Ita Era

Chapter 117 The Wang Residence
The dungeon begins.

This was a bus from the Republican era, resembling a freight truck in appearance, with about a dozen seats inside. Ding Shi missed his seat and could only stand next to a girl wearing a cheongsam. The girl was very interested in her cheongsam, turning it over to examine it closely.

The carriage was very crowded, and the ride was very bumpy. There was no chance for anyone to look at the people around them. Someone impatiently asked, "Driver, how much longer?"

The driver replied, "Master, young master, madam, young lady, we'll be there soon."

As they crossed a large ditch, Ding Shi was jolted in the back and fell towards the woman in the cheongsam. Realizing his innocence was in danger, he quickly knelt down, one knee on each side, gripping the chair tightly, gritting his teeth, and using all his strength to withstand the pressure on his back, determined not to let the woman in the cheongsam take advantage of him. The woman in the cheongsam, surprised, took out her system and glanced at the script for a while. It didn't mention any children or grandchildren; was she going to give him a red envelope?
As the car turned left, a tremendous force pushed Ding Shi so hard that he pressed his head firmly against the woman's thigh. The woman cursed angrily, "You scoundrel!" and hurriedly pulled up the slit in her cheongsam.

At this moment, the car turned right. Ding, filled with shame and indignation, and driven by a desire for revenge, pushed himself back, and a chorus of curses erupted from his right. A fight broke out, but the space was too small, and the fighting wasn't very intense.

Amidst the commotion, the car finally stopped, and everyone jumped out as if fleeing for their lives.

A large mansion stands right by the roadside.

The house is divided into a front yard and a back yard. The front yard is where the servants and farmhands live. To get to the back yard, you have to go through another gate. The back yard has eight small courtyards, named after plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, east, south, west, and north respectively.

There's a map of the house at the entrance. The east courtyard is where Old Master Wang lives, and it contains the main house, hall, guest room, guest bedroom, and small kitchen. The other courtyards have four to eight rooms each.

Ding Shi first noticed the front yard. There were actually three courtyards with guards living there. Roughly speaking, there were at least 50 guards. Why were so many guards needed? The front yard had two side gates, but the back yard had neither a back gate nor a side gate. If people from the back yard wanted to leave the house, they had to go through the inner gate and leave through the front yard.

According to the map, Wangjia Village is very close to the provincial capital, which is why a road was built there. The actual Wangjia Village is about three kilometers away from the house, but there are not many locals left. Most of the locals have become tenants or long-term laborers for the Wang family, and a small number of locals have gone to the provincial capital to make a living.

It's more accurate to say Wangjia (王家) than Wangjia Village (王家村).

Standing at the entrance of the Wang family residence was a man dressed as a steward, with a kind face and a smile. Behind him were four burly guards, each carrying a nearly meter-long wooden stick with strips of cloth wrapped around it.

"Greetings, gentlemen, ladies, and young ladies. I am the Wang family's butler; please call me Butler Wang." Butler Wang was in his fifties, kind and smiling, and seemed very approachable.

Butler Wang walked to the map of the Wang residence and pointed to a spot in the middle of the backyard: "This is the Wang family ancestral hall, which is divided into inner and outer sections. The inner section enshrines the ancestral tablets of dozens of generations of the Wang family, while the outer section is a large hall where meals are served at set times every day. If you hear the sound of a gong, please gather in the outer hall as soon as possible."

The eight courtyards, arranged like the eight trigrams (八卦), represent the four cardinal directions (east, south, west, north, and south), with the ancestral hall located in the center.

Steward Wang said, "The Wang family doesn't have many rules. As long as you abide by the laws of this dynasty, such as not stealing, robbing, or fighting, I think everyone understands that, so I won't go into detail. Anyone who violates these rules will be punished according to family law, ranging from ten strokes of the cane to being beaten to death. The important thing to note is that from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning, it is recommended that everyone not leave their own rooms or stay overnight in other people's rooms."

Steward Wang: "At seven o'clock on the morning of the fourth day, the distribution of property will be announced in the outer hall. There are two servants in each courtyard. If you need anything, you can tell them. Please come to me in an orderly manner to collect your waist tokens. When leaving your room, you must hang your waist token on your waist."

Fifty-four name tags were placed on a table to one side. After each person stepped forward and stated their name, they would receive a name tag. The name tag had their name and place of residence on it, which was obviously prepared in advance.

Ding Shi received the No. 1 side room of the Bamboo Courtyard.

After receiving their waist tokens, everyone walked inside. At each corner, servants led the way. Once inside the inner courtyard, everyone separated, and the originally lively procession gradually became quiet.

The bamboo courtyard consists of a main hall, a main room, six side rooms on the left and right, and a servants' quarters.

The main hall was in the center, with the main house to the left and the servants' quarters to the right. The courtyard in the middle was about 100 square meters, paved with bluestone. In the courtyard was a well, with a large basin and washboard for washing clothes beside it. To the left and right of the courtyard were side rooms, each with a sign hanging beside its door. Ding Shi found the sign that read "Side Room 1" and pushed open the door to enter.

The room is 30 square meters in size and includes a bed, desk, chair, clothes rack, wardrobe, and a bathroom. There is a special note posted in the bathroom stating that it was originally a place to store chamber pots, but Ita World has set up a bathroom to meet people's needs and provides toilet paper and other supplies.

This house is very ordinary.

The reason I say this is because while glass windows existed in this era, this room not only had one window, but it was also a heavy wooden window—the kind of window Pan Jinlian encountered when she met Ximen Qing, a window that could be pushed forward and supported by a wooden beam. There was only one door, not a paper-covered door, but a solid wood door.

Overall, it was a dark room.

Old Master Wang wasn't stingy; he placed four kerosene lamps in the room.

Ding Shi stepped outside and looked up to see the sky in all four corners. The sky was overcast, and he wondered if it was going to rain.

Ding Shi picked up the water pipe hanging below the doorplate, sat on the wooden stump by the door, and lit the tobacco with a match in a very professional manner, looking quite content.

All the guests of Bamboo Courtyard had arrived. The woman in the cheongsam who had met Ding Shi on the bus was staying in the main house, along with five other people—two women and three men. The woman in the cheongsam greeted them, "Everyone, please come to the main room for tea." As the person staying in the main house, she was the highest-ranking among the seven, because the two servants of Bamboo Courtyard took precedence over her orders.

The seven people sat down against the wall, and two servants brought them tea. They introduced themselves to each other. The woman in the cheongsam was named Wang Shiba, Ding Shi was named Wang Shijiu, and the other five were named Wang Ershi, Wang Eryi, Wang Erer, Wang Ersan, and Wang Ersi.

Since everyone was speechless about their names and couldn't reveal their real names, they started introducing the professions from the script.

The woman in the cheongsam claimed that her grandmother was a princess from a previous dynasty. Now impoverished, she had to pawn her ancestral property to make ends meet in order to cover her daily expenses of five hundred dollars. She said that the remaining ancestral property was only enough for her to squander for two thousand years, and she was very worried about her descendants two thousand years from now.

Everyone was amazed and applauded.

Ding Shi claimed that his grandmother was the cousin of the First Lady of China, and that thanks to the First Lady's support, he is now the deputy mayor of Shanghai. He mainly deals with foreigners on a daily basis: "When you are in Shanghai, just mention my name. Du Yuesheng is my little brother. I have connections in both the legal and illegal worlds, and there is nothing I can't handle."

Everyone nodded and applauded.

The pressure was on Wang Ershi. He glanced at his dockworker attire, took a deep breath, and said defiantly, "You guys are great, but I'm not. After graduating from Harvard, my great-grandmother forced me to work at the grassroots level. She said that I was the sole heir to ten ports and two thousand ships, so I had to start from the bottom."

Everyone admired him and applauded.

Er Yi was a young woman who immediately captivated the audience with her opening remarks: "I am currently leading the Manhattan Project, but due to confidentiality requirements, I cannot say too much."

Everyone was shocked and applauded.

Er'er, also a girl, looked at Er'yi in astonishment. "You've even developed the atomic bomb, so how can you brag about yourself?" So, in a fit of pique, she said, "Please excuse my ignorance, I'm not very capable myself. I only have one son named Armstrong."

Everyone was speechless, then applauded.

Driven to the brink, Ersan unleashed his ultimate move: "I am a gigolo, mastering eighteen different tricks, at least one hour per session, or I'll pay you two hundred dollars."

Everyone was shocked, applauded, and whistled. After a flurry of activity, everyone turned to look at the strongest man: Wang Ersi.

Alexander the Second, picked up his tea and took a big gulp. He ripped off his clothes, revealing his left chest, and punched his left chest with his right fist, the muscles thumping loudly. "I..." A mouthful of blood spurted from Alexander's mouth. He stood up, took two steps, and then knelt down, burying his head in the ground, motionless. The other six looked at each other, and the Second and Third clapped: "Good, Best Performance Award."

Ding Shi said, "It doesn't seem like an act; the tea is poisoned."

Upon hearing this, everyone except Ding Shi changed color and hurriedly checked their own physical condition, looking for any possible discomfort.

No one panicked. The woman in the cheongsam called out, "Master Zhu, get a sheet to cover the Second Young Master."

"Yes." The servant, who was called Zhu Da, quickly brought a white sheet and covered Er Si with it.

The woman in the cheongsam said, "Zhu Er, inform the steward."

"Yes."

Er'er looked sharply at the woman in the cheongsam: "Did you do this?"

The woman in the cheongsam chuckled, "Don't talk nonsense without evidence, or I'll sue you and you'll face the family law." As she spoke, she picked up the warm tea, took a sip, and slowly put down the cup, indicating that she knew the tea was not poisonous, at least not hers.

Er Er didn't let her off the hook, asking, "What are you up to?" Watching her drink the tea, he became even more convinced that she had poisoned it.

The woman in the cheongsam said, "What are you saying, Second Sister? What could I possibly be up to?"

Er Er: "Stop talking to me like a bitch."

The woman in the cheongsam helplessly shrugged, giving an attitude that said, "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

The steward arrived, accompanied by two guards and the family physician.

The physician inserted silver needles into the throat and stomach, then heated the needles over a fire. He then examined everyone's tea and finally said, "The Second Young Master died of poisoning, but only his teacup was poisoned."

Everyone looked at the servant who had brought the tea, and the servant immediately kowtowed and said, "I didn't, I don't know the Second Young Master at all, how could I possibly poison him?"

The butler, with a constant smile, looked at the six players and asked, "Young masters and ladies, what do you think?"

Er'er asked, "Steward, shouldn't the servants completely obey the wife's orders?"

The butler nodded: "That's right, that's how it is in theory."

Er'er countered with, "Theory?"

The steward replied, "Perhaps some servants might betray their masters for money."

Er'er said, "Then why don't we drag this servant boy named Zhu Da away and beat him until he tells the truth?"

The butler replied, "We cannot confirm whether it was Zhu Da who poisoned the cup. It's possible that a young master or young lady poisoned it beforehand, or it could be that Zhu Er framed Zhu Da. Servants are people too. This is the Republic of China, and the concept of 'slave' no longer exists. Without evidence, we cannot take any action."

Ersan said, "According to the steward, the first suspect is Miss Eighteen. Miss Eighteen is the main wife and has control over two servants. The second suspect should be Young Master Nineteen. Young Master Nineteen looks like a rich man. What's most special is that I saw that Young Master Nineteen bought a gift. Judging from the packaging, it's a special iron box from Baozhilin Pharmacy."

He hadn't said a word, so how could the blame be pinned on him? Ding Shi wasn't angry. He looked at the steward and said, "I have no opinion. I'm tired. I need to rest."

Ersan said, "Nineteen, don't you want to get to the bottom of this?"

Ding Shi said, "I've figured it out, but I don't want to tell you." He left with a mysterious smile, turned around, and went back to his room.

The killer was neither the woman in the cheongsam nor anyone else. There should be rules, although this is not a typical rule-based mystery dungeon, but the butler had already mentioned three important rules when welcoming everyone.

Article 1: When leaving your room, you must carry your waist tag.

Second: It is recommended that everyone stay in their own rooms after 11 p.m.

Article 3: No entry to the inner ancestral hall without permission.

However, the butler didn't say that violating the rules would necessarily lead to death. When stating the first rule, he used the word "must," but when stating the second, he used the word "suggestion." Ding Shi understood: violating the first rule would result in death, but violating the second rule might not.

The reason Er Si died was because he violated the first rule by not carrying his waist tag. The woman in the cheongsam noticed this immediately and then used boasting to attract everyone's attention, not wanting anyone to remind Er Si. She wanted to use Er Si to investigate the punishment for violating the rules.

After Ersi's death, the woman in the cheongsam immediately instructed her servant to cover the body with a sheet to prevent anyone from approaching and examining it, thus discovering that Ersi's death was due to not carrying her waist tag. Faced with Er'er's accusations, the woman in the cheongsam did not defend herself but instead countered sharply, increasing everyone's suspicion of her.

Ersan seemed to have some doubts, so they began to suspect Ding Shi, hoping that Ding Shi could prove himself and express his views, helping them to fill in the gaps in the clues and clarify their thoughts. Ding Shi took the same approach as the woman in the cheongsam: no explanation, no clarification, let them doubt as they please, I'll do what I'm doing.

Through this incident, Ding Shi became certain that the eighteenth wife in the cheongsam possessed important clues that others did not. Ding Shi speculated that the woman in the cheongsam might know how to change the distribution of the inheritance, the situation of the unseen Old Master Wang, and so on.

However, Ding Shi wasn't without other options, such as Lai Fu. The story's background explains that Lai Fu originally pulled a rickshaw in Shanghai, but was imprisoned for some reason. He was rescued by Ding Shi's father, who recommended him to work as a farmhand at the Wang residence.

Ding Shi took the Baozhilin gift box and went out. Er San saw it clearly and asked loudly, "Nineteen, where are you going?"

Ding Shi didn't hear it and left the bamboo courtyard directly. There was no rule against visiting other people's homes.

"Damn it." Ersan was annoyed.

Er Yi stood up and said, "I've heard that the Wang residence has an exquisite layout, and I'd like to go out for a walk as well." Ignoring other people's opinions and thoughts, he walked out of the courtyard.

The woman in the cheongsam stood up: "Butler, could you please handle this?"

The butler politely replied, "Yes, Miss." He beckoned, and two guards put down the stretcher, placed Ersi on it, and carried her away.

(End of this chapter)