Chapter 176: Chapter 86 To Live and Die Together_4
Having spoken, he no longer lingered and, with a "bang," closed the doors of Renxin Medical Hall in front of them.
The long street was silent, with haphazard shadows cast by the tree branches under the dim glow of the street lanterns.
The young man looked at the tightly shut doors before him, his eye color obscure and indecipherable.
After a long while, Duan Xiaoyan swallowed and cautiously spoke up, "Brother, she’s really audacious."
She was clearly just a resident doctor at a medical clinic, delicate and appealing in appearance, yet tonight she displayed an imposing aura, not the least bit inferior. Her aggressive demeanor was quite frightening.
Seeing Pei Yunmeng’s cool gaze sweep over, he quickly coughed lightly, "I know I was wrong today; rest assured, when I return, I’ll take my punishment. But..." He leaned closer to Pei Yunmeng and whispered, "You’ve been investigating her for a long time without discovering her identity. When you just tested her, did she basically admit that she has someone backing her up?"
Pei Yunmeng had previously instructed Mu Lian to investigate Lu Tong’s background. However, the evidence that could prove her identity, the Yellow Register, was fake. Refugees who came to Shangjing often went to the carpenters at East Gate Bridge Hole to make fake Yellow Registers. Such crude forgeries cost only a hundred coins apiece.
For a registered medical clinic like Renxin Medical Hall to scrutinize the Yellow Registers of their resident doctors thoroughly was expected. The owner of Renxin Medical Hall must have seen through it. Lu Tong practicing medicine at the clinic with a fake Yellow Register indicated her audacity, but Du Changqing was even bolder than she was. Such a pair of eccentrics made it impossible for Mu Lian to find any trace that could prove Lu Tong’s identity.
She seemed like someone who had materialized out of thin air in Shengjing.
Duan Xiaoyan lowered his voice even more, "Who do you think is behind her? The Third Prince?"
In this recent tribute case, the Ministry of Rites was the most implicated; the Crown Prince was harassed and frazzled, while the faction of the Third Prince appeared unruffled and composed. If the Third Prince had tasked Lu Tong with meddling from the shadows, it wouldn’t have been impossible.
Pei Yunmeng did not respond, seemingly lost in thought.
Duan Xiaoyan, feeling the pain from the wound on his arm, sighed again, "She’s just been toying with me the whole night for no reason, clearly just to vent her anger. Brother, if she really is with the Third Prince, and they hold a grudge, what do we do if they complain to the Third Prince and cause trouble for us later?"
Pei Yunmeng snapped back to the present and scoffed, tossing a dead snake into Duan Xiaoyan’s arms, startling him.
He turned around, his voice cold.
"If she truly is with the Third Prince, then we should take her to the Zhaoyu Temple for some strict interrogation; perhaps, she would then be more willing to talk."
...
Inside the room, Lu Tong placed the lantern on the ground and took a seat.
Once the people had gone, she felt as if she had unloaded a massive burden from her body. She opened her palm to reveal the sweat in her hand.
Yin Zheng was full of self-reproach, "Miss, it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t turned back then, they wouldn’t have threatened you."
Lu Tong shook her head, "It’s fine; he never intended to lay a hand on us anyway."
Yin Zheng was perplexed, "Why not?"
Lu Tong smiled gently, "You don’t really think that he didn’t arrest me because he couldn’t find any evidence, do you?"
"Isn’t that the case?"
"Of course, it’s not."
Lu Tong spoke calmly, "The waters of Shengjing run deep; don’t think of him as some kind of good person."
Pei Yunmeng had suspected her since long ago, at least after the death of Ke Chengxing, and since then, he had repeatedly probed and fished for information. This included Duan Xiaoyan tailing her at the gates of Fan Mansion, which were all tactics employed by this Commander.
In truth, as a Commander of the Palace Front Office and the Princely Heir of Lord Zhao Ning, if he really suspected someone, he wouldn’t need any evidence to make her suffer. For those in power, crushing a commoner is as easy as flipping one’s hand.
But he hadn’t done so.
Lu Tong thought long and hard, and had a growing hunch in her heart.
Perhaps he was wary of someone.
Just as Liu Kun had Fan Zhenglian backing him, and Fan Zhenglian was in turn connected to the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, people in official circles always looked out for each other. A person considered unimportant today might turn out to be a distant relative of some significant figure tomorrow.
That Pei Yunmeng had not taken action against her, at the very least, indicated that in the tribute case, his interests hadn’t been harmed—in fact, he might even be pleased to see the outcome.
The appearance of Duan Xiaoyan today was an accident, but the exchange with Pei Yunmeng was deliberate on her part. He was testing her, and she was testing him.
The way Pei Yunmeng had reacted told her she had bet correctly; he indeed suspected that she had someone backing her.
Since that was the case, she would play along with Pei Yunmeng’s guess, disrupt his focus, and let this imaginary "significant figure" serve as her fictitious amulet.
Yin Zheng handed her a handkerchief, and Lu Tong took it, wiping the sweat from her palm.
He seemed bright and cheerful on the surface, but in reality, he was sharp and dangerous. To confront him, she had to be sure of herself, unfathomable, showing no weakness, and not allow the other party to see her hand.
It was all an act.
Yin Zheng asked, "Will Marshal Pei come again?"
Lu Tong shook her head, "Not for the time being. He thinks I have support and wants to use me; he won’t lay a hand on me for a while. However..."
However, to use her, Pei Yunmeng would have to see if he was capable enough.
Upon hearing this, Yin Zheng grew more worried, "But you can’t wrap fire in paper. What if he finds out you don’t actually have anyone behind you? With his official position, wouldn’t it be easy for him to find an excuse?"
Lu Tong paused in her hand-drying.
A moment later, she said, "What’s there to fear?"
"If that day really comes, and he stands in my way..."
"I’ll kill him."