Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 313
As Pei Nian walked through the long corridor of the government office, he looked up and saw a person leaning against a pillar in front of him, holding a book in his hands and reading it.

But it was Wang Qinghe, whom we hadn't seen for a long time.

"Commander Pei, I heard you've returned with meritorious service?"

"I dare not claim any merit; I was just out on an errand."

Wang Qinghe casually turned a page of the book and said, "So that you know I will assist you with the task you are about to undertake."

Pei Nian frowned slightly and said, "The garrison commander didn't tell me."

“Because I don’t need to tell you,” Wang Qinghe said matter-of-factly. “What? You’re trying to refuse?”

"I wouldn't dare," Pei Nian said. "Then what are your thoughts on this assignment, Officer Wang?"

Wang Qinghe finally put down the book in his hand and said, "Gu Jingnian has a good friend in Kaiping Division."

"You Gui?" Pei Nian asked, "Or Tingqiao Bing?"

“It’s not them,” Wang Qinghe said. “I’m talking about Dian Yin, Yi Yan, who was in charge of the disguise. As far as I know, Gu Jingnian learned his disguise skills from her.”

Pei Nian asked, "So, we should go and ask Yi Yan if she has seen Gu Jingnian?"

Wang Qinghe did not answer, but instead gave Pei Nian a deep look with suspicion, his scrutiny growing stronger.

"What?" Pei Nian asked.

Wang Qinghe chuckled slightly and said, "Are you doing this on purpose, or have you become stupid after this business trip?"

"Ok?"

“If we ask him directly, wouldn’t that let Gu Jingnian know that we’ve already guessed he’s in Zhuojing?” Wang Qinghe said. “Or are you planning to tip him off?”

Pei Nian disagreed, saying, "What do you think?"

"I have already sent people to keep an eye on Yi Yan. What I need to do now is to find an opportunity to send her a message."

"what news?"

“Naturally, it’s to divert news about Gu Caiwei,” Wang Qinghe said. “Chief Pei, I think you’ve returned physically, but your brain hasn’t come back with you.”

Pei Nian did not argue with him, but simply raised his hand slightly, letting Wang Qinghe do as he pleased.

"Come with me."

Wang Qinghe packed the books into his backpack and strode towards the Academy of Classics.

The courtyard remained unchanged, just as it had been since Pei Nian left.

Pushing open the door, I saw Yi Yan tidying up her bottles and jars.

She hadn't changed much, except that she changed her favorite hairstyle to a simpler one and wore fewer accessories, making her look more ordinary.

Hearing someone come in, Yi Yan looked up and saw it was Wang Qinghe, her eyes showing no emotion.

Instead, when she saw Pei Nian behind Wang Qinghe, she paused for a moment, as if she had something to ask, but held back.

"The two detectives have come together; I wonder what major event has occurred?"

"It's nothing serious," Wang Qinghe said. "I just asked you to disguise someone."

As he spoke, he placed his backpack on the table, took out a painting from it, unfolded it, and revealed a woman with bright eyes and white teeth.

Pei Nian glanced at it and saw that the painting looked very similar to Gu Caiwei's.

Yi Yan didn't recognize the person in the painting, so she looked at Pei Nian and asked, "Did Officer Pei want to disguise himself like this?"

"that is not."

Wang Qinghe chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "I forgot to bring the person with me. Please wait a moment, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he walked out, leaving Pei Nian and Yi Yan behind.

There were only two people in the room, so Yi Yan asked, "When did Officer Pei return?"

"In the next few days."

Yi Yan paused for a moment, then said, "I heard that Pei Jishi betrayed the Kaiping Division and kidnapped a wanted criminal... Gu Jingnian."

When Gu Jingnian's name was mentioned, she paused almost imperceptibly.

Instead of answering first, Pei Nian asked in return, "Do you know Gu Jingnian?"

“Yes,” Yi Yan said. “After he was arrested, the Kaiping Division also interrogated me. I taught him how to disguise himself for official business, so they didn’t punish me.”

"I see."

Pei Nian realized that Wang Qinghe had deliberately left her and Yi Yan alone to talk, and that someone must have been able to overhear their conversation.

She pondered what she could say and what she couldn't, and said, "We didn't betray the Kaiping Division; we were sent to Yong Kingdom as spies."

Yi Yan exclaimed in surprise, "Is that so? Now that Pei Jishi is back... where is he?"

Pei Nian looked into Yi Yan's eyes and keenly caught a hint of concern in them. She then asked in a half-joking tone, "Do you like him?"

"what?"

Yi Yan was clearly taken aback for a moment, then immediately shook her head and said, "We are colleagues, teacher and student, and best friends. Well, I don't have any other friends, he is my only friend."

"Why befriend him?" Pei Nian didn't talk about serious matters, only chatting about random things. "He doesn't seem like a very easy person to get along with."

“I’m not very good at making friends either,” Yi Yan said, then asked again, “You still haven’t told me, has he come back?” After asking, she waited for a while, and when Pei Nian didn’t answer, she became nervous.

"Could something have happened to him?"

A glint of light flickered in Pei Nian's eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face.

She was reluctant to approach Gu Jingnian, but she couldn't help but get into character and asked, "He's back too, hasn't he come to see you yet?"

Yi Yan's tense expression relaxed, and she said, "It's good that he's alright. I heard that being a spy is very dangerous."

"But he didn't come looking for you."

“Maybe our friendship isn’t that great to him either,” Yi Yan smiled. “But it’s okay, we’re friends, as long as we think about each other.”

"Hmm." Pei Nian was slightly touched and murmured casually, "It's good to be friends."

Neither of them spoke much. After talking about Gu Jingnian, they ran out of topics and fell silent.

Not long after, Wang Qinghe returned, bringing with him a woman who looked menacing. He asked Yi Yan to disguise her as Gu Caiwei.

As he began to disguise himself, Wang Qinghe tidied his backpack, took out a jade pendant, flashed it in front of Pei Nian as if casually, and then put it away.

He was reminding Pei Nian that he had overheard the conversation and would continue to keep an eye on things, so Pei Nian had better not think about revealing the information to Gu Jingnian.

Afterwards, Wang Qinghe accidentally bumped into the portrait on the table.

The scroll was turned down a little further, revealing Gu Caiwei's name. Yi Yan glanced at it but didn't think much of it for the time being.

After a while, the disguise was finally completed, and Wang Qinghe and Pei Nian left with the woman.

Yi Yan tidied up her belongings, waited for a while, and then heard the bell signaling the end of the yamen. She got up and left Kaiping Division, preparing to go home.

The position of Dianyin was held by twelve people in four shifts. She spent three hours a day in the yamen, including the time she spent having lunch in the yamen. It was just past noon and the heat had not yet dissipated, so the carriage was naturally more comfortable.

But as soon as she reached the side gate, she saw a man leaning against her carriage, holding a book in his hand and reading it.

"Wang Ji?" Yi Yan asked in surprise, "Is there anything else?"

Wang Qinghe raised his head, revealing his handsome face, and said calmly, "I do have something to ask Yi Dianyin. May I get in the carriage and we can discuss it in detail?"

Yi Yan hesitated for a moment, stared at Wang Qinghe for a while, and then nodded.

"it is good."

"please."

Wang Qinghe, still putting on airs, gracefully boarded the carriage and took his seat.

After Yi Yan sat down, she couldn't help but stare at him for a while longer.

It felt like finally having a chance to get a good look at the person you secretly admire.

As the carriage set off, Wang Qinghe took a black cover out of his backpack and hung it on the carriage.

"Come in and tell me, this is..."

“I know,” Yi Yan said, “the hearing shield.”

She cooperated and climbed into the enclosure without saying a word.

"Yidianyin is indeed very knowledgeable."

Wang Qinghe smiled faintly, slipped into the listening shield and sat down, still maintaining the demeanor of a noble young master, and took out a folding fan to fan himself gently.

"You like me, don't you?"

He asked a question, his eyes deliberately revealing a charming smile.

Yi Yan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

She couldn't help but laugh so hard she almost fell over, and finally pointed at Wang Qinghe, saying, "Did I teach you disguise so you could play tricks on me?"

"Hmm?" Wang Qinghe said, "Could it be that I'm not the person you secretly admire?"

"Tch," Yi Yan said, "Don't bother acting, it's so awkward to watch."

Wang Qinghe then lowered his guard, becoming much more natural. He put his hands on his knees and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position.

When did you figure it out?

“I could tell at first glance,” Yi Yan said. “There’s horse manure on the ground. Wang Qinghe wouldn’t stand next to horse manure to read a book.”

"That was my oversight."

"Gu Jingnian, why did you disguise yourself to see me?" Yi Yan asked.

Before her stood the man disguised as Wang Qinghe, none other than Gu Jingnian.

"Because I'm wanted by the police."

"Oh."

Yi Yan wasn't surprised, nor was she intimidated. She simply asked, "Then why did you come to see me?"

"I don't have any other purpose. It's rare for me to come back, so I wanted to see some friends," Gu Jingnian said. "If I don't see them this time, I might never see them again."

(End of this chapter)