Bai Feijun’s bandaging technique was very refined.
Because he used fine silk, the bandage around Jiang Zhuo’s neck did not look like an injury at all; instead, it resembled an ingeniously styled silk ribbon tied at her throat.
“When Jiang Lie used to talk to me about you, he only said he had a younger female cousin. He said that perhaps because she had been acknowledged as a goddaughter by the Peach Tree, she had grown up exceptionally beautiful. He insisted that one day he must bring me to see you, so I would know what true capital-city beauty really was.”
Perhaps because Bai Feijun wore a mask, as though隔着一层, Jiang Zhuo always felt that his smile seemed faint and hazy, as if veiled by mist, making it hard to see clearly.
“If he said that,” Jiang Zhuo replied with certainty, “then he must also have said that I have an extremely bad temper and am excessively pampered—practically exactly like my father!”
“Haha.” Bai Feijun covered his mouth and gave a dry laugh, not denying it.
“People are different by nature. Even when men enter officialdom, there is a distinction between civil and military paths. Civil officials are talented but often pedantic and conservative; military officials are valiant and resolute, yet prone to impulsiveness. Strengths and flaws always complement each other. How can there be such a thing as an ‘extremely bad’ personality?” Jiang Zhuo said indignantly. “When men judge a woman’s temperament as terrible, it is only because what she shows is not what they need, not what they expect, not a personality from which they can benefit.”
“I actually think Miss Jiang is quite different from how Brother Jiang described her.”
Jiang Zhuo herself also faintly felt that Bai Feijun possessed a distinctive air—at times the same coldness and killing intent as Jiang Lie, at other times the same calm serenity as Zhao Mingjing.
Could it be him?
Jiang Zhuo once again thought of the general who had buried her bones on that snowy, wind-lashed night.
But with her wound already bandaged, it was no longer appropriate for Jiang Zhuo to remain alone in a room with an unrelated man.
Just as she was about to take her leave of Bai Feijun, a piercing scream sounded outside the door.
“Ah—there’s a dead person! Someone’s dead!”
Jiang Zhuo and Bai Feijun exchanged a glance and then walked out of the Bamboo cabin one after the other.
The incident had occurred in the Chrysanthemum cabin opposite the Bamboo cabin.
The servant who had screamed ran down the stairs in a panic, stumbling as he went. Downstairs, many people had already gathered to watch the commotion, and the scene was in complete chaos.
Standing on tiptoe, Jiang Zhuo strained to look ahead. Sure enough, at the entrance of the Chrysanthemum cabin, a man in a blue robe lay sprawled on the ground.
“Him! It’s him!” Suddenly, a servant pointed at Jiang Zhuo and shouted. “This man asked me earlier today about who was staying in the four upper cabins. I recommended that he go to the Chrysanthemum cabin, and now the guest in the Chrysanthemum cabin is dead. It must be him who killed him!”
At these words, the people who had just been crowding around Jiang Zhuo hurriedly scattered, afraid of being implicated with this “murderer.”
“…I’ve never seen him.”
Faced with the many sidelong glances, Jiang Zhuo felt rather awkward.
“Little brother, did you personally see this young master beside me enter the Chrysanthemum cabin?”
Bai Feijun, who was still standing at Jiang Zhuo’s side, spoke up to question him.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” The ship’s supervising officer also arrived and knocked the servant on the head. “You can eat food carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly.”
“But I—”
The servant looked aggrievedly at the officer.
The officer gave him a meaningful look.
The servant immediately stopped talking.
Those staying in the upper cabins of an official ship were the highest-ranking passengers aboard. Jiang Zhuo was among them, and not someone an ordinary person could afford to offend.
“Fine, none of you dare to speak.” A booming voice came from next door. A middle-aged man in a dark blue brocade robe stepped out of the adjacent cabin. He appeared to be around the same age as Jiang Zhuo’s father. “Then let this old man ask.”
Immediately afterward, an official plaque and letter of appointment were presented.
“I am Tao Zhengyue, Judicial Commissioner en route to Quzhou to take up my post, directly appointed by His Majesty. Today, I will conduct the inquiry. I will personally bear responsibility for the investigation and its outcome.” Tao Zhengyue turned to look at Jiang Zhuo. “Well? Does the young master wish to verify my identity?”
“No need,” Jiang Zhuo replied calmly.
Anyone able to board this ship and stay in these cabins would certainly have had their identity checked already.
Jiang Zhuo had never liked doing pointless things.
“Very well, then Tao will ask. Is what the servant said just now true? Was the person killed by you?”
“Today, I did indeed ask the servant about the occupants of the upper cabins, but I did not kill the man.”
“See! I told you it was him! If he didn’t kill someone, why would he go asking about other people’s information for no reason?!”
The servant downstairs immediately shouted again.
Hearing this, the crowd once more began pointing and whispering at Jiang Zhuo.
“Silence!” Tao Zhengyue swept his sleeve to stop the discussion, then questioned Jiang Zhuo again. “Then tell me who you are, why you boarded this ship, and why you inquired about the guests in the upper cabins.”
“I am Jiang Zhuo, daughter of the former Vice Chancellor Jiang Dun. My father passed away in Quzhou, and I am traveling home to attend his funeral.”
“So it’s a woman.”
“The daughter of Minister Jiang—wasn’t she just recently enfeoffed as a County Princess?”
“A County Princess? That’s an imperial relative. No wonder her bearing is extraordinary.”
As soon as Jiang Zhuo spoke, the people aboard the ship began murmuring among themselves again.
Whether it was truly a good choice to reveal her identity publicly at such a time and place, Jiang Zhuo herself felt a slight wavering of resolve.
Bai Feijun gently tugged at Jiang Zhuo’s sleeve and smiled reassuringly.
“You there! Since you know our young lady is a County Princess, how dare you speak so casually and disrespectfully!”
Tonghua downstairs also did her utmost to defend Jiang Zhuo.
Jiang Zhuo smiled faintly and continued.
“When boarding the ship, I noticed someone whose figure resembled that of my cousin Jiang Lie, whom I had not seen for many years. As we had long been out of contact, I dared not approach rashly, so I used an excuse to inquire with the servant, guessing that my cousin was staying in the Bamboo cabin.”
“Where were you at noon today? Do you have anyone to testify for you?” Tao Zhengyue pressed on.
“I was originally eating in the passenger cabin. I then overheard someone nearby mention that there was an Inspector who had come down from the northern battlefield. Based on the experiences described, I felt even more certain it was my cousin. After asking the servant, I carried pastries and knocked on the door of the Bamboo cabin. After that, I remained in the Bamboo cabin the entire time.”
Tao Zhengyue nodded and turned his gaze to Bai Feijun beside Jiang Zhuo. “So, you are Jiang Lie, Miss Jiang’s cousin?”
“Her cousin is me!”
Jiang Lie’s voice sounded from behind Jiang Zhuo.
She turned around and saw that Jiang Lie had emerged from inside the Bamboo cabin.
Bai Feijun, remaining composed, nodded. “I am General Jiang’s strategist. I can also testify on Miss Jiang’s behalf.”
“Since the County Princess is female, and General Jiang can vouch for her as well, then the guest in the Chrysanthemum cabin should not have been killed by the County Princess. Hahaha, it seems this was merely a misunderstanding.”
Seeing that both Jiang Zhuo and Jiang Lie were people of no small status, the ship’s supervising officer tried to smooth things over.
“No—”
Tao Zhengyue, who had entered the Chrysanthemum cabin and examined the body up close, straightened and spoke solemnly.
“The person who killed this gentleman in blue robes was precisely a woman.”