After more than a quarter of an hour, a man in his fifties with gray hair and a gray robe walked out, surprised to see Meng Qing. Seeing Meng Qing was young and showed no signs of illness, he asked curiously, “Young gentleman, may I help you?”
Meng Qing stood and bowed: “I’m Fang Wendao from Qingjiang County, here to find someone and visit Doctor Huang.”
Doctor Huang found it strange: “This isn’t a government office. It’s quite odd for Young Master Fang to come here looking for someone instead of seeking treatment.”
Meng Qing explained his purpose in detail and handed over the portrait: “May I ask if Doctor Huang has treated the person in this portrait?”
“
Doctor Huang carefully examined the portrait, thought for a moment, and shook his head: “No one similar to this portrait has come for treatment in recent days.”
Meng Qing asked again: “Then, has Doctor Huang treated any patients with nighttime insomnia?”
Doctor Huang shook his head again. Meng Qing was slightly disappointed and was about to leave when Doctor Huang said, “Although no such patient has come for treatment, someone did inquire about it.”
Meng Qing sat down again: “I’m all ears.”
Doctor Huang said, “Yesterday, someone came to my clinic, saying they were inquiring for a relative, asking if I could treat nighttime insomnia. I told him that nighttime insomnia has many causes, and without the patient coming personally for a thorough examination, I couldn’t make a definitive diagnosis. Then the person left.”
Meng Qing pressed further: “Did he say whether his relative would come for treatment?”
“He didn’t mention it.”
“What was the accent of the person inquiring?”
“Local accent, but I don’t know him,” Doctor Huang shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t help Young Master Fang.”
Meng Qing bid farewell to Doctor Huang, thinking that the scammer had indeed come to town but was probably laying low, sending someone to inquire at the clinic before potentially coming for treatment in a few days.
The person who inquired claimed to be a relative and spoke with a local accent, but according to Fang Xingye and the waiter at Fusi Inn, the scammer spoke with an accent from a distant region. The supposed relative was likely just a passerby hired to make inquiries.
It seemed the scammer was probably staying at an inn in town.
The town wasn’t large. Meng Qing asked around and found three inns. At the second inn, he learned that a guest in room Geng was having trouble sleeping at night. When he showed the portrait for identification, the waiter said it looked quite similar, and the accent matched.
Fang Bao exclaimed happily, “Young Master, you’ve found him! You’re amazing!”
Meng Qing signaled Fang Bao to speak softly, “This inn isn’t large, we can’t startle our target prematurely. We can’t definitively confirm it’s this guest yet; it might just be a coincidence that another sleepless guest is staying here.”
It was already nighttime. Meng Qing gave the waiter some silver and instructed him not to reveal that he had been inquiring about the guest. Then he rented the adjacent room numbered “Xin” and moved in with Fang Bao.
Fang Bao had slept a lot during the day and was now full of energy. Meng Qing sent him downstairs to the main hall to order tea and guard the exit to prevent the fraudster from escaping.
After sending Fang Bao away, Meng Qing took out his infrared glasses and looked into the neighboring “Geng” room. The person was lying flat, seemingly having gone to bed early, but soon turned over, and then turned again after a while.
Meng Qing sat at the table, watching the movements of the person next door, pondering how to confirm his identity. Even if he confirmed now that this was the fraudster who had deceived Fang Xingye, reporting to the authorities would be too late—the county office was already closed. It would be better to report to the Yamen tomorrow during the day. While he could easily capture the fraudster, explaining to his family would be tricky. It would be better to use the official channels.
As the night deepened, Meng Qing watched the person next door tossing and turning, feeling bored. He opened the jade pendant’s pattern and called Yu Yi: “My dear, what are you doing?”
Yu Yi had just seen off Xue Siniang and heard Meng Qing’s call. She stayed in the courtyard where the light was dim. By placing her bracelet against her throat, it could sense the vibration of her skin and allow her to speak without making a sound.
Yu Yi silently said: “Siniang just left.”
Meng Qing: “What did she want?”
Yu Yi: “She asked if I knew where you went during your travels. I said I knew the same as our parents. When she couldn’t get more information, she left.”
Meng Qing: “I’ve found him.”
Yu Yi, joyfully: “Really?”
Meng Qing: “He’s in Dongling, probably in the room next to mine. I just need final confirmation.”
Yu Yi: “That’s good. If we don’t complete the mission soon, it’ll get troublesome.”
Meng Qing: “How would it get troublesome?”
Yu Yi: “Siniang just probed my thoughts about the Zheng family marriage. I pretended to be shy and glossed over it, but it’s getting hard to delay. The Fang couple is quite satisfied with this match. If Han Zhu doesn’t respond soon, they’ll be ready to accept it.”
Meng Qing: “So soon?”
Yu Yi: “Yes. The Fang couple treasure Han Zhu, so if she’s unwilling, there’s still a chance to call off the marriage. I can’t decide for Han Zhu, so you need to hurry.”
Meng Qing: “I’ll confirm if the person next door is the fraudster tonight. If there are no major discrepancies, I’ll return tomorrow.”
At this moment, the man finally noticed that the waiter had been replaced and couldn’t help but pause, asking warily, “Where is the previous waiter?”
“A Niu was just called downstairs by the innkeeper,” Meng Qing replied. Seeing how alert this person was, he became even more certain.
The man, hearing him call out another waiter’s name, relaxed and pointed to the bed, “Just put it by the bedside.”
“Little did he know that Meng Qing had simply made up a random name.
Meng Qing placed the water bucket by the foot of the bed, stood up straight, and asked, “Sir, are you having trouble sleeping at night?”
The man stared at him, “How did the waiter know?”
Meng Qing smiled, “Soaking your feet in hot water makes it easier to fall asleep. Last night, the sir asked for hot water for his feet, but then needed food delivered in the middle of the night. I know there’s a clinic in town, and the doctor Huang there is quite famous! The sir might want to consult him.”
The man said, “What famous doctor? Most are just empty reputation. I’ve visited many so-called famous doctors, but this sleeplessness continues to plague me, never fully cured…”
Meng Qing said, “This Doctor Huang is genuine and can truly cure sleeplessness.”
The man’s eyes showed interest, but he shook his head, “We’ll see… you may go.” He took out some money for Meng Qing.
Meng Qing reached out and took it. The man noticed Meng Qing’s palm was delicate and fair, without rough calluses, and his expression changed, staring at him again. Meng Qing acted as if he didn’t notice and cheerfully took the money and left.”
Fang Xingye knew in his heart that the compensation from Tianxiang Lou had been delivered yesterday, only three hundred taels, with another hundred taels being the savings of Fang Chengyun and his wife. He couldn’t help but feel deeply ashamed, and said with tears: “Big brother, it was Xingye who did something wrong to you, but…”
Qin shi advised: “Who doesn’t make mistakes? Isn’t the second brother repenting? When facing difficulties, shouldn’t family help each other instead of seeking help from outsiders?”
