Chapter 116

Qin Shaozong withdrew his ring-pommel sword. Instead of letting the young servant report immediately, he said, "Come with me."

He led the person up to the second floor. Daili, out of curiosity, followed them.

Once on the second floor, completely separated from the people below, Qin Shaozong finally said, "Tell me the truth."

The young servant fell to his knees with a thud. "Noble lord, everyone joined, I couldn't just stand out. I... I've only been at this bookstore for seven months. At first, I didn't join the owner and the others, but the owner and the manager sometimes didn't avoid me when they worshipped. They said the Unborn Venerable Mother advocates equality for everyone, and that as long as we believe in the religion, we can ascend to paradise after death."

Perhaps out of anxiety, he spoke incoherently, his words somewhat muddled.

Qin Shaozong did not interrupt him, and Daili was also listening.

"About three months ago, the owner said he was going south to Jingzhou to visit relatives. Before leaving, he said some distant relatives might come to the bookstore and take over for him for a while, and told us to serve them well. About two months later, people really did come. Leading them were two young gentlemen, oh, and a young lady. They had the owner's token. That young lady later settled down in the bookstore; there is a room for her on the third floor," the young servant explained.

"What are the names of the owner's distant relatives? Where did they stay later?" Qin Shaozong asked.

The young servant shook his head. "I don't know their exact names. I only know their surname is Bai, because I once heard the manager call them Young Master Bai. As for where they lived, I know even less. These two Young Master Bais were hosted entirely by the manager. They had the most contact with him, and except for the initial period, they rarely came to the bookstore later on. On the contrary, I was ordered around a few times by that young lady who settled here, but it was just serving tea and pouring water, nothing special."

Daili asked, "What did those two Young Master Bais look like?"

The young servant held it in for a long time, only managing to squeeze out the words, "Regular features."

"Is there nothing memorable about them?" Daili asked seeing this.

The young servant nodded repeatedly, not daring to look directly at Daili, keeping his eyes on her jade pendant instead. "Indeed. They looked quite ordinary, without any outstanding features."

Qin Shaozong asked, "The young lady upstairs once sent someone to find them. Do you know about this?"

The young servant nodded, saying he knew, and added that he happened to run into it once.

Qin Shaozong asked again, "From the time that person was sent out to when Young Master Bai arrived at the bookstore, did it take about two quarters of an hour?"

The young servant froze, frowning as he tried hard to recall. "It seems... it seems so."

After that, Qin Shaozong asked a few more questions, such as who else in the bookstore had the most contact with them besides the manager; whether there were any outside visitors during the time those two stayed at the bookstore; how often they came to the bookstore; and whether the young lady upstairs went out frequently.

The young servant knew the answers to some questions, but was completely clueless about others.

Qin Shaozong didn't say much about this. Once he finished his questioning, he ordered the guards to watch the man, keeping him guarded alone on the second floor.

"Madam, let's go downstairs first." Qin Shaozong took a torch from a guard's hand.

Daili asked him in a low voice, "Qin Changgeng, do you still want to interrogate that manager?"

From the young servant's words, the manager clearly knew a lot of information, perhaps even where they lived.

The stairs were not spacious, only wide enough for one burly man to pass. If two people were to walk side by side, one would have to be a petite woman. Daili and Qin Shaozong walked downstairs one after the other.

He held the torch from behind. The steps behind were naturally higher than those in front, and the firelight illuminated the path under Daili's feet with absolute clarity.

Regarding her question, the man replied, "I will interrogate him, but for someone who refuses a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, I won't waste any more words on him."

The phrase refuses a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit was said plainly, unemotionally deciding the future of a person, and even that of their entire family.

An invisible gust of wind blew past, brushing away the dust in a certain corner of Daili's memory.

Her memories uncontrollably drifted back to more than half a year ago. In that guest room, after the phrase refuses a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit was spoken, a sharp blade flew in from the outside, humming as it nailed into the wall of the inner room.

At that moment, the trajectory of destiny deviated. The rest of her life completely headed in another direction she had never envisioned before.

Daili stopped and couldn't help but look back at Qin Shaozong behind her.

He held the torch, pulling it slightly inward, keeping it in a safe zone away from her.

Noticing her looking back, the man raised his long eyebrows. "What is it?"

Compared to his sharp coldness when they first met, the current Qin Shaozong was undoubtedly peaceful. The warm firelight danced in his eyes, and his amber-like brown pupils reflected the woman's silhouette, completely filled with the person in front of him.

He stood at a higher position, looking down at her. Although he was looking down from above, he lacked that intimidating coercion he had earlier when facing the fat manager.

Daili slowly shook her head and continued walking down.

When they returned to the first floor, the three young servants who were previously able to stand all fell to their knees with a thud. Speaking one after another, they spilled everything they knew like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

One said that a merchant surnamed Zhao from the east of the city had come to look for those two young gentlemen a few times, and each time he stayed on the third floor for at least half an hour before leaving.

Another said that the other party specifically left a servant for the young lady on the third floor to use for running errands and delivering messages.

Still another said that ever since the two young gentlemen appeared, a servant from a wealthy household frequently showed up at the bookstore.

"Which wealthy household?" Qin Shaozong, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, suddenly spoke up.

The young servant who was addressed was initially overjoyed, but quickly shook his head in distress. "I don't know. At the time, looking at that person, I only felt that his clothes were much better than ordinary people's. I also heard him constantly referring to a benefactor, so I knew he was a servant from a wealthy household."

"What does this person look like?" Qin Shaozong asked.

The young servant described him truthfully. Perhaps out of fear, his description was exceptionally detailed, even mentioning a large, hairy black mole on the side of the person's neck.

Qin Shaozong glanced at Hu Bao next to him, who nodded to indicate he had noted it down.

Right at this moment, a fast horse rode through the night.

"Father, we found it!" The newcomer was none other than Qin Qinian himself.

The youth, dressed in a black and red martial outfit, reined in his horse and said excitedly, "Coincidentally, there are only two places nearby with osmanthus trees, and neither is by the roadside. One is an empty residence, and the other is occupied."

Qin Shaozong narrowed his eyes. "Has anyone been sent to guard that empty residence?"

Qin Qinian said he had.

This was Yuyang, his father's territory, and the last thing they lacked was soldiers. Although the first place was empty, just in case, he still sent people to guard it strictly.

Qin Shaozong turned his head to look at Daili. "Madam, let's go over and take a look."

Daili naturally agreed.

Horses were much faster than donkey carts. In less than a quarter of an hour, Daili saw a residence heavily surrounded.

This place was not a slum. Looking around, one couldn't find a single-courtyard house; they were at least double-courtyard, or even triple-courtyard residences.

The surrounded residence was a triple-courtyard house. Both the front and back doors were guarded by soldiers holding torches and halberds.

The doors were wide open, allowing an unobstructed view straight inside. Before even dismounting, Daili saw about a dozen people gathered in the front hall, including men, women, the elderly, and the young.

"Father, this family's surname is Shang. The entire household, including the servants, totals twenty-seven people. They are all here," Qin Qinian said as he dismounted his horse.

"Are you certain no one was missed?" Qin Shaozong asked.

Qin Qinian replied firmly, "None. I had my men conduct a thorough search."

Dai Li followed the father and son inside.

Surrounding them were soldiers holding torches, the firelight clearly illuminating every fearful face.

The eldest was already in his fifties, and below him were several men in their thirties, their facial features showing some resemblance to one another.

Dai Li pursed her lips.

Qin Shaozong frowned his long eyebrows almost imperceptibly.

Unaware of their subtle reactions, Qin Qinian called out to Dai Li with enthusiasm, "Madam Dai, quickly see if that White Elephant is among them."

Turning his head, he ordered the Shang family, "All of you, raise your heads."

As Dai Li walked past the Shang family members, Qin Shaozong turned and walked toward a nearby osmanthus tree.

The tree was planted in the front courtyard, standing about ten feet tall. The blooming season for osmanthus was usually in September and October. Now, in late autumn, clusters of maple-red osmanthus flowers still hung on the branches.

A hue slightly lighter than fire adorned the entire tree, with some blossoms scattered on the ground. However, perhaps due to the diligent sweeping of the servants, there were not many petals on the ground.

Qin Shaozong lowered his gaze and inspected the ground for a moment, finding no wagon ruts. He called Hu Bao over. "Where is this family's donkey?"

Hu Bao replied, "It's kept in the donkey shed in the backyard."

Asking nothing more, Qin Shaozong strode toward the backyard shed.

After examining the members of the Shang family one by one, Dai Li finally stopped in front of a young woman with her hair styled in a married woman's bun. She asked, "Did you hear a loud crash this afternoon?"

The young woman, confused but honest, nodded. "I did, noble lady."

"That loud noise came from a collapsing house." Dai Li looked directly into her eyes. "To get to the bottom of it, two groups of outsiders came here, specializing in murder and robbery. However, they didn't expect the house they were in to be in such disrepair. They accidentally brought disaster upon themselves, which exposed their whereabouts."

Upon hearing about murder and robbery, the young woman's face turned pale. Perhaps because they were both women, and Dai Li's gentle, storytelling-like voice made her forget her fear, she couldn't help but ask, "Have those thieves been caught?"

Dai Li nodded. "They have been caught, but only one group. The other group is still hiding in the county. Those thieves are very smooth talkers, highly skilled at striking up relationships and then lodging in people's homes. Tonight's search is entirely to catch these thieves. In the past two months, have you had any distant relatives or good friends come to visit?"

"No," the woman shook her head.

Dai Li lowered her eyes, turned to the wide-eyed Qin Qinian nearby, and shook her head. "It's not this household."

Her lie just now was not particularly clever, but the other party was an ordinary young wife. With the terrifying search happening tonight, she was bound to be flustered.

If this family had truly taken White Elephant and his men in, after she asked that last question, the woman would have instinctively looked toward the male head of the household.

Whether out of pure confusion or seeking some sort of support, she definitely would not have shaken her head immediately.

At this time, Qin Shaozong returned from the backyard. "It's not here."

Qin Qinian looked at Dai Li, then at his father, scratching his head in confusion. He couldn't figure it out, but he followed the crowd and withdrew from the family's front courtyard.

Qin Shaozong walked over to Dai Li's small mare and supported her as she mounted. Only after she was seated securely did he turn his head and ask, "Qin San, where is the other household?"

Qin Qinian pointed the way. "Over here, follow me!"

...

Looking down from high above, one could see an agile fire snake slithering through the massive city. At a certain moment, the fire snake seemed to discover a delicacy also wrapped in flames; it opened its jaws wide, swallowed it, and thoroughly merged into one.

"My Lord," Wei Qing, who was guarding the place, cupped his hands in greeting.

Qin Shaozong asked, "Has there been any unusual activity here?"

Wei Qing replied that there had not been.

This was also a three-courtyard residence. Inspecting an empty house was much more convenient. Past the main gate were covered corridors on both sides. The ends of the corridors connected to the side rooms, and behind the festooned gate was the entrance to the inner residence.

Dai Li observed as she walked, noticing that the house was quite clean and didn't seem like it had been vacant for long.

"Qinian, how long has this house been vacant?" Dai Li asked.

However, after she spoke, the youth did not reply.

Just as Dai Li was about to turn her head, she heard the man beside her say flatly, "That boy just hurriedly took some men elsewhere. He's already sixteen, yet his temper is still so impulsive."

His distaste was evident in his words.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed Dai Li's mind. She sharply realized that this might be a good opportunity.

A perfect opportunity to lay some groundwork.

"He's only sixteen. Where I come from, whether it's young ladies or young gentlemen, sixteen is still an age of innocence. They study with their teachers every day, and after class, they gather with friends to play. When they've had their fun, they return to their respective homes to eat." Since there were others following behind them, Dai Li kept her voice somewhat low.

The night wind blew past, making her gentle, water-like voice even more indistinct.

Qin Shaozong's eyes flickered slightly. He turned to Wei Qing behind him and said, "Lead your men to inspect elsewhere. You don't need to follow us."

Wei Qing originally wanted to leave some men for Qin Shaozong, but seeing his superior wave his hand, signaling him to take everyone away, he obliged.

Once Wei Qing and the others had left, Qin Shaozong finally said, "According to what Madam just said, could it be that the young women in your Peach Blossom Spring can also study?"

"Of course they can," Dai Li smiled. "Men and women share the same classrooms and receive equal pay for equal work. Furthermore, as long as a woman meets the physical requirements and has the desire to do so, she can don armor and go to battle to protect the country and its people. Where I'm from, female soldiers are not uncommon."

Qin Shaozong subconsciously furrowed his long brows tightly.

Obviously, he found Dai Li's words difficult to comprehend, let alone agree with.

Men and women in the same classroom, equal pay for equal work, and even female soldiers?

How could a woman go to the battlefield? It was utterly absurd! Bathing in blood on the battlefield and defending the homeland was a man's duty.

If a man couldn't even protect his own wife and daughters, and needed them to personally don armor and go to war, he would truly be unworthy of heaven, earth, and his ancestors. What face would he have left to live in this world?

He might as well just slit his own throat.