The next day, Li Wenruo hurried to Shen Ji’s study and told him that Yan Li had gone to Capital Prefecture the day before to report the case, only to be thrown out.
After hearing this, Shen Ji’s expression did not change. After a moment of thought, he said faintly, “The Yan family simply does not want to cause me any more trouble.”
Then he instructed Wenruo, “Go and invite Yan Shu and Second Master Yan over.”
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yan Shu and Yan Li arrived together. Yan Shu’s face clearly showed worry. At yesterday’s imperial banquet, Consort Shu’s blatant targeting had been so obvious that anyone with even a little discernment could tell Shen Ji had offended Consort Shu… or rather, offended Prince Duan. He hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but Shen Ji spoke first and told Yan Shu not to worry about it, because he could handle it completely.
Shen Ji gave a slight nod and signaled for the two of them to sit. He directly brought up Yan Li’s report to the authorities from the day before, ignoring the obscure looks in both their eyes. Taking a letter he had already written from the desk, he handed it to Yan Li and said, “Second Master Yan need not worry. This is a letter I wrote to Duke Zhenguo’s Heir. Take it and go to Yuebin Restaurant to have the manager contact the Heir. I have already given him advance notice. Besides, Duke Zhenguo’s Residence has long been unhappy with Shi Mingyuan repeatedly targeting military officers in court and framing colleagues. This time, we can settle old and new accounts together.”
Yan Li’s hands trembled slightly as he accepted the letter. He exchanged a look with Yan Shu, and both of them were deeply moved. The Yan family was an upright scholarly family, but its foundation in the capital was still too shallow. Now that Duke Zhenguo’s Residence was willing to help, their great revenge could finally be avenged.
“Heir, for this great kindness… my Yan family has nothing to repay you with. If there is anything needed in the future, the Yan family will never refuse!” Yan Li’s voice choked with emotion as he stood and prepared to bow deeply.
Yan Shu’s eyes were also slightly red as he looked at Shen Ji with gratitude.
Shen Ji quickly supported him and stopped him. “There is no need for this.”
He pondered inwardly for a moment, thinking that after returning to the capital, Prince Duan’s faction would soon get what it deserved and fall one by one. Even if something happened, he could still protect the Yan family. His gaze swept over the two of them, and in the end he said, “Actually, there is one thing I need the Yan family’s help with right now.”
He briefly mentioned the old grudge between himself and Prince Duan, lowering his voice a little. “I plan to go to Jiangnan. Last year, Prince Duan used flood relief in Jiangnan as a pretext to plunder wealth on a huge scale, causing the deaths of countless innocent people. I need to gather solid evidence of those crimes.”
Hearing this, Yan Li did not hesitate at all. He said decisively, “Heir, rest assured! Although my Yan family is not among the powerful nobles, we have operated in Jiangnan for many years and still have some connections and informants there. As for gathering evidence of the crimes, the Yan family will do its duty without hesitation! We will certainly give our full strength to help the Heir!” His face was full of admiration.
The Yan family had not been completely unaware of the truth behind last year’s flood disaster. It was only that, constrained by official power and their own lack of influence, they could only suppress their indignation in their hearts.
Yan Shu’s gaze grew even more intense. A faint flush rose on his usually cool face from excitement as he stared at Shen Ji without blinking, his eyes full of reverence. Heir Shen had not only saved his life in a moment of danger, but had also fought for the country and the people, rooting out treachery and evil… truly admirable.
Seeing both of them stare at him so fervently, Shen Ji felt extremely awkward, and an inexplicable sense of embarrassment rose in his heart.
After sending the two men off, Shen Ji continued reviewing the evidence of Prince Duan’s crimes in his hands. During last year’s Jiangnan flood, Prince Duan had used disaster relief as an opportunity to pass off inferior grain and healing medicine as good goods, plundering wealth on a massive scale; he had even indulged his subordinates in seizing the common people’s property and farmland, leaving more than ten thousand people displaced and countless families shattered.
The officials in Jiangnan covered it up layer by layer, and after Prince Duan returned to the capital, he was even rewarded for his disaster relief efforts.
Shen Ji planned to fake illness and leave the capital, to prevent Prince Duan, driven into a corner by these heavy losses, from snapping back in desperation and making trouble nonstop. As long as he obtained solid evidence of the crimes, he could nail Prince Duan down completely in one blow, leaving him in utter disgrace and with no chance of ever turning things around. By then, Lady Liu and her son, having lost their biggest backer, would be nothing more than fish on the chopping block.
In his previous life, Prince Duan had provided poison to Lady Liu, causing the original owner’s birth mother, Lin Wan, to remain bedridden and suffer until she died, and also causing the original owner himself to die. Hiding in the shadows and stirring up chaos, he had wiped out the legitimate line of Duke Zhenguo’s Residence. Such a ruthless and merciless man, willing to stop at nothing to achieve his goal, had actually ascended the throne.
…
Inside Prince Duan’s Residence, Zhao Sheng paced back and forth in the study, his heart full of unease.
Shen Ji’s existence was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, and no one knew when it would fall.
After thinking it over again and again, he gave a harsh order: “Pass down the command! Post a reward of ten thousand taels of gold and go to the Assassin Hall! Hire the number one assassin, Yan Bei, and the number two assassin, Luo Hui, to strike together! This prince wants Shen Ji’s head, the sooner the better!”
Yan Bei: once his sword is drawn, it never returns, and he leaves no survivors. He is known as the foremost killer in the martial world.
Luo Hui: ghostlike in form, strange and elusive, killing without leaving a trace. He is known as the “Thousand-Faced Poison Vulture.”
He had to eliminate Shen Ji completely at any cost!
“Yes!” The guard’s heart tightened. He knew very well that His Highness had truly gone all in this time, and immediately accepted the order and left.
Later that evening, Old Duke received Shen Ji’s confidential letter. Candlelight illuminated his solemn but somewhat relieved face. In the letter, Shen Ji described his plan to go to Jiangnan in detail.
“Good boy! Brave and resourceful!” Old Duke praised him in a low voice, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
Although he already knew that Shen Ji had escaped the successive traps set by Prince Duan and Consort Shu at the Deer Cry Banquet, showing exceptional skill and quick wits, this plan was still far too risky.
Jiangnan was Prince Duan’s sphere of influence, a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den, but there was no denying that it was also a killing blow against Prince Duan. Thinking of how Prince Duan had actually colluded with the second branch to abduct and traffic his grandson Chu Yu, nearly cutting off the duke’s residence legitimate bloodline and creating a deep, irreconcilable hatred, a surge of anger rose in his chest that he could not suppress.
Unfortunately, His Majesty had become wary of Duke Zhenguo’s Residence in recent years and kept it under strict covert surveillance, while Prince Duan enjoyed great favor. Directly moving against Prince Duan would by no means be a wise choice for Duke Zhenguo’s Residence. Shen Ji’s actions this time could also be considered revenge for the duke’s residence!
“How can my duke’s residence simply stand by and watch?” Old Duke pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote a reply. In a deep voice, he instructed his trusted guard, “Select two of the most elite squads of shadow guards. From this moment on, they will secretly obey Heir Shen of the Pingyang Marquis and escort him to Jiangnan to investigate the case. If anything goes wrong, come back with your heads!”
In his reply, Old Duke also mentioned the Yan family matter, putting Shen Ji at ease. On the duke’s residence side, they had already gathered a great deal of evidence of Shi Mingyuan’s crimes and had originally planned to submit a memorial at the right time. Vice Minister Shi’s Residence would soon fall.
They could not move directly against Prince Duan, but dealing with a vice minister tied to Prince Duan was easy enough. It would also conveniently distract people from Shen Ji’s departure from the capital to the south.
The next day, news spread that Heir Shen of Pingyang Marquis Residence was gravely ill and near death. Every famous physician in the capital was invited to the Marquis Residence to treat Heir Shen, and the thick smell of medicine even drifted beyond the gates.
Combined with Consort Shu’s deliberate humiliation at the Deer Cry Banquet the day before, and the already widely known feud between Prince Duan and Shen Ji, everyone in the capital tacitly understood that this was probably a retaliatory strike from Consort Shu or Prince Duan, and that Shen Ji had ultimately failed to avoid it. For a time, Pingyang Marquis Residence, which was already poorly visited, became even more deserted. Everyone avoided it as if it were plague-ridden, fearing bad luck and even more afraid of offending Consort Shu and Prince Duan in the palace.
When they reached a dense forest outside the capital, Shen Ji suddenly acted, joining forces with the shadow guards from Duke Zhenguo’s Residence to cut down every spy from Prince Duan’s Residence that had been following them.
After erasing all traces, the group hurried along a detour toward Jiangnan.
Prince Duan received news of Shen Ji’s sudden serious illness and was filled with shock and suspicion. That evening, he also received word that the spy in the Marquis Residence had gone missing, and the unease in his heart intensified sharply.
“Send more men!” he shouted harshly toward the door, his voice furious. “Keep a close watch on Pingyang Marquis Residence for this prince! Arrest every physician who went to Pingyang Marquis Residence today to examine him, and interrogate them strictly! This prince wants to see whether Shen Ji is really about to die, or whether he is just setting up a false trail! Go now!”