Holy Bone

Chapter 2018 The Real Culprit in the South Money and North Money Case: Young Master Yiyun's Methods

After discussing the matter of the Immortal Cauldron, Jin An chatted with Young Master Yi Yun about daily life, solving cases, the Criminal Investigation Department, and various details of the Prince Zunyi's Mansion.

The two seemed to be very close friends who could talk about anything.

After discussing domestic issues, the conversation shifted to international topics.

"Master Jin'an, what are your thoughts on Emperor Kangzhao's great victory over the steppe khanates, which had harassed the Han people for thousands of years? The steppe khanates were destroyed by Emperor Kangzhao's single glare and no longer exist.

"I heard that Emperor Kangzhao specially held this ancestral worship ceremony for this matter, and wanted to erect a golden statue in the ancestral hall to be remembered in history forever and last for a thousand years."

Young Master Yiyun talked about the steppe khanate and Emperor Kangzhao.

After taking a sip of tea, Jin An slowly said, "As long as the family is harmonious and everything prospers, and the people are safe and happy, this matter is reasonable."

Young Master Yiyun smiled at Jin An and said, "It seems that Jin An values ​​family harmony and prosperity, and the people's peaceful and happy life."

"Master Jin'an's virtues are truly rare and admirable."

Jin An shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm particularly virtuous, but it's just human nature."

"As long as it can benefit you and me, the old Taoist priest, Fatty Li, our relatives and friends, and all the people in the world, so that they can live in peace and prosperity without suffering from the pain of war, it is a great good deed."

"When dynasties change, it is always the common people who suffer in the end."

“My favorite quote is, ‘We are not born in a peaceful era, but we are fortunate to be born in a peaceful country.’ As long as Kangding can be peaceful and stable, everything is worthwhile.”

After Jin An finished speaking, he raised his teacup to Young Master Yi Yun. Young Master Yi Yun clinked their cups together, and Jin An drank the tea in one gulp before standing up.

“Young Master Yiyun, I have some matters to attend to in my Criminal Investigation Department, so I will take my leave now.”

"I was unable to meet you at Prince Zunyi's residence last time, but it is my good fortune to meet you here today. Until we meet again."

After Jin An finished speaking, he turned and left with his brothers from the Criminal Investigation Department.

Young Master Yiyun sat in his seat, watching Jin An's departing figure. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

She turned to look at the street outside the railing. At that moment, Jin An also looked up at the teahouse. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other across the distance. Then Jin An got into the Bixie carriage and left, quickly disappearing around the corner.

Only after Jin An's carriage had completely disappeared from sight did Young Master Yiyun become slightly dazed, and he murmured to himself, "Every scene in this world is a painting of life. Some are your paintings, some are mine. In the end, we can never fulfill our brilliant dreams... Qi Bo, don't you think so?"

Qi Bo glanced at Young Master Yiyun, but did not answer his question directly. Instead, he sighed and brought up another matter: "Young Master, when Daoist Jin'an mentioned the Peace Amulet earlier, why didn't you tell him that one of the Peace Amulets was prepared for him by you?"

“One of the amulets has his name on it. If you pray to him every day, you will have everything go smoothly and you will be healthy and safe.”

“If you had told him the truth back then, Master Jin’an would have been deeply moved, and perhaps... there wouldn’t have been so many... barriers and gaps between you and him.”

When the topic turned to estrangement and gaps, Chiber paused, sighed again, and then spoke.

His expression suggested that he had sensed something different from the conversation between Jin An and Young Master Yi Yun.

However, as a servant, he could not elaborate further.

Young Master Yiyun closed her eyes to rest for a while before finally opening them. At this moment, her eyes had returned to calm and composure, so calm that there was no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, no ripples whatsoever. She was no longer the charming and flirtatious girl she was when Jin An was around.

More than anything, it's a cold-blooded and emotionless attitude.

"Qi Bo, please investigate the Southern Money Case that Daoist Jin'an just mentioned. I need to know the truth immediately," Young Master Yiyun said calmly.

"Yes, young master." Qi Bo acknowledged the order and then went to give instructions.

“Chiber”.

"I want to be alone today, to have some peace and quiet. Please have the teahouse close early today."

Just before Qi Bo was about to go downstairs, Young Master Yi Yun said.

Chiber accepted the order and carried it out.

……

Before long, some murmurs and commotions began to emanate from the teahouse. Some tea drinkers were unhappy about leaving so early, but after the teahouse owner made repeated promises and offered many benefits, these tea drinkers gradually dispersed.

Only Young Master Yiyun remained seated on the third floor, leaning against the railing, gazing intently at the bustling crowds outside...

Time flies.

As Young Master Yiyun looked around, dusk was fast approaching. The setting sun slowly sank, its afterglow painting the sky red. The clouds shimmered under the setting sun, like a magnificent painting. Everything was bathed in golden light, as if coated with a mysterious and magical halo, making one sigh at the impermanence of life.

"Young master, I have brought Lü Jian, the deputy commander of the Sixteen Guards. Shall we meet him now?" Qi Bo asked quietly as he walked up to the third floor.

The Sixteen Guards of the capital were important generals who commanded the central imperial guards. Each of them held the rank of third grade official and were undoubtedly important figures in the court. Their words could decide the life and death of thousands of people.

Above the sixteen generals, there are two deputy commanders and one commander.

There's no need to elaborate on the Chief Envoy; he holds a high position and wields supreme military power in the capital, even having the authority to directly command the Imperial Guards.

The Deputy Commander is also of paramount importance. If he maintains a proper balance in his official power, his rank and title can be comparable to those of a prince, which can be described as a promising future and a meteoric rise to power.

Therefore, it is conceivable that the official positions of the sixteen deputy commanders of the guards were so high that ordinary officials would hardly even see them.

Young Master Yiyun nodded slightly, but did not speak.

Not long after, Qi Bo led a military officer to the third floor of the teahouse to meet Young Master Yiyun.

The military officer stood tall and straight, like a pine tree. His stern face was adorned with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding an aura of majesty. He wore a battle robe and had a long sword hanging at his waist, displaying an imposing and domineering presence that would inspire awe in ordinary people.

Judging from his battle robes, he must have been invited by Qi Bo during his daytime duty.

"This humble servant, Lü Jian, greets Your Highness. May Your Highness live a thousand years!" The military officer in battle robes bowed respectfully and said in a very humble tone.

Surprisingly.

This person actually addressed Young Master Yiyun as "Your Highness," instead of "Young Master Yiyun" or "Miss Yiyun."

From this, we can conclude that this person must know the true identity of Young Master Yiyun.

In other words, this person is one of Young Master Yiyun's confidants.

The deputy commander of the Sixteen Guards was a confidant of Young Master Yiyun, and also a confidant of the daughters of the previous emperor. The more one thinks about this matter, the more alarming it becomes. There are probably too many unknown things involved.

Young Master Yiyun looked at the military officer Lü Jian who was bowing, but did not speak immediately, nor did he tell Lü Jian to rise. Instead, he treated him like a superior judging a wicked lamb or servant. After a while, Young Master Yiyun said calmly, "Deputy Commander Lü, I have a question for you. Answer truthfully."

Lu Jian remained in a bowing posture and said without moving, "Your Highness, please ask. This humble servant will answer to the best of my knowledge."

Young Master Yiyun said, "I've heard that the Southern coins from the Southern Coins and Northern Coins case are recently becoming popular again in the capital. Are you aware of this?"

Lü Jian replied, "Since His Majesty quelled the Southern and Northern Coins dispute, I have never seen Southern Coins in circulation in the capital again."

“Qi Bo.” Young Master Yi Yun nodded. She didn’t say anything more, but turned to look at Qi Bo.

Then Qi Bo asked the military officer Lü Jian, "General Lü, do you know the abbot of the Five Organs Taoist Temple, Master Jin'an?"

Lu Jian answered truthfully: "I've heard of him, he's very famous, but I don't know him."

Qi Bo continued, "Master Jin'an mentioned to us that he saw some more Southern coins in the capital."

"According to my investigation, the person who lost the Southern Coin was from my Zunyi Prince's Mansion."

"When I tried to find that person again, I discovered that he had mysteriously disappeared for several days, his fate was unknown, and he had not returned to his hometown. His whereabouts are still unknown."

"This person is named Xiao Dan. General Lü must remember her. When the Prince of Zunyi’s mansion sends gifts to the generals during festivals, Xiao Dan’s maid will go to General Lü’s mansion to present a grand gift."

Upon hearing the name of Xiao Dan's maid, General Lü Jian's eyes flashed with a sharp light, but he then said with a normal expression, "Yes, I know."

"The string of coins that Master Jin'an received was also sent by Xiao Dan to the Wuzang Taoist Temple on my orders, pretending to have accidentally dropped the coins so that Master Jin'an could find them."

Qi Bo's expression darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "General Lü, what do you mean by this? Do you want Taoist Jin'an to suspect the young master, and then arrest Young Master Yiyun and throw him into the water dungeon of the Criminal Investigation Department for severe torture to force him to reveal the truth about the Southern and Northern Coins case?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Jian withdrew his hands from his bow, stood with his hands behind his back, and said domineeringly, "This humble servant does not want Daoist Jin'an to suspect Your Highness. This humble servant wants Daoist Jin'an to know that Your Highness is the true mastermind behind the Southern Coin and Northern Coin case."

“Your Highness, the Daoist Master Jin’an is a high-ranking official in the court, holding the positions of Commander of the Criminal Investigation Department and Supervisor of the Three Departments. He also has the power to enforce criminal laws. He is a person we must win over in order to overthrow Emperor Kangzhao and ascend the throne.”

Lu Jian continued, "Your Highness, that dog Emperor Kangzhao is about to hold an ancestral worship ceremony to sing praises for his destruction of the steppe khanate and to proclaim his thousand-year-old achievements. We can't wait any longer."

"At this time, as long as you raise your arm and call, a large number of loyal ministers of the late emperor will stand up for you, sincerely support you, and help you become the new emperor."

"As for Emperor Kangzhao, once you reveal the truth about how he framed the late emperor more than a decade ago, everyone will condemn him for being inhuman and alienated from all sides."

This time, Young Master Yiyun spoke. Her voice was calm, almost cold and ruthless. She said, "Do you all really want me to ascend the throne and become emperor immediately?"

Lu Jian clasped his hands and said, "I wouldn't dare to make things difficult for Your Highness."

“If Your Highness feels the time is not yet ripe, we are willing to wait. However, we must win over Master Jin’an, the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Department, as soon as possible so that he can lend us a helping hand.”

“Your Highness, don’t you want to avenge the blood feud of your parents? Emperor Kangzhao killed your parents to ascend the throne. He didn’t care about his uncle’s reputation at all and was determined to kill you.”

Young Master Yiyun glanced at the bustling crowds and vibrant street scene outside the railing, and said somewhat absentmindedly, "Do you know that when emperors change, war is most likely to break out? Once war breaks out, it won't be peaceful for a year or two..."

"How do you think those innocent civilians will survive this mutiny?"

Lu Jian's tone turned cold as he said, "One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand."

"This is an unavoidable sacrifice. All we can do is offer them more paper money at the time, wishing them a wealthy and worry-free life in their next life."

Young Master Yiyun kept looking at the bustling crowds and traffic outside the railing, without immediately replying to Lü Jian's words.

After waiting for a while, Lü Jian said in a firm and powerful voice, "Your Highness, have you softened your heart and are going to abandon the blood feud between your parents?"

“When you first approached us old ministers, you said it yourself: you wanted revenge, you wanted to assassinate the emperor, and you wanted us old ministers to continue following you. That’s why we followed you to avenge the late emperor!”

Looking at the crowd outside the railing, Young Master Yiyun calmly recounted, "I used to think that the change of dynasties was very simple: either you die or I perish."

"But later, following Master Jin'an, I witnessed a lot of human suffering, loss and separation, and heard Master Jin'an's sayings of 'harmony in the family brings prosperity and a peaceful and happy life'... I gradually realized that the one who was most hurt by the change of dynasties was not me, nor my enemy Emperor Kangzhao, but the innocent people of the world."

Lu Jian's expression darkened: "It seems that Daoist Jin'an has affected Your Highness's state of mind?"

Lu Jian's expression shifted rapidly, his expression shifting between light and dark. After a long while, he cupped his hands and said, "Please, Your Highness, reconsider. Do not disappoint us."

"Casualties are inevitable in the world. If one is too kind, one will not be able to handle important matters and will only harm others and oneself in the end."

Lü Jian emphasized that harming others also harms oneself, in order to remind Princess Yiyun not to have so much kindness, otherwise it would ruin the future of many people like him.

"Your Highness, please reconsider. I am busy with the night shift handover and must take my leave now." Lu Jian said, turning and leaving.

Ding Deng Deng.

As Lü Jian descended to the first floor and was about to open the door to leave, a figure silently appeared behind him, a long sword piercing Lü Jian's heart.

cough……

Lu Jian coughed up blood on the spot and turned around to see who the murderer was. However, when he saw the murderer's face, Lu Jian was filled with shock and disbelief.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Lu Jian's vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

Using the human skin of the late Emperor Kangheng, he picked up Lü Jian's corpse and returned to the third floor.

"You shouldn't have touched anyone from my Zunyi Prince's Mansion..."

"You shouldn't have touched Master Jin'an..."

Looking at Lü Jian's corpse, Young Master Yiyun coldly uttered a few words, then flicked his fingers to draw a human skin, creating a painted skin. Soon after, a lifelike painted skin of Lü Jian stood before Young Master Yiyun, indistinguishable from a living person.