Chapter 48 It's no use crying over spilled milk Ⅰ

　　Twenty-five days before the first day of the twelfth lunar month, news of Wen Yan, the son of the left National Master Shaowen, arriving in the Beici County, reached the prefect's mansion.

　　"Miss He, the latest news is that Young Master Wen's party has left Yangnan Town," Huang Qin informed.

　　"They were originally in the south. Huang Qin, provide covert protection," she ordered.

　　"Yes, miss."

　　He Muxian turned to Shen Huan and said, " Shen, please take my younger sister there."

　　Shen Huan nodded slightly and immediately began preparations. He Muyu only said, "Sister, don't worry," before leaving with him.

　　The two of them, without any attendants, rode two swift horses on the official road between the two towns. They had a simple plan: the son of the left National Master's mansion would surely make a grand entrance, and finding Wen Yan would be easy.

　　However, the reality was different from what they had expected. They didn't see any procession or well-dressed people along the way.

　　After more than half a day, a luxurious carriage came towards them, driven by a martial arts student with three more following behind.

　　Shen Huan rode forward and asked, "Excuse me, is that Young Master Wen in the carriage?"

　　The carriage stopped, and the curtain was lifted, revealing a handsome young man holding a unique fan with a carved pattern and seven hollow blades of various shapes.

　　The young man took a closer look and then bowed respectfully, saying, "It's Mr. Shen."

　　The two were confused and asked, "Who are you?"

　　"I am Zhang Yu, Wen Yan's guard," he replied.

　　He Muyu hadn't seen her fifth senior brother in many years and would have mistaken him for the real one if he hadn't introduced himself.

　　"Where is fifth senior brother?" she asked.

　　"It's Miss He, the second young lady of the He mansion. Please forgive me, Mr. Shen and Miss, but I cannot tell you which way Young Master went."

　　Shen Huan understood the situation. With so many overt and covert investigations going on in the mansion for so long, it was inevitable that some people with ulterior motives would mix in. This approach reduced both risks and troubles.

　　"Thank you," Shen Huan said.

　　After bidding farewell to Zhang Yu, they set out on their search again.

　　They searched and inquired along the way, encountering three similar groups, none of which were the real one.

　　Miss He complained in her heart, "Just entering the city and causing trouble. Fifth senior brother is really something; so mischievous and troublesome."

　　Gradually, the sky darkened and the night drew to a close. The two had no choice but to return.

　　As they entered the city gate of Muyang, the sky was completely dark.

　　He Muyu hung her head and said, "Shen, before we left, I told my sister not to worry. How can I face her if we go back without finding him?"

　　"Maybe Young Master Wen has already entered the city. Let's search for him inside," Shen Huan suggested.

　　"We can't go to the Zhou family tavern, can we?" she asked.

　　"It's worth checking," he replied.

　　The two of them, one after the other, led their horses across the street to the tavern and observed for a while. Everything seemed normal inside, and there was no sign of any distinguished guests.

　　Shen Huan pondered that regardless of Young Master Wen's decoys, he must have entered the city somehow, but no one had discovered him yet.

　　Suddenly remembering something, he said, "Miss He, let's go inquire at the city gate."

　　"Which gate?" she asked.

　　"The South Gate, it's closer," he replied.

　　As they were walking towards the South Gate, they met Ji Yanshi and Zhou Ge on the road.

　　Upon hearing about their situation, Ji Yanshi offered to accompany them. However, Zhou Ge had just finished dealing with a small case and needed to return to his mansion to organize the files, so he couldn't join them.

　　After bidding farewell, Zhou Ge walked back slowly. He hadn't eaten dinner and bought two packages of snacks on the way.

　　Back at the tribunal, he changed his clothes and made himself a cup of hot tea.

　　Just as he was about to take a bite of his snack, there was a knock at the door.

　　"Who is it?" he asked.

　　"It's me, sir," came the reply.

　　"Miss Lu, what brings you here so late?" he asked.

　　Lu Ying continued, "Two martial arts came to the back door in the afternoon, saying they had important matters to discuss with you. As you were not here, I had them wait in the kitchen."

　　"Important matters? Who has important matters?" he asked.

　　"He said his name is Xu Wenyuan," Lu Ying replied.

　　"Xu..." Upon hearing the name, Zhou Ge left his unbitten snack on the table and hurriedly went to the kitchen.

　　In the kitchen, there were two men, one standing and one sitting. Zhou Ge thought it was quite interesting. One was tall and handsome, wearing a plain martial arts uniform with a cloak, and holding a unique fan with a carved pattern. The other was shorter and uglier, standing on iron bars.

　　Zhou Ge glanced and signaled for Lu Ying to leave, which Lu Ying understood immediately. Closing the door, Zhou Ge asked in a low voice, "Could this be Wen Yan, the young master?"

　　Wen Yan gently tapped the table with his iron fan. "Impressive, the new inquisitor chosen by my sixth junior sister. Indeed, I am Wen Yan, and this is Xu Wengang beside me."

　　"Wengang... could he be..."

　　Xu Wengang bowed slightly. "As you suspected, Inquisitor, Wenyuan was my brother. It seems our visit was not in vain."

　　The Prefect's Mansion was nearby, and Zhou's Tavern was not far either. Zhou Ge wondered why the young master had chosen to visit him in disguise instead of going to see He Muxian or Yu Pingnian. It quickly became clear that they had come for the sake of Xu Wenyuan, who had not returned.

　　This made sense.

　　"What does the young master wish to know?"

　　"Straight to the point, excellent. I've entrusted the handling of this case to inquisitor Zhou. Please, enlighten me. Who killed my guard Xu Wenyuan, and what was their motive?"

　　"You trust me this much? No fear of my deceit?"

　　"The Hes have always been upright. Whoever my junior sister favors, I, as her senior brother, will trust. Speak freely."

　　"Very well. I shall tell you the truth. The culprit was none other than Xia Yue, the concubine of Qing Hu. The murder weapon appeared to be a five-legged gecko talisman, but in reality, it was a poisoned needle. Strangely, no puncture wounds were found on the body."

　　Xu Wengang pondered for a moment. "Young Master, it was the poisoned blood needle of the Yu Wu Gang from Zhuanyou Mountain."

　　Wenyan mulled this over. "The Yuwu Gang is about to stir up trouble. One more question, Inquisitor. Is there any connection between the He’s and Zhuanyou Mountain?"

　　"I have not seen anyone in contact with Zhuanyou Mountain."

　　"My third senior brother's actions are baffling. Wengang, until we know more, let's assume it was the work of one of the disciples from the Eighth Master's collateral line."

　　"Yes, sir!"

　　"Inquisitor Zhou, one more inquiry. Is it true that my sixth junior sister has set up a tournament to find a husband?"

　　"Your younger brother Yu Pingnian is blinded by lust, and your third senior brother's behavior is despicable." Zhou Ge then recounted the entire sequence of events surrounding the tournament at Zhou's Tavern.

　　Wen Yan listened intently, absorbing every detail. After a long silence, Zhou Ge said, "Miss He has suffered unjustly. It is only right for you, Young Master Wen, to intervene."

　　As they were discussing, the kitchen door opened, and Miss He walked in.

　　"My fifth senior brother has indeed arrived. Greetings." After the formalities, she remained motionless.

　　Understanding the situation, Wen Yan gently patted her on the shoulder. "Zhou has already explained everything. The tournament will be resolved."

　　"Thank you, Fifth Senior Brother."

　　"I have learned what I needed to know. I shall visit Zhou's Tavern and give you an answer by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

　　Saying this, he called for Xu Wengang and left the tribunal, changing back into his own clothes before departing.

　　After they had gone, He Muxian and Zhou Ge immediately summoned Lu Ying to inquire about what had transpired.

　　Lu Ying recounted everything, including the small detail of being asked to prepare refreshments.

　　He Muxian considered the Wen family's tendency to be easily swayed and wondered if Wen Yan's visit to Zhou's Tavern would change anything.

　　She continued to question Zhou Ge and her fifth senior brother's discussion, among which the mention of Yu Wu Dancers was not new to her, but the poisoned blood needle was a first.

　　Curious, Zhou Ge asked, "What are the Yu Wu Dancers?"

　　"In more detail, they are trained and sold by those with money. To put it bluntly, they are courtesans."

　　Zhou Ge thought of Xia Yue and seemed to resonate with this assessment.