Putting aside Wang Lianhua's spectatorship, Yan Liang sorted out the information he had heard from Yu Huatian.
It is known that Liu Changmin, who went to the capital to take the imperial examination, once met a young man in blue robes, while Liu Changmin in the Hanlin Academy was a man from Chiri Valley with a strange odor.
In addition, Vice Minister Cheng killed one of his concubines, who had reformed from being a concubine in the Red Sleeve Pavilion. Perhaps, possibly, or probably, she had some connection with Miss Yuze.
The two victims had no connection except for the similar manner of their deaths. It was highly likely that the imposter killed Liu Changmin, while the person who killed Minister Cheng was someone who knew the concubine or was acquainted with Miss Yuze.
The carriage moved slowly, and Yan Liang didn't know where it was going. He wasn't in the mood to think about it either. After mentioning Miao territory, Yu Huatian continued, "I asked the madam, and she said that the concubine that Minister Cheng killed was Yu Ze's maid before she became a free woman."
Yan Liang's conjecture was confirmed, which means that the death of Vice Minister Cheng was very likely related to Miss Yuze, and it is possible that she sent someone to kill him.
But he couldn't understand why Liu Changmin had died.
Yan Liang leaned against the carriage wall, looking lazy and unserious. Yu Huatian glanced at him disdainfully, then lifted the curtain, and the two of them looked out the window together—
The carriage was still on the street where the Red Sleeve Pavilion was located, and it seemed to be heading to the Red Sleeve Pavilion again.
They didn't talk for long in the carriage. Now, Yu Huatian seemed to have finished saying what he wanted to say, and finally explained to Yan Liang why he had come to see him: "Go and ask Yu Ze if she has anything to do with the death of Minister Cheng."
Yan Liang asked in confusion, "Me?"
Before meeting Yu Huatian, Yan Liang had planned to come to Hongxiu Pavilion to ask about the girl that Minister Cheng had killed. Now that Yu Huatian had generously provided the information, he thought there was no need to go anymore. Besides, he had never intended to see Miss Yuze again in the first place; he only wanted to see the madam.
"you go."
Yu Huatian gave him a concise answer.
"With so many people under Commander Yu's command, why must I go?" Yan Liang asked, puzzled. "Miss Yu Ze and I—"
He suddenly stopped, not saying the last sentence.
Seeing his expression, Yu Huatian pondered, could it be that the rumor that "Yan Tanhua and Yu Ze have broken off their relationship" is true?
Yan Liang coughed lightly, trying to cover up what he hadn't finished saying, and said, "You have to give me a reason to go, after all, I, and Miss Yuze are now... cough cough."
“You two have a past relationship. If you ask her, she will definitely tell you.”
Old feelings, old memories?
Looking at Yu Huatian's face, Yan Liang simply couldn't bring himself to tell him about what he and Wang Lianhua had done.
It wasn't Miss Yuze who claimed to have a past relationship with the third-ranked scholar, but rather that senior figure in the martial arts world; and Miss Hua wasn't Miss Hua either, but rather that senior figure in the martial arts world...
Yan Liang had a premonition that if he were to say those words, he would face unimaginable consequences.
Although it's not very reliable for a heartless man to ask a girl he's wronged, Yan Liang chose to be even more of a jerk than to be beaten up.
The carriage stopped in a small alley not far from the Red Sleeve Pavilion. Yan Liang jumped off the carriage and headed straight for the Red Sleeve Pavilion.
The young man placed his bundle and the paper package on the small table in the carriage, seemingly acknowledging that Yu Huatian would look after these things for him and wait for his return.
Yu Huatian waited quietly for half an hour, when Yan Liang arrived late, looking quite discouraged: "Miss Yuze is unwilling to talk. She said that if we want to know, we can put her in jail."
That sentence was clearly said to Yu Huatian.
Yu Huatian nodded, seemingly observing Yan Liang's expression, but unfortunately, he couldn't discern anything.
"I'll take you back." Yu Huatian didn't mention the matter again; he seemed to have put the matter of Miss Yuze out of his mind.
"This is troublesome."
Yan Liang readily agreed without hesitation.
＊
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Li residence near dusk. Spring was almost over, and the sun was still setting early.
With a bundle on his shoulder and a paper package in his hand, Yan Liang jumped down. After regaining his footing, he lifted the curtain and smiled at the Chief Supervisor Yu inside the carriage, saying goodbye.
Yu Huatian nodded slightly, and without any hesitation, reached out and pulled the curtain down from Yan Liang's hand, without even a thought of giving a reply.
After the carriage left, Yan Liang stood there for a while, then slowly turned around and knocked on the door.
Upon learning at the gate that Yan Shenming had arrived in the capital, Yan Liang straightened his clothes, became serious, and went to the backyard.
He had barely passed through the stone gate when he heard Li Xunle's helpless voice: "Miss Flower..."
Yan Liang had a bad feeling.
Could it be that Wang Lianhua was still pretending to be a pretty girl in front of Yan Shenming?
Yan Liang turned a corner, and the scene in the center of the courtyard came into view.
The first person he saw was Yan Shenming, who looked very much like Yan Shendu, and he also looked over at him.
Yan Liang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Xiao Ming, you're here."
Although the relationship between the brothers was a bit tense when Yan Shenming was going through his rebellious phase, their way of addressing each other didn't change. Yan Shenming had always been called Xiao Ming by his older brother since he was a child.
When Xiao Ming saw the smiling face on his brother's face, he stood frozen for a moment. Finally, the joy of seeing his older brother overwhelmed his heart, and he quickly went to greet him: "Big brother, why are you back so late? Your sister-in-law has been waiting for you for a long time."
He addressed her as "sister-in-law" so fluently, as if the young woman were truly Yan Liang's wife.
Within just two hours, Wang Lianhua and Yan Shenming had developed a deep friendship. Yan Shenming even thought that it would be a great thing if this flower girl were really his sister-in-law.
Under pressure from his seniors, Li Xunle could only watch helplessly as Wang Lianhua deceived the poor little thing, and occasionally he would be forced to act out a few lines.
Li Xunhuan noticed that his elder brother's behavior was strange and guessed that the flower girl's identity was suspicious. However, he couldn't figure out why his elder brother would allow the flower girl to stay in the Li residence for so long, especially since the flower girl really had no ill intentions.
The four of them waited until dark before they saw Yan Liang, who arrived late. Yan Liang initially smiled warmly when he saw Yan Shenming, but his smile froze after hearing Yan Shenming's words.
Yan Shenming was puzzled and subconsciously turned around to look at his sister-in-law. Hua Guniang and Yan Liang looked at each other from a distance, their eyes filled with smiles.
The atmosphere became quite subtle for a moment.
Li Xunle took a step back and placed his hand on Li Xunhuan's shoulder. He had a feeling that what was about to happen would greatly shock the two young men.
Li Xunhuan glanced at his elder brother with a puzzled look, then looked at the two people who were seemingly locked in a standoff.
Yan Liang recovered and stepped forward to hand the paper package to Yan Shenming, smiling as he said, "It's the mung bean cake you like."
Yan Shenming took it and couldn't help but laugh.
Have you eaten yet?
Yan Liang asked him.
"Yes, we ate. My sister-in-law cooked it herself, and we even had grilled fish," Yan Shenming replied.
"...She doesn't cook grilled fish very well. I'll show you my skills tomorrow."
Yan Liang had a lot of opinions about the sister-in-law mentioned by the boy, but he didn't point them out. He just belittled the woman's grilled fish skills.
Yan Shenming blinked, thinking to himself that his older brother didn't seem to have grilled fish much...
"That's really going too far," the girl sighed. "I've been waiting for you for so long. You were just buying snacks for Xiaoming, so why are you back so late?"
Yan Liang grinned, revealing his teeth: "I went to Hongxiu Pavilion."
Li Xunhuan & Yan Shenming: "...???"
Isn't Hongxiu Pavilion a brothel?
Is it really okay to say it so boldly?
Yan Liang showed through his actions that it didn't matter at all, and said quietly, "I've realized that I still can't accept you."
This is utter trash, truly utter trash.
Li Xunhuan thought.
"So change back to normal." Yan Liang looked at the flower girl with an expression that suggested he had a headache, stomachache, and pain all over his body. "Chief Supervisor Yu came to see me again today—he has a deep misunderstanding. You and I will go and talk to him about it another day."
Why don't you go yourself?
"So that I can push you out when Chief Supervisor Yu wants to beat someone up." Yan Liang chuckled.
The two boys were completely bewildered. Seeing their utter confusion, Wang Lianhua took pity on them, swiftly turned around, wiped his face, and then turned back around—
He was a very handsome young man.
While Wang Lianhua went inside to change his clothes, Yan Liang sat at the stone table and told the two boys about the things he and Wang Lianhua had done.
Li Xunle added at the right time, and Li Xunhuan thus learned that this young lady was none other than Wang Lianhua, the Thousand-Faced Gentleman who was quite famous in the martial arts world many years ago, and who was also a good friend of his father.
Wang Lianhua only met Li Xunle a few times when he was young, and he rarely visited Li Garden after Li Xunhuan was born.
As expected of Senior Wang, his disguise skills are so exquisite.
Wang Lianhua was the object of admiration for most young people in the martial arts world, and Li Xunhuan was one of them. After learning the truth, he was filled with admiration and respect.
Yan Shenming's feelings were far more complex than Li Xunhuan's. First, his sister-in-law was gone; second, he had spent the entire afternoon calling a man "sister-in-law"; third, this man's disguise as a woman was flawless; and fourth, the rumors circulating in the capital were all false…
After thinking for a long time, Xiao Ming finally saw the "flower girl" dressed in men's clothing and taller than before, and could only sigh in his heart: Are all the quirks of people in the martial arts world so peculiar?
It was already late. Yan Shenming had waited for Yan Liang until this hour, and now that he had seen Yan Liang, he felt sleepy and went back to sleep.
Li Xunle and Li Xunhuan also went back to rest. Before leaving, Li Xunle asked Yan Liang about the matter of Chief Yu. Yan Liang smiled and said that Chief Yu had found a clue, but needed his assistance. Overall, it was not a serious matter.
Wang Lianhua watched as Yan Liang tricked Li Xunle into leaving, and then followed him to the kitchen.
Yan Liang skipped dinner and went to the kitchen to cook a special meal. As he squatted on the ground fiddling with the earthen stove, Wang Lianhua leaned against the door frame and lazily watched him start the fire.
"You went to see Yuze?"
The firelight reflected on Yan Liang's face, and flames flickered in his eyes. Wang Lianhua only heard Yan Liang say softly, "He's gone."
He sensed that Yan Liang hadn't finished speaking, so he patiently waited for him to continue.
"Is there something you haven't told me?"
Yan Liang turned to look at him at some point, his tone low and eerie. The firelight reflected on his cheeks, adding to his mysterious air.
The only sounds in the air were the crackling of the stove and the chirping of insects outside.
Wang Lianhua looked into Yan Liang's eyes and smiled brightly: "There are quite a few. Which one do you want to know?"
Yan Liang: …………
There's more than one?
Yan Liang realized that Wang Lianhua was definitely one of the top figures in this world.
While he was still eavesdropping and loitering outside, people easily found out the information he had been painstakingly investigating... Impressive.
Yan Liang's legs were a little numb from squatting. After seeing that the fire had burned down enough, he stood up and started cooking. He didn't continue asking Wang Lianhua about the flowers.
Wang Lianhua raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious about Yan Liang's thoughts at this moment. Then she thought about it again. Yan Liang was always unpredictable, and if she pressed him for an answer, she would lose. So she calmly continued to lean against the door frame and watch Yan Liang cook.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of food. This was the first time Wang Lianhua had seen Yan Liang cook, and she was curious about where he had learned this culinary skill... perhaps it was related to his learning how to grill fish.
Yan Liang casually stir-fried two bowls of side dishes, mixed them with the leftover rice, grabbed a small stool, and sat down with his rice bowl and chopsticks.
He always does things that contradict his refined and otherworldly demeanor; he clearly possesses an ethereal and otherworldly air, yet he acts in a way that is more down-to-earth than anyone else.
Wang Lianhua waited patiently, watching Yan Liang's ambiguous smile. When she saw Yan Liang's down-to-earth actions, her brow twitched, and she was utterly speechless.
Yan Liang asked considerately, "Would you like some?"
Wang Lianhua: "I won't eat."
With an expression that said, "Then you can just watch me eat," Yan Liang finished his meal in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Wang Lianhua stood there watching Yan Liang, and as she watched him, she realized that she was indeed bored out of her mind.
"I didn't expect you to have a penchant for watching people eat." Yan Liang wiped his mouth, washed the dishes, and sincerely offered his opinion. "But as the one being watched, I think you'd better not watch, it's too creepy."
"You've already eaten it, what's the point of saying this?"
Wang Lianhua thought to himself, "At your eating speed, watching it is no different than not watching it at all."
Harmonious times are always fleeting, and Yan Liang finally asked the question that Wang Lianhua had been eagerly anticipating.
Yan Liang: "You already knew about the Red Sun Valley incident in Miao territory?"
Wang Lianhua nodded in acknowledgment and said knowingly, "Yes. Yu Huatian told you?"
Yan Liang took a deep breath to calm his complicated emotions: "You already knew that the concubine in Minister Cheng's household was once Miss Yuze's maid?"
Wang Lianhua nodded: "That's right."
Yan Liang took another deep breath: "Do you know where that disciple from Crimson Sun Valley is?"
"I don't know that. He's running all over the capital... I only know that he always goes to see Yuze." Wang Lianhua denied it this time.
Yan Liang chuckled. He knew that person would go to see Miss Yuze. Right now, at this very moment, he was in Miss Yuze's room having a heart-to-heart talk with her and even saying some bad things about her.
Previously, Yu Huatian asked Yan Liang to go to Hongxiu Pavilion to inquire about Miss Yu Ze. When the madam saw him, she shouted loudly, and Yan Liang had no choice but to bravely walk into Miss Yu Ze's room again, despite everyone's subtle gazes.
Yan Liang was telling Yu Huatian the truth. When Yu Ze first saw him, her eyes lit up, but when she saw that Yan Liang had come alone, her starry eyes dimmed. She remained silent in response to his questions, and only said those words before he left.
"If you really want to know, why not put me in jail?" Miss Yuze said with a smile. "Since it was Scholar Yan who came, it must not be anything important."
Having no other choice, Yan Liang had to go back and report.
Of course, going to Yuze's room wasn't a wasted trip. Yan Liang made full use of advanced technology, placing a surveillance camera in Yuze's room.
Now Yan Liang was eager to see what the person who knew Miss Yuze looked like. He asked the question and was heartbroken by Wang Lianhua's reaction—mainly because he had fooled an official of a higher rank for such a bad friend. He immediately declared that he had a heart attack because of Wang Lianhua's behavior and needed to rest immediately. He also asked Wang Lianhua to get up early the next day and tell him the story of Miss Yuze.
Wang Lianhua scoffed at his reason, but it was indeed getting late. He agreed to Yan Liang's request, made a few more sarcastic remarks to Yan Liang, and then they went into their rooms separately.
＊
Rewinding to the moment Yan Liang began eating, Bai Miao changed his disguise again to meet Miss Yu Ze. He was very confident in his disguise; even the Thousand-Faced Prince probably couldn't see through it.
Upon seeing him, Miss Yuze sighed and asked, "Why have you come again?"
Bai Miao noticed that she was not very happy, and when he thought of Yan Tanhua that he had seen that afternoon, he frowned slightly.
What did he say to you?
Yuze smiled bitterly and remained silent. She didn't want to expose Wang Lianhua and Yan Liang's act to Bai Miao, and she remained silent whenever Bai Miao brought it up. Unexpectedly, he took her silence as an admission, and seemed to harbor resentment towards Yan Liang and that flower girl because of the increasingly strange rumors circulating in the capital.
Those who had romantic ties with Yan Tanhua were clearly all people Wang Lianhua was impersonating, and had nothing to do with her... Even Yuze had not expected things to turn out this way.
"I thought he was a good person... but since he chose to cut ties with you, why did he come looking for you again?"
Bai Miao muttered to himself, his expression filled with malice and disappointment towards Yan Liang, who was not present.
Yuze had a turbulent childhood, once wandering in Miao territory, where she was taken in by the Valley Master of Chiri Valley to be used as a medicine manipulator for raising Gu poison. Medicine manipulators require a long time to cultivate, and Yuze endured the pain every day until she met Bai Miao.
Bai Miao, the young master of Crimson Sun Valley, watched Yu Ze suffer day and night and, unable to bear it, let her go. After that, Yu Ze fled, covered in wounds, and was taken in by Wang Lianhua.
When Bai Miao came to the capital this time, he was disguised as Liu Changmin and saw Yu Ze in the Red Sleeve Pavilion. He recognized him at a glance. After that, he always came to the Red Sleeve Pavilion, and even after "Liu Changmin" died, he came to see her in different guises.
Yuze was grateful to him, but seeing him reminded her of those hellish days. Their relationship wasn't exactly close, but they could be considered friends. That day, Yuze asked him to investigate the whereabouts of a maid who hadn't written back after leaving the profession. Bai Miao discovered the truth and then angrily killed Minister Cheng.
Yuze looked at Bai Miao, who had a different face today, looking young and energetic.
Yuze stared at him silently for a long while, then asked softly, "Why did you kill Liu Changmin?"
Yan Liang once asked her, "Why did that person kill Liu Changmin?" Yu Ze remained silent, and she didn't quite understand why Bai Miao would kill Liu Changmin.
I couldn't help but ask it now.
Bai Miao's expression twisted for a moment, and his eyes revealed sorrow: "I didn't kill him."
Yu Ze was startled, as was Yan Liang, who was eavesdropping using advanced technology.
"He's a very good person...it's just..."
Bai Miao clearly had a lot to say, but the noise downstairs interrupted his reminiscence.
Amidst the screams, Bai Miao heard footsteps approaching directly from this direction, along with the barking of dogs.
Bai Miao's expression suddenly changed. He rushed to the window without even glancing at Yu Ze. Looking down, he saw a black-clad group of people guarding the area.
He cursed under his breath, glanced at Yuze, and knocked her unconscious. He then grabbed some gold and silver jewelry from her dressing table, rushed to the window, and climbed onto the roof. Someone shot an arrow into his right leg, and Bai Miao groaned. He then threw out poisonous smoke and disappeared from the rooftop in a few leaps.
Yu Huatian stood outside the Red Sleeve Pavilion, looking at the small figure, and frowned.
At the same time, a West Factory official being walked by a dog stumbled into Yuze's room, only to find a mess on the floor and Yuze lying unconscious on the ground.
While Yan Liang was placing a surveillance camera in Yu Ze's room, he also remembered to give one to Yu the Chief Supervisor as a friendly gift, as he was fully aware of what was happening in the West Factory.
Yu Huatian had obviously anticipated this, and went to catch the person with his dog tonight, but the person still managed to escape.
Yan Liang admired Yu Huatian's wit, but he arrived at a bad time—if he had been just a little bit better, Bai Miao would have been able to reveal the truth about Liu Changmin's death.
Fortunately, the surveillance camera in Yuze's room followed Bai Miao. Yan Liang watched as Bai Miao leaped over several rooftops and slipped into the window of an inn.
The surveillance cameras captured the scene in the vicinity clearly, and Yan Liang recognized it as the place where he had been subjected to malicious stares when he passed by that afternoon.
It really was him.
Yan Liang noted down the place, then turned to look at Yu Huatian's side.
Yu Huatian walked around the messy room of Yu Ze, his gaze lingering on the messy dressing table for a long time before turning to the still unconscious Yu Ze.
The madam stood trembling at the doorway, watching the scene inside. When Yu Huatian turned his gaze to Yu Ze, her heart nearly leaped out of her throat, for Yu Huatian's expression looked as if he were about to draw his sword. She almost rushed forward, grabbed Yu Huatian's leg, and cried, "Sir, look, you and my Yu Ze both have the surname Yu, please have mercy and spare my young lady's life!"
Yu Huatian did not draw his sword; he simply said coldly, "Take her back."
The madam's vision went black, and she almost fainted.
"Sir, Yuze was implicated. I didn't know that wealthy guest would be the culprit. This has nothing to do with Yuze!"
Yu Huatian was cold and ruthless: "Am I the supervisor or are you the supervisor? Take him back!"
Yan Liang exclaimed: "Look at that domineering demeanor, no wonder he's a high-ranking official."
Bai Miao knocked Yu Ze unconscious, clearly intending to sever her ties with him and lessen Yu Ze's suspicion. However, he was unaware that Yu Huatian had long suspected Yu Ze, and Yu Ze hadn't even had a chance to explain why Yan Liang had come to see her today. All his efforts were in vain.
Yan Liang could roughly guess Yu Huatian's idea, which was nothing more than luring the snake out of its hole and trapping the king in a trap, but Bai Miao obviously wouldn't necessarily do as he wished.
Yan Liang closed his eyes, went over the matter again, and immediately felt relieved.
After temporarily severing the connection between the two monitors and himself, Yan Liang closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
He slept soundly, but someone else stayed up all night, tormented by the pain in his right leg.
Bai Miao thought he had become accustomed to the pain of feeding on Gu for many years, but the arrow shot by the Western Depot was coated with something that made him suffer unbearable pain, and he could only grit his teeth and groan.
The arrowhead had barbs; forcibly pulling it out would only worsen the injury, but leaving it in would lead to endless trouble. Bai Miao was always a ruthless person, so he immediately bit down on a towel and used a dagger to cut the arrowhead out along with the flesh.
Bai Miao always carried medicine with him. By the time everything was done, he was drenched in sweat, and the morning light was already breaking.
After hiding everything in the room that might cause misunderstandings, Bai Miao finally had the mind to think about Yu Ze's safety. He thought to himself that this trip out of the valley had been filled with nothing but unpleasant things, even more unpleasant than when he was in the valley.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Bai Miao shook his head and denied it.
No matter how troublesome things are outside, it's still a hundred times better than being in the valley.
He was so tired and sleepy that he unconsciously closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
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