Chapter 72 The hand pressed down again, still unwilling to give up…
When Yu Tan woke up, the sun was high in the sky. She moved and realized that half of her body was still pressed down by someone.
So it turns out that Yuhe'an's return last night wasn't a dream.
"woke up?"
"Brother." She shook her head; she'd gone to bed too late last night and her mind was still a little foggy. "Has Aunt He returned?"
"Not yet." Yu He'an knew that Yu Tan was preoccupied with what happened last night.
She lay in bed for a while before her mind cleared. "Brother, why aren't you leaving yet?"
"No bathing today."
Yu He'an seems to have not had a day off in a long time. She thought he had long forgotten that people can rest.
"Your grandmother wants you to visit her at the Marquis's residence when you have time."
Yu Tan's arms, which were wrapped around Yu He'an, stiffened. She swallowed hard. "Did you only call me?"
Yu He'an chuckled and asked, "Do you think I can still go back now?"
Yu He'an was kicked out, and the situation became much more tense than hers. The news spread throughout Bianjing City, and Yu Zheng had a sour face for several days.
If Yu Zheng were to encounter Yu He'an at a court meeting, he would have to take a detour.
There is absolutely no way Yu He'an will return to the Marquis's residence.
"Then I'll go back in a while. I'm a problem now too."
In reality, she didn't want to go back and face it alone. It was probably because of the marriage certificate. She was finally certain, and she didn't want to back down again because of some messy things.
A few days ago, she had asked Lanxin to pay the money to He Sheng, which was considered to end the transaction ahead of schedule. The money and goods were settled, and the relationship was over. He Sheng did not come back, so he must have returned to his hometown.
She only realized when she moved that her face was pressed against warm flesh; Yu He'an's nightgown was already there, having been unconsciously rubbed off in her sleep.
Her straight collarbone and muscular physique were exposed. She pressed the person down, their legs intertwined. A distinct sense of unease arose, and suddenly, someone was caught between them. She felt danger.
His large hand lifted the hem of her clothes, slipped inside, and pressed against her waist, immobilizing her. His calloused fingertips explored the flesh of her waist, making it numb and soft.
Her face flushed, and she quickly stepped back, only to find that the ties on her clothes had come undone, revealing a large area of skin. She quickly stepped back, trying to tie her clothes back up.
Yu He'an's eyes were mocking, as if to say, "What are you blocking? Is there anything I haven't seen before?"
"It's better not to go back."
"Brother, let go."
“You used to sleep until noon, didn’t you? You stayed up so late last night, why didn’t you rest a little longer?”
Are you sure she kept it there to sleep?
Yu Tan pleaded softly, "No, I don't want to sleep anymore, I'm hungry."
The hand on her waist moved down to her lower abdomen and pressed her soft belly, which made her stomach rumble.
A soft chuckle escaped, and the hand pressed down again, this time without a sound. The hand pressed down one more time, still not giving up.
She got annoyed: "Brother."
"I'm not teasing you anymore." The voice was as serious as ever, as if someone else had been pressing her stomach under the covers just now.
Yu He'an got up first to change his clothes, while Yu Tan went around behind the screen and soon changed into a light blue lace-trimmed short jacket with fur trim. Because she was going out to mail a letter today, she specially wore thicker clothes. After washing up in the side room, she returned to the small hall.
Breakfast was already on the table, and Yu He'an was sitting at the small table waiting for her.
She had been staying here for almost a month, and this was the first time she had breakfast with Yu He'an.
It was almost noon, and she usually ate a bigger breakfast to avoid having to eat lunch again.
After she finished the last mouthful of porridge, she heard noises outside the courtyard. Someone had returned, and a short while later, the windproof curtain was lifted.
Changming hurried in: "My lord, Aunt He is back."
Yu Tan put down the bowls and chopsticks and went out with Yu He'an. As soon as they lifted the windproof curtain, a cold wind rushed in. Aunt He was standing by the stove in the side room.
Aunt He got up and recounted what she had seen and heard the night before: "My lord, my wife was right. Last night, the neighbors secretly moved the person away."
Last night, Aunt He followed the carriage from a distance and watched as the woman was taken to a villa in the suburbs. By the time they arrived at the villa, it was already dawn, and there was nowhere left to hide. She could only wait for them to return and report the news.
"Before getting into the carriage, the woman secretly dropped this in a dark alley corner." Aunt He handed the crumpled piece of paper to Yu He'an.
The notice stated that this vulnerable woman had been coerced and imprisoned, and pleaded for help from anyone who saw it.
Upon seeing the words "imprisonment," Yu Tan trembled uncontrollably, her fingertips digging tightly into her palms.
Yu He'an ordered Uncle Chen to fetch a basin of water and threw the paper into it.
“Brother.” She stared at Yu He’an in confusion. Even if they didn’t save the woman, there was no need to destroy the distress letter.
"We'll see in a bit."
The ink on the paper gradually spread, leaving only a piece of paper that had been smeared into a mess.
Yu He'an then scooped it out and dried it little by little under the candlelight. Uncle Chen took out a cutting knife and divided the already thin Xuan paper into three layers. After drying the innermost layer again, the characters on it became visible.
The paper in the interlayer records in detail how a wealthy merchant spent 20,000 taels of silver to buy an official position.
The buying of official positions was institutionalized in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but these were only minor, seemingly respectable but nominal posts. Official positions were only sold for ranks below the seventh grade, with the highest price being no more than five thousand taels of silver.
This wealthy merchant spent 20,000 taels of silver but could only obtain the rank of eighth-grade official, a prefectural official.
She was alarmed, and then noticed that the edges of the Xuan paper were not neat.
“Brother, this piece of paper looks like it’s been torn off.”
Yu He'an stroked the paper, his face grim and he remained silent.
Yu Tan asked in confusion, "Isn't the selling of official positions an open secret? Why do it have to be done so discreetly?"
"From the eighth rank, the prefectural clerk, registered for sale at the donation office for two thousand taels." Yu He'an's fingertip pointed to the twenty thousand taels on the Xuan paper, the amount not matching the one on the surface.
Yu Tan exclaimed in surprise, "This is a clandestine account! Who has the audacity to sell official positions and engage in clandestine accounting? This is ten times worse!"
Yu He'an explained, "Yes, the donated houses are managed by the Ministry of Revenue, and the current Minister of Revenue is Pei Yuanqing."
It wouldn't be surprising if it were Pei Yuanqing, as he is Pei Shen's eldest son. Even if the sky were to fall, the Pei family would be there to support him.
He could make a fortune just from the price difference of selling official positions in a year.
Yu Tan was shocked. She could only earn six thousand taels a year by doing business with Zhao Qin's help, which was an astronomical sum for ordinary people. She never expected that the Pei family could earn far more than her just by selling an official position.
"There's one more thing, my lord. Last night, the neighbor threw a dying woman into a mass grave. I rescued her and put her outside the city. The guards reported that she shouldn't live much longer; she's just hanging on by a thread."
"Let's go take a look."
Yu Tan went back to her room, put on a cloak, and wanted to go and see, but Yu He'an stopped her.
If this matter involves the Pei family, the buying of official positions might be a stepping stone that shatters the calm surface of the lake.
"The fewer people you take, the better. Aren't you going to mail a letter?"
Yu Tan stopped and nodded. If she followed, she would have to take a carriage, which would be quite a big fuss and inconvenient.
*
Suburbs of Bianjing (Kaifeng).
When Yu He'an and his party arrived at noon, the weather was gloomy, and the first heavy snow of winter was just around the corner.
The woman lay on the bed, her face deathly pale, with a hint of gray between her brows. She blinked a few times before opening her eyes. The light that gathered in her eyes seemed to pull the dying woman back to life.
"Thank you so much for saving me, my benefactor." After saying this, the woman paused for a while. "Please, my benefactor, have mercy! My sister is still in the hands of that evil man. Please save her."
Yu He'an cut to the chase: "You know about buying official positions?"
The woman was startled, staring wide-eyed at the newcomer. A tall, handsome man stood before her, his face expressionless, his gaze lingering on her for a few moments.
The man clearly didn't have the patience for a question-and-answer session, so she carefully threw out some bait.
"My name is Tang Wan'er, and I am the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy Tang family in Yangzhou."
My father wanted to buy an official position, but the money he had already paid wasn't enough. The adults then set their sights on my sister and me.
We were handed over to that man, and life was not good. We were constantly beaten and scolded, and our bodies were covered in bruises.
I accidentally discovered that the adults were very interested in several wordless books, almost to the point of being unable to put them down. Once, while serving them, I accidentally discovered that there were words on the books when they were close to the candlestick, and they were about buying official positions.
I secretly took a book, hid it, and tore off a page to let my sister ask for help.
These years have taught me that no one will save a useless person.
Only if it's written in the ledger will you be able to save us…
Tang Wan'er glanced at the man again, and seeing that he didn't move, she wondered how much of his half-truthful words he actually believed.
The caregiver handed her another bowl of herbal soup. After thanking her softly, she picked up the bowl and slowly drank it.
After drinking it, she felt much stronger.
The act of faking death to escape was extremely risky to begin with. She had only managed to glimpse the woman in the neighboring courtyard, who appeared to be kind-hearted and well-protected.
He had just come up with the idea of pretending to be a ghost and throwing out the white silk for help, but he misjudged the girl. She wasn't a truly virtuous person. If she were really a compassionate person, she should have led people into the courtyard last night to rescue her from the wolf's den.
She was caught pretending to be a ghost and was severely punished, beaten half to death. She had no choice but to pretend to be even weaker.
Sure enough, when the group saw that she was about to die, they threw her out.
She underestimated the severity of her injuries and how cold the winter in Bianjing was; she originally thought she was about to die.
Fortunately, someone came to rescue her, and now she has a way to survive again.
Now that she has escaped, she doesn't just want to live; she wants revenge and to take it all back.
The young man before her was the best option. He was dressed in fine clothes, had an extraordinary air about him, and seemed very interested in account books. He was probably an enemy of the official who sold the position. If she used him properly, she could get revenge.
"That's quite a coincidence." Yu He'an sneered. The woman didn't mention a word about her scheming to fake her death, and what she said was only half of what she knew.
His cold, piercing gaze swept over her, as if he could see right through her.
"My benefactor, Wan'er asks for nothing else but to help Wan'er rescue her sister, who is Wan'er's only remaining family."
"I'll do anything you ask, and I'll even give you that ledger after I rescue my sister."
Tang Wan'er's face was pale, and she cried so hard that even Aunt He felt a pang of sympathy. She timidly reached out to tug at Yu He'an's sleeve, but he subtly avoided her.
"No need to hand it over to me." Yu He'an coldly refused. If someone is not sincere, there is no need to cooperate. Everyone has their own path to walk.
Tang Wan'er was stunned when she found nothing in her hand.
Beauty, pity, and even the ledger all seem to have lost their effectiveness.
"Wan'er really has the account book. Isn't our benefactor after the account book?"
Yu He'an stared at the woman in front of him. Before she could figure out what was going on, she was already trying to sell her chips and foolishly try to use others to work for her.
"It can be saved, but you have to save yourself."
Yu He'an left a message behind, then turned and left without looking back.
After a while, Aunt He came in to clean up the medicine bowls, and Tang Wan'er took her arm.
"What do you mean, ma'am? Aren't you all very interested in buying official positions? I really do have the ledgers."
Tang Wan'er subconsciously pressed her chest. The ledger was still there. Why weren't they interested in this?
That must be how it should be, otherwise why would they pull her out of the mass grave? And why would they come to see her again?
Remembering Yu He'an's instructions before he left, Aunt He kindly advised:
"Madam Tang, you have to take revenge yourself."
I will be returning to Bianjing soon. If you wish to go to the Dengwen Drum, I can give you a ride. If you wish to go home, that is fine with me. If you are not feeling well and wish to rest here for a few more days, that is also acceptable.
But we have to go back.
Tang Wan'er was stunned for a moment. The color that had just returned to her face faded completely. It took her a long time to realize that these people didn't want the account book at all.
They just wanted her to make a big deal out of it.
She had naively tried to take advantage of them.
Author's Note: Thank you Qiaoqiao, "Foodie Baby Bao," and "Xiha Yeze" for the nutrient solution [lop-eared rabbit head][lop-eared rabbit head][lop-eared rabbit head]
Goodnight! [heart emojis]
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