A woman's intuition

After hearing what 011 said, Shen Shixu looked at Ma Zhennan with deep sympathy and could not help offering a warning. "Lord Ma, I know this may be presumptuous, but there are some things you really ought to investigate."

Shen Shixu had not wanted to meddle, especially in someone else's romantic affairs. But Ma Zhennan was simply too pitiful, and barring any surprises, the two of them would be working together for years to come.

He would feel terribly guilty watching Ma Zhennan wander around in front of him, oblivious to the fact that his wife was cheating on him.

[Big brother, you clearly didn't want to meddle, especially in romantic affairs. Why did you suddenly warn him? What if this official misunderstands and gives you a scolding?]

Shen Shixu was not surprised by 011's question. They communicated through their minds, so 011 knew everything he was thinking.

*[I don't like interfering in other people's affairs. Especially things like this—handle it well, and there's nothing to gain; handle it badly, and they'll blame you.

But Lord Ma is such a good man, and we'll be colleagues in the future. My conscience wouldn't let me simply watch him be deceived.

I'll warn him just this once. If he listens, good. If he doesn't, I can only say that's his fate.]*

Ma Zhennan heard the entire conversation between 011 and Shen Shixu in his mind. He was grateful that Shen Shixu had been willing to speak up and warn him.

He was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness. He and Shen Shixu had no personal ties; at most, they were colleagues who had only just met.

The young man had been willing to take the trouble to warn him. Though those words cut him to the heart, they had truly been well-intentioned, spoken out of concern that he was being deceived.

The chief of the Court of Judicial Review had also heard Shen Shixu's warning. Worried that Ma Zhennan might fail to appreciate it, he added his own advice. "Yes, Junior Official Shen has a point. Zhennan, you really should investigate that second wife of yours. Some things are far too coincidental.

"If you don't want to investigate, let me do it for you. If she's truly a good woman, everyone will be happy, and having me conduct the investigation won't damage your marriage. If she isn't, at least you'll know..."

The chief of the Court of Judicial Review had worked with Ma Zhennan for many years, and they were also distantly related by marriage. His wife and Ma Zhennan's late first wife had been cousins.

The chief's mother-in-law had been a cousin of Ma Zhennan's first wife's mother. Thus, besides being superior and subordinate, the two men were practically brothers-in-law.

There were certain matters only the chief could intervene in. Ma Zhennan knew that his superior, who was also his brother-in-law, was concerned about him. He cupped his hands and bowed to Shen Shixu. "Thank you for the warning, Junior Official Shen. I'll go back and investigate right away. Please put the matter I asked you about earlier on hold as well. I'll take my leave."

Eager to get to the bottom of things as soon as possible, Ma Zhennan pulled the chief along and hurried away.

Once the two men had left, Shen Shixu found the case files he had not finished reading that morning and resumed his work.

Meanwhile, Ma Zhennan and the chief summoned their trusted men and launched a thorough investigation into Ma Zhennan's second wife. Knowing how anxious the two officials were, their men rode two horses to death and managed to uncover everything by the following afternoon.

Ma Zhennan's second wife was indeed the innkeeper's wife. The chief's trusted men questioned people around the inn and learned that the innkeeper's wife had a mole between her brows. Because it was so auspiciously placed, people had even teased her about being blessed with good fortune.

One of the men taking part in the investigation had seen Ma Zhennan's second wife, and she did indeed have a mole on her forehead. He was a skilled artist and drew her likeness from memory, then showed it to people who had seen the innkeeper's wife. They confirmed that she was the same woman.

Just as they were about to arrest the innkeeper and bring him back, they unexpectedly discovered that he had disappeared from Yong City several days earlier.

Ma Zhennan and the chief of the Court of Judicial Review, Dong Daqiang, were drinking tea and waiting for news in a courtyard residence Dong Daqiang had purchased when his wife, Xu Shumin, came in with a group of people.

Seeing his wife arrive, Dong Daqiang quickly rose from his chair. With an ingratiating smile, he welcomed her over and helped her settle into a seat.

"My dear, what brings you here? Let me make this clear—I haven't been doing anything improper here. My brother-in-law ran into a problem and came to discuss it with me. We're waiting here for news!"

As he spoke, Dong Daqiang shot Ma Zhennan a meaningful look, signaling for him to help explain. His wife had quite a temper. If she misunderstood, the next few days would be miserable for him.

Catching the signal, Ma Zhennan hurried to back him up. "That's right, sister. I've run into some trouble and wanted my brother-in-law's help. We've only been drinking tea here while waiting for news. We haven't done anything else."

Xu Shumin first gave her husband a satisfied look. Then, as though something had occurred to her, she rolled her eyes at the two men. "He wouldn't dare do anything to betray me. As for the news you're waiting for, there's no need to wait. I've already brought the man here for you."

"Cuiliu, bring him in."

Xu Shumin's senior maid, Cuiliu, brought in a filthy, disheveled man. Ma Zhennan thought he looked familiar. Only after staring at him for a while did he realize that this was the innkeeper from before!

"Sister, when did you catch him?"

Holding the cup of tea Dong Daqiang had poured for her, Xu Shumin took a slow sip before answering. "The first time I met that second wife of yours, I felt she was no good. There was something restless and unfaithful in her eyes.

"But I didn't take it to heart then. I thought perhaps she'd gone from poverty to wealth overnight and hadn't yet managed to change her bad habits.

"Then, before long, word came that she was pregnant. That was when I realized something was wrong."

Xu Shumin glanced at Ma Zhennan and revealed a secret she had kept for years. "Zhennan, you don't know this, but back when you and Yuan'er had gone years without children, Yuan'er sought medical advice.

"There was nothing wrong with her health. The problem lay with you. To spare you from feeling inadequate, she took the blame herself.

"It wasn't that you could never have children, but conceiving was difficult for you. When Yuan'er was alive, she made nourishing soup for you every day to improve your health. But even by the time she fell ill and passed away, your condition still hadn't improved.

"And after that, no one made those nourishing soups for you anymore. Your health simply wouldn't have allowed you to get a woman pregnant so quickly.

"So I suspected then that the woman had schemed against you. To find proof, I arranged for someone to keep watching him, and at last, we found a lead.

"On the sixteenth of every month, she would have someone deliver a sum of money. I had someone follow the delivery and discovered this man.

"I had him seized on the spot, gave him a savage beating, and starved him for several days. Only this morning did he finally confess everything."