Chapter 36: Did I offend her?

Shen Yanchuan withdrew his gaze, his expression calm and indifferent, as if he didn't care at all, making it clear that he had no intention of making this deal with Xie Anbai.

He was already investigating Ye Chutang; whatever he wanted to know, he would find out on his own. There was no need to waste time and energy engaging in verbal sparring with Xie Anbai.

Seeing this reaction, Xie Anbai refused to let it go.

"Hey, wait, are you really not even a little curious?" He had been counting on using this information to squeeze some money out of Shen Yanchuan! Who knew Shen Yanchuan had no intention of doing so at all!

Unwilling to give up, Xie Anbai leaned forward: "Really! Exclusive news! I guarantee you won't regret buying it! For the sake of our long friendship, I'll give you a discount: one thousand taels!"

Shen Yanchuan picked up his teacup and took a light sip, not sparing him even a glance.

Xie Anbai gritted his teeth: "Then... eight hundred taels?"

Shen Yanchuan remained unmoved.

Xie Anbai took a deep breath: "Five hundred taels! I can't go any lower!"

Shen Yanchuan remained unruffled.

Xie Anbai truly couldn't take it anymore: "Three hundred taels! Just give me an answer, yes or no!"

Shen Yanchuan finally turned his head to look over: "One hundred taels. If you're going to say it, say it; if not, leave."

"..." Xie Anbai felt a sharp pang of heartache. It was all because he had been in too much of a hurry when leaving home and forgot to bring travel funds; otherwise, he wouldn't have to haggle so submissively with this man!

He reached out his hand.

Shen Yanchuan gave Lian Zhou a look, and Lian Zhou immediately stepped forward to present a banknote.

Xie Anbai checked it twice, carefully tucked the banknote into his robes, and then let out a snort: "I knew you liked her, yet you still wouldn't admit it. If this were any other woman, you wouldn't even spare her a second glance, so why would you be willing to spend money to investigate her?"

Shen Yanchuan was too lazy to explain: "Speak."

Xie Anbai didn't waste words. With a "swish," he folded his fan and spoke mysteriously: "I've looked into it. This Doctor Ye fled from the north three years ago, bringing her younger brothers and sisters with her to escape the famine. You probably already know that, but—do you know where her ancestral home is?"

Shen Yanchuan's eyes flickered slightly.

"You know?"

Ye Chutang and her group had been in Jiangling for three years, and no one knew where they had actually come from, yet Xie Anbai's tone was extremely certain.

A hint of triumph appeared in Xie Anbai's eyes.

He chuckled and lowered his voice, saying, "You'll never guess... they come from the Capital!"

The fingers holding the teacup tightened instantly, though Shen Yanchuan's expression remained unchanged.

"Oh?"

...

Madam Cao's appearance had completely disrupted Cao Deping's plans.

After her shout, a brief silence fell over the surroundings, followed by a sudden uproar!

"What did she say? The three people who died in Cao Chengwen's courtyard before actually had connections to the Cao family?"

"Hiss—it sounds like Cao Deping intentionally had Cao Chengwen find those people to do his dirty work! But in the end, they must have failed, and instead, they ended up dead at the Cao residence..."

"I always suspected there was something wrong with that case, and sure enough! Why would those people go to the Cao house in the middle of the night if they weren't up to something? And it was three against one, yet Cao Chengwen was the only one who survived! No matter how you look at it, this isn't normal!"

"But what exactly were they trying to do? Didn't Liu Si take the blame and confess at the very beginning?"

Cao Deping broke into a cold sweat, feeling an unprecedented sense of panic.

He gripped Madam Cao tightly, attempting to force her to leave, but they were intercepted by the officers after only a single step.

Yang Zhen asked in a heavy voice, "Cao Deping! Is what she just said true!?"

Cao Deping turned back, feeling a mix of anger, urgency, and panic, but in public, there were many things he simply could not say.

Seeing his expression, Yang Zhen assumed he was still trying to deny it and slammed the table violently.

"Speak! Did you find those three people from the gambling den! What was your purpose!"

Cao Deping's lips turned pale, and he trembled, unable to speak.

Just then, a sudden, cold laugh came from the side from Cao Chengwen.

"We were the ones who found them. That gambling den has close ties to our Cao family; finding a few people to do a job is as easy as breathing."

Cao Deping snapped his head toward him, the veins on his forehead bulging: "You beast! What on earth are you saying!"

A look of vengeful satisfaction appeared on Cao Chengwen's face, his features contorted.

When he had pushed him out earlier, he should have anticipated this moment!

Cao Chengwen suddenly turned to look at Yang Zhen, a strange smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Yang Zhen's heart thudded twice; for some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease welled up from the bottom of his heart.

In the next moment, he finally understood where that unease came from.

Cao Chengwen said in an eerie tone, "If it weren't for my cousin, those people from the gambling den probably wouldn't have granted this favor. Speaking of which, we must thank the County Magistrate."

The entire scene fell into dead silence.

Yang Zhen's face changed instantly.

...

The corners of Ye Chutang's lips curled upward; she was very satisfied with today's grand drama.

From Cao Chengwen to Cao Deping, and then to Liu Yiyi, they would all pay the price for what they had done.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yang Zhen had only two choices: first, abandon his political career by openly shielding them and letting the matter blow over again; second, uphold justice by discarding the stumbling block in his way.

In his heart, was the woman he loved more important, or—

"Someone, come here!"

Yang Zhen roared with a face of iron, every word seemingly squeezed painfully through his teeth.

"Bring Liu Yiyi here!"

Ye Chutang nodded slightly.

Oh, he had already made his choice.

She had no interest in watching the rest of the play and turned to leave.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from the side; she glanced casually and saw that Lady Zhou had arrived.

She had originally thought she would be too late to see Liu Si's execution, but upon arriving at the execution grounds, Lady Zhou discovered that Liu Si had not yet been executed!

She stood there in a daze, listening to the rising murmurs of the crowd, almost unable to believe it.

Then, she finally spotted Ye Chutang. The moment their eyes met, she saw the woman give her a faint, gentle smile.

Tears instantly welled up in Lady Zhou's eyes.

In the next moment, the woman turned and walked away, the breeze brushing against her skirt.

Her countenance was serene, her dark eyes gentle, and her entire being radiated a sense of tranquility and peace that was completely out of place in this noisy and violent environment.

She was like a spring begonia swaying gently in the wind.

After walking a distance, as Ye Chutang passed by a teahouse, she looked up as if unintentionally.

A man dressed in moon-white silk sat by the window, looking down from his vantage point.

—Have you seen enough of the excitement?

Shen Yanchuan's thin lips curled into a slight smile as he gave a small, acknowledging nod.

—It was quite spectacular.

Ye Chutang had no intention of arguing with him; she withdrew her gaze and continued walking.

At this hour, Ah Feng should have already prepared the meal. She had to get back early, otherwise, those who were waiting for her would find the food cold.

Thinking of this, she imperceptibly quickened her pace.

Shen Yanchuan watched her retreating figure, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.

Was she... actually from the Capital?

Then, she and Xu Fengchi—

"Hey, I say—" Xie Anbai asked with schadenfreude, "Why does the lady run away whenever she sees you? Is this the first time you've been so disliked? What did you do to offend her?"

(End of Chapter)