“Ninth Young Lady, whatever you want to know, you can ask me now…”
Madam Chang looked at Qin Wan with reddened eyes while Pang Jia Yun clung to her mother with vacant eyes, half-hiding behind her. Looking at the mother and daughter, Qin Wan’s lips moved, but she felt too heartbroken to speak.
Seemingly understanding Qin Wan’s thoughts, Madam Chang’s lips curved into a bitter smile. “Ninth Young Lady need not worry, Yun’er doesn’t understand what we’re saying…”
At these words, Qin Wan’s heart clenched even tighter. Facing Madam Chang’s pain-filled eyes, she struggled to form words. “I… I just… how did Miss Pang…”
Qin Wan’s initial confusion had now become ninety percent clarity, but she didn’t know what else she could ask. Madam Chang’s arms tightened around Pang Jia Yun, and after a moment, she spoke in a hoarse voice. “Does Ninth Young Lady see this small building? This is the most exquisite building in the entire estate, formerly said to be built for a certain prince’s daughter. After Jia Yun turned nine, she was arranged to live here alone. Though elegant and beautiful, it’s rather secluded. I didn’t want this, but… I had no say in this household. Yun’er’s status in this family was special. I thought, even if the Pang family wouldn’t treat her as their own, as long as they provided her with luxury and peace, it would be enough, but… I was wrong…”
As she spoke, Madam Chang looked toward the open window, from which Pang Yi Wen had leaped down just two cups of tea’s time ago.
“This place became Yun’er’s nightmare. And that beast Pang Yi Wen, during my three-day absence, did something unspeakably inhuman to Yun’er. When I returned, Yun’er’s mind was already somewhat disturbed, and everyone in the Pang household kept it from me. I didn’t know what had happened, but I discovered those marks on Yun’er’s body…”
At this point, a tear rolled down Madam Chang’s cheek. “I wanted to report it to the authorities, but Pang Fu Liang threatened Yun’er’s life. By then, the Pang family had become one of the wealthiest in the Northwest, while the Chang family was declining rapidly. I had no choice, especially with Jia Yan to consider. And Yun’er, without proper treatment, lost her mind completely. For all these years, Yun’er has been kept like a prisoner in the northern rear courtyard. If I behaved, I could see her; if I didn’t, I wouldn’t see her for two or three months.”
Tears fell like jade from Madam Chang’s eyes. Beside her, Pang Jia Yun only hugged her mother tighter, seemingly unaware of her mother’s grief. Madam Chang turned to look at her daughter, lovingly cupping Pang Jia Yun’s face in her hands. “All these years, I’ve watched helplessly as Yun’er lived without awareness, only crying and screaming in her dreams. Later, I thought that beast wouldn’t touch her again because of her illness, but I never expected…”
Madam Chang cried pitifully while Pang Jia Yun’s expression remained blank.
Qin Wan’s heart felt heavier than ever before. Looking at the tearful Madam Chang, she even felt some anger at her powerlessness. Yet she wasn’t Madam Chang; she couldn’t truly understand her feelings or ask why she hadn’t fought to the death. She could only look at Pang Jia Yun’s delicate, beautiful face. Pang Jia Yun was at the tender age of thirteen or fourteen when she should have been lively and graceful, but now her face showed nothing but dependence on her mother, devoid of any other emotional waves.
“Madam, do you wish to report this to the authorities now?”
Madam Chang shook her head. “Pang Yi Wen… Pang Yi Wen has received his retribution. This matter… let it be enough that Ninth Young Lady knows.”
Qin Wan wanted to speak but hesitated. Her daughter had suffered such torment, and Madam Chang herself had been brutally beaten by Pang Fu Liang—how could she still not want to leave the Pang household?
Even though Pang Yi Wen was dead, Pang Jia Yun had become like this. Whether for herself or her daughter’s damaged mind, Qin Wan couldn’t imagine how she could spend the rest of her life with Pang Fu Liang.
“Has Madam never considered seeking a divorce through the authorities?” After pondering for a while, Qin Wan finally asked.
Madam Chang paused briefly, confusion appearing in her eyes. Then she suddenly asked Qin Wan, “Would the officials handle the Pang family’s domestic affairs?”
Qin Wan’s lips moved, but she couldn’t give an affirmative answer. Even for divorce, there needed to be proper grounds, and in Great Zhou, true divorces were still rare. Though she knew the Pang family was the wealthiest in the Northwest, she didn’t know the extent of Pang Fu Liang’s influence, so she couldn’t give Madam Chang a definite answer…
Seeing Qin Wan’s hesitation, Madam Chang continued, “Then would the authorities arrest the murderer?”
Qin Wan’s brows immediately furrowed. “What does Madam mean by that?” After a slight pause, she nodded firmly, “That’s certain, the murderer will be arrested…”
Madam Chang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “If that’s the case, why should I report anything?”
Qin Wan’s heart jumped violently. “What do you mean by that, Madam? Are you saying Master Pang will be arrested?”
Madam Chang looked at Qin Wan for a moment, then quickly lowered her head as if remembering something, clearly showing fear. Qin Wan couldn’t help stepping forward. “Does Madam know something?”
Madam Chang raised her eyes slightly, hesitating to speak. “Ninth Young Lady…”
Her tone was full of hesitation. Qin Wan quickly said, “Don’t be afraid, Madam. Just tell me what you know.”
Madam Chang glanced toward the stairway and lowered her voice slightly. “I only trust Ninth Young Lady.”
Moving slightly forward, she continued, “That lady who died the other day had visited before. Moreover, each time she came in previous years, Pang Fu Liang would give her a large sum of gold and silver, not just payment for the Shuang Qing Troupe. The troupe served two purposes: first to maintain appearances, and second, because the troupe’s rising fame would indeed help with social connections.”
Qin Wan’s heart jumped. “When did this begin?”
Madam Chang replied, “It started the year I married into the family…”
“Never missed a year?”
Madam Chang shook her head firmly. “Never.”
As Pang Fu Liang’s wife, although he treated her poorly, Madam Chang had borne him Pang Jia Yan, and in public, Pang Fu Liang maintained the appearance of marital harmony. Thus, Madam Chang indeed had opportunities to know more than others. Qin Wan took a shallow breath. “What about this time?”
Madam Chang’s eyes flickered as if recalling. “This time, that person came to demand an explanation for Qing Li’s death. Moreover, she suspected Pang Fu Liang was behind Qing Li’s death.”
“Why such suspicion?”
Madam Chang pressed her lips together and looked at Pang Jia Yan. “Jia Yan, you tell her.”
Pang Jia Yan, who had been standing beside Qing Niang, finally stepped forward. He walked to Madam Chang’s side and looked at Qin Wan. “That day I heard Father arguing with that lady. I heard her demanding the Shi Fang Inn from Father. Of course, Father refused, but that lady said if he wouldn’t agree, she would make him lose everything…”
Qin Wan’s heart immediately tensed. Lose everything?!
“Did that lady say why she would make him lose everything?”
Pang Jia Yan tilted his head, thinking. “No, I was standing outside and couldn’t eavesdrop for long…”
Then he added, “It seemed to be about… Father owing her some amount of gold…”
Gold?! Qin Wan immediately held her breath… If it involved gold, could it be related to the great gold robbery case?!
“What happened then?” Qin Wan asked urgently.
Pang Jia Yan shook his head. “Then I left…”
Qin Wan’s heart was racing. She had thought Pang Jia Yan must have heard more, but his answer was disappointing. Feeling a touch of disappointment, she turned to Madam Chang. “So… does Madam think there was some kind of profit dispute between Master Pang and that lady?”
Madam Chang quickly nodded. “Pang Fu Liang came from humble origins. In his early years, his family ran a martial arts school. After it closed, he couldn’t make ends meet. Later, he suddenly came into a fortune from somewhere and started doing business. Initially, it was a small trade, but it kept growing larger. I suspect he used some unsavory methods. I guess that person not only had profit ties with him but likely also held his secrets, which is why she could threaten to ruin him.”
She continued, “And then there’s this Official Liu…”
Qin Wan’s heart lifted at this point, and Madam Chang went on, “I don’t know what Pang Fu Liang told the authorities, but since I married into the Pang family, I’ve known about this Official Liu. At that time, Official Liu was posted in the east, very far from here, but he would still come once every two or three years. Pang Fu Liang thought I didn’t know, but I did. Each time, he would give Official Liu lots of gold and silver. Official Liu’s smooth career advancement was likely due to all that money.”
As Qin Wan listened, her back tensed, and her suspicions were increasingly confirmed.
“Was this eleven years ago?”
Qin Wan asked urgently, and Madam Chang quickly nodded.
Qin Wan’s brows immediately furrowed. “Liu Yun Tong is from Ding Zhou. Is Master Pang also from Ding Zhou?”
Madam Chang shook her head. “I don’t know Official Liu’s background. I only know he frequented the household in his early years. At that time, his rank wasn’t high, and I wondered why Master Pang associated with such a person, and why he supported him so strongly.”
“What about this time?”
At Qin Wan’s question, Madam Chang replied, “I only know that after that lady died, he was very angry with Liu Yun Tong for those two days. When he returned, he even cursed Official Liu, saying he had ruined his plans and didn’t even know to be discreet in front of Young Master Qin.”
Then she said, “Jia Yan, tell her yourself.”
Pang Jia Yan thought for a moment and said, “I only heard Father talking to Manager Pang, saying he was increasingly dissatisfied with Official Liu, saying that after being an official for so long, Official Liu’s appetite had grown too large. He also said Liu was useless, leaving him to clean up the mess. He said that with this incident at the estate, Official Liu was probably the one who caused the most trouble and that he was afraid, saying something about not cleaning up thoroughly back then.”
Qin Wan’s palms were already covered in a thin layer of sweat. She looked at Madam Chang, then at Pang Jia Yan, and asked solemnly, “Is everything you and Young Master have told me today true?”
Madam Chang nodded, then looked down at Pang Jia Yan, who quickly nodded as well.
Qin Wan took a shallow breath, then said in a steady voice, “If one day you need to testify to the authorities about this, would you dare?”
Pang Jia Yan looked stunned, seemingly not understanding what Qin Wan meant. Madam Chang, holding Pang Jia Yun with one arm and Pang Jia Yan with the other, looked at her children and nodded solemnly. “Yes.”
Qin Wan nodded slowly, taking a moment to digest what she had just heard. Then she nodded, “Good, I understand. Is there anything else Madam wants to tell me?”
Madam Chang’s lips moved several times but ultimately said nothing more.
Qin Wan nodded and turned toward the stairs. Qing Niang, who had been waiting at the stairway, quickly lowered her head respectfully. Qin Wan nodded to Qing Niang and hurried down the stairs. However, just as she was about to descend, her eyes caught a smudge of black ash on Qing Niang’s skirt hem, with a burned hole in it.
Her brows furrowed slightly. “Qing Niang, your skirt is dirty—”
Qing Niang came to her senses, looked down, and her expression changed slightly.
She quickly bowed to Qin Wan. “Thank you for pointing that out, Ninth Young Lady. I must have accidentally gotten it dirty while coming up the stairs.”
Qin Wan made a sound of acknowledgment and quickly descended to the second floor.
On the second floor, Yan Chi and Yan Li were standing there, but Wang Huai Yu was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing Qin Wan come down, Yan Chi stepped forward. “How is it?”
Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi, then at Yan Li, and said in a serious tone, “Madam Pang told me some things.”
Seeing Yan Chi and Qin Wan’s eyes meet, Yan Li scratched his head. “Well… shall I wait downstairs?”
Qin Wan quickly shifted her gaze to Yan Li, still hesitating, but before Yan Chi could speak, Yan Li winked at Qin Wan and bounced downstairs with a smile. After Yan Li left, Bai Ying and Fu Ling also turned and stood far away. Yan Chi looked at the passage between the two side rooms on the second floor and gestured with his chin for Qin Wan to walk inside.
The passage had side rooms on both sides and a latticed window at the end. Yan Chi walked to the window and pushed it open. Immediately, a cold wind carrying the smell of fire rushed in, dispersing some of the smoky air in the room. Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan, who stood before him, and after a moment, she recounted word for word what she had just heard.
Downstairs, Wang Huai Yu sighed. “Master Pang, please accept our condolences.”
Looking up at the building, he continued, “I just went up to look. Only the eldest daughter was hiding in the cabinet, so there were only the eldest son and daughter in the building. We all saw the eldest daughter on the first floor, so the eldest son was alone on the third floor. Let’s not discuss why the eldest son was in the same place as the eldest daughter—I guess… the eldest son was on the third floor, knew there was a fire below, and opened the window to look down, but accidentally fell… This led to this tragedy, Master Pang, you…”
Before Wang Huai Yu could finish, Pang Fu Liang suddenly let go of Pang Yi Wen’s hand and stood up.
Wang Huai Yu was startled. “You…”
Pang Fu Liang looked up, glaring fiercely at the third floor. Just as he was about to speak, Yan Chi walked out from the first floor. Pang Fu Liang’s expression froze slightly as he watched Yan Chi approach, while Wang Huai Yu immediately went forward upon seeing Yan Chi.
Yan Chi glanced at Wang Huai Yu but didn’t look at Pang Fu Liang. Instead, he looked at Pang You De.
“Take Manager Pang back for questioning.”