Chapter 641 The Investigation
It was dusk when Zhan Feiyu returned to Yufeng Tower from Dali Temple. As she stepped off the carriage, she looked up and said, "It's snowing."
"The capital is cold, and it won't warm up until March next year," He Nuan quickly opened an umbrella to shield Zhan Feiyu from the wind and snow. The master and servant hurried towards the courtyard.
The charcoal brazier in the room kept the air warm, making Zhan Feiyu feel alive again. Seeing He Nuan's worried expression, she couldn't help but smile, "When the spring examination comes, I'll ask my teacher to put in a good word, so at least I won't be assigned a leaky examination stall."
"That's the only way," He Nuan nodded. Fortunately, Scholar Gu and Miss were not rigid people. If they were pedantic scholars, they would never take shortcuts.
After taking off her fox fur coat and changing into a light padded jacket, Zhan Feiyu looked at the unfinished homework on her desk and her face fell, "This delay means I'll have to stay up late again tonight."
And the culprit for all this was Minister Liu. Fortunately, he didn't get away unscathed. Zhan Feiyu rubbed her frozen hands, "A Nuan, we'll have knife-cut noodles for dinner to save time."
"Yes," He Nuan added more silver-thread charcoal to the brazier and brought hot water to make tea. Seeing Zhan Feiyu begin to grind ink, she quietly withdrew from the study.
In the kitchen, Chef Xiao and Cui Ya had also been worried all day. Fortunately, Miss had returned safe and sound.
"The braised beef has been soaking in the soup overnight. I'll get some parrot vegetables now," Chef Xiao didn't dare to slack off when she heard Zhan Feiyu was having noodles for dinner, preparing both meat and vegetable side dishes.
"Miss has been a bit overheated these past few days. I'll stew a bowl of snow pear and bird's nest soup," He Nuan placed the box containing the bird's nest on the table. As for the snow pears and goji berries, they were all in the kitchen's cupboard.
Chef Xiao glanced at the white, smooth, golden bird's nest threads and once again confirmed Zhan Feiyu's extraordinary identity. Back in the Wen family, only Madam Wen had such high-quality imperial bird's nests. The eldest young lady and the young madam had to use inferior hairy bird's nests.
Cui Ya was just helping in the kitchen. She stopped her vegetable-picking and looked at He Nuan, asking, "Miss He, is Miss alright now?"
Seeing the worry on Cui Ya's face, He Nuan's expression softened, "The case is still being investigated, but Miss is fine now."
If anyone was in trouble, it should be Minister Liu. This time, he had truly shot himself in the foot. Minister Liu never expected that the physical evidence, the blue sachet, would eventually lead back to his own mansion. The sudden turn of events angered Minister Liu so much that he almost fainted in the Dali Temple court.
As a third-rank official of the imperial court, Minister Liu quickly found an excuse for himself after his initial rage.
Although the blue sachet undoubtedly came from the Liu mansion, it was merely used to reward servants. The sewing room made dozens of them at once, and they were found in various courtyards of the Liu mansion. Some sachets had already been given away.
Therefore, it was very easy for the mastermind or anyone else to obtain a blue sachet. Minister Liu insisted that the mastermind knew he had a feud with Prefect Bai and deliberately used a sachet from the Liu mansion to frame him.
Whether it was Minister Chang or Prefect Bai, they both knew that a single sachet could not convict Minister Liu. Therefore, the case was temporarily shelved. Fortunately, Zhan Feiyu's suspicion was cleared, and Minister Liu lost face, which was considered a satisfactory outcome.
...
Compared to Zhan Feiyu, who immediately began to study diligently after returning, Bai Zhaohui was summoned to the backyard as soon as he returned to the Bai family.
"Mother, Second Aunt," Bai Zhaohui bowed and had his cloak removed by the maids.
"Zhaohui is a talented young man. After he succeeds in the imperial examinations next year, our Bai family's threshold will be worn down by matchmakers," Madam Zhu laughed heartily, teasing Bai Zhaohui, who looked a little embarrassed when his marriage was mentioned, "If my son had Zhaohui's looks, I would wake up laughing in my dreams."
"How can a mother speak so ill of her own son? With his handsome features, where is Heng'er not good-looking?" Madam Bai chimed in with a smile, but she also looked at her imposing younger son with pride. He wasn't the child of a military family, so it was natural for Zhaohui to be handsome and refined.
Madam Bai, having been flattered by Madam Zhu all afternoon, was in a very good mood. She asked Bai Zhaohui, "How did the Dali Temple trial go? Is that young girl the real culprit?"
From Madam Bai's tone, it was clear that rather than seeing Zhan Feiyu as a savior, Madam Bai was more inclined to believe that Zhan Feiyu wanted to leverage her life-saving grace to marry Bai Zhaohui, and she was practically calling Zhan Feiyu the mastermind.
Madam Zhu picked up her teacup, using the action of drinking tea to conceal the disdain in her eyes. Zhaohui was indeed outstanding, but that young lady from Yufeng Tower likely had a significant background as well.
Miss Zhan was knowledgeable and refined in appearance, and her actions were meticulous. Perhaps the only flaw was her height. Did a young lady need to scheme so hard to marry Zhaohui? He wasn't a prince or a royal descendant.
"Mother, Minister Chang already..." Bai Zhaohui quickly recounted the case. Seeing Madam Bai's expression gradually change from joy to coldness, Bai Zhaohui felt helpless.
The rumors that Miss Zhan wanted to leverage her life-saving grace to marry him were clearly just rumors, yet his mother believed them and was convinced that Miss Zhan had ulterior motives. This made Bai Zhaohui feel both guilty and helpless.
With a somber face, Madam Bai sneered with a smile, "For a young lady to be so sharp-tongued in court, she must have interacted with many people outside. That's understandable. If her upbringing were strict, how could she be allowed to live in an inn without any elder accompanying her? Women should be virtuous and gentle."
Madam Bai raised her eyebrows, showing no concealment of her disdain. She admonished, "Zhaohui, no matter who the real culprit is, for Miss Zhan's reputation, you'd best have less contact with her, lest the rumors that have just subsided be spread again. You should return to the Imperial Academy and focus on your studies for the next few days."
"Yes," Bai Zhaohui agreed. With the spring examination approaching, he indeed could not afford to be negligent.
As for Zhan Feiyu's life-saving grace, Bai Zhaohui did not expect anything from Madam Bai. He planned to make arrangements after Prefect Bai returned from his official duties.
After Bai Zhaohui left, Madam Bai no longer concealed her dislike for Zhan Feiyu and said with a cold face, "She didn't even accept your niece's invitation. She's not old, yet she puts on airs. If she marries in the future, her in-laws might not be able to control her."
"She might be a bit scared, being new to the capital," Madam Zhu said with a smile, but she couldn't help but think to herself that her sister-in-law wanted Zhaohui to marry a princess. Everyone knew that Princess Seven's temper was comparable to Zhe Jing's. In the end, it was all about status and family background; personality and character were secondary.
"If she were scared, would she dare to clash with Zhe Jing?" Madam Bai sneered dismissively.
The Zhe family didn't know how to raise their daughters, allowing Zhe Jing to shamelessly chase men all over the capital. This girl was no good either. The rumors were clearly spread by herself, wanting to marry Zhaohui with them. She should consider if she was worthy!
Madam Zhu couldn't respond and could only drink tea again to hide her embarrassment. Although marriage was decided by parents, if the eldest cousin disagreed, it wouldn't be easy for Madam Zhu's sister-in-law to have Zhaohui marry a princess.
Night fell, Bai Mansion, study.
"Take this Duan inkstone and these two rare books. Send them to Yufeng Tower along with the gifts prepared by Madam," Prefect Bai instructed in a deep voice. Others might not know Zhan Feiyu's identity, but Prefect Bai knew after checking her travel permit.
Instead of sending fabrics and jewelry that young ladies liked, Prefect Bai thought of Zhan Feiyu's handwriting on her statement. Someone who could write such a powerful cursive script would be more suited to ink and paper.
"Yes," The steward suppressed his shock. These rare books were the master's favorites. When the eldest young master wanted them, the master had been reluctant to give them away, but now he was giving them to a young lady.
After the steward left with the gift boxes, Prefect Bai looked at Bai Zhaohui, who was waiting, "What do you think of this case? Have you considered who the mastermind is?"
"Miss Zhan is not the killer, and Minister Liu is probably not either," Bai Zhaohui stood up and poured tea for Prefect Bai before continuing, "Even if Zhao Hu and other ruffians hadn't caused trouble that day, with Zi Ang's habits, he would have rewarded the chef. Yao Damin would still have had the opportunity to assassinate me."
Dou Ziang was a classmate of Bai Zhaohui, but he was an absolute glutton. Once he enjoyed his meal, he would definitely reward the chef and even discuss the taste of the dishes with him.
Bai Zhaohui had also been pondering who the mastermind was these past few days. "The Shun Tian Prefecture constables did not find any money in Yao Damin's home. Compared to the motive of hiring a killer, I believe the killer coerced Yao Damin with power, and perhaps would give Yao's family a large sum of money as compensation after the deed was done."
This was why Yao Damin went to the pawnshop to inquire about the price of that small courtyard from Steward Zhou. If it were only about temptation, Yao Damin would never have agreed. It was better to live a lowly life than to die. The Yao family was not so poor that they couldn't make ends meet.
But if the other party threatened Yao Damin's family with their lives, Yao Damin would have no choice but to agree. Since death was unavoidable in either case, agreeing would at least leave some money for his family to fall back on. This was why Yao Damin dared to attempt to kill Bai Zhaohui.
Prefect Bai took a sip of tea, "Continue."
"Minister Liu has an old feud with Father, but back then, it was only Minister Liu's cousin who died. He would absolutely not kill me for revenge," Bai Zhaohui was not underestimating Minister Liu, but Minister Liu could be described as a hypocrite who flattered superiors and bullied inferiors. For him to form an irreconcilable enmity with the Bai family over a clan nephew was impossible.
"Therefore, I believe Minister Liu decided to intervene in this case only after the incident, to annoy Father," Bai Zhaohui thought of Minister Liu's attempt to convict Zhan Feiyu. Once found guilty, if the real culprit was exposed later, what would happen to the Bai family's reputation? Prefect Bai of Shun Tian Prefecture would be a laughingstock for wrongly accusing his savior.
"Zhaohui, have you considered that Minister Liu is the presiding official in this case? When the truth is revealed, I will only suffer damage to my reputation, but Minister Liu's crimes will be even greater," Prefect Bai put down his teacup and looked at the pensive Bai Zhaohui with amusement. Entering officialdom through imperial examinations was easy, but serving as an official was not.
Zhan Feiyu, who was resting after writing an article, also discussed this issue with He Nuan, "As the saying goes, one emperor, one court. The reason Minister Liu is not worried is that someone is backing him."
"Miss, are you referring to the palace?" He Nuan's expression suddenly changed, and the embroidery needle in her hand almost pricked her fingertip.
Stretching her stiff body after sitting for half an hour, Zhan Feiyu smiled and nodded, "What if it's a wrongful conviction? As long as the new emperor favors him, Minister Liu will have no worries."
The sachet that the Ministry of Justice constables found in Yao Damin's home was originally in Zhan Feiyu's luggage. If it hadn't been secretly swapped by the Forbidden Dragon Guards midway, Zhan Feiyu would have been convicted of hiring a killer.
The intention of the palace was likely not directed at her, a young girl. Zhan Feiyu narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. This scheme was aimed at her teacher, but Zhan Feiyu couldn't yet determine which prince had instructed Minister Liu.
Since Miss had been cleared of suspicion and with the palace's involvement, and Minister Chang was a smooth operator, He Nuan said with a grim face, "So this case has become a cold case."
Yao Damin was dead, and the clues were completely broken. Minister Chang would not relentlessly pursue the investigation, and the case would naturally be shelved.
"No," Zhan Feiyu smiled sweetly. Although she hadn't visited her teacher at the Scholar's Mansion since arriving in the capital, she knew Scholar Gu's character. Her only disciple had been schemed against in such a manner, and Scholar Gu would certainly not let it go.
Seeing He Nuan's confusion, Zhan Feiyu didn't keep her in suspense, "Yao Damin did not immediately frame me after being imprisoned. Instead, he committed suicide only after the rumors of me trying to leverage my life-saving grace to marry Bai Zhaohui had spread throughout the streets. Someone must have given Yao Damin instructions."
Yao Damin assassinated Bai Zhaohui, so after he was imprisoned, the jailers guarded him strictly without Prefect Bai's order.
Moreover, they were guarded by three people in shifts, watching Yao Damin closely. If someone could pass messages to Yao Damin, then that person must be a jailer.
What Zhan Feiyu could think of, Prefect Bai and others who were skilled in handling cases could also think of. They had already sent people to monitor these jailers, eliminating suspects one by one, and finally focusing on the jailer Lai Sanquan.
(End of this chapter)