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Xiao Liulang was escorted away by an errand boy from Huichun Hall before he had a chance to step foot in the bookstore. He went straight to Huichun Hall to procure medicine, and everyone at the hall could serve as witnesses to his whereabouts, so naturally no one suspected him.

Gu Dashun, however, was a different story. Someone had seen him on the second floor, right where the victim’s room was located.

The victim had happened to be away at that time, and Gu Dashun was the only one on the second floor.

Those who have visited the bookstore knew that the second floor, aside from office rooms, contained guest rooms reserved for the elite and were not open to ordinary folks. In theory, a poor scholar like Gu Dashun should not have been on the second floor at all.

Gu Dashun cried out in innocence, “An old man asked me to fetch some books for him upstairs! He said he wanted to discuss poetry and philosophy with me!”

As an ambitious scholar, Gu Dashun had long understood that his status as a provincial graduate could bring many opportunities for him in the future. Some people might even seek to befriend him, so he didn’t suspect anything at the time.

“Who is the old man you’re talking about? Call him out!” said someone in the bookstore.

Panicking, Gu Dashun said, “He was not there when I went upstairs!”

“Has any of you… seen this old man?” the speaker in the bookstore asked the crowd.

Everyone shook their heads.

They had only noticed Gu Dashun because he was wearing a Tianxiang Academy uniform, making him stand out wherever he was.

As it happened, Gu Dashun’s conversation with the old man had occurred right on his way to the restroom, an unobserved area.

Therefore, the crowd only saw Gu Dashun carrying books up to the second floor. They didn’t see anyone inviting Gu Dashun up there.

Now, this was really getting on his nerves.

The victim’s boy servant said, “I can’t believe someone from Tianxiang Academy would do such a rotten thing. Some very valuable items were in my young master’s package. If you took the silver ticket, my master won’t blame you, but you must return that letter! Or we’ll report it to the authorities!”

Wrongly accused, Gu Dashun’s only hope was to find that old man. However, it was as if the man had just vanished into thin air.

Seizing upon an idea, Gu Dashun argued, “If I stole something, where’s the stolen goods? It’s not like I could’ve eaten them!”

The chief constable squinted, “Search his house!”

Gu Dashun did not worry about the search at all. He was innocent and he knew that they would find nothing incriminating, even if they turned his house upside down!

However, it turned out to be a slap in his face.

When the constables invaded the Gu residence, Zhou and Liao just got home and were in the backyard burying the silver.

Quickly, the constables recognized the bag of silver as the one the victim had lost.

In Gu Jiao’s dream, Xiao Liulang deduced from the footprints in the backyard and on the exterior wall that the culprit had climbed through the window and acted alone, was about six feet tall, and had a slightly lame left foot. But it was not a severe impediment, for he could climb two-story walls. The thief also had some skills.

The residue in some footprints at the crime scene was a fine mix of lime and sandalwood, a characteristic of the sandstone road in the casino and was used originally for warding off evil.

Therefore, the thief must be either a gambler or a casino frequenter who would eventually bring the stolen silver to the gambling houses near the marketplace.

Gu Jiao only needed to stake out the necessary path to the marketplace.

Unfortunately, Gu Dashun was not Xiao Liulang. He couldn’t solve the case or prove his own innocence and could only watch as he, along with Zhou and Liao, were taken to jail.

“Oh my.” In the account room of Huichun Hall, the second proprietor was sipping tea leisurely, looking rather pleased with himself.

Shopkeeper Wang cast him a sidelong glance and said, “Are you happy about getting someone into trouble?”

Indeed, the second proprietor was the mysterious old man who had lured Gu Dashun to the second floor.

With a grin, the second proprietor held up three fingers, “Not just one person. Three.”

Shopkeeper Wang shivered, “That girl is ruthless. She schemes against her own family without a second thought. We have to be… very careful when dealing with her, right?”

The second proprietor stared at the bustling street and said, “What do you know? One must not advise others to be kind if they haven’t experienced their pain.”

Shopkeeper Wang didn’t understand those words. Although he worked for the second proprietor, he didn’t know much about him. He only knew that he was the legitimate son of the Hu Family but not exactly favored by the old master.

With a soft laugh, the second proprietor took a sip of tea, “I’m liking this girl more and more.”

—

As this case had nothing to do with Xiao Liulang, he didn’t pay much attention to it. He only knew that Gu Dashun had stolen something, but not what he had stolen or from whom.

However, since he had been to the bookstore, the Dean still asked him about Gu Dashun’s situation at the Zhongzheng Hall.

“Did you see Gu Dashun when you were at the bookstore?” asked the Dean.

Xiao Liulang replied, “Yes, but I left for Huichun Hall at the fourth clock of the afternoon, so I have no idea what happened after that.”

He was telling the truth.

The Dean paused and then asked, “Did you see Gu Dashun talking to anyone in the backyard?”

Xiao Liulang shook his head, “I didn’t go to the backyard.”

The Dean massaged his temples in frustration, “Alright, I got it. You may return to your classroom.”

As Xiao Liulang was about to leave the hall, the Dean called out to him again, “Do you think Dashun would really steal?”

In an indifferent tone, Xiao Liulang replied, “That doesn’t seem up to me to determine.”

Indeed, once the theft was reported, the authorities got involved. Gu Dashun’s innocence or guilt depended solely on the evidence. Unfortunately, all the evidence pointed at Gu Dashun…

Having left the Zhongzheng Hall, Xiao Liulang was questioned by his own teacher as well as the superintendent from his class at the academy. They were all trying to get information about Gu Dashun.

By the time he was through with all the questioning, it was getting late.

A furious blizzard began to descend.

It was really snowing.

Xiao Liulang gazed at the snowy sky and began to walk towards the academy gate where he saw a familiar petite figure.

In her small apricot flowered jacket and carrying a tiny back-basket, she was kicking pebbles on the ground, looking sweet and docile.

A flicker of emotion passed through Xiao Liulang’s eyes as he moved towards her, leaning on his walking stick.

Seeing him, Gu Jiao smiled softly, “School’s over?”

“Yes.”

Recalling something, Gu Jiao said, “I waited for you, but you didn’t come out. So, I asked Uncle Luo and Xiaoshun to leave first.”

“That’s fine. I’ll hire a carriage.” said Xiao Liulang.

Gently tugging on his sleeve, Gu Jiao suggested, “The snow has worsened. Riding is not safe. Let’s stay at an inn for the night.”

Xiao Liulang looked at her small pale fingers on his sleeve, “… Okay.”

Perhaps due to the approaching New Year, all the inns were fully occupied. It took them several tries before they finally found an available inn.

Xiao Liulang requested, “Two rooms please.”

The waiter replied, “Sorry, sir, we only have one room left.”