Chapter 33: This Man Is No Good
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Shen Xianyue approached and gave a slight curtsy. “Greetings, Marquis!”
Xiao Tuyü pressed a parcel into her hands. “Some time ago, His Majesty ordered me to investigate a case, so I had to travel south. I brought you a few little trinkets.”
There was still a hint of awkwardness in his voice, and his expression was far from natural.
“That is why I haven’t come to see you lately.”
Shen Xianyue was somewhat surprised. “The marquis is busy with state affairs every day. It is only natural for you to be occupied, and there is no need to keep me in mind every moment!”
Who would have thought that, upon hearing this, Xiao Tuyü would seem to take offense? He turned and walked away at once.
Yingxia watched the two of them, utterly baffled by their manner of interacting. “Miss, is the marquis angry?”
Shen Xianyue looked at his retreating figure as he strode away and could not make sense of it either. “Angry? Surely not. Besides, we didn’t quarrel, so there is no reason for him to be this angry. Perhaps something more important came up.”
“But…”
But he was obviously angry.
“It is still early. Once we put these things away, let us go and see Mr. Dou.”
Lately, Shen Xianyue had sent servants to inquire after him several times, but they always reported that Mr. Dou had yet to return. He had been gone rather too long.
If something had truly happened to his family, perhaps she could lend a hand.
Yingxia answered brightly, placed the things in the room, and closed the door. After stopping by the First Madam’s courtyard to inform her, the two of them left the residence.
Mr. Dou lived on East Street, where most of the houses belonged to ordinary folk, along with a number of shopkeepers. It was livelier than the other streets.
At the very end of the lane along the outer edge stood Mr. Dou’s home.
Yingxia stepped forward and knocked, but no one answered for a long while.
“How strange. I just heard voices inside. Why is no one opening the door?”
She knocked harder, and the wooden door echoed loudly beneath her blows.
Just then, a woman from the neighboring house came out. After glancing at them, she asked, “Are you looking for this family?”
Shen Xianyue nodded. “Yes. We were wondering whether the head of the household was away, since no one has opened the door.”
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The woman curled her lips. “The man of this house is no good. He lives off his wife and loves gambling. At this hour, he is probably wasting his time in a gambling den!”
Shen Xianyue frowned deeply. She had always thought that a tutor like Mr. Dou, whom wealthy households competed to employ, should not have been unable to afford a decent property. Yet here he was, crammed with his entire family into this tiny courtyard.
“May I ask whether he has always been like this? And what of his wife? I have not seen her for quite some time. I heard she had gone back to her family home.”
“Oh, that man did study a little when he was young. He worked hard at the examinations for several years, but unfortunately never passed. After that, he gave himself over to eating, drinking, and pleasure. Dice, cards—he is skilled at all of them. As for his wife, if I remember correctly, she is from another place, and there has been no one left in her family home for years. It should be impossible for her to have gone back there.”
Shen Xianyue’s heart gave a jolt. This was not what the servant had told her.
“Goodness, look at me, prattling on and making myself late for the market. In any case, if you cannot find him, try the gambling dens nearby. You are certain to find him there!”
Shen Xianyue hurriedly thanked her.
Only after the woman had gone did she approach the door and peer through the crack. The courtyard was filled with piles of tangled firewood and looked as though no one lived there at all. It was entirely unlike Mr. Dou, who was meticulous about cleanliness.
“Do you think we may have come to the wrong place? Mr. Dou would never allow his home to become this disorderly. And that woman said he had no family home to return to, so how could his wife have gone back there for such a long time?”
Yingxia was not the only one puzzled. Shen Xianyue could not understand it either.
“In any event, we can be certain of one thing: we will not find Mr. Dou today. Let us return first and question that servant again.”
As soon as she returned to the courtyard, Shen Xianyue summoned the servant.
“Were you able to meet Mr. Dou’s husband every time you went there before?”
“Not every time. I failed to see him six times out of ten. When I found no one at home, I assumed Mr. Dou was not there either.”
Shen Xianyue continued, “Did you notice anything unusual when you went looking for Mr. Dou?”
“Unusual?”
The servant scratched his head and thought for a moment. “Nothing particularly unusual. It was just that whenever I said I was looking for Mr. Dou, that man became extremely impatient. The last few times I went, he even drove me straight out. He has a terrible temper.”
Shen Xianyue nodded and, as usual, rewarded him with a handful of silver coins. The servant was delighted and kept saying that she should come to him again whenever she needed anything.
“Miss, that man’s attitude is strange. According to the woman next door, his whole family lives off Mr. Dou, so he ought to treat him with even greater respect. Yet from the way he behaves, it seems he does not like Mr. Dou at all.”
“I have been wondering about that as well. We shall go again tomorrow and see whether we can meet someone.”
“Very well.”
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Early the next morning, Shen Xianyue set out with Yingxia. According to the servant, Mr. Dou’s husband did not go gambling until after noon, and was unable to rise early.
That was why they had generally encountered him in the morning.
Shen Xianyue calculated the timing carefully and arrived at Mr. Dou’s home first thing in the morning.
As usual, Yingxia stepped forward and knocked. This time, they soon heard footsteps.
“What is all that noise? Who is it, disturbing people’s sleep so early in the morning?”
A man’s coarse voice came from within, accompanied by footsteps drawing nearer. The wooden door opened, and the man, rubbing his bleary eyes, stared at the two women before him.
“Who are you? Why are you knocking on my door?”
Shen Xianyue took the opportunity to study him. He was a hulking, rough-looking man in filthy, disheveled clothes—utterly impossible to compare with the neat and clean Mr. Dou.
“Greetings. I am one of Mr. Dou’s students, and I have a few questions I would like to ask. Is Mr. Dou at home?”
The instant the man heard that Shen Xianyue was looking for Mr. Dou, his expression grew guarded. He pulled the door nearly shut, leaving only a narrow gap.
“She is not here. She has gone back to her family home.”
“But I heard…”
Before Yingxia could finish, Shen Xianyue interrupted her. “It is all right. We can wait for her to return. May I ask when she is likely to come back?”
The man seemed to believe them and relaxed somewhat.
“I have no idea. Her mother is ill, so she went home to look after her. Who knows when the old woman will die and be done with it, then she will come back.”
Yingxia was instantly enraged. “What kind of thing is that to say? Mr. Dou is your wife, and Mr. Dou’s mother is your mother-in-law. How can you speak of her dying and being done with it? Are you even human?”
“What are you to me? How I speak is none of your concern. Stop meddling in other people’s affairs and mind your own business.”
Yingxia was furious. She had never encountered anyone so unreasonable and, for a moment, did not know how to respond.
Shen Xianyue reached over and tugged gently at her hand. “In that case, we shall come another day. Sorry to have disturbed you.”
Shen Xianyue was pulling Yingxia away when they suddenly heard the sound of something heavy falling inside the house.
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