Yang Chuxia encountered Ye Yi and Ye Er in the evening.
Soone ca from outside with a ssage, claiming that two n who professed to be the young master’s escorts were looking for her. Yang Chuxia estimated they must be Ye Yi and Ye Er, whom Brother An had ntioned.
Soon after, Ye Zi’an ca out from the study and confird it upon seeing them.
"Were you able to catch that person?" Ye Zi’an asked Ye Yi.
Ye Yi nodded, then shook his head, and then spoke, "I followed those n all the way into an old alley in the city. When I went to the county yan (governnt office) to report it, I just happened to run into Ye Er. By the ti the yan officers arrived at the alley, the person you told to watch was gone, and they only caught a few underlings. It’s possible he noticed following them early on, and then took the opportunity to escape when I left."
Ye Zi’an nodded upon hearing this and then asked Ye Er, "What about you?"
"County Magistrate Shen has been investigating these people all along. Our horse was probably stolen by this gang, but it wasn’t any of those we caught today. According to County Magistrate Shen’s interrogation, there are more than twenty people in this gang. They arrived in Quanya County half a month ago, originally from Quanyang County. Now the gang has split into six groups, distributed among different towns. The leader is a man known as Black Fur. They’re said to be in Wangshui Town now, and County Magistrate Shen sent people there after getting the news."
After Ye Er finished speaking, he stepped aside. Yang Chuxia could see that both n must have received specialized training; they were of good quality.
"Since Ye Ziping has run away, he will likely notify Black Fur or soone else," Yang Chuxia said. "I guess for the next while, they’ll probably hole up sowhere and won’t co out."
"Hmm, they might even try to flee," Ye Zi’an pondered and then asked her, "Didn’t you say you had a plan?"
"I do have a plan, but it’s a bit unscrupulous, and this thod will probably take a few days to implent," Yang Chuxia paused before explaining.
"What kind of plan?" Seeing her seriousness, Ye Zi’an chuckled, "What Ye Ziping did wasn’t exactly honorable, why concern yourself with treating him honorably?"
"Do you still rember how Ms. Hua Junior died?" Yang Chuxia asked him.
Ye Zi’an certainly rembered. Ms. Hua Junior had died of illness in the prison, and soon after, Ye Zi’yong too had passed away.
"At the ti of their deaths, when the yan went to notify Hua Village, no one ca to claim the bodies. Coincidentally, I t Uncle Hong that day and gave him two taels of silver, asking him to help bury them. No one is aware of this matter."
Although Ms. Hua Junior was a prisoner, the yan generally announced deaths to the family, unless the deceased was soone of extre depravity or had no family at all. Otherwise, the bodies would be discarded in a common grave.
"Back then, I thought people die and debts rot away. Considering that she was once part of the Ye Family, I decided that giving her a place of burial was enough. Now, it seems it might not be a bad thing. Ye Ziping most likely assus his mother and brother have been thrown into a common grave. What do you say if we use his mother’s bones to lure him out?"
"This?" Ye Zi’an was slightly hesitant, as using the bones of the dead was indeed not very scrupulous. However, using them as a pretext should be alright. After thinking it over, Ye Zi’an shared so of his ideas with the others, and they all agreed.
The following morning, Ye Yi and Ye Er set out to carry out the plan.
anwhile, Ye Zi’an continued to stay at ho, taking care of children and spending ti with his wife. Even when County Magistrate Shen visited, he just exchanged a few words before watching the man hastily take his leave.
After another few days, news finally reached Funan’s Wangquan Town that Ye Zi’an had placed second in the imperial examination.
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