Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Discovery
 

Qi Yue almost vomited.

This woman really doesn’t have a mirror, does she?

Did she still think she was one of the highborn ladies of the Capital City, clad in fine silks, adorned with jewels in her hair, alluring with her laugh?

Seeing that Qu Wei’s expression darkened, she quickly interjected, “The Supervisor oversees the Northern Ridge, serving as a local magistrate. How can the Supervisor not take care of the people who come here? Right, Supervisor Jiang?”

Hearing this, Qu Wei could only nod in agreement.

“Miss Qi’s words are quite true.”

Qi Baozhen immediately seized the opportunity to recount her family’s unfortunate experiences, and even ended up crying pitifully.

Qi Yue also encouraged Qu Wei to actually inspect the refugees’ situation, and just like that, Qu Wei was truly enticed to visit the place where Qi Fengzhang lived.

Actually, she didn’t need to put in so much effort.

Qu Wei came to her with the intention of spending more time with her.

Since his first sight of Qi Yue, he harbored unique feelings for her.

Learning that she was married to Zhao Xiyan, his resolve to win her over strengthened even more.

But Qi Yue was somewhat emotionally dull, and at this moment, her heart was completely devoted to Zhao Xiyan, blind to anyone else.

The group walked for about half an hour before arriving at Qi Fengzhang’s location.

Qi Fengzhang was indeed cunning, probably having bribed the local official in charge of allocations, managing to secure an old cave beneath a cliff for himself.

It was likely carved out by previous inhabitants from the mountainside, offering shelter from wind and rain without being damp.

Qi Yue silently scorned herself in her heart, feeling she had been careless.

Qi Fengzhang must have taken silver to act as a spy at some point.

She should have realized this sooner and seized all the silver!

With these thoughts, the three of them had already arrived at the cave entrance.

Qi Baozhen eagerly pushed open the decrepit door to the cave, calling the two of them inside

Qi Yue peered inside, a foul, damp smell assaulting her as she stepped in, making her wrinkle her nose.

The cluttered cave held two unconscious men, one on each side.

One was her cheap uncle, Qi Fengzhang; the other was her scornful cousin, Qi Yuanhao.

Regarding this cousin, Qi Yue’s memories were filled with nothing but his relentless disdain and humiliation towards her.

Seeing him lying there like a dead dog, Qi Yue found it hard to care about his well-being, though she still went over to check on him.

Qi Baozhen followed closely behind, anxiously asking,

“Sister, how is big brother? You can save him, can’t you!”

Qi Yue frowned, checked Qi Fengzhang again, and unexpectedly discovered that both men were already dead.

She ignored Qi Baozhen, turned to Qu Wei who was entering the cave, and solemnly said, “Supervisor, they have both been poisoned by snake venom, and it’s been too long. I cannot save them now.”

The mysterious deaths of convicts in their dwelling cave definitely fell within the Supervisor’s responsibilities, causing Qu Wei to abruptly close his folding fan, his expression growing stern.

Qi Baozhen had already started crying over Qi Fengzhang’s body; Qu Wei kicked her aside and began examining the corpses.

Meanwhile, Qi Yue silently surveyed the cave.

The cave was small, almost entirely visible at a glance, and it didn’t appear that anything important had been stored there.

She was somewhat disappointed.

Qi Fengzhang’s death was too coincidental; she had just been planning to leave him to Qu Wei’s jurisdiction.

His death meant some questions would remain unanswered.

Just then, Qu Wei pointed to the small limbs of the two men and decisively stated, “It seems that because the cave is warm, snakes have bitten them.”

Qi Yue did not agree with this conclusion, but she chose not to say anything.

She pretended to examine the area and indeed found a snake fang mark near each of their heels, though she instinctively felt that the marks were too identical.

They did not seem like the result of a sudden snake bite but rather like someone had deliberately stabbed each man twice.

Qi Yue instantly thought of the person she initially met with Qi Fengzhang.

That person had said that if they still hadn’t received any useful information, their master would demand Qi Fengzhang’s life.

It seemed that Qi Fengzhang had played with fire and ultimately got himself killed, along with his son. If not for Qi Baozhen living in a different cave, he likely would have been poisoned to death too!

Qi Yue pondered silently and didn’t share her thoughts.

By now, Qi Fengzhang was dead. What use was there in calling him a traitor?

Normally, when a convict died, his death had to be reported to the supervision office for identity verification before further proceedings.

Luckily, today Qu Wei was present. With the Supervisor there, all procedures were streamlined.

As a convict, his life was cheap; burning him was enough to settle everything.

Soon, an official came and took both Qi Fengzhang and Qi Yuanhao to be disposed of in the cremation pit.

As his nominal niece, Qi Yue and Qi Baozhen together witnessed the entire process of them being turned to ashes.

Although Qi Fengzhang deserved to die, Qi Yue still felt somewhat uneasy about it being so straightforward.

She once again sensed the uncontrollability of life and realized how precious it was to live again.

After everything was over, she ignored Qi Baozhen, who was crying her eyes out, and planned to go into the mountains to chop camphor wood.

Just as she lifted her foot to leave, she was pulled back by Qi Baozhen.

“Sister, please take me with you. Now that Dad and my older brother are dead, you’re the only family I have left. Are you really going to watch me starve to death?”

Qi Yue almost wanted to laugh.

Taking Qi Baozhen back? She must be joking.

Her family had once dominated the General Residence and bullied her incessantly. Now she was supposed to let them cause even more trouble?

No way!

Not killing her was already merciful enough!

She was about to kick Qi Baozhen out when she saw Qu Wei standing by, smiling wryly and confidently flicking his folding fan. A sudden idea struck her.

“Qi Baozhen, I will not take you with me. However, I can arrange a place for you. I see that the Supervisor is kind-hearted. Ask him for help, find something to do in the supervision office. That’s the proper way.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Baozhen’s eyes lit up, and she immediately dropped Qi Yue and hugged Qu Wei’s thigh.

“Supervisor, please have pity on me. I’ll do anything if you agree to take me with you.”

Seeing that Qu Wei indeed did not show strong repulsion, Qi Yue understood immediately and quickly chimed in a few words.

“Supervisor, back in the Capital City, my sister was known as a great beauty. Now she’s starved to the point of no longer looking human. You surely can’t just let her die!”

Upon hearing this, Qi Baozhen whimpered and clung even tighter to Qu Wei’s thigh.

Qu Wei, who had always been a ladies’ man despite not having officially married due to illness, was definitely not a saint.

In fact, he was quite experienced in these matters, which is why he had taken an interest in Qi Yue and had been coveting her all along.

Being tearfully embraced by Qi Baozhen now, he rather enjoyed the sensation.

As Qi Yue walked away, he kicked away the clinging figure, dusted off his clothes haughtily, and said, “If you’re willing, then come with me. But let me say this upfront: if I get displeased, be careful of your life!”

While speaking, Qu Wei’s usually gentle demeanor changed into something terrifying.

Qi Baozhen, however, was too desperate to care; she only knew that she was on her way to higher ground.

Watching from the shadows as Qu Wei took someone away, Qi Yue circled back and entered the cave where Qi Fengzhang had lived.

She wanted to make a thorough search before any of the neighbors came to claim the place.

Though reluctant, she was once again disappointed to find truly nothing in the cave!

Suddenly, she remembered that Qi Baozhen had been living alone and hurriedly searched with a glimmer of hope.

Fate was kind to those who persisted; indeed, she found a pit covered with dirt beneath the straw bed where Qi Baozhen slept.

In the pit, there was a cloth bag containing a notebook and a stack of silver notes.

Qi Yue didn’t inspect it thoroughly, but she briefly flipped through the notebook, which was filled with various transaction times and details.

The silver notes weren’t much, only a little over a thousand liang, but Qi Yue unhesitatingly collected them all into her possession.