Chapter 85 The Immortal in the Hermitage (Twenty-Eight) Does he control her freedom? ...
After checking downstairs, the group climbed upstairs. The house was exactly as they had seen it before; nothing had been moved. Yu Qi asked the old woman and learned that the master had come by yesterday, changed the lock, and given her the key again.
She suddenly realized, "If what you're saying is true, that young woman killed someone in this house. I don't think she'll come back. She'll probably come back to refund the remaining rent, right?"
Zhang Da chuckled, "She's too busy running away to risk her life for a few dollars' rent refund."
“That’s true. That’s true—” The old woman looked at the bedding on the bed with a troubled expression. “I don’t know whether I should throw this bedding away or not. It was slept in by a murderer, so it’s considered taboo. But the material is really good and clean, so I really can’t bear to part with it.”
Upon hearing her words, Yu Qi couldn't help but look at the bed. The sheets were a pale blue, the blankets were light brown, and there were two moon-white pillows side by side. They were spotless and so clean that it made one feel that something was amiss.
Du Zhong looked around but found nothing new. He turned around and saw Yu Qi bending over, examining the bed. He walked over and asked, "Master, have you found anything?"
Yu Qi slowly straightened up and shook his head. "Officer Zhang, take the bath tub back to the yamen; it can be used as evidence later."
After returning to the yamen, he met with Lord Yan. Lord Yan was quite dissatisfied with his serious injury to Chen Jia, but unfortunately, Chen Jia had attempted to rape his family first. Moreover, although Chen Jia was his advisor, he was appointed by Prince Zhao, so he could not criticize him. He could only sigh and lament to him.
Coincidentally, Zhao Liang was also at the county government office on official business that day, so he smiled and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Lord Yan, there is no need to worry so much. Chen Jia has only himself to blame. With the testimony and witnesses from Qinglian Temple, I think if this matter goes to the imperial court, the emperor will not only not punish you, but will also praise you in front of all the civil and military officials for upholding justice and not being afraid of powerful figures."
Yan Shu was somewhat incredulous. He put down his teacup and turned his head. "This Second Master Chen is Consort Chen's own nephew! The Emperor has always relied heavily on these two imperial brothers-in-law. Even if he doesn't show anger on his face, he can't help but feel a little—"
Zhao Liang glanced at Yu Qi with a smile, then looked at Yan Shu with a smile, "Lord Yan, I suppose you have never paid homage to His Majesty before?"
"Although I have served as an official for many years, I have always been in various provinces and regions. Even when I went to the capital to report on my duties, I only met the cabinet ministers and never had the honor of seeing the emperor."
Zhao Liang chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. “That’s right. No wonder you don’t know the Emperor’s temper. Don’t be fooled by the Emperor’s high regard for the Chen family. The Emperor is wise, and the Chen family has already incurred the displeasure of the court over the years. That’s why he used Prince Zhao to bring up Wang Shanfeng’s matter. His intention was to make the Chen family behave themselves.”
Yan Shu pondered for a moment, then frowned and nodded. “What Elder Zhao said makes sense. The Emperor will certainly not be biased. Perhaps I am overthinking it.” As he spoke, he stood up and bowed to Yu Qi with a smile. “Mr. Yu, please don’t take offense. I am not only considering my own future, but also Mr. Yu’s safety. After all, both of you are important ministers in the cabinet, which is why I have this concern.”
Yu Qi glanced at Zhao Liang and returned the greeting with a bow, saying, "Lord Yan, you are too polite."
After everyone sat down, Yanshu asked about the progress of the case. Just then, the yamen runners who had gone to various checkpoints to investigate returned and reported: "We have investigated all the checkpoints and main roads leading out of the county, and there is no trace of the nun and the young man."
Yan Shu had no choice but to send someone away, his brow furrowed with worry. "Could Miao Hua and her lover still be in the city? Should we send someone to inquire at each inn?"
Since they knew nothing about the young man's identity, not even whether he was a local or a stranger, searching for a needle in a haystack was the only option left. Therefore, after exchanging glances, Yu Qi and Zhang Da had no choice but to do so.
Yan Shu smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Yu Qi, saying, "This case will surely alarm the imperial court. If we cannot find a result, the entire Jiangning County will likely be held responsible. Mr. Yu, you must do your best. Once this case is resolved, I will certainly report your merits to the imperial court."
After exchanging a few polite words, Yu Qi and Zhao Liang left the government office together. Under the blazing sun, Zhao Liang slowly walked down the stone steps with his hands behind his back, glancing at Yu Qi and chuckling to himself. His sedan chair was waiting on the right, and seeing Du Zhong leading his horse and waiting for Yu Qi on the left, he waved to that side.
Finally, Du Zhong came over to greet him and asked how he was doing. He looked him over with a smile and said, "It's been a while since I've seen you. You seem to have grown taller."
Du Zhong hurriedly smiled, but Yu Qi impatiently waved his sleeves to shoo him away, turned his head to glance at Zhao Liang, and also put his hands behind his back, "What else do you have to say?"
"Just now Yanshu said that he would report your merits to the court after the case is solved. Why didn't you refuse? This is not like your usual character. Could it be that you have also started to think about fame and fortune?" He shook his head and laughed to himself, "Hmm—I don't think so."
"The case at Qinglian Temple involves the Chen family, and it can't be covered up. Besides, King Zhao has already summoned me last time, so it would be pointless to decline."
Zhao Liang nodded with a smile, "That's right. After thinking about it carefully, it seems that when Prince Zhao saw you last time, it wasn't just about Xiaoyuer's background. I think he also appreciated you as a person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Yanshu to recruit you as his advisor. He might need your help in the future."
Those are all things for later, and Yu Qi couldn't be bothered with them. No matter how big the problem, he would deal with it as it came. At this moment, he was curious about another matter from the past. "Tell me," he said, "after I left the capital with Yu'er, how did the court handle the aftermath of everything in the manor?"
At that time, Zhao Liang had just passed the imperial examination and made many acquaintances with officials and gentry in the capital. He overheard them discussing that the emperor had just ascended the throne and, in order to show leniency, had not pursued the matter of Quan Shanheng's collusion with Prince Feng. Moreover, Quan Shanheng had already perished in the fire, so pursuing the crime of a dead person was not very meaningful. Therefore, Quan Shanheng was not convicted.
“However, I heard that the Censorate found several male corpses throughout the prefecture. According to the coroner’s examination, the corpses were not burned to death, but rather had their throats slit first.” Zhao Liang said, glancing at him with a smile. After a moment, he stroked his chin and added, “Some people speculate that it was probably someone sent by Prince Feng to silence them. As for who killed them, since Quan Shanheng is already dead and Prince Feng can hardly escape the crime of treason, the Emperor’s grace has been so great that he didn’t pursue the matter further. This person must be quite lucky.”
Yu Qi was most annoyed by his pretentious and cryptic manner, so he said in a cold tone, "I mean, has anyone gone to collect Quan Shanheng's body? This person who collected the body might be Yu'er's biological father."
Zhao Liang raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue. "I almost got framed! I was even thinking of secretly going to the Quan family mansion to collect the body, but I missed it. The Emperor showed mercy and ordered the Imperial Household Department to collect the body and bury it in the Quan family mausoleum. According to your logic, could it be that the current Emperor is Xiaoyuer's biological father?"
Both of them were startled by this statement. Yu Qi thought to himself that it was impossible, but he couldn't help but wonder, maybe? Royal affairs are the most unpredictable, and the heart of an emperor is the most treacherous, and cannot be measured by common sense.
“I think Xiaoyuer’s biological father is probably Prince Feng. It wouldn’t be a huge problem for Prince Feng to forge the imperial edict, but it would be difficult to replace it. Apart from summons, only Shanheng and a few close eunuchs could enter and leave the late emperor’s study. Those eunuchs were all people the late emperor trusted. If Shanheng didn’t have a secret relationship with Prince Feng, why would she risk the world’s condemnation to steal and replace the imperial edict?” Zhao Liang then asked, “Why did you suddenly think of asking about these things? Didn’t you say that no matter who Xiaoyuer’s biological father is, she is a girl of your Yu family, and you never intended for her to be recognized by her ancestors?”
Yu Qi swayed slightly, then waved to him with a smile, "You can go now, don't say anything more, I was just asking casually."
"You're the one asking the question, and you're the one complaining that I'm being nosy! Humph!" Zhao Liang glared at him angrily, then flicked his sleeves and jumped into the sedan chair, banging on the door frame as he said to the sedan chair bearers, "Let's go! Let's avoid getting annoyed under the blazing sun!"
Yu Qi ignored him, turned around and walked towards Du Zhong and Zhang Da, mounted his horse, and headed straight for Qinglian Temple.
After having lunch on the street, Jiuli and Xubai came out. The midday sun was very strong. Xubai thought of hiring a sedan chair to carry her back to Qinglian Temple, but she refused. She smiled at the sun, her face covered with a layer of sweat, but it was like the fine morning dew on flower petals, very fresh and clean, with a carefree look.
Jiuli wanted to take a walk with him and take the opportunity to tell him that their marriage was off, since it wasn't necessarily true that he really liked her. From what she knew of him, his heart wasn't really in matters of the heart; he had only associated with her on the orders of King Zhao to investigate her background.
The two happened to be a good match in terms of family background and appearance, so this topic naturally came up later.
Thinking about it carefully, even at this time, he might not necessarily be indispensable to her. She could see that he was an ambitious man who had to temporarily endure hardship because of Old Master Qi's matter, and she herself was the same.
The young girl's imagination of love was perfect; she felt that anything less than perfect was a compromise. Just as she was about to speak to him, Xu Bai said, "Mr. Yu seems a bit unusual today, actually trusting me to leave you here."
Leave it for him? Jiu Li felt that this was a bit ambiguous, but it was precisely this ambiguity that shrouded the man and woman in a light mist, which was beautiful.
He then asked, "Has Mr. Yu changed his opinion of me?" He didn't believe it himself, so he just smiled.
"Who knows him? He's more fickle than a woman sometimes," Jiuli said dismissively, taking the opportunity to badmouth Yu Qi.
Beneath her disdainful expression lay an unconscious smile, which Xu Bai noticed, further convincing him that her relationship with Yu Qi was more than just "uncle and nephew," at least not in her heart. Thinking about it now, it was no wonder she always spoke intimately to Yu Qi in his presence, but once he wasn't around, her warmth seemed tinged with distance, and she often changed the subject. Perhaps she was simply putting on a show for Yu Qi.
The more he guessed, the more alarmed he became, his heart aching, but he still forced a smile and pretended to know nothing. "If Mr. Yu heard you say that about him, he would surely scold you. To be fair, it's not that Mr. Yu is too strict, but you are too disrespectful."
Jiuli curled her lips into a long, unsightly smile. "Did I?"
"Not yet? What young lady would dare speak to her 'adoptive father' like that? Mr. Yu is, in fact, your adoptive father."
She disliked the title, feeling it implied a more taboo relationship than "uncle." "He's only a few years older than me, so why call him 'adoptive father'? If you're going to follow your line of thinking, 'adoptive brother' would be more appropriate."
Xu Bai smiled and said, "Call him whatever you want. Anyway, his kindness in raising me is like that of a father. You should respect him more."
Jiuli glanced at him, "Even you're spouting philosophical jargon to me today?"
He smiled casually and happened to hear the sound of horses' hooves behind him, and someone called out "Fish". Judging from the voice, it was Du Zhong. The two turned around and saw Yu Qi and the other two riding towards them. Dust billowed on the mountain road. Jiu Li hurriedly grabbed her skirt and moved to the roadside weeds to let them pass.
Yu Qi stopped the horse in front of her, looking down at the two of them. "You must have just had lunch on the street and are on your way back?"
Jiuli smiled and nodded, while Xubai bowed to him. Surprisingly, he didn't say anything sarcastic, but simply dismounted and smiled and nodded at him.
Jiuli immediately walked over to him with a smile, "Perfect timing, let me ride a horse, I've never ridden a horse before."
Yu Qi was reluctant to agree, fearing that the horse would throw her off, but he couldn't resist her pleading, so he had to hold her waist with both hands and lift her onto the horse's back. After she was seated, he put the stirrups on her feet and said, "Stand firm."
He turned around and wrapped the reins around his hand twice to make the horse walk close to him. Xu Bai looked at his natural and considerate actions and couldn't help but feel jealous and resentful. She felt that he was taking advantage of his age and had tamed Jiu Li with such considerate words and actions since childhood. He had occupied her trust and dependence since she was a child, and she could not possibly like anyone else. He was just using the guise of being good to her to control her freedom.
Suddenly Yu Qi spoke up, "We went to the house that Miao Hua was renting this morning, and it was indeed the scene of the first love affair. But I can't understand the murderer's intention. Why would he bring a rotting corpse back to Qinglian Temple?"
Xu Bai snapped out of his daze and quickly shook his head with a smile, "That's exactly what I can't figure out."
Jiuli sat high on his horse, gazing at the tree by the roadside, and said, "There's a saying that fallen leaves return to their roots. Could the murderer be after that?"
Du Zhong burst into laughter from behind, "You're making the murderer sound too humane, killing someone and then sending the body home?"
Jiuli turned around and glared at him. "It's not impossible. Huixin has been an orphan since childhood. If she dies outside, she will have no relatives or friends to bury her. If she dies, Cilian will be the same. They are both orphans."
"Even if they were all orphans, the murderer was already depraved. Would he sympathize with them for not being able to rest in peace? Why kill them then? Your explanation is too hard to believe, Brother Zhang, don't you think?"
Zhang Da casually chuckled, "Perhaps Miss Yu'er is right. This murderer can't be judged by common sense. These women didn't seem to have any suspicion of him at all. One was willing to meet him in the grove, another dared to open the door for him in the middle of the night, and then there's Huixin. If all of them were having affairs with the murderer, when Huixin went to visit Miaohua at Lion Bridge and bumped into the murderer at Miaohua's residence, wouldn't she be angry and fight with the two of them? How come the old woman next door didn't hear a thing? There wasn't a trace of catching them in the act either, and not a single cup or saucer on the table was broken. Could it be that they all get along well?"
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