Kong Jialiang's body stiffened, and he lowered his head with a hint of guilt, quietly listening to her scolding. He knew he had wronged her, and her resentment was justified.
"If the Prefect's visit is solely to say these words, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave quickly. Your promises are untrustworthy. Between your interests and mine, you'll always choose the former." Wu Caiwei spoke these words with outward anger, but they were the honest truth. The original owner's fate was sealed precisely because, faced with a choice between Kong family's future and her life, he chose the former. "I wanted to ask if you found any clues during your long time in court that day," Kong Jialiang quickly made up an excuse, fearful of being driven away. In truth, he wasn't worried about his wife being implicated in the murder case, as he knew she disdained merchants, and they had no business dealings or motive for the crime.
"You'd be better off asking the Magistrate about this. Farewell," Wu Caiwei directly offered tea to see him out.
Kong Jialiang, with a thick skin, remained silent for a moment before reluctantly reiterating, "I know I've wronged you, and I won't make such mistakes again. If you ever encounter any trouble, you must come to me. No matter what, I will find a way to resolve it for you."
Fearing Wu Caiwei's refusal, he quickly left. Wu Caiwei sneered, not taking his words to heart.
However, she genuinely wanted to find the murderer of Master Liu. If the ruby she offered in her past life was as unharmed as it was in this one, then regardless of who the ultimate target was, an innocent person had still been harmed.
Thus, as night fell, she donned her dark attire and once again became a "gentleman under the eaves."
The old doctor was seen sitting by his desk, sighing as he caressed his medical books, which were his treasures.
His wife, with a hint of concern, walked over to him, draped a coat over his shoulders, and comforted him, "It's late and the dew is heavy. Wear more clothes and be careful not to catch a cold. Don't dwell on it anymore. You've worked hard your whole life; now you can finally rest."
"My reputation for a lifetime is ruined. The people of this city used to trust me immensely, and even the Magistrate believed me to be impartial, which is why he heeded my counsel. To think it was seen through. Now, when I go out, I feel as though everyone is mocking me." As he spoke, tears welled up in the old doctor's eyes. His lifelong reputation was destroyed in an instant.
"What's done is done. More words are useless. It's better to relax and live out your remaining days." His wife, the daughter of a scholar, was well-read and shared common ground with him. They had never argued in their lives. In the past, he would confide in her about any worries, and she would do her best to help him through them. She hoped he would come to terms with this situation as well.
Everything sounded normal, yet Wu Caiwei trusted her intuition. A doctor wouldn't make such a mistake with just a glance; they would typically taste or smell the substance to ensure absolute certainty. After all, treating illnesses and saving lives was a matter of life and death, and caution was never excessive.
Wu Caiwei had ample time to bide her patience. She didn't believe the other party wouldn't reveal any flaws. However, with the weather turning cold, sitting on rooftops at night was somewhat chilly. Therefore, she only spent an hour or two monitoring each night, quietly departing once the lights were extinguished.
One day, Wu Caiwei slowly turned, preparing to leave as usual. As she turned, she paused, an idea sparking in her mind, and immediately turned back. Soon, she saw a man wearing a veiled hat knock on the old doctor's door.
A short while later, the lamp was relit. Seeing him standing at the doorway, the old doctor hurriedly pulled him inside and said with a hint of annoyance, "Has anyone seen you? Didn't I tell you not to come find me anymore? For your sake, I've sacrificed the reputation I valued most in my life. I have no ability to help you further. Let's go our separate ways."
The other party scoffed, displeased, "You've caused my family so much suffering, and now you say we're even? Have you asked for my opinion? I'll tell you, even if you two sacrificed your lives, it wouldn't be enough to repay the lives of my dozen family members."
"I know, and I'm sorry for what happened to your entire family. But things have reached this point. Even killing me now would be of no use. I'll tell you, I won't help you again." The old doctor knew that if no one had discovered the trick that day, Madam Meng would have been imprisoned, possibly even executed after autumn. He had almost caused someone's death and no longer wished to act against his conscience. Soodan Novel Network.
"Fine. If you won't help me, I'll expose what you did for me, ruin your reputation, and make it impossible for you to stay in this city." The man had come to him this time not wanting to leave empty-handed. He hadn't expected the doctor to want to distance himself. Startled, he realized his business wouldn't have grown so large without the doctor's assistance. He immediately fixed the doctor with a threatening gaze, but the latter did not yield an inch.
"My mother was your dearest sister. As she lay dying, she held your hand and asked you to take good care of me. Is this how you've cared for me?" The man was adaptable. Seeing that force wouldn't work, he resorted to gentler tactics. In the past, mentioning his mother would always make the doctor soften, but this time he was stunned. The doctor acted as if he hadn't heard him, busying himself with his tasks and completely ignoring him.
The man knew he had truly angered him this time. Wanting to say something conciliatory but too proud, he could only flick his sleeves fiercely and roughly push open the door, saying with dissatisfaction, "I'll come back to find you in a few days. You're too agitated today and need to calm down and reflect."
The man skillfully jumped over the wall and walked into the bustling street, shedding his dark clothes in the darkness. Only then did Wu Caiwei, based on his figure, identify him as Master Wu from the east of the city.
She couldn't help but marvel that if she hadn't sensed the atmosphere between them today, she would never have connected the two. After all, outwardly, they had no interaction, and even if they met in a crowded place, they wouldn't speak a word. In the eyes of the world, they had always been unacquainted.
Watching him enter the Wu residence, she finally turned to leave, her mind sifting through the rumors about the Wu family.
It was said that the Wu couple was deeply in love and ran a grain business in the city. While they sometimes obstructed others' financial interests, because both had some martial arts skills, no one dared to provoke them.
They had lived in Wu Lake for seven or eight years, only to be wiped out overnight. Only their son, who was then only eight years old, survived because he had stayed late studying at his tutor's home that night and thus missed the massacre.
At such a young age, he endured his grief and handled his parents' funeral, garnering much sympathy. To this day, his reputation in the city remained excellent, making it impossible for people to associate him with such events.
Wu Caiwei's curiosity piqued, and she specifically inquired about the incident from several people. To her surprise, everyone's account was vague, consistently mentioning that neighbors had contributed greatly to burying his parents. However, they couldn't specify where these neighbors lived, and she hadn't encountered them again over the years.