Chapter 16: Find

Chapter 16: Found

The wait was always a torment, fraught with anxiety and unease.

Zhou Shuisheng alone had already left Xin He overwhelmed; now, with Wei Mingjin added to the mix, she felt her demise was imminent.

Yet, she couldn’t simply dismiss Wei Mingjin.

Wei Mingjin, ever adept at maintaining appearances, sat perfectly still. He even offered Xin He a cup of tea, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "It’s cold today, Auntie. Have some ginger tea to warm yourself."

"Thank you, Young Master." Xin He struggled to mask her discomfort as she reached for the cup.

Just then, footsteps echoed from outside, drawing nearer.

Xin He’s heart fluttered, and her hand trembled, nearly spilling the ginger tea onto Wei Mingjin.

"Oh! Young Master, were you scalded?" Startled, Xin He quickly looked at Wei Mingjin with concern.

Wei Mingjin brushed a few drops of tea from his sleeve, shaking his head with a smile. "I’m fine. Were you scalded, Auntie?"

But his gaze held an unsettling clarity, as if he saw straight through her.

Under his penetrating look, Xin He lowered her eyes, feeling a touch of awkwardness. "I’m fine too."

"As long as Auntie is well." Wei Mingjin rose. "Since you have a guest, I shall not intrude further."

Xin He breathed a sigh of relief, rising with him. "Safe travels, Young Master."

Wei Mingjin nodded. As he exited the door, he encountered Zhou Shuisheng, who was being led in.

"Greetings, Young Master Wei." Zhou Shuisheng eagerly bowed to Wei Mingjin.

Wei Mingjin smiled and nodded, then paused. "This young man looks unfamiliar. May I ask who he is…?"

"I am Zhou Shuisheng, from the same village as Auntie Xin. You could say we grew up together," Zhou Shuisheng quickly interjected.

Wei Mingjin acknowledged him. Noticing Xin He frequently glancing their way from the hall, he said nothing more and departed.

The maid had already cleared the broken teacup. When Zhou Shuisheng entered the hall, he saw Xin He seated in the main chair, flanked by two maids.

With outsiders present, Zhou Shuisheng dared not be presumptuous. He placed the basket he carried on the ground and said, "A few days ago, I went home to visit my mother. When I left the village today, Uncle Xin asked me to bring Auntie some walnuts she enjoys."

"Thank you for making the trip. Qiong Hua, give him a string of coins."

Qiong Hua assented, handing a string of coins to Zhou Shuisheng.

Zhou Shuisheng accepted them with both hands, thanked her, and added, "Uncle Xin also asked me to convey a message to Auntie. He said the Winter Clothing Festival is approaching and reminded Auntie not to forget to burn winter clothes for her parents this year."

The Winter Clothing Festival was just two days away.

Xin He’s hand, clutching her handkerchief, tightened imperceptibly, though her face remained impassive. "I understand."

Having achieved his purpose, Zhou Shuisheng did not linger. He took the money and left.

Only after dismissing all the maids did the hatred surface on Xin He’s face.

During her recuperation in Cuiwei Court, she had lost all sense of time, deliberately forgetting about Zhou Shuisheng.

The seven-day agreement had passed, and since she hadn’t honored it, Zhou Shuisheng had found an excuse to openly threaten her at the Wei family estate.

But she would not remain under this man’s coercion forever.

Xin He’s eyes darkened; a plan was already forming in her mind.

In the courtyard just beyond the wall, Wei Mingjin sat sipping tea. A servant approached. "Young Master, Zhou Shuisheng has left."

From the moment Zhou Shuisheng entered Xin He’s courtyard until his departure, barely fifteen minutes had passed.

But Wei Mingjin took a sip of tea and calmly instructed, "Have someone keep an eye on him."

Someone acknowledged the order and departed.

The next day, when Wei Mingjin visited Xin He, she said to him, "Tomorrow is the Winter Clothing Festival. As I am pregnant, I cannot undertake the long journey back to Shili Village to offer incense and burn winter clothes at my parents’ graves. However, I previously arranged for memorial tablets for my parents at Ciyun Temple. Would you permit me to visit Ciyun Temple tomorrow to offer a stick of incense before their tablets? It would be a way for me to fulfill my filial duty as a daughter."

Dressed in a moon-white silk gown, Xin He sat in the autumn sun, holding a hand warmer. Her delicate, radiant face still bore the pallor of recent illness. As if fearing Wei Mingjin’s refusal, her eyes, like misty autumn waters, were filled with anxious pleading.

Wei Mingjin smiled. "Since Auntie wishes to honor her parents, how could I refuse? Perhaps I should accompany you tomorrow?"

"There’s no need. Young Master, you must also burn winter clothes for the Master tomorrow. Qiong Hua can accompany me."

"Very well," Wei Mingjin agreed.

That night, as Wei Mingjin prepared for bed, Chi Yan, who had been absent for a long time, finally appeared.

Chi Yan reported two matters to Wei Mingjin.

The first concerned Xin He.

"I revisited Shili Village. Everything regarding Auntie Xin’s circumstances in her uncle’s household aligns with Feng Mo’s earlier findings. The only difference is that I learned from an elderly villager that just before dawn on the day after Uncle Ming left Shili Village with his men, the old man, who was up early for work, saw Xin Youzhi and his wife hurriedly leaving the village with their two sons. They did not return until noon two days later."

"At that time, the family of four returned on a flatbed cart carrying many items, including a hemp sack. When curious neighbors inquired, Xin Youzhi and his wife claimed it was lime for building a house."

Wei Mingjin tapped the table twice with his fingertip, then unexpectedly asked, "Didn’t Uncle Ming say earlier that Auntie Xin was tied up when she was brought to the residence?"

"Yes," Chi Yan replied, then caught on. "Since Auntie Xin was unwilling to enter the residence, it’s highly likely she escaped the night Uncle Ming left but was later recaptured by Xin Youzhi and his family. Fearing the Master would discover this, Xin Youzhi and his family used this deceptive method to bring Auntie Xin back?"

Wei Mingjin offered no explanation to Chi Yan. He merely lifted his eyelids slightly. "Tomorrow marks the end of the ten-day deadline. How is your investigation progressing?"

Chi Yan’s shoulders immediately slumped, and he looked utterly devastated.

"The madam of Zuiyue Lou is dead."

Over the past nine days, Chi Yan had worked himself ragged, only to find the corpse of the madam of Zuiyue Lou.

"She was killed—a single strike to end her life. Her body was dumped in the unmarked graves outside the city."

This was precisely what Wei Mingjin had expected.

Though they were in a small county town, anyone aspiring to lead an industry needed powerful backing.

As the largest brothel in the county, Zuiyue Lou would have been ruined long ago without such support. Now that Zuiyue Lou had fallen and was implicated in a case involving the abduction and sale of commoners, the person behind it would undoubtedly eliminate the madam to cover their tracks and ensure their own survival.

Sitting under the lamplight, Wei Mingjin asked casually, "Oh? So, are you planning to give her a grand funeral? Or are you planning to take her corpse to the county magistrate to report the case and have the murderer brought to justice?"

At this, Chi Yan immediately dropped to his knees.

Wei Mingjin, however, paid him no further mind. He rose and walked toward the inner chamber, saying as he went, "Tomorrow is the end of the ten-day period. If you still haven’t found the person by then, I will arrange for you both to be buried together."

Chi Yan trembled with fear. He knew Wei Mingjin always kept his word.

"I’ll go at once, sir." Chi Yan saluted, then immediately hurried off with urgency.

Meanwhile, Xin He slept soundly through the night.

The next day, after breakfast at the manor, Xin He prepared to depart for Ciyun Temple with Qiong Hua.

But just before they left, Nanny Dou arrived.

Citing Xin He’s pregnancy and the likelihood that Qiong Hua alone would be insufficient to attend to her properly, Nanny Dou assigned six or seven additional elderly maids to accompany them.

Xin He could not refuse and had no choice but to agree.

Afterward, Xin He went to Ciyun Temple, while Wei Mingjin headed to the Wei family ancestral burial grounds.

During his lifetime, the late Master Wei had placed great importance on filial piety. Every year on the Winter Clothing Festival, he would take Wei Jingyao with him to the Wei family ancestral burial grounds to offer sacrifices and burn ritual winter garments for the ancestors.

This year, it was Wei Mingjin and Wei Jingyao’s duty to perform these rituals.

The Wei family ancestral burial grounds were located on a mountain outside the city. To demonstrate the piety of the descendants, carriages were only permitted to go as far as the foot of the mountain. The rest of the way required them to proceed on foot.

The bitter wind was biting, and the surrounding vegetation was withered and bare.

Wei Jingyao and Wei Mingjin walked ahead, followed by servants carrying ritual paper goods: winter clothes, footwear, and hats.

At first, Wei Jingyao began his usual lecture: "In previous years, your father, out of consideration for your studies, never brought you here to pay respects. Now that he is gone, you must not neglect your duties. Didn't Confucius say, 'Honor the dead and remember afar' or something like that..."

"Honor the dead and remember afar."

"Yes, that's it. 'Honor the dead and remember afar.' Even if you become a high official in the capital in the future, you must always remember that the Wei family is your roots..."

Once Wei Jingyao started on these topics, he could go on endlessly. Wei Mingjin neither argued nor showed any impatience, simply letting him talk, certain he wouldn’t keep it up for long.

Sure enough, after walking for a while, Wei Jingyao was too out of breath to continue lecturing, and the Wei family ancestral burial grounds were still far away at the mountain summit.

Fifteen minutes later, Wei Jingyao was supported by two servants as they reached the mountaintop.

The Wei family graves were arranged by generation, with the highest-ranking ancestors buried at the top, descending in order.

After catching his breath, Wei Jingyao led Wei Mingjin in lighting incense and burning ritual winter clothes for their ancestors.

When it came to his elder brother's grave, Wei Jingyao burned the ritual winter clothing while recounting Wei Mingjin’s success in becoming the provincial exam champion.

In the flickering light of the flames, Wei Mingjin's gaze remained fixed on his father's tombstone, lingering for a long while.

As the uncle and nephew finished burning the ritual winter clothing and began their descent, Feng Mo and Chi Yan were already waiting by Wei Mingjin's carriage.

After Wei Jingyao's carriage had departed, Feng Mo stepped forward and reported in a hushed voice, "Young Master, I have learned from one of the brothel employees at Zuiyue Lou that two or three days before you visited Zuiyue Lou, the madam there had bought three girls from good families. Two were sold by gambling-addicted family members, and one was sold by human traffickers."

"I investigated each of these three women. The one who was sold by her lover but later escaped from Zuiyue Lou is likely the person you are looking for."

"Where is that woman now?"

Chi Yan looked at Feng Mo anxiously. Today was the final deadline—he had no desire to be buried together with the madam of Zuiyue Lou!

But Feng Mo bowed apologetically. "I wasn't able to. I only managed to track down the man."

At that moment, Chi Yan had even started contemplating where he’d be buried alongside the madam.

Unexpectedly, Feng Mo continued, "I originally intended to investigate further, but I discovered that you had already sent someone to keep an eye on Zhou Shuisheng."

Hearing that familiar name, Wei Mingjin felt little surprise.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes fluttering in the breeze. A faint mist veiled his features, making it impossible to discern the turbulent emotions in his eyes. He simply asked, "Where is Zhou Shuisheng now?"

"The person you sent to watch him reported that he left the city around mid-morning and headed toward Ciyun Temple."