Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 175 The Unspeakable Truth (Third Update)
Sun Suizui disappeared after noon.

Inside Sun Suizui's room, everything else was still there. Whether it was the gong used for night watch or the empty money pouch that was quickly found, it all proved that he did not intend to go out normally.

But, according to his companion, the night watchman, the erotic pictures he had collected were missing.

At Haiyue's command, everyone busied themselves searching for this thing that was not easy to talk about to outsiders.

The house was quickly turned upside down, but nothing was found.

A search of the vicinity of the house yielded no results.

As the group carried their lanterns, they grew increasingly reluctant to leave, noticing that it was getting darker and the night wind was getting colder.

However, Yan Song, an elderly man, kept a close watch from a short distance. No one dared to offend this high-ranking official who might lose his son at this critical juncture, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue the search.

"Found it! I found it!"

Finally, accompanied by a joyful exclamation, a watchman accustomed to operating at night shouted, "It's in the bushes over here!"

Haiyue had instructed that once discovered, the scene should not be disturbed; simply screaming to alert others was sufficient. Indeed, the crowd arrived quickly, with four or five lanterns held high, illuminating the area.

An illustrated book lay discarded in the grass by the wall; it was a place that would be difficult to spot, not even during the day, let alone at night.

Seeing this, Haiyue did not rush to pick up the books, but instead looked up and instructed, "Move the lantern over here and shine it on the wall."

The servants did as she was told. Haiyue approached for a closer look and quickly noticed a shallow shoe print: "Someone stepped over here and climbed over the wall. Is that the outside of the examination hall?"

The watchman replied, "Climbing over there is indeed the back street of the Imperial Examination Hall."

"Go and get the shoes from under Sun the bastard's bed!"

Haiyue waited until the black boots arrived, then compared them: "These are Sun Suizui's shoes. This man is skilled in martial arts, so it seems he's the one who climbed over the wall..."

After searching for other details, Haiyue stepped forward and picked up the picture book.

Erotic picture books on the market also have the preferences of their target audience. For example, scholars generally like "Flower Camp Brocade Array", which has poems and annotations next to each picture. Hai Rui was introduced to it when he first arrived in the capital. "Mandarin Duck Secret Manual" is of the same type, but it has nicknames and short poems imitating the 108 heroes of Water Margin next to it, making it more popular among the common people.

As for "Sheng Penglai" and "Tiangong Juechang", they are enjoyed by both the refined and the common people, and even monks can read them with great interest, though it is unknown whether they are true or false.

However, the copy collected by Sun Suizui is not the most popular one on the market, but "Jiangnan Xiaoxia". I remember Yan Shifan mentioned that this should be a representative work popular during the Zhengde period, and it was as famous as "Fan Hua Li Jin" and was known for its "exaggerated and delicate human figures".

Haiyue, wearing thin gloves, flipped through the items slightly; the style was indeed quite exaggerated.

As for the anomalies, the binding threads were somewhat loose, as if something hard had been sandwiched between them, and the pages also showed signs of being pressed.

"Sun the Chatterbox must have hidden something inside, but why bring the whole picture book out with it? Isn't that too much trouble?"

Since he couldn't figure it out, he called over the other watchmen: "Take a look and see if there's anything wrong with this picture album?"

The watchmen took it with excited expressions, rummaged through it, and sure enough, they found something strange: "It's too clean. You haven't seen this much before, have you?"

Haiyue raised an eyebrow: "Sun Suizui is living a frugal life. You all guessed he was a gambler who lost all his money. Why didn't you guess he went to the pimp alley and spent all his money there?"

The night watchmen exchanged bewildered glances, seemingly stumped by the question: "That's right! Why didn't we think that way?" "That gossipy Sun never even talks to a woman, why would he go to Pimp Alley?" "Maybe he's a eunuch..."

Haiyue pointed to the picture book: "If he is truly a eunuch, why would he need to look at erotic pictures?"

"Just covering it up!"

One of the night watchmen laughed and said, "I once saw Sun the rascal holding this erotic scroll and greeting a man! He's not good enough for himself, so he uses this to pretend, afraid that others will laugh at him!"

"Holding up a picture book and greeting a man?"

Haiyue immediately asked, "When did this happen?"

The night watchman thought for a moment: "Not long ago... about thirty or forty days ago..."

Haiyue said, "Describe the man's appearance in detail."

The night watchman racked his brains for a while, then gave two characteristics: "Tall and thin, with a rather fierce appearance, I can't remember anything else!"

Haiyue knew that it was almost impossible to find the target based on the ancient descriptions and the portrait, so she simply changed her questioning method: "You walk the streets and alleys, patrol every night, and have seen quite a few people, especially petty thieves. According to your impression, what might that fierce-looking man be doing?"

The night watchman pondered for a moment: "They look like the local security guards patrolling the streets? No... that doesn't seem quite right..."

Haiyue pressed further, "Why doesn't it look like it?"

"It's...that's..."

The night watchman opened his mouth, seemingly unable to describe the feeling: "They were too fierce! Not the kind of fierceness you get from thieves! Anyway, I didn't dare go up!"

"Too fierce? But not the fierceness of a thief?"

Haiyue's eyes flickered slightly, and she suddenly asked, "I heard that after one of the major examinations, Sun Suizui said that he saw a white shadow floating by in the examination hall while patrolling at night. He said it was a scholar who failed the exam and hanged himself in the examination hall, and then turned into a vengeful spirit to seek revenge. Is there such a thing?"

Everyone nodded in agreement: "Yes! Yes!" "What's your reaction?"

"They were scared. Nobody dared to go to the literary arena during that period!"

"Besides this, are there any similar incidents?"

"Yes! Yes! This kid always likes to talk about these things, and it's really creepy for everyone to listen to!"

"You still believe him?"

"I may not believe it, but I'm still afraid. I'll avoid the places he mentions..."

Having asked this question, Haiyue had a clue. She opened "Summer in Jiangnan" again and touched the creases on the pages: 'This shape does match... Could it really be...?'

Something popped into his mind that perfectly matched the mark.

That was the Northern Garrison Commander's badge that Lu Bing lent him when they were investigating "Winged Fire Serpent," a member of the Liyuan Society.

At that time, someone tried to seize the Qin Xin Feng Xiao in the Jade Hall. As soon as the token was issued, the other party immediately slunk away.

'If the item tucked inside "Summer in Jiangnan" is also a token from the Northern Garrison, then Sun Suizui's identity can be confirmed!'

'He's a spy for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. His constant gossip in the examination hall is probably for a different purpose; it's definitely not just a simple matter of enjoying spreading rumors.'

'The watchman's chance encounter with the ruthless man who was also a member of the Imperial Guard was revealed at the opportune moment to confirm his identity by showing the token hidden inside the scroll of erotic paintings.'

"This serves two purposes: firstly, to prevent bystanders from directly witnessing the spy presenting the token and exposing their identity; and secondly, to prevent someone unfamiliar with the rendezvous code from impersonating the spy if the token is stolen."

'That's clever!'

But if Sun Suizui was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, why did he disappear along with Yan Shifan?

Did the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) have any involvement in spreading rumors of cheating in the imperial examinations at the examination hall?

'Wait a minute!'

'When I was figuring out who would target the Yan family father and son, I overlooked one person!'

Haiyue's body trembled almost imperceptibly as she pondered this.

Yan Song is about to enter the cabinet as the leader of the "pure stream" faction, and at this critical juncture, there are many suspects who want to smear his reputation.

For example, the newly appointed high-ranking officials who were in power, a large number of criminal officials who had been dealt with by Yan Song, and even the already forgotten Marquis of Wuding, Guo Xun, and others.

But there is one more.

Others might overlook it, but Haiyue shouldn't.

Emperor Jiajing, Zhu Houcong!

This guy has a criminal record!

"Ever since the Yang Tinghe faction seized power, Emperor Jiajing became extremely sensitive to powerful ministers. Even Zhang Cong, who strongly supported his father's loyalty and risked his life to help him consolidate his power, was reprimanded by Jiajing before entering the cabinet. He was first demoted and sent to a remote post, then reinstated, all to instill in Zhang Cong a sense of insecurity and genuine awe for the emperor, preventing him from harboring any evil thoughts!"

'Now that Yan Song is about to enter the cabinet, and his reputation is impeccable, his prestige is at its zenith, while Jiajing is promoting him to counterbalance Zhang Cong, isn't he also planning something else?'

"The slanderous accusation that Yan Shifan used Yan Song's power to pass the imperial examinations tarnished the reputation of the Yan family. It was later discovered that a clerk in the Shuntian Prefecture's rites department had spread the rumors. Yan Song would undoubtedly believe Zhang Cong was behind it. The two Grand Secretaries were at odds, yet the Emperor trusted Yan Song and still allowed him to join the Grand Secretariat. Would this have instilled in Yan Song a sense of trepidation and renewed loyalty?"

Other emperors might not have resorted to such methods, but Jiajing's sensitive and suspicious nature, along with the many instances of hostility he deliberately fostered among powerful ministers, meant that the people below would inevitably follow the emperor's lead. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was precisely the kind of people who did these kinds of dirty work.

Now that a secret agent from the Imperial Guard has appeared at the scene, Haiyue can't help but piece together all the clues.

However, this still doesn't explain why Yan Shifan was kidnapped.

If Jiajing was the mastermind behind it all, his aim was to get Yan Song into the cabinet with a mixed reputation, so that he could completely break with Zhang Cong while remaining steadfastly loyal to him, the emperor.

So, all we need to do is use two servants to spread rumors in the examination hall, while having the Embroidered Uniform Guard spies keep an eye on things. Kidnapping Yan Shifan would be completely unnecessary...

"Mingwei, has something come to mind?"

Just as he was pondering this, Yan Song's slightly tired voice came from the side.

Yan Song was, after all, fifty years old and had been very busy with official duties lately. Upon hearing the bad news, he rushed over and forced himself to listen in on the whole thing. At this moment, he couldn't care less about anyone else and just kept a close eye on Hai Yue's reaction. When he saw that Hai Yue's expression was strange, he immediately asked with concern.

Haiyue took a deep breath and slowly said, "Uncle Yan, please let me speak to you in private!"

Yan Song's expression brightened, a mixture of anticipation and trepidation in his eyes: "Alright!"

Haiyue sized up the old man and, seeing that he was still able to hold on, did not offer to help him. Instead, she slowed her pace and followed him to a secluded corner. She said solemnly, "I'm worried that Donglou's disappearance is related to the secret society 'Liyuan Society.' If we want to rescue him, we'll probably have to take a risky approach!"

(End of this chapter)