Chapter 43: The Mastermind Behind the Plot Against the Lang Family

Gao Ping was a hereditary servant of the Marquis of Kaiping's estate. He had been by Lang Zhengping's side since his days as a page boy, eventually rising to become his most trusted head steward. Naturally, his son Gao Cairong was held in higher regard than servants from other households, and the tasks assigned to him were those the master deemed important.

Therefore, when the late Marquis was on the verge of being sealed in his coffin and was almost subjected to evil sorcery by that Daoist priest, Lang Zhengping had dispatched his trusted Gao Ping to investigate. Naturally, Gao Ping entrusted the task to his own son. Never had they imagined that after bustling about for days and finally unearthing a few clues, the young man would lose his life.

"......Daoist Master Huang is the abbot of the Taiqing Temple and possesses some genuine skills, which is why the temple enjoys a thriving incense trade. Quite a few households in the capital invite them to perform rituals or hold Daoist ceremonies there, and their reputation is quite good," Gao Ping reported, standing before Lang Zhengping. "Had it not been for this, this subordinate would never have dared to engage him for the Marquis's grand funeral."

"That goes without saying. I am well aware of Taiqing Temple's reputation. We were caught off guard by a premeditated plot, having never encountered such a thing before, and naturally, we lowered our guard. Tell me instead, who instigated him to target the Lang family? What did Liangzi manage to uncover?" Lang Zhengping asked with a darkening face.

"Yes," Gao Ping sniffed, wiping the corner of his eye, and said, "At first, we intended to interrogate the old Daoist, but before we could extract anything from him, he..."

He paused in his speech, casting a glance at Lang Jiuchuan, who was quietly sitting to the side sipping tea. Although he did not understand why the Heir would have the Ninth Young Lady sit in on this, he knew full well that the Daoist priest's gruesome fate was inseparable from this young mistress.

At the memory of the Daoist priest's corpse, which looked like a desiccated mummy drained of all flesh and blood, he shuddered involuntarily.

"He died," Gao Ping withdrew his gaze and continued. "Liangzi investigated his two disciples, but nothing came of it. So he investigated the donors of Taiqing Temple instead, and discovered that two days before the old Marquis's coffin was sealed, someone donated a golden statue of the Patriarch to the temple."

"Who?"

"A wealthy merchant from Jiangnan who deals in the ceramics business, named Song Chengfu. The Shengtao Workshop in the capital is part of their family's enterprise."

Lang Zhengping frowned. Song Chengfu? He had never even heard of the name.

Growing somewhat impatient, Lang Jiuchuan interjected, "Get straight to the result. Skip the tedious process, no beating around the bush—who did it?"

Lang Zhengping's mouth twitched slightly, wondering why she lacked any patience at all.

"This Song Chengfu had no previous grievances with the Lang family, but Liangzi uncovered one detail: he is cousins with Madam Rong, a concubine of the Third Master of the Lu family, who is an official in the Ministry of Works. Over the years, the ceramics used by the Lu family for their banquets have all been supplied by the Song family. With the Lu family's protection, the Song family's ceramic business in the capital has also gained a fine reputation and runs quite smoothly." Gao Ping's voice dropped, and he continued, "Having traced it this far, Liangzi intended to investigate Madam Rong further. Last night, he organized a small gathering at the Wanqing Restaurant, but unexpectedly, he never returned home for the night. Today, someone from the Wanqing Restaurant came by to say he had died..."

Tears fell in large drops from his eyes, which he quickly wiped away as he explained, "Heir, Liangzi was by no means a man indulgent in pleasure; he would never have dared."

"He died at the Wanqing Restaurant? How did he die?" Lang Zhengping asked in a deep voice.

Hesitating slightly, Gao Ping looked at Lang Jiuchuan, finding it shameful to voice aloud and not daring to let such vulgar words pollute the young lady's ears.

Seeing this, Lang Zhengping guessed the truth and changed the question, "The gathering he organized—what kind of people did he invite?"

"It was a small-time broker named Chen Chi from the Tongtian Pavilion." Seeing Lang Jiuchuan's blank expression, Gao Ping proactively explained, "The Tongtian Pavilion is a tavern, but it does more than just serve wine and food; it also deals in farmland, houses, and even human trafficking. Most importantly, it is an intelligence agency. As long as you can pay enough silver, you can buy any news from within its walls."

Lang Jiuchuan raised an eyebrow. "Wujing has such a formidable place? Since that's the case, why bother going through all this painstaking trouble? We could just spend some silver to buy the answers from them."

Lang Zhengping shook his head. "People are divided into different social strata, and intelligence and information are no different. It is true that the Tongtian Pavilion trades in intelligence, but not all information is affordable. The top-tier, encrypted intelligence is held solely in the hands of the Pavilion Master, and the cost is far from being as simple as mere silver."

"A piece of low-grade intelligence starts at five hundred taels of silver," Gao Ping added.

Lang Jiuchuan stared in disbelief. "That expensive? Is there no imperial law left?"

Starting at five hundred taels per piece of intelligence—did the nobles in the capital not turn green with envy? Just hearing it made her want to go and rob the place.

Even if the nobles did not envy them, what about the imperial family? This was practically akin to exorbitant taxes and levies.

"Legend has it that the Tongtian Pavilion is guarded by the three great mystical clans," Lang Zhengping said, a trace of dread crossing his face as he sighed, "Among the nobles of this world, who would dare to cross swords with the mystical clans? An existence like the Tongtian Pavilion naturally cannot be taken lightly, and the true appearance of the legendary Pavilion Master remains unknown to all."

Lang Jiuchuan narrowed her eyes. Hearing of the three great mystical clans once again, even an aristocratic scion like Lang Zhengping could only back away three steps—proof enough of their lofty status.

Lang Zhengping asked again, "Have you investigated this small-time broker named Chen?"

Gao Ping nodded. "This subordinate went to question him in person. He said that because his wife went into sudden labor, he could not make it to the gathering, and he had even sent someone to inform Liangzi. Never did he expect..."

"Did you report it to the authorities?"

"It was reported, and the coroner went as well. He died of apoplexy during intimacy; the cause of death is unquestionable. The courtesans who accompanied Liangzi also corroborated it, saying the two of them drank quite a bit of wine, and when the mood struck..." Gao Ping's voice grew low and dejected.

Lang Zhengping's face turned green. He coughed heavily and glanced at Lang Jiuchuan. Seeing that she seemed oblivious to this part, his expression relaxed slightly, and he said, "So the final clues Liangzi obtained point to this Song Chengfu and Madam Rong by the side of Third Master Lu?"

Gao Ping nodded and said, "This subordinate has already investigated. Whether it is the man surnamed Song or that Madam Rong, neither has any intersection with the Lang family, and the Lu family has no enmity with our Marquis's estate. Now that Daoist Huang is dead, even if we suspect those two, we have no living witnesses to confront."

This amounted to a dead end. Moreover, the matter involved Daoist sorcery, leaving ordinary mortals like them with no way to proceed. If they claimed Song Chengfu instigated it, where was the evidence?

For a wealthy merchant to donate a golden statue to worship and pray for boundless financial prosperity was the most commonplace thing in the world.

"Continue the investigation. I know that Liangzi understood priorities. For him to die so suddenly in a pleasure house, there must be foul play involved," Lang Zhengping tapped the table and instructed, "Dig deeper into those two. Spare no effort, even if it means digging up three generations of their ancestors."

"Yes, this subordinate has already sent Gu Quan to keep an eye on the man surnamed Song."

Seeing Gao Ping's haggard face, Lang Zhengping felt a twinge of sympathy and said, "Then have Gu Quan continue investigating this matter. Go to the accountant's office to draw two hundred taels of silver to properly settle Liangzi's affairs first. Rest for a few days, and in the future, let your grandson Jun ge serve as a page boy by Shilang's side."

The two hundred taels served as funeral expenses, and Jun ge, Gao Cairong's son and Gao Ping's grandson, being placed beside the eldest branch's legitimate young master was a mark of grace. Furthermore, this was compensation from the master's family—only out of high regard would such generous compensation be granted. Otherwise, a servant's death meant nothing; giving twenty or thirty taels would normally require kowtowing in gratitude.

Gao Ping knelt down and kowtowed three times, his throat choking up as he said, "This subordinate thanks the Heir for his grace."

Just as he stood up, the hurried sound of footsteps echoed from outside. It was Gu Quan, the trusted page boy Lang Zhengping had just mentioned. Upon entering and paying his respects, Gu Quan said in a deep voice, "Heir, Uncle Ping, Song Chengfu and Madam Rong of the Lu family were discovered while trysting and enjoying the scenery by Fairy Lake. In their panic, they accidentally fell into the lake, and when they were pulled out, they had already stopped breathing."