Ryuji squeezed her hand: "I know too."
85. The unexpected arrival of the benefactor.
Deducing who the murderer is and proving that person is the murderer are two different things.
Ryuji understood this principle very well.
Although evidence and speculation are closely related, speculation without evidence is just speculation and serves no purpose. This is why he poured cold water on Ju Mu'er's hopes back then.
Now, this problem has fallen on his own shoulders.
Not only this problem, but there is another thing that neither he nor Ju Mu'er could figure out in terms of speculation.
That is—motivation.
If framing Shi Boyin was to cover up one's own crimes, find a scapegoat, and close the case of the massacre, then killing Hua Yibai and attempting to kill Ju Mu'er were to prevent further investigation. But what was the purpose of wiping out Shi Zechun's entire family? Why did they do that?
Neither Long Er nor Ju Mu'er could come up with a reason that could convince themselves.
However, there were also good things. For example, Ju Mu'er's condition improved greatly under Han Xiao's treatment, and Long Er's heart was finally at ease, so he started to move around.
The first thing to do was to verify the identity of the fake Lin Yueyao.
Although Ju Mu'er had guessed early on that the fake Lin Yueyao also came from Xichun Hall and was someone close to the real Lin Yueyao, she assumed she was just a maidservant. At that time, Long Er and his men didn't dare to openly investigate Xichun Hall because they didn't know the depths of that place and were afraid that an investigation would alert the fake Lin Yueyao. Now that she was dead, this concern was gone, so Long Er went to Xichun Hall himself.
After the real Lin Yueyao disappeared, someone else left Xichun Hall as well. Ju Mu'er was right in her last moments; that person was a nanny who managed the daily lives and discipline of more than twenty young ladies. She was twenty-eight years old and was known as Granny Zhuo.
Granny Zhuo's original name was Zhuo Yishu, and she was from another place. After her husband died, she and her mother depended on each other for survival. The two widows had a hard time, and coincidentally, their hometown was flooded. They had no choice but to leave their hometown and eventually made their way to the capital.
Five years ago, Zhuo Yishu's mother passed away from a serious illness. She didn't even have the money to bury her mother, so she voluntarily sold herself into prostitution at Xichuntang. Everything was settled, but she suddenly met a benefactor who contacted the owner of Xichuntang and helped Zhuo Yishu redeem herself.
However, Zhuo Yishu lacked any livelihood skills and didn't want to rely too much on others' favors, so she decided to stay at Xichuntang and become a nanny. With the backing of that nobleman, she didn't need to sign a contract of servitude; she could leave whenever she wanted. Moreover, she didn't need to show her face to customers; she only needed to manage the girls in the back.
Zhuo Yishu was a clever woman, adept at reading people and situations, and her words resonated with people. After becoming a nanny, she managed to keep the girls under her command obedient and sensible. She didn't act as a bad person; she always helped the girls arrange good things and benefits. Therefore, she was very popular, and the girls were willing to confide in her about everything.
After listening to all this, Long Er only asked one question: "Who is that important person?"
"It was the late Minister Shi Zechun."
The words of the head nanny of Xichun Hall surprised Long Er greatly. Even with his boldest speculations, he never expected it to be Shi Zechun.
Originally, finding out who Zhuo Yishu's benefactor was would have confirmed his and Ju Mu'er's guess about the real culprit. If they continued to investigate along this line, the matter would have been easy to solve. But what's with the sudden appearance of a deceased person?
Long Er was filled with doubts, and he went back and told Ju Mu'er about it.
Ju Mu'er was also taken aback. This important person was truly unexpected.
Long Er continued, "I asked Zhuo Yishu in detail where her hometown was and whether she had said anything about herself. The old woman said she didn't know, only that it was a small town in the west. She said that Zhuo Yishu rarely talked about herself because Shi Zechun was her guarantor, so Xichun Hall treated Zhuo Yishu very politely, and as long as she didn't do anything wrong, they generally didn't bother with her."
What is the relationship between Zhuo Yishu and Minister Shi?
Long Er shook his head: "Nobody knows. And after Shi Zechun redeemed Zhuo Yishu, they haven't had any contact. But the manager said that he really didn't pay much attention to Zhuo Yishu, so he doesn't know much about her."
Ju Mu'er thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think Xichuntang lied?"
"No, I don't think so." Ryuji stroked her hair and asked, "What do you think?"
Ju Mu'er frowned: "I can't think of anything for now, I'm just sleepy. Second Master, I must be getting stupid from my illness, my brain isn't working properly at all right now."
"It's good to be a little stupid, I like stupid people."
Ju Mu'er pouted: "It's really not easy to make the master like you."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a warmth on her lips and was kissed by Long Er.
"If you had always been a little slow, things would have been fine." Long Er poked her forehead. "If you were a little slow, none of this would have happened."
So stupid that she couldn't understand the unspoken meaning in her master's voice; so stupid that Hua Yibai wouldn't ask her to write the sheet music; so stupid that she wouldn't notice any of these things. If only things were peaceful and she could remain uninvolved.
“In that case, I wouldn’t have met Second Master.” Ju Mu’er showed a regretful expression, as if that was indeed the case. “If nothing had happened, I would have married Aze.”
"Whom should I marry?" Long Er's face turned green.
Ju Mu'er continued, "Even if she doesn't marry Aze, she might marry Lord Yun." She counted down three on her fingers, clearly indicating that Long Er was the third.
If these things hadn't happened, he really wouldn't have had a chance!
Long Er stared angrily at the three fingers and suddenly said, "The divorce has caused quite a stir in the city, and people are still gossiping about it. So if we get married again, we must make a big fuss about it so that everyone knows about it."
Ju Mu'er shook her head, crawled into the covers, and continued to behave as a patient.
What does "shaking one's head" mean?
"Second Master, our divorce is final. Let's not go back to the same old path." The original issues weren't resolved, and now that she had remarried into the Long family, all the problems had returned. If anything went wrong and implicated the Long family, she would never forgive herself. She still felt guilty and heartbroken whenever she thought of the guards who had died for her.
"Don't turn back? Then what's the matter with you living in my Dragon Mansion now?"
“My house burned down, but Second Master was kind and took me in out of consideration for our past relationship,” Ju Mu’er answered smoothly, her words echoing the rumors circulating in the city.
"Really? I took you in and even shared a bed with you every night. My heart is truly kind."
"Is Second Master planning to avoid suspicion?"
"No, I intend to reclaim my title."
"Second Master, let's not discuss this anymore. My mind is made up, and I will not change it."
Long Er was very unhappy: "Are you determined to drag this out until the case is closed? You know that this case could drag on for three or five years, or we might not even have any evidence to prove the murderer. So what do you plan to do? Just waste your life with me like this, without any connection or reputation?"
Ju Mu'er paused for a moment, then slowly sat up from the covers. "Then let's discuss this further. Second Master, could you do me another favor and repair my courtyard and house?"
“No way.” Long Er said rudely, “It’s convenient for me to be your lover in my own home. Why would I help you fix your house and then travel all that way to see you? I’m not just killing time.”
"How about we set a date? If by then this matter is still not resolved, and the situation still allows us to be together, then we can discuss marriage again?"
Long Er crossed his arms and asked coldly, "How long do you think is appropriate?"
Ju Mu'er frowned and pondered for a long time before cautiously extending her palm: "Five years?"
"Five years?" Long Er raised his voice, quite displeased: "In five years, my child will already know how to use an abacus."
Upon hearing this, Ju Mu'er bit her lip and whispered, "I asked Doctor Han, and she said that my health is not good and I need to recuperate. She also said that she cannot, and cannot guarantee, that I will be able to have a child."
Long Er choked. He knew about this, and he had even comforted Ju Mu'er, saying that the eldest and third sons already had children, so they wouldn't need his. Besides, he hadn't wanted to get married in the first place, and without a wife, there would definitely be no children, and so on. He had just forgotten for a moment and blurted out the wrong thing.
Long Er coughed and said, "What I mean is, who knows if my sister-in-law and Fengfeng will have more children in the Long family. Also, Xiaoxiao doesn't mean she absolutely can't have children, she just needs time to recover. If you really like children, I'll bring your third brother's child over for you to play with. If you like babbling toddlers, bring Qiao'er; if you like talking and sensible toddlers, bring Bao'er; if you like boys, bring Qingsheng. You see, our Long family doesn't lack children, we have boys and girls of all ages."
"If that's how it is, Second Master, then let's set it at five years."
Long Er choked again. This woman, she's getting cunning again! Every word she says is a battle of wits with him.
Long Er, with a fierce look in his eyes, said loudly, "There's no need to discuss this matter. Since you've become a bit dull, don't bother thinking anymore. Just focus on recovering during this time, and I'll take care of everything else."
It's better not to discuss it. Ju Mu'er crawled back into bed. She hated discussing such topics the most; it was better to think about the case seriously. But this illness really had made her mind clouded; she couldn't understand anything.
Just then, she felt Long Er pinch her ear again, which hurt a little. She shrank her neck, pretended to be pitiful, and then closed her eyes, wanting to sleep a little longer. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly thought of something.
"Second Master."
Weren't you asleep?
Ryuji's voice came through, along with the rustling of paper and the sound of writing.
Ju Mu'er hurriedly said, "Second Master, isn't it shameful for an official to redeem a courtesan and support her?"
"I've been thinking about this too, and maybe it's related to the motive."
Ju Mu'er nodded: "Zhuo Yishu's benefactor is definitely not Minister Shi, but Minister Shi is willing to do this. There must be something going on here." She was very tired, but she forced herself to think. At this moment, a large hand reached out and covered her eyelids: "The patient should rest well and not think too much."
"Alright. Then, Second Master, if you have any thoughts, please tell me."
"Mu'er, do you believe me?"
"I believe it."
"Then you should get some sleep." Ryuji held her hand.
His hands were large and warm. Ju Mu'er nestled her hands in his palms, feeling incredibly comfortable. She closed her eyes and obediently fell asleep.
Long Er looked at her sleeping face, resisting the urge to pinch her cheek. This woman, always causing trouble, why was she so stubborn?
Actually, there were some things he hadn't told her yet. He had already come up with a way to deal with the person behind the scenes, and he wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible. He didn't want to waste five years. Not only did he dislike the title of "lover," but there was no guarantee that anything could happen in those five years.
He couldn't let her encounter any more danger.
Therefore, he had to strike first. However, all of these measures depended on the premise that she had to marry him.
She would marry him again in a grand and spectacular way.
86. A clever scheme leads to a second marriage.
To some extent, Long Er is a very patient person. For example, in business, he can abandon several small deals and spend several years honing a large-scale business. He knows what to give up and what to take.
Therefore, he had enough patience to deal with the person behind the scenes. However, unlike Ju Mu'er, who could only hide and pretend to be stupid, Long Er had considerable resources and connections.
Regardless of who truly helped Zhuo Yishu, her lead was indeed very important. Long Er made arrangements and checked the official records for the names of small towns in the west that had experienced major floods in the past ten years or so. Although this list might not be accurate, it was still a direction for investigation.
Long San's investigation into the guys who raided the pub at night has yielded some results; the two who were injured and escaped have been caught. However, they say they know nothing about the pub except that "Miss Hong" paid them to go and commit the crime together.
They said Miss Hong guaranteed there would be no risk involved. Although the place was guarded by people from the Long family, there were only two or three guards, and only a blind woman lived in the courtyard. They would keep watch while Miss Hong went inside to carry out the work. These men had checked beforehand and the guard situation was indeed as she had described, so blinded by greed, they agreed.
Unexpectedly, Miss Hong said she would finish quickly, but she kept delaying, and eventually the house caught fire. It turned out that the guards weren't just the two in the backyard; a fight broke out, and the brothers also suffered losses.
As for them, these were men who killed for money and made a living in the underworld, how could they be controlled by a woman? The two men replied, "Miss Hong is a spies in the underworld, and many people who frequently travel around the capital know her."
A spies in the martial arts world? A lonely widow has suddenly become a spy in the martial arts world?
"How come you didn't know that a new Jianghu spy has appeared in the capital?" Long Er asked Long San.
“I’m not one of those people in Beijing,” Long San retorted. “You’re the one who’s in Beijing.”
Long Er was ridiculed but couldn't refute it. He was indeed a figure in the capital, but he was involved in the money-making world and had no interest in spies or assassinations.
However, a brothel maidservant acting as a spy must be part of an organization, otherwise why would she be gathering information?
Long San promised to investigate the matter thoroughly, and Long Er handed over all the clues to Li Ke, instructing him to lead a team to investigate until they found Zhuo Yishu's hometown and uncovered her past.
Li Ke was ordered to mobilize his men, pack their bags, and prepare to depart. The expedition was a long and uncertain journey, and Li Ke and his men were prepared to be away from home for months.
When Su Qing learned that Li Ke was going on a long journey, she rushed to see him.
The little girl asked what the purpose of this trip was. Li Ke said he couldn't tell her.
The young girl asked again when he could come back. Li Ke said he didn't know; he would only return after he finished his business. The place was quite far, and things were difficult to handle, so it might take a long time.
The little girl's eyes reddened, and she took out a talisman: "Master, this is what I got from the temple. Please carry it with you to keep you safe."
Li Ke hesitated for a moment, then accepted the gift. Still feeling uneasy, he instructed, "While I'm gone, remember to practice your skills diligently and don't slack off. If you need anything, just find Steward Tie; he'll take care of you. Also, Madam, she's still recovering and needs rest, so don't go to chat with her too often, or Second Master will be unhappy. Be discerning; when you're out, be a good snack, don't get into fights, and don't think you're some kind of female knight-errant—your rudimentary skills aren't up to par. Be careful when you go up the mountain to gather herbs and flowers, and don't get bitten by snakes..."