Chapter 10 Investigation 2 He seemed particularly concerned about his subordinate's whereabouts.
Fangru didn't stop walking, but turned her head slightly, her clear gaze sweeping over Zheng Yu, a very faint smile playing on her lips: "Lord Zheng, you are overthinking it. When I investigate cases, I always follow the clues and don't like to get sidetracked. But Lord Zheng, you seem to be particularly concerned about my whereabouts? Could it be that the Ministry of Justice has been relatively quiet lately, giving you the leisure to keep an eye on the movements of the Court of Judicial Review?"
Her tone was calm, even carrying a hint of polite doubt, but every word was like a soft nail, precisely piercing Zheng Yu's awkward thoughts.
Zheng Yu was taken aback. The phrase "pay attention at all times" made his ears burn slightly, as if some secret thoughts had been inadvertently exposed. He was immediately embarrassed and angry, but unable to refute it directly, he could only bluntly retort: "You flatterer! I am just reminding you not to get in the way of the Ministry of Justice's business!"
Fangru stopped looking at him, gently pulled Su Wanqing's wrist, and said in a clear but not loud voice, "Wanqing, let's go. The investigation is the priority. We don't need to pay attention to irrelevant noise."
She deliberately emphasized the word "noise" lightly, leaving Zheng Yu standing there, watching their departing figures. His face turned pale and then red, the inexplicable concern in his heart intertwined with the frustration of being ignored, making him feel increasingly stifled.
Having shaken off Zheng Yu's entanglement, Fangru and Su Wanqing went straight to the current manager of the opera troupe.
However, times have changed, and the people from five years ago have all gone. Fangru was not discouraged. She took out some money to bribe the manager, who then stroked his beard and recalled, "The troupe from back then... has long since fallen apart! I heard that the troupe leader, Old Zhao, couldn't make a living and went to the western suburbs to drive a cart for a living. You'll have to ask him for details."
Although the clue is vague, it is a glimmer of hope.
Fangru immediately used her cousin's connections in the Ministry of Personnel to inquire about the profession of coachmen in the western suburbs. After several twists and turns, she finally located Old Zhao's residence.
The next day, the two found a low-lying courtyard in the western suburbs.
Fangru did not put on airs; she simply stated that she had come to discuss an old matter, and her attitude was sincere.
At first, Lao Zhao was very wary when questioned, and his words were evasive. He just wanted to get rid of these two women who were obviously from extraordinary backgrounds as soon as possible.
However, Fangru did not use her power to intimidate him. Instead, she dismissed everyone around her and sat with Su Wanqing on a small stool in the courtyard. She earnestly explained her purpose and promised that she would never involve him in any unnecessary trouble.
Perhaps it was the sincerity and persistence in Fangru's eyes that moved him, and Old Zhao sighed and finally relented.
"Sigh, those are all old stories..." Old Zhao gazed into the distance, lost in memories. "That young lady from the Cheng family was a regular at our Baihua Teahouse back then. Over time, she and Qian Wen, the star of the class, fell for each other."
Fangru and Su Wanqing exchanged a surprised look.
They never expected that the seemingly well-behaved daughter of a wealthy businessman would secretly develop feelings for an actor.
"What's even more astonishing is that," Old Zhao lowered his voice, "Miss Cheng actually proposed to marry Qianwen. And what's most unexpected is that Mr. Cheng... he actually agreed at first! Qianwen was overjoyed, and his classmates were all happy for him, thinking that he had met the right person."
"You agreed at first?" Su Wanqing keenly caught the word. "And then what happened?"
"And then?" Old Zhao's face showed regret and confusion. "Then things got weird. Qian Wenzheng was happily preparing for his wedding when he went out one day and never came back. He was nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead. We reported it to the authorities, but they couldn't find anything. Then, a few days later, Miss Cheng also disappeared... Everyone privately guessed that perhaps Master Cheng had changed his mind after all, but since he couldn't openly stop them, he resorted to underhanded means. That ill-fated couple either suffered misfortune or were forced to elope."
Su Wanqing frowned: "Since Master Cheng initially agreed, why did he go back on his word? This seems illogical."
Old Zhao curled his lip, revealing a worldly insight: "Young lady, you're too young to understand how fickle people's hearts are, especially businessmen like Master Cheng, who are incredibly shrewd and calculating. They agree to things to your face, then turn around and renege for a greater benefit—isn't that commonplace? Perhaps he's found a better marriage prospect and thinks Qian Wen's lowly status is beneath his family's dignity?" He shook his head, a self-deprecating tone in his voice, "How could ordinary people like us possibly fathom the true thoughts of these wealthy families?"
Fangru pondered for a moment and felt that although Lao Zhao's words were biased, they were not without reason.
Merchants are driven by profit, and the possibility that Cheng Feng might change his mind at the last minute certainly exists. It seems that to unravel the mystery of Cheng Qi's disappearance, this Mr. Cheng Feng is the key figure.
That afternoon, Fangru learned that Chengfeng would usually go to Shengxianglou for tea, so she waited outside the building early.
She straightened her clothes, took a deep breath, and prepared to go in and meet this key figure.
Just as I stepped onto the stairs, a lazy voice, tinged with its usual sarcasm, rang out from behind me:
"Tsk, what a coincidence, Judge Shen." Zheng Yu, fanning himself with a folding fan, strolled over from who-knows-where and blocked Fang Ru's path, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. "Instead of going to the Dali Temple to review case files today, you seem to have quite the refined taste, coming to Shengxiang Tower? Perhaps you're tired from investigating the case and want to rest here?"
Fangru sighed inwardly, "It's like a persistent ghost," but her face remained calm.
She stopped, turned slightly to look at Zheng Yu, and said in a calm tone, "Lord Zheng seems to have a special fondness for this Shengxianglou? I was unaware that the Ministry of Justice official had to come here every day to supervise the quality of the tea."
Zheng Yu, caught off guard by her counterattack, paused with his folding fan, then sneered, "Eloquent tongue. I'm just afraid that Judge Shen, eager to investigate the case, will be unceremoniously summoned again, just like last time, needlessly damaging the reputation of our court officials." Although his words were harsh, his eyes subtly swept across her face, observing her expression.
Fangru could not help but hear the barb in his words, but she also keenly sensed a very subtle and awkward concern behind them.
She didn't want to get entangled with him any further, and was even more afraid of delaying important matters, so she nodded slightly, her tone distant yet polite: "Thank you for your concern, Lord Zheng. I have other official business to attend to, please excuse me."
After saying that, she stopped looking at Zheng Yu's tense expression, turned around, and calmly stepped into the door of Shengxianglou, leaving him, along with his unfinished sarcasm and indescribable complex emotions, outside the door.
Zheng Yu stared at her resolute figure disappearing into the doorway, his fingers tightening around his folding fan. In the end, he only let out a cold snort and muttered to himself, "...ungrateful." He did not leave immediately, but instead stood there for a moment, his gaze thoughtfully fixed on the building, seemingly lost in thought.
Fangru and Su Wanqing waited quietly in the private room.
As Cheng Feng was led into the room by Su Wanqing with a charming smile, before he could even sit down, Fangru slowly walked out from behind the screen, dressed in the official robes of the Dali Temple, with a solemn expression.
"Master Cheng," Fangru said bluntly, her eyes sharp, "your daughter, Cheng Qi, was in love with the actor Qian Wen back then. Are you aware of this?"
Cheng Feng's smile froze instantly, a hint of panic flashing across his face before being replaced by anger: "That low-class actor! How dare he try to curry favor with my Cheng family's daughter! What a pipe dream! I was already merciful by not breaking his legs that day!"
"Just wishful thinking?" Fangru pressed on, her voice low but extremely oppressive. "Is Miss Cheng Qi's disappearance related to this? Is it related to you?"
"Absolutely not!" Cheng Feng vehemently denied it, though beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Qi'er is my only daughter. I cherish her dearly, how could I possibly harm her?"
Fangru stopped asking questions and simply walked slowly to the window, opening the window facing the street.
Her gaze fell upon Zheng Yu, who was chatting and laughing with someone on the second floor of the restaurant across the street. Her tone was calm and even, but every word was chilling: "Does Master Cheng know who that person is? It's Zheng Yu, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice. He just told me that there are many doubts in this case, and he's afraid that he needs to invite Master Cheng to the Imperial Prison of the Ministry of Justice for a cup of tea before he can explain things in detail."
The words "Imperial Prison" struck like a thunderbolt, and Zheng Yu's reputation as the "Iron-Faced Yama" was known to all.
Cheng Feng's face turned deathly pale instantly, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, his mental defenses completely crumbling.
"Your Honor, please see the truth! I...I'll tell you!" He trembled as he revealed the truth he had kept hidden for five years. "That day, I listened to my younger brother Cheng Bo, who said that Qian Wen was wicked and had seduced Qi'er with malicious intent...I only wanted to teach that actor a lesson so he would back down, but who would have thought that he was so strong-willed, and in the struggle, I accidentally killed him...Qi'er, after she heard the news, she threw herself into the lake that very night...I regret it so much!" Tears streamed down his face as he said that Cheng Qi's body was buried under the lotus pond in the back garden of the Cheng family mansion.
The private room fell silent. Su Wanqing gasped in surprise, covering her mouth.
Fangru remained unmoved. She calmly stared at Cheng Feng, her voice clear and cold: "You're not the only murderer."
Cheng Feng and Su Wanqing both looked up in astonishment.
Fangru's eyes were sharp, like a blade piercing through the fog: "Master Cheng, you have no sons. If Cheng Qi marries, who will inherit your vast fortune? Naturally, it will go to your Cheng clan, and your good brother Cheng Bo is the most likely successor, being the most outstanding member of the clan. But if Qian Wen marries into the family, the estate will be inherited by Cheng Qi. Cheng Bo fabricated lies to provoke you into taking action, killing two birds with one stone. The real culprit who killed your daughter is you, and even more so, your greedy brother!"
Cheng Feng was struck dumb, collapsing to the ground. After a long while, he let out a wail filled with extreme regret.
The truth came to light, and Cheng Feng and Cheng Bo were both arrested and brought to justice, where they were severely punished by law.
The news that Fang Ruzhi had solved a five-year-old cold case stirred up huge waves inside and outside the Dali Temple, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.
The next day, as she stepped into the Dali Temple, she could clearly sense the difference in the atmosphere around her.
Those gazes that were once dismissive, curious, or filled with ambiguous speculation are now mostly replaced by amazement, admiration, and even a hint of apprehension.
"I really didn't expect this... So many capable people have investigated Cheng Qi's case but to no avail, yet Li Sizhi actually managed to dig it up!" A young clerk said to his colleague in a low voice, his tone full of disbelief.
"It's not just about digging it out, haven't you heard? The reasoning, the methods! With just a few words, they tricked Cheng Feng into telling the truth and even uncovered the mastermind, Cheng Bo! The ingenuity, the courage, tsk tsk..." Another person shook his head, full of admiration.
Dong Xing, who had been waiting to see Fang Ru make a fool of herself, now had the most complicated expression.
He stood on the veranda, holding his teacup, listening to the crowd's discussion. He remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a disgruntled snort: "...He does have a bit of talent for something unusual." Although his tone was still harsh, much of his disdain had dissipated.
Even some usually serious and prudent old officials, while stroking their beards and discussing, couldn't help but express some admiration: "Although she is a woman, her intelligence, quick wit, and meticulous thinking are truly exceptional in the field of criminal justice."
"Your Majesty has a discerning eye. At first, I thought... cough, but now it seems that you truly value her talent."
The whispers about whether His Majesty had taken a liking to her, though not completely gone, had subtly shifted in direction. They had moved from speculating about her appearance and temperament to admiring the Emperor's discerning eye for talent and recognizing Fangru's own abilities.
Amidst widespread praise, the appointment document for his promotion to Sizhi was quickly issued.
This time, no one felt surprised or amiss. Fangru accepted the appointment document with a calm expression, only when no one was around did she slightly tighten her fingertips, feeling the heavy weight of it.
She knew this was more than just a promotion; it meant she had truly carved out a path and gained a foothold in the treacherous Dali Temple. She was now one step closer to Gu Zhou.
Although she was still not allowed to visit Gu Zhou, she soon learned that Gu Zhou had been transferred from the gloomy and terrifying imperial prison to an ordinary cell.
Conditions have improved, and their lives are temporarily safe.
Fangru stood in the courtyard of Dali Temple, looked up at the azure sky, and took a deep breath.
A note from the author:
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