Chapter 136: Everything According to Plan

The residence of Yu Wenshi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

This morning, a carriage carrying the women of the household departed through the West Gate of Jinyang City, ostensibly heading toward Longjiang City, though its true destination was Qishan. Although the Night Inspection Division had deployed personnel to strictly monitor all city gates to prevent the two fugitives from escaping the capital, they did not search the Vice Minister’s carriage. This was partly due to the close ties between the Night Inspection Division and the Ministry of Justice, and partly because Yu Wenshi possessed significant influence in the imperial court, making others wary of offending him.

Thus, the carriage carrying Geng Ji successfully left the city, following the plan to meet Lanhui at Qishan. Meanwhile, Lanhui was escorted to Qishan by Duanmu Qing. The decision to have them travel separately was not only for the sake of secrecy but also to prevent them from colluding or attempting to escape halfway. While Jiang Chen had been candid and sincere when dealing with Geng Ji, he could not guarantee the man’s integrity. If Geng Ji were to take Lanhui and disappear from their sight, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

While arranging for Geng Ji and Lanhui to head to Qishan, Han Yuyang had spent the previous night hiding Ji Bei in an unexpected location within Jinyang City. It was a place the Night Inspection Division had searched repeatedly; they would never suspect that Han Yuyang had returned to the very spot they had already cleared, bringing the escaped prisoner Ji Bei with him. Two high-profile fugitives were hiding right under their noses while the authorities scrambled to search everywhere else.

Everything was proceeding according to Jiang Chen’s plan. Geng Ji’s confession was already in his possession, and the matter with Ji Bei would soon be resolved. Now, Jiang Chen needed to persuade one specific person to ensure this evidence reached the Emperor.

"Lord Yu, have you been living in peace lately?"

Jiang Chen appeared at the door of Yu Wenshi’s study. The latter was buried in Ministry of Justice paperwork, but upon seeing Jiang Chen, he immediately set aside his work and strode forward to greet him with a smile.

"Young Master Jiang, thanks to you and Miss Duanmu extending a helping hand, my son and I are no longer under the constant threat of the assassin’s blade. Those were truly nightmarish days!"

Yu Wenshi had not been attacked recently, and he attributed this to the presence of Jiang Chen and his companions, which deterred the enemy. In reality, the Xuan Yan Mansion had simply abandoned the operation; with Ji Bei having already escaped the dungeon, there was no longer a need to risk further complications by killing a Vice Minister of Justice.

Yu Wenshi, unaware of these details, treated Jiang Chen as an honored guest, never daring to show the slightest negligence. Satisfied with the official's attitude, Jiang Chen spoke up: "Lord Yu, I have a favor to ask of you today."

Unaware of what the favor entailed, Yu Wenshi readily agreed. "Very well, whatever it is you need, Young Master Jiang, I will certainly do my utmost to assist. Please, speak."

Seeing Yu Wenshi’s eager cooperation, Jiang Chen felt a twinge of sympathy, knowing that once the man learned the truth, he would likely leap from his seat in terror.

"It is nothing major. I simply need you to seek an audience with the Emperor and deliver a letter to him."

The smile on Yu Wenshi’s face froze. He did not jump three feet into the air as Jiang Chen had anticipated, but cold sweat began to bead on his forehead. An audience with the Emperor—and he called that "nothing major"? Seeing Jiang Chen treat the matter so lightly made Yu Wenshi even more anxious, as such downplaying usually meant the situation was dire.

"Young Master Jiang... please, explain the situation clearly first, so I can see if I can truly be of help."

Jiang Chen then detailed his plan to clear the names of Qishan and Han Yuyang. He needed Yu Wenshi because he lacked the standing to contact the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty directly. Furthermore, there was always the risk of corrupt officials intercepting them. Having a high-ranking official like Yu Wenshi present the confession directly to the Emperor was the only foolproof method.

Yu Wenshi’s sweat flowed more profusely. "Young Master Jiang, although I do not know your connection to Qishan, I cannot do this. You have no idea of the current stance the court holds toward Qishan; they wish for nothing more than for them to perish. If I were to approach His Majesty with this, I would be branded a sympathizer, an outsider in the official ranks. The consequences would be unimaginable."

Jiang Chen, having anticipated this, retorted: "Think about it—if, because of your help, Qishan is vindicated, you will have the support of their tens of thousands of iron cavalry as your backing. Those sycophants in the court would be trampling over each other to reach your doorstep. Do you really fear being sidelined?"

Jiang Chen’s blunt assessment of court survival eased most of Yu Wenshi’s concerns.

"Lord Yu, you must seize this opportunity; chances like this do not come often."

Encouraged by Jiang Chen, Yu Wenshi finally nodded. "Very well. I shall cast aside my worries and see this through!"

Having secured Yu Wenshi’s cooperation, Jiang Chen slipped back to the small courtyard they had rented. With the snack shop no longer in business, the place was desolate. Once a bustling, popular spot, it was now an ignored corner, which ironically made it an ideal hideout.

*Creak.*

The old wooden door was pushed open, and Han Yuyang and Ji Bei came out to meet him.

"Well? Is this Mr. Ji willing to cooperate?" Jiang Chen asked, glancing at Ji Bei.

"I have written down everything he confessed. He openly admitted to murdering Marshal Duanmu, but we still need him to sign and affix his fingerprint to make the confession persuasive."

Jiang Chen could see that Han Yuyang had been exercising great restraint. He had worried that Han Yuyang’s thirst for vengeance might lead him to kill Ji Bei outright. But with no one else capable of guarding the prisoner, he had to rely on Han Yuyang’s sense of the greater good.

"If you refuse to sign and seal this, are you looking to push your luck and demand other conditions?" Jiang Chen asked, his tone hardening. He was here to collect the confession for Yu Wenshi, and if Ji Bei played any more games, he would not hesitate to be ruthless.

"I only have one question," Ji Bei replied. "The dungeon was heavily guarded. How on earth did you find that secret passage to get inside?"

"Because I possess the original blueprints from when the dungeon was built," Jiang Chen replied simply and clearly.