Chapter 131 - 83: The Truth

Chapter 131: Chapter 83: The TruthRan Yan hooked the corner of her lip as she gazed at Yunsheng, utterly ignoring his reproach, and asked with a smiling face, "Is there any news in the family?" Seeing her smile, warm as a spring thaw, Yunsheng found it impossible to maintain a stern face and sighed, "Right now, the rumors about you in the city are rampant. The Yan Family has already called off the marriage, and the elders in the family are quite angry and inevitably vent their anger on you. However, the head of the Lu Family has publicly praised you, which has somewhat redeemed the Ran Family’s reputation. So, the current situation is still tolerable, as long as you stay quietly in Yingmei Temple and keep to yourself, no one can do much to you." He paused, then added gravely, "Yan, if you are short of money, just tell me. Don’t go making money on your own. Although my capabilities are limited, I will never be short of money. Don’t be stubborn, you understand?" "Hmm." Ran Yan nodded gently. That was all she could promise Yunsheng, but she still planned to save some money for herself secretly for personal protection. It was always good to have multiple layers of insurance, which was typical of Ran Yan’s style. Yunsheng nodded and then added, "I have already settled Divine Doctor Wu in a residence near the western part of the city, close to West Mountain. He can gather herbs on the mountain whenever he is free." "Thank you, brother," Ran Yan said. This arrangement suited both Wu Xiuhe’s and Ran Yan’s intentions perfectly. Yunsheng was experienced in the business world and was not just another irresponsible young master. Every matter he handled was meticulous, so Ran Pingyu had already handed many responsibilities over to him. And on the inevitable path of a merchant, he was fortunately quite competent. The siblings chatted for a while in the bamboo grove. Yunsheng then had the items he brought sent to the temple and added five hundred taels for temple oil, a significant amount. Five hundred taels might not seem much on the surface, but considering the purchasing power of the Tang Dynasty, it was enough to refurbish the entire Yingmei Temple. Therefore, the temple treated Ran Yan like a saint and even added three dishes to her dinner, though it was still a simple vegetarian fare, it was much more refined than usual. After dinner, Ran Yan bathed and then lit a lantern on the porch to read Medical Books. Standing outside the bamboo gate, Xing Nong looked around anxiously for a while before turning to ask Ran Yan again, "Wife, how long will it take to be a witness? Why hasn’t anyone come yet although it’s already getting dark?" "Let’s wait a little longer." Ran Yan was also somewhat anxious, and Xing Nong’s interruption made her more irritable, so she quickly urged, "Xing Nong, please keep the food warm." Xing Nong nodded and walked toward the kitchen, repeatedly looking back. She had just entered the kitchen when Wan Lu returned. "Wife!" Wan Lu’s face was pale, and her eyes, swollen like two walnuts, burst into the courtyard and immediately clung to Ran Yan’s knees, crying out loud. The cry startled Xing Nong, who came out from the kitchen somewhat flustered and asked, "What’s wrong with Wan Lu?" "Wife." Wan Lu stood up, wiping her continuously falling tears, and choked, "The Government Office said that the two female bodies pieced together that day, one was Yin San’s wife, and the other was Ge Lan... oh... I, I can’t recognize which one is her." As Wan Lu sobbed, even the evening breeze seemed to carry a hint of sadness. Xing Nong, soft-hearted, couldn’t hold back her tears either, which streamed down her face. Searᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Ran Yan lowered her eyes and sighed softly, remaining silent for a while before slowly saying, "Tomorrow I will write a letter, which you will deliver to Inspector Liu. If he agrees, I will personally verify it then." Ran Yan reached out and gently patted Wan Lu’s head, asking, "Is it time for dinner yet?" Wan Lu shook her head, her expressive phoenix eyes full of resentment. "I’m not hungry. Just looking at that beast in human clothing, Yin Wenshu, makes me feel sick and lose my appetite! He knew from the start that he had wrongfully killed Yin Sanniang, but later he forced Yin Sinniang to impersonate her, even threatening that if she let slip even a slight flaw, he would also drown her in the Pingjiang River, to join Yin Sanniang." Xing Niang and Xiao Man looked utterly horrified. Xing Niang’s voice trembled as she said, "Even tigers don’t eat their offspring. To think that Yin Wenshu, with his scholarly appearance, could commit such abhorrent and cruel acts inviting divine condemnation!" "And there’s Ge Lan! He admitted that he had people silence Ge Lan! He said that day Yin Sinniang made an appointment with our lady at the Pingjiang River. Yin Sinniang herself went to find Qin Silang, while our lady was on the riverbank. Somehow, she happened to see Yin Wenshu attempting to dispose of a body. He then tried to kill someone to cover it up... It’s..." Wan Lu spoke excitedly but suddenly stopped, disgruntled. Ran Yan slowly took over, "Ge Lan, to save me, lured away the guards of the Yin Family on his own and was unfortunately silenced, right?" Wan Lu’s expression shifted from surprise to sorrow as she nodded with downcast eyes. Xing Niang was incredulous; she had seen much treachery and deceit, but rarely did she hear of such terrifying deeds—fathers killing daughters, coercing and threatening another daughter, and even attempting to assassinate another family’s direct daughter. If he was not mad, then he was utterly ruthless. "What’s the matter with Han Shan?" Since the conversation had reached this point, Ran Yan decided to ask clearly. Wan Lu said, "That Han Shan once spoke, during a banquet, with Qin Silang and several other young men of noble families. They privately discussed the ladies, and Han Shan mentioned watching Yin Sanniang walk, daring to assert she was no longer a virgin... Yin Sinniang, already trembling with fear in her role as Yin Sanniang, heard about this from someone, and thus grew even more terrified, leading her to think of Madam Wei." "Speaking of Madam Wei, she claimed to be the orphaned daughter of a fallen noble family. Although she was middle-aged, she had preserved her chastity. She was beautiful and elegant, and since Mrs. Yin’s health had declined after giving birth to Yin Sanniang and Yin Sinniang, Yin Wenshu then took her as a concubine. However, Yin Sinniang found that she often met with Cui Mei from Cai Xiu Hall, learning that Cui Mei was a skilled player of the konghou, and hence pretended in front of Madam Wei that she wanted to learn the konghou, lamenting that it was hard to find a good teacher." "To see Cui Mei regularly, Madam Wei fell for the trap and introduced Cui Mei into the residence under the guise of a music teacher. Soon after, Yin Sinniang followed the leads from Cui Mei’s background to discover Madam Wei’s true identity. It turned out that Madam Wei, though indeed the orphaned daughter from a noble family, was a musician from the Ministry of Music; she had later been involved with someone and had a daughter, who was Cui Mei." Being from the entertainment group was considered of a lower class, even if the slaves from that department served the Emperor, they were still lowly, and once they left, their past identity became a stain they could not wash off. However, Madam Wei somehow managed to obtain the status of an honest citizen, and with her distinguished demeanor and the long journey from Chang’an to Suzhou, she naturally managed to hide her past. Madam Wei had also deceived Yin Wenshu about her virginity, which surprised Ran Yan. She did not know whether to marvel at Yin Wenshu’s ignorance or admire her cunning ways. Wanwan used Madam Wei’s background to blackmail Cui Mei, making her seduce Han Shan and poison him. Qin Silang beat up Han Shan, coincidentally during his poisoning. This was not originally in Wanwan’s calculations, but the incident also sparked Wanwan’s "inspiration" and further fueled the suppressed and growing craziness of her hatred. (To be continued. 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