81 — Madam Zhang’s Plans

The more Madam Zhang thought about it, the more she felt that she couldn’t just pretend she didn’t know anything and not do anything about it.

Since she was a young child, the one thing she understood well was that being in the know was very important. The more you knew, the more you were able to grab hold of opportunities. You would be in control of the situation, so you could set up traps and you could remove them. Those who didn’t know anything had no choice but to watch helplessly even as terrible things happened to them. Such people would have their fate decided by someone else, and whether your fate turned out good or bad depended on your luck.

But Madam Zhang didn’t want to count on luck. She wanted a definite answer.

Lu Guangzong’s murder itself had nothing to do with her. She didn’t kill anybody and she didn’t commit any crime, so that part wouldn’t implicate her. But if this matter really had something to do with Manager Liu and Manager Liu had done some things in her name…

Then even if the authorities let her off, the Guans wouldn’t.

Her family seemed simple, but no member was a pushover. The old madam of the family seemed like she didn’t care about what was going on and her greatest happiness was to secretly eat a candy or two. But actually, that was only because she chose not to care. If her feathers were ruffled and you hurt one of hers, then she was going to make sure you got hurt in return too. Madam Zhang belonged to the generation younger than Madam Bai, so there was only so much she could do about the old lady. Besides, she had children and she wanted them to marry well, so reputation was very important to her.

Guan Qing was a thorny one. For some reason, despite being taken care of by the genial Madam Bai, she always looked aloof, had a stubborn nature, was always so prickly and dared to say absolutely anything. Besides the few years as a baby, Madam Zhang had never seen her cry! And while most other young women would be shy and avoid the topic of marriage and romance, Guan Qing wasn’t shy in the least. She dared to talk about it in the open and there were some things she said that made even Madam Zhang panic in embarrassment!

The young lady had plenty of tactics and didn’t care much about what others thought of her, so Madam Zhang felt like she was facing a hedgehog that kept biting at her. Madam Zhang was able to defend herself a little and sometimes, she got a little out of Guan Qing. But even after so many years, she never got much more than that.

Guan Wan looked like a frail and bulliable little girl, but she was very good at getting the servants on her side. Even if Madam Bai and Guan Qing weren’t at home while she was being bullied, someone would get angry on her behalf and speak up for her. Her lips were especially tightly sealed too. She looked like she didn’t know anything, but in reality, no matter how hard you tried to sound her out, she never fell for it and you’d get nothing out of her.

The biggest problem was that these were all considered inner house issues and her husband didn’t care about it at all. He even said that it was HER responsibility, so she was expected to manage it well, and if she couldn’t, it meant that she was incapable. In short, she deserved to be bullied because she was lousy at her job! He hadn’t married her just for her to end up dragging him into matters that weren’t his problem.

The Guans had split the business between the sons and they had done well. Guan Qing’s parents had passed on at a young age, but they had managed to grow their side of the business tremendously. Her own father-in-law had done a good job too. But her own husband was useless. He wasn’t good at doing business and he couldn’t get his hands on any assets, so Madam Bai and Guan Qing continued to control most of it.

On top of that, there was a whole pile of other relatives and elders of the family who coveted their business and were constantly trying to find a chance to take advantage of them and gain control over what they had. These people couldn’t wait for something bad to happen to either side so that they could step in and make decisions or gain something in the process. If this murder case ended up creating a weakness for her that others could exploit…

Thinking about that gave her the shudders.

Her husband was useless and she was already having trouble with the women at home. The people around her were all nice to her because they hoped to gain something out of her. Nothing was as reliable as actual money and assets! What else was she supposed to do?

For the sake of her son as well as herself, she had to constantly make careful plans and observe her surroundings. She must never allow herself to land in a desperate situation!

She turned the bangle on her arm, narrowed her eyes and put a stern expression on again as she called for a servant, “Get Manager Liu here.”

There was no way to hide the fact that Manager Liu worked for her, so the only thing she could do now was protect herself, regardless of what the man had done.

Manager Liu came very quickly.

“Madam, you asked for me?”

Madam Zhang waited for the maid to serve him tea and leave the room before speaking.

She didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point, “Pacification Commissioner Lu Guangzong has died. Does it have anything to do with you?”

Manager Liu blinked in surprise, then raised his eyebrow slightly, “Why do you ask?”

Facial expressions were a really interesting thing. Manager Liu had very ordinary features and nothing stood out, plus he looked like an old man despite being only around 40. But once he raised his eyebrow and dragged out his words, he suddenly looked rather sly.

Those eyes of his were ridiculously bright too.

He was on high alert and very wary.

Madam Zhang casually adjusted her position in the chair and chuckled faintly, “It’s just a casual question. Did you have to be so wary?”

Manager Liu chuckled too, “The way you asked so anxiously… If I didn’t know that I was definitely in the Guan family residence, I might have thought I was in the Lu family residence.”

“It’s a murder case, after all, so anyone would be curious to know more. And if you throw in our discussion from some days ago…“ Madam Zhang picked up her teacup and touched the rim without looking at Manager Liu at all, “I trust your character, Manager Liu, and I’m sure you wouldn’t have done anything wicked. But when something like this happens at this sort of timing… if I don’t ask about it, I’d remain uneasy.”

Manager Liu let out a hearty laugh, “Why didn’t you say so right from the start? When we agree to work together, then the most important part is that both parties are willing to do it. There are so many ways to earn money. If this path is gone, I’ll find another path. I don’t have to go through Commissioner Lu. My heart isn’t that evil. Madam, don’t worry, I promise you that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with me and nobody will come knocking on your door!”

Madam Zhang kept her head down to cover the emotions in her eyes, “What about Fourth Missy Gan? You’re… not drawn to her?”

Manager Liu’s expression changed immediately. After a long period of silence, his voice became low and seemed to carry an energy of sorts, “Madam, your tactics are truly different from most people.”

He scoffed, picked up the teacup on the table and slowly finished his tea before speaking again.

“Putting aside the fact that we’re working together, the fact that you’ve brought this up really upsets me. I can only say that your worry… I suppose because you’re a woman, only you would worry about a useless thing like romance!”

“So what if I’ve got my eye on Fourth Missy Gan? Even if she’s really been involved with Lu Guangzong or someone else, as long as I’m alright with it and I want her, I can have her anytime! You agree with that, don’t you?”

Madam Zhang did agree with that.

When a man was determined to get a woman, there were many, many things he could do to force her to be with him.

Besides, Manager Liu was a scheming and aggressive businessman, and he didn’t lack money.

Manager Liu stared steely at Madam Zhang, “So did you really think I had to resort to doing something like that? Kill an important official and suffer consequences for the rest of my life for the sake of a woman?”

Madam Zhang was silent for a while before replying, “No, you wouldn’t.”

“So, don’t worry about this sort of thing. I’m here and my money is here. You even know where my mother lives. We’ve never had any feud or disagreement, so why would I suddenly betray you for no reason? I just hope to earn more money with you.”

After he was done saying that, he added another remark in a slow voice, “This murder case has nothing to do with me, so if someone comes and asks you about it, you don’t have to feel any guilt. If you look guilty, then even if it’s not true, others would think it’s true, don’t you think so, Madam?”

If he hadn’t added these words, Madam Zhang would have been convinced that the man was truly innocent. But after he added these words…

She felt that there must be a reason why he was saying so many unnecessary things.

Manager Liu might have done something behind her back after all.

She raised her hand to use her handkerchief to wipe her lips, “The heavens are watching, so they know who killed Commissioner Lu and they’ll take care of it. I’m just a woman living in the inner house, so it’s not my business to care, and it’s not like I can, anyway. I’ve asked you to come here not because I doubted you in any way, so there’s no need for you to promise me anything. Just one thing…“

She turned and looked at Manager Liu. Her eyes gleamed threateningly as she warned him, “Our cooperation is based on being reasonable. If it’s my problem, I won’t push it to you. But if it’s not my problem, I don’t want to be implicated.”

In other words, she didn’t care what he did, but if he got into trouble, then he must drag her down with him, otherwise… like he said, his money was with her and she even knew where his mother lived!

Manager Liu paused, then chortled, “Madam, what sort of person do you think I am?”

He stood up, “If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave now.”

His words were polite, but immediately after saying that, he turned and walked out without waiting for a response from Madam Zhang.

Madam Zhang clenched her fists that were hidden in her sleeves and relaxed only after a long time.

She had managed to get through this.

Regardless of whether Manager Liu had done something wicked or not, he had to weigh the pros and cons before implicating her.

But even so, she did not feel any more assured.

What else should she do?

Get Guan Qing to help?

She had to admit that Guan Qing was a very capable person indeed. Guan Qing didn’t like her, but she was protective of the family. If she made the consequences sound more serious to Guan Qing, then no matter how much Guan Qing hated her, Guan Qing wouldn’t just leave things as they were.

But to humble herself and allow Guan Qing to gloat…

That made her SO uncomfortable.

As she continued struggling to decide on what to do, a servant came in to tell her that Song Caitang had returned.

She froze for a second before the cogs in her brain started moving again.

She didn’t know anything about the dangers that Song Caitang had met when she went to the pear blossom valley with Old Madam Li, but she knew that the moment Lu Guangzong’s body was discovered, Wen Yuansi had come looking for Song Caitang and Song Caitang had gone to see the body.

Song Caitang would definitely know what sort of clues the authorities had uncovered and the list of suspects!

Instead of hoping that Manager Liu would come clean and speak honestly to her, she might as well ask Song Caitang instead!

If this matter really had something to do with Manager Liu, she could set up defenses and make plans accordingly. Even if the authorities questioned her, she wouldn’t have to fear!

She had been right all along! Song Caitang was useful after all! Changing her attitude toward the girl had been the right thing to do…

And so, the minute Song Caitang stepped through the front door, one of Madam Zhang’s maids anxiously asked her to head for Qingyi Court.

Song Caitang wasn’t willing to go at all, but everyone inside and outside the house was watching. An elder in the house was asking her to go over, so it wasn’t nice to decline in front of everyone.

This time, Madam Zhang asked about her very earnestly and seemed to have used every method she had accumulated over the years on how to take care and speak to younger ones to make the other party feel genuinely cared for while not lowering her status.

Song Caitang was really surprised.

This was the first time Madam Zhang was treating her this way.

But… like the saying goes, nobody’s nice for no reason. Madam Zhang definitely wanted something out of her.

As usual, Song Caitang just smiled faintly and just answered every question Madam Zhang asked with short responses. She did not ask any follow up questions and did not sound curious about why Madam Zhang was asking her these things. If she could give a one word response, she did. If not, she’d spare her two words.

And as she had expected, Madam Zhang finally became impatient and asked her, “You’ve spent such a long time investigating this case before coming back, so I’m sure you’ve gotten some clues? Do you know who the murderer is?”

Song Caitang got it now. Madam Zhang wanted to know more about the case.

But she wasn’t going to tell Madam Zhang anything.

She shook her head and said, “The courts have certain rules. I work as a coroner for them, so I’m now part of the investigation team and I can’t divulge any details to someone outside of the team. I’m sorry, Aunt.”

The smile on Madam Zhang’s face stiffened, but it did not fade. Instead, she laughed at herself, “Oh dearie me! When I’m happy, I end up saying things without thinking… my dear Caitang is simply too lovely, so just looking at you has made me forget how to think!”

Song Caitang remained silent and continued smiling at Madam Zhang.

Madam Zhang had failed to get anything out of her, but she figured that she still had plenty of time. The body had just been discovered today and it would take a while more to crack the case. She had to work hard on leaving a good impression, coax Song Caitang every day, and soon… Song Caitang would open up to her!

She kept Song Caitang in her room for a long time to chat, then got her servants to send Song Caitang a huge pile of gifts.

When Song Caitang saw that she had gained an unexpected stack of things…

She didn’t reject them and kept every single one of them.

Then, she picked a few nice ones and sent them to Guan Qing and Guan Wan.

Guan Wan held up a whole box of newly made accessories and covered her mouth as she kept laughing, “If Aunt found out that you gave us the things she gave you, she’d get so angry that she’d smash all her teacups!”

Guan Qing patted Guan Wan’s head lovingly, then turned to scold Song Caitang, “Wan’er and I have so much of this stuff, and you think we’d need more from you? You’re already so poor and you keep wearing the same old clothes and accessories! Yet, when you receive new ones, you give them away instead of using them? Song Caitang, you’ve got some backbone, huh!”

Guan Qing was very domineering as she got her head maid, Chunhong, to send an even bigger pile of things to Song Caitang’s residence.

She sent more than 20 times the number of items back to Song Caitang!

Song Caitang was a little embarrassed, “I didn’t do this because I wanted to get stuff out of you…“

“Of course you didn’t! You wouldn’t dare to!” Guan Qing rolled her eyes, then sighed in frustration, “You’re very good at examining dead bodies and you slice through human flesh without even batting an eye. You’re always so easygoing and you barely bother about anything. But let me remind you, Song Caitang, you’re a LADY! Can you please be a little more mindful of that?”

She pointed at Qingqiao, “You! Little round-faced Qingqiao! Make sure the clothes and accessories that your Young Mistress has changes every day! Otherwise, once new ones get sent over next month, you have to throw out ALL the old ones! You hear me?”

Qingqiao nodded vigorously and had a serious expression on her face, “Yes, Eldest Young Mistress! I will remember that!”

The three sisters sat down and had a lovely chat as they drank tea together.

The topic eventually led back to Madam Zhang, which reminded Guan Wan that Song Caitang had been asked to go to Qingyi Court earlier. She asked Song Caitang why Madam Zhang wanted to see her and Song Caitang told them what happened.

But she didn’t understand why Madam Zhang would care about the case.

Guan Qing scoffed and said, “Why else? She must have been bitten by her pet snake.”

Song Caitang blinked for two seconds, then realized what Guan Qing was saying.

She remembered how there was a Manager Liu involved in the argument between Madam Zhang and Guan Qing. This Manager Liu apparently knew Lu Guangzong’s secret and could use it to blackmail the old man…

“So, Manager Liu blackmailed the victim? He’s connected to the case?”

Guan Qing paused for a long time before replying quietly, “Who knows?”

Song Caitang felt like her response was a little strange, “Eldest Sis?”

Guan Qing raised her head and looked straight into Song Caitang’s eyes, “Everyone already knows deep inside what they want or don’t want even before they say it. Since you’ve already agreed to be part of the investigation team for this murder case, then you have to go by the book and do what you must. Don’t feel guilty about it. Understand?”

“Uh huh,” Song Caitang nodded. But she still felt that Guan Qing’s reaction was a little…

…odd.