A cold wind gusted incessantly. Over a dozen horses stood solemnly, their riders cloaked in black, resembling a mass of dark clouds pressing down.
The station attendants dared not approach.
"Lord Deng, you've arrived so quickly?" Qi Duyou dashed toward the group, addressing one man with fervent enthusiasm. "I was just about to report to you—we've already questioned everyone here—"
The Station Chief knew all too well what kind of person Qi Duyou was—someone who swaggered arrogantly throughout the entire prefecture, with even his brother-in-law, the Prefect, hesitant to rein him in.
Yet here he was, fawning over this Deng Yi with such deference.
Was it because the other was a court official? Court officials were known for their ill temper, weren't they?
The Station Chief’s gaze fell upon Deng Yi, the Vice Commandant of the Guards. He appeared to be in his thirties, with a pale complexion and features that were not particularly handsome but far from unpleasant. His expression held no smile, yet neither was it haughty, and he did not rebuke Qi Duyou.
"I checked the city myself, so I came directly," Deng Yi said, his voice gentle. "It saves Qi Duyou the trouble of making another trip."
Wasn’t that quite polite? the Station Chief thought.
But Qi Duyou showed no sign of relaxation. Instead, he nervously expressed his thanks and gestured toward the Station Chief. "Would you like to question this side again, Lord Deng?"
"If it's no trouble, I’ll listen to what they have to say," Deng Yi replied.
Qi Duyou immediately turned and shouted, "Xu Cheng, Xu Cheng! Come quickly and report!"
Startled by the call, the Station Chief hurried over and bowed to Deng Yi. "This humble official is Xu Ze, Station Chief of the Beicao Town Post Station, at your service, Lord Deng."
Deng Yi nodded. "Xu Cheng, have you recently seen any escorts heading toward Yunzhong Commandery?"
Was he really asking the same questions again? Qi Duyou had clearly said there was nothing. Officials from the capital certainly put on airs. Hmm, that A Jiu had acted the same way—after questioning him, he went to question the Yang family woman again.
Perhaps it wasn’t about arrogance. Maybe they were just suspicious and didn’t trust others.
Lost in thought, the Station Chief hurriedly replied, "No."
Deng Yi pressed further, "Not necessarily heading to Yunzhong Commandery—what about any escorts going west? They might not even be escorts, just a larger group. Most importantly, there should be two girls among them."
Two? The Station Chief’s heart skipped a beat, and that inexplicable feeling returned.
"Two," Qi Duyou added from the side. "Miss Chu, accompanied by a maidservant."
One young lady and one maidservant. The phrase drifted through the Station Chief’s mind as he shook his head and replied slowly, "No."
Qi Duyou interjected, "That’s right, Lord Deng. Those escorts have been avoiding the post stations. He truly knows nothing about it." Then, with enthusiasm, he invited, "Would you care to rest inside, my lord? The station may be humble, but we have warm wine and food."
Deng Yi ignored him, his narrow eyes scrutinizing the Station Chief as he asked slowly, "Then, Xu Cheng, have you seen any suspicious people heading toward Yunzhong Commandery recently?"
The Station Chief felt his thoughts grow even more sluggish. He heard his own voice draw out longer: "No—"
Crack! A whip suddenly appeared before his eyes, slicing through the cold air.
The Station Chief yelped in fright, stumbling backward. Fortunately, the whip did not strike his face but merely whistled past empty space.
"Are there or aren’t there?" the Vice Commandant of the Guards demanded, his voice still measured.
The post station froze in an instant. Qi Duyou clutched his chest, eyes wide—clearly, he too was terrified by the scene.
This Lord Deng Yi’s temper was truly frightening, the Station Chief thought inwardly. His previously scattered thoughts snapped into focus, and he blurted out, "Yes!"
Huh?Qi Duyou glared at the Station Chief. "Old man, what are you talking about? Didn't you say there weren't any?"
"It's like this," the Station Chief said, jolted alert by the whip. His distracted gaze sharpened, his mind clear and voice brisk. "Recently, a mother and her two daughters also passed through the station heading toward Yunzhong Commandery. This humble official was just reminded of them."
A mother and two daughters—that was different from Miss Chu. Qi Duyou shot the Station Chief another glare. What was this old fool distracted about? A guilty conscience, no doubt. He had probably skimmed some profits from that mother and her daughters.
"Plenty of people head toward Yunzhong Commandery," he scolded. "Answer what the official asks you, and stop rambling about irrelevant things."
The Station Chief hurriedly admitted his fault. "Yes, yes, this humble official was wrong. I've wasted your time."
Deng Yi nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face. "You're too polite, Xu Cheng. It's good to consider all possibilities."
Seeing Deng Yi's faint smile, the Station Chief shuddered inwardly. Now he understood what Qi Duyou meant when he said this official had a terrifying temper. This wasn't just a bad temper—this was outright deranged!
He could flip moods in an instant, resort to violence without warning, and then smile right after beating someone.
To reach the position of Ministry of the Guards Assistant at such a young age, with such ferocity—who knew what kind of background he came from?
The Station Chief murmured assent, not daring to say another word. Qi Duyou once again warmly invited Deng Yi to rest at the station.
Deng Yi declined, saying he needed to continue investigating in the next town.
"You're truly working too hard," Qi Duyou sighed, then muttered under his breath, "Meanwhile, Young Master Chu sits comfortably in the commandery office, leaving you, Lord Deng, to run around everywhere."
Deng Yi smiled warmly. "This is my duty. Young Master Chu is a scholar, and still quite young."
He sounded amiable and kind—but of course, the Station Chief didn't believe that for a second. He stood quietly and obediently to the side, watching as Deng Yi took hold of his horse's reins—
Then suddenly, Deng Yi paused. Looking past the chattering Qi Duyou, he asked the Station Chief, "Did the mother and her two daughters travel together to Yunzhong Commandery?"
The Station Chief shuddered inexplicably, feeling his voice slow down again.
"No," he said. "Only the two girls went."
Two girls? Qi Duyou's eyes widened, while Deng Yi narrowed his.
……
……
The station hall was crowded once more, but unlike the earlier atmosphere with Qi Duyou and his men, it was now quiet and heavy.
The suffocating silence was broken by footsteps at the door as a station attendant timidly led a man inside.
"We found the carter."
The carter hired by the woman was from a nearby village and frequently visited the station, so the attendants all knew him. He had been easy to find.
"Let me ask you," Deng Yi said directly to the carter. "The woman who hired you, Madam Yang—do you still remember the way to her home?"
The carter hesitated, seeming torn between nodding and shaking his head.
You'd better watch out or you'll get whipped, the Station Chief cursed inwardly, urging him, "Speak up! Don't you know whether you remember or not?"
Flustered, the carter said, "It's—it's not about remembering. The lady didn't have me take her home. She only went as far as the county town, then left on her own."
The county town?
That Madam Yang said she was from Yang Village. From the county town to Yang Village was still quite a distance.
The Station Chief stared blankly.
Deng Yi looked at the carter. "How did she leave?"
The question seemed to confuse the carter. "She... just walked away."
He even unconsciously mimed a walking motion.The woman wore tattered clothes, swaying and twisting unsteadily as she walked, making him unable to resist stealing a few extra glances.
Deng Yi’s gaze shifted to the Station Chief, who noticed the faint, almost mocking smile at the corner of his mouth—a smile that lashed out like a whip.
“Xu Cheng, a woman on the verge of death walks quite gracefully, doesn’t she?”
……
……
Though the county town was small, it was bustling and lively.
Despite the bitter cold, taverns and teahouses were packed with people, and even the House of Pleasure had quite a few customers in broad daylight.
In the exquisitely decorated hall, thick with cloying sweetness, guests huddled around braziers with women, drinking and reveling as if in a paradise of pure bliss.
A woman carrying a lute swayed gracefully as she made her way toward a private room. A regular in the hall spotted her and called out, “Li Niang, Li Niang!”
Li Niang turned her head, casting him a seductive glance as she cooed, “Sir~”
“Li Niang,” the guest tugged at the hem of her skirt, “I haven’t seen you for days. Leaving a sentimental man like me behind—who have you been accompanying instead?”
As if it were something amusing, Li Niang couldn’t help but giggle. “I haven’t been entertaining any guests. I, well, went to be someone’s mother.”
The guest was puzzled. “So it was a young client? Those inexperienced fledglings aren’t easy to handle.”
Li Niang pulled her skirt free from his grasp, deftly avoiding the topic, and pouted flirtatiously, “I’ll tell you all about it next time~”
Just as she gathered her skirt to leave, a commotion erupted at the entrance. A crowd barged in, accompanied by the panicked cries of the brothel’s attendants and staff.
“Officers?”
“Sirs?”
“What’s going on?”
The guests and women in the hall were startled, turning to look. Before they could clearly see who had arrived, a clattering sound was heard—Li Niang had dropped the lute she was holding.
Was she that frightened?
Yet Li Niang’s expression was not one of fear, but something strange and unsettling. Forcing a smile as a stout man approached step by step, she stammered, “This, sir—”
The Station Chief gritted his teeth, enunciating each word slowly, “Madam Yang, I’m so delighted to see you’ve recovered from your serious illness!”
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