"It doesn't matter!" Wei Dongling waved her hand at the three men. "You may leave."
The three men were dumbfounded upon hearing this. They could hardly believe their ears. This Miss Wei not only believed them but also decided not to hold them accountable? The thin man stammered, "You believe us?"
Wei Dongling laughed. "Why shouldn't I? Hurry up and leave! Do you want me to invite you for dinner?"
The three men looked at each other, then bowed to Wei Dongling in gratitude. They took out the five-hundred-tael deposit paid by their mastermind and handed it to her. After bowing several times, they left.
Cuilan watched their departing backs and asked puzzledly, "Miss, why did you just let them go like this?"
Wei Dongling counted the silver notes excitedly and replied with a smile, "Because what we're going to do next is not convenient for others to know."
Cuilan was confused and looked at Wei Dongling with a bewildered expression.
Wei Dongling put away the silver notes, pulled Cuilan to an open space beside the inn, and asked her to squat down with her. Smiling, she asked, "Cuilan, what do you see?"
Cuilan looked down in the direction Wei Dongling was looking and saw the marks left by a carriage on the ground. Suddenly, she understood. She whispered, "That man came here by carriage. Judging from the wheel marks, it's obvious that he stayed here for a long time. After he found those three hooligans and instigated them to cause trouble, he drove the carriage away. If we follow this clue, we'll surely find out where he went!"
Wei Dongling nodded and smiled. "Good! What else can you see, Cuilan?"
Cuilan stared at the marks on the ground carefully. Suddenly, she beamed and said, "Not only is that man's foot size quite large, but the footprint of his right foot is obviously deeper than that of his left foot!"
Wei Dongling nodded and asked, "Under what circumstances would a normal person's right footprint be deeper than the left one?"
Cuilan remembered that when Wei Dongling had a lame leg, the depths of her two footprints were different. She said excitedly, "That man is either lame or has a hidden ailment, so the strength of his steps is uneven! That's why one footprint is deeper than the other!" Suddenly, she understood why Luo Xunlong could tell at a glance that the little vixen had a hidden ailment in her right leg during the horse race at the Prince Rui's Mansion. So that's how it was!
"You're really good!" Wei Dongling gave Cuilan a thumbs up.
Cuilan blushed at the praise and exclaimed, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and chase after him!"
The three of them got into the carriage and followed the tracks of the carriage in the direction of the capital.
There were quite a few carriages on the official road. The wheel marks of that carriage were occasionally covered, but Cuilan, who had observed the horseshoe marks in detail, could always spot them and find the correct direction in time.
About half an hour later, their carriage stopped in a densely populated residential area on the outskirts of the capital. The carriage's tracks turned into a gravel path, and the wheel marks were almost completely invisible on the gravel road.
Cuilan and Ruan Niang exchanged a look and frowned, feeling a bit troubled.
Wei Dongling was dozing off in the carriage. After hesitating for a while, Cuilan gently woke her up and explained the situation.
Wei Dongling lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. Yawning, she asked Cuilan, "If you were that man, after spending money to hire someone to cause trouble, would you report it to your master in time?"
Cuilan nodded. "Definitely!"
Wei Dongling asked again, "There are very few such narrow gravel roads in the capital. Would this road lead to a very far place?"
Cuilan shook her head. "No! This road is quite secluded, and this area shouldn't be very large!"
Wei Dongling continued, "Assuming that the county mistress is staying in this area, would she choose a grand mansion or a small private house?"
Cuilan nodded and smiled. "She would definitely choose a grand mansion. After all, she has the status of a county mistress."
Wei Dongling waved her hand. "Ask around to see if there's any family that's a distant relative of the county mistress. If not, ask if there's any man with a lame leg and where he lives."
"Okay!" Cuilan suddenly understood and scurried off.
About half an hour later, Cuilan came back in a hurry. She lifted the curtain and whispered, "Miss Wei, I've found it!"
Wei Dongling leaned forward from the seat cushion and said, "So fast?"
Cuilan replied shyly, "I claimed to be the innkeeper who miscalculated the silver and was looking for a guest who walked a bit unsteadily to refund his money. Finally, someone recognized him! There's a Fang family with a large mansion in the east. It's said that they moved here more than a decade ago. I secretly investigated, and their butler is indeed a middle-aged man who walks unsteadily. He's very likely the one we're looking for!"
"Well done!" Wei Dongling took out a few taels of silver from her robe with a smile and handed it to Cuilan. "Go and buy some pastries. It's getting dark, and we've been so busy that we didn't even have time for lunch."
"Okay!"
When Cuilan came back with pastries and roasted chicken legs, Wei Dongling and Ruan Niang had already changed into their night clothes.
After they finished eating in the carriage, the sky was completely dark.
After having their fill, Ruan Niang parked the carriage in a secluded forest near the Fang family's mansion.
Wei Dongling jumped out of the carriage, stretched, and said with a smile, "It's time to get to work!"
Cuilan and Ruan Niang quickly followed. The three of them put on their black masks and climbed over the wall under the cover of night.
Since this grand mansion was usually unoccupied, there weren't many guards on duty. Three black figures flitted across one roof after another. They encountered no obstacles along the way and stopped on the glazed tiles of the inner courtyard, searching room by room.
Soon, Wei Dongling stopped in front of a room with a lit candle. She quietly lifted the roof tile and peeked inside. A smile curved her lips.
Behind the screen, a beautiful young woman was undressing. She was only wearing an inner garment and was barefoot. She swayed gracefully towards a large wooden bucket filled with warm water.
This young woman was none other than County Mistress Rong'an, He Yao.
She was about to take off her inner garment and take a good bath when the candle on the table suddenly went out. He Yao stopped what she was doing and was secretly surprised. The windows were clearly closed. How could there be a gust of wind that blew out the candle? She called out, "Caixia? Are you outside?"
There was no answer. He Yao found it strange. Her maid usually guarded outside the door. Why did she leave after adding hot water today?
He Yao groped towards the table, intending to find a fire starter to light the candle. Suddenly, someone grabbed her long hair from behind and covered her mouth tightly.
"Mmmph..." He Yao struggled wildly in the darkness, trying to shake off the person behind her. But she was so weak that she couldn't break free. Instead, her head was pushed into the large wooden bucket.
He Yao was forced to gulp down several mouthfuls of bath water. Her two slender arms desperately grabbed the edge of the bucket and struggled with all her might. But the hands holding her down became stronger and stronger, slowly submerging her whole head into the water.