Episode 239

Back in Luanze, Song Caitang and Zhao Zhi had worked together on a case. The victim was the then-pacificist commissioner Lu Guangzong, and during the course of the investigation, they had discovered a huge pile of gold, but could not trace where it had come from or where it was going. The routes had been kept a complete secret and it seemed like Lu Guangzong had been in contact with some people he should not have.

Zhao Zhi had never stopped investigating this part and he had his suspicions, but he still hadn’t gotten anything concrete.

This Fourth Missy Gan and Gan Zhixuan were two characters who were connected to the case. While they were proven innocent of the murder, they were suspicious on their own.

Fourth Missy Gan had been very close to Niu Xingzu, the man whom Lu Guangzong had commissioned to create a box with secret compartments. She seemed to know, or was privy to certain secrets. At the same time, Gan Zhixuan had been bent on finding his biological father, whom he knew was someone of very high social standing, and had mistaken Lu Guangzong as his real father.

These two characters had left a very deep impression on him, and now, both of them had appeared in Bianliang…

Zhao Zhi frowned as he turned to look at Song Caitang, “I remember Fourth Missy Gan was very firm about this. She was willing to do anything for her son and was willing to suffer for him, but the one thing she refused to do was to let him find his real father.”

Song Caitang nodded. “I remember that too.”

That had also been the one thing that this mother and son quarreled the most over.

Back then, Song Caitang had a feeling this could happen someday. Fourth Missy Gan was willing to do too much for her son and spoiled him too much. She was even willing to die for him without even thinking or conducting a proper investigation. Her mind wasn’t working at all because she just wanted to protect her son. Sooner or later, she would fail to hold her ground or her son would find some loophole and she would give in to him.

Fourth Missy Gan had proven back then to be someone determined to stay in Luanze forever and never move again, yet she had appeared in Bianliang over the new year’s and now she was entering a…

Song Caitang stared at the estate they were entering. The mother and son had entered a corner door, but even that door reserved for those of a lower status was really large and nicely designed. The owner of this estate had to be someone really rich and powerful.

And to enter someone’s house at this time of the year, a time when families would gather together…

Had Gan Zhixuan found his father?

His biological father had seriously turned out to be someone of really high standing?

Zhao Zhi had thought of the same thing too. He let out a disdainful snort. “Looks like this father isn’t too kind to him.”

It was the 15th day of the new year, a day when everyone was celebrating. If they were out and about, they would be decked out in brand new clothes, or at least something nice. But not this mother and son. The mother didn’t even wear any accessories and their dressing was fairly plain. In fact, it wasn’t just plain, but their clothes seemed a little old. And it looked like they had done that on purpose. They didn’t want to attract any attention.

The fact that they had to sneak in and out of the house on such a day, afraid that others would find out, meant that their situation and their standing was probably pretty poor.

Song Caitang took a closer look at Fourth Missy Gan. Her plain, old clothing couldn’t hide her beautiful face. She was no longer wearing her usual apron around her waist and she didn’t have dirt stains on her fingers anymore, but she didn’t look any less worried than before. She actually looked even more burdened.

She remembered that Fourth Missy Gan had said before that she didn’t want Gan Zhixuan to look for his father because if they found him, they won’t be able to live…

As an outsider, Song Caitang wasn’t sure how much of this was true. But if the owner of this luxurious estate was really Gan Zhixuan’s father, then she would certainly be terribly burdened.

Running into the mother and son duo at this time was merely a coincidence, but for some reason, Song Caitang suddenly felt that…

…they’d meet again soon.

Her premonition had been right. Just two days later, Qi Yan came to look for her at night.

In order to crack his uncles case, Qi Yan never stopped working on it, even though it was the new year holidays. Everyone else wanted their holiday, so he didn’t bother them. But he didn’t stop his own investigations.

This time, he had come over because he had discovered something big.

“Do you remember the pretty widow from the Lu Guangzong case in Luanze? Fourth Missy Gan? I had just arrived in Luanze and just met with you, and you even suspected I might have been involved in the case?”

Song Caitang remembered how they met very vividly. “Yes, I remember.”

“That Fourth Missy Gan isn’t a widow at all! She’s a concubine of the Count of Peace, and she was also at Beiqing Mountain 18 years ago!”

It was hard to say how many nights Qi Yan had spent working on this. There were dark circles around his eyes, his eyes were red and swollen and even his voice was a little hoarse, but none of this could hold his excitement back. He had a lead!

Song Caitang furrowed her brows slightly.

She had sensed that Fourth Missy Gan’s man had to be a big shot from what she saw two days ago. So, he was the Count of Peace?

But the second part of what he said really piqued her interest. The battle between the army and the bandits on Beiqing Mountain 18 years ago was indeed a huge one. And now, she was learning that Fourth Missy Gan had also been involved?

“The Beiqing Mountain incident 18 years ago seems to be hiding a lot of secrets, including the person that Lin Feizhou was trying to look for, and my uncle. I don’t know if my uncle was at Beiqing Mountain as well, since he would have been pretty young back then. But since they had something with the exact same symbol on it, there must be some sort of connection somewhere!”

“That Fourth Missy Gan is very pretty, but she comes from a poor family, so when she was kidnapped by the bandits, she wasn’t treated very well. Then when the battle broke out, nobody found out what happened to her. But I’ve found out!”

Qi Yan’s eyes were frighteningly bright. “After Fourth Missy Gan escaped that night, she was too ashamed to return home and ended up living in the city, hoping to find a job or something to do. But she was too naive. She was too pretty and had no male relatives or a husband to protect her, so of course, her life was hard. She suffered for more than a year, then the Count of Peace, Zeng Deyong, took a fancy to her, and secretly made her his mistress. But that Count’s wife is really something too. It didn’t take long for her to find out and kick up a big fuss. After that, Fourth Missy Gan disappeared completely. Things had been stable for many years when suddenly, Fourth Missy Gan appeared again with a son!”

Zhao Zhi and Song Caitang exchanged glances as they listened to Qi Yan.

What a coincidence.

“There, there, catch your breath,” Song Caitang poured Qi Yan a cup of tea and spoke gently, “speak slowly, no hurry.”

Zhao Zhi tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Just like you said, the Beiqing Mountain bandits 18 years ago had a leader who committed all sorts of crimes and his territory was huge. Goodness knows how many women he must have kidnapped and assaulted. Fourth Missy Gan had been on the mountain back then, but we can’t say for sure if she has anything to do with the symbols you found, or whether she knows the person Lin Feizhou is searching for, or if she knows your uncle.”

“I have proof!” Qi Yan’s eyes glowed as he pulled out a cloth wrapped around something small from his pocket and put it on the table.

It looked like a jade pendant.

“This was my uncle’s jade pendant, which I never saw again since I heard that he had passed on. But after I dug around some more, I found out that Fourth Missy Gan had brought it to a pawn shop before in hope of pawning it…”

Qi Yan pursed his lips tightly and his voice was hoarse. “The pawnbroker told me that this jade pendant was not of a design that was trendy at that time, but it was fairly high quality and looked like it might be worth something, plus it looked like something that belonged to a prominent family. He remembers it very clearly and really wanted it, so he even raised his offer price by 20%, but in the end, she regretted coming and didn’t pawn it.”

“18 years ago, Fourth Missy Gan had been at Beiqing Mountain, then he tried to pawn my uncle’s jade pendant at a pawn shop in Luanze after that. I’m very sure she is connected to this case!”

Song Caitang glanced at Zhao Zhi

If that was true, then Fourth Missy Gan was definitely connected somehow.

Zhao Zhi stared intently at Qi Yan. “You’ve gone to talk to her already?”

Qi Yan leaped up from his chair. “I wouldn’t dare to! Once I confirmed what I just told you, I came here to talk to both of you. It’s a very important matter and I don’t know what other secrets or ill intent she might have. What if I end up making her more wary by talking to her like that? Both of you are clever people, so give me some ideas!”

Song Caitang paused to think. “How about…we really go up and talk to her?”

It was hard to investigate something that happened so long ago, so the quickest method would be to speak to her. As long as they were careful and slowly sounded her out, they would be able to gather information without making her wary.

Besides, it wasn’t without reason. She had helped Fourth Missy Gan in that case back in Luanze. There was nothing wrong with paying her a visit since they were all in Bianliang now.

Zhao Zhi thought it was a good idea too. “I think that’s a good idea. But,” he looked at Qi Yan, “you cannot come along.”

Qi Yan glared at Zhao Zhi, his expression both agitated and unhappy. “Why not!”

“You’re too emotionally attached to your uncle, and that would affect your behavior. If that Fourth Missy Gan doesn’t answer our questions or she doesn’t answer them honestly, I’m sure you’d lose your patience,” Song Caitang pushed the cup of warm tea toward Qi Yan. “Besides, you don’t look too good to me either. How many days have you gone without sleep? You’re sniffling so hard and your throat is a little hoarse too. I don’t want you to catch a cold. I think you should take a day to rest at home and maybe get some medicine from the doctor’s.”

As she spoke, Zhao Zhi remembered something and looked at Song Caitang. “Tomorrow is the 18th day of the month… The Count’s wife is throwing a birthday celebration. Why don’t we go together?”

Song Caitang nodded immediately. “Sure.”

That would be better than suddenly appearing at the Count’s doorstep for no reason.

Zhao Zhi lowered his gaze and held himself back well. “Have a good rest then. I’ll pick you up first thing tomorrow morning.”

Actually, Zhao Zhi had not just come to pick Song Caitang. In less than a night’s time, he had already put together some brief information on the people living in the Count’s household and passed it to Song Caitang to read.

It was easier to get things done once you were familiar with who everyone was, how they were related, what sort of relationship they had and all that.

Song Caitang was very grateful. When she spotted Fourth Missy Gan and Gan Zhixuan that night, she could see that they were not living in the most ideal of conditions. They were clearly being oppressed and were already very wary of everyone around them. If she suddenly turned up and paid them a visit, they would probably be more repulsed than welcoming of her.

This information came at a good time!

The Count had inherited his position and came from a fairly prominent family. Unlike his brave predecessors, this Count, Zeng Deyong, lived up to his name. The word “yong” meant ordinary, and so his looks were ordinary, his capabilities were ordinary, everything he did was just average. When it came to literature, he wouldn’t win a competition. When it came to fighting, he wouldn’t win either. The only impression he left on most people was that he was a man who was always happy and extremely content with life.

He was always smiling when he talked to others and very few had seen him lose his temper. He didn’t care about what was going on inside or outside the house and left everything to his wife. Yup, he was a man who was afraid of his wife.

His wife’s surname was Wei and she grew up with Zeng Deyong. She came from an equally prominent family and the two families had been friends for decades. Their marriage had been arranged since they were children and they were very close since their families were close.

Madam Wei was very beautiful and besides being able to carry herself well, she was very smart too. She kept the entire household in extremely good order and everyone had nothing but praise for her. To the outside world, she wasn’t some fierce or snappy woman either. She was always gentle, elegant, full of smiles and friendly. Nobody could possibly dislike her.

But even without knowing the details, there were two things that gave her true personality away.

This household had no concubines at all. There were also no sons borne by other women, although there were daughters. Madam Wei was fine with her husband sleeping around, since she was able to clean up everything after that without any issues. The household itself was kept very simple.

Also, she was on very good terms with Madam Yu, wife of Zuo Xiuwen. Perhaps because they were both women with similar ideas on what they wanted from their husbands and households, they were only able to share their thoughts with one another and not anybody else.

But the two women were in very different predicaments. Madam Yu had managed to keep Zuo Xiuwen under her control initially because she had come from a better family than him and she had the support of her father and brothers. But once Zuo Xiuwen made it and was able to rely on his own connections and abilities, he didn’t need his wife’s family anymore and she wasn’t as important to him anymore, so he could cast her aside at anytime.

But Madam Wei wasn’t counting on such things. After all, Zeng Deyong came from a prominent family himself and didn’t need to rely on a more powerful father-in-law. Madam Wei relied on her beauty, her brains and her tactics.

Whenever these two women were mentioned, others sneered a little at Madam Yu, but they were full of praises for Madam Wei.

So many people were secretly jealous of Madam Wei for having such a good life!

Song Caitang finished reading all the information she had been given and memorized what she needed. Once they arrived at the Count’s residence, she got out of the carriage and quickly headed for the banquet hall with Zhao Zhi.

Once they stepped into the doorway, she walked a little slower so that she would not be walking too close to Zhao Zhi.

It wasn’t because she didn’t dare to or she felt embarrassed about that, but she just didn’t want unnecessary trouble.

Given Zhao Zhi’s social standing, it was only natural for the head of the family to come out and greet him. So, it didn’t take them long to see Zeng Deyong and Madam Wei waiting for them.

“I’m so honored to have you here, Commandery Prince Zhao, so honored…”

Zeng Deyong smiled as he greeted Zhao Zhi, then continued holding Madam Wei’s hand as he pointed out steps and any similar uneven surfaces in the floor so that they wouldn’t trip. His actions were gentle and his expression was genuinely friendly.

Madam Wei wore a bright red dress with a gold pattern and hair accessories adorned with rubies, which really accentuated her face which had been truly blessed by time. She could really turn heads.

She raised her eyebrow slightly in a somewhat coquettish manner. “My lord, the commandery prince is here.”

Zeng Deyong stared at her infatuatedly for a moment, then quickly turned and started leading Zhao Zhi into the hall. “My lord, this way please.”

Madam Wei pushed against one of the hairpins in her hair and was able to quickly give a good reason for her husband’s behavior, “It’s my mother-in-law’s birthday today and the entire household is in a celebratory mood. My husband is probably really overjoyed and he’s so surprised that you’re here. I hope you don’t mind him.”

Of course, Zhao Zhi didn’t mind. He nodded slightly and continued walking behind them.

Song Caitang followed behind him and slowly took in every part of this luxurious estate.

It was the Count’s mother’s birthday party today, so all the servants were incredibly busy, and every member of the household, regardless of whether their standing in the family, was expecting to manage the crowd and take care of the guests. But…

Even after walking for a long time and seeing so many groups of people, she still hadn’t spotted Gan Zhixuan.

Since this mother and son had managed to get themselves to the residence and were allowed to walk in and out, surely the Count must have acknowledged Gan Zhixuan as his son, right? And if that were the case, they were now part of the family and would be expected to host the guests, or at least be around. So, why were they nowhere to be seen?

Both mother and son were nowhere to be found.

Song Caitang found it a little strange, so she threw Zhao Zhi a glance.

But Zhao Zhi shook his head slightly at her.

There was no need to be anxious. They had plenty of time. Even if the two of them didn’t appear, they could always find a reason to look for them.