Chapter 1640: Chapter 22: Home
The rain was pouring heavily that day.
It was as if a river in the heavens had burst its banks, and water was cascading down from the sky.
After so many years, many details have become blurred.
The only thing she remembered vividly was the heavy rain.
It was nighttime, and she was in her room copying Qi’s Law. Having played wildly during the day, she always had to make up for her studies at night to avoid being scolded by her father.
The nurse was by her side, stitching shoe soles to accompany her.
The sound of rain was rushing outside, and occasionally a flash of lightning illuminated the window, accompanied by the rumbling of thunder.
So when the urgent knocking at the door sounded, she didn’t hear it immediately.
It wasn’t until the knocking continued for a while that the nurse stood up to open the door.
She curiously looked outside, because her father had said he wouldn’t be back for a few days.
Who could it be so late at night?
She wasn’t afraid of bad people; no bad person would dare come to her house; her father was the one who caught bad people.
The moment the nurse opened the door, she only heard a "bang" sound—
A dark shadow fell into the house.
The shadow lay on its back on the ground, eyes tightly closed, lips purple, with a large cut on the neck, the blood not yet drained...
Her father was back.
Later, a pair of hands covered her eyes.
Grandpa Wu seemed to be angrily scolding something.
She couldn’t hear anything at all.
Her ears were buzzing, and then came the thunderous booming again.
Her vision wasn’t pitch black, but crimson.
There was blood everywhere...
That bloody, grim wound has remained in her sight for so many years.
She could always see it.
They said her father committed suicide...
They said the best arrest officer in the world, unable to solve a case, committed suicide out of fear of responsibility.
But she only remembered her father saying that the honor of the Green Badge was worth defending with everything in one’s life.
When many voices began to quarrel again.
Lin Youxie opened her eyes in the darkness.
She calmly sat up, got out of bed, and in the pitch-black room, walked to the table by the wall.
Her "boudoir" should be different from any other woman’s residence in the world, filled with bottles and jars, various dossiers, Legalist classics, and some peculiar "evidence."
But it was not chaotic.
Everything was categorized and arranged neatly and orderly.
Her father said that things must be done methodically. No matter how complicated a case is, as long as all its details are categorized and organized, the truth becomes apparent.
She was obedient.
She diligently studied Qi’s Law and didn’t indulge in play for many years.
Her heart was pounding fast and hard, so she proportionately mixed some medicinal herbs and began grinding them.
The pestle in the stone mortar...
Thud thud thud, thud thud thud.
...
...
From Gongsun Yu’s demeanor, it was clear he knew something.
But since he was unwilling to speak, Jiang Wang didn’t want to force him.
Everyone has their own choices; you may be right, but that doesn’t mean others are wrong.
Imposing one’s thoughts on others is the greatest of demons.
Perhaps someone unscrupulous could pry some information from Gongsun Yu, no more than Yang Jing could keep him, but if Jiang Wang were willing to be unscrupulous, why bother coming to Gongsun Yu?
The differences between people ultimately lie in what they choose to do and not do.
When he returned to Linzi, the day was already breaking.
Under the cover of the Shadow Guard, Jiang Wang quietly returned to his residence, as if nothing had ever happened.
This night, he indeed gained nothing.
He was not disheartened.
Gongsun Yu’s circumstances in themselves were a clue.
As a disciple of the School of Names with his tongue severed, and as the confidant of the Longevity Palace Master choosing to live in seclusion, this could not be without cause.
When did he leave the Long Life Palace? What happened there during that time?
There can’t be many things that would force Gongsun Yu into such a predicament.
The answer lies within the suffering.
The Shadow Guard’s investigation would require some time, and there were no messages coming from the Beiyaduwei side. Jiang Wang practiced quietly in the mansion until the housekeeper came to remind him of the time, and then he leisurely left the door.
Longsword on his left waist, white jade on his right, wearing a green robe, he was truly a fine youth of Linzi.
The carriage was long prepared, and once Jiang Wang boarded, the driver whipped the horse straight towards the Crushing City Marquis Mansion.
A few days ago, Li Longchuan had casually mentioned inviting him over for a meal today. Since he had already agreed, Jiang Wang would not break his promise easily.
When reaching the Marquis Mansion, the carriage came to a halt. Though the driver was newly hired, he had been specially trained by the housekeeper to understand the rules and went forward with a name card.
The Marquis Mansion had already sent people to greet him at the door: "Is it someone from the household of the Samurai with the Golden Melon?"
Seeing Jiang Wang emerge from the carriage, they quickly called out, "Sir! Our young master instructed to have you come in directly as soon as you arrive."
The manager led Jiang Wang and simultaneously called someone to attend to the carriage driver from the old Jiang Family.
It wasn’t his first time visiting the Marquis Mansion, so Jiang Wang followed the path with ease, traveling only a few steps before a valiant young man, with a jade belt wrapped around his forehead, strode out briskly.
"Brother Jiang!" he waved warmly, smiling brightly.
Jiang Wang smiled back, "You said it would just be a casual meal, why such a formal welcome?"
"I can’t help it," Li Longchuan joked sourly, "To navigate officialdom, one must know how to flatter. Now that I’ve become an official, I have to consider my future... You’re a Third-rank Samurai with the Golden Melon!"
In terms of being sarcastic, he still lags behind Xu Gaoe.
Jiang Wang didn’t bother to engage with his quip, and looked around: "Who else is coming today?"
Li Longchuan pulled his arm, dragging him inside: "Just you!"
As he was being tugged along to walk briskly, Jiang Wang found the time to ask, "Come to think of it, we could have had the meal anywhere else; why did it have to be at your house?"
