Chapter 38

After dealing with the matter of Juzi, which took a little time, Lu Yuner gently pushed open the door and entered with a smile and an apologetic expression: “Hello, two elder sisters! Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Liu Lan waved to Lu Yuner, smiling, “You’re here, come sit down quickly, try the new tea that Ranzhi brought from Langzhou.”

“Alright.” Lu Yuner came to the table and sat down. As soon as she entered the room, she smelled a faint tea fragrance. By the scent alone, she knew this tea must be excellent.

Han Ranzhi poured a cup of tea for Lu Yuner, handed it to her, and said with a doting expression: “Try it, how is it?”

Lu Yuner took the teacup, slowly sipped it, and her eyebrows slightly raised in appreciation. She praised, “The taste is smooth, with a sweet aftertaste that moistens the mouth, like a spring murmuring under the tongue. It’s indeed good tea.”

She put down the teacup and, thinking it had been some time since they last met, Lu Yuner opened with a greeting: “Elder Sister Ranzhi, did everything go smoothly on your trip to Langzhou this time?”

“Everything went well. However, your brother-in-law didn’t return to the capital with me this time.” Han Ranzhi replied. Seeing the confusion on Lu Yuner’s face, she then explained the reason, with a hint of joy in her tone, “Your brother-in-law is with child, it’s not easy to travel long distances, and the journey is tiring. Moreover, I have many official duties, and there are elders in Langzhou who can take care of him, so he’s staying in Langzhou for now to nurture the pregnancy.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuner’s eyebrows rose in delight, her face beaming with joy, “Congratulations, Elder Sister Ranzhi! It won’t be long before you can embrace your new identity as a mother.”

Since her soul transmigrated here, apart from the original body’s family, Elder Sister Ranzhi had been both a teacher and a friend to her, and also considered half a family member.

When she first arrived, everything was unfamiliar, including the original body. She didn’t have the so-called protagonist’s halo, relying entirely on her own efforts to grow step by step.

In this strange world, she thought that by doing her duties well, she would at least have food and clothing and live peacefully. Who would have thought that things wouldn’t go as she wished? She had shed tears under pressure, nearly been imprisoned in Zhaoyu due to persecution, and even had to kill for self-preservation.

As a law-abiding modern person, especially the taste of killing was a huge test for her body and mind, mainly because the original body had never killed anyone before. Because of this, she was depressed for a while and developed melancholy.

Fortunately, thanks to Elder Sister Ranzhi’s help and guidance, her journey had been relatively smooth.

So she was truly happy for Elder Sister Ranzhi.

Liu Lan grinned, winking at Han Ranzhi, and joked, “You’ve only been married for a short while and already expecting, Ranzhi, you’re impressive! At this rate, having two children in a year shouldn’t be a problem!”

Han Ranzhi laughed, “Stop teasing me. If you could rein in your flirtatious thoughts a bit, find a husband and settle down properly, you might do even better than me.”

“Is that so?” Liu Lan narrowed her eyes, pondered for a moment, recalled something, and her lips curved into a smile, “Then I’ll make an effort.”

Seeing that Liu Lan didn’t interrupt her as usual this time, but instead went along with her words and suddenly seemed to take her advice, Han Ranzhi looked surprised and instinctively glanced at Lu Yuner, signaling to ask what was going on.

Lu Yuner seemed to understand Liu Lan’s thoughts, recalling the day at the Imperial Academy when Elder Sister Lan suddenly left to chase after Sheng Qingzi. She guessed there was something going on between the two, but considering Sheng Qingzi’s past attitude towards Elder Sister Lan, it was indeed necessary for Elder Sister Lan to change her ways and make a good effort.

However, since Elder Sister Lan hadn’t revealed anything herself, she naturally wouldn’t say much. With Elder Sister Ranzhi’s intelligence, she would surely notice something later. So she shook her head at Elder Sister Ranzhi, indicating that she didn’t know anything.

Suddenly remembering the important purpose of her visit, Lu Yuner’s expression turned serious as she looked into the eyes of the two elder sisters and said solemnly, “I have an important matter to discuss with you two elder sisters today.”

Seeing Lu Yuner so serious, which was rare, Liu Lan immediately adjusted her sitting posture, and Han Ranzhi looked at Lu Yuner with a serious expression.

Lu Yuner recounted everything about Juzi, and at the same time took out the letter, “Please take a look, elder sisters.”

Han Ranzhi opened the letter, and as they delved deeper into its contents, Liu Lan and Han Ranzhi’s expressions changed from great shock to extreme anger.

With a loud “Bang!”, Liu Lan clenched her fist and slammed it on the ground to vent her anger, her voice cold, “Damn it! These bastards are so audacious, daring to line their own pockets and embezzle such huge amounts of silver. I think these old fools are tired of living!”

The reason Liu Lan was so angry was because it involved the matter of military pay. According to the time written in the letter’s content, it was around the time when the new Emperor ascended the throne. Due to the previous dim-witted Emperor’s extravagance and debauchery, the national treasury was severely depleted.

Later, when the Emperor issued new policies, the national economy gradually got back on track, but because the economic foundation was too poor, coupled with foreign enemy invasions at that time, it was a period of internal and external troubles, and military pay naturally became a big problem.

This military pay was not only the salary for the soldiers, but also provided them with military supplies and provisions to improve their living conditions. At the same time, once they went to war, where swords and blades were blind and life was at stake, it was very dangerous. The soldiers would leave this military pay, all their possessions, to their families, which was also a bit of comfort for those still living.

Although the soldiers at the frontlines lived a hard life, they fought bloody battles with the enemy to protect the peace of their homeland. The actions of these corrupt officials couldn’t help but dishearten the soldiers who had built the city walls with their flesh and blood.

Now that the country was peaceful and prosperous, it was all because they had sacrificed their small families for the greater good. Liu Lan had followed her mother to Huabei since childhood, living and eating with the soldiers, knowing more about their hard life and the dangers on the battlefield. Compared to these officials who only sought pleasure, Liu Lan naturally burned with anger.

Until she saw the writer at the end, Han Ranzhi’s eyes, which were filled with cold sharpness, clearly showed bewilderment. She frowned, her hand holding the letter trembling slightly, and said in disbelief, “Yan Luo? How could it be him?”

Seeing Elder Sister Ranzhi’s strange reaction, Lu Yuner sensed something was amiss: “What’s wrong? Elder Sister Ranzhi, do you know this person?”

Han Ranzhi’s solemn gaze gradually deepened, as if searching for familiar but long-ago memories in her mind: “Yan Luo was once a male professor at the Imperial Academy. Although he was a man, he was talented and accomplished, not at all inferior to women. Later, at a young age, he was made an exception and allowed to teach at the women’s college of the Imperial Academy.”

“This Yan Luo and I are from the same hometown, so I know a little about this. He’s about seven years older than me, an orphan who was adopted by a kind-hearted cloth merchant from a young age and treated like their own child. Later, after his adoptive mother passed away, he came to the capital to start a new business, intending to open a cloth shop. It happened to be the year shortly after the new Emperor ascended the throne, eagerly seeking talents regardless of gender. After layers of selection and passing the Emperor’s examination, one could enter the court as an official. Later, he took first place among men and became the first male professor at the Imperial Academy.”

“Because of this, his deeds in the capital were widely spread in Langzhou, but also because he was a man, the public had mixed opinions about it. But in my opinion, he was a respectable man. However…” Han Ranzhi’s gaze fell back on the letter, uncertainty in her voice, “However, I heard that he had already resigned from his position as a professor and returned to Langzhou.”

“Returned to Langzhou?” Lu Yuner asked puzzledly. This was unexpected, but it didn’t lower her suspicions. “But if he returned to Langzhou, why didn’t he take Juzi back home? What’s even stranger is, as a professor, how did he get hold of the account books of the Imperial Academy’s inside information? Why did he leave such important evidence behind without reporting it to the authorities?”

Hearing this, Liu Lan immediately reacted, speculating uneasily, “Something’s not right! This man called Yan Luo might not have returned to Langzhou, he might have… met with misfortune!” She cast a worried glance at the two of them, “You should know that if these account books were presented to the Emperor, the heads of those corrupt officials at the Imperial Academy would roll! Moreover, how could those bastards let him return safely to Langzhou? This might just be a cover-up. You know, only dead men tell no tales!”

Han Ranzhi narrowed her eyes in deep thought, frowning: “I will immediately send someone to Langzhou to confirm if Yan Luo ever returned. At the same time, I will report this matter truthfully to the Emperor. But there are many eyes and ears in the palace, and this account book involves serious matters. Before that, Sister Yuner must keep it safe. As you said earlier, those people must have noticed something. Remember to be careful of your safety.”

“Yes.” Lu Yuner was naturally aware of these things. From the moment she opened the account book, she was already deeply entangled in this maze. Behind these huge amounts of embezzled silver, there must be a bigger puppet master pulling the strings.

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Lan put her hand on Lu Yuner’s shoulder, her cold gaze revealing a hint of ruthlessness, “If they dare to harm Sister Yuner even a bit, let them try. I’ll show them what it means to be tired of living.”

Liu Lan had long been irritated by that old thing at the Imperial Academy. If it weren’t for Sister Yuner telling her to endure, she would have dealt with that old thing long ago.

Lu Yuner’s eyes curved into a smile, a warmth surging in her heart, as if she were surrounded by sunlight, feeling incredibly warm.

Although she had known Elder Sister Lan for a shorter time compared to Elder Sister Ranzhi, Elder Sister Lan treated her like a sister. Thinking back to the last time when she was inexperienced and nearly imprisoned in Zhaoyu due to the schemes of villains, if it weren’t for Elder Sister Lan protecting her in front of the Emperor and strongly proving her innocence, she definitely wouldn’t have come out unscathed.

Since then, she knew that the world was full of treachery, and to survive, she had no choice but to grow up and become her own strong support.

At this moment, Lu Yuner suddenly recalled what Sheng Qingzi had said before, realizing that it was him who had taught at the women’s college. At the same time, she flashed back to Liu Bing’s meaningful gaze when mentioning that male professor, as well as the nameless lonely grave she had seen in the suburbs on Qingming Festival.

Her intuition told her that this Liu Bing was definitely not simple and might know something.

Meanwhile, at the Qin residence.

A middle-aged woman dressed in brocade, elegant and noble, had a terribly cold expression, her face twisted with ferocity.

“If it weren’t for my people discovering it, when were you two planning to tell me!” Qin Jin coldly stared at Hu Lanzhen and Du Hongying kneeling on the ground, her gaze icy and cold, her voice cruel and merciless, sending a chilling sensation down one’s spine. “Useless! You two are useless! It’s been over a year, and you haven’t found that thing, which is bad enough, but now you can’t even deal with a stinking dog. What use are you two!”

Qin Jin appeared kind on the surface but was ruthless at heart, stopping at nothing to achieve her goals, using any means necessary.