Chapter 191
Chapter 191
That day, Yan Zhengchu packed several magical artifacts, bade farewell to his junior brothers, and descended the mountain.
The small town below had already returned to its former tranquility.
A public notice revealed that the town official, Li Cheng, had been dismissed and that his replacement had arrived in Yunxia Town that very day.
When the carriage passed the town office, Ren Fengjue deliberately lifted the curtain and glanced outside.
The doors stood open, and two new runners at the entrance looked energetic and alert.
He seemed reassured. A faint smile touched his lips, and Xia Ximo happened to notice it from beside him.
Because Minister Zhong’s disappearance was urgent, they raced north as soon as they left Yunxia Town.
Apart from stopping briefly at post stations, they hardly paused at all.
At last, they reached Beiding County as dawn was beginning to lighten the sky the following day.
Day broke late in winter, and the city gates did not open until three quarters into the hour of the Rabbit.
Although they had traveled all night, the group pressed on without rest. They asked for directions to Minister Zhong’s residence and knocked at the gate.
When the servant who opened it heard that they were visitors from the Capital, he immediately summoned Zhong Dingyan, the eldest legitimate son of the Zhong Family.
“Lord Ren!”
When Zhong Ming served in the Capital, his health had been poor, so his eldest son, Zhong Dingyan, had always attended him personally.
At the time, Ren Fengjue had just taken office as Vice Minister of Justice and needed to deal regularly with Minister Zhong. He had therefore often communicated with the young master of the Zhong Family as well.
Zhong Dingyan became even more emotional when he saw Ren Fengjue now.
“Why did you… come all this way in person?”
Ren Fengjue answered, “I happened to be in Kaiming County when I received the news, so I came by on my way.”
“Seeing you here puts my mind at ease. My father…”
The mention of his elderly father, Zhong Ming, instantly reddened Zhong Dingyan’s eyes.
But he quickly realized that his guests had traveled through the night and needed food and rest.
Without saying more, he invited them inside and had hot food served.
After traveling for half a day and the entire night, everyone was indeed hungry.
Zhong Dingyan had little appetite, but he still accompanied them and forced down a few bites.
After the meal, servants brought hot tea and pastries.
Knowing how worried Young Master Zhong was, Ren Fengjue asked directly, “What exactly happened to Minister Zhong?”
Zhong Dingyan first invited everyone to drink their tea. Then, after a soft sigh, he said, “My lord, you must know something of my father’s condition…”
“He returned to Beiding County to recuperate six months ago, but his health has never improved.”
“For the past half year, he has still needed medicine every day and has spent nearly all his time resting in bed.”
Ren Fengjue nodded.
Yan Zhengchu, who did not know the details, could not resist asking, “What illness does the minister suffer from?”
Zhong Dingyan glanced at him and answered honestly, “Medical Commissioner Jiang said that overwork damaged his foundation. He can only rest and recuperate. There is no other treatment.”
Ren Fengjue asked, “Since Minister Zhong was confined to bed, someone must have remained at his side day and night. What happened on the day he disappeared?”
“I only remember that Father was in excellent spirits when he rose that morning…”
Zhong Dingyan slowly began recalling the events of that day.
Around the hour of the Dragon, he had gone to his father’s bedchamber as usual to pay his respects.
When he arrived, a servant was washing his father’s face. Zhong Ming looked well and had eaten more breakfast than usual.
He even mentioned that he wanted steamed flatbread from the stall at the head of Zhengfu Street.
Zhong Dingyan rarely heard his father ask for anything and happily agreed at once.
But the flatbread stall did not open until dusk.
So after leaving the house, he first went to the family’s tea plantation. Once he finished his business, he bought the flatbread on his way home.
But when Zhong Dingyan returned, he found a servant rushing toward him in a panic.
The servant reported that the master had vanished.
“How could he disappear for no reason?”
Zhong Dingyan was astonished by the news. He asked the household servants, “Have you searched everywhere in the residence?”
The terrified servant trembled. “We searched everywhere, throughout the entire residence. We couldn’t… find the master!”
Zhong Dingyan panicked as well. Even the steamed flatbread in his hands seemed unbearably heavy.
“If he isn’t in the residence, search outside. Where is the steward?”
“Bring me everyone responsible for looking after the master!”
The entire household descended into chaos.
The servants responsible for attending Zhong Ming recounted in fear, “After lunch, the master could rise and walk on his own. He even went to the garden.”
“We were delighted and thought his health had begun to improve…”
“But half an hour ago, I went to the kitchen to fetch his medicine. When I came back, the master was gone!”
Zhong Dingyan wondered how far a man could possibly go in half an hour.
He questioned the gatekeeper and the other servants, but found no clues.
He immediately led a search through the residence himself, yet still found no trace.
The only suspicious detail was that someone had opened the rear gate.
But even if Zhong Ming had gone outside, why would he have left through the back?
Could a criminal have entered the residence and abducted him?
Anxious, Zhong Dingyan reported the matter to the county office and sent men to search outside.
They searched all night, practically turning the whole of Beiding County upside down, but found no trace of his father.
As Young Master Zhong remembered it, worry and anxiety mingled with confusion.
“My father had been bedridden for years. A few extra steps left him gasping for breath. I find it unlikely that he walked out on his own.”
“But if criminals did this, they must have wanted something. Yet there has been no word at all after so many days.”
Ren Fengjue thought for a moment after hearing the account, then asked, “When we entered the city, we saw a group hurrying out. Judging by their clothes, they were servants from your household, weren’t they?”
“Yes.”
Zhong Dingyan said, “Father has been missing for seven days. Every day, I still send several groups to search inside and outside the city.”
Ren Fengjue nodded. “Could you take us to the room where Minister Zhong lay ill?”
Zhong Dingyan immediately stood. “Of course. My lord, please follow me.”
The group proceeded to the bedchamber in the inner courtyard.
After entering, Ren Fengjue and Yu Lang examined the room. Then they summoned the servant who had attended Zhong Ming that day and questioned him again.
In Vice Minister Yu’s view, given the layout of the residence, it was highly unlikely that a criminal could have entered the bedchamber and successfully abducted Zhong Ming.
Guards watched both the front and rear of the courtyard, and there were few places to hide.
No matter how skilled in lightness arts, a criminal would have struggled to carry off a living person in broad daylight without being noticed.
Unless some other detail had been overlooked…
Ren Fengjue asked the servant, “Do you clearly remember what the room looked like when you first discovered Minister Zhong was missing?”
The servant looked around, then went to the door and pointed toward the arhat couch beside it. “I remember that when I entered, the master’s shoes were still beside the couch…”
“His outer robe was hanging on the rack…”
“Oh, yes. The prayer beads he always kept in hand were on that small table too…”