Chapter 148 Scaling the Wall

That censor was equally impoverished, yet he held strict integrity in high regard. Far from demanding a betrothal gift from Master Yan, he instead used his own savings to prepare a dowry for his daughter—a single pure gold hairpin. The hairpin was utterly plain in design, consisting merely of a thin shaft with one end slightly curved.

A hairpin of such description would be sneered at by even slightly well-to-do families in Jiankang.

Unfortunately, this very hairpin happened to be the most valuable piece of jewelry owned by the wife of a reigning Grand Censor of the First Rank—a fact that many would refuse to believe if told.

Yet, such was the truth.

Master Yan’s official salary was not meager, but because he constantly relieved the impoverished commoners outside, his funds dwindled to almost nothing after a short while. It must have been during the winter some seven or eight years ago when an exceptionally heavy snowfall struck, plunging many commoners outside the city into a severe snow disaster.

However, the relief funds from the imperial court were disbursed at a glacial pace. Unable to bear the sight any longer, Master Yan took his newly collected household salary in its entirety and distributed it to the disaster victims.

Included in that salary was the rent owed to their landlord for the entire year.

The landlord, urgently needing the money, had no choice but to come knocking to press for the debt, threatening to have them evicted otherwise. Lady Yan, who managed the household affairs, was driven to her wits' end and had no alternative but to pawn her only piece of jewelry with an irredeemable pawn.

The pawnshop attendants were exceptionally sharp-eyed; upon seeing that it was the wife of the Grand Censor of the First Rank, they treated her with utmost warmth and hospitality. After all, for a First-Rank official's wife to come to a pawnshop to pawn items was truly a rare spectacle under heaven.

Later, upon noticing that it was merely an inconspicuous, tarnished golden hairpin, they found it even more bizarre and chatted about the matter with the manager above. Unsure of how to handle it, the manager reported it further up the chain.

The pawnshop originally belonged to Lady Gu, the wife of the Duke of Ying. Upon hearing of the matter, Lady Gu inquired into the ins and outs of the situation. Yet, mindful of the fact that Grand Councilor Yan had always been at odds with her own husband, she worried it would be improper for her to step in and lend a hand. How could Master Yan accept such help? How could he subsequently argue face-to-face with her husband in the imperial court with righteous confidence?

Therefore, when Lady Gu entered the palace to pay her respects to Empress Jiang, she deliberately let slip a piece of gossip.

Even if the astute Empress Jiang failed to grasp the deeper implication, were there not still numerous eyes and ears present all around?

Eventually, the breeze naturally blew into the Emperor’s ears. Upon verifying the facts, Emperor Xuan bestowed upon Master Yan a sizable mansion located in the esteemed Jiying Lane as a reward, amidst the unanimous praise of all officials.

Jiang Lan had listened to dozens of names in succession upon inquiring, yet she truly had not found a single one belonging to Master Yan's estate.

As for the censor residing in Jiying Lane, there was only Master Yan.

After listening through the entire consecutive series, Jiang Lan had figured out all the dozens of neighboring households—truly a terrifying feat.

Just as Jiang Lan was preparing to head back, she suddenly heard a commotion. She hastily concealed herself in a shadowy alcove. She saw that very same figure in black robes and hat who had entered earlier, and standing opposite him was another tall and imposing silhouette.

The figure appeared exceptionally robust; even under the flickering candlelight, one could perceive the original owner's sturdy build.

Compared to the body hidden beneath the black robes and hat, it was simply an elephant beside a rabbit.

"Is the Eunuch leaving right after securing the news for your master?"

Jiang Lan’s eyes lit up. This was the voice of the deputy general from earlier in the day—the master of this estate. Was he not in the main courtyard? Were those patrolling guards not just saying so? Could there be a secret passage leading directly to the main courtyard from here?

And that address of "Eunuch"—it seemed the guards had not been mistaken; this person was indeed a palace attendant, though whether he was Eunuch Hai Cen from yesterday remained to be seen.

Suppressing her doubts, Jiang Lan carefully eavesdropped on the conversation between the two men.

"Yuan Hao, what are you trying to do? Are you not afraid of incurring the young master's wrath?"

Jiang Lan lowered her gaze and thought to herself, "Indeed, this is Hai Cen's voice. As for his 'young master,' if I am not mistaken, it must be Chen Yu, the Heir of the Prince of Anping. So Hai Cen really is his man. Why make such a fuss over a mere jade Buddha? It makes no sense, doesn't it?"

Jiang Lan continued to listen.

"Does the Eunuch still think the young master has any use for you? If you were to bring this news forward today, I fear death would be your only outcome."

Jiang Lan could discern their shapes, yet she still could not clearly see their faces. She only saw the massive shadow slowly approaching the other, more fragile shadow, until the two gradually merged into one.

"What do you mean by this?"

Hai Cen’s voice trembled slightly, lacking the aggressive sharpness he had displayed when leveling accusations against Jiang Lan that day.

"Your subordinate is simply offering the Eunuch a reminder, is that not so? Does the Eunuch not have the slightest inkling in his heart? You secretly executed tasks for the Heir, disrupting the master's original plan. Now that you have been fully exposed before everyone's eyes, do you think you can escape?"

Yuan Hao, the deputy general, analyzed the situation with such lucid logic that he utterly shattered the last remnants of hope Hai Cen held.

"But this matter was clearly ordered by the young master; I had no choice but to carry it out!" Hai Cen roared in anguish, attempting to push away the man's restraining grip before him.

Yet the surrounding encirclement tightened further, gripping him with suffocating pressure. But compared to physical discomfort, the grievance of being treated as a mere pawn was far harder for his heart to accept.

"Such is fate!" This sentence seemed to be the final straw that crushed Hai Cen, leaving behind only muffled moans and groans.

Afterward, Deputy General Yuan Hao asked, "Someone else will take your place, and those under your command will likely not survive either. Operating in this position, you must have amassed considerable wealth. Hand it over; I will forward it to your family on your behalf."

Only then did Hai Cen snap back to reality as if waking from a nightmare.

"Yuan Hao, I beg of you! I can give you all the treasures, but please spare my family! They are all innocent! Don't you need to dispel malevolent spirits and offer incense oil money? I have money, a great deal of money! I beg you, do not harm my family!"

"That will depend on your performance."

...

Jiang Lan clenched her fists. This was simply too odious!

Just as she was about to step out and intervene, she inadvertently stepped on a discarded piece of clothing and tripped, tumbling straight to the ground. The commotion was far from subtle.

Yuan Hao halted his actions, quickly snatched up a dagger from nearby, and hurled it toward the spot where Jiang Lan had fallen.

Jiang Lan rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the blade.

"Stop right there!"

Jiang Lan could no longer afford to care about "punishing evil and promoting good." She lifted her feet and sprinted away.

Having managed to escape the hidden chamber, she plunged deep into the grove of trees and vaulted over the perimeter wall.

Patting her chest, Jiang Lan panted heavily. Hearing a commotion from the other side of the wall, she quickly pressed her back against the masonry.

She heard voices from the other side.

"Did you catch them?" It was Hai Cen's voice.

"No. That person's movement technique was extremely swift; the moment they emerged, they vanished without a trace."

"Should we send more men to pursue them?"

"No. Today's affair must not be made public, or else the one who dies will not be just you and your subordinates. Let us search the surroundings again; they cannot have fled very far."

Gradually, Jiang Lan heard footsteps drawing closer, advancing toward the very wall where she was hiding.

Yuan Hao vaulted over the wall and peered out.

Hai Cen asked in a low voice from within, "Did you find anything?"

"No," Yuan Hao shook his head.

"Shall we go search further afield?" Hai Cen suggested.

Yuan Hao dropped back down into his own courtyard and replied in a subdued tone, "That is the estate of Grand Councilor Li; causing a disturbance there would only bring more trouble."

Hai Cen had not expected that the neighboring property he had just targeted belonged to Grand Councilor Li. First came the astonishment: Yuan Hao had never previously disclosed such details to him. Now that he mentioned it, it likely meant he truly believed Hai Cen's days were numbered.