The sky gradually darkened, and Sister-in-law Qiu lit a bean lamp.
"Sister-in-law Qiu!" Yun Zhao asked, "Was it also a lie that Wen Nuannuan's mother was thrown into the sea?"
Sister-in-law Qiu narrowed her eyes slightly, lost in thought.
After a long pause, she shook her hair bun lightly and said, "That part wasn’t a lie."
Yun Zhao immediately perked up. "Oh?"
Sister-in-law Qiu seemed hesitant, but after a while, she gritted her teeth and cursed, "They’re all no good, those dogs! Oh—I’m no saint either, just as bad as them! A dog-eat-dog world!"
Yun Zhao: "..."
Once she started, Sister-in-law Qiu didn’t hold back. "Wen Changkong originally had a wife. Back then, that woman came from another town, pregnant and with no one to rely on. It was Sister-in-Law Wen who kindly took her in, treating her like a younger sister."
Yun Zhao exclaimed, "So she raised a wolf in sheep’s clothing?"
"Exactly!" Sister-in-law Qiu sneered three times. "The couple, who were once happy, started fighting constantly because of her. Every time they fought, that woman would stand by, sobbing and ‘mediating,’ only making things worse."
Sister-in-law Qiu stood up, puffing out her belly, mimicking Wen Nuannuan’s mother perfectly.
—"Brother Wen, don’t blame Sister-in-Law. It was my fault for falling, for bumping into things. Sister-in-Law didn’t mean to push me..."
Yun Zhao thought of Wen Nuannuan’s habit of slapping herself and mused, "The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Though Yan Nantian doesn’t seem as foolish as Wen Changkong."
She asked, "What happened next? What happened next?"
Sister-in-law Qiu fell silent for a moment, then whispered, "During a trip out to sea, Sister-in-Law Wen threw that woman into the sea."
"What?" Yun Zhao raised her eyebrows.
It was actually Lady Wen who did it!
What a clever twist—shifting the blame onto Lady Xiangyang for something Lady Wen had done.
Sister-in-law Qiu’s voice grew even lower. "When Wen Changkong found out, he was furious. He beat Sister-in-Law Wen and even threatened to divorce her. That very night, she hanged herself."
Yun Zhao’s heart sank.
According to the villain’s spoilers, Lady Xiangyang’s fate was almost the same.
"Who would’ve thought..." Sister-in-law Qiu sighed deeply, hugging her knees and leaning back. "That woman didn’t die. She gave birth to a child on the island and came back alive and well. You should’ve seen Wen Changkong’s face—his eyes were practically glued to her, filled with reckless joy. It was utterly disgusting!"
Yun Zhao wholeheartedly agreed.
"While the mourning cloth for Sister-in-Law Wen was still hanging, he couldn’t wait to marry the new woman. Tell me, aren’t they just a pair of dogs?" Sister-in-law Qiu asked.
Yun Zhao nodded vigorously. "Absolutely!"
Sister-in-law Qiu revealed a sly, triumphant expression, raising her delicate finger and adjusting her collar with a flirtatious air. "But over the years, I’ve made sure to make that woman’s life miserable too! To put it shamelessly, I’ve avenged Sister-in-Law Wen!"
Yun Zhao rocked on her little wooden stool, her emotions mixed as she listened. She then asked, "Is there any evidence of these old events?"
Sister-in-law Qiu shook her head. "It was all a messy affair back then. I only heard bits and pieces, piecing it together with guesses. Those who were on the boat back then are mostly dead by now."
Yun Zhao’s disappointment was written all over her face. "Oh. Well, I’ll be going then."
Sister-in-law Qiu picked up the bean lamp and escorted Yun Zhao to the door.
"Hey..." At the threshold, Sister-in-law Qiu called out to her, whispering, "That Wen Nuannuan, I don’t think she’s any good either! Look at her, always getting hurt at just the right time, as if she’s targeting someone important..."
"Watch your words!" a man’s low voice barked from under the tree.
"Ah!" Sister-in-law Qiu was startled, covering her mouth and hurriedly retreating into the house, carefully closing the door.
Yu Fengyun walked toward Yun Zhao with a cold expression.
He said, "Sister-in-law Qiu is biased against Lady Wen and Wen Nuannuan. She’s already made up her mind. You can’t fully trust what she says."
Yun Zhao scoffed. "Yes, yes, you just keep defending them, just like your Uncle Wen. Keep protecting them!"
She turned and walked away.
After a few steps, she suddenly turned back and stared at Yu Fengyun. "...You just reminded me of something."
Yu Fengyun frowned. "What?"
Yun Zhao stared at his slightly pursed lips, a mischievous smile slowly spreading across her face. "Preconceived notions? Well said! Lead the way, back to the government office!"
Yu Fengyun was puzzled. "You haven’t found anything. Why are you going back?"
Clearly, she and the old prostitute had been gossiping about the Wen mother and daughter the whole time.
"None of your business!" Yun Zhao looked smug, like a fox with its tail held high.
Who said she couldn’t solve the case?
In just a few hours, she had already gathered crucial information (and gossip)!
Linbo Prefecture was only a couple of miles from the coast.
The sea breeze carried a faint fishy smell, damp and heavy against their faces.
Most of the roadside lanterns set up by the government were broken, and no one had bothered to fix them. The guards carried lanterns forward, the light swaying in the wind.
Yu Fengyun remained silent for most of the journey, but finally couldn’t help asking, "...Don’t you find it dirty?"
In the dim light, his gaze was complex and deep.
Yun Zhao looked down at the bluestone path soaked by the sea breeze and said, surprised, "You think we people from the capital are that delicate? There are eighteen such paths on Jiuchong Mountain!"
"I meant Sister-in-law Qiu."
"Sister-in-law Qiu?" Yun Zhao was even more confused. "What’s dirty about her?"
He frowned tightly. "She’s a prostitute. She... sleeps with different men."
Yun Zhao suddenly leaned in, her eyes wide, her eyebrows raised high, staring at him in astonishment. "That makes her dirty?"
Yu Fengyun took half a step back. "Of course."
"Pfft!" Yun Zhao burst out laughing, speaking without restraint. "By that logic, the Emperor, with his three palaces and six courtyards, sleeps with different people every day. Doesn’t that make him the dirtiest person in the world?"
Yu Fengyun: "..." I didn’t say that!
The guards: "..." Heaven above, you can say it, but I dare not listen!
*
Yun Zhao didn’t return to the courtyard where she was staying. Instead, she had someone lead her directly to the place where Wen Nuannuan was attacked.
Wherever she went, she made a lot of noise.
A circle of lanterns and torches surrounded her, casting a bright, glaring light.
The rest of the area seemed even darker in contrast.
She didn’t see Yan Nantian standing high above, wrapped in a heavy black cloak, quietly waiting for her return.
She tilted her head and spoke to Yu Fengyun, her smile full of mischief. "When I find the clues, I’ll make sure to credit you first!"
Yu Fengyun, having endured her antics the whole way, looked somewhat resigned.
He smiled bitterly. "No need. Just don’t drag me into trouble when you cause a mess."
Yun Zhao narrowed her eyes, asking dangerously, "Are you looking down on me?"
Yu Fengyun: "Not at all, not at all, I wouldn’t dare."
In the bright circle of light, the two of them gradually walked away.
"I... I’ve never seen Brother Yu Fengyun like this before," Wen Nuannuan bit her lip and said softly. "He’s usually quite cold, rarely smiles... Miss Yun is so good at getting along with everyone. I really envy her."
Behind her, someone held a lantern. Yan Nantian’s face was hidden in the shadow of the backlight, his expression unreadable.
She only knew that he slightly lowered his eyelids, his gaze following the group, the cold glint in his eyes far from friendly.
She forced herself to take a deep breath and said with forced lightness, "She’s always surrounded by so many people. It must be nice to have so much company..."
Only when Yun Zhao’s figure completely disappeared did Yan Nantian finally lower his head slightly, letting out a low chuckle.
"Someone like you?" He glanced sideways at the top of her head. "It’s better if there are fewer of those."
Wen Nuannuan shivered, lowering her head, not daring to say more.
"She went west," Yan Nantian said lightly. "And you still have the leisure to stir the pot."
Wen Nuannuan quickly shook her head to explain. "Brother Yan, I didn’t... I..."
He turned, showing his teeth in a smile. "Are you looking down on my little Yun Zhao?"
*
Yun Zhao continued westward.
Along the way, someone brought her the case file on Wen Nuannuan’s attack.
Yun Zhao casually handed it to Yu Fengyun. "Read it."
Yu Fengyun instinctively frowned. "What?"
Yun Zhao counted on her fingers. "My mother has rules: no reading while walking, it hurts your eyes; no reading in flickering light, it hurts your eyes; no reading dense text, it hurts your eyes. This place has all three."
Yu Fengyun: "So?"
Yun Zhao said matter-of-factly, "So you read it."
Yu Fengyun: "..."
He read it all the way to the scene of the attack.
After the incident with Wen Changkong and his wife, Wen Nuannuan was taken into the government office for protection.
At that time, she resided in a large, two-room suite with solid brick and wood construction, sealed ceilings, and nailed-shut windows.
Guards were stationed at the door, and patrols roamed the courtyard.
When the incident occurred, Yan Nantian had just returned from Whale Fall Sea with his guards and was entering the central courtyard, making him a witness.
He immediately ordered the suite to be sealed off and thoroughly searched inside and out.
Not a trace of the assailant was found.
Wen Nuannuan had been attacked with a dagger, which was thrust horizontally into her right back, five inches below her shoulder. The wound was not fatal. In her panic, she fled the suite and threw herself into the arms of the most distinguished person in the courtyard.
Yun Zhao pushed open the wooden door of the suite, tearing the seal apart as it flew to either side.
A musty smell greeted her.
She waved her hand in front of her nose, stepped over the threshold, and strode into the room.
The guards, not daring to be careless, quickly followed her in, fanning out to surround and protect her—who knew if the unseen "ghost" would strike again?
Once inside, she glanced around.
This suite served only as a protective space, and its furnishings were extremely simple. The entire room could be taken in at a glance, with nowhere to hide.
The bedroom and the outer room were separated by a solid wooden shelf.
Yu Fengyun walked beside Yun Zhao. "Aren't you afraid?"
Yun Zhao tilted her head to look at him. "Is Wen Nuannuan about the same height as me?"
Yu Fengyun gave her a once-over. "More or less."
Yun Zhao nodded and gestured to the wound location on her own body.
After surveying the room, she walked straight to the wooden shelf. "Bring the light!"
A flame instantly illuminated the area in front of her.
She raised one hand to chest height and ran her fingers along the wooden shelf, pointing as she went.
Wherever she pointed, the light followed.
After circling the shelf, she let out a soft exclamation. "Ah!"
There, in the wooden compartment she pointed to, sat a heavy square bronze cauldron.
"Shine the light here!"
"Whoosh, whoosh!" Several beams of light converged on the compartment. The layer of dust on the bottom showed that the bronze cauldron had clearly been moved.
Yun Zhao gestured. "If a dagger were wedged between it and the wooden wall, wouldn’t it fit perfectly?"
At her words, everyone’s expressions changed dramatically.
In no time at all, they found marks on the wooden frame of the shelf that appeared to have been made by the hilt of a dagger.
The guards immediately brought the weapon for comparison.
It was a perfect match.
A guard murmured, "It wasn’t a ghost who attacked her. She fixed the dagger here, blade pointing outward, and then threw her back into it?"
Yun Zhao stood on her tiptoes, raised her hand, and patted the guard’s shoulder with satisfaction.
She glanced to the side and saw Yu Fengyun’s brows furrowed into a deep frown.
"Thank you so much!" Yun Zhao said, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you for reminding me not to jump to conclusions! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have solved the case so quickly!"
Because Wen Changkong had been killed in front of many witnesses, too many people had seen the "ghost attack," leading them to assume that Wen Nuannuan’s case in the sealed room was the same.
Yun Zhao raised her chin at Yu Fengyun and delivered the final blow with a smile. "I told you, you get the credit for this one!"