A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 23

The Flower-Picking Thief, Part Four

An Unspeakable Clue

Hearing that the flower-picking thief¹ had appeared in Qingyuan, Feng Xin rushed to Qingyuan County without a moment’s rest. Right now, he was just waiting to rendezvous with the yamen’s bailiffs so they could hunt down the criminal together.

            

Shen Hetang followed Advisor Fan into the main hall and saw a young man pacing back and forth. His features were handsome and martial, righteous in bearing—one look was enough to tell he was born for this line of work.

“Head Bailiff Feng, you have been kept waiting. This is our Qingyuan County’s Bailiff Shen. From here on out, he will guide you and work the case alongside you,” Advisor Fan introduced straight to the point.

“This humble one is Feng Xin from Fengyang County. I hope for Advisor Fan and Bailiff Shen’s generous assistance so that together, we can bring that vile thief to justice.” Head Bailiff Feng bowed slightly and cupped his fist in greeting, genuine emotion clearly audible in his tone.

            

“Rest assured, Head Bailiff Feng. Qingyuan County will cooperate fully, and we will absolutely bring this criminal to justice,” Shen Hetang quickly declared, seeing that Advisor Fan intended for the two of them to handle the case together.

“Alright then, go do whatever it is you need to do! Just remember to act with caution.” It was good to have young people around; there was always someone eager to snatch up the work, unlike an old bag of bones like himself, whose spirit was willing but flesh was weak.

“Yes,” she and Feng Xin replied in unison.

            

Head Bailiff Feng took the new case in Qingyuan County very seriously, poring over the files and testimonies in meticulous detail. Shen Hetang watched him flutter about anxiously like an ant on a hot pan.

It was entirely understandable, though. After all, one only knows the pain when the knife cuts their own flesh. But this kind of frantic rushing was futile; they still had to analyze the details one by one.

And so, for the entire afternoon, she and Head Bailiff Feng searched for the flower-picking thief’s modus operandi. In the end, all they figured out was that he preferred unmarried girls between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, and that he had a twisted penchant for carving characters into them. If he had any humanity left, it was that he didn’t like to kill. None of the ruined girls had died by his hand directly, though some had subsequently taken their own lives. These lost young lives, of course, also had to be counted on his head.

            

After a busy afternoon with Head Bailiff Feng, the bright moon was already hanging high in the sky by the time Shen Hetang went home.

Things were well at home; they had obediently locked the main gates. After she knocked, Zhuzi, hearing that the master of the house had returned, hurriedly opened the door and welcomed her in.

“Did anyone go out today?” Shen Hetang asked casually.

            

“Only this humble one went out to buy a few days’ worth of groceries. Everyone else remained inside,” Zhuzi replied earnestly.

“Mm!” She gave a slight nod.

It was already past the time to light the candles, yet Shen Hetang had still not returned. Jiang Chenyu had no choice but to sit on a low stool beside the bed and wait for her.

            

Pushing the door open and stepping a few paces into the room, Shen Hetang saw her draped in a sheer, light pink gauze robe. Beneath the gauze, she wore a cool, revealing bandeau and shorts. It was the height of summer and the weather was scorching, so dressing like this in the bedroom wasn’t a big deal.

A lantern was lit on the vanity table within the alcove of the canopy bed, its light illuminating Jiang Chenyu as she sat low to the ground, fiddling with assorted bottles and jars. The glow cast her in a delicate, moving light that inspired a tender fondness.

She appeared to be applying nail polish² to her toes. Each pale, delicate little toe was wrapped up like a tiny zongzi dumpling—bright green and square-shaped. She remained completely oblivious to the fact that her sheer robe had ridden all the way up to her thighs.

            

“Ah Tang, you’re finally back! Quick, give me a hand, I can’t get up.” Jiang Chenyu had only painted her nails on a whim out of sheer boredom. Having sat on the low stool for so long, her legs had gone numb.

Her coquettish tone was like soft pastry soaked in honey—sweet and delicate, but not cloying.

Shen Hetang had never seen nails dyed this way before. Finding it novel, she lingered on her toes for an extra second or two before reaching out to pull her up.

            

“I had the kitchen save some late-night supper for you. Wait right here for a moment.” As Jiang Chenyu spoke, she moved to open the door.

“Wait a second. Put on some clothes.” Shen Hetang stared at Jiang Chenyu’s outfit, which revealed her front and back right through the fabric, and felt a headache coming on. Did this girl not own a single garment meant for a proper woman from a good family? Every piece she wore was a scandal to public morals!

Even if it was sleepwear, it didn’t need to be quite so breezy. There were still other men living in this courtyard. Shen Hetang felt as if she were turning into a prude.

            

Jiang Chenyu abruptly realized that her current attire wasn’t suitable for leaving the room. She secretly stuck out her tongue, hurriedly changed into another outfit, and headed to the kitchen.

By the time Jiang Chenyu returned with the supper, Shen Hetang was already sitting obediently at the dining table, waiting. Smelling the aroma, she turned her head to see what had been brought in. That afternoon, everyone had just haphazardly filled their stomachs with two steamed buns; now, she was genuinely starving!

On the wooden tray sat two exquisite lotus leaf plates. Palm-sized and emerald green with curled edges, they were a feast for the eyes alone.

            

One held an egg yolk and pork zongzi, and the other contained crispy glutinous rice cakes. Beside them rested a bowl of cold, sweet mung bean soup.

“Eat first. I’ll go tell Chuntao to pour your bathwater.”

“Many thanks, Ah Yu. This supper looks delicious.” Shen Hetang picked up a piece of the zongzi and popped it into her mouth. The savory richness of the egg yolk, the soft chewiness of the glutinous rice, and the tender succulence of the braised pork all bloomed across her palate at once. It truly chased away the exhaustion of the day. Her eyes lit up like a greedy cat’s.

            

“Even if you like it, you can only eat one. It’s too late at night. If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve been working so hard recently, I wouldn’t let you eat such salty and sweet things for supper.” Seeing him eat so happily, Jiang Chenyu felt that all the trouble was worth it.

“But… why don’t you call me by my nickname?” she suddenly asked, looking at the person eating.

“Ah? …Well, Chenyu sounds very nice too. Ah Yu sounds very nice too. Hmm… Xiao Yu isn’t bad either!” Shen Hetang played dumb, stuffing pastry into her mouth. In truth, she was just too embarrassed to use overly intimate terms of address.

            

“Hmph…!” Jiang Chenyu secretly rolled her eyes at him and swayed out of the room.

The sparse starlight of the night was suddenly obscured by rolling black clouds. A cool wind whipped up out of nowhere, rattling the window frames and blowing the thin curtains of the canopy bed so that they drifted wildly in the air.

Shen Hetang, wearing brocade sleeping robes and trousers, didn’t feel cold. Jiang Chenyu pulled the thin quilt higher over both of them; she was having trouble falling asleep.

            

Outside the window, the pitter-patter escalated into a torrential downpour in a mere instant. Shen Hetang glanced toward the window; seeing that there was nothing beneath it that could get ruined, she didn’t bother closing it, finding the current breeze rather refreshing.

“I’m a little scared. Miss Qian’s words keep echoing in my head. What should I do? Can you come a bit closer?” Jiang Chenyu murmured, her fingers tugging at Shen Hetang’s lapels, her unease palpable.

“How about… you come closer?” Jiang Chenyu had, after all, made an effort for the commoners of Qingyuan County, so shouldn’t she comfort her a little?

            

“Mm, okay!” Hearing Shen Hetang tell her to come closer, she immediately shifted her position higher. Turning her face, she pressed it right into the crook of Shen Hetang’s neck, one hand resting naturally on her waist.

“I just said to come closer, I didn’t tell you to lie on top of me!” Shen Hetang felt like the girl was a rabbit, darting over in a flash and pressing half her body weight onto her. She shifted her neck uncomfortably.

“Miss Qian said a lot of things today. I just remembered an important clue, but I forgot to tell you.” Jiang Chenyu ignored what he said, simply burying her head in his shoulder to change the subject. Yet, she didn’t know how to voice what she had to say next.

            

There had been too many people around during the day for her to tell him, but it had suddenly sprung back to mind.

“What clue?” Hearing there was a clue, Shen Hetang dropped her teasing mood and asked seriously.

“It’s just… it’s just… I don’t know how to say it.” Looking somewhat reluctant, she lifted her face, sitting up straight to look at Shen Hetang.

            

“Just say it directly.” Shen Hetang sat up as well. The two sat facing each other in the pitch-black night, unable to see each other’s faces clearly, only making out rough silhouettes. Still, she reached out and wrapped the thin quilt around Chenyu. After all, this midnight breeze was chilling, and bean-sized raindrops were steadily pelting against the door panels.

“Miss Qian said that when that thug defiled her, it felt… cold!” Fortunately, the night was pitch-black, hiding the scarlet flush on her cheeks. In truth, her understanding of the matter was only half-baked, but she still had a vague inkling of what it meant.

“What was cold?” Shen Hetang listened in total confusion.

            

“I don’t know either. Miss Qian just said that when the flower-picking thief abused her, she felt a very cold object—it didn’t feel like the temperature of human skin!” She didn’t have a thorough grasp on the matters between men and women. Miss Qian had merely said that when the thief entered her, she felt a coldness and pain. She hadn’t asked in detail about where he entered or how.

“Are you saying this flower-picking thief is impotent? And used a jade phallus³?” Shen Hetang’s heart skipped a beat. This was a crucial clue.

“I didn’t say it, Miss Qian did!” she retorted, puffing out her cheeks in the dark.

            

“Alright, alright, Miss Qian said it. That means this flower-picking thief is highly likely to be akin to a eunuch, or perhaps he suffered an injury that left him impotent. I’ll report this clue to the yamen tomorrow.” She committed this vital piece of information to memory.

“What’s a jade phallus?” Jiang Chenyu asked, her tone ringing with pure, unblemished curiosity.

Shen Hetang’s train of thought was instantly derailed. Dark lines practically dropped down the side of her forehead like an anime character.

            

“You’re a proper young lady, why are you asking about such things? It’s nothing good. If we can bring this vicious thief to justice, you’ll have earned merit for it too. Once my rest day⁴ comes around, how about I take you out to play?” She smoothly changed the subject.

“Really? That’s wonderful! You promised, so you’re not allowed to deceive me.” Both her preceding curiosity and her fear of the flower-picking thief were completely vanquished by the thought of going out to play.

In the dark of the night, the young girl’s eyes shone like little stars. After being coaxed with a couple of sweet words, she peacefully fell asleep. Shen Hetang tucked the quilt securely around her, then pulled away to put a little distance between them.

            

The yamen’s screening operations were in full swing. Perhaps the flower-picking thief had caught wind of it, as he had remained quiet for a long while recently. However, according to Head Bailiff Feng’s analysis, the thief could lay low for half a month at most. Ever since the very first case, this wicked criminal had struck almost every six or seven days. In the short span of two months, he had committed nearly ten offenses.

Moreover, his high skills bred immense audacity, causing endless headaches for the two or three surrounding counties. To this day, they had failed to catch his trail.

Therefore, based on the timeline of Miss Qian’s victimization, it was highly likely that this vile thief would target his next victim within the next day or two. The yamen had already dispatched men to secretly lay an inescapable net around the few households in the county town that housed young, beautiful girls.

            

They had even borrowed a considerable number of bailiffs from the neighboring county to prepare an encirclement.

Over on the other side, Li Qingmei had recently gained a new suitor: a scholar whose appearance was decent enough. That day, she had gone to buy some rouge and powder, but just as she was about to pay, she found that her purse was missing. Seeing that she couldn’t produce any silver, the woman selling the rouge instantly switched to a sharp, caustic expression.

Fortunately, she ran into the scholar, who was buying fragrant balm for his mother. The goods he selected were all top-tier; one look was enough to tell he was a young master from a wealthy family. Seeing her predicament, he took the initiative to pay the silver for her. He even told her it was a mere one tael of silver and not to take it to heart, leaving her feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

            

That one tael of silver had been the private allowance Wu Daoyuan had given her. That old thing had used the opportunity to stroke her hand again, taking half a day to let go. For the sake of the silver, she had endured it.

Later, the scholar also ran into her two more times. The two of them smiled at each other in mutual understanding, declaring it to be fate. Even though her heart was still fixated on the handsome young master next door, she knew that her brother-in-law wouldn’t be easy to win over. The scholar in front of her was also a pretty good choice.

She knew that if she went through the Wu family through normal channels, her marriage probably wouldn’t go smoothly. Even if Wu Daoyuan agreed, he might demand a hefty bride price that would scare the scholar away.

            

As such, Li Qingmei secretly met with him a couple of times. The scholar had invited her to go on a spring outing tomorrow, saying they would discuss the matters of a marriage proposal. She prepared for it with secret delight.

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