Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 334 He actually dared to do it for real?

After one group of Jinyiwei soldiers descended the mountain, two other groups, one hidden in the cemetery and the other in the forest below, also headed towards the city gate.

In terms of speed, the people from the Grand Commandant's mansion were naturally faster. After Shen Zhui led his men down the mountain and saw a group of people in the woods below heading towards the Yan residence, they quickened their pace to return to the mansion, which only took a short while.

"He Ping has found a clue! They discovered Jin Huai's remains. The Jin family is so cunning; they actually buried Jin Huai in their old man's grave, while the grave with Jin Huai's tombstone contains an unidentified person!"

As soon as he entered Bibo Pavilion, Shen Zhui couldn't wait to start shouting.

Lu Jia was having dinner with Shen Qingzhou when she saw this. She quickly put down her chopsticks and stood up, sending Fuxiao to the kitchen to add more food. She asked curiously, "How did they manage to bring the remains down the mountain? Didn't everyone along the way see them?"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard blocked all the entrances at the foot of the mountain. We arrived early and went up the mountain to ambush them. They had carriages parked on the mountain road, and the bodies were brought back by horse-drawn carriages. Nobody saw them!"

Shen Zhui recounted the events vividly, then proceeded to explain the whole story in one breath. "He Ping truly lives up to his reputation as the Emperor's confidant; he saw through the trick immediately. Otherwise, we don't know how long we would have had to endure the stench of corpses on the mountain!"

Lu Jia found it amusing: "You know that's the smell of a corpse, and you're still so calm?"

"So what? So many people die on the battlefield every day. Anyone who isn't just sitting idly in their tent all day long has seen it all."

Shen Zhui straightened his neck as he spoke: "I have never been idle. I have been following my father to inspect the battlefield since I was six years old. I have seen corpses, and I have even carried them on my back!"

Shen Qingzhou turned her head: "Where are He Ping and the others? Did they go to the palace or return to the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"After returning to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Yan family was also keeping an eye on He Ping, but they were slow and could only stay in the woods at the foot of the mountain. Moreover, the graves had all been filled in, and people were left to guard the site. The servants who guarded the graves were also taken back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard. So, apart from knowing that He Ping had dug up the graves, they didn't know anything else!"

The couple exchanged a glance, and Lu Jia spoke first: "Eight years ago, the case was covered up completely, yet they still managed to come up with a plan to deceive everyone. It can only be described as meticulous."

"It was really not easy for my father to obtain evidence of Jin Huai's poisoning and to silence the coroner sent by the Dali Temple back then."

Hearing this, Shen Qingzhou frowned and glared at Shen Zhui: "Go and keep watch over the Yan residence. You must keep a close watch on them tonight. Also, keep an eye on the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He Ping will definitely report to the palace immediately if he makes any progress. At this point, it depends on the Emperor's attitude."

Shen Zhui said, "You won't even let me rest for a while?!"

Shen Qingzhou paused for a moment, then stood up: "Never mind, I'll go to the Yan family's place."

Shen Zhui was so provoked that he shouted in a high-pitched voice: "I'll go, I'll go!"

Shen Qingzhou glanced at him: "I know that place better than you do."

After that, he walked out.

……

Jin said she would come back to get her clothes, but she didn't. The Jin family had no choice but to send people to find out what was going on. Madam Yan was determined, so she spoke to her in a gentle and polite manner and coaxed her back.

The next half day was unusually calm.

That night, Madam Yan recited a Buddhist scripture. Seeing that it was getting late, she was about to tell the maid at the door the time when someone suddenly came from outside: "Madam! Something has happened! The people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard have returned. They said that Lord He led a group of men to the Jin family cemetery this afternoon!"

Madam Yan paused, put down the Buddhist scriptures, and went outside. Sure enough, the people she had sent out early in the morning were waiting there.

"What did they find out?" "They went to find Jin Huai's body, but they sealed off all the entrances and exits before going up the mountain, so we couldn't get in to investigate. We only know that when they came down the mountain, they left people on the mountain to guard it, and they also took the Jin family servants who were guarding the grave to the yamen. Whether they found anything or not is still unknown."

Madam Yan frowned and stepped out of the door: "Does Master know?"

"The master is still in the yamen; someone else has already gone to deliver the message."

Madam Yan sighed, "He Ping is acting so quickly? The Emperor ordered him to investigate, and he's really going to dig three feet into the ground to investigate? Isn't he afraid of offending people?"

After saying that, she added, "Take some men and keep an eye on the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Report any movements to the master and me! Oh, and send a letter to Eunuch Gao, asking him to keep an eye on the Qianqing Palace. See what He Ping has to say."

"As ordered!"

The servants hurriedly left.

Madam Yan clenched her fists and paced back and forth twice at the threshold before finally walking towards the backyard.

"Hold Biyun's side off for now and wait for my instructions."

Shen Bo's sudden complaint was indeed troublesome, but the Yan family hadn't taken it too seriously before, because they had handled the matter perfectly back then. Besides, He Ping was a shrewd person, and once he investigated to a certain extent, he would probably stop pursuing it. They never expected that he would actually dig up Jin Huai's grave this time!

The capabilities of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are well-known. Although they took all necessary measures back then, it was still impossible to guarantee that everything would go smoothly.

If He Ping finds evidence and Jin Shi is killed, what if it provokes the Jin family into doing something foolish? Wouldn't that cause trouble?

Staying a few more hours wouldn't hurt. On the contrary, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already progressed to this point—given He Ping's decades-long tenure as Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how could he not have some insight? If he were to find even the slightest clue, that would be a disaster!
"Where is the Second Young Master? Summon him and his wife here!"

Madam Yan's voice was shut out from inside the room.

Meanwhile, the guards who had been lying in ambush under the wall in the backyard had given a lookout to Shen Qingzhou, who had just arrived, and then quietly crept over.

"Yan Shu and Yan Liang are not in the mansion. Yan Song is here, but he always goes to bed early and doesn't usually care about the affairs of the household. Jin Shi doesn't concern herself with them either."

After listening to them speak in whispers, Shen Qingzhou looked at the lanterns that were moving from the main house in the distance and then gestured for them to return to their hiding place.

Before the final battle in his previous life, he had ventured deep into the lion's den and thoroughly familiarized himself with the layout of the Yan family's inner quarters, a knowledge still etched into his mind like a knife cut.

Based on Lu Jia's deduction, the place concerning the Jin family should be the same place where she was imprisoned in her previous life. She sent guards to search for it before dark, and they were right.

At this moment, in a house not far ahead where lights were on, walked the servants beside Madam Yan.

"Sister Biyun, Madam has something to say..."

The lantern that had been moved over had already entered the courtyard. The two exchanged a few words in hushed tones and then left together.

Shen Qingzhou looked around, picked a small pebble from the wall and threw it into the courtyard. Soon, an old woman's voice came from behind, and an old woman came out, looked around, and went back inside.

Once the surrounding noise subsided, Shen Qingzhou leaped off the wall and silently disappeared into the shadows at the corner.