Chapter 52 discusses cooperating in kidnapping, but did you get my consent? ...
Yun Niangzi looked up at Wang Yan, and the scene of her sisters coming to thank her again flashed through her mind, right before she arrived at Yi Lou.
"As long as it's not a particularly difficult problem, they can help you solve it. If you don't believe me, you can ask Ayu, Xiaowan, Qianqian, and Aling. Hua Mei has been bewitched by Wang Yang, so don't make the same mistake again."
Song Ranran suggested, "A-Ling's mother is receiving treatment at Jishengtang Hospital. You could go and have a look."
Ying Ming found Lady Le near Ji Sheng Tang. Lady Le looked at Lady Yun in silence for a long time before finally lowering her head. "What do you need me to do?"
Shen Minghuai said intently, "Perform a play."
Recently, rumors have been circulating in Mingzhou City, and the gates of Wang Yang's residence have been crowded with people who have come from far and wide, all eager to catch a glimpse of the "Hundred Monkeys" painting. Wang Yang has been refusing visitors for several days, and Shen Minghuai, who painted "Sunset Glow and Lone Wild Geese Flying Together" for him, has also been turned away. Rumors say that someone witnessed Wang Yang giving the painting to the Superintendent of Maritime Trade, and that the original is no longer in his possession, hence his refusal to see any visitors.
The city was abuzz with discussion. The Superintendent of Maritime Trade denied the matter, but after half of the people who had gathered at Wang's residence went to the Superintendent's office, he also fell silent.
Amidst conflicting accounts, a painter from the east of the city claimed that his grandfather knew Jiang Zhen's disciple and had personally witnessed the complete "Hundred Monkeys" painting. Subsequently, another painter stated that his grandmaster witnessed Jiang Zhen's death, at which time the "Hundred Monkeys" painting was still unfinished. Within just two days, numerous debates regarding the authenticity of the "Hundred Monkeys" painting had erupted, becoming the talk of the town. By then, it was too late for the authorities to quell the unrest.
Someone even adapted the story into lyrics and music, and performed it today. In the nearby pavilion, the audience listened with great interest, and applause rose and fell. Just as the entire hall fell silent, someone suddenly shouted.
"It's the ocean!"
Wang Yang, who had just come out of the side room, was sneaking away. Suddenly, everyone present was drawn to him, so how could he not run away?
"Madam Song! Madam Song is inside!"
Suddenly, someone upstairs exclaimed, causing an immediate commotion among the audience. Zhu Yao, holding a round fan, covered his mouth with a laugh and said, "What a clever trick of 'switching the prince for a cat'! So you're just going to ignore that Lady Hua?"
"There's always a time when you reap what you sow." Wang Yan took a leisurely sip of tea, the fragrance lingering on his teeth. "Gu Zhu Purple Bamboo Shoots?"
"Isn't the Gu Zhu Zi Sun tea from my Yi Lou better than the one from Jin Shui Lou?" Zhu Yao stared at the two people in front of him and took a sip.
Wang Yan smiled and said, "That's for sure."
Shen Minghuai replied earnestly, "You use mountain water, he uses well water, so they are naturally different."
Zhu Yao smiled and sighed, "Mingzhou is unmatched. Who can blame us for putting in more effort than they do?"
Wang Yan glanced at him and said, "You're being too modest. Apart from that place, who else would dare to rank ahead of the Zhu family?"
Zhu Yao shook his head helplessly, but couldn't stop smiling. Then Li Changling walked in, holding the results of their hard work over the past few days. Shen Minghuai took the deed and saw that it was exactly as they had expected.
Wang Yan rested his chin on his hand and looked at her, saying, "This young master Xu redeemed Lady Le from her servitude, yet he gave her the pawn deed. He's really magnanimous."
Song Ranran and Xu Yuhuan also arrived. They politely declined each other's presence at the door for a while. Finally, on the fifth visit, Song Ranran smiled and strode into the house.
"The flowers are so grateful to me, but I wonder if they've come to their senses yet."
Wang Yan hurriedly asked, "Wang Yang didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Song Ranran gently patted Wang Yan's hand, "Young Master Shen's men are with me. Besides, that guy is too busy taking care of himself to have any time to worry about me."
Xu Yuhuan immediately followed up on Song Ranran's words, saying, "The people from the Criminal Investigation Department have already arrived at the Maritime Trade Office."
Shen Minghuai, his previous lighthearted demeanor gone, asked with a serious expression, "May I see Patriarch Xu?"
"Father said that if Young Master Shen wants to see him, he can go to the Xu residence to find him at any time."
Wang Yan and Shen Minghuai went to Yilou for tea and music as usual. Li Changling was always unpredictable, and every time they asked him, he would jokingly lead them astray. Wang Yan finally couldn't hold back and went to look for him. Xu Yu, whom she hadn't seen for several days, appeared in a white dress.
They had only been brought back to the Xu residence by Xu Yuhuan for a short time when Li Changling and Hua Xin also appeared at the gate. The three of them entered the study and immediately encountered Xu Jiliang, who was sitting inside, looking equally thin and haggard. Xu Yuhuan was about to leave when Xu Wujiu stopped him.
"Speak, what do you want to know from me?"
Shen Minghuai walked straight toward Xu Wujiu, who was copying the Tripitaka, and stopped three feet away from the table. "Where is Jingxin?"
Xu Jiliang suddenly realized, "That's what you were after from the beginning."
Xu Yu glanced at Li Changling, then turned to Wang Yan and asked, "Young Master Li did it for the Heart Sutra, Young Master Shen did it for his father, so what about Madam Wang...?"
Wang Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I'm doing this for myself, is that wrong?"
Shen Minghuai stated frankly: "Master Puyuan of Longxing Temple told us that he had come to find you with a calm mind, but his whereabouts disappeared in Mingzhou. Did he ever inquire about Indian Buddhism from you?"
Xu Wujiu put down his pen and scoffed, "Buddhism? I've only ever seen one stubborn madman."
After leaving Hangzhou, Jingxin went straight to the Xu family. Xu Wujiu, having heard that he was a disciple of Master Jueming, warmly invited him to stay at the Xu residence, and the two discussed Buddhism day and night. One day, Jingxin secretly followed him into a dark room, where he saw Buddhist treasures and gold and silver, priceless treasures.
“I know that your grandfather was the last disciple of Padmasambhava, and that so many treasures are hidden here. I believe that Master Xu can answer my little question.”
"A ritual implement made of a skull as a bowl?" Xu Jiliang asked in surprise. "Father, you just told him that?"
Xu Yu also spat and said, "Just kick him out of the mansion, why waste words?"
Xu Wujiu pondered for a moment and said, "But he discovered the secret hidden in the secret room."
Xu Yu asked in astonishment, "A secret?"
Xu Wujiu pulled himself out of his memories. "How could I possibly know the legendary secret methods? After my grandfather returned to secular life, he no longer discussed Buddhism. All of the master's books and notes were left in his tomb."
He quietly went to find Padmasambhava's grave. Shen Minghuai's heartstrings suddenly tightened, "Where is the master's grave?"
“Cixi,” Xu Jiliang replied, “Only my great-grandfather went there to pay respects. We only know that he would go to Cixi alone for a period of time every year.”
Xu Yu looked at his brother in disbelief; he was the only one kept in the dark. Suddenly, thunder rumbled outside.
Wang Yan and his party hurriedly tied up their horses and entered the inn, already soaked to the bone. Shen Minghuai asked the innkeeper for ginger soup and instructed the waiter to deliver it to each of the private rooms.
Wang Yan opened the door upon hearing the sound, and saw Shen Minghuai standing outside with a bowl of ginger soup.
"Getting caught in the rain makes you more susceptible to catching a cold—"
"Come in."
Shen Minghuai intended to leave after she finished drinking, but Wang Yan asked him to wait a moment before taking a bath with the candied fruit he had given her. The large screens, layered upon layered, concealed her, yet couldn't block out the sound of water. Shen Minghuai tried repeatedly to distract himself, but all his efforts failed. In the rising steam, water slid down her slender arms and flowed into the bath…
Wang Yan put on her coat and sat down in front of him, noticing that the tips of his ears were even redder than hers after her bath. "Is it hot in the room?"
Shen Minghuai coughed awkwardly twice. "What brings you here?"
Wang Yan said calmly, "You went to see Jiang Wan again yesterday."
Shen Minghuai quickly explained that it was about calming his mind.
Wang Yan tilted his head and chuckled, "I know. But since my senior brother also knows about this, you two don't need to hide it from us anymore when you meet in the future."
Shen Minghuai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Yan then added, "However, after finding Jingxin, we must not tell her first. We must take the Heart Sutra back from him."
Her relationship with Jiang Wan remained a mystery in Shen Minghuai's mind. On the night of Qixi Festival, Jiang Wan's concern for Wang Yan was genuine; and Wang Yan's initial dislike for Jiang Wan was also genuine.
Seeing that he remained silent, Wang Yan pondered for a moment and then decided to tell the truth: "She betrayed my senior brother before, so we must be wary of her."
She never wanted to talk about this, but fortunately Shen Minghuai didn't press her for details.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out outside, and this was exactly what Shen Minghuai saw when he went out.
The shopkeeper, brandishing a large knife, planted it in the ground and shouted, "Where did this scoundrel come from, daring to cause trouble here!"
Yuan Tie pointed his knife at the enemy and retorted, "Grandson! Listen to my name carefully: White Tiger Gang."
Slippery stepped forward and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense and hand over the person right now!"
Yuan Tie jumped up and slapped the slick guy on the head, "When did you get the right to interrupt?"
The shopkeeper spat, "Who's whose grandson? Don't you even take a piss and see what you look like? Every customer, regardless of status, is my second parent. How could I let you take them away so easily?"
Yuan Tie didn't want to get entangled with him any longer. "Hey, upstairs, we've found him. Can you tie him up first?"
Shen Minghuai, who was watching the commotion, suddenly became the target of everyone's anger. In an instant, many people poured out of the side rooms and surrounded Wang Yan's door.
“Young Master Shen, our Righteous Alliance has always avoided any entanglement with the imperial court. If we were to be implicated one day, it would be disastrous. What do you say?”
Junior Sister Qu Zhen walked to Ye Can's side and said, "Second Senior Brother, don't waste your breath. Just tie them up. They're very cunning."
"You kidnapped someone, but did you get my permission?"
A young girl in a light blue dress opened the door and walked out, followed by two guards. Although they were about the same age as her, Qu Zhen felt inexplicably afraid of her.
"You two! What are you doing..."
Ye Can wasn't surprised. "How could Junior Brother possibly hold onto Young Master Shen's men?"
Shen Minghuai glanced coldly at the two people behind Wang Yan, and Hua Xin quickly waved his hand, silently protesting his innocence.
Wang Yan stood next to Shen Minghuai, leaned on the railing, looked down at the crowd below, and said with a smile, "How about we cooperate for once?"
"How do we cooperate?" On the other side of the corridor, a handsome young man's gaze fell directly on Wang Yan.
Qu Zhi complained to Ye Can, "Is Senior Brother really going to cooperate with them?"
Wang Yan tilted his head, deep in thought, "But we can only cooperate with one gang, and you—"
Yuan Tie's eyes lit up, and he grinned, shouting, "Choose us! We're looking for—"
Wang Yan put her index finger to her lips and gave a loud shushing sound, then took Shen Minghuai's hand in hers. "I'll set the standards."
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