Shen Miao was only fifteen years old when he met the Xu family girl, who was fourteen at the time.
He followed his master, wandering the world wherever he went. The Western Xushan Mountain in Sishui City was rich in medicinal herbs. After discovering this, his master rented a courtyard in Sishui City and spent his days traveling to the Western Xushan Mountain, taking him along with him.
Shen Miao was extremely rebellious back then, always going against his master. That day, his master took him up the mountain, but he secretly ran back down, only to get lost in the forest.
It was the Xu family who led him out of the forest, and from then on he became acquainted with them. They were a happy and harmonious family; the head of the household was kind, wealthy, and benevolent.
The Xu family girl was close to his age, lively and cheerful. After they became acquainted, she would follow the master and disciple into the mountains. His master had an eccentric temper, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry with the Xu family girl. Moreover, the Xu family girl was exceptionally intelligent and quick to understand. When she asked to become his disciple, the master readily agreed.
They stayed in Sishui City for four years, much longer than usual. Until their master received the news, they left Sishui City overnight, without even having time to say goodbye to the Xu family.
His master was arrogant and unruly in his youth, offending many people, including the Prince of Xiangyang. For years, he had traveled the world incognito to escape persecution. After leaving Sishui City, his master fell ill. Due to the hardships of his journey and his advanced age, Shen Miao cared for him for a long time until he gradually recovered. A few years later, his master still passed away.
After burying his master, Shen Miao felt lost and uncertain about the future; thinking of Sishui City, he had the idea of going back to visit.
But when he got back, he saw nothing.
Even he couldn't have predicted that the Xu family would be implicated to this extent.
"I went to great lengths to infiltrate the Prince of Xiangyang's residence. They can be foolish at times, but they can be incredibly shrewd when it's not necessary."
Shen Miao briefly explained his connection with the Xu family, and then concluded with these words.
After removing his disguise, Shen Miao looked mature and composed. Although he wasn't exactly handsome, his eyes were very youthful and had a wonderful vitality.
Bai Yutang did not tell him that the Xu family girl was Xiao Shizi's mother, and that she had already passed away; Shen Miao did not know the purpose of his visit, but he overheard his conversation with the coroner Wei and learned that the person who died in the fire was not the Xu family girl, and that the Xu family girl was very likely still alive. He spoke with joy in his eyes—he hoped that the Xu family girl was still alive.
Although Shen Miao's words were highly credible, Bai Yutang could not draw any conclusions rashly. He could only wait until the Hongze Lake river project was completed before returning to Bianliang City with Yan Chasan and the others.
A few days later, the project that had begun four months earlier was completed on schedule. Remembering the matter of the Prince of Xiangyang, the group, along with thirteen river pirates and Shen Miao, embarked on their journey back to Bianliang.
While Bai Yutang and his group were on their way, Yan Liang and Xu Yiwei spent all day chatting about life in Bianliang City, which almost drove Xu Yiwei crazy.
Xu Yiwei: "I won't talk! I won't talk if I say I won't! Can you just shut up!"
Xu Yiwei, who was originally aloof and repressed, was provoked into extreme irritability.
Yan Liang sighed: "I saw you were bored all by yourself, so I came to find you to play. Why are you so ungrateful?"
Xu Yi tried to calm himself down: "I didn't ask you to come find me."
Yan Liang: "Your temperament is nothing like that of the Prince of Xiangyang."
Xu Yiwei's eyelids twitched, and he looked coldly at Yan Liang, asking, "What do you mean?"
"Although the Prince of Xiangyang is also annoyed with me, he always keeps it to himself." Yan Liang smiled slightly. "Young Master Xu is quite frank, which I admire."
Xu Yiwei: "……………"
He was momentarily unsure whether to accuse the man of bothering him knowing he was annoying, or to be curious about what he had said that had managed to annoy the Prince of Xiangyang.
"If you have a reason, just tell me." Yan Liang brought up the old topic again, but Xu Yi turned his face away, not wanting to look at him.
"The Prince of Xiangyang will be returning to Xiangyang in a few days. He hasn't even come to ask anyone to rescue you these days. Why are you so loyal to him? Or... have you been poisoned by him? That's why you're not saying anything?" Yan Liang seemed nonchalant, yet also as if he had seen through everything. His tone was lazy, which made people feel uneasy.
Xu Yi remained silent.
“Brother Bai, you’ve already arrived in Sishui City, and your identity has been verified. The sooner you speak up, the happier we’ll all be.” Yan Liang patiently persuaded, “You want to see the person with that jade pendant, right? The sooner you come out, the sooner you can see her.”
"...The Prince of Xiangyang is my savior."
“But the Prince of Xiangyang is not.”
Yan Liang's words hit the nail on the head, and Xu Yiwei almost suspected that he knew everything.
“Their family is plotting a major rebellion. You won’t benefit from protecting the Crown Prince.” Yan Liang lowered his eyes. Xu Yiwei was the only remaining relative of Xiao Shizi. His life had been full of hardships. He hoped that they could have a happy ending.
"It's time to make a decision."
Xu Yi remained silent for a long time before asking him, "How do you know so much?"
By asking this question, he was implicitly admitting that the Prince of Xiangyang and his family intended to rebel.
Yan Liang replied, "Don't forget that my profession is a fortune teller, so naturally I can calculate it."
Xu Yiwei: "..."
Despite his serious and earnest demeanor, he couldn't help but suspect that Yan Liang was talking nonsense.
Yan Liang stood up, picked up a small stool in one hand—he had borrowed it from the kitchen so he could chat with Xu Yiwei more easily—and rubbed his leg with the other. “Ouch, my old legs are killing me. Let’s stop here for today. If you can tell us before Brother Bai brings his men back, there will be a double surprise.”
A double surprise?
Xu Yi was puzzled.
One surprise could be the person Yan Liang mentioned who has the jade pendant, but who is the other one? Could it be the person Bai Yutang will bring back?
Yan Liang quickly left the dungeon carrying a small stool. After greeting the two constables at the door, he headed towards the side room, where he encountered Lord Bao and Mr. Gongsun.
Bianliang City is bustling, and with so many people come many troubles. Countless incidents, big and small, have occurred. Currently, the clues are incomplete; only Pang Yu and Xu Yiwei are connected to the Chenzhou case, but Xu Yiwei remains silent. Judge Bao cannot keep his attention solely on Xu Yiwei, and he has shown a subtle, permissive attitude towards Yan Liang's frequent talks with Xu Yiwei.
Judge Bao stopped Yan Liang and nodded when Yan Liang said that Xu Yiwei's attitude had softened. The three chatted for a while, and finally Judge Bao said to him, "Young Marquis cannot leave Kaifeng Prefecture. I hope Brother Yan can give him some guidance."
Yan Liang nodded in agreement, thinking to himself that Lord Bao was indeed magnanimous to show such concern for the son of his political enemy.
Pang Yu was indeed very depressed; even reading novels couldn't cheer him up. When Yan Liang returned to the courtyard, Pang Yu was slumped over the stone table, staring blankly at the trees in the yard, his eyes lifeless and radiating an aura of despondency.
Cheer up.
Yan Liang tapped him on the head.
Pang Yu shifted his gaze, glancing at him from bottom to top, only catching a glimpse of the other's perfectly curved jawline.
"When will I be able to get out of here..." Pang Yu asked him sullenly, "Can you calculate it for me?"
“I’ve already calculated that you will be able to come out a month after Brother Bai returns from Sishui City.”
"...When will Master Bai return?"
"In a few more days."
"How many days... exactly how many days?"
"Guess?" Yan Liang shrugged at him.
Pang Yu let out a mournful cry, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
In fact, it was only three days. Bai Yutang and his men rushed back to Bianliang City. On the day they returned, Zhao Lu was about to set off for Xiangyang.
The two sides happened to be matched up.
Yan Chasan wrote a memorial to the emperor, handing over the thirteen river pirates to the Ministry of Justice for trial, while Shen Miao was taken back to the Kaifeng Prefecture dungeon by Bai Yutang.
After reading the memorial, and seeing the torture instruments used by the river pirates, who were so frightened that they confessed everything, the emperor made a decisive decision and immediately dispatched troops to surround the Prince of Xiangyang's residence, leaving Zhao Lu, who was preparing to leave, completely bewildered.
Zhao Lu: ? ? ? ?
He never dreamed that he would be exposed so quickly, without any warning.
Logically, the person he sent to Sishui City should have alerted the people his father had sent, right? Why was he still exposed?
Zhao Lu had no idea that Shen Miao was the one who let Pang Yu go. Shen Miao had switched identities with another person and disguised himself as that person, hiding among Zhao Lu's men.
Thinking about it this way, it's not surprising that Zhao Lu was tricked.
"Zhao Lu is a complete idiot, and his father is a complete idiot too." Shen Miao sat cross-legged on the ground, sneering at the Xiangyang Prince's family.
Yan Liang squatted down in front of him, looking at him through the railing, while Bai Yutang stood to the side holding a knife.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yiwei couldn't help but look across, but could only see the top of Shen Miao's head—Yan Liang's figure blocked most of it.
Yan Liang clapped his hands: "Well said, absolutely right."
Bai Yutang: "...Let's get down to business."
Yan Liang coughed lightly and said, "I've done some calculations, and this brother of mine has some connection with this young master Xu behind me." As he spoke, he slowly moved his body away in a squatting position, so that the two of them could face each other and look at each other from a distance.
Bai Yutang and Xu Yiwei's expressions changed when they heard "Xu," and they had the same thought—why would this guy know about this?
Under the gazes of the two men, Yan Liang said, "Don't ask. The answer is that a divine divination costs five coins."
...Oh, it was calculated.
Shen Miao only heard the word "Xu" and felt a vague unease, yet also a sense of anticipation.
"Xu Yiwei?"
He looked at the people who worked under the Prince of Xiangyang and was lost in thought.
Xu Yiwei clearly has the surname Xu, could it be that this person mispronounced it?
Shen Miao looked at Yan Liang hesitantly, her eyes full of doubt and confusion.
When Xu Yiwei saw Shen Miao's face after she removed her disguise, memories of the past flooded back to him, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.
"Although you didn't say it, this is a surprise for you." Yan Liang looked at him. "Do what you think is best."
It was more of a shock than a surprise.
Xu Yi felt extremely ironic.
"I'd like to talk to him. You all go out first."
Bai Yutang raised an eyebrow, concerned about Xu Yiwei's tone. Yan Liang gave him a look, and the two left the dungeon together, thoughtfully leaving them space to talk.
Author's Note: As expected, most people are busy with exams at this time of year, haha.
Let's all do our best on the exam!
I passed all the courses without failing, and I guessed all the answers correctly on the tests I knew the answers to.
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