Du Huoguan, with a gemstone in hand, reached towards the pool, his back turned, and asked, "Are you pleading for those two thieves?"
Lan Qiaoyan replied, "I wouldn't say it's pleading. If it’s confirmed they really stole, whatever punishment they get, they brought it upon themselves."
Du Huoguan paused by a pedestal pot, using a finger to sift through the gems, and asked, "What connection do those two thieves have with you?"
Lan Qiaoyan stopped in front of him, "They're just local folks. What relationship could we have? They often come to Bowang Pavilion to sell things. Over time, we've become familiar—nothing more."
Du Huoguan picked up a gemstone to inspect, "Many people sell things at Bowang Pavilion. You're quite familiar with Ba Yingshan, yet you came to see me over this small matter? Lan girl, are you taking me for a fool?"
Lan Qiaoyan quickly apologized, "How could I dare! Compared to other locals, I am indeed more familiar with them—they're sort of my daughter's friends."
Du Huoguan’s expression remained blank, but his eyes suddenly sparkled with interest, as he turned to face her, "Is he your potential son-in-law?"
With this, Lan Qiaoyan’s face instinctively tensed.
She didn't expect even he had heard about it.
Thinking of her daughter's reputation, her expression grew uneasy, and her tone less respectful, "Prison Overseer, rumors are unreliable. My daughter isn't married yet. Spreading rumors will harm her reputation."
Du Huoguan nearly laughed, "What's there to mind about this? It either is or isn't. But, speaking of which, if he truly were your potential son-in-law, petty theft wouldn’t be too serious a matter. As long as the stolen items are compensated properly to the owner, and they have no objections, why not make an exception for you?"
Lan Qiaoyan emphasized, "While others might think foolishly, why would the Prison Overseer tease me? My daughter may not be a celestial beauty, but not just anyone is worthy of her."
Du Huoguan asked directly, "If you don't approve of him, why bother to intervene?"
Lan Qiaoyan appeared briefly silent, then slowly said, "Indeed, I don't approve. The difference in status and reality is evident, not something 'willingness' can bridge. He can't give my daughter what she needs, and I can't let him ruin her life..."
As she spoke, she lowered her head, paused, then raised it again, continuing, "Though I don't approve of him, there’s something about that boy I admire—four words: devotion and loyalty. In life, apart from facing reality, one must retain some sense of yearning. Encountering someone who could make me speak up, I felt it was he who fulfilled that."
Du Huoguan’s eyes flickered constantly, twirling the gemstone between his fingers.
After a while, he coldly uttered five words, "I want the truth."
Lan Qiaoyan felt choked, unsure of what more to say.
She thought she had spoken sincerely, but he didn't believe it, leaving her at a loss for words.
Yet, she could understand.
After a brief consideration, she discarded the emotional expressions, speaking matter-of-factly, "As expected, nothing can escape the Prison Overseer's discerning eye. I shall speak plainly. That boy is claimed to be the Big Boss of the Eastern Nine Plains.
A month ago, something strange happened—he suddenly transferred a large amount of goods to Bowang Pavilion, enough to send over a hundred people from the Eastern Nine Plains away at once. I've heard rumors lately about odd happenings in the Eastern Nine Plains, and today, that Big Boss was captured.
I'm not sure if it's related to that huge amount of goods. Many may misconstrue his connection with my daughter and think his ties to Bowang Pavilion are close. I must clarify to the Prison Overseer that such a large quantity of items was certainly not smuggled into his possession through my Bowang Pavilion.
I maintain that if the goods were indeed stolen by them, they brought it upon themselves. However, I hope no one is deliberately framing them to implicate Bowang Pavilion."
Having said her piece, she slightly bowed and departed gracefully without further ado.
Crossing the threshold, facing the light of the outside world, her demeanor was composed, even exuding a certain indifference.
Since her words were not understood, she could only express them in a manner that could convey her intentions.
Du Huoguan, watching the departing figure, held the gemstone still, immersed in the information she had suddenly provided.
After a while, he came to himself, casually tossing the gemstone back into the pedestal pot, and swiftly moved up the stairway to the top floor.
At the serene rooftop space, lit bright with daylight, the main furnishings were just a writing desk and chair.
The man draped in lavender gauze did not sit in the chair behind the desk but on the steps in front of it, beside a large black umbrella, painting spring scenes on the umbrella surface with lifelike demeanor.
The table nearby served as a palette holder.
Du Huoguan, upon arrival, took a look at the indecent artwork on the umbrella, accustomed to this person's peculiar tastes.
He recalled asking him years ago why he painted such scenes on an umbrella.
The man had pointed to the sky with his brush, saying that if anyone liked to watch it, they'd have a full view.
Yet, one must admit, his skills had indeed progressed; now the artworks were far superior than in the past.
When the man paused his brush to dip it in paint, Du Huoguan spoke up, "Warden, what Lan girl mentioned—the two thieves and that large number of goods—might be connected to current events, worth investigating."
Nie remained silent, as if hearing nothing, continuing to focus on his painting.
Seeing no response, Du Huoguan didn’t say more, he just bowed slightly and backed away.
Elsewhere, Lan Qiaoyan, on her way to leave the inner city, casually glanced over and saw Ba Yingshan emerging from a side path, making it seem like a chance encounter.
Ba Yingshan appeared surprised, noticing her direction, and asked, "Proprietress, have you just met the Warden?"
Lan Qiaoyan chuckled, "Lord Ba, you're joking. The Warden is a figure admired by everyone, not someone I can easily meet. I just came to ask the Prison Overseer something trivial."
Ba Yingshan responded, "What's the matter that required seeing the Prison Overseer?" implying why she hadn't come to him directly.
Lan Qiaoyan didn’t overly conceal, "Didn't the city guards just capture two people at my doorstep? These two are somewhat familiar to me, and I don’t believe they would steal. I happened to hear the Prison Overseer was also here—such a coincidence—so I was concerned it might somehow involve my Bowang Pavilion, so I asked him. Rest assured, Lord Ba, I have no other intentions. As long as it has nothing to do with my Bowang Pavilion, that's all I care about."
Ba Yingshan's expression tightened slightly, smiling, "They were caught at your door? Such a thing? I shall address it immediately. Proprietress, should there be any such matters in the future, you can come directly to me; there's no need to trouble the Prison Overseer."
Lan Qiaoyan smiled back, "Haven't seen him in a long time—trouble or not, I'd still bother. I'm still reconciling accounts back there, so unless Lord Ba has other instructions..."
She gestured towards the exit.
Ba Yingshan sidestepped to let her through, maintaining a smile, "Take care."
The two parted ways, and once Lan Qiaoyan disappeared from the cave entrance, Ba Yingshan turned with a now-frowning face, making his way away.
Partway along, a subordinate reported, "City Lord, the Prison Overseer went to the jail."
Ba Yingshan's heart raced, grunting, "Understood."
He was about to head to the jail when another subordinate quickly added, "The Prison Overseer personally appointed several people to take over the jail, drove out the other brothers, and no one is allowed near without permission. The accusing owner was also retained inside."
Ba Yingshan's pupils contracted, suppressing his voice, he asked, "What about the one who instructed the owner?"
The subordinate whispered back, "Rest assured, City Lord, the person was dealt with as soon as they left the city. I confirmed multiple times; it can't be traced back to you."
Ba Yingshan sighed in slight relief, signaling the subordinate to continue monitoring while he briskly made his exit.
Inside the largely unoccupied jail of Eternal Dawn City, with dim lighting fluctuating, were merely a few occupied cells.
Most were empty, apart from today's detainees.
Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were already covered in whip marks, their clothes torn to shreds, and Shi Chun’s toes peeked from his shoes.
Separated into individual interrogation rooms, both denied the theft, claiming they were framed.
Informed of the confessions, Du Huoguan showed himself before Shi Chun, mainly to see the young man rumored to be pursuing Lan Qiaoyan’s daughter.
Having seen him, Du Huoguan departed, and someone else took over the questioning, now focused on the origins of that large cache from the Eastern Nine Plains, no longer dwelling on theft.
Shi Chun keenly sensed the shift in interrogation.
On the other side, it was the same for Wu Jinliang.
Though questioned separately, they knew well what could be said and what could not.
As for the theft case, Du Huoguan personally faced the accusing owner.
Upon identifying Du Huoguan’s status, the owner’s face changed dramatically, never dreaming of receiving such significant attention.
In the Exile Lands, Du Huoguan was a figure of immense terror.
To the owner, this wasn’t part of the plan.
Du Huoguan calmly advised, "Is it a false accusation? If so, tell me who prompted you. I’ll consider you misled and let bygones be bygones. My word matters."
Without any semblance of threat, the pressure exerted upon the owner was suffocating.
The owner gulped, cold sweat inexplicably appearing, unable to answer at first.
But Du Huoguan already discerned the truth from his reaction.
A mere step closer caused the owner to suddenly kneel, trembling as he confessed the truth.
The owner admitted he was under someone’s orders, deliberately framing Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, that the orchestrator was indeed the Big Boss of Seven-Bended Ridge.
The owner conceded he initially didn’t dare to commit such a framing act within Eternal Dawn City and was unwilling.
But after the Big Boss revealed a connection within the city guards, his courage grew.
The Big Boss hadn’t disclosed which guard had nudged him.
His final revelation was told to the accompanying guard in earnest haste.
Du Huoguan didn’t hear it, seemingly uninterested, departing before the confession ended.
(This chapter ends)