Ming Shu had thought Lu Chang had only arranged for Qiu Ming and Pan Shun to protect her, but upon reaching the carriage, she discovered this wasn’t the case.
Guards stood at each corner of the carriage. Adding the driver and Qiu and Pan, she had seven people accompanying her on this outing—quite an exaggerated display.
“Lady Lu, please board the carriage,” Qiu Ming invited.
Ming Shu turned to look at Ying Xun, who maintained his strictly professional expression without showing any extra emotion. She gritted her teeth and boarded the carriage.
The carriage moved slowly and soon arrived at Man Tang Hui.
Wei Zhuo’s guards were very thorough, protecting Ming Shu with utmost care. Before she entered the shop, they had already gone inside and searched every corner to check for hidden intruders. The shop was safe with no criminals found, but the shop assistants were startled, standing nervously in the hall looking at each other, unsure what was happening.
Ming Shu spent some time calming them down before entering the back room with Ying Xun, leaving only Qiu Ming and Pan Shun guarding outside while the others withdrew to the shop’s exterior.
Without customers, Ming Shu found Man Tang Hui particularly relaxing. Shop matters had indeed piled up significantly. She temporarily set aside Ying Xun to first call in the assistants for a morning meeting, understanding everything that had happened in recent days and assigning tasks for everyone to complete over the next two days. By the time she finished this round of busy work, an hour had passed, with Ying Xun still waiting on the side.
Ming Shu finally dismissed everyone and apologized to Ying Xun.
“Read quickly.” Ying Xun didn’t stand on ceremony, just tossing the case files onto her desk.
“Two case files?” Ming Shu was surprised.
“One is Peng Qing’s kidnapping case, the other is the Lu family’s missing daughter case. Though the cases are related, they were filed separately,” Ying Xun explained.
Being thorough in his work, knowing Ming Shu was investigating Liu Wan’er’s connection to the Lu family, he retrieved both the kidnapping case and the Lu family’s infant theft case.
Ming Shu first took the kidnapping case file and began reading it carefully.
The kidnapping case from seventeen years ago had been solved, with the main perpetrator already sentenced. According to Da An law, trafficking children for labor carried a punishment of exile for three thousand li, while selling children as adopted heirs carried a three-year prison sentence. Peng Qing, the main perpetrator in this case, was guilty of both and received the heavier sentence of exile. He was no longer in Bianjing.
Additionally, there were two accomplices: Peng Qing’s wife and sister, both sentenced to three years in prison. Calculating the time, they would have been released by now.
Ming Shu pulled out a page from the files listing the children who hadn’t yet been sold when Peng Qing was arrested, and sure enough, Lu Ruishan’s name was there.
“The three specialized in stealing and luring children from crowded areas in Bianjing City. It had already caught the authorities’ attention, who investigated secretly for nearly half a year before finally making arrests and uprooting the entire operation. Lu Ruishan was lucky—after being stolen, she was chosen by one of Peng Qing’s clients who set a time for the exchange. However, due to increased scrutiny, the client became too scared to take her. Peng Qing had already accepted a deposit and couldn’t sell her elsewhere, so he temporarily kept her at home under his wife’s care until the authorities raided and rescued her, returning her home,” Ying Xun, having already read all the files, explained as he saw Ming Shu reading slowly.
Ming Shu nodded and turned to the Lu family’s case file.
When Third Miss Lu was stolen, the Lu family immediately reported it, hence this case was filed separately. The details about Third Miss Lu were more extensively documented in the Lu family’s case file.
Third Miss Lu was only one month old when stolen by Peng Qing. Seventeen years ago, the Lu family was just an ordinary official family in Bianjing City. Lord Lu, Lu Guangchun, wasn’t yet the Minister of Works but merely a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel, later transferring to the Ministry of Works and gradually rising to his current position. At the time, the Lu family was of modest means with few servants. After Lady Lu, Madam Feng, gave birth to Third Miss Lu, they only hired one wet nurse to care for the infant.
According to the testimonies of Madam Feng and the wet nurse, Third Miss Lu was difficult to care for, often crying at night. Madam Feng, still in her confinement period, needed to both recover and manage the household and was troubled by the constant crying. Thus, at night, she would have the wet nurse take the infant out to the street to be soothed for a while, bringing her back once asleep.
Unfortunately, this practice caught Peng Qing’s attention. After watching for two days, he struck, pushing down the wet nurse in the darkness and snatching the infant. The Lu family immediately reported to the authorities and sent servants searching everywhere, but received no news.
After months of searching, when the Lu family was nearly in despair, news spread of Peng Qing’s gang’s arrest, and authorities found some unsold children in his home. They posted notices seeking the children’s families. Madam Feng went with the wet nurse to identify the children, and they found Third Miss Lu, Lu Ruishan.
This part of the case matched the account in Peng Qing’s file without discrepancy.
Ming Shu turned to another page, which contained the identification records, and read carefully.
While reading, she asked: “Constable Ying, do you think a mother can fail to recognize her child?”
Ying Xun looked thoughtful: “It’s hard to say. I know what you’re asking… An infant’s features change monthly, and if the mother hadn’t personally cared for the child and then didn’t see them for half a year, I think it’s possible she might not be able to confirm. But didn’t Madam Feng bring the wet nurse who had cared for Third Miss Lu? How could they both be wrong?”
According to the records, there was nothing suspicious about the identification process.
“But according to the records, Madam Feng couldn’t confirm the identity—it was the wet nurse who made the final confirmation,” Ming Shu pointed to that line of text and showed Ying Xun.
“The wet nurse cared for the infant the longest, what’s strange about her being able to recognize the child?” Ying Xun didn’t look down, already familiar with the file’s contents.
“It wouldn’t be strange normally, but now we have a Liu Wan’er appearing,” Ming Shu retorted.
If the Lu family hadn’t misidentified the child, how could Liu Wan’er exist? And where did her gold lock and silk handkerchief come from?
Ying Xun simply said: “From the case files, there were no suspicious points at the time. If you want to investigate thoroughly, you’ll need to find the people involved and question them. Like Peng Qing’s wife and sister, this wet nurse, and even Lady Lu needs to be seen.”
That would make the investigation quite troublesome.
Ming Shu thought for a moment and said: “Since they were all involved in the case, the yamen should have records of them. Finding the whereabouts of the first three shouldn’t be difficult.”
Ying Xun felt he had created more work for himself again.
“Yes, we can find them, but the usual rule…”
Before Ying Xun could finish, Ming Shu interrupted: “Need to report to your superior! I understand, I’ll report myself, alright?”
“Good that you know the rules.” Ying Xun ignored Ming Shu’s teasing, maintaining his professional demeanor.
Ming Shu closed the case file, smiling: “Constable Ying, you really won’t bend at all.”
“So?” Ying Xun asked her.
“So I quite admire you. Law enforcement needs people like you.” Ming Shu said.
It’s not easy for someone to maintain their principles.
“I remember someone once said I must have handled many wrongful cases,” Ying Xun said, looking down, a rare slight smile appearing on his lips.
“That was because you made me angry! Be magnanimous and forget about it.” Ming Shu poured him tea, then continued, “Constable Ying, I have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead.” Ying Xun knew her sudden praise wasn’t without purpose.
“Do you… take apprentices?” Ming Shu asked.
Ying Xun took half a sip of tea and paused: “What do you mean?”
“I want to find a master to learn from, to study investigation methods…”
Before she could finish, Ying Xun put down his teacup.
He stopped drinking, worried she might claim it was an apprenticeship tea ceremony, and quickly retrieved the case files from her: “Stop daydreaming. Are you done reading the files? If so, I’m taking them back. I have urgent matters at the yamen, farewell.”
With that, he left without looking back.
Ming Shu sat in her chair laughing, calling out to her assistant: “Please see my master off.”
Ying Xun left even faster.
The sky gradually darkened as evening approached.
Regarding Liu Wan’er’s matter, it seemed she would have to wait for Ying Xun to locate those three people before she could question them personally and reach any conclusions. Ming Shu set it aside for now and focused on the shop’s business, becoming so absorbed that she lost track of time. Only when the doorbell rang and Lu Chang appeared in the shop did she realize it had grown dark.
Lu Chang was wearing his official robes, having just gotten free after meeting with the Emperor and discussing follow-up matters with Wei Zhuo at the Third Prince’s residence. Guessing Ming Shu hadn’t returned home, he came directly to the shop to pick her up.
“Elder Brother, you’re here? Wait just a moment, I’m almost done!” Ming Shu was standing before the display cabinet in the back hall, counting items and arranging them one by one. She called out upon hearing the voice from outside.
Footsteps sounded as Lu Chang entered the back hall, immediately seeing Ming Shu on tiptoe trying to place a box on the highest shelf of the display cabinet.
Ming Shu stretched her arm but still fell short, unable to reach: “Elder Brother, please, bring the small stool over…”
Before she finished speaking, the wooden box in her hand was taken and easily placed on the shelf.
“Is this where it goes?” Lu Chang’s voice sounded.
Ming Shu nodded while thanking him and turned around. Lu Chang stood just two fists’ width behind her, not stepping back after placing the item.
His presence enveloped her like a blanket, and Ming Shu felt frozen, but heard Lu Chang’s still calm voice: “Do all of these need to go up there?”
He pointed to the pile of wooden boxes on the table nearby.
“Yes.” She responded, then tried to stop him, “Your wound hasn’t healed, let me do it myself…”
“Where does this go?” Lu Chang had already picked up another box.
Ming Shu had no choice but to tell him the locations as he placed them. She couldn’t move away, half-trapped against his chest as they arranged the display cabinet together.
They both broke into a sweat.
Ming Shu sat back in her chair to rest and, remembering the Lu family matter, asked him: “Elder Brother, you knew I was investigating the Lu family case, why did you pretend not to know?”
“Didn’t you not want me to know?” Lu Chang said while placing a food box on the table and opening it. “These are fruits bestowed by the Third Prince, imperial tribute items. Try some.”
White vapor rose from the box, which contained ice. Lu Chang took out small plates with ice-chilled peaches, their light pink color like a young girl’s rosy cheeks, plump and juicy.
Lu Chang washed his hands and began peeling a peach.
Ming Shu watched eagerly, asking: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll cause trouble again?”
“When have you caused trouble? I don’t recall any,” Lu Chang said mildly. Rather than let her overthink things, he preferred to give her something else to focus on. He knew these days must be difficult for her, and though she showed nothing outwardly, her heart must be clouded with confusion, though she never mentioned it.
He peeled the peach slowly and meticulously, crystal-clear juice running down his long fingers, making Ming Shu unconsciously lick her lips.
“Since you think so, I couldn’t ask for better! Then I have something I need Elder Brother’s help with.” Ming Shu smiled, reaching to take the peeled peach from Lu Chang’s hand.
Lu Chang suddenly pulled back: “You need my help?”
“Yes.” Ming Shu nodded quickly.
“Then about this form of address…”
Not again! Ming Shu glared at him: “Lu Chang! Lu Chang, Lu Chang, Lu Chang! Happy now?”
Lu Chang smiled as he handed her the peach, and after hearing her request, simply said: “I’ll have Ying Xun handle it tomorrow.”
Ming Shu took a big bite of the peach, juice glistening on her lips, crystalline and transparent—Lu Chang unconsciously licked his own lips.
He wanted a taste.