Chapter 25: Tang Qingwan Is Not Dead

After Jiang Nian returned to the manor and took a nap, she saw Pei Jiuru in the dining hall at midday.

He was a man who valued decorum, observing the rule of silence during meals. Jiang Nian held her tongue until they finished eating, then, while sipping her tea, she asked in a casual tone, "I heard the magistrate's office is still investigating the fire from the other day. Could you recall anything more about what happened?"

Pei Jiuru nodded, his gaze flickering slightly. "After you left, I walked a few more steps into the alley and saw the fire. Someone went to fetch the fire brigade, and since I couldn't help, I went to the magistrate's office to find you."

"We left one after the other, yet you didn't arrive until I had been at the magistrate’s office for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn..."

"I didn't know the way to the office, so it took some time."

"Oh..." Jiang Nian did not notice the sudden relaxation of Pei Jiuru’s tense frame. She thought for a moment and explained, "If anyone asks again, let's keep our stories consistent: we left together and went to the office together, and you were just waiting for me outside."

"Why the sudden interest in this? Is the magistrate's office suspicious of us?"

"No. If they were suspicious, they would have come knocking already."

Pei Jiuru rose and smoothed his sleeves. Before walking away, he asked casually, "Or is someone giving you trouble over this?"

"No, nothing like that... I just remembered it and asked on a whim. You should go to the study." Jiang Nian urged him to attend to his studies.

After he left, Jiang Nian remained in the dining hall, lost in thought for a long time.

Bianjing was under the Emperor’s feet; while there were criminals, they were the minority. Besides, murder was no easy feat. Setting aside how to commit the act or dispose of a body, she believed no normal person could overcome the internal moral barrier. Even masters of grand houses, when they wanted to punish a servant, would leave the deed to others; she had never heard of anyone doing it themselves.

When she was furious with Pei Yanshi, she had wished him dead, but did she dare? She could give the order, but she would never dare to do it with her own hands. Furthermore, Pei Jiuru was a refined scholar, not a deranged woman like Tang Qingwan. She must be overthinking this.

Only when she caught sight of Lwla did Jiang Nian stop her brooding.

Lwla scurried to her side and whispered, "Mistress, I was waiting outside General Meng’s manor. I saw Miss Meng return to the house in a rage, with Young Master Bo chasing after her, but she wouldn't let him in!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Hongrui entered the dining hall. She glanced curiously at Jiang Nian and Lwla before reporting, "Mistress, your mother is here."

Jiang Nian rose quickly and met the breathless Madam Jiang in the courtyard. "Mother, why are you here at this hour? What is the matter?"

"Niannian!" Madam Jiang, too busy to wipe her sweat, hurriedly pulled a letter from her sleeve. "It’s a letter from Qingwan!"

Jiang Nian took the letter but didn't open it immediately. Suspicious, she asked, "Cousin sent me a letter? She has been to the Pei manor; why would she send it to the Jiang manor?"

"Someone gave it to the doorman, saying it was from Miss Tang. I read what was inside, and it sounds just like her!"

Only then did Jiang Nian break the seal. She felt a moment of vertigo; the handwriting on the paper was indeed Tang Qingwan’s. Could all her previous deductions have been wrong?

In the letter, Tang Qingwan wrote that she had heard of her own disappearance and was afraid her family would be worried, which was why she wrote to Jiang Nian. She was in low spirits and did not want to return home; she only wanted someone to talk to and invited Jiang Nian to meet by the Sun and Moon Lake. She specifically requested that she wanted to see no one but Jiang Nian.

"Qingwan is safe—thank goodness! Niannian, go and comfort her, urge her to come home quickly!"

Jiang Nian felt as if she were drifting through a thick fog. Tang Qingwan was alive? Perhaps her guess was wrong, though Bo Yijin clearly believed the victim in the fire was Tang Qingwan. What game was Tang Qingwan playing? Could it be that she had harmed the wrong person that day and was hiding out of guilt?

Regardless, she did not want to go. Looking at the simple and kind-hearted Madam Jiang, Jiang Nian didn't know how to explain her misgivings. She paused and hedged, "Mother, if Cousin is so distressed, how could I possibly comfort her? Our family has reclaimed the debt, and I am married now—what right do I have to lecture a cousin who is set on becoming a concubine?"

"That is true, but just listen to her vent. Be patient with her; perhaps she simply has no one else to confide in."

"Mother..."

"It is a blessing she is safe. Your grandparents were worried sick!"

Jiang Nian was left speechless. After a moment, she replied vaguely, "Fine, I will go shortly."

"Go now! I am terrified she might do something rash and throw herself into the Sun and Moon Lake!"

Jiang Nian sighed imperceptibly. She could not tell anyone about her suspicions regarding the fire at the Jiang manor, and she had no other way to persuade her mother. It seemed she had no choice but to go.

"Fine, I will go! But I cannot guarantee I can handle this; please, Mother, do not tell the grandparents just yet."

"I must tell them so they can stop worrying!"

"Mother! If I cannot comfort her and she throws herself into the lake and drowns, the grandparents will surely blame her death on me!"

Madam Jiang was startled and nodded repeatedly. "Fine! I won't say a word!"

"Mother, go rest with Hongrui. I have left rooms for you and Father at the manor."

"Alright, I will wait for your news."

Jiang Nian nodded distractedly and left the manor with Lwla. On the way to the Sun and Moon Lake, she took out the letter to study it closely. Both the handwriting and the tone were flawless, yet she felt deeply uneasy. The last time the two had spoken heart-to-heart was ten years ago; for Tang Qingwan to want to see her now, it was surely for no good reason.

When they arrived at the lake, Jiang Nian looked around, but there was no sign of Tang Qingwan—only an old boatman walking toward her.

The old man, his face tanned and smiling, asked cheerfully, "Is the lady surnamed Jiang? A young lady named Tang gave me silver to take you to the pavilion in the middle of the lake."

"Does the old man remember what the lady was wearing?"

"She wore a white dress and was covered in pearls and jade—I couldn't name them all, very wealthy indeed!"

It was Tang Qingwan’s typical style. She had guessed wrong; Tang Qingwan was not dead.

After boarding the small boat, Jiang Nian leaned out to look at the calm surface of the lake. The scenery was beautiful, and the pavilion was just ahead. The wind turned cold, so she retreated back into the canopy. "Lwla, this seems to be our first time..."

"Lwla?" Jiang Nian nudged the sleeping girl.

Suddenly, her vision began to blur. "Lwla... wake up..."

In her final moment of consciousness, Jiang Nian thought, Tang Qingwan doesn't have the brains for this. Are Tang Qingwan and Bo Yijin conspiring against me? She felt a pang of regret; she had underestimated Bo Yijin. How could the male lead of the original novel be as stupid as a pig...