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墨書 Inktalez
"Master..."
Before the word could fully escape his lips, he was stopped by Nie Qiuyuan's hand. He glanced around at the surrounding servants and signaled that they should speak inside.
Master Zhu understood and beckoned a young man in a green robe to lead the way. The members of the Zhu Family followed closely behind us, presumably heading toward the reception room.
The reception room was spacious and grand, with intricately carved tables made of high-quality wood, adorned with jade ruyi in a vibrant green hue. The Zhu Family instructed their servants to serve us tea, then dismissed everyone except for their own family to converse with us.
"Lord Nie, Lord Luo, ever since you arrived in Yichuan, the streets have been buzzing with talk that Yichuan County has welcomed a divine detective!" Madam Zhu II, unable to contain herself and not even sure who was the County Magistrate, suddenly knelt before us with tears streaming down her face. "I beg you to save my son's life!"
Luo Dachun stepped forward, gently helping her up. "Madam, please don't be anxious. Sit down and tell us slowly."
"It’s all my fault!" the second lady sobbed. "Yesterday I was so busy checking accounts all night that I didn’t see Huan'er at all. I didn’t even notice when he ran out on his own and fell into the hands of villains!"
Through her intermittent sobs, we finally understood the situation.
The Zhu Family Patriarch had been overworked for years and recently retired due to serious health issues, leaving all family matters to his three sons. Each of these sons had inherited exceptional skills in jade carving, making them well-known far and wide.
Master Zhu, Zhu Cunhou, forty years old this year, was naturally the head of this large family business. He sat across from us with a teacup in hand, subconsciously spinning it on the tray while keeping his head down in silence; he seemed to be a person of few words. His wife, Wang, sat beside the second lady Deng, constantly wiping away her tears.
Zhu Er Ye, Zhu Cunqian, did not resemble Zhu Cunhou much; perhaps they were not born of the same mother. Since it was his son who was missing, he appeared even more restless than his brother. His wife Deng was beside him sobbing intermittently while he occasionally scolded her. Although she was upset, it was clear she was no pushover and could stand up to her husband, giving me a glimpse of ancient women asserting themselves.
The third brother Zhu Zhaolin was away from home on business matters. Even though something had happened at home, someone had to stay behind to keep the business afloat.
In fact, Master Zhu had heard about Huan'er’s disappearance yesterday and rushed back from another county overnight; it seemed he was quite fond of this nephew. As the eldest son of the Zhu Family, he unfortunately had no sons of his own—only two daughters. The son of the second brother’s family, Huan'er, was indeed the eldest grandson of the Zhu Family.
However, despite being the eldest grandson, it seemed Huan'er did not receive the affection he deserved because everyone in the family was too busy. At just six years old, he rarely saw his parents; he mostly played with household servants and sometimes went months without seeing his mother.
"How did your family find out that your son was missing?" At this point, Nie Qiuyuan couldn't help but interject.
"It’s because we received a note from the kidnappers stating that Huan'er is in their hands..."
"Oh? Where is the note now?"
Second Master Zhu Cunqian pulled a piece of white paper from his sleeve and handed it to Nie Qiuyuan. "It's this note!"
Nie Qiuyuan unfolded the note, examined it closely, and frowned. He then passed the note to Luo Dachun while asking, "Who delivered the note? Was there no way to find out?"
Zhu Cunqian replied, "The one who received the note was my apprentice, Xiu Song. He didn't pay attention to the appearance of the messenger."
At that moment, the handsome young man who had been leading them stepped forward and said, "Yes, I was careless. I just took the note and brought it to the master without paying attention. If I had seen clearly at that time, I could have traced it back..."
Before he could finish, the elder who had been silent interrupted, "Xiu Song, you can't be blamed. There are so many letters and notes coming into the house every day; how could anyone remember each one?"
Zhu Cunhou's words were fair. After all, in a merchant family like theirs, there were constantly people delivering various messages—discussing business, settling accounts, and making payments. If everyone could remember every detail, they would be living gods.
However, I was still surprised. I had thought that everyone left in the hall was already part of the Zhu family; I didn't expect there to be an apprentice remaining. This showed how much Xiu Song was favored and trusted by the family.
Nie Qiuyuan stood up and walked over to Luo Dachun, leaning in to whisper a few words in his ear. The two blue figures blended softly together, creating a surprisingly beautiful scene that left me momentarily entranced.
Just as I was lost in thought, I heard the gentle voice of my long-silent idol say, "Liuying, come with me."
I was startled and could hardly believe my ears. Yet his voice was so calm and gentle, as if no turmoil had ever occurred; it felt as if the quiet and cool person who used to be by my side had returned.
Luo Dachun addressed Zhu Cunhou and Zhu Cunqian: "I trouble you all to have someone take the County Constable to the young master's room for a look. There are still some matters I need to inquire about with you all; please remain here for a while." With that, he signaled for Han Meilan to stay behind, likely to comfort the women of the Zhu family.
Thus, young Xiu Song led the way while I dazedly followed behind Nie Qiuyuan deeper into the courtyard.
I watched his back as he walked silently ahead; naturally, I didn't know what to say. I really wanted to ask him what he was thinking inside. Could he give me a straightforward answer? But what finally came out of my mouth was: "Brother, why are you taking me with you? What can I do to help?"
Nie Qiuyuan's steps faltered slightly but quickly returned to normal.
He turned his head towards me and suddenly broke into a faint smile.
It was simply a betrayal of charm! How shameless!
That smile was incredibly captivating; just seeing it made one feel that everything about him could be forgiven. What was even more infuriating was the strong hint of ambiguity in his gaze, as if he were saying, "You know what I mean."
Seriously, I clearly didn't understand anything!
It seemed that things weren't going smoothly. I sighed inwardly; it looked like this wasn't the right moment for things to fall into place. Perhaps the master wanted me to show more patience?
"Xiu Song, how does the Second Master usually treat people? Is there any longstanding grudge with Rival?" Just when my mind was in a whirl, the male god spoke up about the case. I jolted back to attention.
Xiu Song, who was leading the way, turned back and smiled. His voice carried the unique clarity of youth: "The Second Master treats people very well. Take us for example; we are apprentices, but in reality, we are workers. The Second Master not only guides our skills but also cares for us like disciples. After so many years in business, our family has always treated guests with integrity. As for Rival, there really hasn't been any conflict."
If that's the case, it might truly be a kidnapping case motivated by greed for Zhu Family's wealth?
"Are there any conflicts among the Zhu Family Three Brothers?"
The young man hesitated for a moment and replied, "No."
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