Having lived two lives, Dou Zhao understood that some things could only be proven with time.
She assigned Ruozhu to keep an eye on this matter.
Because Chen Jia had returned.
Although his clothes were neat, his brow betrayed his exhaustion.
After paying his respects to Dou Zhao, he said in a low voice: “The man Miss Yigui married is surnamed Wei, given name Quan, courtesy name Bairui, eight years older than Miss Yigui. He’s from Jiangxi. His father once served as the deputy magistrate in Qingyuan County but died early, leaving no property. They relied on his elder sister, who had married a private tutor, to get by. When he was fifteen, his sister passed away, and after an argument with his brother-in-law, he was driven out. With no hope for a scholarly career and no possessions, he became a retainer for He Qingyuan, a local gentry in Qingyuan County.”
“He Qingyuan has a son named He Hao, who came to the capital two years ago for the provincial examinations. Wei Quan and a steward from the He family were ordered to make arrangements along the way. He Hao rented a courtyard not far from Shuzitou Alley in Xiemao Alley. Somehow, Wei Quan got acquainted with Madam Li and tricked Li Liang into marrying Yigui to him.”
Dou Zhao was stunned and said, “So you’re saying that Wei Quan has no relation to the Li family at all, just a freeloader living off others?”
“Although he has no relation to the Li family, the man does have some skills,” Chen Jia said diplomatically. “Initially, Li Liang went to Qingyuan County to inquire about him. In the past few years, following He Qingyuan, he not only earned a small house of half an acre but also acquired over ten acres of farmland in the countryside. Moreover, he’s quite handsome and conducts himself generously. When Wei’s father was the deputy magistrate in Qingyuan County, he made many good connections, so Wei has a decent reputation in Qingyuan.”
Dou Zhao frowned and asked, “If that’s the case, why were Li Liang and Madam Li arguing?”
Chen Jia coughed lightly, then lowered his voice and said, “After Miss Yigui married Wei Quan, they were quite harmonious. However, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month this year, during the Lantern Festival, Wei Quan took Miss Yigui out to enjoy the lanterns, and Miss Yigui suddenly went missing…”
Dou Zhao was shocked and asked, “How could she go missing? Did the Wei family report it to the authorities? What did the officials say?”
Chen Jia hadn’t expected Dou Zhao to be so agitated and quickly said, “Please calm down, Madam. I’ve already arranged for Miss Yigui to stay at Longfu Temple, not far from here. If you want to see her, I can have her brought into the mansion discreetly at any time.”
Hearing the hidden meaning in his words, Dou Zhao’s expression turned serious. She asked solemnly, “What exactly happened? Don’t hide anything, tell me in detail.”
Chen Jia bowed and responded, “Yes,” then continued, “As Wei Quan is a retainer of the He family, he naturally wanted to please He Hao. Over time, he became involved with He Hao. Even after Wei Quan’s marriage, He Hao continued to frequent the Wei household. Miss Yigui’s beauty caught He Hao’s eye, and he developed ulterior motives.”
“He first tried to win over Miss Yigui, but after being rejected, he turned his attention to Wei Quan.”
“Although Wei Quan was not particular about morals, he was still unwilling to simply hand over his wife.”
“He Hao then promised him many benefits, not only transferring a hundred acres of good farmland under his name to Wei Quan but also redeeming Wei Quan’s former lover and giving her to him. With that lover whispering in Wei Quan’s ear, he quickly changed his mind.”
“On the day of the Lantern Festival, under the pretext of taking Miss Yigui to see the lanterns in Baoding Prefecture, he brought her to a pre-arranged location and handed her over to He Hao. He then falsely claimed that Miss Yigui had gone missing and even reported it to the authorities in both Baoding and Qingyuan…”
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but curse, “Beast!”
Given the differences between men and women, Chen Jia felt somewhat awkward discussing these matters with Dou Zhao.
He lowered his head and took a sip of tea before continuing, “He Hao is married to his aunt’s daughter, and his aunt’s family provided a substantial dowry. He Hao’s wife has also given him two sons, so he didn’t dare bring Miss Yigui back home. Instead, he kept her in the He family’s residence in Baoding Prefecture.”
“At first, Miss Yigui was ready to die rather than submit. Later, when she learned that Wei Quan had handed her over to He Hao, and after He Hao forced himself on her, she began to refuse food and drink.”
“He Hao then stayed in Baoding Prefecture, attending to her daily.”
“As time passed, He Qingyuan became suspicious.”
“At first, he thought his son was keeping a mistress outside and tried to catch him in the act, hiding it from the family.”
“When he saw Miss Yigui, he developed his wicked intentions and took her from his son.”
“He Hao was dissatisfied and revealed the matter to his mother.”
“Mrs. He took advantage of He Qingyuan’s absence to have Wei Quan write a wife-selling contract. She then secretly had people kidnap Miss Yigui and sold her to a traveling merchant passing through Baoding.”
“Miss Yigui refused to comply and attempted to hang herself at the inn. Fortunately, I had tracked her down. Through a combination of threats and persuasion, I gave the merchant thirty taels of silver to buy Miss Yigui and secretly brought her back to the capital.”
Chen Jia paused, observing Dou Zhao’s expression: “Not knowing how Madam planned to arrange for Miss Yigui, I didn’t dare bring her here rashly…”
Dou Zhao’s face flushed with anger, but she also didn’t know how to properly arrange for this young girl called Yigui.
If she didn’t take her in, the girl would have nowhere to go.
If she did take her in, the girl’s birth mother and maternal uncle were still alive.
Dou Zhao asked, “Is the young girl very beautiful?”
“Very beautiful,” Chen Jia said, recalling that face as pale as rain-beaten pear blossoms yet movingly melancholic. He couldn’t help but add, “To my eyes, she bears some resemblance to the Young Master.”
Dou Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, and she asked gravely, “Are you certain?”
Chen Jia nodded solemnly and said, “If Madam doesn’t believe me, I can bring her out someday for Madam to see discreetly.”
Dou Zhao naturally trusted Chen Jia’s judgment.
She suddenly felt that this matter was beyond what she could handle alone.
After some thought, Dou Zhao said to Chen Jia, “You may go back for now. Assign someone to watch over the young girl carefully, ensuring nothing goes wrong. As for this matter, I’ll discuss it with the Young Master before making any decisions.”
Chen Jia guessed that Yigui was Song Mo’s half-sister. He dared not ask more, respectfully acknowledged the order, and withdrew.
Huzi, who had been waiting at the door, immediately approached him and asked in a low voice, “What did Madam say?”
Chen Jia glared fiercely at Huzi and warned him sternly, “Is that something you should be asking?” He continued, “Take a few men yourself to Longfu Temple and ensure that young lady is well-fed and cared for. Make certain nothing happens to her… As for the other men, give each of them some hush money. I’ll introduce them to colleagues in the south for employment, and they are never to return to the capital. If they ever cross my path again, they should beware of swords and knives having no eyes.”
Huzi shrank back in fear but couldn’t help saying, “Didn’t you say that Madam might use this young lady against Duke Ying? Wouldn’t it be better to have more people who know about this? They’ve been with us for several years…”
Before he could finish, Chen Jia slapped him across the face. His glare was frightening, and his voice was chilling: “If you want to live, keep your mouth shut!”
Huzi had followed Chen Jia for many years, and even when Chen Jia was at his lowest, he had never struck him like this.
Terrified, he broke out in a cold sweat, repeatedly acknowledged the order, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Chen Jia watched Huzi’s retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
Judging by Madam Dou’s reaction, it didn’t seem like she intended to use Yigui against Duke Ying. This matter was much more complicated than he had imagined.
By involving himself so deeply in this, was he inviting trouble or fortune?
For some reason, the image of Yigui when he first saw her flashed in his mind.
She had been huddled in a dark corner of the guest room, arms wrapped around herself, shivering. Her terrified gaze was like that of a young beast surrounded by predators. Yet her exposed fair skin, mottled with bruises, was like a beautiful jade marred by human hands, evoking a sense of pity.
Chen Jia couldn’t help but sigh again.
What good was it to be a noble lady?
The more beautiful one was, the harder it became to survive in such an environment.
He sighed for the third time that day, then turned to lead his horse, slowly leaving the imposing and illustrious Duke Ying’s mansion.
Dou Zhao paced outside Song Mo’s study for a long time, unsure of how to tell him about this matter.
Keeping it from him felt wrong, as she was reluctant to let him be deceived like this; telling him, she feared, would hurt him once he knew.
As for Song Mo, after waiting for a long time without Dou Zhao entering, he felt like he had only taken off one shoe, waiting for the other to drop. Growing impatient, he could no longer focus on the official documents in his hands. He decided to lift the curtain and step out of his study, standing on the steps and smiling as he asked her, “Were you waiting for me to invite you in?” He then teased her, “Although the weather is nice today, the wind feels a bit warm. If you wanted to wait for me to come out and invite you, you could have at least chosen a shadier spot instead of standing in the middle of the courtyard suffering!”
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but laugh, giving him a sidelong glance, her mood considerably lightened.
She sat down with Song Mo in the study and carefully recounted the matter to him.
Song Mo knew that Dou Zhao had been investigating the Li family, but as she always had her way of handling things, he trusted her completely and hadn’t inquired about it. Now, hearing Dou Zhao’s words, he was very surprised: “You’re saying that the young girl bears some resemblance to me? That’s impossible, isn’t it? Even if Father had raised her outside, if he wanted to bring her back, she’s just a girl. It would only mean a few more mouths to feed, some more jewelry and clothes, and preparing a dowry when she marries. She might even be married into a family that could benefit the Duke Ying’s household. Mother wouldn’t have stopped it, and Father wouldn’t have ignored her, allowing the Li family to raise her so carelessly.”
“That’s why I think there’s something strange about this!” Dou Zhao said, “If it were some other object, it would be one thing, but this is a living person. Judging by the Li family’s behavior, the young girl may know nothing about this… What do you think we should do?”
Song Mo was silent for a moment, then said, “Let me see the young girl first before deciding.”
Dou Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, then hesitantly asked, “If she is a child Duke Ying left outside, do you plan to acknowledge her?”
Song Mo seemed somewhat agitated and said, “We’ll discuss that when the time comes!”
Indeed, it was a difficult situation.
The Li family raising her like this surely had some ulterior motive. Yigui had already married and to a scoundrel at that. Whether they acknowledged her or not, as long as rumors spread, it would be troublesome.
Dou Zhao felt a headache coming on.
Now it was Song Mo’s turn to comfort her: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. With the two of us working together, what obstacle can’t we overcome? Even if rumors spread, isn’t this Duke Ying’s mansion still Father’s? What does it have to do with us?”
That’s true.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile at Song Mo.