067 Coffin

"Shen Lang, no, Lady Shen, do you still have something to say?" Shen Tang stood frozen in place, her mind and emotions completely blank. She had never expected Mr. Gu to be the first to discern her true identity. However, she felt she could still put up a struggle.

"Lady Shen? Mr. Gu believes I am a woman? A woman of literary talent? Do you not find this story too absurd? Even the most fantastical tales in the market dare not be so fanciful!" Until she possessed sufficient strength, a woman universally recognized as lacking in both literary and martial prowess acquiring literary talent was seen as either an object of curiosity or an ominous portent, both of which spelled trouble for her. It mattered little if Quishan's few knowledgeable individuals discovered her secret; she had not concealed it from them, even speculating when they might uncover the truth. But this Mr. Gu before her was another matter entirely.

If he were to find out—

Shen Tang could only send him to his demise with a sword, the sooner to be rid of him! Mr. Gu, unfazed, smiled leisurely as he sipped his Lanling wine. "Absurd? Before the appearance of a prodigy, who could foresee the transformation of verbal skill into reality? In this absurd world, any bizarre occurrence is plausible."

Shen Tang's expression turned cold. "Mr. Gu, you are mistaken."

Mr. Gu pointed to the dancer still recovering from the kick. "Do you know why this person has only one ear?"

"Not interested."

"She attempted to harm you during her exile journey. Taking advantage of your linguistic skill, you managed to escape unscathed, while she, mistaken by the escorting officials as your accomplice, lost an ear in your place. With one person missing to meet the contact in Xiaocheng, she took it upon herself to fill that void, falsely claiming to be you. Hence, the investigation into the news of Lady Shen's demise. Do you agree with my account?"

Shen Tang remained expressionless. "Nonsense."

Mr. Gu, however, softened his tone, gently coaxing, "There's no need for such defensiveness. In all my years, you are the most intriguing person I've encountered. If you are Lady Shen, and there is no conflict of interest between us, why would I wish you harm?"

Shen Tang scoffed disdainfully. "I know those who scheme with words are often suspicious. The more one fancies themselves clever, the more suspicious they become, and the more convoluted the plots. To declare me Lady Shen based solely on your notion of a 'dowry' is laughable! Why go to such lengths? Strip off the clothes, and wouldn't it be obvious? Engaging in this pointless guessing game here is exceedingly tedious and a waste of time."

The edge of her sword pressed against his neck.

"Mr. Gu, do you have the courage to make a wager with me?"

"A wager on what?"

Shen Tang withheld the specifics of the wager but stated the stakes first, her face chillingly composed, each word deliberate, akin to a judge's solemn pronouncement: "If I win, I want your head on a platter."

"And if I win?"

"If Mr. Gu wins, you have the ability to take my life. However, there's a slight difference—since you're the one with a sword at your throat and not I." Shen Tang smiled faintly. "There's one thing I don't understand. Can you clarify for me, Mr. Gu?"

Mr. Gu's eyelids twitched. "Ask."

"In reality, your mind-reading ability isn't really linguistic prowess, but rather your 'scholarly knowledge,' correct? Does that old fellow, Weng, know about it?"

Mind-reading and the 'scholarly knowledge' of mind-reading were two entirely different concepts. The former was a skill every strategist had to learn, while the latter was a malignant tumor dreaded by all.

Mr. Gu: "..."

Despite his face remaining unchanged even with a sword at his throat, it turned an ashen gray in an instant, with veins of crimson creeping from the corners of his eyes, almost encompassing his entire eye sockets. From this expression, it seemed Shen Tang had struck upon the truth.

"Before we proceed with our wager, I must settle an old score."

She swung her sword behind her without looking.

With a thud, the longsword embedded itself into the wooden floor, perfectly intercepting the dancer who was still recovering from the previous blow, attempting to sneak away. The other musicians had scattered in fear after the earlier incident.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Shen Tang rose and turned, approaching the dancer with a faint smile.

With each step Shen Tang took closer, the dancer recoiled further, hands pressed against the ground. The earlier intent to tear Shen Tang apart now replaced by fear. Memories of grievances and grudges from their journey of exile flooded her mind, causing her to tremble as she shook her head, pleading for mercy. "Please, spare me, I was wrong—"

Shen Tang tilted her head. "You say you were wrong?"

"Y-yes, yes—" She nodded vigorously.

"An apology uttered only after inflicting harm is fouler than maggots in a latrine. You claim to be a companion of Lady Shen? Ridiculous! How could you bear to harm others?" The dancer, upon hearing this, momentarily forgot her fear in a surge of anger.

"On what basis can't I? What right do you have to question me? Do you truly believe yourself to be a scion of a noble family? You're nothing but a fool, a lunatic of unknown origin! You, you possess linguistic skill, yet you're a man?"

Pausing, she then, brimming with righteousness, continued, "Even if I were a companion, so what? If not for Lady Shen marrying into the Gong family, I would not have been sold and reduced to the lowest of the low..."

The month-long ordeal on the journey of exile was a nightmare! She hugged her head in agony, memories flooding her mind, accompanied by bitter, resentful roars. Every night, she dreamt of tearing the flesh from Lady Shen's bones and devouring it. It was the Shen family that suffered complete annihilation, not her, a mere servant! If not for marrying into the Gong family, she wouldn't have suffered any of this! Why shouldn't she seek revenge? Moreover, she was only taking vengeance on a fool, not the true Lady Shen. Had she done anything wrong?

Shen Tang: "...??"

Thinking victory was assured, Mr. Gu: "...??"

The air in the elegant room fell silent, the only sound being the dancer's frightened gasps. Shen Tang massaged her throbbing temples, sighing as she addressed Mr. Gu, "Sir, are you still participating in the wager we discussed earlier?"

Mr. Gu responded disinterestedly, "No."

Shen Tang remarked, "I thought as much. Let's forget about it then."

What a nuisance! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Mr. Gu rose to his feet, pointing at Shen Tang as he questioned the dancer, "Since the individual you implicated on the journey of exile was this Shen Lang, who managed to escape unscathed, where has the true Lady Shen from the Shen household gone?"

Shen Tang remained silent.

Goodness gracious! Once again, she had transformed into Shen Lang. A literati's change of demeanor was as swift as turning a page.

Upon receiving the innkeeper's instructions, Mr. Gu delved deeper into investigating Shen Tang's identity. Apart from necessary surveillance, delving into the roots was imperative. He personally visited the theater, enduring a headache as he sifted through the cacophony of voices to discern the dancer's innermost thoughts, extracting quite a bit of information.

Little did he know, a misunderstanding still ensued.

Shen Tang indeed was among the Gong family's convoy, albeit masquerading as Lady Shen and bearing the Shen family's name. However, she disguised herself as a mentally impaired individual, hence incurring the wrathful retaliation of the accompanying dancer, who mistook her for the true Lady Shen. Eventually, seizing an opportunity, Shen Lang successfully escaped to Xiaocheng.

The logic was indeed sound.

Yet, the dancer refused to cooperate with answering.

Under the pressure of imminent death, the dancer broke down and divulged what she knew.

Lady Shen had vanished before her marriage, her whereabouts unknown. Subsequently, Shen Tang emerged. It was rumored among the populace that Lady Shen had accidentally fallen into the water and hit her head, rendering her foolish and ignorant. As the wedding date approached, this matter was hushed up. Outsiders remained ignorant, but how could those who served closely fail to recognize her? 

As for Shen Tang—

The dancer stammered nervously, "Coffin..."

Mr. Gu didn't catch it clearly. "What?"

"The servants who looked through the rear gate into the backyard mentioned that one night, a peculiar coffin was brought back. The person inside bore a striking resemblance to Lady Shen. With a little grooming, they could be identical."