Unraveling the Mystery

"Let's analyze this from the beginning. If you were Zhou Min, how would you handle this?" Xu Qi'an looked around at everyone and asked.

The Nightwatchers started discussing it, one after another:

"Using the secret code of the Nightwatchers's office?"

"Didn't I just say that this code isn't secure enough?"

"If it were me, I'd hide somewhere no one can find me."

"Nonsense, if no one can find it, what's the point of hiding the evidence?"

At this point, everyone was stunned, and the scene fell into a brief silence.

Xu Qi'an snapped his fingers, looked at the gong that had inadvertently revealed the secret, and said, "That's right, Zhou Min hid the evidence so that it would be found, so that we would find it. Think about it further along this line of thought."

Governor Zhang clapped his hands together, praising the gesture repeatedly, and said with slight excitement:

"That makes sense. Zhou Min wouldn't hide evidence where no one can find it. So, the object containing the clues wouldn't be valuable, but it would be very conspicuous."

Suddenly, everyone's minds were opened, as if they had touched the door to a new world. They excitedly started thinking.

A few minutes later, the Nightwatchers bewildered glances. "But we've checked all these items. There's no code, and none of them match the jade pendant."

The door to a new world slammed shut, and they began to question their existence once again. So, everyone turned their attention to Xu Qi'an.

There are too few initial clues to begin the investigation. However, the key to solving a case is finding clues. A good criminal investigation expert is adept at analyzing from various angles and looking for clues in the details.

The newbie, on the other hand, was like a child, full of questions. Xu Qi'an ignored everyone's gazes, immersed in his own world.

"Any clues?" one of the silver gongs couldn't help but ask, but before he could finish speaking, Jiang Luzhong silenced him with a kiss.

"Don't disturb him," Jiang Luzhong said in a deep voice.

Governor Zhang gestured for everyone to remain calm. He had placed all his bets on Xu Qi'an, and this young man had proven his worth and ability with his achievements.

Governor Zhang couldn't help but wonder if Duke Wei had anticipated the changes in Yunzhou when he sent Xu Qi'an.

It was precisely because I anticipated the difficulty of this case that I dispatched Xu Qi'an, a brilliant detective, to assist me. Duke Wei is indeed far-sighted and has a profound plan.

"Correspondingly, the brilliant Duke Wei will send Xu Qi'an, which means he will definitely be able to solve the case." Governor Zhang was secretly encouraged, feeling his mood instantly improve and no longer so irritable.

He was originally an imperial censor; solving cases was really too difficult for him. Luckily, there was Xu Ningyan.

Xu Qi'an, unaware of Governor Zhang's complex inner thoughts, was engrossed in his own deductions.

Are there really any clues among these relics? If I were Zhou Min, I would try to leave clues for the Nightwatchers. But I might not leave them among the relics, because they are too easy to destroy; a fire would turn them to ashes. But leaving no clues is not an option either. So, the safest approach is to operate on two fronts, not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Right!

Operating on two fronts, Yang Yingying was Zhou Min's other scheme.

Yang Yingying was an unexpected find, not a clue left by Zhou Min for the Nightwatchers. Since no clues were found among Zhou Min's belongings, why not try to break through from Yang Yingying?

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an felt a surge of energy and a sense of sudden enlightenment.

The Silver Gongs at the Spirit Refining Realm keenly sensed Xu Qi'an's emotional change. They perked up and were about to ask a question when they noticed that Xu Qi'an's eyes had darkened again, and he was deep in thought once more.

Detective Xu Ningyan's reasoning has hit another bottleneck: there are too few clues about Yang Yingying.

"It's still the same problem: too few clues. It's just half a jade pendant; at most, we can guess it's some kind of token. Let's reorganize our thoughts, eliminate Zhou Min's other lead, and focus on Yang Yingying."

"If Yang Yingying arrived in Qingzhou, found the Layman Ziyang, presented the jade pendant, and explained the whole story," Xu Qi'an simulated the process in his mind:

What should the Layman Ziyang do? He will face the same dilemma I am in now: a lack of clues.

"When you're completely confused and lack clues, you definitely need to find a way to get more information. So how do you get information? Of course, you ask the person who brought the jade pendant! Yes, yes, yes! Ask the person who brought the jade pendant."

"I've got it! I've got it!" Xu Qi'an shouted.

"What came to mind?" Everyone asked in almost unison.

"No rush," Xu Qi'an instructed, "Call Yang Yingying over; I have something to ask her."

"Go quickly!" Governor Zhang urged.

A gong player immediately went upstairs and invited the plump young woman, who had been staying in her room after finishing her meal, to come out.

Yang Yingying was still dressed in the same coarse cloth dress as when they first met, and gracefully curtsied. "What brings you, sir, to my humble abode?"

Xu Qi'an asked, "What else did Zhou Min say when he gave you the jade pendant that night?"

Yang Yingying shook her head. "Aside from what I already mentioned, Lord Zhou didn't give any additional instructions. Otherwise, I wouldn't have forgotten."

She sometimes called Zhou Min her husband, and other times she called him Lord Zhou, which was a sign of extreme insecurity. She believed in Zhou Min as her husband, but felt that she did not have the proper title and was unworthy of the title. Therefore, she kept changing how she addressed him.

Xu Qi'an stroked the teacup, there must be more to it, otherwise even if the Layman Ziyang were a god, he would be helpless. Zhou Min is a seasoned mole, his IQ is definitely online. Hmm, Yang Yingying doesn't know, maybe she hasn't noticed.

"Repeat what Zhou Min said to you that night."

"How could this humble woman possibly remember?" Yang Yingying asked with difficulty.

"You don't need to read every single word, just give me a general overview," Xu Qi'an reassured her, but at the same time, his heart sank slightly. The reason Yang Yingying didn't remember was probably because the two of them had only talked about mundane family matters that night.

Just like when you walk down the street and see all sorts of people, you don't remember what they look like, and you might even forget the color of their clothes as soon as you turn your head.

The more ordinary something is, the less likely it is to be remembered.

That night, Lord Zhou came to see me, and as usual, he brought me some rouge and powder, a small gift, a pot of wine, and a few pounds of pig's head meat.

"While we were drinking, he chatted with me as usual about things in officialdom and the banditry in Yunzhou."

"But since I am just a woman, I don't like to hear these things, so Lord Zhou didn't say much. Then it was time to guess riddles."

"After the meal, while the woman was serving him, he told me about that incident and handed me half of the jade pendant."

Xu Qi'an had her focus on "officialdom" and "banditry," but found that it was just Zhou Min's complaints.

What kinds of word puzzles are there?

Yang Yingying thought for a moment, then said softly, "Ten mouths, one heart."

Before Xu Qi'an could think of anything, Governor Zhang interrupted, "Yes!"

"Exactly," Yang Yingying continued, "One in a thousand miles, one in a hundred miles."

Governor Zhang: "Uncle."

Yang Yingying nodded and added, "Eat the cow's tail in one bite."

Governor Zhang: "I report."

"The governor is truly remarkable." The Nightwatchers and the Tiger Guards looked at him with admiration.

For some reason, Governor Zhang felt a sense of triumph, a feeling of satisfaction that arose within him that he was no longer useless, that he too was a dragon among men, and that he could not let Xu Ningyan stand out alone.

Solving riddles is a piece of cake for scholars.

Xu Qi'an, annoyed that Governor Zhang kept interrupting him, tapped the table and said in a deep voice:

"Your Excellency, I also have a riddle that has been troubling me for a long time."

Governor Zhang nodded slightly, indicating that he should set a question.

Xu Qi'an said, "Miss Wen is getting married."

Governor Zhang first frowned slightly, then his brows furrowed deeply, then his face stiffened, and finally he stood there blankly, completely bewildered.

Xu Qi'an nodded in satisfaction and looked at Yang Yingying, urging her to continue.

"The last two anagrams are: 'White Jade Wuxia' and 'Sun and Moon Tongtian'. The former is the character for 'Emperor', and the latter is for 'Ming'."

Xu Qi'an instructed his colleagues to bring paper and pen, spread them out on the table, and wrote down: Si, Bo, Gao, Huang, Ming.

Five large characters.

Jiang Luzhong looked at it many times, asking, "What do these five characters mean?"

The five characters cannot be linked together; each character stands alone. What is Zhou Min trying to express? Or is it really just a word puzzle he was playing on the spot?

Xu Qi'an turned to look at Governor Zhang, who was engrossed in his own world.

Well then, these five characters are clearly not a riddle, so the governor's role is rendered useless. Let him go and challenge Miss Wen instead.

Then, Xu Qi'an also immersed himself in his own world. "If this is a clue that Zhou Min wants to reveal to the Layman Ziyang, then it will not be too profound or obscure. It must be something that even someone who is visiting Yunzhou for the first time can easily discover."

"What are things that a newcomer can easily discover? Let's think about it another way: what are the needs of someone new to Yunzhou?"

I've got it!

Xu Qi'an let out a long breath. "I've solved the mystery."