Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 201

“Doesn’t this mean we won’t be able to find the culprit?”

Late at night, the two lie in bed, and Jiang Miao can’t help but feel shocked after hearing the results Pei Che has gathered. It’s clear that someone has orchestrated the death of Pei Che’s parents in secret. But the deeper they investigate, the more confusing it becomes. They initially want to convict someone, but now, everyone seems to be cleared of guilt.

“No matter what, I will get to the bottom of this,” Pei Che sighs. With no leads, how can he proceed with the investigation?

Jiang Miao pats his arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry, the truth will come to light one day. We know much more now than we did before. By the way, the coachman Zhao Wei mentioned—that’s Xing’er’s father, right?”

As soon as Pei Che hears those two names, his expression darkens, and he snorts coldly. “That’s right, her father was bribed to harm my parents, and she used despicable means to hurt Mu’er. That whole family is full of venomous snakes!”

“…If he was bribed, could others have been bribed too? Weren’t there many guards who accompanied your parents back then?”

Pei Che thinks for a moment and shakes his head. “That’s unlikely. Those guards were always by my parents’ side and had no chance to interact with outsiders. Only the coachman, who often went down the mountain to buy supplies, had the opportunity. I asked Zhao Wei, and aside from them, the only people at the temple back then were the monks.”

“Do monks need to go down the mountain to buy supplies?” Jiang Miao suddenly asks.

“They probably do,” Pei Che nods, but then his eyes widen as he realizes something. “You mean the monks at the temple could have been bribed too? But they are monks…”

“So what if they are monks?” Jiang Miao counters. “As long as they’re human, they have emotions and desires. Everyone has something they care about. When the incentive is strong enough, even a saint may be tempted.”

Pei Che nods in agreement after listening.

“Moreover,” Jiang Miao continues, “I’ve always been curious. How does that coachman know about the other road? We walk that road too, and its entrance is very well hidden. It’s quite far from the back of the temple as well. How does he find out about that road and know exactly where it leads?”

“It must be someone familiar with the area who tells him. Whoever tells him about that route has ulterior motives,” Pei Che follows Jiang Miao’s line of reasoning.

“Exactly. They must want to lure your parents there and deliberately guide the coachman to lead them that way.”

“If the weather hadn’t been overcast that day, they would have taken the official road as planned. Wouldn’t their entire scheme have been useless?”

“The weather can be predicted. Those who live in the mountains know that before the weather changes, the house gets damp, and there’s moisture everywhere. It’s not hard to predict the weather based on this,” Jiang Miao explains. Though the ancient times don’t have the convenience of modern weather forecasts, people can still predict weather changes by observing natural phenomena. Proverbs like ‘Ants moving their nest and snakes crossing the road mean heavy rain is coming soon’ show that predicting weather isn’t difficult.

“You’re right. Some monks in the temple are indeed suspicious. It looks like we’ll need to visit Ciji Temple again,” Pei Che resolves firmly to get to the bottom of things.

“…How about I go alone? You still have responsibilities at the Ministry of Revenue, and your days off are too short to make the trip,” Jiang Miao suggests.

Pei Che shakes his head. “If they truly are involved, this trip could be extremely dangerous. I can’t let you take that risk. As for my duties at the Ministry of Revenue, I can resign if necessary. Nothing is more important than uncovering the truth.”

“Are you stupid?” Jiang Miao gives him a light slap. “If the monks confess to involving someone else, how will you investigate if you’ve already resigned? Can’t you request a leave of absence? With fast travel, five or six days should be enough, right?”

Leave of absence? Ask for time off. Pei Che ponders for a moment, and an idea begins to form in his mind.

The next day, the staff at the Ministry of Revenue are surprised to find the usually composed Lord Pei keeping his head down as he enters the office. He seems to be concealing something, almost as if he is too embarrassed to face anyone.

Those who like to gossip speculate that the “River East Lioness” in Pei Che’s household has caught him sneaking around and clawed his face in a fit of rage.

Someone laughs, “That sounds more like your own story! Everyone knows Lord Pei prefers his handsome blue-robed partner. The ‘lion’ in his household was bestowed by the emperor, and their affection for each other is deep. How could such a thing happen?”

The accuser refuses to back down. “If there’s nothing going on, why would he be hiding his face? His face must be scratched up!”

Others, eager for a laugh, egg him on. They even make a wager: if the gossip proves true, they’ll each owe him two silver taels.

Calculating that the potential gain is worth the risk, the man agrees and happily approaches Pei Che, devising ways to strike up a conversation and confirm the truth.

Pei Che initially tries to hide himself, either by keeping his head down or turning it to the side to avoid direct eye contact. Over time, he seems to forget and starts facing people directly. This allows the man watching him to clearly see Pei Che’s face.

To his disappointment, Pei Che’s face isn’t scratched as he had imagined but covered in red rashes, which explains why Pei Che is avoiding eye contact.

The man’s intense gaze alerts Pei Che to the fact that his condition is exposed. Flustered, Pei Che quickly lowers his head, anxiously insisting, “This illness isn’t contagious, absolutely not contagious,” while even reaching out to grab the man’s hand.

The man maintains a polite smile on his face but instinctively steps back several paces. He mutters some vague excuses before hurriedly leaving the scene.

After his departure, it doesn’t take long for nearly everyone in the government office to learn what has happened. The officials who have shared an office with Pei Che quickly find excuses to leave and don’t dare return.

Before long, the Minister of Revenue is also alerted. Upon hearing that someone in the government office is suspected of having measles, he nearly orders Pei Che to be carried out immediately. However, out of consideration for Pei Che’s additional status, he refrains from taking drastic action. Instead, he sends someone to inform Pei Che from a safe distance that, given his condition, he is permitted to return home to recuperate and can resume his official duties once he has fully recovered.

Feigning hurt from the rejection, Pei Che slowly leaves the Ministry of Revenue.

When he returns home, Jiang Miao bursts into laughter upon hearing the story, almost unable to stand upright. “Haha! You’re so wicked! I wondered why you didn’t use a common excuse like a cold or flu—turns out you wanted them to send you home willingly!”

Pei Che chuckles. “That wasn’t my only reason.”

“What other reason?”

“If I claimed to have an ordinary illness, my colleagues would visit me out of camaraderie. Should I host them as a good host or not? But with this illness, they wouldn’t dare come near me until I recover.” Pei Che’s foresight leaves no detail unchecked.

Given the tight schedule, Pei Che and Jiang Miao entrust the two children to Grandmother Pei to take care of.

After learning the whole story, Grandmother Pei is both shocked and angry, though her primary emotion is grief. She urges Pei Che to be cautious on the journey and not to endanger himself in the pursuit of the truth. If nothing conclusive can be uncovered, she advises him to let it go, as so many years have passed, making the truth exceedingly difficult to uncover. As for the household matters, she assures them that she will handle everything, so they need not worry.

After bidding farewell to his grandmother, Pei Che and Jiang Miao board a carriage and discreetly leave the city. Once outside, they switch to prepared horses, accompanied by a few guards, and ride swiftly toward Ciji Temple.

They waste no time along the journey, traveling at full speed. At every relay station, they exchange money for fresh horses. They only pause briefly for meals and necessities, resting by lighting campfires and leaning against trees for short naps. By dawn, they are back on the road.

Thanks to their relentless pace, they reach the base of Ciji Temple in just two and a half days.

Although they haven’t visited for months, the temple remains as solemn and ancient as before. Yet neither Pei Che nor Jiang Miao have any interest in admiring the scenery. They are focused only on finding Master Wuchen as quickly as possible to uncover the truth about what happened all those years ago.