Chapter 129
Chapter 129
Wen’an was not at all surprised by the Marquis’s answer.
When the Marquis was busy, no one was allowed to disturb him.
Wen’an went back and relayed the message, but Shen Changling had only managed to catch the Marquis after much difficulty. How could he give up so easily? He said that men from the Military Patrol Office had accepted bribes and neglected their duties. He knew Fifth Uncle had always despised corruption among his subordinates and would certainly intervene.
Wen’an immediately asked, “Does the Third Master have evidence?”
Shen Changling replied, “Of course I do.”
Then he added, “This concerns Miss Ji. Didn’t Fifth Uncle know her before? Something happened to her shop.”
Wen’an’s heart skipped a beat at those words. Without waiting for Shen Changling to say anything more, he turned and hurried back inside to report again.
Mindful that the Marquis disliked being disturbed while he was working, Wen’an quickly repeated everything Shen Changling had just told him.
Sure enough, the Marquis’s hand stilled when he heard the report. Wen’an secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he heard the Marquis’s deep voice. “Bring him in.”
Wen’an knew that whenever Miss Ji was involved, the Marquis would make time no matter how busy he was.
He answered at once and hurried out.
When Shen Changling entered, he saw Fifth Uncle still sitting sternly behind a desk piled high with official documents. His nerves immediately tightened.
Fifth Uncle had an innately noble bearing and always presented a grave, upright appearance. He was meticulous and unsmiling in public, and he had never been particularly close to either his peers or the younger members of the household. There was an aloofness about him that made him seem both distant and elusive.
On second thought, Shen Changling supposed it made sense. Those of Fifth Uncle’s generation were even older than his own father, while among the younger generation, Fifth Uncle was their elder. How could anyone possibly grow close to him?
Besides, Fifth Uncle was reserved by nature, and all the younger members of the household were afraid of him. Even Shen Changling, who was usually rather careless about etiquette, unconsciously straightened up the moment he stood in Fifth Uncle’s study. He did not dare show the slightest trace of his usual casualness and greeted him with perfect decorum. “Fifth Uncle.”
Shen Si glanced at Shen Changling before saying with apparent casualness, “Explain everything clearly.”
Shen Changling knew what Fifth Uncle meant and quickly recounted what had happened to Ji Hanyi. He then said, “The Military Patrol Office clearly neglected its duties. Those two thugs were arrested and caned, but are they simply going to ignore whoever ordered them to do it? What if that person sends someone to splash filth over her shop again?”
“Cousin Yi has already divorced and left the Xie Family. She’s counting on the shop’s business to make a living. Besides, I can’t stand by and watch Cousin Yi be bullied like this. The culprit must be properly punished.”
It was Cousin Yi this and Cousin Yi that, as though Shen Changling already regarded Ji Hanyi as someone close to him. His face was full of righteous indignation on her behalf.
Shen Si silently studied Shen Changling’s expression. A dark shadow surfaced in his black eyes, and he pursed his lips. “Cousin Yi?”
Shen Changling scratched his head in embarrassment. “That’s what I called her when we were children. Calling her Cousin Yi now sounds pleasant and familiar.”
Shen Si gave a cold laugh. “You’re still as thoughtless as ever. What standing do you have to address her so intimately? She has only just divorced. Don’t cause her unnecessary trouble simply because of what you call her.”
Shen Changling froze at the reprimand. He had not expected to be scolded merely over a form of address, so he quickly nodded obediently. “You’re right, Fifth Uncle. I won’t call her that again.”
Then he looked at Fifth Uncle again. “But please, Fifth Uncle, you must help Miss Ji with this. I used to bully her when we were children. Now that something like this has happened to her, I can’t just ignore it.”
As he spoke, he presented the written complaint to Shen Si. “Take a look, Fifth Uncle. Miss Ji wrote this herself.”
Shen Si glanced at the document Shen Changling held out. He set down his brush and accepted it.
The handwriting on the complaint was elegant, and every argument was presented clearly and logically. All the suspicious points, evidence, and deductions were explained in detail. If the Military Patrol Office received such a well-organized complaint, with reasonable grounds for every point of suspicion, it should indeed accept the case and investigate further.
The Military Patrol Office had truly failed in its duty this time.
Shen Si placed the complaint on the desk, leaned back in his chair, and asked Shen Changling, “Did she tell you this herself?”
Shen Changling was a little surprised that Fifth Uncle would ask about such an insignificant detail, but he still nodded and answered properly. “I happened to run into Miss Ji today. I heard it from her.”
Then he added, “With tears in her eyes, Miss Ji poured out her grievances to me. She said the Military Patrol Office had gone too far, that the person behind it harbored malicious intentions, and she begged me to help her.”
“Fifth Uncle, we can’t let this matter end here.”
Shen Changling had deliberately made the situation sound more serious and exaggerated Ji Hanyi’s reaction, all so he could make his plea more forcefully and persuade Fifth Uncle to agree.
But when he finished speaking and looked up, he found Fifth Uncle’s face frighteningly dark. Shen Changling was so startled that he instinctively took a step back.
He could not recall saying anything wrong. Why had Fifth Uncle suddenly become even more terrifying?
Still, he had to get this matter properly resolved for Ji Hanyi. Summoning his courage, he asked cautiously, “Fifth Uncle, will you intervene or not?”
If Fifth Uncle refused, he would simply have someone abduct those two thugs himself.
Shen Si glanced at Shen Changling and replied coldly with a single word. “Yes.”
That one word was exactly what Shen Changling had been waiting for. His face immediately lit up, and he hurriedly gave Fifth Uncle a deep, formal bow.
Just as Shen Changling was about to turn and leave, Fifth Uncle’s cool, indifferent voice stopped him again.
He looked back and saw Fifth Uncle lower his gaze to the documents on the desk once more. With his head bowed, his expression gave nothing away. Then he asked casually, as though the question had merely occurred to him, “When did you start associating with her?”
Shen Changling’s mind went blank for a moment. Was Fifth Uncle asking when he had begun seeing Ji Hanyi?
He couldn’t understand why Fifth Uncle would care about such things. Then again, Fifth Uncle had always been meticulous. Perhaps he simply wanted the details.
Shen Changling answered, “I met her the last time Miss Ji came with Madam Gu. We hit it off immediately, so we stayed in contact.”
Of course, Shen Changling was the one who believed they had hit it off.
The thought that he might see Ji Hanyi again after helping her resolve this matter sent another surge of delight through him.
A cold curve pressed against Shen Si’s lips. He waved a hand without another word, dismissing Shen Changling.
Shen Changling hurriedly withdrew, the tension in his chest finally easing.
He might have breathed a sigh of relief, but Wen’an had truly broken into a cold sweat on Third Young Master’s behalf. He cautiously glanced at Shen Si’s expression.
His face was darker than the bottom of a pot, yet Third Young Master had failed to notice a thing.
Shen Si looked at Wen’an standing beside him, his expression still perfectly composed. “Send someone to summon the Commander of the Southern City Military Patrol Office.”
Hearing this, Wen’an knew his master intended to investigate the matter. He promptly acknowledged the order and left.
Once Wen’an withdrew, Shen Si was alone in the study.
He looked at the inkstone resting on the desk. Ji Hanyi had given it to him. After receiving it from her, he had put away the Jade Mountain Inkstone he used to favor.
It wasn’t a particularly fine inkstone, but it was the only thing she had ever given him.
Shen Si rested his fingertips on it, a self-mocking sneer curling at his lips.
She would rather beg Shen Changling, who had once bullied her, than say a single word to him.
If she had asked him, would he have refused to help her?
Or was she avoiding him now because of the painting he had given her? Because he had revealed his feelings, had she decided to hide from him?
Then he remembered the way Ji Hanyi had tearfully pleaded with Shen Changling. With those soft eyes of hers, who could possibly see her like that and not relent?
A wave of pent-up frustration rose within him. Shen Si, who had always been exceptionally skilled at controlling his emotions, swept the blue-and-white porcelain tea set beside him onto the floor.
Wen’an had only just stepped over the threshold when he heard the crash inside. He nearly fell over in fright, then scrambled away as fast as he could, praying he wouldn’t be caught in the fallout.
Meanwhile, Ji Hanyi remained at the shop and calculated the compensation with Shopkeeper Ming. There were eight paintings in all, worth more than a hundred taels of silver altogether. The loss made her heart ache.
But they could not simply accept the loss and leave matters at that.
Ji Hanyi had Shopkeeper Ming draw up an itemized list of damages. Since Shen Changling was willing to speak on her behalf, it would be all the better if Shen Si could help as well.
The people at the Military Patrol Office would no longer be able to brush them off so easily. The matter would most likely have to be argued in court, in which case she deserved compensation for her losses.
If Shen Si truly put in a word with the Military Patrol Office, Ji Hanyi would feel completely reassured.
Since Shopkeeper Ming would probably have to visit the Military Patrol Office again, Ji Hanyi carefully went over several more details with him. She also instructed him to prepare the evidence: the credit previously owed at the restaurant, when it had been paid off, and when the suspect had started buying things they could never afford before.
Shopkeeper Ming had sent people to follow the suspect over the past two days, so he knew these details very well. He nodded repeatedly as Ji Hanyi spoke.
He had already made two trips to the Military Patrol Office over this matter and now had some experience dealing with them. Patting his chest, he assured her, “Don’t worry, Miss. I know what to say.”
Shopkeeper Ming was the manager her maternal grandmother had entrusted to her along with the shop. He had watched Ji Hanyi run the business all this time, so she trusted him.
Still worried about her mother’s illness, Ji Hanyi did not stay long before returning home.
By the time she arrived, it was time for the midday meal. Ji Hanyi first washed her hands, then entered the inner room to see her mother.
Madam Gu was still propped up on the bed. Chunju sat beside her holding a bowl of pigeon soup and coaxing her to take a sip.
But Madam Gu’s face was pale. She stared blankly into the distance without moving at all.
That morning, Ji Hanyi had asked Rongchun to give the kitchen some silver and send someone out to buy pigeons to make soup for her mother. Imperial Physician Chen’s prescription called for one bowl of pigeon soup each day to replenish her vitality, so Ji Hanyi had instructed the kitchen to buy several birds.
Madam Gu remained lost in a daze, completely unresponsive to Chunju’s voice. She did not even notice Ji Hanyi enter the room.
Only when Ji Hanyi called out to her did she slowly turn and look over.
Ji Hanyi took the bowl of pigeon soup from Chunju. Chunju promptly gave up her seat and moved to stand to one side.
Sitting down beside the bed, Ji Hanyi looked at Madam Gu. “Mother, drink the soup first.”
Madam Gu looked at Ji Hanyi and shook her head. “I can’t eat.”
Ji Hanyi fell silent for a moment. “At least have a few spoonfuls. How else will you recover?”
Madam Gu’s watery eyes suddenly filled with sorrow as she looked at Ji Hanyi. “Am I only a burden to you now? Wouldn’t it be better if someone in my condition died sooner?”
Ji Hanyi’s fingers went still.
She looked her mother in the eyes. “Mother, have you forgotten what I told you before?”