“The fabric is from the Wen Family Textiles?” Jing Rong closed the document in his hands.
Lang Po replied, “That’s right. The fabric is from the Wens. I have investigated these two families, but did not find any other interaction at all, aside from the fabric business. Even the owner of the Si Family Silks house is unknown. All I have found is that the silk house is managed by an old man who also takes charge of receiving the goods. On top of that, the Si Family have never sold any of these fabrics to the public. They only send their goods to the Capital on the same day the disaster relief funds arrive in Yufu County, year after year. Your Highness, there must be something fishy going on.”
“This doesn't merely look suspicious.” His gaze turned serious as he continued, “What if… they are linked to the missing relief funds?”
“Then, our neighbors, the Wens, are linked with the relief funds too?”
“If what you said was true, they must be deeply involved in this.”
“Your Highness, do you want me to…” Lang Po was interrupted by a worried Jing Rong before he could finish his sentence. “Ensure you do a thorough investigation beforehand before taking action, lest you alert the snake in the grass. Tell your men to stay vigilant and discreet too.”
“Your subordinate understands.”
“Besides, the Wen family… they appear very amiable and welcoming, but their actions have also been rather strange. I doubt that they are innocent at all. If they really are involved in the disappearance of the relief funds, then this case will likely become extremely tricky to manage.” He curled his hand into a fist and a soft punch landed on the table. Then, he rose to his feet and slowly moved to stand at the door which faced the Wen Residence. Eyes narrowed, he parted his lips, “The Wen Family? The missing relief silvers? Yunshu?” His voice was so soft the words barely left his throat.
Lang Po missed Jing Rong's words. He stepped forward and asked, “Your Highness, how should we tackle this?”
Jing Rong stopped looking at the residence. His beautiful face was calm as he took a brief moment to contemplate the situation. Finally, he replied, “Send some men to keep an eye on the Si Residence. Sneak inside for a thorough search if necessary. Dig out every last detail about them and don’t leave a single stone unturned. Take particular care with those goods and try to find out if there's any hidden chamber in their residence which could possibly be hiding all those missing relief funds! In the meantime, send some men to observe the Wen Family too. If they are doing anything suspicious, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Also, go to the yamen and have Zuo Yao compile a list of all the merchants who have passed by Yufu County during the past few years. I don't believe that the relief funds could disappear into thin air.” He believed neither in supernatural phenomenon, nor that the silver could walk away on their own.
Lang Po followed Jing Rong's order and immediately sent his men to the yamen. Right after that, Jing Rong headed for Ji Yunshu’s courtyard.
Ji Yunshu had just sent Little Xiyue off. When they met, they were both equally bothered by their cases. They took their respective seats in the courtyard and sipped some tea, neither of them speaking.
After they finished the entire pot of tea, Ji Yunshu asked, “Have you gotten any leads on the case of the missing relief funds?”
Jing Rong did not answer.
“Is it very tricky?”
This time, he nodded.
“It has to be tricky, or else the officials who were previously in-charge of this case wouldn't have died.”
Jing Rong gave her a brief look before he lifted his lips into a silent curve. Then, he took on the role of an investigator and started to interrogate her, “Can you explain why these officials were killed on their way back to the capital, despite the fact that they had discovered nothing and were ready to return to the capital?”
“Hmm…” She tilted her head a little as she pondered the question. “The officials might have gotten hold of some evidence or clues without even knowing it. To prevent the leak of any information that was unfavorable to the culprits, the thieves who stole the relief funds, decided to kill these officials. Or perhaps… the killer has another motive.”
“What is the motive?”
She paused momentarily before she put on a displeased expression. “Your Highness has already deciphered the puzzle. Why are you testing me now?” I'm not sitting for the college entrance exam!
After his agenda was exposed by this woman, Jing Rong let out an awkward chuckle. However, he quickly composed himself. “I have indeed analyzed this case and figured out the killer's motive. The court officials decided to return to the capital only because they failed to discover anything. However, they disappeared when they were on their way back to the capital. What actually happened to them when they were missing? The killers could have killed them right on the spot. Why did the killers have to abduct them first? The only reason I could think of is… they were trying to turn them against the royal court.” They were just like the neo-nationalistic and protectionist youths of the modern days. [1]
But…
“Why do you think so?” Ji Yunshu asked.
“It's just my guess,” Jing Rong declared. “These men probably wanted to dig out some information from the officials. That was why they abducted the officials rather than kill them immediately. After the killers obtained what they wanted to know, they silenced them. They would still kill the officials even if they couldn't get the information. As this involves the officials of the imperial court, this must be somewhat related to the imperial court. With that, I made this bold assumption.”
Oh! Ji Yunshu had not considered the matter in such detail.
In return, Jing Rong asked Ji Yunshu, “Is there something bothering you too?”
“I'm thinking about the jade pendant.”
“Tell me about it.”
Brows furrowed, she explained, “The jade pendant was originally made as a whole. It was only split in half later. Miss Ye'er has one half with her, and she has been carrying that piece even before she gave birth to her baby. Qiao Zihua claimed that he saw her together with a man who carried a dizi. I think this man is likely the father to Ye'er's child. When Liang Da entered the room, she had just had relations with someone, which explained why she wasn't dressed properly.
“However, she neither yelled for help, nor did she cry. Instead, she focused only on interrogating Liang Da and asking him about the cats. None of her actions suggested that she had just been raped. It seems like she was in an consensual physical relationship, despite some possible reluctance. In fact, Miss Ye'er is a very vigilant lady. The only man she would be willing with, is the man who carries the jade pendant that matched hers.”
“You know who the man is, then?”
She gave it a thought before she nodded and answered, “It might be… our neighbor, the young master of the Wen family.”
“The Wen family?” It's the Wen family again?
Ji Yunshu continued, “If Young Master Wen is really the one who hit Qiao Zihua unconscious, was the matter Ye'er threatened to report to the court... linked to Young Master Wen too?” She made a guess.
After listening to Ji Yunshu's explanation, Jing Rong began to ponder upon the case as well. He lifted the teacup and put it to his mouth for a sip when suddenly, he sensed something amiss. He abruptly focused on his ears and heard a rustle from the roof.
The next moment, a silhouette fell from the roof and hit the ground violently as a loud thud echoed throughout the estate. Immediately, a fresh pool of blood formed on the floor. The man’s brains seemed to be leaking out of his skull.
Jing Rong nimbly jumped out of his chair and blocked Ji Yunshu with his body. He glared at the dead man in black lying on the ground.
“Ah!” Qiao'er was terrified by the scene. Her face turned pale and she dropped the dish in her hands, shattering it completely.
Shi Zijin took the opportunity to jump off the roof before she shot a menacing glare at the man in black she just killed. She held a long sword in her hand as blood dripped down the sharp edge of the sword and stained the floor. Under the illumination of the moonlight, the crimson was exceptionally striking.
[1] This is the exact term used. IMO its a rather random modern-day comment that doesn't really matter to the story. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenqing