Chapter 653: Chapter 653: Bait

’From the sound of it, they’re old acquaintances?’

’But why have I never heard about this before?’

Fan Chengzhuo racked his brain, but he couldn’t recall anything of the sort.

He glanced suspiciously out the door again, just in time to see the two attendants driving the carriage away.

’Judging by the direction, it really is heading for the Prince Jing Mansion...’

Fan Chengzhuo cradled his wine cup, lost in thought. His mind was a complete mess.

’Just how... did Ye Chutang get connected with them?’

...

"What a pity about those two jars of good wine."

Across the street, in the Lan Yue Building, two people sat facing each other by a second-floor window.

Shen Yanchuan lifted a cup of tea for a light sip. His gaze swept coolly over the carriage below, his voice calm and his eyes impassive.

"You brewed it yourself. If it were offered for sale, there’s no telling how many people would fight over it. To just give it away to the Prince Jing Mansion for nothing is truly a waste."

Ye Chutang gave him a speechless look.

"It’s medicinal wine! Medicinal wine! Only people in poor health need it, so it’s not exactly a rare treasure, is it? Besides, haven’t I given you more—and better—before?"

Shen Yanchuan set down his teacup, his expression unreadable as he seemed to sink into contemplation.

"That’s true. A full six jars of wine... enough to last me ten years."

Ye Chutang: "..."

’The jealousy is practically wafting out of the room!’

She sighed and raised her hands in surrender. "I get it, Young Master. Later—oh, no, tonight! Tonight, I’ll have someone send a whole cart over to you. A couple of jugs of every variety. How does that sound?"

Shen Yanchuan considered this for a moment before saying with restraint, "That would be quite an expense for you."

He tilted his chin up slightly.

"In that case, this cup of tea today is on me."

Ye Chutang: "..."

He tilted his head slightly. As if sensing something, Xiao Wu, who was diligently munching on a plum blossom cake, looked up with wide eyes. His little hands still clutched a piece of candied fruit and a mung bean cake, his expression one of utter bewilderment.

Ye Chutang covered her face with her hand, unable to bear watching.

Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow. "And these plates of pastries. They’re on me as well."

He sounded so incredibly generous.

Ye Chutang said, "...Young Master, if I recall correctly, doesn’t this Lan Yue Building belong to the Shen family?"

’If I hadn’t been looking for a better vantage point, I wouldn’t have come to the building across the street!’

Shen Yanchuan looked out the window.

From here, he had a perfect view of the person sitting by the window on the first floor of the Yunlai Tavern across the street.

His lips curved into a subtle, knowing smile.

"What, you think this trip wasn’t worth it?"

Ye Chutang followed his gaze and shrugged. "Whether it’s worth it or not, we’ll have to wait and see the results."

Shen Yanchuan let out a sudden laugh. Not bothering to argue, he leaned back lazily in his chair and said nonchalantly,

"You went to all the trouble of bribing his coachman, specifically chose today of all days to lure him to the Yunlai Tavern, and then intentionally let him see your people deliver wine to the Prince Jing Mansion. Wasn’t it all to probe his relationship with Xiao Chenglin?"

Ye Chutang propped her chin on her hand. "The method is simple and convenient, so why not? Besides, if he didn’t have his own ulterior motives—like investigating me—he wouldn’t have come. He wanted to walk into the trap himself, so I’m just fulfilling his wish. What’s wrong with that?"

Shen Yanchuan nodded.

"Indeed."

Ye Chutang tilted her head to look at him. "Though, I thought you’d be at the morning court session today. I didn’t expect you to be hiding out here, enjoying your leisure."

Shen Yanchuan smiled. "Miao Sheng alone is more than enough."

The evidence was real, and the crimes Zheng Baosu had committed were real. Therefore, Miao Sheng’s memorial alone was enough to cause a tempestuous uproar.

"Besides, if I were there, I would’ve likely been the one sent to the Northern Border to make the arrest. But I have other important matters to handle here, so—"

Shen Yanchuan left the rest unsaid, but Ye Chutang understood perfectly.

She nodded in agreement. "Zheng Baosu alone is certainly not important enough for the Princely Heir to handle personally. Besides, the case has many entanglements. He must have accomplices in the court, and in high positions. *They*... are the real trouble."

Zheng Baosu had committed capital offenses; even death by a thousand cuts wouldn’t be an excessive punishment. But in the end, he was merely a pawn.

And the true puppet master remained perfectly hidden.

Shen Yanchuan’s goal was to find that person.

"Things at the Marquis Zhongyong Mansion probably won’t be peaceful from now on. When does Second Young Master Xie plan to return to the Capital City?" Ye Chutang asked. "If he doesn’t come back soon, there’ll be no one to clean up the Xie Family’s mess."

Ever since Shen Yanchuan mentioned that Xie Anbai would be back soon, Ye Chutang had suspected he hadn’t gone far. Perhaps he hadn’t even left the Capital City at all.

The situation was just too tense, so he had gone into hiding to keep a low profile.

Now that Fan Chengzhuo had openly paid a visit to the Xie Family, Xie Anjun’s good days were numbered.

Shen Yanchuan smiled. "He has his own plans, no need to worry. If he couldn’t even manage this much, he wouldn’t have gotten this far."

’That’s true,’ Ye Chutang thought.

"Then once he’s back, I’ll take Xiao Wu to the Marquis Zhongyong Mansion to deliver a gift in person."

Shen Yanchuan’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Why does everyone get a gift?"

Ye Chutang blinked and pointed outside.

"He doesn’t count?"

Fan Chengzhuo had always been a cautious man. After his demotion, he was especially careful, cutting off all contact with everyone else in the court.

Shen Yanchuan’s men had staked out his residence for a long time but found no trace of any unusual activity.

It wasn’t until today, when Miao Sheng’s memorial pushed him into a corner, that he finally acted.

First, Fan Chengzhuo went to the Xie Family, and then he came to the Yunlai Tavern.

"He could insist on not seeking out his true master for a day or two, but he can’t keep it up forever. Especially now—"

Ye Chutang’s eyes narrowed in thought.

"Still, I didn’t expect him to react so strongly. The Princely Heir chose an excellent piece of bait this time."

When Shen Yanchuan first said he planned to use Zheng Baosu to lure out both Fan Chengzhuo and Xie Anjun, she had been a bit hesitant.

’After all, how could a distant maternal cousin be worth risking one’s own future, or even one’s life?’

Shen Yanchuan’s lips curved, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"In his entire career as an official, Fan Chengzhuo has only ever used his power for Zheng Baosu’s sake. And I forgot to mention, he was the one who initiated contact with Xie Anjun."

"Really?"

Now Ye Chutang was genuinely surprised.

"He’s really that devoted to a distant maternal cousin?"

"Logically, Xie Anjun is the one who wants to win allies and build a network in the military. He should have been the one making the first move."

"Fan Chengzhuo, on the other hand, has had an exceptionally smooth career since entering the court. Even without joining forces with Xie Anjun, he could have continued to be the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and live a comfortable, successful life."

"Even for someone who places great importance on family ties, this seems a step too far, don’t you think?"

Looking at Shen Yanchuan’s subtle smile, Ye Chutang suddenly had a flash of insight.

"Unless—the relationship between Zheng Baosu and Fan Chengzhuo isn’t what it appears to be on the surface?!"

Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow, the admiration in his eyes unconcealed.

’Such a sharp and perceptive mind. She always sees right to the heart of the matter.’

"If that weren’t the case, why do you think I was so confident I could use this opportunity to drag out the person behind him as well?"

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