Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Truth Unveiled

Miss Zilan shook her head.
She truly couldn’t believe it.
It was simply too absurd.
Han Qing then recounted what had happened that day.
“Perhaps you misjudged. That man’s magic tricks have been praised by many sons of officials. Some even wanted to bring him into their homes, but Liu Xiaowu refused, saying he needed to care for his wife.”
So, was his suspicion mistaken?
He couldn’t quite believe it.
But if the man truly committed something dreadful, who would be the next to fall victim?
It was never safe.
“Send someone to investigate his partner's identity. She's not merely his wife's sister, is she?”
Han Qing considered this.
It seemed a reasonable course of action.
Though Zilan found it odd, she was willing to help.
Sure enough, they uncovered some clues.
It was said that his wife’s sister had died of illness in a foreign land years ago.
Then who was the woman now appearing?
Why did she resemble his wife?
“I can’t quite make sense of the information I’ve gathered,” Zilan said, shaking her head.
She wanted nothing to do with this mess.
If trouble truly brewed, how could his Drunken Flower House continue to operate?
It would be better to devise another plan.
“Go inside and arrange for someone to watch Little Cui. If you discover any more clues, inform me by letter immediately.”
She nodded.
But as soon as she left Cuihua Pavilion, Wen Qi stopped her.
“You’re the Deputy Minister of the Supreme Court. Why would you come to such a place?” Han Qing teased.
“I didn’t want to come. I went looking for you at your home, only to learn you’d already gone out.”
He was looking for him?
“What happened?”
Han Qing knew Wen Qi sought him because there was some major issue he couldn’t solve.
“Let’s find a quiet place.”
They found a nearby teahouse.
“These past few days, women have been disappearing one after another. At first, it was just one or two, but lately it’s grown more frequent.”
He spoke with a troubled face.
He had hardly managed a day off, only to be caught by this thorny matter.
He was at a loss.
Minor cases, less urgent ones, could sometimes be delayed.
But when lives were at stake, any delay could be disastrous.
“What use am I to you? I can’t solve cases for you,” Han Qing replied, rolling his eyes.
Was this man’s brain addled?

“You analyzed things for me last time, and it cleared my mind. Maybe if you analyze again, I’ll find a clue.”
Ah…
Did this fellow simply refuse to think?
“No, I didn’t think much of it at first. But my investigation found no similarities between the missing women, which has alarmed the townsfolk. The authorities are urging swift action, and I have no solution.”
He was truly helpless.
For minor cases, there was room to stall.
But when people’s lives hung in the balance, any delay could be fatal.
“Are your subordinates just eating for free? Don’t you have a few skilled investigators?”
“Those two are useless. Searched for ages and found nothing.”
They had seemed reliable before, cracking several cases.
But faced with difficulty, they started blaming each other.
None were any use.
“Tell me, what businesses are these families in?”
“Two own medical clinics, two sell Shu embroidery and weave cloth.”
There was indeed no connection.
Nor did it seem like business rivalry.
“Do they have any enemies?”
“No, I’ve already checked. They’re all honest businessmen, and none are particularly prominent in Beijun City.”
That was strange.
Han Qing listened to Wen Qi’s clues, but could make no sense of them.
“Are the missing women similar in age?”
Wen Qi nodded.
Just as he was pondering, Er Zhuang arrived.
“Did something happen at the bookstore?”
“No, Miss Zilan asked me to deliver this letter. She said its contents were important.”
Han Qing nodded.
Why the urgency?
He opened the letter.
He was astonished.
Its words revealed that Little Cui was not Liu Xiaowu’s wife’s sister.
Her resemblance was likely due to makeup or a human-skin mask.
They had also uncovered Little Cui’s true identity.
She was the daughter of the manager of Tongji Medical Hall.
“Look at this letter—you know what to do now, don’t you?”
Wen Qi was stunned.
“Wasn’t it the magician from that night? Why did he abduct the girl?”
Now was not the time for answers.
Wait any longer, and more women might be harmed.
He quickly dispatched a large group of attendants.

Liu Xiaowu was seized and thrown into the prison of the Supreme Court.
“All we saw was Little Cui, and a woman lying weakly on the bed.”
“Probably his sickly wife?”
But that couldn’t be.
There was surely something far worse.
“The cellar.”
Little Cui spoke tremulously.
She had been trafficked here, beaten and abused.
Now, seeing hope, she would do anything to destroy the cage that held her.
“Open it, quickly!”
Inside the cellar,
there were several women in tattered clothing.
Upon questioning, they were indeed the missing women.
But beneath, they found human bones.
Liu Xiaowu had hidden his crimes well.
A beast in human guise.
When he was arrested, his neighbors refused to believe it.
But when more women were rescued from his house, they realized his horror,
for he often masked his true face.
“Thanks to you—without your help, I could never have closed the case,” Wen Qi exclaimed excitedly.
“It’s not over.”
What?
Those four words left him perplexed.
The missing women had been returned, proving Liu Xiaowu’s guilt in trafficking.
How could the case not be over?
“Do you know who Little Cui actually is?”
“Didn’t we say? She’s the daughter of the medical hall manager. Her appearance is only due to cosmetics.”
Ha!
Was it so simple?
“She was just a scapegoat. The cabinet burned during the magic show—I’ve always suspected someone was killed inside.”
He spoke slowly.
The others were bewildered.
“Liu Xiaocui, am I wrong?”
He suddenly fixed his gaze on the woman beside him.
“Are you confused? The medical hall manager’s surname is Zhang, and his daughter is Zhang Ruyue. That beast merely had someone play the part.”
The more they tried to unravel it, the more tangled it became.