QYT - 3

“Father knew I missed Aunt, so he said that after the spring next year, he would close the shop in Yuezhou, and the whole family would move to the capital to live permanently. But I never expected... there was no sign at all before the accident. Zhiyun begged all her relatives and neighbors, but not one was willing to help. I don’t know why Father left Lingchuan to come to such an unfeeling place...”

The next day, before dawn, a low sobbing sound came from the east wing of the main courtyard of the Gao residence.

Yesterday, as soon as Cui Zhiyue returned to the residence, the last string holding up her strength snapped.

Lady Luo felt sorry for her and went to the east wing to stay with her. At night, she saw Cui Zhiyue constantly having nightmares, waking up crying several times, mumbling about “murder.” Lady Luo didn’t know how much suffering she had endured on the journey, so she got up, listened to her cries, and instructed the servants to simmer ginseng soup to calm her down.

Before long, there was a knock on the door outside.

“Madam, the ginseng soup is ready.”

Lady Luo took the ginseng soup and looked up at the maid, “Why are you bringing this ginseng soup?”

The maid smiled and said, “The second young master went out on a case yesterday and didn’t return all night. Xishuang was idle anyway, so she thought of helping out in Madam’s courtyard since the two cousin-sisters are staying in the residence.”

She added, “The eldest cousin-sister is already up and waiting in the hall. Does Madam want to go over?”

Lady Luo glanced out the window. After a fall rain, the weather suddenly turned cold, and even the day broke later than usual.

She called a maid, told her to stay and look after Cui Zhiyue, and then went to the main hall with Xishuang.

The two left the courtyard, and before they reached the covered corridor, they suddenly heard two maids whispering outside.

“Did you see that patch on her face? It’s really scary!”

“I don’t know what kind of illness it is. I just served her tea, and I didn’t even dare to touch her.”

“You say that, but you spilled the tea! If you scalded the eldest cousin-sister, be careful, Madam will punish you!”

“What eldest cousin-sister? In our residence, only Miss Yun is the proper cousin-sister. As for the other one, I heard she was fostered in the Cui family and has no relation to the Gao family at all, and yet she still has the nerve to come and seek refuge! Amitabha, I pray to Buddha for protection, Madam must not let me serve that ugly monster...”

The two didn’t see Lady Luo in the distance. They continued talking as they walked towards the backyard.

Lady Luo stared at their retreating backs, her expression unreadable. She didn’t say anything and went to the main hall.

The big house was bustling with various tasks in the morning, and seven or eight servants were busy. The Gao family’s ancestral home was in Lingchuan; Gao Yucang’s appointment in the capital meant the family had split. Currently, there were two young masters in the residence: the eldest young master, who had just entered officialdom, had gone to a local post, leaving only the second young master, Gao Ziyu, who had passed the imperial examination two years ago.

Although the family was simple, there was no shortage of affairs. Moreover, recently, for some reason, official duties had piled up—a prison break case the day before yesterday meant Gao Yucang hadn’t returned yet, and yesterday, Gao Ziyu had just returned home when he was called to the yamen for a murder case in the suburbs of the capital.

As soon as the steward saw Lady Luo, he came forward to ask for instructions: “Breakfast for the master and the second young master is ready. We’ll send it to the yamen now. Does Madam want to take a look?”

Lady Luo said, “Bring it here.”

Another old maid reported: “Yesterday, the second young master left in a hurry and didn’t wear a cloak. Dingzi sent it to the yamen, but the second young master was out on official duty and not there. Just now, this humble servant sent Dingzi to make another trip.”

Lady Luo nodded.

It wasn’t until all the servants and maids had finished seeking instructions on important matters that Lady Luo noticed Qing Wei standing in the corner of the hall.

“Aunt.” Qing Wei came forward to pay her respects.

Now that she was living under someone else’s roof, it was naturally inappropriate to cover her face. Yesterday, upon returning to the Gao residence, she had removed her veiled hat in front of Lady Luo. Fortunately, Lady Luo showed no reaction upon seeing the patch around her eye.

A maid brought a food box over. Lady Luo opened it and immediately frowned: “Why is there so little?”

This food box contained Gao Yucang’s breakfast, but it couldn’t just be breakfast. When working in the yamen, colleagues, besides dealing with official matters, often expressed human relations in details.

“Prepare a dish each of jujube flower cake, vegetarian mixed powder, and jade soup cake, and pack them in another food box.”

The maid quickly agreed. She was panicking after being reprimanded by Lady Luo. When putting away the food box, she accidentally knocked over the lid. Fortunately, Qing Wei was quick-witted and steadily caught it from the side, then handed it back to the maid.

Lady Luo then extricated herself from the flurry, turned to look at Qing Wei again, and said warmly, “Although I haven’t met you before, we are both from Lingchuan, and I’m quite familiar with your father and mother. I heard from Zhiyun that you only moved in with your second uncle Cui after the Xijintai incident, is that right?”

“Yes,” Qing Wei said, “After the Xijintai incident, my father passed away, and my mother was so heartbroken that she followed him within two years. Before she died, she wrote to my uncle, asking him to take me in. After many years apart, not to mention Zhiyun, even my uncle didn’t recognize me when he first saw me.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Luo felt pity for the orphaned girl before her.

Just now, when she entered the hall, she noticed spilled tea stains by Qing Wei’s feet, presuming it was due to the two maids being negligent when serving tea earlier. However, when she spoke to her, Qing Wei’s expression was normal, showing no hint of grievance. It seemed she was accustomed to wandering and had experienced many cold treatments when living under others’ roofs.

Lady Luo said, “Since that’s the case, you can stay here with peace of mind. As for your facial illness, if the root cause can be found, it might not be impossible to cure. Another day, I’ll invite a renowned doctor to visit and examine you.”

The food box was re-prepared, and the maid below brought it up for Lady Luo to see.

After Lady Luo finished speaking, there was no response for a long time. After a while, Qing Wei’s voice came through, filled with gratitude, “Thank you, Aunt. However, my journey to the capital is partly to accompany Zhiyun, and partly to find a relative of mine.”

“You have relatives in the capital?”

“It’s the master who taught me martial arts long ago. I haven’t seen him for many years, but I’ve recently heard news of him.”

During breakfast, Cui Zhiyue arrived. Her face still looked unwell even after drinking the ginseng soup. It wasn’t until she finished breakfast and was comforted by Lady Luo for a few more moments that her spirits slightly improved.

Before long, the servant who had gone to the yamen to deliver the food box to Gao Yucang returned and reported, “The master knows that the two cousin-sisters have safely arrived at the residence. He asked me to convey that he is already aware of the Cui family’s matter and will make appropriate arrangements.”

Lady Luo “hmm”-ed, and said to Cui Zhiyue, “Although your uncle is in the imperial court, he never talks much about court affairs with me, and he’s also busy. The capital has been restless recently, and he’s been staying at the yamen for the past two days. Never mind, when your cousin comes back, I’ll ask him to see if he can find a way to help.”

Upon hearing this, Cui Zhiyue turned her face away to look at a yellow wisteria tree in the courtyard: “I remember Cousin has been serving in the Hanlin Academy since he passed the imperial examination. How can there be cases at the Hanlin Academy? I... I’ve been here for a day already.”

Lady Luo smiled, “You don’t know, your cousin is no longer in the Hanlin Academy. He was promoted two months ago and was chosen by the Jingzhao Prefecture.”

As her words fell, a voice from outside called: “Young Master is back.”

As the morning light first appeared, a man strode into the courtyard. He was tall, with clear, bright eyes and eyebrows, and his dark blue official robe made him appear as tall and straight as a pine tree, his eyes slightly downcast, as if always holding a smile.

Lady Luo went to greet him, noticing the dark circles under Gao Ziyu’s eyes. “Did you not sleep all night? Perfect, breakfast was just cleared. Xishuang, have someone prepare breakfast again and bring it to the young master.”

“No need.” Gao Ziyu walked straight into the main hall. “The case at the yamen is a bit tricky; I’ll have to go back later. Zhiyun has been here for a day, so I came back to see her.”

After speaking, he looked around and saw Cui Zhiyue standing at the entrance of the hall. She was wearing an apricot-white padded jacket, and her features were even more delicate than before. Perhaps due to the shocking events at home, her face was pale, and there was still a hint of fear in her eyes, making her appear even more fragile and pitiable.

The two had been childhood sweethearts. Two years ago, after Gao Ziyu passed the imperial examination, he stayed at the Cui residence in Yuezhou for a period. After a long separation, their affection not only did not diminish but grew even stronger.

Lady Luo saw that Gao Ziyu was thinly dressed, thinking that the cloak hadn’t been delivered, and ordered a servant to fetch it. Xishuang stepped forward and curtsied: “There’s still ginseng soup simmering on the stove. Young Master has worked hard all night. This humble servant will fetch a bowl for Young Master to ward off the cold.”

She was quite clever; she brought the ginseng soup but did not personally serve it to Gao Ziyu. Instead, she handed it to Cui Zhiyue.

Lady Luo, while tying Gao Ziyu’s thin cloak, asked, “What kind of urgent case is this that you have to rush to the yamen after staying up all night?”

Gao Ziyu tidied his collar as well, “It’s not a big deal. There was a murder case near the official inn in the capital’s suburbs. I led people to investigate, and halfway through, people from the Black Eagle Division arrived...”

“Thud!”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a crisp sound. Cui Zhiyue failed to hold onto the soup bowl, and it fell to the ground, shattering.

Upon hearing Gao Ziyu’s words, she seemed terrified. If Qing Wei hadn’t helped her, she might not have been able to stand.

Lady Luo was stunned: “What’s wrong?” After a slight pause, she seemed to understand the reason and turned to blame Gao Ziyu: “Your cousin has always been timid. Since it’s a murder case, why did you explain it in detail in front of her?”

Gao Ziyu also blamed himself: “It was my oversight. Zhiyun, don’t be afraid. That inn is still a few li from the capital, and the security in the capital is still fine.”

Unfortunately, this reassurance had no effect whatsoever.

Qing Wei helped Cui Zhiyue sit on a pear wood chair in the hall. “May I ask, Young Master, the inn near the murder case you mentioned, is it the official inn at the southern official road entrance?”

Gao Ziyu nodded: “Exactly.”

Qing Wei said, “To be honest, Young Master, Zhiyun and I also stayed at that official inn.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Ziyu understood. So, Zhiyun was so scared because she had been to that inn?

However, Qing Wei’s question reminded him: Yes, wasn’t Yuan Wenguang, the murdered man, also from the direction of Yuezhou? Looking at it this way, perhaps these two cousin-sisters knew some clues.

With this thought, he said, “Cousin Qing Wei, step aside for a moment.”

He led Qing Wei under the corridor, “May I ask, Cousin, do you recognize Yuan Wenguang of the Yuan family in Yuezhou?”

“I know him. Zhiyun and I saw him a few times on our way to the capital.” Qing Wei was worried about Cui Zhiyue. When Gao Ziyu called her out, her gaze remained on Cui Zhiyue until she heard this question, then she seemed to react, “What? He’s the one who died?”

“He only had one last breath when he was found,” Gao Ziyu didn’t elaborate. After all, this was a case handled by the yamen, and it was inappropriate for him to disclose too much. Besides, the Black Eagle Division claimed to have clues about the suspect and temporarily intervened, so he didn’t know the current progress.

“Then, Cousin, do you know if Yuan Wenguang had any enemies, or if he encountered any trouble on his journey to the capital?”

Qing Wei said, “I know very little about Yuan Wenguang. Besides seeing him when we left Yuezhou city, I haven’t seen him since.”

“Then Zhiyun... did she ever encounter Yuan Wenguang on the way?”

“Probably not. Zhiyun and I were together the whole way. What I don’t know, she probably also...”

“Young Master, Madam, several imperial guards have arrived outside. They said... they want to apprehend a murder suspect hidden in our residence—”

Qing Wei hadn’t finished speaking when a servant rushed in from the front courtyard.

Lady Luo was about to accompany Cui Zhiyue to rest in the inner room when she heard this and asked in surprise, “What suspect? This is the residence of the Minister of Justice. How could there be a suspect here? Are they mistaken?”

However, as her words fell, several Black Eagle Guards, with cloud-headed swords at their waists and wearing eagle-emblazoned robes, had already rounded the screen wall and entered the courtyard.

Lady Luo even recognized the two leading them: it was Wei Jue and Zhang Luzhi, whom she had just seen yesterday.

“The night before last, I encountered the two young ladies of your residence in the suburbs of the capital, and I found them suspicious. Following the traces, I investigated and discovered that the two young ladies are actually connected to a murder case in the suburbs of the capital. The Black Eagle Division has now collected evidence and confirmed that this murder case was committed by Cui Zhiyue, who is currently residing in your residence. Therefore, we are here to summon Cui Zhiyue and Cui Qing Wei to the yamen for questioning.”

At these words, everyone in the residence looked at Cui Zhiyue.

“No, it wasn’t me.” Cui Zhiyue’s eyes were filled with terror, and she shook her head repeatedly, “I didn’t kill anyone...”

“Nonsense!” Gao Ziyu stepped in front of Cui Zhiyue, shielding her behind him, “The deceased was a seven-foot tall man. How could Zhiyun, a weak woman, kill him? Your Excellency Wei claims to have obtained evidence, but where is it?! To arrest someone in my residence without any evidence, there’s probably no such logic in the world!”

“What’s more—” Gao Ziyu flicked his sleeves, and with his hands behind his back, he said coldly, “When my Jingzhao Prefecture handles cases, it has its own procedures. If I, Gao, remember correctly, the Black Eagle Division should have another important case to handle. What? Is the Black Eagle Division idle, unable to investigate its own cases, and now interfering with my Jingzhao Prefecture’s affairs?”

His words at the end carried a sarcastic tone. Wei Jue managed to remain calm, but Zhang Luzhi, being hot-tempered, blurted out: “If Grand Master Gao wants evidence, the innkeeper, the inn’s manager, and the coachman along the way, anyone who has seen your two cousin-sisters, can provide testimony as proof. Grand Master Gao, you’re a step slow in handling cases, how can you still seem so reasonable? Furthermore, if the Black Eagle Division wants to handle this case, there’s a reason for it. The Chief Magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture has already approved it, does Grand Master Gao, a mere Administrator, still have objections?”

He smiled: “Never mind, the Black Eagle Division will try this case at the Jingzhao Prefecture. If Grand Master Gao has any doubts, you are welcome to come and listen. I’m just afraid that Grand Master Gao might understand the mysteries involved and scare himself first!”