Chapter 913 - 914 Method_1
Yang Chuxia encountered Ye Yi and Ye Er in the evening.
Someone came from outside with a message, claiming that two men 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 mentioned.
Soon after, Ye Zi’an came out from the study and confirmed 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 men all the way into an old alley in the city. When I went to the county yamen (government office) to report it, I just happened to run into Ye Er. By the time the yamen officers arrived at the alley, the person you told me to watch was gone, and they only caught a few underlings. It’s possible he noticed me 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 men must have received specialized training; they were of good quality.
"Since Ye Ziping has run away, he will likely notify Black Fur or someone else," Yang Chuxia said. "I guess for the next while, they’ll probably hole up somewhere and won’t come 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 method will probably take a few days to implement," 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 remember how Ms. Hua Junior died?" Yang Chuxia asked him.
Ye Zi’an certainly remembered. Ms. Hua Junior had died of illness in the prison, and soon after, Ye Zi’yong too had passed away.
"At the time of their deaths, when the yamen went to notify Hua Village, no one came to claim the bodies. Coincidentally, I met 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 yamen generally announced deaths to the family, unless the deceased was someone of extreme 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 assumes 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 some 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.
Meanwhile, Ye Zi’an continued to stay at home, taking care of children and spending time 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.