Chapter 15

Yan Fang paused, scratching his head. “Miss Yun, why are you asking about this case? Don’t tell me you know Lady Luo?”

“No.”

After what happened yesterday, Yun Shuang felt there was no need to hide her true motives. She turned and pointed at the wall surrounded by people. “There’s a missing person notice on that wall, isn’t there? I’m interested in the thousand-tael reward.”

Ah, that explains it! Though this Miss Yun was a bit greedy, she was forthright about it, which made her hard to dislike.

Yan Fang’s expression shifted into one of sudden realization. “I came into town today specifically because of that case, so I know quite a bit about it. Miss Yun, you’ve heard of the Luo family from Shanyang County, right?”

When the original host was bedridden, Sister Hua frequently visited and shared all the neighborhood gossip. With the Luo family being somewhat legendary, the original host had certainly heard of them.

The Luo family was one of the leading merchant families in Shanyang County, with textile businesses spread across the Da Qi empire. Their rise, however, had only happened in the past few decades—once, they were just a humble cloth dealer. Around twenty years ago, Luo Dafu, the then-head of the family, brought a shipment of fabric to Shanyang for trade. Just as fate would have it, the Jinmeng Kingdom from the north launched an invasion. The summer garrison failed to hold the final defensive line, allowing Jinmeng’s cavalry to occupy the region for a month briefly.

During that month, the people of Xiazhou suffered terribly, subjected to Jinmeng soldiers’ looting, burning, and killing. Luo Dafu was caught in the chaos. He narrowly escaped death thanks to a clever young woman who hid him in her family’s cellar. They endured the month there until reinforcements arrived and drove the Jinmeng army out.

Having spent such a long time alone together—and both unmarried—sparks naturally flew between them. After leaving the cellar, Luo Dafu immediately sent word to his family and prepared a generous dowry to propose marriage to her.

After marrying, it seemed the heavens smiled upon them. The textile business flourished rapidly, becoming one of the most recognized cloth merchants in the south. Their marriage was sweet and harmonious, and within a couple of years, they had a daughter. Anyone who saw their life would be envious.

But misfortune struck. Luo Dafu’s wife had been frail since childhood. After giving birth, her health deteriorated further, and by the time their daughter was five years old, she had passed away.

Luo Dafu was heartbroken, vowing never to remarry and to raise his only daughter on his own. He had always wanted to settle back in Shanyang County to honor the memory of his late wife, but with the border regions in constant turmoil, he feared a repeat of what had happened twenty years ago and held off.

It wasn’t until four years ago, perhaps feeling the effects of age, that his desire to settle in Shanyang grew stronger. Coincidentally, he heard that a fierce new general had taken command in Xiazhou. After discussing it with his daughter and making all necessary preparations, the father and daughter bought a residence in Shanyang and moved there.

A year ago, Luo Dafu passed away from chronic illness, leaving only Lady Luo and the son-in-law he had personally selected for her two years prior—Fan Youliang. Yet just five days ago, Lady Luo mysteriously vanished during an outing and hasn’t been seen since.

The missing person notice on the wall over there was written and posted by Fan Youliang himself. It’s said the reward has risen steadily from its original 500 taels to the current 1,000—but there’s still no trace of Lady Luo.

Lady Luo disappeared while visiting the Guanyin Temple outside town. The border areas are less secure than elsewhere, with threats not only from the ever-watchful Jinmeng Kingdom but also roaming bandits. Many in town suspect Lady Luo was kidnapped, and with so many days passed, the outlook seems grim.

After hearing Yan Fang’s explanation, Yun Shuang’s eyes flickered as she asked, “With the Luo family being so wealthy, Lady Luo wouldn’t have gone to the temple without protection, right?”

Yan Fang nodded quickly. “Naturally. It’s said that Lady Luo went to the temple to pray for a child. Her husband, Fan Youliang, was originally supposed to go with her, but a problem arose at one of the cloth shops he had to deal with. Feeling guilty, he personally selected a team of guards to escort her.”

“How did Lady Luo go missing? Didn’t the guards notice anything?”

“They said that midway through the journey, Lady Luo mentioned feeling thirsty. But as it turned out, the water flask they had prepared was empty. So she asked the group to stop and sent her personal maid, Lianxin, to ask villagers nearby for water. While waiting for Lianxin to return, Lady Luo stepped down from the carriage, saying she wanted to take a walk in the woods. The guards tried to follow, but she insisted on going alone and promised not to wander far—if there was danger, she would shout for help. So the guards stayed back as ordered. But…”

Yun Shuang’s voice turned calm. “But Lady Luo simply vanished without a trace.”

“Exactly!”

Yan Fang nodded vigorously, looking baffled. “Miss Yun, don’t you think this is strange? They say the guards waited about a quarter of an hour, and when Lady Luo still hadn’t returned, they grew uneasy and sent someone to look for her. Once they realized she was missing, they immediately rallied the nearby villagers to help with the search. The Luo family reported it right away, and by that afternoon, nearly every inch of the area had been turned over. Yet—not even a single strand of Lady Luo’s hair was found! Only fifteen minutes! Even if she was kidnapped, in that short time, how far could they possibly have gone? How is it that not even the smallest trace remains?”

Yun Shuang replied, “There’s another detail that raises concern.”

Yan Fang leaned in curiously. “What is it?”

“You said Lady Luo has been missing for five days now, correct?”

Yun Shuang continued, “But in all that time, the Luo family hasn’t received any ransom letter.”

Yan Fang froze, scratching his head again. “Maybe the criminal didn’t want money… maybe it was, uh, about desire? I mean, they say Lady Luo isn’t a breathtaking beauty, but she’s a charming young lady.”

Yun Shuang lifted a brow. “That may be true. But there’s another possibility—that her disappearance was intentional. Orchestrated.”

There’s also the darker theory: that she encountered a killer who targets women. But that seems unlikely—there haven’t been any recent cases like that nearby.

Yan Fang’s eyes suddenly lit up. “That’s exactly what the General said earlier!”

Yun Shuang paused—The General? That difficult man from yesterday? He’s here too?

Come to think of it, Yan Fang had mentioned he came into town specifically for this case. Could this missing person investigation be connected to themin some way?

Before Yun Shuang could ask, a cold, commanding voice rang out like thunder in winter—“Yan Fang, watch your tongue. These matters aren’t for outsiders to know.”

Yun Shuang’s eyes narrowed slightly as she turned toward the county office entrance.

There stood a towering, mountain-like figure—a man with a strikingly handsome but utterly unreadable face. His hawk-like eyes flicked briefly across Yun Shuang’s figure before withdrawing, and with just that glance, it felt as if an entire army were bearing down on her.

Yan Fang instinctively straightened up and shouted, “Yes, General!”

While doing so, he shot Yun Shuang a series of exaggerated winks—perfectly demonstrating divided loyalties.

Yun Shuang ignored him, turned to face the man, bowed gracefully, and said calmly, “This humble woman greets the General. But with all due respect, I cannot agree with your statement.”