Chapter 119: Investigating the Past

Zheng He shuddered, realizing there was something sinister about this situation.

Although he himself was a ghost-controller and knew well that malicious ghosts lacked reason, memories, and operated solely on instinct, the contrast between Zhao Fusheng’s past and her present state led to an incredible thought: Could the Zhao Fusheng before him actually be the reincarnation of some malicious ghost?

But as soon as the thought emerged, Zheng He shook his head.

The power of ghosts was inherently unequal to that of humans; the fact that ghosts lacked reason and intelligence was nature’s check upon them, and the only thing humanity could rely on for survival. If ghosts truly possessed thoughts and memories, coupled with their instinct for bloodthirsty slaughter, there would be no room left for humanity in this world.

Impossible! It was impossible!

Though he didn’t know the reason for Zhao Fusheng’s transformation, nor why a girl from the countryside could name a star performer from the Hongquan Opera Troupe of ten years ago, he was certain there was a ghost involved.

Recalling the strange expression Zhao Fusheng wore on the deck when he mentioned the disappearance of Sa Bailin, Zheng He became increasingly convinced that if she knew of Liu Honghong’s existence, it was likely because Liu Chunquan was involved in a ghost case.

***

Zheng He only wanted to live out his remaining years in peace; he had no desire to be dragged into such troublesome matters.

Therefore, when he saw Zhao Fusheng beckon Liu Chunquan over, and Liu Chunquan turned to look at him—

Zheng He cursed inwardly, but his face broke into a smile:

"You two go ahead and talk. I’ll go check on the kitchen to see if the river food is ready."

With that, he turned to leave. But just then, Zhao Fusheng’s voice rang out:

"Wait."

Zheng He realized something was wrong, but he was a step too late. Zhao Fusheng’s words hit his ears like a magic spell:

"Zheng He is also privy to this matter. You come along too."

"W-what? Privy? I don't know anything! My Lady, you are wronging me—"

Zheng He quickly cried out in protest, but one look from Zhao Fusheng silenced his wailing.

He hung his head and followed behind her, defeated. Liu Chunquan’s mouth hung open, his expression one of pure horror.

The Hongquan Opera Troupe had been in Baozhi County for quite some time, and Zheng He had already hired them to perform several major plays; naturally, Liu knew what kind of man Zheng He was. This Commander of the Baozhi County Demon Suppression Division was a figure who covered the sky with one hand locally, and he was certainly not a man of good temper.

Yet, Zhao Fusheng could manipulate him so easily, showing that this Lady Zhao was even more extraordinary. Liu Chunquan was adept at reading people, and he immediately decided to be even more careful and ingratiating toward Zhao Fusheng.

The two followed Zhao Fusheng out of the cabin to the deck. Finding a deserted spot by the railing and confirming that no one dared to approach, Zhao Fusheng asked:

"Tell me about your daughter’s disappearance ten years ago."

"Ten years ago?"

Liu Chunquan had been anxious the whole time they were walking out, still guessing the reason for Zhao Fusheng’s summons. But catching the mention of that old affair from ten years ago, he suddenly looked up, his face turning deathly pale. Then, he began to gnash his teeth:

"Honghong?"

Mentioning his missing daughter, Liu Chunquan’s expression twisted; it was a mix of resentment and a trace of sorrow. But so much time had passed that the sorrow was buried, replaced by anger:

"Why does my Lady bring up this wretched child all of a sudden?" He forced a flattering smile: "She ran off with someone long ago. I’ve simply treated it as if I never had such a daughter—"

"The Lady asked you a question. Just answer it. Why are you beating around the bush?"

Zheng He clenched his fist, wanting to strike him. He had a premonition that what Zhao Fusheng was discussing was definitely a ghost case. He now deeply regretted keeping this opera troupe; if he had to keep them, why did he let them serve Zhao Fusheng?

"Yes, yes, yes."

Scolded by Zheng He, Liu Chunquan quickly became honest. He reined in his thoughts and, after a moment, said:

"This daughter was my only child—"

Although both people in front of him were big shots he could not afford to provoke, his emotions were still difficult to fully calm as he recalled the past:

"I... I was born into a poor family. That year, the family suffered a famine, and my parents sold me to a passing opera troupe for eight copper coins."

That small amount of money was a drop in the bucket for the family; his parents mostly wanted to find a place for him where he would have food to eat and clothes to wear, somewhere he could survive.

Liu Chunquan spoke nervously for a few sentences, then, fearing Zhao Fusheng would find him long-winded, quickly explained:

"I meant to say about Honghong—"

"It’s fine, take your time," Zhao Fusheng soothed him. "Start from when you were small. The river food will take a while to cook anyway."

She suspected the Ghost Carriage had a connection with Liu Chunquan early on; otherwise, why would this opera troupe have been marked? If Liu Chunquan was willing to start from the beginning, that was even better.

***

Facing a ghost case, Zhao Fusheng had infinite patience and no intention of scolding him. Her attitude was absurdly good.

Liu Chunquan was stunned for a long moment, seemingly unaccustomed to not being yelled at. Thinking of this, he glanced at Zheng He, only to see the Baozhi County Commander glaring at him viciously, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

*That’s more like it.* Liu Chunquan let out a long sigh of relief.

"I grew up in the troupe, learning to sing and fight. The troupe leader at the time, Liu, had an only daughter, about my age—"

As time went on, the two exchanged glances and fell in love. The old troupe leader, being of age and having no sons, had indeed considered finding a son-in-law to take over. Liu Chunquan had been sold to the troupe as a child, changed his name, and was someone they knew inside and out. He was good-looking, and the troupe was his home. If the daughter married him, the troupe could be passed down to him and continue.

"After we married, we had only one daughter, Honghong."

Liu Chunquan had watched over this daughter very closely.

"We raised her like a pampered young lady, never letting a speck of the troupe’s filth touch her."

He mentioned his daughter, his eyes gradually moistening:

"We worried the troupe couldn't protect her, so we never performed for wealthy families, sticking to traveling between villages and earning small amounts of money."

"But as she grew, she showed extraordinary talent."

Whether it was her voice or her stage presence, she was impeccable. "Gradually, she became famous, and many wealthy families specifically requested our troupe to perform."

With her fame, the entire troupe’s reputation and income rose. Liu Chunquan was both panicked and happy.

He was happy because the money was good, the troupe was prosperous, everyone was well-fed, and they were more loyal to him. But he was panicked because once his daughter’s name was known, the more she entered the homes of the wealthy, the more likely she was to encounter powerful tyrants who might seize her.

"Who knew that before she could be snatched away, she was seduced by some heaven-forsaken scoundrel? One night, he drove a carriage and took her away."

When Liu Chunquan got to this point, he stomped his feet twice and wiped away tears:

"My daughter!"

"She must have eloped with someone," he said bitterly. "Ever since then, my wife cried her eyes out. We’ve traveled north and south these years, still inquiring about her whereabouts, asking everywhere we went, but unfortunately, there was no news."

"A few years ago, my wife couldn’t take it anymore and passed away."

He choked up as he spoke of his sorrow:

"It’s better she died. She cried until she was blind before she passed; she couldn't see anything. She had such a beautiful pair of eyes, so bright. In our troupe, she used to be the star performer—"

Liu Chunquan’s voice trailed off as he thought of his late wife.

Zhao Fusheng felt the genuine sorrow in him and couldn't help but look at the troupe leader with surprise. Her first impression of him had been that he was a slick character. Being able to get by under a ghost-controller like Zheng He showed he had some ability. But she hadn't expected such a slick person to have such delicate emotions.

"My Lady—"

One moment Liu Chunquan was sorrowful, the next he wiped his face and revealed a flattering smile:

"Not to lie to you, my Lady, I searched for years, but I truly couldn't find her, and only gave up hope in the last few years."

"I hope she is doing well—" he said softly.

*I fear it is very difficult for her to be doing well.* Zhao Fusheng thought of the roster on the ghost carriage.

"Why would you suddenly bring up the name of my rebellious daughter?"

Liu Chunquan was silent for a long moment, but eventually, he couldn't suppress his emotions and asked. When he said this, there was a glimmer of faint, hidden expectation. A big shot like Zhao Fusheng suddenly bringing up his daughter might mean she had learned of Liu Honghong’s whereabouts.

When his daughter 'eloped,' he had been furious and panicked, then sad, then heartbroken. After his wife died, these emotions turned into blame; he hated his disobedient daughter. But there is no hate without love. Beneath the resentment, he couldn't hide his worry for her.

Even though the Hongquan Opera Troupe had gradually made a name for itself and he lived a much better life than before, the more prosperous he became, the more lonely he felt. Especially as he aged, he felt an irrepressible longing. To avoid letting others see his emotions, he avoided mentioning these things. When anyone in the troupe mentioned Liu Honghong’s name, he would yell angrily. Over time, 'Liu Honghong' became a taboo in the Hongquan Opera Troupe.

Zhao Fusheng did not answer Liu Chunquan’s question, but instead asked him:

"What about the disappearance of Liu Honggu five years ago?"

Liu Chunquan was a bit disappointed, but replied respectfully:

"Honggu was also ungrateful; she likely ran away too."

He shook his head, but seeing Zhao Fusheng frown from the corner of his eye, as if she were not satisfied with his answer, he quickly braced himself and said:

"That day, we were performing for a sub-prefect in Wuli Prefecture. We performed well that day, and the sub-prefect was very satisfied. Afterward, he sent a hundred taels of silver and asked Honggu to sit in his courtyard for a while—"

He gnashed his teeth:

"That dead girl actually took the money and went with him."

"Going was one thing, but she never came back. Besides those hundred coins, not a cent more was given!" Speaking of this, Liu Chunquan felt aggrieved.

It was not easy to raise a star performer for an opera troupe; a lot of heart and soul was spent on it, hiring teachers. The money spent on Honggu was already more than a hundred taels, and yet, the person was just gone. But the other party had great influence in Wuli Prefecture and could not be provoked, so Liu Chunquan had to swallow the loss:

"Since then, our troupe has avoided Wuli Prefecture whenever we perform; we don't dare to go there."

Zhao Fusheng was thoughtful:

"In other words, both were taken away."

She regretted not having flipped through a few more pages of the ghost roster with the ghost arm; she didn't know if she could have found the name of Liu Honggu on it.

Unfortunately, the ghost arm was too useless; the moment it touched the ghost roster, the bones shattered...

The ghost arm was quite useful to her. It looked like after she returned to Wan’an County, she would have to reunite the ghost arm with the Beggar Ghost’s body as soon as possible.

She steadied herself and looked at Liu Chunquan again:

"I see you are not young."

"I am forty-seven this year—" Liu Chunquan replied quickly.

"Forty-seven?" Zhao Fusheng frowned again: "The age doesn't match."

*What did that mean?*

Zheng He and Liu Chunquan were puzzled and looked at each other.

"Have you heard of the ghost case in the Imperial Capital fifty or sixty years ago?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

*Ah!* Despair flashed in Zheng He’s eyes; it was a 'just as I thought' look. He knew Zhao Fusheng wouldn't ask about the existence of 'Liu Honghong' for no reason; it must involve a ghost case.

Zheng He really didn't understand: *Isn't living well enough? Why does this Commander of Wan’an County have to stir up trouble every single day?*

"Fifty or sixty years ago? The ghost case in the Imperial Capital?"

Liu Chunquan looked blank, and he subconsciously turned to look at Zheng He. Zhao Fusheng seemed gentle and reasonable, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. Conversely, the fickle Vice-Commander Zheng was easier to get along with—after all, having spent a long time together, Liu Chunquan had figured out his temper; being flattering and compliant never went wrong.

"Not to lie to you, my Lady, I wasn't even born then. I... I am from Changzhou. I don't remember which village, but I was sold to the opera troupe at five—"

Terrified that his answer would not satisfy Zhao Fusheng, he said fearfully:

"I... I have never heard of a ghost case in the Imperial Capital."

"And you, Zheng He?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng did not get angry but turned to look at Zheng He.

Zheng He felt his scalp tingle under her gaze. He instinctively wanted to shake his head, but before he could, he saw the warning in Zhao Fusheng’s eyes. She was not as polite to him as she was to Liu Chunquan; if he talked nonsense about the ghost case, Zhao Fusheng might deal with him.

Zheng He’s heart chilled.

"The Imperial Capital is the safest place in the world—"

Compared to the powerful, the Imperial Capital was the best-protected place against ghost disasters in the world. After all, it was at the feet of the Emperor, and generally, ghost cases did not occur there. But fifty or sixty years ago...

Zheng He slowly recalled a ghost case that remained unsolved to this day, his face gradually turning white.

"Does the Lady mean the Head-Chopping Ghost Case from back then?"

A look of approval appeared on Zhao Fusheng’s face:

"Vice-Commander Zheng is indeed an experienced officer with an excellent memory."

"..."

Zheng He didn't actually want to recall these past events; he was completely forced to. Being praised by Zhao Fusheng didn't make him happy at all; instead, he was rather annoyed. He quickly suppressed this anger.

"What, what does this have to do with the Liu Honghong disappearance case?"

"It has a little something to do with it." Zhao Fusheng had asked for a long time; now, her words finally touched the point.