The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1007 - 986: Investigation

Chapter 1007: Chapter 986: Investigation

Old Madam Yin felt Yin Huo’s hand to make sure it wasn’t cold, and after giving him a few more instructions, she said, "It’s getting dark, I won’t keep you any longer. Go back to your quarters to have dinner, and after resting for a while, take your medicine."

Yin Huo acknowledged her words, stood up ready to leave, then paused and asked, "Haven’t my eldest sister and second sister and third sister come to visit these past few days?"

"They have," Old Madam Yin said languidly, "But you always come back late, so you’ve simply missed them."

Yin Huo nodded and turned to leave.

Old Madam Yin watched her grandson walking away, then sighed deeply as she saw him go off into the distance.

If only he would ask one more question or say one more word, even if it were something unpleasant to hear.

Yin Huo returned to his room and expertly poured the medicine out the back window, now so practiced that not a single drop spilled on the sill— it was done with perfect steadiness.

Changshou saw the young master wipe his hands with a handkerchief and then opened the door to let someone carry the medicine bowl out.

When the room was empty again, Yin Huo asked, "Have you found out anything about Zhang Jinghao?"

"We’ve made it clear. Young Master Zhang is the grandson of Zhang Tongyi; he entered the Highest Institute on a special dispensation. I’ve looked into it—his maternal uncle’s family is in Puzhou, quite far from the capital. It turns out he’s been closely associated with a horse dealer. In the east suburbs, there’s a racetrack that’s partly financed by that dealer."

Before, Yin Huo would never have bothered with such matters. Since the Yin Family was here and his father was the Metropolitan Governor, there was no need for him to intervene; Changshou just had to ask around. Things that ought to be known were known, and for those that shouldn’t, a little money and flattering words would make them known as well.

The reason Changshou reported back only after a few days was because it was his first time investigating such matters for Yin Huo, and he wanted to be thorough and certain.

Although Yin Huo never said why he wanted to investigate Zhang Jinghao, Changshou wasn’t foolish; over the past few days, the young master’s only contact had been with the Bai Family’s two sons and Miss Zhou. Such matters could easily be learned through inquiry.

Thus, Changshou reported in detail, "I found out that the horse dealer behind Zhang Young Master is unknown, but these past two years, since he opened a racetrack in the east of the capital, he often hosts betting on polo matches. Sometimes, young lords and ladies from the capital enter the field to play for fun, gambling small amounts among themselves, while privately, bets are placed and the dealer collects."

"Recently, Zhang Jinghao led a group of students from the Imperial Academy to the racetrack, and many placed bets."

Curious, Yin Huo asked, "Did they all lose?"

Changshou chuckled, "How could that be? If they all lost, who would play anymore? Oddly enough, others followed suit and bet on three or four games, with mixed results—mostly losing more than winning. But Young Master Bai Er had the best luck; he won every time. After four rounds, it’s said he won over two hundred taels."

Even Yin Huo, who was never short of money, was taken aback for a moment, then asked with a tilt of his head, "Is it really such a moneymaker?"

"Anyway, at that time everyone praised Young Master Bai Er for his luck, and they were all incredibly envious. Young Master Bai Er got excited and said he wanted to spend money to keep a horse at the racetrack. He planned to use it exclusively for playing polo or racing and if it won, he as the horse’s owner could also act as the bookmaker and share in the earnings."

Changshou continued, "Later on, Young Master Zhang took Young Master Bai Er to see horses, and Bai Er took a fancy to one that was priced at fifteen hundred taels, but they said they’d give him a discount of three hundred taels."

Yin Huo: "...And he believed that?"

Changshou bowed his head with a smile, "Yes, but after returning home, who knows how Young Master Bai Er explained it to his family, since his teacher at home gave him a beating. I’m not sure if it was about this thoroughbred horse."

"It was and it wasn’t," Yin Huo had spent these past days with them and faintly understood that Mr. Zhuang had mainly beaten Bai Er for gambling.

Yin Huo scoffed and asked, "Does Zhang Tongyi not know about what Zhang Jinghao is doing?"

"Zhang Tongyi’s household discipline is very strict; it is said that after Young Master Zhang entered the Highest Institute, his monthly allowance was increased from ten taels to twenty taels."

Yin Huo understood, then tapped the desk and said, "I’m aware now, you don’t need to investigate further."

He was curious, "Is Zhang Jinghao’s trickery that brilliant?"

How could he, one who rarely mingled with others, detect that the man was a swindler, yet Bai Erlang couldn’t?

After some thought, Changshou said, "There are still quite a few people who gamble and buy horses with Young Master Zhang. Perhaps the reason Young Master feels it’s not clever is that I have clearly laid out everything after my investigation, unlike having had any direct dealings with him."

Yin Huo nodded and decided to share these findings with Bai Shan and Bai Erlang the following day.

At this moment, Bai Shan was together with Manbao, plotting to trick Zhang Jinghao.

Through Bai Shan’s efforts over the past few days, everyone around Zhang Jinghao had come to understand one thing: his uncle had a good friend who was a horse dealer, exceptionally considerate of him. Buying horses from him could be much cheaper than the market price.

There were quite a few new students at the Six Academies this year, and together with the group of meritorious students like Bai Shan, many needed to buy horses for their courses.

Therefore, those who knew Zhang Jinghao sought him out, and those who didn’t know him reached out through other classmates—today one invited him for a meal, tomorrow another for a drink.

The message was unified: We are all good friends and brothers, so introduce a good horse for a friendly price.

Some families were not short of money; they didn’t need a bargain, they needed a horse they could trust from the bottom of their hearts.

Buying a horse was sometimes like buying jade wrapped in stone—it was a matter of luck.

Especially for these younger students who mostly bought young colts that needed to be carefully raised over time. It wasn’t a given that a good-looking horse would run fast or steady, hence the profession of a horse connoisseur.

They were young, with limited knowledge, and it wasn’t their expertise, so they dared not consider themselves experts like Bole who could recognize a fine steed—aside from a horse connoisseur, they had to rely on the horse dealer.

They weren’t seeking bargains, just assurance that the horse dealer wouldn’t cheat them.

Zhang Jinghao always loved lively scenes; previously, if he wasn’t attending a banquet, he was holding one himself. But this time he didn’t feel happy at all, his smiles were merely forced.

They were all students from the Six Academies, and even those who were accepted by special favor were not fools; they could see the change in Zhang Jinghao’s demeanor.

As a result, most of them came under the impression — Zhang Jinghao looked down on them.

Those who realized this either stopped looking for Zhang Jinghao— if you look down on me, I’ll look down on you too, not a big deal to cease being friends.

And so they dispersed.

Another group harbored resentment, though they too walked away, they began to speak ill of Zhang Jinghao, inadvertently promoting his reputation.

The last group became stubborn— so you look down on me, well, I must provoke you right in front of your nose, and I also want to see just how impressive the horse dealer you know really is...

Zhang Jinghao certainly sensed the change in his classmates’ attitudes towards him, but he was completely helpless, not knowing how to escape this predicament. At this point, he actually wished that Bai Erlang would reveal that the price the horse dealer had called for the horse was indeed fifteen hundred taels.