Volume 1, Chapter 11: Taking the Bait

Shen Ji did not spend the night at the brothel after all. Once darkness fell, he was compelled to return to the inn. Zhou Tong’s corpse had already been handed over to the authorities. The officials still had to process some paperwork before they could pay him the two-thousand-tael bounty. Of course, if he were to be executed for failing to produce the money, the bounty would no longer be necessary.

However, the Pang family proved quite straightforward. Once they confirmed the deceased was indeed Zhou Tong, they immediately sent someone to deliver the two thousand taels. Shen Ji was generous; with a wave of his hand, he gifted one thousand of those taels to Chen Liuqi and the county soldiers.

"Young Marquis, you really must curb this habit of throwing money around!" Chichi pouted as she looked at him. "That was a thousand taels! You just gave it away with a single word..."

Thinking about a thousand taels made her heart ache. The Young Marquis was doing well in every other aspect, but he simply could not break this habit of squandering wealth.

"This is called winning people over, understand?" Shen Ji smiled dismissively. "Besides, what is a mere thousand taels? Just wait. Once this current mess is sorted out, I’ll earn hundreds of thousands of taels with ease, and I’ll share half with you then!"

"This servant doesn't want that." Chichi sniffled. "This servant only wants you to buy back the Marquis’s estate..."

At the mention of the estate, Chichi’s eyes suddenly reddened. In truth, the estate had once been full of servants. But to help the Song family, Shen Ji had sold the entire property, ignoring everyone's advice. In the end, several elderly servants who had received great kindness from the old Marquis and his wife left the estate in indignation. That estate was something the old Marquis had earned with his life! She could not bear to see it fall into the hands of others.

"Why are you crying all of a sudden?" Shen Ji raised his hand to wipe away her tears, his voice softening. "I promise you, I will definitely buy the estate back! In the future, you will be my head steward, and all my money will be under your care!"

She was the only person by his side he could trust unconditionally. No matter how pathetic or downtrodden he became, this girl had never abandoned him. How could he bear to let her suffer?

Shen Ji’s sudden display of intimacy made Chichi blush. To many, she was likely already considered his woman. In reality, there had been no physical intimacy between them. In the past, Shen Ji’s heart had been entirely set on Song Qingluan. In his eyes, she had been nothing more than a maid and a loyal subordinate ready to die for him.

Watching Chichi’s shy expression, Shen Ji felt a stir in his heart. He truly did not know what kind of blind judgment his predecessor had possessed. In what way was Chichi inferior to Song Qingluan? Why had he been so hopelessly devoted to her?

Just as Shen Ji was lost in these thoughts, Qiu Yi’s voice rang out from outside. "Young Marquis, my master requests your presence!"

...

The next morning, Shen Ji was dragged out of the city by Ning Shu. In her words, having him look for the money might just lead to a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

As news of Zhou Tong’s demise spread, the story of the half-jade pendant and the two stomach-wrappers found on his body circulated throughout Qingzhou. Busy-bodies even began attributing Song Qingluan’s disappearance to Zhou Tong.

Song Fanghuai had just finished breakfast when he received the report.

"What?" Song Fanghuai stood up abruptly, his face pale with frost as he questioned the messenger. "Are you sure?"

"Certain!" the man asserted. "It was right outside the Wanhua Brothel; many people saw it."

Upon receiving the confirmation, the world spun for Song Fanghuai, and his body swayed.

"Father!" Song Qingwu was quick to support him, signaling for the messenger to leave. Once they were alone, he helped his father sit down.

"Qingluan has most likely been harmed by that beast Zhou Tong!" Song Fanghuai wailed, tears streaming down his face. "Qingluan, my good daughter..."

He wept bitterly, his face a mask of grief. Unlike many who favored sons over daughters, he had valued Song Qingluan above all. She possessed beauty, intelligence, and cunning! He had even fantasized about her one day becoming Empress. Yet, the news had shattered his dreams.

Song Qingluan had been missing for two days. They had already suspected she had met with foul play, initially blaming Shen Ji and Chichi. But since Shen Ji had claimed the imperial bounty, they could no longer touch him. Now, the situation was clear: Qingluan must have encountered that lecherous Zhou Tong after parting ways with Shen Ji. Although she knew some martial arts, she was no match for him! And how could that predator ever let her go? The rest was easy to imagine.

The stomach-wrappers! The half-jade pendant! The wrappers were undoubtedly hers, and the pendant must have been stolen from her by Zhou Tong.

The more Song Fanghuai thought about it, the more grief-stricken he became, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Father, stop crying!" Song Qingwu pulled at his father. "The dead cannot return. Since this has already happened, what is the use of crying? We must find a way to retrieve that half of the pendant!"

The pendant! That was what mattered most. Without it, they could not proceed with their plans. The sister was dead, but the Song family’s work had to continue.

Hearing his son’s words, Song Fanghuai’s wailing stopped abruptly. "Right, the pendant! The pendant..."

He had to get it back!

Song Fanghuai steadied his nerves and said in a low voice, "Go find Shen Ji immediately. Tell him it is a keepsake of Qingluan’s and demand he return it to us!"

Song Qingwu shook his head slightly. "If we tell him it’s Qingluan’s, he’ll likely refuse to give it to us out of pure spite. Knowing his hatred for us, it would be a miracle if he handed it over..."

Shen Ji was currently like a mad dog seeking revenge on the Song family. The more they demanded it, the less likely he would be to surrender it. He suggested they pretend not to care about the pendant. It was useless in Shen Ji’s hands anyway. They should have someone shadow him; once he discarded it or tried to sell it, they could simply swoop in and retrieve it.

"With so many people around Shen Ji, can you really track him?" Song Fanghuai pondered, then said, "Just claim it is a keepsake. That wastrel will likely try to extort money from us for it. As long as we offer him silver, he will likely yield..."

If money would secure the return of the pendant, they would even kneel to him! They would exploit the situation to garner public sympathy, making sure everyone knew that Shen Ji was withholding a dead girl’s final memento from her family. There were plenty of ways to force that wretch to return the pendant. They needed to secure it quickly, lest complications arise.

Song Qingwu thought for a moment. "I will go now!"

"Good! Remember to be polite to him," Song Fanghuai warned. "And remember, don't ask for it directly. First, confirm that it is indeed the half that belonged to Qingluan!"

"Rest assured, Father, I know what to do," Song Qingwu nodded and hurried away.