Constable Liu was a very experienced old constable and had his own set of insights developed through investigation.

“This person didn’t say a single word, which shows he understands Miss Tang and the Marquis’s household. His purpose was also very clear—to ruin Miss Tang’s face…” Constable Liu swept a glance at Tang Wei’s face, which brought on Tang Wei’s wailing sobs.

He fell into awkward silence for a while before saying to the Marchioness: “Marchioness, think back—has your beloved daughter unintentionally injured a woman’s face?”

“How could that be!” The Marchioness of Wuning instinctively denied it.

For a young lady from a great family to have injured a woman’s face—what kind of good reputation would that be?

Constable Liu’s face showed difficulty: “If not, then the investigation into this person’s identity has nowhere to begin. We can only wait until the bailiffs capture this person before we can say more.”

“Mother, we can’t let this person escape!” Tang Wei shouted while crying.

The Marchioness of Wuning looked at her somewhat frantic daughter, and her expression suddenly changed.

She remembered—there was indeed such a person!

At that time, Wei’er was only just over ten years old. Somehow she had entered the kitchen to play and scalded the face of a fire-tending maid.

That fire-tending maid wasn’t a household-born servant. She had someone give her ten taels of silver and sent her home.

Could Wei’er’s incident this time be related to that fire-tending maid?

Seeing the Marchioness of Wuning’s expression turn strange, Constable Liu asked: “Has the Marchioness thought of something?”

The Marchioness of Wuning said carefully: “Several years ago, Wei’er accidentally scalded a fire-tending maid. I don’t know if there’s any connection to the current matter.”

Constable Liu immediately asked a string of questions: “Where is that fire-tending maid now, who are her family members…”

Tang Wei listened to the conversation between her mother and Constable Liu as a face floated up in her mind.

It was a face somewhat similar to hers.

That year, on a whim, she had walked into the kitchen and suddenly saw someone whose features resembled hers somewhat. Yet that person was actually a fire-tending maid with ash even smudged on her face.

She had also heard that loose-lipped old servant say to that maid: you’re so good-looking, perhaps you’ll have great fortune in the future.

In that moment, she had been filled with rage and used tongs to pick up a piece of burning charcoal and press it onto that maid’s face.

She still remembered that maid’s screams and the smell of burning flesh.

After her impulse, she had run back to her chamber.

Later she never saw that fire-tending maid again, nor did she see that old servant.

Occasionally when she recalled that day’s events, she felt no regret.

She certainly didn’t want to see a fire-tending maid who looked like her have any great fortune.

Even later, she had forgotten the matter entirely.

“Mother, it must be that fire-tending maid who harmed me!”

Constable Liu learned some details from the Marchioness of Wuning, then asked Tang Wei: “Does Miss Tang remember that person’s height, build, or any distinguishing features?”

“He wasn’t tall, but rather sturdy. Features—” Tang Wei shook her head. “His head and face were covered with black cloth. How could I see any features?”

“Not necessarily the face—what about other places? Anything that made an impression, you can mention.”

“Other places—” Tang Wei hesitated. “I felt his hands were quite large and bronze-colored.”

Constable Liu nodded and said to the Marchioness of Wuning: “The Marchioness must quickly retrieve the register recording that fire-tending maid’s information, as well as anyone familiar with her. I will arrange for some people to investigate her family situation. This way, if the criminal escapes the search, we won’t be completely without leads.”

“With so many bailiffs and monks, can that criminal still escape?” The Marchioness of Wuning asked with a dark face.

Constable Liu smiled helplessly: “Mountain forests make it easy to hide. If the criminal plans to hold out, it will be very difficult to find them in one or two days.”

“If we can’t find them in one day, then two days. If not in two days, then three. The Marquis household’s men will also participate in the search. We absolutely cannot let that criminal escape.”

“We will do our best. I would like to chat with the steward monk.”

The Marchioness of Wuning instructed the maids to care for Tang Wei well and went out with Constable Liu to see the steward monk.

“According to the Marchioness, the letter demanding ransom was stuck in the door crack. The person who delivered the letter should be a monk from the temple.”

The steward monk didn’t quite agree with Constable Liu’s words: “This area has guest rooms with many pilgrims staying temporarily. The letter deliverer could also possibly be a certain pilgrim.”

Constable Liu smiled: “I think that possibility is small.”

Facing the puzzled looks from the Marchioness of Wuning and the steward monk, Constable Liu asked: “When did the Marchioness decide to come to Green Deer Temple?”

Although the Marchioness of Wuning didn’t understand the meaning of this question, she still said: “I just suddenly wanted to come offer incense.”

Naturally she couldn’t say it was to get away because the Crown Prince had married a difficult-to-handle young concubine.

Constable Liu looked toward the steward monk: “Master, you see, this isn’t a festival or holiday. Pilgrims who come to offer incense mostly do so on impulse. It would be very difficult for the criminal to find a letter deliverer among the pilgrims in advance. If finding someone at the last minute, they would risk being exposed. So I deduce the letter deliverer should be a temple monk, most likely an inconspicuous menial monk.”

The steward monk’s expression darkened as he chanted a Buddhist invocation: “This humble monk will immediately investigate the temple disciples’ situation.”

Half an hour later, the steward monk found the disciple who delivered the letter—indeed a monk who did odd jobs.

“That person was a cloth shop worker who came yesterday to deliver thick cloth for making winter clothes. This disciple was responsible for moving the goods. When it grew dark, he found this disciple and had this disciple deliver a letter to a guest room. This disciple… this disciple had a moment of greed and agreed.”

Constable Liu didn’t ask what benefit the cloth shop worker had given the monk, but instead asked something easier for the monk to answer: “Were you very familiar with that person?”

The monk hesitated and nodded: “Every season when cloth is delivered, he’s among those delivering. This humble monk is responsible for moving goods. Over time we struck up conversation.”

“What’s that person’s name, and which cloth shop does he work for?”

“He’s called A’Hu and works at Fulai Cloth Shop.”

Constable Liu immediately ordered his subordinates to go to Fulai Cloth Shop to investigate.

Time flashed by to the afternoon. The mountain forests had been searched inside and out several times without finding any shadow of the criminal. Those who had gone to retrieve the Marquis of Wuning household’s register and to investigate at Fulai Cloth Shop arrived one after another.

“A’Hu is surnamed Ning and came to work at the cloth shop three years ago. That year he told the shopkeeper his address was Swallow Lane…” the bailiff who had questioned at the shop reported.

The Marquis household’s steward opened the register recording the fire-tending maid and presented it for the Marchioness of Wuning to see. The fire-tending maid’s surname was indeed “Ning.” Her home address was also recorded and matched A’Hu’s address.

By this point, although no one had yet been sent to inquire at Swallow Lane, it could already be confirmed that the fire-tending maid and A’Hu were family.

“So it was the relative of the fire-tending maid disfigured by Second Miss Tang who came seeking revenge?” Hearing the news the maid had spent heavily to gather, Lin Shi finally felt at ease.

There was no help for it—when something piqued her curiosity, if she couldn’t get to the bottom of it, she couldn’t sleep well.

Having satisfied her curiosity, Lin Shi said to the Lin Hao sisters: “I had originally planned to stay a couple more days, but now that the temple is in chaos, let’s forget it. Let’s go home right away.”