Twenty-four
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Chapter Twenty-Four: The Unsolved Case of Years Past
There was once a swindling merchant who got cheated so badly that it was almost too tragic to look at!
It happened during the first snowfall of 2002, sometime in winter. I went to a convenience store to buy something and spent thirty yuan in total. I handed the shopkeeper a hundred-yuan note, and he gave me one fifty and one twenty in change. After handing them over, he kindly reminded me, “There are a lot of counterfeit fifty-yuan notes these days. Take a good look.”
At the time, I thought, There are still plenty of good people in this world. What a decent shopkeeper! I carefully checked the notes, and sure enough, the fifty was genuine. I then headed home.
Only after I got back did I discover that the twenty was counterfeit.
The private room where Duan Mingyu sat was called Jadepeak Pavilion. Its furnishings were simple, yet elegant.
Duan Mingyu said, “Zhaoniang, would you like to take on a difficult yet glorious mission?”
Yang Zhaoniang gave Duan Mingyu a sly look. “What harebrained scheme are you plotting now?”
Duan Mingyu crooked a finger at her. “Come here. This matter is of great importance and can be known only to the two of us.”
Yang Zhaoniang’s eyes lit up, and she hurried over to him. “What is it? Tell me!”
Duan Mingyu leaned toward her ear and whispered, “You need to do this, and then this… Do you understand?”
Yang Zhaoniang patted her chest. “Brother Mingyu, leave it to me. I guarantee I’ll complete the mission!”
With that, she scampered away.
Cheng Zhiyuan shook his head with a wry smile. That little girl had been completely won over by Duan Mingyu! Could she really not tell that he was deliberately sending her away?
After Yang Zhaoniang had gone some distance, Duan Mingyu sat upright and said, “Xu Zuye, tell us the truth. Confess and we may go easy on you; resist, and we’ll be even stricter!”
Xu Zuye took a sip of wine. “There are some things I never intended to mention again for the rest of my life. Had you not appeared, I would have continued muddling through life as I had before. Only later did I realize that what I thought I had put behind me had never truly been put down. My conscience has never been at peace. Some words are like a fish bone lodged in the throat—until they are spoken, one cannot be at ease.”
At this point, Xu Zuye walked to the door and looked outside. Only after making certain that no one was there did he continue.
“What I told you earlier was no fabrication. The death of Wan Yongchang, the great merchant, was indeed far more complicated than outsiders believed.”
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Xu Zuye paused to catch his breath before continuing. “Regardless of the trade, anyone who wishes to expand a business must cultivate a force of his own. That force may be an alliance with officials, or it may be an underworld organization—such as the Mighty Escort Agency.”
Duan Mingyu interjected, “Are you saying that the great merchant Wan’s death was connected to those criminal organizations?”
Xu Zuye did not deny it. “Young Master, though that is only a conjecture, it is already very close to the truth.”
Cheng Zhiyuan added, “As far as I know, the Mighty Escort Agency was the largest criminal organization in all of Bianliang, and at the time, its chief escort was Xu Zuye. Yet Wan Yongchang truly died under mysterious circumstances. You should know that the great merchant Wan had eyes and ears everywhere in Bianliang. Almost no force could have killed him without leaving a trace. Thus, this case became an enduring mystery. It is the one thing that has troubled me since I took office.”
Xu Zuye said, “That is correct. I was the chief escort at the time. Cao Hong, the current chief escort, was merely an escort guard under me back then—not even an escort captain. Though Governor Cheng and I had no prior connection, we both wished to uncover the truth, so we worked together. After investigating openly and in secret, we finally found a few clues. Unfortunately, every one of those clues was destroyed. We never managed to find proof, but the repeated destruction of evidence was itself enough to prove that Master Wan did not die of natural causes.”
Duan Mingyu pondered for a long while before finally rising to his feet. “Brother Cheng, what do you make of this?”
Cheng Zhiyuan shook his head and said solemnly, “I believe there must be something fishy going on.”
Duan Mingyu and Xu Zuye both raised their middle fingers at Cheng Zhiyuan, then jabbed them forward with emphasis.
As if we needed you to tell us that!
Seeing the hesitation on Duan Mingyu’s face, Xu Zuye understood that this matter was no small affair. Who would willingly take on such trouble for no reason? Watching Duan Mingyu struggle with the decision, Xu Zuye had no choice but to drop heavily to his knees.
“Brother Xu, what are you doing?”
Xu Zuye bowed his head. “Young Master Duan, if you can solve this case, I will serve you like an ox or a horse for the rest of my life in repayment of your great kindness.”
Cheng Zhiyuan also bowed deeply to Duan Mingyu. “I have been in office for more than ten years, and this is the only matter that still weighs on my heart. It often keeps me awake at night. I ask you, my worthy younger brother, to help me.”
Duan Mingyu said nothing. He thought of many things: how Xu Zuye had saved him despite the two of them being complete strangers, and how Cheng Zhiyuan had treated him with genuine friendship even when he was at his lowest.
This was not as simple as dealing with Zhang Baobao, that useless fool. There were two things in this world Zhang Baobao could not do: this, and that. In truth, he could do nothing at all. Apart from throwing his weight around under the protection of others, what else was he capable of?
Yet Master Wan had been the richest man in Bianliang, and even the man who controlled Bianliang’s largest criminal organization had met such a fate. That alone showed how formidable the opposing force must be.
A traveler from another world was still only human. This tender sapling of mine had not yet grown strong. Rather than smashing an egg against a rock, I might as well use it to hatch a chicken.
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Duan Mingyu’s expression shifted between light and shadow. After a long while, he slowly said, “I am still young. I have not yet taken a wife or given the Duan family any descendants. But this matter is of immense importance. If I refuse to step forward, Brother Cheng will look down on me, and Brother Xu will never find peace of mind. Therefore, I, Duan Mingyu, accept!”
Duan Mingyu helped the two men to their feet and continued, “I carefully analyzed the matter just now, and I have indeed worked out a few possibilities.”
Xu Zuye asked in delight, “You really mean that?”
Duan Mingyu said, “Though I cannot yet say who the murderer is, I am already fairly close to the answer.”
He cleared his throat. “In my opinion, there are only two possibilities concerning the death of the great merchant Wan. The first is collusion between those inside and those outside. If a hidden agent within the Mighty Escort Agency joined forces with an external faction, one side could provide the intelligence while the other planned the murder. The second possibility is that someone close to him betrayed him. Walls have ears, so I cannot say more here.”
Wan Yongchang’s wife was Ji Yunyi, and this was Ji Yunyi’s tavern. There were bound to be many eyes and ears here, so one could never be too careful.
Cheng Zhiyuan and Xu Zuye nodded in understanding.
Cheng Zhiyuan said, “Mingyu, how about I appoint you Deputy Chief Constable of the magistrate’s office? Zhang Qihou would then be forced to think twice. At the very least, he would not dare attack you in broad daylight as he did today. Moreover, you could use this position to investigate the case. I now grant you full authority over the investigation. As long as I still draw breath, all of Bianliang will cooperate with you.”
Duan Mingyu nodded. “Very well. I would be honored to accept.”
As if I would dare take on this porcelain job without the diamond cutter to handle it!
Duan Mingyu understood the situation perfectly. He merely needed to investigate step by step, peeling away the layers one by one. Sooner or later, the true culprit would have nowhere left to hide.
Xu Zuye laughed heartily. “Excellent! Young Master, you are indeed a man of remarkable insight. This case is filled with hidden intricacies, yet you have revealed its key points in only a few words. The two of us pursued the matter painstakingly in those days, but we could not match what you uncovered in a few moments of thought. I am truly ashamed. With this cup, I shall offer a toast to you on behalf of the late Master Wan.”
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