Time To Create Chaos

Once the plans had been put in place, it was time to take action.

The first thing to do was to create the right opportunity. Since they were going to put up a show, it would be easier to set the stage if differing opinions showed up one by one.

That wasn’t really too hard, actually. They could still do it at the count’s home. After something like that, Madam Wei couldn’t possibly attend other parties or receive guests, so she would be home all day. Wei He’an, as her nephew and someone at the party that day, would definitely keep visiting the residence, regardless of whether it was for his own reputation or otherwise. Gan Zhixuan had just lost his biological mother and was still in shock, so he wasn’t going to leave the house. Zeng Deyong was the head of the household and the victim had been his concubine, a very unglamorous member of his family. He could go out, of course, but there were tongues wagging everywhere, so he would have to watch his behavior. It was easier to just stay at home.

A murder had occurred in this house and it was under investigation right now. Lu Yuxue was a clever woman and it was hard for her to leave her house for no reason as a woman, so she wouldn’t visit the residence now. But they could find a way to get her to come. As for Sang Zheng, that wasn’t difficult at all. Madam Wei was his benefactor, his personality was odd and unsociable, so he would most likely be found at the count’s residence instead of anywhere else. It couldn’t be that he would suddenly avoid the residence especially now that something bad had happened there.

All one had to do was to put out news that the authorities were making some secret visits or had made progress in the case, and everyone who was worried or had some stake in this case would come running to the residence.

The difficult one was Qiu Wenkang.

He was the head administrator of the crown prince’s residence and had almost no dealings with the count. It was not appropriate for him to be involved in the case, both because of his job and the timing. He wouldn’t go anywhere near the residence if he could help it.

But Zhao Zhi knew how.

He was going to start off politely and lure the man over. But if he didn’t take the bait then… it was too bad. When it came to such things, Zhao Zhi and Wen Yuansi had completely different ways of handling the problem. Zhao Zhi wasn’t going to cautiously set up a trap or find a way to coax the other party into cooperating. He was going to march right up to the man.

Given his status, he didn’t need to be cautious at all.

When Qiu Wenkang walked past the count’s residence, Zhao Zhi grabbed hold of him and held him by his collar as he barged into the residence without giving the man any explanation.

As he walked through the residence, he spouted angry words and broke a few things along the way, causing a commotion in the house.

Zeng Deyong and Madam Wei immediately rushed over when they heard the commotion. “What’s going on? What’s going on? Commandery Prince Zhao, what are you trying to do?” Zeng Deyong narrowed his eyes and glared at the younger man. “I’m not afraid of you!”

Sang Zheng was right behind the couple. He frowned but did not say anything.

Of course, Zhao Zhi wasn’t here by himself. He had his usual gang behind him. Qi Yan, Wen Yuansi and Song Caitang were all present. All of them had a grim look on their faces and seemed to be in a hurry, as though… they had suddenly discovered very important evidence while investigating the case, or had to find answers urgently to a question before they could move on.

Zeng Deyong’s expression began to falter.

Madam Wei also sensed something amiss and tugged at Zeng Deyong’s sleeve to hold him back.

Zhao Zhi stood confidently before the couple and stared down at them. “I’ve obtained important evidence pertaining to this case and I’m about to crack the case. If you dare to continue being in cahoots and make up lies or create false evidence, or attempt to stand in my way… Destroying your house and your position wouldn’t be too difficult for me!”

Everyone belonging to the count’s household paled instantly.

While Zhao Zhi had been away from Bianliang for some years now and seemed more mature after returning, everyone could still remember his nature and what he had done in the past. It was as though it had just happened yesterday.

The King of Chaos, Zhao Zhi, was someone who really did not care if you were an aristocrat or not and did whatever he wanted. There was no person in the world he dared not offend, and there was nothing he dared not do!

Nobody present would dare to dismiss Zhao Zhi’s words.

Zeng Deyong instantly shrank back. After Madam Wei tugged at his sleeve, he stopped looking angry and didn’t dare to speak anymore either.

Zhao Zhi got even angrier at this behavior as he snorted and said sarcastically, “Everyone’s working so hard, so of course I have to work hard too, right? So be it! The weather’s great and I don’t have a lot to attend to, so I’ve got plenty of time to waste here! All of you shall stay here and not move until I return! Anyone who tries anything will be named the murderer!”

After he had finished saying those words, he glared nastily at everyone with a threatening look on his face before grabbing hold of Qiu Wenkang again and walking out of sight in seconds.

Throughout this whole thing, Qiu Wenkang just allowed Zhao Zhi to do all that to him without saying a word.

He was nervous and shocked because he didn’t understand why Zhao Zhi was suddenly doing this, but as the crown prince’s head administrator, he knew Zhao Zhi’s temperament well. Zhao Zhi was definitely doing this for a good reason. It was best that he cooperated with Zhao Zhi and did not ruin the man’s plans. If he tried to resist or fight back, things wouldn’t end well for him. Even if Zhao Zhi simply knocked him out, he might end up unconscious for several days.

Even after Zhao Zhi dragged him out of the residence, he did not ask where they were going and remained in a daze.

This was definitely about Fourth Missy Gan’s case. How should he handle it?

Zhao Zhi had burst into the house like a hurricane, left a bunch of threats and left just as suddenly as he had come. Everyone looked a little confused and stunned, but they knew that judging from Zhao Zhi’s behavior, Zhao Zhi had been actively investigating the case and had made some major progress. He suspected that they were guilty of some secret plans, so he angrily came over to threaten and warn them.

He was holding onto Qiu Wenkang, probably because he had found some clues with regard to the administrator and wanted to question him urgently. But the fact that he wasn’t questioning Qiu Wenkang within the residence showed that Zhao Zhi did not trust the people at the residence at all.

The speed of the investigation had probably gone way faster than they had imagined.

Everyone in the residence exchanged glances. Only they knew what those glances meant.

“I’m sorry for disturbing everyone,” Wen Yuansi bowed elegantly and smiled warmly to comfort the crowd. “The commandery prince is very determined to crack this case and he’s not in the best of moods because of that, so I hope everyone can show him some understanding.”

Wen Yuansi had spoken in such a friendly and respectful manner, so they couldn’t stay angry.

Zeng Deyong scoffed. “Do I seem like such a petty person to you?”

Madam Wei had figured it out too. Zhao Zhi had come so aggressively, so even though he had left for the time being, he was definitely coming back. There was no point in getting angry now. Instead, they ought to think of how they should handle this situation. It was just too bad that they were nowhere as powerful as Zhao Zhi.

With that thought in mind, Madam Wei frowned and threw her husband a dirty look. While her husband wasn’t like royalty or anything like that, he was still a count whose ancestors had contributed greatly to the country. Why was he always so laid back!

But it was pointless getting upset about that now. She could only try her best to think of a way to get out of this situation.

There was no way to chase Zhao Zhi away or stop him from doing what he wanted. After all, there were so many people in the house, yet they had been unable to do anything about him. If they couldn’t avoid clashing with him, they would have to think of how to deal with things as they were. Chasing his companions out of the house would definitely be the dumbest thing to do right now. However, these people worked on the case with him and would definitely know a thing or two about the investigation, so if she could sound them out…

If she could take the first step, the family might be able to get out of this crisis.

At this point, who the murderer really was or the truth of the murder wasn’t important. The more important part was finding out what sort of truth these investigators, the people who could decide their fate, really wanted…

Madam Wei quickly ushered Wen Yuansi and his companions into the house. “It’s very cold out here and everyone has been working hard. Why don’t you come in for some tea and warm yourselves up?”

Of course, she had her own plans. These people weren’t as stupid or ignorant as Gan Zhixuan. They would definitely also watch the situation and try to sound them out.

As Madam Wei spoke, she observed their expressions. She was even more certain after she saw how they exchanged glances.

It was now a matter of who was smarter!

“Thank you so much for the kind offer,” said Wen Yuansi calmly as he smiled and followed Madam Wei into the hall.

But Song Caitang and Qi Yan smiled as they shook their heads. “We got to know Fourth Missy Gan and her son back in Luanze, so we’d like to see how Gan Zhixuan is doing.”

See how Gan Zhixuan’s going? More like you’re going to question him! Madam Wei raised an eyebrow.

But she knew she couldn’t stop them, so she just smiled and sighed quietly as the wife of a count ought to. “Given the terrible situation he’s in, it’s rare to find people who are still so concerned about him like the both of you. In that case… you! You over there! Yes, you! Escort our guests over and serve them well, don’t embarrass the count, you hear me?”

The servant she had pointed out looked especially clever. He bowed and responded, “Yes, Madam!”

As they walked down the corridor together, Qi Yan couldn’t say anything to Song Caitang since there was a third party around, so he could only stare at her with admiration.

He couldn’t believe things had gone exactly as she had planned!

Song Caitang lowered her gaze slightly as her lips curled into a faint smile.

Actually, that wasn’t hard to foresee. The more the other party tried to analyze the situation and make guesses about their intentions, the more carefully they would behave and try to act predictably. This was an expected result.

There were pros and cons to being an intelligent person.

Fourth Missy Gan was a concubine who had run away and come back, then died a very unglamorous death, so the count wasn’t going to give her a grand funeral or mourn her death. Gan Zhixuan could only put up a tiny altar in his secluded residence within the estate and pay his respects to his dead mother that way.

The smell of burning incense was the first thing that hit their nostrils as Song Caitang and Qi Yan walked in. The atmosphere instantly became sad and heavy.

Qi Yan fanned the smell away for a moment to get used to it while instructing the servant who had come with them, “Alright, you’re dismissed.”

“But Madam told me to serve both of you…”

The servant stopped himself midsentence because Qi Yan glared so fiercely at him.

“So, I can’t give you instructions?”

Qi Yan was also an aristocrat, and when he wanted to look fierce, he could also look very scary. The servant didn’t dare to stand in Qi Yan’s way, so he had no choice but to leave.

Qi Yan gave the other servants in the area a nasty glare too. “All of you are dismissed too!”

The servants quickly bowed and walked out of sight.

Now that everyone else had left, Qi Yan could stretch his arms freely. His eyes lit up as he started walking toward Gan Zhixuan’s room. “Time for this young master to show you what he’s got!”

Song Caitang encouraged him with a smile. “I’m rooting for you, young master!”

She did not enter the room with Qi Yan and just stood by the window to eavesdrop.

Qi Yan walked into the room to find himself face to face with a very stunned Gan Zhixuan. He quickly went through what he had to do and the instructions from his three companions, and became more confident. He plonked himself down on a chair boldly and glared at Gan Zhixuan. “You’d better come clean! How did you kill your mother?”

Gan Zhixuan was almost too shocked to speak. “You… wait, what? What do you mean by that? You said… how did I kill my mother? Me? How could I have done such a thing?!”

Qi Yan ignored his response and continued, “You were the one who fed her that poison, right? You purposely found that special bottle with special poison, right? You’re really good at framing others, huh! Did you see who slept with your mother? Do you know who he is?”

Gan Zhixuan’s face turned red and started crying from how terrified and frantic he was. “No! It really wasn’t me! I really didn’t see anything! I don’t know anything!”

Qi Yan was pleased with Gan Zhixuan’s reaction.

This was a man who was very timid, often behaved like a smart aleck and was afraid of trouble, yet he was also very obstinate and determined to get what he wanted…

Based on what Zhao Zhi, Song Caitang and Wen Yuansi had told him, this young man was one who couldn’t hold up against pressure. With the right timing and method, he would definitely crumble.