In front of the kneeling people stood a chair. The eunuch sat on it and looked at the group before him with a smile.
He enjoyed this feeling.
After waiting for a while the sky began to darken. The general in charge of the search finally came forward and reported with a bow. “Gonggong we have searched thoroughly. Everyone should be here.”
The eunuch gave a sound of agreement and stared at Zhong Su with a smile. “Master Zhong are you still unwilling to say who you were sending the message to?”
The noise from that special firework was far too loud. He could not have missed it even if he tried. He did not think it was just for fun. Setting off fireworks in broad daylight was not normal.
Yet Zhong Su refused to admit anything and kept saying it was just for fun. Even now he replied. “Gonggong it really was unintentional.”
“Very well.” The eunuch nodded and smiled. “Since you will not speak now we will continue this at the Ministry of Justice. Their torture chambers have plenty of ways to make you talk.” He then pushed on the armrests and stood up. “It is getting late. Let us go. Hand these people over to the Ministry of Justice and seal all the items here for inventory.”
As soon as he finished speaking noise came from outside again. He turned his head at once and shouted. “What is all that commotion outside? Have you no rules?”
Soon a young officer ran over to report. “Gonggong people from the Sinan Mansion have arrived and they are trying to force their way in.”
Upon hearing this Zhong Su who was kneeling on the ground knew that the lame old Wu had succeeded. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had been worried about how the women in his household would endure the torture instruments.
“People from the Sinan Mansion?” The eunuch was stunned and asked in confusion. “Why would the Sinan Mansion get involved in this matter? This is no ordinary case. It was personally ordered by His Majesty to be handled strictly. Tell them not to act rashly.”
The outside suddenly fell quiet which surprised everyone present.
Then loud laughter rang out. “Duke Tang you are being too serious. There is no need to be so tense.”
The imperial guards surrounding the area parted and a group of people in grey clothes walked in. Their attire clearly marked them as members of the Sinan Mansion.
The leader was Chu Tianjian who oversaw the rear division of the Sinan Mansion. His forehead had a slight reflective sheen in the evening glow.
The eunuch immediately gave an exclamation and put on a smiling face. “I wondered who it was. It turns out to be Master Chu who has come in person.” He stepped forward to greet him and bowed his hands but still spoke directly. “Master Chu it is truly inappropriate for you to force your way in like this. I know you visited the Zhong residence before and had a late night talk with that top scholar under the lamp. However this matter was personally decreed by His Majesty to be handled strictly. He even issued the golden token arrow. I cannot show favour…”
Chu Tianjian smiled. Hearing the footsteps behind him he did not waste words. He simply stepped aside stood to one side and bowed slightly.
Several grey clothed men came into view guarding a slender and elegant man who walked over with his hands behind his back. He wore plain light coloured clothes and gave off a faint air of refinement and grace.
Though described as a man any observant person could tell at once that this was a woman.
She had fair skin a slender build and neat black hair gathered on top of her head and secured with a male style hairpin.
Her features were delicate and beautiful. A pair of phoenix eyes revealed a cold gleam. When her brows drew together in a cold expression there was an inherent disdain that came from deep within her bones. It carried the lofty and aloof charm of one who views all ages as mere passing clouds.
The fullness of her chest and the obvious piercings in her earlobes all showed that this person dressed as a man was actually an attractive woman who appeared to be around forty or fifty years old.
It was clear that she had not tried hard to disguise herself as a man. She had only made slight adjustments so as not to reveal her identity openly.
The eunuch looked up and saw the woman walking over. His mouth opened in surprise. His face filled with disbelief and even shock. He could not understand how a mere Zhong residence could have drawn this person to come in person. He swallowed and prepared to pay his respects in fear.
Chu Tianjian however reached out to stop him and placed a finger to his lips.
The eunuch understood at once. The visitor did not want her identity announced publicly. He obediently stood to one side with his hands at his sides.
Many people secretly guessed at the visitor’s identity including Zhong Su.
Anyone who knew Chu Tianjian and had some sense could tell the woman’s status from Chu Tianjian’s attitude.
The scene suddenly became unusually quiet. One could have heard a pin drop. Even outside the Zhong residence everything fell silent.
The woman dressed as a man stopped in front of the group of kneeling people. Her bright eyes swept coldly over Zhong Su and the others in the front row.
Two grey clothed men brought over a chair. Seated on it was the lame old Wu. His hand was bandaged his injuries had been treated one eye was still swollen shut and there were many bloodstains on his body.
Many people in the Zhong residence still recognised him as the lame old Wu from the household. They were all surprised to see him appear in this way.
The chair was placed in front of Zhong Su. The lame old Wu could not rise due to his injuries. He spoke. “Master I have not failed in my mission.”
With missing teeth his speech whistled.
Zhong Su looked at old Wu’s battered appearance and knew that he must have suffered greatly to bring help. He nodded repeatedly and tears flowed. The scene left him unable to speak.
The woman dressed as a man glanced sideways at Chu Tianjian.
Chu Tianjian understood and immediately asked the eunuch. “Is there a quieter place to talk?”
The eunuch replied quickly. “Yes in the inner courtyard.” He stepped forward at once to lead the way. His previous arrogant manner had vanished and he once again looked like someone accustomed to such tasks.
The woman dressed as a man ignored everyone and walked off with her hands behind her back.
Chu Tianjian waved for people to carry the lame old Wu along and added. “Unrelated people stay here. Members of the Zhong family may rise from their knees. Get up and come to answer questions.”
Zhong Su shifted his body rose to his feet and helped up his sobbing wife beside him. He then called for his two daughters.
The family of four followed as well.
Outside the main hall of the inner courtyard a group of grey clothed men quickly searched the area and then spread out to stand guard.
The woman dressed as a man did not enter the house to sit. Or rather she disdained to do so. She simply stood in the middle of the courtyard.
Facing the people who stood neatly in a row the woman dressed as a man finally spoke. She stared at Zhong Su and asked. “You are Zhong Su?”
Her voice was clear but cold and detached as if without emotion.
“Yes.” Zhong Su answered nervously and carefully.
The woman dressed as a man glanced at the lame old Wu seated on the chair and then stared at Zhong Su again. “He says you wanted to present a treasure. Is this true?”
Zhong Su bowed. “It is true.”
The woman dressed as a man asked. “Where is the item?”
She had come precisely for the treasure map. Hearing that the situation at the Zhong residence was chaotic with two factions clashing here she feared someone might take the map opportunistically. That was why she had come in person. Otherwise ordinary people would find it hard to see her even once.
Present a treasure? The eunuch standing obediently to one side was stunned.
Not only him but Wen Jianhui and Wen Ruowei whose eyes were red also looked at Zhong Su in shock. Neither of them knew about this.
Only Zhong Ruochen remained expressionless as if uninterested in anything.
Yet Zhong Su quickly said to her. “Ruochen go and fetch the item you hid.”
Everyone’s gaze immediately focused on Zhong Ruochen.
Zhong Ruochen bowed gracefully then turned and left.
The woman dressed as a man tilted her head in instruction. Chu Tianjian immediately took two men and followed.
The item was inside the Zhong residence and not far away. It was brought back shortly.
Zhong Ruochen held a folded painting in her hands. She walked to the front of the woman dressed as a man bowed and offered it with both hands.
The metal cylinder originally used to hold the painting had inscriptions and had been discarded.
As the woman dressed as a man reached out to take it her gaze suddenly left the painting in Zhong Ruochen’s hands and fixed instead on the slender soft hands holding it. The fingers taking the painting smoothly lifted one of Zhong Ruochen’s sleeves and casually gripped her wrist bone.
After Zhong Ruochen showed a flash of pain on her face the woman dressed as a man gave a soft surprised sound. A strange light flashed in her eyes. Her other hand quickly took the painting then turned over the back of Zhong Ruochen’s hand to examine its shape and pinched the bones.
After releasing Zhong Ruochen’s hand she then pinched her shoulders and continued to feel the bones on both sides as if probing for something.
If one had not seen that the person doing this was a woman one might have thought she was molesting Zhong Ruochen.
Bone reading? Chu Tianjian showed slight surprise and doubt in his expression.
Zhong Su and his wife were also puzzled and uncertain about what this woman was doing.
Wen Ruowei pressed her lips tightly together. Anger and grief filled her eyes. She could see that her sister was in great pain yet was enduring it without making a sound.
She was also holding back. She knew the Zhong family was in trouble and that they were powerless against the stronger side. She did not dare speak out. Otherwise with her personality she would have defended her sister long ago.
Until the woman who was neither clearly man nor woman pinched her sister’s neck bones. Seeing her sister’s forehead break out in cold sweat from the pain and that no one in the entire Zhong family spoke up for her sister grief and anger finally overcame her nature. She could not hold back and shouted. “If you have something to do come at me. Do not bully my sister!”
As soon as these words came out the woman dressed as a man looked over in surprise. She had not expected a mere mortal girl to dare speak to her this way. Seeing Wen Ruowei’s angry puffed up appearance she roughly understood something. Her usually cold face showed a slight change and the corners of her mouth flashed with a fleeting smile.
Zhong Su however was badly frightened. His face turned pale. He immediately scolded his youngest daughter. “Be quiet. Do not be rude!”
The people from the Sinan Mansion all stared coldly at the angry Wen Ruowei.
The woman dressed as a man paid no attention. She released Zhong Ruochen looked her up and down and asked. “You are the one who was abandoned by that top scholar as his fiancee?”
Struck at a painful spot Zhong Ruochen bit her lip with her white teeth and nodded slightly.
The woman dressed as a man said with some disdain. “It is simply that he has eyes but no sight. There is no need to keep such a man. You should strive on your own. In the future you will surely make him feel that you are beyond his reach.”
Zhong Ruochen made no comment. She did not know how to reply appropriately. She bowed and withdrew.
The woman dressed as a man then unfolded the painting in her hands to examine it. She found that it was a painting split into two parts. The painter’s fine brushwork was ordinary the artistic conception was nothing special and there was no inscription. Only the paper itself seemed rather special. One could tell it was indeed an item with some years behind it.
She frowned slightly and stared at Zhong Su to ask. “How do you know this is the ‘Little Cloud Map’?”
Zhong Su bowed and said. “This lowly one originally did not know either. It was Ah Shiheng who told me when he left. He said his father Ah Jiezhang found it in the ‘Guanfeng Yang ancient tomb’ eighteen years ago. He instructed that if this lowly one encountered trouble I could present the treasure to the lady to seek protection.”
Upon hearing ‘Guanfeng Yang ancient tomb’ both the woman dressed as a man and Chu Tianjian showed surprise and emotion.
They were both very familiar with events from that time. The Sinan Mansion had suffered heavy losses over that ancient tomb only to find it empty in the end. The legendary ‘Little Cloud Map’ had not been found. Could it have fallen into the hands of Ah Shiheng’s father instead?