40 — He…Knows Everything!

It was still early spring, so the nights on the mountain were very cold. Yet, the young lady was wearing a thin blouse meant for spring and a light yellow skirt. She had a thin chiffon shawl on and matched it with an entire tiara embellished with pearls. She didn’t look like she had been frightened by the ordeal or look like she was here to help with the fires. She looked more like she was here to meet with her lover.

The young lady was quite pretty. She was around 15 or 16 years old and had a refreshing aura, so she couldn’t possibly look ugly no matter what she did. But she might have forgotten what hour it was.

It was somewhere between 3 and 5am, so no matter how bright the moon was, it wasn’t as bright as daytime. The moonlight was this faint silvery color and along with the sparks of fire that hadn’t been put out and the smoke, the yellow didn’t look very good. The young lady had taken much trouble to prepare this light yellow blouse that would show off her youthful energy, but not only did it fail to show any of her refreshing charm like what sunlight would have, it was also a little dull. It wasn’t really white and it wasn’t really yellow either. And that pearl tiara should have gleamed beautifully and given her a halo of sorts, but now…it was a little blackened by the smoke and it also knocked into something, so it didn’t look pretty at all.

The young lady stared infatuatedly at Wen Yuansi for a moment, then glared fiercely at Song Caitang, “Shameless, shameless, shameless!”

Perhaps she was aware that this was not ladylike behavior, so she did not shout loudly and stood close enough to Song Caitang to say these words directly to her.

Song Caitang raised an eyebrow. She got it now. This girl was Wen Yuansi’s admirer.

But from the looks of it, this was a one sided crush.

She was already tired from what happened earlier and there were so many people in the area, so she wasn’t in the mood to argue with a teenager at all, and turned to leave.

The young lady did not expect her to react this way. She was stunned for a moment, then became even angrier. Her eyes were wide and furious, “Stop right there!”

Song Caitang ignored her.

“Stop right there! Stop right there!!”

The young lady picked up her skirt and was about to run toward Song Caitang when someone held her back, “Xiuxiu! There are so many people here, so don’t run about on your own!”

Song Caitang turned to look and frowned slightly.

She had no idea who the young lady was, but the woman who held her back…her features were quite prominent. Her snatched waist, those eyes filled with emotions, and that mole below her lips in particular, were very eye-catching.

Madam Ji…

This woman was one of the suspects in the Yun Nianyao case, and she was also the one mentioned in the conversation between Madam Ge and Gao Zhuo earlier.

Madam Ji was from the capital city and she came from a pretty good family too. She would have run into Yun Nianyao at social events when she was younger. She liked Gao Zhuo, but unfortunately, Gao Zhuo liked Yun Nianyao and his feelings for her never changed…

When she thought about the way all these people were connected, Song Caitang couldn’t help but wonder, did Madam Ji really come to Tianhua Temple to visit Yun Nianyao? Or was she actually here to see Gao Zhuo?

Qingqao said that the 19^th of the 2^nd month was the birthday of the Goddess of Mercy and the temple would be extremely busy. But it seemed like all sorts of people were going to end up gathering here before the 19^th.

Her instincts told her that time was very important to her, so she had to work extremely hard to get her chance at the case. Based on what she could see, many others were getting anxious too. For as long as this case wasn’t cracked, those getting antsy were not only the authorities, but everyone connected to the case and the killer themselves.

And if that was the case…her opportunity was going to come soon!

“Young Mistress? Young Mistress?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re supposed to walk this way!”

“…oh.”

After she had switched residences, the next two days were very peaceful.

Wen Yuansi and Governor Zhang were busy with both handling the Ximen Gang case and trying to get their hands on the Yun Nianyao case. Both of these matters had to be handled by officials, so Song Caitang couldn’t be of any help at all. Old Madam Li was grateful to Song Caitang for helping her grandson, so she took care of Song Caitang’s day to day needs. Song Caitang’s three meals were lovingly prepared and the older lady even made snacks herself, and she often got Song Caitang to come over to try some.

But Old Madam Li was a devout Buddhist and she felt uneasy if she didn’t do her morning and night meditation sessions despite staying at Tianhua Temple. Song Caitang noticed that, so she persuaded the older lady to go ahead and focus on her meditation sessions. She could take care of herself.

“You used your words to protect me against my aunt, so I’ve got to repay you for doing that and I can’t run away from it. We’ve got plenty more time in the future to catch up, so why insist on spending so much time on me over these few days here?”

Old Madam Li smiled and her brows curved along with her eyes, “This little girl has become so considerate after being in the presence of Buddha for just two days!”

Auntie Liu chimed in, “Buddha is watching over the younger ones – don’t you feel blessed? Don’t worry so much. This young one is capable and she takes care of you, so why don’t you just sit back and relax?”

“That’s right! Auntie Liu makes so much sense!” Song Caitang poured Old Madam Li a cup of tea and smiled brightly, “I promise to take good care of myself, so don’t worry about that!”

Qinxiu arrived on the 18^th day of the 2^nd month.

And she arrived with instructions from Madam Zhang.

“Madam says that since Old Madam Li was the one who invited Cousin Young Mistress here, it wouldn’t be nice if you turned the old lady down. But deep down, you know well what you should and should not do, and to what extent you need to do these things.”

Qinxiu was kneeling on the floor and she bowed her head very low. Her voice did not tremble at all and she seemed steady.

Song Caitang sipped her tea and asked nonchalantly, “Why didn’t Huamei come?”

“She has something to attend to within the manor and she is unable to come out.”

The reply came quickly and it was completely emotionless.

Song Caitang fluttered her lashes. Her right hand loosened its grip and the teacup cover in her hand fell onto the teacup, “Alright then. You shall follow me for the next few days. You are not to leave my side at any time unless I specifically say so.”

Qinxiu was a little surprised but dared not show any of it. She kowtowed in a stiff and formal way, “Yes, Cousin Young Mistress.”

Besides coming with Madam Zhang’s message and much unhappiness, Qinxiu had come with good news.

The old madam of the house, Madam Bai, had completely recovered from her cold. Guan Qing had prayed for her grandmother at Tianhua Temple before this, so she was going to come the next morning to thank the Goddess of Mercy for answering her prayers. She was also going to pay Song Caitang a visit.

Eldest Sister…

Song Caitang’s lips curled slightly upwards. Her smile glowed brightly in the sunshine.

On the 29^th day of the 2^nd month, the atmosphere in the temple was completely different. It started bustling with activity from very early in the morning.

But Song Caitang did not head for the main hall.

Over the last few days, as long as she ran into Fu Xiuxiu, the young lady who called her shameless, the young lady would run up angrily to her and try to pick a fight with her. Song Caitang didn’t even have enough time to read through the notes on the case and to find out more about it, so she was definitely not in the mood to quarrel with a young lady. So, she always avoided running into her as far as possible.

A crowded and lively place…would probably be where a young lady like Fu Xiuxiu would want to be at, so Song Caitang didn’t want to go anywhere near the crowd.

She could walk in the other direction, since she really wanted to see Yun Nianyao’s body for herself to check if she could gather any clues. But Governor Li was guarding that area and did not allow anybody outside his team to enter.

Her mind was full of thoughts as she walked on and on without any particular destination in mind. She didn’t even know where she was anymore.

Suddenly, she heard voices speaking to one another.

“What’s going on? The prefectural governor is also looking for a place to nap?”

“Oh no, no, I’m not as lucky as you, the surveillance commissioner. The case is very complex and I have to control the situation at all times, so I wouldn’t dare to take a cap.”

One voice was very familiar. That was Zhao Zhi’s. The other voice belonged to a middle-aged man who was completely unfamiliar to her. But their conversation told her that this man was the prefectural governor, Li Guangyi.

The two men spoke jovially to one another and they seemed relaxed around each other, but she could tell from their tone of voice that this was no casual conversation.

Instead of heading elsewhere, her instincts drove her to just take a step to one side and hide behind a large rock and tall tree nearby.

“Tsk.” Zhao Zhi picked up one long leg, resting that foot on the knee of his other leg in a lazy manner. His brow was slightly raised as he spoke very slowly, “Governor Li, are you making it sound so serious because you’re afraid that I’d steal the case? Or because you’re not confident of cracking it?”

Li Guangyi’s smile faded for a moment before smiling again, “How could that be? Everyone from the capital who is here knows you’re a man of his words and you never go back on them. The case is complex, but I’ve found some evidence, so we’ll be able to crack this case soon.”

“From the capital…”

Zhao Zhi’s gaze darkened and his smile turned into a mocking one, “Oho, you’ve got to get this done REAL soon.”

A gentle breeze blew and the sun shone brightly. The atmosphere seemed unchanged, but Song Caitang could sense there were hidden meanings behind their exchange.

From the capital…was Li Guangyi reminding Zhao Zhi that he had a powerful backer in the capital? Were the two of them familiar with one another from before this? Was Zhao Zhi’s sarcasm a hint that nothing Li Guangyi said would be of any use as long as the results he produced were negative?

“Well…when it comes to investigating cases, it’s something you’ve never done before, so you might not know about this. No matter how many clues we might gather, we still need time and some luck to crack the case. If we are overly impatient, it could create stress on others and the results may not turn out well. Do you know how many cases involving erroneous conclusions and wrongfully accused people are created this way? I know what’s going on with this case, so you don’t have to worry, Surveillance Commissioner Zhao.”

Zhao Zhi seemed to have sensed something and glanced at the rock that Song Caitang was hiding behind…

But just a second later, he turned back to look at Li Guangyi. He paused for a second, as though a thought had occurred to him. His lips curled into a faint smile, “The prefectural governor is very concerned with his work and wants to take on the burden of the case in order to make life easier on his colleagues. That’s very admirable indeed. I have a piece of news…for you.”

He spoke with great sincerity.

But the more sincere he sounded, the more wary Li Guangyi became. He narrowed his eyes and his tone of voice changed slightly, “What news do you have for me?”

“Don’t be so nervous. I don’t eat people,” said Zhao Zhi as his smile grew brighter. His darkened gaze gleamed brightly with excitement, “I just wanted to tell you, that person…is almost here.”

“That person? Who?”

Zhao Zhi did not answer him directly and started throwing a small pebble for fun, “What do you think he would do if he came and discovers that the case hasn’t been cracked, the autopsy report is not finalized and the clues and suspects list are a mess?”

Li Guangyi’s eyes trembled. His face paled a little, as though he could guess whom Zhao Zhi was referring to.

“People who know martial arts like us don’t have very good temperaments. As long as we have ancestors with contributions to the nation and fought in battles before, even if we are no longer in the military, we’ll still have plenty of connections to people currently in the military…I know you’re very clever, Governor Li. You’re very good at pulling little stunts from time to time. But how are you going to reason with a man like that?”

“If he becomes unhappy and kills you in a fit of anger…do you think the emperor would fault him?”

Zhao Zhi spoke in a slow and clear manner, with a calm look on his face. But the tension he created became more and more terrifying once one thought about what he was implying.

Li Guangyi stuttered, “I…I…”

“If you get it, then run along and get on with what you’re supposed to be doing. Stop harassing me all day,” said Zhao Zhi in a loud voice, “And keep an eye on your lackeys. If they continue to secretly follow me around and I’m in a bad mood…”

He gripped the air with his fingers as though they were claws.

Of course, he was only gripping air, but he exuded tremendous authority. His movement was quick and aggressive and seemed to leave afterimages in the air. The atmosphere became tense and he was clearly threatening the older man.

Li Guangyi’s gaze trembled nervously as his heart sank.

He…he knew everything!