Chapter 139: line with translation of title

Very likely.

Yin Fengzhan's voice remained icy and low. As soon as he finished speaking, the others in the rear hall were momentarily taken aback.

"What's wrong? Any problem?"

Though they were arguing, Nie Jinxuan knew Yin Fengzhan was reliable in serious matters. So hearing him say this, she immediately became puzzled.

In a moment, everyone's gaze in the rear hall fell on Yin Fengzhan. Then he slightly moved his sword-like brows and spoke in a low voice.

"We cannot notify the Huang family now!"

"... What does that mean?"

Yin Fengzhan said that, and Nie Jinxuan understood even less. At that moment, his eyes shifted, and he stared straight at Nie Jinxuan; after a brief pause, he continued speaking.

"Vice Minister of the War Ministry Huang Baiqi has only two sons. His eldest son, Huang Long, has suffered from a strange illness since childhood, leaving him disabled in the lower body, so the Huang family has placed all their hopes on his second son, Huang Hu. Now think: if you were to tell Huang Baiqi that Huang Hu is dead, how would he react?!"

Yin Fengzhan's voice remained low and calm. Upon hearing this, before Nie Jinxuan could speak, Zuo Wei, sitting in the corner, couldn't help but nod, then shook his head and said.

"Mm, Prince Chen's words make sense! They really do~!"

Saying that, Zuo Wei stroked his distinctive chin, then looked helplessly at Nie Jinxuan and sighed.

"Ah~, Third Miss, you don't know, Lord Huang, the Vice Minister of War, is usually fine—kind-hearted and well-liked in court. But he has one flaw: he absolutely hates anyone speaking ill of his son. As it happens, his eldest son is disabled, so people often talk behind his back, but whenever Lord Huang hears it, it's like stepping on a cat's tail."

"And Huang Hu is the Huang family's sole hope. I recall him saying he wanted his second son to take the imperial exams and then serve in court just like him. So if Lord Huang learns that his only son has been killed, causing a ruckus in the Ministry of Punishments would be trivial—needless to say, tomorrow morning he will surely be crying and wailing at the early court audience, lodging a complaint with the emperor."

Zuo Wei had served in the court for many years; though he didn't know other things, he understood the temperaments of his fellow officials better than anyone. As he finished speaking, Mo Yujue also nodded in agreement.

"Mm, Lord Zuo's words make sense! But if Lord Huang merely causes a commotion, that's fine; the worry is that he might take drastic action, which would not help capture the real culprit and might even enrage the killer, prompting him to commit even worse acts."

"Yes, I also agree with Guard Mo's opinion. Moreover, now the killer is in the dark while we are in the light; if Lord Huang makes too much noise, it will not benefit the case."

After Mo Yujue, Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang also voiced his opinion. Hearing everyone say this, Nie Jinxuan also pursed her lips, thought it over, and finally nodded.

"If that's the case, let's keep it concealed for a while!"

"Mm, that works too!"

He answered with a sound, and then Mo Yujue walked over to sit at a nearby spot.

"However, when our people investigated today, we found that those meeting the conditions were not only Huang Baiqi's son Huang Hu; Minister of Revenue Wang Tianhai's eldest son Wang Fang, and Grand Secretary Zhu Hanwen's youngest son Zhu Zhenghong have also been away from home for several days! However, among Huang Hu, Wang Fang, and Zhu Zhenghong, only Huang Hu has a birthmark on his back, which is why we confirmed it was him."

Mo Yujue spoke of today's investigation results; after finishing, he picked up the tea cup beside him to wet his throat. But upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but startle, then pressed further.

"Why did Wang Fang and Zhu Zhenghong go out?"

"Wang Fang, like Huang Hu, went out for studies; as for Zhu Zhenghong, he went to a temple outside the city to cultivate himself."

"What? Also studies?!"

"Mm!"

Not understanding why Nie Jinxuan remained so calm, Mo Yujue still responded. But hearing his voice, Nie Jinxuan slightly furrowed her brows, lowered her eyes and stayed silent. After a while, she suddenly lifted her head and looked at Mo Yujue.

"Young Master Mo, when you investigated their whereabouts, two were studying away, one was cultivating at a temple… Were these things personally told to their families by the three themselves?"

"No, Zhu Zhenghong regularly goes to the temple at this time each year. As for Huang Hu and Wang Fang, they both left notes."

"Notes?!"

"Yes!"

Saying that, Mo Yujue put the tea cup in his hand on the side table, then reached into his pocket and took out two sheets of paper.

"I brought back the notes! And I've confirmed they were written by Huang Hu and Wang Fang. The handwriting is fine!"

After speaking, Mo Yujue took out two notebooks from his other pocket and handed them to Nie Jinxuan.

At that moment, looking at the two notes in hand, though their contents differed, they both generally said they were going out to study, with no set return date. The handwriting was also completely different. Yet when compared with the two notes Huang Hu and Wang Fang had previously written that Mo Yujue produced, the handwriting matched exactly.

Though the handwriting posed no problem, at that moment Nie Jinxuan slightly furrowed her brows. Then, the originally seated Yin Fengzhan rose, walked over to her, and snatched the notes from her hand.

Yin Fengzhan remained silent, but his furrowed brows hinted at an indescribable gravity. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan after a moment also quietly asked.

"Is there a problem?"

"……"

Yin Fengzhan still said nothing; for a moment the rear hall fell silent again. After a while, he personally placed the notes in his hand on the table beside Mo Yujue, then returned to his seat.

"It's best to investigate the whereabouts of Wang Fang and Zhu Zhenghong now!"

Yin Fengzhan spoke with an unchanged expression; hearing this, Mo Yujue and Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang were startled, while Nie Jinxuan instantly widened her eyes.

"You suspect they too have been seized by the killer?"

"Quite possible!"

Without a thought, he replied to Nie Jinxuan, and his eyes instantly darkened.

"Although the handwriting on the notes shows no issue, don't forget that Huang Hu is already dead! Moreover, when Concubine Tong Shupin was killed, it's very likely she was also lured out by a note. Therefore, I suspect the killer is someone who can forge handwriting! In that case, we naturally wouldn't see any problem with the notes."

"Thus, Wang Fang, who also left a note, is very likely already captured by the killer… By the way, the autopsy result on Huang Hu indicates he was detained by the killer for a period before being killed, right?"

"Uh… yes!"

"That's correct! So we must immediately determine the whereabouts of Wang Fang and Zhu Zhenghong; otherwise, a sixth corpse could very well appear at any moment!"

Yin Fengzhan's judgment startled everyone present; Mo Yujue dared not delay, immediately leading people out to search. Zuo Wei likewise promptly wrote a document and had it sent to the surrounding county offices under the capital, to urgently and covertly seek Wang Fang and Zhu Zhenghong!

In an instant, the Ministry of Punishments was in an uproar. Prince Rui Yin Fengxiang, feeling unwell, returned to the prince's residence in the afternoon. Thus, only Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan remained.

But the case is urgent, so Nie Jinxuan, having no time to be angry with Yin Fengzhan, after a brief silence, she spoke softly.

"Yin Fengzhan, what's your take on this case now?"

Though Yin Fengzhan is a man of few words, his mind is undeniably sharp. Upon hearing this, he merely glanced at Nie Jinxuan without changing his expression, then lowered his eyes and fell silent.

Yin Fengzhan remained silent. Nie Jinxuan, who had been relatively calm, saw his demeanor and her anger flared up.

"Yin Fengzhan, I'm talking to you!"

"……"

"Hey, did you hear me or not?"

"……"

"You..."

Nie Jinxuan was so angry she couldn't bear it, and immediately she stood up with a scrape. But just as Nie Jinxuan was about to step forward to leave, she suddenly heard Yin Fengzhan quietly say.

"Hard to say!"

"... What do you mean?"

Yin Fengzhan suddenly said something, making Nie Jinxuan very puzzled; she then turned her gaze, and instantly met Yin Fengzhan's eyes.

"The clues are too few, so it's hard to say! However, one thing can be certain: the killer is likely a single person!"

"You think so too?"

"Mm!"

Yin Fengzhan nodded slightly; upon hearing that his opinion matched hers, Nie Jinxuan's anger subsided by half, and she then went and sat down beside him.

"But saying this now, it's still just speculation! After all, aside from some similarities in time and method, there is absolutely no evidence!"

Nie Jinxuan voiced her worry. At that moment, Yin Fengzhan merely glanced at her, then withdrew his gaze and remained silent.

Yin Fengzhan fell silent again. The room then fell into silence, and for an entire afternoon Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan sat like that, neither speaking a word.

Time passed, and finally, in the evening, Mo Yujue finally returned. He also brought news: the youngest son of Grand Secretary Zhu Hanwen, Zhu ZhengHong, has been found; he is currently cultivating in a temple on a mountain twenty li outside the city. However, the eldest son of Minister of Revenue Wang Tianhai, Wang Fang, has left no trace whatsoever.

"Wang Fang has gone missing!"

At that moment, upon hearing the news, Nie Jinxuan, who had been sitting quietly all afternoon, suddenly felt a tremor throughout her body, but she then managed to calm herself.

"So the situation is……there's not a single bit of news about Wang Fang?"

"Mm, none!"

Although I don't want to say it, the situation is indeed like this. So, waiting for these words to finish, Mo Yujue couldn't help but glance at Nie Jinxuan, then directly said.

"I will bring people to search overnight. Third Miss, please go rest first."

Having said that, Mo Yujue didn't wait for Nie Jinxuan to say anything and walked out directly.

"..."

This night was destined to be rough! After going out, Mo Yujue indeed personally led people to search the entire capital, but the result of searching every household was still no trace of Wang Fang.

Meanwhile, while Mo Yujue was out searching, Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan sat quietly in the Ministry of Punishments, and only late at night did Nie Jinxuan slightly purse her lips and then say.

"Forget it, Young Master Mo has already gone out to look for people; waiting here is useless. Let's go back first."

Nie Jinxuan said this to Yin Fengzhan; upon finishing, she turned and left first, but after Nie Jinxuan had taken two steps, Yin Fengzhan also rose from his seat.

"I, the Prince, will see you off!"

Yin Fengzhan spoke coldly, not giving Nie Jinxuan any chance to refuse. He then strode out. Seeing his tall figure leave first, Nie Jinxuan frowned involuntarily, but then followed.

But upon reaching the door, the two started arguing again. The reason was that Nie Jinxuan wanted to take her own carriage back, but Yin Fengzhan insisted she take his.

So, in the end, Nie Jinxuan was driven to the point of exasperation and couldn't help but curse.

"Yin Fengzhan, you're a lunatic!"

Having said that, Nie Jinxuan didn't care what Yin Fengzhan wanted to say, turned, and quickly climbed into her own carriage. But she never expected that, just as she sat down, Yin Fengzhan would also climb aboard.

"You……Yin Fengzhan, will you ever stop? I don't need your escort, is that not okay?"

"No!"

"You……"

"Go!"

Nie Jinxuan was so angry she was speechless. Then Yin Fengzhan uttered a single command to the coachman outside the carriage. At that moment, the coachman who had been watching Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan argue uncontrollably was startled by Yin Fengzhan's shout, his whole body trembling. He dared not waste words, and quickly raised his whip and set the carriage in motion.

"..."

This was not the first time Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan had ridden in a carriage together. But it was the first time after their separation. So, after their initial confrontation, as the carriage moved forward, both calmed down.

Still, neither spoke a word, and within the cramped carriage a faint, indescribable eeriness lingered.

As time passed, with the creaking of the wheels reaching her ears, Nie Jinxuan knew she would soon arrive at the Nie Manor. After another moment of silence, having thought it over, she suddenly spoke softly.

"Um……I want to ask you something……last night, last night you said you were looking for Zhen Xiao Lian to ask her……"

At this moment, Nie Jinxuan felt an inexplicable tension in her heart for some unknown reason. Her trembling voice made even herself feel embarrassed. Upon hearing her, Yin Fengzhan merely looked at her quietly, but as she continued speaking, he suddenly flashed a glance and then pulled her into his embrace.

"Careful!"