Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 192 Family Reunion

"Without Yun Shao, without Xia Qingwu..."

After reading the confession, Yan Shifan clicked his tongue and said, "It seems that the Liyuan Society has more than one place to train these members, and Chu Rou only knows a small part of it."

Haiyue was not surprised, but she focused on a testimony: "According to Chu Rou's confession, this operation was carried out hastily. She was selected from the residence where she was trained and sent to the capital without stopping. Although she was blindfolded the whole way and did not know the route, she only traveled by water for two days, which was obviously within the territory of Beizhili. Then, less than ten days after entering the Liang residence, you were tied up and imprisoned!"

Yan Shifan stroked his chin: "It was indeed quite rushed. They must have known my provincial examination results before arranging this kidnapping plan. Unfortunately, Chu Rou was in charge of carrying it out, so she didn't know much about it..."

Chu Rou's status within the Li Yuan Society is even lower than Lu Yuan's.

Lu Yuan was at least a subordinate of "Jingmu Han" and knew about the structure of Liyuan Society and the rumors of traitors. Chu Rou, on the other hand, was simply an executor, passively carrying out orders from above. She did not know which faction she served, nor could she be sure of Yun Shao's identity. She could only sense that this young lady was someone who knew the truth.

Yan Shifan, recalling Yun Shao's resolute rejection, flew into a rage: "No matter what, there's no doubt that Yun Shao is hiding something. This woman is so stubborn; she must hold a high position in the Liyuan Society..."

Haiyue analyzed: "Yun Shao and Chu Rou should be no different. They are both pawns abandoned by Li Yuan Society in this hasty action. When the other side sent out these two women, they should have been prepared for the possibility that they would be exposed, and even prepared for them to reveal what they knew."

"Because once the two women are captured, the Imperial Guards will be relieved. They won't pay much attention to any other women who appear in your life, let alone your lawfully wedded wife."

"It is evident that the exposure of 'Jingmu Han', the death of 'Yihuo She', and the previous temporary actions of 'Xu Ri Shu' made Li Yuan Society realize the danger. They hastily set up this scheme in order to reverse the decline, and for this, they were willing to sacrifice some pawns who were not important in the eyes of the society's higher-ups!"

Yan Shifan rubbed his hands together, eager to get started: "So we still need to start with Xia Qingwu? She's definitely the key figure!"

"No! Every level of a power is crucial, especially a secret society like the Liyuan Society that claims to 'suppress monarchical power, rectify the law, and seek the well-being of all people'!"

Haiyue said, "It was able to maintain its strong concealment before because of its bottom-up cohesion. Once the higher-ups start to easily abandon the lower-ups and tear off that mask of hypocrisy, it won't be long before it falls apart!"

Yan Shifan clapped his hands and laughed: "This is also the will of Heaven. The Liyuan Society was destined to be destroyed when it encountered our Yixin Society!"

Whether it was destiny or not is hard to say, but as it turns out, Yun Shao's situation was just as Hai Yue had predicted.

He didn't confess before because he couldn't stand Yan Shifan. But once he was in prison, tied to a rack, and had the instruments of torture laid out, he took back the words "daydreaming" and obediently dropped the confession.

Unlike Chu Rou, who was forced into thievery due to a sudden change in her family circumstances, Yun Shao grew up in a brothel from a young age. Both her parents were musicians, which almost predetermined her fate. Coupled with her outstanding appearance, she quickly embarked on the path of becoming a famous courtesan.

There are many informants in the entertainment industry, and the top courtesan can associate with officials and wealthy merchants, sometimes uncovering key information and profiting from it.

Therefore, Yun Shao initially thought that she was backed by officials from the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution), but later she gradually realized that something was wrong.

The goal of this mission was to get close to Yan Shifan, and Yun Shao was willing to do so. After all, this son of an official had indeed played a role in the reason why Biyutang was so quick to let her go after she was redeemed last year.

At that time, Yan Song was only the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Now he has been promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and officially entered the cabinet, becoming a true high-ranking official in the court. If she could really enter the Yan family, it would be a very good ending for her, who came from a humble background.

The result was that the gap between ideal and reality was too great.

Since getting along with Yan Shifan, not only did she become a concubine in Yan's mansion, but she also paid for all her own money. When she ran out of the money brought back from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she even took out her private savings that she had originally kept in the bank.

Yun Shao endured everything in her quest for power, until Yan Shifan turned her against him. Seeing that her identity had been exposed and all her efforts had been in vain, she finally broke down.

"What she fed Liang Jinglun was a dark red pill. The name of the pill is unknown, but judging from its medicinal properties, it is very likely to be the 'White Tiger Star Pill'."

"After taking this pill, Liang Jinglun became completely addicted, becoming irritable and mad, unable to bear it. When he was taken to the imperial prison, he lost the ability to communicate normally."

Looking at the confession sent by Lu Bing, and with the previous details clarified, the line between Yun Shao and Chu Rou could be put aside for now. Yan Shifan was now looking forward to meeting Xia Qingwu.

He must learn from the mistakes he made with Yun Shao and Chu Rou, and resolutely turn the other side against them!

The betrothal ceremony signifies engagement. The next step is to set the wedding date, followed by the welcoming of the bride and the actual wedding ceremony.

The wedding date has not yet been set, as it depends on the circumstances.

It is now the end of the tenth year of the Jiajing reign, and the imperial examination will be held next February.

If one passes the provincial examination, the next step is the palace examination. After that, the successful candidates will hold the Qionglin Banquet, and the Ministry of Personnel will appoint officials, etc. The wedding date will have to be postponed.

If one unfortunately fails the imperial examination, then one can hold a wedding after the examination.

Therefore, the engagement at this time signifies that Grand Secretary Yan is choosing a daughter-in-law based solely on her virtuous character, without considering anything else. Even if Yan Shifan were to become the top scholar in the imperial examination, he would still marry this talented woman from a humble background and would not seek a better position elsewhere. Such integrity is naturally admirable. Not to mention that the Yan family's happy occasion was approaching, on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, Haiyue, along with her younger brother Hairui, arrived at the dock early, watching the ships slowly sail in and waiting silently.

As the year drew to a close, the biting winter wind lashed at their faces like knives. Hai Rui instinctively wrapped his robe tighter around himself. He saw his elder brother, who was usually vigorous and fearless of the cold due to his martial arts training, pacing back and forth. With each breath he exhaled, white mist condensed in the air before being quickly dispersed by the north wind.

Hai Rui asked, "Brother, are you nervous?"

Haiyue admitted, "I am indeed a little nervous. It has been such a long time since I've seen my parents..."

Hai Rui was at a loss for words to comfort her. As the saying goes, one should not travel far while one's parents are alive. If he hadn't come to the Imperial Academy in the capital to study and then take the imperial examination, he would never have wanted to leave his mother, Xie. But his second uncle and aunt were different. Their three sons and two daughters were all in Qiongshan. They hadn't returned after they left, yet they still sent letters every year to let him know they were safe.

After hesitating for a long time, Hai Rui could only squeeze out, "My second uncle and aunt both care about my brother, otherwise they wouldn't have made a special trip to the capital before the imperial examination..."

"Yes!"

Haiyue knew that there was still a marriage involved, so she smiled slightly and said, "It's just in time for Father and Mother to come and witness my passing the imperial examination. I'm confident that I can pass the provincial examination. The imperial examination is just an exam. With my current knowledge and test-taking skills, I can pass it!"

These words were spoken with absolute certainty and full of confidence, but to the scholars of the world, they inevitably sounded arrogant and presumptuous.

But Hai Rui knew that his brother was not being arrogant; he was indeed very confident.

Because every time an article was published, whether it was submitted to scholars like Xu Jie, Zhao Shichun, and Wang Shenzhong for review, or to his mentor Li Mo for correction, Haiyue always received remarkably consistent evaluations.

In comparison, Hai Rui was also diligent and never slacked off, but his personal temperament was different. Just as some great scholars never passed the imperial examinations in their entire lives, his forte was obviously not writing the eight-legged essay. In addition, he was unwilling to guess the examiners' preferences, which inevitably put him at a disadvantage.

This is also why Haiyue achieved the highest score in the provincial examination, while Hairui, who worked even harder, only ranked twenty-seventh.

Therefore, Haiyue's occasional mentions were also intended as words of comfort.

The imperial examination is merely a stepping stone to an official career; there's no need to be overly reverent. Just use the test-taking skills as needed, and with your brother's abilities, passing the exam will be no problem at all.

The two chatted casually when suddenly Haiyue's gaze fell on a ship that was about to dock.

Hai Rui followed his gaze and saw the mountain-like figure emerging from the cabin.

Dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a cloak over it, the cold wind made his robes flutter. His eyes were sharp as lightning, looking in this direction as well. Then, he took a step forward and stepped onto the ship's side. Before the ship had fully docked, he leaped out and landed on the pier, as steady as a pine tree rooted in the rocks.

"Shisanlang!"

Haihao's voice was deeper than she remembered, filled with joy. Haiyue's emotions were quite complex, a mixture of closeness and resistance, as well as a sense of relief at a long-awaited reunion: "Father!"

Just as she was about to bow, a pair of large, calloused hands lifted her up and then reached forward to lift her up, just like when she was a child. Haiyue was naturally unwilling and subconsciously pushed the force down.

Unexpectedly, the opponent withdrew their power the moment they touched her, their agility was unbelievable. Fortunately, Haiyue was also able to control her strength, and she bowed in a gesture of respect. Even Hai Rui, who was standing next to her and also bowing to his uncle, did not notice.

"Good lad! Hahaha! Very good!"

Haihao let out a hearty laugh, patted him on the shoulder with his big hand, and then stepped aside.

As Haiyue straightened up, she immediately saw a woman standing by the ship's railing, the sea breeze ruffling her cloak and hair, as if a traditional Chinese ink painting had suddenly come to life.

My mother, Zhu Lin, is even more elegant and composed than I remember. Time seems to have only added a few fine lines to the corners of her eyes, and her still fair cheeks reflect a soft glow in the sunlight.

"mother!"

Haiyue's voice softened unconsciously.

"Good boy!"

Zhu Lin didn't make the same exaggerated movements as her husband, but her steps were much faster than usual. When she got closer, she reached out and cupped her son's face in her hands, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Under Hai Rui's gratified gaze, the three embraced, and the family was finally reunited.

(End of this chapter)