Chapter 67 Testing
Ji Jinghe ordered his men to guard the cave for five days. The other party was anxious, but also took precautions, taking away only a small amount of goods each day. This continued for four or five days, and the amount increased day by day. They couldn't wait even a moment longer.
The group hurried to their posts and waited for the appointed time to arrive.
The other party moved with practiced skill, and in the short time it takes to burn half an incense stick, they set off to transport some goods. After everyone was on the road, they surrounded and captured everyone.
Wei Ji was the first to capture the leader and personally escorted him back to the Lizhou Prefecture government office. Qian Zhang was woken up from his sleep and saw the more than twenty people that Ji Jing had captured, which made him feel irritated.
Before he could speak, Ji Jinghe ordered him to be taken away for interrogation.
Qian Zhang followed behind, "Sir, where did these people come from?"
Ji Jinghe looked at the document in his hand, unwilling to answer any nonsense.
The courtyard of the prefectural government office was filled with bags of salt; there was no need to guess what they were.
Qian Zhang: "I am terrified. You should have entrusted this to me before you took action. Why did you have to make such a small trip?"
Ji Jinghe remained silent, and the entire prison in the prefectural government office was instantly illuminated, and the silence was gone.
"I said I would fully cooperate, but I don't know if that still counts."
"Of course it counts. May I ask what your purpose is, sir?"
"I need manpower; as for the rest, you don't need to worry about them."
Qian Zhang readily agreed and immediately turned to leave. As soon as he stepped out of the prison, he grabbed the hand of the bailiff beside him and gritted his teeth, saying, "Go and send a message to the Shen family, tell them to quickly find a way for me..."
"He said his nephew didn't want him to live, and he didn't want me to live either."
After receiving the order, the yamen runners hurriedly ran away. Qian Zhang then had some yamen runners selected and went back into the prison.
Ji Jinghe was from the Censorate and was used to spending his days and nights in dark and gloomy places. Qian Zhang had been listening to screams all night and his head was throbbing.
Unfortunately, he ran into a tough nut to crack; no matter how much he was interrogated, the person wouldn't open a word.
Ji Jinghe was patient; he could calmly drink tea and read books while listening to the groans and screams, which made Qian Zhang, who was sitting next to him, feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
The constables returned from their search, bringing back an unknown merchant and finding forged travel documents in his shop.
This did not meet Ji Jinghe's expectations, so he directly tied the person to the rack.
Despite the great effort, the vendor readily admitted to everything and took full responsibility.
"This salt is either being transported elsewhere or to the border regions," the merchant said weakly.
"Are goods being transported to the border regions by boat?" Ji Jinghe asked.
The vendor said, "This time I'm transporting a lot of goods, and shipping is cheap, so I thought I'd send them to northern Xinjiang and then have someone transport them westward."
It took a lot of trouble.
Ji Jinghe glanced at Wei Ji: "You've spoken?"
"It's open."
Wei Ji glanced at the people on the shelf and said in a low voice, "The same story. They said they were just following orders to transport goods, but they don't know what they were transporting."
Ji Jinghe turned and left, a gloomy look gathering between his brows.
All's fair in war; Qian Zhang was playing tricks on him.
They wanted to drag someone down as a scapegoat, so they went along with it.
"Post a notice saying that the smuggling case has caught the murderer, and tell our people to go back as well," Ji Jinghe said, picking up a cup of tea.
Wei Ji hesitated: "Grandpa..."
Ji Jinghe: "Go, and also post another notice saying that anyone who recommends someone for smuggling will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver."
The opponent was not easy to deal with, as was Qian Zhang, but Ji Jinghe was determined to fight against the shrewd people in the shadows.
Inside the sunken house.
Yu An was also busy, until Ji Jinghe rushed out yesterday, because there was new information.
She stayed at home, wanting to learn as much as possible, not wanting to rely solely on Ji Jinghe to bring back information.
Shen Qiulan's illness showed no signs of improvement, so they changed the prescription again. The medicine was even more bitter than before, and she had to eat a piece of candied fruit with every sip.
After a long while, he finally made Shen Qiulan finish the bowl of medicine.
“I went out for a walk the other day and saw that many people in Lizhou City were praising the Shen family. That’s when I realized that my uncle’s business was so big.”
Yu-an casually brought it up, as if they were just having a casual chat.
Shen Qiulan didn't think much of it and casually replied, "Your uncle and the others went south early. They came back to Lizhou a few years after I got married. Nearly twenty years have passed, so they should look like this now."
"I heard that Qin Yue gave you a lot of things, but you were too embarrassed to accept them."
Shen Qiulan looked at her with a smile, "You know your uncle's family is rich, so don't worry about these trivial matters. Just keep it safe; they won't miss out on this little bit."
Yu An smiled and said, "I wonder what kind of business Uncle started out in? For the past twenty years, it seems like everything has gone smoothly. Isn't he just born to be a businessman?"
She had been staying with Shen Qiulan these past few days. The two had become familiar with each other, and she dared to say some intimate things.
Shen Qiulan sighed: "It's not that easy. In the early years, I lost a lot of money in the silk business. Even my father couldn't pay back his debts and came to the capital to borrow money from me. Later, I don't know how, the business gradually improved."
Yu'an was stunned for a moment, then heard her say, "Your uncle learned his lesson from your maternal grandfather and has become more discreet and low-key. In fact, he is quite wealthy."
They were indeed low-key in their actions, and even the funeral of Old Master Shen was conducted in a very proper manner, which was really not outstanding compared to other families of similar stature.
“If they give you and Jinghe anything, you can take it. I helped them a lot when they were in debt, so it’s only right that they give you something now.”
Yu'an had lived in the Ji family for almost two years, and apart from the Lin family's insignificant relatives, she had never seen anyone from Shen Qiulan's family come to visit, let alone the Shen family, who were far away in Lizhou.
Even if bones are broken but tendons remain connected, over the years, the connection has probably faded considerably.
Shen Qiulan has been recuperating here for so long, and the Shen family has hardly ever come to visit her.
Yu An understood, and left after settling the person in.
After coming out, Baozhu couldn't help but sigh, "The Shen family is really low-key. The old man of the Shen family was the Minister of Revenue, yet they held such a low-key funeral."
It wasn't that Baozhu remembered it on purpose; it was just that she had been traveling for a long time and had finally arrived at her destination, but she couldn't sleep or eat well, so she knew everything clearly.
"If you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet; it's normal," Yu'an explained.
Baozhu was delighted: "I haven't wasted my time here. I've found two deaf-mute maids here."
As Yu'an was still in surprise, Baozhu immediately pointed excitedly and said, "Look, young lady, it's those two."
As soon as she spoke of the devil, he appeared. She quickly stepped forward and grabbed the two men.
Yu An quickly caught up, pretending to say, "We've gotten lost here and can't find our way back. Can you give us directions?"
The two maids looked at each other in bewilderment and immediately panicked, taking a step back. Just as Baozhu was about to pull them aside to say something, someone came from behind.
"Cousin-in-law".
Upon seeing this, the two maids hurriedly ran away. Yu An looked back and saw that it was Shen Qinyue.
Shen Qinyue stepped forward and took her arm. "Cousin-in-law, are you unable to leave this garden?"
Yu An smiled helplessly, "Yes, this new garden is too big, and I have no sense of direction. I wandered around two or three times and couldn't find my way out."
Shen Qinyue: "Luckily, my cousin-in-law ran into me, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get out today."
Yu An smiled and casually agreed with a few words.
"Where's my cousin? He's only been back for a few days, why has he disappeared again?"
Yu An: "I don't know. He's a very mysterious person. I guess some friends invited him over, and they ran into each other and didn't want to come back."
Shen Qinyue joked, "But it's alright. Once Auntie is feeling better, he should go back to the capital."
Ever since learning about the murky nature of the Shen family, Yu An has become more discerning in her judgment of people. She used to think Shen Qinyue was naive, but now, upon closer inspection, she might not be so.
What may seem like an ordinary question can be a subtle test.
Her solution was to play dumb.
Shen Qinyue escorted her back to her room before returning herself. Yu An, tending the stove, couldn't help but recall Ji Jinghe's words.
Smuggling is not an easy task. Behind the collusion between officials and businessmen are layers upon layers of management teams. With so much goods, there must be many people who need them. If they were to hire people normally, the labor costs would be a huge expense. If they were to use trafficked people, the remaining profits would be substantial.
As Yu An pondered for a moment, resting her chin on her hand, her mind wandered until she saw Ji Jinghe return, her mind still blank.
"Qin Yue keeps asking me where you are. What should I say next time she asks me?" Yu An picked up her chopsticks and said casually.
Ji Jinghe: "Tell the truth."
Suddenly intrigued, Yu An guessed that it was time for him to confront Shen Yi.
Ji Jinghe saw right through her, a faint smile playing on his lips, a unique warmth tinged in his eyes. "My uncle and I haven't come clean yet, and besides, I don't have any evidence to prove that he is him."
He looks at concrete evidence, while Yu-an relies on guesswork.
Yu An nodded in understanding. "Baozhu discovered two deaf-mute maids. I happened to run into them today. The two maids acted as if they had seen a ghost. We had just started talking to them when my cousin arrived. In my opinion, we should investigate them as well."
"However, I need your help with this matter, the Shen family's estate..."
"I know," Ji Jinghe interrupted helplessly, then said gently, "Let's eat."
He seemed unfazed by anything, knowing everything and able to take it all in stride.
Yu An stared blankly at the dishes on the table for a moment, then said nothing more.
At the very beginning, she came here to bring down the Yan family. Ji Jinghe, having lived in the imperial court for a long time, knows more about things than she does. In comparison, she is the most relaxed during this period.
Although I didn't have high hopes of winning in one fell swoop, I was still looking forward to the result and hoping for the best.
Yu An took a couple of bites, but felt inexplicably irritated, so she had to stop eating.
"What's wrong?"
She looked at him, her brows furrowing. "Ji Jinghe, I'll ask you one more time. If the Yan family's smuggling is truly inextricably linked to the Shen family, what will you do?"
"If you truly uphold justice, how will you conduct yourself? How will your mother-in-law conduct herself? Will the Ji family and the Shen family cease all contact?"
"You're worried about me."
Yu An shook her head slightly, "No."
"That means you doubt me."
She neither confirmed nor denied it.
Ji Jinghe stopped eating. "Yu'an, I only believe in evidence."
His fundamental nature is to hate evil as if it were his enemy, and his duty is to distinguish between public and private matters.
Therefore, she received no promises in return, only a very superficial statement.
What she said on the surface could be said to anyone, but to her, it was as if she hadn't said anything at all.
Yu An smiled wryly and continued eating.
The next day, Shen Yi returned home with an unusually large entourage, unlike before when he had been quiet and unassuming, as if he was afraid of being discovered.
Ji Jinghe was away on short notice, and Shen Qiulan was recuperating, so Yu An had to go out alone. As an outsider, she felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable sitting in front of the Shen family.
"Don't be shy, make yourself at home, eat up," Aunt Chen urged, and even put a piece of meat on Yu'an's plate.
Yu An said "Eh," which meant it was time to eat.
Shen Yi had a handsome appearance. He was middle-aged and had a short beard. He had no trace of the snobbishness of a businessman. He had an air of otherworldly wisdom and was quite like an official in the imperial court.
Wearing a dark green robe, one could vaguely see a resemblance to Ji Jinghe in his features and demeanor.
"How is your mother-in-law doing these days?" Shen Yi asked.
Yu An put down her chopsticks and replied, "The medicine didn't help, but now I've changed the prescription, and it seems to be working better than before."
Shen Yi: "Thanks to you for taking care of my old sister. It's been so many years since we last saw her. You must know her better than we do."
Yu An was surprised that he would be so blunt; it seemed that Shen Qiulan and the Shen family really didn't have much contact.
Similarly, the relationship between Shen Yi and his nephew Ji Jinghe is probably quite ordinary.
Aunt Shen spoke up from the side: "We originally intended for you two to come together, but Jinghe had to leave at the last minute. We wanted to have you two talk more during the funeral, but we were too busy. If we had known this would happen, we should have arranged to meet tomorrow."
Yu An feigned indifference: "He's too busy with his own affairs, and he's surrounded by a bunch of shady friends. Who knows which friend he hasn't seen in a long time will call him away tomorrow? Don't worry about him."
Shen Yi chimed in, "I went to Fulin a few days ago and saw Jinghe, but he was busy so I didn't say anything. I wonder what friend he went to Fulin to see?"
Yu An opened her mouth, "I don't know either."
“My sister-in-law seems carefree and doesn’t hold grudges over these things,” Shen’s sister-in-law chimed in.
Shen Qinyue: "Yes, I also heard about how you beat the drum to appeal for justice for your father."
News from the capital reached Lizhou very quickly; Yu An had never mentioned any of this.
Yu An pretended to be confused, "There's nothing mysterious about it, I was just lucky. Actually, I don't know anything, I just remember what my mother taught me when she was alive."
She didn't want to talk about these things, but Shen Qinyue wouldn't let go of the conversation.
"Sister-in-law, I heard you're also from the South. Which part of the South are you from?"
“Jiangling, my maternal grandfather’s family is in Jiangling.”
Shen Yi listened quietly, not breaking the atmosphere, letting Shen Qinyue speak, and even Shen's aunt did not stop her.
This person is usually not very talkative, I don't know what's wrong with him today.
Yu An was quite annoyed and disgusted by this bottomless probing. She endured the meal and only made an excuse to leave after a long while.
When they returned, Ji Jinghe was also there.
It was rare to see her with such a stern face, so he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Did you not like the food?"
Yu An took off her coat and teased, "It's so delicious, it's a pity you didn't go and eat it, you're too naive."
Rarely seeing her throw a tantrum, Ji Jinghe became even more curious and teased, "It seems it really is delicious, even making Madam angry."
Yu An glanced at him and realized that he had really changed too much during this period, and he no longer seemed like Ji Jinghe.
A serious person has started to talk nonsense.
Yu An sneered, "Indeed, how can you not get angry when someone is being tested both openly and secretly?"
"It can be considered a continuation of the same lineage, and I'm sure you've learned a lot of its essence."
Hearing her sharp tongue made Ji Jinghe feel much better, though he kept a cold expression on his face while secretly enjoying the conversation.
"Looks like it was not only delicious, but you ate quite a lot..." He watched her carefully wiping her hands with a mischievous grin, his tone still somewhat nonsensical.
"You've got nothing to do; you should be the one going to those kinds of events."
Yu An talked on and on, like pouring out beans, seemingly without end, her words vivid and lively.
Ji Jinghe put down his book, and a crisp sound faintly reached his ears. Looking up, the sound became clearer...
"If it weren't for..."
Suddenly, everything went black.
“Ji Jinghe…”
Just as she was about to ask him why he turned off the light so hastily, his hand covered her ear, and his warm breath brushed against her ear.
There are people on the roof.
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