Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 89 The Imperial College is on your shoulders and mine (Part )
Early the next morning, Yan Shifan, his face still bruised and swollen, came to the dormitory.

The dormitories of the Imperial College are divided into three categories.

One type is the Neizihaozhai, where students from Northern Zhili, Shandong, and Shanxi live. It is close to Yilun Hall, making it convenient for attending lectures.

One type is the external residence, where students from Jiangnan, Huguang, Fujian and Guangdong live. There is also a "dialect workshop" to help scholars from remote areas learn Mandarin.

The last is the Yizi Haozhai, where students sent by officials from vassal states such as Korea and Ryukyu live alone. They are strictly forbidden to live with Han students and are assigned translators for guidance.

Hai Yue, Hai Rui and Lin Daqin naturally lived in the outer room, which was also divided into different levels. The students from Jiangnan often chose the best beds, while the students who were admitted as supplementary students naturally had to live in the beds left over by others.

But after what happened yesterday, everyone discussed it and took the initiative to clear out a spacious and bright room and arranged for the three of them to live together.

There was some quarreling over the remaining spot. Several sharp-eyed students noticed that the young Jinyiwei who had dismissed Marquis Wuding was chatting and laughing with Haiyue, and they were all eager to grab this position where they could get the upper hand.

After Yan Shifan arrived, he immediately decided that this last shop would belong to him, Yan Donglou!
Classmates and roommates!
Close relatives!

He quickly asked the old servant to go back and bring bedding. Yan Shifan pulled Haiyue aside and said seriously, "Shisanlang, it's time to investigate the case!"

"Donglou, you..."

Haiyue looked at his face. It was even more swollen after a night. Was she too hasty?
Yan Shifan said righteously, "Until the murderer is apprehended, Marquis Wuding will not let this go. To be frank, the peace of the Imperial College rests on our shoulders. What does a minor injury really mean?"

Haiyue looked at his thin shoulders, pressed the corners of her mouth, and nodded: "Okay! Then let's take action!"

Yan Shifan perked up: "Shisanlang, where do you plan to start your investigation?"

To be honest, although he was determined to investigate further, he was at a loss as to how to get to the bottom of the case.

The seventh son of the Zhao family is already dead, and the suspect who may have forced him to death, Mrs. Zhao, is in the inner house of the Wuding Marquis Mansion and is impossible to approach.

Not to mention the Marquis's wife, even the servants in the Marquis' mansion must have been in a state of panic recently. I'm afraid they wouldn't dare reveal the secret even if they were bribed with a large sum of money. Besides, he didn't have a lot of money, and Haiyue and the other two didn't seem particularly wealthy...

Could it be possible to use Lu Bing's connections with the Jinyiwei?
Haiyue had never thought about it that way.

Having a personal relationship with Lu Bing is one thing, but borrowing the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is another matter entirely. Moreover, judging from Lu Bing's words and deeds yesterday, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also follow Jiajing's orders and continue the investigation.

Both sides are in parallel.

"I asked the servant Jinyan yesterday, and he mentioned that Zhao Qilang had been frequenting brothels recently, especially the Jade Hall, and that he was even vying with Master Gui for the favor of a young lady named Yun Shao..."

Haiyue said, "I plan to start the investigation from here."

Yan Shifan was somewhat stunned and a little excited. He rubbed his hands and said, "So, we are going to Jade Hall?"

Haiyue glanced at him and said, "Yes."

"Go! Go!"

After asking his brothers Hai Rui and Lin Daqin to ask for leave for the teaching assistant, Hai Yue and Yan Shifan left the Imperial College and headed towards the Xisi Pailou which they had rented previously.

The house there needs to be retreated first.

Haiyue did not expect at first that they could be admitted to the Imperial College so quickly. If it were not for that shrill scream, which caused many well-prepared students to perform poorly, it would have been really difficult for the three of them to be admitted in the same batch.

Now the yard is no longer in use, but fortunately the deposit was not overpaid, so the loss was only one month's money. For Hai Rui and Lin Daqin, who live frugally, this is a great comfort.

Before reaching the front of the house, he saw a tall figure standing in the distance. When he got closer, the man turned around and it was the scarred man Yan Xiu.

"Brother Yan!"

Haiyue greeted him and then introduced Yan Shifan.

Yan Xiu clasped his fists and said, "The Imperial College's Chief Priest Yan is upright and honest. Like father, like son. Yesterday, Master Yan stood firm in the face of Marquis Wu Ding's tyranny at the Imperial College. Even common people like us admire him immensely!"

'Is it spreading so fast?'

Yan Shifan was proud in his heart, but his face showed humility: "I don't deserve it! I don't deserve it!"

Hai Yue said, "So, Brother Yan was waiting for me specially?"

Yan Xiu laughed heartily: "Brother Hai, since you have been admitted to the Imperial College, there is no need to rent this courtyard. I have come to you to serve you. Congratulations!"

Hai Yue smiled. "Brother Yan, you're so anxious. I just happened to have something to ask of you. Could you recommend someone familiar with the brothels and willow alleys to serve as a guide?" Yan Xiu thought for a moment and said, "You two young masters, are going there on business, right?"

Haiyue nodded: "Not bad."

"Then I'll let my younger brother go with you. Don't look down on him because he's small. He's well-known in the Zhengyang Outer Sect. As long as he's not trying to kill anyone, he'll be able to show some respect to you! Xiaochuan!!"

With a shout, Xiaochuan suddenly appeared out of nowhere and saluted with a fist: "Master Hai! Master Yan!"

"Good work!"

Compared with the elegant names of the brothels in the capital of the Song Dynasty, those in the capital of the Ming Dynasty were much simpler, including Wangpi Hutong, Shitou Hutong, Pi Tiao Hutong, Shaanxi Alley, etc.

By the middle and late Qing Dynasty, it was given the famous general name, the Eight Great Hutongs.

It wasn't on that scale yet, so Xiaochuan rented a horse and took the two of them out of Zhengyang Gate and turned into Pi Tiao Hutong.

Pi Tiao Hutong does not mean pimp, but a distribution center for the cowhide products industry. But later, the government-run music school was opened here, and a group of courtyards were added. The air became sweet, and the smell of rouge and powder lingered.

"arrive!"

The Jade Hall, which is frequented by the son of the second-in-command and the brother-in-law of the marquis, is obviously a first-class place.

Before the three of them entered the door, they heard the faint sound of stringed instruments. They went inside, walked around a carved screen wall, and suddenly the view in front of them opened up.

There are scattered rockeries in the courtyard, a pool of clear water reflects the palace lanterns under the corridor, and a few koi fish swim among the lotus leaves. The corridor is winding, and a jade glass lamp is hung every few steps, making the beauty painting under the corridor shine brightly.

It was obviously not business hours at this hour, but there were still young ladies walking around here, especially the two women on the second floor, who instantly attracted Yan Shifan's attention.

One was wearing a plain white skirt, and the other was wearing a light green gauze dress. They stood leaning against the railing, their figures cold and lonely.

The young lady in white was holding a guqin in her arms, plucking the strings gently with her slender jade fingers, while the woman in green gauze was holding a jade flute, playing it softly. Even though neither of them had formed a tune, both had a unique charm.

The two women obviously didn't expect that there would be a guest coming to their house so early in the morning. Seeing Yan Shifan downstairs staring at them, they covered their faces and went into the house.

Yan Shifan vaguely noticed that they seemed to be throwing a flirtatious glance at him, and his heart could not help but flutter. At this moment, a charming voice rang in his ears: "Sir, you have good taste. My two daughters, Qinxin and Fengxiao, are sisters who are both unmarried! When the Lotus Terrace Fairy Gathering comes, I hope you will be so kind as to show your support for them~"

"Qin Xin...Feng Xiao...She is indeed a beauty!"

Yan Shifan reluctantly withdrew his gaze and coughed lightly: "We are here to look for Yun Shao!"

The madam could tell at a glance that this young man might have a good family background, but he didn't have much spare money. Moreover, it seemed that he had just been beaten, yet he actually came to the door like this, which showed that he was very shameless. Places like theirs prefer people with thin faces and tender skin, and have no interest in such shameless people.

Then he turned to Haiyue and took a closer look. He was a little unsure about the depth of her purse, but a smile as bright as spring breeze appeared on her face: "Yun Shao~"

"Yunniang!"

At this moment, Xiaochuan poked his head out from behind Haiyue and said to her with a grin, "This person is my brother's beloved relative, a close friend, a brother, you can't add more money!"

"Hey! Why are you here? Is your brother back in Beijing?"

The madam was startled at first, then her voice trembled a little: "Since you are Mr. Yan's friend, then of course I cannot neglect you. Please follow me!"

Yan Shifan was somewhat surprised. As he climbed the stairs, he lowered his voice and said, "This Jade Hall was established by the Jiaofang Bureau. It seems that the Yan warrior just now is not an ordinary man!"

Hai Yue nodded and said, "The friend I met in Guangzhou Prefecture is indeed quite capable and often does unexpected things."

Xiaochuan had been eavesdropping with his ears perked up, and when he heard this he subconsciously turned his head to observe Haiyue's expression. Unexpectedly, what he saw was a pair of clear and bright eyes, as if they could see through everything. He shuddered inexplicably and hurriedly lowered his head to walk forward.

Yan Shifan didn't know all this. He went up to the second floor and subconsciously looked towards Qin Xin and Feng Xiao's room. He found that the door was open a crack and two pairs of beautiful eyes were looking out. He immediately held his breath.

Haiyue glanced sideways.

It’s so easy to catch a black carp. Are you still a rookie?
In history, Yan Shifan had 27 concubines, which was invincible, but there was no record of his wife. Instead, his son was said to have married Xu Jie's granddaughter, as recorded in "Wanli Yewaibian". Later, when the Yan family fell, Xu Jie ordered his son to poison his granddaughter to preserve his reputation.

This story is actually similar to "Hai Rui Kills His Daughter". Ming and Qing literati especially liked to promote this kind of short essay on ethics. It is hard to say whether it is a true story. Then a certain work processed it again, becoming even bolder and changing the story of marrying a wife into taking a concubine. As a result, rumors spread widely, criticizing Xu Jie for using all means to overthrow Yan Song.

The granddaughter's generation was still far away, and the current Yan Shifan didn't even have a wife or children. He reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the room, looked around, and found that no one was paying attention to him. He touched his cheek and decided to wait until the swelling subsided before coming to Biyu Hall to take a look.

The others watched his movements clearly. While the madam was plotting how to use Qin Feng to drain the pig-headed young man's purse, she went to the innermost room and said with a bit of pride, "Let me tell you, gentlemen, my Yun Shao won the second place in the Lotus Terrace Fairy Conference. She is only a stone's throw away from Hua Dang Ziwei. It is extremely difficult for ordinary noblemen in the capital to see her."

(End of this chapter)