103 — Were You Trying To Trap Me

Ling Qianqian’s little performance had attracted quite the crowd. It wasn’t possible for these people to merely watch and listen without thinking about the implications of these words.

It didn’t take long for them to start looking weirdly at Song Caitang.

Song Caitang didn’t really care, actually. The so-called “unsullied reputation of a woman” thing didn’t matter to her and didn’t bother her. Ling Qianqian’s tactic might have frightened another woman, but not her.

She didn’t understand why Ling Qianqian was trying to attack her, but since this young lady had declared war… she was going to deal with her accordingly.

“Miss Ling, you might be a little young and you don’t understand. You could lean on a mountain today and it collapses in an earthquake tomorrow; you could rely on the river today and it dries up the next day. We might be women, but we can’t just sit around and hope all day for food to drop from the sky or wait for death to befall us. It would be best if we could learn a skill or two that could feed ourselves. If you become good at it, others would want to learn from you,” Song Caitang’s gaze was calm and her smile was gentle, “Take your cousin, for instance. He knows I’m good at examining bodies and dissecting them, so he keeps trying to learn a thing or two.”

“Your brother is connected to a murder case and greatly interested in the ways coroners examine bodies, so it’s only normal for him to say good things about me. I’m older and I have work to do every day. I don’t have the time to think about love and things like that like you do.”

Song Caitang spoke slowly and smiled throughout, “Your level of concern for your cousin and your degree of possessiveness might not be a good thing, though. As an older woman, I’d advise you to use your time to do a little embroidery and learn to cook instead. Your days will become much simpler and filled with more happiness.”

Everyone watching exchanged glances.

Scandalous!

The young woman was implying that Miss Song was involved with her cousin, but Miss Song did not get angry and turned around to advise the young woman instead…

The truth couldn’t be plainer. This young woman was infatuated with her cousin, so she couldn’t stand seeing her cousin getting too close to another woman and she was here to confront the other woman!

Ling Qianqian was still smiling, but her teeth were pressed so hard against each other, she nearly started grinding them.

She couldn’t believe Song Caitang had deflected the attack, and worse still, implied that she was secretly in love with her own cousin!

The one she liked was Zhao-gege! HUMPH!

A crowd who didn’t know any better was a good tool to use against her opponent, and that was the effect Ling Qianqian wanted. But now that Song Caitang had gained the moral high ground, that effect had turned against her.

The looks in the eyes of the crowd had changed. They started giving Ling Qianqian judgmental looks.

Compared to how Song Caitang might have fallen for a man she barely knew, having an incestuous relationship with her cousin sounded way worse. How despicable, she thought, she’s bringing me down with her.

Her cousin kept saying that Song Caitang was an outstanding female coroner who was motivated by pure intentions and focused solely on her job. Lies! This woman was clearly a scheming one!

But she couldn’t get angry.

She couldn’t. Not now.

Ling Qianqian understood how she could use her own beauty to her advantage, so she broke into a sweet smile, “I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. Is it bad to be close to an older brother?”

She fluttered her lashes and bit her lower lip gently as though she was very troubled, “My mother said that young ladies have to get along well with their older brothers and not find it troublesome, because we’ll need to rely on them for many things in the future, like when we get married…”

Ling Qianqian seemed a little shy when she came to this topic. She blushed slightly and bowed her head a little as she said softly, “…We have to rely on our older brothers to make sure we marry well.”

She looked so pure and adorable, and even implied she was willing to marry whoever her family wanted her to, so she clearly did not think she was going to marry her own cousin. When she talked about getting married, she just became shy and didn’t steal any glances at Qi Yan…

She clearly did not have that sort of feeling toward him.

The crowd watching was disappointed.

They were here for a good show, they were waiting for a scandal! If there was no scandal, why bother?

Ling Qianqian was very forthcoming and spoke very quickly, continuing without waiting for a response from Song Caitang.

“I really don’t have any other ideas about my cousin. He’s taken very good care of me all this time and I don’t have any way of repaying him besides trying to find him a good wife. He seems like an energetic guy, but he’s actually very disciplined and has never been involved with any woman or even mentioned anyone before. But recently, I noticed that he keeps talking about you and his eyes are always shining when he does. So… so… I misunderstood, I suppose. Song-jiejie, don’t get angry, okay?”

Her large eyes were watery as she looked up at Song Caitang. She looked rather pitiful and she even took the initiative to apologize, making it seem like not forgiving her was not an option.

Song Caitang did not respond directly to her question, “Oh, so Miss Ling thinks I’m angry.” She looked calmly at Ling Qianqian with her bright, black eyes, “Why?”

Ling Qianqian nearly blurted her thoughts out loud. Of course it’s because of what you said just now! You even turned around to chide me!

But when she gave it further thought, she realized something wasn’t quite right.

She said that she didn’t understand what Song Caitang was getting at.

Since she didn’t understand it, she wouldn’t have known if Song Caitang had gotten angry.

And if she knew she had made Song Caitang angry, it meant that she had set this whole thing up, and that she wasn’t that pure and innocent in the first place!

She had slapped herself in the face.

NOOOO!

But before she could speak, Song Caitang had already put her teacup down and was staring steely at her, “I have come in contact with Mr. Qi because of the recent case, and we’ve only met a few times. But he has mentioned you a lot, and I can see that he cares deeply for you. Are you saying these things because Mr. Qi asked you to?”

If Ling Qianqian said yes, then it would make Qi Yan look bad.

If Ling Qianqian said no, then it meant that Ling Qianqian was the one who had jumped to all these conclusions, slandering both her own cousin and another woman, making her a woman with poor character and morals.

It seemed like neither answer was a good one.

Ling Qianqian didn’t know what to do. Her eyes reddened a little and she looked like she was about to cry.

---

The main street running through the city was really exciting today. On one side, Qi Yan and Lu Shen were arguing. On the other side, it was Ling Qianqian versus Song Caitang. There was something new to watch at every turn and the crowd was having a lot of fun.

Even the tables along the windows of the nearby teahouses had customers watching on silently.

“Humph! Talking about men in broad daylight? Such audacity! How shameless!”

The one who spoke was a middle-aged man in the long robes of an official. His hair was neatly tied with an ornate clip and he had a long beard. His facial features were squarish and there were almost no smile lines around his eyes, but his nasolabial folds were very deep. He was obviously a man who never smiled and looked unhappy or angry all the time.

“Why get angry over someone who’s not even worth mentioning? Commissioner Liu, let’s just enjoy our tea, shall we?”

“The emperor has not officially announced the role yet, so it’s a little too early to call me Commissioner Liu. You don’t have to be so formal with me, Prefectural Governor Li.”

Governor Li smiled, “You’re here because Her Majesty told you to come here. This appointment is definitely confirmed! But because this Lu Guangzong died not too long ago, we just need to wait for a few more days and you’d be Luanze’s new Pacification Commissioner. I have to make sure I’m polite to you, otherwise my uncle in the capital is going to give me a dressing down.”

Commissioner Liu finally took the tea from Governor Li, “We’re friends in the first place. All these terms of address don’t really matter.”

After taking two sips of tea, Commissioner Liu glared down at Song Caitang seated one floor down. His nasolabial folds deepened as he sneered, “What’s up with this woman? Not only is she allowed to be part of an official investigation, but she dares to speak about men along the street in public? Does she have no respect for Her Majesty’s words?”

Governor Li sighed and spoke on Song Caitang’s behalf, “Of course, Her Majesty’s teaching is very important. Women should not be seen in public like this at all. But this Song Caitang is quite capable and she’s very good at dissecting dead bodies…”

Commissioner Liu slammed the table, “She even allows her full name to be known? How shameless!”

Governor Li seized the opportunity to add on, “Most importantly, the surveillance commissioner, the…” he pointed above him and mouthed the words “King of Chaos”, “is very protective of her. I don’t have the power to go against what he says, so even if I wanted to do something about it, I couldn’t.”

“Zhao Zhi?” Commissioner Liu scoffed. He narrowed his eyes, making the crease in his nasolabial folds even deeper as he said confidently, “He’s fallen out of favor and you don’t have to worry about him. I don’t like this woman and she must go!”

“But she has a very useful skill, so if I just, you know, I’m afraid… that’s not very appropriate.”

“Can’t you just find a way to make her less useful? She wants to crack cases, doesn’t she? Then give her one that’s not crackable! I’m sure Luanze has some unsolved cases.”

Governor Li’s eyes lit up, “Yes, yes we do! You’re so clever, Commissioner Liu! She’s going to end up crying all the way home! If she still dares to stick around, I’ll embarrass her till she doesn’t dare to even step out of the house!”

Commissioner Liu was pleased with his response. He put a palm over his other fist and raised it toward the east, “Since I’ve been sent here by His Majesty, I have to fulfill my duty. The authorities ought to be a serious and incorruptible place, so that His Majesty and Her Majesty can look upon Luanze and feel soothed. This was where Her Majesty’s family used to live, after all. She wouldn’t want Luanze to fall into ruin.”

“Indeed, indeed, everything you’ve said is right…”

As the conversation went on, the topic began to shift. Governor Li hesitated a little as he tried to ask, “So… about the Yun family… the Duke’s uh… treason case… is there any conclusion to that?”

“He’s already dead, so what else can we do?” Commissioner Liu stroked his beard, “The Yun family has contributed greatly to the country and we couldn’t find anything else. After the old man died, the other officials rearranged themselves to cover his duties and nobody brought it up again. His Majesty didn’t ask about this matter anymore either.”

“Did your son come along with you? I heard that he’s very talented and is an amazing artist. Even the experts in the field are impressed.”

A look of pride gleamed in Commissioner Liu’s eyes when his son was mentioned, “He’s very talented? There’s no point in that. He’s good at everything, but he simply refuses to become an official. It’s so frustrating. I’m glad he didn’t come along…”

---

Meanwhile, downstairs, both the battle between Qi Yan and Lu Shen as well as the one between Ling Qianqian and Song Caitang, had gotten really heated. They were moving closer and closer to one another too.

By this point, Ling Qianqian was now aware that Song Caitang was not one to be trifled with. At the very least, it was hard to trap her with words. This woman was very sharp.

Ling Qianqian blinked a few times, paused to think, then decided to change tactics.

“If Song-jiejie doesn’t fancy my cousin, but got him to block Young Mr. Lu’s way… does that mean… you like Young Mr. Lu?!”

She looked mortified and covered her mouth with one hand, “But he’s already married!”

This was complete nonsense and nobody was going to believe what she just said. The crowd watching wasn’t brainless.

But Song Caitang had to state her stand.

Her smile faded slightly, “We are trying to help the authorities to investigate a case, but you have been interrupting us again and again. If this goes on, I will start to suspect that you are connected to the murderer.”

Ling Qianqian immediately cupped her cheeks, “Song-jiejie, don’t frighten me like that! I’m a very timid girl… if I said something wrong, I need you to tell me…”

Of course, she wasn’t really scared. She was good at adjusting her expression according to the situation, and she could keep acting even if Song Caitang did not respond.

“You don’t have feelings for Young Mr. Lu, you’re just investigating the case… OH! I got it!”

Ling Qianqian clapped her hands suddenly, as though she had cracked some secret code. Her voice was excited and loud, “You must have set up a trap for Young Mr. Lu!”

Her voice was especially loud, so everyone heard her. Including Lu Shen.

Lu Shen thought about what happened the day before, the things she had said and the things he had told her…

He immediately flew into a rage.

He shoved Qi Yan to one side and marched up to Song Caitang, his gaze sinister and furious, “You set up a trap for me? You’ve been scheming and trying to get me to confess?”

Ling Qianqian exclaimed as she pretended to be afraid and quickly seized the chance to retreat. She gleefully moved aside so that Lu Shen could get his chance to shine.

There were so many people crowding around them. All of them turned to Song Caitang and waited for her response.

But Song Caitang managed to stay level headed and remained calm as she sat where she was, “Do you really think that way? That I’ve been trying to lay a trap for you?”

She stared at him with her clear eyes and spoke slowly and gently, “Then… do you think you would be someone I had to trap like that?”

Her words were simple, but they could pierce right through the heart.

She was investigating a murder case. Who would be a target for such a trap, if it existed?

It would be the murderer.

If Lu Shen really thought that she was trying to trap him, that was as good as saying he was the murderer.

He inhaled sharply and suddenly realized that he shouldn’t have done that.

His servants had already thrown him a few glances earlier on and he had a feeling that something was up, but he didn’t have the energy to think about it. He stared at Qi Yan, then at Song Caitang. His emotions were in turmoil and he didn’t know what to do now.

Ling Qianqian came to offer some “help”, “Young Mr. Lu, don’t misunderstand, I’m not very good with words and I just blurted that out. I really didn’t mean it and you don’t have to take it to heart. Song-jiejie is so amazing, she’s already promised the leader of the Green Gang that she’ll crack the case in five days. Why would someone as capable as her need to scheme and trap another person? I’m sure she won’t find that necessary. Don’t overthink it.”

It would have been better if she hadn’t said anything. Lu Shen’s thoughts started running wild now.

Women could wager a bet and it wouldn’t matter if they honored it or not, since nobody would really hold them responsible. But even if Song Caitang could make a bet irresponsibly, the Guans couldn’t.

The Guans ran a family business with stores not just in Luanze but all around the country. Even if there was competition within the family or if some of the money they earned was illegal, they had to at least look like a reliable and trustworthy business on the surface. Anything promised in their name had to be fulfilled.

Song Caitang was a child of a Guan daughter, but she was now living with the Guans. She wouldn’t want to ruin the Guan family’s reputation.

She would have to crack this case as quickly as possible and put in as much effort as she could.

And if she was putting in all her effort, scheming against someone to achieve her goal didn’t seem too farfetched.

Song Caitang had tricked him!

A fury boiled within his heart. He clenched his fists tightly and glared at Song Caitang like she was an enemy, as though he was going to bash her up.

Song Caitang frowned slightly. Things had not gone entirely according to plan, but at least they had achieved their aim.

Lu Shen was so angry, so he would probably have no time or energy to attend to anything else now.

She just had to make sure she did not get hurt.

She had not come alone. There were guards hiding in several places around her and she could see that they were all ready to protect her if necessary.

Qi Yan was ready to fight anytime too.

Everything was still under control.

Just then, someone grabbed hold of Lu Shen

It was the butler, Loo Zhong.

He wasn’t around earlier. Lu Shen had not brought him along when he went out in the morning.

“Young Master, Old Master would have wanted this case to be cracked as early as possible too. It won’t hurt to cooperate with the authorities. Don’t get angry over something like this…”

Perhaps he had pulled Lu Shen really hard, or perhaps something that he said had struck a chord with Lu Shen. For some reason, Lu Shen actually calmed down again.

He shut his eyes, took two deep breaths, then unclenched his fists. He reverted to his normal self and did not continue quarreling with Song Caitang or Qi Yan, but turned around and walked back to where his servants were waiting.

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes a little.

Crap! They had stalled him for so long, but they had failed to stop the messenger from getting to Lu Shen.

Qi Yan was also gritting his teeth as he looked nervously at Song Caitang.

But Song Caitang shook her head to tell him that it didn’t matter.

Even if they failed to keep him in the city, there were many other things they could do.

It was a long way to the mountains, so they had many chances to sabotage his journey.

Song Caitang quickly started thinking about what else they could do.

Just when the atmosphere had reached its most tense, Zhao Zhi’s closest subordinate came over.

He had arrived with Wen Yuansi, who immediately marched up to Lu Shen and took him by the arm, “Young Mr. Lu, please come with us.”

Lu Shen protested and struggled to break free, but Wen Yuansi whispered a few things in his ear, which caused him to shudder slightly, then slump his shoulders as he allowed the guards to take him away.

Song Caitang and Qi Yan exchanged glances. Success!

After Wen Yuansi got the crowd to disperse, he walked over and smiled warmly at the two of them, “Surveillance Commissioner Zhao has found the house.”

Qi Yan’s eyes widened excitedly. Wen Yuansi didn’t have to tell them that! That had obviously happened!

Wen Yuansi didn’t look the least hungover and carried himself as elegantly as ever, “He also discovered some other points of suspicion.”