Chapter Nineteen: A Grand Performance

"I am just an ordinary scholar," he said casually.

But this remark infuriated the other man.

"Hmph, someone who knows nothing about investigating cases—Young Marquis, you shouldn't have brought him along," the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice sneered.

"To be honest, I really don't know how to investigate cases, nor did I want to come here. But this young fellow insisted I come to help him. What can I do?" Han Qing was deliberately provoking him.

They had hardly accomplished anything, yet still acted arrogant. Did they truly think those in the court were fools? They simply wanted to find some simpleton to clean up their messes. Failing to find the culprit was precisely why they valued the Vice Minister.

"You—you!" The man said, flustered.

But with the Young Marquis present, he couldn't rebut too harshly.

"Why don't you tell us which clues are most important?" Master Zhu asked, seeing nothing amiss.

Han Qing was always keen-minded. Since he already saw through the hidden layers here, he should simply speak out.

"Most of the case files are just interviews with witnesses, but none have made the dead speak," Han Qing said.

Absurd.

The Vice Minister looked at him in disbelief.

"Can you make the dead speak? Are you joking?"

"Did you have the coroners examine them?" Han Qing ignored his question and asked in return.

"They did. All the deaths were from smoke inhalation or burns," the other replied, a bit impatient, but truthful.

"Then why not close the case? By your logic, they died in an accident, so just handle it as such."

What?

Master Zhu was puzzled. He couldn't grasp Han Qing's reasoning, no matter how he tried.

"We can't close it. Some insist it was deliberate, and public outrage has grown. We have no choice but to drag it out," the Vice Minister admitted frankly.

But the longer an unsolved case lingered, the more helpless the people would feel, and the worse the Ministry's reputation would become. That was likely the real intention of those behind it.

"It's simple—just close the case as an accidental fire. With no evidence of murder, why waste more time here?" Han Qing said calmly.

Master Zhu was thoroughly confounded.

"Are you sure it was only an accident? No foul play, no arson?"

The Vice Minister was equally perplexed. Wasn't Han Qing supposed to help solve the case with insight? Why was he so quick to wrap things up? It made no sense.

"This way, both sides have an explanation, and for the people, an accidental death is easier to accept than a conspiracy," Han Qing said, without revealing the whole truth—only suggesting they resolve it as an accidental fire.

They had no other option, and the higher-ups were urging for a swift resolution. Yet Master Zhu remained puzzled.

"If you know it's not so simple, why push to close the case?"

"Because if we don't close it, how can we see where their mistakes lie?"

So—

"You've already figured out who it is, and you're waiting to see their next move?"

Han Qing nodded.

Luckily, Master Zhu was quick-witted. Had it been the Vice Minister, he would have asked countless questions and still been lost.

After the storm at Supreme Pavilion, business declined somewhat, but it did not affect the other flower houses. On the contrary, Drunken Blossom House’s comic performances were more popular than ever, drawing an endless stream of guests.

Previously, only noble youths came for music and song; now, even scholars arrived to appreciate the performances. Praise flowed unceasingly, elevating Drunken Blossom House to unprecedented heights.

Master Zhu, seeing this, quietly arranged for protection. If his suspicions were correct, Drunken Blossom House would soon face trouble.

Sure enough, one evening, as guests listened intently to the comic show, sorrowful cries disrupted the atmosphere.

"You people are all ravenous wolves! That woman on stage once ruined my family, and yet you praise her?"

Among them, a slightly disheveled old woman with trembling legs cried out her grievance, deliberately drawing attention to create a scandal and tarnish Drunken Blossom House's reputation.

"Tell me, who am I?" The female performer descended from the stage.

"You are the daughter of the Lin family. Years ago, your father was accused of corruption. Fearing exposure, he forced his colleagues into ruin. I am the mother of one of those victims," the old woman declared, her words sharp and her gaze fierce, each sentence a bitter attack.

She knew that exposing the disgrace of these people before so many would deeply affect Drunken Blossom House.

Han Qing stood on the second floor, watching calmly.

"It seems the show has started ahead of schedule," he remarked.

He knew those people would seize this weakness as their argument, which was why Master Zhu had dealt with the matter of the criminal’s daughter in advance.

Now, he waited to see how the old woman would continue her act.

"You knew about the Supreme Pavilion incident from the start?" Master Zhu asked, slightly shocked by Han Qing’s depth.

"I merely suspected Madam Wang's motives. When she reported to the authorities, her eyes showed evasiveness, and she insisted it was the work of a rival. That indicated major flaws," Han Qing replied. Only the perpetrator would know how to throw dirt on others.

"Just from suspicion, you deduced it was Supreme Pavilion staging its own disaster?"

"Not at all. It was from the statements in the case files," Han Qing said calmly. What one saw was not always the truth, but fragments could reveal it.

Below, a dramatic scene unfolded. The old woman, tears streaming, recounted years of suffering, passionately warning the guests not to be deceived by the criminal’s daughter.

"The truths you just exposed, I admit," Xiao Yue responded serenely.