Strange Feeling

Zuo Xiuwen and Lv Mingyue…

Did Zuo Xiuwen know that Lv Mingyue was his daughter, and did Lv Mingyue know that Zuo Xiuwen was her father? Qi Yan had asked a very important question.

Song Caitang and Zhao Zhi exchanged glances. They had their own guess about this.

Madam Gu hailed from a prominent family, so she wasn’t some random nobody. She had been kidnapped and deflowered without knowing who the father of her child was, but the leader of the bandits would have known exactly who he had assaulted.

The evidence gathered today was fairly concrete and the truth of what happened 18 years ago was easy to figure out. The leader of the bandits had carried out an escape plan by exchanging identities with the real Zuo Xiuwen. Since they eventually both ended up living in Bianliang, would this new Zuo Xiuwen have kept tabs on Madam Gu?

At that time, Zuo Xiuwen’s plan had worked and he was on the rise, his future ahead bright. Regardless of whether it was because he liked being in control like many men did, or if it was because he was just being wary, or if he just wanted to find out what happened to her after that incident, Song Caitang felt that he would keep tabs on Madam Gu.

The Gus were an upright family with strict rules, but they weren’t a family of martial artists, so they could only protect themselves to a certain extent. If Zuo Xiuwen wanted to, he could have snuck in and discovered what was wrong with Madam Gu.

But finding out about Madam Gu’s situation did not mean he would do anything. After all, he was a man with excellent foresight and intelligence. His future had already been mapped out for him too. He was going to live on as Zuo Xiuwen, marry Madam Yu, become a court official and begin his climb to a glorious future…

His experience as the leader of bandits was a burden to him. It spelled trouble. But Madam Gu didn’t know who he was and the child that was born was innocent, plus she was his daughter after all. He was childless at that time and had no relatives either, so he would probably have wanted to claim the child but couldn’t, so he had no choice but to watch the Gus send the child away.

Song Caitang analyzed the situation back then, “I remember Mrs. Ji mentioned that when the auntie returned after sending the child away, she said she felt like she had been followed. She had been on high alert for a while, but that person seemed to have disappeared.”

Could this person have been Zuo Xiuwen?

The Gus had kept the child’s whereabouts a secret from Madam Gu and made sure she couldn’t find the child. But could it be that Zuo Xiuwen knew all this time where this child was?

Zhao Zhi nodded, his eyes shining brightly as he came to the same conclusion as Song Caitang. “The Lvs also said that Lv Mingyue went through a major illness when she was very young, and she got well only because an old friend found this amazing doctor who managed to heal Lv Mingyue. The doctor either traveled elsewhere or passed on, so he disappeared after that. This old friend also died in some natural disaster and his body couldn’t even be found, so Mr. Lv could only erect a monument in memory of him. Come to think of it, this old friend was probably Zuo Xiuwen.”

After Zuo Xiuwen and Madam Yu got married, they weren’t able to have children for some years. They had two sons and two daughters now, but the eldest was Zuo Shanshan, who turned only 13 this year. Zuo Xiuwen was full of dreams back then, but had no heir for so long, so he must have been filled with regret and would be concerned about Lv Mingyue.

Of course, that concern would have only lasted for a few years. After that, he had child after child and his career became more and more stable. Lv Mingyue’s status as his daughter became less and less important to him. As long as she didn’t cause any trouble, she kept her distance and existed in silence, Zuo Xiuwen wouldn’t do anything to her. But if she decided not to do any of that, then…

After all, Zuo Xiuwen used to be the leader of a group of notorious bandits who had killed countless people.

Song Caitang said, “Lv Mingyue knew she wasn’t the biological daughter to the Lvs, but she definitely had no idea who her parents were.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have continued staying with the Lvs.

“She must have yearned to know who they were and wanted to find them, to rely on them. She had gotten close to Zuo Xiuwen and met him secretly in that house… perhaps it wasn’t because of Lin Feizhou, or it wasn’t only because of Lin Feizohu,” Song Caitang’s eyes shone brightly, her voice crisp, “She might have made a few guesses about Zuo Xiuwen herself.”

“What happened back then and the existence of Lv Mingyue are both things that Zuo Xiuwen cannot afford anybody to know about. He has to keep these a secret, otherwise disaster will befall him,” Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes as he continued from where Song Caitang left off, “He allowed Lv Mingyue to get close to him and he talked to her about all sorts of things because he was actually trying to find out how much she knew, whether she was in contact with Madam Gu or not, whether she had told anybody else about her past. He wanted to find out how safe he was.”

Song Caitang looked down and sighed inwardly. “Once he was sure, he decided to silence her. He wouldn’t want someone as determined to find her parents as Lv Mingyue was to exist. It would be too dangerous and make everything unpredictable. He wasn’t going to allow his grand plans to be exposed and for his life of luxury to evaporate.”

All that talk about whether she was his mistress or not didn’t matter. It was all a sham anyway.

Lv Mingyue had to die.

Qi Yan shuddered as he listened to them analyze the case.

So, that was what blood ties and fatherly love meant to this leader of bandits? For his own benefit, he was willing to sacrifice everyone else?

It was easy to see why the Lvs told Lv Mingyue that she was adopted early on. After all, they had started off as farmers and eventually became wealthy. They had done so well as merchants, they were able to afford a house in Bianliang. All of this was possible because of what they had been given along with this daughter of theirs. They treated her like a princess and gave in to every demand of hers.

This couple and Lv Mingyue were not complete idiots and were a little clever at times, but not too smart, so they safely made it quite far in life.

But…

“What about Zuo Xiuwen’s family?” Qi Yan tapped the handle of his folding fan against his palm as he knit his brows tightly. “They can’t tell at all? His hometown is very far from here and it’s not convenient to travel back and forth, but there are a few times a year when people would definitely either pay a visit or send things home, and people from his family have sent things over before too…”

A member of their family had changed completely. Even if they looked alike and other acquaintances might not be able to tell them apart, surely his family could, right?

Song Caitang raised an eyebrow and smiled at Qi Yan. “Have you forgotten? Zuo Xiuwen used to be the leader of bandits. What are bandits best at doing?”

“Of course it’s…”

They were best at fighting! Threatening people! Killing others!

Before he could even finish his sentence, Qi Yan gasped. That’s right – Zuo Xiuwen used to lead notorious bandits. He was bold, ruthless and smart. Of course he had already dealt with the Zuo family a long time ago. That’s how he made it this far.

He probably threatened them somehow, so the Zuo family had no choice but to fall in line.

Zhao Zhi spoke slowly, “The family can’t afford Zuo Xiuwen’s real identity to be exposed either.”

Zuo Xiuwen had swiftly married Madam Yu and became a court official in the capital at the beginning of spring. By the time the Zuos had sent their gifts over, everything was already set in stone. If they decided to expose Zuo Xiuwen at this point in time, it might anger a lot of powerful parties, never mind the emperor. The Zuos couldn’t afford that to happen.

As he spoke, Zhao Zhi chuckled and said in a mocking tone, “Or perhaps, they are happy to pretend that they can’t tell the difference.”

As long as a Zuo Xiuwen existed, the Zuos would never be abandoned. They would always benefit from having a member of the family in a high position in the capital.

If they exposed this man as the fake Zuo Xiuwen, the entire clan might end up dead. But if they closed their eyes, it became a win-win situation. The clan would stand to benefit for generations to come. This was an easy decision to make.

And since the benefits were so obvious, the Zuos might actually help Zuo Xiuwen with his lie.

They would hope more than anyone else for Zuo Xiuwen to enjoy a smooth sailing life as an official and bring glory and wealth to the clan.

Qi Yan gasped again and dropped his fan.

Human nature was always so selfish. How sad.

“So, this Lv Mingyue must have been killed by her own father, Zuo Xiuwen!”

Song Caitang and Zhao Zhi remained silent.

They didn’t have sufficient evidence to conclude that just yet, but there was clear motivation for Zuo Xiuwen to do so.

Qi Yan sighed when he didn’t get any answer and bent down to pick up his fan.

But that put him in the perfect position for him to see the skull staring right back at him.

The two black holes in the skull and its teeth seemed to be smiling at him.

The surroundings didn’t help either. The wind suddenly blew, so it felt like an icy hand that swept past his chin, over his forehead and through his hair!

“AHHHH!”

Qi Yan sprang up from the ground and pounced toward Song Caitang.

But of course, Zhao Zhi wasn’t going to let him pounce on Song Caitang. He stood in front of her and caught Qi Yan just in time.

Qi Yan had leaped with all his might, so after he was caught mid-air, he used his remaining energy to cling to Zhao Zhi. He had his arms around Zhao Zhi’s neck and his legs around Zhao Zhi’s waist. He clung on real tight, “AHHHHHH the skull is looking at me!!! It’s looking at meeee!”

Zhao Zhi’s temples throbbed and he wasn’t going to be gentle with Qi Yan either. He pried Qi Yan off and pushed him away, making Qi Yan fly in a perfect arc and land on his head.

“Ow ow ow ow!!” Qi Yan clutched his head and rolled on the ground. That actually worked out quite well, since the pain was enough to make him forget his fear.

Song Caitang sighed. In any case, Qi Yan wasn’t hurt, so she went back to what she wanted to say earlier.

“That person over there just now,” she gave Zhao Zhi a knowing look, “All settled?”

Zhao Zhi nodded.

“What happened over there just now? Someone came? Why am I completely lost again?!”

Qi Yan had suffered some violence but he was still paying attention and had been watching and listening all this time. Yet, something had happened earlier and he didn’t notice at all!

Song Caitang observed Zhao Zhi’s expression and smiled faintly. “Nothing. It’s just that… someone has made a mistake. His mistake is our opportunity.”

Perhaps her smile was a little too cheeky and her twinkling eyes looked so charming. Zhao Zhi couldn’t help but tuck her hair behind her ear. “Tangtang is very clever.”

There was nothing wrong with what he said, but his action was a little too intimate and he was standing really close to her. She could practically feel his rough fingertips and his warm breath against her face.

Thankfully, the wind was very cold and very strong. Her face couldn’t turn red in this temperature at all.

“Well, we’re done with the examination process. The guards can put the coffin back in the grave and we can go.”

Song Caitang took two steps back and turned away from Zhao Zhi as she said those words.

But Zhao Zhi noticed her slightly red ears and touched his fingers with a smile. “Alright.”

His voice was low and hoarse, as though he was teasing her, or as though… he was giving in to her.

Song Caitang bit her lip slightly. Why were these people moving so slowly!

They had dug up the grave and coffin much faster just now!

Qi Yan continued rubbing his sore head and stood up slowly with his fan in hand. He stared at Zhao Zhi, then at Song Caitang, and sensed that something wasn’t quite right…

He had only taken his eyes off them for a moment after he crashed onto the ground. What did he miss?!

The busybody in him really wanted to know and he really wanted to ask, but when he spotted Zhao Zhi’s icy glare targeted at him, he knew he couldn’t ask anything.

Brother Zhi wasn’t allowing him to!

Qi Yan hugged his pitiful self in the howling winds.

What did he do wrong…

He had come out on such a scary night, gave up his warm room and comfy bed, and almost died from fright. Why was he not allowed to know all the details…

He felt so small. So pitiful. And so helpless.

Zhao Zhi instructed his men to tidy up the place and to guard the area. Then, he led Song Caitang and Qi Yan down the mountain.

After they had walked to the end of the winding mountain road and got to flat ground, a large horse carriage was there waiting for them. They got in together.

There was a lot of space inside the carriage, and it included a heater, warm tea and warm soup. If one was hungry, there were snacks available too.

The curtains were drawn, the candlelight was dim. The night was silent except for the howling wind and the trotting of the horses…

Song Caitang let out a sigh of relief when she felt the warmth in the carriage.

She held a cup of hot tea in her hands and sipped it slowly. But her mind was still on the case.

In the cases before this, they would find new evidence that would point them in other directions, but no matter what, their only aim was to catch the killer. This case, however, included a past that involved a lot of people. What was the truth behind the murders?

Who in the world murdered Lin Feizhou and Lv Mingyue?

“There’s something odd though…” Song Caitang suddenly froze. “Among all the suspects in Lv Mingyue’s case, only Li Zhengzhi has no motive for committing murder. Everyone else has some motive to a certain extent, but he doesn’t. Yet, he doesn’t have a good alibi for the night Lv Mingyue was killed.”

Zhao Zhi recalled what Li Zhengzhi said. “It was a night soil man who spotted Li Zhengzhi walking around in his own yard. Li Zhengzhi said he had merely woken up in the middle of the night.”

His eyebrows were raised and his tone of voice was sarcastic. He clearly didn’t really believe Li Zhengzhi’s statement either.

Any ordinary person who woke up in the middle of the night wouldn’t somehow lose their way and find themselves at their main gate. Saying that he was sleepwalking would have sounded more plausible.

“But he doesn’t know Lv Mingyue and they’ve never met before. Why would he want to kill her?” Qi Yan knew what they were talking about and frowned as he argued, “Wouldn’t it be too far of a stretch to say he’s the killer?”

“It’s precisely because it’s too far of a stretch, that I find it very strange…”

Song Caitang frowned even harder. “Lin Feizhou’s case gives me this odd feeling too.”