Meng Zheng's throat moved slightly, and he wanted to persuade again: "Father..."
"Shut up!" Meng Yi's face was livid, blue veins faintly pulsing at his temples.
Madame Meng stood to the side, also at a loss for words. This man was impossibly stubborn; sometimes even she couldn't pull him back.
Madame Meng gently tugged at Meng Yi's sleeve and said, "Talk to him properly."
Meng Yi's gaze dropped, and when it fell on Madame Meng, it softened by three parts in an instant, and his voice eased as well: "Mm, I'll go to the Kaifeng Prefecture first."
Madame Meng was also angered by his unyielding demeanor: "You..."
Meng Yi's large hand landed on Madame Meng's shoulder, gave it a squeeze, and pressed down gently as if to soothe her, the force mild yet not to be questioned: "Don't ask."
Madame Meng had no way to deal with him, so she could only caution: "Don't be too stubborn. Come back early."
Meng Yi nodded: "Mm."
After settling things with Madame Meng, Meng Yi walked over to Yan Tongshu: "Let's go, Magistrate Yan."
Yan Tongshu's temper flared. How hard was it to tell the truth for once?
What was with all these infuriating habits?
Li Fulin was caught in the middle. If they actually threw General Meng into the Kaifeng Prefecture dungeons, the emperor would come asking questions of the Prefecture.
Yan Tongshu gritted his teeth: "Very well, right this way."
Yan Tongshu walked ahead, Meng Yi followed behind him, and Li Fulin brought up the rear, all of them heading back to the Kaifeng Prefecture.
Meng Zheng let out a sigh and chased after them.
Though he had joked about wanting to see his father taken down a peg, that was still his own father. How could he truly bear to watch his father go to prison?
Meng Zheng hurried to Meng Yi's side and lowered his voice: "Father, what exactly is your connection to that musician?"
Meng Yi shot Meng Zheng a furious glare: "Shut up."
The Kaifeng Prefecture arranged the largest and most spacious cell for Meng Yi, complete with a bed, a table, blankets, and everything else one might need.
Meng Zheng stayed with Meng Yi until dark, yet the man remained silent.
Meng Zheng was utterly at a loss. He sat across from Meng Yi, hand on his forehead: "Father, Mother is still at home waiting for you. What secret is worth disregarding Mother? I asked Magistrate Yan earlier. This case has you as the only suspect. Xinniang's neck has your fingerprints. The scene has only you, only you! If we can't find solid evidence to clear you, you'll be ruled the murderer. Do you understand that or not!"
Meng Yi pressed his lips together, his gaze darkened.
Meng Zheng was frantic: "Father!"
Meng Yi remained unmoved: "You can go back now."
Meng Zheng was furious: "Aren't you afraid Mother will be angry? What exactly happened on that flower boat! Say something!"
Meng Yi ignored Meng Zheng and instead looked toward the dungeon gate: "Guard, please escort Commander Meng out."
The guard was deeply troubled.
On one side was the Commander of the Divine Martial Army, on the other the Infantry Commander of the Divine Martial Army. Who could he possibly afford to offend?
Meng Zheng, stomach burning with anger, stormed out.
As soon as he stepped out of the dungeon, he saw Yan Tongshu waiting at the entrance.
One look at his livid face and Yan Tongshu knew nothing had been revealed.
Why was the man so stubborn?
Yan Tongshu offered comfort: "Fine, if he won't talk, we'll start investigating from Xinniang's acquaintances."
Meng Zheng acknowledged wearily: "Mm."
He hadn't realized how serious the case was at first, not until Meng Yi was actually taken to the dungeon and he'd read the case files. Only then did he understand the matter went far beyond his imagination.
If Meng Yi stayed silent, it was effectively a confession.
And murder was a capital crime.
Meng Zheng's heart sank to the bottom.
The next day, Zhang Jiu came to report.
Yan Tongshu asked urgently: "What news?"
Zhang Jiu said respectfully: "Magistrate Yan, do you remember when Officer Cao was killed, we went to see Lady Cao and asked whether Officer Cao had made any enemies?"
Yan Tongshu nodded.
Zhang Jiu said: "Lady Cao said that Officer Cao and Ning Yuan, the eldest son of the Duke of Yuguo, fought over a singing girl and came to blows. Yesterday, this official found Liao Zhu, another female musician who had lived with Xinniang, and confirmed that the singing girl Officer Cao and Ning Yuan fought over was Xinniang. At the time, the two argued near the flower street, and since Xinniang was holding a pipa, onlookers mistook her for a singer."
Yan Tongshu's expression turned severe: "Let's go. Take me to Xinniang's residence now."
Zhang Jiu nodded. The moment the two left the Kaifeng Prefecture, Meng Zheng followed.
Meng Zheng wanted to clear his father's name, and Yan Tongshu understood his motives, so he let him tag along.
Besides, the Kaifeng Prefecture couldn't beat him in a fight nor drive him away.
The three traveled to Number 37, Guaizi Alley, Wuyi Lane.
It was the kind of place akin to a large compound—a big courtyard surrounded by eight rooms.
The eight rooms housed people who knew each other, and people who didn't.
Similar to modern shared housing.
Everyone stayed in their own rooms but shared the courtyard and the kitchen.
Yan Tongshu first went to Xinniang's room.
The room was Xinniang's, but not entirely hers.
Xinniang's family was poor; she earned little money, and after maintaining her pipa, even less was left to spend.
So Xinniang shared her room with her friend Liao Zhu. The two of them lived together and squeezed onto a single bed.
The room was in the northwest corner, and winters were especially cold, so the window was built very small for warmth.
On the bed, two quilts were folded neatly. The cotton inside was rather stiff, suggesting they'd seen many years of use.
Beside the bed was a wardrobe with peeling paint and rusted metal fittings.
Against the wall near the window sat a small cabinet cluttered with jars and bottles, mostly nearly empty rouge and hand creams.
Under the cabinet were three drawers holding tools for repairing and maintaining pipas.
Yan Tongshu opened the wardrobe. The room was small, so the wardrobe was small too, its contents all feminine items.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
It seemed Xinniang was, in herself, an utterly ordinary woman of thirty with no distinguishing features whatsoever.
"Cough, cough."
Liao Zhu, the female musician who had shared the room with Pu Xin, had been standing at the door waiting. She suddenly coughed.
She pressed down on her itchy, sore throat: "Forgive me, I'm not in good health."
It was cold in winter, so Yan Tongshu asked: "Did you catch a chill?"
He stepped closer to Liao Zhu and caught a strong medicinal smell—faint notes of ginseng, astragalus, lily, and ophiopogon.
Yan Tongshu extended his hand toward Liao Zhu: "May I take a look?"
Liao Zhu made no attempt to hide anything and openly stretched out her hand for Yan Tongshu to check her pulse.
The moment he took her pulse, Yan Tongshu's brow furrowed: "This condition of yours..."
"I know. It's consumption. Not much time left for me." Liao Zhu smiled grimly: "Actually, Xinniang and I made more money as musicians than most. We didn't have to live so frugally. But Magistrate Yan, you can see—this little room has nothing beyond basic necessities. All because of my illness. Xinniang used most of her savings to buy medicine for me, so naturally nothing was left over."
Zhang Jiu and Meng Zheng exchanged a glance. They had heard Xinniang was very timid and faint-hearted, yet surprisingly, she'd been a woman of deep loyalty.
In consideration of Liao Zhu's health, Yan Tongshu moved with her to the kitchen to talk.
The kitchen still had Liao Zhu's medicine simmering, filling the air with a thick medicinal smell.
Yan Tongshu studied Liao Zhu.
She was thin and gaunt, with a sallow complexion, and coughed from time to time.
When she coughed, though she tried her best to suppress it, one could hear that there was a great deal of phlegm.
The silk handkerchief hanging at Liao Zhu's waist was stained with blood—it must have gotten that way when she coughed it up.
Combined with Liao Zhu's pulse reading, it was late-stage consumption, which in modern terms would be advanced tuberculosis.
In modern times, there would be a chance to save her.
But in ancient times, there was no such technology or conditions.
Yan Tongshu let out a pitying sigh, and unconsciously lowered his voice when speaking to Liao Zhu: "Have you known Xinniang for a long time?"
Liao Zhu pulled out the silk handkerchief from her waist, covered her mouth, and turned aside, coughing several more times. Only after she had recovered did she say, "Many years now."
She lowered her gaze slightly, as if she were reminiscing.
Liao Zhu: "About seven or eight years or so."
Yan Tongshu: "How did the two of you meet?"
Liao Zhu said flatly, "Xinniang and I are not the same. Xinniang is only a music instructor, but I was sold to Spring Color House as a singing girl. Around seven years ago, in the fifth lunar month, I fell ill with this disease. It lingered and would not improve, and the brothel owner, seeing that I had become a liability, sent me off to carry night soil. My health was poor, and I often fell sick. I could not do much work and was frequently beaten. At that time, Xinniang was hired to the brothel to fill in for a day. She saw that I was pitiful and begged the owner on my behalf.
The owner thought I was useless anyway, so he casually named a price of three taels of silver for my freedom. Xinniang saved up for half a year, borrowed money all around, and scraped together enough to redeem me. To tell the truth, before that, Xinniang and I had never even met.
I never took her words about redeeming me seriously. Who would have thought that half a year later, she really did come. She brought me home, bought me medicine. She took me along to perform and earn money together. During that time, though I was sick and often ran out of medicine because we were poor, life was a hundred times more comfortable than it had been in the brothel."
At this point, Zhang Jiu went to the neighbor's to borrow some hot water, poured a bowl for Liao Zhu, and let her moisten her throat.
She picked it up and drank some, and her throat felt much better.
Zhang Jiu asked, "So the two of you just lived your lives together like that?"
Liao Zhu nodded: "All you officers must also be curious—why did she treat a stranger like me so well?"
Yan Tongshu and the other two nodded.
Liao Zhu seemed to recall the past, and a reminiscent smile appeared on her face: "Because Xinniang's mother was also a woman who had been sold into a brothel. Xinniang said that her mother was beautiful, and had only been in the brothel for three years before a wealthy merchant bought her as a concubine. Later, Xinniang's mother gave birth to her, but fell ill—also with consumption. When Xinniang was three years old, Yinzhou was captured, and there was chaos everywhere for a time. Xinniang's father sold the house and land and headed south with the people, but that wealthy merchant found Xinniang a burden, so he left the mother and daughter behind in Yinzhou."
Yan Tongshu sharply caught the familiar place name within this, and asked, "The zhou you mentioned, which yin is it?"
Liao Zhu dipped her finger in water and wrote the character "Yin" on the table.
Liao Zhu: "That one, Yinzhou—the Yinzhou at the border, adjacent to the Liao territory."
Yan Tongshu instinctively glanced at Meng Zheng.
Twenty-six years ago, Meng Yi had served as a garrison commander in the Yinzhou army—what they called a garrison commander was a soldier just one rank above a common foot soldier.
Among garrison commanders, the most capable would be transferred to serve in the main general's tent. Meng Yi had been transferred there back then.
Meng Zheng's brows were knitted deeply, as if he wished they could twist into a single knot.
Yan Tongshu did not voice his questions out loud, and quietly listened to Liao Zhu continue.
Liao Zhu drank some more hot water, suppressing the metallic taste at the back of her throat: "The two of them, mother and daughter, survived by pawning the jewelry they were still wearing when they were thrown out of the wealthy merchant's house, while singing on the streets to eke out a living. It went on like that until six months later, when they ran out of everything. All the money on Xinniang's mother was gone. She thought they could not survive, and was about to take Xinniang and kill themselves together, when the imperial army fought their way back and drove out the Liao soldiers completely. But Xinniang's father never returned. After that, Xinniang's mother's consumption worsened, and she could no longer work. Xinniang had no choice but to go out begging to lessen her mother's burden.
Xinniang would often mock herself, saying that luckily her looks took after her cheap merchant father, and did not inherit even half of her mother's beauty—she was only ordinary. Otherwise, she would have been sold into a brothel by traffickers long ago. When Xinniang was eight, her mother died of illness. With no one to rely on, Xinniang was taken in by an old musician, who brought her away from Yinzhou. When Xinniang was ten, that old musician also died. Carrying her only pipa, she drifted through life, scammed, sold, and escaped—until she came to where she is today."
"Xinniang is a timid person..." Liao Zhu paused here, then gave a helpless yet deeply moved smile: "You know, when Xinniang begged the brothel owner to let me go, her whole body was trembling, and her face had lost all its color. Not only that, she was also very afraid of pain. When the owner shoved her, and her hand got scraped, she shed tears endlessly. When she was practicing the pipa, it was the same—crying while she practiced. Foolish and naive."
From the looks of it, this Xinniang, though timid, was a very kind and loyal person.
Yan Tongshu pressed further: "In the past six months, has Xinniang shown any anomalies? Or has she met any particular people?"
Liao Zhu shook her head: "A year ago, my condition worsened, and I no longer had the strength to go out and earn money with Xinniang. So, most of the time, Xinniang went out alone while I waited for her at home."
Yan Tongshu pressed on: "A little over a month ago, Xinniang got into an argument with someone near Spring Flower House. Do you know about that?"
Liao Zhu thought carefully: "She seems to have mentioned it in passing once or twice, but I don't know the details. Xinniang was afraid that worrying me would worsen my illness, so she rarely brought bad things home."
I see...
Yan Tongshu pondered for a moment: "The pattern on Xinniang's pipa—did it exist before, or was it drawn recently?"
Liao Zhu recalled for a moment: "It seems it suddenly appeared about five days ago."
Yan Tongshu: "How did it get there?"
Liao Zhu shook her head, then nodded, acting very strangely.
Yan Tongshu's senses sharpened and he pressed: "Did something just come to mind?"
Liao Zhu hesitated: "I'm not sure about it... On the day the pattern suddenly appeared on the pipa, I saw some paint on Xinniang's sleeve. So, maybe she painted it herself, but also maybe not."
Yan Tongshu: "Who does Xinniang usually go out to perform with?"
Liao Zhu: "Tan Fang. She lives just two streets ahead. She's a few years younger than Xinniang, only around twenty. She has someone in her family who makes instruments, and going out as a musician is just a hobby for her."
Zhang Jiu immediately followed up: "Has Xinniang ever made an enemy of anyone?"
Liao Zhu shook her head: "Xinniang is timid. She's afraid just talking to strangers, let alone making enemies. If there are any grudges, they were mostly others bullying her. She doesn't have the wherewithal to make herself a target of someone's hatred."
Yan Tongshu asked again: "Why did General Cao and Young Master Ning fight over Xinniang?"
Liao Zhu shook her head once more: "I don't know that either. She rarely spoke of outside matters. I only heard about it by chance from someone else, and when I asked her about it, she told me there had been such a thing. Xinniang said it was just an accident and told me not to worry about it."
"Alright, got it."
Yan Tongshu stood up, and left together with Zhang Jiu and Meng Zheng.
The three of them stood at the door, all silent at once.
Apart from the clue of "Yinzhou," every piece of information about Xinniang was too ordinary.
An ordinary musician, with an ordinary and pitiful life story. An orphan, with no relatives to rely on, no mysterious family background, and no blood feud.
Timid by nature, cowardly, and afraid of pain.
She embodied everything most ordinary and unremarkable in the world.
Could it be that Xinniang, in order to cure Liao Zhu's consumption, deliberately painted the pattern of the Meng family heirloom jade pendant on her pipa to lure Meng Yi, which caused Meng Yi to kill her in a fit of rage?
That made no sense.
There were plenty of wealthy fools throwing money around at Huihua Tower. Why target someone as stubborn and hard to swindle as Meng Yi?
How could Xinniang have known that the jade pendant could be used to threaten Meng Yi?
And besides, Meng Yi wasn't the type to kill on impulse.
Forget it. Yan Tongshu sighed again. Let's go ask Tan Fang first.
The three of them went back to Tan Fang's home.
Only her grandfather and herself were at home; her parents were out doing manual labor for others.
Yan Tongshu got straight to the point and stated the purpose of their visit. The wooden board in Tan Fang's hand fell to the ground, and her lips parted slightly. "Y-you're saying Xinniang is dead?"
The moment she spoke, Yan Tongshu recognized her voice—she was the woman in purple who had performed music alongside Xinniang at Tonghe Tower.
Yan Tongshu nodded. "Xinniang was killed yesterday on a pleasure boat from Huihua Tower."
"Who!" Tan Fang suddenly erupted with intense fury. "Who did it? Who could be so vile as to harm a fragile woman like Xinniang?"
Yan Tongshu replied, "We're investigating."
Tears glistened in Tan Fang's eyes. She turned her head away, wiped her tears with her hand, and invited the three of them into the sitting room. While pouring tea, she said, "What would the three officers like to ask?"
Yan Tongshu asked in a steady tone, "How did you and Xinniang meet?"
Her voice choked with overwhelming grief, Tan Fang said, "Half a year ago, I went to Tonghe Tower to play the pipa. My partner got a better opportunity and broke our agreement, running off. I had no partner, and Xinniang needed to earn money. We tried performing together once, and we had great chemistry, so we became regular partners."
Yan Tongshu pressed on. "How often did the two of you perform at Tonghe Tower?"
Tan Fang wiped her tears again. "Tonghe Tower usually schedules performances half a month in advance, and they have to coordinate the timing of different performers, so it wasn't fixed. But generally we performed three to four times a month."
Starting half a year ago, three to four times a month.
And one month ago, Ning Yuan, the eldest son of the Earl of Yuguo, and Cao Jian had fought over Xinniang.
Yan Tongshu thought for a moment, then asked, "Is the secret owner behind Tonghe Tower Ning Yuan, the eldest son of the Earl of Yuguo? Did he know Xinniang?"
Tan Fang looked at Yan Tongshu strangely and shook her head. "Who is Ning Yuan?"
Yan Tongshu frowned. "The man who saved you and Xinniang when you were being harassed at Tonghe Tower."
At that, Tan Fang remembered. At the time, the man had indeed announced his name. It seemed to be that name.
Tan Fang said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I have a bad memory. I tend to forget today's events by tomorrow."
Yan Tongshu was taken aback.
Did this mean Xinniang and Ning Yuan didn't know each other?
Or did Tan Fang simply not know whether they knew each other?
Yan Tongshu pondered briefly, then asked another question. "Has Xinniang recently made any enemies, or shown any unusual behavior?"
"Enemies?" Tan Fang thought carefully. "With her habit of enduring everything, that shouldn't be possible. She was timid—anyone could scare her. Sometimes even when it was clearly someone else's fault, she'd be the first to bow her head and apologize. Watching her was suffocating. As for anything unusual..."
Tan Fang racked her brain. "The day before yesterday, she suddenly muttered excitedly to herself, saying she had waited twenty-six years, and had finally found a chance to reveal the truth to the world."
Tan Fang seemed to jolt awake. "Could it be because of that? Reveal the truth to the world... Did Xinniang learn some secret and want to expose it, so she was killed? Officer Yan, is that it?"
Yan Tongshu shook his head. "Without solid evidence, we can't jump to conclusions just yet."
But Tan Fang insisted. "It must be that. With Xinniang's temperament, she never provoked trouble. How could she have made an enemy worth killing over? She must have known some secret she shouldn't have, and that's what brought about her death!"
Tan Fang's knees bent, and she slid directly from her chair to kneel on the floor. She looked up at Yan Tongshu with pleading eyes. "Officer Yan, I beg you—please catch the killer and avenge Xinniang!"
Yan Tongshu helped her up. "Don't worry. We will do everything in our power to seek justice for Xinniang."
Tan Fang nodded, tears in her eyes.
Yan Tongshu asked her to sit down. "The pattern on Xinniang's pipa was newly painted five days ago. Did you see it?"
Tan Fang said, "I vaguely remember it appeared about five days ago."
Yan Tongshu asked, "Who painted it?"
Tan Fang replied, "I don't know. It was already there when I saw it. I asked Xinniang, but she just urged me to tune the strings and didn't answer."
Yan Tongshu said, "Alright, we understand. Thank you for your time."
Coming out of Tan Fang's house, Yan Tongshu had a splitting headache.
Meng Yi remained tight-lipped, and whoever had booked the pleasure boat under Meng Yi's name at the flower house had left no trace.
Every lead they had found so far was a dead end, and what little value they held was scarce at best.
Yan Tongshu let out a helpless, long sigh. Next was the last one.
The last person connected to Xinniang.
Ning Yuan, eldest son of the Earl of Yuguo.
Yan Tongshu looked at Zhang Jiu and Meng Zheng. "Do the two of you know Ning Yuan, the eldest son of the Earl of Yuguo?"
Meng Zheng said in a steady voice, "I've met him a few times."
Zhang Jiu said humbly, "I've heard of him."
Yan Tongshu asked, "Is he the secret owner of Tonghe Tower?"
Zhang Jiu didn't know the answer to that.
Meng Zheng hesitated for a moment, then replied, "In a way, yes. But also in a way, no."
Yan Tongshu said, "What do you mean?"
Meng Zheng said, "Once, the Divine Guard Army was tracking down military supplies that had been stolen from within the ranks, and the trail led to Tonghe Tower. Because it involved military theft, Tonghe Tower had no choice but to invite the owner out to take charge. That was when I learned that although Tonghe Tower was an asset owned by the Earl of Yuguo, the actual manager was Ning Yuan's concubine, Tantai Mingzhu. Tonghe Tower was on the verge of collapse back then, but Tantai Mingzhu saved it by teaching her family's culinary skills and restructuring the restaurant. Within a few short years, she expanded Tonghe Tower across the entire city of Bianjing and continued to spread outward."
Yan Tongshu narrowed his eyes slightly. So this Ning Yuan wasn't as noble, refined, and pure as the rumors made him out to be.
The three of them hurried to the Earl of Yuguo's residence.
After having their presence announced, Ning Yuan came out quickly to greet them. He faced Yan Tongshu directly, clasped his hands in a formal salute, and said respectfully, "Officer Yan, I've been remiss. The doorman failed to announce your arrival promptly. Please forgive me."
"No matter." Yan Tongshu wore a smile as he entered the flower hall with him.
Ning Yuan today, perhaps because he was in his own residence, was dressed more casually.
He wore a light-colored robe that was understated and elegant, embroidered only with subtle silver thread patterns.
The collar and cuffs were trimmed with a band of pristine white silver fox fur.
His belt was of the same light color, embroidered with orchid patterns, decorated only with a plain jade buckle.
Ning Yuan's facial features weren't particularly striking or delicate, but together they formed a smooth and pleasant countenance that gave one a comfortable, gentle impression without any sense of menace.
The three of them took their seats in the sitting room, and Ning Yuan had a maidservant serve tea.
Ning Yuan smiled gently and said, "I wonder what urgent matter brings the three of you here in such a hurry today?"
Yan Tongshu gently placed the teacup on the table and said, "Prince Ning, about a month ago, you had a conflict with Cao Jian near the brothel over a singer. Do you still remember this incident?"
Ning Yuan nodded, with a constant smile on his lips. "It hasn't been long since then, so of course I remember. However, Lord Cao and I weren't actually vying for a singer. It was Lord Cao who was harassing a female musician. I knew her and went to her rescue. The on - lookers around might have misunderstood the situation without knowing the details."
Yan Tongshu asked, "You knew her?"
"Yes." Ning Yuan nodded and spoke at a steady pace. "That woman is a pipa player who often performs at the Tonghe Tower. I knew her, but she didn't know me. However, after that commotion caused by General Cao, we got to know each other."
Yan Tongshu said, "Could you please elaborate on the specific situation that day?"
A look of surprise flashed across Ning Yuan's eyes. "Why is Lord Yan so curious about Xinniang? Has something happened to her?"
Yan Tongshu didn't intend to hide it and said straightforwardly, "Xinniang died yesterday."
Ning Yuan's face suddenly changed, as if struck by lightning. He was stunned for a moment before he stammered, "H - how could it be so sudden?"
Yan Tongshu pressed on, "Could Prince Ning please describe in detail what happened that day?"
Ning Yuan nodded and recounted every detail of what had happened between him, Cao Jian, and Xinniang that day.
About a month ago, Ning Yuan was invited by his colleagues to attend a night banquet near the brothel.
Although it was already dark at that time, the brothel street where the Huihua Tower was located did business at night. Therefore, lanterns were hanging high on both sides of the long street, making it as bright as day.
Although Ning Yuan had drunk some wine, his mind was still quite clear.
In order to avoid further drinking and get away from the banquet earlier, he deliberately pretended to be extremely drunk, pressing his whole body on his friend and walking out.
After they had walked like this for a while and made sure that no one at the banquet was looking their way, he straightened up and thanked his friend.
His friend offered to send him home, but he declined, saying he wanted to take a walk alone.
