Chapter Forty-Two: One After Another

Before the event had even begun, a great number of guests had already poured in.

“I believe everyone here knows who I am. There was that rumor about the last time, when the Lin family’s son received the guidance of a master…”

Her explanation was light and succinct, leaving a lingering sense of anticipation.

The audience below the stage responded with enthusiastic applause.

Clearly, this gathering was having a remarkable effect on Drunken Flower Pavilion.

No one else dared to speculate lightly.

“Today, I have specially invited esteemed guests from all sides. This is not merely to appreciate opera, storytelling, or crosstalk. I hope that all you refined and elegant gentlemen might determine, in a calm and impartial manner, which art form truly deserves to be called the finest in North County City.”

With that, Miss Zhilan withdrew from the stage.

This immediately piqued the interest of the scholars and poets. The participation of young masters from influential families pushed the banquet to its climax.

“If I hadn’t come, I would have thought it was just some dull music and singing.”

“It turns out we were too superficial, and they’re letting us share our own opinions.”

“Exactly! This is far more interesting than merely watching others dance or play a tune.”

Judging by the crowd’s expressions, everyone was quite satisfied.

Their plan had succeeded, achieving exactly the desired effect.

To outsiders, it might seem incredible—why go to such lengths?

But a bit of thought revealed the logic. They had earned a fortune that night.

Miss Zhilan couldn’t stop smiling, her excitement palpable.

She had expected some effect, but the results far exceeded her hopes.

She hurried to dismiss the remaining guests.

“Young Master Han, I am deeply grateful. Without your prior assistance, I truly could not have achieved such success tonight.”

She spoke with genuine gratitude.

Yet Han Qing merely nodded. Everything had unfolded just as he had anticipated.

Winning the attention of the locals was not because they had never seen such an event, but because the novelty drew their curiosity.

But if others began to imitate them, fatigue would soon follow.

They would need to guard against such a situation.

If they were to hold events, they must strive for excellence and uniqueness—never allowing competitors a chance.

Yet, unexpectedly—

Just after the renowned star performer of Plum Blossom Pavilion left Drunken Flower Pavilion, all trace of him vanished.

The entire troupe was thrown into a panic and reported the matter to the authorities.

The assistant minister of the Court of Justice took on the case. He was already troubled by the last incident involving a famous performer—how could another one occur so soon?

What was going on lately?

One troupe after another was struck by misfortune, a truly baffling situation.

When Wen Qi learned that both victims had intended to perform at Drunken Flower Pavilion, he immediately set out to investigate.

Zhilan’s expression did not change. She merely felt her fate was ill-starred—just after a brief moment of joy, she was struck by this shock.

Could she not enjoy a single peaceful day?

“Miss Zhilan, we only have a few routine questions. After last night’s banquet at Drunken Flower Pavilion, did anything else occur? Any conflicts?”

Zhilan shook her head.

“There were many present at the time. After their performances, they all left one by one. We have no idea what happened afterward.”

She spoke calmly, showing newfound composure.

“Do you know if they had recently made any enemies?”

Zhilan nearly laughed.

Did these constables ever think through their questions? Even if the troupe had enemies, why ask her, an outsider?

“If you’re just going to fumble about, you might as well stop questioning me.”

“That’s not it—we wanted to know if anyone at the scene acted hostile toward the troupe.”

Zhilan shook her head again.

She was truly innocent, with no idea why such things had happened.

The Court of Justice let her go as a matter of course.

Yet, the case files piling up were proving troublesome.

All were pushed onto Wen Qi’s shoulders, as his senior had been dismissed and now he alone had to solve them.

The only friend he could think to turn to was Han Qing, who had previously helped crack two major cases, his keen and meticulous abilities far surpassing most.

“Looking for my help?”

Seeing the familiar face, Han Qing replied with a question of his own.

The other man looked a little embarrassed, but could not deny that he was indeed in trouble.

“Haven’t you noticed any common threads among these troupes?”

Han Qing had no reason to refuse—solving the case would benefit him, both in clearing Drunken Flower Pavilion of suspicion and in securing Spring Garden as a future ally.

Never underestimate a small theater—a great star might yet be nurtured there.

“Yes, they all joined the art festival. Drunken Flower Pavilion is innocent.”

But this was strange. If none of them had enemies, why would these two be murdered without reason?

“What about the other theaters? There’s more than one in North County City—you should know about the others?”

This hint struck a chord, but it was not the key to the puzzle.

He did some probing of his own.

Perhaps the culprit did not intend to reveal themselves so soon, but their next target would likely be another troupe.

Having warned Wen Qi thus far, if he still could not find a breakthrough, he might as well resign from the Court of Justice—he was useless.

However, Han Qing soon received a peculiar letter.

This time, the letter detailed the crimes of the Bai family’s gambling house. After borrowing a large sum from the bank, they failed to repay it as agreed, and instead destroyed one of the underground moneylenders.

The other moneylenders dared not speak out, having endured in silence for years.

As for the missing Zhao family’s bank, all but a few who escaped had been crippled, left without recourse for justice.

If this matter were to become public, Bai’s gambling house would not only be ruined, but the Bai family would be unable to gain a foothold in North County City again.

This time, Han Qing did not doubt the letter’s authenticity.

Instead, he replied, urging them to quickly find concrete evidence and witnesses—there could be no delay.

Recently, Second Young Master Bai seemed to have made a breakthrough, buying off several of Han’s salt transporters at a high price and discovering the location of their salt production.