Chapter 15
Evening, inside the Xu family study.
"You're coming to the Ministry of Justice?" Deng Yan was both surprised and delighted.
Xu Xuan nodded. "The Imperial Concubine's letter of recommendation has been submitted to Chief Minister Liu. As for whether she can be admitted, it depends on the Emperor's decision."
"The matter of the 'seditious book' involves the Shen family and the Imperial Concubine. Your assistance in investigating the case can appease them, and the Emperor should approve it. However, I'm curious, given your numerous conflicts with the Shen family, how did you manage to persuade the Imperial Concubine?"
Xu Xuan smiled slyly, patted Deng Yan on the shoulder and said, "I was just giving the Consort a simple analysis of the situation, and I think she thinks what I said makes sense."
"Good lad, you've got guts!"
Deng Yan punched him in the chest and laughed, "From now on, we'll be working together in the Ministry of Justice. I hope Young Master Xu will take good care of me!"
"You're older than me, and besides, the Ministry of Justice is your kinsman, so you should take care of me!"
"Okay, okay, let's help each other out." The two looked at each other and smiled.
After the banter ended, it was time to discuss politics. Both of them also put away their joking manner.
"What has the Imperial Concubine done?" Deng Yan asked cautiously.
Xu Xuan frowned, his face turning extremely pale.
“I thought that after I said those words, the Consort would avoid trouble on her own. But I forgot that she was a gambler, and gamblers don’t care about their lives. So I improvised, went along with her wishes, and took the initiative to flatter and fawn over her.”
"So what?" Deng Yan asked anxiously.
“She told me to tell the Grand Secretary that Liu Shen wrote the seditious book.” Xu Xuan’s throat tightened. “I lied to the Grand Secretary and my teacher.”
"Tomorrow, tomorrow they'll probably target Liu Shen." Xu Xuan lowered her head in shame, not daring to look her friend in the eye.
Everyone says politics is dirty, and he has truly experienced it firsthand. He has witnessed how disgusting insincerity and sycophancy can be.
Deng Yan sighed and then comforted him, "Ziwei, you did a great job. Besides, even if you didn't say it, the Consort would have sent someone to convey it. So it doesn't really matter who wrote the seditious book. What matters is that the Grand Secretary has the Consort's support and they want the seditious book to be written by someone else."
Deng Yan looked up, his eyes filled with worry, "The capital is probably going to be in complete chaos!"
Xu Xuan remained silent, lost in thought.
Deng Yan continued, "However, if we can find the author of the demonic book and expose the person behind it, things might not be so bad. Do you remember what I told you before?"
Xu Xuan frowned, and asked uncertainly, "Your drinking friend?"
"That's right, I went to his house after my shift today, and guess what?"
Deng Yan gritted his teeth, furious. "The place is deserted."
Xu Xuan's heart tightened again, and then he heard Deng Yan say, "However, the Emperor has made up his mind to find out the author of the seditious book, and has already mobilized the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Five City Garrison. With them investigating the case, the mastermind behind it will surely have nowhere to hide."
Xu Xuan's eyes darkened, and he said, "If that's not enough, we need to help as well." His voice was unusually firm.
What do you want to do?
"Once the transfer order is issued, I will request a group of personnel from the Grand Secretary to personally investigate the case."
Deng Yan hummed in agreement, and after a few moments replied, "Instead of waiting to be killed, we should take the initiative. I'll go with you."
Okay~
After the two had reached an agreement, it was already late at night. However, in order not to attract attention, Deng Yan still quietly left through the back gate of the Xu residence.
After seeing Deng Yan off, Xu Xuan was going back to Liu Ru's room to sleep as usual. However, when he turned into the corridor, he suddenly stopped for some reason and his eyes subconsciously glanced at Shen Yao's room.
The door was tightly closed, with only the round window lattice emitting a pale yellow glow. A woman sat by the window with her eyes lowered, her long black hair cascading down like a waterfall, softly draped over her shoulders.
Inside the room, Shen Yao was writing and drawing on paper with a calligraphy brush, her expression extremely focused, unaware that someone was approaching from outside the window.
"Miss, it's late. Let's look at it tomorrow," the maid Biluo said, bringing over a bowl of hot tea.
Shen Yao gave a soft "hmm," but her almond-shaped eyes remained fixed on the map on the table.
The map depicted the layout of the capital's streets and marked major commercial and residential areas. Since the demonic book could spread throughout the capital overnight, the person behind it must have spent considerable effort researching its routes, so she attempted to draw a map of the book's spread.
Putting down her brush, Shen Yao turned her neck a few times and looked out the window. What she saw almost scared her to death: a human head was pressed against the window frame, coldly staring at her.
Shen Yao jumped up from her chair almost instantly, and at the same time, a terrified scream echoed in the room: "Ah, a ghost!"
Screams echoed both inside and outside the house.
Xu Xuan outside the window: "???"
After the initial shock, Biluo was the first to react. She pointed out the window and shouted, "It's not a ghost, it's the young master!"
Shen Yao looked closely, her already anxious heart pounding even harder. "Isn't that a ghost?"
Xu Xuan is scarier than a demon!
That man was a ruthless person who drove his wife to her death and didn't even collect her body in the end.
According to unofficial historical records, Xu Xuan's first wife, Shen, hanged herself in prison. Xu Xuan refused to bury her in the family cemetery and abandoned her in a mass grave.
Another note says that Shen was pregnant when she died.
However, research has found that the author of the notes was Xu Xuan's political enemy, and most people believe that it is a deliberate smear and therefore do not accept it.
Historical records clearly state that Xu Xuan had no biological children. Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring; moreover, even tigers do not eat their cubs.
If Shen was indeed pregnant, Xu Xuan wouldn't have stood by and watched her die, after all, it was his bloodline! So only she herself knows the truth.
Pushing open the window, the crisp air carrying the fragrance of winter plum blossoms rushed in. Shen Yao frowned and questioned, "What are you peeking at in the middle of the night?"
The tone was very unfriendly.
Xu Xuan, standing outside the window, was not having an easy time either. The night wind was damp and cold, and he was already dressed in thin clothes. After watching for a while, he was already shivering from the cold. Moreover, he was caught peeking and mistaken for a ghost, so his face turned red and white with embarrassment.
However, he was not to be outdone and retorted, "This is my home. Do I need to explain to you what I see?"
Feeling guilty, Xu Xuan deliberately avoided her eyes and looked at the woman's neck instead.
The room was warm with charcoal burning inside. Shen Yao was dressed lightly, her white undergarment clinging to her skin, highlighting her beautiful curves.
Shen Yao snorted coldly, not wanting to waste any more words with him. As she was about to close the window, she noticed that his gaze was fixed on what was in front of her. She glanced down and instantly became furious. She glared at him and cursed, "You're such a lecherous scoundrel!"
Xu Xuan: "..."
Their eyes met, and sparks flew.
Xu Xuan was so angry he almost couldn't breathe. He didn't want to talk to Shen Yao and turned to leave.
As he passed through the wintersweet, an idea suddenly popped into his head. He casually broke off a few wintersweet branches and said with a defiant smile, "Ru'er loves wintersweet the most. I'm here to pick flowers."
Before leaving, he even made a point of praising, "The flowers are well grown!" before departing gracefully.
Shen Yao: "..."
"This is outrageous! I'll cut down the winter plum trees tomorrow."
Shen Yao gritted her teeth.
Biluo, who was behind her, was startled and quickly stepped forward to stop her: "Miss, you mustn't do that! That's a famous wintersweet, which you've carefully cultivated for a long time!"
Shen Yao: "..."
*
I slept soundly through the night.
As dawn broke, Shen Yao woke up. She had spent half the day studying the map yesterday, hoping it would come in handy today. So, after breakfast, the two of them took a carriage to the Shen family home.
When they arrived at the back gate of the Shen family, they saw her brother, Shen Fan, waiting there with a bundle hanging on his body. After opening the bundle, Shen Yao changed into men's clothing, and the two of them did not waste any time before heading towards the Northern Garrison.
Yesterday morning, Shen Yao asked Shen Fan to help find Han Yu, and Shen Fan did so. He led several Imperial Guards to inquire about people in the alleys of Jiangnan. Later, following the directions of passersby, they found Han Yu's residence.
As luck would have it, when the Imperial Guards arrived, Han Yu was packing his clothes, seemingly about to flee, so they immediately arrested him.
"What right do you have to arrest me?" Han Yu resisted fiercely.
"I received an anonymous letter; someone has reported you for extortion."
The dim torches flickered, and the damp air was filled with the stench of decay and blood. The walls were covered with mottled bloodstains, and the ground was covered with a dark brown liquid that was indistinguishable from blood or sewage.
This is the infamous Imperial Prison, a "slaughterhouse" on earth.
"Little sister, are you alright?" Shen Fan asked with concern.
"I'm okay, just a little nauseous." Shen Yao leaned against the wall, her face pale.
"I told you, I'd handle the interrogation myself. How could you, a young woman, not feel uncomfortable coming in here?"
"I want to personally interrogate Han Yu." Shen Yao's gaze was very firm.
A down-on-his-luck scholar who could stir up such a storm in the capital and be recorded in history books is extraordinary and worthy of investigation. Shen Yao didn't want to miss this opportunity.
With a click, the prison cell door was opened by the jailer, and a disheveled man sitting on the ground raised his head. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, a broad chin, and rough skin.
Since Shen Fan was just using an excuse to arrest him, Han Yu was locked in an ordinary cell and was not tortured. Therefore, when Shen Yao looked at him, she did not detect any panic on his face.
"You are Han Yu?" Shen Yao asked, looking him up and down.
Han Yu was startled and was about to stand up when Shen Fan shouted angrily, "Don't get up and answer!"
The jailer did not put shackles on him, but Shen Fan was afraid that he would become desperate and harm his sister, so she drew her embroidered spring knife to intimidate him.
"I am Han Yu."
He looked at Shen Fan and asked, "May I ask, Commander Shen, what mistake have I made?"
Han Yu had been dragged here and severely tortured by Shen Fan when he tried to extort money from Shen's father last time, so he still remembered Shen Fan vividly.
Shen Fan glanced at his younger sister but did not answer.
Shen Yao said, "Don't you remember what you did?"
A booklet was thrown in front of Han Yu. His eyes darkened, he picked it up and opened it to take a look, then threw the book on the ground as if it were a hot potato, and asked in horror, "What is this?"
They're putting on quite a convincing act!
"Never seen it before? This thing was everywhere in the capital the night before. You were arrested yesterday afternoon, there's no way you haven't seen it before."
Shen Yao crouched down to be at eye level with Han Yu. Being so close, she didn't miss the fleeting look of panic in the man's eyes, even though it was only for a moment.
“I, I slept all morning yesterday and didn’t go out. I didn’t even eat lunch.”
"Where were you the night before last, and what did you do?"
"I'm sleeping."
"Where will you sleep?"
"At home".
"If you slept all night, why do you need to sleep so long the next day?"
"Can't I sleep? Besides, sleeping isn't illegal, is it?"
Shen Yao smiled slightly, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sleeping at home is certainly not illegal, and you have your wife and children by your side, so why did you leave?"
When his wife and children were mentioned, Han Yu's eyes widened suddenly, and he became agitated. "They know nothing. If you have any problems, come at me. Don't hurt the women and children."
Han Yu's wife and children are his Achilles' heel!
Shen Yao didn't speak again, but just watched him quietly, as if watching prey that had fallen into a net and was still struggling desperately. His courage was commendable, but it was meaningless, because he would eventually speak!
“The man was wearing a mask and said he would give me a sum of money after the job was done. Before I could leave, you caught me.”
Han Yu closed his eyes, his voice becoming hoarse.
The siblings exchanged glances, and Shen Yao asked, "How did you post the notice?"
“Organize the beggars in the city, and give each beggar a cotton coat as a reward.”
He paused for a moment, then added, "I got the cotton-padded coat from He's Clothing Store in Jiangnan Hutong. That's all I know."
"How will you get paid after it's done?"
Han Yu swallowed hard and continued, "That person paid me a hundred taels of silver in advance, saying that he would give me the rest of the money in a few days. So I packed my things, planning to take the money and go out to hide for a while before coming back. I didn't expect to be caught by you guys."
Where should we collect the money?
"Five days later, at Ciyun Temple~"
Ciyun Temple is located in the southeast of the inner city, north of Jiangnan Hutong, near the Imperial Examination Hall—a quiet location in a bustling area. The mastermind's choice of such a place for the transaction was indeed convenient for concealing their identity.
Han Yu is cunning and treacherous, and has extorted money from others several times. Although he is not a completely evil person, he should not be trusted.
After discussing with her brother, Shen Yao decided to imprison Han Yu in the imperial prison and first go to Jiangnan Hutong to verify the information. If it was true, they could ambush him at Ciyun Temple on the day of the transaction and catch him like a turtle in a jar.
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