Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 287 The Truth Behind Yan Shifan's Disappearance
"Young Master, we've questioned all the spies and informants from the three troupes and four societies in the capital..."

"No trace?"

"No."

Haiyue certainly hasn't been idle these past two days.

He was also searching for Yan Shifan's whereabouts.

They deliberately made a big show of it and mobilized a large number of people.

This is partly because, since Yan Shifan was not believed to be the murderer, there was no need to hide him once he was brought back.

On the other hand, it was also to ensure that if Yan Shifan was worried about being framed and deliberately went into hiding, he could show himself after hearing the news.

However, the pageboy Gonghao repeatedly reported that no one had made any progress.

Gong Hao originally came from the Yinglue Society, and now he is also working for that rapidly growing Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to a martial arts world) organization.

With the combined influence of the imperial court and the underworld, the current Yinglue Society commands respect from all sides.

A single command could compel various factions in the capital to send out their spies to gather intelligence.

In terms of finding missing persons, it was more efficient than the large-scale mobilization of the Imperial Guards.

Two days passed, and both the inner and outer city were searched, but there were still no clues.

Gong Hao had an uneasy suspicion: "Young Master, has Young Master Yan been kidnapped by thieves and taken far away from the capital?"

"We should not jump to conclusions..."

Haiyue shook her head slightly.

Based on his understanding of Yan Shifan's temperament, this sudden disappearance was not necessarily due to external forces.

The problem now is that without being able to ascertain this person's whereabouts, Yan Song has to worry about the consequences of his actions and is always uneasy.

If Yan Shifan were found by those opposing officials, arrested, and tortured into confessing, there would be a risk of his downfall being reversed.

After a moment's thought, Haiyue immediately arranged: "Go to this household in Shitou Hutong yourself. There are people from our own family there. Find out the details of their daily life..."

"Yes!"

Gong Hao accepted the order and left.

Xiaoqin and Xiaofeng were taken in as concubines and kept in a house in Shitou Hutong.

Since preparing for the imperial examinations, Yan Shifan had been studying at the Imperial Academy and had never visited his residence outside the palace.

So diligent and ambitious, yet still worried about his beloved, fearing that if Xiaoqin and Xiaofeng didn't see their husband for a long time, she might have wicked thoughts and run away with his money, he hired two maids from the Yinglue Society to serve and keep an eye on them.

After Yan Shifan disappeared, his outer residence was the first place to search, but at that time, no specific details about his life were inquired about.

After all, it's a matter of privacy, and the closer the relationship, the more important it is to maintain a proper sense of boundaries.

But now, we have no choice but to investigate.

Gong Hao quickly returned: "Four days ago, Young Master Yan went to the outer residence and made a promise to the two ladies to take concubines into the family!"

Haiyue raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

Gong Hao also found it strange. Not only did he fail the imperial examination and not go home to vent his frustrations in a drunken stupor, but he also promised to bring a mistress into the family. This seemed rather abnormal, so he inquired about the follow-up details and continued, "Both maids said that Young Master Yan was in a good mood at the time, and even rewarded them with money and praised them for being diligent..."

Haiyue immediately asked, "Besides the reward money, did you hear anything else?"

Gong Hao said in a low voice, "Young Master Yan said that he will also have a place in this year's imperial examination, and he will take back what he has lost with his own hands!"

"Ok!"

Haiyue had a plan in mind, and her eyes flickered slightly: "Did the people we sent out before search the palaces and temples?"

Gong Hao said, "We've definitely gone to ordinary palaces and temples, but it's inconvenient for our people to approach royal palaces and temples."

"Looks like that's where it is!"

Haiyue walked to the desk, wrote a letter, handed it over, and solemnly said, "Go to Chaotian Palace and give this letter to him!"

……

Chaotian Palace.

In a secluded but quiet retreat.

Yan Shifan leisurely savored his snacks, while holding a newly published copy of "Hua Ying Jin Zhen" in his hand, reading it with great interest.

With extremely light footsteps, Tao Dianzhen entered, his wide sleeves flowing like clouds, and bowed, saying, "Brother Donglou, are you enjoying your quiet cultivation here?"

"Comfortable! How could it not be comfortable?"

Yan Shifan put down his books and laughed heartily: "If it weren't for Brother Tao's secluded place, how could I have stolen half a day of leisure from this busy life?"

During the Southern Tour, Yan Shifan and Tao Dianzhen became friends as partners in investigating Wang Zuo's case.

After all, Tao Dianzhen and Zhao Wenhua are on different tracks, and no matter how nicely they speak, they pose no threat to Yan Shifan.

When Yan Song became the Grand Secretary, Tao Dianzhen naturally tried to curry favor with him, and the two began to interact frequently.

Therefore, in this incident, Yan Shifan sought the other party's help.

Tao Dianzhen agreed without hesitation, and even personally drove to pick up this person to hide at Chaotian Palace.

But at this moment, his tone still deliberately revealed his unease: "Grand Secretary Yan has sent people all over the capital to search for Brother Donglou's whereabouts. He is obviously in a hurry. Shouldn't Brother Donglou send a message home to let his family know that he is safe?"

Yan Shifan waved his hand decisively: "No need!"

Tao Dianzhen said, "But..."

"No buts!"

Yan Shifan's expression darkened slightly, and he emphasized again: "Once the arrow leaves the bowstring, how can it be pulled back? I will only show myself when this pool of water is stirred up even more and completely out of control!"

He spoke these words with resentment. His father's performance as Grand Secretary was not only viewed with disdain by many outsiders, but Yan Shifan himself was also disappointed.

Even if they can't directly wield absolute power, they shouldn't be held back by people like Huo Tao and Fei Hong, right?

Therefore, what he had said to his mother, Lady Ouyang, that once he passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom, he would become his father's assistant and help to rectify the court was not an empty promise.

That's exactly what Yan Shifan thought—

My father is getting old; it's time for me to gradually take over!
result.

He failed the exam.

The key issue is that when she asked her father for help to investigate the cheating in the imperial examination, he refused.

After receiving the four-word reply, "Tolerance is for the sake of the country," Yan Shifan made a firm decision to make this matter bigger than it was intended!
Yan Song was able to endure.

He couldn't bear it.

"The son of the Grand Secretary was first cheated out of the exam, and then framed for murder. How can this be tolerated?"

"Even if I don't see him now, I can still put some pressure on my father, so he won't be like a lump of clay all day, letting others mold and knead him without any temper!"

"When it's time to kill, then let the blood flow like a river!"

Tao Dianzhen did not comment on this kind of fatherly and filial relationship; the reason he asked this question was to lay the groundwork beforehand.

This man is acting on his own initiative, so if Yan Song blames him in the future, there will be an explanation.

Yan Shifan could tell what the other party was thinking, and he made a promise: "Master Tao, please don't worry. How can a father not favor his own son? As long as you do this matter well, my son and I will definitely not treat you badly in the future!"

"Blessings and Immeasurable Heavenly Lord!"

Tao Dianzhen raised his palm: "This humble Taoist does not seek wealth or honor, but only wishes to promote the Taoist teachings..."

'If you don't crave wealth and status, why do you spend all your time trying to curry favor with the emperor?'

Yan Shifan sneered inwardly. This Taoist priest was just a petty man obsessed with fame and fortune. But only someone like him could be used by him. He then asked, "Have you found out who killed Hong Chang?"

"No……"

Tao Dianzhen slowly shook his head: "That place has been surrounded by the government and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so it is inconvenient for my fellow disciples to show up!"

"Strange!"

Yan Shifan frowned: "Who made their move before us?"

Tao Dianzhen whispered, "Could this person really have been silenced?"

Yan Shifan said, "But Hongchang's secret papers didn't actually reveal the exam questions. Instead, they confirmed to me that someone tampered with the grading process. Could it be that someone from over there killed him?"

Tao Dianzhen was quite worried: "Could the murderer know about our plan?"

"So what if I know? I'm the son of the Grand Secretary, the murderer, aren't I?"

Yan Shifan snorted and then instructed, "The person who went to the Shuntian Prefecture to inform them must be made to shut his mouth!"

Tao Dianzhen said seriously, "Please rest assured, Brother Donglou, that is my most reliable junior brother. He will never leak a single word out."

"Liu Shu is really stupid. She couldn't even notice such an obvious flaw and fell for the trap so easily, saving us a lot of trouble..."

Yan Shifan's lips curled into a slight smile: "Ha! He's still too eager to seize power by finding fault with us, father and son! Let's see how he dies this time!"

Tao Dianzhen remained silent.

The prefect of Shuntian Prefecture certainly didn't expect that the one who was preparing to frame Yan Shifan for murder was Yan Shifan himself.

Moreover, the person who went to the Shuntian Prefecture government office in advance to inform them to come and capture the culprit was also arranged by Yan Shifan.

As for the discrepancy in the timing, it was deliberately leaked to prepare for a later reversal of the verdict.

Because he was investigating the case alongside Haiyue, and was also extremely intelligent, Yan Shifan was worried that Liu Shuxiang would be wary and fall for the trap after he formulated the plan, so he even prepared two backup plans.

However, it was completely useless, as the other party arrived with their men in a flurry.

Thus, he easily escaped and gracefully hid inside the Chaotian Palace, watching the world turn upside down while waiting for the best opportunity to reappear.

After reviewing the entire process, Yan Shifan realized that although some unexpected things had happened, the overall plan was still in place, and he picked up the scroll again.

Tao Dianzhen knew this was a gesture to see the guest off, and got up to leave. Unexpectedly, at that moment, a Taoist priest hurriedly came to the courtyard and reported, "Senior brother, there is a letter! The sender has something to say, please take a look, Young Master Yan!"

The two people inside the room both paled simultaneously: "Bring it in!"

After unfolding the letter, Tao Dianzhen quickly glanced at it and immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "It's Hai Hanlin!"

Yan Shifan showed no surprise, but was clearly embarrassed: "Mingwei saw through it, couldn't he have helped me cover it up?"

Tao Dianzhen glanced at her sideways.

Yan Song was the Grand Secretary, and his faction had a large number of supporters among the officials, enabling them to implement new policies.

Haiyue is a Hanlin scholar, and he is determined to gain the support of young scholars and make great strides.

Compared to the other two, this one was purely acting in his own self-interest.

Getting involved personally certainly acted as a catalyst, but it also put everyone else in danger.

Haiyue knew Yan Shifan was there, yet she still wrote a letter instead of bringing him directly to Yan Song; that was already being a good friend.

Yan Shifan, however, could not accept it.

He wants to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination)!
He didn't want to prepare for the third time!

He was absolutely unwilling to let the gap between him and those around him widen!

"If we show ourselves now, wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?"

Yan Shifan's fingers tightened suddenly, the letter crumpling in his palm. Veins bulged on his forehead as he squeezed out the words through his teeth: "I want His Majesty's personal approval to restore my academic achievements! What I have lost, I must take back with my own hands!"

(End of this chapter)