Chapter 98: Waiting for the Hare

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Wang Erlang’s eyes dimmed. “Father has long passed away; how could he have beaten you?”

Wen Jing scrutinized the ragged old man before her. His actual age seemed younger than he appeared. From the earlier words, it seemed Wang Erlang’s father might have beaten him in the past for stealing food, and the pain from those memories haunted him still, his recollections frozen in a wretched childhood.

Suddenly, Wang Qi rolled onto the ground, curling up tightly and sobbing, “Qi Lang won’t steal anymore, please don’t hit Qi Lang again, it hurts so much...”

“Carry Old Master Qi back inside,” Wang Erlang ordered the servants.

“Yes, Second Young Master.”

“Go away, all of you, go away! I’m not leaving!” Wang Qi suddenly went mad again, throwing stones at the servants around him.

The servants scattered, their faces showing some impatience; no one liked this filthy, foul-smelling mad old man.

“Uncle Qi, we’re not driving you away. I’ll take you back to your own room, alright?” Wang Erlang said patiently.

Wang Qi nodded repeatedly, seeming to trust Wang Erlang deeply.

“Why have you let him out again?” Wang Sinian suddenly appeared, scolding the servants.

“Second Master...” The servants cast fearful glances at Wang Sinian, lowering their heads.

“Second Uncle, I’ll take Uncle Qi back first,” Wang Erlang said.

Wang Sinian looked at Wang Qi with disgust, covering his nose and mouth, making a nasal sound.

“Uncle Qi, let’s go,” Wang Erlang said, helping Wang Qi up.

Wang Qi looked fearfully at Wang Sinian, clutching Wang Erlang’s arm tightly.

Wen Jing glanced at Wang Erlang, thinking perhaps she had misunderstood him. Even with a madman, he showed such kindness. Maybe it was her own unwillingness to marry him that made her think ill of him.

“Apologies for the trouble, Lady Qi,” Wang Sinian said to Wen Jing.

“Every family has its own hardships,” Wen Jing replied.

...

Back gate of the Lu Residence.

Ji Changge concealed himself in the shadows, quietly observing the comings and goings of the Lu family. Suddenly, a woman dressed as a peasant appeared at the back gate. A young servant came out, took the wine jar from her, paid her, and she left.

“Sir, this woman has come three times today already.”

Ji Changge nodded slightly. “She came once the day before yesterday, twice yesterday, and three times today.”

“This woman must be suspicious. Usually, deliveries to the residence follow a pattern—once every several days or at regular times each day,” Ding Wu said.

“Then let’s see what kind of wine she’s selling,” Ji Changge said, narrowing his eyes sharply like an eagle locking onto its prey.

“You keep watch here; I’ll go in. Too many people might expose us,” Ji Changge instructed Ding Wu.

“Yes, sir. Be careful,” Ding Wu replied.

Ji Changge silently descended from the rooftop into the backyard, following the servant who took the wine jar. The servant didn’t head to the wine cellar but to the servants' quarters. Ji Changge became even more convinced there was something fishy about the wine jar.

With a swift strike to the back of the servant’s neck, Ji Changge supported the wine jar with one hand and dragged the servant behind an artificial rock formation.

Opening the jar, a strong aroma of wine wafted out. Peering inside, Ji Changge found a brown object floating on the surface. Pinching it between two fingers, he pulled out a small oil-paper wrapped slip: someone was using the wine jar to pass a message.

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Unfolding the note, it read: “You hour, Lang.”

“You hour” clearly indicated a time. But what did “Lang” mean?

Ji Changge didn’t have time to ponder. He folded the note back, placed it inside the jar, then moved the servant to a conspicuous spot and swiftly left the Lu residence.

Ding Wu noticed Ji Changge’s furrowed brow. “Sir, any findings?”

“What does ‘Lang’ mean?” Ji Changge asked bluntly.

“Maybe the waves in the river?” Ding Wu stroked his chin.

The capital was crisscrossed with countless rivers—how could they know which one?

Seeing Ji Changge’s somber expression, Ding Wu dared not ask further. What was this “Lang” all about?

“I’ll return to the Court of Justice; no need to keep watch here. You meet with Xiao Liu and keep a close eye on Lu Yi. If you lose him, don’t bother coming back,” Ji Changge said coldly.

Ding Wu felt a chill down his spine. “Rest assured, sir.”

...

Back at the Court of Justice, Ji Changge kept pondering the meaning of “Lang” and who had written the note, and to whom it was addressed.

“Bring me a map of the capital.”

A guard brought a map, which Ji Changge spread across the desk, carefully searching for any river named “Lang.” Finding none, he checked place names. Indeed, there was a place called Pinglang, but it was too far from the capital—no horse, however swift, could reach it by the You hour (early evening). Could the “Lang” be a code known only to the parties involved?

“Any discoveries, sir?” Wen Jing asked, seeing Ji Changge’s puzzled expression over the map.

Ji Changge wrote down: “You hour, Lang.”

“Lady Qi, what do you make of this?”

Wen Jing looked at the character “Lang” on the note but couldn’t decipher its meaning.

“It must be a rendezvous point. Usually, where are such meetings held?” Wen Jing asked.

“Outdoors, temples, pleasure boats... roughly these places,” Ji Changge replied.

Wen Jing glanced sideways, a knowing look crossing her face.

Ji Changge seemed to guess her thoughts. “After handling so many cases, I know—what girl would dare go to the riverside with me at midnight?”

Wen Jing looked at Ji Changge’s stern, unapproachable face. Though it was a rare sight, no one would dare go out with him at night.

Ji Changge suddenly recalled how Wen Jing had accompanied him to the mortuary at midnight in Hanjiang County to inspect a corpse. There was probably no one else in the world like her.

Seeing a faint smile appear on Ji Changge’s lips, Wen Jing could not guess what he was thinking. She walked over to the desk to continue studying the map.

Yet Ji Changge did not believe it was a rendezvous spot. Perhaps it was where the killer met with their employer. If Lu Yi had hired an assassin to abduct He Yunxiu that day, it wouldn’t be impossible.

“The location must be reachable by You hour. The place can’t be beyond this range,” Wen Jing said, gesturing a boundary.

Ji Changge circled the area on the map.

“The location must be somewhere within this circle,” Wen Jing said, scanning the place names. None contained the character “Lang,” but it surely related to it.

“The character ‘Lang’ breaks down into the water radical and ‘Liang’ (good). Look at this place name: Chuanliang,” Wen Jing pointed to a name on the map.

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Ji Changge’s eyes lit up. “This is Chuanliang Bridge. It must be here—the water radical upright is ‘Chuan’ (river), and ‘Liang’ is similar to ‘Liang’ in ‘Lang’.”

Night fell, city lights flickered on, by Chuanliang Bridge.

Approaching You hour, a boat silently moored beneath the bridge, its dim lights barely noticeable.

In the darkness, several pairs of eyes quietly observed their surroundings. Occasionally, passersby walked by without stopping. Time ticked by; the boat remained still.

The watchman struck the gong for the Xu hour.

Ding Wu glanced at Ji Changge, asking with his eyes if they should keep waiting.

Ji Changge nodded slightly; sweat dripped from his chin onto the ground.

Half an hour passed in silence, the boat’s lights began to flicker. Ji Changge’s face tightened, contemplating whether to intervene. If he did, what reason could he give?

They hadn’t caught anyone this time; there might be another chance. Ji Changge decided to hold back to avoid alerting the suspects. Even if they caught someone, they lacked evidence.

Just as Ji Changge was about to call off the operation, a black carriage quietly arrived, and the boatman ceased rowing.

Ji Changge signaled for silence; everyone remained hidden.

A masked man stepped down from the carriage and walked straight to the boat.

Ji Changge was unsure who he was but certain he belonged to the Lu household. The dark clouds obscured the moon; it was impossible to see clearly.

Ji Changge’s brow furrowed deeply. The person had arrived, yet he hesitated. If the boat held no killer, but only an ordinary illicit affair, he would be in a very awkward position. But if it was the killer, failing to arrest them now might mean losing the chance forever.

Ding Wu looked at Ji Changge urgently, ready to act on his command.

After much hesitation, thinking this might be the key to the case, Ji Changge gave the order. Ding Wu and the others rushed forward.

The boatman watched helplessly as the group charged but couldn’t set the boat in motion.

Ji Changge was the last to board. As he lifted the boat’s curtain, his heart sank.

Lu Yi looked at Ji Changge and Ding Wu with terror. He had seen the two guards watching him leave earlier—how did they suddenly appear here? Could it be...

“It’s you?!” Lu Yi glared furiously at the woman beside him.

The woman shook her pale face, denying it.

“Enough noise. Come with us to the Court of Justice,” Ding Wu said bluntly.

“What crime have I committed? Who says you can’t boat at night?” Lu Yi retorted stubbornly.

Ji Changge sneered, “How about I send you to the Capital Police Headquarters?”

Lu Yi paled. He had hoped to conceal this, but Ji Changge had seen through the woman’s identity.

She was the concubine of Cao Tai, the Prefect of the Capital. Lu Yi was audacious indeed. Ji Changge hadn’t caught the killer yet, but he had caught Cao Tai’s old scoundrel cheating. Still, he decided to take both back to the Court of Justice for questioning first.

“Sir Ji, you jest. Let’s go to the Court of Justice,” Lu Yi said bitterly, shooting a glare at the woman.

“Take them away,” Ding Wu snorted coldly.