HCB Chapter 415 Feigning Death to Lure the Enemy
Chapter 415 Feigning Death to Lure the Enemy
Tears welled up in Yu Wan's eyes and fell with a 'plop'. She gently slapped Yun Shang's hand, saying, "What kind of time is this to be joking?"
"Do you know how worried I was about you..."
"I know." Yun Shang gently grasped her hand, and with a little force, pulled her to sit down slowly on the edge of the bed.
He looked up, his gaze intense and focused on her. "When I jumped off the cliff, I was thinking that if something happened to me, you would be very sad."
Seeing the tear fall from the corner of her eye, Yun Shang was relieved that he hadn't died.
"Don't cry, your eyes will hurt if you cry too much."
Yu Wan reached up and wiped her eyes, then looked away and muttered, "I wasn't crying."
Seeing her stubbornness, Yun Shang smiled.
"By the way, were those bandits who robbed and killed you real bandits, or people from aristocratic families?"
Yu Wan felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze and quickly changed the subject.
Yun Shang understood her thoughts but didn't expose them. He calmly said, "In Shengjing, what bandit would dare to act so recklessly?"
Yu Wan instantly realized that it must be the work of those powerful families.
"Why did they suddenly make their move this time after holding back for so long?"
“This time I have collected some evidence related to Li Chongyi, and they naturally can’t sit still.”
Yun Shang was weak and his voice was somewhat feeble after being seriously injured.
Yu Wan quickly poured him a cup of hot tea, presented it to him with both hands, her eyes full of surprise: "Li Chongyi? Right Chancellor?"
Yun Shang took the teacup, took a small sip, and nodded slightly. "Mm."
Yu Wan understood.
Yu Wan instantly grasped the implications.
Li Chongyi was the ringleader of a group of corrupt officials. If the corrupt officials were divided into levels, the first level would be Li Chongyi and his cronies, the second level would be people from other powerful families, and the third level would be collateral branches of those families.
Yun Shang had only been investigating the collateral branches of the aristocratic families for some time, and had not yet touched the core interests of these families, so they could still tolerate it.
Li Chongyi was like a "reassurance pill"; as long as he was around, those powerful families would have nothing to fear even if they were investigated.
But now that Yun Shang has directly investigated the top corrupt official, how can the aristocratic families sit still?
Yu Wan looked at him with concern, "Then what about the evidence?"
"I didn't find anything on you..." Noticing that Yun Shang's eyes suddenly darkened, Yu Wan quickly tried to cover it up, "I didn't change your clothes, it was the young apprentice from Huichuntang who did it."
Yun Shang's lips curled up slightly, "We are husband and wife, you can look at me however you want."
Yu Wan's smile froze instantly, her ears burning as if on fire. She replied curtly:
"Who wants to see you!"
Seeing that Yun Shang still had the mind to tease her, Yu Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that his injuries were not too serious.
Seeing that the worry between her brows had dissipated somewhat, Yun Shang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Actually, his other injuries were not too bad, but the one on his lower back was caused by a dry branch on the river when he fell off the cliff. The wound was extremely deep and had created a hole.
Fortunately, his internal organs were not damaged, and he always carried the medicine made by Old Man Feng with him, which he applied in time to stop the bleeding; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Otherwise, they would have bled to death long ago.
But there's no need to tell Yu Wan any of this.
“Wan’er, I’ve hidden an account book in my hiding place. Have someone tell Prince Chen to send his guards to retrieve it quietly.”
Hearing him bring up serious matters, Yu Wan nodded solemnly, "Alright, don't worry, I'll have someone go and tell Prince Chen right away."
Yun Shang's injuries were healing well, and Yu Wan was about to have someone send him back to the Yun residence when Yun Shang suddenly stopped her, saying, "We can't go back like this."
Yu Wan turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
We can't reply like that? Then how should we reply? Should we be carried back in a sedan chair by eight men?
……
Naturally, there was no need for a sedan chair carried by eight men; instead, a stretcher was used.
The government sent people to search around the cliff, but they found nothing and returned to the city empty-handed, only to hear some shocking news.
The Minister of Revenue, Lord Yun Shangyun, has been found, but unfortunately, he was too badly injured and was barely clinging to life when he was taken to the clinic.
The person couldn't be saved.
The women of the Yun family, accompanied by their servants, went to Huichun Hall to take Yun Shang's body back. Many people saw them along the way.
The people lined both sides of the street, their faces filled with grief, whispering among themselves.
"Lord Yun is a good official, how could he have suffered such a misfortune!"
"It must have been those people who did it..."
"We finally have an official who truly cares about us ordinary people, why did he disappear so quickly?"
Angry whispers spread through the crowd, like turbulent undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface of a lake.
Shen and Yunxi, their faces filled with grief, supported the stretcher, tears streaming down their faces.
That crying was obviously fake.
Yun Shang and Yu Wan told the mother and daughter about their plan to fake their deaths in advance.
Knowing that Yun Shang was safe and sound, the mother and daughter recalled all the sad things that had happened in the past along the way, so as not to reveal any flaws.
When news of Yun Shang's death spread, the people spontaneously lined both sides of the street to see him off, and only dispersed when they reached the Yun residence.
The Yun family set up a coffin and a mourning hall, and the red lanterns at the entrance were replaced with white lanterns.
The news spread quickly throughout Shengjing, and the Shen family and Yunxi arranged the funeral, informing some of the prominent families in Shengjing of the loss.
It is the season when all things are in full bloom, and the banquets of the noble families in Shengjing are endless, but they are all wedding banquets, so the Yun family's funeral banquet seems particularly abrupt.
According to the etiquette and rules of the Da Zhao dynasty, accepting the white cloth sent to announce the death is considered an acceptance of the invitation to visit and offer condolences.
When Shen and Yunxi came to announce the death, many officials from prominent families accepted the white cloth used to convey the news.
Many people witnessed Yun Shang being carried back to the Yun family that day, but the members of the aristocratic families were still somewhat skeptical.
To verify whether Yun Shang was truly dead, they decided to go to the Yun family in person to find out.
The gates of the Yun Mansion were draped in white, and mournful music lingered.
When Li Zhuoyue arrived with a group of aristocratic officials to offer their condolences, Madam Shen and Yunxi were kneeling before the coffin, draped in hemp cloth, weeping bitterly.
Yu Wan was also there.
Li Zhuoyue recognized Yu Wan at a glance, her gaze lingering on her briefly as if she were pondering something.
Before he could speak, a young official behind him said, "I heard that the Duke of Anguo's mansion has broken ties with the Yun family. Why is Miss Yu here today?"
Yu Wan was not wearing any linen, but only a plain white dress. She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze cold and indifferent, and glanced at the aristocratic official who had spoken, without giving any response.
The official, probably never having been so ignored before, immediately flew into a rage: "Miss Yu, I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me?"
Not wanting to cause any further trouble, Li Zhuoyue quickly stepped aside and coughed lightly, blocking the aristocratic official. With a gentle smile on her face, she cupped her hands to Yu Wan and said, "Miss Yu, please don't take offense. My colleague is straightforward and spoke rather rashly. Lord Yun and the Yun family are currently facing such a great calamity. Miss Yu, you must have come here out of old friendship, right?"
Yu Wan looked up at Li Zhuoyue, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes, before nodding slightly and replying simply, "Mm."
The group of aristocratic officials who came to pay their respects were led by Li Zhuoyue, which was truly unexpected for her and Yun Shang.
Moreover, the number of people who came to pay their respects today far exceeded their expectations.
But that's fine, the more the merrier. We can catch them all in one fell swoop.