GHLCS Chapter66

As soon as Old Madam Yuan appeared and saw the tragic situation in the woodshed, her compassionate face moved slightly. She moved the Buddhist beads in her hand a few times, muttered something, and then walked in.

 

“My apologies for making you witness the Yuan family’s disgrace so early in the morning, Commander Duan. I won’t trouble you further with a servant’s personal grudges. Please, head to the front hall and enjoy some tea.”

 

Duan Yelin and Qiao Song looked at each other. The old madam of the Yuan family meant to order them to leave, but he obviously couldn’t let this matter go.

 

“You’re too polite, Ma’am. Human lives are at stake right now, and it’s not the time to have tea.” Duan Yelin flatly refused.

 

Seeing this, Yuan Ye wanted to step up and say something: “Grandma, I asked Commander Duan to come…”

 

“How dare you!” Old Madam Yuan burst into anger and began scolding Yuan Ye. “You’re about to be married, yet you still act so recklessly. If someone with ill intentions stirs up trouble over this, it could bring disgrace to the Yuan family! Do you understand?”

 

It is said that the old madam of the Yuan family was a very powerful figure when she was young. After her husband passed away, she was able to throw down her embroidery frame, pick up a hatchet, and stand in front of her family when facing the Japanese invaders invading the city. She was a woman of backbone.

 

Even though she is old and is in her seventies, you can still see that kind of domineering spirit in her.

 

No matter what, what she said was indeed reasonable. Duan Yelin changed the topic and asked, “Don’t be angry, Madam. I will not let any rumors spread around as long as I am here. Just now, the Madam said… ‘The aggrieved ghosts are seeking revenge’. It seems that the Madam knows something about this matter?”

 

He stared at Old Madam Yuan, trying to read some clues from her face.

 

There was no hint of emotion in Old Madam Yuan’s eyes beneath her wrinkled brow. “How could I know about the servants? However, ever since Lao Yang entered our Yuan family to serve, he has never stopped praying to the gods and Buddhas. I am also a believer, and I knew that he must have made mistakes when he was young, so I felt sorry for him. Now that he has ended up like this, it is naturally the ghosts who are seeking revenge.”

 

The aggrieved ghosts are seeing revenge, huh? What a good reason.

 

Duan Yelin rubbed his nose and said meaningfully, “Madam, if it is really a ghost, then I don’t have to waste any effort. Ghosts are not scary, only people with bad intentions are.”

 

Old Madam Yuan understood his implication, but merely offered a faint smile. “No matter how kind-hearted Commander Duan may be, surely he wouldn’t take advantage of the master’s absence to stir up trouble in the Yuan household, would he? With so many people present, rumors would spread easily. If something truly is amiss, let’s wait for my son to return and investigate it properly. I will, of course, inform Commander Duan then.”

 

For now, it seemed this matter couldn’t be pursued as easily as he’d hoped. Whether Old Madam Yuan knew the truth or not, she clearly wouldn’t permit outsiders to search the Yuan residence. If things dragged on any longer, Yuan Sen might return at any moment. After weighing the situation, Duan Yelin decided to take a step back.

 

“Alright, today I am willing to give you face. Since this is a ‘small matter’ in your family, you can handle it yourself.”

 

Old Madam Yuan nodded slightly: “Thank you, Commander Duan, for your understanding. I’m sorry I can’t see you off.”

 

After that, Duan Yelin waved his hand, and all the people he brought with him went out in an orderly manner.

 

Stepping out of the gate of the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion, listening to the sound of the heavy wooden door closing behind him, Qiao Song leaned behind Duan Yelin and asked, “Commander, are we just gonna leave like that?”

 

“What else can we do? Yuan Sen is still alive. We can’t just start a rebellion in his house without caring about anything.”

 

Qiao Song looked bitter: “Ah? Then we’ve come here for nothing…”

 

“It’s not in vain,” Duan Yelin walked to the car, opened the door, took out a wine bag from inside, took a sip, and exhaled very happily, “I know one thing now, at least the person behind the golden hairpin will target the Military Control Commissioner next. The Yuan family obviously knows this too, so let them fight first, it won’t hinder us. Let’s just watch the show.”

 

After listening to Duan Yelin’s words and then looking at Duan Yelin’s somewhat smug expression, Qiao Song probably knew what was going on as well.

 

But in the Military Control Commissioner’s mansion, after Yuan Sen came back, he turned pale when he heard the details of the murder case. He immediately got furious in front of the patrol soldiers and ordered them to be on high alert and guard the mansion like an iron barrel.

 

Afterwards, he entered the main hall, closed the door, and talked to Old Madam Yuan.

 

Seeing Yuan Sen enter the hall, Yuan Ye turned a corner and went to the side window, wanting to eavesdrop on something, but the window was too thick, and he could not hear clearly.

 

Only a few sentences are clear.

 

Old Madam Yuan was full of energy, but she spoke in a tone of regret: “…It’s not that I’m unwilling to report it—it’s just that the time hasn’t come yet! Look, this is the best possible outcome for Lao Yang! And yet you still refuse to change. Must we really wait until disaster strikes the Yuan family, until I, with white hair, am forced to send you, with black hair, to hell?”

 

There were a few more low rebuttals in between, and then Yuan Sen retorted grimly, “…Even if it’s really a ghost, I have the ability to make this ghost die again!”

 

“You are really crazy!”

 

There was a sound of broken utensils, and finally the door was pushed hard, and Old Madam Yuan left in a rage with a cane.

 

Yuan Ye bit his finger, afraid of being discovered by Yuan Sen, and quickly ran back to the room in the night.

 

He opened the cabinet, took out the hairpin, spread out the paper, and used a fountain pen to trace the hairpin’s appearance, drawing it on the paper bit by bit.

 

He referred to the appearance of the hairpin in his hand, recalled the appearance of the two hairpins that had appeared in the murder case so far, and drew the common points of the three. It took him half an hour to finish.

 

After looking around and feeling that it was almost done, he opened the door, blew a whistle, and called Xiao Jing in.

 

“Take this painting, and here is some money. In the next few days, ask around in the gold shops in the city to see if anyone has made a golden hairpin like this. Memorize everything and come back and tell me!”

 

Seeing Yuan Ye’s serious expression, Xiao Jing hid the painting in his arms and nodded heavily.

 

Yuan Ye thought for a moment and added, “If… if no one has ever made it, then you can ask if anyone has been buying gold nuggets recently. To make a golden hairpin like this, a lot of material will be wasted.”

 

“I understand.”

 

“You must do it quietly, this matter is very important!”

 

Xiao Jing patted his chest to reassure Yuan Ye and hurried out to do the work that night.

 

Yuan Ye was well aware of Xiao Jing’s loyalty and competence, yet he couldn’t shake his unease. Xiao Jing didn’t realize that this matter might truly be tied to the very survival of the Yuan family.

 

It could happen at any moment.