Chapter Ninety-Six: Who’s Lying?

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Thanks to “Sky Swallow” for the lovely pink~

“The prince jokes, how could Lady Qi be worthy of the prince,” Wen Qiran smiled, sweat beading on his forehead. He was quite satisfied with the Wang family; the marriage between Lady Qi and Wang Erlang was already a done deal. But dealing with Prince Xuan was another matter—this prince was notorious for not playing by the rules. If he insisted on interfering, the outcome was unpredictable…

Prince Xuan smiled faintly: “Generals and ministers all rise from commoners; there is no true distinction between noble and lowly.”

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Had this been spoken by a commoner, they would have dismissed it as arrogance—how could nobility be equal to common folk? But coming from Prince Xuan, they were compelled to ponder the subtle meaning behind his words.

Wen Jing cast a sidelong glance at Prince Xuan, who shielded his face with his sleeve, tilting his head back to reveal a flushed complexion. His eyes, filled with a carefree arrogance, also seemed to harbor a faint sorrow.

Seeing the prince’s tipsy state, Wen Qiran assumed he was speaking drunken nonsense and said nothing.

“Your Highness, you shouldn’t drink any more,” a handsome young man behind the prince advised.

“Enough chatter. Do I need your orders?” Prince Xuan snapped impatiently.

“Tomorrow you must attend the imperial audience; you haven’t forgotten that, have you?” the youth smiled calmly.

Prince Xuan’s expression stiffened, and he reluctantly put down his wine cup. The young man behind him smirked slightly and stepped aside.

Wen Jing looked at the man in surprise. Though Prince Xuan was verbally tough, he could always be “tamed” with a few simple words from this man. His calm demeanor suggested the man was no ordinary figure. Given Prince Xuan’s usually unrestrained nature, his ability to live freely to this day was likely thanks to this companion.

After several rounds of drinking…

“Your Highness, it’s late. Please don’t disturb Lord Wen’s household any longer,” the man said.

Wen Jing thought, indeed, better to leave soon.

“I want to say a few words to Lady Qi. You all should leave first,” Prince Xuan, half-drunk and half-awake, said.

Wen Qiran’s expression flickered slightly; he glanced at Wen Jing, who responded with a look meaning, “Not my problem.”

After everyone left:

“Your Highness, what do you wish to say to Lady Qi?”

Prince Xuan sat beside Wen Jing, squinting at him for a moment before hiccupping and blinking repeatedly, then suddenly collapsing face-first onto the table.

“Your Highness?!” Wen Jing was startled and hurried forward to check.

The door suddenly opened, and the young man came in to support Prince Xuan. Looking at Wen Jing, he said, “Lady Qi, there’s no need to worry. This is how the prince behaves when drunk.”

Meeting the man’s gaze, Wen Jing couldn’t help but feel that though he smiled, his eyes held a trace of disdain.

Wen Qiran and others followed, only relaxing when they heard the explanation. If anything happened to Prince Xuan in the Wen residence, it would be a disaster.

“Lord Wen, I shall take the prince back to his residence now. Farewell,” the man said calmly.

Watching the carriage disappear into the night…

“Master, what strange wind blew today to bring Prince Xuan here?” Madam Wen asked Wen Qiran in puzzlement. Prince Xuan seldom attended court banquets and had little contact with the Wen family.

“I don’t know either, Lady Qi. Did the prince say anything to you?” Wen Qiran turned to Wen Jing.

“He hadn’t spoken yet…” Wen Jing replied helplessly. Judging by the prince’s demeanor, he must have something on his mind, but why would he drink so heavily if burdened by worries?

“Could Prince Xuan have taken a fancy to Seventh Sister?” Wen Baniang teased with a grin.

Madam Wen shot her a glare. “Don’t be ridiculous. If anyone hears that, it would be improper.”

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Wen Baniang stuck out her tongue, thinking to herself, “You’re just jealous that the prince noticed someone else, not Ninth Sister.”

“Everyone, go back inside and rest. Don’t just stand here,” Wen Qiran urged, a trace of worry in his voice. He felt this visit by Prince Xuan was no good.

…

At the Imperial Court’s Judicial Office.

“Sir, I’ve been tailing Lu Yi for several days. Aside from the Lu residence, he’s only been to a few taverns and gambling houses briefly. He hasn’t visited the Lanyue Pavilion; I found no suspicious characters,” Ding Wu reported to Ji Changge.

“What about Lu Xun?”

“Lu Xun follows Master Lu to the Ministry of Personnel during the day and doesn’t leave the residence at night,” Ding Wu continued.

Ji Changge furrowed his brows. Perhaps Lu Yi suspected the court was investigating him and was acting cautiously. “Have you found where he disappeared to during those few hours on the afternoon of the 13th?”

Ding Wu wiped sweat from his brow. “No leads yet. No one saw Lu Xun in Pear Blossom Alley, where He Yunxiu last appeared.”

“Keep watching them,” Ji Changge ordered coldly.

“Yes, sir,” Ding Wu nodded and hurried out, breaking into a run once outside.

Wen Jing glanced at Ji Changge’s stormy expression and quietly stepped back. As she turned…

“Where are you going?” Ji Changge’s face darkened.

“I’m going back to review the files…” Wen Jing replied.

Ji Changge waved his hand. “You’d better recall what was on those missing pages.”

“I’ll do my best,” Wen Jing said, hurrying out. She desperately wanted to remember but could not.

“Nian Bo,” Wen Jing addressed the clerk.

“Lady Qi here to check the archives again?” Nian Bo lowered his head.

“Yes.”

Wen Jing picked up Liang Shuxuan’s file and discovered that Shen Ying disappeared from her own home, He Yunxiu was abducted outside, and Liang Shuxuan vanished from another’s residence. Liang Shuxuan disappeared during a flower-viewing gathering at the Wang family’s estate. The Wang family…

“Wasn’t the culprit already caught in this case?” Nian Bo suddenly asked.

Wen Jing looked at him in surprise. “You’ve read the case?”

“I’ve seen every case here. For years, I’m the only one…” Nian Bo replied.

Wen Jing nodded and continued reading. The culprit was an enemy of the official Liang Yushi, harboring a grudge and plotting murder. Knowing Liang Yushi and Liang Shuxuan would attend the Wang family event, he lurked there, seized Liang Shuxuan, and brutally killed her.

“Any discoveries?” Ji Changge’s low voice came from behind.

“This case has too many doubts. First, abducting someone in a crowded place is not wise; the culprit could have chosen other means. Second, the killer could have murdered and disposed of the body on the spot—why risk being seen by kidnapping He Yunxiu first, then killing and disposing of the body? If it were purely vengeance, there was no need for such complexity. Kidnapping usually seeks ransom; vengeance doesn’t require such steps,” Wen Jing explained.

“I raised these points with Lord Liang then. The culprit, Wang Kang, couldn’t even give a coherent account of the kidnapping and murder,” Ji Changge recalled.

Nian Bo finished dusting the last bookshelf and stopped. “How many things in this world are truly fair? People are born into different ranks; some lives are as insignificant as ants, their fate beyond their control.”

The two fell silent. This culprit was but one among many wrongful cases; Si Xi was another, unjustly dead right under Wen Jing’s watch. They still owed him justice.

They left the room.

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“Come with me to the Wang family estate. Let’s check which guests attended that day,” Ji Changge said to Wen Jing.

“Sir wants to see if the Lu family members were present?” Wen Jing asked.

Ji Changge nodded slightly. “If Lu Xun or Lu Yi were there, then the three cases are connected.”

“We’ll know once we see the guest list.”

…

When Wen Jing and Ji Changge arrived at the Wang residence, they were greeted by Wang Sinian. Wang Erlang was not home, which eased Wen Jing’s mind. After yesterday’s events, she felt Wang Erlang had suffered enough. If she were to break off the engagement now, it would only add insult to injury.

“Uncle Wang, may I see the records of the banquet held at the residence two years ago?” Ji Changge asked.

Wang Sinian was slightly taken aback. “Nephew, what is this for?”

“Just to check the names of the guests.”

“I’ll have the steward fetch the records from the archives,” Wang Sinian said, speaking briefly to the steward.

The steward nodded.

“I’ll go with you,” Ji Changge said.

The steward glanced at Wang Sinian, who nodded in agreement.

As Ji Changge and the steward left, Wen Jing turned to Wang Sinian. “Lord Wang, has Erlang shown any unusual behavior recently?”

Wang Sinian looked at Wen Jing in surprise and shook his head. “No, Erlang has always been like this—hard to tell if he’s happy or sad. Why do you ask, Lady Qi?”

“Nothing, just noticed Erlang seems distracted lately. He said it’s because his mother’s memorial day is approaching,” Wen Jing replied.

Wang Sinian sighed. “Erlang keeps everything to himself; he never shares his troubles with me. I raised him as my own, but I can never replace his parents.”

Blood ties are irreplaceable by anything, Wen Jing thought. As she suspected, Wang Erlang was not as carefree as he appeared—perhaps he lived daily burdened by guilt.

“My sister-in-law tragically fell from a cliff, and my elder brother died of illness afterward. Erlang has been sensitive since childhood. Lady Qi, I see how much you care for Erlang. With you by his side, we can rest assured,” Wang Sinian said.

“Erlang’s mother… died from falling off a cliff?” Wen Jing asked in surprise.

Wang Sinian frowned. “Isn’t that so?”

Wen Jing shook her head. “I just didn’t expect it to be that. It’s a bit shocking.”

Ji Changge and the steward returned.

“Did you find it?” Wang Sinian asked.

“Yes,” Ji Changge replied, casting a glance at Wen Jing, who seemed lost in thought.

“Well, I’ll take my leave,” Ji Changge said.

Noticing Wen Jing’s lack of response, Ji Changge cleared his throat, finally bringing her back to reality.

Why would Wang Erlang deceive her? The question lingered in Wen Jing’s mind. Was he seeking sympathy? But judging by his demeanor yesterday, it didn’t seem feigned…