The servant was pleased with himself, about to explain the reason, when another doorkeeper servant saw his look and couldn’t stand it. He revealed the details: “Because the master has a wound on his wrist, the divine detective said it was from struggling after being tied up. The master has injuries on both knees, with his pants torn. The detective said these were from crawling on the ground, or from the criminal forcing the master to drag on his knees, leaving marks. There are even faint blood traces in the bedroom.”
Yu Yi nodded, realizing she hadn’t done a good enough job, leaving so many traces. The detective investigating the case was quite meticulous. She asked, “May I know the name of this divine detective?”
The first servant said, “I only know his surname is Guan. Others call him Detective Guan.”
“Has Detective Guan discovered who the criminal is?” Yu Yi was about to inquire further when Tang, the steward, walked out. Seeing Yu Yi, he looked surprised: “Miss Yu? Aren’t your two sisters already redeemed by Lord Chen?”
Yu Yi nodded, “Yes, Lord Chen has sent Xin and Yue. Today, I happened to pass by and saw that the Lei household was holding a funeral, so I came to take a look.”
The steward feared she was coming to seek justice for Yu Xin.
He sternly issued a dismissal: “The Lei household has many matters today. Miss Yu, you should tend to your own affairs.”
Yu Yi, seeing the steward’s expression, guessed his intentions and deliberately escalated: “Xin has been ill since returning home. Her health was ruined while working for the Lei household. The Lei family cannot shirk responsibility for this!”
The steward frowned, knowing full well that Yu Xin’s illness was not from overwork. Today, Miss Yu clearly came to demand an explanation for the master’s incident. If this Miss Yu were to cause a scene, while the Lei household wasn’t afraid of her and could claim she was speaking nonsense, it concerned the master’s reputation. If her demands weren’t excessive, it would be best to settle her quietly.
With this in mind, the steward quickly pulled Yu Yi inside, guiding her to the accounting room, explaining along the way: “Miss Yu, your sister’s poor health cannot be blamed on the Lei household. However, the madam has a soft heart and cannot bear to see others suffer. Take ten taels of silver to treat your sister’s illness. But remember one condition: after taking the silver, you are not to cause trouble at the Lei household again.”
Yu Yi stopped, forcefully breaking free from the steward’s grip, dissatisfied: “How can you speak like this? My sister clearly became ill because of Master Lei…”
“
“Alright, fifteen taels,” the steward quickly interrupted her.
Yu Yi angrily said, “Can the Lei family cover everything up with money? I’m not here for silver, I’m here for an explanation.”
The steward, hearing her voice rising, became anxious: “Twenty taels. Take it if you want, and this matter ends today. If you’re unreasonable and trying to extort money, I’ll report you to the authorities.”
“I’m not afraid of reporting to the authorities. I’m not here to extort money, but to seek justice.”
Just as they were at an impasse, Lady Lei arrived, having heard the commotion from two walls away. The steward quickly explained the situation. Lady Lei, already with reddened eyes, began to cry, saying, “Miss Yu, the Lei household has indeed wronged your sister. But you can see today that the master is gone, and Madam Liu has been arrested. If you seek justice for your sister, who am I to seek justice from?”
The steward also softened his tone: “Miss Yu, this has already happened. Further disturbance will only trouble those still living. It’s best you take the silver and go home.”
“
Yu Yi had only come to disguise her revenge from the previous night. She had no intention of tormenting Lady Lei or escalating her sister’s matter. Hearing this, she remained silent for a moment, then pretended to be persuaded: “I won’t accept the silver. Since Lady Lei shows remorse, and Master Lei is already… alas.” She shook her head and left the Lei household.
In the carriage, Yu Yi pondered, “Who is this Detective Guan? He could deduce last night’s events so precisely. However, that’s all. No matter how clever, without forensic equipment, he can’t find many clues. Lei Yuan is stout and tall; this detective would never suspect the culprit is a woman.”
Arriving at Hezhou Fang, Yu Yi inquired with local merchants and found a broker. Coincidentally, there was a farmstead twenty li south of the city seeking a buyer. The land was partially mountainous, with poor fertility, resulting in low annual rent. Potential buyers who visited and questioned the tenant farmers quickly lost interest, and the property had been unsold for over a month.
The farmstead owner had thus lowered the price. Originally, a similarly sized farmstead with surrounding fields would sell for over a thousand taels, but he now offered it at seven hundred taels with no takers. Finally convinced by the broker, he agreed to sell for six hundred taels.
Chapter 58: Yu Yi’s Spacetime (8)
Yu Yi immediately went to the suburban area with the broker to inspect the farmstead.
She was quite satisfied: the total price was low, and the tenant farmers appeared honest and diligent. From her knowledge of other spacetimes, she knew poor soil could be improved with fertilizers.
Back in the city, Yu Yi found the seller and bought the manor, transferred the land deed and registered it at the official office. By the time all this was done, it was nearly dusk, and Yu Yi returned to the inn, exhausted.
Yu Yi entered the room and saw all five of her sisters in the room, and couldn’t help but smile, “Why are you all gathered here?”
“It was Mother who asked them to come together, to share their experiences after being apart, and to take care of each other in one room. They’ll return to their own rooms to sleep later,” Yu Song’s wife explained.
She pulled Yu Yi to sit at the table, waited for her to drink some water, and then asked, “Yi’er, why are you back so late? Couldn’t find a suitable manor? Don’t worry, you’ll find one eventually. This inn is quite peaceful, and we can stay here for now.”
Yu Yi smiled, “I’ve been busy all day and have made some progress. I bought a manor and have already transferred the land deed.
She took out the deed and handed it to Yu Song’s wife.
Yu Song’s wife was slightly surprised but also happy. She carefully examined the deed, “Such a large manor for only six hundred taels? Yi’er, you must be cautious of a potential trap.”
Yu Yi replied, “Mother, don’t worry. I personally went to see the manor, which is why I returned so late. There’s no problem with this manor; it’s just located near the mountains with infertile land, so the land rent is low, which is why it’s sold at such a low price.”
Yu Song’s wife was then truly at ease and genuinely happy.
—
The next day, Yu Yi went to the manor in the southern suburbs again. This was now her manor, a future home for her, her mother, and her sisters. Walking through the main courtyard, Yu Yi felt quite joyful and excited.
She walked through the main hall, side buildings, and storerooms, making a list of places that needed repair and items that needed to be purchased. During this agricultural off-season, Yu Yi hired the tenant farmers to help with repairs and found several diligent and honest women to clean the inner and outer courtyards. After arranging everything, she returned to the city.
Yu Yi stopped the carriage at the entrance of a grocery shop, selected items from her list, and asked the shopkeeper to pack them and load them onto the carriage.
A man carrying a bundle was running frantically towards the grocery shop, with several people in pursuit. Someone shouted, “Stop him! He’s a thief!”
