Chapter 17

Yun Shuang watched them closely, her eyes gleaming with subtle awareness. It seemed these two were servants of the Luo family—and the young woman was none other than Lianxin, Lady Luo’s personal maid, as Vice Captain Yan had mentioned earlier.

Lady Luo, being the only daughter of Luo Dafu, naturally had more than one maidservant, but Lianxin was handpicked by Lady Luo’s mother before her passing and had been by her side since childhood. Their bond resembled that of sisters more than master and servant.

The male servant behind her turned pale at the sight of General Jiang Xiao.

During Luo Dafu’s life, the General had visited the Luo residence annually—so the servant knew him well. He dropped to his knees and stammered, “My lord… I greet the General! Please, General, believe me—our master never ordered a coffin in advance. Yesterday, he passed by a coffin shop and asked a casual question. But that conniving shopkeeper later showed up at our door offering to build one! I swear by Heaven, our master never intended to arrange a coffin. He just asked on a whim…”

Yun Shuang nearly chuckled at that excuse, and Lianxin’s face darkened with fury. Just as she opened her mouth to snap back, Yun Shuang spoke up with a cool, sarcastic tone: “Ah, yes—like passing a bun shop and asking the price of buns. Just curiosity. Certainly not because you were hungry and wanted one.”

Her tone dripped with irony—so pointed even the deaf might catch it.

The male servant turned even paler, fumbling for words but falling silent.

Lianxin gave Yun Shuang a surprised look. She didn’t understand who this woman was or why she stood by Jiang Xiao’s side, but her words clearly aligned with Lianxin’s. Gratitude flickered on her face. She bit her lip and said, “Exactly! That man Fan—he thinks his schemes are invisible, but we see right through him. He’s always been good at pretending, grew up alongside Lady Luo, and fooled both her and Master Luo. But barely a year after Master Luo’s passing, his fox tail starts showing! General, I must also report that Fan Youliang has kept affairs with other women for years! This time, he’s schemed against our lady to seize the Luo family fortune and run off with his lover…”

Before she could finish, the male servant nearly leapt with shock. “Please—don’t make wild accusations! When has our master ever been involved with other women? Lady Luo’s disappearance has nothing to do with him…”

“Then why won’t Fan Youliang allow anyone into their room since she vanished? He says it’s to preserve her scent. Who’s he trying to fool with that act? If he pretends to be loving for too long, he might just convince himself!”

Lianxin glared daggers at him. After her fierce declaration, she turned and bowed deeply to Jiang Xiao, her voice shaking: “General, I beg you—please speak up for our lady! It’s been days, and the county office hasn’t even found a shred of her clothing! I’m afraid that she’s been harmed. Who knows what suffering she’s enduring right now…”

Just then, two figures rushed out from the county office. Leading them was a nervous-looking man in his forties or fifties, small and thin, with a long, narrow face and a pair of goat-like mustaches. He wore the blue robes of an official and a black gauze hat.

Having heard Lianxin’s accusations, he turned quickly to Jiang Xiao. “General, I’ve already dispatched everyone in the office to search for Lady Luo! Even Captain Yang, who retired months ago to enjoy his grandchildren, was summoned back! I swear—I’ve done everything possible!”

Beside him stood a baby-faced youth dressed in constable uniform. He nodded vigorously and added, “That’s right—Magistrate Ding has worked really hard! If we haven’t found Lady Luo, it’s because we lack the skills—not because he neglected the case!”

Everyone present: “…”

Magistrate Ding’s face twitched violently. He turned and reflexively aimed a kick at the boy. “Yang Yuanyi, you little brat! Will it kill you to say one less word?”

Yang Yuanyi nimbly dodged the blow, innocent-faced. “Magistrate Ding, why are you angry? What did I say that was wrong? We’ve sent everyone out for five days and still haven’t found Lady Luo—not even a clue whether she’s alive or dead. If that’s not incompetence, what is? Even the General won’t believe it!”

Magistrate Ding: “…” Not firing that brat the moment he stepped foot in the office was the biggest mistake he’d ever made.

Beside her, Yun Shuang muttered silently, “…Can this county office in Shanyang really be trusted?”

Just then, Jiang Xiao—who had been silent all this time—cast a stern glance at Magistrate Ding and Yang Yuanyi.

Magistrate Ding, who had looked ready to explode earlier, immediately withered under the look, glaring at Yang Yuanyi with all his might before shutting his mouth obediently.

Only then did Jiang Xiao speak: “I’m available this afternoon. Let’s visit the Luo residence.”

His words were directed at Lianxin and the servant standing next to her.

Lianxin’s face instantly lit up with joy.

Magistrate Ding quickly chimed in, “Since it concerns the case… I’ll join you too!”

Jiang Xiao ignored him and strode forward without replying.

Yun Shuang hadn’t expected things to progress so quickly. She grabbed Goudan’s hand and followed closely.

Shopping could wait. That thousand taels of silver was far more pressing.

Magistrate Ding stared blankly at the mother and son trailing after Jiang Xiao, utterly confused as to when this unfamiliar woman had joined the General’s entourage.

Yun Shuang, hand in hand with Goudan, walked up beside Lianxin and said casually, “You’re Lady Luo’s personal maid, so you must know her well. Do you know what her relationship with Mr. Fan was like before?”

Lianxin stared at her in surprise. Who exactly is this woman? It was one thing for her to follow along, but now she was probing into Lady Luo’s private affairs?

Yun Shuang smiled lightly, glancing subtly at Jiang Xiao walking just behind them. “I saw Mr. Fan’s missing person notice. The General is compassionate and took pity on a mother with two children, so he permitted me to help with the investigation. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Vice Captain Yan.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was just enough for Jiang Xiao to hear clearly. He gave her a cool glance but said nothing.

Lianxin glanced between Jiang Xiao and Yun Shuang, still uncertain, and was about to respond when a lazy, swaggering figure pushed through the group.

“Well now, I was wondering who this pretty lady was following the General—it’s the thousand taels that brought you, huh? You’ve got quite the pull, getting the General himself to let you join the investigation!”

It was Yang Yuanyi. He stood with his sword hugged in his arms, chatting with Yun Shuang like they were old friends. Then he turned to Lianxin with a cheeky grin. “Lianxin, we meet again. Still as beautiful as before! Actually, if you hadn’t shown up, Magistrate Ding and I were already planning to visit the Luo residence.”

Lianxin responded coldly, “Even if you visit our home a hundred times, it won’t matter if you don’t find our lady. As for this lady…”

Ignoring Yang Yuanyi, she addressed Yun Shuang directly: “If you’re really involved in the investigation with the General’s permission, then I’ll tell you everything I know. Our lady and Mr. Fan had a very good relationship. That Fan fellow had a slick tongue from a young age and always knew how to make her laugh. Otherwise, our lady would never have chosen him as her husband out of the three suitors Master Luo had carefully selected for her.”