I Thought You Couldn't Read

It was like a cat toying with a mouse.

Precisely because the hunter knew the prey had no power to resist, he would first mock it instead of rushing to strike.

He did it to savor the prey's desperate flight and its helpless despair.

But Wang Yuanwai was clearly no easy opponent. Normally, no Flower Plucking Thief with half a brain would think of leaving a letter before making a move.

Wouldn't that be giving the other side a warning for nothing?

"So that's it!"

After Ye Liuyun put it that way, Si Nan at the side clearly realized something, her gaze turning enlightened.

Even the way she looked at Ye Liuyun became filled with admiration.

"As expected of you, sir!"

Even she probably would not have thought of this without Ye Liuyun's reminder.

"No, don't keep us guessing. If you thought of something, just say it."

Such a reaction left Shi Sheng scratching his head. So he was the only one who had not figured it out?

Seeing that Si Nan was about to explain, Ye Liuyun simply waved his hand.

"Think for yourself. If you can't figure it out, don't ride a horse. Walk back to the imperial capital yourself."

Ye Liuyun thought rather highly of Shi Sheng. He could not let him grow into someone who only knew how to solve every problem with his fists. This was a good chance to temper him.

"Uh..."

Shi Sheng was utterly stumped, while Si Nan beside him laughed with glee at his misfortune.

"If you really can't figure it out, you can start running back now. Maybe we'll meet up in the imperial capital by tomorrow morning."

There were not many chances to tease Shi Sheng, and Si Nan had no intention of letting this one slip away.

Glancing at Si Nan, Ye Liuyun said calmly,

"If he can't figure it out, you'll run back with him."

Si Nan: ???

No, how had she gotten dragged into this? If she had known, she would never have teased him.

When she saw Shi Sheng's gaze suddenly become rather gleeful, Si Nan immediately said,

"You still have time to laugh? Hurry up and think. Are you really planning to run back to the imperial capital?"

"..."

Although Shi Sheng was a First-Rate Martial Artist, he was not skilled in qinggong. If he truly had to run that far, then just as Si Nan had said, he might as well set off right now.

After scratching his head for a while,

Shi Sheng suddenly realized something, and his expression brightened.

"I know!"

It seemed that although Shi Sheng was usually a little simple and straightforward, he was quick to react when something happened.

Ye Liuyun nodded in satisfaction and said to Shi Sheng,

"Tell me."

"Sir, you must have taken a liking to Wang Yuanwai's younger daughter, right?"

"..."

The broad smile on Ye Liuyun's face froze. Even Si Nan, who had just relaxed, looked at Shi Sheng with a strange expression.

Shi Sheng did not notice any of this. Rubbing his chin with one hand, he began analyzing things on his own.

"Come to think of it, although I've never met her, everyone says Wang Yuanwai's younger daughter is breathtakingly beautiful. She should be worthy of you, sir."

What a thoroughly satisfying analysis.

Ye Liuyun did not respond. He simply said,

"Tomorrow, carry Si Nan on your back and run back to the imperial capital."

"No, sir, I really can't think of anything else. It can't be that the Flower Plucking Thief isn't targeting Wang Yuanwai's concubine, but Wang Yuanwai's daughter, can it?"

Shi Sheng knew very well that he truly was not good at this kind of analysis.

When he handled cases like this before, his subordinates investigated them, while he only needed to make the final move.

"Didn't you just figure it out?"

Si Nan rolled her eyes at Shi Sheng in exasperation.

Still, it was a little regrettable. Being carried back to the imperial capital by Shi Sheng sounded rather interesting too.

"Uh!"

Shi Sheng had not expected that something he said so casually would actually hit upon the truth.

"Since that Flower Plucking Thief is targeting Wang Yuanwai's daughter, why does the letter mention Wang Yuanwai's concubine? Oh!"

By the end, Shi Sheng himself wore an enlightened expression.

"I know—luring the tiger away from the mountain!"

"You even know how to lure the tiger away from the mountain? I thought you couldn't read."

At those words, Si Nan looked at Shi Sheng with fresh curiosity, as though she had gained a new understanding of him.

"Get lost!"

Shi Sheng glared at Si Nan irritably.

What the hell did whether he could read have to do with whether he knew what "luring the tiger away from the mountain" meant?

Too lazy to bother with Si Nan, Shi Sheng immediately looked to Ye Liuyun.

"Sir, am I right?"

"You've got a bit of brains after all."

Thankfully, he was not completely brainless. If he stayed by Ye Liuyun's side and investigated a few more cases, he could still be trained up.

"Wang Yuanwai is not from an ordinary household, and there are many servants in his residence. The Flower Plucking Thief likely knows that if he is discovered midway, he may not be able to escape. That's why he came up with this method, to draw everyone's attention to Wang Yuanwai's concubine."

"While neglecting Wang Yuanwai's daughter instead!"

As he spoke, Ye Liuyun pointed around them.

There were barely any servants guarding the area around Wang Yuanwai's daughter's courtyard. Clearly, they had all been deployed around the concubine's courtyard.

"But what if that isn't it?"

Shi Sheng could not help scratching his head. It itched so badly; it felt like a brain was about to grow out of it.

"That's why I stationed the other Brocade Guards over there. If anything really happens, with so many Brocade Guards there, there's nothing to worry about."

"So that's it!"

After hearing this, Shi Sheng nodded in realization.

As for Wang Yuanwai's daughter, with the three of them here, dealing with a mere Flower Plucking Thief would be more than enough.

"Sir, your plans leave nothing unaccounted for. This subordinate truly admires you!"

Only Si Nan could say such flattering words.

Ye Liuyun waved his hand indifferently and did not pay it much mind.

Ordinarily, a case involving a Flower Plucking Thief could be handled by an ordinary Banner Commander, but Wang Yuanwai had paid too much money, so a Hundred Household Commander had been assigned instead.

Which was to say,

Money might not be able to do everything, but without money, one could do nothing at all.

That saying held true in any era.

"Miss, why are these Brocade Guards in our courtyard?"

Ye Liuyun and the others were sitting in the courtyard and had not entered the room to disturb anyone.

Inside the room, aside from Wang Yuanwai's younger daughter Wang Mu'er, there were only several maidservants.

Hearing the maidservant's words, a thoughtful look flashed through Wang Mu'er's eyes. Though she was a woman, because of her family circumstances, Wang Mu'er had learned to read and write from a young age, and she was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

She was naturally quite intelligent.

She quickly understood why those people were guarding this place.

After looking through the window at Ye Liuyun and the others sitting in the courtyard, she turned to the maidservant beside her and said,

"Have the servants warm a pot of hot wine and deliver it to the three gentlemen. Prepare some pastries as well."

"Yes, Miss!"

The maidservants did not dare object to Wang Mu'er's words and nodded in agreement.