Chapter 1472: Do You Think I Believe It

"Why didn't you say so earlier! If you'd told me from the start that Dou Anzhi might be a retainer in disguise, I wouldn't have wasted so much time investigating side details. Do you know how much manpower, money, and time was wasted?"

Eunuch Wang Hai complained loudly.

Chen Chen Guanlou chuckled twice. "There's a saying: first impressions stick! If I'd told you from the start, how could you remain objective and impartial? If your investigation had been biased, could I still trust your findings? What if he really was genuine…"

Eunuch Wang Hai blurted out, as if he'd already decided the man was an impostor. "Impossible! The contradictions are too great…"

Chen Chen Guanlou cut him off directly. "That's not what you said before. You said earlier that with a family fallen on hard times and relatives passed away, it was normal for a person to change. Look — the moment I told you Dou Anzhi might be a retainer in disguise, you jumped to a conclusion right away. How can your investigation still be called objective and impartial?"

"Then why are you telling me now?" Eunuch Wang Hai, knowing he was in the wrong, quickly changed the subject.

"Everything that needed investigating has been investigated. The only remaining key point is that 'retainer' who vanished on the road home to observe mourning! Where people have acted, traces remain! I don't trust anyone else — only Brother Wang do I dare entrust such an important task to. If I hadn't told you the direction and you'd investigated blindly, you might have missed the crucial clue!"

Eunuch Wang Hai's face was expressionless, but his eyes clearly shone with delight and self-satisfaction — he was probably bursting with joy inside.

"What you say makes sense. I trust your judgment. How did you know Dou Anzhi might be a retainer in disguise? Are you paying close attention to him?"

Eunuch Wang Hai still had many questions in his heart.

Lord Dou in Jingcheng was just one of countless mid- and low-ranking officials in the capital — nothing remarkable about him. As for talent, Jingcheng had plenty of people more talented than him. Were not every zhuangyuan and tanhua overflowing with brilliance!

Such an unremarkable official, and not even one from the Ministry of Justice — how had he caught the attention of the Heaven Prison Warden's deputy? There had to be a reason.

Chen Chen Guanlou did not hide it, choosing to speak plainly. "His legitimate eldest daughter let it slip unintentionally."

Hmm?

"A child accusing her father?" Eunuch Wang Hai was shocked.

"Nonsense!" Chen Chen Guanlou snapped harshly. The most critical thing was to keep Dou Shu out of this — she absolutely must not be dragged in.

Filial piety was not mere words, and the law was no decoration. Once the crime of a child accusing her father was established, it would cost her life! The general climate would not allow Dou Shu to keep living!

Unless it could be proven that this current Dou Anzhi was fake. Then a child accusing her father would become a child seeking justice for her father! The nature would change in an instant — from an unfilial daughter to a brave and resourceful heroine!

But the process from exposing to proving it would take anywhere from ten days to half a month at shortest, or a year or more at longest. A child accusing her father — who could guarantee that Dou Shu would survive that process!

"She is a quiet and filial young lady — don't you dare frame her!"

Chen Chen Guanlou reminded him again.

Eunuch Wang Hai wore an expression of complete understanding — he got it all! No need to be so tense!

"Fine! Let's say she didn't know, and there's no child-accusing-father. But you spent a fortune on an investigation just because of some idle gossip?"

"Let me finish!" Chen Chen Guanlou said, visibly annoyed. "Once I went to burn incense, and through the wall I overheard a young lady weeping, saying her stepmother was unkind, marrying the legitimate eldest daughter off to a concubine-born son, with a dowry of only three thousand taels."

She was a proper young lady from an official's family — such treatment was far too shabby. He also heard the young lady say that when she went to her father to complain, her father scolded her for being unreasonable and for opposing her stepmother again and again.

A stepmother being unkind was understandable. But a biological father who didn't care, who paid no attention to the marriage, and let his second wife run wild — that was truly puzzling. If Dou Anzhi himself were simply a muddled fool, that would be one thing.

But I heard that Dou Anzhi was a jinshi on both lists — quite shrewd and capable. How could he not know that arranging a marriage was about joining two families in goodwill, and about finding support for himself and his son? How could he indulge his second wife in mistreating his legitimate eldest daughter like this! Suspicion arose in my heart, and the more I thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. That's why I asked you to investigate!"

"Just because of this, you suspected he was fake?" Eunuch Wang Hai didn't believe it.

He was no fool. Such a clumsy excuse trying to fool him — hmph!

For the sake of their bond as sworn brothers from different fathers and mothers, he wouldn't expose it — that was the greatest courtesy!

Chen Chen Guanlou snorted lightly. "Of course it wasn't that simple! Before asking you to investigate, I also kept an eye on things for a few days. I heard people say the Dou family's background was decent, but Dou Anzhi's words and conduct always gave me a sense of something off. I also heard that he used to have a retainer who looked very much like him — that's when suspicion arose!"

"How is it you hear things everywhere? Where did you hear all this from?" Eunuch Wang Hai was very curious.

Chen Chen Guanlou was particularly annoyed — why so many questions. "Don't ask me where I heard it. In short, that's how things went. Got it?"

Eunuch Wang Hai thought very seriously for a moment, then nodded — he understood!

Protect the young lady Dou Shu — he understood!

Though he was a eunuch, he was not heartless!

Besides, a good brother's person to protect — he would definitely support, never undermine!

Chen Chen Guanlou finally set his mind at ease. "This time the focus is investigating the retainer — dig up everything about his past, from birth to disappearance. Alive I want to see him, dead I want to see the corpse!"

Without a corpse, there was no persuasive power!

The legitimate branch of the Dou family had all died out.

It was no longer possible to verify Dou Anzhi's identity from the Dou family side.

As for his school teachers and classmates — they were not relatives after all, and it had been years since they'd seen each other. They could only serve as reference!

Only the retainer was the real breakthrough. Once found, alive or dead, it would nail down this current Dou Anzhi — and the five attendants who had vanished!

Chen Chen Guanlou personally poured wine for Eunuch Wang Hai's cup.

"The poor young lady — her own mother died, and all these years she's had to scrape by under her stepmother. Just when she reached the age for a marriage match, she's being given to a wastrel, and a concubine-born one at that. Her own mother's dowry was embezzled too. If it were you, could you bear it?"

"I couldn't! If my stepmother dared treat me so harshly, even if I couldn't kill her, I'd kill her son." Eunuch Wang Hai gritted his teeth, as if triggered.

Killing a mother was an unforgivable capital crime — a stepmother was still a mother.

But killing a brother was different! And there were far more chances to do it.

"So you see, we are upholding justice!"

"Right, upholding justice! Dou Anzhi has so many suspicious points — he can't even recite his own imperial examination essay. It's almost certainly an impostor. He must be publicly punished!" Eunuch Wang Hai's sense of justice suddenly overflowed.

Chen Chen Guanlou was very satisfied — the brainwashing had succeeded.

"Speaking of reciting essays, I can't recite my own essays either."

"That's why you couldn't even pass the tongsheng exam!"

That hit right in the heart!