Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Continuing the Inquiry

It was another useless piece of information.

Even Bai Zhengliu, upon hearing this, felt somewhat disappointed.

He exhaled and pressed further, "Have you investigated thoroughly? How old is the eldest son of the Chang family? Why did he leave home? What is his temperament like? Did he have close associates in the village?"

An Bo replied smoothly, "The things you mentioned, Sir Bai, were indeed mentioned by the master. Let me explain it in detail.

"The eldest son is ten years older than our master. When our master was at the age of dancing with a ladle, the eldest son was already expected to be married and settled. But he spent his early years studying and didn’t learn the words of the sages. Instead, he learned the art of holding poetry gatherings and seeking out courtesans—a frivolous and carefree way of life."

Naturally, these were not proper poetry gatherings. Rather, they were events where a group of scholars, wearing scholarly robes yet hiding predatory hearts, would "appreciate" which courtesan in each brothel was the most beautiful, had the best voice, and was the softest-bodied.

An Bo even made a face of disdain.

"The family didn’t know about this at first. No matter how much the eldest son spent, as long as he said it was for studying, the master’s family would grit their teeth and support him. But the money the eldest son needed seemed like an endless pit. Later, when the family tried to ask him to spend more cautiously, he refused, unwilling to lose face in front of his ‘classmates’... There might have been something else involved, but in any case, the master eventually received news from his brother in the city that the eldest son had borrowed money from people and was being chased by creditors."

"That’s when the truth came out. The old master and mistress were so angry they nearly couldn’t get out of bed. It was up to the master’s young brother, still a child, to deal with the creditors. Afterward, the village scolded the eldest son, calling him a scoundrel, and said that the Chang family’s reputation was in ruins. The eldest son did come home, but after hearing so many rumors, he probably felt too ashamed and left again without telling anyone where he was going."

"It was because of this that the master’s family arranged for a hardworking and honest woman like Liu Shi to marry him."

After speaking at length, An Bo had explained everything in detail, even though some parts were somewhat vague. This made the entire situation seem more reasonable.

According to Master Chang, when the eldest son caused trouble in the city, the family was kept in the dark. As a result, they didn’t know how the eldest son had ended up with so much debt.

The group of people felt even more disappointed. "I see."

An Bo’s face showed some confusion, and he cautiously asked, "Gentlemen, I don’t quite understand. Could it be that the matter regarding the master’s brother is somehow related to what happened in the Chang household? Otherwise, why would Bai Zhengliu and the others be so intent on finding out more?"

Bai Zhengliu realized that his group’s actions had been somewhat too obvious.

Should he mention Liu Shi’s suggestion?… But while Liu Shi’s tragic death and transformation into a vengeful spirit were true, that didn’t mean that everyone else in the Chang family could be trusted.

After all, even the truth about Liu Shi was something they had forced out of them.Bai Zhengliu was deep in thought when, beside him, Mei Yinghan casually spoke, "We were just thinking, if Master Chang really has an older brother, could the eldest son and Liu Shi be old acquaintances..." He paused and said nothing more, just giving An Bo a slight smile, "Looks like we were mistaken."

As soon as An Bo heard Liu Shi's name, his attention was diverted. His face showed both caution and anticipation as he asked, "Heroes! Did your ritual this morning yield any results?"

Bai Zhengliu couldn't help but glance at Mei Yinghan before replying, "We did hear some movement from Liu Shi’s family again, but as for results, we dare not say. We’re thinking of coming back in the afternoon to have another look around your house to see if any new ideas come up."

An Bo showed some concern but quickly rallied, saying, "Good! Wherever you wish to go, I'll guide you."

Mei Yinghan interrupted gently, saying, "No need to trouble yourself. There are fewer people at the Chang residence now, and you have much to handle. The master’s illness, our meals—aren’t you, and Brother Ping, already being diligent with the maidservants and the other staff? Just point us to Mrs. Huang’s residence, and we can go there ourselves."

Bai Zhengliu’s lips curled into a quick smile, feeling that Mei Yinghan and he were indeed in sync.

An Bo hesitated, "This..."

Bai Zhengliu looked at him and said, "If you're truly worried about the house’s valuables, you can have someone follow us, that wouldn't be a problem."

The unspoken implication: "If you don’t trust us, then just have someone keep an eye on us."

An Bo, hearing this, dared not respond affirmatively, so he awkwardly nodded.

So, after visiting Liu Shi's cold and desolate courtyard, the group moved on to Miss Huang’s luxurious, completely different small estate.

Fu Ming and Gu Miao marveled at the various items in Miss Huang’s home, one saying, "This is the multicolored porcelain that's popular in Jiangnan! The craftsmanship, the vibrancy of the colors—Master Chang truly lives in wealth, and Miss Huang lives up to her background as a wealthy merchant’s daughter."

The other replied, "I’ve only seen such exquisite multicolored porcelain in the capital. I didn’t expect to see it here..."

From the place someone lives, one can often discern their tastes and temperament.

In the conversation between Fu Ming and Gu Miao, Miss Huang's image began to form in the minds of the group.

With wealth at home, she was bright and proud. When interacting with those she favored, her personality was innocent and passionate. But when faced with those she despised, she became violent and arrogant.

Wang Shi, meanwhile, was holding a half-stitched peony embroidery, admiring it and lamenting to Bai Zhengliu, "I didn’t expect that Miss Huang’s embroidery skills are quite impressive! Look at the stitches—how tight and even they are!"

Tight? Even?This evaluation sounded quite familiar. Bai Zhengliu thought for a moment and then recalled, "Do you think, Sister, that the bamboo embroidery in front could have been made by Miss Huang?"

Wang Shi froze for a moment. "This..." She took another look at the peony embroidery. "The stitching method is exactly the same."

But this didn’t necessarily prove that both pieces of embroidery were made by the same person. Considering the relationship between Liu Shi and Miss Huang, and how much Liu Shi hated Miss Huang, how could she possibly carry something related to her?

—Just carrying it would be one thing, but the handkerchief Bai Zhengliu found was clearly preserved very well. Despite being faded from water damage, it was otherwise clean and intact. Given Liu Shi’s condition, it was clear how rare that was.

Wang Shi reasonably guessed, "That bamboo embroidery was probably made by one of the Huang family's servants or maids. Miss Huang grew up with them, so she must have learned the same stitching method. That’s why it looks so similar."

Bai Zhengliu sighed. Indeed, he had considered this before. With Liu Shi saying nothing, the information they could gather from the handkerchief was quite limited. All they could confirm was the name on it, and the person it represented.

Hmm?

The swordsman suddenly seemed to realize something and spoke slowly, "We still need to go see Master Chang."

The others looked at him.

Bai Zhengliu analyzed, "We’ve been misled by An Bo. Liu Shi’s advice to us was to see Master Chang himself, not someone speaking on his behalf."

Gu Miao hesitated. "But didn’t the steward say that Master Chang is critically ill and we shouldn’t visit him?"

Bai Zhengliu shrugged. "We’re not familiar with their household environment. If we accidentally bypassed and peeked at Master Chang through the window, could they really stop us?"

The group thought for a moment and realized this reasoning made sense.

After not finding any new clues at Miss Huang's residence, they moved on to their next target.

It was strange. When they were inside Miss Huang’s room, it felt cold and damp everywhere. As soon as they stepped outside, the light from the sun hit them, and they immediately felt better.

Their bodies warmed up noticeably, causing Bai Zhengliu to glance back, thoughtfully eyeing the building behind them.

He didn’t understand these things, but generally speaking, was a woman’s bedroom usually so cold and gloomy? It didn’t seem like a place for the living, but rather like some sort of shrine for rituals.

Bai Zhengliu shook his head and took long strides forward....

The swordsman had said earlier, "If we accidentally bypassed and tried to peek at Master Chang, could we really be stopped?"

As it turned out, they could.

Because the layout of the Governor’s Mansion and the Chang residence were quite similar, they quickly found their way to the main courtyard of the Chang residence. Before they could even get close, An Bo came over.

The group found an excuse to leave.

If they couldn’t go through the front, they’d try the back.

Halfway there, the young servant Ping Ge appeared.

Alright, they’ll try a different route.

The maid who had gone to call Ping Ge earlier in the morning appeared.

They continued to detour.

Ping Ge appeared again.

"..." Even though they were wary of Liu Shi, and the people inside the house who could speak well were still relatively relaxed, Fu Ming and Gu Miao both began to feel something strange about this young servant.

Both of them felt a slight chill in their hearts, and Wang Shi remained silent. Only Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan continued speaking to Ping Ge with their usual calm expressions.

Bai Zhengliu: "Hmm, it seems we really don’t know the way. Please excuse us for the trouble."

Mei Yinghan: "You’ve really been working hard."

Ping Ge sighed, saying it was no trouble at all, and that everything was fine.

Bai Zhengliu lowered his voice and asked him, "Tell me, this morning, did something happen again at your house..."

Ping Ge’s face turned pale. He showed an expression of pain and fear, then nodded gently.

Bai Zhengliu inhaled sharply.Beside him, Mei Yinghan said, "My younger martial brothers and sisters, at your age, still don’t understand much. Yet, you’re already able to take on the worries of others in the household. Truly not an easy feat."

Bai Zhengliu: "..." Huh? Why did he suddenly mention other disciples of the Heavenly Mountain Sect?

Moreover, Ping Ge looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. If the disciples of the Heavenly Mountain Sect at his age were still clueless, that would be impossible.

Could it be an attempt to get closer? It didn’t seem like something Mei Yinghan would do.

Wait, age?

Bai Zhengliu suddenly had a flash of insight.

In a casual tone, he asked Ping Ge, "By the way, what year were you born?"

Ping Ge blinked and replied, "The second year of Shunning."

Both Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan fell silent at the same time.

The exact same thought emerged in their minds: It really is true! Why did the layout of the Chang residence and the Governor’s Mansion seem so similar, yet they only knew about the Governor’s Mansion and not the Chang residence?

Because the Chang residence had existed more than a decade ago!

"Shunning" was the era name of the late emperor. If Ping Ge was born in the second year of Shunning, then he would have been fifteen or sixteen years old during the seventeenth or eighteenth year of Shunning. At that time, the late emperor was still alive, and the current emperor was still fighting with his brothers, all of them vying for the position of crown prince!

The author has something to say:

This chapter has a lot of clues.

I originally planned to list them out like yesterday, but then I felt that if I did, it would basically be a spoiler (covering face, hoping the little angels will notice~).