Mistress

All information was exchanged within ten minutes.

After sorting through the details, nobody could confirm who the murderer was, but how they ought to proceed was clear.

“Firstly, we need to check if Li Zhengzhi had any connection with the victim, or whether he had come into contact with the victim in the past.”

Zhao Zhi raised the first thing they needed to work on and took charge of it himself, “I’ll do this.”

It was easier for him to check on a court official.

“Next is Li Maocai.” Song Caitang frowned slightly. “This man is hiding something and his level of nervousness and fear when he gave his statement that day seemed to be perfectly controlled. If we can’t get any answers out of him directly, we’ll have to find out where he’s been going and what he’s been doing before this.”

After saying that, she looked at Zhao Zhi, then at Qi Yan. Her expression was obvious. Which one of them would attend to this?

Zhao Zhi glanced at Qi Yan, then took it for himself again, “I’ll take charge of that too.”

Qi Yan thought the same way and agreed wholeheartedly with a big nod. “Since I’ve already started on Zuo Xiuwen’s family, I’ll continue observing them!”

This couple and their daughter seemed to be hiding a lot of secrets, so there would be a good show to watch once he uncovered all the details. He wasn’t going to miss out on that!

Song Caitang nodded slightly. “As for Ji Yuanjia and Madam Gu… Let me try to sound them out.”

Once they had agreed on who should do what, they raised their teacups and clinked them together as though they were brave heroes toasting each other.

Qi Yan drank the tea at one go, then flew out of the window, “I’m off!”

Zhao Zhi stared intensely at Song Caitang with his thick brows and deep set eyes. “I’ll see you out.”

Song Caitang was stunned for a moment, then she broke into a bright smile. “Sure.”

Zhao Zhi really wanted to spend more time with her, even if it was just walking together. But time was not on his side. The case was important, plus Song Caitang’s attention was entirely on the case. He was really busy too…

He had no choice but to watch Song Caitang’s horse carriage disappear into the distance. He pursed his lips tightly and walked away. He dove straight into work, punishing himself and his poor subordinates.

Li Zhengzhi was a high ranking official who had accumulated a lot of experience as he climbed the career ladder. Zhao Zhi obtained his history and matched it with the information that his own subordinates had gathered. He compared each item one by one in order to find out what things this man had done, whether there were loopholes, whether anything could be connected back to Lin Feizhou.

And the results…

Were terrible.

Li Zhengzhi was involved in too much crime! He received and accepted bribes, he formed his own coalitions, he stole from others, he killed people – he had done everything possible!

Which one might be connected to the victim? It could be any of these!

Zhao Zhi couldn’t reach any real conclusions after working on this the whole day, so he decided to switch things up and found the subordinate he had sent to watch Li Maocai.

Li Maocai was a gangster, a lowlife of the city. He was street-smart, but not as scheming as a court official. If one really took the trouble to investigate, you would find something.

This man had received a large sum of money very recently. Someone had seen him purchase a snuff bottle that he had wanted to buy all this time but couldn’t bear to part with the money. His clothes looked about the same, but he was very generous with himself in terms of food. He insisted on only eating at famous restaurants and ordered only the finest wine.

But there was one thing that was unusual. Li Maocai liked to gamble and visit prostitutes. Most of the time, as long as he had some money on hand, he would spend it on these two activities. But this time, he had received so much money, yet he hadn’t gone to such places even once. That was unlike him.

Zhao Zhi stared at Li Maocai from a distance, who had passed out from drinking, and asked his subordinate, “If he’s not been spending time at those kinds of places, what has he been busy with then?”

“For the past month or so, he’s been visiting a teahouse. He doesn’t go there at a regular hour, but he’d definitely go once a day.”

“To drink tea?”

“To drink tea and… flirt with the lady boss of the teahouse.”

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes. Li Maocai had taken a fancy to this woman?

“Has he already gone today? Or not yet?”

The subordinate replied, “He quarreled with the lady boss a few days ago and hasn’t gone there since.”

Zhao Zhi’s progress was slow, and things weren’t going very well for Song Caitang either.

While waiting for her connections to make arrangements for her to visit Madam Gu in prison, she found a way to get hold of Ji Yuanjia.

Ji Yuanjia was still the same as before. He didn’t speak much and was polite and well-mannered.

It was a different sort of reticence compared to her cousin, Guan Lang. Guan Lang was just more interested in books and couldn’t be bothered to talk. Ji Yuanjia, on the other hand, did not want people to know what he was thinking about. He was very good at evading questions. If he wanted to answer your questions, he would answer them directly. If he didn’t want to, he would evade them easily no matter how hard you tried to trick him, lead him or push him.

She had no idea how someone his age could be this clever.

Song Caitang looked at his eyes that sparkled like the stars, and understood why Guan Wan had paid him so much attention.

It was really hard to ignore this young man.

But Song Caitang had a trick up her sleeve too.

Regardless of whether it was her experience with him on the ship, or what Qi Yan had told her, one thing was for sure.

Ji Yuanjia liked eating what Guan Wan made.

And she happened to be Guan Wan’s second favorite older sister, so she could have anything she wanted.

As she had predicted, the moment she took the round, adorable, white, soft snack out from the box, Ji Yuanjia’s breathing changed.

Song Caitang cruelly refused to offer him any and stuffed one into her mouth instead as she asked, “There was a discussion about a marriage between you and the daughter of the vice commissioner of the Census Bureau, Zuo Shanshan?”

Ji Yuanjia kept his eye on the last three pieces in Song Caitang’s hand and pursed his lips tightly.

So… he wasn’t going to answer her?

Song Caitang smiled brightly as she picked up a second piece and put that into her mouth as well.

She was thankful that her cousin had made these snacks very small. She could pop the whole thing in her mouth and still look elegant, plus she could eat a few without feeling full.

Ji Yuanjia finally answered her, “Mrs. Zuo did speak to my mother about this, but my mother did not agree to it.”

Song Caitang moved her hand forward a little. “Here are some snacks made by my younger cousin. Do you want one?”

She was hoping to reward him with a little something in order to get more out of him, but the greedy boy was much more thick-skinned than she had imagined. He pretended he hadn’t heard her only offer him one and took both pieces from her hand.

And he even threw her a shy but youthful smile, “Thank you, sis.”

Song Caitang was speechless. How dare he call her sis as though they were very close! She was asking him about the case that his mother was involved in! He ought to be more serious about it!

“So, you’ve never had any interaction with Zuo Shanshan?”

Ji Yuanjia didn’t eat the snacks and just carefully wrapped them up, then hid them in his sleeve, as though he was going to enjoy them in a quiet place later. “No. I don’t even know what she looks like.”

In other words…

He couldn’t have confronted Lin Feizhou over Zuo Shanshan.

Song Caitang paused to think.

Ji Yuanjia was a very interesting young man. When it was a question he didn’t want to answer, or it was a difficult question to answer, he would just evade it completely. But if he decided to answer the question, he would tell the truth. Song Caitang could see that Ji Yuanjia really did not have any feelings toward Zuo Shanshan.

“Did you know Lin Feizhou before this?”

Ji Yuanjia smiled at her and evaded her question again. “What do you think, sis?”

He was refusing to give her a straight answer again.

Song Caitang nearly burst out laughing.

He wasn’t answering her not only because he had gotten the snacks he wanted and she had nothing left to tempt him with, but also because he was weighing the consequences of every answer. He was very rational and knew exactly what he was doing. He had already drawn the line in his heart before speaking to her. What he could talk about, which questions he could answer – he had already made a decision earlier.

Song Caitang sighed. This young man was not easy to deal with.

But there were some things she still wanted to know, so she had to try a different way of asking him.

“Have you ever… regretted doing anything?”

She stared at him very intensely, so she was clearly trying to get information out of him.

Ji Yuanjia looked back at her quietly and did not avoid her gaze. “No.”

He knew what she was trying to ask him, and she also knew what he was trying to say with his answer.

“My mother taught me that a man should stand with his head high, his actions honest, his conscience clear. She told me before that she hoped that when I grow old and look back on my past, I would be glad that I had once walked this earth. And I would be glad because of my good deeds, what I’ve protected, how responsible I’ve been, what I achieved, what touched my heart. It would never be a life of guilt.” Ji Yuanjia’s voice was clear, like the stream flowing in the moonlight. “I promised my mother that I would live with a clear conscience for the rest of my life. I would make sure to think carefully before doing anything and never do anything that would make my loved ones’ enemies gloat.”

Song Caitang was a little stunned. This young man…

“Then… have you regretted not doing something?”

Ji Yuanjia looked down at his hands. “That would be a rather long list.”

“For example…”

“For example… Why did I fall asleep on that ship we took at the end of the 9th month, such that I did not realize the ship had left the harbor before both of you had returned?”

He slowly clenched his fists and folded them behind his back before he stared up at Song Caitang with a flicker in his eyes.

Song Caitang was very slow to understand her own emotions, but she was an expert at analyzing others. She immediately realized that while he had said “both of you”, he was really talking about Guan Wan.

This boy was interested in Guan Wan! How dare he!

And he wasn’t afraid to let her know about that!

Guan Wan was only going to turn fourteen the next year!

So, this young man was not just some picky eater who insisted on only the best food. He only cared about the delicious food that Guan Wan made!

Song Caitang immediately narrowed her eyes. She was defensive, as though a wolf was eyeing her baby. Her tone of voice sounded like a warning, “Ji Yuanjia!”

She’d picked the wrong method! She shouldn’t have brought Guan Wan’s snacks to feed this boy!

Song Caitang regretted not bringing Zhao Zhi or Qi Yan along. That way, they could help her to steal those snacks back from his sleeve!

Ji Yuanjia was not only thick-skinned, but he was not offended at all and bowed slightly. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask, sis.”

There was nothing left for her to ask!

For the first time, Song Caitang allowed her emotions to get the better of her. She stood up and walked away.

She wasn’t going to get anything useful out of this little wolf, anyway.

Ji Yuanjia watched Song Caitang walk away, then retrieved the snacks from his sleeve and unwrapped the paper around them to look at the small, white snacks.

He would make sure he was worthy of her.

Song Caitang walked a long way in silence for a long time before realizing that she had behaved like some scary parent just now.

The people of this era had different social norms. To her, Guan Wan was still way too young and ought to be loved and protected. But here, she was now old enough for her guardians to begin arranging a marriage for her. But Guan Wan was still so naïve and hadn’t even thought about being in a relationship. What if she got swindled?!

How could Song Caitang not worry!

After thinking about it, she decided to face this issue more objectively. She had to think about the social norms of this era and make sure she didn’t do anything to cause any trouble. Everything had to be done with Guan Wan’s best interests in mind.

If Guan Wan started thinking about boys and took a fancy to Ji Yuanjia, then they could take some time to develop feelings for one another. Marriage could wait a few more years, after Guan Wan had matured a little more.

But if Guan Wan showed no interest in him…

Even if there were ten of him, she was going to make sure none of them came close to her precious cousin!

No degree of intelligence or schemes could help him!

Once she had thought everything through carefully and came to a decision on the matter, she put this matter aside and went back to thinking about the case.

She was a principled person. Each matter was separate and she would not mix things up unnecessarily. Ji Yuanjia was Ji Yuanjia. Her impression of him did not affect her attitude toward Madam Gu.

After she had gone through all the necessary procedures and got to visit Madam Gu, she remained as polite and proper as the last time she visited.

But unfortunately, Madam Gu refused to cooperate and was just as obstinate. She only said one thing, which was that she was the killer.

After that, she refused to say anything and refused to interact with Song Caitang.

Song Caitang knew that Madam Gu was not doing this because Madam Gu had something against her, but because Madam Gu still couldn’t confide in her.

But if it wasn’t for the sake of her son… then why?

Why would she insist on taking the rap for this murder?

Song Caitang simply couldn’t understand.

Two days passed before the three of them gathered again.

Zhao Zhi’s progress was slow. “Li Zhengzhi has way too many reasons why anyone might want to blackmail him and I still haven’t found any connection between him and the victim. Li Maocai is a little suspicious, though…”

He proceeded to tell them about how Li Maocai had just received a large sum of money, yet he hadn’t gone to the brothels or gambling dens like he normally would, but started flirting with the lady boss of a teahouse instead.

Song Caitang went next. She told them what Ji Yuanjia told her as well as what happened when she visited Madam Gu in prison.

Of course, she didn’t say anything about how Ji Yuanjia was interested in Guan Wan.

That had nothing to do with the case but had everything to do with Guan Wan’s reputation. This was a society that cared a lot about one’s reputation and she couldn’t do anything about it. She didn’t care about her own, but she had to take care of Guan Wan’s.

“But I sense that Ji Yuanjia isn’t the killer.”

After handling enough cases, one would form an instinct of sorts.

Qi Yan had a lot more information.

Since he had confirmed that the victim and Zuo Shanshan were in some sort of relationship, the authorities could actually demand to question the girl. Qi Yan was from an influential family himself and had a token from Zhao Zhi to show that he was working on behalf of the court, so paid the Zuos a visit, intending to question their daughter. But…

“Zuo Shanshan has fallen ill. She’s really ill – someone didn’t close the windows at night and she’s caught a very bad cold, so I couldn’t question her at all.”

As he spoke, he began suspecting that this was no accident. The Zuos might have realized that he was onto them and made Zuo Shanshan fall sick on purpose.

After all, an unmarried young woman being questioned about a murder case would only ruin her reputation.

“But one thing was really odd – according to the rumors among the servants of the household, Zuo Xiuwen is allegedly keeping another woman out there and he would visit her every few days. It’s been a little more than a month now, yet his wife, Madam Yu, hasn’t raised any commotion about it yet.”

Qi Yan’s eyes were open real wide. “I hung upside down from Madam Yu’s roof last night to eavesdrop, and it seems to be real. Madam Yu said that Zuo Xiuwen could marry the mistress so that she could become his concubine, since the Zuos could well afford to feed another person. After all, if he ended up having an illegitimate child, that would make her look bad as the official wife. Zuo Xiuwen got super angry and accused her of pretending to be nice, then threatened to repudiate her. He refused to let her have any say in this matter!”

“Zuo Xiuwen pushed his wife away and walked out. Madam Yu’s face was pale from how angry she was and said that this was the first time Zuo Xiuwen had threatened to repudiate her. But she didn’t fly into a rage. This doesn’t sound like her reputation as Bianliang’s number one tigress!”

Madam Yu was not behaving like the fierce and possessive woman she usually was, while Zuo Xiuwen was also failing to be the man who could handle both matters at work and at home well. He became so worked up at the mention of this mistress. Could he have found true love?

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes. “Who is this mistress?”

“No idea,” Qi Yan shook his head, “I didn’t have enough time to find out.”

But Song Caitang suddenly figured it out. She asked Zhao Zhi, “Just now you said Li Maocai often went to some teahouse? Where’s that teahouse located?” She pulled out a map of Bianliang and put it on the table. “Point it out to me.”

Zhao Zhi’s finger landed on one spot.

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes. “I knew it.”

The topic had suddenly jumped to Li Maocai, which confused Qi Yan. “Why are you suddenly asking about him?”

Song Caitang replied, “You said that Madam Yu is known as a tigress and all of Bianliang knows.”

Qi Yan nodded. “Yep. Her family had grown influential, so Zuo Xiuwen was able to become an official all thanks to his father-in-law. He dared not be mean to Madam Yu, so she became more and more aggressive and possessive. Zuo Xiuwen can’t even have a concubine – Madam Yu is someone who would dare to kill another person!”

“How could such a fierce and domineering woman just sit back and do nothing after finding out that her husband is keeping another woman?”

“That’s exactly why I find this whole matter very strange!”

But Zhao Zhi realized what Song Caitang was driving at. “Madam Yu is not sitting back and doing nothing. She has everything under control. She knows who this person is and what she thinks.”

Qi Yan was even more confused and scratched his head. “What do you mean?”

Song Caitang threw him a hint, “Madam Yu is someone who is expected to stay in the house and take care of it all day, so it’s hard and inappropriate for her to leave the house and watch her husband personally. If she wants to find out who this mistress is and understand more about her, what do you think she would do?”

“She’d hire someone!”

Qi Yan got it this time. “You’re saying… she hired this Li Maocai to help her keep a watch on Zuo Xiuwen’s mistress?”

Song Caitang smiled and nodded.

Qi Yan thought through the case details and everyone’s statements so far, and his eyes widened.

These were clearly two completely unrelated facts and they didn’t sound the slightest bit connected. How did Song Caitang associate them with one another?

“Because they’re all related to the murder case.”

Everyone seemed to be within the same circle, so it couldn’t be just a coincidence. Sometimes, if you made some bold conjectures, linked certain things together and compared facts, you might find something that stands out.

Madam Yu’s actions were odd and so were Li Maocai’s. And of all the places to cross paths, they were both with Zuo Xiuwen at the scene of the crime. Was that purely by coincidence? Or was there a good reason for it?

Qi Yan finally got it. “So… this mistress is the lady boss that Li Maocai often flirts with?”

Zhao Zhi shook his head. “It can’t be her.”

“Then who?”

Zhao Zhi and Song Caitang looked at one another and responded in unison, “Lv Mingyue.”

“You said WHO?” Qi Yan nearly fell off his chair. “Isn’t Lv Mingyue the one who likes Lin Feizhou so much she’s completely obsessed with him and wanted to marry him?!”

And they had just said that without any concrete evidence…

Song Caitang smiled faintly. “Of course this is not some wild guess that isn’t based on any evidence at all.”

Zhao Zhi pointed to where the teahouse was on the map and got Qi Yan to take a look. “Look at this place. Where is it close to?”

Qi Yan took a good look. “Lv Mingyue’s house?”

Zhao Zhi nodded. “Yup.”

This teahouse was situated along the same street as Lv Mingyue’s home. It faced the Lvs’ side gate and based on the angle and the buildings around it, you might be able to look into Lv Mingyue’s yard from the second story.

Li Maocai had accepted payment to do something for someone. But of all places, he chose to come here and flirt with the lady boss? For what? For whom?

He was flirting with the lady boss not because it was his habit as a gangster, but because he was trying to gain her favor so that she would allow him to sit upstairs, which was usually reserved for wealthier customers.

“Lv Mingyue’s parents stated that they knew about the relationship between Lv Mingyue and Lin Feizhou and were willing to give them their blessing, so they pretended they didn’t see anything when Lv Mingyue went out to meet with Lin Feizhou. Lv Mingyue left the house often, both in the day and at night. Her parents allowed it and were not strict about it at all.”

Song Caitang added, “But if Lv Mingyue was meeting Lin Feizhou secretly at night and Lin Feizhou was both poor and low profile, the only place they could possibly meet would be the place he rented. But I inspected his room very carefully the last time and I’m sure no woman has ever been in there.”

If Lv Mingyue went to Lin Feizhou’s place very often and even stayed the night, she would have left some trace of her visits behind.

Her nights out were not to Lin Feizhou’s home, but to somewhere else.

Qi Yan’s mouth was open so wide, he could almost fit his entire fist inside.

That… that was insane!

He couldn’t understand it!

“What was Lv Mingyue hoping to get out of it, though?” Zhao Zhi frowned. “When we questioned her that day, I didn’t think her feelings for Lin Feizhou were a pretense.”

Lv Mingyue definitely had real feelings for Lin Feizhou.

Song Caitang shut her eyes and thought of another possibility. “What is the most important thing for a student taking the imperial exams?”

Qi Yan raised his hand. “The amount of knowledge they have!”

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes. “Past years’ questions, information on the upcoming exam and the preferences of the examiner.”

Song Caitang looked grim. “This Mr. Zuo is next year’s examiner, if I’m not wrong.”

Qi Yan froze for a moment, then slammed a palm on the table. “That old fogey was threatening Lv Mingyue?”

Song Caitang looked at Zhao Zhi and he happened to look her way too. There was a fire burning in their eyes.

There were other questions besides this, and they were equally important.

For example, did the victim know about this? Also, why did he go after Zuo Shanshan? Was it for revenge? Or something else?

Madam Yu had kept her cool and did not hit the roof. Why? Also, she didn’t know about what was happening with her daughter?

But all of these questions rested on a different problem.

They had to confirm if their first guess was even true.

“In any case, let’s investigate this part first. We need to find out if the mistress is really Lv Mingyue or not.”

Without any clues, everything was a mystery. But if they could at least one aspect to work on and work at it, they’ll find answers soon.

And they found answers really quickly.

As long as it happened, traces would be left behind. Zhao Zhi’s trusted elite guards and Qi Yan’s amazing talent at sniffing out gossip traced Lv Mingyue and Zuo Xiuwen’s movements from before the murder and discovered a secret house!

There were no guards at the door and no servants inside. It was an extremely secretive place.

But when the neighbors were asked about what went on inside the house, they all said that they would hear some noises from inside, including a woman’s adoring voice toward another man, all sorts of coquettish talk and sounds from the couple doing the deed…

Every part of the investigation made it clear that Zuo Xiuwen’s mistress was really Lv Mingyue!

Qi Yan’s eyeballs nearly fell out of their sockets. “Oh my god…”

That was crazy!

But Zhao Zhi was not one to just stand there in stunned silence. Since there was enough evidence…

“Let’s go and question her.”

Unfortunately, he sent people to the Lvs’ too late. Lv Mingyue had gone missing.