Chapter 151: The Mystery Deepens

“Mother!”

Lu Chang Qing wanted to say more.

But seeing his mother’s pale face, he finally held his tongue.

After all, it was just his suspicion. To anger his mother over it, he couldn’t bear to do that.

However, if it were proven that this matter was truly connected to Lu Ting En, he would not hesitate to disregard any father-son ties.

At that moment, Lord Lu was at the county office, having tea with Magistrate Qiao.

With Zhu Que (Vermilion Bird) still missing, and even after his arrival in Yun Tong County, there had been no sign of Zhu Que reporting to him, Lord Lu suspected something had happened to him.

“The Ye family’s massacre, has Magistrate Qiao made any headway in the investigation?”

Lord Lu asked, his tone casual but his eyes sharp.

Hearing this, Qiao Zheng Shan immediately stood up. With hands clasped and a deep bow, he respectfully replied:

“Your Lordship, Ye Da Cheng’s where abouts remain unknown. The county constable has searched far and wide but found no traces of the perpetrator.

This official suspects that their family of three was killed by mountain bandits.”

“Oh?”

Lord Lu narrowed his eyes, lightly tapping his fingers on the teacup. Slowly, he said,

“Mountain bandits are a possibility. But Yun Tong County has always enjoyed good security. Where would these bandits have come from?

You’ve held an official post for years. Though you may not have dealt with many major cases, you should know that investigations require thoroughness. You cannot jump to conclusions so easily.”

“Yes, Your Lordship. I understand!”

Sweat began to form on Qiao Zheng Shan’s palms.

The reason he wanted to attribute the case to mountain bandits was that his son, Qiao Zi Yu, was implicated.

As a father, he didn’t want his son’s future to be ruined by this.

Qiao Zi Yu was an excellent scholar, and the Qiao family had pinned their hopes on him to bring glory to their name.

However, given the Ye family’s close connection with the Lu family, if Lord Lu were to take a deep interest in the matter, it wouldn’t be easy to sweep it under the rug.

Just as he was worrying, Lord Lu said:

“This case falls under your jurisdiction in Yun Tong County. While the Ye family does have some ties to mine, it would be inappropriate for me to interfere. Magistrate, proceed with your investigation as you see fit.

In matters like this, consider who stands to gain the most. Those with the greatest benefit are often the most suspicious. You might start from there.”

“Thank you for your guidance, My Lord.”

Qiao Zheng Shan picked up the teapot and respectfully poured Lord Lu another cup of tea.

Lord Lu lifted the cup.

From what Qiao Zheng Shan had said, it seemed the county constables had not discovered any traces of Zhu Que. This eased his mind somewhat.

Zhu Que was, after all, an experienced operative and unlikely to make mistakes in such matters.

However, Lord Lu’s purpose in meeting Magistrate Qiao today was not limited to this.

After finishing the discussion about the Ye family, Lord Lu brought up another matter.

“You mentioned something in your previous letter, what exactly did you mean?” he asked.

Qiao Zheng Shan suddenly recalled the letter he had sent to Lord Lu earlier.

In the letter, he had informed Lord Lu about the annulled engagement with the Ye family and mentioned that the eldest daughter of the Ye family, Ye Xin Ran, bore a striking resemblance to Lady Lu.

He quickly replied, “Your Lordship, I had no other intentions. It’s just that the Ye family’s eldest daughter, Ye Xin Ran, has recently regained her looks and bears a strong resemblance to Lady Lu.

When I saw her that day, I was quite taken aback.

I merely feared that Ye Da Cheng might have tried to deceive you, so I took the liberty of informing you about this matter.”

In truth, Qiao Zheng Shan’s real motive was to preempt any displeasure from Lord Lu regarding the annulment of the engagement. He sought to highlight flaws in the Ye family to absolve himself of any responsibility.

After all, if he wished to advance his career, he needed Lord Lu’s favor and support.

Lord Lu’s expression remained indifferent as he asked, “I’ve heard that the Ye family’s eldest daughter had a disfigured face since she was very young. Has she truly regained her looks?”

“Yes, Your Lordship,” Qiao Zheng Shan replied. “This matter is indeed strange. When Ye Xin Ran was still unmarried, I saw her a few times, and at that time, her face was indeed disfigured.

However, after her marriage, she somehow found a secret remedy and managed to restore her face. Her restored appearance does indeed bear some resemblance to Lady Lu…”

As he spoke, Qiao Zheng Shan’s voice grew softer, sensing that Lord Lu wasn’t particularly interested in the topic.

This suggested that Lord Lu did not believe Ye Xin Ran to be the true daughter of the Lu family.

If so, his remark about Ye Xin Ran resembling Lady Lu might even be taken as an offense to the Marquis’s wife!

“I see,” Lord Lu said dismissively. “Who would have thought that a mere farm girl could harbor such cunning thoughts? But how could she possibly know what Lady Lu looks like?”

Qiao Zheng Shan’s heart skipped a beat.

“Your Lordship means…?”

Lu Ting En continued, “I’ve heard of a secret technique in the common folk. It involves reshaping one’s bones and grinding the skin to transform a person’s appearance into someone else’s.”

“That… that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

Qiao Zheng Shan was utterly shocked, never having considered such a possibility.

If Lord Lu’s speculation was correct, it would mean someone deliberately used such a method to have Ye Xin Ran infiltrate the Lu family.

If that were true, by sending a letter to the Lu family, hadn’t he inadvertently become an accomplice?

The thought sent chills down his spine.

“But given Ye Xin Ran’s current circumstances, where would she have found such a skilled expert?”

Qiao Zheng Shan still found it hard to believe.

“Why would she need to search?” Lord Lu sneered. “All she had to do was wait for someone to come looking for her.”

“Is that so?”

Qiao Zheng Shan finally grasped the implications, breaking into a cold sweat.

He regretted ever getting involved in this matter.

Fortunately, no irreversible mistakes had been made.

Otherwise, even if he had ten heads, they wouldn’t have been enough to save him.

“So, based on Your Lordship’s reasoning, should I investigate Ye Xin Ran more thoroughly?”

Although he had always had a favorable impression of Ye Xin Ran, when it came to his career prospects, he wouldn’t hesitate to make the right choice.

“That won’t be necessary,” Lord Lu replied. “After all, it’s just my speculation. However, County Magistrate Qiao, consider this: if the entire Ye family is dead, who else could possibly verify Ye Xin Ran’s true identity?”

Qiao Zheng Shan suddenly understood.

So that’s what it was!

He had initially thought that the “greatest beneficiary” Lord Lu had mentioned referred to those greedy relatives of the Ye family who were after their estate.

It had never crossed his mind that Lord Lu was implying the greatest beneficiary was Ye Xin Ran herself.

If all the Ye family members were dead, only Ye Xin Ran would be left to define her own identity.

If she wished to join the Marquis’s household, she could use her appearance to fabricate a tale of being the true daughter of the Marquis’s family, swapped at birth.

“But wouldn’t that be too risky?”

Qiao Zheng Shan muttered his thoughts aloud.

“If a blood test were conducted and proved her claim false, it would be seen as deliberately confusing the Marquis’s lineage, a crime punishable by death!”

“I told you, it’s just a hypothesis,” Lord Lu said calmly, taking a slow sip of tea.

“But if someone truly planned to do this, they would undoubtedly ensure every detail was fool proof.”

Qiao Zheng Shan couldn’t help but admire Lord Lu’s composure.

Faced with such a situation, Lord Lu was able to think so clearly and comprehensively.

What had initially seemed like a straightforward murder case had now taken an increasingly bizarre turn.

He called for the subordinate waiting outside and instructed him to notify Officer Li to closely monitor Ye Xin Ran’s recent activities.

“If anything unusual happens, report it immediately,” he commanded.