If Ye Panjiu fell into the hands of the Wang family, he would be in a complete dilemma, something he had been trying his best to avoid.
Ye Panjiu took out an envelope from her clothes. "This is what I found out. Jiang Le'an must have evidence. I came to Yangzhou because I have something I want to do."
Su Yan took the envelope and quickly read it, then walked into the house.
Ye Panjiu quickly followed.
“Here, not everyone in the canal transport system blindly follows Wang Yichun’s lead. There are still some who have a conscience. I dispatched Li Siming, the Right Deputy Director of Transport, and he has gathered a group of people with him.” Su Yan pointed to the documents and spoke quickly.
Some of this information was not available to him. Going to Yangzhou was like walking a tightrope; every minute was crucial.
Ye Panjiu replied, "We'll use these people when it comes to life and death."
These people cannot leave Yangzhou. If they are exposed rashly, the Wang family will surely kill them before the Wang family falls, even if it is just for a moment.
Su Yan nodded, continued reading, and added more information.
"Jiang Le'an's maritime trade involves nearly 500,000 taels of gold in circulation annually. His bribery network extends throughout the imperial court. The evidence against him has too great an impact; use it with caution..."
The two exchanged information rapidly.
Heng Tong felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume and complexity of the information conveyed, leaving her mind a jumbled mess.
Half an hour later, Su Yan finally put down the envelope.
Ye Panjiu pinched the bridge of her nose. "After sorting through everything, the ledgers in Jiang Le'an's hands are still the most useful."
Su Yan tapped his finger. "I've seen Wang Yichun's study. It's been cleaned up very well, leaving no hidden dangers."
He changed the subject abruptly, "Pan Jiu, are you aware of the funeral at the dock?"
Ye Panjiu sighed.
Heng Tong's expression changed, and he said coldly, "They're simply beasts! The giant ship had just set sail when it opened fire on the small fishing boat, and a few shots turned half the sea red!"
The two men stood by the window the night before last, watching the gunfire at sea.
For the first time, I understood what it felt like to be riddled with holes.
Ye Panjiu continued, "I inquired and found out that this wasn't the first time; it happened a few years ago as well."
Su Yan remained silent for a long time, his hunched back becoming even more stooped.
Finally, he took a sip of cold water to suppress the rising taste of blood in his throat. "I know, three years ago, it was Wang Yichun who submitted a memorial saying that maritime disasters were frequent."
It was his third junior brother who went down to Yangzhou that time, but his body was never returned.
He received nothing; Wang Yichun only said that he had boarded a ship and encountered a shipwreck.
A dignified fourth-rank Imperial Censor, gone just like that.
It took him and Ning Xuan nearly ten years to enable the imperial power to rival that of the royal family.
Ye Panjiu raised her hand, grasped his withered little finger, and gently squeezed it. "It will be alright."
Su Yan grasped her hand in return, "Thank you."
Heng Tong lifted his foot to go out.
Su Yan stopped her, "Hengtong, Yangzhou is now under constant guard, and it's difficult to leave the city. You must stay with Panjiu at all times."
Ye Panjiu suddenly let go of her hand, then picked up the envelope again, recalling what she had seen at the auction house earlier that day.
Her eyes shone brightly. "Wang Yichun has taken eight concubines; he's so lustful. Jiang Le'an's younger sister, Jiang Leyue, is known as the 'Beauty of the Sea,' and her fame spreads far and wide in Yangzhou. How could Wang Yichun let such a person go?"
Su Yan looked at her and said, "That's what I think too. The only point of contention between the two sides is this."
Ye Panjiu nodded, "I think Jiang Le'an is a very patient person. He was able to climb from nothing to the top of the maritime industry in eight years. He should not be underestimated."
Su Yan stood up and patted her shoulder, "I'll take care of the rest. You've already done a lot."
Ye Panjiu shook her head. "No, I want to do more. I just want to overthrow the Wang family as soon as possible."
What she saw with her own eyes after arriving in Yangzhou weighed heavily on her heart like a mountain.
Not to mention that the Wang family constantly threatened her safety. In a prestigious family like the Wang family, women were simply property to be controlled and manipulated.
It disgusted her.
Heng Tong added, "I can't stay here any longer. I just want to go out and chop off Wang Yichun's dog head."
Su Yan said, "This is the courtyard where one of Wang Yichun's concubines lives."
Ye Panjiu raised an eyebrow, "What about the mistress?"
Su Yan coughed lightly, "Wang Yichun hasn't come here for many years. His mistress left when she ran out of money, so the house has been empty."
In Yangzhou, everyone knows that it's very difficult to find someone to marry.
He then left Yangzhou and went to some unknown place to find a new home.
He felt that this place should be a fairly safe place in Yangzhou.
They went door-to-door to check, and since there were houses all around, they could leave early.
Moreover, the walls around the courtyard are extremely high, presumably to prevent the neighbors from seeing or hearing anything, which ironically makes things easier for them.
"The most dangerous time is the safest place." Ye Panjiu also felt that this place was quite safe, and Hai Le Zhai was definitely out of the question.
Su Yan bent down and picked up a broken bowl. "No matter what you do, safety is the most important thing. I'll go buy some clothes first, and then I'll go to the Jiang family."
Ye Panjiu was a little worried, "Jiang Le'an is very meticulous, so you must be careful when you go out."
Su Yan smiled and said, "Okay."
Although he looks terrible in his current disguise, he still has to keep circling around Ye Panjiu in this state.
But it's so good to see her again.
This feeling of working together to accomplish something is very different from the feeling of doing things alone in the past.
After Su Yan left, Ye Panjiu picked up her pen and frowned as she thought.
Wang Yichun maintained very strict control over Yangzhou, and the checks on people entering and leaving the city were much more stringent than those in Shuzhou.
In Yangzhou, everyone was on edge, and no one dared to risk their life by taking in anyone who seemed suspicious.
Furthermore, Jiang Le'an went a step further and focused all the martial arts forces he had cultivated on Yangzhou.
Under such a double net, every move must be made with extreme care.
She was very careful in gathering information, but she still accidentally exposed herself.
Heng Tong said coldly beside her, "Girl, I'm feeling really uncomfortable."
When has she ever tolerated this?
When you see injustice on the road, draw your sword to help!
As people living in the martial arts world, it's truly heartbreaking to see Ye Panjiu scheming and enduring so much.
Ye Panjiu looked at her, "The main branch of the Wang family has dozens of men over twenty years old, not to mention hundreds of people in the collateral branches."
"If you kill Wang Yichun now, tomorrow the transport commissioner will be someone else surnamed Wang."
She pointed to herself, then to Hengtong, "You, me, Su Yan, Yan Yu, that fake Yan Yu, and all the forces hidden in this city will be wiped out by the Wang family as a blood sacrifice for Wang Yichun. Doing so will only relieve your anger and bring you no benefit."
Heng Tong lowered her head, her voice low, "I just have a feeling I won't live to see the day the Wang family falls..."
The Wang family was too enormous, like a monster that occupied half the sky, with its gaping maw.
Ye Panjiu said firmly, "I believe that justice may be delayed, but it will surely come."
Like her, there must be many others who bravely confront the darkness.
If treacherous officials are in power, then act on behalf of Heaven!
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