Chapter 48: Imitation to Deception

Zhuo Qingfeng and Chu Yuan, who were secretly following outside the small courtyard, were both slightly startled. They exchanged a glance and tacitly remained still, each suspecting the other might be trying to trick them.

However, Madam Wang turned around and said, "Lord Zhuo, Lord Chu, there's no need to suspect I'm tricking you. Your presence here was entirely by my design. Don't forget, this is the Wang family's estate; I already knew when you two set out to find me."

Hearing this, Zhuo Qingfeng and Chu Yuan knew there was no longer any need to hide, so they stepped out.

Zhuo Qingfeng cupped his hands and asked, "Madam Wang, are you prepared to clarify things for me now?"

Madam Wang smiled faintly and said, "Lord Zhuo, you've been investigating my household for so long today, you must have some suspicions, haven't you? Why don't you share them? Let me see how much truth and falsehood you've managed to uncover."

Zhuo Qingfeng said, "I suspect Master Wang isn't dead. What we saw that day was a body double he had prepared in advance for a faked death."

"Oh!" Madam Wang was slightly surprised. "How did you deduce that, Lord Zhuo? Is it just because I'm still respected in the Wang household?"

Zhuo Qingfeng smiled. "That's just one point. You and Master Wang are a second marriage couple. Now that Master Wang is supposedly dead, it's highly unusual for you to still be the matriarch with all the power. After much thought, I could only conclude one reason: the father isn't dead. For the young masters of the Wang family, a stepmother is still a mother as long as their father is alive."

Madam Wang smiled faintly. "And the second point?"

Zhuo Qingfeng replied, "Secondly, and most importantly, I secretly visited Master Wang's tomb last night. The grave was built rather perfunctorily, not quite befitting Master Wang's status."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, I dug up Master Wang's grave," Zhuo Qingfeng stated.

Madam Wang asked, puzzled, "But you shouldn't have found anything, right? The body would have already decomposed."

"That's right," Zhuo Qingfeng said. "I didn't find anything. But a whole day has passed, and no one in the Wang household has even noticed that Master Wang's grave was disturbed. That's abnormal. It can only mean that the young masters of the Wang family don't care about this 'father' at all. If they don't care about their father, why would they show great respect to a stepmother? That's clearly impossible. It can only mean that Master Wang isn't dead."

Madam Wang nodded. "These are indeed some oversights. So, Lord Zhuo, what do you intend to do by coming to see me tonight?"

Zhuo Qingfeng replied, "I've now been framed by you as a wanted criminal. So, I'm prepared to kill you and see if Master Wang can still remain hidden. If he can, I'll kill his sons. After the sons, I'll kill the grandsons. I believe there will eventually be a time when he can no longer hide."

Madam Wang covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Lord Zhuo, you jest. I know very well what kind of person you are; you wouldn't do something like that."

"You know me that well?"

"If we hadn't understood you thoroughly, Lord Zhuo," Madam Wang replied, "how could we have set up such an elaborate scheme targeting you?"

Zhuo Qingfeng sighed. "Hearing your words, Madam, I think I finally understand. In fact, there are no Three Protectors, and no Prince Mu's treasure, are there? All of this is just a story, isn't it?"

Madam Wang, with great interest, asked, "How did you come to that conclusion, Lord Zhuo?"

"From the very beginning, we were mistaken," Zhuo Qingfeng said. "It started with the notification of the Silver Fox's death, setting the stage for this entire play, and then I naturally fell into the trap. Later, the Silver Fox used astonishing methods to successfully assassinate Wang Yuanbao and kill many of my colleagues. All these events were designed to lay the groundwork for the lie of the Three Protectors and Prince Mu's treasure, making the story highly credible. After that, the framing at Dalight Valley further solidified the matter of Prince Mu's treasure, making everyone believe it was real, and further increasing the perceived authenticity of that lie to a point where it was almost impossible for anyone to doubt it. Then came the third step: deliberately leaving clues for me to discover, luring me to investigate the Wang family once again. I presume that by now, this place is an inescapable net, and Lord Chu and I have both entered a fatal trap, haven't we, Madam Wang?"

Madam Wang smiled faintly. "You will die tonight. However, Inspector Chu Yuan won't die just yet. He will die by Zhuo Qingfeng's hand, at the location of Prince Mu's treasure. And the wanted criminal Zhuo Qingfeng will, along with the disappearance of Prince Mu's descendants, vanish forever with Prince Mu's treasure."

Chu Yuan looked bewildered. "I'm actually the final link in this elaborate lie?"

Zhuo Qingfeng said gravely, "So, the true descendants of Prince Mu are the Wang family?"

Madam Wang nodded. "Yes."

"Then what was the purpose of setting up such an elaborate scheme?" Zhuo Qingfeng asked, puzzled. "The treasure is fake? The Three Protectors are fake? What was this lie created for?"

Madam Wang replied, "It was created for the Wang family."

At this point, Madam Wang paused for a moment. "More than a hundred years have passed since Prince Mu's rebellion, but the imperial family still hasn't let go of Prince Mu's lineage and has been continually investigating. My husband's surname is Wang—the same 'Wang' as Prince Mu. Originally, our family has lived peacefully here for generations. We have no desire to rebel; in fact, our ancestors never intended to rebel. The case of Prince Mu's rebellion all those years ago was entirely a miscarriage of justice. Yet, after all these years, Prince Mu's mansion has not only failed to be vindicated, but the imperial family has been pressing harder, insisting on eradicating us completely. We had no choice but to concoct this lie to allow our Wang family to shed the identity of Prince Mu's descendants once and for all."

Zhuo Qingfeng slowly said, "So, the Silver Fox is your person, and so are the Old Man and the Scholar!"

"Including the Recluse, they are all our people," Madam Wang said. "We concocted this story to lure you, Lord Zhuo, into the scheme. Our aim is to transform the Wang family's identity from Prince Mu's descendants to the descendants of Prince Mu's protectors, so that from now on, we no longer have to fear the imperial family's relentless pursuit."

Zhuo Qingfeng slowly stated, "So, the Recluse, the Scholar, and the Old Man all faked their deaths to escape. Whether they change their appearance or live under assumed names from now on, these three individuals will effectively cease to exist, and no one will associate them with Prince Mu's descendants."

"Precisely," Madam Wang confirmed. "If you were to speak of Prince Mu's Three Protectors, when this story was fabricated, it was based on them as prototypes. They are indeed descendants of Prince Mu's former retainers and remain loyal to my Wang family today. However, the imperial family has also become aware of their existence, so they needed an opportunity to 'die' credibly and disappear from public view."

Zhuo Qingfeng sighed deeply. "I understand, I understand. Everything makes sense now. To shed the identity of Prince Mu's descendants, you and Wang Yuanbao concocted a story about the Three Protectors and Prince Mu's treasure. Its purpose was to lure me into the scheme, and then to involve Lord Chu to conclude it. This is truly the art of making the fake seem real!"