Qiu Ruoming had never felt such pressure on her shoulders.
This robbery resulted in two deaths and two injuries. The two dead were peasant girls, and their families were crying and demanding severe punishment for the murderer at the government office—that goes without saying. The two injured were, firstly, the future wife of Master Long, and secondly, the second daughter of Minister Ding. Although they were kidnapped and returned safely, they were undeniably traumatized and injured. Furthermore, the incident damaged the reputations of both young women.
If he mishandles the situation, fails to uncover the truth, and doesn't deal with the robbers properly, not only will he offend these two high-ranking officials, but what will the people of the capital think of him? What will the emperor think of him?
Qiu Ruoming knew that this seemingly ordinary robbery was the biggest test he had faced in his career.
Of the ten robbers, only eight have been captured; the two ringleaders remain at large. Qiu Ruoming ordered portraits to be drawn and wanted posters to be displayed throughout the city, with the aim of bringing the two men to justice.
He interrogated the remaining eight on the very night he brought them back. All eight claimed that they had followed their boss as bandits for two or three years, traveling all over the country, buying and selling goods and robbing, and that they had always obeyed orders. They did whatever their boss told them to do, and knew nothing else.
Qiu Ruoming felt there was something fishy about this. The two village girls were one thing, but how could it be such a coincidence that Ju Mu'er and Ding Yanshan were the ones who were kidnapped?
The robbers insisted it was just a coincidence. They followed their leader to Fuling Temple to find a target, and the leader said that girls liked to pray to Buddha at this time, so they could pick any girl they wanted. As it turned out, they found Ju Mu'er alone there.
As for the abduction of Ding Yanshan, they were acting on their boss's orders to capture several girls in the city. They happened to see Ding Yanshan by the roadside and abducted her. They originally wanted to capture a few more, but the city suddenly became heavily guarded, and fearing something might happen, they quickly disguised themselves and left the city without taking any further action.
Qiu Ruoming didn't believe it. Because in cases like this, it's either a case of a sudden, impulsive act of evil, or a well-thought-out plan with a predetermined target. This time, the robbers struck in three different locations, clearly to distract the victims and prevent tracking; it was definitely pre-arranged. And yet, under such planning, they still randomly kidnapped people—how could that make sense?
But if the target was clearly Ju Mu'er and Ding Yanshan, then why? Was it Long Er and Minister Ding? But these two don't seem to have much interaction and don't seem to share any common interests, so how could they have brought this disaster upon each other?
Qiu Ruoming racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. So he visited Ding Sheng at the Ding residence and inquired about the situation with Ding Yanshan, but got nothing out of him. He then toured the three kidnapping sites, returned to the government office to summon witnesses for questioning, and also summoned Su Qing, but still couldn't come up with a clue. Finally, he thought, the Long and Ding families were indeed completely unrelated. Could it be that it wasn't aimed at them, but rather at the two young ladies? What connection did these two young ladies have?
Qiu Ruoming thought for a long time, and could only think of one thing: Master Long.
Both young women were connected to Master Long. One was about to get married, and the other wanted to get married but couldn't. So, was this robbery simply orchestrated by someone harboring resentment over a romantic relationship, ordering these robbers to do it?
Qiu Ruoming thought this made some sense, because once a girl was abducted by robbers, her reputation would be severely damaged, and any family with a modicum of sense would not marry her again.
Thinking this through, Qiu Ruoming felt he had a better idea of what to do. He planned to go to the Long residence to talk to Long Er and see if he could provide a list of suspects behind the scenes. With the list, he could then thoroughly interrogate those eight scoundrels.
But Qiu Ruoming never expected that before he could even leave, he would receive such devastating news: those eight thugs had died suddenly in prison.
Qiu Ruoming was shocked to hear this. Eight serious criminals had died mysteriously under his supervision. This was outrageous!
At this moment, the gatekeeper came to report that Master Long had come to visit.
Qiu Ruoming was terrified and panicked. He disregarded everything else and quickly invited Long Er in. As soon as Long Er arrived, Qiu Ruoming hurriedly explained the situation, saying that he was about to go to the prison to investigate the matter. Long Er was also very interested and insisted on going with him.
In fact, Qiu Ruoming had the same idea. The sudden death of this serious criminal was a matter of great importance, and he would have a hard time explaining it to any party. Long Er had managed his relationships with all parties well and was also one of the victims in this case. It was much better for him to be dragged into the mess and discuss the matter with Long Er than for Long Er to bear this disaster alone.
Qiu Ruoming and Long Er arrived at the prison cell where the eight robbers were held. Because these eight were serious criminals and had committed crimes together, Qiu Ruoming had them locked up in a large cell, one cell per person, to prevent any disturbance. By this time, the coroner had already finished examining the bodies and, upon seeing Qiu Ruoming, quickly reported that all eight had died of poisoning.
"Poisoning?" Long Er and Qiu Ruoming exchanged a glance and then looked down to examine the corpses.
All eight corpses had bluish faces, purplish-black eye sockets, and bloodstains around their mouths and noses. Their fingernails were also purplish-black. Long Er asked, "What poison did they take?"
The coroner replied sheepishly, "This... I have never seen this kind of poison before."
"How were you poisoned?"
The prison guard pointed to the rice bowls beside him: "These eight people all cried out in pain after lunch, and before we could react, they all collapsed and couldn't get up."
Qiu Ruoming turned to the jailer: "Where are the cook and the food deliveryman?"
The jailer hurriedly replied, "They're all kneeling outside, waiting for the adults to decide their fate. They said lunch was all cooked from the same pot today, and they didn't see anything unusual on the way to deliver it. They just don't know why only one of the eight in this cell had an accident. The other prisoners are all fine."
Qiu Ruoming, his face as cold as ice, went out to interrogate the cooks. The cooks and kitchen staff were both veterans of the government office, always honest and dutiful. Now that someone had died suddenly from eating the food, the two of them were so frightened that they were trembling and didn't even know what to say.
Qiu Ruoming got no information from them and was furious. He ordered all those who had been guarding the jail, cooking, and delivering meals to be imprisoned. But he knew in his heart that simply detaining people was useless. Now that the eight robbers were dead and the two on the run were still missing, this case was probably going to be difficult to solve.
Qiu Ruoming turned his head and saw Long Er's cold face staring at the corpse on the ground. He felt both anxious and troubled. Long Er stood there for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution. He had no choice but to ask Qiu Ruoming for the wanted posters of the two fugitives and ask the Long family's spies to intensify their search and pursuit.
Qiu Ruoming quickly agreed, saying that he would report any progress in the case to Long Er. He then asked Long Er a few questions about Ju Mu'er and Ding Yanshan, and inquired whether there were any other girls who had shown goodwill towards Long Er or harbored grudges against him.
This question made Long Er's face darken: "If we're talking about showing goodwill, there are quite a few. But if we're talking about showing goodwill and then daring to kidnap my Mu'er, I haven't thought of anyone."
Qiu Ruoming nodded awkwardly, and Long Er added, "However, if we can't win Mu'er over, but have the guts and ability to have someone tie her up, I have thought of one."
Qiu Ruoming looked at Long Er, waiting for him to continue. Long Er said, "Yun Qingxian."
Qiu Ruoming was so surprised that his mouth dropped open. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Second Master Long is joking. Lord Yun is an upright man and would never do such a thing. Besides, Miss Ding has also been robbed. Lord Yun is her brother-in-law, so he would never do such a thing."
"Yeah?"
"Of course. Moreover, Lord Yun contributed a great deal to the capture of the suspect." Qiu Ruoming was sweating profusely. He had long heard that Master Long and Lord Yun were at odds, but he did not expect that the feud had reached such a point that they would still dare to make wild guesses about such a major case.
Long Er pursed his lips and smiled slightly: "I was just joking, but your reaction is quite amusing."
Qiu Ruoming's face stiffened. He was in dire straits, and this Second Master Long was still making fun of him?
Long Er ignored him and took his leave. As soon as he stepped out of the government office, he sneered. Officials were unreliable; he would have to investigate Yun Qingxian himself.
As for Ding Yanshan, she was rescued by Ding Sheng and taken home, whereupon a doctor was immediately summoned. Fortunately, her external injuries were not serious, but she was so frightened that she would likely need to rest for a while.
Madam Ding held her daughter, calling out to her from both sides, her heart aching with heartache. Ding Yanxiang also rushed back to her parents' home to visit her sister. Ding Sheng, seeing that his daughter was alright, offered a few words of comfort and then summoned Yun Qingxian to discuss the matter of capturing the bandits.
Ding Yanxiang said many comforting words to her sister, and said she would definitely urge Yun Qingxian and their father to bring back those villains and behead them all to vent their anger. They actually dared to mess with their Minister's residence.
Ding Yanshan's mind was in turmoil. She remembered what Ju Mu'er had told her, and this matter might be related to her Ding family. She suspected that there was a traitor among her father's subordinates who had done something evil and wanted to kidnap her to blackmail her. However, she couldn't understand why those people had also kidnapped Ju Mu'er; she couldn't connect the two of them.
In short, everything was a jumbled mess. She really wanted to tell her sister about it, but after thinking it over, she didn't know where to begin. In the end, she kept it to herself, thinking she would discuss it with her sister after she had figured things out a bit more. Or perhaps, once she felt better, she should go find Ju Mu'er and ask her. After all, she was also a victim in this matter, and maybe she had some ideas.
At this moment, Ju Mu'er was completely at a loss, her mind a complete mess.
After recuperating at the Long residence for three days, she begged Old Man Ju to take her home, as the next day would be Lunar New Year's Eve.
According to custom, unmarried men and women should not live together before marriage, and it was especially inappropriate for them to stay at the Long family's house during the New Year. So Old Man Ju took Ju Mu'er back home.
This year at home was certainly not a good one. Ju Mu'er hid in her room and played the piano for several days in a row, making her father tremble with fear. Whenever something was about to happen, her daughter would always be in high spirits when playing the piano.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Mr. Ju couldn't help but come to talk to his daughter. He thought that the robbers must be dead, and the case must have become an unsolved mystery, so his daughter was worried and scared, and he had to comfort her.
But before he could get to the point, Ju Mu'er suddenly said, "Father, tell me, I won't get married, okay?"
Not getting married?
Is she not getting married again?
She's already twenty, and she finally managed to marry into such a good family. The second master is also so good to her family. Why won't she marry him?
Old Man Ju was so frightened that his scalp tingled, and he suddenly stood up: "Oh dear, the weather is really nice today. I must have drunk too much this morning, I'm feeling dizzy now."
"Father..."
"Ugh, I'm so dizzy, I need to go to sleep. Daughter, keep playing, play well, you play so beautifully." Old Man Ju didn't give Ju Mu'er a chance to speak again before running off in a flash.
Old Man Ju retreated to his courtyard, pondering the matter, growing increasingly anxious. His daughter wouldn't casually mention breaking off an engagement. Two years ago, the marriage with the Chen family was a done deal, but when she brought it up, it was actually called off. Now that she's brought it up again, it must be a thought she's been pondering for a long time.
No, no, I have to let Second Master know about this. So Old Man Ju took two jars of wine and went to the Long residence.
Upon arriving at the Long residence, Long Er was receiving guests. Indeed, with the New Year approaching, there were bound to be many people offering New Year's greetings and gifts. While waiting, Old Man Ju pondered for a moment. When he finally saw Long Er, he was cautious and didn't dare directly mention that Ju Mu'er had thoughts of announcing the engagement. He only said that he felt his daughter hadn't been in a good mood these past few days, and he feared that after the robbery incident, she might be overthinking things.
"Daydreaming?" Long Er raised an eyebrow and repeated the word.
Old Man Ju nodded vigorously: "She was still playing the piano."
"Have you been playing the piano the whole time?"
"Yes, every time she plays the piano like that, something troublesome happens."
Long Er smiled and said, "Father, please don't worry, I'm not that Chen Liangze."
Old Man Ju was taken aback. "Huh, what does this have to do with Liangze? Did he just mention Liangze?"
"Mu'er must have been too idle while recuperating. I'll discipline her, and she'll behave herself and won't overthink things anymore," Long Er said confidently. Old Man Ju was completely bewildered. Had he not said his daughter was being naughty?
On this day, Ju Laodie's trip to the Long Mansion brought back a basket of fresh fruit and New Year's goods, as well as a secret.
The secret was that the wedding date had been changed to the 18th of the first lunar month. It was a bit rushed—no, much rushed—but that was the most suitable day in the first lunar month. Actually, Old Man Ju didn't care about the wedding date itself, as long as his daughter married into a good family. On the way home, Old Man Ju kept muttering to himself that the wedding date was a secret and he couldn't tell his daughter.
Besides, Old Man Ju also picked up some news on his trip. Second Master Long said he was going to discipline his daughter who was having wild thoughts. How? Old Man Ju didn't know. He remembered that only Second Master Long could discipline his daughter when giving her medicine, so it shouldn't be a problem this time, right?
Well, Old Man Ju thinks that having a son-in-law like this is really reassuring.
Author's Note: The next chapter will feature a scene between the Second Master and his Mu'er. They're getting married soon, so please stop asking why he's not married yet; he's getting married soon!
44. A kiss seals the deal when discussing marriage.
The Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The annual lantern festival is held on East Street. All kinds of lanterns and lanterns are hung along the long street.
Long Er picked up Ju Mu'er early and took her to Xianwei Restaurant for dinner.
Ju Mu'er was preoccupied with her thoughts. She wanted to find an opportunity to speak up; she didn't want to get married anymore. But she also felt terrible about what she was doing, that she was letting him down. Yet, getting married would also be letting him down, perhaps even more so. Ju Mu'er didn't know what to do.
She was constantly wavering. Even when she broke off her engagement with Chen Liangze back then, she hadn't hesitated like this. Was it because she was too helpless when she first encountered such a situation, or had she lost her resilience and become selfish and weak now?
Ju Mu'er bit her lip; she loathed herself, utterly loathed herself.
Long Er kept looking at her, openly and honestly sitting opposite her. Compared to their first meeting, he could read her expressions much better now. He knew what she was thinking; she had been acting strangely ever since he rescued her. However, it was the New Year, and he was simply too busy, plus the investigation into the robbers was frustratingly fruitless, so he gave her half a month of peace and quiet.
He would occasionally visit her, and she always looked listless. Naturally, Long Er harbored resentment. However, he, Long Er Ye, was neither Chen Yunze nor Yun Qingxian.
The relationship between him and her cannot be ended simply by her saying no.
Long Er specially requested a private room on the second floor facing the street, and pulled Ju Mu'er to sit upstairs by the railing. This private room was some distance from the outer hall, and separated by a beaded curtain, so their conversation could not be heard outside, but their actions could be seen.
So people on the street could see them whenever they looked up, and diners on the second floor could see them too. He, Long Er, didn't care about these people's gazes; she couldn't see them, and he thought she didn't need to care either.
The dishes Long Er ordered were all very palatable, with no bones or thorns. Long Er helped her set out the dishes and told her what they were. Ju Mu'er ate silently, thinking about how to start the conversation.
After they had almost finished eating, Long Er asked, "Did you enjoy it?"
Ju Mu'er nodded, still searching for a suitable opening line in her mind.
"We've invited several of the top chefs from this restaurant to help out at the mansion for the wedding banquet. The soup chefs are too busy," Long Er casually mentioned the wedding arrangements.
Ju Mu'er paused, then nodded subconsciously. She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and finally said, "Second Master, about our marriage..."
"What?" Long Er interrupted her.
"I wanted to..."
What are you thinking about?
"Could you..."
"Um?"
Ju Mu'er shut up. She could tell that Long Er clearly knew what she wanted to say, but he didn't want to hear it.
Ju Mu'er took a deep breath, trying to muster her courage. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Long Er exclaim softly, "Oops, your bamboo cane fell down."
Ju Mu'er was stunned, her eyes widening. She had indeed heard a "thump" from downstairs outside the window. She reached for the edge of the table; her bamboo cane was perfectly fine, how could it have fallen?
"Luckily, I didn't poke anyone." Ryuji's voice was incredibly light: "It's all my fault, I accidentally kicked someone."