Chapter 6: Keep Your Mouth Shut

   

 Chapter 6: Keep Your Mouth Shut

 

The young lord raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmm?"

"Chang Ji, come here. Does the girl in this painting look familiar to you?"

His close attendant, Chang Ji, walked over to take a look but shook his head. "I don’t recognize her, my lord."

He added with a hint of curiosity, "Has Madam found yet another girl for you?"

As the only son of the family, the young lord was already past twenty but still showed no interest in marriage, much to his mother’s distress. Whenever she heard of another family marrying off a daughter, she would become anxious, sometimes to the point of falling ill for three days.

"It might not be my mother." The young man opened another letter, and his expression changed slightly. "Yu Zeng—"

Chang Ji was surprised. "Why would this person send a letter to you, my lord?"

Yu Zeng was the head eunuch in the palace, overseeing the Department of Palace Affairs. He was highly trusted by the emperor, and officials would address him as "Lord Yu" out of respect.

But Yu Zeng was notoriously arrogant and aloof, never showing kindness to anyone, as if the entire world owed him a fortune or had wronged his ancestors.

"The day has come when even Lord Yu asks me for a favor," the young man remarked, looking thoughtfully at the painting. "It seems a young lady from General Chang’s household has gone missing."

"General Chang?" Chang Ji was confused. "Why would Lord Yu care about a missing girl from the General’s household? He has plenty of resources and ways to find people. Why ask you for help, my lord?"

"Precisely because he has too many resources," the young man replied, reading the letter. "Yu Zeng knows that I’m here in Hezhou on a secret mission from the emperor. He’s already found out that the missing lady from the Chang family is likely somewhere in this region. If he makes too much of a scene searching for her, it could interfere with the emperor’s orders."

As for why Yu Zeng was so concerned about the missing girl, it likely had something to do with past matters.

Long ago, both General Chang and Yu Zeng had served the same person.

The young man’s eyes momentarily clouded with nostalgia.

"So, will you help him?" Chang Ji asked.

"Why wouldn’t I?" The young man sighed. "It’s a rare opportunity to have someone like Lord Yu owe me a favor."

"But there’s nothing you need from him, my lord—"

"That’s where you’re wrong." The young man sat back in his chair. "You never know when something might come in handy. If you don’t seize the opportunity, someone else will. I can’t stand seeing others get free benefits. It keeps me up at night."

Chang Ji was speechless.

His lord always had a way of expressing bizarre logic with a straight face.

"The missing girl from the Chang family could be connected to what we’re investigating here in Hezhou." The young man pushed the painting forward on the desk. "Since we’ve confirmed what happened in Zhoujia Village, go there yourself and use this painting to see if anyone matches the girl’s description."

"Understood."

Chang Ji took the painting and was about to leave when the young man called out, "Wait."

"Is there anything else, my lord?"

"The matter of the missing girl should be kept quiet. Search for her, but don’t go blabbing about it."

Chang Ji’s face twitched slightly.

He was one of the top guards of the Marquis of Zheng’s household, highly professional and cold as ice, especially when wielding his blade. How could he possibly be accused of loose lips? 

His lord’s comment wasn’t hurtful, but it was deeply insulting!

Feeling a bit wronged, Chang Ji left. As the door closed behind him, the young man’s gaze fell back on the coarse paper weighed down by a paperweight on the desk, bearing blood-stamped seals.

His brow lifted slightly as if a thought had just occurred to him.

...

Meanwhile, Zhoujia Village was far from peaceful.

The village head had just stormed back home, half of his face still swollen from a recent altercation.

Earlier that day, he had gone into the city with silver in hand to meet with a steward from a noble household. Before he had spoken more than a few words, a portly, well-dressed man barged in. The steward informed him that this man was the young master of the house. Before he could even bow, the young master kicked him in the chest and slapped him across the face, hurling curses at him.

He couldn’t figure out what he had done to offend the young lord and kept apologizing profusely.

After the inexplicable beating, he ruminated over the encounter on his way home. Slowly, a suspicion formed in his mind as he recalled the young master’s angry words.

That "official" in Liuke Alley had never shown his face. Could it be...?

And as for the "goods" that Lao Shuan had lost, he had heard they were meant to be sent to Liuke Alley...

Now that Lao Shuan and his wife were missing, and the "goods" had escaped—

He had gone to the noble house intending to explain the situation, but before he could, the young lord had beaten him senseless.

As he sat on the stool, the village head couldn’t help but speculate.

Just then, a limping woman entered, carrying a basin of water. She placed it before him and said softly, "Wash your hands, the meal is ready."

"Get out! Can’t you see you’re in the way?"

The man, still in a foul mood, knocked over the basin, spilling hot water all over the woman.

Her face remained expressionless as she knelt to wipe the floor.

"Didn’t you hear me? Get out!" The man kicked her, venting the day’s frustrations on her frail body.

The woman gritted her teeth and endured his blows.

"Don’t hit Mama! Don’t hit Mama!" 

A girl of about six or seven ran over, crying, and hugged her mother.

"You’re asking for trouble too?" The man’s rage intensified as he grabbed the little girl and dragged her outside. "Clearly, last time wasn’t enough! I’ll beat you to death today, you worthless brat!"

The girl cried and struggled.

Seeing her pleas were in vain, the woman, consumed by fear, grabbed a nearby wooden stool and threw herself at the man, striking him with it.

The man’s face darkened, and he dropped the girl, picking up a shovel by the door.

The woman, drenched in water, snapped out of her daze. Her face turned pale as she backed away a few steps. The early spring night was bitterly cold.

"Father, something’s happened!"

A boy of thirteen or fourteen rushed in from outside, completely ignoring the woman and girl as he panted. "There are a bunch of men outside dressed like officials!"

"Officials?" The man gripped the shovel, frowning but not panicking. "I’ll go see."

"Mother, why did you upset Father again?" The boy scolded the woman before running out after his father.

Trembling, the woman held her daughter tightly, whispering, "Don’t be afraid, Niuniu..."

But her tears wouldn’t stop falling.

After all these years, she no longer cared what happened to herself. But her daughter... Could she even live to see adulthood safely? And even if she did, what kind of life would await her?

In this wretched village, it wasn’t unheard of for fathers to sell their own daughters for silver.

Outside, voices grew louder and more chaotic. The glow of torches lit up the night.

The woman hugged her daughter tightly, instinctively looking toward the courtyard. The flickering firelight reflected in her hollow eyes.

(End of Chapter)

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