The Truth Gradually Came to Light

As soon as Zhou Yan left the courtyard, he saw Ma Yan walking toward him.

He raised a hand slightly to stop Ma Yan, then turned to Steward Huang. "Please prepare a room for me, Steward Huang. I need some time to think and prepare for how to deal with this evil spirit."

"Of course. This way, Master." Steward Huang hurriedly gestured for him to follow.

Soon, they arrived at a room set aside for guests, an elegant and spacious side chamber.

Steward Huang had some refreshments and tea brought in, then took his leave.

Once the others had gone, Ma Yan went to close the door.

Only then did Zhou Yan take off his cloak and look at Ma Yan. "Well? What did you find out?"

"I found out that although Dong Lei has a bad reputation outside the mansion, he's well regarded within it and isn't harsh toward the servants. This isn't the first time someone like Cuier has died suddenly here. Dong Lei always made sure their affairs were handled properly." Ma Yan nodded slightly.

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow and nodded thoughtfully.

He had thought Dong Lei felt guilty, which was why he had been so concerned about Cuier's funeral. He had even suspected that there was more to her death.

But now, he could dismiss that theory outright.

"Also, Master Dong and his wife have a good relationship. They were together even when they were poor, and their bond is very strong. Even after Master Dong took a concubine, he spent most of his time with his wife. Everyone in the mansion respects her..."

"The concubine comes from a scholarly family. She's skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she treats people kindly. She can be a little proud, but otherwise there's nothing wrong with her..."

"The wife and the concubine get along very well, too. They say the wife herself arranged for the concubine to marry Master Dong..."

"..."

Zhou Yan furrowed his brow. Everything he'd heard pointed to there being nothing wrong.

But the more that seemed to be the case, the more he felt something was wrong.

Perhaps it was because everything was just too perfect!

In a way, the fact that there was nothing wrong was the biggest problem of all...

"Oh, right. Cuier wasn't the wife's maid. She served the concubine." Ma Yan seemed to remember something and added this.

Zhou Yan's body jolted. He turned to Ma Yan. "What did you say? Cuier was the concubine's maid, not the wife's?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Ma Yan looked confused. "Everyone in the mansion says that if Cuier hadn't protected her mistress at a crucial moment, the concubine would've met the same fate as the wife and been killed by that evil spirit."

Thinking of what he had found on Cuier's body, and of the concubine's condition, Zhou Yan suddenly felt he had discovered something.

"We came here by mistake. But now we can't turn back."

His words left Ma Yan confused.

He didn't explain. He just wanted to deal with the evil spirit as quickly as possible.

As for the other secrets in Dong Mansion, he wanted to stay as far away from them as he could.

Even the slightest suspicion had left Zhou Yan feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

"Brother-in-law, leave the mansion and find somewhere nearby to rest. Wait for me outside tomorrow morning," Zhou Yan told Ma Yan.

A flicker passed through Ma Yan's eyes. He looked at Zhou Yan, then nodded.

"All right."

A short while later, Zhou Yan called Steward Huang over and asked him to escort Ma Yan out of the mansion.

As for Zhou Yan, he went to the concubine's courtyard.

"Where is Master Dong?" Zhou Yan asked.

Steward Huang bowed slightly. "He'll keep vigil for his wife during the first half of the night. In the second half, he'll go to comfort the concubine."

Zhou Yan's eyes flickered. He nodded slightly.

He sat on a stone stool in the courtyard. A number of strong, young servants stood around him, holding torches and giving the place a formidable air.

Inside the room, the concubine herself was accompanied by several maids.

"Steward Huang, have a seat. There are some things I'd like to ask you," Zhou Yan said.

Steward Huang apologized for the imposition, then sat down.

"Master, please ask whatever you like."

Zhou Yan didn't beat around the bush. "Two masters came here before me. What happened to them?"

Steward Huang looked a little awkward at the question.

But it seemed he'd been given instructions, so he answered anyway. "Well, both of them were badly injured. They left the next day."

"Hmm. I heard they both died," Zhou Yan said.

"Ahem..."

Steward Huang cleared his throat and hurriedly explained, "Master, don't believe the rumors going around. The two masters were badly injured when they left, but they certainly weren't in any danger of dying.

"But for some reason, they suddenly died after they left..."

Steward Huang couldn't go on.

However he put it, Dong Mansion seemed impossible to clear of suspicion.

Zhou Yan wasn't angry or upset. He simply continued in an even tone, "By the way, has the concubine's cousin been staying in the mansion this whole time, without going out?"

Steward Huang seemed surprised that Zhuang Hua had asked about this. He thought for a moment before answering, "Not quite. Young Master Biao went out twice, both times to contact a Western doctor for the concubine."

"Did he manage to find one?" Zhou Yan asked at once.

Steward Huang didn't know why Zhou Yan was so interested in Young Master Biao, but he answered truthfully. "No. It seems something went wrong. The Western doctor still hasn't arrived. Otherwise, Young Master Biao wouldn't be so anxious."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yan asked, "The Dong Family has considerable influence in Shen City. Do you know which Western doctor Young Master Biao contacted?"

"I'm afraid not. Master has always hated Western things and kept his distance from them," Steward Huang said.

Steward Huang then looked at Zhou Yan. "Master, is there something wrong with Young Master Biao?"

Zhou Yan had asked such detailed questions that Steward Huang, an astute man, couldn't help noticing something was amiss.

Still, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see anything suspicious.

"I have some suspicions, but I can't be sure. I may have misunderstood."

Zhou Yan knew he couldn't hide what he was doing from the other man, so he answered calmly.

Then he sat quietly where he was and said no more.

Steward Huang realized he wouldn't be able to get anything out of Zhou Yan, so he had no choice but to take his leave.

After leaving, he hurried to the mourning hall and told Dong Lei everything he and Zhou Yan had said.

Dong Lei was burning paper offerings in silence. He was alone in the mourning hall.

Suddenly, his hand trembled.

He quickly recovered, but he still couldn't fool the old servant who had followed him for years.