Chapter 11: Mother and Son
Zhao Yuanming’s thoughts went back to the evening of the previous day.
That day, his mother suddenly rushed in, sent away the maidservants and Dan Mo beside her, and looked straight at him with sparkling eyes, as if she seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.
She just stood there, as if wrapped in endless sadness, and didn't speak for a long time.
Whenever Zhao Yuanming saw his mother like this, he would always feel a ball of anger in his heart, with nowhere to vent. That day was no exception. He asked his mother irritably what had happened. His mother said, "Yuanming, you and that girl from the Wang family are not suitable. Your aunt Sumei and I both disagree. It's better to break up."
How could Aunt Sumei disagree? Wang Fuwan's father only ran a cloth shop, and he was the county magistrate's eldest son. If Wang Fuwan married him, whether as a wife or a concubine, it would not be considered an injustice to her.
Besides, Aunt Sumei has always liked him, so why would she refuse? It was all just her mother's excuse.
He was exhausted and looked at his mother, pleading, "Mother, I really like Fu Wan. If you despise her humble family background, I can take her as my concubine."
Mrs. Zhao's attitude was unusually firm, and she repeated what she had just said: "Yuanming, you two are not suitable."
He suddenly didn't want to endure it anymore.
Ever since he could remember, his mother was an extremely gentle person. She always had a smile on her face, spoke softly, gave in to him in everything, and never scolded him.
It also made him unable to breathe.
It was like a piece of soft silk that tightly wrapped around him. It seemed that he could easily break free, but in fact, the silk was extremely tough and he could not escape no matter what.
Zhao Yuanming clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He recounted what happened that day to the official in front of him, and finally sighed, "Because of Fu Wan, my mother and I had a big argument. That was the first time she scolded me loudly. I must have been heartbroken. If I had known this would happen... I would definitely not argue with her..." He lowered his head, holding the back of his head tightly with his hands, his expression broken. "I just can't understand it. Before the New Year, my mother clearly agreed to Fu Wan and me, but she suddenly changed her mind after the New Year. A few days ago, I saw that her expression had softened, but that day she was extremely tough..."
Fang Yan seemed puzzled: "Are you saying that your mother once agreed to your marriage with Wang Fuwan?"
Zhao Yuanming nodded silently and told the story between him and Wang Fuwan from the beginning: "Fuwan and I have known each other since childhood. A few years ago, my mother and I returned to Chaozhou with my father and became familiar with each other again. Aunt Sumei was very kind to me and often brought Fuwan to visit my mother at home. Over time, Fuwan and I fell in love. My mother had very high expectations of me and always hoped that I would marry a girl of equal status and take charge of the household. Therefore, the relationship between Fuwan and me was kept secret from my mother.
"Last autumn, I decided to marry Fu Wan and told my mother about it. As expected, she was very opposed and cried for a long time, which made me very sad. I hesitated for many days, but still didn't want to be separated from Fu Wan, so I begged my mother again to allow me to marry Fu Wan. Apart from that, I agreed to everything else. Before the New Year, my mother suddenly said that I could marry her, but only as a concubine. I had expected this and was naturally ecstatic. But not long after, my mother went to visit Aunt Su Mei and suddenly changed her mind, saying that the girl from the Wang family was not a good match.
"After that, Mother often threatened to break up with me, saying I was going to be an official in the imperial court and marrying Fu Wan would be frowned upon. I was fed up with it, but there was nothing I could do. So when Dan Mo woke me up this morning, I really thought Mother was getting upset again. I never thought it was true... How could this happen..."
Fang Yan looked at his sadness with indifference, his tone as calm as reciting a book: "Where did you go and what did you do after yesterday evening?"
Zhao Yuanming's sobs stopped, his eyes evasive. "Yesterday I stayed in my own courtyard. After my mother left the day before yesterday, I was upset and ordered several jars of wine, drinking until midnight. After waking up yesterday, I was still upset, so I continued drinking and didn't leave the house."
"You're lying." Fang Yan looked straight at him. "Yesterday evening, someone saw you walking towards the back garden. How do you explain it?"
Zhao Yuanming was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead and sighed, "Look at me, I've been drinking too much these past few days and I can't remember a lot of things. I did go to the garden yesterday evening, just to get rid of the smell of alcohol, I didn't do anything else."
"When did you come back?"
"I was drunk yesterday, how could I remember the time clearly?"
"Did you meet anyone?"
Zhao Yuanming shook his head. "I didn't stay in the garden for long. I just walked around and left. I didn't meet anyone else."
"What happened after you returned to the courtyard? Did anyone come looking for you?"
Zhao Yuanming shook his head again: "Who would come to look for me in the dead of night?"
Fang Yan sighed, his voice filled with disappointment. "You're lying again. After dark yesterday, someone saw two people walking out of your courtyard. Since no one came looking for you, who were these two people?" He paused, then spoke again, cutting off the excuse he was about to make. "Those two people were dressed as women, and you didn't leave any maids in your courtyard yesterday. Don't put the blame on the maids in your house." "How is that possible?" Zhao Yuanming stood up, his face puzzled. "Yesterday, there were only Aunt Sumei and I in the courtyard. No one else. How could there be two people—"
Before he could even finish his words, Zhao Yuanming realized he had made a mistake. The weather was still a bit chilly, but sweat was already beading on his forehead.
He slumped back in his chair resignedly, his lips trembling, not knowing what to say.
Fang Yan stood up, looking down at him with a gaze that seemed to contain both pity and contempt. "Since you don't want to talk about it here, please follow me back to the yamen. County Magistrate Zhao is in the yamen right now, and I'm sure he'd like to hear your explanation of this matter."
"No, I won't go!" A flash of panic crossed Zhao Yuanming's face. "My father has disliked me since I was a child. If he knew about this, I'd be finished... Lord Fang, I'll tell you everything, but it has nothing to do with my mother's case. I hope you can keep it a secret for me and don't tell my father."
Fang Yan sat back in his seat and remained noncommittal about what he said: "Go ahead."
Zhao Yuanming pursed his lips and spoke in a softer voice, "I'm not lying. I was indeed the only one who went to the garden yesterday to get rid of the smell of alcohol. I only took a few steps when I realized someone was following me. When I turned around, I found it was Aunt Sumei. Aunt Sumei wanted to tell me about Fu Wan, so I took her back to my yard."
"How long has Sumei been here?"
"Half an hour? Or an hour? I can't quite remember."
"What did she say to you?
"She said that Fu Wan and I were not suitable for each other and that I was suitable for a better girl. She then gave me some advice, but she didn't say anything else."
Zhao Yuanming spoke slowly, with his head lowered, pressing his solar plexus with his hands from time to time, his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking, or as if he was using this action to hide or escape something.
Xun Shu listened quietly, stroking his sleeves with his fingers, but what he was thinking about was what Zhao Yuanan, the third son of the Zhao family, said.
If Zhao Yuanan saw correctly, two women had emerged from Zhao Yuanming's courtyard. One was Sumei, but who could the other be? Was Sumei the one in front, or the one behind? Who could have quietly entered Zhao Yuanming's courtyard without being noticed?
Or did Zhao Yuanming lie?
-
After leaving Zhao Yuanming's yard, it was already late. Fang Yan had to rush back to the yamen on official business, while Xun Shu and He Xuan had to return to the coffin shop.
The group said goodbye in the front yard of the Zhao residence. Fang Yan kept looking back, gazing at the slender figure in the setting sun, reluctant to leave, wanting to speak but unable to. He Xuan took a sideways step and stood in front of Xun Shu, blocking Fang Yan's gaze. He showed off his large white teeth and smiled with a rather dignified smile.
Xun Shu had been so absorbed in watching the ants moving their wares that she didn't notice the slightest fight between the two until a shadow fell over her head. She looked up in shock, staring at the figure standing before her, completely obscuring her form, and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
He Xuan watched Fang Yan walk further and further away, his figure completely disappearing into the streets. Only then did he feel relieved and explained, "The sun is too strong, I'll help you shade it."
It was almost sunset, and although the sunlight was still dazzling, it was no longer as scorching as it was at noon, so why would there be a need for shelter?
Fortunately, Xun Shu didn't think too much about it and thanked him sincerely: "Thank you."
In the setting sun, the two shadows overlapped, so intimate that they seemed to blend into one. He Xuan couldn't help but stare at them a few more times, and the more he looked, the more he liked them. As he was admiring them, the shadow suddenly split in two, and the bright space in the middle became wider and wider. He looked up and saw Xun Shu heading towards the guard in sackcloth outside the Zhao residence. He hurried to catch up, and when he reached him, he heard Xun Shu ask the guard, "Brother, was there anyone in this house yesterday?"
The girl in front of him had a pair of clear almond-shaped eyes with a moist luster. In addition, the guards had just seen her with County Lieutenant Fang, so they had already let down their guard.
The guard had already asked this question today, so it was not difficult to repeat it now. The guard replied quickly, "No strangers visited yesterday."
Xun Shu said slowly, "But I heard that Madam's former maid, Su Mei, came here yesterday. Didn't she come in through the main gate?"
"Aunt Sumei did come yesterday, but she comes so often that I didn't consider her a stranger." The guard added with shame on his face, "Aunt Sumei often comes to visit my wife at home, and we've long been accustomed to it."
A light flashed in Xun Shu's mind, and he asked tentatively, "Brother, did anyone you know come in or out of the house yesterday?"
Seeing the guard's puzzled expression, He Xuan explained, "An acquaintance means someone from the Zhao family, or someone who is familiar with the Zhao family and often visits them."
"Except for County Magistrate Zhao, none of the masters in the mansion went out yesterday. If it were anyone else..." The guard seemed to have thought of something, and a conflicted look appeared on his face.
He Xuan noticed the change in his expression and threatened, "Mrs. Zhao was murdered yesterday. All the clues at this moment may help us find the real murderer. If you conceal it, you will be guilty of harboring someone. Think carefully."
The guard spoke hastily, fearing he would be blamed for being late. "Yesterday afternoon, not long after Aunt Sumei arrived, Miss Wang also came to the mansion. The eldest young master had already instructed us not to mention Miss Wang's frequent visits to anyone else. Over time, I even forgot about it, and Miss Wang was no longer considered a member of the mansion. I beg you to forgive me, and please don't tell the master, and don't tell the eldest young master either!"
Although he had already guessed who Miss Wang he was talking about, He Xuan still carefully confirmed with him: "Miss Wang, which Miss Wang?"
"Who else could be Miss Wang who is related to the eldest young master? It must be Aunt Sumei's daughter, Miss Wang Fuwan."
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