Yin Yang Soul Searcher

After listening, Li Zhengshan's expression turned solemn, and his thick, black eyebrows gradually twisted into a knot. Thinking about it carefully, his younger brother's analysis made sense, and he almost agreed immediately.

Li Zhengshan already had a draft in mind, and he spoke after Bai Jueming stood down in the hall.

"Master Jia, I'm afraid I can't make the decision on this matter. The Yin-Yang Palace is only responsible for capturing the mastermind behind it all; the actions of other departments of the imperial court are none of the Yin-Yang Palace's concern. So let's forget about asking questions in a dream."

That's pretty clear. What does your life or death have to do with us? If it's really as you guessed, then clearing his name would be going against His Majesty.

Furthermore, the Imperial Advisor must have known that His Majesty sent people to seal off the shops. With his wisdom, the Imperial Advisor should be able to guess His Majesty's purpose. If the Imperial Advisor wanted an explanation from the Jia family, he should have received the news by now.

After Li Zhengshan finished speaking, Jia Qingshan, who was sitting below the hall, became uneasy and hurriedly said, "Master Li, why is that? As long as I can clear my name, I can give an explanation to the Imperial Preceptor and His Majesty. The Jia family did not frame the Imperial Preceptor."

The explanation you're trying to give is probably something neither His Majesty nor the Imperial Advisor want. Bai Jueming shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry, brother, we're not willing to take the risk."

"Young Master Jia, I'm afraid I'm too insignificant to help you." Li Zhengshan began to dismiss him. "If there's nothing else, Officer Bai and I have some things to discuss."

Jia Qingshan was somewhat dejected; they were unwilling to clear up the misunderstanding. Was this the outcome they wanted? At this moment, Jia Qingshan seemed to understand something...

"I'm sorry to have bothered you, Master Li. I'll take my leave now." Jia Qingshan smiled bitterly, turned around and left.

His back view was somewhat lonely, and he no longer had the elegant and noble demeanor he had when he first entered.

The two men inside watched Jia Qingshan's retreating figure as he walked out of the hall. They sighed inwardly; without orders, they dared not get involved in such matters.

Just as Jia Qingshan stepped out of the main hall, an old man dressed in black and white clothes arrived at the entrance of Zhengshan Hall.

The moment Li Zhengshan saw the clerk, his expression changed drastically. He jumped to his feet, walked around the low table, and rushed to the clerk in three strides.

He bowed respectfully and said, "Li Zhengshan greets Eunuch Zhang." Li Zhengshan's voice was respectful.

The eunuch, addressed as Eunuch Zhang, smiled kindly, his fat face almost squeezing together: "Master Li, you're too kind. I'm just here to deliver a message for the Imperial Advisor."

This eunuch is no ordinary person. He has served the Imperial Preceptor closely for over ten years and enjoys the Imperial Preceptor's deep trust. All the ordinary people in the Yin-Yang Palace who have no cultivation are under his jurisdiction.

Even though he was just an ordinary person, a seventh-rank official was still treated with respect by someone of the fifth rank like Li Zhengshan. His appearance indicated that the Grand Preceptor had given orders.

Bai Jueming's heart skipped a beat. Jia Qingshan had just left, and the Imperial Advisor had already come to deliver a message? Could it be what he was thinking...?

Eunuch Zhang smiled and surveyed the hall, ignoring Bai Jueming who was bowing alongside Li Zhengshan. In his hoarse voice, he said, "Master Li, the Imperial Advisor said he can clear his name."

"Good morning, it really is. Is the Imperial Advisor going against the Emperor? Or have I misjudged the Second Emperor's intentions?" Bai Jueming pondered.

"The message has been delivered, so I'll be leaving now." Eunuch Zhang smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

After absentmindedly seeing off Eunuch Zhang, Li Zhengshan returned to the main hall.

"Moyu, call Jia Qingshan back." Li Zhengshan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. What were these two up to?

Bai Jueming nodded and jogged out the door.

As Bai Jueming, all smiles, led the bewildered Jia Qingshan into the main hall, Li Zhengshan had already calmly sat down again.

Once the two entered the main hall, Li Zhengshan got straight to the point: "Young Master Jia, the Imperial Preceptor just sent someone to tell us to clear your name."

Upon hearing this, Jia Qingshan was initially overjoyed, but then became somewhat incredulous. He could only cautiously ask, "Why is the Imperial Advisor willing to help me again?"

Li Zhengshan's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "This is not something we should know. Alright, come forward."

Knowing he had spoken out of turn, Jia Qingshan remained silent, only offering a slight bow. Regardless of the Grand Preceptor's intentions, proving the Jia family's innocence was a good thing; this would give His Majesty no reason to punish them further.

Jia Qingshan stepped forward, and because it was a low table, he had to squat down and extend his right hand.

Li Zhengshan took a deep breath and began to mobilize his soul power. A ball of black energy swirled in his right hand. Across the low table, Li Zhengshan grabbed Jia Qingshan's wrist, and Jia Qingshan offered no resistance. He simply slumped onto the table and fell asleep. Li Zhengshan closed his eyes and began to speak in his dream.

Bai Jueming watched with great interest, but couldn't help but wonder what the Imperial Preceptor's purpose was. First, he ruled out the possibility that the Imperial Preceptor wanted to clear the Jia family's name.

First came the letter from Qiao Shou of the Craftsmen's Hall, then the Imperial Advisor stopped the investigation. Based on these two facts, the Imperial Advisor must already know who the mastermind is. And according to our speculation, the Emperor is highly likely to be the mastermind.

Since the Imperial Advisor has already compromised with the mastermind behind the scenes, why is he now going against the Emperor? It can't be just to show off his power, can it? Don't be ridiculous, you're not a three-year-old.

Or perhaps all of the above guesses are wrong, and the emperor has nothing to do with the mastermind. He simply wanted to avenge the Grand Preceptor, who politely declined the emperor's offer...

I don't understand, I don't understand. I also don't know who's in cahoots with me... Bai Jueming had a headache.

After about an hour, Li Zhengshan slowly opened his eyes, looking somewhat tired. In his dream, he asked Jia Qingshan many questions from various angles, trying to make sure there were no mistakes.

After a moment, Jia Qingshan also woke up. He then said impatiently, "Master Li, I am innocent, aren't I?"

Li Zhengshan nodded, looking slightly tired: "I will report the truth to the Imperial Advisor."

Regarding the elixir case, he had just dreamt about Jia Qingshan and Zhang He's conversations from their first meeting. There wasn't even a single hint they exchanged with anyone else. The workload was truly immense...

Li Zhengshan looked up at the door; the sun was already setting.

The solemn and cold gray bricks and stones in the courtyard have been tinged with a warm yet slightly weathered color.

"You two wait here, I'll go and inform the Imperial Preceptor." Li Zhengshan said, then left without looking back.

"Thank you, Master Li, for clearing the Jia family's name." Jia Qingshan's eyes were filled with gratitude as he bowed to Li Zhengshan's retreating figure.

Bai Jueming shook his head with a sigh. Then he turned to the elegant young man and asked, "Young Master Jia, don't you want to go back and inherit the family fortune as soon as possible?"

Jia Qingshan smiled, snapped open his folding fan, and regained his elegant demeanor as when he first arrived at the Yin-Yang Palace: "Brother, to be honest, when I was in Shangzhou, my father and uncle always forced me to learn various ways of doing business. I was fed up with it and vowed to break free from the control of my family."

"After I grew a few years older, I, Jia, came to the capital with my silver. I was determined to make a name for myself in the capital." Jia Qingshan said this with a hint of pride in his expression.

Good, good, another rich kid trying to prove himself. Instead of being a proper playboy, he insists on starting his own business! Now he's suffered a setback in Beijing due to poor judgment in hiring.

Why didn't I transmigrate into the body of someone like that? Bai Jueming felt a pang of heartache. If he had those advantages, wouldn't it be better to go back to Shangzhou and be a playboy, enjoying life at clubs every day?

"As expected of Jia, I am a business genius. In just two years, I have already achieved some success in the capital. My father is very pleased and supports me in continuing to do business in the capital. But who would have thought..." Jia Qingshan sighed at this point.

"My second uncle was right. The capital is a dangerous place, and I can't handle it myself. It's the right thing to do to go back to Shangzhou and inherit the family business as soon as possible."

Bai Jueming bowed to Jia Qingshan, expressing his sympathy for his plight.

As darkness fell outside the main hall, several minor officials entered and lit the candles on both sides.

At the very back of the minor official's group, Han Xueshan leaned against the door, tilting her head to peek into the main hall, her spirited face filled with displeasure. That bitch had said she was heading to the black market, and she'd been left hanging for two hours!

Seeing that Bai Jueming was still talking with another young master in the main hall, Han Xueshan thought for a moment and decided not to disturb him, so she quietly went back.

The candlelight flickered and danced, its dim yellow light trying its best to dispel the surrounding darkness, but it seemed somewhat powerless in this spacious area, only spreading out a limited amount of light.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Zhengshan finally arrived belatedly through the back door.

Jia Qingshan looked anxious, eager to know what was going on. Before Li Zhengshan could even sit down, he spoke up, "Hall Master Li, the Imperial Preceptor..."

Li Zhengshan gestured for him to calm down: "The Imperial Advisor said you are innocent. He will petition His Majesty on your behalf. But!" Li Zhengshan paused deliberately, signaling him to prepare himself.

It wasn't that simple after all! Bai Jueming's heart skipped a beat. A person of the Imperial Advisor's caliber wouldn't speak without purpose; everything he did had its own objective! The price for clearing his name had arrived.

"All of the Jia family's shops in the capital and all their revenue have been confiscated and deposited into the national treasury. Jia Qingshan is also ordered not to leave the capital for two years as punishment!" Li Zhengshan said, staring intently at Jia Qingshan.

The confiscation of the Jia family's shops and wealth is understandable; it's a form of punishment, carried out in conjunction with the emperor to reprimand the Jia family. But what's the meaning of preventing Jia Qingshan from leaving the capital? Is he being used as a hostage in Shangzhou? Or is it a way of saying they don't want him to inherit the family business too early?

This doesn't make sense. Although Jia Qingshan is the eldest son in the family and the only one who can inherit the family business, if his father really raises the banner of rebellion, would he care about Jia Qingshan alone? He probably wouldn't be of enough importance. Surely his father doesn't only have one son.

Bai Jueming is a bit hard to understand.

Li Zhengshan's words struck Jia Qingshan like a bolt from the blue, instantly freezing him in place as if he had been placed under a spell, unable to move.

"What does the Imperial Advisor mean by this?" Jia Qingshan's voice trembled slightly. He didn't care about losing his shops and money. But why restrict his personal freedom? Was it to threaten his father?

Li Zhengshan was filled with doubt; no one could see through the Grand Preceptor's thoughts. However, his tone still carried a slight warning: "Young Master Jia, you only need to trust the Grand Preceptor; otherwise, he won't clear your name."

"It was Jia who misspoke. Jia Qingshan thanks the Imperial Preceptor for clearing the Jia family's name." Jia Qingshan clasped his hands in thanks.

This punishment wasn't severe for him; from childhood to adulthood, money and shops had never meant anything to him. But why was he forbidden from returning to Shangzhou?

Unfortunately, I had no room for negotiation; I had to accept the outcome, whether I wanted to or not.