Wanjin Lady

Chapter 341 Approaching
The shopkeeper led him to the room Wen Wan had used, complaining non-stop, "Young Miss Wen is a straightforward person. That day, she booked the entire Lanyue Pavilion. After getting drunk, she lay down in this room to rest. Many young ladies can testify to this whole thing. Not to mention those far away, just take Miss Sun from the Tongpan family... she can testify."

Cheng Yunzhang ignored the shopkeeper's complaints and walked straight to the window after entering the house. He saw that the house was built next to the water. Two huge trees were inserted into the water to support it, forming the Chinese character "回" (Hui) on all sides. The water was flowing gently. Cheng Yunzhang could tell at a glance that this was a pool of running water. He pointed at the lake and asked the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, can this lake lead to the moat?"

"This..." The shopkeeper shook his head, "I don't know where this water comes from..."

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "After all, no one would go to the bottom of the lake just because they are full..."

The young man turned his head and said firmly, "Please ask two people who are good at swimming to go down and check where this lake leads to..."

The shopkeeper was about to refuse, but Cheng Yunzhang suddenly threw him some silver, which made him smile happily. "Oh, okay, I'll go find him right away!"

Cheng Yunzhang had a simple lunch at Lanyue Pavilion, then rode to the side gate of the prefectural residence. A servant was already waiting at the gate. As soon as he saw Cheng Yunzhang, he stepped forward and tied up his horse. "Fourth Master, as soon as Concubine Yue received your message, she sent me here to wait for you. Please come this way."

Cheng Yunzhang looked straight ahead, his sleeves fluttering in the wind as he walked. Even though the situation was urgent, he remained calm and composed. "I'm here to look for my third sister. Does Madam Yan know?"

The servant said, "Don't worry, Fourth Master. Madam knows everything. It was Madam who sent me here to meet you. The inner courtyard is not convenient for outsiders to enter, so you two will meet under the pavilion in the outer courtyard. Madam heard you were coming and was so happy that she didn't even finish lunch to wait for you."

Cheng Yunzhang followed the servant through the winding corridor and finally saw Cheng Yuehua under the pavilion in the flower hall outside the main courtyard.

After Cheng Yuehua entered the Yan family, the two siblings rarely met. Later, when Cheng Yunzhang passed the imperial examination, Cheng Yuehua was able to occasionally return to her parents' home to reunite with her family.

"Fourth brother." Cheng Yuehua never showed her joy, but she didn't show it on her face when she saw her brother's inner joy. "You've lost weight again. Isn't today the day of our fifth cousin's funeral? Why are you here? Did something happen at home?"

"Everyone in the family is fine, including mother." Cheng Yunzhang glanced at Cheng Yuehua and saw that her eyes were bright and her face was radiant. She looked more lively than before, which made him feel a little better. He bowed and said, "I came here today because I need help from Third Sister."

"It's too formal for us to ask for help between you and me, brother and sister." Cheng Yuehua also expected that Cheng Yunzhang would ask for something. Cheng Yunzhang took pity on her because she was helpless in the Yan Mansion and never came to disturb her easily. But he came so abruptly today. He must have encountered something big.

"Third sister, do you have any way for me to see Master Yan?"

"I thought it was something urgent..." Cheng Yuehua smiled faintly, "The master is at home right now. Please wait here for a moment. I will ask someone to report to the mistress and give you a reply."

Madam Yan was just talking to Prefect Yan about a guest coming to their house, but unexpectedly, after she had said a few words, a servant came to report that Aunt Yue wanted to invite the master over.

The two have been married for many years and have a tacit understanding. They know that the person Cheng Yunzhang is meeting today is not Cheng Yuehua, but Yan Zhizhou.

Yan Zhizhou laughed and said, "This Xiuwen is really interesting. We're all family, so why beat around the bush? If he wants to see me, why should he just send me a letter directly? Why does he need to go through Yuehua?"

Madam Yan Tian felt uncomfortable when she heard the word "family". She endured it and pretended not to hear it. She just said, "He came in a hurry today. I'm afraid he has something to ask of you, Master."

Madam Tian recalled how Cheng Yuehua had once made an outrageous demand, asking her husband to help secure a place at the Imperial Academy. She was still displeased; Cheng Yuehua had always seemed sensible and well-behaved, but she hadn't expected her to harbor such ambition. Prefect Yan, however, disregarded his wife's warning. "Xiuwen is a man of good manners," he said. "He'll soon be taking the imperial examinations, and with his results, passing will be a matter of time. At this crucial moment, I'll offer him something to celebrate, and he'll remember my kindness."

He then reminded Tian, ​​"Don't be too harsh on Yuehua with her daily necessities. If Cheng Yunzhang passes the imperial examination, Xiuwen and I will serve in the same court. It would be inappropriate to keep her as a concubine. Wouldn't that be an insult to Xiuwen? How will Yuehua be arranged in the future... I hope you can make plans in your mind soon."

Tian reluctantly put on his coat and straightened his clothes, "Don't worry, Master. I know how to handle these matters."

She naturally felt unwilling.

At the beginning, Yan Shouli took Cheng Yuehua into his room in the name of taking care of the daughter of an old friend. The reason was very reasonable. But didn't Yan Shouli think that Cheng Yunzhang would become a powerful figure one day, and Cheng Yuehua's status would rise with it. How would he, his first wife, deal with it?

In the final analysis, it is nothing more than a knife hanging over her head due to lust, except that the knife falls on her.

"It's good that you understand." Yan Shouli put on his clothes and gave his wife a meaningful instruction, "Don't let what happened today happen again. If Xiuwen wants to see me next time, just take him to the study."

After Yan Shouli left, Tian finally realized: Cheng Yunzhang had gone through Cheng Yuehua in a roundabout way to see him today, and he thought he was the one who was interfering?
Tian covered her chest with her hands, feeling that she couldn't breathe properly at that moment.

Yan Shouli invited someone to the study. The two exchanged a few pleasantries. As soon as they sat down, Cheng Yunzhang explained his purpose. "Master Yan, I would like to borrow the Bozhou City Defense Map to take a look. I don't want to copy it, I just want to take a look at it in the study. Could you please make it convenient for me?"

Yan Shouli knew Cheng Yunzhang had something to ask for today, but he didn't expect him to actually want to see the city defense map. "This city defense map is a confidential document of Bozhou. What are you looking at it for?"

Cheng Yunzhang could only tell the truth, "My cousin died tragically, and I want to seek justice for him."

Yan Shouli looked worried and said, "You should go find Xiong Daiping to investigate the case. He is in charge of the interrogation in Bozhou City."

"I'm not interfering in your duties, but I have a suspicion in mind that I need evidence to confirm. If I find the key evidence, I will immediately present it to Master Xiong. I also ask Master Xiong to grant me an accommodation. I will not copy this city defense map, and I will not take it out of my study. I will only need to examine it for the time it takes to stick an incense stick."

Yan Shouli was extremely angry. He stood up and refused to give in. "This city defense map is related to the defense and protection of the city. It is so important! How can I take it out for your enjoyment and appreciation just for your own selfish interests? Today it's you, tomorrow it's him, and the day after tomorrow it's who? If something goes wrong, who will be held responsible? Cheng Yunzhang, for your sister's sake, I will forgive you today! I will pretend that I didn't hear you. You have one stick of incense to leave immediately! Otherwise, I will punish you for stealing secrets!"

Yan Shouli snorted and laughed, speaking in a rare harsh tone, then turned and left.

Cheng Yunzhang was at a loss when Cheng Yuehua smiled and said, "What are you standing there for? Go get the map. It's on the third or fourth shelf in the corner..."

Seeing Cheng Yunzhang staring blankly, Cheng Yuehua smiled, "If the master really wanted to kick you out, why would he deliberately leave you and me in the study? And why would he deliberately pat the bookshelf over there before leaving? Hurry up, finish reading and leave, don't cause trouble for the master."

Cheng Yunzhang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "If Third Sister wasn't a woman, she would be more than qualified to be a military staff member."