Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 202 Yan Xiu's Speculations on the Secrets of the Liyuan Society
“'Kang Jinlong'…”

Yan Xiu paused for a moment, his expression turning strange: "I didn't expect Young Master Hai to have investigated this matter so thoroughly, and even come up with such a bold idea!"

"What audacity you have?"

Haiyue said calmly, "Turning one to defect is the same as turning two to defect. Besides, if 'Kang Jinlong' really betrays Liyuan Society, it means that he has seen through the other party's true colors early on. This is an act of abandoning darkness for light. What we are doing can no longer be called turning to defect, but rather winning over!"

"Abandon darkness for light...abandon darkness for light...ah!"

Yan Xiu smiled and said, "The Liyuan Society is indeed 'dark,' but to say something that Young Master Hai may not like to hear, is the imperial court 'bright' to us Jianghu people?"

Anyone else would have reacted with fury upon hearing this, but Haiyue nodded: "Indeed, the court has many flaws, especially with the long history of the dynasty, bureaucratic corruption, land annexation, and oppressive policies that are more ferocious than tigers. The people's lives are becoming increasingly difficult. Otherwise, after His Majesty ascended the throne, there would have been no need to promote new policies, conduct land surveys, or implement the Single Whip Law, and these national policies have not been truly implemented..."

"But compared to the imperial court, what the Li Yuan Society brings to the world is nothing but turmoil and suffering. The reason why those people don't care is because the consequences of their evil deeds haven't beenfallen them, so they haven't felt anything. Brother Yan has also been to Guangzhou Prefecture and witnessed the suffering of the people and the turmoil of the world. Don't you have a deep understanding of this?"

"So let's not talk about empty words like 'the Ming Dynasty has two capitals and thirteen provinces,' or 'who shoulders bears the burden.' We live in this world, and if the world really falls into chaos, no one can escape it!"

At this point, Haiyue stood up, slowly walked to the doorway, and looked at the old servant woman sweeping the courtyard not far away: "So the 'Ming' I speak of is not only my Great Ming Dynasty, but also the sun and moon of heaven and earth, the whole land, and the bright life of everyone under the world!"

Yan Xiu finally showed emotion, stood up, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, and bowed deeply: "Brother Hai is magnanimous and upright. Just now I was confused and tried to judge the ambitions of a swan with the ambitions of a sparrow. I should not have done that!"

Haiyue helped him up, saying, "Brother Yan, there's no need for that! We're talking about 'Kang Jinlong'!"

A newly appointed scholar openly discussed the affairs of the court before him. Such magnanimity and composure were truly admirable. Yan Xiu bowed respectfully and then smiled, "Yes, yes! He is indeed talking about 'Kang Jinlong'! But if I were 'Kang Jinlong,' I would have accepted the invitation after hearing Brother Hai's words!"

Haiyue smiled and said, "That's wonderful! Brother Yan has a wealth of experience in the martial world. Why don't you put yourself in his shoes and think about what to do next?"

The two sat down again, and Yan Xiu pondered for a moment before beginning his explanation: "For an organization like the Liyuan Society, which operates covertly, losing a few followers is not a cause for concern. They are masters of manipulation, and even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard captures a few members, they will find it difficult to get any information out of them. The real danger lies in the fact that their deceptive tricks will be seen through—once the veil of mystery is removed, they are like clay sculptures in a temple stripped of their gold leaf, no longer able to fool anyone!"

Haiyue understood: "'Jingmu Han' Zhou Shi'an is the key link!"

"Excellent! This one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions is crucial!"

Yan Xiu nodded: "Zhou Shi'an's exposure can be said to have dealt a heavy blow to the Liyuan Society! Originally, although the position of the Ministry of Justice clerk could not be filled for the time being after his death, there would eventually be a successor after a period of dormancy. But now Zhou Shi'an has been identified as a member of the Liyuan Society, and his method of recruiting people through false cases has been exposed. They will not dare to use this method for at least ten years!"

"correct!"

Haiyue suddenly thought of something: "Zhou Shi'an originally arranged for a 'relative' to fill his position, but an accident happened on the way to Beijing. This person should also be a member of the Liyuan Society, right? Why was he killed for no reason?"

Yan Xiu said, "At that time, I was still in Guangzhou Prefecture, and news from the martial arts world was not readily available, so I don't know. But the Li Yuan Society has been hiding in the world for many years, and it's possible that they have other rivals. Moreover, they are not harmonious internally. The death of that successor may very well be related to the internal strife of the San Yuan Hall!"

"Internal strife within the Sanyuan Hall?"

Haiyue raised an eyebrow: "Brother Yan has extensive experience in the martial world, could you enlighten me?"

"Ha! Then I'll continue to make bold guesses!"

Yan Xiu smiled and said, "The Three Enclosures Hall is divided into the Purple Palace Enclosure, the Supreme Palace Enclosure, and the Heavenly Market Enclosure."

"The Heavenly Market Enclosure provided the source of wealth. It is said that they were involved in salt merchants, canal transport, and even trade with foreign vassals. They even dared to operate trade routes on the Mongolian grasslands, all for the sake of continuously acquiring wealth."

"The Taiwei Enclosure trains its personnel; the Twenty-Eight Constellations and their subordinates, as executors of the Liyuan Society, are all trained by the Taiwei Enclosure. They are also responsible for gathering intelligence and coordinating various parties."

"The Purple Palace Enclosure is the head, the core of decision-making. The founder of the Liyuan Society has always controlled the Purple Palace Enclosure, and it is said that some high-ranking officials in the court are also among them. This is the internal rumor, and there are many different opinions and no consensus."

"As for the internal strife, it's actually because as Taiwei Yuan and Tianshi Yuan have grown stronger, these two sides are no longer willing to follow Ziwei Yuan's command in everything. Instead, they both want to sideline Ziwei Yuan and seize power for themselves!"

"In fact, the actions of the Twenty-Eight Mansions are now basically in the hands of Taiwei Yuan. On the surface, they obey the decisions of the Liyuan Society's higher-ups, but in reality, they are just tools of Taiwei Yuan!"

Haiyue said calmly, "Suppressing monarchical power, rectifying the order, and seeking the well-being of all people—the second half of the sentence is nonsense, but the first half has been put into practice quite well within the company, successfully suppressing the 'Ziwei' monarchical power."

"Hahaha!"

Yan Xiu clapped his hands and laughed: "Not bad, not bad, that's exactly it, it's really laughable!" Hai Yue said: "So the unexpected death of Zhou Shi'an's successor may be related to this struggle. Is it a warning from Ziwei Yuan to Taiwei Yuan? Or is it instigation from Tianshi Yuan, sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight? If so, doesn't the Liyuan Society have a leader to suppress this infighting?"

Yan Xiu said, "Initially there was no leader, but later one was chosen from the Ziwei Enclosure, named 'Yuan Tianzi'!"

"'Yuan Tianzi'?"

Haiyue was speechless: "You really want to be the emperor?"

"On the contrary!"

Yan Xiu explained: "The first 'Yuan Tianzi' once said that 'Yuan is like the origin of all things.' He practiced the way of 'promoting the benefit of the world and eliminating the harm of the world. The abyss is bottomless, and the people's hearts are heaven.' In other words, if the emperor is not worthy to be a ruler, seeing this person is like standing on the edge of an abyss. Hence the name 'Yuan Tianzi'!"

Haiyue's expression turned serious: "Are you truly implying that you intend to commit regicide?"

"I don't know!"

Yan Xiu shrugged: "Even if the Liyuan Society publicly claims to have murdered a tyrannical emperor, without overwhelming evidence, who can say for sure that this isn't just a bluff? These traitors have already proven their treason. For them, such a heinous act as murdering the emperor has become a meritorious act to boast about 'acting on behalf of Heaven'!"

"Though the sun and moon shine brightly, they cannot illuminate Liyuan. I would die nine times without regret, for I only wish for the Yellow River to be calm..."

Haiyue narrowed her eyes slightly, the slogan flashing through her mind, and she became even more cautious: "This secret society is indeed extraordinary. It is no less dangerous than folk societies like the White Lotus Sect and the Luo Sect!"

Yan Xiu asked curiously, "Just not inferior? I feel that the Liyuan Society is far superior to small sects like the White Lotus Sect and the Mingzun Sect?"

Haiyue shook her head slightly.

He knew very well that what could truly cause a huge impact on the imperial court were societies and religions with clear political programs, which could generate enormous influence among the people and attract a large following with a single call to action.

In comparison, the Liyuan Society is more like an elite society. It doesn't have many members and can't penetrate into the common people. Instead, it's more like the Yixin Society, which prioritizes quality over quantity. Its founders initially aimed directly at the imperial power and even dared to claim that they would make the emperor feel like he was standing on the edge of an abyss.

One is from the bottom up, and the other is from the top down; it's hard to say which threat is definitely greater.

Of course, if they all come at once, with internal and external troubles, and being attacked from both sides, then we're definitely doomed.

These don't need to be explained in detail. Haiyue returned to the original topic: "Brother Yan just mentioned the first 'Yuan Emperor,' which means that the leadership of the Liyuan Society has been passed down for more than one person. Does the current 'Yuan Emperor' have no intention of suppressing the internal strife of the Sanyuan Hall?"

"Let me guess again!"

Yan Xiu smiled and said, "Is it possible that the internal strife in the Sanyuan Hall began precisely with the death of the previous 'Emperor Yuan'?"

Hai Yue raised an eyebrow: "There's a problem with the successor?"

"Not bad!"

Yan Xiu nodded: "There wasn't a single successor who could be trusted by all three factions. The Ziwei Palace supported one person, while the Taiwei Palace and the Tianshi Palace supported another. This was the initial point of contention among the three parties. Although the one supported by the Ziwei Palace later barely became the 'Son of the Abyss,' he still couldn't subdue the other two factions. The Taiwei Palace and the Tianshi Palace joined forces and suddenly realized, hey, their power was already enough to rival the Ziwei Palace. Now it's not as simple as just choosing a successor!"

"I see……"

Haiyue found it somewhat amusing, but considering the ups and downs of succession, from the imperial throne to the succession of a small family patriarch, it was unrealistic for the leader of the Liyuan Society to expect a smooth handover without any unexpected incidents.

"No matter how fierce the infighting within the Sanyuan Hall may be, the Twenty-Eight Constellations will always be its sharpest claws and teeth. If they can be eliminated one by one, the Sanyuan Hall will be nothing more than a tiger with its teeth pulled, and it will be difficult for it to stir up any more trouble!"

Having learned about the ins and outs of the Liyuan Society, this so-called secret society was thoroughly demystified. Haiyue's thoughts became clearer, and she stood up: "I hope Brother Yan can lend me a hand!"

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Yan Xiu stood up, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, and said firmly, "Let's start with the 'Female Bat.' I despise the honey trap the most, and I will definitely help Brother Hai to take her down!"

(End of this chapter)