Ch. 166
166: Lamp Oil on the Rockery, Lured Here
"So many banknotes!" Yan Li exclaimed in surprise. He beckoned to Lu Yun, the guard standing at the door. "Come here, count them…"
Not only was Yan Li shocked, even Qin Yan, who also came from a wealthy and noble family, widened his eyes. The fallen stack of banknotes was thick and had all been stored inside that bamboo tube. Though just one stack, each note was of a huge denomination.
Lu Yun finished counting with an expressionless face. "Master, one hundred thousand taels of silver."
Hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the room shifted. One hundred thousand taels of silver. Even as the top Salt Transport Commissioner for the Two Lakes, Liu Renli's annual salary and stipend combined would be less than a thousand taels. With one hundred thousand taels, Liu Renli couldn't have earned that even in a hundred years of service. Where did this money come from…
Almost simultaneously, the gazes of Yan Li and Wang Huaiyu fell upon Pang Fuliang.
A bitter smile appeared on Pang Fuliang's face. He let out a long sigh before speaking. "I dare not hide it from Your Highness and Prefect. Brother Liu came to me this time precisely to borrow silver. These one hundred thousand taels in banknotes are what I gave him the day before yesterday."
Yan Li, who had just touched the bundle, now felt it carried a peculiar odor. He promptly stepped further away. Upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow. "Commissioner Liu is a court official. What does he need so much silver for?"
Pang Fuliang smiled bitterly. "I only heard him say there was some mishap in his official duties, and he needed money to cover it…"
Anyone present understood what that implied. Yan Li frowned, and Qin Yan's face turned completely dark. Official duties related to salt transport that required money to cover up could only mean one thing. Just last year, several corrupt officials in the east had been prosecuted. Who would have thought Liu Renli was also deeply involved? A cold glint appeared in Qin Yan's eyes, and he instantly lost any sympathy for Liu Renli's death.
Thinking this, Qin Yan couldn't help but glance at Qin Wan. Back then, Qin Wan's reminder had prompted him to send Zhou Huai to investigate Liu Renli. They only uncovered some irregularities in his salt tax accounts. At the time, he made his decision. He had thought that was all, but never expected Liu Renli intended to borrow one hundred thousand taels from Pang Fuliang to cover the shortfall. Such an amount, if reported to the court, would be a capital crime. And if he had returned to the capital and allowed Liu Renli into the Marquis's residence, he truly would have brought disaster upon himself…
A wave of belated fear washed over Qin Yan, and he began to regard Qin Wan with even greater importance.
"Interesting, interesting. Needing one hundred thousand taels to cover a shortfall. The scale of that embezzlement must be considerable."
Yan Li spoke with evident amusement, then added, "Master Pang truly lives up to being the wealthiest man in the northwest, casually lending out one hundred thousand taels. Knowing Commissioner Liu was involved in wrongdoing yet helping to cover it up, you are truly benevolent…"
Pang Fuliang understood Yan Li's words contained mockery but dared not refute them. "Your Highness, forgive me. At first, this humble one did not know what he wanted the silver for. Later, I guessed a little and asked him, but he refused to clarify. Not knowing the exact circumstances, and considering our old friendship, I did not think to report it to the authorities. It was this humble one who aided an evildoer."
Pang Fuliang's attitude shifted quickly. Yan Li chuckled again. "Master Pang's reaction is also human nature. However… to lend out one hundred thousand taels so casually. How much tax does Master Pang's businesses pay annually?"
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Pang Fuliang's brow. "Your Highness jests. Outsiders spread tales of the Pang family's immense wealth, but in truth, this one hundred thousand taels was also obtained with considerable difficulty on my part. If not for our old friendship, I certainly would not have lent it. Moreover, the day before yesterday, I made it clear to Commissioner Liu that there would be no next time. As for taxes, the businesses under the Pang name pay the highest amount in the northwest every year. I absolutely dare not withhold a single coin…"
Yan Li chuckled. "Master Pang need not be nervous. I was just speaking casually."
Pang Fuliang laughed apologetically. Wang Huaiyu looked at the banknotes on the ground. "Collect these banknotes first. Once the case is solved, if Master Pang is not involved, these banknotes will naturally be returned to you. However, Master Pang's indulgence of Commissioner Liu's actions must be dealt with separately."
Pang Fuliang could only smile and agree. Meanwhile, Yan Chi glanced at Pang Fuliang for a moment before shifting his gaze outside the door.
Outside the main room, Pang Yiwen, who hadn't been seen for several days, was peeking in. Seeing many people inside, he didn't enter. However, noticing Qin Wan was also in the room, his gaze lingered on her for an extra moment.
Wang Huaiyu gave instructions here. "Search this place thoroughly. The rest, follow me outside to look around."
After instructing, Wang Huaiyu looked at Yan Chi. Yan Chi said, "You go ahead. No need to attend to me for now."
Wang Huaiyu respectfully assented before leading his men out. Pang Fuliang, followed by Pang Youde, went with Wang Huaiyu. Outside, Pang Yiwen hurriedly approached. "Father, how did another person die…"
Hearing this question, anger instantly flared in Pang Fuliang's heart. He shot Pang Yiwen a fierce glare but didn't answer.
Pang Yiwen was already feeling guilty after his father learned about his use of the Golden Coin Dream Sinking pills. Naturally, he didn't dare act presumptuously and promptly followed respectfully behind Pang Fuliang.
Inside, Qin Wan was examining Liu Renli's room.
After looking around, her gaze settled on the lamp stand by the east window.
It was a bronze crane-shaped lamp. At this moment, the candle inserted in it had burned completely. The white wax, stained brown, had dripped down along the lamp socket, and even the wick had burned away, leaving only a few charred remnants.
Qin Wan turned to look at other parts of the room but saw no other lamps. Frowning, she felt something was off.
Yan Chi walked up to her. "What is it?"
Qin Wan pointed at the crane-shaped lamp stand. "The candle burned out."
Yan Chi looked over and also furrowed his brow. Yan Li approached from the side. "What's wrong? What's wrong with the candle burning out?"
Qin Wan asked, "Would Your Highness let a candle burn down completely?"
Yan Li tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "When a candle burns to the end, the light grows dim. There's no reason to burn it until the wick is gone. Usually, you change it when a little is left…"
Qin Wan said, "Clear Radiance Garden is meticulous in hosting guests. If they noticed the candle was gone or nearly gone, they would naturally replace it. This suggests Lord Liu likely stayed up all night last night, hence the candle burned out."
Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan. Qin Wan continued, "That explains why Lord Liu, who died in the middle of the night, was fully dressed. He was probably too anxious about something to sleep…"
Yan Li chuckled. "He already got the banknotes. What could he have been anxious about, unable to sleep?"
Yan Chi and Qin Wan exchanged a glance. Qin Wan shook her head. "Not certain yet. There's another very strange point. This room couldn't have had only this one lamp. If a candle burned all night until it was gone, there must have been other lamps."
Yan Chi frowned slightly, turned, went to the door, and gave Bai Feng a few instructions.
Bai Feng accepted the order and left. When Yan Chi returned, he saw Qin Wan looking at Liu Renli's bundle. He strode to Qin Wan's side and saw her examining the mud stains on the bundle. Wang Huaiyu said the bundle was found by yamen constables outside Huiyuan. The weather had been clear these past few days; the snow was beginning to melt. A bundle dropped on the ground would inevitably get a bit muddy.
A moment later, Qin Wan brought her fingers, which had touched the bundle, to her nose and sniffed lightly.
Yan Chi raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Qin Wan shook her head. "A strange smell. Not too strong. Can't identify it immediately."
Yan Chi examined the bundle but didn't see any obvious stains. After a moment, he brought his fingertips to his nose and sniffed. Though he also detected a somewhat peculiar odor, he couldn't identify it either.
Meanwhile, Qin Wan said solemnly, "Lord Liu died in the lotus pond. If this is Lord Liu's courtyard, here is the lotus pond, and here is Huiyuan... How could his bundle have fallen outside Huiyuan?"
Qin Wan pointed to three spots on the table, each in a different direction.
Yan Li leaned over. "What if Commissioner Liu really intended to leave at dawn? Then he went to find Master Pang? And then… they had some argument? Besides, Master Pang lending Commissioner Liu one hundred thousand taels is already very strange… Perhaps there was some entanglement between them."
Yan Li's thought was likely what any normal person would think. The appearance of the bundle linked Liu Renli's death to Huiyuan. Qin Wan shook her head. "Though that's possible, Master Pang doesn't seem that foolish. An argument outside Huiyuan, yet Lord Liu ended up dead in the lotus pond. The distance from Huiyuan to the lotus pond seems about the same as from Lord Liu's courtyard to the pond."
Yan Chi narrowed his eyes. "Qingjun was poisoned while having a meal with Master Pang. Now Liu Renli's bundle appears outside Huiyuan. Both incidents seem to have a clear connection to Master Pang, yet they don't withstand scrutiny."
"So, you mean the murderer intentionally did this?" Yan Li's reaction was quite swift this time.
Seeing Qin Wan seemed deep in thought, Yan Chi said, "Let's wait. See if Prefect Wang can find anything."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Wan walked to the door. She stood at the doorway, frowned in thought for a moment, then walked a few steps forward, stopping in the courtyard. She looked at the courtyard gate, then at the surroundings, and finally stood at the gate.
Qin Shuang, seeing Qin Wan like this, was the first to follow. Inside, Yan Li also came out. Thus, Yan Chi ended up a step behind. Qin Shuang walked to Qin Wan's side. "What are you looking at?"
Qin Wan said solemnly, "I'm thinking about how Lord Liu came out."
"What do you mean?" Qin Shuang opened her big eyes, not quite understanding.
Qin Wan glanced in the direction of the lotus pond. "There are no signs of a struggle in the room, and the courtyard looks completely normal. This suggests Lord Liu most likely walked out of the room by himself."
Saying this, Qin Wan walked along the path leading south to the lotus pond.
The winter lotus pond held no scenery. During the day, only Pang Jiayan played there. At night, it was even more deserted. Qin Wan walked slowly along the path, her eyes dark and thoughtful.
She was pondering the case. Qin Shuang followed behind her, followed by Yan Li and Yan Chi. Eventually, Qin Yan also followed slowly. At one point, Qin Wan paused slightly. Looking back and seeing a whole procession of people, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
She had walked all this way and found nothing unusual, almost thinking her deduction was wrong. Seeing everyone following her now, she felt somewhat amused and exasperated. Qin Shuang said, "Why did you stop? Where are you going? The lotus pond?"
Walking further ahead indeed led to the lotus pond, but Qin Wan felt it was impossible for Liu Renli to come to the pond alone late at night. She shook her head. "Found nothing. Let's not go further. Let's go back."
Qin Shuang naturally had no objections. Yan Li, somewhat puzzled, stepped forward. "This is indeed quite remote."
Liu Renli's courtyard was located slightly north of the central axis of the manor, while the lotus pond was in the southwest. The path they had taken was lined with the garden's lush trees and plants, scenic but not the main thoroughfare of the manor. At night, it would be even less traveled.
"Right. Let's wait for Prefect Wang's search results."
Qin Wan said this and was about to turn back when Yan Li suddenly sniffed.
"Wait, do you smell something?"
Yan Li, raised in utmost luxury, had a particular sensitivity to smells. He frowned, a look of distaste on his face.
Hearing this, Qin Wan stopped in her tracks. Just then, a cold wind blew from the southwest direction. A faint glint flashed in Qin Wan's eyes. She continued forward along the path. Yan Li rubbed his nose and followed. Soon, even Qin Wan caught the scent. It was that strange smell that had been on Liu Renli's bundle, only now mingled with the cold wind, it was a bit stronger…
"I smelled this earlier in that room."
Yan Li muttered to himself. Qin Wan, however, quickened her pace. Soon, Qin Wan saw the rockery cluster north of the lotus pond. Outside the pond, there were two separate rockeries, east and west. Each was hollow inside, full of nooks and crannies. Seeing the rockeries, Qin Wan frowned slightly, then hurried to the front of the rockery.
"Is it here?" Yan Li asked, also beginning to search with Qin Wan. However, after looking around, Qin Wan found nothing strange on the outside of the rockery. Suddenly, she stopped.
"This seems to be the smell of lamp oil…"
Hearing this, Yan Li also seemed to recall. "Why would there be lamp oil here?"
As he spoke, Yan Li saw the entrance to the rockery in front of him. His curiosity piqued, he simply ducked inside. A thought struck Qin Wan. Could it be inside the rockery? No sooner had the thought formed than Yan Li's voice suddenly called out from within the rockery passage. "Here, it's here. Found it!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Wan immediately walked inside. Although the interior of the rockery was hollow, small holes in the walls let in light. After walking a few steps, Qin Wan saw Yan Li standing in the cave looking at his feet. She hurried forward to look and saw that on the ground of the passage ahead of Yan Li, a small oil lamp had indeed fallen and shattered. Qin Wan's brow instantly furrowed tightly.
Yan Li said curiously, "Why would it be here? Not only did Commissioner Liu come to the lotus pond area late at night, he also crawled into the rockery? Could it be he also wanted to play hide-and-seek…"
Saying this, Yan Li couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, naturally recalling the scene when they saw Pang Jiayun that evening.
Yan Chi and the others followed from behind. Seeing Yan Chi also enter, Qin Wan said, "Lord Liu certainly wouldn't have come here for no reason. Unless… he was lured here by something."