Chapter 472: Finding Doubts
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: End less Fantasy Translation
It was already late into the night, and Mo’er had intended to persuade Liu Shimei to rest early. However, when she turned around, she saw Liu Shimei staring at a section of documents, lost in thought for who knows how long!
Mo’er approached and glanced at the lines Liu Shimei was fixated on, clearly puzzled. “Miss, I don’t see anything unusual here. What are you thinking about?”
The page held nothing remarkable—it was merely a list of staff changes in the Jiuyun Courtyard over the past years.
Five years ago, Mo’er was as young as Liu Shimei and couldn’t comprehend many things. Consequently, she didn’t know much about these people.
Liu Shimei searched her memory and asked, “Mo’er, do you remember a follower of my brother named Wen Gui?”
“Wen Gui? Of course, I remember!” Mo’er nodded. “For a long time, the Young Master came to the Lotus Courtyard every day, staying overnight, teaching Eldest Miss to read and write. Wen Gui was always with him during those visits. I could never forget that.”
Liu Shimei continued, “So, where is this Wen Gui now? Why have I never seen him in the mansion?”
Her question had a loophole—implying that she hadn’t seen Wen Gui during her months in the Great Shu Dynasty. But Mo’er didn’t catch on, nor did she notice the problem. She pursed her lips, recollecting for a moment, then said, “Eldest Miss, you never paid attention to the comings and goings of a mere follower. At that time, the Young Master…”
Mentioning the events of that year, she was worried that Liu Shimei might feel upset, so she carefully observed her facial expression. Seeing that she was only deep in thought, without much sadness, Mo’er felt reassured and continued, “After the Eldest Young Master met with the accident, Wen Gui received a scolding from Master Grand Chancellor. After handling Master Grand Chancellor’s affairs, he was sent to guard the Liu family’s mausoleum.”
She pointed to the documents and said, “See, it’s written here.”
“The problem lies here!” Liu Shimei narrowed her eyes and asked, “How many tomb keepers does the Liu family have?”
Mo’er said confidently, “Just one! Guarding the tomb doesn’t require attending to the master, so one tomb keeper is… enough.”
She suddenly realized, her eyes widening, and she said, “Miss, I remember now. On the anniversary of the Eldest Young Master’s death, when we went to sweep the tomb, the tomb keeper wasn’t Wen Gui!”
Liu Shimei didn’t speak, her expression cold.
Mo’er also picked up on Liu Shimei’s suspicion and widened her eyes. “So, where did this Wen Gui go?”
She quickly reviewed the records of all the servants from the Jiuyun Courtyard in the documents. In shock, she discovered, “Eldest Miss, of the people who served in the Eldest Young Master’s courtyard back then and are still in the mansion now, not a single one remains!”
Even with careful consideration, one could identify the problem. No wonder Eldest Young Miss had been lost in thought for so long; she must have been pondering this issue.
Liu Shimei’s face darkened. She said, “Five years ago, both you and I were young, and many things aren’t deeply ingrained in our memories. Our judgment of people wasn’t mature either. Bring Nanny Li over; let’s thoroughly understand this matter.”
Mo’er hurriedly went to fetch Nanny Li. The three of them spent half an hour reviewing the whereabouts of the Jiuyun Courtyard’s servants. Lao Li was Liu Shimei’s nursemaid and had come with Liang Ruyi when she married into the Grand Chancellor’s Residence. She had been in the Grand Chancellor’s Residence for over 20 years and was quite familiar with the people there. Finally, they reached a conclusion. “The year the Eldest Young Master passed away unexpectedly, apart from the close attendants Wen Gui and Wu Qiang, there were also two maids and two young lads.. These six people, not a single one of them remains in the mansion today!”