Lan Heng brought Hua Yao to the western outskirts of Jincheng.
This area was considered the most barren part outside the city walls. The land was saline-alkali, unsuitable for cultivation, and lacked water. Pumping water was expensive, so the wealthy were unwilling to build houses here. Over time, it became the domain of beggars and vagrants.
"Be careful," Lan Heng walked ahead, with Hua Yao following behind him. He reminded her periodically as they walked.
Despite wearing men's clothing, Hua Yao's adorable doll-like face could not be concealed.
"I know," she nodded, quickening her steps to walk alongside Lan Heng. "My lord hasn't told Yao'er who Ning Qing is all this way."
Lan Heng took out a few copper coins from his懷 and dropped them into a beggar's bowl. Glancing at the yellow earth houses appearing faintly around the main road, he said, "She is Cui Nan's wife."
"As expected, Cui Nan was married!" Hua Yao exclaimed, her small fist already raised. She looked confident about the investigation.
"After my thorough investigation last night, Cui Nan married Ning Qing when he was twenty. They had a daughter. Afterward, Cui Nan founded the Divine Maiden Sect and called himself Xuan Qingzi. Ten years later, the Divine Maiden Sect's influence reached Jincheng, and he was captured by Lord Chen and thrown into a water prison," Lan Heng said, taking a portrait from his懷 and handing it to Hua Yao.
Hua Yao looked at it for a long time, her eyes almost glued to it. "She's so beautiful, as beautiful as Li'er."
Lan Heng put the painting back into his sleeve. "I drew this based on the records I found last night. I hope there are no discrepancies."
"Your lordship's painting skills are renowned in Jincheng, especially your portraits. Ning Qing must look like this, after all, her husband was a royal heir of a fallen kingdom," Hua Yao said, then asked, "Speaking of which, where is Ning Qing now?"
Lan Heng stopped, looking at the yellow earth houses that were now close by. He pointed to them and said, "She should be in one of them."
"Ah? If that's the case, then Ning Qing has been waiting outside the city for Cui Nan?" Hua Yao's brows furrowed. She absolutely did not believe that the esteemed leader of the Divine Maiden Sect's wife would be a calm and contented person.
Indeed, Lan Heng shook his head. "When Cui Nan was captured, Ning Qing took his belongings and a small number of unpurged followers to Jincheng, searching for an opportunity to rescue him. However..."
He paused here, his brows furrowed slightly. "For some unknown reason, Ning Qing's plan was not executed, and she disappeared."
"Is that so?" Hua Yao bit her lower lip, pondering. "But what you investigated should be about things from ten years ago, right?"
Lan Heng nodded.
"After so long, perhaps this Ning Qing left long ago or... disappeared. Can we find anything?" Hua Yao asked.
Lan Heng glanced sideways at the little girl, who looked worried. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Didn't Li'er teach you to follow the vine to find the melon, to peel back the layers of the cocoon? The Divine Maiden Sect case has been closed for ten years, but every clue is important. Even if we know it might be a fruitless endeavor, we mustn't give up."
Hua Yao blushed at Lan Heng's gentle words. She nodded, and as they walked, she secretly glanced at his profile.
She remembered the first time she saw Lan Heng. She hadn't reached her coming-of-age ceremony yet, and there was a theft case in the manor, committed by someone within the household. However, her father didn't want to escalate the situation and invited Lan Heng to the manor.
Within a few hours, Lan Heng solved the case. From that moment on, she was smitten with him.
In her heart, Lan Heng was always reserved, and even when he knew she was interested in him, he would deliberately avoid her. It was her audacity that led her to follow him, even begging her father to seek a marriage proposal from the Emperor. He rejected her time and again, yet she persistently drew closer. She thought there was no hope for her to be with him in this lifetime, never expecting him to suddenly become so affectionate, making her heart flutter.
"Is Li'er a little older than you?" Lan Heng suddenly asked her.
Hua Yao was startled. After a moment, she replied, "Yes, a year older."
"No wonder," Lan Heng thought, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "She cares for you so much. As her sister, I should naturally take care of you more."
The smile on Hua Yao's lips froze.
"Li'er doesn't have many friends. She cherishes you this much, so I should get to know you better," Lan Heng said. He walked up to a dilapidated yellow earth house, knocked on the door, took out the portrait, and began speaking with the person inside.
Hua Yao stood still. The sun was already scorching, and she swayed as if suffering from heatstroke. She felt an emptiness in her heart, as if something was missing. Watching Lan Heng ask people about Ning Qing, she felt like crying out loud.
After a while, Lan Heng finished his inquiries and turned to look at Hua Yao, who was still standing in the same spot. He pulled her into the shade of a tree. "It's so hot, are you trying to die?"
Hua Yao mumbled, "Even if I die, no one would care."
"What?" Lan Heng, preoccupied with other thoughts, didn't hear her clearly.
The coolness of the shade revived Hua Yao. She shook her head, dispelling her earlier dejection. "Did you find anything, my lord?"
Lan Heng curved his lips and pointed to an even more dilapidated house not far away. "That person said the woman in the painting used to live there."
With that, he quickened his pace towards the ruined house.
"Used to?" Hua Yao understood Lan Heng's implication, her delicate brows knitting as she hurried to catch up.
The yellow earth house seemed to have been uninhabited for years. From the outside, it was overgrown with weeds and covered in cobwebs. Even the door, which blocked outsiders, was hanging precariously.
As Lan Heng's hand reached for the door, intending to knock politely, the door suddenly fell inward with a loud crash, sending dust flying.
Hua Yao coughed a few times and followed Lan Heng into the house.
The interior of the yellow earth house appeared to have been ransacked. The dilapidated furniture was all overturned. It was obvious that any valuables had been taken long ago.
Several worn-out blankets were strewn casually on the floor, their stuffing pulled out, revealing spots of blackness.
Although Hua Yao was a noble lady, this was her first experience in such a dirty and messy environment. However, having followed Zhong Li for so long, she had seen some of it. She recognized the black spots on the stuffing as the molted skins of insects after they had infested the material.
"Stay here for a moment. I'll check other places," Lan Heng instructed Hua Yao briefly before turning to enter other rooms to investigate.
Hua Yao nodded and stepped over the blankets into the bedroom. A red sandalwood chest under the bed had been pulled out, and its clothes were scattered on the floor.
She squatted down to examine them carefully. Suddenly, her brow furrowed. The clothes had become tattered and faded with age, but Hua Yao could still recognize from their style that the clothes on the floor belonged to two people.
According to the information Lan Heng had provided, Ning Qing was less than thirty years old ten years ago. The style of the clothes indicated one was made of fine silk brocade with vibrant colors, while the other was made of dark cotton and linen. Ning Qing would certainly not wear the latter. Therefore, there was only one possibility: Ning Qing lived here with an elderly servant.
"Yao'er." Just as Hua Yao was lost in thought, gazing at the clothes in the chest, Lan Heng suddenly called her.
She stood up and quickly walked out, seeing Lan Heng holding something to his nose and sniffing it.
"My lord, what is it?" Hua Yao asked.
Lan Heng handed her what he was holding. "You've studied medicine with Li'er. See if you can tell what this is."
Hua Yao took it and sniffed. She was still a beginner and certainly not as quick to react as Zhong Li. After a while, she said, "Is this... a pregnancy-preventing pill?"
"A pregnancy-preventing pill?" Lan Heng narrowed his eyes.
"Could it be... that Ning Qing was already pregnant when she came to Jincheng?" Hua Yao exclaimed in surprise.
"Who?" Just as they were talking, Lan Heng sensed someone outside. He turned to ask, only to see a figure stumbling and running away.
"Wait for me here!" Lan Heng instructed Hua Yao and quickly chased after the figure.