Is the Gentleman Feeling Alright? – Chapter 24

T/N: Again, this is one of those chapters where you might have to read the footnotes in order to understand the conversation.

After a short break, Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu set off to the home of Zheng Wan, who was killed first.
　　Zheng Wan, the previous Right Fufeng, has been dead for more than a month, and his body has long been laid to rest in the ground, but everyone in his home was still in mourning clothes, the mourning banner had not been kept away; scented candles and incense lingered in the courtyard. A woman in mourning garb came out to greet them leaning on her maid. She wore a white flower pin¹ slanted in her forelocks, her face was haggard, and her whole body was so pale white that the only colour were her eyes that had reddened from crying.
　　After offering a few words of comfort, they were led directly to the courtyard where the incident occurred. The governor’s office had come to examine the scene before, and had already held a funeral, so most of the objects here were not as they were at the time of the incident. Only the faint bloodstains on the stone slabs of the courtyard that could not be washed away were left, a silent memorial of everything that has happened.
　　After Su Shiyu stood in front of the book case and looked at it for a long time, he picked up a few documents and concentrated on something in contemplation. Chu Mingyun retracted his gaze, but felt that he couldn’t see anything odd in the courtyard, so he turned and walked towards Mrs. Zheng.
　　The look on Zheng Wan’s face as if he did not die a peaceful death² was still vivid in her eyes, and this other courtyard had become a wound to Mrs. Zheng’s heart. She was unwilling to set foot in it again, so she had been waiting for them outside the courtyard the whole time.
　　”Ms. Zheng,” Chu Mingyun asked, “Since it is said that your husband was killed late at night, then what did he stay here for instead of going back to bed to sleep?”
　　”There were still some official documents in the mansion, so Husband brought them back to the study to review.” Madam Zheng replied slowly.
　　”Zheng Wan does this often?”
　　”Not exactly often,” she thought for a while, and said, “If some important documents were just sent to him (before he left his office), Husband is used to taking them home to slowly read.”
　　”So if the murderer is not in your house. The attendant is someone who is familiar with You Fufeng.” A gentle voice sounded behind him, and Su Shiyu walked steadily.
　　Chu Mingyun looked at him and smiled slightly: “Was there something Master Su found?” 
“I didn’t find any useful clues originally,” Su Shiyu said, “but the question Master Chu just asked reminded me.
　　” …Grand Secretary, why do you say that?” Madam Zheng looked at Su Shiyu, the light in her eyes flashed.
　　Su Shiyu smiled faintly, “It’s just my guess, but it should more or less be correct. There are still guards’ bodies in this courtyard, which means that the killer’s skill is not good enough to go completely unnoticed, but no one in the other courtyards were aware anything happened here, even Madam only found out yourself the next morning that Master Zheng was killed, so it seems that the murderer entered this yard directly.”
　　Madam Zheng frowned and looked at him uncomprehendingly, “What Your Honor has said, what does this have to do with the identity of the murderer we were talking about?”
　　Chu Mingyun has already understood, “He means that the other party must know that Zheng Wan has the habit of approving official documents here, and also knows the layout of your mansion, so he could immediately find it here, it won’t be someone unacquainted with your husband.” He paused, turned his head and said to Su Shiyu: “And it has to be someone who knew that Zheng Wan had important documents that night.”
　　Su Shiyu nodded and wanted to speak, so he listened to Mrs. Zheng. The voice trembled and said: “How could it be…”
　　They looked at her in a little surprise.
　　”How…can that be…” Madam Zheng’s fingers twisted her sleeves tightly, unable to accept it, “My husband is kind, and we have never wronged any of the servants in this residence , and all of them have served us for many years. Nobody left after the incident, even the little girl from the accountant’s family came to comfort me…how could they be murderers!”
　　”Madam Zheng…”
　　”If it is someone familiar with us…” Tears have appeared in her eyes and her figure trembled slightly, the maid next to her hurried to hold her up, she hung her head in compassion. Madam Zheng took a deep breath and stared at them, extremely confused, and in a near-interrogating tone asked, “Since they are familiar with us, why would they commit an act so vicious?”
　　Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu had no words to answer.
　　Madam Zheng then turned her head away, covering her face and weeping silently.
　　
　　Soon after they returned to the residence, Su Xing came over to ask about the state of the investigation. Su Shiyu smiled and simply said that there was still no result. Seeing from Su Xing’s expression that he seemed to still have something to say, he asked, “Is there something else Uncle?”
　　Su Xing glanced behind him, and the official Registrar stepped forward in tacit understanding, saying: “Replying to both Your Honor’s, I caught a person sneaking among the people leaving the city today. I just managed to interrogate it out of him, he admitted he was the one who killed Master Zheng… “
　　Chu Mingyun couldn’t help sneering and said, “There hasn’t been a lead after looking for so long, yet now it only took a short while for you to catch them?”
　　”Perhaps he knew that Your Honors have come, and he couldn’t hold back his guilty conscience anymore.” The book said, “Anyway, do both Your Honored selves want to go take a look?”
　　Su Shiyu looked at him for a moment, and laughed softly, “Alright.”
　　
　　The prison was lit with oil lamps, and the jailers saluted them, moving to stand to the side. The middle-aged man in the cell was dozing off, with slightly bulging temples faintly visible under his disheveled hair. His thick palms laid on either side of his body, and it could be seen that his skill wasn’t shallow, who knows why they were able to catch him.
　　The man was startled by the sound and dazedly opened his eyes. He was shocked awake when he saw the people incoming, his face showing a terrified expression. Before anyone could respond, the man knelt down suddenly, making a loud noise as the iron chains were pulled, and he said to Chu Mingyun in extreme fear: “My lord…my lord spare me!” 

Chu Mingyun looked at him, baffled, “Are you talking to me?”
　　”This……this subordinate did not do things well……but……” The man raised his head and quickly glanced at Chu Mingyun, shaking like chaff, “I beg my lord to be magnanimous!”
The jailers suddenly sucked in a breath, unanimously turning to stare at Chu Mingyun.
　　Su Shiyu watched on thoughtfully, but did not speak.
　　Chu Mingyun tilted his head and looked at the man for a moment, then suddenly shook his head and laughed, “You want to drag me down with you yet you didn’t even get your facts straight, there isn’t anyone as ugly as you among my subordinates.”
The man’s words were immediately choked off.
　　Su Xing glanced at Chu Mingyun with a subtle expression, then turned his head and said to Su Shiyu, “Yu’er, you’re not going to ask anything?”
　　Su Shiyu smiled faintly, “Since he is pleading with Master Chu for mercy, then let Master Chu lead the interrogation.”
　　Hearing this the man quickly looked at Su Shiyu, continually pleading: “Grand Secretary, Your Honor! This peasant has committed a grave crime, and I know I’ll be put to death³……but, but that wife and child of mine are innocent after all, I plead Your Honor to save them.”
　　These words held rather deep meaning, Su Shiyu looked at him with serious eyes, only smiling wordlessly.
　　Chu Mingyun glanced at Su Shiyu, and then said to the man again: “Okay, stop yelling. I ask you, it’s been so long since Zheng Wan was killed, you didn’t escape from Fufeng County earlier, why did you show up today instead? “
The man looked straight at Chu Mingyun, distorted his face a little, and said: “I just acted according to orders, since my lord has said this to clear himself of suspicion, how could I explain it clearly.”
　　”Heh,” Chu Mingyun was cold. Said, “You claim to be my subordinate and that you were acting on my orders. Then now you are asserting I’m involved, what manner o’ reporting⁴ to your master is this?”
The man avoided his gaze and lowered his head, “Like my lord said, I I’m just a pawn that you can throw away at will. How can you count as your subordinate. When it’s like this, it’s just a try to see if my wife and child can survive.”
　　”What happened to your wife and child?” He said good-humoredly.
　　”This, I’m afraid my lord would knows more clearly than me…”
　　Chu Mingyun squinted his eyes slightly, and was about to step forward but was suddenly grabbed by someone’s arm. He turned his head to look, and Su Shiyu smiled slightly at him: “Looking at how emotionally unstable he was, we probably won’t be able to ask anything out of him. Interrogation doesn’t need to be rushed, and Master Chu is likely already worn-out today, why not go back to rest for now?”
　　Chu Mingyun frowned and examined Su Shiyu’s expression, then turned his head away and grunted as a perfunctory response.
　　This development was really exciting, after they left the prison cell, the jailers could finally get together and were talking all at once without any hesitation, having an very carefree discussion. Outside the cell, the expressions of the official Registrar and his party were also quite strange.
　　Su Xing couldn’t help pulling Su Shiyu again and whispered: “Yu’er, looking at the situation just now…”
　　Su Shiyu interrupted him rarely, and his tone was still gentle and calm. “Using one-sided words to frame influential officials for a false charge is not uncommon. Besides, there is no evidence that it must be the man who committed the crime. Uncle should not make a conclusion too early.”
　　Chu Mingyun walked alone in front of him and he heard clearly, and he understood even more that the man’s words could be confusing. People can’t make Su Shiyu suspicious of him, not to say how much Su Shiyu trusts him, but Su Shiyu has always believed in his own judgment and will not be easily shaken by outside interference.
　　Chu Mingyun glanced back at him and chuckled without any inflection.
　　
　　Yet the man in prison leaned against the corner again and fell asleep after they had left, and after an uncertain amount of time had passed, he suddenly heard footsteps in his dazed state. As soon as he raised his eyes he saw a white-robed young man come close before turning back, making a gesture to the jailers. The jailers hurriedly nodded and all retreated, leaving only the two of them in the prison.
　　Su Shiyu turned his head and looked at him, “I’ll be bothering you.”
　　”Grand Secretary…”
　　”There’s only the two of us here, so you don’t need to worry about being heard by someone else. If you sincerely want me to help you settle this matter, then you should come clean with the truth.”
The expression in the man’s eyes that were partly obscured by his messy hair flickered slightly, but his words remained unchanged, saying: “Each word of what this peasant said was the truth, I dare not deceive Your Honor!”
　　Su Shiyu nodded, “Looking at this appearance of yours, your skill should not be too bad, how could you be arrested and imprisoned easily ?”
The man felt relieved, so he blurted out in reply, “Your Honor is perceptive. As this peasant said earlier, everything I’ve done is because my wife and children in someone’s grasp, and dared not disobey.” He opened his mouth and explained the process of how the crime was committed, from the orders he received in the city these few days, to the situation where he was arrested leaving the city—- nary a loophole in his explanation.
　　Su Shiyu listened to him quietly, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said: “I’ve heard you mention your wife and children many times, you must be very concerned about them.”

The man glanced at him, not understanding his intention, and paused for a moment. Then he whispered: “Yes, as long as they’re safe, it doesn’t matter whether I live or die.”
　　”You remind me of a person.” Su Shiyu smiled softly, “You know the previous Minister of Works Tan Jing?” The
　　man shook his head.
　　”He is very similar to you, he only wants to protect his wife, not hesitating to pay any price to do so, and when I interrogated him he also told me lies.” (T/N: He uses present tense for most of this). Su Shiyu seemed as if he didn’t see the man’s expression change suddenly, and continued, “I guess someone else might have promised him something, and after thinking about it, (I realised) the only thing that could be used to control him must be his wife. But in the end Tan Jing was executed according to the law, and in his residence his innocent wife was also tragically poisoned right after. He was still unable to protect his wife in the end.”
　　A tremor ran through the man’s body, and he lowered his head to avoid Su Shiyu’s line of sight, “I don’t understand these things you’re saying, Grand Secretary, Your Honor, how am I like him? This peasant has already truthfully told you the facts of the case. When did I tell you lies? You’ve really overestimated me, how would I have that sort of courage…” 
“There’s one point I’m confused on.” Su Shiyu looked at him quietly, “Since (someone has) already detained your wife and children to threaten you, why would you think that after you die, the other party will still accommodate their safety⁵ on your behalf?” The man froze in cold sweat, and abruptly raised his head to look at him, “Grand Secretary, Your Honor…”
　　”Let’s hope your luck will be better than his.” Su Shiyu gave him a faint smile, then turned to walk out.
　　”Your honor! Your honor!” The man suddenly panicked, and rushed forward as if he wanted to seize him, pulling on the chains until they made a cacophony of jangling noises, his voice seeming to have changed. “Your Honor wait! I beg you, please don’t go. !”
　　Su Shiyu stopped and turned to look at him. The man fell to his knees, his entire face shrouded in dejection.
　　
　　Chu Mingyun was slightly irritated, and it became more obvious after he was insistently set up by that man in prison. After all, he always had a bad temper, playing mind games with Su Shiyu’s and harassing each other was fine, but he really had no patience with other people.
　　And who knew if Su Shiyu was aware that he wasn’t in a great mood, for the two days that followed, Su Shiyu unexpectedly neither went to the cell to interrogate nor did he go to Zheng Wan’s house again, but rather he pulled Chu Mingyun to Fufeng County to help him approve/review most of the official documents that had piled up due to Zheng Wan’s death, and so Chu Mingyun became even more irritated.
　　At night, when Su Shiyu knocked on the door of his room holding a few books, Chu Mingyun leaned on one hand against the door frame and completely fed-up, said: “Master Su, if you are not here to accompany me to sleep⁶, please go back.”
　　Su Shiyu flashed the book in front of his eyes. They were not official documents but books on military strategy, “No need to sleep, I’m afraid there’s going to be an incident tonight, you and I will wait in your room.”
　　Chu Mingyun raised his eyebrows slightly, retracted his hand and put him into the room, “What incident? “
　　”I don’t know the specifics of exactly what will happen.” Su Shiyu put the things on the table, “but I have already told my uncle to leave Fufeng County to investigate elsewhere, so if they don’t make a move tonight, they will have no other chance.”
　　”They?” Chu Mingyun sat down opposite him, “You know something?”
　　”It’s just a guess,” Su Shiyu smiled, “Organized crime always requires someone to dispatch. In these past two days, I’ve compared the time and place where the five officials met their demise in sequence, and I realised that if the mastermind is here, this timing will align perfectly.”
　　”So you plan to use the both of us as bait?”
　　Su Shiyu looked up at him, his eyes reflected as black as ink in the candlelight, and even cracked somewhat of a joke: “Don’t tell me Master Chu is afraid?” His gentle voice was slightly lilted at its end, and seemed to hide a careless sense of humour, which was really nice to listen to.
　　This manner of his made Chu Mingyun slightly stunned, which quickly changed to smile as his lips hooked upwards, and said, “Didn’t you come running to my room because you’re scared?”
　　Su Shiyu shook his head and chuckled, “I came here so that it would be more convenient to do things, Master Chu has taken it the wrong way.” 
“Why force yourself to explain,” Chu Mingyun said with a wide smile, “With such thin skin⁷, is it so difficult to frankly tell me that you want my protection?”
　　Su Shiyu looked at him wordlessly for a moment, and suddenly said: “Right, I wanted to ask you one thing earlier.”
　　”En?”
　　”Master Chu’s skin is so thick, don’t you feel hot?” Su Shiyu asked him solemnly.
　　”…” Chu Mingyun replied solemnly, “You touch it and see for yourself?”
　　Su Shiyu silently picked up a military book and handed it over, terminating the conversation.
　　Chu Mingyun glanced down at the title of the book, “Already read this, swap me another.”

(T/N: Honestly, Shiyu has so much patience, Chu-chu is so vulgar in his flirting any lesser man would have stabbed/slapped him by now. Translating instead of sleeping, give me energy by commenting)

1.白簪花 – I can’t exactly confirm this but judging from the contextual clues this is probably that fabric flower worn in the hairstyles of mourning women, although I believe this should only be for members of the imperial family.

2. 死不瞑目 – this is usually taken as the equivalent of ‘rolling over in one’s grave’ but the text says Mdm Zheng vividly remembers the look of it, so it has perhaps been used in its literal meaning, which is ‘to not close one’s eyes even in death’, i.e. he died unpeacefully so his eyes were open.

3. 自知当死 – literally ‘I already take myself as a dead person’.

4. 回事儿 – ‘回事’ is an archaic term for reporting to one’s master, but adding the ‘er’ character to the end makes it sound informal on CMY’s tongue so I translated it to ‘manner o’ reporting’.

5. 安置 – refers to settling someone down i.e. finding a house for them and making sure they have a way to live like the way Chu Mingyun settled Chen Siheng.

6. 陪睡 – I translated it literally, but it actually means to trade sexual favours for benefits.

7. To say one is thin-skinned means that they are easily embarrassed.