Minister Su was stunned and dug at his ears: “Kidnapped by human traffickers?”
The old minister pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh: “So it was the kidnapped one! Some time ago, Scholar Li walked around with a gloomy face, looking dazed all day. I heard that a young lady from their household went missing at the Flower Festival, but I never thought it was the one who played chess with me!”
“Which one did the master think it was?” Lady Zhang asked in return.
Minister Su laughed sheepishly: “How would I think of so much? I never inquired about how many young ladies the Li household had. At the time, I just happened to hear the subordinates mention it in passing.”
At this point, he looked toward his little granddaughter: “Luo Yi, you said Third Miss Li’s calligraphy is also very good?”
Su Luo Yi nodded hesitantly: “It should be extremely good. On this year’s Buddha’s Birthday, only her calligraphy caught the master’s eye at Shuying Nunnery and even earned her an exceptional audience with the master. It’s just that none of us has seen Third Miss Li’s calligraphy, so we don’t know exactly how good it is. Isn’t that right, Grandmother?”
It was precisely because they hadn’t seen Third Miss Li’s calligraphy that several core members of their society had discussed for a long time before putting aside the matter of inviting Third Miss Li to join. However, yesterday, taking advantage of several vice-presidents gathering together, they had decided to remove Second Miss Li from the society.
The dismissal notice had been written, and several people drew lots. Unfortunately, her luck was poor, and this thankless task fell to her. That notice was still sitting on her desk.
Lady Zhang nodded and frowned: “Master, that Third Miss Li was kidnapped by human traffickers, so her reputation is poor. It would be better for our Luo Yi to have less contact with her.”
Hearing these words, Minister Su shook his head and laughed: “How old is that girl? Being kidnapped was already pitiful enough. Since she returned safely and her family hasn’t said anything, why should we outsiders keep harping on this?”
Upon hearing this, Lady Zhang pursed her lips: “The Li family hasn’t said anything because that girl was fortunate—she was personally sent back by Physician Li, and that divine physician even acknowledged her as his goddaughter.”
Regarding such gossip news in the capital, the inner courtyard women who spent all day passing the time knew more than the men busy with court affairs.
Minister Su was startled upon hearing this, then said meaningfully: “If that’s the case, our Luo Yi should learn even more from this Third Miss Li.”
“Learn what?” Seeing the old man praise a little girl with a poor reputation so highly, despite knowing that the girl had some real talent and learning, the highborn Lady Zhang was still displeased.
Minister Su shook his head.
Inner courtyard women truly had such narrow vision!
Of course, he dared not say this aloud, or the beard he had carefully cultivated would be plucked clean.
“Madam, think about it—a little girl just over ten years old fell into the hands of human traffickers, yet not only did she manage to escape and return home, she also formed a connection with the divine physician. Is this an easy thing to do? That girl is not simple.”
Lady Zhang’s heart stirred, but she still argued: “Maybe she was just lucky?”
“Lucky?” Minister Su chuckled: “If that’s the case, it shows that the girl has good fortune. Associating with someone who has good fortune won’t cause our Luo Yi any loss.”
Lady Zhang softened somewhat in her heart but still hesitated. She glanced at her granddaughter: “It still depends on whether Luo Yi and she get along well. The master should worry less about the younger generation’s affairs.”
“I just found this matter interesting and mentioned it to you casually. Alright, let’s have dinner quickly.”
While grandfather and grandmother changed the subject, Su Luo Yi, who was obsessed with chess, couldn’t help herself and said softly: “Grandmother, I want to write an invitation to ask Third Miss Li to come play tomorrow—”
If Third Miss Li truly had astonishing chess skills, as her grandfather said, then she would recommend her to join the Fushan Society. That way, she wouldn’t worry about finding chess partners in the future, and perhaps her chess skills could improve further.
Lady Zhang pondered for a while.
“Grandmother—” Su Luo Yi called out coquettishly.
Lady Zhang’s heart softened: “Fine, if you want to invite her, then invite her. But since this is your first interaction, pay more attention. That Third Miss Li has always had a poor reputation. If she has bad character, no matter how talented she is, you’re not allowed to associate with her in the future.”
“Alright, alright, Grandmother. Granddaughter understands all this.”
Grandfather had navigated the officialdom for so many years and had even dealt with people from other countries—his judgment certainly wouldn’t be poor. Since Grandfather thought Third Miss Li was good, and she had preconceived biases, she was being narrow-minded.
Lady Zhang smiled and said to Minister Su, “Look, my granddaughter has grown up and now finds me nagging.”
She then instructed the maid beside her: “Alright, serve dinner.”
While the Minister of Rites’ household was having dinner harmoniously, at Marquis Jing’an’s residence, the food on the table in Shao Mingyuan’s room had barely been touched.
Shao Mingyuan stood by the window, remaining there until the night grew deeper and deeper. Only then did he slowly unfold the paper strip in his hand to read it once more. His slender fingers gradually crushed the paper strip to ash and threw it into the evening breeze.
The early summer night breeze was warm, but his heart was ice-cold.
His two personal guards, Shao Zhi and Shao Liang, had been investigating separately these past days. Shao Zhi had followed the trail to the hometown of Lin Kun, the deputy escort leader of Yuanwei Escort Agency, while Shao Liang had gone to Beiding City to investigate women who had close relationships with Su Luofeng.
What he had just received was the message sent by Shao Liang.
Shao Liang had searched through all the brothels and pleasure boats in Beiding and finally found the woman he had suspected might exist.
However, she was already dead, dying shortly after Su Luofeng’s incident was exposed.
Brothel women’s lives were as cheap as ants—it wasn’t surprising for them to be smiling and receiving clients today, only to be quietly carried out tomorrow. But such a coincidence inevitably made one think more deeply.
Shao Mingyuan looked out the window.
Outside, the night was deep, the dark blue sky studded with countless stars, and a bright moon cast its cold radiance.
Shao Mingyuan sighed softly.
One move affected the entire situation. Su Luofeng’s betrayal in the Northern Territories had caused someone thousands of miles away in the capital to die silently. Little did they know that the cleaner and more efficiently the traces were erased, the more it proved that Su Luofeng’s case was far from a simple private communication with foreign enemies. That mastermind behind the scenes—
Shao Mingyuan gazed in a certain direction.
Was it some high minister who felt he was hindering certain people’s prospects? Or some military generals who resented him for blocking their path to wealth? Or even… that person high above?
Deep fatigue surged in Shao Mingyuan’s heart. Besides exhaustion, all he had left was pain flowing through his limbs and bones. That pain seemed to flow with his blood throughout his body, continuous and endless, becoming even heavier at night.
Subtle footsteps approached, then a black shadow appeared by the window, saying in a low voice: “General, there’s something unusual at the mourning hall—”
Shao Mingyuan braced his hands and jumped directly out the window, landing silently as he asked the shadow that had suddenly appeared: “What’s the situation at the mourning hall?”
The shadow’s tone was hesitant: “General, you should go see for yourself.”
Shao Mingyuan pressed his thin lips tightly together and hurried toward the mourning hall.