Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 226 The Shrew!

Chen Ye looked at Bai Jie and saw that her eyes were full of humble pleading, so he asked, "Stay by my side?"

Bai Jie nodded vigorously, as if afraid that he would refuse at any moment.

“Young master, in this world, besides you, no one else treats Jie’er like a human being.” Her voice trembled slightly as she said this, “and I don’t want to go back to this quagmire, so I beg you to take me in.”

Chen Ye did not agree immediately.

He looked at the woman in front of him and knew that she was smart and knew how to be patient. More importantly, she was absolutely dependent on him.

"Alright, but we'll talk about this later." Chen Ye pushed the banknotes in front of her. "Take this money for now."

Bai Jie looked at the silver notes on the table, then at Chen Ye.

She understood the meaning behind Chen Ye's words, and he did not refuse.

"Yes, Jie'er will obey Young Master's orders." Bai Jie accepted the silver note, and a great weight was lifted from her heart.

Chen Ye gave a few more instructions before getting up and leaving.

Bai Jie reluctantly saw him off, but Chen Ye waved his hand, signaling her not to go out, and then strode away.

After leaving Cui Liu Lane, Chen Ye looked back at the small courtyard. The winter sun shone on the gray walls, making it impossible to tell how many secrets were hidden inside.

He didn't rush back to his residence, but walked slowly down the street, while Sun Demao's two sentences kept echoing in his mind.

The most dangerous place is the safest place! My roots are planted in the mud.

So what do these two sentences actually mean?

As Chen Ye walked and pondered, he unknowingly arrived near the Xuanjing Division's office.

Looking at the somber black building in the distance, Chen Ye stopped in his tracks.

Li Chengfeng's death, his sister's impeachment, Sun Demao's conspiracy, and that mysterious demonic sect.

An invisible net has already enveloped the entire Yunzhou City, and even the entire Great Chen Dynasty.

Now he is just a suspended Zhaowu Captain, alone and weak, so he must be careful with every step he takes.

Just as Chen Ye stood on the street lost in thought, someone in the distance recognized him and began to whisper among themselves.

"Isn't that the spoiled brat from the Chen family?"

"I heard he was suspended from his post by the Xuanjing Division. He must have offended some big shot."

"Serves him right. People like him should stay at home and not come out to cause trouble."

Chen Ye listened to the discussions expressionlessly, then turned and walked towards the Chen residence.

When he returned to the mansion, it was already dark. Chen Ye went straight to the study without even eating dinner.

Once seated at his desk, Chen Ye spread out a sheet of Xuan paper and wrote down all the clues he had gathered during this period.

Li Chengfeng, Sun Demao, the Censorate, Guanyunlou, the masked man in black robes, the Holy Emperor, Changsheng...

Bai Jie, Cui Liu Lane, perverted fetishes...

Impeachment, promotion, Minister of Rites...

Finally, he wrote those two words down heavily.

mud.

After finishing writing, Chen Ye looked at the clues on the table and pondered quietly, trying to piece together the messy information.

Time passed slowly, and only a solitary lamp remained in the study, casting a long shadow of him.

Chen Ye remained seated in his study, motionless, until the night was deep and quiet.

He closed his eyes and went through everything in his mind again.

From the moment I came into this world, every person I met, every event that happened, and every trouble I encountered seemed to be related to a group of people.

Those were the members of the Demonic Sect in the boundless sands.

This organization is like an invisible hand, secretly manipulating everything.

Li Chengfeng was one of their men, as was Sun Demao.

How many people in this court are actually their people?

This thought made Chen Ye's heart sink.

Because if that's the case, then the enemy he'll be facing is terrifying.

Thinking of this, Chen Ye opened his eyes and looked at the paper on the table again, his gaze finally landing on the words "rotten mud".

The key to unlocking all the mysteries must be right here.

But what exactly is this mud?

Chen Ye rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling a wave of exhaustion. He got up, walked to the window, and opened it.

A gust of cold wind blew in, instantly sobering him up considerably.

Then Chen Ye looked at the bare old tree in the yard and fell into deep thought.

Just then, the study door was gently pushed open.

Chen Ye turned around and saw Xie Weining carrying a tray, carefully walking in.

She was wearing a light purple casual home dress, her hair was simply tied up, and her face was without makeup, yet she looked more gentle and graceful than usual.

"Why are you here?" Chen Ye asked.

"The housekeeper said you didn't eat much for dinner, and I was worried you'd be hungry, so I made you a bowl of lotus seed soup." Xie Weining placed the tray on the table, lifted the lid of the bowl, and a sweet aroma instantly filled the air.

Under the light, the lotus seed soup in the white porcelain bowl is crystal clear and looks very appetizing.

"Drink it while it's hot." Xie Weining handed him the spoon.

A warm feeling washed over Chen Ye, so he took the bowl and took a sip. It was sweet but not cloying, and the warm liquid slid into his stomach, dispelling some of his fatigue.

"It tastes good," Chen Ye commented.

Xie Weining smiled faintly, her eyes and brows radiating joy.

"As long as you like it."

She didn't leave, but stood quietly by her side to keep her company.

Chen Ye finished the lotus seed soup in a few gulps and put the bowl down.

"You should sit down too, what are you standing for?"

"Mm." Xie Weining sat down in the chair opposite him, placing her hands on her knees, sitting upright.

The entire study fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the candlelight.

"Are you still worried about the case?" Xie Weining spoke first.

"Hmm." Chen Ye nodded, not hiding anything, "I've run into some trouble and can't figure it out."

"Can you tell me about it? Maybe... I can give you some advice."

Chen Ye smiled. He didn't expect Xie Weining to be of any help, after all, she was just a businesswoman and didn't understand the intrigues and power struggles in the imperial court.

However, it wouldn't hurt to talk to her about it, just to sort out my thoughts.

“I found a quote from Sun Demao,” Chen Ye said, pointing to the paper on the table. “He said the most dangerous place is the safest place, and his roots are planted in the mud.”

"The most dangerous place is the safest place?" Xie Weining repeated, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "What does that mean?"

“I guess he hid the embezzled funds and evidence of his collusion with the Demonic Sect in a place that no one would expect,” Chen Ye explained.

"What about the mud?" Xie Weining asked again.

“This is what I can’t understand the most.” Chen Ye leaned back in his chair, looking a bit of a headache. “I’ve thought about every place in Yunzhou City that’s associated with mud, but none of them seem very likely.”

“Sun Demao is an extremely arrogant and cautious person. He would never put his life in a truly dirty place.”

Xie Weining listened quietly without interrupting, until a moment later she suddenly spoke up: "Husband."

"Ok?"

“Although I don’t know anything about investigating cases, I often encounter situations in business that require understanding people’s hearts.” Xie Weining organized her thoughts, “So I think you might be overthinking it.”

"Oh?" Chen Ye became interested. "How so?"

"You said Sun Demao hid the things in the most dangerous place," Xie Weining said, looking at him. "Have you considered who this 'most dangerous' place refers to?"

Chen Ye was stunned for a moment.

"For whom?"

“Yes.” Xie Weining nodded. “Some places may be ordinary to us, but they may be a den of dragons and tigers to Sun Demao.”

"For example, our Xie family's warehouse is safe for me, but it's a dangerous place for my rivals."

Xie Weining's words were like a bolt of lightning, instantly cleaving through the fog in Chen Ye's mind.

Yup!

He had been trying to figure out Sun Demao using his own limited perspective, so the places he imagined were either the imperial palace, the Xuanjing Division prison, or a military camp, since these places would be dangerous for anyone.

But he overlooked one crucial point: Sun Demao was not him.

Sun Demao had his own fears and his own dangers.

So, for Sun Demao, what place is the most dangerous?

A thought suddenly popped into Chen Ye's mind.

A rumor about Sun Demao being afraid of his wife.

According to the intelligence obtained by Zuiyun Society, Sun Demao was like a mouse in front of a cat in front of his hot-tempered wife.

Could the most dangerous place for him be... his wife's family home?
Once the thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.

Chen Ye's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the study.

"Yes, that must be it! How come I didn't think of that before!" Xie Weining was a little confused, not understanding why her words had caused such a strong reaction from Chen Ye. "Husband, what...what did you think of?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye stopped and turned to look at Xie Weining, his eyes filled with excitement and gratitude.

"Wei Ning, you are truly my lucky star!"

Then he quickly walked up to her and, without saying a word, pulled her into his arms.

"Oh!" Xie Weining exclaimed, her face instantly turning red.

Why...why did he suddenly hug me?

[Okay...that was really hard...]

But...it feels so safe.

Hearing her shy yet joyful thoughts, Chen Ye tightened his arms around her.

“Thank you, Wei Ning,” he said sincerely. “You reminded me of the most crucial point.”

"I...I didn't say anything." Xie Weining buried her head in his chest, her voice muffled.

“No, what you said is very important.” Chen Ye released her hand, put his hands on her shoulders, and looked seriously into her eyes. “You made me realize that I need to think from Sun Demao’s perspective.”

“Sun Demao’s image as an upright and incorruptible censor was just a disguise. In his heart, he was a hypocrite who was afraid of death and extremely arrogant.”

"For him, the thing that terrifies and puts the most pressure on him is not the Empress, nor the Xuanjing Division, but his noble-born, hot-tempered wife, and the powerful family behind her."

"So for him, the most dangerous place is his wife's family, the Zhou family!"

Xie Weining didn't quite understand what he was saying, but seeing the enlightened expression on Chen Ye's face, she was genuinely happy for him.

"Then...what about the mud?" she asked again.

"I haven't figured that out yet." Chen Ye shook his head. "But now that we've determined the direction, the mystery of the mud must also be related to the Zhou family."

"I'll send someone to investigate right away!" he said, turning to fetch someone.

“Husband.” Xie Weining tugged at his sleeve.

"what happened?"

"It's so late, let's talk about it tomorrow." Xie Weining looked at him, her eyes full of worry. "You haven't had a proper rest all day."

Chen Ye felt a warmth in his heart when he saw her concerned eyes, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you and rest today."

He does need some time to digest this completely new idea.

"Let's go back to our room." Chen Ye took her hand.

Xie Weining's hands were soft and cold.

Chen Ye held her hand in his palm, their fingers intertwined.

Xie Weining blushed again, but she didn't pull away, letting him lead her out of the study.

Back in the bedroom, Xie Weining went to wash up, while Chen Ye sat at the table, his mind racing.

Without a doubt, Sun Demao's wife, Zhou, will be the key to solving the mystery.

Therefore, he needs to know everything about this woman.

Just then, Xie Weining personally brought in hot water.

"Husband, wash up and go to bed early."

"Hmm." Chen Ye got up and walked to the basin stand.

Xie Weining picked up a towel, soaked it, wrung it out, and then carefully wiped his face.

Chen Ye closed his eyes, enjoying this rare moment of tenderness.

He could sense that Xie Weining was becoming more and more gentle and dependent on him.

After washing her up, Chen Ye opened his eyes and saw Xie Weining's beautiful face. He smiled slightly and, without saying a word, picked her up.

Xie Weining let out a soft moan and was about to speak when Chen Ye placed her directly on the bed and then untied the bed curtains.

"Lights!" Xie Weining called out anxiously, thinking that the lights were still on and this was too embarrassing.

But Chen Ye didn't care about that at all, so he laughed and said, "I can't wait!"

Silent all night.

The next morning, while Chen Ye was having breakfast, Hou En and Qian Yi arrived together.

"Brother Chen, did you call us over so early because you've made a new discovery?" Hou En asked excitedly as soon as he entered the door.

"Sit." Chen Ye didn't respond directly, but pointed to the chair in front of him.

After spending some time together, the two became less reserved and sat down directly opposite Chen Ye.

"Have you eaten?" Chen Ye asked.

"not yet!"

"Let's eat something together first!" Chen Ye said.

The two of them didn't stand on ceremony. Each of them scooped up a bowl of rice porridge and ate it with some fresh and crisp pickled cabbage and a few refreshing side dishes.

Soon the bowl of pearl rice porridge was empty. Chen Ye put down his chopsticks, took the hot towel handed to him by the maid, wiped his mouth, and then spoke.

"I need you to help me investigate someone."

"Who?"

"Sun Demao's wife, Zhou."

Hou En and Qian Yi exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

"Why are you investigating her?" Qian Yi asked, puzzled. "What problems could a woman confined to the inner quarters possibly have?"

“This is a big problem.” Chen Ye briefly explained his speculation from last night to them.

Both of them stared in disbelief after hearing this.

Hou En slapped his thigh. "Brother Chen, how did you even come up with this?!"

"It wasn't my idea; it was my wife who reminded me," Chen Ye said frankly.

Hou En and Qian Yi's expressions became even stranger.

Because they knew all too well the relationship between Xie Weining and Chen Ye before; it couldn't be described as merely a facade, they were practically complete strangers.

Judging from the current situation, their relationship seems to be more than just friendship.

However, they dare not say these things now, after all, Chen Ye is no longer the playboy who used to drink and carouse with them all day long.

Even though he has encountered some setbacks and troubles, the skills he has shown during this period are enough to make the two of them admire him, which is why they are so devoted to following Chen Ye.

Hou En said solemnly, "Brother Chen, don't worry, leave this to us."

"Okay, remember to find out everything about her family background, her temperament, her relationship with Sun Demao, her hobbies, and the places she frequents."

"understand!"

"Go ahead." Chen Ye waved his hand.

Hou En and Qian Yi accepted their mission and immediately took their leave.

Although the sons of noble families in the Drunken Cloud Society seem unreliable most of the time, they are surprisingly efficient when it comes to getting things done.

In less than half a day, the first batch of intelligence about the Zhou family was delivered to Chen Ye's desk.

The intelligence was very detailed, almost digging up the Zhou family's ancestors for eighteen generations.

This Zhou woman's name was Zhou Yuru, and she came from the lineage of Zhou Xuanqing, a great Confucian scholar in the capital.

The Zhou family is a scholarly family with a history of hundreds of years. Its members are spread throughout the government and the country, and it has countless students and former officials. It holds a pivotal position in the civil service of the Great Chen Dynasty.

Zhou Yuru's father was the Grand Tutor and one of the Emperor's tutors.

Sun Demao was one of the students that Grand Tutor Zhou had taken in during his early years.

According to intelligence reports, Sun Demao came from a humble background. Although he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he repeatedly encountered setbacks in his official career and was frustrated and unsuccessful.

Later, he somehow gained the favor of Grand Tutor Zhou and married Zhou Yuru, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family.

From then on, Sun Demao's career progressed smoothly, rising rapidly in just over ten years from an unknown minor official to the position of Censor-in-Chief.

It can be said that without the Zhou family, there would be no Sun Demao today.

"Turns out he's a gigolo."

Chen Ye finally understood why Sun Demao was afraid of his wife. Anyone would be afraid of their wife if they had a father-in-law like that.

The subsequent intelligence reports focused on describing Zhou Yuru's personality.

"He is strong-willed, has a strong sense of right and wrong, is jealous, and has an extremely strong desire for control."

With just a few words, a vivid image of a shrew leaps off the page.

The intelligence report also included a short story to corroborate Zhou Yuru's reputation as a shrew.

It is said that not long after Sun Demao took office, a colleague invited him to drink and carouse in Pingkang Lane.

Sun Demao initially dared not go, but since it was his first time in office, he couldn't refuse, so he went.

As a result, after Zhou Yuru learned the news, she immediately led her servants to Pingkang Lane and dragged Sun Demao out in front of everyone, pulling and dragging him back home.

Since then, Sun Demao has never been to any brothels again.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ye couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

This Zhou Yuru is indeed fierce!
The intelligence report concluded by mentioning Zhou Yuru's daily life.

She disliked socializing and rarely went out. Her greatest hobbies were tending to flowers and plants at home or going to the family temple outside the city to burn incense and pray for blessings.

Upon seeing the name of this ancestral temple, Chen Ye's pupils constricted.

Because this family temple is called Yu Ni Guan!
(End of this chapter)