Chapter 5: Catching a Thief

Chapter 5: Catching a Thief

In previous years, whenever General Gao returned, there would be no shortage of invitations and requests for meetings that day.

However, every time, General Gao would reject them all, shutting the gates and simply having a simple family dinner with his loved ones.

Over time, the invitations gradually stopped coming, as everyone tacitly chose not to disturb General Gao's family reunion.

Madam Gao was extremely delighted, constantly serving General Gao dishes, saying he seemed much thinner.

The siblings smiled at each other; after a year apart, who could remember their exact appearances?

In truth, Gao Wenyan was the happiest, offering several rounds of toasts.

"Here, Big Brother. Let’s live for today and enjoy the wine!"

Her words brought laughter from everyone.

Gao Wenting poked her forehead and laughed, "Tomorrow, you won’t have anything to worry about either!"

Gao Wenyan grinned widely, not explaining anything further.

After all, to them, it had only been a year.

But for her, it had been a journey through life and death.

Reveling in the joy of family, filled with laughter and warmth, she had not experienced this since General Gao was placed under house arrest in the Capital.

Late into the night, Gao Wenyan went to Lotus Pond to meet Bixi.

Bixi had watched over Lotus Pond all day, but naturally, saw no one.

They hid in the shadows for a long time before they spotted a servant sneaking to the pond’s edge. Because rowing a boat would be too conspicuous, he rolled up his pants and waded into the pond.

He searched for quite a while before finding the object, carefully packaging it and heading back to shore.

"Who are you?!"

Gao Wenyan shouted, startling both the guards and the intruder.

The man panicked and tried to flee, but the mud tangled his feet, preventing him from reaching the shore quickly.

Gao Wenyan stood in the pavilion watching him fumble, even throwing the object back into the pond.

Soon, the household guards arrived, illuminating Lotus Pond as bright as day.

When he was caught, he repeatedly cried out, "Miss, spare me! Miss, spare me!"

"What were you doing here?"

Seeing a possible chance for leniency, he blinked rapidly and knelt down hurriedly.

"I... I saw Miss drop an earring in the pond during the day and, driven by greed, wanted to retrieve it at night to sell."

Bixi immediately retorted, "Nonsense! Miss never lost any earring!"

"Then... then I must have been mistaken during the day!"

As he spoke, he bowed his head lower, looking terrified.

By the time General Gao and the others arrived, the man had already been taken away and locked up.

After a brief understanding of the situation, they returned to their rooms to rest.

Gao Wenting stayed behind to ask what had happened.

Once everyone had left, Gao Wenyan instructed Qingyu and Bixi to guard both sides, ensuring no one approached the area.

Qingyu, being Gao Wenting’s attendant, was efficient in his tasks.

She led Gao Wenting onto the boat and directed him to follow the path the servant had taken. Soon, they found the package.

Gao Wenting was shocked. "What is this?"

"Hush, let’s go back to the room first."

The siblings took the package back to their room and ordered some water to be brought.

After washing off the mud, they revealed a golden, elongated object embedded with scales, showing the faint outline of two dragons.

"Wenyan, what is this?"

Gao Wenyan placed it in the water and shone a candle above it, revealing the image of two dragons swimming on the surface.

She remembered the nursery rhyme: "Two dragons play with twin flowers."

In her past life, she had never seen the "twin dragons" firsthand, but now she knew what they looked like.

"This... what is going on?"

"In the daytime, when I was picking the twin lotus, I noticed something golden beneath the water and a glimmer. I had a hunch it wasn’t good, so I pushed it back. I didn’t expect to catch a thief tonight."

Regardless of whether he believed her, Gao Wenyan gave a casual explanation.

She was certain the man would come to deal with the object because the "twin dragons" event could only happen once.

Twin lotuses, twin dragons.

Gao Wenting couldn’t possibly miss the significance.

So this was also what she found puzzling.

Why did that nursery rhyme only appear three months later? What were they waiting for?

Gao Wenting couldn't help but pace back and forth, feeling anxious. "I need to tell Father!"

"No! This matter must be handled discreetly. It's not worth alarming Father over a petty thief who stole an earring."

She carefully put away the dragon carving and turned around. "Come, let's go see that thief."

To be safe, they instructed Qingyu to watch over the prisoner in the jail cell.

Seeing them, Qingyu approached and reported, "I've investigated. This man is named Zhang Hai. He entered the mansion a year ago and usually takes care of the flowers and plants in the estate."

Zhang Hai had his hands and feet bound, covered in wet mud, looking utterly wretched.

To prevent him from self-harm, Qingyu had stuffed a cloth into his mouth. But he clearly wanted to live, otherwise, he wouldn't have lied about searching for the earring.

The moment Gao Wenyan thought it was he who betrayed the Gao family first, her heart filled with murderous intent, and she kicked Zhang Hai to the ground without hesitation, drawing her sword and pressing it against his neck.

"After eating the Gaos' food for a year, how can you still betray us?"

Zhang Hai's eyes showed terror as he frantically shook his head and writhed, trying to retreat backward.

Gao Wenyan rose in disgust and ordered someone to remove the cloth from his mouth. He immediately cried out, "Miss, spare my life!"

Gao Wenting couldn't resist kicking him and spat, "Filthy scum! Why 'spare my life' instead of 'forgive me'? Clearly, you know you deserve death!"

After saying this, he glanced at Qingyu, who understood and began beating Zhang Hai fiercely.

Zhang Hai, in pain, seeing no end to the beating, quickly said, "I'll talk, I'll talk!"

"A few days ago, someone approached me and offered me a hundred taels of gold. All I had to do was place the twin lotus and the wooden block in the pond one night and retrieve the wood the next day."

He sobbed, adding, "I, I was just momentarily greedy!"

"They said this would make Madam happy. When I heard that, it didn't seem like something harmful. My mother is seriously ill and we desperately needed money, so I agreed."

After finishing, Zhang Hai crawled over and clung to Gao Wenting's leg, crying, "Second Master! Second Master! Spare my life!"

Gao Wenyan's face darkened, and she said harshly, "Qingyu, arrange for someone to bind his mother too. Let's see if he tells the truth then!"

She looked at Zhang Hai coldly, her smile cruel.

"Given the distance and her illness, if she dies accidentally, just bury her somewhere."

Hearing this, Gao Wenting was somewhat surprised, feeling she seemed different from before.

Gao Wenyan paid no attention to this and, as soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Hai changed his direction and started kowtowing to her.

"Miss!"

He cried, "Please spare my mother!"

If he's still unyielding, it means his family has already been dealt with.