Chapter 104
A carriage creaked out of Luo Shenyuan's mansion. It was already dusk.
Cheng Lang sat in a nearby carriage, sipping tea as he watched it drive away. The cool, fragmented sounds of a market could be heard from afar. Cheng Lang leaned against the wall of the carriage, his handsome, delicate face bathed in the setting sun, revealing an unusual indifference.
Someone outside called out, "Sir." Cheng Lang put down his teacup and asked him to come in.
The man came in through the curtain and said to him, "The spies are back, so we can't get in."
Cheng Lang frowned. He felt that the people Lu Jiaxue had given him were useless, so his tone was very cold: "It's just the residence of a Dali Temple official. How can it be a place with iron walls and solid defenses?"
He searched several dark places but couldn't find any trace of the man. Finally, he figured the most dangerous place was the safest, and it wasn't impossible that Luo Shenyuan was hiding him there. He had been waiting outside for a while, but apart from the Sun family father and daughter coming in and out, there was no one else around. He was about to send someone in to check, but they were useless.
Cheng Lang was able to take other people into account, which was a small matter for him. However, he did not like it when others failed to complete his tasks, as this would disrupt his plans.
The report was somewhat hesitant. "I'm afraid Luo Shenyuan has already taken precautions... While it's not impenetrable, the patrols are very strict. I don't know where he recruited these people from. I think it's very likely that Lord Xu secretly assigned Jinyiwei to him. What do you think we should do now?"
"Have you sent a message to the governor?" Cheng Lang asked him again.
The man nodded and said, "I've sent a message to the governor... The person who replied said that the governor said it's okay not to see him, but we must find out if he has leaked anything."
What's the difference between this and arresting someone?
No wonder Lu Jiaxue wanted to bring him back to do things for him. How could anyone else defeat the new top scholar Luo Shenyuan?
Cheng Lang looked at the gate of Luo Mansion and said, "Forget it if I can't get in." He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall of the car again, saying slowly, "Guard it for me."
At dinner time, Luo Shenyuan sent someone to invite Yi Ning to dinner. When she arrived, he had already returned to his study. Yi Ning thought Luo Shenyuan was angry because she interfered in his private affairs, and she was also a little unhappy. Why did he ask her to come if he wasn't going to eat with her? Seeing the table full of her favorite dishes, she had no appetite, so she drank a bowl of porridge and went back to her room.
After collecting the dishes, the maid went to report to Luo Shenyuan: "... Third Young Master, the young lady only drank one bowl of porridge."
"She's very angry." Luo Shenyuan said as he read the file, "I'll go out early in the morning. Please make her some of her favorite snacks. She's getting thinner."
Luo Shenyuan wanted to see her as little as possible. He really didn't know why he brought her back. Once he thought about her sleeping not far away, within reach, he couldn't calm down. He picked up the teacup and drank the tea. The guard who was waiting beside him was startled: "Sir, the tea is cold. Let me change it for you!"
"That's not necessary," Luo Shenyuan asked. "The carriage guarding the entrance to the alley hasn't left yet, right?"
The guard said, "They haven't left yet. Are you trying to lure the snake out of its hole, sir?"
Luo Shenyuan shook his head and said, "This snake is very cunning and will not come out of its hole easily." He put down the teacup in his hand, "Wang Yuan and Lu Jiaxue are motionless. I'm afraid they have sent experts this time. Just don't let them notice you." The person who came should be Cheng Lang, who is considered a powerful subordinate of Lu Jiaxue.
Luo Shenyuan asked the guards to go down first.
Although Liu Pu was a corrupt official, his confidants were extremely loyal. Even when tortured like that, he didn't say a word.
Xu Wei told him to use any means necessary to get the truth out of this matter, but since he couldn't get any information even after he had burned his body to ashes, it was better not to start with this person.
Luo Shenyuan leaned back in the armchair, looking at the burning candle and thinking quietly.
*
Yining had gotten up very early that day, barely having eaten breakfast, and was directing the maids and servants to clean the house. Sun Congwan had said she would come to see her today.
When she asked the maid, she learned that Luo Shenyuan had gone out to the government office early in the morning and should be back soon. Then she went to the main hall to greet Sun Congwan. Sun Congwan got off the carriage. She was wearing a royal blue jacket with a twined branch pattern, a snow-white twelve-panel silk skirt, and pearl earrings. The wind blew her silk skirt, making her look almost fairy-like.
After entering the main room, Sun Congwan asked the maid to bring a few boxes to Yining.
The young lady from the Sun family was quite generous and gave her the finest jewelry, cosmetics, and a box of amber ointment, which actually smelled like a faint pear scent.
Yi Ning took the box and smelled the fragrance. Seeing her looking left and right, she smiled and said, "Third brother went out this morning."
Sun Congwan argued softly, "I didn't look at him." Her face turned a little dejected again, "Besides... I know he doesn't want to see me."
"Don't overthink it," Yi Ning put down her bright red lacquer box and told her about Luo Shenyuan. "...When Third Brother was young, I remember a girl from the Gao family next door had a crush on him. He always treated her coldly, which scared her away. Don't underestimate his intelligence. Now that he's the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, I'm afraid he's still like that."
"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. I see you're just like my biological sister, so I'm willing to tell you." Sun Congwan's voice was very gentle, but there was a faint smile on the corners of her mouth. "He has a cold personality... Originally, when my father asked him to teach me, he only called me Miss Sun. Later, I didn't want him to call me that, so I told my father that I didn't want to study with him anymore. I've been well-behaved since I was a child and have never been so willful... He had no choice but to call me Sister Congwan. When I heard that, I felt that I was different from others."
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