Chapter 99 Qi-Liang Boundary (XI) A Pretender!
Upon asking this question, everyone realized something was amiss. Yu Qi went to the yamen at noon, and these rumors spread in the afternoon. Even if the news had wings, it wouldn't have spread this fast. It must have been deliberately spread by someone with ulterior motives!
Jiuli's face hardened, and she dragged Du Zhong out onto the street to find out who was spreading the rumors.
As they walked to the left at the end of Liuli Street, there was a two-story hotel called "Xiangfalou" with lavish decorations. It was dinner time, and the restaurant was packed with guests. In the middle of the restaurant, an old man and a young man were dressed up and playing the stringed instrument to sing a Baiju opera about the Qi family's fire. Jiuli and Duzhong heard a few words and went to the door to watch.
The two men transformed the Yu family into the "Xu" family and the Qi family into the "Yi" family. They then vividly recounted how the two families discussed marriage, refused the marriage, and how the young lady and young master secretly exchanged affections and eloped in the middle of the night. They also described how the "Xu" family broke into the "Yi" family demanding their people, how the "Yi" family's house caught fire, and how an innocent servant was burned to death.
Everyone in the audience knew that the Xu and Yi families were the Yu and Qi families, so the dinner table was filled with people whispering and discussing: "I never thought that Doctor Yu would have such a big heart, setting a fire on a whim."
"Hey, that's just how Dr. Yu is. You'll know his temper once you go to his Tongshoutang clinic for a checkup and get some medicine."
"Who would dare to go to his house for treatment and medicine? They'd be afraid of offending him with just a few words. If he prescribed me poison, I'd be innocent! If this doctor wanted to kill someone with poison, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to detect it even if he wanted to."
"Alas, poor Chen! The Qi family has plenty of empty houses; burning down one or two is nothing, but it dragged him down with them! Doctor Yu is Lord Yan's advisor and has helped Lord Qi quite a bit. Perhaps if Lord Yan intervenes, the Yu family can pay some compensation, and the two families can make peace. Sigh, then this Chen will have died in vain!"
"So what if he died in vain? What can ordinary people like us do? Besides, he was just a servant. Who would really stand up for him?"
Jiuli was furious upon hearing this and turned to Du Zhong, cursing, "This storyteller is so unreliable!"
Du Zhong leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, puzzled. "How does this storyteller know these things? It's as if he witnessed them himself."
Jiuli pondered with a half-closed gaze. Just then, the old man and the young man finished singing and came out. She pulled Du Zhong aside and gave him a wink. Du Zhong then followed the two out of the street.
She stood alone at the door for a moment, then went inside and sat down at a table against the wall. She ordered some food so she could hear what else everyone had to say.
But someone said, "I know Chen Zifang. He's a notorious gambler and drinker who does indecent things with the women working in the Qi household, even in front of his wife. Don't be fooled by how much he earns in the Qi family; it's hardly enough to cover his expenses. He's racked up countless debts. Humph, some time ago he struck it rich and insisted on treating me to drinks. I kindly advised him to pay off his debts first, but he accused me of meddling and went back to gambling. I heard he lost everything in a couple of days. A man like that, if he doesn't get burned alive today, he'll be beaten to death by his creditors tomorrow. I think he deserves to die."
Jiuli, holding her teacup, turned around and saw a slightly older man. After listening for a few more minutes, she realized he was Chen Zifang's neighbor, surnamed Hong. Seeing that he had finished his bill and was about to leave, she quickly put some money on the table and followed him out.
The shops on the street were closing one after another, but one tea stall had not yet closed. Jiu Li rushed up and said that people from the yamen wanted to invite this man surnamed Hong to have tea.
The man surnamed Hong sized her up and laughed, "Where in the yamen are there female constables? I've heard that Miss Yu is a beauty of unparalleled grace. You must be Miss Yu, wanting to clear Mr. Yu's name? It's rare to see someone so filial at such a young age. Ask me whatever you want, and I'll tell you."
Jiuli thanked him, picked out an octagonal table for him to sit down, ordered a pot of tea, and then inquired in detail about Chen Zifang.
The man surnamed Hong said, "Chen Zifang is in his early thirties, and his wife is also in her early thirties. They have been married for ten years, but they still don't have any children. So he is very carefree. He never looks back when he has money. He spends as much as he has and likes to show off in public. Even though he earns a lot, he hasn't saved a single penny."
"You just mentioned in the restaurant that he seemed to have made a fortune recently, right? Did he tell you where he earned it?"
"He didn't say that, and I didn't ask him. It was just something he got from the Qi family. But he sounded like he made a fortune, like he made a lot of money, at least seventy or eighty taels."
Seventy or eighty taels is no small sum, and Jiuli kept it in mind. He then inquired about Chen Zifang's family situation and learned that Chen Zifang and his wife either worked in the mansion and could not return home, or they were always arguing at home. Either he blamed his wife for not being able to have children, or his wife blamed him for having affairs in the mansion. In short, the two of them were always in a state of chaos and had not gotten along for many years.
After asking the questions, Jiuli returned home. Du Zhong had already returned ahead of her and asked A Xiang to send a few calming pills to the Qi residence. He was waiting for her to return so they could have dinner together.
Du Zhong said on the table that after following the two people singing Baiju for a while, he saw Xu's shop assistant on the street. The shop assistant said a few words to the old man and the young man on the street, and then he saw the shop assistant give them some money.
"Hmph, no wonder those two singers were trying to smear Master's reputation. It turns out it was that fat Xu who instructed them! He thinks that if he ruins Master's reputation, his business will improve. I think he's dreaming! I'll go to the yamen tonight to report to Master, and tomorrow I'll smash up Xu's shop!"
Jiuli, holding her bowl, chuckled. "If you smash up his shop, won't that give him even more leverage? Let's be patient for now and think of a way to deal with him later. But I'm thinking, Chen Zifang's death is a bit suspicious. Why didn't he run away when a living person was on fire? Was he drunk and only noticed when the fire got too big?"
Yuqing nodded in agreement, "The fire started just after nightfall. Perhaps they had drunk quite a bit of alcohol at dinner and were a bit tipsy, so they just randomly picked a room to sleep in."
Du Zhong chuckled, "What do you mean 'drunk'? He died before the fire started!"
Jiuli frowned and hurriedly asked him what had happened. He then recounted what the coroner had said that afternoon, which made Jiuli angrily put down her bowl. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"You didn't ask me!"
"Do I need to ask you?!" Jiuli glared at him, picked up her bowl again, and slowly said, "Chen Zifang's death has nothing to do with you, Uncle. I think his wife is the suspect in killing him. They both worked for the Qi family and had been at odds with each other for years. I heard from one of his neighbors that he seemed to have made a fortune some time ago, but he probably didn't give it to his wife and spent it on gambling and drinking. The two of them must have had a big fight over it. Perhaps his wife held a grudge and killed him at the Qi family."
Xiuzhi frowned and looked at Du Zhong. "Last time when we went to the Qi residence, I think I saw this Chen Zifang before. I heard the women in the duty room call him that. That's right, it's him! You're right, Miss. He made a fortune a few days ago."
Jiuli hurriedly asked, "You know about this too?"
“That day, the master ordered us to return the gifts from the Qi family. I was waiting for Du Zhong in their inner duty room when I saw Chen Zifang bring some wine and meat to treat several maids in the duty room. Judging from their tone, Chen Zifang was not usually so generous. The fact that he suddenly treated them to such a feast must mean he has made a fortune.”
Did he say where he got that money from?
Xiuzhi shook her head. "They didn't say, but when I worked in the kitchen of the yamen, I often heard them say that murder is nothing more than 'money, hatred, and affection.' He suddenly made a fortune and died a few days later. Maybe the two things are related! Why don't you go and ask his wife where he got that money?"
So Jiuli and Du Zhong discussed it and decided to go find Du Zhong's wife, Liu, the next day to inquire about the source of the money.
After dinner, Du Zhong packed a quilt for Yu Qi, and Jiu Li packed two sets of clothes for Yu Qi. The two of them carried the clothes to the yamen. It was dark early now, just past 7 PM. The full moon in the sky was as bright as a mirror. The yamen was already closed, but there was a group of constables on duty inside.
The yamen runner who opened the door led them to the Third Courtyard. Jiuli saw that Yu Qi was sleeping in a duty room for minor officials. Although it was not as good as home, it was much better than a prison cell. In addition to a table, chairs and a desk, a daybed was specially brought for him to sleep on. There was already a mattress on the daybed. She and Du Zhong quickly spread out the mattress they had brought from home. After they had spread it out, they sat down to try it out. They chatted with Du Zhong and told Yu Qi how Xu Qing had been doing bad things behind his back.
Seeing that Yu Qi had led her to the desk by the left wall and was flipping through several old books and records on the desk, she casually chatted with them, whether she heard him or not, while glancing at them sideways. When their eyes met, the candles in the room seemed to flicker.
Jiuli felt a surge of warmth in her heart and glanced sideways at Du Zhong, who was walking to the eight-immortal table on the right to pour himself some tea. Yu Qi also looked at him, wanting to send him out first and leave Jiuli alone, but because he felt guilty, he felt that any excuse he made would be like protesting too much.
As they hesitated, two constables knocked on the door and entered, laughing and joking as they called Du Zhong outside, whispering a few words to him. Du Zhong came in shortly after, hesitatingly asking, "Master, they want me to drink."
Yu Qi tossed the book on the table and coughed lightly. "Go ahead. You're all grown up now. A few drinks won't hurt. Just don't get drunk. You still have to go home with Yu'er later."
Du Zhong laughed and went out, forgetting to close the door in his haste. Jiu Li sat on the made-up couch, her hands resting on the edge, gazing sideways at the door. Several lanterns hung under the eaves, their dim yellow light swaying rhythmically in the soft moonlight, like a cat's whiskers brushing against her skin.
Yu Qi closed the door and stood behind it, as if waiting for her.
Jiuli lowered her head and chuckled secretly. She immediately ran over from the couch and pounced into his arms, slamming his back against the door with a loud "bang".
Just then, a yamen runner patrolled the corridor and asked from outside, "Mr. Yu, is there anything wrong?"
Yu Qi tilted his head back slightly and said, "It's nothing, I just dropped something."
The constable then walked away from the door, the sound of his footsteps or their heartbeats pounding loudly, it was hard to tell.
Yu Qi put one arm around her, lowered his face to look at her quietly for a while, and then used his other hand to touch the back of her forehead. "Did you have dinner before coming?" Jiu Li pouted and nodded, tilting her head up as if asking for a kiss. He kissed her, pinched her cheek and smiled. "Why do you love to act cute more as you get older?"
It's because he's willing to fall for her act; would she expect him to act cute towards a complete stranger? She looked smug. "Who told you to fall for that trick?"
"You're blaming me?"
She nodded seriously. He took a deep breath, lowered his head and kissed her lips. They were soft and warm, and he didn't know what had been applied to them. They were a little sweet. He tasted the sweetness and couldn't help but explore her mouth.
The windows of the room were covered with tung oil paper, which would tear easily if poked. Yu Qi dared not pull her to the middle of the room, fearing that someone would break into them. He knew their relationship was dangerous, but he was still lured into the darkness by her. She heard her voice, childlike and charming, escaping from between her lips. His fingers pressed against her cheek, gently stroking her soft and delicate skin.
Jiuli felt that her mouth was a hole, which was originally quiet. It would have been better if he hadn't come in. But when he did, he brought in a gust of wind that swirled inside, making her feel empty. This emptiness longed to be filled with something. At this moment, she could only blame him for being too cautious, but she couldn't say it out loud. She just hummed like an unsatisfied cat.
He pulled his face away slightly, his fingers still stroking her cheek, and chuckled, "This kind of thing can be addictive, can it? You've already forgotten the pain after just one day."
Jiuli thought he was making fun of her, so she glared at him with a stern face, but her eyes were misty, with a hazy light shining beneath the mist.
She made a move to walk away, but he pulled her back, hooked his arms around her legs, and carried her to the octagonal table, while also extinguishing the candles on the table.
A candle lay dimly on the desk, its light not reaching this side, thus lessening the danger. His breathing seemed to vibrate the candle, its flame flickering precariously, as if on the verge of extinguishing.
He looked down at her and saw her shimmering eyes. He felt like he was bullying the weak, and a sense of guilt arose within him. This only fueled his wicked and evil thoughts.
Before they could act, they heard Du Zhong's voice in the distance; it sounded like he was coming out of the guardhouse. Yu Qi quickly straightened up, pulled her clothes back on, lifted her down, and lit the candles on the table.
Sure enough, Du Zhong came and knocked on the door. Jiu Li went to open it, and Du Zhong went straight to the innermost part of the room. Jiu Li turned her head and saw that Yu Qi was quick to act and was already flipping through a book at the desk.
She couldn't help but think to herself, she had seen him reading in his room countless times before, and how many times he had just been pretending to be serious. Who knew that while his eyes were on the book, his mind was elsewhere? It turned out that she had been deceived by him all these years.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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