Just as Shen Yao was caught in a dilemma, Xie Yu and Jing Ning also entered the city.
Shen Yao entrusted the child to the two of them and then rushed back to Chunfeng.
When he arrived at the inn, the gate was tightly closed, and Zhao He and Su Yan were nowhere to be seen.
Shen Yaocai realized he had fallen into a trap.
He climbed over into Chunfenglai's yard and found that the vegetables were still warm, which meant that the person hadn't gone far.
Shen Yao then searched around and found that the lights were still on in the backyard.
Upon discovering that Su Yan had been dragged to bed by a woman, Shen Yao immediately climbed through the window and subdued Chun Niang.
Su Yan was very worried about Shen Yao's sudden disappearance.
He pressed further, asking, "Where are you going?"
Shen Yao pressed Chunniang's arm and glanced at Su Yan, "We'll talk about that later. Let's ask this woman what she wants to do first."
"Chen Yao, release Chun Niang first."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yao looked at her blankly, seemingly not understanding why Su Yan wanted him to let go.
Seeing that Shen Yao refused to let go, Su Yan stepped forward and pushed him away, saying, "It was Zhao He who wanted to frame me. Chun Niang had no choice."
“Lord Su, you don’t need to defend me. It’s a fact that I murdered the Imperial Envoy. Even if I die, I accept my fate.”
After hearing this, Su Yan smiled faintly, "Chunniang, if you die, your son can never be saved."
Chunniang suddenly raised her head, looking at Su Yan blankly, "What do you mean?"
"Chunniang, do you really think that your son can be saved just by doing what Zhao He said?"
Your son is your weakness; with him around, you'll be Zhao He's pawn for the rest of your life.
“What can I do? If I don’t do what they say, my son will die…”
After saying this, Chunniang collapsed to the ground, covering her face and sobbing.
In fact, Su Yan was well aware that Zhao He was the first obstacle in her plan to investigate Li Qingming's case in Suizhou.
But Su Yan wouldn't give up so easily.
Looking down at the sobbing woman on the ground, he said in a deep voice, "If you want to save your son, there is only one way."
Chunniang stopped crying, looked up and met Su Yan's gaze, looking at her with surprise, "You have a way to save my son?"
Su Yan nodded. "If you want to save your son, you must cooperate with us. I wonder..."
Before she could finish speaking, Chunniang excitedly agreed.
"I promise, I'll do anything to save my son."
“Alright… According to Zhao He’s plan, they’re coming to Chunfeng to catch them in the act of adultery first thing tomorrow morning. If I’m not there, it will definitely cause trouble for Chunniang, so I’ve decided to play along…”
However, after hearing Su Yan's plan, Shen Yao frowned, seemingly not quite agreeing.
“Su Yan, I think this is too passive. If Zhao He reports the situation to the prefect, the prefect will write a memorial back to the capital to impeach you. Then, let alone investigating Li Qingming’s case, you might not even be able to keep your official hat.”
Su Yan nodded in agreement; it was indeed too passive.
"How about we just find any random man to replace you?"
Su Yan thought for a moment and then shook her head in rejection, "No, that would be bad for Chunniang and would also make Zhao He more wary."
Just as the two were frowning in worry, voices suddenly came from outside the door.
"Since the men can't do it, then the women will have to take their place..."
Su Yan, Shen Yan, and Shen Yao looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jing Ning and Xie Yu standing at the window waving to them.
Su Yan was clearly surprised to see the two of them; she had thought they wouldn't arrive in Luoshui Town until tomorrow.
When did you arrive in Luoshui Town?
Jing Ning climbed in through the window and explained with a smile, "Half an hour ago, I just didn't expect the enemy to be so swift and ruthless. They attacked you two as soon as they entered the city, not even giving you a chance to catch your breath."
Shen Yao picked up where Jing Ning left off, "I just ran into those two on the street. What about the child?"
Xie Yu's face was ashen, as if he had eaten shit. "Don't even mention it. He's just a little liar. Not only did he steal my money, but he also deliberately delayed us from leaving."
Su Yan looked at the three of them, completely bewildered. "What exactly is going on?"
Soon, Xie Yu and Jing Ning told the two of them about being entangled with the child.
After Shen Yao left, the child led the two of them around the city in circles, and Xie Yu and Jing Ning obviously realized that something was wrong.
The mother at home is sick, so we should go to a clinic to see a doctor, but we passed many pharmacies along the way and didn't see the child go in.
When Xie Yu confronted the child, the child hatched a scheme and stole the money while the two weren't looking, then secretly ran away.
After listening, Su Yan suddenly understood.
"It seems that Zhao He deliberately had someone hold off Shen Yao so that he would have more time to target me. I really underestimated Zhao He."
“Zhao He has been lingering in Luoshui Town for many years, and he must be involved in Li Qingming’s case to some extent. I think we should follow Su Yan’s plan and turn the tables on him,” Xie Yu said in a deep voice.
"No, I think the idea of turning the tables is good, but I also agree with Shen Yao's point that doing so would indeed put us in a passive position."
Jing Ning interrupted Su Yan, "Stop arguing, all of you. Tomorrow, let me pretend to be Su Yan. When Zhao He appears, you can confront him and that will be the end of it."
Xie Yu was somewhat worried, "But wouldn't doing this be too risky?"
Su Yan remained silent for a long time, repeatedly pondering the best solution in her mind.
By having Jingning impersonate someone and expose her in front of Zhao He, we could both protect Chunniang and avoid being forced into a passive position.
"I think the princess's idea is feasible."
"But what if something goes wrong? How will we explain this..."
Xie Yu was about to say something when Jing Ning slapped her on the head. "Xie Yu, during these days away from the capital, I no longer consider myself a high and mighty princess. Su Yan was willing to plead for the people, disregarding her own safety. As a member of the Liang royal family, what's wrong with me..."
"Princess, I..."
Before Xie Yu could finish speaking, Jing Ning cut to the chase, "Xie Yu, mind your own business. Su Yan isn't afraid of anything, so why should I, the princess, be afraid of anything..."
“Your Highness, Shen Yao and I will definitely protect your safety and will never let Zhao He take you away.”
Jing Ning walked up to Su Yan, smiled, patted her shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Su Yan, this princess believes in you."
Finally, the minority settled on a strategy based on the rule of majority rule.
Although Xie Yu was reluctant to put Jing Ning in danger, he had no choice but to agree.
The next morning, Zhao He indeed appeared at the entrance of Chunfenglai with a large group of officials. After saying something to Chunniang, he rushed in.
Meanwhile, Su Yan and her group hid in the shadows and secretly observed.
Before long, the officials brought out a person who looked exactly like Su Yan from Chunfeng.
Fortunately, Jing Ning's height and build were exactly the same as Su Yan's, so it was difficult to tell them apart after the disguise.
Not to mention Zhao He, who had only met Su Yan twice.
Clearly, Jing Ning, disguised as Su Yan, had fooled Zhao He's men.
All that's needed now is to expose Zhao He in public.
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