Xu Yiwei was unsettled by Yan Liang's words, and Lord Bao and the others were also confused by Yan Liang's mention of the Prince of Xiangyang's heir.
Acting in Chenzhou under the name of Marquis Anle Pang Yu, it was clear that he intended to frame Pang Yu; moreover, Sun Haoqing, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was also in cahoots with the mastermind behind the scenes... and Zhao Luyuan rarely went to the capital from Xiangyang, so if he really was the mastermind, why would he be involved with a Vice Minister of Revenue? Not to mention Pang Taishi's confidant, Qiu Qi.
There are many suspicious points. Apart from Yan Liang and Pang Yu, who were eating and drinking as usual, the other people who knew about the Chenzhou case were all focused on this matter.
Xu Yiwei was particularly distressed. After Yan Liang left, he never came to see him again, and Bao Gong and the others did not come to interrogate him, as if they had forgotten about him. Xu Yiwei was worried that they might have discovered something, and he was also suspicious of what Yan Liang had told him at the time.
His father did have a sister who was eight years younger than him... but they both died in that disaster. How did Yan Liang know about this, and why did he suddenly say these words to him?
Yan Liang's words stirred up a deep pool, and his words to Xu Yiwei had no other meaning than to reveal that he had already found Prince Zhao Lu of Xiangyang, and he would simply investigate that one himself later. He only revealed them to unsettle Xu Yiwei, giving Judge Bao a starting point for his interrogation.
As for Xu Yi, her father's sister—
"She is Little Persimmon's mother."
Yan Liang said lazily.
Bai Yutang: "...Don't tell me it was you who calculated it again."
"Exactly."
Yan Liang clapped.
Bai Yutang: ...
I don't believe it.
"Don't you think Xiao Shizi and Xu Yiwei look a bit alike?" Yan Liang asked again.
Zhan Zhao thought for a moment.
Xiao Shizi hadn't fully grown yet, and she was always hungry before. When he first met her, Xiao Shizi was still quite thin. After that, Xiao Shizi spent all her time with Bai Yutang. In fact, Zhan Zhao had only met Xiao Shizi a few times.
Bai Yutang was also thinking about it.
He thought and thought, but he really couldn't think of any similarities between them.
“When you look at Xu Yiwei, you only notice the scar on his forehead, but I’m different—” Yan Liang smiled proudly, “I, based on my calculations, carefully examined Xu Yiwei’s face!”
Zhan Zhao: "..."
Bai Yutang: "..."
In the end, isn't it all calculated?
To verify Yan Liang's calculations, the three of them went to ask Xiao Shizi.
Bai Yutang has been busy searching for people with Yan Liang lately, so he doesn't have time to take care of Xiao Shizi anymore. These days, she has been staying at Bai Yutang's residence in Bianliang, studying the books left by her mother while... eating and drinking.
"Big brother."
Little Persimmon saw Yan Liang, stood up and called out to him.
Bai Yutang snorted lightly—Little Persimmon called him by his given name directly, and rarely addressed him by his full name.
Yan Liang stepped forward and gently touched her head, smiling, "You look great. It seems Brother Bai has taken good care of you."
Bai Yutang: "That's for sure."
The three adults and one child sat down in the pavilion, and Yan Liang asked again, "Among the things your mother left behind, is there anything related to your identity?"
Little Persimmon opened her eyes slightly. She stared at Yan Liang for a while, then silently took out a cloth bag and took out a jade pendant from it.
Zhan Zhao had seen Xu Yiwei's jade pendant with his own eyes. He frowned and examined it closely. The jade pendant that had caused Xu Yiwei such a great emotional upheaval was quite similar to the one Xiao Shizi had taken out. Both were made of translucent green jade and were crescent-shaped.
Xiao Shizi glanced at Zhan Zhao and handed him the jade pendant.
Zhan Zhao was taken aback at first, then smiled slightly and took the jade pendant to examine it closely. The front of the jade pendant was engraved with a tiger, and the back had the same two characters "Peace" as the jade pendant held by Xu Yiwei.
Yan Liang stood calmly to the side. Although Bai Yutang had not seen Xu Yiwei's jade pendant before, he could tell from Zhan Zhao's slightly surprised expression that something was amiss, and he had no choice but to believe it.
—It is possible, perhaps, possibly, or really true that Xiao Shizi's mother has a relationship with Xu Yiwei.
Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and said gently to Xiao Shizi, "May I borrow this jade pendant for a few days? I will return it after I find out its origin."
He extended his hand in front of Xiao Shizi, placing the jade pendant flat in his palm. If Xiao Shizi was unwilling, he could simply refuse and take it back.
Little Persimmon looked down at the jade pendant in his palm. She had always wanted to know who her mother was and what she had been through. Now that Zhan Zhao had taken the initiative to investigate the jade pendant, it saved her a lot of trouble.
“Okay.” Little Persimmon nodded. “If you find out where it came from, please tell me.”
"Okay," Zhan Zhao agreed with a smile.
This jade pendant is clearly related to Xu Yiwei's jade pendant. If we want to find out Xu Yiwei's identity, the only way now is to start by investigating this jade pendant.
As for why the investigation didn't start with the Prince of Xiangyang's heir, as mentioned by Yan Liang—it was naturally because the Prince of Xiangyang's heir was a member of the imperial family. If an investigation were conducted without authorization, it would attract attention, and even Bao Zheng would be unable to explain it. Furthermore, Yan Liang's words alone were insufficient as a basis for investigating Zhao Lu.
Zhan Zhao had official business to attend to, so only Yan Liang and Bai Yutang went to the jade shops in Bianliang to inquire.
Finding out the origin of this jade pendant was no easy task. They asked around the city, and finally, it was the owner of Yu Run Zhai, a famous jade shop in Bianliang, who recognized its origin.
"This jade is exquisite and translucent, even and delicate, with a fine texture, warm and lustrous; it should be Hetian jade." The shopkeeper of Yu Run Zhai gently licked the jade pendant, still feeling a slight astringency. He nodded to himself, then sighed, "This jade is quite old, and it hasn't been preserved properly; it's a real pity..."
He sighed for a while, then remembered his business. He examined the jade pendant in his hand, turning it over and over, and one look made him laugh.
"The jade carving method is quite similar to that of my senior brother."
Facing the two people's probing gazes, the owner of Yurunzhai chuckled and pointed to the tiger on the front of the jade pendant, saying, "This tiger is carved using the techniques of outlining and shallow relief, which only my senior brother knows how to carve."
"Then was this jade pendant made by the shopkeeper's senior brother?" Yan Liang asked.
“It’s him, no doubt about it.” The manager of Yurunzhai nodded. “However, he has lived in Sishui for a long time, and I haven’t seen him for many years. We only correspond by letter.”
Bai Yutang raised an eyebrow. Hongze Lake was located in Sishui. When he went to the capital to fight the rat and cat, his sworn brother Yan Chasan was ordered to deal with the flooding of Hongze Lake. His fourth brother, Jiang Ping, the River Rat, also went with him.
Bai Yutang volunteered to go to Sishui to find the old man who carved the jade pendant, and also to visit his sworn brother and fourth brother.
As a fourth-rank imperial bodyguard, Zhan Zhao could not leave the capital without permission, and Yan Liang was too lazy to travel, so Bai Yutang went to Sishui alone.
Bai Yutang's departure from the capital caught the attention of Zhao Lu, the heir apparent of the Prince of Xiangyang. Xu Yiwei had been arrested, and Bai Yutang's sudden departure after making inquiries throughout the capital seemed suspicious. Zhao Lu sent someone to Yu Run Zhai to ask the manager, who, without suspicion, cheerfully told them what they wanted to know.
Yan Liang and Bai Yutang didn't mention that they were investigating a case, so the manager of Yu Run Zhai assumed they were looking for someone. Thinking it wouldn't hurt to tell them, Zhao Lu's men got the news and went back to report.
When Zhao Lu learned that Bai Yutang had gone to Sishui, his right eyelid began to twitch violently.
Because his father, the Prince of Xiangyang, the current emperor's uncle, sent a group of people to cause trouble in Sishui.
The city of Sishui suffered from the continuous floods of Hongze Lake, causing immense suffering to the people. The Song Dynasty spent countless national taxes on river works, all for naught.
This is precisely the work of the Prince of Xiangyang.
Zhao Lu had been quite at ease, but after Bai Yutang went to Sishui, he inexplicably became uneasy. Upon receiving the news that night, he sent people to Sishui to remind him, striving to arrive in Sishui as quickly as possible before Bai Yutang.
The man Zhao Lu sent out to gather information did not reveal that he was from the residence of the Prince of Xiangyang. However, Yan Liang was constantly listening to Zhao Lu's movements. As soon as Zhao Lu sent someone out, he was there waiting to plant a bug on that person.
After Zhan Zhao finished his official business, Yan Liang dragged him along to follow the man. They secretly watched as the man disguised himself, gathered information, and then made their way through the maze of the Prince of Xiangyang's residence. Now, Zhao Lu's suspicion was very obvious. Even though he had nothing to do with the Chenzhou case, his concern for what Yan Bai and Zhan Zhao cared about, and his even attempt to conceal his involvement, was too strange.
Zhan Zhao reported this matter to Judge Bao and Mr. Gongsun, which prompted them to think deeply.
Judge Bao thought further ahead: if the heir of the Prince of Xiangyang was indeed the mastermind behind the Chenzhou case, then what role did the Prince of Xiangyang play in it?
Kaifeng Prefecture, the dungeon.
Xu Yi was neglected by the people in Kaifeng Prefecture for two or three days. During this time, he was anxious and irritable because of Yan Liang's words, and he couldn't even enjoy his meals.
When Yan Liang went to see him, Xu Yiwei looked much more haggard.
"What's wrong? Can't you sleep well?"
Yan Liang sat down cross-legged in front of him, with three feet between them. He could clearly see the thick dark circles under Xu Yiwei's eyes.
Xu Yi gave him a cold glare and said, "What did you mean by what you said before?"
"Literal meaning."
Yan Liang smiled.
Xu Yiwei really wanted to kick this cunning fortune teller, but his leg couldn't extend between the railings; if he did, it would get stuck.
"Master Bai went to Sishui."
Yan Liang carefully observed his expression as he spoke.
Xu Yiwei's eye twitched, and he asked, "What have you found out?"
Yan Liang noticed that he seemed more composed than before, probably because he was prepared.
"you guess?"
Xu Yiwei started staring at him coldly again.
Yan Liang kindly gave him a hint: "Jade pendant."
Xu Yi subconsciously reached for the jade pendant in his pocket, frowned as he looked at Yan Liang, and said, "Zhan Zhao only held it for a short while, what could he possibly find out?"
"Although he only held it for a short while, he remembered the style and could recognize it when he encountered a similar jade pendant."
"……impossible."
Xu Yi denied it in a low voice.
“If you tell me what you know, I can let you meet the person who possesses that jade pendant,” Yan Liang said to him. “There are gains and losses in everything, and besides, those things probably don’t mean much to you.”
To be honest, Xu Yiwei did want to meet the person Yan Liang mentioned who possessed the jade pendant, but he didn't even know if such a person existed; more importantly, he couldn't expose the Prince of Xiangyang.
Yan Liang stood up, looked down at the young man in black, and said, "Think it over carefully... If you have any difficulties, you can tell me."
Xu Yi looked up and met Yan Liang's gaze. In that instant, he felt as if he had been seen through.
He ultimately said nothing, only watching Yan Liang limp away.
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Thank you to all the lovely angels who left comments and added this to their favorites!
The amazing fan-made video on Bilibili of Ghost King x Runyu pairing really resonated with me.
Hands and brains, itching to get started!
I'm totally obsessed with Lee Soo-hyuk and Luo Yunxi's looks, haha!
—For those who are obsessed with good looks, nothing is more important than finding something appealing.
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