Yun Huizhou led him to the restaurant with the highest foot traffic in Fengyi City. He requested a private room and specifically asked for a talkative waiter who was well-informed.
This was clearly a move intended to gather information.
Lian Li realized at that moment why Yun Huizhou hadn’t let him tell Su Jun they were heading out.
If they had, Su Jun would have certainly accompanied them to show them around or sent servants to follow them—and likely would have picked up the tab for everything.
Unfortunately, Yun Huizhou wasn’t just out for a stroll; he was planning to dig for information. Naturally, it wasn’t convenient to have people from the Su family tagging along.
Soon, the food was served, and the waiter entered.
Yun Huizhou tossed thirty wen onto the table and said, “We want to hear about the Su family. I heard they once took in an adopted son named Su Shan?”
He deliberately referred to Su Shan as an “adopted son” to give the impression that they knew absolutely nothing about the matter.
The waiter’s eyes widened at the sight of the thirty wen. One must realize that his monthly wage was only five hundred wen.
Upon hearing Yun Huizhou’s inquiry, he rattled off everything he knew in a single breath.
“There was indeed someone named Su Shan. Miss Su rescued him and brought him back. However, he wasn’t an adopted son; he was being trained as a capable subordinate for the Eldest Young Master Su.”
“He used to be seen out and about frequently, handling affairs for the Eldest Young Master. But starting from the year before last, he vanished without a trace.”
Yun Huizhou nodded and continued, “Do you know why he disappeared?”
A look of hesitation appeared in the waiter’s eyes.
Yun Huizhou fished out another twenty wen and placed them on the table.
Sure enough, under the temptation of money, the waiter spoke up: “I’m not entirely sure if the information is accurate, so just take it as a bit of entertainment.”
Yun Huizhou replied, “Of course. I just want to learn more about the Su Mansion. As you know, the martial arts marriage competition is about to begin. Knowing more about the Su Mansion might come in handy later.”
The waiter nodded with a smile and continued, “I heard that Su Shan had designs on Miss Su. He even tried to trick Master Su into marrying Miss Su to him. After he was exposed, he was kicked out of the Su Mansion. Some say he was sent away to another region and is no longer trusted by Young Master Su.”
“And how is the Su Mansion’s reputation in Fengyi City?” Yun Huizhou asked again.
This time, the waiter thought for a moment before saying, “The Su family people are quite decent. Young Master Su has always been polite, and Miss Su and Master Su are also kind-hearted. They even distribute congee during festivals.”
Yun Huizhou laughed and said, “Then it seems the Su Mansion truly is an excellent family to marry into.”
After the waiter left, Lian Li looked at Yun Huizhou and said, “You doubt what Su Jun said? That’s why you specifically brushed them off to come out and ask for news?”
Yun Huizhou nodded, not denying it.
Lian Li thought for a while and continued, “So you want to help the Su Mansion resolve this matter, but you’re afraid Su Jun is lying to you, which might lead you to kill the wrong person.”
“Correct,” Yun Huizhou said. “After we finish eating, we’ll walk around some more and ask at a few other places.”
Lian Li also felt it was better to be cautious. After all, according to Su Jun’s account, the best way to resolve the Su Mansion’s troubles was to deal with Su Shan. To prevent killing the wrong person, they had to get the facts straight.
At the very least, the stories shouldn’t differ too much from Su Jun’s version.
“What about Miss Su? Is there any possibility that she and Su Shan are in love, but her parents and brother disagree?” Lian Li asked again.
“No,” Yun Huizhou replied. “I’ve already tested Miss Su. When she heard Su Shan’s name, the disgust on her face was impossible to hide.”
The two finished their meal, left the restaurant, and headed to the bustling snack stalls. Knowing Yun Huizhou’s plan, Lian Li joined in the questioning.
Perhaps because so many people had been inquiring about the Su Mansion lately, their questions didn’t arouse the shopkeepers’ suspicion.
The vendors chattered away about what they knew and then accepted twenty wen for their trouble.
Afterward, they visited a rouge shop, a jewelry shop, and a cloth shop.
In these places, they didn’t buy anything but spent fifty wen each to gather news about the Su Mansion.
In the end, the stories they gathered weren’t far off. There was indeed a man named Su Shan who had been rescued by Miss Su, and he had indeed disappeared the year before last.
The owner of the rouge shop even mentioned that when she went to the Su Mansion recently to deliver rouge to Madam Su and Miss Su, she saw that Su Shan had returned. However, he didn’t stay long before leaving, and it seemed he had an unpleasant falling out with the Su family.
The rouge shop owner even spat in disdain. “Miss Su is like a celestial maiden. Even I, a woman, feel my heart flutter when I see her. That Su Shan, a man who received the Su family’s kindness, didn’t think about repaying them properly; instead, he lusted after their precious daughter.”
“I heard it with my own ears that day. That Su Shan was so arrogant, saying he would make the Su family personally prepare for his marriage to Miss Su, or else he’d make things difficult for them.”
“Pah! That white-eyed wolf. So many young and handsome young heroes have come for this martial arts marriage competition; any one of them is a thousand times better than him.”
“I see that you two young heroes are already a thousand times better than that Su Shan. You’ll surely be able to win the beauty’s hand.”
After gathering the information, Yun Huizhou and Lian Li weren’t in a hurry to return to the Su Mansion. They stayed out wandering until evening.
They ate and strolled along the way. By the end, even Yun Huizhou felt uncomfortably full, let alone Lian Li.
Lian Li said, “I just said before that I’d never eat this much again. I didn’t expect my flag to be broken today.”
“Mhm.” Although Yun Huizhou didn’t understand what a “flag” was, he roughly grasped Lian Li’s meaning.
“The Su family’s situation seems to be pretty much what Su Jun described,” Lian Li said. “Anyway, no matter what, if we’re going to intervene, we’ll definitely run into Su Shan. Su Shan has a mouth; if there’s any hidden truth, he certainly won’t keep quiet about it.”
Yun Huizhou said, “Yes. Since that’s the case, let’s just wait. If he doesn’t show up during the martial arts marriage competition, we can find his group and learn more then. If he does show up, even better—it’ll be easier for us to observe him.”
Lian Li agreed, “Right.”
By the time the two returned to the Su Mansion, it was already quite late. Su Fu had already retired for the night. No matter how much Master Su wanted to create opportunities, he couldn’t very well wake his daughter from her sleep.
Both of them felt a sense of relief. They returned to the courtyard and went to their respective rooms to rest.
Soon, the day before the martial arts marriage competition arrived.
Master Su stopped trying to create opportunities for Yun Huizhou and Su Fu, which made Lian Li breathe a sigh of relief.
Over on her side, Su Fu also felt relieved, yet she also felt an indescribable sense of loss.
The fact that Master Su’s plan wasn’t working meant that in a few days, she would have to marry a complete stranger she had never spent any time with.
Only Yun Huizhou acted as if nothing was wrong. Moreover, Lian Li could sense that he had been in a very good mood these past few days.
Lian Li thought to himself: This guy says he won’t participate in the competition and acts completely indifferent.
But in reality, being chased by others trying to introduce him to a great beauty must actually feel pretty good deep down, right?
