Crossing Paths

There was a lot to do and the case was a complex one, so once everyone got busy, they barely had time to do anything else. If Guan Wan was just a little too busy with something else, Song Caitang, Zhao Zhi and Qi Yan would end up being three sad children. They would either skip a meal, miss out on dessert, or just grab whatever happened to be available.

Actually, given how rich Zhao Zhi and Qi Yan were, they could have picked from a huge range of restaurants. But they were now very used to Guan Wan’s cooking and the delectable foods made by even the best cooks didn’t seem tasty anymore.

At the restaurant they were at now, Qi Yan even spat some food out and grumbled about how bad the food was just a moment ago. When he heard Song Caitang’s query, he nearly stuck his chopsticks up his nose.

“You… wait, Tangtang, what did you just say? You mean Brother Zhi is trying to say that the Zuo Xiuwen from 18 years ago isn’t the same person that we see today?!”

Song Caitang put her chopsticks down and nodded. “Yes.”

Qi Yan hurriedly put his chopsticks down too, afraid that he might destroy his own nostrils at this rate. “But Zuo Xiuwen has been serving as an official for so many years, so he couldn’t have had any interaction with his family. A senior servant of the family came all the way from his hometown to give him things. I saw that before!”

Wouldn’t that servant know if this Zuo Xiuwen was the real deal or not?

“What about his handwriting?” Song Caitang thought of this and looked at Zhao Zhi. “As an official, he must write. Does his handwriting then and now match?”

Zhao Zhi frowned and narrowed his eyes slightly. “During that bandit attack 18 years ago, Zuo Xiuwen hurt his arm. The left arm he was used to using back then was severely injured. It didn’t heal well, so he switched to using his right hand.”

Song Caitang raised an eyebrow. “His handwriting… must have been very ugly back then.”

Zhao Zhi nodded. “His handwriting is only decent now because he’s been practicing with his right hand for more than ten years.”

It seemed as though there was this special air that existed between the two of them, allowing them to read each other’s minds clearly. It was the air that only clever people shared.

Qi Yan felt even more like a failure now. But after he did his best to think about it, he figured it out too.

But that wasn’t his fault. The population of Bianliang was so large and there were so many officials, yet nobody had noticed any difference. Qi Yan wasn’t that big of an embarrassment.

“To exchange identities like that… that’s a pretty bold move to make,” Qi Yan felt that this whole notion was rather frightening. “Then what happened to the original Zuo Xiuwen?”

The room fell silent.

He had probably… met with a terrible end.

Song Caitang picked up her bowl of soup, blew gently on it, then drank some without saying anything.

It was made from bone broth, so it was a little thick.

Zhao Zhi pushed the plate of fruit toward her without making it obvious and said, “Zuo Xiuwen was a sickly man who had to go on a tough journey. He moved from place to place very slowly, expending all his energy and money. Despite being so close to Bianliang already, he still couldn’t make the journey and ended up staying in that abandoned temple, where he ran into those bandits.”

That part, Qi Yan understood.

The poor man had struggled on despite his poor health and even though he could already spot the city walls in the distance, he didn’t think he could carry on and had no choice but to stay the night in this random, abandoned temple. His constitution was so poor, so how could he have suddenly become someone so healthy all of a sudden? Zuo Xiuwen was recorded to have been able to connect and instruct the troops to attack the bandits’ hideout, to ambush them, and do what was best at the right time. And that was how he was rewarded with contributing greatly to the nation, and he was able to not just enter Bianliang, but he also married Madam Yu, became an official and was promoted in no time…

How could all of that have happened?

Unless, the man they were looking at only had the same name, but was not the same person.

In other words, the real Zuo Xiuwen had died. He could be buried in the mass grave with everyone else and nobody would even know.

The authorities wouldn’t bother to check, plus it was too difficult to check anyway.

The circumstances were perfect. As long as someone was clever enough to think about it and knew what was going on on all sides, they could take the opportunity to benefit from it.

Qi Yan clicked his tongue, “This man is really amazing. Who in the world could he be? How could he be so capable, what secrets is he hiding, and how is he related to what happened 18 years ago?”

Wasn’t everything even more confusing now?

After doing so much investigation work, they ended up with a suspect who wasn’t who he was? How were they going to crack this case at this rate?

And the worst part was that they didn’t have any solid evidence that this even happened. Zuo Xiuwen wasn’t going to admit that he had taken over another man’s identity just like that.

After all, it had taken him a lot of effort to get where he was right now!

“This situation might not be as confusing as you think…”

Song Caitang took a bit of a melon to ease the saltiness in her mouth, which helped her to calm down and focus. Her head was now clear and she could think clearly too. She narrowed her eyes slightly, like an intelligent little fox. “Why don’t we look at it from a different angle?”

“From a different angle? How?”

Qi Yan was clearly confused, but Zhao Zhi suddenly turned to look at Song Caitang with a fiery look in his eyes.

“On that night 18 years ago, what sort of person would have been able to see and hear everything that was happening on this mountain in great detail?” Song Caitang’s voice was slow, her eyes as calm as lake waters. “What sort of person would be able to stand at a vantage point, make plans, and make use of the mountainous terrain to deal with a dangerous situation?”

Beiqing Mountain remained these bandits’ hideout for so many years only because the authorities found that the mountain was a tough terrain that they were unable to conquer. They were not as familiar with the mountain as the bandits, so they were at a major disadvantage and none of their attacks would succeed.

“And what sort of person would have done such an inhuman thing to Mrs. Ji?”

Song Caitang’s words were like pawns landing on a chessboard, bright and clear.

Qi Yan’s mouth was wide open, like a 130 pound idiot.

Zhao Zhi tapped his knuckles against the table. “Mrs. Ji had been kidnapped and she was blindfolded, so she didn’t know who the man was. But the man must have known that she belonged to a prominent family.

The Gus were a very prominent family in Bianliang.

“As long as you have a higher social standing, you will be treated differently wherever you go.” Song Caitang closed her eyes. “Who, among the bandits, would be allowed to have her?”

Qi Yan’s lips trembled. Could it be…

Zhao Zhi added, “Who would be able to make sure everything he did was kept under wraps, making this whole thing impossible to investigate? Who would want to cover up all of this the most?”

“That would be…” Qi Yan finally uttered the correct answer, “the leader of the bandits.”

Only he would have been able to do all of this.

Only he would be capable enough and intelligent enough to carry out all of this.

Song Caitang looked at Zhao Zhi with a sparkle in her eyes. “Many people died that night and they were probably all buried in some mass grave. But they’re not important at this point and it’ll be impossible to dig that grave up. But I would think that the leader of these bandits would have a gravestone?”

Zhao Zhi couldn’t hold back his smile as he looked at her gently. “Yes, he does.”

“As long as he does,” Song Caitang slowly wiped her hands, “These bones can’t speak, but I can.” She blinked at Zhao Zhi. “I can tell you who the man buried at that gravestone really is.”

For the first time, Zhao Zhi felt that Qi Yan was seriously in the way. With this woodblock here, it was so hard for him to show off!

But Qi Yan was doing well. He had read the notes on this before too. “That night, the leader of the bandits was trapped. He knew that there was no way for him to escape, but he didn’t want to be arrested by the authorities and put to death cruelly, so he decided to kill himself instead. A prisoner of the bandits had managed to escape and spotted his body, so the prisoner used a rock to smash his face out of his hatred toward the leader of the bandits…”

“That’s fine. I’m going to examine the bones, not the face. That’s not a problem.”

“Oh, but you’re right. Even if his face had remained intact back then, it would have completely rotted by now.”

Qi Yan realized he had raised a stupid point, so he slapped his own mouth, then stood up to walk out. “I’ll go settle the bill.”

Zhao Zhi pulled his chair closer to Song Caitang and said in a slow and low voice, “Tangtang…”

But Song Caitang was still focused on the case. “No, we have to keep this operation a secret. We can’t let Zuo Xiuwen find out that we’re digging up these graves.”

When Zhao Zhi leaned toward her, she put a hand on his arm and instructed him earnestly, “My lord, you must make sure this whole thing is kept under wraps!”

Zhao Zhi sighed inwardly. “Of course. I don’t think my efficiency and capabilities have ever let you down.”

He paused to calm himself down, then whispered gently again, “Tangtang…”

“Brother Zhi!” Qi Yan came running back and opened the door so hard, it slammed against the wall. “Li Zhengzhi and Zuo Xiuwen are arguing! They’re in this restaurant!”

Zhao Zhi gnashed his teeth and rubbed his temples.

Song Caitang got up immediately and started walking out. “Let’s go take a look!”

Qi Yan ran out behind her. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

Zhao Zhi was speechless.

In the main hall of the restaurant, Zuo Xiuwen and Li Zhengzhi had crossed paths. The atmosphere instantly tensed up the minute they saw each other.

“Tsk, such bad luck,” Zuo Xiuwen rolled his eyes as he swung his sleeve aside and snorted. “Some people really have no self-awareness. Don’t they realize what an eyesore they are? How could they still walk around so boldly?”

Li Zhengzhi folded his arms and had a joyless smile on his face. “I’m so unlucky – not only am I connected to the same murder case as this particular person, but this same person is harassing me even when I just want to find a place to eat. I wonder where I can get pomelo leaves in the middle of winter, since I really need a good bath to get rid of this filth.”

“Who are you calling filth!”

“And who are you calling an eyesore!”

Just as everyone expected, the two of them were always at each other’s throats when they met. They were always so antagonistic toward each other and got angry immediately. If the people around them didn’t pull them back, they would probably end up fighting.

Zuo Xiuwen looked around and probably didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of a lot of people, and his advisors persuaded him to hold himself back a little, but the murderous look in his eyes remained just as intense, like water in a wok of oil, as though he would tear Li Zhengzhi to pieces in a second. “Some people are just born to be potholes in the road! Anyone who runs into them is unlucky! You’d better not let me see you again!”

Li Zhengzhi wasn’t afraid at all. He swung his sleeves confidently, and even sneered, “It’s too bad that the grain shortage problem hasn’t been resolved, so we still have to report to the same person and get punished together for the time being… But let me leave you with a piece of advice, Mr. Zuo. Words can get one into big trouble, so it’s better if you watch your words. I know that you say all this because you hate me, but His Majesty might not know about that. If His Majesty misunderstands anything you say… I think your career might go on a rocky path!”

Zuo Xiuwen narrowed his eyes as he glared at Li Zhengzhi, especially at the parts of the body that were most vulnerable and would result in death if attacked. If looks could kill, Li Zhengzhi would have died a hundred times by now.

Qi Yan leaned against the pillar and whispered to Song Caitang, “Gosh, the rumors are true. These two men really hate each other’s guts and can’t help but curse at one another whenever they meet.”

But Song Caitang didn’t have the time for him. She was observing their behavior, their expressions, even the emotions they exuded as they spoke. She scanned them from left to right, from top to bottom, from their hair to the edge of their coats.

“Caitang, what are you looking at?”

Song Caitang put a finger on his lips to tell him to keep quiet so that she could observe the two men carefully.

Zuo Xiuwen was an official after all, so he couldn’t lash out at another person just like that. He stopped antagonizing the other man and just scoffed before calling out to his companions, “Let’s not eat here! I’m in a good mood, so I’ll treat everyone to Chunman Court!”

This restaurant was already quite high end, but Chunman Court was even more expensive, plus that was a restaurant that came with live performances and hostesses. It was clear why he had chosen that place instead.

But Li Zhengzhi wasn’t interested in competing. He smiled as he waved to his companions, “We’re not going anywhere. How could we let some random person affect our mood like that? The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall here is really good and it’s very difficult to get it, since there are limited quantities every day. You’d only be in the mood for ladies after you’ve eaten your fill, no? Come along, everyone, don’t stand on ceremony! Eat and drink whatever you like! No need to think about helping me save money!”

Qi Yan stroked his chin and nodded vigorously. “They’re really good at talking. This way, they can go separate ways without losing out to the other person… Caitang, what are you looking at?”

Song Caitang shook her head but she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Nothing.”

As the two of them continued watching the two officials, they got a little too close to one another. Zhao Zhi grabbed him roughly by the collar and dragged him away.

“You’re always like that! That’s quite enough, Brother Zhi!!”

That made him promptly forget what else he wanted to ask Song Caitang.

Zhao Zhi knew how to keep him occupied. “Come with me. We’re going to exhume a body tonight.”

As expected, Qi Yan immediately got excited. “Secretly?”

“Yes. Secretly.”

The dark night, in the middle of the forest, exhuming a body… just thinking about it was exciting!

Qi Yan didn’t even need Zhao Zhi to hurry him along. He started running down the stairs. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up!”

It was almost nightfall!

Song Caitang shook her head. This boy was really…

Zhao Zhi waited for Qi Yan to run out of sight, then turned to look gently at Song Caitang as he whispered, “We’ll inspect the bones tonight? Is that alright?”

Song Caitang smiled. “Of course.”