Chapter 171

An expert reveals their skill the moment they make a move!

The several hutongs around Shi Family Hutong were all perfectly straight. Although small alleyways connected them, they weren't like Sixi Hutong with its complex terrain and mixed crowd of residents. But since they were short on manpower, Fu Tingjun could only split them into groups and search one hutong at a time. After Yang Yucheng took over, he immediately expanded the search area to seven or eight hutongs in all directions, having them guard the passageways he designated: "...No matter what happens, don't move. No matter who tries to leave, stop them first. If they look like a beggar, just take them down directly. If they're well-dressed, report to me immediately, speak to them politely, and wait until I arrive." Then he instructed A Sen: "You're in charge of this."

A Sen immediately straightened up and answered "Yes, sir!" in a loud voice.

He looked as fired up as if they were back in the old days fighting the Feng Family for territory.

Yang Yucheng nodded with satisfaction and said to Zheng San: "We'll raise torches and search hutong by hutong, shouting loudly as we go. We'll say our household was robbed, things were stolen, and someone was hurt. We'll ask everyone to be careful with their doors and windows—if a stranger breaks in, they should call us for help. If that doesn't work, they should find a way to drive them out. That fellow is highly skilled, so they must not try to fight him head-on."

Zheng San's eyes showed admiration: "This way, everyone shares the same hatred. Even if they don't help us catch him, they won't shelter him or the books either."

"Exactly!" Yang Yucheng laughed. "Once Jin Yuanbao's men arrive, we can search thoroughly. And even if someone finds him before we do, hearing how skilled he is, they'll most likely find a way to notify us. Even if they capture him themselves—he's a thief, so no one would believe whatever he says."

"Precisely." Zheng San nodded, found two old garments, soaked them in vegetable oil to make torches, and shouted loudly through hutong after hutong with Yang Yucheng.

Yuwei followed behind them. First, because she knew Zuo Junjie—if they caught him, she'd need to identify him. Second, just thinking that Zuo Junjie was somewhere nearby made her so agitated that she feared she'd go mad if she didn't do something.

The residents of the surrounding hutongs were all awakened. The sound of benches being dragged against doors came from all directions. Some households lit their lanterns and shone them around front and back several times, finally lighting the lanterns under their eaves before settling down.

With the lights on, there were even fewer places to hide.

Jin Yuanbao arrived with a dozen soldiers on night duty. They rearranged their formation and searched carefully in separate groups.

Fu Tingjun gazed at the heavy darkness, her heart uneasy.

What if Zuo Junjie escaped again this time?

Hadn't Zuo Junjie already left the capital? Were their sources of information wrong? Or had he turned back?

Knowing they were looking for him, why would he come back? And how did he end up near here? Dressed like a shabby scholar, no less?

A thought struck her, and she froze.

At Tanzhe Temple, he'd still looked like a beggar. How was it that after half a year apart, he now appeared as a scholar?

What had happened to him during these days?

And what about Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt—did they know about Zuo Junjie's situation? Had he contacted Eldest Sister-in-law?

All sorts of thoughts flooded her mind, and Fu Tingjun's expression grew grave.

Mrs. Zhang beside her tried to console her: "Man proposes, heaven disposes. They're all helping with the search, so why don't you go back inside and rest for a while? Once he's found, they'll certainly come report to you right away."

Fu Tingjun understood this in her heart.

Like Yuwei, she couldn't feel at ease unless she was doing something at a time like this.

"Thank you so much." Fu Tingjun smiled gratefully at Mrs. Zhang. "That item is far too important to me. How could I possibly sit still..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she heard someone shouting loudly: "Found him! Found him!"

Fu Tingjun's face lit up with surprise and joy. Mrs. Zhang was happy for her too and took her hand: "Come, let's go see!"

Though this wasn't the time for spectating, Mrs. Zhang had stood with her for so long that it would be hard to refuse.

She'd just have to adapt to the situation as it unfolded!

Fu Tingjun sighed inwardly and walked with Mrs. Zhang toward where the torches were gathered.

"Let me go! Let me go!" From a distance, she heard Zuo Junjie's shouts. Drawing closer, she saw a tall, thin man in a sorry state, pinned to the ground by four or five men as he struggled desperately. "I didn't steal anything! You've got the wrong man! I'm a man of scholarly rank... I've been framed by that woman Fu Tingjun..."

The moment the name "Fu Tingjun" left his mouth, Yang Yucheng pulled off his shoe. Before Zuo Junjie could even finish his sentence about being framed, Yang Yucheng crouched down, grabbed him by the hair, and stuffed his own smelly sock into Zuo Junjie's mouth. Then he asked Yuwei: "Is it him?"

With years of longing finally fulfilled in one moment, Yuwei's eyes glistened with tears.

"It's him!" she said excitedly. "It's him!"

"That's good then!" Yang Yucheng murmured, standing up and lightly brushing off his lapels as if he had touched something dirty. He smiled and explained to the crowd, "This fellow is incorrigible—if he bites his tongue, that would be terrible, and we'd be accused of extracting a confession by torture. Better to gag him. When the officials from the yamen arrive, we'll have something to show for it!"

He was handsome, and when he spoke, he wore a smile—half teasing, half joking—carrying a natural charm and easy grace that endeared him to others.

The onlookers laughed.

Yang Yucheng called out loudly, "Many thanks to all you neighbors! The thief has been caught, so everyone can rest easy now!" Then he clasped his fists in a sweeping gesture toward the crowd. "For my elder brother's family matters, I've put you all to trouble. Don't rush off—at Donglaishun on the corner of the street, I'm treating everyone. I hope you'll all do me the honor. I thank you all here!"

After all that busy work, who would refuse an offer of free drinks?

With a cheer, the crowd clustered around Yang Yucheng and headed toward Donglaishun.

Jin Yuanbao shot A Sen a glance, then grabbed Zuo Junjie and followed behind the group.

Two eager officers from the Five City Patrol stepped forward: "Lord Jin, you needn't dirty your hands—just hand the man over to us brothers."

"Fine!" Jin Yuanbao said casually, handing Zuo Junjie to them, and everyone filed out of the alley together.

Mrs. Zhang watched Yang Yucheng's retreating figure and nodded repeatedly: "My husband truly has good judgment!"

Fu Tingjun chuckled and invited Mrs. Zhang to sit inside: "You should stay here for the night!"

This time, Mrs. Zhang didn't decline. She warmly took Fu Tingjun's arm and walked through the gates of the Zhao residence.

...

It wasn't until noon the next day that Fu Tingjun finally saw off Mrs. Zhang, who had been enthusiastically insisting that Fu Tingjun must come visit her home.

A Sen immediately popped out.

"Sister-in-law," he said, his voice low but unable to hide the pride in his brow, "we've got him locked in a cellar on Sanyan Alley. Brother Yuanbao is watching over him personally, just waiting for you to come question him."

Fu Tingjun was startled: "Why did you put him there? That place is full of people and loose lips—what if someone finds out?"

Sanyan Alley was located in the northern part of the city. Like Yangchang Alley and Gala Alley, it was home to peddlers and laborers—mostly renters, with seven or eight households often sharing a single courtyard. Zhou Shi had once lived on Yangchang Alley.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law," A Sen said with a grin. "The man who helped find the place is a friend of Brother Yuanbao's—Yuanbao once saved his life. Yuanbao just said that living with his sister-in-law was inconvenient and he wanted to rent a place temporarily to stay now and then without anyone knowing. The man assumed Yuanbao wanted to keep a mistress on the side, so he immediately helped find this standalone house. Not only that, he kept pestering Yuanbao to invite him to the wedding banquet..."

Jin Yuanbao was steady, reserved, and meticulous—anyone he trusted with such a matter would surely be reliable.

Fu Tingjun nodded slightly, but couldn't help adding, "Everything has its pros and cons. Better to be careful. Even if the speaker means no harm, the listener might take it differently. If word spreads that he's keeping a mistress, what decent girl would agree to marry him when it comes time for matchmaking?"

"Then what should we do?" A Sen's eyes widened. "Brother Yuanbao said that he and Brother Yucheng can't stay there all the time—it would be best if you sent a woman to live there for a while, to keep up appearances..."

It was a good idea, but where was she to find a woman for such a task? And if rumors truly spread, how could that woman ever hold her head up again?

Fu Tingjun felt a headache coming on. She said, "Let's go take a look first. We'll deal with the rest later."

A Sen cheerfully answered "Yes!" and went to tell Zheng San to prepare the carriage. Fu Tingjun kissed her daughter, played with her for a while, then called Zheng Sanniang and entrusted the household to her before heading to Sanyan Alley with Yuwei.

The winters in the capital were long and cold, and every household had to store cabbage and turnips—otherwise, they'd be eating nothing but pickled vegetables for months. So while the cellars were not small, they were hardly spacious either. Fortunately, winter had already passed, and the cellar was empty. Though it gave off an indescribable, unpleasant odor, at least there was room enough for Fu Tingjun, Yang Yucheng, and the others to stand.

Zuo Junjie, trussed up like a dumpling and dumped in the corner of the cellar, still had Yang Yucheng's smelly sock stuffed in his mouth. When he saw Fu Tingjun, his eyes blazed with fury, and he made muffled sounds, saying who knows what.

"Take that thing out of his mouth," Fu Tingjun said coolly. "I have questions for him."

A Sen responded, stepping forward to pull the sock out of Zuo Junjie's mouth, and a string of curses poured out from him: "Fu Tingjun, you vicious woman, you actually framed me as a thief... What did I steal from you? Oh, I stole your bodice, why did you stuff my mouth? Afraid others would find out! Or afraid your current lover would know..."

Before Fu Tingjun could speak, Yang Yucheng had already stepped forward, grabbed him, and slapped him left and right several times: "Watch your mouth! Whatever my sister-in-law asks, you answer. If you say another dirty word, believe me, I'll crush that thing you use to carry on your family line, then sell you to a male brothel, so you can taste what it's like to be ridden by a thousand and slept by ten thousand..."

Jin Yuanbao, hearing this, glanced at Fu Tingjun uneasily and quickly said, "What kind of talk is that? Don't you see who's here!"

Yang Yucheng's face reddened, and he threw Zuo Junjie to the ground, smiling apologetically at Fu Tingjun as he said, "Sister-in-law, please don't mind. We're all rough men, just letting our mouths run away with us, letting our mouths run away with us!"