Chapter 37
The Cave of No Worries
Just as the saying goes—“speak of Cao Cao and he appears”—a group of people came rushing up ahead. It was Chunyu Shuang, Xie Mingchen, and Wei Yuan. Chunyu Shuang and Wei Yuan made sense—they were at least relevant to the case—but why was Xie Mingchen here? Wasn’t he an imperial physician?
Perhaps noticing the confusion in Jiuque’s eyes, Qi Zheng explained as gently as possible:
“If the children are injured, it’s good to have a physician nearby.”
Fair enough. Since they’d already thought it through, she couldn’t very well send Xie Mingchen away. But she was puzzled—why did this high-ranking official, Qi Zheng, have so much faith in her ability to find his son? She was just a minor sixth-rank official and had only been in the capital for three days. How could she already have such a reputation?
Still, now wasn’t the time to ask. With the entire city’s garrison mobilized, Jiuque also received a complete hydrological map of the capital from Qi Zheng. It was an extremely valuable document—if the missing child weren’t Qi Zheng’s son, Emperor Jingtai would never have allowed anyone else to see it. Even so, Jiuque was the only person permitted to view it.
Fortunately, in her spare time, Jiuque had taken elective courses on criminal investigation. She wasn’t an expert, but her final project had even earned praise from her professor. Now, that background was proving useful as she analyzed the map to track the missing boy.
She quickly pinpointed where Lin Mingde and Qi Bao’er had disappeared. Between their last known positions ran a main river, from which branched twenty-seven smaller waterways and thirteen bridges.
“Lord Qi,” she said, “these thirteen bridges may be the key. I’m sorry to say this, but from the time your son went missing to now, over an hour has passed. The chances are slim—but not nonexistent. Regardless of the outcome, I ask that you do everything you can. If he’s still in the city, we will find him. But… you must not reveal your son’s identity to anyone.”
“Cornered dogs bite,” she added. “Those kidnappers may not even know whose child they took. If they panic and act rashly, it could end badly. Also—dogs have dog trails, cats have cat trails. If these kidnappers were just ordinary traffickers, they wouldn’t dare target you. Since they did, you should consider whether someone bears a grudge. Perhaps this wasn’t a kidnapping for profit, but an act of revenge.”
As they galloped forward, Jiuque spoke quickly between breaths. Seeing Qi Zheng’s face darken with thought, she turned to Chunyu Shuang. Chunyu already knew the situation and was scanning both sides of the road carefully.
When their eyes met, Chunyu’s grip on the reins tightened—she was thinking the same thing as Jiuque.
Mobilizing the city like this in the middle of the night was far from ideal, but the matter was too serious. Even the emperor was aware of it now, and since it involved a titled nobleman—a count, no less—there was no longer any way to keep things quiet. Or perhaps… two counts? After all, the Count of Weiyuan and the Count of Anyuan were brothers.
The Count of Weiyuan had been reclusive for over ten years, rarely appearing in court. His brother, the Count of Anyuan, however, commanded the City Defense Army and enjoyed considerable prestige. Maybe he had blocked someone’s path?
Thinking of the tangled factions at court, Chunyu rubbed her temples and relayed all this to Jiuque.
Qi Zheng, meanwhile, was silently digesting what the two young women had said. He, too, suspected this might be a disaster brought upon him by hidden enemies. But if those filthy rats in the shadows thought they could trample on him just because he no longer held office, they were sorely mistaken!
Jiuque, who had only been in the capital for three days, didn’t know much about its political factions, but even she could sense that something was off. If grown men’s feuds had dragged a child into danger, that was beyond despicable.
While she scanned the surroundings, she noticed several young women among the search parties and frowned deeply. She immediately ordered that all young women and children return home at once. The situation was too chaotic, and such people were easy targets.
“Everyone, listen up! Each household must leave one able-bodied adult to guard the door. If anyone knocks—unless it’s a close relative—do not open it! If something strange happens, bang a copper basin or gong to call for help! The patrol troops are nearby and will come immediately. Remember—your own safety comes first!”
The nearby citizens quickly agreed in unison.
Only then did Jiuque allow herself a small breath of relief. By now, dusk had fallen, and the air was growing cold. Faces around her blurred in the dim light. She rubbed her nose, about to order the lighting of lanterns, when suddenly a cool breeze brushed past her face. A faint, refreshing scent drifted by—like sunlight on clean sheets, like flowers blooming in the wild.
Something soft fell into her palm. Jiuque looked down—a small, crumpled paper ball lay there.
“My Lady!”
At that moment, Wei Yuan’s subordinate came galloping over with good news. About five hundred paces ahead, they had found a suspicious man hiding beneath a drainage channel. Given the situation, anyone skulking underground instead of going home was worth detaining—so they caught him. Now, seeing Qi Zheng, the man was trembling and kneeling, begging for mercy.
Apparently, the scar-faced fellow knew exactly who Qi Zheng was. Chunyu Shuang had prepared for a lengthy interrogation, but the man was surprisingly cooperative.
“Why are you being so compliant? Trying to mislead us?”
“N-no, never!”
The man banged his head on the ground repeatedly.
“Eighteen years ago, during the war with the northern barbarians, I saw Lord Weiyuan’s heroism with my own eyes. He slew countless enemies for the glory of the Great Jing. He’s a hero—I wouldn’t dare defy him!”
Qi Zheng’s face darkened as he studied the man’s movements—something about his posture and bearing screamed military training.
“You’ve served on the battlefield before?”
A soldier who once fought for his country, reduced to a kidnapper? It was shameful.
“No, no! I’m not a kidnapper! I just deal in antiques, a humble trader scraping by! I’d never stoop to such vile crimes—I still want to be buried with my ancestors! I swear I’ve never harmed a child!”
“Then why were you hiding there? And why did you try to run when you saw us?”
“I… well, my trade isn’t exactly honorable, and when I saw you officials coming, I thought you were here to arrest me…”
Wei Yuan’s men scowled. They had thought they’d caught a kidnapper—only to find a cowardly smuggler!
“You’re not telling the truth,” Jiuque said coolly, finally lifting her gaze to the man.
“You may not have trafficked children, but you know who did. Otherwise, why hide in the sewers? No—why hide in the Cave of No Worries?”
The moment those words left her lips, the man’s face—and the faces of everyone nearby—turned pale.
The Cave of No Worries.
