Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Yu Lang pressed a hand to his chest and looked back, his face full of helpless exasperation.

“Lady Yaoguang, when are you going to break that habit of yours-refusing to use a perfectly good door and insisting on climbing through windows?”

Yaoguang glanced at him. “Personal habit. Can’t change it.”

“Besides, Lord Ren hasn’t said anything, and this is the Ministry of Justice Office.”

Yu Lang bristled at that and was just about to rise and argue with her.

But Ren Fengjue tapped his fingers against the desk. “Vice Minister Yu!”

Knowing full well that Lord Ren would take her side, Yu Lang could only sit back down in his chair and take a sullen sip of tea.

“Yaoguang, then tell us. What ‘basis’ have you uncovered this time?”

When answering Ren Fengjue, Yaoguang was clearly far more respectful. She said, “This subordinate has already questioned that steward surnamed Zhou.”

Compared with Yu Lang’s method of making open and covert inquiries, Yaoguang of the Shadow Bureau had watched every movement in Mu Manor like a shadow.

Using her peerless lightness skill, she slipped inside and discovered that ever since Madam Mu had hanged herself in prison, most of the servants in the manor had been dismissed. Only a few old servants remained to keep watch over the courtyards.

The vast estate had become lifeless and stagnant. As for the rumored “Miss Mu,” no one knew where she had gone.

After noticing something strange, Yaoguang simply seized the steward and questioned him directly.

When asked about Xia Ximo and Mu Tingting’s whereabouts, Steward Zhou did have an explanation ready.

“After Madam’s incident, the young cousin miss went to the Marquis Mansion in the Capital.”

“As for my family’s young miss… she is pitiful too.”

“She suffered from hysteria since childhood, which is why she rarely went out or received guests. That day, she went mad again and even injured the young cousin miss. After that, she disappeared.”

This explanation matched what “that person” at Renxuan Marquis Manor had said, so it could not be ruled out that they had already coordinated their stories.

Yaoguang also brought up what Yu Lang had learned from the gatekeeper.

“Someone in your household said Miss Xia ‘came back from the dead to seek revenge.’ What was that about?”

Steward Zhou seemed to shudder in fright, but he reacted very quickly.

“I suppose the gatekeeper must have said that, didn’t he?”

“His eyesight is failing, and he still can’t give up his drinking habit. He mistook my family’s young miss for Miss Xia, then made up some stories to scare people!”

“That man has always loved talking about ghosts and spirits. Tell me, how could there be ghosts in this world?”

Yaoguang asked again, “Vice Minister Mu has only one daughter. Now that she has gone missing, is he not worried?”

Steward Zhou sighed. “How could we not have looked? We searched all of Xiling County, and even the neighboring prefectures and counties too!”

“Who knows whether she is dead or alive…”

After hearing Yaoguang’s account, Yu Lang was already impatient to cut in. “As This Young Master sees it, what this Steward Zhou said is the more suspicious part, isn’t it?”

“It feels as if… the wording had been prepared in advance, just waiting for you to ask.”

Yaoguang glared at him. “How would he know I was going to ask him?”

Yu Lang smiled. “Naturally because the people here in the capital had already anticipated it…”

As he spoke, he raised his brows at Ren Fengjue. “My lord, tell me-am I right this time?”

Ren Fengjue did not answer. Instead, he rose and began pacing back and forth through the room.

Because he had practiced martial arts for many years, his figure was tall and straight. Though he was dressed in ordinary clothes, they could not conceal the imposing aura of a man in high office.

A moment later, he stopped, his expression turning cold.

“The two of you spent all these days investigating, yet you did not uncover a single thing about Xia Ximo’s past?”

Seeing that Ren Fengjue’s expression was wrong, Yu Lang immediately put away his teasing smile and said carefully, “Lord Ren, that is exactly what makes this strange. As for Miss Xia, no one in Xiling County has ever seen her, much less heard of anything she has done over the years. It is as if no such person can be found at all!”

“Even that old gatekeeper said he never saw her on ordinary days. They lived in the same manor for so many years, yet this Miss Xia never once left her rooms!”
Yu Lang continued, “Following your instructions, my lord, I also questioned every Clothing Manor, jewelry shop, and even rouge shop in Xiling County. They all said the female members of the Mu Family never came to the stores in person. Most of the time, the shopkeepers delivered their wares directly to the residence.”

“I asked one clerk who once delivered clothes to them. He said he never saw the person, but it was winter at the time, and only two sets of winter clothes were made for the young lady, both in the same measurements. He remembered it clearly and even thought there was only one young lady in the household…”

“Also, I visited all the major apothecaries. The shopkeepers said that a Household Physician from the Mu Family did indeed come every month to fill prescriptions and purchase tonics. The prescriptions were for treating madness. Though they did not know exactly who was taking the medicine, it does match rather closely with that ‘Miss Mu’ who was said to suffer from hysteria…”

At this point, Yu Lang looked up again to gauge Lord Ren’s expression, then gave a soft cough. “Time was limited. This is all I was able to find.”

Yaoguang, standing to the side, also lowered her head and reported truthfully, “Steward Zhou said that Miss Xia has always lived in Tingshui Warm Pavilion. Because her health was poor, she almost never went out.”

“I also went inside to look around. General Xia’s sword and Madam Xia’s portrait were displayed in the room. It did seem to be Miss Xia’s residence.”

Ren Fengjue’s expression paused slightly, but he asked, “The place where she lived was called Tingshui Warm Pavilion?”

“Yes.”

“Aside from General Xia and his wife’s belongings, what else was in the pavilion?”

Yaoguang thought carefully for a moment before answering, “As I recall, there were also some needlework and embroidery tools. It seems Miss Xia was skilled at such things.”

Ren Fengjue asked again, “Was there… a smell of medicine in the room?”

“Not much of one anymore.”

Yaoguang answered with certainty. “But there was a stove for decocting medicine by the entrance, and on a rack nearby were many medicines and tonics.”

“Steward Zhou said Miss Xia’s health has gradually improved over the past two years, so some medicines she used to take have slowly been stopped.”

After hearing this, Ren Fengjue’s expression eased somewhat. He pondered for a moment longer, then smiled.

“You two have worked hard. The clues you’ve found should be more or less enough.”

Both Yu Lang and Yaoguang were startled by his words, but the tension in their hearts finally loosened a little.

Yu Lang said, “Actually, whether it is true or false, the Mu Family has already hidden everything they could hide…”

“I remember something Lord Ren once said. The harder it is to find anything, the more suspicious it is…”

Ren Fengjue patted him on the shoulder and smiled. “Vice Minister Yu, this trip of yours was not wasted.”

—

Ren Fengjue returned directly to the Marquis Mansion without sending word ahead.

After entering, he learned from a young servant that the Marquis was fishing in the Rear Garden.

The Marquise, meanwhile, had already gone out with Miss Xia.

He asked, “Where did the Marquise go?”

The servant replied, “Over the past few days, people have been sending invitations one after another. After hearing that General Xia’s daughter had arrived in the capital, they all wanted to meet her. Yesterday, the Marquise took Miss Xia to the Earl of Yong’an’s residence, and early this morning, they went to Duke Du’s Mansion.”

Ren Fengjue understood at once.

She had only been here a few days, yet they were already so eager to show her face around the capital…

At this rate, tomorrow she would probably be entering the palace to meet the Empress.

He smiled, said nothing, and went straight toward the East Courtyard.

When Rong Shu, the Marquise’s personal maid, saw the Young Marquis, she was taken aback and hurried forward to ask, “Why has Young Master suddenly returned?”

“The Marquise, she…”

Ren Fengjue said plainly, “I know the Marquise has gone out. I only came to take a look. Which room is Miss Xia staying in?”

Rong Shu pointed to the east wing room beside them. “Miss Xia is staying in that wing room. It was just prepared.”

Without another word, Ren Fengjue walked straight inside.