After Yan Liang tricked Li Xunle into leaving, he first took off his official robes and changed into some less conspicuous clothes. After all, that green outfit was quite eye-catching no matter where he was dressed. Although changing clothes in broad daylight was not very elegant, at least he changed in an alley. This was very necessary in order to obtain information.
After wrapping his clothes in a cloth, Yan Liang carried the bundle and went out to the street to inquire about clues.
Of course, before that, Yan Liang didn't forget to buy some snacks for his younger brother.
After investigating for the past few days, Yan Liang has begun to get some clues.
The listening device he placed in Minister Cheng's residence transmitted the whispers of the servants to him, and Yan Liang understood that Minister Cheng had caused a death.
Vice Minister Cheng was tyrannical and two-faced. The concubine he abused to death was a young woman who had reformed herself from the Red Sleeve Pavilion.
The servants, suddenly confronted with their master's violent death, were in turmoil. Madam Cheng forbade them to speak carelessly, but they couldn't help but discuss the matter. Yan Liang deduced from their series of conversations about vengeful ghosts that Vice Minister Cheng had killed someone.
The girl had no relatives or friends, and her body was hastily buried. The people in Minister Cheng's residence remained silent about the matter.
This coincidence made Yan Liang ponder. Thinking about it this way, it seemed he could understand why Yu Huatian would go to Hongxiu Pavilion in such a grand manner... He must have suspected that the person who killed Minister Cheng was someone from Hongxiu Pavilion, or if not, it was very likely someone related to Hongxiu Pavilion.
Yan Liang carried a bundle on his shoulder and held sweets and pastries he had bought in his hand. Dressed in gray clothes, he was hardly noticeable in the crowd.
So where did this gaze that's been fixed on him come from?
Yan Liang had a bad feeling. He thought of Gong Jiu and Xu Yiwei from the past.
Faced with the choice between looking down and continuing to walk, or looking up at the source of the gaze, Yan Liang chose to look up.
To his surprise, he saw nothing. The windows on the second floor of the inn were all tightly closed, and the gaze that Yan Liang felt was just an illusion.
Yan Liang casually withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.
He didn't think it was an illusion.
Yan Liang could easily discern the emotions contained in other people's gazes. If it were the same gaze as an ordinary person's, he would simply ignore it. But that gaze... was filled with a sticky malice, like a predator eyeing its prey.
He was the prey, and the other was the hunter.
The malicious gaze came out of nowhere. Yan Liang reflected on his recent behavior and realized that he had not done anything that would incur hatred.
……No.
Yan Liang thought of the gossip that had been circulating in the capital these days and fell silent.
Outsiders, unaware of the truth, will only believe what they hear and see. Now that Yan Liang and Miss Yuze have broken off their relationship, it is true that some people who admire Miss Yuze say he is ungrateful.
Could it be that the person whose gaze is fixed on you is in love with Miss Yuze?
Yan Liang was clueless and could only think randomly. Suppressing these thoughts, Yan Liang's destination was very clear: he was going to—
Hongxiu Pavilion.
Go to the Red Sleeve Pavilion and inquire about the girl who died at the hands of Minister Cheng.
Someone saw the direction he went and their expression changed slightly. They felt both disappointed and resentful towards Yan Liang, thinking that they had misjudged him. They were so angry that they wanted to kill him on the spot, but they managed to suppress the thought because of the West Depot's investigation into them over the past few days.
Yan Liang sensed this deep-seated malice, sneezed, and then stroked his chin, falling silent.
...So it really was that person talking about him earlier?
Turn one more corner and walk straight for a thousand steps to reach the Red Sleeve Pavilion.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Yan Liang cleverly chose to take the shortcut, which is why he was able to reach the street where Hongxiu Pavilion was located so quickly.
As he turned the corner, clues were delivered to his doorstep, so Yan Liang didn't even need to go to Hongxiu Pavilion again.
Having been thoroughly tormented by the traps set by Yan Liang and Wang Lianhua these past few days, Chief Supervisor Yu, just like the previous two times, sat in the carriage, holding up the curtain with his hand, looking as if Yan Liang owed him money, and said coldly, "Get in."
Yan Liang readily agreed and quickly got into the car.
As soon as he got into the carriage, Yan Liang noticed that it was the same carriage, but the smell inside was different.
He asked the question, and Yu Huatian's face darkened because Yan Liang noticed something completely useless, but he still briefly explained: "A dog has been on this carriage, so it's to remove the smell."
Yan Liang blinked and said with a smile, "It seems that Chief Supervisor Yu has taken my advice. I wonder what he has gained?"
Yu Huatian frowned, his mood not very pleasant. This was because the information Yan Liang provided had indeed given him some clues, making Yu Huatian, who had initially disbelieved Yan Liang's "guesses," feel like he'd been tricked.
If he hadn't thoroughly investigated Yan Liang and Li Xunle and found out that the two men had no connection to the two murders, Yu Huatian would have already imprisoned them in the West Depot's jail.
Yan Liang waited patiently for Yu Huatian to speak. The other man glanced at him and said, "I went to investigate the origin of that black jade hairpin."
Yan Liang then revealed a humble and eager-to-learn expression.
“The people I sent to Liu Changmin’s hometown have returned. Liu Changmin’s family was poor, and his uncle, who had no children, took him in after Liu Changmin’s parents died, supporting his studies and his attempts to take the imperial examinations,” Yu Huatian said leisurely. “That black jade hairpin was his father’s keepsake… Do you know what else I found out?”
Yan Liang, who was thinking about "poor family background" in his mind, snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing this question and asked, "What?"
"On his way to the capital, Liu Changmin almost lost his life because a thief coveted his black jade hairpin. A young man in blue saved him," Yu Huatian said. "They met at a teahouse. According to the owner of the teahouse, the young man in blue saved him and the two set off together."
"But ever since he left the teahouse, every shop where Liu Changmin stayed has only had news of him."
Yu Huatian shared what he knew and then asked, "What do you think?"
Yan Liang thought to himself, "Why not just say what you want to say? Why make things so suspenseful?"
Despite his thoughts, Yan Liang truthfully expressed his ideas.
Liu Changmin came from a poor family, yet he rented a large house all by himself in the capital. Based on Yan Liang's impression of him, Liu Changmin never showed any signs of financial hardship; while he wasn't exactly extravagant, he was certainly living a comfortable life.
“The source of his rent money is highly suspicious, and secondly, there’s the young man in blue who saved him,” Yan Liang said.
Yu Huatian continued, "Leaving aside that young man in blue, I had my dog smell the scent on Liu Changmin's bed, and found a bed with the same scent at the Laifu Inn."
Laifu Inn?
Yan Liang remembered the name; it was the name of an inn that "Flower Girl" used to fool Yu Huatian—he thought it was just something Wang Lianhua made up, but he didn't expect that Yu Huatian would actually find a clue.
Yu Huatian raised an eyebrow slightly: "You've been wandering the streets these past few days, haven't you even visited Laifu Inn?"
It seems that the Western Depot has a clear understanding of his every move.
Yan Liang smiled and said, "No."
"It's probably a bit too late for me to ask you now. But I still want to know why Chief Supervisor Yu told me all this—" Yan Liang drawled, his tone unmistakably irritating: "Didn't Chief Supervisor Yu tell me before that I shouldn't get involved in this case?"
Yu Huatian's eyes twitched slightly at his tone, and he sneered, "I thought you were truly uninvolved in this matter, which is why I kindly reminded you. But ask yourself honestly, are you really uninvolved?"
Yan Liang asked himself honestly and replied sincerely, "It's irrelevant."
That's the absolute truth.
But Yu Huatian didn't believe it. He had been misled by Yan Liang and Wang Lianhua, and his guesses were half true and half false. He thought he was right, so he said directly, "That young man in scarlet robes who knows Miss Yuze is not only acquainted with Miss Yuze, but must also have a deep friendship with you. Am I wrong?"
Yan Liang paused for a moment, then said, "That's right."
“Although you only told me that Yuze knew the Scarlet-Clad Gentleman that day, you didn’t mention your relationship with him.” A sharp glint flashed in Yu Huatian’s eyes. “Since that Scarlet-Clad Gentleman would take Miss Hua around the guards to find you, he must not only be in love with Miss Yuze, but he also has a deep friendship with you and is worried about you.”
"……good."
After struggling with his conscience for a moment, Yan Liang chose to protect his friend Wang Lianhua's pseudonym and pretended that he had not heard the words "He is in love with Miss Yuze".
Yan Liang's constipated expression was interpreted by Yu Huatian as the helplessness of having the truth revealed, which made Yu Huatian quite happy.
If Yu Huatian knew that the Scarlet-Clad Gentleman and the Flower Girl were the same person... I wonder if he would have said those words.
Based on what Yu Huatian saw, his statement was correct. However, the problem was that two of the four people in his statement were the same person, and there were only three people in total.
"But I can guarantee that the young man in scarlet has absolutely no connection to either case."
Yan Liang made a solemn vow.
Yu Huatian glanced at him and said, "Of course I know that, but I don't want to see you gloating over hiding it from me."
In fact, Yu Huatian had indeed suspected Wang Lianhua.
But he would never say it out loud.
It would be too embarrassing to admit that the wrong person was identified as the murderer.
Yan Liang fell silent again upon hearing this. Putting aside the fact that he wasn't smug—well, he was a little secretly pleased to watch the show, but not only him, but also Wang Lianhua felt the same way—more importantly, Yu Duzhu, you're still being fooled.
The man in scarlet robes was right in front of you, and you even put on a charade with him.
Yan Liang thought with a heavy heart.
"Just because the Crimson-Clad Young Master is unrelated to this matter doesn't mean that Miss Yuze is unrelated either." Yu Huatian was pleased by the expression on Yan Liang's face, even though he was pleased in the wrong place.
Yan Liang hadn't expected it to be related to Miss Yuze, but remembering that the concubine Cheng had killed was from the Red Sleeve Pavilion, he asked seriously, "Could you tell me a thing or two?"
“Now that I’ve let you onto the carriage, I’ll naturally tell you.” Yu Huatian glanced at him. “Leaving aside Miss Yuze for now, have you ever heard of the Crimson Sun Valley in Miao territory?”
Yan Liang didn't understand why the topic had jumped from Miss Yuze to this, and at the same time, he felt a strange sensation at the familiar term: "...Miao Jiang?"
Wasn't Wang Lianhua investigating this person when he came to the capital?
“The people of Chiri Valley in Miao territory feed their bodies with Gu poison, and their bodies are always covered with the fishy smell of various insects. To cover up this smell, they use herbs, but the odor is so deep that it is hard to get rid of.” Yu Huatian raised his eyebrows as he said this: “You’re right, the Liu Changmin in the Hanlin Academy is not the original Liu Changmin... He must be the young man in blue who saved Liu Changmin.”
Yan Liang: "…………I see."
He didn't believe that Wang Lianhua could be unaware of the Red Sun Valley incident on his own turf; his silence was clearly a sign that he was just watching the show.
What a terrible friend!
Yan Liang felt heartbroken that he hadn't revealed the identity of the Scarlet-Clad Gentleman when Yu Huatian mentioned it.
He even thought that even bad friends should help each other, but those who help each other obviously can't be called bad friends.
Double the heartache, yet so joyful.
The author's note: Regarding the degree of information mastery, the following is a ranking from most to least important:
Wang Lianhua > Yan Liang > Yu Huatian
The Rain Supervisor is really pitiful hhhh
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2020-02-26 23:39:22 and 2020-02-27 22:28:38!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Sui Jiu (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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