Lu Ying continued reading the confessions. Wang Daxia speculated that Wei Caiwei might be Second Miss He, who had lost her memory due to high fever while escaping. Someone as lazy as him became extraordinarily attentive, practically wanting to dig out his eyeballs to get a closer look.
Zhou Xiaoqi’s confession revealed that ten years ago, after the Gengxu Incident, the court held negligent officials accountable. Everyone was in danger, and Chen Qianhu was very worried about bearing responsibility, so he secretly sold all the property entrusted to him by his in-law He Qianhu, converting it into twenty thousand taels of silver to bribe Yan Shifan.
Later, Chen Qianhu indeed kept his official position without any trouble, certainly due to Yan Shifan’s secret protection.
Lu Ying circled this passage with red ink and noted it in her small book.
Wang Daxia memorized all of this.
That evening, when Lu Ying went to pay her respects to Lu Bing with her small notebook, Wang Daxia ran to Wei Caiwei to inform her, telling her everything he had seen:
“…You need to be careful. First, your suspicion hasn’t been cleared yet. Second, although Zhou Xiaoqi hasn’t had time to tell Yan Shifan about you, with Yan Shifan’s power and influence, he’ll eventually investigate you. This Yan Shifan won’t be as polite to you as Lu Bing and Lu Ying.”
Wang Daxia was so concerned about her affairs that Wei Caiwei knew he meant well, but she firmly couldn’t admit it: “I’m really not Second Miss He, but thank you anyway. I understand the situation.”
Wang Daxia said: “Your brain was damaged by fever when you were young, so naturally you don’t remember. But it’s better not to remember such tragic past events. Best if the missing Second Miss He isn’t you.”
At this moment, guards delivered dinner—three meat dishes, two vegetarian ones, plus a soup, with rice and steamed rolls as staples.
Wang Daxia wanted to stay and mooch a meal, praising: “Guest meals are different from the big pot meals I eat in the cafeteria. Even the rice is whiter. Look at this stuffed bitter melon—so much meat filling stuffed into the bitter melon, it’s about to burst. At lunch in the cafeteria, I had stir-fried bitter melon with pork strips—at least ten bitter melon strips before you could find one strip of meat.”
“Even with such bitter melon and pork strips, the cafeteria cook’s hand shook violently when serving me.”
Wang Daxia stretched out his arm, mimicking a stroke victim, imitating the cafeteria cook’s shaking while serving: “He even shook off the strip of meat from the top of the ladle!”
This made Wei Caiwei burst into laughter: “Alright, alright, I can’t finish all this by myself. If you don’t mind, stay and eat together.”
Perfect—just what I wanted.
Wang Daxia said: “Then I’ll respectfully accept rather than decline.”
The two sat facing each other as host and guest. Wei Caiwei picked up her chopsticks first, and Wang Daxia immediately followed, picking up a piece of stuffed bitter melon for his rice bowl.
Wei Caiwei raised her chopsticks but picked up an empty soup bowl, placed a steamed roll in it, then set the bowl at an empty spot beside her and placed a pair of chopsticks there.
Wang Daxia immediately felt the stuffed bitter melon wasn’t appetizing anymore. He stopped eating and said: “I already know you’re not a widow, so why are you still offering food?”
“Oh, it’s a habit,” Wei Caiwei said. “Besides, I’ll continue practicing medicine as a widow in the future, so I should continue offering food at every meal as usual. If I slip up and others discover the truth, that would be bad. I’ll continue until the three-year mourning period is complete.”
Wang Daxia pulled the bowl with the steamed roll toward himself, competing with a dead man for food.
“You—” Wei Caiwei had just thought he’d made some progress, but now he was acting foolishly again.
“I’m not eating this meal for free,” Wang Daxia said. “I’ll allow you to keep that ‘Spirit Tablet of Deceased Husband Wang Erlang’ and won’t hold it against you for using my surname and birth order. But the condition is that whenever you and I eat alone together, you’re not allowed to offer food to your non-existent deceased husband.”
Though Wang Daxia spoke about the spirit tablet, he was actually saying he was willing to accept Wei Caiwei continuing to practice medicine as a widow.
He couldn’t be worse than even that old-fashioned Lu Ying.
“Fine,” Wei Caiwei said. “That spirit tablet has been seen by both Chen Jingji and Li Jiubao. If I changed the words on it, I’d have to move the new tablet to a locked room for feng shui reasons and couldn’t brazenly display it in the main hall anymore, to avoid being exposed. Since you agree, I won’t have to go through that trouble.”
“It’s a deal—the steamed roll is mine.” Wang Daxia picked up the roll and bit off half in one bite, finishing it in two bites.
Watching Wang Daxia eat happily, Wei Caiwei thought: This guy forgets pain once the wound heals. Last night he said I hurt him and wouldn’t speak to me anymore, almost breaking off relations entirely. Today I offered him a plate of grapes and a dinner, and he’s completely turned around.
Really… so easy to coax.
Wei Caiwei picked up a clean pair of chopsticks to use as serving chopsticks and placed some sauced beef in Wang Daxia’s bowl: “I’m still taking medicine and eating lightly. You eat the meat.”
Wang Daxia ate with obvious delight.
On the other side, after Lu Ying and Lu Bing finished dinner, she extracted the key points from Zhou Xiaoqi’s confession and reported to her father.
Lu Ying said: “…I think there must have been a transaction between Vice Minister Yan and Chen Qianhu. This matter is definitely related to He Qianhu. The twenty thousand taels Chen Qianhu gave to Vice Minister Yan actually came from selling the He family’s property. So I suspect that regardless of whether Chen Dalang raped Miss He, both girls probably wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway, because they would eventually discover that Chen Qianhu had swallowed their family property.”
“Chen Qianhu’s move to buy two official slaves and keep them at a suburban manor was very clever. First, it gave him a reputation for remembering his old friendship with He Qianhu. Second, in the remote countryside with few people, with the West Three Li River right at their doorstep, creating the illusion of accidental drowning would be simple. No one would investigate deeply into the deaths of two official slaves, thus keeping the secret forever.”
Lu Bing sat in his wheelchair and said: “What you say makes sense. I didn’t expect to misjudge Chen Qianhu so badly—he was actually so vicious and inhuman. Back then, both he and He Qianhu were my former subordinates, managing intelligence summaries from various sources. When I formed the suicide squad to provide rear guard for refugees entering the city—a mission with no return that required volunteers—He Qianhu was among the first to step forward. Later, evidence of military intelligence delays was found in He Qianhu’s office. Our Embroidered Uniform Guard spies in Mongolia had already sent warnings that An Da Khan might lead troops south, but he failed to report this to me promptly. Only then did I understand that He Qianhu volunteered for the suicide squad to atone for his mistake.”
“According to military law, such a grave error warranted execution of the entire family, but considering he had already died in battle, I pleaded for mercy to have his two daughters sentenced to official slavery instead, leaving him some descendants. Plus Chen Qianhu swore earnestly he would take good care of them, so I didn’t pursue the matter further.”
Lu Ying asked her father: “Was that intelligence about delaying the report of An Da Khan’s invasion discovered by Chen Qianhu?”
Father and daughter were connected at heart—Lu Bing instantly understood his daughter’s meaning: “You mean the one who actually delayed the military intelligence was Chen Qianhu, and he found He Qianhu as a scapegoat, pinning the responsibility on him. After all, dead men can’t speak in their own defense.”
Lu Ying nodded: “I’ve been serving in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for almost a year now. Chen Qianhu was generally acceptable except for spoiling his good-for-nothing son. He didn’t seem like the kind of villain who would swallow his in-law’s property and drive Miss He to death. You really can’t judge a person’s heart by their appearance. Since he could do such unconscionable things, framing a dead man would be even easier.”
If they hadn’t dug up Miss He’s body with two lives, Lu Ying would never have guessed this connection.
Lu Bing shook his head: “I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you—it wasn’t Chen Qianhu who discovered it. It was a low-ranking soldier responsible for cleaning out He Qianhu’s office after his death to prepare it for someone else who found it.”
Lu Ying said: “Then that soldier must have taken Chen Qianhu’s silver and ‘discovered’ it deliberately. Father, who is he? Is he still working in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”
Lu Bing still shook his head: “That soldier is Wu Mask, who’s now in the warehouse—the one whose face was half-blown off because he didn’t clean his gun barrel properly. He probably didn’t take money. If he had really accepted Chen Qianhu’s bribe, he would have left long ago to enjoy life instead of wearing a mask every day to guard the warehouse for meager wages.”
This person wore a mask or half-mask year-round, so everyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard called him Wu Mask, forgetting his real name.
Lu Ying had just that morning taken Wang Daxia to “visit” Wu Mask as a reminder about daily gun barrel cleaning, showing him the consequences of laziness.
Lu Ying said: “Then Chen Qianhu must have secretly planted the intelligence in He Qianhu’s office before Wu Mask cleaned it out, waiting for it to be discovered. They were longtime friends and in-laws. After He Qianhu joined the suicide squad, he entrusted his household and property to Chen Qianhu. It would be perfectly normal for Chen Qianhu to have the key to his office.”
Lu Bing nodded: “In that case, the logic does fit perfectly. But everyone’s dead now—dead men tell no tales.”
“Not necessarily all the people who knew about it back then are dead.” Lu Ying opened her small notebook to the next page: “Why is Vice Minister Yan so concerned about Chen Qianhu’s death? He even specifically summoned Zhou Xiaoqi to ask whether Chen Qianhu had mentioned the He family before his death. I think Vice Minister Yan must know something.”
Lu Bing thought his daughter was being fanciful: “Vice Minister Yan is a very busy man. People seeking his services queue from one end of the street to the other, and even then might not get an appointment. Even I need to send a formal invitation in advance to see him. You think you can just see him whenever you want?”
Lu Ying said: “Isn’t Second Sister pregnant? I could bring some gifts to visit her at the Yan mansion, then find an opportunity to see her father-in-law. He should grant Second Sister that much face.”
Of Yan Shifan’s surviving children, there were six sons and two daughters.
His second wife, Lady Liu, was the daughter of Marquis An Yuan Liu Wangxun. She bore one son and one daughter. The son, Yan Shaoting, ranked second and was Yan Shifan’s only surviving legitimate son. Lu Ying’s second sister had married Yan Shaoting.
Yan Shaoting’s biological sister, First Miss Yan, was married to Kong Shangxian, the Duke of Yansheng, through a match personally arranged by Emperor Jiajing. Upon marriage, Miss Yan became the duchess of the Duke of Yansheng.
As long as there were scholars, the Duke of Yansheng would never fall. Even if the Ming Dynasty were to collapse someday, the Duke of Yansheng would certainly still be the Duke of Yansheng.
Precisely because of Yan Shaoting’s solid background, Lu Bing had married his second daughter to him.
With such a powerful husband and sister-in-law supporting her, Second Young Madam Yan née Lu naturally held an extraordinary position in the Yan family.
Lu Bing asked: “Even if you successfully meet Vice Minister Yan, how do you plan to broach the subject?”
Lu Ying thought for a moment and said: “I’ll take the stance of a junior showing concern for an elder, telling him that Zhou Xiaoqi made wild accusations under torture, even daring to implicate Vice Minister Yan, which is truly despicable, and that I’ve already punished him. Then I’ll observe Vice Minister Yan’s reaction and see what he says.”
Lu Bing shook his head: “No, you’re still too young and thinking about this too simply. Vice Minister Yan is known for his cunning intelligence. The moment you open your mouth, he’ll guess your intention. Not only will you alert him, but even if Vice Minister Yan maintains his dignity and doesn’t hold it against a junior like you, he and the Yan family will certainly react toward me and your sister.”
“I’m not afraid of him—we can play tai chi with words and it’ll pass. But your sister is pregnant, and a married daughter doesn’t have the same freedom as when she’s in her natal home. She’s the only legitimate daughter-in-law, the matriarch of the Yan family’s next generation, with many eyes watching her. She needs to be careful and considerate. Don’t make things difficult for her.”
Lu Bing was a loving father who had arranged everything for his daughters. All were precious to him, and even though he favored Fourth Miss Lu Ying the most, Lu Bing had to consider his other daughters’ circumstances.
This path wouldn’t work. Lu Ying wouldn’t harm her pregnant sister for the sake of the investigation. She irritably pounded the table: “Why must women marry? Once married, they lose control over themselves. Eldest Sister is the noble wife of the Duke of Chengguo’s heir, Second Sister is the Yan family matriarch, Third Sister married into Chief Minister Xu’s family—all are wealthy noble ladies that everyone envies. But none of the three sisters have been as happy after marriage as when they were unmarried daughters at home. I definitely won’t marry in the future.”
Seeing Lu Ying angry, Lu Bing quickly comforted his daughter: “Don’t be impatient. Once my health recovers, I’ll personally go see Vice Minister Yan. It’s easier when adults talk to each other. Chen Qianhu probably isn’t a big deal to him, and after all, we’re in-laws with shared interests. People naturally seek profit and avoid harm—he won’t refuse to give me face over a dead man. Be good, just be patient for now.”
Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Just as the words left his mouth, a guard outside reported: “Lord Lu! Vice Minister Yan has arrived. He went to your residence first, but you weren’t home, so he came to the office to find you.”
Lu Bing was immediately alarmed: How can I meet anyone in this condition? Especially an in-law known for his cunning intelligence?
Author’s Note:
Lu Bing: I have an extraordinary in-law.
Caiwei: Oh really? Dare to compete with the extraordinary in-laws from our big city Tieling’s Ivory Mountain?
Lu Bing: Come, in-law.
Caiwei: Please welcome Christian Liu Neng, who bullies in-laws for life, and the earth-shaking, heaven-stirring, in-law-tormenting Guangkun Xie.
Yan Shifan: Sorry for disturbing you. I surrender.