Chapter 63: Doubts

63. Chapter 63: Doubts

The little girl's situation is actually not difficult; after all, she is just a young girl, and her disposition isn't that mature yet.

But her observation of another person left Shen Yunyao continually feeling she could not see through him.

New Master, New Scholar!

For this man who sold himself to bury his wife—a paragon of such conduct—Shen Yunyao initially held him in high regard.

In this male-dominated world, a man who could go to such lengths for his wife displays conduct that no one could criticize.

But precisely because he was too outstanding, Shen Yunyao sensed something abnormal.

To be frank, Xin Zi had been driven to a dead end by Li Mao; his wife, to preserve her purity, had declared her resolve by dying.

Li Mao, as the governor's son, in Beautiful Jade Commandery could be said to cover the sky with one hand—and that is no exaggeration.

In such circumstances, what point is there in Xin Zi selling himself to bury his wife?

If he had not met Shen Yunyao, would anyone dare risk offending the governor's son to help Xin Zi?

Under normal circumstances, no one would.

Then, what is Xin Zi's purpose?

For some matters, if you don't scrutinize or think carefully, you cannot discover the problem.

Shen Yunyao thought it over and over, feeling that Xin Zi's sole purpose was to arouse public resentment.

At this juncture, with the Manichaean Sect causing trouble and this incident occurring, what will the common people think?

If it were not for Shen Yunyao and them intervening, the Manichaean Sect would already have risen in Near Marsh City, and here in Beautiful Jade Commandery public resentment would grow daily—anyone with intent could just fan the flames.

The result…

Shen Yunyao gave a bitter smile.

She—has no evidence!

Everything, according to her line of reasoning, is logical and reasonable.

But when officials handle cases, they must pay attention to evidence.

"Would you rather kill him by mistake than let him go?"

"Or simply give him freedom?"

Shen Yunyao could not determine Xin Zi's problem, but since she had begun to suspect him, she could not possibly keep this person by her side.

Wait!

If Xin Zi truly is a follower of the Manichaean Sect, then setting him free would mean that if he later causes any trouble, today's affair could implicate her.

Indeed, meddling brings no good reward.

Although everything is based on her guesses and assumptions, Shen Yunyao, after all, is someone who has watched many detective dramas and also palace intrigue dramas.

For some matters, once a doubtful point appears, it means there may truly be a problem.

After thinking for a long time, Shen Yunyao decided to first keep Xin Zi by her side, but at the same time she also had Cuiyu notify his second older brother to pay more attention to Xin Zi.

With Cuiyu's second older brother's cleverness, handling this matter should not be difficult.

After all, if Xin Zi truly has a problem, he certainly would not realize that he has already been watched by Shen Yunyao.

Intentional calculation versus unintentional!

As for Xin Zi merely happening to be present?

That would be even better!

Everyone would be happy!

The journey ahead was very peaceful.

Along the way, the government offices would actively dispatch troops to join the escort convoy, after all, they were still escorting a large number of rebels!

If the convoy were ambushed en route, the local government would be hard-pressed to avoid responsibility.

With more personnel in the escort, the safety index rose sharply.

Even ahead on their route, even some arrogant and domineering heirs would meekly tuck their tails and behave.

Committing crimes against the wind?

No need for others to act; their own fathers could first beat them to death!

By this point, everyone knows why Li Zaiye, the governor of Beautiful Jade Commandery, is unlucky. His son has sworn brotherhood with the Manichaean Sect's Incarnate Maitreya; anyone who ends up with such a son would surely regret not having drowned him in a chamber pot from the start.

And because of this incident, many families within Dayong have begun to investigate the friendships of their younger generations.

Making friends with fair-weather companions?

Hit!

Bullying men and domineering over women?

Hit!

Colluding with bandits???

No need to say more—directly uphold righteousness over kin!

After all, for the sake of a few unworthy descendants, dragging the whole family into trouble—anyone who isn't a fool knows what to choose.

In such an atmosphere, Dayong's public security instantly cleared up considerably.

Although no one knows how long this situation will last, at least in the short term many local officials have breathed a sigh of relief.

As for those idle rich heirs, they too are quite troubled.

Enforcing the law impartially?

Hehe, some things really cannot be taken too seriously.

It can only be that legal principles are not apart from human feelings!

As for the common people who have suffered harm?

To officials, the common people are like crops, one batch after another; as long as they are not exterminated, they can always regrow.

So, let the common people suffer a bit!

If they were to fully act in the people's interest, then they themselves might have to suffer.

People are ultimately selfish.

Shen Yunyao and her entourage, after more than ten days of slow travel, finally reached Jingcheng.

And the reason it took so long was first, there were too many prisoners being escorted, making it impossible to go fast; second, along the way they encountered several interceptions.

We don't know whether those who intercepted them intended to silence them or to rescue someone, but in any case they really fought a battle.

In the most serious incident, several feathered arrows pierced the curtains of the carriage Shen Yunyao was riding in, almost opening a hole in her body.

For this reason, Shen Yunyao could only keep the carriage tightly covered for a while, and indeed she was baked by the heat for a period.

Now, with Jingcheng in sight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Miss, what will our new home look like?"

As they neared Jingcheng, Cuiyu was also detained, and she honestly sat in the carriage with Shen Yunyao.

"This, you're asking a blind man about the Dao!"

Shen Yunyao also wanted to know what the residence bestowed upon her by the Emperor looked like.

"Miss, I'm starting to miss Liu Cheng!"

Cuiyu looked at Shen Yunyao pitifully.

Shen Yunyao glanced at her and said, "If you're nervous, just be nervous; why talk about missing Liu Cheng?"

Cuiyu's family members are all in the entourage, the whole family neat and tidy; what's there to miss about Liu Cheng? They're just about to start a new life, feeling a bit nervous!

After all, Liu Cheng is their comfort zone.

Jingcheng, to them, is unfamiliar.

The people here, the matters here, everything here, are unfamiliar, and may even be hostile.

"Miss, this servant is a bit nervous!"

"As the operas say, Jingcheng is under the Son of Heaven's feet; on the street, anyone you casually meet could be a relative of some high official."

"…"

Shen Yunyao was speechless.

She raised her hand and tapped Cuiyu's forehead, saying, "Do you think that just because you've reached Jingcheng you can still go out onto the streets as freely as in Liu Cheng?"

"Young lady, wake up!"

"From now on, I won't let your miss go out; you, you'll just have to stay with me, strolling birds and teasing cats in the residence!"

As a result, as soon as Shen Yunyao finished speaking, Cuiyu widened her eyes excitedly and looked at Shen Yunyao, saying, "Miss, can we really keep cats?"

"Before I entered the Shen Family, I used to keep a spotted cat; it was a lot of fun!"

Shen Yunyao had only said it offhand, but now, hearing Cuiyu's words, she suddenly became interested as well.

Perhaps we really need to develop some hobbies.

Raise small animals, plant some flowers and grasses; if there's a pond at home, maybe we could raise some fish, and when idle we could catch a few fish to grill and eat.

Thinking this way, the days ahead don't seem so hard to endure!

Winter break has started, just after the parent-teacher meeting ended, I feel like time is flying…… sigh……