Shi Ting had someone fetch a flashlight and shone it into the keyhole of the front door. He then used a thin iron wire to pick out a few white granules from inside.
“What is this?” Wen Xu asked, puzzled.
“Plaster,” Shi Ting said. “A highly skilled locksmith can insert soft plaster into a keyhole and mold it into the shape of the key.”
“I recall that Bai Jin could do that,” said Yan Qing, remembering. “He specializes in trace evidence — picking locks is child’s play for him.”
Shi Ting nodded. “This type of door lock is very common, and making a copy of the key to open it isn’t difficult. However, the keyhole on that glass case is extremely unusual — it’s impossible to make a copy of the key from plaster.”
“But even just this alone isn’t enough to prove it was Xiangrong who did it — anyone could have found a skilled locksmith.” Mo Yunhua hurriedly spoke up in her brother’s defense.
Shi Ting handed the iron wire to Jin Shan. “The reason I concluded that it was an inside job comes down to three points. First, only someone who had toured this collection room would know that the most valuable items here are that box of cigars and the pipe tobacco. Second, only a person familiar to the household could take advantage of having access to the collection room to tamper with the glass case and cause it to ignite on its own. Third, the key to open the glass case exists only in the hands of whoever made it. The maker could not have toured this collection room, nor would they have had any opportunity to tamper with the old glass case — so only the person who served as the go-between possesses all the necessary conditions.”
Hearing Shi Ting lay it out like this, Wen Xu’s expression darkened like stormclouds. He turned to stare at Mo Yunhua. “Go get that unruly brother of yours right now. If my collection is still undamaged, I’ll let him off for now — but if there’s so much as a scratch on any of it, just watch how I deal with him.”
Mo Yunhua had already been frightened out of her wits. Everyone in the Wen household knew what the master cherished most — over these collections, he would fall out with her without the slightest hesitation.
“I’ll go call him right now.” Mo Yunhua wiped the sweat from her forehead. “He must have had too much to drink and not yet gotten up.”
Watching Mo Yunhua hurry away with her maid, Wen Xu still felt his emotions swirling. Wen Yan at his side quickly took his arm and sat him down, soothing him in a gentle voice.
Once Wen Xu had finally calmed down, Wen Yan asked curiously, “If it really was that scoundrel Mo Xiangrong who did it, what method did he use to make the glass case catch fire on its own?”
Shi Ting said, “I just examined the location of that glass case. At noon, sunlight passes directly through the small skylight above and falls right onto it. All that was needed was to coat the outside of the glass case with a small amount of white phosphorus powder. White phosphorus ignites at only forty degrees Celsius, and the temperature of direct sunlight passing through glass is more than enough to set it alight. Applying only a small quantity of white phosphorus would not burn the glass case or damage anything inside it. Mo Xiangrong’s intention was simply to make Uncle replace the glass case so he could take advantage of that opportunity to steal a key. And today, with the household full of guests and everything in disarray, it was a perfect opportunity for him to make his move.”
“No wonder he only turned up to the banquet midway through — he had gone off to steal the collection,” Yan Qing said, recalling Mo Xiangrong’s furtive manner at the time, as well as Mo Yunhua’s panicked expression.
She even suspected that Mo Yunhua had known about this matter all along. But a woman of her character could neither talk her brother out of it nor do anything but stand by and let it happen.
“Uncle, you’d best send someone yourself,” Yan Qing suggested.
Knowing Mo Yunhua’s temperament, there was a good chance she would quietly let Mo Xiangrong slip away.
“What an outrage,” Wen Xu said, furious. “My Wen household has been keeping him, feeding and providing for him handsomely — and it turns out we’ve been nurturing an ungrateful wretch.”
As he spoke, Wen Xu stood up. “I want to see for myself just where that scoundrel has put my treasures. If there is the slightest damage to them, I will skin him alive.”
Mo Xiangrong had been living in a side courtyard of the Wen Mansion. He didn’t stay there every day, however — as Wen Yan had said, this man was thoroughly dissolute, spending his days drinking, gambling, and visiting houses of pleasure. When he did come back, it was invariably because he had gambled away all his money or gotten himself into some trouble.
The moment the group arrived at the side courtyard, Mo Yunhua came rushing out. Seeing the infuriated Master Wen, she hurried forward in tears. “Master, Xiangrong is not in the courtyard.”
Wen Xu, still seething, was in no mood to believe her. He shoved her aside and, with his attendant Tongshun, entered the side courtyard himself.
Tongshun searched the courtyard inside and out, then shook his head at Wen Xu: “The young master-in-law is truly not here.”
“That scoundrel — he must have taken the things out to sell them,” Wen Xu said, stamping his foot in anger. “He must have racked up gambling debts again. When he couldn’t get money any other way, he came up with a crooked scheme. If he’s sold my tobacco today, I’ll drive him out of Tai Shan and make sure he never dares come back.”
Seeing that Master Wen was truly enraged, Mo Yunhua dared not beg for mercy at this moment, and could only dispatch the servants around her to go and search for him outside the compound.
Mo Xiangrong’s usual haunts were just a handful of places — Wen Xu was not worried about being unable to find him.
As the sky grew darker, Wen Yan and Yan Qing persuaded Wen Xu to go back inside. Mo Yunhua seized the opportunity to accompany him and make amends.
As Shi Ting escorted Yan Qing back, she glanced at the cloak he was wearing, then looked back to see Jing Zhi and Jin Shan lagging some distance behind. So she said, “A certain someone needn’t go through the trouble of staging another scheme tonight.”
Shi Ting raised an eyebrow. “Does this mean I’m permitted to enter through the front door openly and above board?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Yan Qing said with a huff — and then she laughed.
She understood him better than anyone. Even without any scheme, he would find some other way. Better to let him do as he pleased, rather than let him run himself ragged — and in this frozen winter weather, that was no laughing matter.
“I heard Jin Shan say that the ice on the sea has frozen over quite solidly — you can drill holes in it to fish,” Shi Ting said, watching the expression on her face. “If you’re interested, I’ll have him make arrangements.”
“Drilling holes — do you mean cutting a hole in the ice?”
“Yes.”
Yan Qing’s interest was immediately piqued. “Since we came to Tai Shan to enjoy ourselves, that does sound like a good idea. I’m just not sure whether you can actually catch fish through a hole like that.”
“Whether or not we catch fish is beside the point — as long as the experience is enjoyable,” Shi Ting said, walking her all the way back to the courtyard. “Then I’ll have Jin Shan get things ready.”
“Alright.”
Shi Ting took advantage of the moment before Jing Zhi and the others arrived, bending down to press a kiss to her forehead. “Wait for me tonight.”
No one could say precisely when it had started, but that window had become his main thoroughfare in and out.
Yan Qing had just finished washing up and was reaching for a book to read when she heard someone tapping at the window frame outside.
She wheeled herself over to the window and unlatched the bolt from the inside.
She pushed the window open to find Shi Ting standing outside. This time he had on a thick outer coat and looked far less slight and thin.
“Come in quickly,” Yan Qing said.
Yet Shi Ting stood there without moving, and instead reached out to gently pinch her cheek. “I have some business to take care of — I’m going out.”
“Going out this late?” Yan Qing instinctively glanced at the wall clock. It wasn’t all that late, actually — just past eight.
She looked over his clothing again. “Since you’re going out, put on another layer. It’s snowed, and the roads are slippery too — be careful.”
“I will.” Shi Ting leaned in, and a burning kiss fell on her lips. He lingered in a slow, savoring caress before finally pulling away with reluctance. “Go to bed early.”
Yan Qing watched him turn away and pull up the hood of his cloak, disappearing quickly into the snowy night. On the open snowy ground, he left only a line of neat footprints, unusually clear in the moonlight.
She knew that Shi Ting had come to Tai Shan partly to accompany her, and partly because he had other important matters to attend to.
Yan Qing returned to bed and pulled out a book at random from the pile. All of these had been brought over by Wen Yan’s maids — a motley assortment of whatever they could find.
The one Yan Qing picked up was an old almanac of Tai Shan, recording the local customs, culture, and economic conditions of Tai Shan County.
What she read came as quite a shock. She had always thought of Tai Shan as a place of exceptional natural beauty and prosperity — but she had not realized it was also a military stronghold.
If Bei Di were compared to a gourd, then Tai Shan was the mouth of the gourd — what strategic writings described as a critical stronghold every army would fight to control.
Because of its strategic position, the Commander had always stationed a heavy garrison here. Whether Shi Ting’s visit this time was related to this matter, she could not say.
As it turned out, Shi Ting had indeed come about the troop deployment.
The officer in charge of garrisoning Tai Shan County was Li Yongqi. Li Yongqi was one of the Commander’s most capable generals. His forces, known as the Li Family Army, had earned many battle honors in the warlord conflicts and had long been held in high esteem by the Commander.
The Commander had sent him to guard the strategic stronghold of Tai Shan out of trust in him.
After Li Yongqi came to Tai Shan, his family had moved with him, and the whole household lived in a compound at the outskirts of Tai Shan.
By now the sky had gone dark. The great front door of the Li Mansion slowly and quietly swung open, and two figures strode briskly inside.
The lead figure was a young man in a black cloak, carrying an air of formidable presence.
Li Yongqi himself walked out of the main hall to receive the guest into the sitting room.
Li Yongqi shook Shi Ting’s hand. “Seventh Young Master has come such a long way — I have not gone out to meet you properly; forgive me.”
Shi Ting replied, “Commander Li is too kind.”
The two sat down. A servant brought freshly brewed tea.
Li Yongqi was in his forties now, the age of one who knows his mind. He had a son and a daughter. His son held a post in the Li Family Army — though merely an honorary title. His daughter was studying at Shun Cheng University and rarely came home.
The Commander had long wished for his eldest son, Shi Qian, to marry this Li daughter. But Shi Qian was extremely stubborn and had never agreed. The Commander, knowing his temperament, had not pressed the matter.
Fortunately, the Li Family Army remained wholeheartedly loyal to the Commander. Even without the families being joined by marriage, the Commander’s trust in them was unaffected.
Shi Ting handed Li Yongqi the Commander’s handwritten letter.
After Li Yongqi read it, he carefully put it away and said with a smile, “The Commander holds me in high regard — every time there is correspondence between us, he sends a dedicated courier. I never expected that this time he would have Seventh Young Master make the trip in person. I am deeply honored.”
“Commander Li is too polite.”
“I’ve heard that the Military Police Division has cracked many remarkable cases and has an excellent reputation among the people. Seventh Young Master is truly outstanding for one so young.” Li Yongqi sighed, as though with a trace of regret. “What a pity — I had intended to introduce my daughter to Seventh Young Master, but I hear he is already engaged. I can only extend my congratulations.”