Chapter 1337 - 16: Leaving the Capital (2)
What good fortune it must be to marry the Second Young Master.
And so, Yun Chu stayed at the Jibei Marquis Mansion, working by Yan Ning’s side, attending to tasks like grinding ink and tidying the study.
Marquis Jibei had three sons but no daughters. Yan Ning was the only girl in the household, and being a cousin, she had no sisters to keep her company, making life somewhat dull.
Although the maids were loyal, they could not engage Yan Ning in conversation. Discussing poetry and songs with them was akin to playing the lute to a cow.
But Yun Chu was different. She was a true lady from a noble family, the legitimate daughter of the Wenyuan Bo Mansion. She also had no sisters and even had one less brother than Yan Ning.
The two, both without sisters, bonded quickly, becoming the best of sisters.
Although the Wenyuan Bo Mansion survived, with their lives spared, they had been exiled. As long as they lived, there was hope.
Three days later, the people from Wenyuan Bo Mansion were released from the Ministry of Justice and escorted to their place of exile.
Early in the morning, Yan Ning took Yun Chu out of the mansion. They wandered around a place not far from the Ministry of Justice Prison. As long as they left the city, they would be sure to see them.
Seeing Yun Chu dressed as a maid, Madam Wen Yuan was moved to tears.
The daughter she had raised with utmost care had never done hard labor and never expected she would fall to the level of becoming a maid.
What misfortune had the Wenyuan Bo Mansion caused?
Cai Die supported Madam Wen Yuan, half crying, half smiling.
As a maid, she knew the hardships that came with it, but even so, it was a hundred times better than being exiled thousands of miles away.
She knew the young lady would find a way to save them.
Yan Ning gave the government officials responsible for escorting the Wenyuan Bo Mansion two hundred taels of silver, saying she was grateful for the kindness of the Wenyuan Bo Mansion and asking them to take extra care of Madam Wen Yuan during the journey.
The officials hadn’t expected Yan Ning to be so generous. The weighty two hundred taels of silver dissipated their fatigue in an instant.
Yun Chu handed over a few sachets to Madam Wen Yuan, choking back tears, "I packed some mosquito-repelling herbs in the sachets for you to carry with you."
When receiving the sachets, Madam Wen Yuan held Yun Chu’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go.
Cai Die took the sachets and found them a bit heavy.
She was used to making sachets, and it was definitely not just the weight of the herbs.
Upon opening them halfway through the journey, she found the purse filled with small gold melon seeds, numbering a full eighteen or so.
The Wenyuan Bo Mansion had been raided, and there wasn’t a copper coin to be found on Madam Wen Yuan and her people.
With these gold melon seeds, they could fill their stomachs, so as not to starve halfway.
Yan Ning gave two hundred taels to the officials and an additional thirty to fifty taels to Madam Wen Yuan, enough that the officials were not greedy.
Climbing onto the high branch of the Jibei Marquis Mansion could possibly help them climb higher in the future, so one mustn’t be shortsighted.
Especially since Yan Ning said in front of the officials, "The Old Master was kind-hearted, and surely his wrongful conviction will be overturned one day."
The words were meant for both Madam Wen Yuan and the officials.
If they mistreated the Wenyuan Bo Mansion halfway, and if Wenyuan Bo Mansion were to never clear their name, so be it. But once they were exonerated, these officials would suffer.
The officials laughed, "Rest assured, Miss Yan, we will ensure they arrive in Yuzhou unharmed."
Yan Ning thanked them, then stepped aside to let them pass.
Madam Wen Yuan glanced back repeatedly, her eyes blurred with tears.
Yun Chu covered her mouth, crying, while Yan Ning held her hand.
Madam Wen Yuan knew her daughter would not be in danger while at the side of her cousin at the Jibei Marquis Mansion.
Thus, she felt at ease.
After the farewell, Yan Ning took Yun Chu back to the mansion.
With red, swollen eyes, Yun Chu looked at Yan Ning, at a loss for words.
Yan Ning smiled, "What can’t you say to me?"
"I..."
"You want to thank my Second Cousin, right?" Yan Ning guessed.
Yun Chu nodded, "I haven’t seen him for a few days."
Yan Ning smiled, "It won’t be easy to see my Second Cousin."
Yun Chu looked at her, confused.
"Second Cousin has left the capital on errands. It’s not known when he’ll return," Yan Ning said.
Yun Chu felt a bit disappointed, remembering the time she borrowed Shen Junshan’s brocade robe; it seemed he often left the capital.
Once he returned, she would properly thank him.
Yes.
Shen Junshan traveled to Liangzhou, where the Wenyuan Bo Mansion was located.
This case was difficult to investigate, and whether he could gain anything in Liangzhou was anyone’s guess.
However, a few days ago, Shen Junshan, through the Empress, influenced the Emperor to grant a general amnesty, causing some ministers in the court to insist on eliminating the Wenyuan Bo Mansion, drawing Shangguan Ji’s suspicion.
Shen Junshan, without an official position, was not obliged to attend court, but Shangguan Ji had to.
He noted down which ministers urged the Emperor to pursue the matter to the bitter end, and after court, checked the appointment records in Liangzhou.
It turned out Shangguan Ji did find a trace; a protégé of one of these ministers held a position in Liangzhou.
The Wenyuan Bo Mansion had no feud with that minister, so even if he didn’t help, there was no need to kick them when they were down. It was certainly due to his protégé.
As the commander of the Flying Tiger Army, Shangguan Ji could not leave, so Shen Junshan had to go to Liangzhou.
Before leaving, Shangguan Ji instructed him to look into that protégé.
Upon arriving in Liangzhou, Shen Junshan began investigating from that scholar, delving into the case of Wenyuan Bo Mansion’s treason.
The findings differed greatly from what Shangguan Ji had told him.
The protégé had reached his current position thanks to Wenyuan Bo’s promotion, and was more a frequent visitor of Wenyuan Bo Mansion than an enemy to it.
Shen Junshan stayed in Liangzhou for over a month, investigating who had developed enmity with Wenyuan Bo over the years and who stood to gain the most from Wenyuan Bo’s death.
If there wasn’t a grudge or conflict of interest, no one would take such a big risk to falsely accuse Wenyuan Bo Mansion.
Yet despite the lengthy investigation, not much could be uncovered, so Shen Junshan decided to return to the capital. Perhaps Shangguan Ji had found some clues.
However—
Less than half a day into his journey, at a post station, Shen Junshan found a clue.