please stand here for a moment!"
Aunt Zhou stopped in her tracks, turned around, and curtsied again. "Is there anything else you need, Miss?"
She didn't know where to begin, so she turned to look at Du Zhong. Du Zhong was quick-witted; he raised his hand and weighed it in his hand. She understood that he meant a reward, but since she was out late at night without any money, she could only wink at Du Zhong.
To everyone's surprise, Du Zhong didn't bring any money either. Seeing that the two of them were talking in riddles, Xu Bai took out a purse from his pocket and placed it on the table.
She went inside, picked up a broken piece of rice cake, and handed it to Aunt Zhou with a slightly regretful tone, "I've heard that your pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles are delicious, and I've always wanted to try them, but today you cooked us vegetarian mixed noodles instead."
Aunt Zhou paused for a moment, didn't take the money, and waved her hand with a smile, "I wouldn't dare, young lady must have misunderstood. Everyone who has eaten it says that my vegetarian mixed noodles are the most delicious. Don't be fooled by the fact that they're all made with vegetables, they're incredibly fresh!"
Jiuli paced around her, "But why did you decide to make a bowl of pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles for Master Lin that night?"
She was taken aback by the question, then her lips twitched twice, and she widened her smile. "Oh, that night we didn't have all the vegetables for the vegetarian stir-fry, so I just made pickled mustard greens and shredded pork noodles."
Xu Bai immediately chimed in, "Do you know which night you're talking about?"
She stopped smiling and nodded. "Was it the night Lord Lin was killed? I was wondering why the officials didn't ask me any questions. I guess it's because I'm always on night duty. I heard about it from Aunt Wu and the others, and I was just thinking of finding a time to tell Lord Ming."
Jiuli stood beside her. "You did indeed bring Lin Mo a late-night snack that night?"
She turned her head, frowned, and recalled, "That day, around the second watch, yes, I heard the second watch clapper. Master Lin wandered into the kitchen and asked for a bowl of noodles. I stretched the noodles, cooked them, and delivered them to him. The next day, I heard that he had died, and I was quite shocked."
"Didn't you find anything unusual in his room?"
She frowned and slowly shook her head. "It seems not. I delivered the noodles and left. I didn't stay in his room for long."
"Did you encounter anyone on the way?" Xu Bai asked, and fearing she wouldn't understand, he simply said, "If you were the last person to see him, you would be somewhat suspicious. If someone saw you on the way, it would prove your innocence."
She thought for a moment, "It rained that night, and no one was walking around in the garden at all—oh, right, I went back to the kitchen a little while ago, and a neighbor of ours came to ask me for something, but she was afraid of catching a disease, so she didn't dare to come into the garden. There's just an alley outside the kitchen wall, and she said a few words to me through the wall in that alley. I threw the thing over the wall to her."
"What is it?"
"She left her house key with me when she went out that day."
Xu Bai and Jiu Li exchanged a glance. Jiu Li smiled and stuffed the broken ingot into Zhou Sao's hand, sending her away. She slowly frowned, turned around, and walked back to her chair, lost in thought.
Xu Bai looked at her and said, "If what she said is true, then there is no suspicion. Mr. Yu verified that Lin Mo died around midnight that night, and she returned to the kitchen around 2 a.m.
She nodded absently, but her heart was still pounding. "We should ask the neighbor she mentioned. But inviting people into the garden for no reason carries the risk of them catching a disease."
“That’s easy. We’ll find out their address tomorrow and then go to the Zhou family’s house.”
"Us?" Jiuli feigned a troubled expression, glanced at Du Zhong, and said, "Oh, but we're being held in this garden by your yamen, so it's not good for us to run around, is it?"
Xu Bai glanced at her, his eyes gleaming with mischievousness, and almost laughed. She seemed truly naive, unaware that while laws were rigid, the officialdom always valued flexibility and compromise. He suspected that an ambiguous attitude wasn't enough for her; she needed a clear, verbal agreement.
He could only smile and nod, "Lord Wang has entrusted me with the full authority to investigate these two cases. If anything goes wrong and I am held responsible, I will naturally take the blame."
Jiuli blinked her eyelashes twice sharply. "I won't make things difficult for you, will I?"
"What's so difficult about that? I asked you to help investigate the case; are you not even allowed this much authority?"
"You're quite straightforward," she said, standing up.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Xu Bai suddenly felt a little reluctant to part and quickly stood up as well. "Let's go eat noodles. Since Aunt Zhou brought them over, let's try her cooking."
She glanced at the small dining room and, thinking of the vegetarian assorted toppings on the table, felt quite hungry. She went outside to check the sky; it was already late, and Yu Qi was probably asleep. If he wasn't sound asleep, she should hurry back without waking him. She turned to look at Du Zhong, nodded, and stayed.
The three of them went into the small dining room and sat down at the round table. Jiuli sat in the middle. She had a small appetite and was full after eating only half a bowl. She looked to her left and saw that Du Zhong was eating everything with relish. He slurped down his food and ate it all up. She clicked her tongue in amazement and picked out all the food from her bowl to put in his bowl.
Seeing the look of disgust on her face, Xu Bai suddenly asked with a smile, "Did you enjoy the home-cooked dishes I sent you the other day?"
Du Zhong nodded hastily while slurping his noodles, "I can eat it. All the dishes are delicious, but the wine is a bit too bland."
"It was my mother's idea. She said that young girls prefer sweet wines and don't usually drink strong ones. That rose wine was brewed by her herself last year when she had some free time. I wonder how Yu'er likes it?"
No wonder it tastes different from what you buy outside. The wine brewed in the tavern is made with a lot of sugar because they know that women and people who don't drink often buy it in large quantities, so it's too sweet.
She put down her chopsticks and praised, "Delicious. Your mother must be a pampered noblewoman; I never imagined she could brew wine!"
A smile lingered on Xu Bai's face, cool and leisurely. "My mother isn't the main wife; the more idle a person is, the more they'll make these things. She said that if you like to eat them, once things are settled here, she'll send someone to deliver a jar to your residence."
"Send it to my house?" Jiuli glanced at him, suddenly feeling a surge of warmth in his eyes. She remained firmly seated on the stool, though her heart pounded with unease. She smiled hesitantly, "Does your mother know me? I'm not some young lady from a prestigious family; I'm new here—"
“When I returned home that day, my mother asked about my experiences at the lychee garden, and I mentioned you,” he paused intentionally before smiling at Du Zhong, “Oh, and Mr. Yu and Du Zhong as well.”
Du Zhong held the bowl, feeling as if his entire skeleton was an extra, with an awkward sense of unease. He could only chuckle, slurp up the noodles in two gulps, and get up to call Jiu Li, "Shall we go? It looks like it's almost midnight."
Xu Bai stopped speaking at the right moment, got up and asked the yamen runner at the door to see him off. He believed that Jiu Li would be able to figure out the meaning behind his words after thinking it over.
Unfortunately, Jiuli had only ever watched people exchange glances on stage and had never experienced it herself. She pondered it all the way, but still couldn't be sure.
As they were about to go to their respective rooms after entering the courtyard, she pulled him aside on the veranda and whispered, "Hey, why do you think Qi Xubai mentioned us to his family?"
Du Zhongye glanced sideways at her. "What do you think?"
Jiuli felt her face burning. "Could it be that he's thinking—" She covered her face with her cold hands, then shook her head with a silly laugh. "Oh, I don't think so. I've only known him for a few days."
Du Zhong leaned close to her ear and said slyly, "There are plenty of men and women in this world who talk about marriage before they even know each other, and the first time they meet is the day they get married."
His furtive tone made her blush, and she turned and pinched him, saying, "Stop talking nonsense!"
"Hmph, I'm talking nonsense? Now I know what 'a young girl's first love' means."
"Say that again and I'll tear your mouth apart! Go back to your room and go to sleep!" With that, she pushed the door open and went in, then closed it with a stern face.
In the darkness, he suddenly realized, "Oh no! I hope Du Zhong doesn't turn around and tell Yu Qi that his mouth isn't locked!" He was about to open the door to tell him something when he turned around, grabbed the door handle, and then stopped.
Sooner or later, this day would come. In her own heart, the hidden fun of marriage came entirely from Yu Qi's perspective.
Just as Du Zhong closed the door, a cold voice came from the darkness, "What time is it? Why are you so late?"
As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, he finally saw Yu Qi standing under the green gauze curtain in the east inner room. His face was obscured, but his voice alone told him the situation was dire. Du Zhong chuckled guiltily, heading to find kindling to light the lamp. "Did I wake Master?"
“No need to light the lamp,” he interrupted again. “It’s none of your business.”
He glanced out the window; the east wing was also pitch black, but he felt as if a pair of restless eyes were peering into the room through that window. For some reason, he didn't want her to know too much, so he simply used the sliver of moonlight filtering through the doors and windows to walk to the chair in the outer room and sit down.
There was a half-full pot of cold tea on the table. Just as he was about to pour himself a cup, Du Zhong hurriedly came over and poured him a cup. "It's to check on Aunt Zhou, who works the night shift in the kitchen. Yu'er suspects her of committing a crime, but Aunt Zhou is only on night shift and isn't in the garden during the day."
"Is it worth interrogating me all night?"
"Then Aunt Zhou cooked three bowls of noodles, and we stayed there to eat them before coming back."
"Is it good?"
"Delicious! Delicious!"
Looking up, the darkness made Yu Qi's eyes appear even more piercing, with a hint of mockery in their majesty, preventing him from appearing too cold and giving him a sense of humanity.
Because of this, Du Zhong still dared to smile shamelessly, saying, "Compared to our Aunt Qing, she's nothing special."
"Stop arguing with me. I've told you countless times, a doctor must be steady and reliable." Yu Qi scolded him, but seeing the slight fear on his face, he softened his tone a bit, "Besides questioning the suspect, what else did they say?"
"They didn't say much, just chatted about everyday things."
He took a sip of tea, smiled casually, and slowly put the teacup down. "You've only been familiar with each other for a few days, and you're already talking about everyday things."
Du Zhong guessed that he wanted to know everything, big or small, so he explained in detail: "Yu'er didn't say much, but Qi Xubai said more. The food that the yamen runner brought last time was prepared by his mother. By the way, it turns out that his biological mother is not the main wife of the Qi family, but a concubine."
Yu Qi held a finger and twirled it along the rim of the teacup. "Oh? So, did he invite Yu'er to his home as a guest?"
Du Zhong shook his head vigorously, "No, even if he invited her, Yu'er wouldn't accept. How can young men and women invite each other without their elders' permission? Even if Yu'er wanted to accept, I would stop her. But he said—"
"say what?"
"He said his mother wanted to give Yu'er a jar of homemade wine. Master, his mother has never even met Yu'er before, yet she's being so attentive. Is she planning something with our Yu'er?"
"Is that even a question? Qi Xubai must have said a lot of good things about Jiuli when he got home. He regretted letting them associate with each other, but upon reflection, even biological parents couldn't stop their child's life from unfolding. Jiuli has grown up, she can run and jump, and she's bound to meet all sorts of people, just like when she met him—it's an unbreakable bond."
He had lived for nearly thirty years, and although he had never experienced passionate emotions, he had never felt old like this. It was as if he had returned to the time of famine, when the old woman took his hand and handed it to his master in exchange for two taels of silver to survive. He was led away from home by his master, turning his head back reluctantly to look back, but the old woman seemed to avoid his gaze, pulling his elder brother into the mud-brick house.
He was slightly older than Jiuli back then and had already experienced the sorrow and loneliness of life. Perhaps for this reason, he couldn't bear to abandon Jiuli back then and later kept Du Zhong as well.
He sat in the darkness like an old man, stroking the rim of his teacup. His movements were also frail and slow. He slowly exhaled, "We'll talk about this later. Tell me whatever they say in the future. The important thing is to keep an eye on them and not let them do anything outrageous that would ruin the Yu family's reputation."
The Yu family cares about reputation? They're not exactly a prestigious family. This was the first time Du Zhong had heard this from him, and he found it very strange. However, he understood the logic and nodded in agreement, "I know."
Actually, Qi Xubai is quite good. Although his official position isn't high, he's still young and his future is limitless. He pondered for a moment, then took a step forward. "I think Qi Xubai is easy to get along with. I also think he looks a bit like my master."
"Like me?" Yu Qi found it amusing, yet also disdainful. "Like me in what way?"
"At first glance, they look somewhat alike. He also has a mole under his eyebrow, but his mole is located above his pupil."
Yu Qi secretly raised an eyebrow and smiled disdainfully. His master had once commented on this mole on his face with regret, saying that if it were above the pupil, it would signify immense wealth and nobility, but if it were below the eyebrow and above the corner of the eye, it would be an omen of misfortune. Unexpectedly, the prediction was somewhat accurate. His past had indeed been fraught with danger and hardship. Could Qi Xubai's immense wealth and nobility be in the future? The political landscape was ever-changing, and it was truly hard to say.
Do you think he's a good match for Yu'er?
Du Zhong heard his calm tone and dared not make a hasty judgment. He was anxious, as he could not give a definite answer as to whether it was good or bad, leaving people to guess. He could only smile foolishly and say, "I should write back and ask the old lady what she thinks. She always says that even if it is a prince or nobleman, she will personally see him before making a decision."
Yu Qi nodded, but repeated his previous statement, "I'll write about it another time."
After he seemed unhurried and tolerant of everything, the same was true for Guan Zhan's case. He was supposed to investigate it, but a day and a night passed without him asking a single question. The next morning, Zhang Da came to find him and saw that he was still the same as before, meeting with a group of doctors to make rounds in each room.
Zhang Da called him twice in the courtyard, but he ignored him and led the others out of the courtyard. Zhang Da was completely baffled. Seeing Jiu Li and Du Zhong standing outside the east wing, he had no choice but to wander to the corridor. "Mr. Yu promised our lord yesterday to investigate Guan Zhan's case. Why does it seem like you've forgotten?"
He never forgot his promises, Jiu Li knew that, and judging from his calm and unhurried demeanor, he probably already had a lead. This was unacceptable! She was busy here until the wee hours of the morning and hadn't even found a single concrete clue, while he, so nonchalantly, had already made progress?
She was combing her long hair with a comb when she thought of this, so she tossed her hair back, releasing a scent of roses, and walked in with a sullen face. "I won't forget, don't worry, Officer Zhang. Working with your uncle will make things easier for you."
Zhang Da glanced inside the door, turned around, and nudged Du Zhong lightly with his shoulder, "Hey, what's wrong with your sister? She's in a bad mood first thing in the morning, who upset her?"
Even Du Zhong couldn't guess this time. Just now, when Jiu Li came into the north room to pay her respects, Yu Qi didn't ask her about returning home last night, nor did he scold her. For some reason, she became unhappy and suspected that he had revealed what happened last night.
He insisted that he didn't, which only made her angrier, and she scolded him for being "more trouble than he's worth."
Du Zhong was still angry at the moment. He crossed his arms and glared at Zhang Da. "She's not my sister, I'm more like her brother!" he said, tilting his head against the door and turning his back, not looking inside. "Hurry up! Are you coming out or not?"
Zhang Dayin asked, "Are you going out?"
"Go with Lord Qi to Ping'an Lane to question a witness."
There was a new witness, but Yu Qi didn't give any instructions. Normally, a head constable shouldn't compete with his superior for credit, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but feel anxious. He quickly lowered his head and followed Yu Qi, thinking that if he stayed by Yu Qi's side, he wouldn't have to worry about him forgetting the case!
Before long, Jiuli finished tying up her hair and changing her clothes and came out. She went straight to the gate to meet Xubai. When she arrived at the main gate, she saw that Xubai had thought of everything. He had already ordered someone to prepare a carriage for her and Du Zhong to ride in, while he rode a horse.
Just as they were about to board the palanquin, they saw a sedan chair being carried in front of them, followed by several male and female servants dressed in plain white. They all looked grief-stricken and solemn. Although they were all without any hairpins or jewelry, the fabric of their clothes under their linen clothes was either silk or satin, indicating that they must be from a wealthy family.
When the sedan chair stopped in front of them, the sedan chair bearers pulled it up, and a woman bent over and crawled out. She was said to be a lady or grandmother, but her hair was tied up in a way that didn't seem right. If she were a young lady, she seemed a bit too old.
She stood up straight, and Jiu Li was stunned. Her face was plain, but not in a thin or bland way. On the contrary, it was a kind of calm and tranquility that came from good fortune. Her eyes were slightly upturned, but they did not show any coquettishness. Instead, they showed a kind of pride, which was polite. Her demeanor was also so different from the common people. Her elegance revealed a kind of power, but her expression was approachable.
She watched Xu Bai dismount from the sedan chair, smiling weakly, her laughter strained and feeble. Her curtsy to Xu Bai also seemed feeble and feeble; it was clear the person bowing wasn't from the Qi family. After a few words, Xu Bai mounted his horse again, and the woman, accompanied only by a servant, entered the lychee garden.
As soon as Jiuli Duzhong got into the car and sat down, she still had a long face. Duzhong couldn't stand it, so he moved closer to her and struck up a conversation, "Guess who that woman was just now?"
She said coldly, "Do I even need to guess? With that kind of pomp and circumstance, and being a young woman, she couldn't possibly be a patient. The fact that she's come to Liyuan at this time means she must be a relative of the deceased. The Lin family has already been here; it must be the Guan family."
Seeing that she still didn't give him a friendly look, Du Zhong had no choice but to swear to the heavens, "I didn't tell Master a single word about what happened last night! He was already asleep when we got back last night, and you went early this morning, so even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn't find an opportunity."
Jiuli rolled her eyes at him again. His mouth was crooked; he didn't speak when he should and talked nonsense when he shouldn't! But the heart inside him was always fickle, and he himself couldn't predict it. How could he blame Du Zhong?
She seemed to be sulking with someone, and with a sudden, dramatic movement, she flung open the small curtain and asked Xu Bai, who was standing next to the car, "Who is that girl to Guan Zhan?"
Xu Bai smiled and leaned down, resting slightly against the horse's back. "You knew she was from the Guan family?"
"Who would come to the Lychee Garden for no reason?"
He straightened up and nodded. "That's the eldest daughter of the Guan family, Guan Zhan's older sister. She's a remarkable woman in Nanjing."
"Women are just as capable as men, what does that mean?"
He smiled mysteriously, "Her name is Guan Youjun. I heard she's twenty-seven this year, but she's still unmarried. Considering her family background and appearance, does she look like someone who can't get married?"
Jiuli shook her head vigorously, also finding it strange, "Why is she still not married at this age? Is she like my uncle, with no one to make the decision for her?"
"No, that's not it. She didn't want to get married because she wanted to manage the Guan family's business. She was of marriageable age when Mr. Guan passed away. At that time, Guan Zhan was still young, and his wife couldn't handle things outside. The uncles and elders in the clan all came to fight for the business and the family fortune. She was seventeen years old at the time, and she stood up to fight with the uncles and elders. The uncles and elders said that she was a young lady and would eventually belong to someone else's family, so they couldn't say what she wanted. So she made a vow in front of Mr. Guan's grave that she would never marry."
"That's not all. Doing business also requires talent, and she is a woman with talent. That year, she turned the tide and saved the Guan family's huge business. Later, she gradually established her prestige in the business world. Nowadays, the business world in Nanjing has long forgotten about Master Guan and only remembers this Miss Guan."
Nine carp were thrown into the still lake like stones. The ripples were startled and gradually opened their mouths in admiration.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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