Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 190 Confidence Shines

"Young Master Yan, that's your fiancée..."

Lu Bing was shocked by Yan Shifan's ecstatic attitude and instead spoke up for him.

"Brother Lu, you can't say things like that!"

Yan Shifan's expression immediately turned solemn: "I've never even seen her face. What fiancée? If she's not engaged, she's not a wife. It has nothing to do with me!"

The betrothal ceremony is the fourth of the "six rites" of marriage in ancient times. Once this step is reached, the marriage between the two parties is basically settled. Breaking off the engagement at this stage would result in mutual destruction, not to mention mutual accusations, which would basically lead to mutual ruin.

However, even if the betrothal ceremony is not completed, the status of husband and wife is not truly established until the wedding ceremony is finished.

Therefore, Yan Shifan immediately made a righteous severance.

What fiancée? She's clearly a traitor from the Liyuan Society, we don't know her at all!
Even if you're married, you can divorce her. Compared to capturing thieves and securing the second-in-command position in the Yixin Society, what is a mere wife?
Lu Bing wasn't unaware of these things, but most people would find it hard to accept the fact that his fiancée had a problem, especially since he had just arrived at her house on a tall horse, bringing several cartloads of betrothal gifts. How could he save face in front of his relatives and friends if something like this happened?

Therefore, people often have to put on a brave face and keep going, only to completely ruin things under the influence of irrational emotions.

This is also why Lu Bing did not directly stop the tax collection team, fearing that once a conflict broke out, it would be out of control.

The result was good.

The person involved was even more proactive than him!
Lu Bing glanced at Hai Yue subconsciously, thinking, "You really know this guy!"
After all, they were roommates, spending every day together, and Haiyue had seen through Yan Shifan's true nature early on, so she naturally understood Yan Shifan's attitude and asked, "Donglou, what are you planning to do?"

The question was essentially asking whether the betrothal ceremony should proceed, since it was to be witnessed by both sets of parents. At this time, Yan Song and Madam Ouyang had already gone to the Xia residence and were waiting in the main hall for Yan Shifan to arrive with the betrothal gifts.

If we stop it now, we can at least save face for the Yan family later. But if we continue, even if it is later proven that Xia Qingwu really has a problem, the Yan family will inevitably be affected.

Yan Shifan understood the implication, thought for a moment, and looked at Lu Bing: "Brother Wenfu, do you have any concrete evidence?"

Lu Bingdao: "Yes."

Yan Shifan showed no mercy: "What if we use torture directly?"

Lu Bing slowly shook his head: "Considering the tenacity of the three thieves in the Princess's Mansion case, directly imprisoning and torturing them is not a good option."

"This thief woman actually has a good reputation among scholars. Many people praise her as the most talented woman in the capital. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard rashly arrests her, it could easily cause misunderstandings and affect Brother Wenfu!"

Yan Shifan naturally changed the subject, grinning and saying, "In that case, I'll make the sacrifice!"

Lu Bing solemnly reminded Yan Donglou: "The traitors of the Liyuan Society are treasonous and absolutely desperate! Don't be fooled by Lu Yuan's incompetence before. Besides, that guy was just a subordinate of the Twenty-Eight Constellations. When he was arrested, it took the combined efforts of me, Mingwei, and Yu Zhifu. Now, contacting this woman who is very likely the 'Female Earth Bat' is even more dangerous!"

"For His Majesty, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, I can endure any hardship. These are nothing!"

Yan Shifan responded firmly, looked at the alley ahead, and took the lead, saying, "I'm going!"

Upon arriving at the Xia residence, he dismounted, smiled, and clasped his hands in greeting to all four directions. His expression remained unchanged from before.

"I take back my previous opinion; this person is capable of achieving great things!"

Lu Bing witnessed this scene and whispered to Hai Yue.

He had always thought Yan Shifan was frivolous and dissolute, relying on his father and friends, which was why he became the primary target of the Liyuan Society bandits. But his decisiveness and courage now were truly admirable.

Haiyue knew that Yan Shifan was somewhat underestimating his opponent, thinking that Xia Qingwu was a woman who approached him as his wife and wouldn't pose much of a threat.

However, he also felt that Yan Shifan was indeed quick-witted, at least he was certainly clever. If he could deal with the other party after he had a prior understanding of their identity, he might not necessarily fail.

Moreover, it's unrealistic to expect to confront Li Yuanshe without any danger.

It is only natural to take risks in order to achieve merit.

Yan Shifan walked into the main hall of the Xia residence. Sitting in the center was Xia Qingwu's grandmother, Zhao. His father, Xia Jingyun, and mother, Shen, were also seated on high seats, all looking at their future grandson-in-law with great satisfaction.

On the left were Yan Song and Ouyang Shi, who had been waiting for a long time, both looking at their only son who was about to start a family with joy.

To be honest, anyone else, even Haiyue, would have to think twice about the consequences of their actions under the watchful eyes of both sets of parents.

But Yan Shifan merely glanced at his father, Yan Song, giving him a look that the latter was certain to misunderstand, before bowing down: "Grandson-in-law greets Grandmother! Son-in-law greets Father! Greetings to Mother!"

"Hey!" The grandmother beamed from ear to ear as she looked at her handsome and kind-hearted grandson-in-law. "Good boy! Good boy! Quickly, bring the gift bag!"

Mr. and Mrs. Xia were somewhat embarrassed. They hadn't even had the wedding ceremony yet, so were they calling each other that too soon? They laughed and said, "We can't call each other that yet!"

Madam Ouyang chuckled beside her, saying, "Child, I know you're anxious, but you can't be in such a hurry. Don't make everyone laugh!"

She originally favored Xia Yan's daughter, but Xia Yan refused, so she switched to another family. The surname is the same, but the girl is well-educated and famous in the capital, which makes her even more satisfied.

My own son is lucky; he won't be harmed by those messy women outside!
"Excuse me! Excuse me!"

Yan Shifan was somewhat flustered, which is why he changed his form of address. Fortunately, this was his first time getting married at this age, so being nervous was perfectly normal. He stood up with a slightly flushed face and meticulously completed the remaining rituals according to the rules of betrothal.

Throughout the entire process, the group from the Imperial College stood outside the hall, witnessing everything as relatives and friends.

Others, unaware of the situation, offered their blessings, while Haiyue inexplicably thought of something else: Yan Shifan's principal wife was missing from historical records. Under normal circumstances, given the treacherous status of the Grand Secretary and his influence on the court, there shouldn't have been such a significant omission, and she didn't know why.

However, given the current developments, if Xia Qingwu is indeed one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations of the Liyuan Society, then Yan Shifan's legal wife, or at least his first legal wife, will also be untraceable.

Such secret societies would obviously not be recorded in history books; even the fiercest struggles were hidden beneath the surface.

Once everything was over, Yan Shifan walked out beaming, bowing repeatedly to the elders of the Xia family. After turning a corner, his expression immediately changed, filled with both anticipation and trepidation as he asked, "Now that we've stabilized the Xia family, what's next?"

Lu Bing had already disappeared to avoid alerting anyone with ulterior motives, while Hai Yue whispered, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

After Yan Shifan calmed down and sent his parents home, he eagerly returned to the Imperial Academy under the pretext of studying. As soon as he entered the hall, he pulled Haiyue aside and asked, "Mingwei, what should we do next?"

Haiyue gave the instructions: "First, we need to confirm Xia's identity. This is crucial. We can't rule out the possibility that the Embroidered Uniform Guard suspects her of stealing the axe. If she is innocent, Donglou must treat his wife well!"

"Innocent...?"

Yan Shifan felt he hadn't wronged the other party. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, "Do you think Yun Shao and Chu Rou also have some issues?"

Haiyue raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

Yan Shifan's eyes flickered, and he said quickly, "Mingwei, look, if those two hadn't become mistresses, my parents wouldn't have been in such a hurry to arrange my marriage. Even if Xia Qingwu is a renowned talented woman in the capital, she might not have been able to get engaged to me!"

"And now that I think about it, their appearance at that kidnapping location was too coincidental. If it really was a setup for Xia Qingwu, then the Liyuan Society's scheme was too clever. Even if Yun Shao and Chu Rou were discovered, their goal would still be achieved, and my parents would definitely still make me get married as soon as possible..."

"hiss!"

After sorting out the cause and effect, Yan Shifan deeply realized the terrifying nature of the honey trap.

This has hit my weak spot!

Seeing that the other party's intelligence had once again prevailed, or rather, that the excitement had subsided and they had finally begun to calmly observe those around them, Haiyue nodded slightly: "Donglou will have to investigate these matters. It is crucial to avoid preconceived notions and to find concrete evidence!"

Yan Shifan nodded and said, "Good!"

"Once we've confirmed their identities, the next step is to capture their subordinates!"

Haiyue said, "Each of the Twenty-Eight Constellations of the Liyuan Society has an assigned subordinate. These people travel between inside and outside the society to pass on intelligence. If Xia Qingwu does not know martial arts, they should also be responsible for protecting her safety. These characteristics can be used to screen her out."

Yan Shifan was much more relaxed this time: "Don't worry, I will definitely find this thief and capture him. He will also be a living piece of evidence."

Haiyue concluded by saying, "This matter must be handled quickly and cannot be delayed. If the marriage is delayed, it will be detrimental to your family's reputation."

Yan Shifan patted his chest: "If I can share His Majesty's burdens and make Yixin Society more valued by His Majesty, I am willing to make sacrifices!"

Seeing his carefree attitude, Haiyue didn't try to persuade him further. She just told him to make sure Yan Song didn't cripple him afterward.

As it turned out, Yan Shifan still cared about his family's reputation. He wasn't in a hurry because he had a brilliant plan. He rolled his eyes and said, "Mingwei, do you think that after we get married, I can turn Xia Qingwu against me and get her to obediently tell my husband, the husband, about the Liyuan Society's intelligence?"

"This idea is very challenging..."

Haiyue glanced at Yan Shifan, who was radiating confidence, and smiled slightly: "Why don't we try it on Yun Shao and Chu Rou first?"

(End of this chapter)