Yin Yang Soul Searcher

On the streets of the inner city.

The group soon arrived at the restaurant that Jia Qingshan had mentioned. Young Master Jia booked the most expensive private room and ordered the most expensive jar of wine in the restaurant, which cost almost a year's salary for Bai Jueming.

After the food and wine were served, Jia Qingshan had his attendants wait outside the door.

The two sat facing each other, and Jia Qingshan personally poured Bai Jueming's cup to the brim.

"Let me apologize to Brother Bai first." Jia Qingshan picked up the wine cup with both hands, brought it to his lips, and drank it all in one gulp.

Bai Jueming stroked his wine cup, his tone indifferent as he said, "Brother Jia, can you explain now?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Qingshan sighed deeply: "It's not that I wanted to use Brother Bai, it's just that I couldn't think of a better way at the time. I had my own difficulties!"

"After my father learned that His Majesty had confiscated all my shops, he gave me a severe dressing-down in a letter. He said that I had made a poor choice in personnel and had offended both His Majesty and the Imperial Advisor at the same time."

"I'm truly innocent! Who would have thought that the shopkeeper, blinded by greed, would get involved in something like this! And these things are beyond my control!"

"Ever since I came to the capital, I've always been extremely cautious in my business dealings, afraid of accidentally offending some high-ranking official or member of the imperial family. Who would have thought... alas."

Jia Qingshan's tone was tinged with regret, ultimately turning into a long sigh. He regretted coming to the capital to prove himself; he had only created such a mess!

Who would have thought that what you fear most is what will happen. He hadn't offended any high-ranking officials, but he had offended the top two leaders of the Great Xia Dynasty... Bai Jueming silently added in his heart.

With a sullen expression, Jia Qingshan picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp. He then exhaled the fumes of alcohol and continued speaking.

Later, after my father learned of the punishment I had received from His Majesty and the Imperial Preceptor, he wrote to me that since the shop had been shut down, I must never do business in the capital again, so as to appease His Majesty.

Then my father hinted in his letter that since the Imperial Advisor wouldn't let me leave the capital, I should simply surrender to him; His Majesty wouldn't make things too difficult for me then. He wanted the Imperial Advisor to hold me as a pawn, only in this way could he dispel his suspicions about the Jia family.

The Prince of Yu Nan sent his own son to the Grand Preceptor to prove he had no intention of rebelling. But that's not entirely plausible, is it? Just ask the Prince of Pingxi.

Bai Jueming swirled his wine glass, then asked, "Don't you have any other brothers or sisters? Can you guarantee your father won't abandon you?"

I thought Jia Qingshan would be angry to hear this, but to my surprise, a look of pride appeared on his face as he raised his chin and said, "Of course my father wouldn't abandon me!"

Bai Jueming took a sip of wine and then looked at him with suspicion.

"I'm the only son in my family, and I have a younger sister. My sister has no chance of inheriting the throne because of her gender, so I'm the only one left."

"Besides, it's too late for him to abandon me and have another son now. My dad's been infertile for a long time! Hahahaha..."

Huh? Another classic scene of a father bidding farewell to his son in filial piety... Who the hell could have imagined something like this? No wonder Jia Qingshan is so fearless...

If this is the case, it would indeed put the Imperial Advisor at ease. If the Prince of Yu Nan doesn't rebel, and he dies, his only bloodline, Jia Qingshan, can smoothly inherit the throne.

If he were to rebel, what's the point of rebelling if he has no bloodline heir? He'd be just like a eunuch, with nothing left to do below.

Rebellion only benefits the collateral branches of the family. No wonder this Prince Yu Nan fawns over the Imperial Advisor; being a docile prince is the wisest choice after all.

But why doesn't he curry favor with the Emperor? Back then, the Emperor sealed off all of the Jia family's shops, clearly targeting the Jia family. Now that the Jia family has pledged allegiance to the Imperial Advisor, won't that anger the Emperor, making him think that the Jia family, together with the Imperial Advisor, is going against him?

Are the top two leaders of the Great Xia Dynasty truly on the same side? Bai Jueming still doesn't know. It remains to be seen how the Emperor will react when he finds out...

If the emperor doesn't take any targeted action when Jia Qingshan comes to work at the Yin-Yang Palace, it means that the two of them are in cahoots!

Bai Jueming swirled the wine in his glass and asked the question he most wanted to know: "Why did your father hint at this to you in the letter? Couldn't he have just explained it to the Imperial Advisor directly? Wouldn't sending you right under his nose have better proven the Jia family's integrity?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Qingshan frowned deeply: "To be honest, Brother Bai, I don't know why Father did this."

"You don't know?" Bai Jueming looked at him with suspicion.

"My father did have the ability to speak directly with His Majesty and the Imperial Advisor, but for some reason, he did not do so. Instead, he hinted to me to do so through a letter home."

"This is interesting. Why would the Prince of Yu Nan bypass the proper channels and instead use a letter from home to hint at something? Is there some unspeakable reason behind this?" Bai Jueming couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"Has anything happened in Shangzhou recently?"

Jia Qingshan opened his folding fan and gently fanned himself: "I've been in the capital for several years now, and my father rarely mentions anything about Shangzhou to me. After all, I'm far away and can't be of much help. So I don't know what's happening in Shangzhou."

As he finished speaking, Jia Qingshan frowned slightly and shook his head. He had also realized that his father's behavior was indeed somewhat abnormal. Even if he couldn't personally explain to His Majesty and the Grand Preceptor, he should at least take a step back and explain his reasons in a letter, so that he could go and apologize and explain the situation.

However, my father didn't do that. Instead, he used the most conservative method, hinting in a letter that he had joined the Yin-Yang Palace, which is very illogical...

If it weren't for the tacit understanding between myself and my father over the years, I really wouldn't have been able to tell.

"Your father must have some unspeakable secret, or he's afraid someone will discover something in the letter?" Bai Jueming analyzed, stroking his chin.

Jia Qingshan stopped fanning himself, pondered for a moment, and then felt that what Bai Jueming said made a lot of sense.

Then Jia Qingshan placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and whispered, "Do you think the Imperial Advisor might know about this? Perhaps Brother Bai could ask him for me?"

What the hell? You've really started to think you're part of the Jia family?

Bai Jueming ignored him, pretending not to hear him, and picked up a piece of sea bass. The piece of meat trembled on the chopsticks, as if telling of its deliciousness.

The moment you put it in your mouth, the freshness of the fish explodes on your taste buds; the delicate texture seems to melt in your mouth. It's truly a delicacy. In a world without abundant seasonings, to make sea bass so delicious is remarkable.

Jia Qingshan wasn't embarrassed by the rejection. He silently poured Bai Jueming a full glass of wine, and after the dishes had been served, Jia Qingshan finally asked the purpose of the meal: "Brother Bai, has the Imperial Preceptor agreed to let me join the Yin-Yang Palace?"

After asking that question, Jia Qingshan looked nervous.

If the Imperial Advisor refuses... it means he doesn't trust the Jia family's loyalty. Whether he can inherit his father's position is another matter, but he might never have the chance to see his father again in his lifetime...

As for the Grand Preceptor's apparent agreement being a delaying tactic? Don't be ridiculous. The Jia family of Shangzhou only controls the wealth from trade with Western Shu, not military power... However, it's hard to say for sure...

Thinking of this, Jia Qingshan's hand holding the folding fan was damp with sweat.

Looking at Jia Qingshan's expression, Bai Jueming almost laughed. "You get nervous too?"

"The Imperial Advisor has agreed to let you join the Yin-Yang Palace," Bai Jueming said calmly.

"Really?" Jia Qingshan couldn't suppress his surprise. This meant that the Imperial Advisor trusted the Jia family and was willing to protect him. At least that's how it appeared on the surface.

Bai Jueming nodded in affirmation: "You need to work under me and be responsible for my safety. Every month..."

Bai Jueming held up five fingers and waved them in front of him: "Five taels of silver."

Bai Jueming hardened his heart and said, "When the Yin-Yang Palace starts distributing salaries, I'll only give you five taels of silver a month. The rest is yours! Consider this compensation for the emotional distress caused by exploiting me!"

"Only five taels to hand over a month?" Jia Qingshan immediately laughed loudly, his eyes and brows revealing excitement.

In Jia Qingshan's understanding, five taels of silver was equivalent to protection money collected by the Imperial Advisor. What's the difference between this and not getting it for free? The Imperial Advisor is such a good person, protecting him for nothing.

Not a buddy? Is that how you understand it? I should have just said five hundred taels, oh no, fifty thousand taels!

Bai Jueming laughed too. Why wasn't I given the rich kid's script? Damn it...

The setting sun was gradually swallowed by the night, and now the sky was filled with stars. Lanterns were hung in the shops on both sides of the street, and the whole street became dimly lit.

The conversation was going so well that Jia Qingshan suggested there would be another event, since Qingyue Tower was closed, but there were other places to go.

Bai Jueming explained that he had just finished his night shift and his health was the priority. He also said he would definitely do it next time...

Jia Qingshan was greatly disappointed and offered to take Bai Jueming home. Bai Jueming initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought that he would have to protect himself in the future and that he didn't need to keep his distance anymore, so he agreed.

When they were almost home, the two said goodbye and Jia Qingshan said he would report to work at the Yin Yang Hall the next morning.

When he got home, his older sister and Xiaotang were already asleep. He hadn't expected them to go to bed so early; it seemed working for capitalists really was exhausting...

Bai Jueming put the food box from the restaurant into the kitchen. Inside was a sea bass that had been packed for the two of them. Jia Qingshan paid for it, so why not eat it? It would be a free meal!

Bai Jueming quietly closed his room door, only then having a chance to take out the purse Jia Qingshan had given him. He'd struck it rich!!!

Bai Jueming poured the silver notes and gold ingots onto the bed, spat on his hand, picked up the silver notes, held them up to the moonlight outside the window, and carefully counted them—a full eight hundred taels!

I'm rich! I'm rich! There are eight gold ingots inside, each weighing five taels. That's four hundred taels of silver, and a total of twelve hundred taels! I've never seen so much money in my two lifetimes!!

The son of the world's number one merchant was known for his extravagant spending. Bai Jueming carefully tucked the purse into his bosom and drifted off to sleep...

That night, Bai Jueming had a dream in which he became the CEO of AA Building Materials...

Outside the capital, a cool night breeze blew, and the pale moonlight shone on the lush green forests. Night birds fluttered their wings among the dense woods, uttering mournful cries.

Under the cool moonlight, a man and a woman emerged from the dark grove.

The man had a gloomy face, sunken eyes, and a prominent nose. He seemed to exude a sinister aura. He wore a dark green robe, and his entire skin had a greenish tinge.

The man was Yang Liu, a willow tree spirit, who had a special fondness for the color green.

The woman had a fair complexion and alluring, fox-like eyes. She wore a red and white dress that clung tightly to her slender waist, proud breasts, and round, pert buttocks, perfectly creating a captivating and mesmerizing figure.

I wonder what Han Xueshan would think if she saw such a figure.

"How about this place?" Jinxiu said to Yangliu beside her.

At the foot of the mountain is a small town on the outskirts of Beijing.

Yang Liu squinted at the town dotted with lights in the distance and nodded: "There are quite a few people here compared to other places, so let's keep it here."

"Hurry up and disperse the miasma. Once that's done, the task that person gave us will be complete," Jinxiu urged.

"Okay, okay, why are you rushing me?"

Yang Liu walked forward with a green face, raised her right hand and gently clenched it. Instantly, a circle of earthy yellow vortex appeared in her hand, with green starlight inside.

This is miasma he collected in the Tuyun Mountains; he never expected it would come in handy.

Then, Yang Liu waved her right hand forward, scattering the yellowish-brown vortex in her hand into the air. Immediately afterwards, the green starlight, like fireflies, carried the miasma towards the town at the foot of the mountain.

"If nothing unexpected happens, all the people in this town will be poisoned by miasma tomorrow. If they don't receive effective treatment as soon as possible, they will die like that Minister of Works."

After saying that, Yang Liu revealed a sinister smile.