Chapter 36 Double Mystery (Sixteen) Did he take advantage of someone in distress? ...
Yu Qi picked up the lid of the teacup, and immediately a thick fog enveloped the tea, making it difficult to see You Jun clearly.
All that could be heard was her slow, deliberate voice, "Does the gentleman read history books?"
He just smiled and shook his head.
She continued speaking to herself, "Back then, during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Emperor Taizong of Tang killed his brothers and then forced his father to abdicate. Do you think he was only doing this to protect himself, or was he already harboring ambitions?"
Yu Qi smiled and shook his head, "I don't understand politics, I only understand medicine."
"Please don't laugh at my humble opinion, sir. Wherever there is profit or power, there will be struggle. The greater the power and profit, the more fiercely the struggle will be." As she spoke, she slowly stood up and walked towards the window. "What is infighting among family members? Once people start fighting for fame and profit, they will naturally become ruthless and disregard even their own relatives."
She turned to him and smiled, "Sir, come and see, the view from up here is exceptionally beautiful."
Yu Qi remained seated, not moving an inch. "So, you admit that you ordered Cai Jin to kill Guan Zhan?"
“How could that be?” She chuckled softly. “He is my younger brother. Although he is somewhat useless and doesn’t know how to do business, and only knows how to eat his fill and squander his wealth—he is still my younger brother from the same mother.”
Yu Qi had nothing to say, he just smiled and looked at her, the more he looked at her, the more he felt that she was a beautiful woman with a heart of gold. He took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table, "I came up here because I was asked to return something to you, Miss."
Youjun looked closely and saw a gold pendant shaped like a fish. She walked back to the table, picked it up, and remembered that it was originally half a piece. She had forgotten which box in her room contained the other half. When put together, it formed the image of "two fish playing with lotus flowers." It was made by her father years ago. To prevent her and her brother from fighting over it, he specially asked the craftsman to break it into two pieces.
She paused for a moment, then slowly tucked the half of the fish pendant into her bosom, tears welling up in her eyes. But she quickly and calmly wiped them away. "Mr. Yu, thank you anyway."
Yu Qi was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "With your shrewdness, Miss, you don't need to thank anyone at all. It's all thanks to your own intelligence and competence. I think you will definitely rise to even greater heights in the future."
Her tears flowed freely, and she laughed freely, as if she were two different people with two different faces. "Thank you for your kind words, sir."
Yu Qi couldn't help but admire her. He got up to take his leave, but as he reached the door, she called out to him again, "I saw you were in a hurry just now. Were you looking for something? Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Niangzhuang pushed open the door at the right moment and said, "Just now downstairs I heard that you were looking for Ping'an Lane on Taicang Street."
Youjun had wiped away her tears, just as she had when he first came in. She still wore that immortal smile. "I know Taicang Street. Go straight ahead on this street, turn right at the first fork, and then go to the end of that street. There's a bridge there. Just cross that bridge and you'll be there. But it's too much trouble. How about I send a servant to show you the way, sir?"
"I dare not work."
After Yu Qi bowed and took his leave, Youjun went to the window again. A moment later, she saw him leave through the gate and walk towards the street ahead. A gust of wind suddenly rose, and the black gauze cloak billowed behind him, soon disappearing into the crowd and becoming invisible.
Three people emerged from the crowd like waves and stepped into Ping'an Lane. The sun was high in the sky, and the lane was directly exposed to the sun. Jiu Li walked at the very back, leaning on her cane. Xu Bai and Du Zhong offered to help her, but she refused, afraid of slowing them down. She didn't feel tired from skipping and jumping, but a little sweat appeared on her face. Moreover, she had just eaten some food, and her stomach felt like it was stuck from the jostling. She had to stop and say "Ouch!"
Upon hearing the sound, Xu Bai immediately turned around and saw her clutching her stomach and stumbling. He rushed over to check on her, saying, "Is your stomach hurting from walking? You should have stayed at that restaurant a little longer."
She frowned and looked up at him. "It's not good to sit here for long. It's lunchtime. Meng Ran might have come home. If she goes out again after lunch, where will we find her? I'm fine, I just had a bit of a lapse in breath. Let's go."
Since the alley was a dead end and there were no passersby, Xu Bai simply picked her up horizontally and said, "Du Zhong, you take the crutch."
Du Zhong immediately thought of Yu Qi's "outrageous act," and his eyes widened. "Let me carry you!"
"Don't bother, it's just a short walk." He carried Jiuli forward, and when he looked down, Jiuli's eyes were also wide open, like a frightened rabbit that dared not move. He laughed, "I'm not taking advantage of someone in distress."
Her face flushed, and she lowered her chin, letting out an "Oh," pretending not to care as she looked away, though a strange feeling was stirring within her.
Soon they reached the outside of the Meng family's courtyard wall. Jiuli dismounted from Xubai's hand, took the crutches, and peered through the crack in the wall. The courtyard was empty, except for two men's clothes hanging on the clothesline. They heard a few coughs from a man, presumably from Old Man Meng, who was paralyzed in bed. Finally, they saw Meng Ran emerge from the kitchen, carrying a bowl and something, heading towards the main room, presumably to prepare medicine for her father.
She nodded to Xu Bai, "She's at home."
The three knocked on the door, and after a short while, Meng Ran opened it. Upon seeing them, she glanced at the ground as if trying to avoid eye contact, wiped her hands on the cloth around her waist, and somewhat awkwardly stepped aside to let them into the courtyard. "Please wait a moment in the courtyard, I'm feeding my father his medicine, I'll be out in a bit."
Jiuli jumped to the windows of the two rooms filled with miscellaneous items and peered through the holes in the window screens. Inside, there was nothing but broken furniture, several peach wood swords stuck in the nooks and crannies, a few incense burners stuck in the corners, and two yin-yang rings and three pure bells stuffed in there. Sure enough, Meng Ran's mother was indeed a female Taoist priest when she was alive.
She turned her head and looked again at the two men's clothes hanging on the line. Xu Bai was also looking at the clothes, which had several patches on them. In the bright sunlight, one could imagine that the clothes must have been azure blue before they faded.
Jiuli slowly hopped over and whispered, "This clothing doesn't look like something an older man would wear." Even Yu Qi, who is not yet thirty, doesn't wear such bright colors.
Xu Bai let go of her hand and said in a low voice, "It's not like she's washing clothes for someone else. Meng Ran must be having an affair with some man."
Jiuli looked up at the clothes again, and gradually remembered that the last time she came to this house, she saw these same few pieces being washed in a basin, which had turned into a basin full of mud. She frowned, and a sentence suddenly echoed in her mind—"Wan San, did you encounter a ghost when you went back to the countryside a few days ago? Why are you like a different person when you come back? You always have a long face. Who are you trying to impress?"
Her gaze sharpened, and she immediately considered a possibility: perhaps the dress was actually worth 13,000 yuan! That's why he was in debt. He had no family and his own expenses weren't high; he might have borrowed money to help Meng Ran.
She suddenly turned her head to look at the main room, then jumped to the door of the main room, tilted her head and looked inside. There was a curtain hanging on the right, and inside was probably Old Man Meng's bedroom. She heard Old Man Meng asking, "A guest has come? Who are they?" His voice was weak and feeble, and he must be quite ill.
Meng Ran's voice carried a hint of amusement, "They're just people who came to get work. Father, once you've taken your medicine, you can just sleep with me."
"Oh—" Old Man Meng still seemed worried, "Have you gotten into some trouble outside?"
"No, that's not true. What trouble could a young lady like me cause? Don't worry about it. Drink it while it's hot."
Why does this medicine taste so bitter today?
"Your cough just won't go away, so I asked the doctor to change the prescription."
After a while, Meng Ran came out with an empty bowl, lifted the curtain, and saw Jiu Li standing under the door. She paused for a moment, then slowly walked forward, grabbed her skirt, and left the courtyard.
Jiuli followed her to the kitchen doorway. "Miss Mengran, is your father very ill? I know a little about traditional Chinese medicine; why don't I take a look at him?"
She placed the bowl on the stove, lowered her head and shook her head, "No need, you can cure the illness but not the fate." After saying that, she silently went to scoop water from the vat. She had just scooped up a ladle when she paused, and after a while she simply threw the ladle back into the vat, turned around, and said, "I don't think you're here to drink tea."
Her chest heaved several times as she walked toward the door with her head down. "Did Wan San tell you everything?"
Before Jiuli could speak, Xubai interrupted, "Yes, he confessed everything, otherwise we wouldn't have come looking for you again."
Meng Ran lowered her head even further, and Jiu Li saw large tears falling to the ground. She suddenly realized that Meng Ran was not as experienced as she had seen before, and was still just a young girl after all. Her heart tightened, and she put down her cane, tilted her head, and grabbed Meng Ran's arm. "Don't cry, don't cry."
Xu Bai took two steps over, pulled her aside, and said coldly to Meng Ran, "Crying won't help now. You'd better tell me everything that happened in detail!"
Meng Ran raised a frightened face, looked around helplessly, and slowly walked towards the broken table in the courtyard. "Wan San and I met by chance on the street two years ago. At that time, my mother was still alive and my father was in good health. Our family was not in this situation at all. Wan San wanted to come to my house to propose marriage but didn't dare to come, afraid that my parents would look down on him. We even secretly discussed how to persuade my parents."
She gave a bitter smile. "Who knew things would change so quickly? My mother passed away, and my father was seriously injured in a fall. To save his life, Wan San and I hastily buried my mother and used all the money in the house to hire a doctor. Later, my father's life was saved, but he was bedridden all day long, with one ailment after another. To treat his illness, the family's savings were slowly emptied, and it was mostly Wan San who managed to keep us afloat."
“We’re not engaged, we’ve always kept in touch privately, and that’s how we’ve been doing this until this year. A while ago, he suddenly told me about a big business deal. If it goes through, not only will my dad have money for his medical treatment, but we can also settle our marriage plans.”
Jiuli sat down beside him, her voice softening unconsciously, "Is it about the deal at Liyuan?"
Meng Ran nodded, wiping away her tears. "In their northern dialect, they call it 'pinfeng' (拼缝). He helps buyers negotiate lower prices with Master Li, gets a tip from the buyer, and can also pocket the difference. If you calculate it, he can probably earn a few hundred taels of silver. But people like us, even if we know Master Li, we can't even get a word in edgewise. Besides, Master Li is notoriously stingy, so why would he listen to us lowering the price?"
Du Zhong sat down as well. "Oh, so you remembered that your mother had performed a ritual at the Lychee Garden when she was alive, and you learned a little bit about setting up a Taoist ceremony and performing rituals. So you came up with a plan to set up a Taoist ceremony at the Lychee Garden and spread the rumors that the garden was an ominous place?"
“If the commotion gets out of hand, Master Li will naturally be willing to lower the price. I used to go with my mother to the Liyuan Garden, and I dressed up as a Taoist boy. I can draw some talismans too.”
Zhi Xubai remained standing. "It just so happens that your neighbor, Aunt Zhou, works the night shift in the kitchen of Liyuan. On the evening of the fifth day, you heard her say that she wasn't feeling well, and you felt that your chance had come, so you volunteered to take her place at Liyuan. What happened at Liyuan that would give a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl like you the courage to kill someone?"
His voice was as gentle and refined as ever, but Meng Ran was still stung by the chilling emotion it held. She looked up, her face streaked with tears, and slowly recalled that equally chaotic rainy night—
At first, the rain wasn't heavy, but it had been dark for some time, and everyone in the kitchen courtyard had already left. Just then, Meng Ran, carrying the basket she had prepared beforehand, headed towards the small bamboo grove. Fortunately, because of the rain, no one was walking around in the garden, so she could walk freely.
She walked to the Taihu rock in the woods, tidied up the things that had been there, first placing the talisman on top, then lighting incense and candles. She knelt before the rock and bowed, saying, "Miss Li, I didn't intend to use you. My family is truly in dire straits, so I have to use you to create some momentum. Once I've made some money, I'll definitely hold a proper ritual for you. Tell me in a dream what you like to eat or play, and I'll do it next time—"
"What are you doing here, sneaking around like this?" someone suddenly spoke. Turning around, he saw a man standing behind him. A flash of light illuminated his greasy face and wicked grin.
Meng Ran was so frightened that she fell to the ground. "I, I—who are you?"
Lin Mo didn't answer, but leaned forward and ripped off the cloth covering her face! Suddenly, another bolt of lightning struck, revealing a young girl with a fresh face. Although her looks were average, she was fresh and new.
It was his luck, really. He was lucky to run into such a beautiful woman in the afternoon, but she was a real pain. He had fallen for her tricks and had a runny stomach all night, and she even managed to get away with him! But then he ran into her again after leaving the outhouse. It was like God was making it up to him.
He chuckled, "So you were playing tricks here. I heard everything. This garden already has a bad reputation. If Master Li finds out you're using these things to scare people, he'll tear you apart and eat you!"
Meng Ran hurriedly knelt on the ground, "My lord, please forgive me, please, please don't tell anyone! I'll leave right away!"
"Go? Where are you going in the rain? Why don't you come to my room first? I have a torn piece of clothing and I'd like to find someone to mend it for me."
She didn't think of anything else for a moment, only hoping to mend his clothes and that he would appreciate her kindness and not make a fuss about it. So she reluctantly followed Lin Mo back to the room. The candle inside was still lit. As soon as she closed the door, the flame flickered and he hugged her tightly from behind.
Oh no! She tried to pull the door open and run out, but she was no match for Lin Mo's strength. He pried her hands off and forcibly threw her onto the bed. "I've already lost my wife today, how can I lose my army too! Just submit to me, and I'll have endless benefits for you!"
She tried to push herself up, but he pressed down on her like a mountain, making it impossible for her to turn over or make a sound. All she felt was pain; she couldn't think of anything else, and tears flowed uncontrollably. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agonizing smile on his face, which pierced her heart like a needle!
After he finished, his greasy smile turned from ferocious to satisfied. He sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, watching her roll off the bed to pick up her clothes. "What's your name? I will certainly not mistreat you in the future."
Meng Ran remained silent, her hands trembling as she put on her clothes, her mind only focused on escaping the room as quickly as possible.
"Not going to tell? Are you afraid of me or look down on me?" He bent down and grabbed her chin. "Fine, if you don't tell, I'll go tell Master Li."
Tears streaming down her face, she shook her head. "I, I, my name is Meng Ran."
“Meng Ran,” he murmured, not even noticing the heat of the tears on his hands, “I’ve never heard of a woman with the surname Meng in this garden.”
Her voice was barely audible. "I'm here to take over the night shift from Aunt Zhou in the kitchen. She's sick today. I used to be her neighbor."
"No wonder you look unfamiliar." He tossed her chin aside, stood up, and put on his undergarments. "I'm hungry, go and cook me a bowl of noodles. Don't forget to come back, Master Li and I are old acquaintances."
She couldn't bear to look at his hairy legs, quickly tied her clothes, and ran out. On the way, she wondered, "There are yamen runners in this garden; should I report this to the authorities?"
No, that won't do. Everyone knows that people who can afford to live alone in a room at Liyuan Garden are all wealthy. Besides, he claims to know Master Li, so he must have some money. Even the authorities would side with him. They might not be able to prosecute him, but instead end up being accused of robbing Liyuan Garden at night.
Wiping away her tears, she returned to the kitchen, not daring to disobey. Zhen Ge cooked a bowl of noodles with pickled mustard greens and shredded pork. Just as she was about to take it away, her eyes were caught by the row of knives on the knife rack. The blades reflected the lightning, so bright it was dazzling. Without thinking, she walked over and pulled one out. It's good to take it for self-defense, even if it's just for protection. What if he tries something again? It's good to take it for self-defense.
The noodles were brought to the room and placed on the dining table, but Lin Mo, sitting on the edge of the bed, beckoned to her, "I'll eat here, bring them to me."
He treated her like a servant girl, speaking as if it were his right, without a trace of guilt or apology. She found it unbelievable as she carried the bowl over, her hands trembling so badly that she accidentally spilled a lot of soup on his shirt.
The food was no longer hot after the journey, but he was still angry. He glared at her and said, "Did you do this on purpose?" He ate as he spoke, "Let me tell you, there are countless women who want to sleep with me but I refuse them. Meeting you today is your good fortune."
He seemed extremely hungry, eating very quickly with loud, panting sounds that reminded her of the pigs in the pen. She had just been pinned down by one of them, and she felt nauseous.
"Go out and ask around to find out who I, Lin, am," he said, finishing his meal and handing the bowl aside. "A woman of your looks, I wouldn't even bother to glance at on the street normally. I'm just stuck here with no choice. Hmph, when you're starving, what do you care? You'll have whatever's available."
She took the bowl and walked to the table, listening to his incessant mocking laughter behind her. One of his laughs suddenly changed tone, sounding like shards of porcelain scraping against the floor tiles—truly grating. Whether she was bewitched or not, she put the bowl down, reached for the knife in her bosom, found it, gripped it tightly, and suddenly turned and swung it at his neck!
He immediately clutched his neck and collapsed onto the bed, uttering horrified cries of "You, you, you!" How could he make a sound after his neck was cut? In a panic, afraid he would scream, she jumped on top of him and continued cutting deeper into the wound!
“He’s dead, he’s dead! I killed someone, I could actually kill someone?” As she recounted her story, her tear-streaked face broke into an incredulous laugh. Then, her laughter turned to terror. “I was terrified. I wanted to run, but when I got to the door, I looked back and saw a trail of bloody footprints on the ground. I’d heard that the authorities could find people by their footprints, so I went back, took off my outer half-sleeved shirt, wiped it from the bedside, cleared the dishes, and then, carrying the basket, wiped it all the way to the door.”
"Fortunately, the rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, and when I got back to the kitchen, all the blood on my body was washed away. I hid in the kitchen all night, thinking that someone would find out, but to my surprise, no one noticed when I left. I went to find Wan San first and told him what happened. He panicked and thought for a long time before coming up with a plan! He told me to go back and tell Aunt Zhou that the man surnamed Lin raped me, and that I killed him by accident. He said that Aunt Zhou is also a woman, and we are usually close, so she will definitely cover for me!"
Xu Bai asked, "Where is the knife?"
Hearing his voice, she flinched in surprise. "I wanted to throw it away, but I didn't know where to throw it. So I took it to Wan San's house. He told me to give him the knife so he could throw it away."
Seeing that she was trembling violently, Jiuli held her arms tightly and said softly, "Since you've already discussed it with Aunt Zhou, why are you and Wan San still running away?"
She hastily wiped away her tears, "How did you know?"
"Last time we came to your house, you were washing clothes, and you washed a basin full of muddy water. I think you and Wan San must have run off to some desolate place. If you ran off, why did you come back?"
She choked up as she said, "Although I had discussed it with Aunt Zhou, I was still more and more scared. Wan San was scared too, so we ran away. We hid in the mountains for a few days, but I couldn't bear to leave my father. I was afraid that if I ran away, no one would take care of him, so I came back."
No matter how experienced she was, she was still just a young girl. After saying these words, tears kept falling, but she kept her voice down the whole time, afraid that her father inside the house would hear.
Jiuli was so distraught by her crying that he grabbed her hand and said, "Don't be afraid. As long as what you say is true, and you killed someone to protect yourself, the yamen will determine the sentence accordingly. Maybe you'll be found not guilty? You'll only be detained in the yamen for a few months. Once the yamen has investigated and the case file has been submitted to the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice approves it, you might still be released and go home."
She stared blankly, tears welling in her eyes, at Xu Bai, "Really?"
Du Zhong quickly bent down and stood next to her. "Really, it's not like every murder is a capital offense. There are many different kinds of murder. In the end, you were forced into it by circumstances."
She had figured out who the "adult" was, and still looked at Xu Bai, "Is that really so?"
Xu Bai remained silent, but Jiu Li grew anxious and pulled him aside. "If everything she said is true, then Lin Mo raped the woman first, and she was just resisting. Is that a crime?"
He glanced at Meng Ran. "Even if what she said is true, Lin Mo had already finished his business when she committed the murder. It's difficult to draw a conclusion under these circumstances. Besides, determining guilt and sentencing is the responsibility of Lord Wang and the Ministry of Justice. Lord Wang and the Lin family—"
She shoved his arm. "Lord Wang is the head of the household, and you're the second-in-command. How can Lord Wang be the one to call the shots? Besides, I've heard that your Qi family used to be quite powerful. Do you think people will give you any face if you say something? Don't be like my uncle in everything. He's hard-hearted. Are you hard-hearted too?"
Seeing that she was a little angry, he could only smile and say, "Alright, I promise I will argue with Lord Wang, but both Lord Wang and I have limited authority, and in the end we still have to submit it to the Ministry of Justice for approval. Right now, we should take her back to the yamen to await trial."
Jiuli could only nod, "I know that, I won't make things difficult for you."
But he couldn't help feeling worried for Meng Ran. Last time Lord Wang came to Liyuan, judging from the tone of those people from the Lin family, none of them were easy to deal with.
She looked at Meng Ran, who was still there crying with her head down, not daring to make a sound. Her head felt so heavy that it felt like it would break her neck. Tears kept falling onto her legs, wetting her skirt and sticking wetly to a patch of soft, white flesh, like meat on a chopping board.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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