At lunchtime, Yin dined at the woman's house, treating it like a farmhouse inn. He even discussed business with her, such as who was in charge of the business and the daily fish catch.
Yin Dao sat leisurely in the flower hall, waiting for the head of the family to return.
Qingyan sat in the dining room, chatting with the woman, while Yin listened. Although she seemed to be just having a casual chat, she was actually analyzing all the useful information.
"This humble woman is Ning Yangshi," the woman quickly replied when Qingyan asked her name.
Qingyan asked in surprise, Ning...
"Ning Chengye is your brother-in-law?" Qingyan had heard of Ning Chengye. He was a talented man from Shandong, said to be extremely intelligent, and even the teachers at the academy had high expectations for him.
Ning Yangshi nodded quickly. Her brother-in-law was very famous, and some of the women in the family hoped to win his favor.
"Madam, my brother-in-law is quite famous, and many people come here seeking his calligraphy." Ning Yangshi was pleased with her brother-in-law's reputation.
The family's small restaurant and seafood business owe much to the reputation of my brother-in-law.
"Did he do anything unusual in the days leading up to the expedition?" Qingyan asked.
Looking back, those days were the happiest in the family. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law were looking forward to her brother-in-law's success, but this time it cost three lives.
“Yes, that’s true. My brother-in-law didn’t stay at home for those few days. My mother-in-law said he went to study at a remote place,” Ning Yangshi said. “Before, my brother-in-law liked to stay in his study and rarely went out. But those few days were different.”
Qingyan smiled as she stared at Ning Yangshi, who was speaking haltingly about her brother-in-law's unusual behavior.
"By the way, on the day before the exam at Qianling, my brother-in-law was very excited. He even told my husband that he not only wanted to take the exam, but also wanted to make a meaningful reform." Ning Yangshi remembered that my husband was furious when he heard what my brother-in-law said and almost beat him up.
What?!
Yin frowned slightly. It was this sentence that made him feel that there might be something fishy about the matter.
"Change?!" Qingyan asked.
Ning Yangshi nodded quickly, but she heard this word from her brother-in-law. The head of the household had a fierce argument with him and said that this matter was not up to her brother-in-law to decide.
"As the head of the family once said, every change is achieved by appointing officials." Ning Yangshi now understood what the head of the family meant.
The younger brother's suicide may be a tragedy of change; they would rather not have this change. In the past, the younger brother was very upright, and if the head of the household was not careful, he would be plotted against by the younger brother.
"Wife, I'm back!" A rough shout stopped the two from talking. They looked up and saw a man in his thirties stepping in from the doorway, a smile on his dark face.
He had a good catch at sea today, and seeing the two people at the door, he felt a sense of anticipation.
After the fishing boat docked at the pier, he heard that a group of people had come from outside the village and said they would stay in the village for a whole day. He wondered when he could meet with them and send his grievances to the outside district, preferably to the capital.
"Who... are you?" Ning Chengji walked in and saw Qingyan and Ning Yangshi sitting quietly together, both of them smiling.
Yin emerged from behind the screen and sized up Ning Chengji, who was Ning Chengye's elder brother.
"You are Ning Chengji?!" Qingyan stood up, and after Yin sat down, she whispered a few words to Ning Yangshi, and the two went directly behind the screen.
Ning Chengji nodded quickly. He noticed that Yin had a unique temperament and didn't seem to be from a humble family. He understood that these people must have come to investigate his younger brother.
"Sit down." Yin nodded. The two Ning brothers were quite different, their personalities were somewhat diametrically opposed. "I'm here about Ning Chengye!"
Ning Chengji nodded, picked up the water glass on the table, and poured himself a glass of water.
“I have someone watching me. How long have you been here?” Ning Chengji felt uneasy. During the day, Ning Yangshi had to stay at home alone, and if someone came to cause trouble, he would not be able to help.
“All day long, those people outside still don’t know my identity.” Yin directly answered his question, as men’s affairs would never involve women. “I want to know if Ning Chengye was involved in the examination hall’s affairs.”
Seeing Ning Chengji's pale face, Yin sighed and said, "How much do you know?!"
Ning Chengji was dejected. He realized that after his younger brother passed away, his family had been targeted. Those people didn't do anything extra, just watched how many people attended his brother's funeral.
“I only know that he said he wanted to participate in the reform. I said, these are all things that are earned with lives. Chengye is restless. Even if I beat him up, it won’t make a difference.” Ning Chengji felt extremely painful when she thought of her deceased parents.
He doted on Ning Chengye, and he would give his younger brother everything he wanted.
"Hmm, besides this, was Ning Chengye murdered or hanged?" Ning Chengji should have seen Ning Chengye's appearance before the coroner arrived.
Ning Chengji glanced at Yin in surprise. The coroner said it was suicide by hanging, and they had nowhere to seek justice. He clearly saw two wounds on Ning Chengye's neck.
“He was murdered. Chengye wouldn’t hang himself. He’s going to get married after the imperial examination!” Ning Chengji couldn’t understand why Chengye couldn’t accept getting engaged as he wished.
"Wasn't the engagement broken off?" Yin had heard Ning Yangshi talk about it, saying that the woman had become someone's concubine.
"Hehe, that was Chengye's childhood betrothal. The other party's parents are snobbish; they wanted their daughter to marry into a higher social class. Chengye likes another girl; she's good in every way, except her family isn't well-off—she's an orphan." Ning Chengji laughed. His wife was gentle; if it were that other woman, he would have wanted to separate from the family. "After the betrothal was called off, Chengye persuaded my parents to go to that girl's house to propose marriage. This was a very secretive matter; they said they would only announce it before the wedding."
Ning Chengji looked Yin up and down, placing all his hopes on Yin.
"My lord, I will not ask your identity, but can you clear Chengye's name?" Ning Chengji pleaded with Yin.
Ning Chengye was burdened with the reputation of committing suicide due to his association with scientific research forces. Even if he went to the underworld, he would still be ridiculed.
Since Chengye passed away, the neighbors have been gossiping a lot, and his parents have heard too many rumors, which has driven them to their deaths.
"Okay, are you sure there are two wounds?" Yin couldn't have someone perform an autopsy, as that would alert the enemy.
"Definitely. I personally changed Chengye's clothes and found two scars, but I didn't mention it to anyone outside the network." Ning Chengji could tell that Yin genuinely wanted to help.
"Were the other scholars who hanged themselves on good terms with him?" Yin had always felt that this incident was a small-scale massacre.
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