pdf-ebookys Chapter 388 The Way to Treat Guests in the Boudoir
Chapter 388 The Way to Treat Guests in the Boudoir
In the end, the two traveled all over the place but only found forty-two people.
Of the fifty-three people who left their place of settlement in early September of the ninth year of the Xuanhe era, only forty-two eventually returned.
The other eleven never returned.
Local villagers have also reported the cases to the police, but so far they have all been classified as missing persons and none of them have been found.
Zhao Xuan randomly selected five people from the forty-two to secretly test, and all of them were skilled in martial arts.
After completing the investigation, Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua decided to return to the inn where they were temporarily staying to further summarize the clues they had found.
Zhao Xuan spread out the completed chart on the table and pointed to a line of numbers written on it:
Eleven people are missing.
"Since all eleven people who have been missing since disappeared in early September of the ninth year of Xuanhe, which was just before the mission was attacked, do you think they might be related to the attack on the mission?"
Gu Zhanghua nodded solemnly and stated his judgment.
"I think... they must have died in the fighting with the mission's guards and the Vietnamese army!"
"If your statement is true, then where did their bodies go?"
"Perhaps it was taken away, or perhaps it was buried somewhere near where the mission was attacked."
Gu Zhanghua then thought of a few more suspicious points and mentioned them all at once.
"Sister Xuan, before Teacher Yang arrived at the scene with his bodyguards, it was the prefect of Fucheng who received the report and was the first to arrive with his constables. They rescued me first and then protected the scene from being disturbed. Teacher Yang and his men arrived shortly afterward..."
Zhao Xuan immediately understood the meaning behind Gu Zhanghua's words and hurriedly asked him for clarification.
"You mean, there was something wrong with that prefect of Fucheng back then?"
"It's hard to say whether the former prefect of Fucheng had any problems, but there's definitely something wrong with this Fuze Relief Home! Sister Xuan, I think we must go and meet with that Li Chongxi again!"
"Could she have already escaped?"
Gu Zhanghua sneered.
"Did they escape or not? Why don't we go and see for ourselves?"
A few days later, Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua arrived at the main branch of the Fuze Relief Home in Jing'an Prefecture.
This was Zhao Xuan's first time here, though it wasn't exactly her first time.
Because she and her father Huang Shuo stayed at an inn in Jing'an Prefecture last time, Huang Shuo was worried about her safety, so he came to the main hospital alone and found Dean Li Chongxi to look for clues.
Zhao Xuan herself had never been to the main hospital, nor had she ever met Li Chongxi.
It was midday, and the two followed the boy on duty through the gate. The sweltering heat of midsummer was immediately shielded by the shade of the towering trees in the courtyard, and they felt refreshed all over.
In addition, the children in the welfare home should have been taking their afternoon nap at this time, and the surroundings were quiet.
The two were taken by the boy to a dwelling in the backyard, and only then did they realize something was amiss.
This is clearly not a place for entertaining guests; it's more like a woman's boudoir.
Against the wall in the room stood a canopy bed with curtains embroidered with elegant orchids.
A pear wood carved dressing table was placed not far from the bed.
On the dressing table were several boxes of rouge and powder, as well as a small, exquisite silver comb, which could be used to comb hair or as a hairpin.
On the table in the middle is a teapot and four teacups. One of the teacups still has tea in it, and the edge of the teacup is slightly red, like lip rouge that a woman accidentally smeared on while drinking tea.
Receiving guests in one's own private room—what kind of hospitality is that?!
Seeing the two looking puzzled, the boy quickly explained with a smile.
“Our dean once instructed that whenever a stranger came to visit her, they should be taken to her residence.”
"Why is this?"
Gu Zhanghua was even more confused and hurriedly asked.
"I was unaware..."
The boy smiled apologetically at the two of them.
“Our dean rarely leaves the house, and no outsiders have come to visit him for many years. However, a while ago, an old friend came to visit. He was a Mr. Huang, and I was the one who received him. Since Mr. Huang left, the dean has given this instruction.”
Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua exchanged a glance and instantly understood that the Mr. Huang the boy was talking about must be Huang Shuo.
"Please have a seat, both of you. I will go and inform the dean immediately."
Gu Zhanghua said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, young friend."
The boy bowed to the two men and then withdrew.
After the boy left, Zhao Xuan quietly told Gu Zhanghua her guess.
"Could it be that when Father came to see her last time, he made some private agreement with her? No way, if he did, Father would definitely have told me that she didn't even know who would be coming to see her, so she instructed in advance to bring the guest to her bedroom. This woman is really strange."
The room was simply furnished, without any superfluous or luxurious decorations.
As Zhao Xuan walked and looked around, she saw Gu Zhanghua staring at a painting hanging on the wall, and he exclaimed "Eh!"
Zhao Xuan quickly walked to Gu Zhanghua's side, looked at the painting as well, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Gu Zhanghua pointed to the painting on the wall.
"Sister Xuan, don't you think this painting is strange? It's clearly a man riding a horse, but why is it a back view? Normally, shouldn't it be a front view? A side view would also make sense..."
Zhao Xuan knew absolutely nothing about painting. When Gu Zhanghua analyzed the figures in the painting and the painting techniques, she could only offer her own simple thoughts.
"Could it be that the person who painted this picture... simply wanted to depict the man galloping away on horseback into the distance?"
Gu Zhanghua burst out laughing.
"Sister Xuan, can I say that what you just said was nonsense?"
"Looking for a fight?"
Zhao Xuan reached out as if to hit Gu Zhanghua, but suddenly, she turned around and saw a woman just stepping into the room. She was a little surprised to see the two of them, but quickly relaxed.
His voice was calm and gentle, like a trickling stream.
"I thought it was Mr. Huang, but I didn't expect it to be two young people."
Zhao Xuan had already guessed that the visitor must be Li Chongxi, the director of Fuze Relief Home, but she still asked to confirm.
"The Mr. Huang you mentioned is my father, and you are Dean Li Chongxi?"
"Exactly."
Zhao Xuan had already learned from Huang Shuo that Li Chongxi was not very old, at most in his thirties, but Gu Zhanghua was meeting Li Chongxi for the first time and was inevitably a little surprised.
To say that Li Chongxi was the mastermind behind the attack on the mission would be a gross oversimplification.
She wore a well-tailored bright red dress embroidered with dark red patterns, resembling roses.
Her thick, beautiful hair was pulled up high, and a gold hairpin with red tassels was inserted into the bun. The hairpin was also carved into the shape of a rose.
She looks dignified, elegant, and noble, with a unique style.
How could a woman like that be so ruthless? How could she plan such a complex assassination?
Gu Zhanghua muttered to himself.
While Gu Zhanghua was sizing up Li Chongxi, Li Chongxi was also sizing up Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua.
Mr. Huang's daughter?
That must be a hostile move, and it must be related to Qian Bin, who died by poisoning himself back then!
The two looked very intimate, and the young man next to her must be her husband.
The two men had an extraordinary air about them, and were dressed in bright and luxurious clothes. What kind of background did they have?
Filled with doubt, Li Chongxi sat down at the table, gestured for the two men to sit as well, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup of tea for each of them and himself.
"May I ask what brings you two here? Are you here on Mr. Huang's behalf?"
Seeing that Li Chongxi did not avoid the issue at all and went straight to the point without beating around the bush, Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan decided to be direct.
The two exchanged a knowing glance, but said nothing more.
Zhao Xuan took out a newly transcribed list from her bosom—the very list Gu Jiancheng had given them—and handed it to Li Chongxi.
"Please take a look at this list. Do you remember the names on it?"
After saying that, Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua stared intently at Li Chongxi's face, not wanting to miss a single subtle expression.
They waited.
When Li Chongxi sees the list, he will show surprise, panic, or perhaps guilt!