Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 187 Their respective marriages

"Engaged? I'm getting engaged?"

Yan Shifan was taken aback when he heard the news, but he wasn't surprised.

At nineteen, it's definitely time.

Lin Daqin, who was twenty years old, was already married. His wife was in his hometown and he did not bring her with him. Meanwhile, a group of people who passed the imperial examination in their teens would often go home to get married as soon as they achieved their academic success, and then return to become officials.

Several members of the Yixin Society are like this today, such as Xu Jie and Wang Shenzhong, who went back to get married after passing the imperial examination. Zhao Shichun got married even earlier, at the age of sixteen.

Currently, only Haiyue, Hairui, and Yan Shifan are still unmarried.

"Looks like I need to get ahead of the game. What kind of wife should I marry? Someone from a similar social standing, whose birth charts match, who is around the same age, and who is well-educated and reasonable?"

Yan Shifan didn't object much. It was his parents' decision and the matchmaker's words that he was to marry a wife. It wasn't up to him to decide. But thinking about the tender days he had enjoyed in the outer quarters, he sighed with reluctance: "It seems that the good days are coming to an end!"

Haiyue, who was standing nearby, asked, "Why do you say that, Donglou?"

Yan Shifan glanced at him and said with a hint of smugness, "Mingwei hasn't married or taken a concubine yet, so he doesn't know what it's like. A wife is fine, but a concubine must be a gentle and tender woman. Tsk! That's what you call enjoyment!"

Haiyue's eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled gently: "Have you forgotten the two sisters in the Jade Hall, Donglou?"

"How can it be!"

Yan Shifan patted his chest without hesitation: "How could I, Yan Donglou, be the kind of person who is fickle and easily bored? Xiaoqin and Xiaofeng are also my lifelong loves!"

Haiyue said, "Then you'll be quite busy from now on."

Yan Shifan laughed heartily: "Only a hero marries nine wives. It's good to be busy, it's good to be busy. I'm not afraid of this kind of hard work!"

It must be said that this person was quite honest, making no attempt to hide his desire for multiple wives. Several people nearby overheard this and came over, expressing their envy and discussing it amongst themselves.

During this time, Haiyue noticed someone peeking out from outside. She got up and went out, where she saw Hong Qi whispering, "Young Master Hai, the boss invites you!"

After leaving the Imperial Academy, the two did not go to the Northern Garrison Command, but instead rode their horses towards the western city.

When they were just one street away from Dashiqiao Hutong, Lu Bing sat in a teahouse and waved from the window.

Haiyue went upstairs to the second floor, sat down at the table, and looked out the window: "Can we see Yun Shao's house?"

"cannot!"

Lu Bing shook his head: "You can't see their house from here, but in the month since Yun Shao and Chu Rou moved in, three other families have moved into this alley, and you can see them all from this direction."

Haiyue nodded: "Since the two women don't leave the house, and the newly recruited servants are our people, it's safest to have someone come and live nearby to pass on the message."

"Great minds think alike!"

Lu Bing grinned and said, "Now it seems that the methods of this secret society are nothing more than these. They used to hide in the shadows because they were familiar with the working methods of our Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even directly bribed the Embroidered Uniform Guard to work for them. It can be seen that what cannot be seen in the light will eventually be exposed. Once exposed, the tricks they can use will become fewer and fewer!"

Haiyue cautioned, "Wenfu, we can't be sure yet that these two women are members of the Liyuan Society. We can only say that their appearance is too coincidental and quite suspicious..."

Lu Bing said with certainty, "I think they are undoubtedly 'Female Bats,' consisting of two women who can easily get close to the sons of officials. Liang Jinglun was completely ruined after receiving Yun Shao's care. Only Yan Shifan, who is blinded by his own involvement, can't see these suspicious points and is still enjoying himself in the harem!"

At this point, he said with lingering fear, "The Li Yuan Society is really capable. Through a kidnapping case, they targeted Yan Shifan. If they had successfully planted him by my side, the consequences would have been dire!"

Haiyue agrees with this.

Yan Shifan's choice of target was indeed brilliant.

Yan Song, the father, was a newly appointed Grand Secretary who was in power. Yan Shifan himself was a core member of the Yixin Society. When they arrested the members of the Liyuan Society, "Jingmu Han", "Yihuo She" and Lu Yuan, he took Yan Shifan with him the whole time.

This move hits the nail on the head, it's like striking at the heart of the matter, and it's like cutting off the fuel supply at the root!
However, this also raised a question for Haiyue: "Why would the Liyuan Society think of targeting Yan Shifan?"

"What's so weird about this?"

Lu Bing sneered: "You, Shisi Lang, and Lin Jingfu all live a secluded life, not to mention those Yixin Society members who work in the Hanlin Academy, namely Yan Shifan, who spends all day in brothels and parades around. Who else should we keep an eye on if not him?"

Haiyue said, "But if that's really the case, wouldn't it be more convenient to just set it up in Pitiao Hutong? Why bother kidnapping someone at the Deer Cry Banquet, making a big fuss and causing a huge uproar?" Lu Bing thought of the scene of the three of them embracing: "If it weren't for that, Yan Shifan wouldn't have been so fond of those two women, would he?"

'That shows a lack of understanding of Yan Shifan. This guy is incredibly lustful; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken twenty-seven concubines in history. To handle someone like that, there's no need for such a complicated process...'

Haiyue's thoughts raced through her mind, but she used Biyutang as an example: "Donglou is amorous. He was infatuated with two courtesans from Biyutang, Qinxin and Fengxiao. Judging from their conditions alone, they fit Jiao Bai's description of them as 'composed of two women who are easy to get close to the sons of officials.'"

"Is there such a thing?"

Lu Bing's eyes widened: "How are they able to get close to the sons of officials?"

Haiyue explained, "They were originally going to participate in the Lotus Platform Fairy Gathering. With their beauty and the characteristics of twins, they would have been in the top rank without any problem, and would have been top-tier courtesans."

This year's Lotus Platform Fairy Gathering has ended, and the top female scholar, the first female scholar, and the third female scholar have all been selected. Qin Xin Feng Xiao was not selected.

Since the last time Biyutang waved the token of the Northern Garrison Command in front of the madam, she had quietly removed the two men from the service, waiting for Yan Shifan to come and redeem them.

There are indeed many powerful and wealthy people in the capital, especially spoiled young men who frequent brothels. However, being able to please the son of a Grand Secretary, especially his only son, is a far more important opportunity than cultivating a courtesan.

However, Biyutang did not expect that while she was keeping Qin Xin and Feng Xiao hidden away and taking good care of them, waiting for Young Master Yan to come and take them away, Young Master Yan had fallen in love with someone else.

Well, it's not exactly falling in love with someone else, because Yan Shifan said they were all his wings, and he obviously didn't want to give up Qin Xin Feng Xiao. He just couldn't spare the time to redeem them, since the money for running the outer quarters was still Yun Shao's private savings. Using her money to redeem the other two courtesans would be too inhumane...

"Qin Xin... Feng Xiao... we need to keep an eye on them!"

Lu Bing immediately became alert, even hesitant: "Could Yun Shao and Chu Rou be using a feint? Have we targeted the wrong people?"

"Wenfu, do not waver!"

Haiyue, with her clear thinking, reassured him: "Yun Shao and Chu Rou are highly suspicious. Their actions at the Liang residence cannot be explained by a mere chance encounter."

"However, we must consider that Li Yuanshe knows the Embroidered Uniform Guard very well, and now that they have been exposed one after another, even if 'Female Bat' is mobilized, she probably has a detailed plan. We cannot underestimate this opponent."

"At least you can't use all your people to keep an eye on Yun Shao and Chu Rou. You need to allocate some of them to screen based on Jiao Bai's intelligence and investigate in a surreptitious manner to see if you can find anything else!"

Haiyue had suggested to Lu Bing a long time ago that they start by investigating the identities of the members of the Liyuan Society and dig deep into their roots.

This is the most foolish method, but it will definitely be effective. However, it requires a great deal of effort. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is used to relying on imperial power to achieve their goals directly. How could they withstand this kind of investigation method, which is like finding a needle in a haystack or water dripping through stone, which is typical of criminal investigation in later generations?

Lu Bing disappeared without a trace. Hai Yue could understand. After all, when orders are given, it is the subordinates who actually carry them out. And since he was not yet the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, no one was willing to do such hard and tiring work, so it couldn't be implemented.

However, now that the conditions are clearer, the gender, number, and characteristics of the "female bats" should be correct, and since it is limited to the capital area, the difficulty of the investigation has been greatly reduced, and it is worth a try.

Lu Bing pondered for a moment, then nodded emphatically: "Alright! I'll handle this personally. Hong Qi, you take some men and keep an eye on this place. If Yun Shao and Chu Rou make any unusual moves, arrest them immediately!"

"Yes!"

Hong Qi accepted the order.

Lu Bing stood up and walked down the teahouse side by side with Hai Yue. Suddenly, he said, "Mingwei, I'm getting married after I finish the martial arts exam. My mother has already arranged a marriage for me. Shouldn't your marriage be on the agenda as well?"

Lu Bing's parents are both alive. His father is the Vice Commander of the Imperial Household Department, a very high position, but he does not have any real power. In recent years, he has been in poor health and often recuperates at home. His mother is Jiajing's wet nurse and frequently enters and leaves the palace, where she meets the emperor and empress dowager.

Given this background, he was to marry a woman from the Wu family of Xiushui, Zhejiang, a typical noblewoman. Her brother, Wu Peng, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the second year of the Jiajing reign and later became the Minister of Personnel.

This marriage was clearly motivated by career considerations, and it was arranged by his mother through a matchmaker. The engagement was made a year ago, and the formal marriage is scheduled to take place after the military examination this year.

Lu Bing has never even seen the bride's face. He has only heard the matchmaker praise her dignified appearance and so on. Thinking of the friendship between Haiyue and Princess Annan, he asked this question.

He thought Li Yuying was a very good person. In the previous case at the Princess's Mansion, if she hadn't stepped forward, Haiyue would have been unable to act and would have had a hard time making a great contribution to saving the emperor. As a result, there would have been no subsequent bestowal of a title and the growth of Yixin Society. However, her parents and brothers had all suffered misfortune, and her maternal clan had become the victims of Mo Dengyong's sword. Being her as the principal wife would hardly bring any help to her career, and being her as a concubine was even more unrealistic. After all, she was a princess of a country and a noblewoman from an outer vassal state.

Therefore, from a practical point of view, Lu Bing did not think highly of Li Yuying. Moreover, marriage is not a matter for an individual to decide; it depends on the wishes of their parents.

Haiyue had already considered this and sent a letter to her elusive parents. Just then, everyone around her was getting engaged or married, so she mounted her horse and laughed, "Wenfu's reminder is good. I'll go to the Yinglue Society right now to see if they've replied. This is a major life event and cannot be delayed!"

(End of this chapter)