Chapter 134: Give Him a Chance

Just before dawn, the Second Young Master woke up.

Learning the situation was stable, Fan Yucheng secretly sighed in relief—Heaven had been kind to the Fan family. After this, he must visit a temple, burn incense before the Bodhisattva, and light a tall stick of incense!

He led Chen Guanlou straight to the prison cells.

As for Fan Yuli, he was to remain in the duty room for self-reflection.

Everyone had stayed up all night, yet their spirits were electric—tense with the thrill of a major event and shaken by the near-death aftermath, not a trace of sleepiness remained.

At the prison cell, the physician was tending to the Second Young Master with great care.

The Second Young Master had drunk half a bowl of millet porridge; his complexion had improved greatly, and he was clearly out of danger.

"Your humble servant begs for the Second Young Master's pardon. Your servant is guilty—please punish me severely."

Fan Yucheng knelt on the spot.

With his superior kneeling, Chen Guanlou, as a subordinate, could not stand. Helplessly, he too knelt down. Even the physician beside the bed slid down along the mattress and knelt.

The Second Young Master stared at the three of them, silent for a moment, then spoke: "I already know what happened. I am blessed with fortune and fate—I actually survived."

"Your servant is blessed with celestial favor, turning misfortune into fortune. Your servant's mismanagement led to this grave outcome, causing you harm—your servant deserves death!"

Fan Yucheng kept insisting he was guilty, offering no defense. This was the strategy agreed upon last night: grace must come from above; never try to deceive. A sincere confession is better than anything—it might earn an impression of honesty. First impressions matter; a good one makes later negotiations easier.

The Second Young Master sat on the bed, staring fixedly at Fan Yucheng. After a long pause, he slowly said: "I fell ill on your turf. You truly deserve to die."

Fan Yucheng broke into a cold sweat, his heart trembling with dread.

"Whether someone inside the Tianlao was bribed and plotted to kill me remains unconfirmed. But I will temporarily keep quiet and give you a chance—invest thoroughly. If you fail to uncover the truth or give me a satisfactory explanation, then all of you will go speak with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I'm sure they'd be delighted to take over."

Fan Yucheng felt as if he'd been granted amnesty—so long as the Second Young Master offered a chance, he was content. He feared even that would be denied.

"Your servant assures you, Second Young Master—I will uncover the truth. If someone inside the Tianlao was indeed bribed, I will avenge you personally."

He made grand promises and assurances. Beside him, Chen Guanlou frowned deeply.

He cleared his throat, trying to warn the man.

Unexpectedly, the Second Young Master spoke first: "Chen Tou, do you have something to say? Speak freely."

Fan Yucheng whirled around and shot Chen Guanlou a warning glare.

What could Chen Guanlou do? He gritted his teeth and said: "May I ask, Second Young Master, what if this was a deliberate scheme targeting the Tianlao?"

The Second Young Master frowned, then laughed. "I understand your meaning. As a royal grandson, those who dare poison me are people your Tianlao cannot possibly confront. Investigate fully—no matter who you uncover, report it immediately. If you do this well, I guarantee I will not hold you accountable. Even if the palace asks, I will do my best to protect your lives."

Could he believe him?

Under the circumstances, even if he didn't trust the Second Young Master, he had no choice but to pretend he did. He felt a quiet doubt—the Second Young Master's reaction to being poisoned was unusual.

Fan Yucheng didn't care. He loudly swore he would spare no effort to uncover the truth and give the Second Young Master a full account. He only sought to survive this crisis—later problems would be dealt with as they came. He shot Chen Guanlou another warning glance: no more talking, just follow orders.

Chen Guanlou fell silent.

After taking leave of the Second Young Master, Chen Guanlou reminded Fan Yucheng: "The gate must be opened. We can't let anyone notice anything odd. All names of those on duty last night have been recorded, and a gag order issued."

"You're right—the gate can't stay closed forever, or suspicions will arise. Take your men and investigate. I know Fan Yuli—he lacks the courage to poison a royal grandson. He was surely used. Find out who sold the wine, trace the source, and hopefully uncover the mastermind. I too want to know who is using the Tianlao for hidden purposes."

Chen Guanlou received his orders and left.

He led his trusted men to the wine shop, using the address provided by Fan Yuli.

The front door was shut.

No one answered when they knocked.

The group circled the courtyard wall, reached the back gate, and climbed over.

As soon as they landed, Chen Guanlou smelled a sharp, acrid stench—blood. He pushed open the door and saw the owner's family of four, plus two employees, all lying in pools of blood, long dead.

Xiao Jin, experienced and seasoned, avoided the bloodstains, stepped forward, and checked: "Dead at least four or five hours. Chen Tou, this is clearly murder to silence them. The trail's gone—what now? How do we explain this to the Second Young Master?"

Chen Guanlou said nothing. He circled the bodies, examined the wound marks, and tried to reconstruct the scene. He even imagined himself as the killer—how would he have done it?

There was only one killer. He climbed over the wall, encountered the two employees first—one slash, one kill. Then he killed the owner's two children. Finally, he killed the owner and his wife.

"Chen Tou understands criminal investigation? You can analyze the scene?" Xiao Jin looked impressed.

Chen Guanlou shook his head, offering no explanation: "The killer knew this family well—no one strong among them—so he dared walk in boldly to kill."

"But now that they're dead, we don't know who killed them."

Chen Guanlou continued, unperturbed: "The killer used a blade. His strength is decent." At most, peak first-rank. His swordplay was mediocre. Compared to his own, it was pitiful.

He kept these thoughts to himself—never uttered aloud. He could not risk exposing his own abilities during an investigation.

Xiao Jin was deeply troubled: "Chen Tou, what do we do now? Why did the Second Young Master entrust this case to us? If he doesn't pursue it, even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard gets involved, shouldn't we be safe?"

"He won't pursue it—but that doesn't mean the Jin Prince won't, or the palace won't. Still, from the Second Young Master's standpoint, staying silent is strange."

Almost poisoned to death, and upon waking, he calmly negotiates with the Tianlao, even promises to conceal it—strange indeed.

Last night, when he suggested talking to the Second Young Master, he hadn't truly hoped for success. He only wanted to steer the matter toward the palace, seeking a way out.

But the outcome far exceeded his expectations.

"Chen Tou, have you thought of something?"

Chen Guanlou shook his head, denying it.

"Should we report this to the authorities?"

Chen Guanlou shook his head again: "The wine shop didn't open for business without reason—neighbors will report it soon. We needn't add to it. Let's go. This place has no further value."