【Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the “Jiangnan Map”】
Murong Yun lowered her gaze. A small burnt strand of hair lay on the ground, and Murong Chong, after saying she need not continue kneeling, had already left.
“What Master said just now…” Xiao Qian covered her mouth in shock, rushing in from the doorway, her face lighting up with joy. “Does that mean you can dress as a man in the future?”
“Don’t celebrate too early.” Murong Yun pushed herself up on her aching, numb legs. “He’s only drawn a promise. Whether I can actually claim it is another matter.”
Going out boldly during the day was risky, but at night, dressed in black, Murong Yun could move far more discreetly.
Under the moonlight, she clenched her teeth.
Her father’s guard arrangements were tight, with shifts rotating day and night, ensuring constant vigilance.
For some reason, she suddenly recalled that near the kitchen woodshed there was a small, low hole.
She circled around to the back kitchen. Thick green shrubs concealed the spot completely, making it easy to overlook.
Except for someone like her, who had experience crawling through such holes.
A hunched shadow crept past near the kitchen. Murong Yun immediately pressed her back against the wall, controlling her breathing, blending into the darkness.
There was more than one person. Two figures, one at the front and one at the back, carried a sack. To keep it from dragging on the ground, both were breathing heavily.
It looked like the sack was quite heavy.
“Of all times, something had to happen during my shift.”
“Complaining won’t help. When luck runs bad, even drinking water can choke you,” the other muttered irritably.
In the bright moonlight, one of them crawled out through the hole first, pulling the sack from outside. Once the sack was out, the second followed.
Murong Yun pressed her ear to the wall, carefully noting their direction before stepping onto a tree trunk and vaulting over the wall.
It was her first time using lightness skill, and the sensation beneath her feet felt unsteady, though fortunately she made no noise. The dog hole ended up being unnecessary.
The Murong residence was lavish but situated in a remote area, with no other homes within five li, only a small hill nearby.
The hills in Jiangnan were not tall, round and squat, yet still somewhat tiring to climb.
“Let’s put it here.” The man in front sounded exhausted.
“But the Second Young Master said we should watch the beasts tear open the sack with our own eyes…” the more honest one replied.
“Are you stupid? If beasts come, will we still have our lives?” the first snapped impatiently. “Stay here yourself if you want. I’m leaving.”
“W-wait for me!” The other hurried after him, glancing around nervously.
Once they were gone, Murong Yun jumped down from the tree and felt the sack. She could distinctly make out the contours of a human face.
It was a person.
Early the next morning, Murong Chong went out to inspect several shops, settling accounts and closing them to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“Master! Master!” Steward Yao came running, panting heavily, not daring to pause. “At the gate! There’s a dead body at the gate!”
Murong Chong’s legs went weak, his thoughts flashing to his daughter’s commotion in the ancestral hall the day before. “W-who is dead…”
“A maid from the residence!” Steward Yao was visibly shaken, cold wind biting through as sweat soaked his back. “She’s lying right at the gate!”
“Which maid? Call the matrons from each household and find out.” Murong Chong sat in the courtyard, unable to leave.
Steward Yao quickly regained his composure and sent servants to summon everyone.
The matrons turned pale upon hearing the news, hastily counting their maids before assembling at the gate.
The maid lying on the ground had a swollen face, pale with a bluish tint, though her features still hinted at her former beauty.
Sunlight slanted across her neck, revealing deep purple strangulation marks. Bits of dried grass clung to her lips, making it clear she had been strangled to death.
The matrons, unused to such scenes, could not hold back their nausea and began vomiting.
Steward Yao reported, “The body was discovered at the inner gate during a shift change. No one entered or exited through the main gate.”
He emphasized the words main gate.
The sack beside the body was covered in mud, something impossible within the residence, meaning it must have been brought in from outside.
“A maid of this household could not have left, yet her body was carried back from outside.” Murong Chong’s gaze swept across the matrons. “I will ask one last time. Whose maid is this?”
His imposing presence made their ears ring.
One matron in the middle suddenly went weak and fell to her knees. “Master, she belongs to the Second Young Master’s quarters. I personally selected her. There’s no mistake.”
“Why does the Second Young Master have a maid? He already has several male servants. Does he need a maid as well?” Murong Chong demanded coldly.
The matron trembled. “It… it was the Second Young Master’s request. This servant did not intend to conceal it, but the concubine said—”
Murong Chong flung his teacup, shattering a flower pot in the corner with a loud crash.
All the matrons knelt immediately, not daring to breathe.
“In the future, this household may as well take the surname Ruan,” Murong Chong said coldly.
Concubine Ruan hurried forward. “Master, it’s a misunderstanding! This girl stole jewelry and took her own life out of guilt. I feared trouble, so I had her body secretly discarded on the mountain. The sack was also brought back from outside.”
“Bin’er has been focused on his studies. As his mother, I worried he might become too bookish, so I intended to buy him a maid to relieve his stress. But he refused, so I kept her in my own quarters.”
Her tone was gentle, her words smooth, as she signaled subtly to the matrons.
“I can testify that the concubine speaks the truth,” one matron said firmly.
Madam Zhou approached from afar but stopped when Murong Chong spoke. “Madam, do not come closer. I will handle this.”
She covered her nose with a handkerchief and returned to her room.
Murong Yun, watching everything, thought to herself: …Mother truly is carefree.
Holding the authority over household finances, yet leaving all matters to Father.
“Where is my half-brother?” Murong Yun stood beside her father, resting her hand casually on his chair. “Since it concerns his maid, his absence is rather improper.”
“Miss, the Second Young Master has not yet risen,” a servant reported nervously.
“How admirable. The sun is already high. If this were academy hours, morning lessons would have begun. It seems he studied late into the night,” Murong Yun said with a soft laugh.
The sarcasm was unmistakable.
“Search her body,” Murong Chong ordered, his presence heavy.
The matrons quickly found half a piece of paper hidden in the maid’s sleeve.
Murong Yun was surprised. She had only focused on transporting the sack the previous night, while her father was far more thorough.
“Where did this paper come from?” Murong Chong asked, examining its texture.
The fragment bore indecipherable brushstrokes, resembling a seal when viewed from afar.
Murong Bin rushed over, pointing at the corpse. “How did this maid die?”
He looked perfectly innocent.
But when he saw the paper in his father’s hand, his body stiffened.
Though his hesitation was brief, Murong Chong, seasoned by years in business, saw through it instantly.
“You know nothing?” Murong Chong scoffed. “Those earrings—weren’t they from you?”
“I… no—”
“Still trying to argue!” Murong Chong roared. “Do you think I’ve spent all these years in Jiangnan for nothing? Wherever you make purchases, do you think I wouldn’t know?”
As one of the prominent canal transport families, many merchants vied for the Murong family’s favor. Naturally, they paid close attention to Murong Bin.
Murong Bin’s legs trembled violently. “I… I did take a maid… many of my peers have one. I was wrong. Father, please punish me.”
“Wrong?” Murong Chong kicked him, sending him to his knees. “I think you intend to break the law!”
“Search his room. Everywhere. Under the bed, between the pages of books. If you find anything like this paper, bring it here.”
Servants rushed off immediately.
Soon they returned with two account books, one half-burned.
“This was found in the extinguished brazier.”
“And this in a hidden compartment of a chest.”
Concubine Ruan peeked and relaxed slightly, unable to make out the contents.
Murong Bin lunged forward, trying to swallow the books, but the servants restrained him.
“Still struggling?” Murong Chong said, disappointment replacing anger. “The paper in my hand is the Xie family’s shipping mark. Their seal is written in a unique script, impossible for ordinary people to imitate.”
“The Xie family’s downfall, your hand is in it as well.”
Murong Bin had sought to share in the profits of the Xie family’s canal trade.
“I only wanted to help Father! The Xie family’s business has grown to dominate Jiangnan. In time, they would surpass us. If we could take even a portion, it would strengthen our family and eliminate a competitor at once!” Murong Bin cried.
Murong Yun let out a soft laugh. “Second Brother calculates well. A merchant must be ruthless, and you’re quite suited for it.”
“But you’re too greedy. Why would the Xie family’s profits ever fall into your hands?” She flipped through the other ledger. “This one records our Murong family’s transactions.”
“Such an important book—how did you obtain it, and for what purpose?”
“Elder Sister, don’t mislead others. I only wanted to learn the family business sooner, so I secretly took it. That is understandable,” Murong Bin retorted.
Murong Yun crouched beside him, her voice as soft as a sigh. “Do you truly believe you can bargain with a tiger and walk away unscathed?”
Murong Bin’s pupils shrank.
“Search his person,” Murong Chong ordered coldly. “From sleeves to soles, leave nothing unchecked!”