The servant hobbled slowly down the stairs, looking aloof and grim. Ji Yunshu then turned her gaze away.
Shui Lian caressed the cat in her arms, soothing its hurts. She walked toward Yanniang and protested, “Yanniang, that cripple constantly bullies our cat. Why do you still allow him to stay here? Hurry up and kick him out of this place!” She seemed displeased with the servant’s presence.
Eyes narrowed, Yanniang threw a glance at the cripple as she waved her fan. “He’s just a cripple. Why are you making such a fuss?”
“I'm not making a fuss. However, none of us ladies here are happy with his presence.”
“Just look at how pitiable he is. Not only his legs are crippled, but his arms have also been fractured. If I am to kick him out now, he will probably die on the street,” Yanniang continued, “I, Yanniang, am famous for being one of the kindest people in Yufu. I'm not one who would jeopardize one's life.” Her last sentence seemed to be meant for Ji Yunshu.
Fine, I know you're a kind person! Therefore, all ladies who work for you must be kind too!
Upset, Shui Lian spun around as she whined, “That annoying cripple. Even if he didn’t die on the street, he would die here sooner or later. Such rotten luck!” She walked off grumpily.
Yanniang immediately tried to smooth things over. “Teacher Ji, please don't mind her.”
“Of course I won’t.” She flashed a faint smile before she added, “But who's that man from earlier? Why do all the ladies here hate him?”
“They don't just hate him; they loathe him.”
"Oh? But why?”
Yanniang heaved a sigh. “His name is Liang Da. He used to be quite a decent and good-looking man. However, things changed when his wife ran away with her lover. On top of that, one of his legs was crippled. Since then, he has turned into a completely different person. I felt sorry for him, so I kept him around as an odd-job runner. He also helps in the backyard kitchen. Whenever there are guests, the ladies will leave the cats in the backyard. However, Liang Da hates cats, and always pinches the cats. As time went by, the ladies grew to dislike him. They often come to me to whine about it.”
Ji Yunshu asked, “Why does he hate cats?”
“Teacher Ji must not have heard about this then. A few years ago when he was working in the kitchen, a cat knocked over the candle holder and burned down the place. His hands and face were seared. From that day onwards, he has hated cats. All in all, God has been very unfair to him.” Sympathising with Liang Da, she let out a heavy sigh.
Although Ji Yunshu took pity on the man as well, she did not forget her duty. She walked around the room before she asked Yanniang again, “Did Miss Ye’er have a close relationship with any man before her passing?”
“I… don't think so.” Yanniang briefly pondered upon the question before she shook her head. “Ye'er had very high standards. She was never interested in any of the wealthy young men and I have never seen her getting intimate with any man at all. Moreover, she was a very private person, and would never reveal her personal life to us. She got upset easily whenever we got nosy.” Yanniang was very truthful as she told Ji Yunshu everything she knew about Ye'er. After she finally sent Ji Yunshu off, she heaved a sigh of relief.
At Anchang Courtyard, Jing Rong had spent his entire day reading the documents from the relay station.
He read through the thick books meticulously, and by the end, felt as if he was about to go blind from the densely-packed pages. Luckily, he had a photographic memory from young, thereby sparing him the need for any paper and ink to take notes.
All that while, Lang Po stood by his side quietly, occasionally ordering the maids to send some hot tea. No one knew how long Jing Rong had been reading. His dedication to his job was almost as great as that of Ji Yunshu as he continued to work around the clock.
After the sun set, he finally closed the books. He took a sip of the tea, allowing his brain to take a break.
Lang Po approached him. “Your Highness, have you found anything?”
Jing Rong answered, “The relief silver would arrive at Yufu on the Fourth of September every year. There were a lot of goods transiting at Yufu that day. Even at night, countless goods constantly arrived and departed from all over.”
“Do you think someone might have taken this opportunity and swapped the trunks?” He took a bold guess.
Jing Rong shook his head. “I don't think it's possible. The relief silver was placed in a solitary warehouse, secured by the concrete walls. Not only that, a man was constantly guarding the warehouse, making it very difficult to break into the place, let alone smuggle the silver out.”
Unless the culprit had the transformation ability of Sun Wukong, it was impossible to steal anything from the warehouse.
He took a moment to ponder the question before he told Lang Po, “Bring me a piece of paper.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Lang Po promptly brought paper and ink over.
Jing Rong wrote down the names of a few businessmen on the paper according to what he had read.
Among these names, there were the Zhengs from Nanji who sent salt to the Capital, the Lius from Shang City who sent gemstones to Shuiwu in the South, the Lus of Lianzhou who delivered superior sandalwood to Yuzhou City, and last but not least, the Sis who transported fabrics directly from Yufu County to the Capital.
He handed the paper to Lang Po and said, “These are the merchants who transported their goods out of the relay station the day the relief silver arrived at the station. They are also the only four merchants whose goods arrive at Yufu on the same day as the relief silver, year after year. Investigate their backgrounds. I want to know if there is anything suspicious about them. If you discover anything amiss, report to me immediately.”
Lang Po read the paper and nodded.
Jing Rong took a deep breath before he looked out of the window. “Is Teacher Ji back yet?”
“Yes, she came back a while ago.”
Jing Rong rose to his feet as he told Lang Po, “Bring my dinner to Teacher Ji’s place. I'll have my dinner with her.”
“Sure, Your Highness.”
“Tell the kitchen to prepare a few dishes that Teacher Ji likes.”
“Yes.”
Jing Rong then strode out of the room.
At that moment, Ji Yunshu had just returned from Zhichun Court. She took a seat at the courtyard as she studied the broken piece she took from the corner of the screen. With her hand, she repeatedly felt the prickly part of the piece.
This must be a mark left when it was dropped on the floor. Then… what about the three claw marks?
It definitely looks like it was scratched by something sharp, but it doesn't seem like marks left by a human's fingernails. If Ye'er was scratched by something when she died, judging from the situation, could the culprit be the cat which had been choked to death?
As she was lost in thought, Jing Rong arrived at the courtyard, quickly followed by the dishes.
“Are you here for free food?” That was Ji Yunshu's first thought.
Jing Rong rolled his eyes at Ji Yunshu’s disparaging comment as he gazed at the dishes he brought along. He lifted his chin as if he was emphasizing his statement. “I'm here to bring more dishes for you.” Then, acting like the host of the house, he took a seat. Ji Yunshu didn’t rebuke him.
After he took a seat, he saw the piece in Ji Yunshu's hand, and asked, “This is what you got at Zhichun Court today? Is this a clue?”
“It might be.” She dared not make a definite statement.
Jing Rong responded, “Anyway, put this down and have your dinner first. Look at how skinny you are. It makes you look dull.”
You're the skinny one! I have a slender figure!