Exclusively for the Marchioness – CH 033

Chapter 33

The people had not been found. Whether they had moved voluntarily or been hidden was unknown.

Du Lingjing told Jiang Fengchuan to stay at the Du Mansion in Chengqing District. Mutual suspicion would not do any good.

Lu Shenru also sent Chong-An away and gave him instructions.

“Have Chong-Ping come to see me personally.”

Baoding and Zhending were not close to the capital; a round trip by fast horse would take two or three days.

Du Lingjing could not help but want to go to Baoding to investigate, but her status was no longer what it used to be, and she suspected that this Marquis might not agree. Sure enough, she only mentioned it briefly before hearing him speak.

“My Lady, do not worry. This matter has been delayed for months; a couple more days will not make a difference. Since I promised you I would find them, I will not break my word.”

He finished speaking and took her hand.

Du Lingjing looked over and saw him sitting with his head tilted to the side. His handsome, proud brows and confident expression allowed her to scrutinize him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

“Giving it to your own husband, what is there to worry about?”

The tender tea leaves in the teacup swirled a few times before settling at the edge, clinging to the surface.

Du Lingjing was not worried; she just had not expected him to speak to her with such certainty. This matter was quite complicated, involving countless forces. The fact that everyone had been searching for them for so long without success showed how difficult it was.

He spoke to her with such certainty; how much effort must he have expended to fulfill that certainty? Actually, it did not have to be that way.

She slowly looked up from his lapel to his eyes. She wanted to say that for now, their goals were aligned—he wanted to find the Flicking Faction members to strike at the Shao family—and she would not stop him; she would be grateful. But if their plans diverged, she would not force it; she would find a way herself.

However, before she could speak, Yu Yi, the advisor, suddenly sent someone to see the Marquis, saying he had urgent business with him.

Du Lingjing did not want to delay him, so she sent him to the outer courtyard and sat alone at her desk, deep in thought.

In the outer courtyard.

Lu Shenru frowned when he first heard Yu Yi mention the matter of the two young masters from the Earl of Rongchang’s Mansion killing someone.

“Put this aside for now; we will discuss it later.”

But the advisor, Yu Yi, looked embarrassed. “But Your Lordship, people from the Earl of Rongchang’s Mansion have arrived again. This matter is probably quite troublesome; it’s related to those who went missing in Baoding.”

Related to those missing Flicking Faction members? Lu Shenru frowned even more deeply, then ordered him to tell the story.

His advisor, Master Yu, said that the two young masters of the Earl of Rongchang’s mansion, accustomed to being domineering, had gotten into a fight after drinking one night.

The other party was a gentry family from Beizhili, whose family had recently produced two scholars who passed the imperial examinations. The young masters were overjoyed that day and drank themselves into a stupor.

The two sides clashed over a trivial matter, neither willing to back down, and began hurling insults at each other. The scholars from the Earl of Rongchang’s family were particularly sharp-tongued, and in a fit of rage, the two young masters of the Earl of Rongchang’s mansion stabbed both scholars to death.

Having seen blood at the banquet, the matter could not be left unresolved. The two young masters of the Earl of Rongchang’s mansion, without hesitation, also killed all four other people present at the banquet.

But such a serious matter could not be kept secret forever. The relatives of the Earl of Rongchang’s family, fearing they would all be silenced, went into hiding. When the Earl of Rongchang’s wife learned of this, she fainted and frantically tried to spend a large sum of money to suppress the matter. But the relatives who knew the truth had all vanished without a trace.

Previously, the Earl of Rongchang’s family had sent people, not daring to disturb their lord, who was leading troops in battle beyond the Great Wall. They could only seek help from the Marquis’s Mansion, asking for assistance in finding the missing persons. The advisor, Master Yu, had agreed on behalf of Marquis Lu.

But this time, the Earl of Rongchang’s family came again in haste.

“It was the Shao family who sent the message,” Master Yu whispered, not to Shao Boju, but to Shao Boju’s uncle, Shao Zun. “The Shao family has hidden the relatives who were silenced. They want to exchange them with the Marquis—the missing members of the Flicking Faction from Baoding.”

Lu Shenru frowned deeply and closed his eyes. It seemed Shao Zun, like Jiang Fengchuan, thought the Flicking Faction members were in his hands.

He pursed his lips, remaining silent. The winter wind howled at his feet as he silently walked towards his study.

Although Shao Zun and his nephew Shao Boju were not on good terms, once Shao Boju’s misdeeds were fully exposed, the Shao family would find it difficult to escape responsibility. Now that he had received Sixth Young Master Jiang from Baoding, Shao Zun assumed he had information on the whereabouts of the Flicking Faction’s group and even that they had been hidden.

Shao Zun intended to use the two wicked sons of the Earl of Rongchang’s mansion to exchange for the Flicking Faction members under his control. If the Shao family did not expose the murders committed by the Earl of Rongchang’s two sons to silence them, he would exchange evidence of Shao Boju’s crimes with the Shao family. As for how Shao Zun would deal with his nephew Shao Boju, that would be a matter for the Shao clan to handle later.

In doing so, he could also protect the Earl of Rongchang’s family members, especially while the Earl of Rongchang was leading the Yongding Army in battle outside the Great Wall, ensuring their loyalty remained unwavering.

Truly a “good deal”!

Lu Shenru slammed the study door open, the suffocating air wafting out and rattling the curtains.

Yu Yi glanced at the Marquis. “The Earl’s wife even came to plead with you personally, but I stopped her. Her eldest son died on the frontier. She finally had these twin sons and spoiled them rotten, leading to this terrible act. She deeply regrets it, but now that this has been exposed, these two young masters will most likely have to pay with their lives, and the Earl of Rongchang’s Mansion and its imperial edict will probably be gone.”

The Earl of Rongchang’s Mansion had fought for the Lu family for many years. The Earl’s eldest son died in the fourteenth year of the Hongqi reign, fighting alongside half of the Lu family’s generals outside the Great Wall. His head was severed by the Tatars. Upon hearing the news, the Earl of Rongchang coughed up blood and remained unconscious for over ten days.

Afterwards, the Earl of Rongchang harbored an even deeper hatred for the Tatars, and his military prowess in battle grew ever stronger. After Lu Shenru returned to the capital, the Earl of Rongchang held sway over half the border army.

Furthermore, the Lu family and the Yang family of the Earl of Rongchang’s household were generations of close relatives and friends through marriage. Lu Shenru’s widowed second aunt was the Earl of Rongchang’s younger sister and the aunt of the two young masters.

Things had reached this point, and it was no longer up to Master Yu, the advisor, to decide. However, the Marquis had not yet found the people he was supposed to find, and the search was ongoing. But if he did find them later, would the Marquis exchange them for the Flicking Faction members?

If the evidence of the Flicking Faction members and Shao Boju’s crimes fell into Shao Zun’s hands, their lives would likely be in danger…

Amidst the howling winter wind, a gloomy sky descended, and the air threatened to swell with snowflakes, but the capital’s winds were too dry; it was uncertain whether the snow would actually fall.

Master Yu, the advisor, awaited the Marquis’s decision.

The man did not speak immediately, but after a long pause, his voice deepened, as heavy as the pressing sky. “Put it aside for now; do not respond.”

The advisor composed himself. “Yes.”

…

That evening, he returned to the main courtyard late and found his wife already sitting by the bed, reading by lamplight.

She said she was reading, but she had not turned a single page for a long time, not even noticing him enter the room. The man took off his outer robe and sat down by the bed, noticing she was clutching a particular page, making it damp.

He simply took the book from her hand.

“My Lord…”

He raised an eyebrow and asked her, “Wife, are you reading or burning the midnight oil? Perhaps you should rest your eyes.”

She gave a soft “Mmm,” and seeing her dejected expression, Lu Shenru took her arm.

“Do not think about it, leave it to me. Go to sleep.”

He had to go to court early the next morning. Lately, there had been many battle reports from the border, and he could not slack off as he had a few days ago. He said to his wife beside him, “I might not be able to return from the palace tomorrow, but you must eat well and not skip meals again.”

Du Lingjing nodded and gave a soft “Mmm.”

Before dawn, he got up to go to court. Du Lingjing was no longer sleepy and kept getting up. After thinking for a while, she went to the Du Mansion in Chengqing District.

When Sixth Young Master saw her coming, he quickly told the cooks to prepare food for her. First, he said he wanted fresh vegetable buns, then a bowl of millet soup. Finally, after thinking for a moment, he said, “How about I cook a couple of dishes for you myself, Sister-in-law?”

Du Lingjing was amused by him.

Sixth Young Master was quite skilled in cooking. When Third Young Master’s stomach was upset from taking medicine, and he could not eat anything, Sixth Young Master would personally cook for him, preparing three meals a day.

Du Lingjing chuckled, “This is my own residence, yet you act more like the master than I do.”

Sixth Young Master said it did not matter, “The important thing is, if my sister-in-law does not have a proper breakfast, my third brother will scold me.”

Du Lingjing paused, thinking that Third Young Master would not scold him for such a small matter, but inexplicably remembered someone reminding her last night not to forget to eat. The thought flashed through her mind. She told Sixth Young Master to make himself at home and went to her father’s study.

After a while, the food was brought to the table, but Sixth Young Master did not come to eat with her. She did not ask, but instead pulled out some old letters from her father. Several of the friends mentioned in the letters were among those who had disappeared in Baoding.

One of them, Master Hong, was an official under her father when he was serving in the government. The two worked together very well, and when her father entered the cabinet, he promoted him as well.

He was a rather serious man, unlike Master Liao, who would bring her, a young girl, sweet treats. Instead, Master Hong would quiz her on her studies every time he came, as if questioning a nephew or niece pursuing a career in officialdom—his demands were quite high. Fortunately, Du Lingjing could always answer them. Only then would Master Hong stroke his beard and say, “Jing-niang, you still need to continue your studies without ceasing.”

Du Lingjing dared not refuse, repeatedly agreeing. Later, when she occasionally felt a little lax in her studies, she would inexplicably think of Master Hong’s strictness and become even more diligent.

But Master Hong had resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown after her father’s death, and there had been no further news of him. He was now among those missing.

Besides Master Hong, there was also Master Feng, much older than her father and a close friend. The one who had disappeared in Baoding was his grandson, whom Du Lingjing had met in her youth. Master Feng’s grandson, Feng Xiang, was four years younger than her. Every time they met, Du Lingjing would prepare some food for him, and he would always shyly call out, “Sister Jing…”

Many old acquaintances, those with whom she had crossed paths to varying degrees, had all vanished. Where were they now?

She hastily ate breakfast and sat in her father’s study, flipping through letters and notes for a long time, when Sixth Young Master suddenly strode in. His expression was not good, and Du Lingjing frowned.

“Sit down first,” he said, his injuries still not healed. “Tell me slowly.”

Sixth Young Master said this matter could not be discussed slowly. He chuckled, “Yesterday, when I left the Marquis’s Mansion, I happened to overhear a staff member from the Earl of Rongchang’s household speaking with Master Yu, the Marquis’s personal advisor. They seemed to be talking very urgently, so I inquired a bit.”

Yesterday, he received news that the two young masters of the Earl of Rongchang’s household might have committed a serious crime, and he had paid a large sum to send someone to investigate further.

Just now, his scouts returned with news. Sixth Young Master looked at Du Lingjing. “Sister-in-law, guess what? The Earl of Rongchang’s household has committed a serious crime. It seems the Shao family has obtained witnesses and wants Marquis Lu to exchange them.”

He then told Du Lingjing everything he had learned with the money he had paid.

“…Currently, neither the Marquis’s nor the Earl’s residence has made a move. I wonder what their intentions are. Could it be that the Flicking Faction members are truly in Marquis Lu’s hands?”

If that were the case, then his casual remark would have hit the nail on the head.

The charcoal fire burning in the study had gone out sometime ago, leaving only a wisp of smoke gradually suppressed by the cold air.

Du Lingjing’s heart stirred with unease. If he had truly found and hidden them, then both Chong-An and he had acted far too discreetly. She found it hard to imagine someone lying so naturally. If that were true, this person’s cunning was as deep as an abyss, utterly terrifying…

However, when she learned the location from Sixth Young Master and told him, she mentioned that Ruan Gong should also take men with him to accompany Chong-Ping, but he laughed and said, “If Steward Ruan is sent out, you will have no one left. Besides, Ruan Gong is too busy.”

Therefore, only Chong-Ping selected men went at that time.

Sixth Young Master’s expression sharpened. “If he really hid them, and they were exchanged with the Shao family now, everyone would surely die in Shao’s hands.”

Du Lingjing’s heart pounded, but she took a deep breath and exhaled.

She slowly shook her head. “No. If that were the case, would it not be easier for him to just tell me that Shao Boju had arrested them beforehand?”

Then his exchange with the Shao family would be seamless.

But Sixth Young Master said it could not be said that way. “The Shao family’s hostage situation with the Earl of Rongchang’s mansion to exchange people with Marquis Lu happened in the last two days. He might have hidden the people first and had not decided what to do with them, and then the Shao family proposed the exchange.”

Du Lingjing was silent for a moment. “Would he really need to do that?”

Sixth Young Master naturally felt he might, but Du Lingjing inexplicably felt that he was not lying to her about this.

Chong-Ping probably really had not found the Flicking Faction members.

But regardless of whether he found them or not, things were different now. She could not help but recall what she had heard these past few days about the household affairs of the Marquis of Yongding’s residence.

The Marquis of Yongding’s residence and the Earl of Rongchang’s residence were indeed on good terms, and he seemed to hold his widowed second aunt in extremely high regard, sending her gifts every month and even intending to invite her to the capital for a while.

She suddenly remembered the day after their wedding, when she accompanied him to the Lu family ancestral hall, where he whispered a few words to a fellow member of the same generation before leaving.

Second Madam Lu had once had a son, only a year younger than Lu Shenru. The two brothers grew up together, inseparable, but later, Second Master Lu suddenly died for unknown reasons, and Second Madam had no other children, moving into the estate that the Earl of Rongchang’s residence had given her as part of her dowry…

At this moment, Sixth Young Master suddenly spoke up.

“Even if he does not have the person in his hands right now, if he finds them later, he might just exchange them with the Shao family for the Earl of Rongchang’s estate. Or perhaps, for your sake, Sister-in-law, he might give up the Earl of Rongchang’s estate?”

Du Lingjing lowered her eyes, then gave a helpless, soft laugh. “I do not think I have that kind of influence.”

Things had developed to this point, and it was clear that she and he could no longer work together with aligned interests. Since that was the case, rather than letting him put her in a difficult position, it was better for her to take the initiative and part ways.

Relying on others’ opinions to get things done was less effective than holding onto what was most important to her. These were all people connected to her; constantly relying on others was not a long-term solution. Ultimately, she must face it herself.

She sighed. “We have to find them ourselves.”

Upon hearing this, Sixth Young Master said, “I will go with you, Sister-in-law.”

However, his injuries had not healed yet. Although he was not being chased like when he came to deliver the message—his pursuers had dispersed—Du Lingjing still said, “Take good care of yourself.”

But Sixth Young Master said, “What’s the big deal? I’ve always been lucky; I will never die. Besides, if I do not go to rescue them in such a critical situation, Third Brother will blame me.”

Du Lingjing looked at him helplessly, but a smile appeared between his brows, as if all his injuries had healed. He said, “Sister-in-law, let’s use bamboo leaves to cast a divination and ask Third Brother if his journey will be smooth.”

Du Lingjing was not good at divination, but she saw him take out a few bamboo leaves from his robes and toss them down.

The bamboo leaves fluttered and scattered, and one of them spun around before finally landing in Du Lingjing’s hand.

She paused, and even Sixth Young Master fell silent, before finally saying, “Brother missed you…”

Du Lingjing’s eyes welled up slightly, while Sixth Young Master carefully examined the divination result displayed on the bamboo leaves.

“Tsk, the Ji Ji hexagram.”

“The Ji Ji hexagram?” Du Lingjing only knew a little about it. “Initially auspicious, but ending in chaos?”

Sixth Young Master confirmed it was true. “But this Ji Ji hexagram is auspicious. As long as we are careful, the final outcome may not be chaotic.”

He smiled slightly. “We should be able to find someone.”

As he spoke, he looked at Du Lingjing, his eyes conveying his third brother’s intention. Du Lingjing could not help but smile as well. Regardless of whether it was her third brother’s intention or not, the auspicious divination was a good thing.

She felt reassured. Seeing that it was not too late outside, she had Ruan Gong gather the men. But even if they took everyone from Chengqing District, it would not be enough for searching the mountains and fields.

Du Lingjing thought for a moment, then had Qiu-Lin take the money. “Prepare the money. We do not need to go to Baoding. Use the money to hire escort agencies, errand runners, and even idlers to go into the mountains.”

Jiang Fengchuan could not help but agree. “The more people who know and rush there, the better. Stir things up; make sure they are not found by any one family; that’s more secure.”

He looked at Du Lingjing and whispered, “Sister-in-law is truly clever.”

Qiu-Lin and Ruan Gong laughed upon hearing this. Qiu-Lin said, “Sixth Young Master only just found out?”

The young man’s handsome face beamed even more. “Sister-in-law, please do not be offended; I found out too late.”

Du Lingjing was too lazy to banter with him. She had already dispatched men out of the capital, but the Marquis was still in the palace. He always had men protecting her, and now that she was going out of the capital to find someone, it was not appropriate to bring the Marquis’s guards.

She told the four guards to return to the Marquis’s Mansion first so they could also deliver a message to the Marquis on her behalf. “This trip out of the capital is my personal business. Please thank the Marquis for his previous assistance. You do not need to come with me.”

Unexpectedly, none of the four guards would leave. “Madam, we were specially chosen by the Marquis to protect you. How can we leave you to return to the residence?”

They said only one of them would go to deliver the message to the Marquis.

Du Lingjing did not speak, but someone snorted. “Those who know better would think they are guards, but those who do not would think they are spying on you, never leaving your side.”

Upon hearing this, the four guards turned pale and then red, repeatedly explaining to Du Lingjing that it was not spying, “The Marquis has absolutely no intention of spying on you, Madam.”

“Then why do you not return when your Madam told you to? If you do not return, how is that any different from spying?”

The four guards were drenched in sweat.

Du Lingjing quickly told him to stop being sarcastic, but added, “I will write a letter for you to take to the Marquis. I will explain our departure from the capital in the letter, so you do not need to worry.”

She figured that by taking the initiative to separate from him, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She returned to her study and wrote the letter, adding, “The Marquis must have important business in the palace; it’s not too late to deliver it after he returns home.”

The four guards were quite embarrassed, but they could only leave.

Once the four left, Du Lingjing and the others did not linger any longer and headed south from the capital towards Baoding.

*

A war broke out in Liaodong, though it was only a small force, but it seemed to be in coordination with the Tatars in the west.

Lu Shenru stayed in the palace that night, and the next day, there was another morning court session. After the session, the Emperor kept him in the Imperial Study for nearly two hours to discuss matters.

Grand Secretary Dou suddenly asked, “I’ve heard that some of the Earl of Rongchang’s household and its members are difficult to manage. I wonder if this will affect the Earl’s command of troops outside the capital?”

The Earl of Rongchang was currently leading troops outside the Great Wall. If the battle against the Tatars went poorly, the situation in Liaodong would also change.

The Emperor asked a question, but Grand Secretary Dou did not elaborate. Lu Shenru inwardly snorted and, during a lull, went out to have someone relay a message to his advisor, Master Yu.

He instructed Master Yu to stabilize the Earl of Rongchang’s household for now, “But… do not touch Madam’s people.”

Chong-An quickly delivered the message. When he returned, he saw the Marquis had finally temporarily finished his business in the palace and was walking out of the palace.

Remembering the news he’d received from home, Chong-An hurried forward.

As soon as he reached her, Lu Shenru asked, “How has Madam been these past two days?” He strode towards the tall palace gate, adjusting his wide sleeves billowing in the wind. “Has Madam forgotten to eat because she’s been so preoccupied with her thoughts?”

She could lose herself in reading all night the other day; what had she been up to these past two days?

Lu Shenru asked, and Chong-An blinked and whispered, “Madam is not home.”

The man raised an eyebrow, his pace quickening as he headed out of the palace to return home.

“She went to Chengqing District?”

He assumed she had not gone to Guilin Tower but perhaps had gone to her father’s study to revisit old matters. But when he asked, he heard Chong-An’s voice even lower.

“My Lord, Madam has left the capital.”

The man paused. Chong-An hurriedly took the letter from his robes.

“Madam left you a letter.”

He took the letter; it was in her delicate handwriting.

He did not open it immediately, only asking, “Yesterday’s letter? It only arrived today?”

Chong-An quickly explained, repeating Madam’s exact words, “…Madam was afraid of delaying your important matters and said it would not be too late once you returned to the mansion.”

She was afraid of delaying his important matters and said it would not be too late once he returned to the mansion…

The man’s deep gaze was fixed in the cold wind, which once again billowed the sleeves of his crimson court robes. With a whooshing sound, Lu Shenru opened the letter—

“Your Lordship, please allow me to report.
…Old friends are hard to abandon. Your Lordship’s help, both before and after, has deeply moved Du Lingjing. Now, the situation has changed further, and we dare not trouble Your Lordship with our own affairs any further.
I will go and search for them myself. If I return safely, I will report to the Marquis upon my return to the capital. If I am stranded on the way and unable to return, the land deeds for both the central and western sections of the Du family estate in Chengqing District are with the Marquis. I hope the Marquis will accept this.”

After glancing at it, the man inexplicably smiled.