Chapter 210: Interrogation
Seeing Lu Yun bow to her, Xie Min was actually somewhat at a loss for what to do. She hastily returned the courtesy, then quickly welcomed him inside.
“Inside the room is a bit messy, Young Master, please bear with it.” Xie Min’s cautious demeanor was completely different from her usual proud and noble lady appearance.
“Uh…” Lu Yun couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. This room was messed up by him and his subordinate.
Xie Min served fragrant tea again and asked anxiously, “I wonder what business Young Master has for coming in person?”
“There is some money on the carriage that belongs to you.” Lu Yun said indifferently, “We of the Lu Clan won’t take a single coin that doesn’t belong to us. Father ordered me to return it to you. It’s worth about two hundred thousand strings. You can check it later.”
“I dare not, I dare not. This is just my humble self paying respects to Young Master.” Xie Min was overjoyed upon hearing this. Two hundred thousand strings was enough to solve her urgent problem, but she pretended to decline modestly.
“If I give it to you, just take it. Where does all this nonsense come from!” Lu Yun snorted coldly, too lazy to argue with her.
“Many thanks, Young Master.” Xie Min quickly fell silent and looked at Lu Yun timidly.
“Additionally, there’s something I need to ask you.” Lu Yun wasn’t just here to deliver the money. He said in a deep voice, “Before Lu Jian died, did he ever tell you anything about our Lu Clan Great Elder Lu Wen?”
“He did mention it.” Mentioning Lu Jian, Xie Min couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. Although she had been with many men, aside from her deceased husband Pei Yudi, she had spent the longest time with Lu Jian and had the deepest feelings for him. But at this moment, she could barely take care of herself, so how could she keep secrets for the already dead Lu Jian? She nodded hurriedly and said, “Although Lu Wen and Lu Jian cooperated, the two always guarded against each other. Lu Jian said he had many handles on Lu Wen. But similarly, Lu Wen also had handles on him, so he had no choice but to keep protecting him and couldn’t abandon him.”
“What handles?” Lu Yun’s heart stirred. He actually hadn’t held much hope, but unexpectedly there was a pleasant surprise.
“He didn’t go into detail, and I didn’t ask…” Fearing Lu Yun wouldn’t be satisfied, she paused, then recalled, “The last time we met, he said he had hired the White Ape Society to assassinate Young Master. This matter was very likely to cause a big fuss. If the Great Elder could protect him, fine; but if that old thing only cared about self-preservation and dared to abandon him, then before fleeing, he would expose all the collected evidence and let Lu Wen taste the flavor of ruin and disgrace!”
“So, Lu Jian had already prepared evidence of Lu Wen’s crimes, but before he could publicize it, he was taken out by my master.” Lu Yun said softly upon hearing this.
“That’s the meaning.” Xie Min nodded.
“Then, where would this evidence be hidden?” Lu Yun looked at Xie Min. Logically, the greatest possibility was on this woman.
Xie Min blushed somewhat and said, “He planned to flee far away with me, so naturally he wouldn’t entrust such a thing to me.” After racking her brains to recall, she finally had some gain and said, “He has a brother who serves as Prefect in Qin Prefecture. The brothers have always had a good relationship. When Lu Feng got into trouble, Lu Jian sent him to Qin Prefecture to lay low. I think if Lu Jian anticipated trouble, he would entrust his affairs to his brother in Qin Prefecture.”
Lu Yun nodded upon hearing this. What Xie Min said did make some sense. If Lu Jian wanted someone to expose it, his brother in Qin Prefecture was indeed the most suitable choice. “However, Lu Jian has been dead for some time now. Why hasn’t any news come from Qin Prefecture?”
“Young Master, this is not unusual.” Xie Min sighed and said with a self-mocking smile, “People are all the same when alive, but once dead, everything changes.”
“You mean Lu Jian’s brother didn’t follow through?” Lu Yun frowned slightly. In his view, kinship and vengeance outweighed everything. To avenge his dead parents, he had endured countless hardships and never dared to waver in the slightest. So he found it hard to understand how Lu Jian’s brother could treat his late brother’s entrustment this way.
“What benefit would following through bring to his brother?” Xie Min answered her own question, “No benefit at all. Instead, he might suffer backlash from the Great Elder and lose the Prefect position he worked so hard to obtain.” She sighed lightly and said, “Better to use this evidence to continue blackmailing Lu Wen and make the Great Elder obey him.”
“Ugly!” Lu Yun spat, which made Xie Min quite uncomfortable, as if he were scolding her.
After questioning Xie Min carefully a few more times, Lu Yun discovered that this woman knew a great deal about people and affairs in the Capital City. Many unknown palace secrets and noble clan entanglements, she could list them out in detail.
But this was normal. Xie Min had wide social connections. Not only was Cuihe Garden the gathering center in the Capital City that noble ladies flocked to, but she herself had deep ties with many prominent figures. In this Luojing City, there really was nothing she couldn’t find out.
This was one of the reasons Lu Yun wanted to keep Xie Min. He had many matters that needed her to help investigate. However, Lu Yun couldn’t let her start investigating those things so soon. He had to wait until he had fully subdued her before she could truly be of use.
Lu Yun wouldn’t naively think that just this mix of favors and threats from last night and today could make this woman completely submit. Don’t be fooled by her terrified and obedient appearance; who knows what schemes she’s plotting in her heart!
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Leaving Cuihe Garden, Lu Yun said to Uncle Bao, “Uncle, I have to trouble you to run another errand.”
“As Young Master commands,” Uncle Bao smiled and said, “This subordinate is willing to go through fire and water.”
“Go to Qin Prefecture and visit the Prefect’s mansion.” Lu Yun instructed softly, “In my father’s name, talk with Lu Jian’s brother and have him hand over what Lu Jian gave him.”
“Yes.” Uncle Bao agreed without hesitation, then said with a bitter smile, “Can just talking make him hand it over?”
“As long as you talk well, it can be done.” Lu Yun smiled at Uncle Bao and gave him a tip, “He’ll definitely stall and say the thing is in his own hands. Then you tell him, if he doesn’t hand it over, we’ll tell Lu Wen about this. See if he still dares to scheme with a tiger!”
“Mm…” Uncle Bao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but then said uncertainly, “But from what Xie Min said, Lu Jian’s brother is suppressing this evidence precisely to blackmail Lu Wen. Why wouldn’t he dare to scheme with a tiger?”
“What does that woman know?” Lu Yun snorted and said, “Not everyone is as bold and reckless as them. As long as Lu Jian’s brother has any sense, he should be scared by his Older Brother’s fate. Even with Lu Jian’s abilities, he ended up with no burial place. Does he really want to follow in his Older Brother’s footsteps? Is he tired of living?!”
“So Young Master’s meaning is…” Uncle Bao said hoarsely, “That person just doesn’t dare to expose it, and doesn’t intend to use those pieces of evidence for anything?”
“Very likely.” Lu Yun nodded and said, “You can test him when you meet him to find out the truth. If he’s fearless, then he really is tired of living. Otherwise, I haven’t guessed wrong.”
“Yes.” Uncle Bao nodded, understanding, “If he’s already made up his mind to blackmail the Great Elder, he naturally won’t fear me. As long as he’s afraid, it means he doesn’t have the guts.” Then Uncle Bao asked, “But Young Master, what if he really is tired of living?”
“You’re an Earth Rank Grandmaster asking me what to do,” Lu Yun rolled his eyes at him and said, “Whether by force or by stealth, you’re much more capable than me!”
“Young Master, are you cursing me or praising me?” Uncle Bao couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.
“Of course praising you.” Lu Yun smiled with narrowed eyes.
“Young Master, I have a word I don’t know if I should say.” Unable to hold back, Uncle Bao retorted, “You’ve really become more shameless.”
“This is what they mean by near-ink-becomes-black.” Lu Yun sighed, but he had never lost a battle of words.
This pair of lord-retainer uncle-nephew who depend on each other for survival burst into loud laughter.
After laughing, Uncle Bao said worriedly, “But with this subordinate gone, who will protect Young Master?”
“Don’t worry. After we return, I’ll stay home and prepare diligently for the Grand Competition two months from now.” Lu Yun smiled and said, “Besides, in another half month, I’ll be able to take on two of you by myself.”
“Cough cough,” Uncle Bao coughed disgruntledly repeatedly and said, “Don’t bring up what shouldn’t be mentioned, Young Master…”
