When Pei Zhan and Liang Chen arrived at Canglang Pavilion, Guo Song, the guard, had already led his men to circle all the locations drawn on Liang Ningxin’s map and was conducting a thorough search inside the pavilion.
"Any findings?" Pei Zhan asked.
"Not yet," Guo Song’s expression was far from relaxed, "The garden is quite large, and we are doing our utmost to search it!"
Pei Zhan gestured for him to continue and then turned to Liang Chen: "I think the answer won’t be in the garden. If it were, she certainly wouldn’t have portrayed it with something else. This garden alone could easily hide a hundred daggers."
Liang Chen surveyed the surroundings: "She used to always come here with me. Just think about the few places she liked the most, and it shouldn’t be far off."
Pei Zhan said, "She didn’t like to chat and discuss with you all but enjoyed playing by the riverside with Zhi Er and Chi Li."
"That’s right." Liang Chen nodded, suddenly looking at him, "How do you know? You never spoke to her when you were young!"
Pei Zhan shot him a glance: "I have eyes; I can see."
With that, he walked to the riverside, gazing at the row of willows along the bank.
A few yards away at a teahouse outside Suozhi Square, Fu Zhen leaned against the window of an upstairs private room, closely watching the two by the riverside.
Even though her diagram almost explicitly pointed it out, they pinpointed the riverside much quicker than she had imagined.
But it didn’t matter; the sooner they found it, the sooner she’d wrap up. After all, she wasn’t here to be a stumbling block for them.
While sipping tea, she suddenly heard a cry of alarm from that direction, and as she looked over, she saw people rushing toward the riverbank. Their attire was unmistakably that of the Pei family, and Pei Zhan was gone from under the trees!
—Did he go into the water?!
That wasn’t the crucial part; what mattered was that he entered the water right at the very willow tree where she had hidden the dagger!
This was strange; why did he figure it out so quickly?
No, why was it Pei Zhan who guessed the location, and not Liang Chen, who knew her better?!
Fu Zhen straightened up, put down the teapot, and then went downstairs.
Liang Chen couldn’t have expected Pei Zhan to go into the water without a word, much less that after tinkering underwater for a while, he would actually retrieve a box... The source of thɪs content is novelꞁire.net
"Quick, open it and see!" Pei Zhan handed the box to him, then climbed ashore and motioned for the guards to secure the area.
Liang Chen quickly opened the box, and upon seeing it, was shocked. Soaking in water inside the box was indeed a dagger!
Furthermore, the box looked very familiar, and he was even more astonished: "This is Aunt’s fan box! I’ve seen it before! — It really was placed here by her!"
His voice tightened, his tone barely sounding like his own!
With Liang Ning’s letter and her fan box, is there anything more to say?
No one else could simultaneously possess these items!
He suddenly turned to Pei Zhan: "How did you know she would hide something here?"
"She used to love playing in the water here; have you forgotten? There are a few depressions in the rock wall here that make it easy to get in and out, so every time she went into the water, it was in this fixed location.
"The tiny drawing on the map coincidentally marked this spot.
"Hiding an object underwater is the most concealed way. There’s a small rock pit underwater that they used for placing rewards during their swimming contests. I was just here on a hunch."
Liang Chen found it even more unbelievable: "How did you know that something could be hidden underwater? How did you know these secrets between them?"
He knew that Liang Ning loved playing in the water here, but even he was unaware that things could be hidden beneath the surface.
How did Pei Zhan pinpoint this place so quickly?
A person who was never in Liang Ning’s circle, how could he know so many details?!
"Where there’s a will, there’s a way."
Pei Zhan replied briefly and then took the dagger from his hand, examining the pattern on the hilt repeatedly. His expression gradually turned as dark as the cloud: "The pattern on this dagger is exactly like the drawing the girl gave me; she wasn’t lying. But now, I feel even more uneasy."
Liang Chen hesitated: "’The girl’? Who are you referring to?"
"The daughter of the Director of Rites—no, about to become the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Fu Jun."
Liang Chen hadn’t heard of her. Right now, of course, he was more concerned about this dagger: "Since this dagger truly exists and indeed passed through Aunt’s hands, then it ten to one confirms the alley murder case.
"You said the incident happened on the third night before Aunt died. Why at that specific time?"
"Indeed," Pei Zhan looked down at the blade still gleaming coldly in his hand, "The case itself is peculiar, and three days later, the Baihe Temple fire broke out. Coincidentally, it was her who encountered this murder case. Who could believe there’s no connection between these two incidents?"
Just as Pei Zhan was speaking, a disturbance suddenly arose somewhere behind.
Turning to look, he saw guards in the distance arguing with a young girl. His gaze fixed immediately: "She’s here."
Liang Chen narrowed his eyes: "Is that Miss Fu you mentioned?"
Pei Zhan looked over: "You know her?"
"No," Liang Chen slowly exhaled, "I just learned that you do."
With that, he immediately stepped forward: "Let’s go! Now I also have to meet this Miss Fu."
Before the dagger surfaced, he hadn’t questioned Liang Ning’s timeline, primarily because he wasn’t in the capital city when it happened, and even had the government’s conclusion. However unbelievable it was, he had no choice.
Yet, this dagger appeared with Liang Ning’s belongings, and behind it lay a mysterious murder case.
According to what Pei Zhan relayed about Miss Fu, after Liang Ning’s death, Mrs. Pei was the only known witness to this mysterious case, and perhaps the only outsider Liang Ning had encountered before her death.
Thus, Miss Fu and her mother were crucial to resolving the massive doubts rising in his heart!
"May I ask if you are Miss Fu?"
Liang Chen came forward and offered a polite greeting.
Fu Zhen had been watching him intently all along and returned the courtesy: "I am Fu Zhen. — Great General, I recognize you!"
Ever since she could remember, the first little playmate she recognized was Liang Chen.
"Chen Er, peel an orange for me!"
"Chen Er, help me with my homework!"
"This horse stance has made my legs feel like they’re going to waste away, I need to sit for a while! Chen Er, hurry and keep watch, see if your father is coming?..."
If Cheng Chili and Liang Zhi were her ultimate companions in mischief, then Liang Chen was the ultimate reliance after her playful antics.
This nephew of hers, who had almost grown up watching over her tied to his belt, how could she not recognize him?!
The last time, just seeing him from afar had her heart racing. Now he stood right in front of her, visible and tangible! Only heaven knew how much she wanted to throw herself onto his shoulder and cry her heart out, consequences be damned!